tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32962160384900589432024-03-13T04:02:50.528-07:00the Ravings of a Restless Mind...princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-26022600872721817542009-05-03T15:11:00.000-07:002009-05-07T17:07:19.815-07:00Mammoth Caves caping trip, Day 0 (April 9th 2009)<div style="text-align: justify;"><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CRAHULJ%7E1%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="City"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="State"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="country-region"></o:smarttagtype><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Wingdings; panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:2; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} /* List Definitions */ @list l0 {mso-list-id:279146375; mso-list-type:hybrid; mso-list-template-ids:-989165542 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693 67698689 67698691 67698693;} @list l0:level1 {mso-level-number-format:bullet; mso-level-text:; mso-level-tab-stop:.5in; mso-level-number-position:left; text-indent:-.25in; font-family:Symbol;} ol {margin-bottom:0in;} ul {margin-bottom:0in;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Late Wednesday afternoon my boss suggested i take the Friday off as it was not worth driving for 1 hour each way for just 4 hours of work, ( nice boss, right!!) as my workplace was having a half-day in lieu of Easter celebrations.I was mighty glad to hear it as I have worked hard for the last three months at my new workplace without a single vacation day (i.e. apart from the weekends which usually race past doing household chores and getting some much needed rest ).</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">My new workplace doesn't allow any "paid" off-days for the initial six month period, at the end of which I get 1 day, and at the end of the first year I get total four off-days (sucks big time!! ).</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">At the end of the next year I will be eligible for eight to nine days, but it seems like too far away to even think of now.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">These vacation days are so less that I can’t even think of taking them to go to <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">India</st1:place></st1:country-region> at least not after the end of the 3rd year, when it becomes like eleven to twelve days.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">So looking at this year ahead and seeing very few chances of going anywhere this was a welcome relief.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">I’m not complaining (on second thought ,maybe a little !!..lol!) but merely stating that it’s no use going camping on regular weekends as the big National Parks are so far away.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">I do plan to go on day trips or one day camping trips in the summer weekends to nearby Sate Parks in <st1:state st="on">Illinois</st1:state>,<st1:state st="on">Missouri</st1:state> or <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Indiana</st1:place></st1:state>.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Anyway as soon as I found out about it,</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">I frantically started to look around for a one.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Over the last couple of months I had done some research on National Parks and have categorized them according to the number of days it would take:</span></p><div style="font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify;"> </div><ul style="margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;font-family:times new roman;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Weekend trips – State Parks in <st1:state st="on">Illinois</st1:state>, <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">Missouri</st1:state></st1:place>, Indiana etc. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">3 day trips – Mammoth Caves National Park, Big South Fork National Park etc.</span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">4 day trips – Badlands National Park, Shenandoah National Park etc. </span></li><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">> 4 day trips – <st1:place st="on">Yellowstone</st1:place> National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park etc. </span></li></ul><div style="font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div style="font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">By the looks of it "> 4 day trips" are not going to happen this year.
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<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">I needed to decide on a NP by Wednesday night, as I had to pack all my camping stuff so that I can go directly from workplace on Thursday.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">My first choice being Big South Fork National Park near <st1:state st="on">Kentucky</st1:state> and <st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on">Tennessee</st1:state></st1:place> border.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">As I wrote on my face-book regarding my impending trip a friend inquired if he could join, which would have been nice, but as it turned out he <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">couldn't</span>’t as some urgent work came up which he had totally forgotten.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Unfortunately i take along a huge amount of stuff with me while camping:</span></p><ul style="text-align: justify;font-family:times new roman;"><li><span style="font-size:130%;">A Big Suitcase with my tent, sleeping bag & pad, gas stove, lantern etc (permanently stays in my car);</span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">A Small Suitcase full of clothes,as there are very few chances of taking a shower i prefer to change clothes at least once a day (contrary to what i would do if had stayed at home for the whole period..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">hehehe</span>!!) and my slow poke laptop (which i plan to switch from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">XP</span> to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Ubuntu</span> pretty soon to see if that runs any faster);</span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">Video camera $ camera bag along with the tripod;</span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">2 comforters, a pillow and a woolen blanket (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">vinmo's</span> "soft" blanket liked by many a delicate bodies..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">lol</span>!!), which are also a permanent part of my car now;</span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">A shoulder bag full of different kinds of chargers for all my electronic gadgetry;
<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">A Backpack full of utensils, first aid and paper towels.</span></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">
<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The last two were also a permanent part of my car until they were stolen recently :( (my fault being, i kept them in the back seat rather than in the trunk).After packing all these stuff in my car I went to work Thursday morning eagerly awaiting the end of the work day so I can start my first journey of the season. But during the lunch break I found out that there were severe thunderstorm warning throughout the weekend for Big South Fork. This drastically changed my plans and I started to look for another place. Not eager to go to a weekend designated trip (look above for definition) on a 3 day vacation I finally decided to go to Mammoth Caves even though rain was forecast over there as well, but on a less severe scale and sporadically . I guessed if it is raining outside better to go and visit the caves as it will be too soggy and dark outside anyway. But photography inside the caves brought forward me having a bright lens ( unfortunately all my lens, apart from the 105 MM macro are dark, i.e. have a small aperture size). As my friend had mentioned that he had bought a 50 MM f/ 1.8 lens and that I could borrow it if I needed to I decided to ask if he can lend it to me for the weekend. Luckily he said yes if i could pick it up from his place on King’s drive, which i gladly agreed too.</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br />
<br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;font-size:130%;">I studied the NP map and decided to stay in the main visitor center campground so that I don’t have to worry about the ferry timing which controls the time to go to the other part of the national park where most of the "above the ground" trails, bluffs and scenic drives are. I even called them up to confirm if they allowed after our campers. I also tried to reserve a site but only the "first come first serve" sites where left. I looked at which cave tours were available for the spring season and printed them out, but decided against reserving them online as I thought there won’t be too many people at this time of the year (and you can't imagine how wrong I was about that) .</span>
<br />
<br /></span> </div><div style="font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The big disadvantage of picking that 50MM lens was that the detour took me extra three hours driving through traffic.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">It’s weird that I get heavy traffic similar to that of on Friday (which is understandable) on I 55 south. I think its because Thursday night is college night! and people start to celebrate the weekend long before it actually starts. Anyway to get to Mammoth Caves I had to cross <st1:state st="on">Indiana</st1:state>, which is straight drive to the south through <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Indianapolis</st1:place></st1:city>. It’s surprising that in the last seven to eight months where ever I have gone apart from <st1:city st="on">Saint Louis</st1:city> I have passed through <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Indianapolis</st1:place></st1:city>. After a six hours of "just driving" I reached the camping site at around 2:30 AM. The ranger was not there, but they had all the paperwork ready for after hour/ late arrivals. The campsite rates where $ 17 per night and I was supposed to put the money and a filled out form in a kiosk, but since I wanted to pay by credit (did not have the exact change anyway), I decided to just find myself a quiet site to camp and pay up in the morning like I have done so many times before.
<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><div style="font-family: times new roman; text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:times new roman;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >I took a campground map from the kiosk and drove around the farthest camp loop twice o look for a secluded spot so that the noise (from pitching a tent) does not disturb nearby campers in deep slumber. On second time around the loop I found a place to my liking and as I pulled up in the parking spot I saw a small family of deer’s grazing at the place. As I stepped out of the car the deer’s give me an innocent look or two before quietly walking away. It was a warm, clear, star studded night and I felt amazing (almost as if this was my home) to be out in the open under the sky after a long time. Recently while searching for camping "tips and tricks" I stumbled upon</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >“ Widow Maker” which refers to dry overhanging branches during fall winter and early spring which are susceptible to fall on innocent campers :D. Looking up, I only saw dead branches like a witch’s fingers covering the entire site. I Looked around for some evidence of previous such happenings on the ground and finding nothing decided to camp underneath the thickest of all the overhanging branches (don't know if that was a stupid idea, I am open to suggestions) .</span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style=";font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >I kept the engine running to provide me with some light (I forgot my lantern batteries and my torch) to get the base of the tent pegged down, but later as my eyes got used to the darkness I switched it off and finished putting up the tent by the moon/ star light. It was already 3:30 AM before I got everything inside the tent and got ready to go to sleep. I decided against waking up early for sunrise as that would probably have given me around two hour’s of sleep at the most (not a good idea at the start of the trip) ,thus putting an alarm for 7:30 AM. I felt stiff but not sleepy ,but as I lay on my comfortable bed (made off comforters) listening to the sounds of night (occasional chirping of some night bird, rustling of the leaves and breaking of tweaks under the feet of some animals or just plain old wind and tiny drops of rain hitting the tent) i don't know when sleep crept in.</span>
<br /></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;" class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-65671418752530125452009-04-25T16:54:00.000-07:002009-05-05T11:30:26.103-07:00It has been a BAD BAD!! BAD!!! week<div style="text-align: justify;">"Ravings of a Restless Mind" !! well the mind has been pretty restless over the last few months but it hasn't raved at all , and maybe that's why it has been so restless, who knows !!! . As i forcefully drag myself to start writing a new blog post on paper before i type it out (if i do it at all). The way things have been ( i haven't posted anything since Jan 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">th</span>), it might be never :D. I feel bad that i have started so many series but haven't completed even one :(. Most of the times be trying to be a perfectionist to post all the blogs after i have sorted and retouched out all the pictures ( and there's a lot of them) which has converted this blogging thing a dead zone. So from here on i write down the post and will update it with pictures and videos later as i go along. Lets see how long this plan lasts!! <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">lol</span>!!.<br /><br />It has been a BAD BAD!! BAD!!! week :<br /></div><ol style="text-align: justify;"><li>Somebody broke my car window over the last weekend (found out Monday morning while going to work);</li><li>Initially i thought only my backpack with some utensils and first aid kit was stolen but later found out he/she (can't be gender biased these days..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">lol</span>!!) have taken my 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">nd</span> favorite FOSSIL bag along with all my electronic gadget chargers and a single leather glove(and as promised on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">FACEBOOK</span> will mail the other if contacted, as it a waste for both of us).</li><li>Got a toll violation (crime committed 3 months ago) as my I-pass failed to act when i was driving the rental car because some girl named "Nancy Fast" (not kidding , true name) rear ended me with her sonata, her reason being she braked but the car didn't stop. But off course Miss Fast!</li><li>Got a late payment fine for house rent because it took the check (USPS) 8 days to go from Lincoln Park to downtown. I think if i had just dropped the check on the street it had a better chance of getting there on time..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">hehe</span>!!.</li><li>Got a parking ticket for parking 15' near fire hydrant. Now this particular Fire Hydrant on Deming Street is towards one side of the 30' yellow "No Parking Zone" mark on the pavement. I thought since its not encroaching the yellow mark its OK , as otherwise there will be 45-50' of no parking space, which in L Park is a crime. I am contesting it , lets see how it goes. But the city being bone dry of funds(so they say!!) i don't expect logic prevailing over orthodox legal rules.<br /></li><li>Plus some family related issues , made the whole week one of the real BAD one in recent past.</li></ol><div style="text-align: justify;">Since I haven't been raving about personal things for a long time, guess it's time i do a short recap of the last few months.<br /><br />Well i started working at a new place since early JAN 09 in a company called <a href="http://www.usadrivesinc.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">USADrives</span> Inc.</a> specialized in making urethane belts. The work place is 26 miles away from my place in L.Park and my daily commute takes me through lake shore drive and I-55 the two worst traffic areas, which gets rock solid with cars when it rains, snows or even drizzles. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">BTW</span>, worth mentioning is that i got a speeding ticket on my first day at job, just outside the office (made me 1/2 hr late) and it was a harsh one (my boss warned me of the cops in the locality but alas too late). For those people who are pragmatically strict about rules, YES!! i was speeding . I was over the speed limit by an earth shattering 10 MPH (driving 40 mph at a 30 mph zone). Luckily the fine was just $65 and a 3 month probation (at the end of which points against my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">DL</span> would be removed if i didn't have any more moving violations). I hope that's the case (3 1/2 months have passed) and haven't received/got any of those yet. But with my bad luck going on it might show off next week.<br /><br />The second most important thing was that i got over my recent crush/infatuation. I am an emotional weakling in that section and it makes me imagine the person involved to be too perfect in everything. My infatuated delirious mind rejects every good advice from friends and family and puts the said person on a pedestal believing that she has the same ideological believes i have and is willing to die or live by it. But when these delirious cloud faded away i saw the truth, as her portraying to be something she is not. I fell for a girl thinking she is the one who likes to walk against the traffic but guess its was just a facade to try to be different and was (still is) very good at keeping it up, and that's what i hate the most (i.e false portrayal). Anyway i sound bitter but i would say i am lucky!!. :D.<br /><br />Another thing i have noticed is that people don't like to return other peoples money (guess its a good <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">trait</span> if you have it yourself ,not the people you lend money too..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">hehehe</span>!! but unfortunately i am a sap in that department too). I have heard excuse like "they are waiting for meeting me next time "(which unfortunately doesn't happen frequently) , but there are numerous other way to send money if you really want too without meeting physically. Miss CM owes me some money, but she always says she will give it the next time we meet, and as its not that frequent , she starts with a line that "she forgot". On one occasion "she said she forgot and will give it to me the next time", when we were in her apartment (she could have just given it to me right then :O). And guess what, this is the same girl who used to transfer money as soon as possible when we were just mere acquaintance. Looks like the closer you get to a person the more hard it is to get money back from them (shouldn't it be the other way around... <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">lol</span>!!). And she is not the only one, Miss R and Mr <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">GG</span> are in line....Guess its the peoples mentality that if you ask them politely (i.e without any dramatic fanfare, they presume you must not really really want it back :O). Why can't just "i can't" be enough and mean what it means and i don't have to add words like "really" to make it more believable. If i mean "i could/should/would/might" i would use "could/would/should/might". We are stuck in world where we need things to be hyped to the nth degree to seem natural/normal. Seems like we are "screaming wolf" all the time and we all know how that is going to end.<br /><br />Like it has been said life always throws <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">curve ball</span> at you when you least expect it, sometimes this brings a lot of misery and sometimes it brings a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">minuscule</span> smile , which at the end of BAD BAD Week <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">seemed l</span>ike a oasis in a desert (hyped up!!! :D). And a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">concerned</span> voice from a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">totally</span> unexpected person did the same on a gloomy <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Friday</span> work day.<br /><br />P.S: I did go camping on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Easter</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">weekend</span>, details of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">which</span> will be coming long in the next post.(soon i hope!!)<br /></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-68737905663405187172009-01-04T18:52:00.001-08:002009-01-14T16:53:36.763-08:00Chicago-St. Louis-Philidalphia-Washington-St. Louis-Chicago....part1<div style="text-align: justify;">So many things have happened since my last blog. Even though i have started to write some but haven't been able to complete them, plus there are so many other travel blog series i started and posted the first one,but haven't been able to add to it that it seems almost futile to start another of those series.<br />But the highly optimistic streak in me keeps on telling me that its the right way to go. So i find myself staring at another defeat of logic against my whimsical idiosyncrasy. Anyway, making the best of the situation i made some small ground rules to make the thing go faster, but from my past experience i have learned that some how my mind is programmed to break the rules...<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">hehehehe</span>.<br /><br />So to start off i drove to my sisters place in my Black Volkswagen <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Jetta</span> (very nice car but the upkeep is back breaking..:( ) on Dec 24<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span>' 08 afternoon. The drive was quite uneventful apart from the fact that i got the car back from the service station in the same afternoon. On 25<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> went to my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">BIL's</span> sister's place and spent some quality family time. We also watched a Hindi movie "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Golmaal</span> Returns" which was full of cheesy jokes , but since i have lost my sense of enjoyment of Hindi movies it was little bit of a bother but luckily there were just 2-3 songs and they skipped the songs, so was not that bad. As we watched the sunset in their backyard while sipping tea and munching on some <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Indian</span> snacks, i felt sad to be living far away from family.<br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWF7UKkv-NI/AAAAAAAAFXE/zekVlDMQaHk/s1600-h/DSC_9479.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWF7UKkv-NI/AAAAAAAAFXE/zekVlDMQaHk/s400/DSC_9479.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287643023875766482" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">sunset from the backyard in Chesterfield, near St. Louis, MO<br /></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We left after having dinner and chit chatted some more. Luckily i had my GPS with me, which even though is slow to "recalculate" ,at least makes sure we reach home eventually :D. The closing down of the I-64 for 3-4 miles near my sister's places makes it a nuisance to move around as i have to switch of the highway avoidance in the GPS for the part of the way or completely.<br /><br />We were planning to leave next day 26<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">th</span> Dec'08, evening (as my BIL had to go to work) and stop near Columbus, OH for the night before driving on to Philadelphia, PA next day. For information's sake the drive time to Philadelphia is little bit more than 14 hours and Columbus is almost in the middle.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Since there was nothing much to do in the morning i decided to go to the St Louis Art Museum, in Forest Park quite close to my sister's place. Forest Park, which says it is the bigger than Central Park is very nice place with winding roads and bridges and small ponds or fountains. Since it was in winter the trees were bald and were not much of a view but my sister tells me that the park is very nice in fall.<br /><br />I probably did half of The Saint Louis Museum as its not a big museum (the biggest ones in US so far encountered by me is MET in NYC and the Art Museum in Philadelphia; Chicago is smaller but its artifacts are of the same level as the other two), but it still has some good artifacts in patches.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGV1CRt8jI/AAAAAAAAFYg/zZUCAN4lrhw/s1600-h/DSC_9498.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGV1CRt8jI/AAAAAAAAFYg/zZUCAN4lrhw/s320/DSC_9498.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287672175886463538" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGV1XvxVCI/AAAAAAAAFYo/M8TURrD-14M/s1600-h/DSC_9502.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGV1XvxVCI/AAAAAAAAFYo/M8TURrD-14M/s320/DSC_9502.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287672181649658914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Head of Christ, French or Flemish,1500-50</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGV2VxMGcI/AAAAAAAAFZA/5YXDejbkGZI/s1600-h/DSC_9507.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGV2VxMGcI/AAAAAAAAFZA/5YXDejbkGZI/s320/DSC_9507.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287672198298606018" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGV15zN3fI/AAAAAAAAFYw/EtgS_KZHTY8/s1600-h/DSC_9503.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGV15zN3fI/AAAAAAAAFYw/EtgS_KZHTY8/s320/DSC_9503.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287672190790917618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Head of St. Roch,French,late 15<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">th</span> century<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGV2MPSZTI/AAAAAAAAFY4/-NY5QMXcouc/s1600-h/DSC_9506.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGV2MPSZTI/AAAAAAAAFY4/-NY5QMXcouc/s320/DSC_9506.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287672195740493106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">St. John the Evangelist,German,c.1500<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGZEDeQIGI/AAAAAAAAFZI/m25mQIpq3F8/s1600-h/DSC_9509.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGZEDeQIGI/AAAAAAAAFZI/m25mQIpq3F8/s320/DSC_9509.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287675732440391778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Diptych with Virgin and Angels and the Crucifixion,French,Ivory,c.1340-60</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGfXqklSUI/AAAAAAAAFak/QvU_Bg_DGZ8/s1600-h/DSC_9523.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 273px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGfXqklSUI/AAAAAAAAFak/QvU_Bg_DGZ8/s400/DSC_9523.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287682666423208258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Augustus Saint-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Gaudens</span>:1859-1907,American, Bronze,"The Puritan" ;c.1899<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span>They have some good painting from the masters like Van <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Gogh</span>, Renoir, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Cezanne</span> etc , but just on of each.</span> But the big (covering a entire wall) by Monet is their centerpiece. The simplicity with which Van <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Gogh</span> makes his painting (without putting much paint, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">sometimes</span> you can see the bare canvas below) , but depicting the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">scenario</span> or expression with the strokes is absolutely astonishing.<br /></div><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGgQi5lhpI/AAAAAAAAFas/L-22-DP7jiA/s1600-h/DSC_9536.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGgQi5lhpI/AAAAAAAAFas/L-22-DP7jiA/s400/DSC_9536.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287683643616364178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Claude Monet;1840–1926,French, </span>"Water Lillie's",c.1916-26<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGgRamsacI/AAAAAAAAFa8/ptaEERmz10o/s1600-h/DSC_9539.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 335px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGgRamsacI/AAAAAAAAFa8/ptaEERmz10o/s400/DSC_9539.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287683658569509314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Vincent van <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Gogh</span>;1853–1890,Dutch, "Stairway at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Auvers</span>",c. July 1890</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGgR6ZgOwI/AAAAAAAAFbE/aynFKHC4jdw/s1600-h/DSC_9543.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 380px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGgR6ZgOwI/AAAAAAAAFbE/aynFKHC4jdw/s400/DSC_9543.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287683667104119554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Pierre-Auguste Renoir;1841–1919, French, "The Dreamer",c.1879</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGgQ5mDp_I/AAAAAAAAFa0/d9Et5PAkMqI/s1600-h/DSC_9537.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 381px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGgQ5mDp_I/AAAAAAAAFa0/d9Et5PAkMqI/s400/DSC_9537.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287683649708468210" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Paul <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Cezanne</span> ;1839–1906,French, "Bathers",c.1890-92</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">I am very meticulous about giving proper captions to pictures in put of artifacts from museums even though it takes me a hell lot of time to find all the details. But i spent a lot more time in for these stuff as they don't have a updated collection list/<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">catalog</span> on their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">web page</span> (<a href="http://www.slam.org/">www.slam.org</a>) which is surprising but quite expected as they <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">definitely</span> don't have the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">financial</span> power the big museums got. So i found myself spending countless hours painstakingly going through each entry of their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">catalog</span> twice before i proclaimed them not having an updated list. So, if you see artifacts not marked up,its just because i didn't find the exact detail of it, but they are all from St Louis Museum.<br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">The have some good <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Asian</span> (mostly from <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Chinese</span> origin) stuff and just couple of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Indian</span> sculpture (an <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">ardahnariswar</span> and one <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">nataraj</span>, both <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">probably</span> from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Chola</span> period). The mask below is one of their flagship artifacts and is on their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">flyer's</span> but not on their online catalog (which is bad as per me)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGizyjuByI/AAAAAAAAFbM/GyI2Uftqxa4/s1600-h/DSC_9560.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 280px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGizyjuByI/AAAAAAAAFbM/GyI2Uftqxa4/s400/DSC_9560.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287686448138290978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Decorative Applique",</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Chinese</span>(Western <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Zhou</span> dynasty</span>),<span style="font-style: italic;">Bronze,1050-771</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> BC<br /><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGi0yqHCdI/AAAAAAAAFbU/TQGWj0rVkZU/s1600-h/DSC_9565.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 295px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGi0yqHCdI/AAAAAAAAFbU/TQGWj0rVkZU/s400/DSC_9565.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287686465344965074" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGoQlf2xvI/AAAAAAAAFb0/6wyOBNGu5P4/s1600-h/DSC_9587.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGoQlf2xvI/AAAAAAAAFb0/6wyOBNGu5P4/s400/DSC_9587.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287692440406771442" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGi1IkaEEI/AAAAAAAAFbc/_dEr7PIwOps/s1600-h/DSC_9573.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGi1IkaEEI/AAAAAAAAFbc/_dEr7PIwOps/s400/DSC_9573.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287686471226626114" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGoQ5p6bqI/AAAAAAAAFb8/g8Lr0KO47nE/s1600-h/DSC_9590.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGoQ5p6bqI/AAAAAAAAFb8/g8Lr0KO47nE/s400/DSC_9590.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287692445817663138" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Wine Vessel",<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Chinese</span>(Western <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Zhou</span> dynasty</span>),<span style="font-style: italic;">Bronze,late 11</span><span style="font-style: italic;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">th</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> century BC</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGi1UJr3HI/AAAAAAAAFbk/ygVSpt43bug/s1600-h/DSC_9580.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGi1UJr3HI/AAAAAAAAFbk/ygVSpt43bug/s400/DSC_9580.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287686474335771762" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGi2B56MmI/AAAAAAAAFbs/cyeV93ggNzg/s1600-h/DSC_9582.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGi2B56MmI/AAAAAAAAFbs/cyeV93ggNzg/s400/DSC_9582.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287686486617633378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Grain Vessel",<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Chinese</span> (Eastern <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Zhou</span> dynasty)</span>,<span style="font-style: italic;">Bronze,first half 6<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">th</span> century B.C<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGoRZeXerI/AAAAAAAAFcE/tckpLiQHQO8/s1600-h/DSC_9603.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 272px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGoRZeXerI/AAAAAAAAFcE/tckpLiQHQO8/s400/DSC_9603.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287692454359169714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Guanyin</span>",<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Chinese</span>(Northern Song dynasty),Wood,11<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">th</span> century</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGoSPCMyqI/AAAAAAAAFcM/2YmDk871DwQ/s1600-h/DSC_9605.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 270px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGoSPCMyqI/AAAAAAAAFcM/2YmDk871DwQ/s400/DSC_9605.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287692468736543394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Covered Censer in the Form of a Lion-Dog",Chinese, Yuan Dynasty(1279-1368 AD) or Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD),Bronze with gilding<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGoScqhGRI/AAAAAAAAFcU/4wzPlTYuUnw/s1600-h/DSC_9611.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 304px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWGoScqhGRI/AAAAAAAAFcU/4wzPlTYuUnw/s400/DSC_9611.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287692472395307282" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIkZBxYVvI/AAAAAAAAFdE/4Fb2bAJ8EJc/s1600-h/DSC_9615.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 270px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIkZBxYVvI/AAAAAAAAFdE/4Fb2bAJ8EJc/s400/DSC_9615.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287828924877264626" border="0" /></a><i>"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">Usnisavijaya</span></i>" (in the back), Tibetan,Bronze,19<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">th</span> century<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIkZTN8XwI/AAAAAAAAFdM/AL-nStwYD4g/s1600-h/DSC_9618.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIkZTN8XwI/AAAAAAAAFdM/AL-nStwYD4g/s400/DSC_9618.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287828929560469250" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIkZwa_SNI/AAAAAAAAFdU/QXDziQIEb8Y/s1600-h/DSC_9623.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIkZwa_SNI/AAAAAAAAFdU/QXDziQIEb8Y/s400/DSC_9623.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287828937399814354" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIkaKffQZI/AAAAAAAAFdc/SOPXZy15Lwg/s1600-h/DSC_9624.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIkaKffQZI/AAAAAAAAFdc/SOPXZy15Lwg/s400/DSC_9624.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287828944398008722" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Bust of an Unknown Man</span>",Roman,Marble,A.d. 160-180<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIkatq6KxI/AAAAAAAAFdk/UlA92IbNumY/s1600-h/DSC_9628.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIkatq6KxI/AAAAAAAAFdk/UlA92IbNumY/s400/DSC_9628.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287828953841150738" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIlbywcOfI/AAAAAAAAFds/0rb8IIlVPto/s1600-h/DSC_9648.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 302px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIlbywcOfI/AAAAAAAAFds/0rb8IIlVPto/s400/DSC_9648.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287830071898028530" border="0" /></a><i style="font-style: italic;">"Reclining Pan</i><span style="font-style: italic;">"(in front)attributed to Francesco <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">da</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">Sangallo</span>(1494–1576),Italian, Marble,c.1535</span><br /><i>"Judith and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Holofernes</span>"(Rear front);</i><span style="font-style: italic;">Giorgio <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Vasari</span> (1511–1574),Italian, Oil on Panel,c.1554</span><br /><i>"St. John the Baptist</i>"(Rear back);<span style="font-style: italic;">Michele <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Tosini</span>(1503–1577),Italian, Oil on Panel,c.1570</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIlccpsC6I/AAAAAAAAFd0/7T4_1g6rNDs/s1600-h/DSC_9661.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIlccpsC6I/AAAAAAAAFd0/7T4_1g6rNDs/s400/DSC_9661.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287830083143994274" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIldMBeE_I/AAAAAAAAFd8/sySnYUmzRcc/s1600-h/DSC_9682.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 269px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIldMBeE_I/AAAAAAAAFd8/sySnYUmzRcc/s400/DSC_9682.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287830095860208626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Powder Tester</span>";<span style="font-style: italic;">Picino Frusca (1640–1704),Italian,Gilded bronze, steel, and wood,2nd half 17th century</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIleLO6ecI/AAAAAAAAFeE/BBaEQau7Whg/s1600-h/DSC_9688.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIleLO6ecI/AAAAAAAAFeE/BBaEQau7Whg/s400/DSC_9688.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287830112828029378" border="0" /></a><i>"Augustus III, Elector of Saxony and King of Poland</i><span style="font-style: italic;">";Johann Joachim Kaendler (</span><span style="font-style: italic;">1706–1775)</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"> German, Porcelain and bronze with gilding</span>,<span style="font-style: italic;">c.1736</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIle7snvPI/AAAAAAAAFeM/ZgsDuvlcjeQ/s1600-h/DSC_9717.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 308px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWIle7snvPI/AAAAAAAAFeM/ZgsDuvlcjeQ/s400/DSC_9717.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287830125837532402" border="0" /></a>"Corn Set";Russel Wright (1904-1976),American,Chrome plated glass and brass,c.1934<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWImnwxo3mI/AAAAAAAAFeU/4g1oOnTtCD0/s1600-h/DSC_9723.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SWImnwxo3mI/AAAAAAAAFeU/4g1oOnTtCD0/s400/DSC_9723.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287831377036238434" border="0" /></a><br />The museum also had a lot of contempory and modern art, but me not being a big fan of thoose , so concentrated on the other stuff, but will cover them on my next visit. I think the major section i missed this time is the african artifacts and portions of the european stuff along with american and native indian art.<br /><br />It was nice to see many people in the musuem as i strongly belive on can not proceed in present and future properly without knowing ones past (and i am saying it in a very broad sense, meaning not my immediate past as an indian, but my entire past as a human being).<br /><br />Anyway after i came back from the museum and resrved a hotel for the night, we had to wait till 5:30 pm before starting off as BIL couldn't come back early enough as he had hoped. On our way to the hotel "Days Inn" on I-70 near columbus, OH we stopped at Denny's (as per my plan to introduce to my sis and BIL to all the food joints..:D). But i can promise you my sister is not going to enter another Denny's anytime soon..lol!!..as its was beyond too greasy in her view. we reached our hotel around 2PM as they are one hour ahead of us :(. The hotel was nice for the price and we had a good nights sleep before starting the next leg of out journey in the morning, but that's a different post (keeping my fingers crossed that it will be the next one, and not become the first entry of a series blog like so many others before it).<br /><br />P.S: added two ancient Chinese artifact details :D (Jan 14th 2009)<br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">Copyright@ 2008 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">Rahuljit</span> Pal</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">For more pictures please visit<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal">http://flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal</a></span></span></p><br /></div></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-46258313281516607282008-11-22T18:19:00.001-08:002008-11-23T11:32:32.202-08:00Pointless Rumblings (Chapter -winter'08, Part-turmoil, Section-Waiting time before the cricket game starts) :D<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I know i have tons of other stuff to do like go through and organize massive number of pictures from the last two camping trips (gosh !! one of the was in July.. i am really lazy!! like i didn't know that..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">hehehe</span>). <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">BTW</span> the cricket game i am talking about is India vs England 4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">ODI</span>, a make or break one for <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">England</span> as far as the 7 match series is <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">concerned</span> (for those no cricket followers). Since i am on the topic of cricket would like to mention couple of things. Firstly i find Kevin Peterson (the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">English</span> captain) a really optimistic fellow(after the 3rd consecutive <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">ODI</span> lose to <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">India</span> he said <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">at least</span> the margin of runs is going down from 158 to 54 to 16 in the last one...:D) Which is good as you don't loose your focus come what may. Secondly i came <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">across</span> the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Guardian's</span> sports blog (the UK one) and have become a instant fan of it because of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">blogger</span>'s sense of humor and taking the sport as a sport not as a war ,<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">of course</span> when the game is finished(during the game its all fair if they become like Ozzy let loose on a flock of doves or bats for that matter..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">lol</span>).<br /><br />One of the piece from their ongoing India Tour Diary -"<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2008/nov/19/india-england-cricket-tour-diary">is it so wrong to keep players up late getting drunk</a>" where the blogger tries to justify with an example of Ian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Botham</span> "</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >....bludgeoned 122 from 55 balls with 15 fours and seven sixes, after being totally drunk the night before. It was especially brilliant as it had the desperation of a man with a terrible hangover, half wanting to succeed, half wanting to get out and go and have a lie down.</span><span style="font-size:130%;">" is absolutely hilarious. :D. He goes on <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">describing</span> the some of those nagging travel experience you have in India where things starts to go wrong and then everything just falls in place in one of the most unusual way. Like when he got a lift from a guy named <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Siddhant</span> on his motorbike because the taxi wasn't allowed to wait because of security reason. (</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >"..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Siddhant</span> would particularly like to say "hello" to his girlfriend in Canada via this diary. I'm happy to oblige. She has chosen well. How many Indians walking out of a day-night international at, say, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Edgbaston</span>, and struggling to find a taxi back to the city centre, would be offered a free lift from a young <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Brummie</span> on a motorbike with the comment: "It is my city, it is my gift''? I rest my case."</span><span style="font-size:130%;">). Its <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">also</span> very funny to see how at least some of the "Western Civilization people"(i always use these words with a snare..:D) see how <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">ridiculously</span> over blown their fear of security is in any <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">other</span> country apart from their own. (</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >"Because England were in the adjoining hotel, police lined every yard of the route, except that England players never leave their hotel for officially-induced fear of attack from someone vaguely connected to the Axis of Evil."</span><span style="font-size:130%;">)<br /><br />Another piece by Barney <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Roney</span>(reminds me of "The Flintstones" ..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">hehe</span>) "<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2008/nov/22/cricket-england-india">How do you get <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Yuvraj</span> Singh early</a>" made be crack with laughter specially when he mentions one of his dreams </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >"Only yesterday morning I found myself waking up from an uneasy dream in which I was playing beach cricket with a stick of rhubarb while Nicolas <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Sarkozy</span> whispered repeatedly in my ear "On <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">doit</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">rejêter</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Yuvraj</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">tôt</span>" only to open my eyes and find myself dressed in nothing but a pair of batting gloves and scrawling the words "You've Got To Get <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Yuvraj</span> Early" on the wall with a bright red lipstick. I was so shaken up I had to get off the bus."</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />The most surprising (in a very funny sort of way )piece of them all was "<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/nov/23/india-cricket-team-wags">Meet the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Bolly</span> Wags</a>". It talks about the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Bollywood</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">GF's</span> of the current <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Indian</span> cricket team. Cricket has always has a history of attracting <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Bollywood</span> actress's (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Patudi</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">Sharmila</span> Tagore being the most famous <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">up till</span> now). But take a look at the current line up and all you can say is there must be something behind girls falling for fame and money, at least till they last ..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">lol</span>!!.<br /></span></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Dhoni</span> + <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">Deepika</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">Padukone</span> (previously with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Yuvraj</span> Singh) - Do you see the move towards a much more famous and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">riches</span>. :)</span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">Ishaant</span> + Katrina <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">Kaif</span> - the current most promising 20 yr old pinup guy (who just signed for $900,000 in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">IPL</span> and currently the most talked about guy in the cricket world, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">of course</span> was not a reason) with a 24 yr old pin up actress</span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">Sreesanth</span> + Lakshmi <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">Rai</span> (i have no clue who she is!, but she was linked with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">Dhoni</span> before..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">hehehe</span>) - don't need to say anything here , if you have gathered the trend you know she had to grab the next best available as the previous one went higher up.<br /></span></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Its has been the case since the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">beginning</span> of mankind , hot, sexy and attractive women will fall for the rich and famous and vice <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">verse</span> (<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">of course</span> the women have it little bit harder as they have to look <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">at least</span> good <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">up to</span> some level :D). The above examples also <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">prove</span> my point that fame and money always makes a guy look nicer and cuter (nothing wrong in it , if we accept the fact), without those added stuff all these guys will be considered creepy by these girls.<br />Whatever people say in the talk shows, books or other media about this thing being not true and "NORMAL" people won't do the same but if we are honest enough we will agree that we would have done the same in their position and probably 10 times faster. For all those <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">delusional</span> people who believe it's all about "LOVE" well they are so far away from the truth that nothing i can say will make any difference.<br /><br />The fact remains that it's all those people in between rich and poor, famous and nobody that talk about inner beauty and connection and all that emotional <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">mambo</span> jumbo.<br /><br /><br /></span></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-14152662718146311462008-11-20T19:38:00.000-08:002008-11-22T18:18:20.974-08:00Pointless Rumblings (Chapter -winter'08, Part-turmoil, Section-nothing better to do) :P<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">PROLOGUE</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Let me clarify the "Chapter -winter'08, Part-turmoil, Section-nothing better to do" thing before i go on with my actual objective for those incoherent readers :P ( now!! now!! don't pout!! you are reading my blog ..what else do you think my first expression will be :D) . It all started with the inspiration to put down few of the million pointless things that go around in my head day in and day out, and since i needed some kind of categorization to see if there is a psychopathic trend there (all those psychology cuties (girls only !!! i am 100% straight with no intention of straying from the path).if you do stumble upon this and see some eccentric pattern, please leave me a comment with your phone no. and email ID along with a min 2"X 2" picture (larger size pictures highly appreciated). Pictures are for "once in a blue moon" kind of situation when i have to decide between two or more!!!. Anyway back to explanation, Chapter- explains the weather and year (as you can by yourself see , no need for explanation); Part- explains my current mood/life condition (has to predominantly exist for more than 2 weeks to qualify) and Section- explains the current condition. I think i have found a categorization of which even Freud would have been proud of (boasting of course.. he would have found we a total nut job right away).</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chapter -winter'08, Part-turmoil, Section-nothing better to do</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Life seriously has been in a turmoil this last month or so (come to think of it the whole of 2008 has been a turmoil and i have been suffering from an unprecedented form of feeling comprising of sadness and restlessness). I have also been suffering from sudden bouts of "no social contact syndrome". I am not anti social, on the contrary i thrive in social gatherings, if people can overlook my first expression of a creepy guy ..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">hehehe</span>. It probably has something to do with the "sadness and restlessness" feeling i was talking about ( Cute female psychology student, don't u think i am the best character study for you next class project, leave a COMMENT NOW!!! :P). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">And to top it all i have to go to work everyday 2Hrs commute to the south of the city (i live on the north side of the city). I always used to make fun of hordes of people commuting to the southern suburbs when they lived in the norther burbs or vice a verse , but now it has come to bite me on the ass and say "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">ahhh</span> u thought you were smarter than us". Well i am not complaining about the commute and work, its OK. I just cut down on stupid TV stuff i used watch endlessly just to waste time and now i watch only the things i adore. Like couple of days back i watched "Godfather" for the umpteenth time. This movie which i can watch umpteen times more still gives me pure movie watching pleasure. Even though this movie has countless memorable quotes (come to think of it everything is famous) but the ones i like the best are :</span><br /></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-size:130%;">"I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse- Don Corleone "- its ranked second most famous quotes , but the credit goes to Brando for making a simple line memorable.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Fredo</span>, you're my older brother, and I love you. But don't ever take sides with anyone against the Family again. Ever. - Michael <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Coleone</span>"- this one is one of my favourites specially because of the conviction with which it is delivered by Pacino.<br /></span></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Well i can go on and on about all the other quotes as there are so many and it difficult to choose , but you get the point.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The other movie i just watched again is "A fish called Wanda". I don't know how many of you have seen or heard of it , but its one of my favourite comedy(i term it eccentric comedy- do you see a pattern emerging now ..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">lol</span>!!). Kevin Kline richly deserved his Oscar.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">These quotes lead me to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years..._100_Movie_Quotes"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">AFI</span> Top 100 Movie Quotes</a>. i generally agree with their rankings of the quotes apart from some major ones like (which should have been higher):</span><br /></div><ul style="text-align: justify;"><li> <span style="font-size:130%;">"After all, tomorrow is another day!"-Scarlett <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">O'hara</span> from Gone With the Wind<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">"Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you?" - Dustin Hoffman from The Graduate</span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">"Bond, James Bond" from any Bond movie<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."-Humphrey Bogart from Casablanca.<br /></span></li></ul><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Another thing i differ with their rankings is that of Humphrey Bogart. He is a damn good actor and is definitely in my top three its just that i prefer the smooth gentlemanly Cray Grant and soft spoken timid Jimmy Stewart before him. Of course i totally agree with their top three. </span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">First being "Frankly my dear i don't give a damn" by Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind, and third being the "You don't understand! I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">coulda</span> had class. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">coulda</span> been a contender. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">could've</span> been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am" by Marlon Brando from The Waterfront.</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Anyway..its past 12 AM and i need to go to sleep like a good little boy i am..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">lol</span>!! will continue this Rumbling series ..</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">PS: i haven't abandoned the Fall trip series, just need some time to sort out the pics :(</span><br /></div></div></div><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AFI%27s_100_Years..._100_Movie_Quotes"></a><br /></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-47278589980985139602008-11-12T22:19:00.000-08:002008-11-12T23:13:26.364-08:00Fall Camping Trip-"The Great Smokey Mountains": Day0<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >PROLOGUE</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Its been quite a long time since i have written a blog. I haven't even completed the two series blog i started namely "the wilderness trip" and "books that shaped" me which is so typical of me as i start things with a lot of exuberance but i fail to keep it up all the way through. Well my life has been in quite a turmoil most of the previous month(details are too personal to mention in here).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">One of the major reason for this delay is because previously i haven't written down the day to day happenings during my travel on the same day and have waited for to get all the pictures and videos sorted out. But this time around i have written my blog before turning in to sleep after a day of travel(and i think i like it and intend to do it all the time from now on).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Anyway i did promise myself to finish both the series of blogs before 2008 ends(giving myself lot of time and keeping it real, that's the new me these days(don't know yet whether it for good or worse).</span><br /><br /><br /> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >SMOKIES DAY 0</span><br /></div><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I decided to visit my sister in St. Louis on Friday (October 24th) evening before driving to the Smokies on Saturday. My plan was to leave early morning on Saturday and reach by afternoon and visit the Ripley's Aquarium before setting up tent in the evening. But Friday not being a very lucky/happy day for me because of the cancellation of a very nice job offer due to government cut backs on funding for their space programs(this reminds me i have to check up the details of Chandrayaan I, the Indian moon rocket after i get back).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">"I am overjoyed at the successful launch and progress of the Moon orbiter and am really looking forward to Chandrayaan II to launch a Russian made rover on moon surface and then to have an Indian astronaut sent to moon. Its good to see that the space mission in India is going so good , which makes the third party design work given by NASA to small companies makes a very distinct and realistic possibility of similar thing happening in INDIA."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">So i spent an evening with my sister and Nirvik dining at a very nice restaurant close to their house. As my visits to their place each time ends up experimenting with different kind of foods that they haven't tried so this time we ordered some prosciutto covered figs in cheese as appetizers and a big bowl of lobster bisque (which was good but still quite naturally the best one i ever had was in Nova Scotia ). We tried the Riesling 2007 wine which was really good (little bit pricey though for $29 , but it was in a restaurant so ..kind OK) even though it was a screw cap wine :D. My sister and Nirvik really liked the semi sweet and fruity flavor of the wine and i think that wine with bits of smoked ham,green apple and Gruyere cheese tit bits will be a great meal starter.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">As an entree we ordered BBQ ribs (St Louis style :D), trout with white beans in garlic butter sauce (its one of the best fish i ever had )and chicken pot roast.I have always liked the western kind of fish rather than the indian variety which i can't withstand.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">The drive from St Louis to Elkmont campground in Smokey Mountains(Tennessee) was 442 miles. I drove at about 10 MPH above the sped limit over the entire length was able to make quite good time, stopping for only gas and at Walmart to get some propane tanks for my cooking stove and steel tent pegs (the southern accent of the people over there always makes me laugh, don't know why-no disrespect to anyone though). The day drive was a trip full of nostalgic moments. During the drive from St. Louis to Smokies i passed through Nashville and i crossed the Hotel Preston where me and Miss CM spent a night(actually 4-5 hrs) because of the flight fiasco from Florida to Chicago during our spring break trip to Miami. While driving from Nashville to Smokies i passed the hotel we stayed at on my 2005 spring break trip there (Smokies was just a day halt in a week long road trip, my first ever in US). Before entering the Elkmont campground i drove around the little river road, which brought back (and i think i stopped over at the right place, approximately) where me and Victor Broto jumped off in the below zero spring mountain river water on our own accord :D (i didn't knew swimming then as well). I think all my roaming around in the Smokies will keep reminding me of the 2005 trip.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Anyway i reached my camping site by 8:30 PM and set up the tent within 30 minutes ( with everything done almost properly this time). I am getting good at this . This time around i have brought lots of comforters/blankets to make my bed as comfortable as possible. Didn't cook at night but will start off the morning with some heated up soup or tea and cake:D. The camera bag has become really heavy with my new addition of 105mm Macro lens and a 70-300mm lens along with the rest of the lot. I need 3 more lens,another camera body and a nice sturdy tripod/mono pod to be almost happy with my equipment (of course there are small attachments you keep needing as you progress :D). After setting up the bed i looked over all my previously printed out details and maps of the Smokies(these days i like to do my home work before...do you see my nature changing? do you? :D) and decide to go to Oconaluftee.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Somebody said that they have seen some bears on the camp ground entrance. I hope i am able to get a picture of one of them(not a 400 lb ,10 feet near me kind of thing though). Last time i saw a black bear was in Apostle Island campground,Wisconsin but couldn't take a picture then (it was past dusk, so was pretty dark as well). That trip is memorable for another reason than that though, and boy was it a funny one in retrospect...heheheh :D.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">BTW i found out now for sure that even the less visited state parks in Canada have better facilities than the best and most visited National Parks in US( don't know whether it's the people or the government..hehehe).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Anyway will go to sleep now , but have to remember to pick up some firewood, soap and hand sanitizer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">good night!!</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">bunes noches!!</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">good nuit!!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">to me!</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">and hope the bears don't come knocking on my tent .. :D</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzDDYOmTva-VQwQ0sqJFD-Fc48695Q7cXpWzhiFdeWvmghLQbVSlAbwL9HEW8qZcQmdNWdPs6sqcC3GfLju' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >setting up tent at Elkmont Campground (Smokies</span><span style="font-size:130%;">)-took me about 30 mins</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dx9sA8QmjZlsH4rzxlozd5E_jFG2IZ-Fq9Z0xXMn8QQDV2EaQB1ky-No17M4ca75mieez3-MSzd6lvd_HkKQA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >inside my tent talking arranging things and talking to myself i guess..heheheeh</span><br /></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-87833622576473475742008-10-11T23:27:00.000-07:002008-10-13T20:21:42.133-07:00books that shaped my life.....part1<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">During my last blog entry, i was reminded of how literature (English, Hindi and Bengali) has shaped my beliefs and behavior. I had started to read novels quite early in my life, most of the time not even understanding 50% of the lines and completely missing out the depth of the of matter in hand or the "in between the line's" stuff which makes a book far more interesting than any other form of media. But subsequent re-reading of my favorite stuff as i grew along, made me understand the authors view point far more precisely. I personally think that the best way to enjoy a piece of writing is when you can identify yourself with the protagonist and actually can relive the whole story within your mind. Of course you need a certain level of imagination to achieve that goal but once you are the protagonist you can truly feel and enjoy the "in between the lines" (which of course depends on the persons interpretation, which makes it even more enjoyable).<br /><br />Before i go on blabbering about more literary complicated author's and their novels that shaped me, i will like to mention that i did read a lot of "Hardy Boys", "Nancy Drew", "Famous Five" and similar kind of books along with numerous comic books (ranging from Tin tin, Asterix </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" style="font-size:130%;">Chachha</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" style="font-size:130%;">Choudhury</span><span style="font-size:130%;">, </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" style="font-size:130%;">Pinki</span><span style="font-size:130%;">, Phantom,Tarzan, Superman, Batman..etc) before moving on. Surprisingly enough i still like to read comics of superheros as no other </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" style="font-size:130%;">written</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> material gives me simple uncluttered childish pleasure.<br /><br /></span></div><ol style="text-align: justify;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Frank Baum</span><span style="font-size:130%;">: "The wonderful </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" style="font-size:130%;">wizard</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> of Oz" is probably the first children book i read and it triggered my imagination with its "Emerald city". But until recently i always presumed the Wicked Witch to be the most evil witch of all times. But after watching the play "WICKED" it made me realize the old saying "all that glitters is not gold". BTW</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> i recently found out that some so called hip people haven't even heard about OZ and some knew it by watching the movie. Don't know what the hell these people were doing when they were kids:O.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Charles Dickens</span><span style="font-size:130%;">:Similar to a lot of people i started my journey of more complicated literature with Charles Dickens. The first time i read Oliver Twist, it was in those small pocket size books which had sketches on one side of the book every few pages(i think i got it as a birthday gift from somebody :D). As you read through Oliver Twist, David Copperfield you start to feel the highly idealistic and immensely optimistic way of story telling. Great Expectation is one of his novels which i actually understood in depth, when i re-read an unabridged version at a later age. But the novel which defined what love is for me was "the tale of two cities". Both the books opening line (It was the best of times, it was the worst of times....) and the ending line ("It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known.") are the words that still shake me up time and again. This novel secured by belief of "unrequited love being the purest form of love" (a definition i still adhere to ) as it encases my firm belief that when somebody gives without asking anything in return it shows of pure love. Another of his book worth mentioning is "the ghost of Christmas carol" which showcase another optimistic view point that it's never too late to change.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Alexander Dumas</span><span style="font-size:130%;">: The "Three Musketeers" whose hallmark quote "one for all, and all for one" laid down my first beliefs about loyalty and friendship. Though as i grew older, and the initial innocence faded ,the quote become "one for all, all for one*" (* conditions apply). His other vastly influential book being "the Count of Monte </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" style="font-size:130%;">Cristo</span><span style="font-size:130%;">" which still remains my all time favorite adventure novel. I actually didn't know how complicated and important all the characters and the links in between them were till i read the unabridged version from Gutenberg.org(which remains my best source of unabridged classics).</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Herman Melville</span><span style="font-size:130%;">: The only book i have read from this author is "</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" style="font-size:130%;">Moby</span><span style="font-size:130%;">-Dick" and is my3rd</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" style="font-size:130%;"></span><span style="font-size:130%;"> most favorite adventure tales. This being my 2</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" style="font-size:130%;">nd</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> Pictured pocket book, which probably led to my fascination towards whales (i finally got to see one on my trip to Nova </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" style="font-size:130%;">Scotia</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> this summer). It's one of those long books whose symbolic (biblical and otherwise) and metaphorical meaning came to me later, after re-reading. The image of captain Ahab's standing on the deck and asking everybody to attack the white whale still lingers in my head.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Mark Twain</span><span style="font-size:130%;">:"The adventure of Huckleberry Finn" and "the adventure of Tom sawyer"being by first glimpses into American lifestyle. I could really identify with Tom sawyer, the naughty prankster where as Huckleberry Finn introduced me to the Black Slavery situation in America. His books sparked my long time dream of going down the Mississippi. Mark Twain truly kick started the American literature scene.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >R.K.Narayan</span><span style="font-size:130%;">: "</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" style="font-size:130%;">Malgudi</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> days" being one of the those books which i read after watching it on T.V. Normally i am very skeptical about this kind of thing, but the simplicity of "</span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" style="font-size:130%;">Malgudi</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> Days " is amazing and Swami remains my most liked Indian child protagonist.</span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Thomas Hardy</span><span style="font-size:130%;">: No single author has as much impact on my thinking as much as Thomas Hardy. All his novels were on social structure and I think he was way ahead of his time. He wrote of things that people are facing now but were considered unthinkable at that time. The first work i read was "Tess of </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" style="font-size:130%;">d'Urbervilles</span><span style="font-size:130%;">: A pure woman faithfully presented" and is one the books which i first read the unabridged version (almost 400 pages or so). It opened my mind towards the sexual double standards that our society suffers from for such a long time. He long wrote against the norms of Victorian notions of female purity which plagues our society even now as it's so deep rooted that people who are trying to stand up against it get crushed by the society. The other book that greatly influenced me was "Jude the Obscure", which i think is more about Sue </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" style="font-size:130%;">Bridehead</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> than Jude himself. Sue is a picture of a modern day independent women, who are complex yet irresistible and mystifying (at least in my </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" style="font-size:130%;">POV</span><span style="font-size:130%;">) as long as they adhere to their own independent thoughts and ideas, but eventually fall prey to the so called social norms under everlasting pressure of social scrutiny and destiny (as Sue </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" style="font-size:130%;">Bridehead</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> embraces religion at her time of crisis and goes back to her husband but dies within). Sue is the most sexually free thinking heroine in the entire history of literature. These days writers are proving their free thinking by describing the actually sexual act rather than the turmoil and the beliefs behind </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17" style="font-size:130%;">sexual</span> <span style="font-size:130%;">freedom. Sue also</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18" style="font-size:130%;">portrays</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> in my </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19" style="font-size:130%;">POV</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> the constant duel within a women to like her stability or normality of marriage yet yearn for the passion and turbulence of sexual freedom. Some of the conversations between Jude and Sue will linger in my mind for ever as it showcase woman's capability of withstanding some extreme adversity with defiance yet totally crumbling down under some. I think men can never have this wider range of </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20" style="font-size:130%;">strength</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> or vulnerability. A woman's strength is probably her extreme weakness as well. I strongly believe when Sue </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21" style="font-size:130%;">Bridehead</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> say "Because no man would touch a woman unless she gives him a reason to. A touch or a look that say come on. If you never look, they'll never come. You are the timid sex." I am always attracted to girls or women who believe in their own thoughts and freedom yet am </span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22" style="font-size:130%;">frustrated</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> to see these same women submit to the social norms. Most of the women i have meet who had a strong conviction eventually ended up with a total submission which destroyed their individuality and their independence. Unsurprisingly these two books(his last) caused a major uproar at those times and will probably have the same reception if people read it nowadays. His other books that i have read and liked are "the mayor of </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23" style="font-size:130%;">casterbridge</span><span style="font-size:130%;">" ,"the return of the native" and "far from the maddening crowd". I can go into details of my thoughts on each of his books but that will be too much :D. I also believe that Hardy is partially to blame for my being an atheist and having a very sarcastic view point towards GOD and all his followers. Thomas Hardy remains among my top five favorite authors.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Lewis Carrol</span><span style="font-size:130%;">: "Alice's adventure in wonderland" and "through the looking glass" really ignited my passion for fantasy land. His word play and logic behind the utter gibberish is absolutely breathtaking. The hall mark of a true fantasy is when the reader starts believing in the fact that it might be true, which the so called modern day famous writer like J.K Rowling can never achieve. She might be earning a lot of money and fame but that doesn't make her work worth noting, similar to the fact that a master or </span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24" style="font-size:130%;">Phd</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> degree doesn't make a person educated(both of which are taken as granted by the so called society of ours).</span></li></ol><span style="font-size:130%;">While writing this post i found out that its going to be a long post so have decided to crop it into parts.<br /><br />End of Part 1</span>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-52258641155923851692008-10-01T19:24:00.000-07:002008-10-02T17:59:31.271-07:00Am i a Atel ??... :D<div style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I have been called a lot of things in different languages in my existence so far. It all started(as far as my memory goes) when my sister started calling me</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" > Ashobho </span><span style="font-size:130%;">(uncultured),</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Jongli</span><span style="font-size:130%;">(wild) and </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Janowar</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> (animal). It was said all together in a rapid fashion and with an acute sense of anger (and most probably i deserved it all the time), but surprisingly rather than being disgusted or peeved i took these rhyming words ( repeat it for 100 times and you will feel the rhyming part in your bones :D)as a compliment. I don't exactly remember the first time i heard it , but knowing myself i think i would have felt a sense of accomplishment. And "praise the lord above" today i felt the same along with a sense of immense pride when called an </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Atel</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> . Of course when the word was first bestowed upon me i had no clue of its meaning, but did recall having heard it before somewhere (probably heard it from vinmoo). Initially i thought that it was some kind of softer synonym for </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Gadha</span><span style="font-size:130%;">(literal meaning "Donkey" but actually implies stupid or idiot) , which oddly enough ;) i have been called quite a few times followed by lots of "@#$#$^%$#@#@" (silently of course, people i mingle with are not as </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Ashobho, Jongli, Janwar</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> as i am). So on hearing it and not being offered a meaning by the plaintiff, when asked , i took it upon myself to find out what it meant. So using my best friend "goggle" i found this Blog entry by "<a href="http://immutef.blogspot.com/2007/12/sundays-are-for-atlami.html">Imhotep's Asklepion</a>"which describes the word </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Atel</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> and </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Atlami</span><span style="font-size:130%;">. CCPing off his blog the definition of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Atel</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> and </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Atlami </span><span style="font-size:130%;">and giving the unknown original author the full credit(the blogger mentioned is a member of the same CCP crime syndicate).<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">...to trace the root of the Bengali word "Atel", with the nasal chandrabindu over A and the soft T.<br /><br />My guess is that it comes from an abridged version of the French pronunciation of the word "intellectuelle". The "in" is pronounced as exactly we say A with a chandrabindu over it. And the "t" is soft.<br /><br />So Bangla "Atel" is basically the French "intell".<br /><br />"Atlami" is of course the Bangali's attempt to form a Bangla noun about the vocation of the Atel. So, Atlami is the Bangla bastardization of what is known in romantic European languages as "intellectualism".<br /><br />"Atlami" has the same negative connotation among Bangalis as intellectualism has in the west."</span></blockquote></div><div style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Assuming this definition quite plausible, i found it highly </span><span style="font-size:130%;">acclamatory. I have to check with vinmoo regarding the validity of the definition before i proudly start proclaiming myself </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Atel</span><span style="font-size:130%;">, along with </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Ashobho, Jongli, Janwar </span><span style="font-size:130%;">and </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Odbhut</span><span style="font-size:130%;">. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Odbhut</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> being the previous kudos by the same plantiff, although i have been called </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Odbhut</span><span style="font-size:130%;">(meaning weird) in at least 6-7 different languages and dialects(counting only the ones i could decipher). Another surprising fact is that me being an"</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Atel</span><span style="font-size:130%;">" was the gist(she didn't use the word <span style="font-style: italic;">Atel</span> , and i am pretty sure she doesn't know it either)of a 2 hour long argument with my sister just the day before. I personally feel a conspiracy by the universe against me as i tend to get most of the similar kind of adjectives heaped on me from different(completeley unrelated) people within a very short time frame. It also makes me ponder whether i change my attributes on a fixed time basis from one to another like the Chinese calender (e.g.year of the rat or donkey or cock..... :D). If i was in the medieval times i would blame it on the celestial orientation of the stars, planets,the sun and the moon but that not being the case lets analyze it intellectually :D wheteher it is a compliment to be proud of or to rectify.<br /><br />WARNING: The intellectual analysis will be a pure form of "<span style="font-style: italic;">Atlami</span>" and readers(if any) will probably feel an utmost urge of bestowing some adjectives on me(the good part being that you can use "#@$$##$#$#%$%@@" as loudly as you want as you probably are not near me :D).<br /><br />I do agree that i tend to vigorously judge people,according to my own rules(which i have noted and modified (when needed,but it seldom does :D)during the course of last 23 odd years, and probably am in a situation where it can no longer be modified), but who doesn't. Every single person is judging everybody else all the time and for small and irrelevant reasons(e.g. habits, sexual preferences, financial situations, dressing etc). At least i judge people for one reason only,i.e them being stupid or not. My sister blames the effects of Oscar Wilde (my favorite author) for my behavior or the lack of it .<br />To quote Oscar Wilde (who will definitely be one of the prominent Knights of the round table of Atel's if not King Arthur ):"there is no sin except stupidity" .Of course the definition of stupidity has to be thought out by the person himself as <span class="body">OW said "A man who does not think for himself does not think at all" and will probably not concur with any other person in the world. But the gentlemanly thing to do is agree to the other persons intelligence when witnessed, if not immediately then later (at least silently :D).</span> I don't know why people get pissed off when i call them stupid (more by my actions than words, thats what i have been told) when they by themselves know where they stand(if they don't know,they won't know it even if they were hit by a truck saying stupid on it in bold letters), which wouldn't change even if i keep calling them stupid for the rest of my life or theirs. Actually its the semi-intelligent people (i am an optimist and don't like calling people semi-stupid ;) ) ,i.e. the people who know they are not entirely stupid but are not confident enough to stand by themselves,who yearn for being noted . I wonder if i constantly tell people all the nice things they want to hear will they ever call me an <span style="font-style: italic;">Atel </span>. That's something i probably will never know as buttering people without a motive is not my cup of tea.<br /><br />Now looking at in a different way, i get numerous advise from people telling me what i am doing wrong with the intention that i should change at least in front of them(i am excluding my sister from this analysis as she always has my benefit in her mind when giving advice by the truckload:D). Isn't giving advice to anybody(not that i am complaining about the advice given as that keeps me on track ;) ) and calling somebody <span style="font-style: italic;">Atel</span> is a form of <span style="font-style: italic;">Atlami</span> by itself.I on the other hand tell them what i feel is stupid, in my opinion (as they do to me) but i do not ask them to listen to me or change in any way. Then why isn't everybody calling themselves <span style="font-style: italic;">Atel</span>? If we pay attention to the fact that any human with even a little bit of gray matter will become an Atel at some point of time and will immensely enjoy it (though they won't agree to it openly) then actually <span style="font-style: italic;">Atlami</span> is a charecteristics not to be shunned but embraced with open arms.<br />My words sometimes sound harsh or maybe even impolite but if change the way i say things just to make it more politically correct and so that people can take it down easily then i am committing the crime of being untruthful to myself which is something i don't intend to do until and unless it's absolutely necessary.<br /><br />I don't know what made the plaintiff call me an <span style="font-style: italic;">Atel </span>this time around but i have always known when i have been an <span style="font-style: italic;">Atel</span> and i am most of the time self aware of my behaviour(maybe i don't say it loud) when sober. I would like to end this session of <span style="font-style: italic;">Atlami</span> by saying that i am proud to be an <span style="font-style: italic;">Atel</span> than being called a stupid as being an <span style="font-style: italic;">Atel</span> means that i have atleast something intelectual in me.<br /><br /><br />I have tried to analize things in a gentalmanly (i pride myself in being one...heheheh...) and intellectual fashion .I will like to finish by quoting OW.<br /><br /><span class="body">"A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally</span>".. :D<br /><br /><br />PS: if you don't get the joke read it again and again (but after 7 tries give up :P)<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Copyright@ 2008 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">Rahuljit</span> Pal</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">For more pictures please visit<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal">http://flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal</a></span></p><br /></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-33392001425015530432008-09-28T01:42:00.000-07:002008-09-28T04:28:08.491-07:00Om purna mada purna midam..........<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >"Om <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">purna</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">mada</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">purna</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">midam</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Purnaat</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">purnam</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">udachyate</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Purnasya</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">purnam</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">adaaya</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" ><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Purnam</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">eva</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">vasishyate</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Om <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">shanti</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">shanti</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">shantih</span>"</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Which translates into:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">"That is the whole, this is the Whole; from the Whole, the Whole arises; taking away the Whole from the Whole, the Whole remains"<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">(I had a fair idea of what it meant but the exact translations is goggled)<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">As i spend the night arranging and enhancing my pictures from "my wilderness trip" i suddenly look at the time and see it approaching 4:00 AM and only thing that pops in my head is "raga <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Ahir</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Bhairav</span>". I search it on you tube and find this gem sung by Pt. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Jasraj</span> (<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Internet</span> is the best blessing anybody could have ever asked for). This reminds of the fact that when i tell people i like Classical (both Indian and Western) music as well as most of the other <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">contemporary</span> forms like Rock,Jazz,Blues (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">I</span> just hate POP, there must be some good in it i just fail to see it)its they kind of make a face that suggests i am getting old or have <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Orthodox</span> thinking. Which is such a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">stereotypical</span> thinking as music defines the mood and the inner feelings and every kind of music has it's own niche. Actually if there is any form of music which is whole by itself its the classical form. Its just the tendency of people to neglect anything classical or old as not hip enough.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">In Indian Classical music there is a time frame for each raga, and anybody who has experienced the celestial feeling of listening to one of them in the time frame allocated can easily understand the reason. As i look back on the last few hours i can trace my mind going from "Raga <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Malkosh</span>" the midnight raga to "Raga <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Ahir</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Bhairav</span>" the dawn raga (4 AM-6 AM). Its amazing that we have lost track of our ingenious and rational mind frame over the last couple of thousand of years. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Sutra</span> i have mentioned above describes the wholeness or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">infiniteness</span> of things(nothing is absolute, which is the central nerve of <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Christianity</span>, Islam and the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">current</span> form of Hinduism), which is amazing as this has been written long before any kind of so called western thought of "infinity" was discovered. I know people think of Hindu(<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">VEDIC</span>, surprisingly very few people know that there's nothing called Hindu in our scriptures or writings before 16<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">th</span>-17<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">th</span> century, and its very much a foreign word...ironic..isn't it!!! i will continue to use "Hindu" throughout as its easier) religion as a fixed set of pagan rituals, which is true in the current situations as people are following all these rituals oblivious to the actual logic and reason behind them. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">In 1995, Chief Justice P. B. Gajendragadkar was quoted in an Indian Supreme Court ruling(source Wikipedia):</span> <blockquote> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">"When we think of the Hindu religion, unlike other religions in the world, the Hindu religion does not claim any one prophet; it does not worship any one god; it does not subscribe to any one dogma; it does not believe in any one philosophic concept; it does not follow any one set of religious rites or performances; in fact, it does not appear to satisfy the narrow traditional features of any religion of creed. It may broadly be described as a way of life and nothing more."</span></p> </blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">I am not saying that i know all (which probably is what it sounds like, but believe me i am not, though i agree i do get bouts of a pompous know it all) but when i see people getting prejudiced by what society as a whole have been doing,all the so called "Hindu things" i feel saddened. Somebody told me that "not eating beef is the only Hindu thing that she is doing". I can't express by remorse when i heard this as it is beyond the capability of my vocabulary. What they don't understand that being Hindu is not about what diet we have or what clothes we wear it's what we do and how we behave that defines us. The rational behind the rituals have been twisted to fit peoples own political or financial benefits so much that there's a only a bleak chance that we can get back.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">We are constantly being blamed by the western world to have bias based on caste whether knowingly or unknowingly, which is absolutely true (i am no going to agree to something just to keep up a false image ). Surprising even the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Brahmins</span> don't know what it actually means to be a Brahman (it has nothing to do with what your parents are or have been doing). If there is a god ,i don't think he/she(i don't want to mix up gender bias :D) well hold "eating beef" against us :D. On the other end of the spectrum i find all these fanatics (not terrorist type but just the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">highly</span> religious people) absolutely funny. If the so called GOD or celestial being created us and considers human being to be the best of his creation, would he ask us to suffer to be eternally happy. Which parents want their kids to suffer?? If GOD becomes happy because i am depriving myself of enjoying the pleasures of the world that he himself created then i can only say that he/she is "sadistic".<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">I recall my dad telling me once "when its about your loved ones, you don't want to tempt faith and think that just doing something without understanding is no big deal when you consider the bigger picture". I totally understand the point view , and that's what made all the rational behind the rituals vanish. For sure when /if i have kids definitely my pride doesn't come in before their well being and i will be following all the rituals that has to be followed and probably will follow them more vigorously . But what i am insisting is that people pass on the fact to their kids that whatever is being followed is not rigid and there is no harm if we deviate from some of the rituals but what is most critical is to have an open mind so that they can think of everything rationally.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">I also recall another saying my dad uses but himself doesn't follow all the time is :D"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">tume</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">adhom</span> hole, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">ami</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">uttam</span> hobo <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">na</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">kano</span>" (my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Bengali</span> spelling might be wrong :D) which translates into "if you are bad, doesn't mean that i can't be good". This i think is one of the most important things to always remember in this vastly materialistic times as it constantly reminds me that i should live my life according to my needs and requirements not what my neighbors and friends are having. If everybody things in these direction probably there will be no fights over petty things. I know its hard as being human means that we are prone to all these feelings (otherwise we will be celestial beings) but as long we don't let everything in our life being dictated by it we are OK. Its so surprising to find that people (specially Indian's..surprisingly i find it lesser in white folks) calculate other peoples worth by what kind of materialistic things they have. I am not saying that its not good to follow a materialistic approach to life, because if that's what makes them happy then follow the rainbow, but don't judge other people for the lack of it. Before coming to US i had a notion that education makes people more rational and less materialistic but surprisingly its not true as in India these days certain branches of education is followed vigorously because of the materialistic benefits attached to it not because of an actual quest of knowledge. We also have totally lost the fact that our religion (which is actually general guidelines for lifestyle not rigid rules) asks us to do what we are good at,and not what makes us more money. People(sadly mostly Indian's , white folks beat us here again) i meet day in and day out are all doing things without having their heart in it. People say that i don't work much, which i totally agree , but i can proudly say that whenever i work i put my heart and soul into it.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">This brings another saying that my mom uses a lot "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">jekhane</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">na</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">jaye</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">ravi</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">sekahne</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">jaye</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">kobi</span>"(again my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">Bengali</span> spelling can be screwed up) it translates into "the place where even sun can't go a writer(imagination) goes". This is a very beautiful line as it tells us that we are only limited by our thoughts/imagination. People have invented stuff and found things because they have allowed themselves to dream and not to be bogged down by the rigid rules and regulations of the society and religion. These days all religion does is limit or cloud our thinking for political or financial gains of some. Of course i am not suggesting that we let go of all the rules and let anarchy take over, as we do need a set of rules and guidelines as most of the people are not capable of handling pure freedom ,as i think freedom is freedom's worst enemy(don't know if somebody has used it before, if so the credit goes to him/her). But these guidelines should be to open our minds and let us think rationally so that we can derive our own conclusions.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">As the clock tick's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51"></span>towards 6AM and i feel totally drained i understand that i am dreaming of Utopia but then again we can't reach there if we don't dream of it first.I actually was supposed to write about Day1 of my "wilderness trip" but got so swept with this sudden feeling that i had to write it down, which i haven't done for getting peoples comments about "how profound it is but both "very profound" or "piece of shit" comments are equally welcome and will make me feel euphoric of having touched somebody enough to ponder over it (direction doesn't matter).<br /></span></div><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Copyright@ 2008 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">Rahuljit</span> Pal</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">For more pictures please visit<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal">http://flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal</a></span></p><br /><br /><br /></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-48492366988408564742008-09-23T23:05:00.000-07:002008-09-24T15:14:09.722-07:00wilderness camping trip, day 0 (June 30th 2008)<div style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Finally after 3 months of starting this blog, i am going to write an epic (sadly only 7 days of traveling is an epic for me for the time being) travelogue. The reason for this delay is blamed on lack of time( if you can believe that..i don't..<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">lol</span>!!) to sort out videos,pictures and my thoughts...<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">hehehehe</span>.<br /><br />The urge to go on a wilderness trip all by myself was the result of a growing underlying feeling of being sucked into something which i have been trying to avoid for a large chunk of my life( the details of which are too private to mention.. ;) ). But to satisfy the curiosity of any of my readers (hope fully i have at least few readers by now) i will agree to the well known secret that even though running away gave a specious momentary feeling of being released , but it never rooted out the problem completely. As i am still finding out, i am gradually rolling back to square one. Maybe if i keep going to trips like these quarterly i can stay in an euphoric state of denial, but alas this is a fad only for the rich people. Anyway , picking myself up from self pitying, and going back to the travelogue, i choose Canada as it vastly impressed me in my past trips (details of which will be published later) and i have heard so much about beauty of the maritime/coastal provinces of Canada. Since i have already been to Ontario and Quebec(not the northern part of the province though) i decided to go to New Brunswick,Nova <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Scotia</span> & Prince Edward Island (at least that's what the plan was initially) on the Canadian side and Maine and Boston(chosen because its the biggest city where i can fly to for driving to Canada) on the US side. The initial plan was to stay in cheap hotels or B&B's but after a quick search i found that even the cheap ones were not less than $70 a day, so i decided to switch to camping which is almost 1/4<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">th</span> of that even with electricity(i thought its best to have it to charge my numerous equipments). Once again the color green dictated my travel plans(i know i have started to sound like a broken record), but the good thing is that this forced change was one for the best.<br /><br />I had done my homework of reading up on all this places and looking at the travel time, places to see,made all the reservations and had even made up a Excel sheet hour by hour schedule. Friends and acquaintances will agree that its very unlike me. I blame (i like to pass on the buck,..:D) it on "The People" who keep hammering me with the idea that its high time i grow up and become organized with my life ("The People" are still not happy with the changes though :( ). On the suggestion of Mr. BIL i had bought a GPS system, which came in mighty handy most of the times.<br /><br />My plan was to fly to Boston on an early morning flight (8:45 AM)(30<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> June , Monday) and then drive to Fundy National Park(my first destination,10 hr drive from Boston) by sunset while visiting some of the famous Maine lighthouses on the way. I should boastfully add that the previous 3 days i was visiting Montreal with family and had driven almost 2500 miles all by myself :D, and had reached Chicago Monday morning at about 4am and had to return the car at 7:30 AM before going to the airport, thus only getting chance to catch some <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">ZZZZZ's</span> in the cab ride to airport in the last 24 hours. Even though "The People" will like to call it stupid i say its my time management skills :D.<br /><br />Well it was not as peachy as i had planned. There was a lot of traffic on the way to the airport, and at a point i thought i will miss my flight by hours. Anyway i just reached the airport 15 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">min's</span> before the allowable luggage check in time. My flight was with American and let me tell you, their service sucks!! and when i reached the terminal there was a huge line at the ticket counters and even on the automatic kiosk's. After staying in line for almost 10 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">min's</span> i finally reached a kiosk but was unable to retrieve my flight details as their online system choose the exact date & time to crash. As i started to get frustrated over what seemed like a missed flight for sure and also for the reason that one AFRICAN AMERICAN attendant kept on telling me that its was my fault (well partially it was , but nobody likes to be told that) in that nagging tone of voice all the attendants in any kind of public service desk take. People have to understand that its just not the words that we use , its how we use its that's makes it important(i myself am quite oblivious to this fact, but i love to preach). Anyhow, i finally got to see a person on the counter and she issued me a ticket on the next flight( on waiting list though) but suggested that i can try to go to the flight i was originally booked for and see if they haven't reallocated my seat. Luckily the security check was fast and as the fiasco probably had started just before i reached there (lucky me!!!) there was nobody on the waiting list on my plane and i was able to take the 8:45 AM plane. The down side of this whole mess was that my luggage (for which i had to pay $15 :x) arrived on the next flight which delayed my whole plan by 2.5 hrs,and New Brunswick being 1 more hr ahead of Boston didn't help my cause either.<br /><br />In between the wait period for my luggage i decided to go get my car from Enterprise and get some much needed camp supplies ,like a stove and some propane tanks (in all my previous camp outings i have preferred to cook on an open fire with not very satisfactory results) , a camp light, some mosquito repellents, food (which mainly consisted of various kinds of canned beans,spam and bread) and bottles of water. Thank god for the GPS that i could finish all this in just couple of hours as Boston is a weird maze of roads each going at a different angle to the other(Chicago and New York City is so good in that aspect).<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >The drive to Fundy was uneventful, only stopping for gas and at the Canadian border. </span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >After crossing over to the Canadian side it started to drizzle and become very foggy. I </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" > reached at about 2:00 AM and set up my tent in dark (the constant drizzle didn't help my cause either).The only nagging thing was that the tent equipment were kind of screwed up (pieces were missing and some had mud stuck into it) because the previous group i loaned it to didn't use it properly. It took some patience and some improvisation to put it up, but it still took about 50 </span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" >min's</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >. I had to satisfy my hunger with few slices of dry bread and an energy bar as the constant rain prevented me from cooking anything.</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:130%;" >And thus begun my trip.</span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxw730OEjQIy7GEiqdjbHgyA706qJS09E6hON96X5VxKxudGkQHBP31NBL0lmmQVhDoTt-3JaSFv_1DM8uzqQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyRzk9ZS7pO_d6q5SDv3xiAa3lQ4pT0nD3V2vRoW71eeiBX0rO1ZBwDuo0nUEHIajonY0UeNzrQNadWUR-8' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Day0 drive from Boston to Fundy (warning: <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">until</span> you have a lot of time in your hand to waste and get easily amused by mundane things don't watch these videos :D )</span></span><br /><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Copyright@ 2008 Rahuljit Pal</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">For more pictures please visit<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal">http://flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal</a></span></p><br /></div></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-27573303517200819762008-09-19T20:55:00.000-07:002008-09-23T23:01:24.701-07:00sith lord defeated in 9hrs 10 mins :D<div style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Well i haven't been able to post stuff on regular basis as expected(whom am i kidding,nobody including me was expecting to do it on regular basis). Anyhow keeping up with my tradition of blaming something for not letting me blog regularly , i blame my rejuvenated enthusiasm for Wii. I found some new cool games and got the new Wii fit (well some of the games were already released for quite a while but i didn't get updated information as JJ was not here :(.<br /><br />Well the first game of the list is Pro-Evolution Soccer 2008. Even though the game has a huge learning curve and is not just "run and kick" stuff, the total control of all the players and that too by just pointing towards the screen and not controlling it via an analogue stick is pretty awesome. Of course playing it in the top professional mode is extremely difficult and i have just got used to playing in the normal mode ( in which i loose sometimes to a better team). I as a rule always play with Brazil using the 4-2-4 formation (made famous by Pele in the 1960's world cup, forgot which one). The bad thing about not having the "run and kick" capability is that its very hard for any of my newbie friends to play with me as it becomes more of a burden than fun.<br /><br />The second game on the list is Medal of Honor - Heroes 2.This is a first person shooter, WWII game better synchronized for the Wii motion controls. Its a very nice game along the same line as its predecessor, which i was so fond of playing during my college days on my state of the art (for those times)PC ,now it feels like a 386 system even in comparison with a cheap laptop. I had my newly bought Altec Lansing surround sound music system (with a big ass woofer :D) plugged into it, and the rattling noise of the Thompson, the MP40 and the LMG'S kept me in a musical euphoria. It sure bugged my mom a lot as the whole house kept vibrating all day long and she kept on wishing that i will finish the game fast ....hehehe..But those days the Call of Duty, the Medal of honor and the Max Payne series were my favorites and they kept on releasing one game after the other, giving very little respite to my mom. Well this game did let me touch that nostalgic moment in my life and i am eagerly looking forward to the new Call of Duty for Wii to be released early in 2009 :D. Well as for the current game i have finished about 55% of it and am currently stuck at the using a mortar gun to stop Nazi rein enforcements.<br /><br />The 3rd one in the list is Star Wars: The Force Unleashed which i pre-ordered and got a free T-shirt(yippee!!). Even though the critics were saying that this game will be ground braking but after a midnight September 16 release most of the websites gave it a mediocre rating. I actually totally disagree with the reviewers, i was expecting a much more polished game same as the reviewers but the final product is definitely more than mediocre. As usual the sound and story line is amazing and links the part III and IV in the star wars saga perfectly. My only complain is that the Wii version hasn't used the full graphics capability of the console and uses the PS2 type graphics. Of course the graphics of the Xbox 360 and PS3 are supposed to be better, but for me its no use having an amazing graphics if the controls are not good. Some of the critics have said that the gamplay of The Force Unleashed is very repetitive, again i defer with them as any kind of sword fight or gun fight game is repetitive, and there's nothing anybody can do about it. the capability of choking (only Darth Vader's character does it), having force lightening, picking up enemies and banging them around on the wall or floor are one of the many cool things this game has. But the capability of swinging the Wii remote ( named the Wiimote) as a light saber tops the list of them all. The game is played as Darth Vader's secret apprentice, and i gain more force power as i progress. The boss fights are really good but the normal fight is probably little too easy apart from the last stage , where it gets really crowded with star troopers. At the end (which happens on the unfinished death star) i first had to fight Darth Vader and then the i get an option of either fighting him again and move to the dark side along side the Emperor or fight the Emperor and save the rebels :D. For the first go i choose to save the rebels as a good hero always does...hehehehe..but of course good deeds are punishable by death , so i die... even after defeating the Sith Lord. :O. But the bright side of it all is that i get to play the whole game again with all my powers at the current level which makes the stages a breeze as i can kill a group of star troopers with just my lightening and force push. :D. This time i am gona go over to the dark side and stand along side the Sith Lord and crush all the rebels as that's my destiny ;). The Wii version also has a duel mode which none of other console has which makes it one of a kind, but alas i lack a formidable opponent to actually enjoy the battle mode as it can only be played by two humans(physically present, not even online), which sucks big time.<br /><br />The fourth game in the list is Wii Fit(well don't know if qualifies entirely as a game). Anyway the Wii fit is actually quite amazing as it allows me to do aerobics, strength exercise , yoga etc in my home, and a visual instructor and a COB chart keeps telling me if i am doing it correctly. I think it fits perfectly with my at least 3 days a week exercise schedule, and with the long Chicago winter coming up, when a leisurely walk will be totally out of question, it probably will become by sole exercise mode.<br /><br />Another game to mention is Resident Evil 4, Wii Edition which i bought along side Pro-Evolution Soccer 20o8 but haven't yet started to play beyond the first few minutes. I am also hopelessly stuck at stage 3 boss fight of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, which is a very hard game to play , but is the best game up till now for Wii where graphics and motion control is concerned.<br /><br />this blog will be incomplete if i don't mention the new games i am looking forward too :<br /></span></div><ol style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><li><span style="font-size:130%;">Wii Music: using my Wii Fit Board and my Wiimote and nun chuck i can play the drums which is next to amazing.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">Wii sport resort: looking forward to this game specially because of the Wii motion plus add on for the Wiimote, as this is supposed to give 1:1 motion control.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">Call of Duty-World at War: next generation first person shooter WWII game<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">Conduit-supposed to be developed specifically to utilize the Wii graphics to the fullest.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:130%;">Red Steel 2: sword fighting game made for Wii motion Plus add on.</span></li></ol><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >the best part of this Wii system is that the possibilities are only limited by the persons capability to imagine. :D<br /><br /><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Copyright@ 2008 Rahuljit Pal</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">For more pictures please visit<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal">http://flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal</a></span></p><br /></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-36849663076531572292008-08-08T18:19:00.000-07:002008-08-10T16:36:12.681-07:00first visit to Brookfield zoo, and first attempt at macro photography(08/06/2008)<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRAHULJ%7E1%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:officedocumentsettings> <o:relyonvml/> <o:allowpng/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRAHULJ%7E1%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link rel="colorSchemeMapping" 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1.0in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I have been to Lincoln park zoo quite a few times mainly for an evening stroll, but I wanted to have a wide range of animals/insects/birds to watch and photograph and Brookfield Zoo being the only one nearby(17.66 mile</span><span style="font-size:100%;">s from my house, not that close) I had no other choice. In place of taking the CTA-Wa</span><span style="font-size:100%;">lk-Metra combination I decided to take the Walk-CTA-CTA-Pace as that saved </span><span style="font-size:100%;">me almost $3.50 each way. I always found the Metra to be really expensive unless I was going to suburbs like Aurora, Joliet etc. I thought th</span><span style="font-size:100%;">at I would wake up at 8:10 am to reach the zoo by 10:30-11:00AM, but ended up wak</span><span style="font-size:100%;">i</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ng at 10:10 AM (quite a common feature for me. :D,7:10AM being the ea</span><span style="font-size:100%;">rliest I wake u</span><span style="font-size:100%;">p to go for work at 9:15 AM), if it’s before that I prefer not to sleep the night before. These days I have acquired an amazing amount of patience of standing alone and letting the time pass by without getting irritated ( a must have quality if you intend to travel by Pace/Metra and if you are not a very careful trip schedule planner like me).</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The zoo was not as big as I expected, as I have </span><span style="font-size:100%;">a</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> memory of the Delhi zoo being enormous, maybe it’s because the last time I </span><span style="font-size:100%;">wa</span><span style="font-size:100%;">s there I was </span><span style="font-size:100%;">a mere kid and all places at that time looked huge to me. I will have to re</span><span style="font-size:100%;">visit it the next time I am there to get the measure of things. I entered through the South Gate and have to wait 10-15 minutes to get a ticket just because some women had some troubles with her membership, and they didn’t bother to open another counter. As soon as I entered I was amazed to</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> see how crowded it was </span><span style="font-size:100%;">even though it was a Wednesday. Must be because of it being </span><span style="font-size:100%;">summer and the kids having their summer vacation, but what about their parents, they didn’t go to work or was it just all of them decided to take a leave of absence on</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> the same day‼…I haven’t figured it out yet…Maybe the zoo is that popular a place. There wer</span><span style="font-size:100%;">e k</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ids of various sizes, shapes and age squirming all over the place like flie</span><span style="font-size:100%;">s on a fruitcake and the whole atmosphere seemed to be filled with yelling, giggling and uncanny noises mostly associated with kids and their accompanying parent/grandparents. I never could figure out what all this fuss was about‼, and here I was expecting a quiet and pea</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ceful photography trip.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> I soon got hold of my rushing disappointment and anger and did what I normally do in these situation (unfortunately I tend to get in these kind of situation a lot), I we</span><span style="font-size:100%;">nt </span><span style="font-size:100%;">about </span><span style="font-size:100%;">the exact opposite direction most of the people were going, i.e. I made the exit of the wal</span><span style="font-size:100%;">k around of a particular zoo exhibit my entrance point. The plan works, although it has a higher risk of getting lost, but I never got bogged down by that as I have stumbled upon nice things when I am lost.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzyb7z0SvI/AAAAAAAAEfM/-Qc6MAqx5KI/s1600-h/DSC_4057.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzyb7z0SvI/AAAAAAAAEfM/-Qc6MAqx5KI/s400/DSC_4057.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232323428823091954" border="0" /></a></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I started off with the Bear Grottos but only </span><span style="font-size:100%;">cou</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ld see the black bear which was outside just because one of the attendants was filling up his small pools and he was there to lap up and splash some fresh cold water. The polar bears were all inside sleeping, and who would blame them for that, imagine their bad luck that they had to stay here in the summer. I bet they are among t</span><span style="font-size:100%;">he very few delighted beings in Chicagoland when winter comes (me being one of t</span><span style="font-size:100%;">hem). I also saw two Sloth Bears playing around behind the rocks. They d</span><span style="font-size:100%;">efinitely have an apt name with their body hair totally unkempt and going everywhere. It ma</span><span style="font-size:100%;">de</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> me wonder if they were named after the sloth or the other way around. I haven’t seen a sloth yet apart from in the movie “Ice Age” and occasionally in the mirror after I get into my “stay inside the house for a week and d</span><span style="font-size:100%;">o not</span><span style="font-size:100%;">hing” moods :D. As I walked over to the “Lions & Tigers” section I saw the lion drowsing on top of a rock, which is probably his favorite past time as he was still drowsing when I walked past him couple of hours later but just on a different rock. The lion is a prime example of the male attit</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ude of taking pride in doing absolutely nothing apart from sleeping, fornicating with</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> numerous lioness of the pride and getting the first bite of the lioness kill. It’s a shame th</span><span style="font-size:100%;">at he has to get up once in a while to fight another male for his place or</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">run if endangered (any female of my species should take joy in the fact that I am making these comments sarcastically although the idea is highly tempting, where as the males should know how it is that we have to say stu</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ff we don’t mean to keep things rolling ;)). The adjoining enclosure was for the tigers and only the one year old cub was out there jumping around and playing</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> in the water. I remember the old days when after coming back from school and taking a </span><span style="font-size:100%;">very small nap (which was most of the time forced onto me) I was out there in t</span><span style="font-size:100%;">he park playing in the sun. The tiger cub reminded me of how alike kids of all species are behavior vise if we move aside the physical attributes. This cub was jumping in the pool, trying to grab a ball, slipping on the edge and all that stuff kids do. I am pretty sure if its mommy was around and we had the capabili</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ty of understanding their growls </span><span style="font-size:100%;">we would have heard the same ki</span><span style="font-size:100%;">nd of uncanny noises/dialogues I was talking before.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzycYh-34I/AAAAAAAAEfU/thGd1heOJzw/s1600-h/DSC_4058.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzycYh-34I/AAAAAAAAEfU/thGd1heOJzw/s400/DSC_4058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232323436532916098" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzy5vIBH_I/AAAAAAAAEfs/lTzFjfu8PFE/s1600-h/DSC_4068.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzy5vIBH_I/AAAAAAAAEfs/lTzFjfu8PFE/s400/DSC_4068.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232323940814233586" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzy337kVdI/AAAAAAAAEfc/fEfaFj4V9nI/s1600-h/DSC_4062.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzy337kVdI/AAAAAAAAEfc/fEfaFj4V9nI/s400/DSC_4062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232323908818195922" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzy4jzWfbI/AAAAAAAAEfk/39rKTe6GDxw/s1600-h/DSC_4065.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzy4jzWfbI/AAAAAAAAEfk/39rKTe6GDxw/s400/DSC_4065.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232323920594894258" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I so wanted to go to the “Sting Ray & Shark” exhibit but the huge line outside made me think that if I am going to stand in line let it be for the Dolphin show. So I bought the ticket for the Dolphin show for $3 and went in to the Pinniped Point as it was still an hour for the show to start and I was in no mood to stand in the line that long even for the Dolphin show. The seals and the s</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ea lions are an amazing group of mammals. As I looked through the underwater viewing glass I pondered over the fact that they look like a large streamlined packet of fat with very shinny hair on it, but the speed with which they swim is just mind boggling ( it reminded me off a person I knew who was really fat but moved with amazing speed while playing badminton). As I moved on to the underwater viewing section of the dolphins which was mesmerizing as well, as the dolphins seem like they are the happiest mammals alive and always laughing. Can’t even imagine how a dolphin will look when irritated. All these under</span><span style="font-size:100%;">water sections had small facts about the exhibit animals and it was nice to see some parents themselves acquiring that information before passing it on to their kids, while most of the others roam around just for the sake of it without even trying to learn anything. It’s really disheartening when I see people just doing things because it’s a practice without having any curiosity, I think it kind of beats the purpose of our existence. The Dolphin show was jam packed</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> and the announcer has to revert to some verbal tricks to get people inspired enough to move little bit to the side and get some space at the end. The show was worth the money and the squishing. Dolphins are naturally playful as it being an integral part of their social structure. They are also very agile and fast which makes it a very difficult for me to get even a single properly focused shot. The group of four female dolphins (one mother and her three daughters) and one male dolphin did lot of tricks like breaching, waiving with their tails and fins, head banging etc. The best of the lot was when they stood up on their tails and swam (don’t know</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> the proper term for it, looks like walking :D) backwards. The youngest dolphin (two year old daughter) predictably was the most playful among them all as she sometimes waived with her fins and tail and splashed water without her instructors command. I also wasn’t able to get any good snaps of them and</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> the seals underwater even with a flash. Next time I will take my tripod and see if I can get better at it.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzzbQHcprI/AAAAAAAAEgE/8Yk35Yx7DYY/s1600-h/DSC_4242.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzzbQHcprI/AAAAAAAAEgE/8Yk35Yx7DYY/s400/DSC_4242.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232324516605896370" border="0" /></a></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">As I came out of the “Seven Seas” Dolphin show slightly disheartened at not being able to get a good picture, I was wondering whether I should visit the Butterfly house or go straight to the African or Hoofed animals section. I had my Macro filters (cheap substitute for an expensive macro lens that I can’t afford) and eager to see how they turn out I decided to have a go.<span style=""> </span>As it turned out macro photography took me by surprise and opened another exciting aspect of the hobby I am starting to like a lot. I highly recommend this section for people with any kind of macro attachments for their cameras and if its people without any particular interest in photography don’t forget to take your magnifying glass. <span style=""> </span>The vibrant colors and their well balanced composition and contrast completely spell bounded me. While looking through the lens I wondered how it will be to be shrunk to fit in their world. I felt like Alice in “Alice in wonderland” and “Through the looking glass” by Lewis Carroll. I am great admirer of Lewis Carroll and his works, which are termed as “Literary Nonsense” and consider most of the so called famous writers like J. K. Rowling has just mixed his “Literary Nonsense” with old folk tales in way more suitable to this ever growing POP culture without adding any literary value. Don’t take me wrong I am not against mixing but some additional value must be added to it, and making it more fashionable to the current generation is not a value. People might question why I am bringing J. K. Rowling specifically in the picture. Well the reason is that the first edition of “Alice in wonderland” was the most expensive children’s book ever auctioned before the “total garbage” (with no literary in it) of Harry Potter (forgot which one) broke it recently. It also shows how happy people are to eat crap if served in a shinny dish again and again and are willing to pay top dollars for it.
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<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">After spending more than an hour in the Butterfly House I walked towards the African animals section and took some half hearted pictures as my mind was still stuck on to the details of macro. I am quite pleased with my first effort after I looked at the pictures in my laptop in actual size and how the closes up filters are holding up. Even though I would like to get even closer shots where the image is sharper and clearer but for the time being I have to satisfy myself with my current equipment. So I decided to just walk around and get macro shots of flowers and insects which were in abundance outside. Quite a few time when I was crouching near a bush to get close-ups passersby’s asked me if there was something special in there and on my replying that it’s just a flower or a bee they let out a sigh which probably meant ”hmmm..Another of those nut jobs”…:D. But it’s an experience to actually see all the stuff I have read about butterflies, bees, wasps, dragonfly etc in biology books in school and to capture it in my camera. I saw the butterflies land on a flower and sucking the nectar and then rolling their suction tube back before flying away, while some pollen grains got stuck on its body hairs (that’s how the flowers get pollinated , for those people who have forgotten it ) was just awesome. At that time all I can say was WOW! ‼.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
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<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJz3RQDYgKI/AAAAAAAAEik/gHD-uPkYbkw/s1600-h/DSC_4390.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJz3RQDYgKI/AAAAAAAAEik/gHD-uPkYbkw/s400/DSC_4390.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232328742836666530" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJz3R20RGeI/AAAAAAAAEis/FOwDpnsd4b0/s1600-h/DSC_4391.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJz3R20RGeI/AAAAAAAAEis/FOwDpnsd4b0/s400/DSC_4391.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232328753242249698" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJz2lG0P1WI/AAAAAAAAEiM/zw_lDeHKL6c/s1600-h/DSC_4367.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJz2lG0P1WI/AAAAAAAAEiM/zw_lDeHKL6c/s400/DSC_4367.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232327984443020642" border="0" /></a>
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJz3vS77b2I/AAAAAAAAEjE/rtXcf4fsCyY/s1600-h/DSC_4442.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJz3vS77b2I/AAAAAAAAEjE/rtXcf4fsCyY/s400/DSC_4442.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232329259006783330" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">There were some small exhibits of Desert and Asian rainforest wildlife. I saw some small animals like meerkat, porcupines, some species of rodents and a very small fox which was one of the cutest thing in the zoo (unluckily as the fox just comes out at night in the desert so the light was very dim and no flash photography was allowed). One woman though shamelessly kept taking pictures of the animals even after being reminded by her husband of the “no flash” signs. I hope somebody wakes her up every night by suddenly turning on the lights and sound at maximum capacity to make her understand how badly it feels.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzzaUMXH3I/AAAAAAAAEf0/1fHqAjiG-mk/s1600-h/DSC_4216.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzzaUMXH3I/AAAAAAAAEf0/1fHqAjiG-mk/s400/DSC_4216.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232324500520378226" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzzaqoYwFI/AAAAAAAAEf8/j4DIHmOCBm4/s1600-h/DSC_4227.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJzzaqoYwFI/AAAAAAAAEf8/j4DIHmOCBm4/s400/DSC_4227.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232324506543505490" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJz49aybnJI/AAAAAAAAEjs/CMNAfxJjI24/s1600-h/DSC_4485.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJz49aybnJI/AAAAAAAAEjs/CMNAfxJjI24/s400/DSC_4485.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232330601144229010" border="0" /></a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJz493dlgsI/AAAAAAAAEj0/_8tPq8Z8nLk/s1600-h/DSC_4488.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJz493dlgsI/AAAAAAAAEj0/_8tPq8Z8nLk/s400/DSC_4488.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5232330608841425602" border="0" /></a>
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The Brookfield zoo also has a small nature trail around a lake and wolf woods where no animal is on exhibit. You just happen to see some if you stumble upon it while walk quietly. This is the way I would like the zoos too be, where people don’t take sighting of an animal for granted and are only rewarded for their perseverance. I understand it has some logistical difficulties but it can be done, and if we can’t think of a way to keep our cohabitants on earth in a more comfortable and suitable way for them while still keeping the possibility open for children’s and adults coming to see them and gain some knowledge and insight then we don’t deserve the self proclaimed notion of “being gods best creation”. I think it also will keep away people who are there just because it’s a thing to be done, as even though knowledge should be easily available but should only be passed on when there is a curiosity for it so that we don’t take everything for granted.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Copyright@ 2008 Rahuljit Pal</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">For more pictures please visit
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" face="arial" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="http://flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal"><span style="font-size:100%;">http://flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal</span></a></p>
<br />princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-16814509353249105012008-08-01T18:15:00.000-07:002008-12-10T22:56:18.621-08:00and the First ever "Great Performers of Illinois goes to....."BUDDY GUY"",7/20/2008<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Even though i went to Buddy Guy tribute concert and the award ceremony on the same day as the Chinatown summer fair, i am writing about it almost 5 days after my previous posts, mostly because of uncoordinated service by COMCAST and work (i do work contrary to the popular belief). Well let me give a hint of the incompetence of Comcast people: i had to get a technician on Monday this week because of the re-occurrence of the same Internet problems which has been plaguing me for the last month and a half. This guy changes all the connectors (the previous technician replaced the modem) and promises that everything will be alright now. On Tuesday i have no connection again, and this time both the cable and Internet are gone. So, they send an urgent call technician on Wednesday morning, he says that somebody disconnected my line from the outside box terminal, so he connects it back and promises nothing else is wrong. On Wednesday afternoon itself my third floor neighbor(i live on the first floor) comes with another COMCAST technician who wants to check the lines which goes through my closet. He finds that the technician who was here on Monday disconnected the 3rd floor service while changing all the splitters and connectors. He casually tells me that he will have to connect the 3rd floor back on while my previous technician comes back and connects my connection as he is only responsible for the 3rd floor guys connection not mine!! when asked he said my technician will be here in a day or two.Can you believe this BS... do they know that they are a part of customer service not customer agony!. i have kept my cool through out this whole issue, but got fiercely angry on this new development. Eventually on my threatening to disconnect the 3rd floors connection as soon as he leaves if he doesn't fix mine as well, to make it his responsibility he put us both on a shared 3rd floor line and said that the technician will be here by Friday. hm mm Friday my a** ....now i have to call them again to send somebody to put me back on my own line as i have paid for a faster Internet and its kinda slow on a shared one.<br /><br />So on Sunday afternoon after coming back from the Chinatown summer fair, i decided to take nap to rejuvenate myself before heading out the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park to see the Buddy Guy Tribute Concert and award ceremony. I have been an ardent fan of his since i started listening to Blues and got addicted specially to Chicago Blues. In my view if anybody living comes close the likes of Muddy Waters,Howling Wolf,Willie Dixon then is Buddy Guy. I am ashamed to say that i have never been to "Buddy Guys Legend" Club, but to rectify that i have put it on top priority in my list of "Things to do in Chicago in Fall".Buddy Guys aggressive guitar playing was considered noise by some people in the 60's before Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton helped popularizing it as a style of its own.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf56wqOQcI/AAAAAAAAEcw/BGqJB5uqB6w/s1600-h/DSC_3089.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf56wqOQcI/AAAAAAAAEcw/BGqJB5uqB6w/s400/DSC_3089.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230924280103846338" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf57f3zimI/AAAAAAAAEc4/P7VlcIqftCo/s1600-h/DSC_3100.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf57f3zimI/AAAAAAAAEc4/P7VlcIqftCo/s400/DSC_3100.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230924292777282146" border="0" /></a><br />The proceedings were started of by Buddy Guy being presented the first "Great Performers of Illinois" by some city officials. While we were entering the park we were handed over huge white Polka dots. Even though i have seen Buddy Guy wearing Polka Dotted shirt and playing a signature Fender Stratocaster guitar colored black with polka dots in it(he was also presented one by some guitar manufacturer in Chicago), but it never occurred to me that it was one of his likings. We were asked to put them up our heads when asked for to show appreciation. I thought it was a nice gesture and it looked really nice when everybody(almost) waived it around during his award presentation. People initially were not too keen to take them but later on it grabbed their attention as they saw other people in their neighboring seats have them. I wonder why people like to avoid things like this and prefer to follow after the people around them have it. Most of the people have a much more curiosity and attraction towards what other people have as per the saying"the grass looks greener on the other side". I myself have been guilty of that a few times, but i wonder why it is so, is it something so human that we can't eradicate it? i don't know!!..<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf57-_riOI/AAAAAAAAEdA/6xio5sXspbI/s1600-h/DSC_3137.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf57-_riOI/AAAAAAAAEdA/6xio5sXspbI/s400/DSC_3137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230924301131811042" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf58MhyO3I/AAAAAAAAEdI/vBjF0IMcaSI/s1600-h/DSC_3141.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf58MhyO3I/AAAAAAAAEdI/vBjF0IMcaSI/s400/DSC_3141.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230924304764517234" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf58TL2xuI/AAAAAAAAEdQ/kkOObXqowCY/s1600-h/DSC_3157.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf58TL2xuI/AAAAAAAAEdQ/kkOObXqowCY/s400/DSC_3157.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230924306551588578" border="0" /></a>The tribute concert was started off by a Blues Student band from Columbia University. They played pretty well apart from the fact that they kept forgetting that blues is more about slowing it down and putting emphasis on the notes ( 1930's-1950's) and suddenly going up in fervor if you want it to incorporate Buddy Guy style, and kept going faster and faster. The guitar whiz kid Quinn Sullivan who has the seal of approval from Buddy also played with the college band.Some other local blues old timers (can't remember their names) joined in. Even Buddy Guy was forced by the crowds continuous chanting of this name to join in, but sadly he played only for couple of minutes.<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf6j525bnI/AAAAAAAAEdY/U2Dj9TWIllE/s1600-h/DSC_3165.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf6j525bnI/AAAAAAAAEdY/U2Dj9TWIllE/s400/DSC_3165.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230924986947563122" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf6kkZbosI/AAAAAAAAEdo/bf7YA2Xh8Ds/s1600-h/DSC_3197.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf6kkZbosI/AAAAAAAAEdo/bf7YA2Xh8Ds/s400/DSC_3197.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230924998366700226" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf6kTKWIoI/AAAAAAAAEdg/txpQcS5q2LE/s1600-h/DSC_3195.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf6kTKWIoI/AAAAAAAAEdg/txpQcS5q2LE/s400/DSC_3195.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230924993740022402" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf7qelT-UI/AAAAAAAAEeQ/vi3JK0IySHQ/s1600-h/DSC_3208.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf7qelT-UI/AAAAAAAAEeQ/vi3JK0IySHQ/s400/DSC_3208.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230926199396759874" border="0" /></a><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">After a brief lull of 10 minutes or so "Jimmie Lee" Vaughan (the brother of Steve Ray Vaughan,any blues fan doesn't need any more introduction that this) came out with his "Tilt a Whirl " band, consisting of Bill Willis on Hammond Organ, Billy Pittman on Rhythm Guitar and George Rains on Drums. He played some songs before being joined by Lou Ann Barton as lead singer. They played some really nice "Texas Blues" songs.<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf7q1PCtqI/AAAAAAAAEeY/HWfFu2yYXk8/s1600-h/DSC_3210.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf7q1PCtqI/AAAAAAAAEeY/HWfFu2yYXk8/s400/DSC_3210.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230926205477369506" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf7rSU8IrI/AAAAAAAAEeg/fdQyYBl0j3M/s1600-h/DSC_3212.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf7rSU8IrI/AAAAAAAAEeg/fdQyYBl0j3M/s400/DSC_3212.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230926213286732466" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf7qPKU80I/AAAAAAAAEeI/EXm2-oUqEOQ/s1600-h/DSC_3206.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf7qPKU80I/AAAAAAAAEeI/EXm2-oUqEOQ/s400/DSC_3206.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230926195257045826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf6k_8YtyI/AAAAAAAAEdw/JfnD68LhzHk/s1600-h/DSC_3199.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf6k_8YtyI/AAAAAAAAEdw/JfnD68LhzHk/s400/DSC_3199.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230925005761066786" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf6ldQA4JI/AAAAAAAAEd4/s9_Oz-n6pcc/s1600-h/DSC_3201.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf6ldQA4JI/AAAAAAAAEd4/s9_Oz-n6pcc/s400/DSC_3201.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230925013628018834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf8Nhlv26I/AAAAAAAAEeo/CX0q-T80X8c/s1600-h/DSC_3228.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SJf8Nhlv26I/AAAAAAAAEeo/CX0q-T80X8c/s400/DSC_3228.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230926801499315106" border="0" /></a></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Surprisingly Buddy Guy didn't jam with them, even though he was present throughout.After an entertaining hour or so of music, they concluded the program but the crowed was not satisfied and kept on chanting "Encore" and "Buddy Guy". It was the only disheartening moment of the evening when none of the performers responded by playing an encore. I know Buddy was supposed to go to his club for release of his new album but he could have definitely played for his fans. Anyway i went back home little bit sad as i hoped to hear Buddy play,as i knew i won't be able to afford his end of August concert in Ravinia and wondering why is live music still more off a rich man's indulgence.<br /><br />Copyrights @ 2008 Rahuljit Pal.<br />For More Pictures please visit <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal">http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal</a></span><br /></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-20133096957830157322008-07-27T21:42:00.000-07:002008-12-10T22:56:20.803-08:00ChinaTown Summer Fair (7/20/2008)<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Now that i think of it i probably haven't been to China Town since i moved up north to Lincoln Park, almost an year ago. China Town used to be our hub for cheap yet large portions of food back in the college days, when money was a scarcity. That in no way means that i have abundance of it now, its just that it is little less of a hassle these days. When i found out about the annual China Town Summer Fair i was quite intrigued as that gave me a chance to see the Lion Dance possession(my first..) and grab some delicious street food. The availability of street food is one of the very few things i like about NYC as compared to Chicago. There's nothing like gnawing on a stick of kabob,Kathi roll,Korean beef etc.(the list is endless...) while walking around the concrete jungle in a nice summer day. Its even better in Chicago as its not that crowded and you can always find a place to seat (I do apologize if i have hit a nerve of the hardcore New Yorkians). As it turned out that particular day was exceedingly hot for a street fair and i had to continuously gulp down fluids to keep up with it.</span><br /><br /><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Luckily for me the Lion Dance possession was scheduled to start at 12:30 PM as the previous night being Saturday, i had a long overdue house party at my place. The last one "farewell party for vinmoo" being in November. Being in a depleted financial status these days because of my extensive traveling and expenditure on camera equipments, i reluctantly had to make it a BYOA (Bring Your Own Alcohol) but with a personal guarantee to have some stuff at my disposal to make a colorful yet potent drink out of whatever people bring. We started off with Pomegranate Martini (another of my first, quite good but little bit on the sweeter side) and Appletini's but at the end of the night we ended up with JD reserve "on the rocks" :D. It was quite a night, maybe i was a tad to much into usage of profanities but that i blame on my Americanization :D. We danced on to some Indian and Turkish hot dance numbers. The effects of slightly intoxicated ladies dancing on a wooden floor with high heels on is disastrous as next day i found my poor poor floor filled with numerous small circular dents. It looks like a satellite image of a city just hit by an air raid ( exaggerated of course...there's nothing as bad as that). Potential readers don't say that i didn't warn you:</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" > Wooden floor+Ladies in high heels+Alcohol+Dance music= DESTRUCTION</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >Anyway, as i was saying luckily for me that the Possession was supposed to start at 12:30 PM. I took the "Red Line" to China Town and was amazed to see so many people on the train, mostly going to the summer fair , plus it being Sunday and the trains running on elevated tracks because of construction(keeping up with the saying "Chicago has two seasons,winter & construction) didn't help the cause.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1d9hcslNI/AAAAAAAAEcI/A8AZrLs2tWs/s1600-h/DSC_3074.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1d9hcslNI/AAAAAAAAEcI/A8AZrLs2tWs/s400/DSC_3074.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227938053979149522" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >China Town "Red Line" station</span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1c_T29pvI/AAAAAAAAEaw/RUf4uyBXlAU/s1600-h/DSC_3012.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1c_T29pvI/AAAAAAAAEaw/RUf4uyBXlAU/s400/DSC_3012.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227936985179334386" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1c_rvFjmI/AAAAAAAAEa4/q3-WkYdhZFE/s1600-h/DSC_3018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1c_rvFjmI/AAAAAAAAEa4/q3-WkYdhZFE/s400/DSC_3018.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227936991588748898" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1c_wDPk1I/AAAAAAAAEbA/_ZV5f_CQPXM/s1600-h/DSC_3024.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1c_wDPk1I/AAAAAAAAEbA/_ZV5f_CQPXM/s400/DSC_3024.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227936992747033426" border="0" /></a><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >I reached 15 mins before the scheduled start and found the place already overly crowded. It took me some time to find out where the possession was supposed to start and asking the local street vendors was no help as they had no clue about the time and place of it. By the time i figured it out it had already began and it took some hustling on my part to get a few good shots. The dance was being performed by the students of the local martial arts school.I expected a much more professional and colorful possession judging by the fact of what i have seen of it on TV. They were moving quite fast because of the time frame allocated to them being really small which kind of depicts the administrative mentality to cram in as many events as possible rather than paying attention to detail.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dAe93jTI/AAAAAAAAEbI/PRGXGv2_8fY/s1600-h/DSC_3033.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dAe93jTI/AAAAAAAAEbI/PRGXGv2_8fY/s400/DSC_3033.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227937005340953906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Korean beef sticks sizzling on the grill</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dAuPywJI/AAAAAAAAEbQ/foCP-LoVE1s/s1600-h/DSC_3042.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dAuPywJI/AAAAAAAAEbQ/foCP-LoVE1s/s400/DSC_3042.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227937009442668690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Chicken wings being grilled</span><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dhUJbPOI/AAAAAAAAEb4/KRh4AlTKpkk/s1600-h/DSC_3071.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dhUJbPOI/AAAAAAAAEb4/KRh4AlTKpkk/s400/DSC_3071.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227937569372323042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Chinese shoes for sale</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1d9XR35II/AAAAAAAAEcA/k2coNTPd11c/s1600-h/DSC_3073.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1d9XR35II/AAAAAAAAEcA/k2coNTPd11c/s400/DSC_3073.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227938051249398914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Chinese old woman with a straw hat in an Umbrella Shop</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dhBxl1vI/AAAAAAAAEbw/ALxjmB3C0LI/s1600-h/DSC_3069.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dhBxl1vI/AAAAAAAAEbw/ALxjmB3C0LI/s400/DSC_3069.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227937564440516338" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >After tasting a few of the street food on offer and gulping down couple of coconuts (which were not as cool and refreshing as the ones found along the streets in my home town of New Delhi,India) i walked around a bit to see the wares that were for sale. The two girls with the umbrella hats made me realize how useful those are. I don't carry sunglasses as it is quite cumbersome for me to take them off each time i want to take a shot , not to mention my tendency to misplace any loosely attached stuff(no pun intended whatsoever). Those hats are the perfect solution for enjoying various Chicago summer fests in those blazing sunny days.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dgOw8fkI/AAAAAAAAEbY/kmvhr3WF1qY/s1600-h/DSC_3058.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dgOw8fkI/AAAAAAAAEbY/kmvhr3WF1qY/s400/DSC_3058.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227937550747598402" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dgbQv_nI/AAAAAAAAEbg/DxQ5bWUsUYY/s1600-h/DSC_3062.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dgbQv_nI/AAAAAAAAEbg/DxQ5bWUsUYY/s400/DSC_3062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227937554102222450" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dgkc0hZI/AAAAAAAAEbo/nnrK3ktm8uQ/s1600-h/DSC_3066.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1dgkc0hZI/AAAAAAAAEbo/nnrK3ktm8uQ/s400/DSC_3066.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227937556568769938" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1d-D_1v5I/AAAAAAAAEcQ/Qp07hp36QE8/s1600-h/DSC_3079.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SI1d-D_1v5I/AAAAAAAAEcQ/Qp07hp36QE8/s400/DSC_3079.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227938063253356434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >The nine dragons wall marking the starting of China Town</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >The nearby school of martial arts put up a good show of how they train, with some glimpses of an actual contest. Must say that body mass has got nothing to do with the art of fighting and the being thin and agile is a much better option than being big and slow. This being one of the main differences in philosophy in between the east and west. The east has never been a big supporter of brute force until and unless absolutely necessary.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Copyrights @ 2008 Rahuljit Pal.<br />For More Pictures please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal </span><br /></div></div></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-20514863661234987062008-07-24T11:04:00.000-07:002008-12-10T22:56:25.544-08:00Cirque Shangahi, Navy Pier (07/18/2008)<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 12"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRAHULJ%7E1%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><link rel="themeData" href="file:///C:%5CUsers%5CRAHULJ%7E1%5CAppData%5CLocal%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_themedata.thmx"><link 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justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I am going through my “to do” list as methodically as I have never done before in my life. Is that a new mature more tamed me? Or is that just one of my “do it at least once” obsessions, only time will tell. I do sincerely hope that it is not there to last for long :D.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I have heard of the “Cirque Shanghai GOLD” performance in lot of ads and reviews. But never was able to watch it as I could not convince anybody to come along with me. I find it such a bore (sounds quite British…: D) to watch a show alone, maybe because there is so much time to talk before, during intermission (if any) and after. Of course the whole experience is much more pleasurable if accompanied by a girl, but then again almost everything in life is ;). So after not much of cajoling I got Miss B (names not mentioned to protect the identity, but I know most of the people who are (if ever i.e.) going to read it will know it instantly, and if you know it please don't ask me why that particular alphabet or alphabets have been selected, because I promise to take that secret to my grave....hehehehe) to accompany me for the show.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></span></p><div style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"> </div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">I always thought that buying stuff over internet will be cheaper, but found out that in case of show tickets it’s not actually the case. Ticketmaster (may God bring bankruptcy to their doorsteps!!!!) charges at least $7 extra per ticket for "convenience fee" and other kind of miscellaneous fees. So I decided that we will go and buy the tickets right there before the show. Plus I found an ad saying that on Fridays they have a special offer of $5 off the Front Balcony tickets if we drink a Chinese lager named "HARBIN" and bring back the caps to the ticket counter. It sounded like a good deal, we get a better seat and a beer, and it was, but it took us some time to track down the bar that was serving that beer. To top it all, the bartender at the "beer gardens" have not heard of it at all, luckily for us her boss came by and suddenly remembered that he did have some Chinese beer stashed up in his storage. Seemed like we were the very few to avail of that particular offer. But it was not a bad lager for a Chinese beer even though $6 was a little steep for the taste. I am not complaining, it got us the $5 off the tickets. We walked back to the Pepsi Skyline Stage to get our tickets and luckily we got it right bang in the center of the Front Balcony. Initially I thought that there would not be too many people, judging by the fact that we got the center front row seats so easily just an hour before but I was proven wrong when I looked around and saw it almost full just before the show.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p>
<br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Miss B was quite enthusiastic about getting one of those Chinese fold able fans as she thought they were being handed out free. Even though I insisted that it was highly unlikely, we kept a sharp lookout for money exchanging hands. As predicted they were for sale only, keeping on with the American tradition that "nothing is for free" or in another POV "everything is for sale". Both of them meaning quite different while being equally true. But the City of Chicago proves me wrong every summer with its free events/concerts/festivals.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:100%;">So we chit chatted along before the show started, which was mainly me yapping about my visit to the Art Institute of Chicago Museum the day before, with Miss B humming along "hmm's" in regular intervals with an occasional "yes" and "no" thrown in to keep it interesting :D (nothing bad in it Miss B, that's waht i prefer in my listeners anyway).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">The show started on time and was quite colorful and thrilling. The performers were nimble on their feet as you would expect from a Chinese performance group (very stereotypical I know: D). There were couple of mistakes but nothing catastrophic. I expected them to be perfect as they have been doing it for a long time and supposedly were quite good at it. I do understand that you can't get all these delicate balancing things right all the time, but they did mistakes in the smaller, easier acts probably suggesting a bit of complacency. I must say though that they have mastered the art of presentation with colorful costumes and lightning.</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:";font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">My only complaint of the night was the lack of respect or maybe showing too much of it by the audience by clapping numerous times in between the acts. In the eastern part of the world its actually considered rude to clap or cheer before the performance is finished at least in the art forms I have been involved in India and as far as I know about the other Asian countries. Pundit Ravi Shankar once sarcastically said before one of his performances in Chicago Symphony Center that "after 25 years of playing sitar in the western world , people are finally becoming aware of our tradition, they don't clap while the artist are tuning their instruments". This kind of cheering is also looked down upon by the theater/symphony/opera goers here in America. Then what prompts people to do it so often? I personally find it very vulgar (sounding British again...) and blame it mainly on the pop culture. The mind of the people are programmed to clap /cheer/shout after every small thing done by the idiots on the stage and they lack the knowledge of antiquates for a particular kind of performance.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;">
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mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%;font-family:";font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial;">The act with the “rotating dishes on top of a stick”(don’t know what else to call it) was one of the most fascinating one. In one of the pictures above one can see that they even stood on their heads while still keeping the dishes revolving, Amazing! The final part of the act was the chain formation. The way they did it was that, each girl climbed on top of the head of another girl thus forming 4 doubles. Then all these doubles came closer to each other in a line and the top girl moved her footing to shoulders of her front the back girls below. Then they ever so slightly moved away from each other to make the stretched double chain formation shown in the picture above. They kept their plates revolving while all these acts were done. It was definitely the best of their acts. It reminded me of the symmetrical designs done by folding a piece of paper, cutting a few holes in it, and then opening it up to see the pattern generated.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><span style="font-size:130%;">
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<br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >The "Balancing Crystal Pagoda's" and the "Hula Hoop" acts are worth mentioning as well. Overall the show was very good with some common yet extraordinary acts of balance and acrobatics and one that i will highly recommend to others.</span><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;">
<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIjFALi_mwI/AAAAAAAAEUY/BJ2-qxb31Ho/s1600-h/DSC_2773.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIjFALi_mwI/AAAAAAAAEUY/BJ2-qxb31Ho/s400/DSC_2773.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226643974453697282" border="0" /></a>
<br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIjFAYfdURI/AAAAAAAAEUg/kuqaxCBXpo0/s1600-h/DSC_2750.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIjFAYfdURI/AAAAAAAAEUg/kuqaxCBXpo0/s400/DSC_2750.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226643977928528146" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >I still think that Navy Pier is more of a family place i.e after you have kids and all :D. But it sure does give a glimpse of the carnival spirit after the bedtime hours before fading into the night.</span><span style="font-size:130%;">
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<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >As walking is my new found passions these days i volunteered to walk Miss B home. A late night Ice Cream booth tempted us both and i got a double scoop of ice cream (one chocolate & one vanilla) while Miss B opted for an orange juice(i.e as far as i can remember :D). The double scoop was not a good idea on a hot night, i had to gulp it down before it melted and ended up with sticky hands. Miss B was kind enough to let me in her apartment ;) to wash my hands before i called it a day and took my bus back home tired yet satisfied with how the evening turned out to be.
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<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Copyrights @ 2008 Rahuljit Pal.
<br />For More Pictures please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal </span>
<br /></div></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-86808531059957660772008-07-23T14:44:00.000-07:002008-12-10T22:56:29.549-08:00my first visit to the Art Institute of Chicago(07/17/2008)<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I decided to kick start my "Things to do in Chicago" by visiting the Art institute of Chicago Museum ( free Thursday & Friday from 5PM-9PM). Even though i wanted to reach there by 5PM and avail of the full 4 hrs of free viewing time, i could not do so because of COMCAST :x. It took me a month to get a technician to fix my modem, after scheduling and re-scheduling for more than 6-7 times because of varied reasons from the guy having "family problem" to him "calling me and me not picking up"(which was utter BS). and for the "icing of the cake" i have to listen through 5 mins of their automated voice service to speak to an actual person before she expresses her sorrow for my inconvienience and reroutes me to another person or puts me on hold. i have to go through this each time i tried to contact them for anything (which probabaly was atleast 25 times last month)and the secret i learned from this experience is that i have to call their toll free number and press the number sequence "1112211"(for internet) & "1111211" (for cable) each after 15 seconds of waiting :D.On this lucky day the technician calls and informs me that he is outside my door, eventhough his dispatch officer told me that they will call me 1/2hr before of his actual arival and believing this to be true i went for a much needed hair cut in a near by </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Hair Cuttery</span><span style="font-size:130%;">. So when i get the call , i ask my lovely hair dresser to excuse me for 15mins and i ran through to my house with half my hair cut and other half pointing skywards to meet this highly trained and elusive technician ignoring all kinds of peoples stares.It took me 1 hr 15 mins (he just had to replace the modem because he didn't like the company i had ) before i could go back to get my hair cut finished (the girl over </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Hair Cuttery</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> thought i was not going to come back, ...DUMB ...wat other choice did i have....).<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Anyway coming back to my original theme, i finally reached the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Art Institute</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> at 7PM with just 2 hrs of viewing time left, which in retrospect is not that bad as looking and trying to absorb these artifacts/paintings is quite an exhaustive thing. So i grabbed hold of a floor map and ran up the grand staircase towards the second floor having the European paintings on exhibit. To my dismay at the top of the stairs i was greeted with a big sign </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >"WHERE DID VAN GOGH GO" </span><span style="font-size:130%;">which stated that "As part of a historic, one-time-only loan, many works from the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >"Impressionist and Post-I</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >mpressionist"</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> collection are currently off view while their galleries receive much-needed renovations" which was my primary goal for coming to the museum. My previous big city museums of the western world being </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >"the MET</span><span style="font-size:130%;">" in NYC and "the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Louvre"</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> in PARIS (sadly neither of which i could finish) the </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Chica</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >go Art Insti</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >tute</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> looked tiny but i must say they do boast of a very good collection and the paintings left in display were quite impressive.<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfEaHaFkvI/AAAAAAAAESA/XYLt5kDcjtk/s1600-h/DSC_2129.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfEaHaFkvI/AAAAAAAAESA/XYLt5kDcjtk/s400/DSC_2129.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226361845530858226" border="0" /></a>Georges Seurat,French, 1859-1891 : "</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >A Sunday on La Grande Jatte</span><span style="font-size:130%;">", 1884<br />A.K.A the Biggest Masterpiece of </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Art Institute of Chicago</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfEbHvcJ1I/AAAAAAAAESI/9gGIT79jlRA/s1600-h/DSC_2139.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfEbHvcJ1I/AAAAAAAAESI/9gGIT79jlRA/s400/DSC_2139.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226361862800287570" border="0" /></a>Antonio Mancini,Italian, 1852–1930: "</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Resting</span><span style="font-size:130%;">", 1887<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">"Resting -while lost in the thoughts the morning after a romantic rendezvous " would have been more apt. The artist has captured the expression and the physical position to the exact specification for that moment....amazing!!<br /><br /></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfEbnh7abI/AAAAAAAAESQ/qRAD5l0-2sQ/s1600-h/DSC_2166.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfEbnh7abI/AAAAAAAAESQ/qRAD5l0-2sQ/s400/DSC_2166.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226361871333550514" border="0" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfEcN8WeAI/AAAAAAAAESY/nPa_HFUSKqM/s1600-h/DSC_2178.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfEcN8WeAI/AAAAAAAAESY/nPa_HFUSKqM/s400/DSC_2178.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226361881644922882" border="0" /></a>Charles Henri Joseph Cordier,French, 1827-1905,Cast by: Eck et Durand Fondeur,French, 19th century: "</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Bust of an African Woman</span><span style="font-size:130%;">", c.1851<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;">The sorrow and position of helplessness captured by the sculpture which is as true as it was 150 years ago is really saddening.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfDghPmCsI/AAAAAAAAERg/mt1nzeQHnKo/s1600-h/DSC_2185.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfDghPmCsI/AAAAAAAAERg/mt1nzeQHnKo/s400/DSC_2185.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226360856033757890" border="0" /></a>I completely forgot the title of the sculpture and the paintings( the details in them are minute yet immaculate) behind it, will retrieve those details next time around :D<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfDhBZ_EZI/AAAAAAAAERo/F6rDGTN7pi0/s1600-h/DSC_2220.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfDhBZ_EZI/AAAAAAAAERo/F6rDGTN7pi0/s400/DSC_2220.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226360864667275666" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfDi_HIOsI/AAAAAAAAERw/jcnhWz9mdzg/s1600-h/DSC_2221.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfDi_HIOsI/AAAAAAAAERw/jcnhWz9mdzg/s400/DSC_2221.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226360898411051714" border="0" /></a>Antoine Louis Barye,French, 1795-1875: "</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Roger and Angelica Mounted on the Hippogriff</span><span style="font-size:130%;">", model c. 1840, cast c. 1884<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">From Wikipedia (the source of 80% of my information..hehehe) i found a poem by Arnold Sundgaards "<i>The Hippogriff</i> " which describes this mystical creature very rarely seen in the medevial art forms.</span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> When Mare and Griffin meet and mate<br />Their offspring share a curious fate.<br />One half is Horse with hooves and tail,<br />The rest is Eagle, claws and nail.<br />As a Horse it likes to graze<br />In summer meadows doused in haze,<br />Yet as an Eagle it can fly<br />Above the clouds where dreams drift by.<br />With such a Beast I am enthralled,<br />The Hippogriff this beast is called.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I also found out that this creature was used in one of the Harry Potter movies as well. I can produly procalim that i probabaly am the only person who hasn't seen a single one of thoose Harry Potter or The Lord of the Ring craps ,yipppeeee!!!<br /></span></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfDl717OvI/AAAAAAAAER4/bdtOVGpxvLQ/s1600-h/DSC_2223.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfDl717OvI/AAAAAAAAER4/bdtOVGpxvLQ/s400/DSC_2223.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226360949073197810" border="0" /></a>François Rude,French, 1784-1855: " </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Hebe and the Eagle of Jupiter</span><span style="font-size:130%;">", model c. 1852, cast c. 1860/80<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Hebe </span><span style="font-size:130%;">is the goddess of youth in Greek mythology,the daughter of Jupiter and his wife Juno and served as the cup bearer of the gods in Olypmus before she was defeated by Ganymede who was a son of Tros, first king of Troy , also called the constellation aquarius (water bearer) which coincedently ;) happens to be my zodiac sign.. hehehe!!<br /><br /></span></div></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfCksxiOgI/AAAAAAAAERY/sFF3zYgidFs/s1600-h/DSC_2235.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfCksxiOgI/AAAAAAAAERY/sFF3zYgidFs/s400/DSC_2235.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226359828336753154" border="0" /></a>Antonio Canova,Italian, 1757-1822 : "</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Bust of Paris</span><span style="font-size:130%;">", 1809<br /><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfCkNM3cPI/AAAAAAAAERQ/0qWRVt541sE/s1600-h/DSC_2243.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfCkNM3cPI/AAAAAAAAERQ/0qWRVt541sE/s400/DSC_2243.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226359819861455090" border="0" /></a>Antonio Canova,Italian, 1757-1822 : "</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Head of Medusa</span><span style="font-size:130%;">", 1801<br /><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfCkNM3cPI/AAAAAAAAERQ/0qWRVt541sE/s1600-h/DSC_2243.JPG"> </a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfCjnqazjI/AAAAAAAAERA/oXBC0hTFnMM/s1600-h/DSC_2271.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfCjnqazjI/AAAAAAAAERA/oXBC0hTFnMM/s400/DSC_2271.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226359809784860210" border="0" /></a>Lambert Sigisbert Adam,French, 1700-1759: "</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Bust of Amphitrite</span><span style="font-size:130%;">", c.1725<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfCjJqAMXI/AAAAAAAAEQ4/Tr-XlqJzM7k/s1600-h/DSC_2282.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfCjJqAMXI/AAAAAAAAEQ4/Tr-XlqJzM7k/s400/DSC_2282.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226359801730052466" border="0" /></a>Cristoforo Stati,Italian, c. 1556-1619: "</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Samson and the Lion</span><span style="font-size:130%;">", 1604/07<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Behind is the Grand Staircase in the Allerton Building under the skylight , with the natural light from Chicago dusk filling the room with a cooling bluish haze.<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfUAli_JpI/AAAAAAAAES8/ZeLoUFIdxDQ/s1600-h/DSC_2359.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfUAli_JpI/AAAAAAAAES8/ZeLoUFIdxDQ/s400/DSC_2359.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226378999130695314" border="0" /></a>Colorful Kashmir Paper Mache boxes being sold in the gift shop<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfA4lvRpHI/AAAAAAAAEQU/ifZYCQtyZnM/s1600-h/DSC_2355.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfA4lvRpHI/AAAAAAAAEQU/ifZYCQtyZnM/s400/DSC_2355.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226357971022357618" border="0" /></a></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Handmade stained glass table lamps for sale in the gift shop<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfA3r0Qb5I/AAAAAAAAEP8/mfjaTjPm-KY/s1600-h/DSC_2382.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfA3r0Qb5I/AAAAAAAAEP8/mfjaTjPm-KY/s400/DSC_2382.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226357955473993618" border="0" /></a>Adams and Wabash "L" stop as seen from the stairs of the Michigan entrance of Art Institute of Chicago<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfA39wOvSI/AAAAAAAAEQE/8okBdm4NSjU/s1600-h/DSC_2368.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfA39wOvSI/AAAAAAAAEQE/8okBdm4NSjU/s400/DSC_2368.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226357960288943394" border="0" /></a>Michigan entrance of Art Institute of Chicago,with one of the famous lion statues<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">While walking towards my 151 bus stop i stopped over at the Crown Fountain at the Millennium Park"the Face" which was filled with kids and adults playing in the water in one of the hottest Chicago nights. Its actually an amazing piece of architecture having many small screens in the shape of bricks which actually plays a video of a random person in smiles and changes expression every few seconds. The face changes, spurts out water from a strategically positioned spout near the face's mouth and a vertical drop water fountain from the top on a regular basis.<br /></span></div></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfa1TZwhkI/AAAAAAAAET4/XIXy1Vtzgng/s1600-h/DSC_2386.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIfa1TZwhkI/AAAAAAAAET4/XIXy1Vtzgng/s400/DSC_2386.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226386501862983234" border="0" /></a>The Crown Fountain with the city in the backdrop<br /><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIe_mi6BJoI/AAAAAAAAEN8/ExBVlwZgclM/s1600-h/DSC_2416.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIe_mi6BJoI/AAAAAAAAEN8/ExBVlwZgclM/s400/DSC_2416.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226356561512834690" border="0" /></a>Kids enjoying the forceful vertical water drop from the top of the face<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIe_oSxxh5I/AAAAAAAAEOE/uHkv37Jgpg8/s1600-h/DSC_2404.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIe_oSxxh5I/AAAAAAAAEOE/uHkv37Jgpg8/s400/DSC_2404.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226356591543027602" border="0" /></a>the reflection of one of the face in the water puddle accumulated in the space between the two fountains<br /><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIe_or-0FvI/AAAAAAAAEOM/RiV6Ha8ByfA/s1600-h/DSC_2398.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIe_or-0FvI/AAAAAAAAEOM/RiV6Ha8ByfA/s400/DSC_2398.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226356598308607730" border="0" /></a>A smiling face with kids underneath<br /><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIe_pKOWDDI/AAAAAAAAEOU/rCOnDewdaOY/s1600-h/DSC_2397.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_0PXnUgTp4lE/SIe_pKOWDDI/AAAAAAAAEOU/rCOnDewdaOY/s400/DSC_2397.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226356606426811442" border="0" /></a>the smiling face spurting out water<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">I know it will probably take me at least 4-5 more visits to finish of the museum to my satisfaction, of course i will have to wait for the really good collection of Renoir,Monet, Van Gogh etc they boast off to come back and definitely will have pictures of more paintings to post. Unfortunately none of the attendant could tell me when the renovations will be completed. Plus there is the new modern wing built with glass and steel having a skylight throughout to look forward to, which is scheduled to open in 2009. So i will be off to the museum tomorrow and this time will avail of the full 4hrs of free time for sure :D.<br /><br />Copyrights @ 2008 Rahuljit Pal.<br />For More Pictures please visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahuljitpal </span><br /></div></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-43493224373306900752008-07-21T15:30:00.001-07:002008-07-24T11:23:33.202-07:00things to do in Chicago for $20 or less<div style="text-align: justify;">After coming back from my visit to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia & Maine (pretentiously named "my week-long wilderness camping trip") , travel posts for which will be subsequently posted in a month or so..(as i am a lazy ass , which is one of the very few Bengali qualities i have , apart from my enduring love for eating,sleeping and traveling :D..i.e..), i found my wallet almost empty and stuck in the gorgeous Chicago summer. A simple googling of "free things to do in Chicago" made me realize that even though i will be completing 4 years in this gorgeous city (even in winter :D ) this august, i have hardly taken the time to enjoy all the free and really cheap things ($20 is my maximum limit of expenditure for an event or an attraction, of course i am willing to dish out more if the event is something of a galactic proportion...like listening to Ozzy,Dylan,Iron Maiden,Ravi Shankar or a famous opera etc... ). The awareness of this simple fact lead me to make up my list of things to do in Chicago for the month of July-August. Which i present here for people's scrutiny, suggestion or possible accompany, all of which are highly unlikely as i know that me and a really small circle of close friend and family members (and these other people will be there only because it will be forcefully shoved down there throat by me.. :D) will be the only readers. This doesn't mean that i am unhappy in my lack of social contacts , on the contrary the purpose of this blog is not to reach people but to put down my travel details along with pictures and my accompanied thoughts. Of course any comment, suggestion or just plain casual reading of it by people unknown to me is, will be highly appreciated and will provide me with much morale boost .. :D.<br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b style="">THINGS TO DO IN CHICAGO THIS SUMMER(JULY-AUGUST)<o:p></o:p></b></p><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style=""> 1.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Go to Art Institute of Chicago: its free Thursdays and Fridays 5PM-9PM (will take couple of visits to get it done properly).<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">2.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Check out the Shanghai Cirque in navy pier. (Weekend).$15-$20<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">3.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]--><span style=""> </span>Venetian Night boat parade, July 26<sup>th</sup>and then the fireworks<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">4.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Checkout the fireworks from one of the boat rides.$20<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">5.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Take the architectural boat ride.$20<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">6.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Checkout the Turkish festival. August 16-17<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">7.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Jazz Festival, August 28-31<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">8.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Go to Lincoln Park Zoo. Free. Roam around the small parks and ponds and paddle the swan boat if somebody else is there.$10.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">9.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->On a pleasant day bike along the lake northwards from Fullerton and southwards to navy pier. Will take couple of trips. Pack food and drink.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">10.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Go to Brookfield Zoo. Watch the dolphin show. Total ticket cost $20<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">11.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Checkout the Museum of Science and History. Total ticket cost$30. Can defer to fall.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">12.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Checkout the Dolphin Show in Shedd Aquarium. $20<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">13.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Visit the Holy name Cathedral and the church near PT<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">14.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Watch a classic movie in the park if somebody gives company. Free. Pack food and drink. August<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">15.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Go to Montrose beach and try to fish there.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">16.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Go to Wilmette and try sailing or kayaking if somebody else comes along.<span style=""> </span>$50-60/hr for group of 3-4<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">17.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Check out the McCormick Freedom Museum. Free every Wednesday after 6PM<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">18.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Checkout Osaka Japanese Gardens in Hyde Park.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">19.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Checkout the fireworks couple of more time from different angles and the Buckingham light show.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">20.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Go to the air and water show. Free. August 15-17<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">21.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Go to the Dearborn observatory. Free Friday nights 9-11PM.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">22.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Walk around Chicago’s underground pathways, Pedway. Free. <b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">23.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Attend Latin Music Festival, Grant Park, August 25-26<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">24.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Go to Chicago Botanic Gardens and attend the free concerts<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">25.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Go to the free concerts/shows in Millennium Park.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">26.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Chinatown festival, July 20<sup>th</sup>, 10AM-8PM. Lion dance 12:30PM<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">27.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Dragon Boat Race July 26<sup>th</sup>, Ping Tom Memorial Park<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">28.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Attend Lincoln Square Summer Concert. Free<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">29.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Walk all the Famous Bridges on Chicago River.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">30.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Go to Museum of Contemporary Art. Free Tuesdays<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">31.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Have a picnic/sunbathing/bar-b-q in Lincoln Park and checkout the different statues. Need a group though.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">32.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Alfred Caldwell hidden Lily Pool in 2000 N Racine in the middle of the city.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">33.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Get in a Cubs home game.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">34.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Spend a day in “L” different lines.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> <p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 31.5pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><b style=""><span style=""><span style="">35.<span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" > </span></span></span></b><!--[endif]-->Walk around downtown.<b style=""><o:p></o:p></b></p> Some of the things in the list are group activities and i need to find a group for that (luckily for me some friends have shown interest), otherwise things like number 31. will be a total ridicule. Of course some of them are just for photography purpose and i am not expecting anybody to give me company on those.<br />These days i have modified my motto to "i am going to ......(the name of the event/attraction) , if you are interested do come along!!" which in the words of Rabindranath Tagore 'Jodi tor daak shune kyo na ashe, tobe <em>akla cholo re</em>'( If no one comes to your call,then walk alone) which i have heard numerous times in the 27 odd years of my existence without ever realizing the importance of it.<br /><br />In the same line of Chicago summer events i am making up a list of "must eat restaurants in Chicago for $25 or less" . Luckily a close friend of mine the one and only vinmoo, having the same kind of gluttonous nature as me(if not more), who happens to be an ex-Chicagoan himself and considered a <span class="ResultBody">connoisseur in his vast social network has extended his help in making up the list. </span></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3296216038490058943.post-46323524704262819312008-07-20T13:23:00.000-07:002008-07-20T13:46:16.141-07:00the brith of a new addiction..<div style="text-align: justify;">the thought of starting a blog has been lingering in my mind for quite a while and like all births it took its time to come. i always thought what will i be blogging about???its not that i don't have things to write about as i do have the gift of gab (can't say it without sounding too presumptuous).i just needed something to start with. My travels gave me that opportunity, so i will start off mainly as a travel blog and let it take its own course.<br /><br /><br /></div>princehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00503651625926181710noreply@blogger.com0