Summer Ramblings

Once again lethargy has gotten the better of me and I find myself in familiar terrain. I've changed the blog template and have gotten rid of all those widgets that were cluttering up the old blog. I have decided to keep it simple for now. 

So many new things happening around me and while the eyes seem to observe all the change, the mind does not want to express itself through any medium. Strange! But the most important thing is that I am happy and content and for now that is all that matters. I've got someone to share my life with me now and it has made all the difference.

A good part of the year has been spent in Cambodia on a project with Cambodia Angkor Air and the time I spend at Bangalore has been pretty limited. Trips to the outdoors has been very limited but I did manage to squeeze a few trips to BR Hills and Bandipur in Feb along with the missus. 

We spotted a fine male tiger at Bandipur and it really was a dream come true for me after a 12 year hunt for the king of the jungle. Pictures are put on Picasa.

I managed to add to my lens collection and have got a 55-250mm zoom with image stabilization and a wide angle lens that I can add on to my existing lenses. The field trials will have to wait sadly due the frequent trips to Cambodia. I could however take them on a trip to Angkor Wat again.

The investments in the stock market continue and I have added a few new sectors to the portfolio namely Banking and IT. I am pondering over the possibilities of getting an apartment in Bangalore now that the missus is also working but it still continues to remain a plan in the deep recess of my brain.


My book collection has swollen up once more and I have a lot of new books waiting to be read but the damn lethargy seems to be taking over. Read Malcolm Gladwell's latest book - What the dog saw and this was as eye opening as any of Galdwells other books. Highly recommended. I am currently reading a book called How we Decide that takes a fascinating look at how the brain decides. 

My brother-in-laws father passed away last week after a long battle with a brain tumor. He was a thorough gentleman and a great humanitarian and in my opinion one of the last among the dying breed of "humane" human beings. Strange are the ways of the almighty. Over the last year I saw him being reduced to an almost vegetative state and the mind could not comprehend why such suffering was bequeathed to someone who was of such good nature. The human mind immediately revolts against the concept of the almighty, religion, good, bad etc when such things happen before ones eyes. The suffering ended on April 10th and I am positive that Shri. P.N. Gopal's soul has found everlasting peace in the realms of the almighty where it mingles with similar souls, of people who have selflessly given back to society and have made us realize the good virtues and humaneness that dwells in all of us.