Visit Balu's Blog

Last year, I made a couple of new friends here in Oulu. They had come here from different parts of India to do some language "localisation" for Nokia.

One of them lives in Bangalore with his family and is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Kannada Studies, at the University of Agricultural Studies in Hebbal. Balakrishna Jnardhana, known more commonly as Balu, is a specialist in languages. I have found of late that he is a great cartoonist and also a brilliant writer.

Balu, Renuka, Anaya, Shashank, Bangalore 2005

Do visit his blog which he is called Balu's Fumbles and you will find not only examples of his cartoons but his distinctive style of writing.

I am including a link to his blog in my list if links to blogs by my friends. A very worthwhile addition as you will note from his latest entry "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately...."

Welcome to our world of blogging Balu.

Puzzle Time of this week

This weeks Puzzlew is not grotesque!



Last week's puzzle was much too easy.

Laughing one's life away

I started yesterday in splits of laughter (see the earlier post), and all through the day I kept giggling to myself, thinking at the shock I got when I looked out of the kitchen window to see that snowman with the "Happy Birthday" sign!

Annikki made a delicious pineapple / peach cake, but we only got to eat it around 10 pm.

Pentti, Pailin and Unnop dropped in just at that time and got a piece of the cake.





They came to see Annikki's garden lights. The lights were truly magnificent.



Pailin got to sit in the snow wigwam!



Annikki showed them the main tools she used to create her snow garden. The shovel and a lot of shoulder power!



And it was way past my bedtime when our really wonderful guests left after having a heart-to-heart chat with Annikki.



It was a really great birthday with the snowman, the 200 or more emails, greeting cards, online greeting cards, telephone greetings with even Ildikó and Ilari singing in Tune greetings over the phone, and our very dear friend Eino Kaitera taking time to give me a call, Skype greetings from many many countries, and even personal visitors at this remote location.

And, the last two people that I got to talk to were grandchildren Asha and Samu - and that was what really made it such a wonderful day for me.

Thank you all for making it such unique occasion. I feel absolutely honoured to have such a wide range of loving family and friends in every corner of the world.

Pailin launches yet another great product

Cross-posted on the CHAFF Blog

Here is stomach-breaking news.

Annikki and i were privileged to taste the latest of the products to find their way into the Pailin menu.

You may be familiar with the Thai Sweet Chilli Kebab Wrap. It is a really convenient and delicious food.

However, the Sweet Chilli Sauce goes best with roast chicken.

This product really gets your juices going.

There are some secrets in this product which make it a new real and major addition to Thai cusine. I am not at liberty to divulge those details, but I understand why this product will really hit the headlines.









I raved over it. When I took one home for Annikki, she thought it was just great.

Annikki! What a woman!

When I woke up this morning and came down for my first cup of tea, I glanced out of the kitchen window, and this is what I saw:



She toiled 6 hours yesterday to create the winter garden that I showed in my previous post. And all for me!

What a wonderful birthday greeting and present - much more than money can buy!

Snowman's snow

Annikki has been waiting for a long time this winter for a day like today. Plenty of fresh snow - it snowed yesterday, a warmish day, and a resulting sticky snow.

I went to see Nageshwari and Kiran, to pick up a computer donated by an Indian engineer, who has returned to India, for a needy student.

Nageshwari and Kiran are Mysoreans. Nageshwari had made some delicious masala dosais and coconut chutney for me! I scoffed four of them.

I took the computer to give to the student, did some important chores en route and when I returned home by 8 pm, I looked out of the kitchen window and found this staring object back at me!



I rushed out to see what had been happening outside. It was evident that I was not the only surprised individual.



Our cat, Iitu, was also surveying the new constructions that had sprung up in our absence!

I tried various combinations on our terrible digital camera to get the true spirit of Annikki's handiwork. Unfortunately it was not possible to do justice to her superb creativity!

Annikki and our neighbour, who also enjoys garden lights and creations, were exchanging notes!

I managed to get this rather strange shot.



And this shot captured the true beauty of the corner of the Kampitie pond corner with the underwater lighting of the pond, the Finnish "kota" (a Laplander's wigwam but made out of snow without any frame or mould) and the snowman who is waving to Annikki's mother, who sits above it looking out of the kitchen window!



With the gruelling schedule that Annikki keeps, looking after the house, looking after her mother, writing articles on social and political issues, changing the insides of the house every other day, I do not know how she has this boundless energy to create stuff out of her "snowman's snow".

Time for a sauna to warm the insides.

Microsoft bugs Google

I do not want to start a typical Microsoft vs Apple battle here, but the focus of Microsoft disruption strategy seems to have shifted from Apple to its largest rival of today, Google.

Sadly, Google is fighting back with its hands tied behind its back, and the do-good goody shoes attitude could result in the downfall of this giant.

The latest was yesterday when the Google Mail programme "gmail" in most parts of the world and "googlemail" in the UK, suffered a major world outage which lasted several minutes.

Reason - the "inability" of the Microsoft "Windows" operating system to handle a simple delay in Australia of the change of the time change from Summer time to Winter time!

This article "Microsoft bug cripples Google quantum-based spam filtering" by Adam Turner appeared in the Australia "The Sydney Herald" on April 1, 2006.

Google's quantum-based spam filtering launch was thrown into chaos today due to Microsoft Windows's inability to cope with Australia's daylight savings changes.

Google's long-awaited quantum-based spam filtering project went online today, continuing the internet giant's tradition of launching new features, such as Gmail, on April 1.

More...

Daylight savings was extended in Australia this year, ending this weekend, to allow for Melbourne's Commonwealth Games - but Windows lacks the flexibility to handle such changes. As such, the analysis of Australian inboxes from Windows users saw the system attempt to process 25 hours worth of data.

The resulting quantum fluctuations created a feedback loop which engulfed London's Supercomputing Methods Experimental Group (SMEG) research centre where the project is based.

More.....

Was this article an April Fool's plant?

If I had not suffered the gmail outage at exactly the Australian midnight hour, I would have thought so.

The gmail programme was unable to do anything, even though I am not running the Windows platform, so the bug was a cross-system one.

Kudos to Google for solving the problem in about 14 minutes (from my personal experience). The dialog kept asking me to try again "in a few seconds", but it was a full 14 minutes before the sytem was restored. If life critical operations based on gmail had to be undertaken at that exact moment of time, there would have been chaos, as 14 minutes is far more than can be borne in such situations!

If, in fact, this chaos was created by the incompetence of people in Microsoft, I think we, along with Google, should have a Class Action suit against Microsoft for disruption of the international computing network because of bad system design.

Anyone interested in joining me on this?

Midi and Mini - What a Flap!

(Cross-posted on the CHAFF Blog.)

I am not talking about skirt lengths!

The Thai Pailin Restaurant (Kenttätie 9, Kasarmi Area) have tested two new products on Annikki and me yesterday - the Midi Flap and the Mini Flap.

It is rather nice to be food tasting test pigs for a good restaurant!

The Midi Pizza Flap







The Mini Pizza Flap
















After the success of their full size Pizza Flap, they have come up with these two products for the not so hungry and the fast-food Pizza addicts with not so much money in their pockets.

And, it is not an unhealthy fast food!

Fast food giant, Macdonald's could take some lessons from this enterprising small restaurant.

It is possible to choose the fillings in these Flaps to your personal taste.

The Mini Flap is ideal for parties. Keep them warm in a hot case and serve them up with an accompanying salad bowl.

Great work - Unnop and Pailin.

Puzzle Time

Last week's puzzle was very very easy - the Duck and the Rabbit were spotted by almost everyone. Susanna was the first to get back to me by email, and then we had over 200 who saw the two animals.

Many had complained that the cow of the previous week was not very clear. Once they saw the marked picture, it became obvious that the eye can be very deceiving. Most retracted their complaint!

This week's is very very simple. Asha already got it - 10 seconds.

What two animals can be seen in this drawing.



Have fun.

(Just realised that Puzzle Time is 24 hours ahead of schedule!)

Hilja with her hat

The other day, when I checked Hilja in the morning, I found her half off the bed as she had made every effort to get hold of a decorative hat hanging on the wall - which she was then clutching in her hands.

I put her back to bed.

When I told Annikki, she removed the hat from the room. Too dangerous as Hilja cannot stay on her feet, without support, for very long.

Today, Annikki was having some fun with her mother, Hilja.

Hilja loves hats so when Annikki put one on the table, Hilja had to have it on her head!

Hilja with her floral hat and apron

Annikki decided to take off her apron.

We have this picture of Hilja and her floral hat.


Hilja with her floral hat.

Mother and daughter certainly enjoy these games!

Anneli visits Oulu

Hilja, Annikki's mother's 86th birthday was on the 14th of March. Daughter, Anneli, Annikki's younger sister, who lives just outside Helsinki could not come up on the day.

She had to attend a conference in Oulu University on Friday, so she arrived in Oulu on Thursday evening to spend the weekend at home with her mother.

On Saturday, she visited their sister, Aino, in their new home, which she with her persistence, was instrumental in organising.



Later in the evening Anneli and Annikki celebrated their mother's birthday by making a cake for her.



Anneli has taken up a very creative hobby of knitting colourful woollen socks. Here is a selection of some her designs.



The black and white striped one is mine to use when I work in the cellar. Thanks, Anneli.

Vamsi puts the Best Buy camera to test

(Cross-posted in the Best Buy and CHAFF Blogs.)

Many of you will remember how Vamsi got a real bargain of a 7.2 megapixel camera for jut Euro 199.

This one beat the one we got for Paneer, but as Paneer was time-bound, he got the Best Buy of that day!

Vamsi has been kind enough to share some of the absolutely great photographs he got when he went to Iso-Syöte, the downhill ski centre an hour and a half from Oulu, with his colleagues from the Technical Faculty at Oulu University.

I share below some of the great photography of a master photographer in the making.

I was looking fortward to the action photo taken while Vamsi was skiing down the slope with the camera strapped to his chest! :-)

Majestic view from the top of the hill
with the top of a pair of ski's in the foreground.
Great composition.


This snow formation is truly a masterpiece.


This just that you techies know the problems faced
in Finland for transmission of signals!

Anyone like to hazard a guess how they clean up the masts and the dishes?

Keep those photos coming, Vamsi, AND Paneer.

Oldest resident of Oulu passes away

Valde Tenhula was born in 1900 in a small village just south of Oulu, Kärsämänkylä in Temmes.

At the age of 22 he left for the US but returned in 1929 after 7 years in that country.

He has lived and worked in and around Oulu ever since. He had distinguished service in the Finnish Army, being a decorated war veteran.

We used to see him at the Hirosen Old People's Home almost every time we went to drop off or collect Annikki's mother.

But he was shifted to the Tuira Old People's Home some time ago.

His last moments of his 105 years in this world were spent at the Tuira Old People's Home, where Mika worked, when he was a teenager, looking after old people.

Valde Tenhula was the oldest registered resident of Oulu.

May his sould rest in peace.

Puzzle - New puzzles after last week's answers

Last week's puzzles. The first was very easy. The other, extremely difficult.

Every one got the first one correct - both the lines are of the same length.

Only Hashim of the Goreme Pizzeria, Oulu, got the second one right.

Nobody eles came even close!



Yes, it is a cow.

This week's puzzle is very very easy.



What all can you see in this drawing?

We launch our NEW BEST BUY BLOG

(Cross-posted in our CHAFF BLOG.)

Please visit our new Blog - BEST BUYS in OULU which presents you BEST BUYS in Food, Toietries, Cameras, Radios, TVs, Computers, and anything else we find.

Annikki & Jacob

Maliyakal Web Sites Updated

RAJA MANTRA PRAVINA DEWAN BAHADUR

MALIYAKAL KURIYAN (MYSORE) MATTHAN

I have been a bit lazy regarding the updating of the Maliyakal family web sites.

Thanks to a major input from Suresh (Rev. Chandy Kuruvilla) in Lucknow, India, and a simultaneous update from Sarasu (Sarasu Isaac) in the Virginia, USA, I did a major update of all the Maliyakal web pages. I still lack much data to be able to call this a comprehensive site of our family.

But that depends on the inputs that you can provide me - such as birthdates, family notes, etc.

• Maliyakal Ravoor Matthan Kurien, alias Maliyakal K. Aaschan, alias Kurien Assan, the founder of the House of Maliyakal




1. Kuriyan "Mysore" Matthan (1877 - 1951)


2. Dr. Kurian Kuruvilla


3. K. George


4. Mariamma


5. K. Kurian


6. Elizabeth


7. Susan


8. K. Jacob


9. Sara

An article by Prof. M. M. Ninan has been brought to my attention which states that according to Thomma Parvom, the first convert by Apostle St. Thomas on his second visit to Kerala was from Maliyakal who became Thomas Maliyakal the Ramban.

I have seen this article many years ago as it was released at the time of the 50th Indian Independence celebration (1997). There has been much debate about many of the statements made and is still a matter of considerable debate.

The page which is entitled STORY OF ST. THOMAS THE APOSTLE AND THE ST.THOMAS CHURHES OF INDIA; A SHORT HISTORY and is by Prof. M. M. Ninan. Hope you find it enlightening and many thanks to both Abu and Sarasu for reminding me of this.

Amazing - Baluchachen is 73 today

I just sent an erroneous message to my dear cousin wishing him 75 - whereas the young lad is just 73!

Baluchachen, December 1999

Baluchachen is the oldest surving Matthan cousin in the Dewan Kuriyan Matthan family. (We sadly lost his very dear elder sister, Amminikochamma, 3 years ago.)

Baluchachen is the elder son of my late godfather, George Matthan Sr. He is one of the most talented of our cousins and also one of the most modest, quiet personalities that you can find. But humour runs deep in this individual.


The bored little boy on the ground is Baluchachen

Baluchachen was very much a member of our family when he came to live in Bombay in the late 50s. He stayed with us for a short while in Meher Mansions, Cooperage Road, and then moved to the Y.M.C.A. hostel which was just behind our house. He was a regular Sunday lunch visitor.


Baluchachen is standing on the extreme right.
I am sitting on the floor on the extreme right.
My late father's 60th birthday celebration in Mumbai November 1970.

His most memorable statement, that I laugh at almost everytime I think of him, was when I asked him what he had given up for "Lent". His answer was so fast and off the tongue that it did not sink in for a few minutes.

He said: "Church!"

All of us at the dining table rolled over with laughter, and even my more late conservative dad (at the dining table) could not contain himself. My late mother laughed over this joke for many many weeks.

Unfortunately, we could not attend his wedding as my late sister, Nalini, got married on the very same day, in Kerala. Baluchachen and Nirmalakochamma got married in Bangalore. Nirmalakochamma became one of our family members and has been one ever since she joined Baluchachen in Bombay.

Probably the most frivolous thing that Baluchachen did in his younger days was join us as the lead singer in a rendition of The Platters hit "Only You" at "Grace Home" in Basavangudi. The event was a family party, a usually very formal affair in those days, in our grandparents home. Ajeet led the way with his mouthorgan and Anand, Ranjit and myself formed the rest of the group. Our dear grandmother thoroughly enjoyed that version of a "pop" song.

Happy birthday, dear cousin -and we miss you very much.

One more line to all Maliyakals. Thanks to Suresh (Rev Kuruvilla Chandy, who lives in Lucknow), the web page of Maliyakal Dr. Kurian Kuruvilla is being updated this weekend. Thanks Suresh.

Puzzletime and answers....

This week's puzzles are Easy Peasy Ones, as demanded by the younger crowd.



Which line is longer, the top one or the bottom one?

And what do you see in this picture below.



Answers to last week's puzzles

Everyone got the answer to the first puzzle. The lines are ALL parallel.

This is an optical illusion created by the spacing between the dark and light squares that creates the impression of sloped lines.

The second puzzle had everyone but two people totally off the mark.

David Okele, our friend from Kenya, tried hard and did some good lateral thinking, but it was not good enough.

He suggested that the farmer's daughter quietly pick up a white pebble from the ground before putting her hand into the bag and then pull it out.

Good thinking, but she could be exposed as a cheat.

The answer which Shalu, in Chennai, India, came up with is the best example of lateral thinking.

The farmer's dsaughter puts her hand into the bag, picks a pebble. When she takes her hand out of the bag, she drops the pebble to mix it with the millions on the ground.

She apologises profusely and then asks the moneylender to pick out and show the colour of the one in the bag, which of course, will be black. This means, to the audience, that the one she picked out must have been WHITE, freeing her father of the debt and she does not have to marry the moneylender!

The moneylender cannot say otherwise, as if he does, he will be proved to have cheated.

Well done Shalu!

New owners, new location, Thai Sweet Chili

(Cross-posted in the CHAFF Blog.)

The Thai Sweet Chili Grocery Store which started in the Oulu City Market about 4 years ago, moved to Rautatienkatu about 3 years ago and then moved to Torikatu, opposite the Labour Unemployment Centre, has now changed hands and moved to a new location on Asemakatu.

New location of Thai Sweet Chili Grocery Store

The store is situated inside a popular flea market and antique shop called Pikku Liinu run by Paula Kangas, which has been around for quite a few years.


Flea market and antique store,
Pikku Liinu owned by Paula Kangas

Before that it was the location of one of the most popular computer hardware stores in Oulu called Kommentokeskus.

My former partner in business Jari Kaitera, now the Managing Director in a major RFID company in Helsnki, started his career in that shop, so it has many good memories for me.

The Thai Sweet Chili Grocery Store is owned by a couple, Markku Miettinen (a Finn) and his wife, Pat (a Thai). They will live part of the year in Oulu and part of the year in Thailand. I have known Markku for several years, probably about 4 and was associated with him some time ago before he left for Thailand.


Thai Sweet Chilli Grocery Store

I wish this new enterprise of Markku and Pat all the very best and hope we can now get some of the good Thai grocery products at reasonable prices rather than having to depend on Stockman.

A new Oulu concept from Hanna and Jarmo...

(Cross-posted on the CHAFF Blog.)

A few weeks ago, our local newspaper wrote about a small bookstore in Oulu which also had a few tables where you could enjoy a hot refreshment with a "pulla" (Finnish sweet bread or pastry) and also spend some time browsing a few books from their selection.

I took a trip to the Coffee Shop, today, at the corner of Pakkahuonekatu and Aleksantarinkatu and met with the delightful owners Hanna and Jarmo Stoor.

Jarmo is an author and has published three books. Both are friendly and like to talk to their customers.

Hanna and Jarmo Stoor of Nispero Kirjakahvila

Known as Nispero Kirjakahvila (The Nispero Book Coffee Shop), it is located in quite a strategic place and will have a good number of visitors as spring, summer and autumn appear on the horizon.


Nispero Kirjakahvila location in Oulu

In winter, the warmth of the owners will not need the books to draw their customers. As as they speak English, foreigners will not have much problem blending in with the locals.

Thanks for introducing such a good idea to Oulu.