Warren Buffet!

I am sure you have heard about him? Wealthy American business man, Warren Edward Buffet, with an estimated worth of around 44 billion dollars, second richest person in the world according to Forbes, is just after announcing that he is going to give away 85% of his fortune to various charity organisations!

My first reaction on this news was, well, is it really true? Apparently it is!

Is he really that rich? Well, apparently he is, and he didn't make it by printing green paper in his basement or by selling Columbian talcum powder either!

Was he born rich? Apparently not! He started off as an average American Joe, worked hard and lived the American dream!

Okay, is it the old age, has he gone a bit, Barney!?

Answer is a resounding no. Have a look at the wikipedia page on the guy. He was a good man all his life! He is known as "Oracle of Omaha" or the "Sage of Omaha". He still lives in a 30 thousand dollar house he bought back in 1958, and its now valued at half a million dollars, dare I say, me, Mr Nobody McHasNothing paid nearly that much for the pleasures of home ownership (part blame to the Irish house prices, but that's another topic on its on).

Wikipedia: Warren Buffet

Honestly, I am baffled why someone would do something like this, and at the same time, I am mighty impressed by Warren Buffet's kindness, compassion and courage! He, in my humble opinion, is as fit as anyone else to do major feet - like start a major religion, a new system or establish a nation etc. Well, when you think about it, who else thought America is a big too big..?

Living it!

Living it!
Originally uploaded by chunangadan.

Ever since I moved into this house, almost a year now, there is this little ball shaped thing sitting in a small plastic cup on the kitchen windowsill - It looks more or less like a battered tennis ball with dry twigs sticking out of it, and me being extremely busy watching telly and devising new ways to take over the world, never got around to throwing it out.

Little did I know it had a mind of a ninja, and it was scheming up its own little rebellion its own corner of the world! One day, without any kind of warning what so ever, it just went BOOOM... well, BLOOOM to be more precise - it was as if it made up its mind about the meaning of life, universe and everything, which is 42 to us, and decided it had enough of the defensive thorns and stuff, and set out looking pretty and making everything around it look ugly, in a hurry!

Well, tell you what, no pun intended, but between those pricks, it has mind sharper than some world leaders, and I am not talking about Al Gore either!

Going beyond the beyond!

Sunset over Lough Swilly

Heres a story for you and me!

While we seems to be forever stuck in a rat-race, to maintain a work-life balance, to earn what makes us feel better than our neighbour, heres a thought-provoking true story of a man, that will make you pause for a second and think how the miracle of human mind works; especially how it work in the face of that end-of-everything-feeling, the human equivalend of a an 'event horizon', from where there is no going back; and the amazing ways of how it mends itself - in the process, much of what we take for granted, or wish for is beeing proven not as important as you or I would think it is!

Long read, but consider yourself lucky if you can master it in a lifetime!

Link: An Interview with Michael Hutchison

View from Malin head, Country Donegal, Ireland.

View from MalinHead, Country Donegal, Ireland.

Apparently, on a clear day, one could see Scotland from here, and the day was pretty good for Irish standards and, ah well, may be I lacked the imagination!!!

The cliffs on the other side really dramatic though and altogether a fantastic place to visit!

Fact: Haggis can kill you with a single peck!

Ardgillan Castle

Ardgillan Castle, near Balbriggan, Co. Dublin, Republic of Ireland is a large country residence (build in 1738 by Rev. Robert Taylor (for more history check here).

These days, the castle and the ground is a fantastic picnic location for the thousands of residents of Dublin's popular commuter towns, Balbriggan, Skerries, and even Drogheda. I was test driving a brand new Opel Astra for the weekend, and the fantastic weather this morning give me an excellent opportunity to try some of the country roads around Drogheda, which eventually lead me to the magnificent Ardgillan Castle. Honestly, I was not prepared for it, and it was a brilliant surprise!



Just look at grand location of the castle – overlooking the Irish sea, and acres of well maintained lawns, various kinds of flowers in the Victorian style garden, it’s a fantastic place to spend a warm summer day!

The castle also does guided tours (thats for another day), and even have a 'tea room' - give you a unique chance to sit down and do something usual, everyday thing -like pouring a perfect cup of tea and dip a biscuit in it (as compared to walking around and ogling at things), and it gives you a chance to notice, and may be understand, how who ever lived here would have spend a few minute of their life here.

I am sure I will be back there soon!

I have to confess, I am addicted to Futurama. Well thats just like any other self-confessed geek out there I guess!


Matt Groening and team has managed to pack in so much punch into scene after scene, its just sheer geek tv! I happened to watch a older version (I know all versions are old, they haven't restarted production yet), and the 'GodFellas' episode is where I got my latest spiritual high.





God: "Bender, being God isn't easy. If you do too much, people get dependent on you. And if you do nothing, they lose hope. You have to use a light touch, like a safecracker or a pickpocket."
Bender: "Or a guy who burns down a bar for the insurance money!"
God: "Yes, if you make it look like an electrical thing.
God: "Bender, When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all."

I found this place for Futurama lovers - Can't get enough of Futurama?.

1 out of 1! Thats 42 for pathetic non-binary carbon-based life forms!

The Digital-Photography-School's blogs on tips and suggestions on general digital photography makes an interesting read every week.

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog

 

A nostalgia inducing shot of a charukasela in a kolaya of a typical tharavadu.

This veranda, and these chairs have seen many generation growing up, moving out, visiting again after years, and the inevitable, mourning around it. The house itself is approximately 120 years old, and my father, who is now in his late sixties, has fond memories of growing up there. He has spend much of his free time sharing the same corner of the veranda, with six of his siblings and with anyone or anything that walks, flies or crawls in there seeking shelter from the scorching summer sun.

I have felt the wrath of that sun too, and the tranquillity of lying back on one of these chairs, and put your feet up, and watch the world outside standing almost still in the summer heat, even birds taking shelter under banana leaves, squirrels making a dash across the courtyard to pick up a freshly fallen mango, or a hen and a bunch of chicks enjoying a bit of loose mud in the shade, and how the mother hen gets frustrated with her hyperactive chicks running around and issues stern warnings to come back to under her wings, how the cows stands still as if they are dreaming, while almost mechanically munching away the fresh hay that one of the servants spread in front of them, how the dog or dogs curl up at the far corner of the veranda and sleep without a care for anything, but if a bird chirps unusually, hen sends a warning to the chicks or if a crow lands too close to the veranda, he somehow seems to know that and spring into action pacing around the courtyard, looking furious about whatever happened was not without his approval, but only to come back in minutes and to lie exactly where he was before and to slumber into another sleep with a sigh.... This goes on till I fall asleep, postman calls in, which is not often, or one of the elders calls me over to join for tea in the dining room, it would be almost four in the evening by then, and the sun a lot weaker, and the life back to its normal speed.

As you can probably tell, I do miss those days, the days when I could sit starring into a empty courtyard and no one would worry about my time, things to do, or my state of mind...

 

Stunning Five Finger Strand, Inishowen, County Donegal, Ireland.

 

Sunset over Lough Swilly, seen from Lisfannon heights.