Found this colourful migratory bird in Kokkare Bellur bird sanctuary on Mysore Road. There were plenty of them and finding one willing to be photographed was not difficult.
This picture was taken from the top of Perumal Malai hill in Kodaikanal. The hill is around 7200feet high and took us three hours to climb. We started around 10 in the morning and arrived around 1pm - just the right time to unpack for lunch. Being the highest peak around, the hill offers a great view in all the directions. The best thing about climbing to the peak is in experiencing the cool wind in the hot weather.
Editing this picture turned out to be a major problem. The binary image, when loaded on IE was not showing the true colors and looked dull unlike the print. So I worked on it to change the color balance and contrast but never managed to get anything close to the actual image.
The clip below shows how parts of a picture could appear as interesting or more interesting than the picture itself. See that this hill appears on the mid left hand side of the photo above. I changed the tones of colors to give some cooling effect(blue) to the picture. Note the difference in tones of the two pictures, which shows why the colors in the original is not very right.
"Here's a fun hobby of mine: When I get e-mail spam that includes an 800-number, I save the number for later. Then when one of the hundreds of Nigerian scam e-mails hits my e-mail box, I reply enthusiastically and give the 800-number of the spammer as my own. I feel that people in the DNRC have a responsibility to introduce A-holes to each other."
Note: An 800-number in US is a toll free number used by companies for inquires and support and stuff like that.
The city is more colorful than ever during the spring season. Trees full of brightly coloured flowers, mostly yellow, red, pink and purple are seen everywhere. I shot this one some time in early March - when they are available in plenty.
I found this interesting landscape in Kodaikanal. It was a hazy and unclear evening when we were there and this picture turned out with little details about the hills but for their borders.
Still not out from the kick she got with 'end of imagination' Arundhati Roy writes about the war in Iraq.
Here is an interesting excerpt: "....Even in the grotesque universe of racist insult, the British make their entry as add-ons. Arse-lickers, they're called."
I am against the war in Gulf and have written that here many times over. But have to admit that it is only going to benefit us and not harm. I have tried to list out why a war in the gulf is good for us.
A possible end to uncertainty: Anticipation of war has been holding the stock markets and economies of the world. At least when the war ends, people can go on with their business; and life will be much more normal.
Oil prices: They are going to fall considerably. And that is going to happen for two reasons. Firstly, oil in Iraq will be free again as the sanctions against selling oil, imposed after the 1991 war will go. Secondly, oil prices have been driven high by the producing countries in anticiation of the war. Along with these, there is also some good news from Nigeria. That leaves Venezuala as the only country where oil extraction is hit by domestic problems, and things are getting better there too. Currently, petrol is sold at almost Rs.40/litre in the city. Expect this to come down to Rs.30 in around 3 months after the end of war. And reduction in oil prices is definitely good for the economy.
Growth: There is little doubt that the post war era will be a time of high growth in US. This will be so due to - a) large government spending in defence which will release a lot of money to the market. b) reduced oil prices which means a considerable surge in spending. c) upbeat mood; this is very important. And good US economy definitely means good for India. Especially so for the services industry.
The trend in militancy after the Gulf war is debatable. But my feeling is that tougher times will be ahead for militant regimes. That will be one more good news
Stock markets can finally breath easy.
And one thing good about all the happenings before the war is that the US must have learnt that unilaterism is not as easy as they thought it is. If you had it your way in Afghanisthan, it does not mean it is going to be like that all the time.
But none of this is going to change my opinion. One should leave Iraq for Iraqis. And if not Irqis, it should be only Uniated Nations.
This lizard was very co-operative. It always kept an alert, cautious eye on me but did not run away. Besides, it was patiently waiting for me till I took out the tripod, spread it out, took nearly ten minutes to compose my shot and finally pressed the shutter.
Typically when I am shooting such subjects, I prefer to take a shot as soon as possible, lest it runs away, and take my own time to compose another shot with tripod. Normally, the later one will take 10 to 20 minutes, and will be hundred times better than the first one; if I get a chance that is.
