No longer Great and not United!

On the whole a sad day for Britain which is no longer Great and no longer united! In a digital age where borders are fast disappearing, cross-border transactions are a norm, we chose to 'protect' our borders.

Ask the corner shop owner how he's impacted by the crop failure in Argentina; ask the small business owner how he's impacted by an uprising in another country and you would realise how tightly we are integrated with the world. These proponents of sovereignty and 'taking back control' need to realise how difficult it is to get behind the wheels, once you have stopped driving for a couple of years!

This is what happens when you give people living solely on benefits and child-care vouchers the right to decide your future - to those whose future is "where do I go for my next drink?". I don't remember who said this, but I do remember the words being "democracy is the costliest form of government" or something like that. It was proven true today in the UK. With democracy or referendum comes huge responsibility - the ability to judge each individual argument by its merit and make an informed (and not inebriated) choice. Sadly, the chimera prevailed over reason.

I hope, as the magnitude of the issue sinks in, the chimeral myth dispels to give rise to reason and a new desire to make us great again. We were Great once because of our naval superiority in the world; we quickly transformed that greatness into financial acumen. Now is the time to recast our greatness into realistic aspirations in an age where information rules supreme.

Existing from one of the world's largest market, banning entry for people who are keenly interested in earning money (and are not here for a free childbirth on the NHS's expenses) is a decision that at best is 'separatist' and discriminatory. If an economy has the capability to sustain migrant workers, it will continue to attract hard-working people from across borders. And they are here principally because someone local considers it demeaning to do the same job. The 'holier-than-thou' attitude can only work when 'thou' are around - precisely those who we are stopping from entry!

I'm not usually pessimistic, but the events of the day has really weighed me down. And if I - as an ordinary citizen - is affected this much, I wonder the fate of our leaders.

Here's to a better tomorrow, where we respect the individuality of our neighbours and learn to co-exist.

Unexpected Item in the bagging area!

How often have you been confronted by that obnoxious computer generated nasal voice!  Ugh!  Shopping is no longer what it used to be.  And I thought I was alone in hating the self-checkout counters. 

New research suggests 48% of Britons think self-service checkouts are a nightmare, neither quick nor convenient. Quite the opposite in fact, and their complaints are all too familiar.


Firstly, there's the bag struggle. Shoppers who follow the "bag for life" mantra may feel they aren't as welcome as they would expect. Self-service checkouts often don't recognise them and shoppers may even be charged for plastic bags they haven't used.


Then there's the barcode blindness the machines experience with maddening regularity. There's nearly always something they refuse to scan, leaving customers repeatedly swiping, running the risk of repetitive strain injury and feeling a pang of sympathy for those who do this for a living.

read the full report here!

Married and Unhappy? Have Children!

Thank you Prof. Luis Angeles for attempting to destroy my peace! 

According to their recent study on Children and Life Satisfaction, the more children a ciuple has, the happier they are!  I just wonder who's feeding such ideas to these profs!  After having two of my own, I am reasonably sure, one more would add to my woes - definitely not to my happiness. 

And even if it did, I'd rather be unhappy with two angels that I have (and they have never given me any reason to complain either), than a truckload of (potential) happiness-begetting devils!

Wonder what my wife would say to this?  Or for that matter, any of you who's reading this!

The Workout

And here's another one of my favourites. After reading this you'll realise why I don't need to go to the gym...

The Workout
The Doc told me that I should start an exercise programme. Not wanting to harm this body, I've devised the following:
Beat around the bush
Jump to conclusions
Climb the walls
Wade through the morning paper.

Drag my heels
Push my luck
Make mountains out of mole hills
Hit the nail on the head.

Bend over backwards
Jump on the band wagon
Run around in circles.

Toot my own horns
Pull out all the stops
Add fuel to fire.

Open a can of worms
Put my foot in the mouth
Start the ball rolling
Go over the edge
Pick up the pieces.

Kneel in prayer
Bow my head in thanksgiving
Uplift my hands in praise
Hug someone and encourage them.

What a workout!
Rest at lasst.

Limericks and Me

I have a very long association with limericks. I got my first exposure to limericks while in junior school. And I mean the 'decent' ones which just followed the rules of limericks, without spices! And I was smitten by it! Dunno why!!! I tried Haiku too, but could not get hooked on to Haiku in THAT way as limericks.

People do tend to associate limericks with 'spicy' side of literature, but what-the-hell I like it. Recently I came across this site, which is a free-for-all for limericks enthusiasts. Each visitor is expected to contribute a line (within the rules) and the limerick gets completed. If you like limericks, you should visit this site. And contribute. You don't need to register, nor you are expected to divulge your identity. And DO go thru the past limericks. The URL is http://mass_limerick.tripod.com/

And if you like it, please do leave a message at this site. It DOES need some hits - very badly!

PS: Why am I writing about limericks on St Valentine's Day?
Duh!

Solva, Wales

Just returned from a three day vacation at Solva, Pembrokshire, Wales.

Why Solva? Dunno! Checked it on the Net. Found it to be an intriguing little village in Wales. Wanted to be away from the daily chores, and hustle and bustle of profession. And Solva - an unknown place in coastal Wales seemed an attractive enough place to be in.

Well the drive to Solva was ridden with fog and light drizzle - not that we were driving a convertible. But yet, not quite so welcoming. When we reached Solva, we were amazed at the rural ambience.

The next day, we headed towards St David - the nearest 'town'. We visited a medieval cathedral. The board mentioned it to be in use since last 1500 years!!!!!!!!!!!!! And the cathedral looked old from outside. Inside, it was very pristine and well kept. The priests were preparing for a Christmas eve mass. Got some couple of good pictures inside.

From the cathedral we headed to the coast. Lucky for us, the day was not cloudy and we did the entire coastline. It looked so serene with clear skies and deep blue sea. You could see different hues of blue in the sea. We reached an old chapel (forgot the name, though!) - another photo opp for me.

I'm still raw to blogging and do not know how to link pics in the blog. Hope I succeed this time.

The next day we went on foot in Solva - hit the harbour. But as it was low tided, so did not get much of a view there. And then Akshat had an accident - he twisted his ankle. With the result that I had to retrieve my car and ferry him home.

A much enjoyed and needed vacation definitely.

Internet Poems

I always thought of Internet as a place devoid of emotions (of the classic variety). To challenge my assumption, I googled for some 'classy' poems. And I was amazed! Here's one which I liked very much:

Have I Ever
by Ravenz23
Have I ever told you
that if I sit really still and silent,
sometimes. I like to think
I can hear your heart beating
in time with mine?

Have I ever told you
that when I watch you speak to me
through lines and cords,
and bytes and ram,
I imagine
your voice,
whispering into my ear?

Have I ever told you
that I wait out each day
in anticipation,
wanting
only an hour or two,
just a second in space and time,
to feel close to you?

Have I ever told you
that there has been times,
when I ached for you,
ached for you so badly,
that the emotions overwhelmed me..
and so I sat and cried?

Have I ever told you
that sometimes,
I will reach out,
touching your name
on this cold screen before me,
wishing
I could reach in
and pull you to me?

Have I ever told you
that after the first time I heard
the sound of your voice,
thousands of miles away,
I sat up all night,
turning the conversation over and over
in my mind,
examining it,
like some newly discovered species of flower?

Have I ever told you
that I would give everything up,
just for one night
to be able to lay near you,
to feel your chest rise and fall
with each breath you take,
just to know that you are real?

Have I ever told you
that I dream of you often,
I dream of you reaching out
and touching my hand,
simply to let me know
that you are there,
and everything is okay?

Have I ever told you,
have I still yet to tell you . . .
that I love you?

Wow! So Simple, and yet it stirred some unknown emotions in me. Too bad that I don't remember the URL. There were quite a number of good poems on that site.

RESOLUTION NO 2: I need to restart writing! And this time, something more than white papers and business solutions!