A Garage And The Land Lady.

You guys might be knowing how I like my landlady. She is sweet, loving, caring, and concerned. She love her tenants just like the way she love her kids..

 

I won’t say the above words even if I am drunk !!!!

 

Now to the point, we have been her tenants for almost an year now. The place rented out to us still looks fresh, neat and tidy. The rent was given without delay on 1^st of every month. The electrical items are all intact. The place is still the same way she rented out to us.

 

When moving in we had this conversation.

Me : Where will I put my bike?

LL (landlady) : You can put it outside, see how all the cars, bikes are kept outside.

Me : What about the basement parking? Seems like its empty.

LL : Yes, but I have given it on rent.

Me : Oh, then I will park outside.

 

Even after 6 months, I have never seen any human/alien/animal/unnatural being parking his/her/its car/bike/scooter/UFO in the basement.

 

Now that I bought a car (this is another way of letting you guys know that I bought a car, I am clever ) I don’t have any place to park it.

 

So I took my tactics on to please her with a packet of sweets.

Me : Aunty I bought a car. Here are some sweets.

LL : Oh congratulations…

Me : I am wondering where I will park

LL : You can park outside, see how a new Ford Fiesta is parked outside. Eveyrone is parking outside nothing will happen.

Me : Can I use the basement parking. I have not seen anyone using it.

LL : Oh no son, I just remembered we are also buying a car soon.

Me : Which one?

LL : Alto

Me : Which color?

LL : Black

Me : When?

LL : Next week.

 

After a week.

Afterseeing my brand new car out in the sun, in the rain, I was hurt and decided to ask again.

 

Me : Aunty can I put the car in till you guys get a car.

LL : Oh no son, we have lot of stuff in there, there wont be much space in to fit a car.

Me : No, that’s not an issue, I can move the items.

LL : I just remembered we will be taking that item in and out, you don’t want to scratch the car do you?

Me : I can put the car outside when you take stuff.

LL : hmmm.

Me : I can pay an extra rent if you want, if its reasonable.

 

LL’s face brightened, her eyes shined.

LL : let me talk to uncle.

Me : sure and please let me know.

 

I am sure she will come up with some exorbitant rent for the parking space. I was thinking of my previous landlord in Trivandrum. When my brother bought his car, the landlord offered

“I don’t have a car yet, you can put the car in the garage”

 

Now that is reasonable. 

Update : I bought a Chevy spark LS, white. Now I can add my share to pollution.

 

Prices on the rise

 

Another price hike?  The Government is meeting on Friday to discuss about a new price hike in fuel. The hike would be in the range of Rs 2 to 3.

 

Fuel prices in karnataka are the highest in the country because of higher tax component and 5 percent entry fee.

 

Now that the fuel price hikes are common, I feel many are not bothered. In Kerala however we celebrate every fuel price hike with a holiday(read hartal), mostly declared by the opposition party. Now since the opposition in Kerala are ruling the country, BJP helps Kerala in relaxing with a hartal. In 3 years there were numerous hikes in fuel. We observed one day of holiday for each, but then the prices are still increasing. All we got was few holidays.

2005 by BJP, 2006 by ruling LDF, 2008 by BJP.

 

In 2004 Kerala scored 124 on its haral-bandh score board. Here is an interesting take on the hartal menace.

 

Back to fuel price hike.

 

I remember an old joke which goes like this. (Warning : Bad Joke)

 

———————————————————————————-

Guy #1 : Petrol prices hiked from 50/litre to 52/litre.

Guy #2 : Nah, its not going to bother me anyway.

Guy #1 : Why????

Guy #2 : I always fill up petrol for Rs 100..

<end of joke>

———————————————————————————

This would mean my monthly expenses are gonna increase, it’s already on the rise with the all the prices for essential commodities going up! I wonder when my house owner is going to knock on my door to demand a hike in rent.

Related Post

80 Shut Downs in 18 Months.

 

Band BroadBand.

 

Back home in Kerala my Dad has applied for Broadband from BSNL, unfortunately its not yet activated and the request is still pending with the telephone exchange .They have given explanations like ‘there should be at least 30 applications’ ‘infrastructure is not ready’ etc etc.

The BSNL telephone exchanges are technologically advanced ones, the people sitting there are still in the past (especially the ones in villages) they fail to notice the changes happening around them.

The delay was making my Dad angry, if you would have read this post, you would know why he hates inefficient people.

 

 

Scene Village Telephone Exchange

Dad hands over 35 applications to an employee.

 

Employee #1 : What is this?

Dad : These are 35 applications for broadband

 

Employee #1 : WHAT?

Dad : Yes. With signatures. We need broadband in our area.

 

Employee #1 : See…..well…..I…… How do I know whether you signed all this yourself?

Knowing that he just want to delay things Dad replied

Sue ME.

 

Employee #2 : Hey what’s going on? (Seems like this guy is the Chief (Read Cheap) Engineer.

Dad : I have submitted 35 applications of people who require broadband connection. Its in the papers recently that you are required to provide broadband within 1-2 months of application.

 

Employee #2 trying to act smart asked.

Employee #2 : Okay.. So which type of modem do you want?

His intention was to ask technical questions which my Dad obviously wouldn’t know and will retreat from making problems and asking questions.

 

“Which all modems do you sell?” came the prompt reply.

“Well. Eh…we have errr..” Employee #2 was a little stunned by this sudden answer.

“Well let me know which all do you have and then I will let you know which I want. Thanks.” Said Dad and walked out.

 

We have not received broadband connection at home till now. Categorized as a village, it would take at least another 4 months for them to process and get the infrastructure ready.

The communication revolution? Yes the applications are still revolving around.

 

In case if you wondering if the 35 applications are authentic, yes they are.

Weekend Escapade Part III

 The Dam

On the way we stopped at KRS dam, the site had a marvelous view with natural beauty and the mammoth man-made structure. Here are some photos of the machinery. 

 

 

 

 

On our way back to the busy life in Bangalore we stopped at Rajeev Gandhi wild Life sanctuary. Although we were late to take a ride in the Park safari, we talked with the guards there to know that there is little chance to spot any animals except for deers. I didn’t believe him at first, then I saw this

 

 

However on the way back we spotted many deers.

 

Related reading

Weekend Escapade Part II

Weekend Escapade Part I

(last post in this series)

Weekend Escapade Part II

The Plantation.

 

 

The coffee plantations in Coorg mesmerize you with its aroma and splendid beauty. Being from Kerala and have stayed in the middle of a coffee plantation (in Peermade Idukku Distric, near Thekkady) for years, this experience was not new. But this brought back memories of the beautiful past.

We opted for a home stay to get closer to nature. But what was in store for us was surprising.

The endless insects that crawled all over, the leeches (surprisingly none of us got bitten by them) and the storm of insects all over made me closer to nature.

 

Tip #1 

To get rid of a leech biting its ‘heart out’ on your body, (1) Apply a pinch of salt or (2) Use a lighter or a match stick and bring the flame close to the leech, it will let go !

Never forcefully remove the leech from your body as it injects a chemical to your body and the blood wont clot.

Due to an anticoagulant (hirudin) that leeches secrete, bites may bleed more than a normal wound after the leech is removed

Try stamping on the leech you could see blood spurting all over. (I sound sadist huh?, well its my blood !)

 

Tip #2

How to get rid of insects?

Turn off the lights. Yes, as simple as that. The lights attract all the flies all around the plantations as there wouldn’t be any light anywhere near. I remember the times when I used to stay at the place in Peermade without any lights for 3 days in a row. The moment I turn on any of the lights it would attract thousand of insects and they invade the house!

However, during daytime you are at their mercy.

 

Talking about the stay in Coorg, its no big difference from Peermade. There were hundreds of insects trying to find a place to hide in my room, bags and all over. Finally we turned off the lights to chase it away. That didn’t however stop the visits from a dozen millipedes.J

But it was all worth it in the morning when I got up early to go trekking and fishing. The sight outside our room was splendid! The thick fog engulfed the morning rays and the visibility was very low.

Here are few pics.

 

 

(The beautiful morning)

(A view outside our room)

 

(The  catch)

 

( To be contd)

Related Posts

Weekend Escapade Part I

Weekend Escapade Part I

The Tibetan Colony

The trip to Coorg was rewarding, the climate, the people, the endless plantations and insects that crawled all over my body made me much closer to nature than never before.

It gave some sort of a revelation that we are just aliens invading their space.

One of our stops was at the Tibetian Colony in Coorg. With all the issues surrounding, Tibet now, I wondered how they reached the Southern State of Karnataka from their cold hills of Tibet which they call home.

History

  (Nyingmapa Monastery)

 

The monastery was established by Penor Rinpoche in 1963, following his 1959 exit from Tibet. The initial structure was a temple constructed from bamboo, covering an area of approximately eighty square feet. As of 2007, the lodging facilities alone for the school include three buildings with over 150 rooms. (Source Wikipedia)

 

 

  (Golden Temple)  

  (Woman praying outside the temple)

Bylekuppe

 

ByleKuppe is one of the largest Tibetan settlements in India, around 16000 refugees and nearly 6000 monks and nuns. Set up in 1960, Bylakuppe is a small town situated 6 kms from Kushalnagar or 42 Kms from Mercara, the place has several monastries and the famous among them are the Great Gompa of Sera Je, Sera Mey and the Namdroling monastery.

(Source)

 

(Inside the temple)

The temple and the monks all around gave me a feeling that I was in Thailand again. (I have been to Thailand once). This was indeed a mind-blowing experience.

To be contd.

(All pictures taken with Sony DSC W55, thanks to new wordpress I couldnt insert the images properly)

 Related Reading

Weekend Escapade Part II

 

Today.

 Yesterday night I was just surfing the channels, while in many the reality shows were running, in one there was Rakhi Sawant yelling. I turned up the volume to hear what she was saying. There was this news scrolling on the screen.

Rakhi’s item number dropped from Krazzy 4.  

“Its publicity gimmick” I commented.

Wife “ What?”

Me “Well these guys, they will shoot it, then drop it, and then all the crazy news guys will roam around the actors, producers, directors and  the viewers analyzing the situation. All for publicity”

Wife “oh”

Me “I think they should not be given all this publicity…………………..they don’t deserve it………..” I went on and on and on for 10 mins while Rakhi was screaming on screen.

That’s when the scrolling changed to RAKHI FOOLED !!!!!! 

Wife “hahaha….” And went on and on and on…

Me “….”  

Today morning the Bangalore Times (the gossip section of TOI) had this STOP PRESS news.            

Saif and Kareena got HITCHED !

I read the entire article. And the last line read this Turn to page 3 for exclusive pictures And I turned only to see this APRIL FOOL !! 

I wonder how I fell for it two times in a row. Years back its used to be friends or colleagues who make a fool out of us (some don’t do it for fun J) now it’s the media. Well I think they are making a fool out of us the entire year!

PS : Read the post title as “Today is Fool’s day”

Divorce through Video Conferencing

hmm, that sounds interesting. While there are thousands of divorces being filed in India stating reasons such as adultery, incompatibility or even that wife doesn’t cook, this was a landmark achievement for our courts. We know that Indian courts takes years to settle a case with more than fifteen hearings. However, in this case, the husband works abroad and had requested the court to allow him to appear for the hearings through VC or Video Conferencing, considering the expense of coming down to India every month. The court approved this request.

Interestingly, a divorce case was handled through VC by a Chennai court last year.

Although the news about people getting divorce due to many reasons (some of them strange) is sad, this measure by the court should be welcomed. Its good to know that courts are living up to the technology around !.

80 Shut Downs in 18 Months

Cross posted at mutiny.

80 shutdowns in 18 months, on an average 4 every month. This figure is haunting as this is after the courts have banned bandh and ‘forceful hartals’. While the political parties have given assurances that the hartals will be peaceful and there wouldn’t be any ‘forceful’ closure of shops or disruptions in traffic, it’s seldom followed.

Kerala witnessed yet another hartal yesterday with all major institutions, offices closed down. There were stray incidents caught on camera where the activists forced shopkeepers to close down and abused people who took their vehicles on the road. In one incident a cab with foreign tourists were stopped and the driver was manhandled. The terror in the tourists’ eyes was clearly visible. No wonder these warnings are part of standard country specific documents in foreign government sites.As the two parties try their hand at blaming each other, the people are left tormented. While students enjoy their holiday, there are thousands of travelers left with no other choice but to ruin their day at bus stations.I see no end to this unless the politicians themselves come with a new form of protest and give people the ‘choice’ to take part if they want to.

Dry days in God’s own Country

Cross posted at mutiny.

(This post is not to debate on the health issues as a result of alcohol consumption but yes, alcohol consumption is injurious to your health.)A long queue, thick crowd and a traffic block. Yes that’s a state owned liquor shop. Wish I had a photograph to prove it.On my visit to my home town in Kerala during Christmas I found this sight pretty amusing. Not that I am seeing it for the first time, but because of the anguish in the eyes of the people waiting in the queue.Ever since AK Antony (now Defence Minister) banned Arrack in 1996 and closed down all private owned liquor shops in the state, the ‘dry days’ for the people of Kerala had begun. At one end the move was to protect the interest of the families whose lives were ruined due to domestic violence. Looking at the other end of the story, we find more illegal arrack being smuggled into the state (or manufactured within the state) and heavy pricing on alcohol.The burden is on the lower middle class or the laborers who drink, has to shell out twice as what they had to earlier. Thanks to the 100% tax on alcohol. But did the consumption come down? No. Lesson learned? Increasing the prices do not reduce the consumption.Now if it’s any festival, you find people waiting in long queues to get themselves a bottle. Why can’t the government (any one of them, during their term) just give away with the regulations? Reason? Revenue. (Tax collected through the liquor sales was Rs. 15 billion in 2006; it is Rs.18 billion in 2007)

All government controlled liquor shops and bars are closed on 1^st of every month. Reason? That’s the government’s way to control its citizen from spending all his salary on alcohol. If he needs to get himself a drink he is at the mercy of a watchman at the nearest Bar. (Bars sell liquor with their back door policy on dry days at extra charge.) End result? He would shell out more money on a dry day.All the regulations in place, Kerala still tops as the most liquor consuming state in India. Liquor sales in the state have gone up from Rs.20 billion in 2006 to Rs.23.11 billion in 2007. Kerala has the highest per capita liquor consumption in the country.

I can’t find any reason why the government shouldn’t take away the regulations. Well it’s not in interest of public health or welfare of families that the regulations are in place (then the government should regulate cigarettes as well). While people in other states enjoy the benefits of buying liquor from supermarkets, Kerala is still far behind, with government controlled liquor shops. The regulations if any should be uniform in all the states.While how consumption can be controlled is a different story all together, the government (s) have learned their lessons that these regulations just won’t help in reducing the number of consumers.