If you are on Facebook you can now get your own unique username. I got my own yesterday. Previously our Facebook profile url would have lot of characters: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=751145254. Now it is http://www.facebook.com/dilipmutum.
Unfortunately the username Dilip was taken and so was Adam and I had to settle for the 'dilipmutum'.
I also got one for my wife as well as she is busy with her workshop in Berlin.
Is that a invasion of privacy? I am sure she won't mind.
Anyway, if you haven't got your own unique user name, go to the Facebook username page and see if your name is still available.
Warning :
You can't change the user name once you have chosen it. In other words, you will be stuck with it forever. So make sure there are no typos. Also is that cute, funny or obnoxious name something you might want to be associated with in a few years from now.
Think about it. Go on and get your name before someone else does (they probably have, unless it is really unique).
14 June 2009
Gardening, blogging and Pink roses
Some people like playing golf. Others would rather lie down on the couch with a cool beer and watch football on TV. Well, my favourite pastimes are gardening and blogging (and recently twittering) - not necessarily in that order. Sometimes my wife reminds me that I am doing a PhD and that I may be doing these things when it is not exactly my "pastime".
Anyway, it's a sunny Sunday here in Coventry and I am doing two of my favourite pastimes - blogging after spending some time in the garden.
I blogged about my yellow roses last week and these are my pink roses that just started flowering.
This is a Hybrid Tea rose - Doris Tysterman.
I had planted some flowers in the front of the house as well but haven not been taking care of them and as you can see, needs a fair bit of weeding.
Petunias and Begonias
This is my
post.
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Anyway, it's a sunny Sunday here in Coventry and I am doing two of my favourite pastimes - blogging after spending some time in the garden.
I blogged about my yellow roses last week and these are my pink roses that just started flowering.
This is a Hybrid Tea rose - Doris Tysterman.
I had planted some flowers in the front of the house as well but haven not been taking care of them and as you can see, needs a fair bit of weeding.
Petunias and BegoniasThis is my
post.
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10 June 2009
07 June 2009
Yellow roses
I have only three rose plants but they are doing really well. I expect to have all three bushes blooming by next week.
The yellow roses have a slight pinkish tinge on the edges. What do you think?
Hybrid Tea Rose - Sunblest
My herbal garden is doing really great as well. Besides my mints and rosemary, I now have basil and coriander growing as well. Nothing beats fresh herbs on your dishes.
This is my
post.
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The yellow roses have a slight pinkish tinge on the edges. What do you think?
Hybrid Tea Rose - Sunblest
My herbal garden is doing really great as well. Besides my mints and rosemary, I now have basil and coriander growing as well. Nothing beats fresh herbs on your dishes.
This is my
post.
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Do visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
Google celebrates tetris
Did you notice something strange with the Google logo today?
The special doodle celebrates 25 years of one of the most addictive computer games ever. Russian Alexey Pajitnov created the game in 1984 and apparently he didn't make a single ruble out of it.
05 June 2009
Official blogger and twitterer for the Festival of Social Sciences
The Faculty of Social Science here at the University of Warwick is organising the Festival of Social Sciences, which will run on the campus from the 15th (Monday) to 19th (Friday) June this year. I somehow got involved and am now the official twitterer for the festival.
Do check out the official blog to read about the festival including the preparations, information on events and view pictures, etc.
You can also follow the festival on Twitter @socscifestival.
31 May 2009
A day at the park
This was taken a while ago when my father-in-law visited us. It was really windy that day and even though it was sunny, it got a bit chilly.
It is at the Memorial Park on Kenilworth Rd, Coventry, CV3 6PT.
The eagle dance?
not easy jumping carrying a kid who weighs 16Kg.
The pictures came out quite well, especially the jump shots even though they were taken using my compact Kodak C913.
It is at the Memorial Park on Kenilworth Rd, Coventry, CV3 6PT.
The eagle dance?
not easy jumping carrying a kid who weighs 16Kg.
The pictures came out quite well, especially the jump shots even though they were taken using my compact Kodak C913.
First Commentator
Yazid Idrus
Yazid Idrus
27 May 2009
Moving next door maybe
After being left unoccupied for several months, the house next door was finally bought by one of our neighbours. Apparently he got a great deal as the previous owner was desperate to get rid of it. The new owner set to work almost immediately. With his team of builders and a skip in front of the house. The first few days was pure torture with the drilling, knocking and dust hanging in the air. We even had to complain to them to keep it down.
Fortunately they seem to be nearing the end of their renovation work. I was curious and went to see what they have done so far and I was amazed at the quality of work. Plus the fact that they achieved all of it in such a short time.
Even though it's the same size as our house, the rooms look bigger and really great. Not only that, they have removed the jungle of an eyesore which was their backyard with a new paved patio. They are also paving up the front of their house and created a driveway. This is bad news for us as this means loss of our extra parking space. I had wanted one for our house as well but our landlord had refused.
Our new neighbour want to put it up for rent and I was pleasantly surprised when he enquired whether we would be interested to move in. Of course I didn't promise anything but the prospect of bigger rooms, brand new fitted kitchen and nice bathrooms and of course a driveway in front is really, really attractive. I guess the deciding factor would be the question of monthly rentals. I am not sure how much they want for the house but if it's not a big jump from what we are paying now, we might actually move in next door.
Fortunately they seem to be nearing the end of their renovation work. I was curious and went to see what they have done so far and I was amazed at the quality of work. Plus the fact that they achieved all of it in such a short time.
Even though it's the same size as our house, the rooms look bigger and really great. Not only that, they have removed the jungle of an eyesore which was their backyard with a new paved patio. They are also paving up the front of their house and created a driveway. This is bad news for us as this means loss of our extra parking space. I had wanted one for our house as well but our landlord had refused.
Our new neighbour want to put it up for rent and I was pleasantly surprised when he enquired whether we would be interested to move in. Of course I didn't promise anything but the prospect of bigger rooms, brand new fitted kitchen and nice bathrooms and of course a driveway in front is really, really attractive. I guess the deciding factor would be the question of monthly rentals. I am not sure how much they want for the house but if it's not a big jump from what we are paying now, we might actually move in next door.
First Commentator
D
D
14 May 2009
Angels and Demons Coventry
12 May 2009
Edinburgh Trip 1
Of all the cities that we have visited here in the UK, I think that Edinburgh is the most beautiful. It is also the one with the most character.
We recently spent 4 days there and stayed in our favourite hotel chain - Travelodge. Our decision to stay at the Edinburgh Central at St. Mary's Street turned out to be right choice. It was right in the middle of the Royal Mile - between Edinburgh castle and Holyrood Palace. The hotel staff were really friendly and helpful and we didn't have any problems during our stay apart from the fact that the lift was out of order a couple of days. I got some exercise walking up and down the stairs.
You can see that we enjoyed the trip or otherwise I would have been ranting on about the broken down lift. I was great to get away from it all - from the stress of our research work and I didn't access the Internet even once for the whole four days. Though it did drizzle a bit now and then, over the weather was great all the while we were there.
Here are some pictures from the trip:
Trying to make sense of the map
Tattoos anyone
The Scottish Parliament
Gates to the palace
Arthur's seat
Balmoral Hotel
The Royal Mile
St. Giles and Statue of Adam Smith in the distance
St. Giles' Cathedral or the High Kirk of Edinburgh
We recently spent 4 days there and stayed in our favourite hotel chain - Travelodge. Our decision to stay at the Edinburgh Central at St. Mary's Street turned out to be right choice. It was right in the middle of the Royal Mile - between Edinburgh castle and Holyrood Palace. The hotel staff were really friendly and helpful and we didn't have any problems during our stay apart from the fact that the lift was out of order a couple of days. I got some exercise walking up and down the stairs.
You can see that we enjoyed the trip or otherwise I would have been ranting on about the broken down lift. I was great to get away from it all - from the stress of our research work and I didn't access the Internet even once for the whole four days. Though it did drizzle a bit now and then, over the weather was great all the while we were there.
Here are some pictures from the trip:
Trying to make sense of the map
Tattoos anyone
The Scottish Parliament
Gates to the palace
Arthur's seat
Balmoral Hotel
The Royal Mile
St. Giles and Statue of Adam Smith in the distance
St. Giles' Cathedral or the High Kirk of Edinburgh
03 May 2009
Swine Flu and Winnie the Pooh
Another forwarded mail. Thought it was really funny.
On a more serious note, the Swine Flu is one in the long list of the diseases which have jumped to humans from animals - AIDs, Mad cow disease, Foot-and-mouth, Chicken flu and now Swine flu.
Apart from AIDs, apparently all the diseases are from domesticated animals reared as food. Maybe we should all go vegetarian.
On a more serious note, the Swine Flu is one in the long list of the diseases which have jumped to humans from animals - AIDs, Mad cow disease, Foot-and-mouth, Chicken flu and now Swine flu.
Apart from AIDs, apparently all the diseases are from domesticated animals reared as food. Maybe we should all go vegetarian.
19 April 2009
Azaleas brightening up my garden
The small garden in front of my house was looking a little dull and I found the perfect flower to brighten it up - dark pink Azaleas (Rhododendron sp.).
Bought these flowering shrubs at the green grocer near our house. I have no idea about the variety or the species of Azaleas. Don't they look lovely?
Join
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Bought these flowering shrubs at the green grocer near our house. I have no idea about the variety or the species of Azaleas. Don't they look lovely?
Join
Do visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
First Commentator
Susanne
Susanne
15 April 2009
In defence of Pak Lah
Tun Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi stepped down as Prime Minister of Malaysia two weeks ago and people already seem to have forgotten him. I am quite disappointed that nobody seems to have anything nice to say about this man.
Nearing the end of his tenure, it seemed like almost everyone was after him. I heard a number of Malays complaining that he had weakened the position of the Malays. On the other hand, the Chinese and the Indians were unsatisfied with him as well.
I guess the problem was that when he was made the Prime Minister, Malaysians expected great - almost impossible things from him. They expected him to wipe out corruption from the country, increase transparency, improve human rights, freedom of the press, etc. etc.
The fact is that he did. The press in Malaysia has never been this freer. He also initiated several campaigns to reduce corruption including the "Saya Anti-Rasuah" campaign. Whether these were successful or not is debatable.
Almost anyone who had to deal with Government agencies will tell you that the level of service quality had improved tremendously as compared to the previous Mahathir era. Of course certain departments have a long way to go before they achieve Bersih, Cekap, Amanah dan Toleransi (Clean, Efficient, Trustworthy and Tolerant).
One of the main reasons I have a soft spot was because I once was in huge trouble and I wrote to him directly as a last resort when all my efforts to solve it were in vain. I was really amazed when he (or his secretary) actually directed the Government officials involved to solve my problem with a letter copied to me as well. All this happened within two weeks. I had actually sent letters to other officials as well but no reply till date.
So what went wrong?
People suddenly realised that they could voice out what they felt and I guess the blogosphere had a role in this. This is illustrated by the fact that a few prominent bloggers were elected to the Malaysian Parliament. It suddenly seemed like Malaysia was filled with corruption and scandals. While the fact is that these had been happening from before, only that these were just rumours that went around via word-of-mouth and rarely read and analysed by so many people - common citizens. So opening up the media might have done him a lot of harm and he couldn't put a lid on it after people had tasted the fruits of freedom of speech.
Another thing that really hurt Pak Lah was the strained relations with the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. There are several reasons and I wouldn't want to go into it. Tun Mahathir has a lot of admirers in Malaysia and even outside (including myself) and you can imagine the impact of every word against his successor.
Most people also blame Pak Lah's son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin for pulling him down. I have not seen any proof that Khairy was ever involved in any wrong doing but I guess a lot of the older politicians were wary of his rapid rise in influence.
Last of all, I blame his PR people for failing him. They totally ignored the blogosphere as well. Pak Lah certainly had a image problem. I am sure everyone has received a forwarded email with a picture of him falling asleep at some event or the other. In the end, everyone got the impression of a PM that didn't care. I wonder why his people never did anything about this. I know of a couple of brilliant old professors who have the same problem and used to fall asleep at all the academic meetings. All the people around knew their problem but just ignored it because they were aware how brilliant they were. However, it's different in the case of a politician, more so the Prime Minister of the country. For them, image is everything.
I guess I could go on and on but I am sure there are a lot of others like me who are sad to see Pak Lah go.
Nearing the end of his tenure, it seemed like almost everyone was after him. I heard a number of Malays complaining that he had weakened the position of the Malays. On the other hand, the Chinese and the Indians were unsatisfied with him as well.
I guess the problem was that when he was made the Prime Minister, Malaysians expected great - almost impossible things from him. They expected him to wipe out corruption from the country, increase transparency, improve human rights, freedom of the press, etc. etc.
The fact is that he did. The press in Malaysia has never been this freer. He also initiated several campaigns to reduce corruption including the "Saya Anti-Rasuah" campaign. Whether these were successful or not is debatable.
Almost anyone who had to deal with Government agencies will tell you that the level of service quality had improved tremendously as compared to the previous Mahathir era. Of course certain departments have a long way to go before they achieve Bersih, Cekap, Amanah dan Toleransi (Clean, Efficient, Trustworthy and Tolerant).
One of the main reasons I have a soft spot was because I once was in huge trouble and I wrote to him directly as a last resort when all my efforts to solve it were in vain. I was really amazed when he (or his secretary) actually directed the Government officials involved to solve my problem with a letter copied to me as well. All this happened within two weeks. I had actually sent letters to other officials as well but no reply till date.
So what went wrong?
People suddenly realised that they could voice out what they felt and I guess the blogosphere had a role in this. This is illustrated by the fact that a few prominent bloggers were elected to the Malaysian Parliament. It suddenly seemed like Malaysia was filled with corruption and scandals. While the fact is that these had been happening from before, only that these were just rumours that went around via word-of-mouth and rarely read and analysed by so many people - common citizens. So opening up the media might have done him a lot of harm and he couldn't put a lid on it after people had tasted the fruits of freedom of speech.
Another thing that really hurt Pak Lah was the strained relations with the former Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad. There are several reasons and I wouldn't want to go into it. Tun Mahathir has a lot of admirers in Malaysia and even outside (including myself) and you can imagine the impact of every word against his successor.
Most people also blame Pak Lah's son-in-law, Khairy Jamaluddin for pulling him down. I have not seen any proof that Khairy was ever involved in any wrong doing but I guess a lot of the older politicians were wary of his rapid rise in influence.
Last of all, I blame his PR people for failing him. They totally ignored the blogosphere as well. Pak Lah certainly had a image problem. I am sure everyone has received a forwarded email with a picture of him falling asleep at some event or the other. In the end, everyone got the impression of a PM that didn't care. I wonder why his people never did anything about this. I know of a couple of brilliant old professors who have the same problem and used to fall asleep at all the academic meetings. All the people around knew their problem but just ignored it because they were aware how brilliant they were. However, it's different in the case of a politician, more so the Prime Minister of the country. For them, image is everything.
I guess I could go on and on but I am sure there are a lot of others like me who are sad to see Pak Lah go.
11 April 2009
Vist to the West Midland Safari Park
Writing about the 'Great places for a day out with the family in the Midlands', I sudddenly realised that I had not blogged about our visit to the West Midland Safari Park. The park is just an hours drive from our place but we had never visited it until my wife's cousin visited us last June.
It was an amazing experience. I mean have you ever had a giraffe come to your car.
Remember to grab a packet of the special diet animal food available at the ticket stalls. Several of the animals come right up to your window and you are allowed to feed them.
Water buffaloes cooling off
Cheetah
Lions lazying around
Some face painting
We really enjoyed the Sea Lion Encounter at the Seal Island Exhibit Pool as well. Forgot to take pics.
I great day with the family and the kids really loved it. Will definitely be going there again.
It was an amazing experience. I mean have you ever had a giraffe come to your car.
Remember to grab a packet of the special diet animal food available at the ticket stalls. Several of the animals come right up to your window and you are allowed to feed them.
Water buffaloes cooling off
Cheetah
Lions lazying around
Some face painting
We really enjoyed the Sea Lion Encounter at the Seal Island Exhibit Pool as well. Forgot to take pics.
I great day with the family and the kids really loved it. Will definitely be going there again.
06 April 2009
Spring is here when daffodils bloom
I haven't done a Green Thumb Sunday post for quite sometime because I haven't been doing any gardening at all.
Anyway, the first flowers to bloom were the narcissus. They look lovely.
Over here, the yellow daffodils flowering everywhere signal that spring has arrived.
My daughter's daffodils which she planted from bulbs also started flowering and I helped her transfer from the pot to the ground.
I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD by William Wordsworth (1804)
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
and twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
in such a jocund company:
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
what wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
Join
Do visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
Anyway, the first flowers to bloom were the narcissus. They look lovely.
Over here, the yellow daffodils flowering everywhere signal that spring has arrived.
My daughter's daffodils which she planted from bulbs also started flowering and I helped her transfer from the pot to the ground.
I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD by William Wordsworth (1804)
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
and twinkle on the Milky Way,
They stretched in never-ending line
along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
in such a jocund company:
I gazed - and gazed - but little thought
what wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
Join
Do visit As the Garden Grows for more information.
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