Majestic Beasts

http://www.olderhill.co.za/wolfdogs.htm

This site has some lovely pictures of GSDs and also rare pictures of a GSD pup playing with a Lion Cub. I do believe there are lots of similarities between these big cats (felines) and big dogs (canines). I wish I had witnessed the pup and the cub growing up. It would have been the highlight of my life. Still hope I get such a chance one day.

Always thought of my Jimmy when I saw a lion or tiger on TV (Discovery channel or Animal planet) One can observe so many things that one is familiar with. I despise hyenas even though they belong to the canine family. They are such ungraceful wretches! Leopards and cheetahs (felines) are fast and stun you with the fluidity of their bodies while in motion. But nothing is as beautiful and satisfying to watch as a lion, a tiger or a wolf.

My favourite breed of dogs is the German Shepherd, a.k.a. Alsation (I know for sure now that the 2 names refer to the same breed), because among the breeds I have seen, they bear the greatest resemblance to wolves. But, I'm told (and have seen in pictures) that Siberian Huskies come the closest. That in no way lessens my love for Alsations.... probably one more reason I loved Jimmy so much and took so much pride in him.

Yes... I'll say that again... I'm proud of my Jimmy. And I love him. He's no more... but I love him. I have a theory of dogs having a strong sense of character and their own personalities and idiosyncracies... just like people. I believe Jimmy and I were cut out for each other, given our temperaments. Some day I'll elaborate on that theory. For now... I have only Jimmy and me to lend support to it. Some day I'll have another (God willing... many more) dog(s). Then, I would have a chance to try the theory out some more and comment with authority and a greater degree of certainty.

I believe ...

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"A shrewd man ought to be able to make a fortune before breakfast,
so that he can do a proper job during the rest of the day."
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Today my Orkut profile reads thus ...

Today's fortune:
You will be fortunate in everything


Okay... I do stupid things and I take pleasure in trivial things! So what?!! It's my life. And I'm living it with zest. I don't do things until I reach the point of being compelled to do them - which is exactly why I'm writing this now (only, the compulsion originated in my own mind in this case).


I believe I'm one of the luckiest people around ... Thank God for that. Do I believe in God? You bet I do. Do I like to worship or visit places of worship? Nope. It takes me away from my God. Meaningless rituals disgust me. Tell me why you're doing what you are doing and I may appreciate it (and you!) some. More, if I concur - but that's not always necessary. So who or how is this God of mine? I don't know. I simply choose to believe. And it's stood me in good faith so far. So what's to prevent me from believing it will continue to do so?



My thoughts, which eventually translate into beliefs, are about the only things that are truly my own. All else have been given to me by somebody, mostly my parents. Only now, there are a few worldly possessions that I can call my own... things I bought from my own earnings. But then these earnings themselves have been made possible by things my parents have equipped me with - education, knowledge, values, and an overwhelming sense of independence.



I once had a friend who stood by me through thick and thin, through good times and bad times, to comfort me by his mere presence when i was down, to teach me to love selflessly, to care, to make room in my tumultous mind for concern towards another being. Our friendship is something that truly belongs to me, too. My friend is no more, but the friendship endures. Through his life and his death (it's now 38 weeks), he has taught me so much. He's largely responsible for the person I am today, and I believe I played a comparable role in molding him. We did complement one another so well, that none who came into contact with the both of us, could resist a favourable comment about it. No matter what wealth I amass throughout my life, I don't know if I'll ever be able to afford bringing another such friend into my life.



My friend is now in cahoots with the 'dearly departed'. I wonder what mischief he's up to, up there. There - where I can reach him no more. But he can reach me. He does! I feel his presence and when I do, I feel blessed.



I now know one more thing for sure ... I have friend up there, who's always arguing my case with God. Now tell me... how can I NOT be fortunate?

An assessment of my personality -- Jung style

INTP - "Architect". Greatest precision in thought and language. Can readily discern contradictions and inconsistencies. The world exists primarily to be understood. 3.3% of total population.

Free Jung Personality Test (similar to Myers-Briggs/MBTI)

Courtesy : http://similarminds.com/jung/intp.html

creative, smart, idealist, loner, attracted to sad things, disorganized, avoidant, can be overwhelmed by unpleasant feelings, prone to quitting, prone to feelings of loneliness, ambivalent of the rules, solitary, daydreams about people to maintain a sense of closeness, focus on fantasies, acts without planning, low self confidence, emotionally moody, can feel defective, prone to lateness, likes esoteric things, wounded at the core, feels shame, frequently losing things, prone to sadness, prone to dreaming about a rescuer, disorderly, observer, easily distracted, does not like crowds, can act without thinking, private, can feel uncomfortable around others, familiar with the darkside, hermit, more likely to support marijuana legalization, can sabotage self, likes the rain, sometimes can't control fearful thoughts, prone to crying, prone to regret, attracted to the counter culture, can be submissive, prone to feeling discouraged, frequently second guesses self, not punctual, not always prepared, can feel victimized, prone to confusion, prone to irresponsibility, can be pessimistic

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain (56.4%) The right hemisphere is the visual, figurative, artistic, and intuitive side of the brain. Left Brain (43.6%) The left hemisphere is the logical, articulate, assertive, and practical side of the brain

Are You Right or Left Brained?(word pair test)
personality tests by similarminds.com

Trip Photos

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/dogz_mn/album?.dir=/6fca&.src=ph&.tok=phc902DBml32SVpg

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"Technical Skill is the mastery of complexity;
Creativity is the mastery of simplicity."
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Meke Daatu (or Sangama)

Saturday, Oct 8, 2005

View of Mekedaatu

Decided on the spot to make this trip since we didn't have the class we came for. 8 of us went on 4 bikes (mine included). This was the second time I was going there. The first time was about 2 months back... during peak monsoon. What a difference from what I saw then to what I saw now!!

The water level's receded so much since last time! It's the confluence of 2 rivers - Kaveri and Arkavati. Arkavati waters are a muddy brown. Kaveri waters are clearer, tending towards grey. For quite some distance the two waters flow parallely. Amazing... the way they just dont mingle during this time. Somewhere down the line the distinction disappears.

Where we were so scared to take a step the last time round, we ventured boldly this time! Sat on some rocks a third of the way (mid-stream) in the path of the flowing river. Feels so good. And so calm!

Whereas last time we had hiked for a little over 4 kms to get to the actual spot, where a 'meke' (goat) could 'daatu' (cross) the rapidly flowing river, this time we covered the distance in the bus. (Last time... no buses were plying.) In fact, the water had been so deep then (the 'theppa' (or coracle - a round fisherman's boat) fellow had claimed it was 20 ft deep ... non-sense!) but this time, we actual hit sand and were stuck mid way. With some effort, the guy managed to get us free and take us to the other bank. Guess we could have simply waded across.

The bus journey was fun too. Half the gang climbed on top and made the forward journey riding roof-top on the bus. Rest of us decided to let them be our experimental guinea pigs. If, at the end of it, there were no undesirable consequences, we'd follow suit.

Last time the water had been flowing so forcefully that we had been splashed and drenched even though we had only been sitting on the steps. But now... Where earlier I had seen only water, I now saw smooth-worn rocks.... some over 20 ft tall! Would we have been so care-free then, had we known what lay underneath?! Maybe that explains some of the fear my friends had felt back then. Now, I saw our last time's care-free frollicking as a display of bravado. Had I known then, maybe I'd have taken more pride and put on a better show. Now the pride was in hindsight.

Coming back to the present : The sights I saw... the patterns the water made as it flowed... at times calm, at times raging... the smoothness of the rocks... their roundness, the almost parallel lines running all round... the crevices and almost perfect round holes formed at places that had beeb hidden by the water last time... the dizzy sensation I felt when I lay on my stomach watching the flow about 20-30 feet below... the deceptive power... the co-existence of sheer force and beauty in nature... how does the force generated by Man compare?... what if there was a way to harness all this energy?... is the water creating the circles I see or is this rock revolving?... who am I?... do I exist?... is this for real?... I must be an illusion myself... what captivating enchantment!... what fluidity... what gracefulness... simultaneously gentle and forceful... serene and violent... what if I jump off this ledge?... how long will i commune with this bliss?... i will certainly leave the world i know... what would my last thoughts be?... will I feel life ebbing away from this body?... or will I not know the difference?...

I felt a distant tap on my shoulder. It yanked me back into MY world. I urged the others to prostrate and peer over the ledge just as I had. I sat back and watched them at it for a few moments. Deep inside me was an impenetrable silence and I shared it with one of my friends. We sat in pensive silence, aware of each other, experiencing the same (I think) inner bliss, feeling far removed from everything around us. Am I a part of this act or an observer on the outside? Who are these people?... Familiar, yet... Friends or strangers?... Either way, does it matter?

Some one called out to us. The bus was about to start its return trip. We scrambled back to it. This time all of us got on top. It amused me to see that the inside was almost empty since everyone was on top. It was an exciting experience! I felt I was part of a scene in a movie. If only someone started singing & dancing to Chaiya Chaiya (from Dil Se), the picture would have been complete. And perfect!

Thanks to broadband, I'm rediscovering the internet. It's hard to imagine switching back to my hideously slow dial-up connection. How did I manage with just that for almost SEVEN years?

But the first thing that broadband gave me is a virus. My computer's been infected and now I have to format my hard disk. What a pity! Lost my entire 12 GB collection of songs.

The "two sides of a coin" principle at work!

Back after a long break

I'm back after a really long break. My! How things have changed in my life since my last post. I lost my dearest friend - my dog - to sickness. My status has changed from merely "student" to "student with an offer in hand" - I got placed in CTS. My hussle-bussle life has now assumed a slower pace - I have a whole month of vacation. But my speed of internet access has almost tripled - I just got a broadband connection today. Those are just a few on my list of changes in my life. There certainly is great truth and wisdom in the saying - "Time and tide wait for none".

English Quotes & Proverbs

Ok, my previous post was about Kannada Proverbs.

Even though Kannada is my mother-tongue, English is my first love. The intricacies of this language fascinate me. I find myself better equipped to express my true feelings in English; this probably also explains why I'm usually at a loss and groping for words in Kannada. So I guess it's nothing out of the ordinary that I've chosen this as the topic for my next post.

To start out with, I've included some of the quotes that have had much impact on me. I will continue to do the same and request your contributions too.

Kannada Proverbs

Even though Kannada is my mother tongue, I must admit my Kannada vocabulary is rather limited. But I really enjoy hearing the many proverbs. Of course, proverbs are part of every language. However, for now, I'm only interested in collecting Kannada proverbs.

1. Veda suLLaadaroo gaade suLLagadu
2. Sathyakke saavilla, suLLige sukhavilla
3. Avaru chaape keLage tooridare neenu rangoli keLage tooru
4. Ibbara jagaLa mooranevayarige laaBha
5. KoNana munde kinnari
6. Sankata bandare VenkataramaNa
7. Adakeli hoda maana aane kottare barutha?
8. Ellara mane dosenoo toothe
9. Gubbi mele brahmaastra
10. Tengu ingu iddare Mangammana adigenoo chenda
11. Angai huNNige kannadi yaake
12. Haasige iddashtu kaalu chaachu
13. Ravanasurana hottege arekasina majjige
14. Eechalu marada keLage majjige kudidare kaLLu annutare
15. Kaadu baa annuthe, ooru hogu annuthe
16. Uppiginta ruchi illa thayigintha bandhuvilla
17. Shankadinda biddare teertha
18. Doorada betta nuNNage
19. Antoo intoo Kunti makkaLige rajya illa
20. Dharmakke datti kottare, hittalalli maNa haakidante
21. Maneli ili, beedili huli
22. Kappena takkadili haakidante
23. Akki mele aase, nentara meloo preethi
24. Chinte illadavanige santeyalloo nidde
25. Gidavaagi baggadu, maravaagi baggithe?
26. Gedda ettina bala hididante
27. Ganeshanannu maadalu hogi avarappanannu maadidante
28. Kochhe mele kallu haakidante
29. Dudde doddappa
30. Haagala kaayige bevina kaayiye saakshi
31. Mukha nodi maNe haaku
32. Kuri kaayodakke thoLanannu kaLisidante

Please share more with me. Thanks!!