Never Stop Dreaming

Unique Japanese society: perspective of a foreigner

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:53:29 PST

Japan is a country made up of more than 6000 islands and is 70% mountains. It is a country whose entire population is half that of the United States squeezed into a land mass about the size of California. Japanese face almost 1,500 earthquakes every year. Japan is the only country to be attacked by atomic weapons in the history. Life expectancy of Japanese is the highest in the world. Japan is one of the biggest economies. They are the largest automobile producer in the world and Japanese electronic products need no introduction. Japan’s national anthem is the oldest in the world. Japanese prefer to call their country as ‘land of the rising sun’… you must be wondering if I am going to list out all the facts and figures on Japan. Well, definitely not. In fact, this post intends to talk on some of the strange social and cultural aspects of Japan that I have observed.

Attitude towards foreigners and Internationalization

How Japanese view foreigners may be a subject of personal judgment. Japanese appear very friendly with foreigners but at the same time it's always hard to make them 'a friend'. They will admire you for seemingly smaller doings but may also sometimes suspect you. For a foreigner, it's usual to hear the expression 'nihongo wa jouzu desu neh', which means 'your Japanese is so good', no matter how worse is your Japanese ability. Their expression may come as a compliment but given your level of Japanese you may also feel embarrassed at times. In Japan, you often come across the word 'internationalization', a slogan to show that Japan is positively open to the outside world. However, very few seem to have understood this catch-word. Everyone aspires to it but is often confused when it comes to realizing it practically.

A vertical society and the group-culture

In Japan, everyone belongs to some group, and every group has people of superior rank and status. Here, employees are not necessarily evaluated according to the execution of their specific assigned duties. Rather, individuals are treated as part of a group. One may be denied a promotion just because of his/her age even if he/she possesses the required talent to move up. Japanese believe in long-term relationships with their bosses as they tend to stay with the same job even though other opportunity arise.

Japan is a male dominated society

I was surprised to find a country like Japan as a male- dominated society. Despite of high level of literacy and religious freedom, there exists discrimination against women in the Japanese society. Though the number of working women in Japan is very high which may give an impression that no gender gap exists. The status of women continues to remain low and it is rare to find a women senior manager or CEO in the financial world or big trading companies. Even in daily life, women have their role clearly defined especially after marriage. She is a house-wife and supposed to execute all the domestic activities including child caring / raising. Most of men tend to shy away from helping their female counterparts in activities like cooking or shopping. However, this trend is changing now a days.

Japanese ladies often act cute

As a tradition, Japanese culture prefers every little, cute and immature things. A foreigner often has hard time accepting the fact when an adult Japanese woman speak and act like a child. It seems that Japanese men want cute, child-like women rather than women who are more emotionally matured. And, most of the Japanese women put a priority on pleasing men (like in most of the Asian countries) and prefer to live a luxurious life rather than seeking a responsible position. In fact from the early days of school women are taught to act and look cute, not sophisticated.

Japanese apologize too much

Japanese apologize so often. Generally, an apology is required when an offense or violation of social norms takes place. But apologizing is a part of Japanese culture. A display of modesty is considered a sign of virtue. When people have a problem or they need to ask a favor, they will begin with 'sumimasen', which means 'I'm sorry'. Though, expressions like 'sumimasen' make the atmosphere favorable for cordial interaction, foreigners are often puzzled by this behavior of Japanese.

Like most other countries, Japan has also a lot of positive traits, and at the same time a lot of strange ones. Based on my knowledge and experience, I have tried to summarize some of the characteristics of Japanese society. I found the above aspects of Japanese culture a bit strange. In case you differ with me, you're entitled to have your own opinion.

Through my Lens: Experimenting with my first DSLR

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 21:24:47 PST

A couple of months back, I bought my first DSLR camera. It's a Canon EOS kiss x3 which is the Japanese version of Canon EOS 500D / Digital Rebel T1i. I am not a professional but I have always wanted to learn photography. I have owned a bunch of point & shoot cameras over the years but I could never be satisfied with them especially with night snaps. I have a lot of passion about photography and really want to learn the art of taking good photos. People say that true experimentation is the only way to master this art and we need to spend a lot of time shooting. Well, time is the problem to go for more and more experimentations. Anyway, without talking so much about photography techniques (because I am just a beginner) let me share with you few of the photographs that I took with my new DSLR.

An hour before sunset; Location: Hiroshima city, Japan: shot with Canon EF-S18-55mm kit lens

Trying bokeh (the out of focus or blurry areas of a photograph): shot with Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens

(Water surface: shot with Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens)

Autumn memories: Location: Ikeinomori park, Higashi Hiroshima city, Japan: shot with Canon EF-S18-55mm kit lens

Sunset view: Location: Higashi Hiroshima city, Japan: shot with Canon EF-S55-250mm kit lens

Lighting fixtures: Location: Kure city, Japan: shot with Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens @ ISO: 1600

Light streaks created due to movement of vehicles (taken with a long exposure): Location: Higashi Hiroshima city, Japan: shot with Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens @ ISO: 100

Night view of Higashi Hiroshima city: shot with Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens @ ISO: 100; Exposure: 272 sec

It's my early days in photography but I'm finding out very quickly that it is an expensive hobby. I first bought two lens (EF-S18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS Focus Range: 0.25m ~ ∞ and EF-S55-250mm F4-5.6 IS Focus Range: 1.1m ~ ∞) that came with my DSLR and later went on to buy a really handy Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens for sharp images and videos (during low light conditions). However, I realized that these lenses are not enough and we need few more of these once the enthusiasm and requirement scale high.

The above pictures may not be good enough from the view point of a professional photographer but I am happy that I was able to take few nice photos. The best thing about a DSLR is you can do lots of experimentation and get quick results. I know it's a long road ahead but I will continue to experiment. Let me know what do you think of my new passion. By the way, you can visit my Flickr page (click here) to see my rest of the shots.

Moving from compact digital cameras to DSLR

noreply@blogger.com (Hasitha) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:50:58 PST

I am not an expert in photography. However, When Deependra asked me to write another post for this blog, I thought of writing about my recent experience of upgrading to a DSLR. In this article I will write briefly about various types of compact cameras and how they differ from a DSLR. Then I’ll point out some of the benefits and drawbacks of using a DSLR. Perhaps someone wanting to upgrade to a DSLR might find this post useful.

I'm sure all of you are familiar with the basics of digital cameras, they have almost completely taken over the camera market, replacing the popular film based cameras of the last century. Current digital cameras can be categorized in to four main types, they are:

Ultra compact
Compact
Bridge cameras (Also known as Ultra Zoom or full size cameras)
DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex)

When talking about digital cameras, it is important to understand some of the basic digital camera terminologies. Some of the common terms I have used in the post are listed in the glossary section at the end.

Ultra Compact cameras

These cameras are the smallest and the lightest of them all. Usually have a very thin profile with an average of 3 to 5x optical zoom range. Mega pixel count is relatively low but nowadays averages around 10 or 12 Megapixels. These are generally aimed at average consumers who want a small pocatable camera which they can take out and shoot without worrying too much about camera settings. Price normally varies from $150 to $350.

Compact cameras

Standard compact cameras are somewhat bulkier than the Ultra compacts, but don’t allow any significant improvements in image quality or features. These however have a slightly larger optical zoom range usually ranging from 5x to 10x. Some of them are powered by standard alkaline AA type batteries whereas ultra-compacts exclusively use proprietary rechargeable batteries. Since they are neither thin nor light, price usually is below a comparable ultra-compact (Ranges from $100 to $300 in general).

Then you might ask why pay more and buy a DSLR ?? Well, if you continue reading, you will see what a DSLR has to offer.

Bridge cameras

The term bridge camera is used because they help bridge the gap between compacts and DSLRs; these cameras offer many of the features found in DSLRs but with the exception of having a changeable lens. They are also known as Ultra Zoom cameras due to the high optical zoom (ranging from 12x up to 18x), And full size cameras because they have larger lenses which makes them almost as large as an entry level DSLR. Bridge cameras provide many user changeable options (i.e Manual aperture control, manual focusing and various camera settings). Some even has a mount for adding an external flash units and a lens thread for adding filters. Due to the features price is higher than standard compacts, usually varies from $250 to $500.

DSLR

Perhaps the two main distinguishing features of a DSLR are: ability to change lenses and having a real optical viewfinder. In a DSLR the image you see in the viewfinder is coming through the main lens. In comparison compact cameras either have an electronic view finder, a dummy optical view finder (where the light is not passed though the actual lens, rather through a separate small hole on the camera body), or no view finder at all.

DSLRs in contrast are much larger than compact cameras and even considerably larger than bridge cameras when additional accessories are attached (i.e Battery grips, Flash units, remote triggers etc..). The other difference is the cost. When talking about DSLRs there are three cost factors:

Price of the camera body (normally DSLR cameras are sold without a lens, however there are camera kits that comes with a cheap general purpose lens). An entry level DSLR body will cost around $500, a midrange around $1500 and a high end around $5000.
Price of the lenses. Building up a good lens collection usually cost a lot more than the camera body. Lenses can cost anywhere from $100 for prime (fixed zoom) lenses all the way up to $10,000 or more for high end telephoto lenses.
Cost of the accessories.

Note : There is another type of high end cameras that are even more expensive than professional DSLRs, they are called Medium Format Cameras, which are well over $25,000. They have much larger sensors (medium format 1977 sq. mm). I will not talk about those since average consumers don’t use them.

Advantages of a DSLR

Since lenses are interchangeable, optical zoom has no limit, for example a DSLR body can even be mounted on a telescope making the telescope its lens. Therefore with a DSLR you have the option from going from a close range macro lens all the way to high zoom telescopic lens. Furthermore, with the correct lens the Field of View can be made much wider than that of a compact camera.

The ability to take photos with a very shallow Depth of Field is another unique characteristic of a DSLR. A shallow DOF gives more prominence to the subject making the photo look more professional. DOF effect is achieved by changing the aperture of the lens, to have a shallow DOF a lens with a large aperture is needed. Only expensive lenses designed for SLR cameras have large enough apertures to have a clear DOF effect.

Fast continues shooting ability is another advantage, this is especially important in fast action photography, because you can’t just take one single perfect shot of a fast action sequence, therefore you need to take multiple shots in a quick succession to capture that perfect moment. Continues shooting speeds varies from 3FPS all the way up to 11FPS depending on the camera. In contrast compact cameras don’t have a fast shooting mode; this is partially due to the slow auto focusing techniques they use and due to slow image processing capabilities of the camera.

Low light sensitivity (High ISO performance) is another benefit you get exclusively with DSLRs. When shooting under extremely low light conditions you have to increase the light sensitivity (ISO value) of the camera. ISO value is an indication of the amount of signal amplification and noise reduction carried out inside the camera to enhance the quality of an image. However signal amplification introduces unwanted artifacts into the image. These artifacts makes an image look grainy or full of small dots that do not have the correct color value. Compared to Compact cameras DSLRs have much better ISO performance, there are many reasons for this : perhaps the biggest reason is the sensor size. A typical entry level DSLR has a 330 sq. mm sensor, a full frame high end DSLR has an even larger 864 sq. mm sensor. Whereas a typical compact has a very small sensor usually having an area of 25 sq. mm to 40 sq. mm, which is smaller than 1/10 of a DSLR. A larger sensor can capture more light; in addition, DSLRs also have much larger lenses with larger apertures that allow more light to come in to the camera. Since photography in essence is the process of capturing light, more light means higher image quality. Sensor technology and signal processing capabilities (image processing microchips) also have a direct impact on ISO performance. As you would expect DSLRs have better sensors with faster and more sophisticated chips, hence the final outcome is better.

Another feature of DSLRs is the ability to use of RAW files for storing images. A RAW file is simply an uncompressed untouched copy of the sensor data directly saved on to the memory card. In contrast a JPEG is a lossy compression format that causes some of the finer details of an image to be lost forever when saved. When a camera is saving an image in JPEG format it applies all the camera settings (i.e white balance, color controls, exposure compensation etc.). But with a RAW file you have access to the original sensor output which you can later modify using imaging software like Photoshop. This Gives you the ability to change some of the camera setting at a later time on your computer. Therefore professional photographers almost always shoot RAW.

Ability to use filters and other optical attachments is another benefit. With filters you can take better photographs with nicer effects without post processing on the computer. A filter is a special attachment which you can screw on to the front of the lens to control the light going through to the sensor (i.e : polarizing filters will cut off glare and unwanted reflections off shiny surfaces, UV filters will cut off unwanted UV rays and protect your lens at the same time, there are many other filters like gradient filters, color filters etc..) In addition to filters you can also attach wide angle adaptors and teleconverters to change the optical properties of your lens (to change FOV and Zoom range).

Then there are loads of other accessories like flash guns (external high power flash units) that can be triggered remotely or internally for better lighting; remote controllers for operating the camera, wireless adaptors to transfer images and video wirelessly in real time, underwater and weather proof shells that allows you to take photos under extreme conditions, the list goes on.

The ability to capture professional level videos is another new feature that has been introduced in to DSLRs recently. Compact cameras had video capabilities for a while now, but DSLRs did not; all of this changed with the introduction of Nikon D90 in 2008, afterwards many manufacturers quickly picked up on this. The advantages of shooting video on a DSLR lies in the large sensor and high quality lenses. With a DSLR you can now record videos with DOF effect that could previously be only achieved with professional level $10,000 video cameras. As pointedout earlier low light performance is exceptionally well with fast lenses. It has been reported that even some of the professional level videographers are now more interested in using DSLRs for filming video because of the price and versatility they offer. Below you can see a video which was shot entirely with a Canon EOS 1D Mark IV DSLR with no artificial lighting. As you can see, the quality is exceptional compared to a dedicated video camcorder. However current video capable DSLRs do not have good auto focusing features, this is perhaps the biggest drawback of using a DSLR for recording videos right now. But I believe this will be fixed soon.

As you can see there are numerous advantages in getting a DSLR, especially if you are keen on getting higher quality photographs. But it comes at a price. Before I conclude this post I will also briefly note some of the advantages of owning a compact camera

Advantages of compact cameras

Much cheaper than DSLRs

Highly portable, therefore you don’t have to think twice about carrying a compact camera, just pocket it or put it in your hand bag and go. But with a DSLR or sometimes even with a Bridge camera you have to pay special attention. If you buy DSLR then you’ll probably need several lenses and few other accessories, so you will need a separate large camera bag as well. Then you’ll have to be careful when handling the equipment because they are usually pricy.

Compact cameras are designed for beginners, hence camera controls are easy to use and most functions are automated. Simply point the camera and shoot, due to this, compact cameras are also known as Point and Shoot cameras.

Till last year DSLRs did not have video capabilities at all, even now only a handful of them supports it. But on the other hand, compact cameras had video recording capabilities for several years. Now they even support full HD video. But DSLRs are catching up, but video recording has some limitations as discussed above.

Whether you want a DSLR or not entirely depends on your enthusiasm in photography. If you just want a small camera to take an occasional photo of a family trip, of a party, some special occasion or just a funny moment, then perhaps a compact camera is better suited for you. But if you are really interested in photography and you want to capture the true essence and the beauty of a moment then nothing short of a DSLR will do. I don’t think you can replace a Compact with a DSLR because there are many instances where we cannot be bothered to lug around a huge DSLR, therefore it is better to have a cheap compact and a decent DSLR so you can have best of both worlds.

Glossary

Optical zoom: Magnifying or bringing the subject of interest closer by using optics (lenses). This is the preferred method of zooming since it does not loose detail. The alternative is digital zoom, in which the image is enlarged digitally by interpolating. Digital zoom is same as enlarging a digital image on the computer.

Focal Length: In scientific terms focal length is the distance between the center of the lens and the point in which light from infinity is focused. Since modern camera lenses have many lens elements, the resultant focal of a lens is actually much larger than the distance between the lens and sensor. As far as photography is concerned all we need to know is that lenses with shorter focal lengths have a wider field of view compared to those with longer focal lengths. Focal length of a camera lens is denoted in 35 mm equivalents (compared to how the lens would work projecting the image on to a 35mm film).

This number also has a relation to the zoom factor of a lens. Zoom factor = maximum focal length / Minimum focal length.

Aperture: Aperture is a small adjustable opening (iris) inside the lens that controls the amount of light coming into the camera sensor. Aperture size is denoted by a F-Stop = focal length / diameter of the opening. For this reason larger apertures have a smaller F-Stop number (i.e 1.2) where smaller apertures have a larger F-Stop number (i.e 5.6). Size of the aperture has a direct impact on the amount of light and the depth of field (DOF) of an image

Deapth of field : Is the amount of distance between the nearest and farthest objects that appear in acceptably sharp focus in a photograph. Any object that falls out of the DOF will appear blurry. With a shallow DOF everything that lies away and towards few feet off the focus point will appear blurry where as a with a wide DOF everything will be in focus up to few feet from the lens. Larger apertures have a shallow DOF.

ISO Sensitivity: This is a standardized number representing the sensitivity of the sensor to light. Lower number means less sensitivity. This again is a convention carried on from film cameras. Cameras with high ISO numbers are better at working under low light conditions. However due to the various signal processing techniques images with high ISO settings will have noise.

(*The author, Hasitha Ariyaratne, hails from Colombo, Sri Lanka)

Sky is all yours

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 06:37:59 PST

A very dear friend of mine is going to join an Australian University to pursue his post - graduation. It's the time to say good-bye to him. He has been one of my best friends during my stay in Japan for a period of almost four years. I am grateful to him for always being right there when I needed someone to talk to. I will never forget all the laughter and fun experiences that we’ve shared. I dedicate this poem to him and wish him a successful journey ahead..

Yesterday’s gone
    like disappearing clouds
    like vanishing stars
    like passing twilight
    like fading moonlight

Leaving memories
    of stress and fun
    of rest and run
    of hope and despair
    of scare and care

It’s the time
    to reflect on past glories
    to bury bitter memories
    to match a flowing stream
    to catch the next dream

So, my friend!
    grab with both hands
    happiness is all yours
    give wings to your dreams
    sky is all yours

(My Poems also appear at www.poemhunter.com)

Flashback 2009: a few disappointments, so much to look forward to

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 15:43:46 PST

We are about to say goodbye to the year 2009. There were few disappointments, but there are also plenty of things to be happy about in 2009. Things that could have been great, but were ordinary. Few events were downright depressing. However, despite some letdowns, there are reasons to be optimistic. Lets figure out the top five stories of 2009 that in some way will have a lasting impact.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009 held in Copenhagen, Denmark: While the world leaders were engaged in 'playing politics' on the issue of preventing our earth from getting warmer, a news report said that 2009 is likely to rank as one of the 10 warmest in the last 159 years. Yet the leaders failed to agree on a legally- binding treaty to tackle climate change through massive emission cuts. The conference which according to UN chief Ban Ki-moon, was expected to be 'a defining moment in history' failed to generate consensus on some of the key issues. Optimists say that Copenhagen summit was the first step towards achieving the desired emission reduction level to limit the global temperature rise. But if they are true, then it is the first step of what seems like a long and difficult road ahead.

The outbreak of the H1N1 influenza strain (swine flu): H1N1 influenza commonly referred as Swine-flu first appeared in Mexico and the United States and soon spread out to more than 200 countries and territories. It was declared a global pandemic, the first condition since the Hong Kong flu of 1967–1968 to receive this designation. There have been over 12000 deaths reported so far due to swine-flu besides half a million others infected. As a precautionary measure, people started using facial masks. Now-a-days, facial masks have became a common sight at schools, workplaces and other public places. Though, masks may prove beneficial for people coming in close contact with infected persons but whether they prevent swine flu infection remains doubtful.

The Sri Lankan Civil War ended with the defeat of LTTE: Following more than three decades of relentless fighting, Sri Lanka managed to defeat the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) force thus bringing the longest running armed conflicts in Asia to an end. After a series of massive offensives, the Sri Lankan forces emerged winner in the battle against the rebellious LTTE. The civil war claimed lives of over 70,000 and displaced more than 200000 people.

The world economy started to recover: The global economy has shown signs of recovery though it's not completely escaped from the recession. The unprecedented policy intervention by the world economic powers has provided with a hope of recovery after the economy plunged down for two consecutive years. Asian economies like China and India stood as the driving force behind this rebound. However, International Monetary Fund (IMF) has warned that the recovery is largely due to massive public spending by governments and the underlying economy may not be strong enough. IMF predicts that unemployment will continue to rise in the coming years and the path to recovery may not be smooth.

Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Barack Obama: Many of you may not agree with me, but I believe that Nobel 'peace' prize awarded to the US president is one of the most interesting stories of the year. This unexpected honor was given to Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation. The incident elicited both praise and doubts world-wide. There were questions raised whether he deserved this award. But what I feel is the prize has brought perhaps more burden than glory for Obama and it's definitely a good news.

I have selected the top five headlines of the year 2009. However, you may differ with me. It was difficult to choose few stories from many equally important ones that happened during the year. Some of the other significant stories include: the deadliest bushfire in Australia’s history that killed hundreds of people and left thousands homeless, Morgan Tsvangirai sworn in as the Prime Minister in Zimbabwe following the power-sharing deal with President Robert Mugabe, terrorist attack on a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore, North Korea announcement that it has conducted a second successful nuclear test in the province of North Hamgyong, sudden death of Pop king Michael Jackson that shocked the entire world, the deadliest attack on journalists in recent history in which 57 people were abducted and killed in an election- related massacre in the Philippines, the presidential election in Iran that triggered a series of violent demonstrations, the landslide victory of Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) in Japanese parliamentary elections in more than five decades that promises to change Japan's foreign policy (which, at present, heavily favors the United States) and, so on.

As in case with every year, 2009 also had some good and some awful moments. Let's pray for a better year ahead. Lets hope that wisdom will prevail in choosing the right path whenever we face with two diverging roads in life. Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous New year 2010 !

The theme song for Never Stop Dreaming

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 15:43:30 PST

Last week, I found an interesting message at the facebook fan page of this blog. It was from Phil Lehmann, an independent music producer, engineer and songwriter based in Vancouver, Canada. He had left a message that read, 'here is the song that I think fits well with this page (i.e. Never Stop Dreaming's fan page)' and uploaded a song from his upcoming album, If Found Please Listen. It's indeed a beautiful song which I thought would be an ideal theme song for this blog. Before I proceed further, lets listen to the song (click play button in the console below):

I wrote back to Phil asking if I could use this song at my blog which, to my pleasure, he agreed. He, in fact, sent me the download link for his album. I found that most of the songs in the album express a message of hope and inspire the audience with its splendid lyrics. The album is actually set to be released on January 12, 2010 via Hipjoint / Universal.

Phil Lehmann has been involved with various music projects for Hipjoint Music Group and Nettwerk One Music. He was associated with several films and TV shows like ABC’s Samantha Who? and syndicated TV series Flash Gordon. He is currently a producer and head engineer for Hipjoint Music Group along with his own company, Active Minds Productions. 'Dreamboat Money' is a music project in which he and his wife (also a singer) Erica Lehmann are actively engaged .

Dreamboat Money is the personal music project of Phil and Erica Lehmann. Most of the songs of the album are emotional and filled with a sense of optimism. Always searching for inspiration from life, love and limitless adventures, Dreamboat Money vows to spread the message of peace and love across the world.

The song which Phil shared (uploaded above) with us is indeed amazing. What I liked most in this particular song is the sense of optimism and love embedded in it. The message that we all should follow our dreams and live harmoniously together makes it a perfect theme song of this blog, Never Stop Dreaming. I sincerely hope that all of you will agree with me. I thank Phil Lehmann for sharing this beautiful song with us. And, would like to extend my best wishes to his team for the success of the album, If found Please Listen. Cheers!

A journey called life

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:19:07 PST

From love to hate
From faith to fate
We never stop wondering
Life is a mystery
Keep your fingers crossed

From dawn to dust
From calm to gust
We never stop pondering
Life is a challenge
Keep your chin up

From emotions to action
From despair to reaction
We never stop performing
Life is a show
Wear your heart on your sleeve

From pleasure to pain
From drought to rain
We never stop wandering
Life is a journey
Go the extra mile

(My Poems also appear at www.poemhunter.com)

I don’t believe anymore

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:02:06 PST

Worried citizen, fading morale
They broke the rules
But told me
They want us to feel happy
I still believed

Unrealized dreams, lost hopes
They killed the innocents
But told me
They want us to live long
I still believed

Helpless eyes, stressed folks
They extorted people
But told me
They want us to be rich
I still believed

Scared faces, empty streets
They wreaked havoc
But told me
They want us to feel safe
I still believed

Endless struggle, spiritless life
Thriving poverty, growing injustice
Caught in darkness
One day, my belief grew legs
And walked away

(My Poems also appear at www.poemhunter.com)

Japanese society: at crossroads of religion and superstition

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 05:49:13 PST

There’s a saying, 'Every Japanese is a Shinto when he’s born, a Christian when he marries, and a Buddhist once he dies'. During my stay in Japan for the period of little under four years, I've learned that Japanese people, most of the times, refrain from talking about two things: politics and religion. Probably that's why it took more than half of a century for the Japanese to seriously think of replacing the Liberal Democrats to lead Japan (Read the related post here). However in this post, I intend to discuss only about religious aspect of the Japanese society.

It appears that religion doesn't play a very big role in the Japanese society. Most of the Japanese will tell you that either they are atheists or they don't take religion very seriously. Buddhism and Shintoism are the major religions of the Japanese, although not many engage in the kind of daily religious activities that we see in other countries. An average Japanese would look somewhat religious while visiting a shrine or while going to a cemetery. However, when asked if they really believe in god, the answer will be either denial or vague philosophical.

Before I continue further, let me share an interesting incident with you all. Last year, I was on a trip to the Okinawa islands of Japan in order to attend a conference. I was accompanied by one of my friends who hails from Indonesia. In that trip I met several interesting people but the coolest person I met would probably go unnoticed by many. He was a taxi driver. After leaving the airport, we hopped onto a taxi and took off for the hotel. 'So, where shall I drop you guys?', asked the taxi driver in an interesting way. He was surely different than many others who appear so formal and polite in their conversations. He appeared to be carefree in attitude and comfortable in his own skin. His manner and words were refreshing. After he had the idea of our destination hotel, he asked casually, 'where are you from?'. 'Nepal', I replied. It seemed that he had no idea about my country so I added, 'It's the country of Mt. Everest and birth place of lord Buddha. I guess you are a Buddhist, right?' His answer was nothing less than a surprise to me, well, you may think so. I'm a Buddhist probably because of my ancestors but, I'm not a religious person. I think most of the Japanese don't believe in religion literally.' Suddenly the conversation had become intense and interesting. I asked, 'so what do you believe in? Do you think religion has nothing to do in our lives? What I think is that religion has a basic role to lead us towards a happy life. Isn't it so?' His response was so philosophical, 'see, what I believe is that a happy life is not because of any religion or god. The right way to lead my life would be to do always good and help others. The most important thing is to follow our conscience and not merely live according to any religious ideology'. We talked almost all the way till we finally reached our hotel. However, I am not going to write rest of the conversation as it would be out of scope of this post. My intention of putting this incident here is only to show how most of the Japanese react once asked about their religion. The statistics reveal that Japan is among one of the least religious countries.

Are Japanese non-religious? Well, if you put this question in a different way, you are most likely to get different responses. Do you visit a shrine or a temple on occasions like New Year, festivals or before taking a major decision? Do you bow and pray to the rising sun? Do you seek a good luck charm from a Shinto shrine? Do you want to get married at a Church? Do you take your babies to the shrine for blessings? Do you want to have your funeral held in a Buddhist temple? etc. Questions like these are most likely to generate positive answers. The following table summarizes the major religious activities of Japanese:

Description	When	Where
o-miya mairi	On the 30^th day after birth	Shrine
Shichi-go-san	At the age of 3, 5, 7	Shrine
Praying for success in exams	February, March	Shrine
Coming-of-age day	Age 20	Shrine
Wedding		Shrine/ Temple/ Church
Funeral, memorial services		Temple/ Church
warding off evils		Shrine/ Temple

(Source: The book 'Unfolding Japanese Traditions')

In the present Japanese society, people are not bound to a specific religion and they don't seem to care much about their rites in life being connected to Buddhism or Shintoism, because they don't consider it exactly a religious practice. Going to Shinto shrines, getting married at a Church and holding funerals at Buddhist temples have become practical customs for the Japanese. Most of the Japanese accept each religion along with the associated religious occasions so naturally.

Sounds a bit strange, right? It seems that these occasional 'religious' activities are followed only as traditions. This may be due to either most of the Japanese: a) have no or very little faith in the relevance of their 'own' religion; b) don't think that only religion drives the moral values or provides meaning to life; c) think that every religion has a basic purpose to provide means of leading life in a disciplined, peaceful, and happy way.

Are Japanese superstitious? Although not always the case, many people relate religious activities to superstition. Superstition is an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear of certain 'other-worldly forces' of the universe. There are many practices to indicate that Japanese people are superstitious. One of the examples being their faith in good luck charms. They believe that during life, one has one or two unlucky years (for men: 25 and 42 years of age ; for women: 19 and 33 years of age) in which important changes related to health, family, social life, fortune etc. may occur. Those years are considered as the turning point of their lives. Therefore at these ages or when one is hit by a spell of bad luck, he visits to a Shrine or a temple to have the evils warded off (warding off evils). Like in many other countries, superstition have strong roots in Japanese society.

At the end, Japanese people may not be committed to any specific religion but their thinking and life-style seems greatly influenced by the Shinto beliefs that has helped to glue their cultural heritage together. Though people continue to believe in the social rituals, they don't want to be the part of an organized religion. Besides, being superstitious is not bad as long as it’s not harmful. What I admire about Japanese is their commitment towards ethics and high moral values. I believe that religion has a basic purpose of helping us lead life in a disciplined, peaceful, and happy way. Japanese are less sensitive towards any specific religious doctrine but, at the same time, are superstitious in their beliefs. In a way, Japanese society stands at the crossroads of religion and superstition.

Smartphones, what can you do with it? Do you really need one?

noreply@blogger.com (Hasitha) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:06:50 PST

Cell phones have undoubtedly become an integral part of our lives. I’m pretty sure you never leave your home without one. But how many of you use it for more than making calls or sending text messages? Do you know what a modern smartphone is capable of? I’m guessing most of you do, but when Deependra asked me to post about something interesting related to technology, I thought why not write about smartphones. After all, they are the future of computing devices. And personally I believe desktops and bulky laptops will soon become a thing of the past, and these tiny mobile computing devices will dominate.

What is a smartphone ?

Some of you might be wondering what a smartphone really is? And how does it differ from a normal cell phone? Well, the answer is not as clear cut as it used to be few years back. Conventionally, a smartphone is a mobile phone that runs a mobile operating system and offers PC-Like functionality. Perhaps the main distinguishing feature is the mobile operating system, which provides a standardized platform for 3rd party application developers. This allows the users to download and install 3rd party applications to enhance their phone’s functionality beyond what is originally supported by the manufacturer. Software capabilities of smart phones generally differ from a regular phone due to:

Rich web clients and browsers that can provide PC-like browsing capabilities
Fully fledged Email clients (supporting SMTP/POP/IMAP/ActiveSync)
Advanced internet based application support (VOIP services, Instant Messengers, Social networking)
Advanced PC syncing capabilities (Contacts/calendar entries/Organizer)
Support for running multiple applications simultaneously
Support for custom GPS navigation applications (e.g.: Google Maps, Garmin, etc.)
Allowing 3rd party applications to access all the hardware features of the phone (this has led to the development of so many creative and innovative applications)

On top of this, smartphones generally offer better hardware features too, such as:

Faster micro processors (based on Advanced RISC Machine : ARM chips)
Advanced graphics capabilities (2D and 3D hardware acceleration)
More memory (more RAM for running applications and expandable storage for file storage)
Better connectivity options (i.e : High-speed internet)
Full QWERTY keyboards
Large high resolution screens with touch input capability
Built-in GPS units with compasses

However, as I said before the differences between a smartphone and a regular phone are fading away as the later has now started to provide some of the smartphone like features. Therefore, the features mentioned above are no longer exclusive only to smartphones, but as you go further apart in the scale of smart phones and regular phones, differences become obvious.

Almost all phones support Java Platform Micro Edition (formally known as J2ME). This allows 3rd party Java applications to be installed and run on any phone (including standard phones). In the early days, Java applications couldn’t do much, because they didn’t have access to most of the core phone features. But things are changing with new revisions. However, because regular phones are manufactured with limited hardware capabilities (to reduce the cost and increase portability and battery life), they are still not as versatile as smartphones even with Java.

Mobile Operating systems

There are a number of smartphone operating systems, some of the most popular ones are listed below:

Symbian
Windows Mobile
iPhone OS
Android*
BlackBerry
Palm WebOS*
Maemo* (an upcoming OS for Nokia smartphones)
Linux

* based on Linux.

And some of the leading smartphone manufacturers are:

Nokia (Symbian, Maemo)
SonyEricsson (Symbian, Windows Mobile)
Apple (iPhone OS)
Samsung (Symbian, Windows mobile, Android)
HTC (Windows Mobile, Android)
BlackBerry (BlackBerry OS)
Palm (Palm OS)

If you are looking to buy a smartphone, then choosing the correct operating system is as important as any other phone feature (i.e: Number of megapixels in the camera, screen size/resolution/type, battery life etc.). The chart below shows the market share of Smartphone operating systems as of Q2/2009 (Canalys).

As you can see, Symbian is the dominating OS followed by Blackberry and Apple. Blackberry OS is popular because of the business oriented BlackBerry phone and it’s unique hardware and software support (QWERTY keyboard, email web etc.). But now, other big players (Nokia, Samsung) are also coming up with smartphones having the same hardware and software features to the Blackberry (but running a different OS). Therefore, I speculate that Blackberry market share might drop in the future.

Reason for Iphone OS’s popularity is obvious: The Apple iPhone. But I don’t think iPhone OS is popular due to it’s smartphone capabilities. Majority of the iPhone users are buying it for the iPod (music) capabilities and as a fashion accessory. Every teenage needs an iPhone, because they think its cool and hip. But If you compare an iPhone with another high end smartphone by another company (i.e Nokia or SonyEricsson) you will quickly notice that iPhone is inferior in terms of hardware capabilities. But Apple has managed to make the iPhone a successful smart phone due to their creative marketing strategies and application store support (Apple App Store).

But perhaps the most exiting smartphone OS out there right now the Android OS by Google. So far it has a very low market share because the OS itself and devices supporting it are new. The operating system was first launched just over a year ago. But there are plenty of Android devices out in the market right now and more are coming out each day. With the support of Google and huge open source community behind it, tables will turn pretty soon and Android will become a strong competitor in the smart phone OS industry.

New trends

Social networking is the buzzword in today’s smartphone world. Every smartphone OS is now putting out a ton of applications and widgets to support popular social networking services like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter etc.. If you look at some of the recent phones, you will see that social network integrations run deep in to phone’s operating system. On some phones for example, now you can see the latest Facebook profile picture along with the status message when someone is calling you. You can have all your favorite news feeds and live weather/traffic updates right on the home screen. Access to all sorts of information is right there at your fingertips.

Business capabilities of smartphones are also getting more advanced each day. Sending and receiving emails has never been easier, you can sync your phone with multiple email accounts. With Office packages now you can create or edit spreadsheets and word documents right from the mobile phone. With full QWERTY physical keyboards typing on a phone is no longer an issue.

Few years back, having a MP3 player in your phone was considered a huge convenience. But now, with high-speed internet and all these connectivity options you have access to more than few MP3s or small video clips stored on your memory card. There are live TV support and video on demand capabilities with support for online gaming.

GPS based services are another fast evolving trend in mobile phones. With almost all smartphones now having an integrated GPS unit, GPS navigation has become a standard feature. All you have to do is speak the name of the place you want to go, and then the phone will take you there with turn by turn voice guided instructions. With options like Geotagging now you can keep your friends or family informed of your location allowing them and you to find one another easily. When taking a picture or a video, the phone will automatically the tag it with location information, so you don’t have to worry about renaming or entering those details manually. Possibilities are endless when you couple a smartphone with a GPS and high-speed internet.

Are there any drawbacks?

Everything about a smartphone seems so wonderful and tempting, isn’t it? But all these features come at a cost. To begin with, the price of a smartphone is usually several times more compared to a regular phone. But that is not the only compromise you have to make. Due to all these new technologies, a smartphone is usually very bulky and heavier than a regular phone. Furthermore, the high end components and connectivity options have a negative impact on the battery life. A typical high end smartphone with all of its bells and whistles turned ON will not last more than a day. That means you have to constantly keep an eye on the battery meter. And then, for most of the above fun features to work, you need a high speed always connected internet/data plan (which are normally expensive in most countries). So, at the end of the day you have to pay more for the phone and for your contract then tolerate a heavier, bulker device that won’t last more than a day on a single charge.

Is it for you?

Well…., now I guess you have an idea what is a smartphone, and what it can do and its drawbacks. Deciding whether you really want one or not should depend on your needs. If you are just a regular user wanting only a phone for its calling and texting features then I see no reason for spending more to get a bulky device that you need to charge every day. But if you are one of those who want to be always up-to-date and with touch with all your friends (eMail, news, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc..) then a regular phone will not simply cut it.

(*The author, Hasitha Ariyaratne, hails from Colombo, Sri Lanka)

Never Stop Dreaming: celebrating 100th blog post

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:36:11 PST

What you are reading now actually marks the 100th post on this blog, Never Stop Dreaming, which I started last year as a convenient way to give voice to my feelings, share ideas and events and exchange opinions on various issues. It's been a little over 75 weeks when I first posted at this blog. Earlier, blogging was just an extension to my habit of writing daily diary - a time off thing to avoid boredom and loneliness - but, soon it became a passion. I started to see blogging as a wonderful medium to convey and exchange my feelings. It became a place where I could explicitly express myself. I have tried to be regular in blogging but at times, my social and personal commitments have made it difficult. Today, as I am posting this 100th entry, it gives me immense satisfaction having reached this small milestone. And, your precious company provides me with a reason to look beyond. Today, your visit has reassured me that I am not alone walking on this road. I treasure this feeling of togetherness.

'Never Stop Dreaming' kicked off as www.hellobirgunj.blogspot.com on May 23, 2008 and later changed to the blogger- hosted custom domain www.deependrajha.com from September 16, 2009 onwards. Out of 100 posts (including this one), this blog has featured nine articles from some of the eminent guest authors. I take this opportunity to show my gratitude to all the guest writers: Er. Navaraj Karki for writing a couple of wonderful articles on the status of electricity in Nepal; my friend from Sri Lanka, Hasitha Ariyaratne, for penning many useful articles related to computer technology, my friend Boga Thura Manatsha from Botswana for authoring an informative article on the stunning success story of Botswana from one of the world's poorest countries to an 'economic miracle'; my friend Dr. Ramesh Kumar Bhandari for penning a technical article on the prospects of solar installations in Nepalese context; and my cousin Mukesh Jha, who is a USA based IT support Tech., for writing a couple of informative and inspiring articles. You all have actually added a new dimension to this blog. It's been my pleasure and privilege to have you all here.

I have tried to share my thoughts on different topics through this blog. Out of my blog entries, almost one fourth are poems. I am not a poet or someone close to this title. I just try to express my deep and intense feelings through words, and that's it. Through poetry, I try to accumulate my emotions that may reflect some aspects of my life that need talking about. In a way, this blog has been the journal of my journey - a journey called life!

Now, it's the time to reflect on the some of the most popular posts on this blog. based on visitors choice. Let me share the 5 most popular blog entries at 'Never Stop Dreaming':

Besides these posts, one of my earlier entries, Hello Birgunj, leads the list of articles with the most comments on them till date followed by the posts One year of blogging: the blogger in me turned one today, Flashback 2008: revisiting an eventful year, What makes USA different from Japan? and I'm an alien .

There have been several ups and downs while coming all the way down to this post, and I have no doubt that it will continue to be so in accordance with what I'm feeling and how I'm responding to my emotions, with the degree to which I'm immersed in my writing. But, I think I enjoy blogging, now more than ever. Because, the feeling of sharing ideas with you all is satisfying in itself. I enjoy being a participant in this vibrant world of blogging. This blog has introduced me to a widening circle of fellow blogger and many visitors who I wouldn’t have known otherwise. Through this medium, I managed to rediscover my own old friend circle after a fairly long time. Believe me, I've very little to complain about.

If this is your first time visiting this blog, I would like to welcome you! Please take a look of the archives and browse through some of the posts. I believe you will find many stuffs interesting and informative. If you’re a regular visitor, thank you so much for your loyal support. Because, this blog would have no meaning without you all. Never Stop Dreaming.

I want you to feel me

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:44:14 PDT

It’s a sleepless lonely night
I can’t stop thinking of you
If only you knew
How much I love you
Cold winds blowing around
I’m still awake
Out on the streets
Wandering willy-nilly
Chilled to the bone
Abandoned and alone

It’s a shivering dark night
But can’t freeze my feelings for you
If only you knew
How much I miss you
Up above the frosty sky
I see the sinking moon
Behind the clouds
Braving the winds
The moon resembled me
Desperate and deserted she

It’s a quiet empty night
But I can’t get hold of the silence
If only you knew
How much I need you
Memories keep floating back
I feel you in my heart
Entwined ten fingers
Scream in prayer
Sudden glitter of fireflies
Start making loud cries

I wonder,
If silence has ever been this loud
If night has ever been this empty
If life has ever been this illusive
Oh, my sweetheart!
I am in pain tonight
The sinking moon feels it
The freezing cold feels it
The vanishing cloud feels it
The dying star feels it
But when will you feel me?

(My poems also appear at http://www.poemhunter.com )

Will Windows 7 Replace XP and Vista?

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 07:03:03 PDT

This article is written by a guest author Mukesh Jha, a USA based IT Support Tech. This week, Microsoft came up with its latest operating system, Windows 7, in the market. The previous launch by Microsoft, Windows Vista, was disliked by most of the users. People are in a dilemma whether to go for Windows 7 now or is it too early. I installed Windows 7 recently on my computer and personally I am also interested to know a bit more about this much hyped operating system. In this post, the author intends to compare the last three operating systems by Microsoft – Windows XP, Vista and Windows 7 – and presents his opinion. Before I stop, let me thank Mukesh for writing this article for the readers of this blog. Please welcome him as he prepares to take over.

Microsoft, the undisputed leader in business productivity software, has almost enjoyed a monopoly in the market of operating systems for personal computers. This week, on October 22nd, Microsoft launched its latest version of operating system called Windows 7. According to many, Microsoft’s last venture, Windows Vista, was a failure thanks to the reasons like poor marketing, faster battery drain in the laptops, higher system requirements, missing drivers, poor overall performance, missing file system like winFS and so on. Windows Vista could get a share of less than 10% installation on the corporate computers. Microsoft itself did admit that Vista was not a success after all. Now we are entering into the age of Windows 7 but the question is “Will Windows 7 Replace XP and Vista?” I am going to share my opinions with you all with the help of this post.

After a great success of Windows XP, Vista came up. Unfortunately Vista was unable to replace XP and couldn’t come even close to XP if we talk about its share in terms of use. Still 60% of the businesses are using XP environment because they believe that it works best for their working needs. There are quite a few companies still using Windows 2000 that’s because there are some particular applications which may not be compatible with XP but other than that most companies use Windows XP. Besides this, the world seems to be in love with Windows XP. People want to keep it in market especially after their experience with Windows Vista, and this makes Vista look even worse. There are some reports about people reverting back to XP after finding the drawbacks of Vista.

Windows Vista is out for quite some time now. Vista originally came carrying a goal to replace XP but failed to leave even its own footprint. I have encountered very few instances of a company using it in their work environment. To many, Vista is nothing better than a piece of junk. Vista is being used mainly by either home users or those who use the computer for their home/ personal use because they do not have a choice other than using it. Here in the United States, most of the outlets like Best Buy, CompUSA, Circuit City, Wal-Mart, Sams Club, Costco etc. were selling computers with only Vista preloaded (before Windows 7 was launched). When People ask to uninstall Vista, they charge some additional money ($99.00) to remove Vista and put XP back on (except for some Vista ultimate users who had an option to get their operating system down- graded for free). The percentage of people who don’t know anything about an operating system despite of using computer for a long time is fairly high even now. For people who fall under this category may not have any issues either by with XP or with Vista. So basically Microsoft is forcing people to buy the computers with Vista pre-loaded. This way, Microsoft still making profit whether you take the computer as it is or even if you ask them replaces Vista with XP at additional $99.00. Let’s forget the Vista here but do keep the XP in mind and let’s move towards the new innovation, Windows 7.

Windows XP has been the best operating system for almost a decade now but is it the turn for Windows 7? Many People say that Windows 7 seems to be nothing more than some polish applied liberally to the Vista Aero theme. I would say, please do not jump into this conclusion so early, because windows 7 seems to be a complete replacement of Vista and much better than Vista in terms of performance. Windows 7 is more than just spin. It's stable, smooth, and highly polished operating system introducing new graphical features, a new taskbar that can compete handily with the Mac OS X dock, and device management and security enhancements that make it both easier to use and safer. Importantly, it won't require the hardware upgrades that Vista demanded (at least Microsoft claims it). The reason behind this is partially because the hardware has caught up, and partially because Microsoft is eager to make Windows 7 accessible to as many people as possible.

Microsoft is offering six versions of Windows 7: Starter, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, OEM, and Enterprise. The three versions that Redmond will be promoting most heavily are Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate, although Starter will also be available to consumers. Windows 7 will support both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. The bare minimum requirements for the 32-bit include a 1GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB available hard-disk space, and a DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver. 64-bit systems will require at least a 1 GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 20GB of free space on your hard drive, and a DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver. A touch-screen monitor is required to take advantage of the native touch features. Do note that some users have claimed to have limited success running the Windows 7 beta with less than 1GB of RAM, but that's not recommended.

Comparing Windows: XP vs. Vista vs. 7
	Windows XP	Windows Vista	Windows 7
Minimum hardware	Processor: 300MHz	Processor: 1GHz	Processor: 1 GHz
	RAM: 128MB	RAM: 1GB (32-bit), 2GB (64-bit)	RAM: 1GB (32-bit), 2GB (64-bit)
	Super VGA graphics device	Support for DirectX 9 graphics device with 128MB of memory	Support for DirectX 9 graphics device with 128MB of memory
	HD: 4.2GB (for SP3)	HD: 20GB (32-bit), 40GB (64-bit)	HD: 16GB (32-bit), 20GB (64-bit)

Interface	Luna theme	Aero theme	Aero theme
	Introduces task-based windows options	Introduces transparent panes, window animations, live thumbnails of running programs	Supports slideshow backgrounds, RSS and theme packs
	Skinning possible but difficult	New desktop sidebar supports gadgets	Introduces Aero Shake and Aero Snap
	Desktop Cleanup Wizard automates removing old icons	Supports touch screens	Desktop gadgets can be placed anywhere
			Supports multi-touch on touch screens

Explorer	Replaces tree navigation by default with task pane	Task pane integrated into toolbar	Support for federated searches and libraries
	Improves image handling	New breadcrumb navigation	Virtual folders aggregate content from local and networked drives
	Offers thumbnail previews and group views	New metadata display
	Supports some metadata	Improved icon resolution
		Some documents can be edited from the preview pane

Start menu	New layout	Added search box	Taskbar jumps appear in the Start menu and replace the right column when viewed
	Devices and some Control Panel options appear in menu	All Programs folder changed to a nested format	Documents, Pictures, Music buttons now link to their libraries
		Configurable power button	Control Panel options have been integrated into search results
		User profile picture

Taskbar	New look	Refreshed look	Interactive mouse-over preview panes
	Hideable icons in System Tray	Alt-Tab hot key now shows preview thumbnail of program	Replacement of the Quick Launch bar with pinned programs
			Program-specific jump lists based on pinned programs
			Aero Peek for mouse-over desktop viewing
			Revamped System Tray

Devices	Introduces Universal Plug-n-Play	Debuts portable device API, designed to communicate with cell phones, PDAs, and portable media players	New Device Stage provides a centralized, unified window for managing all aspects of printers and portable devices
	New driver library allows for downgrading drivers when necessary	Introduces Sync Center for managing data synchronizations

Misc.	Introduces context-menu CD and DVD burning from Windows Explorer	Built-in drive partitioning	Expands Windows Explorer disc burning to include ISOs
	Supports multiple versions of a single DLL to prevent programs from overwriting each other	More powerful screen-capturing tool	Introduces XP Mode
	Introduces Hibernate and Sleep modes	Hybrid Sleep and better configuration options for more nuanced power management	Expanded options for disabling components
	Remote Desktop for accessing a computer from another location	User-based file-type associations	Can search text in scanned TIFF
	Fast user account switching	Previous Version automatically backs up changes to individual files	Additional power-saving features for laptops

(source: CNET)

The good: Strong design and Microsoft don't always go together, but they do in Windows 7. Users might take a while to get used to the new taskbar and Aero Peek, but they're a pleasure to use.

The bad: Performance is still hit-or-miss in Windows 7. At the ripe age of seven, Windows XP still performs better in some categories.

The bottom line: Windows 7 is more than what Vista should have been, it's where Microsoft needed to go. How much damage Vista did and whether Windows 7 is enough for people to finally abandon Windows XP are questions that nobody has the answers to right now. (source: CNET)

I have recently installed the Windows 7 on my computer. The first impression of this looks okay to me and I would encourage users to install it. It looks like the operating system consumers have been waiting for. Microsoft claims to have fixed most of the problems that were in Vista and believes that Windows 7 is the future of Windows brand of operating systems.

One year later, the power crisis still exists in Nepal: Is there any solution?

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 00:54:41 PDT

This is a guest post by Er. Nava Raj Karki, a Power System Engineer and Lecturer at Tribhuvan University, Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus, Nepal. In the beginning of 2009, when Nepal was facing an unprecedented load shedding of 16 hours a day, he analyzed the root causes of the problem and suggested few viable options to combat the crisis (click here to read the previous post). The then Maoist government had come up with the idea of installing 200MW thermal power stations which was later canceled on financial grounds. One year down the lane and nothing significant has been done to avoid power cuts this winter. The government changed and so did their priorities. In this post, Er. Karki intends to analyze the situation of electricity in the country after almost a year. Before he takes over, I thank Karki Sir for penning down this article exclusively for the readers of this blog. Please join me in welcoming him back to Never Stop Dreaming.

Flashback: The Koshi Carnage

Many of us belonging to Nepal are aware of the last year’s record breaking daily power supply cut of 16 hours. For any power system of more than 500MW installed capacity and maximum demand of about 750-800MW, the planned outages referred as LOAD SHEDDING, these figures are unprecedented. One can find very few instances that match Nepal’s power crisis. People keeping a close eye on Nepal’s affairs do remember the natural calamities (but assisted by government inefficiencies) she suffered last year. The Koshi river's eastern embankment breaches that caused large parts of Sunsari and North Bihar flooded taking few hundred lives apart from displacing hundreds of thousands of people in both Nepal and India was not totally caused by excessive water level in the river but because of cutting of spur dams and failure to open gates at Bhimnagar Koshi barrage as required. The Koshi calamity caused many times larger human and financial losses to Bihar compared to Nepal. But because of shear size of the country and inability of Bihari politicians to push central Indian leadership to genuinely take initiative to find long lasting and mutually acceptable solution to this problem, the Koshi flooding soon has been forgotten in India. On the other hand, Nepali economy and people especially from Eastern Nepal suffered hugely as the flooding swept away various sections of East-West highway between Bhantabari and Lauki and isolated Eastern Nepal from rest of the country. It took very long to get the damaged section of the road to get repaired but by that time Nepal has suffered huge financial and economical losses. We will not enter the intricacies of Koshi Treaty that gives sole authority to control, maintain and operate Bhimnagar barrage to India. But since we all know at this point that the flooding was caused not due to unprecedented rainfall but because of failure to repair the embankment on time, one can not get away by blaming the nature for the calamity. Indian government and Bihar government must take the responsibility and compensate for the losses caused to people of Sunsari and the rest of the country. But has our government raised these issues with India ever? No one knows. Except for few independent experts and anti-Indian politicians, no one has raised this issue.

Power Crisis Aggravated

Now, talk about the other severe blow to Nepal by the Koshi flooding – power crisis. The flooding also swept away few 132kV transmission towers of Kataiyya - Duhabi transmission line that was supplying Nepal’s Power grid about 100MW thereby aggravating the already deteriorating power crisis in Nepal. The load shedding which started way back in 2006 was at its worst peak in the winter and spring following the Koshi carnage. Low rainfall in the catchment area of Kulekhani made things further worse. During its peak of the worst, NEA was supplying power only for 8 hours a day that also mostly during off ours, i.e., midnight to dawn and in the afternoons. The electricity users of NEA could derive very little benefit from such supply regime. Various businesses, industries, service sector, non-governmental sectors, technical educational institutions, government offices and even the ordinary customers were inflicted huge financial losses resulting in billions of rupees loss to the nation’s economy already vulnerable because of decade long Maoist insurgency and the volatile political environment.

During the peak of power crisis last year when Maoists were heading the government, there was buzzword doing round about bringing in diesel power plants as a solution. Diesel power plants come in compact form and very little civil structure compared to hydro or other types of thermal plants is required which makes them attractive in situations of emergencies and where the erstwhile standing power generation plants have been rendered non-functional as a result of natural calamities like cyclones, tornadoes, storms, earthquakes, severe flooding, etc. They are only temporary measures. And, the governments in those countries can afford to have such temporary facilities. In case of Nepal, we are talking about installing Diesel plants permanently. Even if the plants we are talking about are provided by rich western countries as a goodwill gift like one in Duhabi (granted by Finnish government), the operation and maintenance cost will be very high for a country like ours to sustain till the generation from hydro becomes enough not to operate these diesel plants. The cost of electricity from diesel power plants at current rate of approximately NRs 55 per litre of diesel will be approximately Rs 20 per KWh.(1UK gallon=4.5461 litres=139000 btu; 1kWh=3412btu, efficiency of diesel plants = 40%. But if the plant is old and would be given to Nepal as ‘GIFT’, then its efficiency may be further low with higher maintenance cost). If you add some surcharge (due to leakage at our public utility), it will further increase by at least by 10-20%. Diesel plants as temporary solution are OK. But to make 200MW diesel plants part of NEA system for the foreseeable future does not have any economic sense even though the cost of not having electricity is much higher than NRs 20 per kWh. Only the residential customers in Nepal have lower supply outage cost than what will be the cost of electricity from these new diesel plants.

What after sufficient hydrogeneration is available with the system?

But supply outage costs solely can never be the basis for evaluating the feasibility of a project. The greatest fear will be the loss to nation after enough hydro generation becomes available in the system. Then the 200MW diesel plant we are talking about now will surely become ‘White Elephant’. Fund will have to be allocated to carry out basic regular maintenance even the plant may not be brought to operation for several months; salaries to the employees of the plant must be paid. The management will stop giving any significance to the plant once power scenario in the country becomes better owing to generation from hydropower plants. The diesel plant will then get less attention and will be treated as un-necessary like Multifuel at Duhabi which resulted in the Multifuel failing to generate more than 13MW when the country was lurking in the dark. Our policy makers and government ministers talk loud when the situation is already very bad but forget once it becomes a little better and again speak loud when the scenario becomes worse. This is nothing but pure politicking. At least the NEA top brass and policy makers of the country should have long term vision and readymade solution package for impending crises and emergencies. Our utility lack Research & Development wing that would have given them clear cut idea of impending power scenario in the country well in advance and compelled them and other policymakers to take appropriate decisions to avert the power crisis. The academia in our country also lacks research activities in such areas which are common in the research menu of academics in other countries. Also, we must find ways to bring down corruption in dealing with construction of new hydropower plants: be it by NEA or by private developers. We must also bring to an end to current licensing system and adopt a new licensing system under purely competitive basis. The company that commits lower rate of electricity to be sold to NEA will get the project. Obviously, other criteria like company’s technical and financial capabilities, its past project completion records, etc must be assessed as done in awarding other big contracts. Again, this process must be really transparent, not in academic means only.

At The End

We must adopt multi pronged strategy to solve the power crisis in the country. Because of transitional phase in the country, the government may not be able to take bold decisions that have long-term repercussions but experts and policymakers must not sleep. They must, at least, explore various options for solution of country’s power crisis and update the political leadership at appropriate time and not become the means and medium to fulfill the vested interests of politicians, big business houses and foreign profiteering agencies. The promotion of micro hydro plants owned and operated by local users group must be upped with increased level of technical support made available at least at all district headquarters; standardization of machines/ equipments used in such plants; assistance in formation of community level energy users groups; etc.

A weekend trip to the castle city: Okayama

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:13:58 PDT

Autumn is about to arrive in Japan in few days. I like this season the most. The fact that it comes immediately after the hot and humid Japanese summer makes autumn even more special. I just love the hazy mornings and the crisp, gentle breeze. The feeling of arriving autumn becomes even more prominent with the changing colors of leaves on the trees.

Last week, I received a mail from my Japanese host family asking whether I am free during the weekend to go for a drive. As I didn't have anything significant to do, I agreed. We decided to meet at 9:30 in the morning on Sunday. It was a hazy morning and I had slept a bit late last night; yet I had to wake up around 8:30. I probably could have gone back to sleep for at least another hour or so. But, I knew Japanese are very precise about time, they are always punctual. I could barely prepare myself for the trip on time.

A couple of minutes before 9:30, my host family arrived at my residence to pick up me. I was going to meet my host family after a gap of almost ten months; so was excited about it. After greeting them I got into the car. Inside the car, my host mother (okaasan) introduced me to the new member of the family. She hails from Madagascar and is currently a student at Hiroshima University. My host father (otosan), who was driving, proposed, 'shall we go to Okayama today? It's about 150km from here'. I had seen Okayama city only through the window of bullet trains (shinkasen) so thought it was a good plan. We all agreed.

After almost 2 hrs, we reached our destination. Okayama, a castle city, is located about halfway between Hiroshima and Osaka on the main island of Honshu.The first place we visited was the famous 'Okayama castle'. Okayama Castle is often nicknamed 'the crow' for its dark and baleful appearance. It is one of only two black castles in entire Japan while the rest being white.

(The Okayama Castle)

The next place we visited was the Korakuen Garden. In fact, the main attraction of Okayama is the Korakuen garden which is among Japan’s three most famous landscape gardens and a unique cultural heritage site. Located against the backdrop of the Okayama Castle, the garden continues to attract people for more than three centuries. It took us a little over two hours to walk around the garden and we were delighted to discover several hidden little shrines, ponds and waterfalls inside.

(The Sawa-no-ike pond inside the Korakuen garden)

The largest pond in the garden, Sawa-no-ike has many beautiful fishing places. The rest of the garden is carpeted with grass.

(A garden carpeted with grass: inside the korakuen garden)

Inside the garden, beautifully trimmed tea trees stand in rows. The variety of tea planted inside is an ancient one and has a slightly bitter flavor. There are few traditional style souvenir shops built in the outskirts of the garden. We had the taste of green tea at one of the restaurants/ souvenir shops. I captured the glimpse of green tea with my camera before drinking it. Well, I must say the taste was not as good as its appearance!

(The Japanese green tea served with sweet)

After spending some really good time there at Korakuen garden, we went for the lunch. Around 3 PM, we resumed our trip. Our next destination was a large Shinto shrine located in the Sanyo district called Kibitsu Jinja. The place is famous for its main buildings registered by the Japanese government as national treasures for its religious ritual known as Narukama.

(The Kibtsu Jinja: a famous Shinto shrine)

It was already getting dark when we reached to our last spot of the day: the famous Saijo Inari shrine. It is one of the three most renowned Inari shrines in the country, and is a noted Buddhist shrine for prayer. The shrine was built around 1200 years ago by a famous Buddhist priest Hoon Daishi in the outskirts of Okayama.

There is an interesting story associated with the priest Hoon Daishi. Born in 718, Daishi entered the priesthood at the age of 15 and used to live in the nearby mountains. Once the emperor fell seriously ill and people had lost all the hope. Daishi was asked to pray for the emperor's recovery. He sat in a cave for 21 days and kept praying for the emperor. At the down of 21st day he had a vision of Saijoi-kyoo-Daibosatsu, the highest bodhisattva, coming down through the auspicious clouds on the back of a white fox. Soon after the emperor recovered from his illness. Daishi was given the title of the highest rank for a Buddhist priest who later founded the Saijo Inari shrine. (source: a booklet published by the Saijo Inari shrine trust)

(The Saijo Inari shrine)

One interesting thing that I noted there was the unique tower gate which is built in the Indian style of architecture. The gate was built in 1958. There are statues of two white foxes on each side of the gate.

With this visit, our trip had come to an end. It was a long and tiring trip but, a memorable one. We reached back to Higashi Hiroshima (Saijo) around 9 PM. We had our dinner together and finally it was the time to say good bye. I thanked my host family for the wonderful trip and also Nirina (the new family member from Madagascar) for the company. Finally, I thank you all, the readers, for coming all the way to this point. I hope you have enjoyed reading this long post.

Stressed life and importance of doing nothing

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:48:26 PDT

Life is not a game, with winners or losers, though at times it gives the glance of a long lasting contest. While leading the life, an average person oscillates between different roles most of them juggled at the same time. With growing maturity level, commitments and priorities, one has to keep performing (though, the goals keep changing). Some of our roles may please us while others may give us headaches as we find ourselves outside our comfort zone. Intense competition and consistent desire keep us motivated enough to always strive harder. And as a result, we are often so overloaded that we don't have time for 'ourselves'. It is amazing how often we forget to make time for ourselves and end up losing tranquility in life. Taking time for ourselves often drops to the very bottom of our wish list. We are always in search of time for jobs, families, friends, society and alike but we rarely contemplate on having time for ourselves.

The modern day life is full of stressful situations. It’s just how we operate. A student has exam pressure while an average family man is troubled by the financial burdens; a fresh graduate is stressed to find a proper job while an employee is stressed about his performance and payment and the list goes on. If I continue writing the examples, it would take more than the half of this column. The point is, we all are stressed, so much that we don't want to relax and 'waste' our time just to get rid of our anxieties. And in turn, we get even more stressed. Most of the times, we tend to be either perfectionists or workaholics and sometimes, we try to outsmart ourselves. We often forget that the world is by no means perfect and we all are a part of it. The intention here is not to encourage laziness and pessimism however, we should refrain from stretching ourselves beyond a point that may cause restlessness in our life and eventually reduce our potential to deliver the best of our capabilities.

The soul has an absolute, unforgiving need for regular excursions into enchantment. It requires them like the body needs food and the mind needs thought.

--Thomas Moore, 1996

Lets take a deep breath and think - how often do we have time solely for ourselves? Time for ourselves - whether to sit quietly with a cup of coffee, watch a favorite video or go for a long drive - isn't a luxury. It's a necessity. Researches indicate that when people do the things they really love, they feel happier, more satisfied, more fulfilled, and are more able to deal with the problems like overload, stress and anxiety. However, the main hurdle is the fact that we either don't believe in its importance or we feel guilty while allocating time exclusively to ourselves. We want to excel in our life as the best spouse, parent, child, employee, friend and every role that we play. But is it really possible? What I believe in is that if we can't be true to ourselves and do what we really like, we can't do justice to our ambition and aspirations.

We all have a daily routine. Everyday we go to work or school, come home with a tired brain but again ready to do yet another round of things that are required from us as a family man. The days goes by - days turns in to years - and we begin to feel bored by these routine activities. We need some moments to be alone, to feel like we give all to ourselves. Although it's difficult to keep spare time in this 'era of speed', still if we can manage our actions properly we see there is some time left only for doing 'nothing' or doing something we really love to. There can be many ways to put 'our time' back into our schedule. Columnists Elizabeth Bakken et. al elaborate some useful tips in the booklet 'How to make time for yourself'. Let me share the summary with you:

Prepare a list of what makes you feel good. The list may include activities like gardening, driving a car, jogging, going for a movie or fun-park etc. Or you might wish to spend time alone and doing absolutely 'nothing'. Then try to fit these activities into your daily schedule gradually.
Remember that taking time for yourself is important as it's necessary to feel good so that you can prepare yourself to tackle the rest of your daily life problems.
Schedule time for yourself right into your routine just as you would do for any other appointment and make a conscious effort to not schedule anything at least during one night per week preferably during the weekend. If you are in the habit of staying late at work, choose one or two days of the week and commit to leaving at a certain time.
Remember the importance of doing 'nothing'. Even a small period of unstructured time can help you feel better for the rest of the day.
While it's great to spend time together with your spouse or partner, at times, talk with your partner about how you can both find time for yourselves.
Review your social commitments and see what you can eliminate. You may think of resigning from a community or a group which you don't find fulfilling anymore or ignore an invitation that you are not excited about.
Grab a moment whenever possible. It's not always possible to have a planned spare time so try to make some time free from your routine. If you have a habit of waking up late, try to wake up 15 minutes earlier and spend it sitting quietly with a cup of coffee.
Consider taking a 'personal day' for yourself to break the cycle of overload and try to spend the day taking care of 'yourself'.
Try to focus your weekends to relax so that you will feel recharged for the coming week.
Tell yourself that few things can wait and there is always a tomorrow, but today you are going to do something that you really like.

Stress is a funny thing. We don't know when it starts to build up within us. We are always chasing our dreams, always striving hard in life to achieve 'everything'. However, the first thing we are able to achieve is probably stress and anxiety. Situations that can be easily handled on a normal day may become difficult to solve on a stressful day. How we deal with the stressful situations determines our life at the end of the day. Having some free time to do 'nothing' may not solve our problems of stress and anxiety however, it can definitely help in relieving at least a portion of them. After a break, we are better prepared to deal with the stress and anxiety.

Good, bad and the ugly: the context of Dashain celebrations

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:48:17 PDT

As I'm writing these lines, Dashain is being celebrated with full devotion and enthusiasm across Nepal and various parts of India. The biggest festival of Hindus has a great importance as it celebrates the triumph of good over evil. It is celebrated in different manner and with different names like Durga Puja, Dasara, Dusshera, Navratra, Vijaya Dashami etc. The celebration lasts over ten days. The almighty Durga (Devi) is worshipped in various forms for the first nine days. The term Devi represents the divine power to suppress the forces of evil and protect the holy qualities. When the forces of injustice, immorality and untruth have grown to monstrous proportions, when selfishness and self-interest are rampant, when men have lost all sense of kindness and compassion, the Devi, assuming the form of Shakti (power), seeks to destroy the evil elements. The tenth day is the called Vijaya Dashami, the celebration day that marks the victory of gods over demons.

Vijaya Dashami marks the victory of the gods over the demons. There are basically two stories associated with this day. This is the day when the lord Rama managed to kill the demon Ravana. The second story commemorates the day as the triumph of the goddess Durga over the demon Mahisasur. The first nine days signify the nine days of intense battle between the goddess and the demon while, the tenth day is the day when Mahisasur was finished.

Dashain is the greatest of all the festivals especially for the Nepalese. It is celebrated as a national festival in Nepal. There are several good facts associated to this festival that make me feel proud. However, there are definitely a couple of things that make me upset a bit. Lets discuss the good, the bad and the ugly aspects of this great Hindu festival.

The good

Dashain is the most auspicious festival. This is also marked by reunion of the families. People living abroad and far from their dear ones are set to return back (at least they try to get back) home on this occasion. The festival gives us a wonderful opportunity to be together with all our family members.

The festival teaches people the lesson of unity. They bring together people from all comers of the society, irrespective of their language, locality and sometimes, even religion. For example, various ethnic and religious groups in Nepal observe Dashain as joyously as the Hindu do. It brings people closer irrespective of religion, caste, creed, and colour. It reconnects us with nature so harmoniously, creating a strong sense of belonging. Dashain is all about forgiveness, kindness and respect.

One can't ignore the significant socio-cultural aspect of this festival. Youngsters pay their respects towards elders especially on the tenth day. They receive blessings of the elders in the form of auspicious 'Tika' on their forehead.

Above all, people look happy with smiles back on their faces. It's a rare thing in a country like Nepal that is indulged in conflicts and insurgency since more than a decade. Delicious mouthwatering foods and new cloths are among the essential ingredients of this festival. In Nepal, Dashain's most popular cuisine is meat and meat products. Meat is expensive food item and normally hard to afford for poor families. So it's the time of eating lots of meat.

Dashain is also a good time for the business activities. People mostly buy clothes and food items. One can notice crowded clothes shops, departmental stores, shopping complex, etc. Besides cloths, people also buy electronic appliances, jewelry, furniture, home appliances, etc.

The bad

During the Dashain festival, people sacrifice animals (typically from the seventh day to the ninth day). Hundreds of thousand animals are slaughtered in the name of offering to the goddess Durga who killed the demon Mahisasura and freed the people from his oppression. The animals thus sacrificed are believed to be the part of the forces that had fled the battle scene and therefore deserved the capital punishment. And the tradition of sacrifice continues till today despite of some debate that has recently started over these merciless killings. Every living creature on the earth has equal right to live peacefully.

The ugly

Gambling and playing cards, although not legal in Nepal, have become a routine stuff during festival period especially among the younger generation. Playing cards usually among the family members are being popular during Dashain. It's okay if these growing traditions are followed for purely entertainment and fun. However, last few years have seen several instances of people loosing their properties in gambling. Many tend to drink a lot of alcohol during the festival period more than in other days. This sometimes results in people quarreling with each other. At times, fight among the family members and/or neighbors threatens to spoil the joyous mood of people.

The celebration of Dashain warrants huge expenses. People belonging to the poor segment of the society often find it hard to meet the high expenses. However, they push themselves beyond their economic capabilities. They have to provide the family members with new clothes and delicious foods by hook or by crook. As a result, people even end up taking loan in order to meet the festival requirements.

The lesson to be learned

According to the mythological stories, Ravana is said to have ten heads. However, he was not born with ten heads. As a matter of fact, the ten heads of Ravana correspond to an interesting analogy. Kama (lust), Krodha (anger), Moha (delusion), Lobha (greed), Mada (pride), Maatsyasya (envy), Manas (mind), Buddhi (intellect), Chitta (will) and Ahamkara (the ego) - all these ten attributes constituted the ten heads.

If we reflect upon our society, it won't take long time to know what actually the ten heads of demon Ravana mean. These ten heads are the evils prevailing in our society. These ten heads can be thought of as the symbol of injustice, immorality, corruption, betrayal, selfishness, overpopulation, poverty, illiteracy, rape, murder, discrimination, hatred feelings and what not. Every year we celebrate our festivals but how much we have learned from these mythological stories? We celebrate the killing of demons but how about the existing demons in our neighborhood? Ravana may be within us or moving freely in our society. Have we ever thought that we hardly go in to the crux of the matter and that we are running from the reality? Shouldn't we stand against the Ravana within us and the Ravana existing in our society rather than celebrating the festival in mere symbolic sense?

What's your dream?

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:48:06 PDT

What’s your dream?
I asked a politician
He replied with arrogance,
I wish to overthrow this regime
and capture the power
Sitting in opposition bench
makes taste of life sour

What’s your dream?
I asked an actor
He replied with intelligence,
I wish to outsmart the legends
and create my own empire
Enjoy the limelight
till I grow mad or expire

What’s your dream?
I asked a sportsman
He replied with diligence,
I wish to break all the records
that have been made
No one should ever come
closer in the parade

What’s your dream?
I asked a common man
He replied with despondence,
I wish to collect my scattered dreams
love, career, family, friend
Days turned slowly into years
but wait doesn't seem to end

(My poems also appear at http://www.poemhunter.com )

Happy Dashain - Happy Eid

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:37:53 PDT

The two major festivals, Dashain and Eid, once again coincide this year. It's a festival season for all the Hindus and the Muslims. Generally, festivals are meant for epitomizing our religious, cultural and social aspirations. These are the occasions to reaffirm our gratitude, commitment and dedication towards our family.

On the auspicious occasion of Dashain (Vijaya Dashami), the greatest festival of all the Hindus, I would like to extend my warmest wishes to everyone. May this great festival bring happiness, good health and prosperity in your life. May the blessings of Goddess Durga always be with you and your dear ones. Happy Dashain!

Likewise, on the auspicious occasion of Eid, the holy festival of all the Muslims, I would like to extend my best wishes to all my Muslim friends. May this 'Eid' bring you every wellness and happiness in your life. Have a great feelings on the Eid day. Happy Eid!

The Japanese older generation: living with spirit

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:09:37 PDT

Mark Twain, a famous American writer, once said "Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.” This argument never appealed me until last spring when I attended a musical performance by a group of elderly Japanese women in the city of Iwakuni. The group had more than 50 members, all in the age range between 60-90 years. And most of them were in their 80's! The perfect dance steps, folk music and the old dancing queens - watching them performing so well was a treat to the eyes and soul.

Japan is considered as one of the healthiest societies on the planet. Japanese people, particularly women, have the longest life expectancy of any culture. It's been said that Japanese people are far less likely to spend their final years of life in a nursing home. Normally, they don't get fat and are indeed very active even in their old ages. And, as a matter of fact, Japan's population growth rate is negative and population's graying is accelerating. Almost one fourth of the Japanese population is 65 or older.

Nation's daily, The Japan Times reported that the number of centenarians in Japan is expected to reach 40,399, later this month breaking the 40,000 threshold for the first time. The annual survey conducted by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare ahead of the Respect-for-the-Aged Day on September 21, showed that the numbers of both male and female centenarians are increasing to record highs. Interestingly, women constitute 86.5 percent of the total centenarians.

There are rising concerns regarding the challenges posed by the aging population in Japan. However, what impresses me immensely is the fact that how this population is living its life. Japan's the official retirement age remains 60, however, many elderly Japanese feel that they are still healthy enough to keep working and they enjoy their jobs. They are so healthy and enthusiastic. As a fact, about 70% of men and 40% of women keep working beyond the retirement age. So what's the secret behind this longevity?

The most important ingredients for longer contemporary life spans are diet (balanced nutrition) and an optimistic outlook on life. The elderly Japanese remain independent (and many live alone or only with their spouse) but they keep themselves socially active. Dr. Hinohara Shigeaki, a graduate from the Medical School of Kyoto Imperial University in 1937, advises, "The human body contains about 36,000 different genes, and there are many genes people do not take advantage of. We can use the potential of some of those genes to do things we have never tried before—music, painting, sports, whatever. It does not matter if there is no financial reward. Enjoying new experiences and staying active in body and mind keeps elderly people healthy and happy".

The most important thing I have observed about Japanese older generation is that they wish to work in harmony with the younger generations. Despite that they belong to different generations, they still get on very well as friends. Last year, I had an opportunity to attend a concert by the elderly people where their grandchildren were invited to join and to enjoy the music. In a country where the younger generation is becoming so impatient and pessimistic about life as they don't hesitate even to commit suicide, the life-style of the older generation appears truly inspirational. I admire their unconquerable spirit and positive approach towards life. Let me conclude this post with the quote from Groucho Marx which reads, "Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough".

*Photos courtesy: Niraj Prakash Joshi, Hiroshima University.

Love, life and death

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:55:27 PDT

In the mystical dark despair
Tight lips in a frozen prayer
Upset for what happened unfair
I saw her in a state rare

'What’s the problem?' I urged to share
She screamed ‘it’s none of your affair’
In the moment beyond compare
I tried to unfold the hidden layer

'He broke my heart' she did stare
I want to die, but does he care?
He looks so peaceful lying there
But doesn’t realize my pain bare

I said 'living here is a difficult dare'
But, committing suicide is a selfish fare

Love and happiness are seldom in pair

No one gets everything in life, beware

(My poems also appear at http://www.poemhunter.com )

I'm an alien

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:55:27 PDT

I'm an alien to myself,
Because, I often improvise my doings
I don't feel satisfied,
for whatever I have achieved
I don't stop at any point,
no matter how much resistance perceived

I'm an alien to my family,
Because, I am often misunderstood
I don't want to lead my life,
like a traditional business
I don't care about the definition of success,
that doesn't bring happiness

I'm an alien to the society,
Because, I often disapprove its norms
I don't discriminate people,
in the name of ideology, physique or possession
I don't love or hate people,
on the ground of color, language or religion

---
They all stand still and stare at me,
as if I am from a different galaxy
But if I'm an alien,
don't we need more aliens in the society?

(My poems also appear at http://www.poemhunter.com )

Election campaigns in Japan and the Tokyo temptation

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 18:51:32 PDT

Is Japan a true democratic country? Why the Japanese appear less enthusiastic about the election process and the national politics? What are the priorities and concerns of the Japanese voters for the upcoming parliamentary elections? These are few of the numerous questions that often bother someone who is interested in Japan and the Japanese politics. The first question that whether Japan is a democratic country may sound like a caustic remark because, like many other democratic nations, elections are held in Japan routinely and the country has a representative style parliament. But, the outcome has always been a one-party rule for the last five decades. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Japan has been in power now for almost 55-years (except for a brief 10-months period when the main opposition party, Democratic Party of Japan, DPJ, came into power). In a week time, on August 30th, Japan is all set for the parliamentary polls. And, as the tide finally seems to have turned against the ruling Japanese conservatives, lets discuss some of the key issues of the next week parliamentary elections.

In a democracy, the elections allow ordinary citizens to swap those at the apex of power to bring out changes needed for the society. But, why this has not been the case with Japan? One can cite two reasons for this: either the ruling party LDP has performed exceptionally well over the years or the main opposition party DPJ has failed to give the impression to the voters that they are capable of out-smarting LDP in terms of performance. And the truth is somewhere between these two notions. In August 1993, the only non-LDP government in Japan since 1955 came into existence after the LDP suffered an unprecedented defeat in the lower house elections. The current head of the DPJ, Yukio Hatoyama, served as vice chief cabinet secretary in the ministry. However, the governments led by Hosokawa and Tsutomu Hata, lasted only a combined total of 10-months, as the then-Japan Socialist Party left the coalition, destroying its majority in the parliament and impelling it out of power. This coalition politics, where every partner has its own policies and agenda, was just discarded by the Japanese voters in subsequent years. Besides this, Japanese people always viewed LDP as a party synonymous with Japan’s rise, its magical growth and its postwar peace.

But, things have changed over the years. The ordinary Japanese citizens who used to see LDP as a synonymous to stability has given them three Prime Ministers in the last 3-years. The voters who credited LDP for the tremendous economic growth of Japan are overwhelmed by the unprecedented unemployment rate and recession as more than 30,000 people commit suicide every year (read this article). People believe that Japan's self-image as Asia's miracle has taken a huge blow due to the rise of China. The Japanese people have probably begun to feel that their country is not getting the space it deserves on the global map in the geo-political affairs. Therefore, in the upcoming elections, one can sense the wind of change blowing in favor of the democrats. Also, the main opposition coalition led by DPJ is trying to come up with innovative manifesto and promise of a all-out change. They are doing their best to reach out to the voters through launching of massive campaigns as well as the televised debates. I was in the city of Yokohama a couple of days before where I happen to attend an election-show. Below is an image from that campaign in which the DPJ- supported mayoral candidate Hayashi Fumiko is giving an electoral speech (The election to select a successor to the outgoing Yokohama Mayor is also scheduled to be held on August 30 alongside the parliamentary election).

What are the major issues in this election? Well, on a broader scale, the most dominating issues are economic, political and environmental. There is a growing sense of insecurity in the old Japanese voters as they are worried about the future of their nestlings. I could feel the desperation for a change during a conversation with one of my Japanese friends when he said, "The leaders appears to be only obsessed with holding onto power and probably they are not seriously thinking about the nation's pride." It seems that the democrats (DPJ) might have borrowed the theme of change from the U.S. President Obama’s election campaign. However, they are advocating for a change in the relationship with the United States. The party promises to reform the Japanese foreign policy with a vision of independent stand in the world affairs, in contrast to the current policy that favors Washington. On the economy front, people are afraid of job layoffs and escalating unemployment rates. Japan is one of the world's fastest aging countries thanks to the negative growth rate of its population. There are millions of old people on the verge of retirement. A scandal in the government-run pension system, when alarmingly large volume of files were mishandled, has caused anger particularly among the senior citizens. On the environmental aspect, the main opposition is in favor of cutting down the carbon emission level by 25% (from its 1990 target) till 2020. However, this has created more buzz in the political galleries. The ruling LDP believes that it would not be easy to attain the said reduction level in carbon emissions because it would harm the already stressed economy. The point worth mentioning here is that Japan is one of the front-runners in terms of cutting down of the green-house gas emissions.

The opinion polls are suggesting a clear advantage to the opposition DPJ. But, can a party that has only sat on the opposition's bench form a stable government? Can they eliminate the difference between saying and doing, if come to power? The Newsweek once wrote that "The Democratic Party of Japan often resembles the country's soccer team: it has plenty of talent, yet always manages to blow its best shot." Nonetheless, LDP or DPJ, whoever comes to the power, the main agenda should be to get the country out of recession and to bring smile back on the people's face, to remain committed for cutting down of the greenhouse gas emissions and to devise a policy that would restore Japan's pride as the miracle of Asia. As a well-wisher of Japan, I hope that whichever party looses the election, let the democracy win on the 30th August. Because, winning or loosing is just a political game and, democracy is much important than an election.

Unconditional love

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 02:55:27 PDT

Whenever I’m in need,
you always stood by me
In the times of trouble,
during the moments of despair
You say, you’re my shadow,
that you will follow me forever

I love you so much,
but I hate shadows
Shadow grows and shrinks,
with fading light
I don’t want you to,
ever disappear from my sight

You urge me to be practical,
and come out of my illusions
Be someone real and strong,
don’t make castle of sands
As without a single warning,
life may slip from our hands

Nothing is timeless,
except the memories
Cherish every moment of togetherness,
and love without condition
because,
Love that comes with a reason,
may vanish with changing season

I agree with you as always
but do you listen to what my heart says?

(My poems also appear at http://www.poemhunter.com )

One day in the name of peace: an amazing resilience of the human spirit

noreply@blogger.com (DEEPENDRA) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 02:58:17 PDT

On 6th August 1945, the city of Hiroshima became the first ever target of an atomic bomb (see my previous post). The city was completely destroyed and it was hard to imagine that the people of Hiroshima can ever emerge from the horrors of war. But, the vibrant modern city that stands today demonstrates an amazing resilience of the human spirit. The city has almost completely overcome its tragedy to become the thriving home to more than one and a half million people. The rebuilt Hiroshima is one of the most admired tourist destinations of the modern Japan. The peace memorial museum in Hiroshima is the most dominant landmark of the city. It highlights the sickening realities of nuclear weapons.

Every year on 6th August, a ceremony is held in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park with the objective to console the victims of the atomic bombing and to facilitate world peace. Thousands of people including the representatives from all over the world, assemble to pray for the realization of a lasting world peace. The ceremony is a brief one and lasts only 45 minutes. The Peace Declaration is read out by the Mayor of the city of Hiroshima and sent to every country in the World.

An arch-shaped cenotaph was built in 1952 where the register having the names of the victims has been kept. The characters meaning "Let all the souls here rest in peace, for we shall not repeat this evil" are carved on the front of the stone coffin in the cenotaph. One can see the cenotaph, the A-bomb dome and the peace memorial museum in alignment.

There were many Koreans forcibly brought to work in the city of Hiroshima and other nearby locations. More than fifty-thousand Koreans were living in Hiroshima during the World War II. These were slave labors and treated as second-class citizens. As the war intensified, Japan escalated import of more Koreans. During the bombing, more than thirty-thousand Koreans lost their lives. Below is an image of the monument erected in memory of the Korean victims.

The flame inside the 'lanterns of peace' is a reminder of those atom bomb victims who jumped into the river after the ground temperature reached up to an unimaginably scale. Most of them eventually died. Each lantern represents a soul of those who died. It's indeed an emotional event having its own spiritual significance. Watching these 'lanterns of peace', drifting away calmly in the water, is a reminder to what happened on 6th August 1945. It's a time to contemplate about all the wars that are happening around the world right now.

(People gathered around the Motoyashu-bashi bridge during the ceremony)

(The drifting 'lanterns of peace')

During the peace memorial ceremony, one can see many A-bomb survivors who try to hand down their experiences to the younger generation, ranging from elementary school students to the high school students from all over Japan, who have never experienced war.

Sadako Sasaki, who was exposed to the bombing at age two, contracted leukemia ten years later and died. Shocked by her death, her classmates put out a national call to "build a monument to mourn all the children who died from the atomic bombing." This nine meter high monument has been built with the support of students in more than 3,100 schools around Japan and in nine other countries. On the top of the three-legged pedestal stands the bronze figure of a girl holding up a gold-colored "folded" crane. On opposite sides of the pedestal are suspended boy and girl sculptures symbolizing a bright future and hope. On the stone underneath the pedestal is inscribed, "This is our cry. This is our prayer. For building peace in this world." (source)

(The children peace monument located in the Hiroshima peace memorial park)

Every year on 6th August, the Peace Bell is rung at 8:15 morning, the time when the atom bomb was dropped to Hiroshima, and sirens are sounded throughout the city.

The former 'Hiroshima prefectural commercial exhibition hall' which withstood the bombing is popularly known as 'A-bomb dome'. The building has been kept as a reminder of the horrors of war.

(The ruined structure: A-bomb dome at Hiroshima peace park)

On 6th August, peace rally and other events are organized in the city throughout the day to mark the anniversary of A-bombing. Below is an image of such a rally at the peace park.

(The drifting 'lanterns of peace' emitting light)

(A quiet evening in Hiroshima: a view of illuminated 'A-bomb dome')

Hiroshima, which was once 'an atomic desert', has turned into now a vibrant city thanks to the amazing resilience of the human spirit. However, the pains and horrors of the atomic bombing are still in the eyes of many who have witnessed 'a vision of the hell' on and after 6th August 1945. Today, after 64-years of the tragedy, the world is still engaged in several conflicts and wars. There is no guarantee that Hiroshima and Nagasaki will not happen again. The day continues to serve as a reminder for people around the globe to contemplate about world peace.

At the end, I would like to thank my friend Dr. Nabin Basnet for providing the wonderful images from the Hiroshima peace memorial ceremony. I am also thankful to my colleague from Malaysia, Md. Hafiz Habibuddin who is pursuing doctoral course at Hiroshima University, for providing a beautiful view of the 'A-bomb dome' (the last image of this post) for this blog.