Sailor's Weblog [ Vinod ]

An ode to love

2010-06-02T05:39:18+00:00

This was the poem I read out for the wife during our anniversary weekend at the dune .. the pics of which you might have seen on facebook. Its been a while ... so thought of sharing it with everyone.

AN ODE TO LOVE

I love you. Eternally … today, tomorrow and forever.

From the first moment I saw the sparkle in your eye, the shy, vulnerable and soulful spirit of yours that shows so clearly in your eyes, I knew I was to love you forever.

You make me complete. In ways you shall never know - you make me happy. In ways you will never realize - you make me wake up each morning thanking the stars above for the beauty of this life I am gifted with.

In your arms I find the calmest surrender. In your loving eyes I see the beautiful child that shall carry us forth. In your amazing spirit I notice the grass greener, the skies bluer and the world rosier than it ever was.

I wasn’t made perfect nor do I expect to be anytime ever. You set me a new benchmark to follow. To borrow a quote .. to make me want to be a better person. In the wonderful clarity of your heart my small, less visited and sidelined inner good finds resonance.

In the smallest things you see life with a perspective I never knew existed. Without malice you show me the way of the good. With your charming innocence you make me ponder about things I never realized were important.

You are the ‘eternal one night stand’ Richard Burton saw and felt in Liz Taylor. You are the reason the sun shines ever so brightly upon my life. You are why I believe that love is the purest joy.

You left you home, life and family for me. You gave up so much of what you cherished to make my life a daily celebration. You became me, showed me what kind of a person I really wanted to be and for that I shall be grateful to you a million lifetimes.

There aren’t that many things that are for certain. Infact there are none. I would swim against that tide and promise you my undying love. Eternally … Today, tomorrow and forever

Why I did not vote

2009-05-13T10:33:15+00:00

It is often hard to be singled out singing out of key …. Or playing out of step like Lisa in the Simpsons. I find myself similarly swimming against the tide these elections.

While the overall mood is that you should “vote for change”, unfortunately I do not see an Obamaesque politician to look up to.

The price of a vote in my beloved state has been put at Rs 500, which is good, since that is all we will get for a while to come anyway! I read a post from someone who actually asked his suitors to value his vote at Rs 5000. Good on you mate! See his post below

http://election.rediff.com/report/2009/may/13/votersvoice-ask-for-rs-five-thousand-a-vote.htm

Now these are national elections, which means that national issues take precedence over local ones. A conscientious voter would therefore weigh national issues and concerns while voting. What are the national issues from a TN perspective that we should think about?

1) The plight of the Tamils in SL, with a keen eye on NOT supporting the LTTE

2) Issues of development. Holistic ones, not freebies that do not help anybody

3) The Sethusamudram project

4) The attempts by people to enforce their thoughts on morality on everybody

5) And many more …..

I would be very happy if someone could point me to a coalition in TN which actually is made up of parties that all stand on the same side of these issues. The local coalitions are based more on power politics as opposed to issues. Take issues No. 1. Avowed opponents of LTTE are now suddenly singing a totally different tune and have allied with parties that are brazen in their vocal opinions on the subject. Whatever happened to issue or principle based politics?

So here I stand …. disillusioned and not even concerned whether the BJP led NDA or Congress led UPA comes to power.When political expediency demands it, the BJP is not so communal and the Congress is not that secular anyway ! You may take this as a compliment or a curse, but it doesn’t really matter who comes to power. I think it is just that India has learnt to prosper; INSPITE of the government and not BECAUSE of it. However this India represents at best, 20 % of us. A good four fifths still need a strong, stable and efficient government to deliver them from the misery they presently live in.

Does anyone really think that a third front made up of parties with perennial short sightedness and aided by the amazingly medieval minded Left give us that? I see a situation where if the Congress or BJP do not get atleast 140 seats each, we may either have a third front government (made of the present front and “allies” of the NDA / UPA) or a similar dispensation supported by one of the national parties. I don’t really want to think too far ahead about that, for it is giving me a headache already.

The SP actually has already announced that they will support ANY party in the centre that will dismiss (constitutionally elected by universal franchise) the government of Mayawati! This is the incredulity of the Indian system and we haven’t seen the last of it I am afraid.

So we have absolutely NO clue who will support whom post poll …. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the left doing the Salsa with the BJP (maybe I AM getting a bit ahead of myself here !), but the point is that I have absolutely NO CLUE in whose kitty my vote is going to end up in ! I am sorry, but in that situation, I would rather not cast it at all.

So, while I doff my hat at all my friends who voted, I must apologize for having skipped it this time. Come next elections, I am sure we will have a clearer idea of who we will be voting for in the national level. I am guessing it will be a direct Modi Vs Rahul battle and I am already watching how these two future leaders of India conduct themselves pre/during/post elections. In my mind, my precious vote is already being weighed.

Hopefully next time I will be able to cast it with confidence.

Jai Hind !

Why voices of moderation must prevail .. with excess !

2009-04-10T11:54:27+00:00

We have quite simply reached the tether end of the long rope; a VERY long rope at that.

We have politicians proclaiming some very virulent stuff in their speeches and with all due apologies to Mr Vaiko whose tenacity I greatly admire, you simply have crossed the line.

To set the record straight I am a Tamilian. I am well aware of the historic discrimination faced by Tamilians in Srilanka and I am most aware of how many people, including our own former Prime minister have fallen to the LTTE’s blood lust.

There are 2 sides to every story, and so does the Sri Lankan crisis. Tamilian anguish over treatment of their (or more correctly ‘OUR’) brethren in SriLanka is justified, but support for the LTTE only harms that cause. I can scarcely imagine how we can support an organization that gave Chennai its bloodiest encounter with destiny when the LTTE decided to wipe out whatever semblance of alternate Tamilian leadership there was in SriLanka. Quite simply, the LTTE considered other Tamilian parties just as inimical to its interests as it did the Sinhala government, and therein lies its biggest demon.

Tamilians cannot be denied their rights. India has proactively worked to ensuring that. The world will not watch a repeat of past indiscretions of the Srilankan government. In short; Tamilians will get their due and any bloodshed only harms this cause. Despite rhetoric to the contrary, I think the present government in Lanka has respected Tamilian rights quite admirably in a war zone. Collateral damage cannot be avoided and I have only Tamilian protests in Jaffna (against holding of civilians hostage by the LTTE) to show for how murky the whole situation can get.

Remember the same protests in Kashmir are met with great surprise. “Why would they not want to be part of this great country?”

The dangers of what our leaders mouth in public and what our government does not care to put down is immense. I see fertile ground for Lankan insurgency to spread to India. So far there was no pressure north of Palk Straits for the simple reason that the Island nation provided a staging ground for separatist sentiment. With that ground fast disappearing (last standing at 20 square kilometers) I can only shudder at the thought of the effect it will have on the mainland.

Our options are quite simple. Either our leaders take up the cause of Tamilians (NOT the LTTE) the way it should be (i.e. subtle diplomacy), or these voices should be put down ruthlessly. To proclaim war upon the motherland for the struggles of another country is nothing short of sedition and it must not be tolerated. We have only to look to Pakistan to know that trying to set fire to your neighbour’s house isn’t any guarantee of a warm, blissful night’s sleep. It is only a perfect recipe for unmitigated disaster.

My request to our leaders is simple. Please do not jeapordize the future of this great country with irresponsible poll speak. In your vengeful words may lie the undoing of modern mankind’s greatest experiment with multi-ethnic, multi-cultural democracy.

On a totally subject, but not so different a note …. There IS still hope

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123931787215706747.html

5 things I love about being married

2009-04-04T21:57:36+00:00

Well there I was .. online late at night on a saturday trying to stay awake and keep my clock sane for the weeknights, when I happened to get chatting with my friend Tarika. For those who do not know her, she is getting married on 09-09-09 (YES she is one of a kind).

So as part of our conversation, she happened to ask me what are the Top 5 things I love about being married. So; that very moment I started typing and by the end of it thought it was nice enough to share on my blog !

So here goes my top 5 (no edits done from the conversation on facebook ....)

1. the laughs .... when you find someone to share your life with, who also shares your sense of humour, life is eternal bliss

2. the warmth .... unlike movie ideas of marriage, the warmth of love when you commit your lives to each other ... is brilliant. nothing compares

1:40amVinod

3. the moments .... life's best parts are those little 'hard to see' moments .. if you are living with the right person, those moments are what make it all worth it. You will know it when you go through one

1:42amVinod

4. coming back home ... A boring daily ritual of coming home becomes a celebration when you have someone waiting .... its such a special feeling. I am normally smiling half way home :-)

1:43amVinod

5. The progeny ...Atleast a dozen friends of mine have had children in the past year. I don't have kids yet, but when I see the love in my friend's eyes for their kids, I realize THAT love will probably be even more lasting than what you feel for your spouse .... I eagerly await the day

I have 6 too ... Idle conversation .... there is a nepalese saying .. marry someone you can talk to, for when you are old and sex has lost its meaning, talk is all you have :-). It is amazing if you find someone you can talk endlessly to.

---

So there we are ... she also asked me what was the one thing I didn't like about being married. I came up with 5.
So here are my 5 picks ...

1) Are you kidding yourself ???? I would suspect Kamikaze pilots would have a better chance of survival than a husband who posts such stuff on the web !
If you might be familiar with the Japanese ritual of Hara Kiri, you will know that posting even one item under this header is a guarantee of no breakfast for life ! No breakfast made by the wife for sure :-)

Sorry for all the Japanese references ... just finished watching "The Last Samurai" again ... what a brilliant movie !

So there it is people .... read this, enjoy it and DON'T forget to call / msg Mirjam and tell her how much I love her, for I sincerely meant every word of what I said.

Notes from a nationalist

2009-01-27T09:10:59+00:00

“Women beaten up for immoral acts including visiting a pub and mingling with the opposite sex”

No this is NOT the SWAT valley in Pakistan’s tribal Northwest, but a city aspiring to be the next Bangalore. When I was prompted by a friend to blog about this I had the choice of using satire a.k.a sarcasm (as seen last in my blog post on piracy and the financial crisis) or to purely vent my anger …. Sorry people; sometimes the angst is so bad that even the time tested option of sarcasm fails you.

I am a nationalist. Secular at heart but inclined to go ‘right’ with my choices occasionally. I had the chance of seeing the new face of right wing activism by the name of ‘Sree Ram Sena” which believes that beating up women is the best way of safeguarding our culture. Their founder’s objection to the women in pubs included “immoral acts, consumption of alcohol and (you will love this) mixing with people of other faiths” (!!!)

To find that same arrogant bastard still in the comfort of his home making statements like “my men were just doing their job” or “we are not sorry about what we did” without any fear of the law makes me wonder how far will we really be pushed before something gives .. in a way nobody would want it. Democracy is successful because the “silent” majority lives up to its billing, i.e. to be silent. How would it be if the activists of Sree Ram Sena (who I believed numbered around 15) were to be walking back with a content heart only to face a 100 students who had blood on their mind? I don’t think Sri Muthalik of the Sree Ram Sena would be too pleased. I would think that protecting our women from physical abuse from depraved lunatics would constitute ‘safeguarding our culture’ for sure!

I would suggest we arrest these people under the National Security Act. Why? Because one it will allow us to try them faster and sentence them for longer. I would believe this is legally tenable; for if we allowed the Taliban a free hand in India, they would more or less do the same things now wouldn’t they? So I would try these people like Taliban infiltrators. Why don’t these people choose to work for the benefit of Kashmiri pandits in the Kashmir valley? Those are people who are the worst suffering Hindus in India. Ohh I forgot, in Kashmir, the enemy has guns unlike pub going women who might not even brandish a can of pepper spray! Quite brave huh?

So Mr Yeddyurappa has 2 clear choices. One he arrests Muthalik, tries him under the harshest of laws and bans the Sree Ram Sena for what it is worth and ensure that any future thoughts of such acts are snuffed out or he just ‘arrests’ some of these hooligans and releases them when the heat dies down. If he choses to do the latter, the BJP will end up the next elections one vote short for sure.

One more thought. While we are at it can we put another raving lunatic behind bars forever please ? His name is Raj Thackeray and to see him spewing venom against anyone he can find(after a brief lull post 26/11) is an affront to the very fundamentals upon which this country was built.

Last call for peace a.k.a war

2008-12-08T11:15:12+00:00

I am glad to be writing this piece today, instead of 27^th November, when the Taj was burning, CST was bleeding and Mumbai was still gripped by awe, fear, loathe and anger.

I say so because like the millions of my countrymen (and surprisingly a lot of other nationals too) I felt cheated and let down. How could politicians with no threat perception whatsoever roam around with a posse of Black Cat commandoes (the new symbol of power, rated even higher that the red light atop the car !) while ordinary citizens fell to bullets and policemen fought terrorists with bare hands and .303 rifles? I am almost tempted to suggest that the .303 is worse that being empty handed as its weight would make running away more difficult!

I was horrified to read that a sub-inspector with bare hands held on to the captured terrorist’s gun barrel which allowed people around to nab him …. It was another matter though that the gun was pumping bullets into his stomach as he held firm….as a family lost its father, husband, breadwinner, I just found myself a new hero, a role model worthy of emulation, but almost impossible to emulate.

There is still so much pain and trauma that I wasn’t sure if even THIS was the right time to write, but some pains only go away with sharing and I just had to start writing.

I will follow the title of my blog later. There are things that need to be addressed as first things first. Many of these have been announced by the government, but I fear they are mere lip service.

1) A unified central command for all internal security threats. This can be like the Department of Homeland security. It should be headed by a committee of 5 taken from the recently retired Chief of defence staff, RAW, Central forces (CRPF/CISF) and a special secretary. It is important that only ONE IAS officer is present here to minimize politicization of this command. This is a command structure for uniformed forces, NOT bureaucrats.

2) Give this command a force like CISF under it, so it can mobilize troops directly. CISF is already doing security of sensitive installations and should undergo a major capability upgrade immediately.

3) The unified command should report directly to the PM

4) Integrate an intelligence wing where RAW (Combine RAW and IB), Military intelligence and state intelligence gives intel imputs. ANY input given is centrally logged, evaluated and action taken using the right forces (army, Navy or Police)

5) Unified command should also have at its DIRECT disposal NSG teams across the country.

6) The NSG teams should be posted in atleast 12 centres across the country NEAR the airport. The simple reason is that airports are needed for quick transport needs. They are also prime targets anyways ! They should have a designated aircraft, vehicles (NO MORE BEST BUSES PLEASE!), atleast 1 helicopter from the nearest airbase designated for their use. One team should be ready for a 5 minute muster at all times.

7) PLEASE upgrade their equipment. To see NSG commandos with helmets that support no head mounted lights / nigh vision goggles or communication sets is plain pathetic. Our commandoes looked like some Somali warlord’s force and I would think that the cost of equipment would be lesser that Mayawati and Mulayam Singh’s security costs (I chose 2 of the most undeserving politicians in India’s notorious “Z+ protectee” list)

8) State commando forces should have a strength of atleast 500 to support the NSG or in times even handle ops themselves.

9) Have disaster management teams in all states and give them direct access to the central command to request for NSG assistance even as the state commandos are swung into action.

10) Back to basics. Please equip and train our police forces. The Police reforms have been pending far too long now. See how the police is in utter disarray in Naxalite infested states.

Now why do I say this is a call for peace even though my blood boils at the mere memory of what happened in Mumbai and what is continually happening in different parts of the country ? Well the answer is simple.

My call for peace is actually a call for war, but against the right enemy. Attacking the VISIBLE enemy makes for the worst possible move today.

Pakista’s government is a myriad collection of power centres. Each dependant and at the same time, in conflict with each other. There is no doubt that the silent majority in Pakistan

(just like India) is sane in thought, though not so vocal with its opinion. The government of Zardari, though not beyond reproach represents the friendliest one to India in a long LONG time. Which other Pakistani premier can actually go on record calling Kashmiri militants as “terrorists” and infact state that he sees no threats from India, infact going as far as to proclaim nuclear no-first use? These two are guaranteed death warrants in Pakistan, and yet he said it. This begs to question whether we would want to bomb Pakistan and bring the radicals to the fore, or covertly shore up Zardari’s regime, use the Americans to put a squeeze on the Afghan side and help Pakistan get rid of the powerful ISI-Jehadi nexus.

Easier said than done, but no denying that it NEEDS to be done. So better put our efforts into it sooner rather than later.

The more fragmented and decentralized Pakistan’s polity gets, the greater are the chances of a maverick radical general taking one of the Pakistani nukes and pointing them at us.

For those advocating “precision” military operations across the border and “covert ops”, well I have good news and bad news.

The GOOD news is that “Mission Impossible” might be coming up with a sequel starring Tom Cruise.

The BAD news is that India does not have the capability to do it.

It hurts to know and is hard on the ego, but true it is !

We do not have armed drones capable of attack, we do not have the risk appetite to confront a scenario where Pakistani air force decides to defend against an aerial attack by Indian Jets and we DEFINITELY do not have the special forces for covert ops behind enemy lines. That capability was disbanded as a gift to Pakistan by the paralysis affected government of India in 1997.

India does have great armed forces. Unhesitatingly I will bet my last rupee on India completely routing Pakistan in a conventional war, but the presence of nuclear weapons with Pakistan and their oft stated “unacceptable loss of territory” clause for use of Nuclear weapons makes war impossible. We CAN of course start a quick offensive, neutralize enemy assets and declare ceasefire before any escalation of conflicts, but …. You guessed it, our armed forces are not oriented for such wars of the 21^st century either.

So forget about operating “behind enemy lines”, our best bets lie with the international community. Squeeze Pakistan and squeeze it hard. Shore up Zardari and help him get his wife’s killers. Somewhere in that pursuit we will get the killers of our women and children too.

We also need to introspect. How is Dawood's empire so openly spread out in India? We ask for his extradition while our politicians are hand in glove profiting from links with the underworld. It begs the question how Mr Narayan Rane confidently states that he knows of politicians who colluded with the terrorists. Surely he know something we don't. Whether it is true or not, politics in this country surely has reached its lowest point .... EVER.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN … NAY ADEN

2008-11-18T10:32:45+00:00

- Dummies guide to the eradication of Piracy in Somalian Waters

Firstly, my apologies to the Yemenis for using the name ADen. It is short for Gulf of Aden and not meant to imply that Yemen rather than Somalia is the origin of Piracy in the region ! Actually the real reason is that Aden simply rhymed better with Caribbean than say Mogadishu or Eyl and that’s that.

As a former sailor (actually my First Officer license is valid till Dec 2010) I feel a bit more strongly about the problems of piracy and the associated inaction by the authorities that say some of the other people I know for I share more that a passing interest in the woes of the captures sailors. Another day, another time, it could have been me, and that somehow puts things in a perspective that cannot be matched.

Add to that the fact that my anti-piracy training involved the following (Mind you, I am a certified Ship Security Officer too !)

Put on lights and show the pirates you are alert (great!)
Sound alarm (wow!)
Alter course (brilliant move)
Press a distress button that wakes up someone a million miles away (sure bet to save your life)
Use fire hoses to deter the pirates.

Now this last point I HAVE to comment on. We all saw the movie Black Hawk Down and thought to ourselves “thank god we weren’t there … these guys are mean!”

and suddenly faced with pirates of the same nationality, I am given a fire hose to fight. Quite a match actually the fire hose against the Kalashnikov.

KALASHNIKOV (AK 47)	FIRE HOSE (Standard)	Who wins and why ?
Carries 30 bullets	Unlimited supply of water	FIRE HOSE :Can fight longer
Weighs 4.3 kgs	Not sure, but lighter	FIRE HOSE: Better for light combat
Length : 34”	Varies can be 15 mtrs or more	FIRE HOSE: Better fighting range
Rate of fire: 600 rounds/min	Hmmmm	AK : More fire power
COOL factor: Great	Not bad: See the movie about fire fighters post 9/11 ? I can’t remember the name	TIE

So I am sure you can see that in real combat, I for one personally would choose a fire hose over an AK 47 any given day, but some of my more conservative colleagues at sea do not share my enthusiasm. Can you believe that? You get armed with the best quality fire hoses with brass fitting et all and you STILL are worried about pirates ?? tch tch tch

WHOSE PROBLEM IS IT ANYWAY?

Again, borrowed from a popular comedy show, so my apologies … again.

Well the entire rot stems from the fact that its been a good couple of decades since there was a decent government in Somalia. There was one a long time ago, infact even elected by the people, but another country; a champion of the free world and protector of democracy somehow thought that the mandate of the Somalis was not a valid one. That is a discussion for another day and we shall leave it at that.

The Suez canal is the most important trade route for ships from all over Asia to get to Europe and the Black Sea. One look at the map, and a comparative analysis of a route via Suez and one around South Africa would be enough for the layman to understand why this route is so important.

I am not a man given to statistics, but I can comfortably say that most of Europe’s trade with Asia comes through this channel and that is why I found it preposterous to read somewhere that keeping NATO warships there was too “expensive”. I am guessing that maintaining that Navy is not really expensive, but to ask those ships do a job they are best equipped at doing IS!

WHERE DO WE GO NOW ?

Apologies Guns and Roses ….

It does not require the mathematical capabilities of Ramanujam to put this two and two together. It is the responsibility of leading Navies from Asia (India, among others), NATO and Russia to get together under the aegis of the UN to have joint patrolling of the region. Countries that do not have the naval power in the region can provide logistical help.

The mission cannot simply be to SCARE them away. If THAT was the intention, we would not be sending commandos in choppers, but Riot police in speed boats!! The aim should be to engage and destroy. Simple.

I think it is impossible to launch rescue missions in Somali waters without collateral damage, so the idea should be to prevent the high jacking at first place.

The way out is not simple and call for firm action :

* Get existing ships released. Pay ransom if required. (Don’t fret, I by point 4 you will understand why)

* Enhanced patrolling around Somali waters coordinated by the UN and with participation of ALL navies whose cargoes go through those waters (else, no protection for their ships)
* Mandate to involve engaging and killing all suspect pirates (not just shoo away)
* THEN launch large scale ops to destroy any and all boats in the harbours of the pirate towns (no boat, no piracy) coupled with air attacks on their towns.
(you hit us, we hit you)

The last point is not simple war rhetoric. See below a BBC article which shows how open the industry is in Puntland.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7623329.stm

There is a language these people understand and that is not diplomacy. With the highjack of Sirius Star, the piracy has acquired ‘Blue water capability’ which will be the envy of many a navy around the globe! For those who are wondering what a Blue water navy is, Wikipedia comes to the rescue- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue-water_navy

So its time to tighten up the garter belts and take this menace head on. Don’t subject poor sailors to a war they did not sign up for. We spend billions on Star wars and futuristic weapons, surely a few million to secure the lives of some of the most forgotten workers of the world economy will be “good karma” for everybody.

The chickens come home to roost .. on Wall Street !

2008-09-17T09:00:20+00:00

Its is quite a coincidence that my last blog post written eons ago confidently stated that "this too shall pass" referring obviously to the "temporary" storm in a tea cup that the markets were facing then.
I stand corrected or rather proven brilliantly wrong with the demise of Lehman bros, the culmination of a lengthly series of e vents that started so spectacularly by the invention of Mortgage backed securities by Lehman itself ! Well maybe they did not invent it, Fannie Mae might be staring hard at me, but they definitely gave it the edification that made it the darling of Wall Street in the past decade. Infact conservative organisations like Credit Suisse too fell for the guiles of MBS !

So the chickens have finally come home to roost !
It is funny that the entire episode was trigerred by ONE man ! YES it is true ... his name is ... well maybe it is too scandalous. Or maybe you just want to know. Well anyway, his name is John Doe* (name changed upon request) I found it hard to comprehend that 2 falls ago when the September housing figures showed a slowdown in the housing market, some people started sounding out the alarm bells. How could John Doe's default or Jane Doe's refusal to buy a house affect the largest, the most powerful economy on the planet so bad ?
John Doe, well he overleveraged his housing loan since he was told by his loan agent that housing prices shall ALWAYS go up !
So John defaulted on his loan (well actually he wasn't eligible for the loan at first place, but thats another story) and the bank which gave him the loan (on the assumption that ... well .... doesnt matter if John doesn't repay, housing prices are going up anyways !) found themselves in a spot of bother.
The sequence of events is beautifully captured (with a dash of wit and humor) in a great ppt that I will try to attach.Download Presentation1.pps I don't remember who sent me the ppt, and I claim no IP over it, but it sure is funny ! not to mention the fact that it can teach a fifth grader all about Sub-prime ! The dirtiest word on Wall Street since Teddy Roosevelt and Glass-Stegall. Now assuming that you are smarter than a fifth grader, I am sure you will enjoy the ppt.

Let me know your thoughts !

Stock markets and stormy seas

2007-03-04T20:16:56+00:00

By the grace of god I have had the privilege and the honour of witnessing the great sea in all her turbulent splendour and YET be here updating my nascent blog. "She is a tough task master" our navigation teacher once told us; a bunch of eager 18 year olds grown up on adventure movies and a sense of invincibility ...

the years have moved on and i find myself touching 28, not too old an age to start writing my autobiography but definitely a time to look back, introspect and take stock of things.
Of all the lessons the sea taught me the one that truly stands out is that "This too shall pass" and so it has. Be it force ten winds, disappointments in personal life OR a tumble in the stock markets the old age adage still holds good "This too shall pass".

As the markets take a tumble i am reminded of my turbulent days at sea.
The watchers attribute the correction to a good many reasons. FIIs locking in gains,
pessimism due to a US economic slowdown and so on.
I see cause for renewed optimism. Be positive and look around you... prosperity is all around and i am sure the markets will reward the persistent... just like the sailors who weathered the storm; for anyone who has been close to a hurricane at sea knows that the calm weather that follows a storm is one truly to die for ...

I have attached a couple of pictures taken by someone else. Mind you the ship in question is more that 300 metres long ! Any sailor worth his salt would have been there many times... but after 9 long years at sea the pictures still gave me the thrill that the eager 18 year old felt all those years ago. Trust it does the same to you all.

cheers !

Reuters does not respond!!

2006-10-14T00:56:05+00:00

Reuters website's ASK SALES seems to be a simple excercise in PR... with no back up to follow.... i have been trying 3 days now to post a message for them to respond to.... but just havent been able to do so.... neither with Firefox nor IE.
All this in the internet age !!! i sure trust them to give me news on time for certain...