New Year Greetings !

Wishing everyone out there in cyberspace a wonderful New Year with joy, prosperity and friendship. Here's to hoping that the world is a lot more peaceful in 2006.

Pre-partition Map of Punjab

Punjab was a huge area prior to the 1947 partition, and further subsequent dismemberment into Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. Click on map for a larger view (after clicking you should be presented with another icon option in bottom right hand corner to expand to full size)



Here's an updated recent version of the current East Punjab. I hail from the region between the cities of Moga and Ludhiana which are located in the centre of the map. (Click to expand map)

Review: Kong

Watched 'Kong' last night at the big screen. Oh.my.god - the film is a chick-flick ! Never realised I'd put it in the same category as something like 'Bridget Jones'.... The 'romance' between the over-sized ape and the anorexic blonde was just a little too much to bear (somebody pass me a bucket). LOL...reminds of how some desi men court their women. :)

There were some interesting creature fight scenes, and I thought the atmospheric build-up for the barbaric island that Kong lived on was excellent. Definitely one could see the Peter Jackson input that was put into this lavish 3 hour epic.

I would have given this movie a 9/10 but I deducted 2 points for the 'it loves me, it loves me not' scenes between the chimp and the actress.

7/10....worth watching just for the island scenes.

White Christmas

Sings..."I'm dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used to know..."

*Okay, wake up, wake up* - Spheric's alter-ego starts slapping him around the face... :)

Man, I long for a white Christmas....and I don't mean weather-wise, but in an ethno-cultural sense. You ever seen any of those tv scenes/commercial ads which feature a gora (white) family with perfect teeth and smiles, complete with sane grandparents, sat around some elegant table loaded with Christmas culinary dishes (albeit bland and tasteless by Punjabi standards but let's not go there today) ? Well, believe or not in true Ripley style, I want one of those social experiences.

Let me explain and qualify my comments further before I get added to the Shiv Sena/Babbar Khalsa hitlist...LOL. Experience to date suggests that whenever there's a tribal gathering of fellow Punjabis, everything is just so over-the-top in terms of eating, drinking, inane gossip and character assassinations (LOL) but it is also fragmented with separate areas for different ages, men and women. Walk into one room and you'll see Punjabi men eagerly living upto their self proclaimed shere (lion) reputations by ravenously devouring tandoori chicken legs by the plateful and washed down with copious amounts of whisky....another room will resemble a zenana scene from Mughal-e-Azam with some bored looking women in their radioactive bright silk outfits... :) According to this model, women, children and other life forms will eat at a separate time to their lords and masters, the latter group only coming to the dining table once they have reached the required alcohol induced coma state of (un)consciousness.....LOL.

As utopian as this may sound, for once I'd love to have some civilized conversations where everyone gets involved - all ages, men, women, and maybe we could eat together too ?

End of rant. :)

First Sikh officer in Pak Army

Oh great....Khalistan fauj is now on both sides of border - cries of 'Bole So Nihal' on one side of the border will now be greeted by 'Sat Sri Akal' on the other side. :)

From Dawn: http://www.dawn.com/2005/12/20/nat12.htm
LAHORE, Dec 19: Harcharan Singh, 19, of the Nankana Sahib, is the first Pakistani Sikh in the country’s 58-year history who has been commissioned in the Pakistan Army as an officer.

The minorities in Pakistan are allowed to sit in all examinations, including the one conducted by Inter Services Selection Board (ISSB), but neither a Hindu nor a Sikh could get selected for the army service since the country’s inception. However, many Christians served in the army.

Harcharan was sceptical this year while appearing in the ISSB’s preliminary tests, thinking that such examinations were not meant for them (Sikhs) as he could not get through the initial phase last year.

“This year, I got through the preliminary phase and appeared in the ISSB examination. However, I was mentally prepared to take admission in BA (Architecture) in the National College of Arts”.

“It was the happiest moment of my life when I came to know about my selection in the army. I am privileged to have this honour which none of my predecessors could ever achieve,” Harcharan told Dawn.

Harcharan, who passed his FSc (pre-engineering) in 2004 with 726 marks, wants the government to open the doors for his community to the law enforcing agencies as well.

Harcharan passed his matriculation from the Government Guru Nanak High School, Nankana Sahib, with 677 marks. He says that his school should be equipped with modern laboratory and competent teaching staff.

He says when his fellow Sikhs in Nankana Sahib learnt about his selection in the army they really felt proud of him. It has also changed their perception. Now they believe that young Sikhs have a fair chance to join the country’s most prestigious institutions.

Having a younger brother and three elder sisters, he wants his brother to follow suit. He says after the death of his father, a shopkeeper, some seven years ago, the credit of their education goes to his mother. “My mother wants me to earn a good name for the country.”

He says that his family migrated to the Northern Areas at the time of partition and in 1970s shifted to Nankana Sahib.

Beware of killer samosas

What with the festive season upon us, here is a Spherical public health announcement... :)



From BBC:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3325175.stm

Health chiefs are warning the south asian community about the health risks of their favourite foods. They are concerned that too many people are feasting on tasty, but unhealthy snacks such as samosas. And they believe this is a major reason why diabetes and heart disease are increasing in British cities with large south asian populations.

In Birmingham, health workers are visiting Sikh temples to issue warnings, and offer health checks. Diabetes among the city's Sikhs is now three times higher than within the white European population - and heart disease is one-and-a-half times more prevalent.

Rishpal Chana, an Aston-based health visitor for Heart of Birmingham Teaching Primary Care Trust, has found that nearly a third of those weighed and checked in the Sikh gurdwaras need immediate help from a GP.

Samosas, and other traditional foods from the sub-continent such as pakora and bhajis, are packed with fat.

Ms Chana said: "Samosas are one of the worst foods you can eat and I am trying to get people to eat less of them or cook them with olive oil instead of ghee.

"The Asian diet is very fattening because a lot of the food is fried in this way, yet people don't realise just how bad for you they are." Ms Chana said just one samosa had 25 grams of fat - the same as a large slab of butter.

Blood pressure and blood sugar tests are being offered in the temples on Sundays when they are at their busiest.

I feel like Superman...

...well almost, and a cross between Archimedes and the dude who built the Great Pyramids in Egypt.:)) Last weekend I installed one of those over the range microwave appliance that sit 'suspended' in mid-air over the cooker (stove for North Americans). The previous "made-in-the-good ol' U.S of A" microwave had died (surprise, surprise). And after selecting and taking delivery of a replacement Samsung model, I spent most of Sunday with pencil and tape measure, (occasionally scratching my head at the installation instructions) making the theoretical calculations required to locate and drill the required holes both in the wall and cabinets to fit the new appliance. The point of no-return was when I started the drilling..........and guess what, the damn thing actually fitted !!! Yep, no tears, no recriminations, no beating myself over the head !

And as a bonus - to date, fingers crossed, the microwave hasn't collapsed or anything.... :))

I vant this for Christmas....

Oh balle balle.....so I just happened to be browsing the UK Amazon site vhen I came across 'Desi Monopoly'. It's a south asian version of the famous property trading board game presumably set in the Little Punjab(s)/Gujarat(s) of London. Sounds interesting. Vunder if it includes the standard desi hera-pheri and tax avoidance options...... :)

Consultants: Money for nothing ?

"That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free" (Dire Straits)

Okay, musical trip down memory lane aside, how many of you have actually got value for money from external consultants ? Specifically those involved in system implementations ? I'm looking at 2 consultant documents in front of me - 1) a sub-standard system design document with what amounts to an incomplete defined scope, non-descript testing and training strategy, a tendency to use verbose abstract concepts which means little to anyone outside of an MBA class and 2) an invoice for payment of consultants whose hourly rate is $250+ per hour.

I am sooooo definitely in the wrong job...

Why are white people..white ?

Well now you finally know.....

ps. I'm just glad I have a sun-kissed complexion. :)

SM starts singing play that funky music white boy... :))

From The Times:

A GENE that partly explains why white people have pale skins has been identified for the first time.

Scientists in the United States have discovered that a tiny mutation in a gene plays a key role in determining skin colour, with Caucasians inheriting a different version from other racial groups.

While it is known that colour is genetically determined, this is the first research to pinpoint a particular stretch of DNA that underlies normal differences in human pigmentation.

The findings promise new insights into cancer and other diseases influenced by genes, and shed light on the evolution of different hues of skin.

The discovery of the gene, named slc245a5, has emerged from research into cancer that used zebrafish as an animal model. A team led by Keith Cheng, of Pennsylvania State University, noted that a variant of the fish, known as “golden”, had paler markings than usual, and that this lighter pigmentation was caused by a mutation in slc245a5.

As the gene is known to exist in people, Dr Cheng wondered whether it might be responsible for some of the variation in human skin colour. First he transplanted the human gene into fish and found that it had the same effect on pigmentation. He then teamed up with a colleague, Mark Shriver, to investigate how different versions of the gene were distributed across human populations, using the recently completed HapMap, which charts genetic variation.

The researchers have found that while people of African and Chinese origin carry one version of slc245a5, those of white European ancestry have a different one. The results, published today in the journal Science, indicate strongly a big influence over skin colour.

The work suggests that the dark version of the gene occurs as a default, and that the light variant is a mutation that probably evolved as humans moved out of Africa and migrated into northern latitudes. This supports a theory that lighter skin evolved as an adaptation to the weaker sunlight of northern climes. Sunlight is essential for the body to manufacture vitamin D, and pale skins make this easier when the Sun’s rays are not particularly strong.

The slc245a5 gene does not vary between Africans and much lighter-skinned Chinese, or between Europeans of Swedish and Greek ancestry. It is thought to be responsible for between 25 and 38 per cent of colour variation between Europeans and Africans, and other genes are certain to be involved.

While genes that are mutated in albino people have been identified, this is the first that has a significant influence on normal variations.

The results promise to assist research into malignant melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, which is rarer among dark-skinned people. They should also help scientists seeking to tease out the genetic contribution to conditions such as heart disease and diabetes, which are often influenced, like skin colour, by multiple genes.

Dr Shriver said: “We cannot expect to use human genetics to understand complex diseases most effectively without first working out how fundamental characteristics, such as eye, hair and skin colour are determined.”

SKIN DEEP
- Scientists generally assume that the first anatomically modern humans, who evolved in Africa, had dark skins.

- The evolution of other skin types, particularly the fair complexions of Europeans, has long been one of the big mysteries of biology. It has been suggested that dark skin is an adaptation to strong sunlight in the tropics, and protects against skin cancer. While this might be possible if dark skins had evolved from light ones, the process happened the other way around

- A more plausible theory is that light skin evolved as an adaptation to the weaker sunlight of northern latitudes.

- Sunlight is necessary for the body to produce vitamin D, and dark-skinned people struggle to do this when the Sun is weak. Some ethnic minorities in northern Europe have higher rates of rickets, a disease caused by vitamin D deficiency

- Many scientists, however, think the adaptive advantages of light skin are too small for the effect to be the result of natural selection

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,11069-1934310,00.html

Badminton musings

When played well, and I ain't talking about the genteel back garden variety played by folks who think it is played over a volleyball net, badminton is one of the fastest reaction sports in the world. I've made many friends over time through membership of the 5-7 clubs I've been at and it is a rewarding sport. :)

Couple of observations:

1) I've always enjoyed playing a style of badminton which is hard and fast yet also tactical and cerebral....but one inescapable conclusion remains. For the most part, playing mixed doubles remains essentially a game of men's singles with two women standing at the net....LOL Admittedly this may sound parochial but I base this on the average standard of play I've seen over the years both in England and Canada (but more so in the latter). Guys should be prepared to sweat buckets and cover the entire court, as well as shadow his female partner to 'cover' that 'invisible hole' that exists in middle of her racquet...... :)

2) Feather shuttlecocks are over-rated for game play and their exhorbitant price and durability is questionable. I could easily smash through a tube of crappy (and expensive) Yonex feathers in an evening if I was so inclined. The air resistance of feather birds appear to mitigate against a fast smashing game, and it renders cross-court backhand shots ineffectual. And the thing that gets me is the lack of flight consistency viz a viz synthetic shuttles......each feather bird will not always land in the target baseline zone. And I'm not prepared to do some voodoo mumbo-jumbo of steaming the damn things just so that they can supposedly reach a similar flight path quality as their synthetic counter-parts. Their only redeeming feature is the crack sound when hit, but I'll forgo that and the illusion of 'quality' play, in favour of consistency and equitable economy of price for all. (Plus, I ain't really in the mood to catch avian bird flu either...LOL).

It's karaoke time !

It just occurred to me whilst driving to work this morning and singing along to Malkit Singh's Midas Touch 2 album at full blast, that I may have found my true vocation and passion in life ! The one thing that has been missing in my life is....*drum roll please*........is a karaoke machine ! Jee haa meray pyare dosto - you have been deprived for too long of my singing talents and smooth vocals. LOL. For too long I have been selfishly keeping my vocal talents to myself and the shower, but this is all about to change ! :)

Now being the realistic rational Virgo type :) I don't think my local Walmart is going to stock bhangra/bollywood karaoke tunes, but I would be happy just to belt a few 90s or even 80s songs to my adoring audience. We can go on a collective trip down memory lane and sing Wacko Jacko, Madonna, 2 Unlimited, Duran Duran, Culture Club (I sing a wicked 'Do you really want to hurt me?'..LOL) or even Frankie Goes to Hollywood......oh the memories. :)

Where are my Clementines ?

I've given up on eating tangerine oranges.....besides, I always thought they looked a bit creepy sitting there in the supermarket fruit section.

In the absence of my preferred (seedless) clementines I bought a bag full of tangerines the other day so as to allow me to cope with hitting the 3pm wall, but everytime I got my jaws into salivating eating mode I had to stop to spit out a mouthful of seeds. What is with that ? Where is the instant gratification ? Is this the gastronomic version of coitus interruptus ? You would have thought the way the US government and big agro-food corporations have tried to bully the world into eating genetically modified Frankenstein foods, that they could create some seedless orange varieties for yours truly.... :)

Faux pas

I was witness to an unintended social faux pas last weekend. It was with a sense of sympathetic empathy that I felt for the hapless transgressor left to make conciliatory amends.....

...Life can be uncomfortably complicated with it's multi-layered tiers of social norms for those used to a simpler way of life....