A new picture, thanks Nirupa

(Please note: My main server is being serviced and hence pictures from there will not display on any of my blogs till the morning of 20th July 2005)

Our darling niece, Nirupa, visited us in Finland a month ago. She took some great snaps. Here is one that is me with our dear cat, Iittu.

Iitu with me, ©Nirupa, 2005

Iittu is now 14 years old. She is still as lithe and fit as she was when she was just a year old. She does her hunting all through summer. No birds, squirrels, mice or rats are safe in the vicinity.

She met her match with the magpies, however. In summer, they set up an emergency warning mechanism outside our house. As soon as they spot Iittu, they start a deception campaign to make sure that she does not go near their nest, even resorting to direct attack of head pecking, when she wanders near their nest. Doesn't deter Iittu, as she ignores their head pecking.

She is named Iittu as when she was a kitten she used to curl up and lie in a glass bowl which was made by the famous Finnish glass company which is called Iittala.

When she was young, she used to wait for me to brush my teeth just before I went to bed at night. As soon as she heard the toothbrush being taken out of the holder, even if she was playing in the garden, she would charge inside and get to the bed where she would play with me for a few minutes or till I dropped off to sleep!! I honed her hunting skills by moving my hand under the blanket. She was quick to get it and "kill it". If, by any chance, my fingers got out of the protection of the blanket, I was sure to get a deep gash.

She was so clever that, even when she was a kitten, she used to open doors by jumping on the door handle to push it down with her body weight!!

She got used to going in and out on her jaunt from our upstairs window, going up and down using the wooden fire escape ladder. When the wooden fire escape ladder was replaced by a metal one (metal provides no group for her claws and too cold in winter for her to weave her body through it), she found a nearby tree from which she could climb up or down and jump onto or off the roof. She could lead quite an independent life without depending on us and yet, just a rustle upstairs, or if she heard Annikki and me having a quiet evening conversation, she would return to take part, sitting in between us!

She learnt that children may mistakenly cause her harm. So when grandson, Samuel, was a baby and then a small child, the moment he came over, she would retire from the scene.

She loved to see her dear friend, Samuel's mother, daughter Joanna, who was responsible for us being gifted with our treasure, Iittu!


Iittu waiting to partake my birthday cake

Despite what many people say, Annikki and I have found that cats are highly intelligent, very mathematically-minded (we have never seen her miss a jump), friendly and social animals.

Jacaranda Tree tumbles in Bangalore

I got a rude shock when I saw the two pictures that Dr. K.O. Mammen (Mohanchayan), son of our dear late K.M. Oommen (Mabalamappachen), had emailed me.

Due to heavy rains in Bangalore, the lovely jacaranda tree, which is known to have quite shallow roots, which has stood in their garden for as long as I can remember, had been uprooted and had fallen right in front of the terrace, just at the place where Mohanchayan and Shantakochamma sit and have their daily morning coffee and then late in the evening, as Mohanchayan says, till "the mosquitoes chase them in".

Walton Road jacaranda tree uprooted


The damage could have been dramatic

The Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia) tree is known to put on a breathtaking floral display. Its vivid lilac-blue clusters of trumpet shaped blossoms appear in the summer, later falling to the earth carpeting the ground with a mass of color. It is said that if you are walking underneath the Jacaranda tree and one of the trumpet blossoms falls on your head you will be favored by fortune.

Now that the whole tree has almost fallen on our dear one's heads, they will only "almost" get a huge fortune!! :-)

Here is a picture of a beautiful Jacaranda Tree in full bloom.

Jacaranda Tree in full bloom

Hilja all dressed up

Hilja, Annikki's 85 year old mother, goes in to the Old People's Home every 3 weeks for 13 days so that Annikki can get some physical rest from her 24 hour responsibility. (Not that Annikki gets the rest as she is forever busy doing things.)

Yesterday was the day that Hilja went in. Annikki got her dressed and ready to go. Hilja looked so smart, ready and well, that Annikki took this photograph.

Hilja dressed and ready before leaving
for her stay in the Old People's Home

When Hilja sits at her place in the kitchen at Kampitie, she has a bird's eye view of the beautiful garden that Annikki has designed and maintained especially for her. Here is a picture of what Hilja sees from her spot in the kitchen.


What Hilja sees from her
kitchen seat in Kampitie

In the foreground is the pond with three goldfish - we bring them in in winter as the pond freezes over. Just behind is the rose arch, on the left of which has the crumpled rose bush I had blogged earlier. In the back is the bathtub set in the ground which has a solar powered fountain sent to us by Susanna.

Annikki also has a couple of lotus leaves floating in both ponds. They were brought to her by a friend, Pentti Paakki, who found them growing in a small pond outside of Oulu.

We did not know whether they would survive. Four weeks on they seem to be still alive and well. The tender roots are growing as they float in the water!!

Gambian Saikou Marong

While on my walk yesterday, I came across a new shop near the town centre.

CT CyberTele, Oulu

My Zambian friend, Kamu, had told me that it was a new venture by someone I had met through another couple I know, Dorota and Patrick. I wandered in and found the Gambian, Saikou Marong, the owner of the place greeting me with all smiles.

Unlike most Africans who come to Finland, Saikou decided that he was not going to get trapped in a low paid job. So he joined a management course. Then has set up this Internet cafe, a international calling centre, plus a few other services, including as an Agent for Western Union, to transfer money in real time to any part of the globe. He also markets low cost phone cards for use with land lines and mobile phones. He has four computers to run his internet cafe and also has coffee, tea and soft drinks automats in place. The place is neat and tidy and has a very welcoming feeling, which is by no small measure the broad smile on Saikou's face!!

Truly a fine effort on his part.

So I decided to pay him a second visit with my camera, which I did today. I captured him, and also another old friend, Ghanian Peter Owusuu, who is an up-standing and long-standing member of the Oulu African Community.


Saikou Marong, Proprietor of CT CyberTele


Saikou Marong with Ghanian Peter Owusuu, another long standing member of the Oulu African Community

I noted that Saikou is planning to offer Proof Reading services, something I used to do for the last 18 years before my retirement. He has lined up some good proof readers. This should be useful for many Finns in Oulu University and VTT who want to have their scientific articles, Masters and Doctoral theses checked.

I hope all of you will assist in helping to get Saikou off the ground, as this is truly a historic effort. Saikou needs all the help he can get.

Contact Details:
CT-CYBERTELE
Tele Center Worldwide
Call Shop
Rautatiekatu 16 M 7
90100 Oulu, FINLAND
email: smarong@hotmail.com
Telephone: + 358 50 543 4288

Joanna and family

Thanks to Nirupa, I have a lovely picture of Joanna and her family.

Tony, Joanna, Daniel and Samuel, June 2005 ©Nirupa

Asha, our granddaughter

I have been putting so many pictures of grandson Samu on this blog, several asked me for pictures of our other grandchildren.

I stole this one of daughter, Susanna's blog. It is great picture of Asha.

Asha's picture I stole from Susanna's blog

Asha and I are have had a couple of chats on Skype, but timings these days seem a bit skewed.

Grandma is extremely jealous of these one-to-one chats - but sadly she is not computer friendly.

Yesterday evening she dropped in to my cellar hideout to see the pictures of her granddaughter on Susanna's blog.

She was thrilled! There is still hope!

More about the Ghostly Park

I was mentioning my experience to my 8 year old grandson, Samuel, when he excitedly told me that he had seen the same thing on one tree in his garden. He is very keen on insects, etc. So we decided to investigate.

The large tree by the gate was showing the first signs of what I had seen at the Ainola Museum Park. We decided to take some photographs. Again, I must apologise for the quality of the photographs. Samuel took most of them with my digital camera.

The first picture is a couple of cocoons, one closed and the other open, as they had dropped onto the windshield of the car when we had a bit of rain the previous night. The leaves seen in the background are a reflection in the glass window of the car.

Cocoons, one closed, one open

Here is a shot of the caterpillar.


Destructive caterpillar

The moths that develop are seen in the next two photographs.


Moth sitting on the car


Moth under a leaf

The next shot shows the encasing process of the leaves by the caterpillars. See the two moths sitting under the leaves on the left.


Encasing of the leaves in progress

And this shot shows the leaf section fully encased and destroyed.


Leaves bundle totally suffocated after having been consumed by the caterpillar

At Joanna and Tony's house they have only one tree of this type. It is not Pine or Birch, but something known as "Tuomi" in Finnish, called "Bird Cherry" in English. This one has not been fully destroyed by the caterpillar / moth invasion. There are patches here and there of the destruction. Samuel and I are watching this process and have been fascinated. I have taken moths, caterpillars, cocoons and leaves in a glass bottle, which now sits on my office table. The caterpillars have turned into moths this evening.

I was not the only person to be scared out of my wits. In the Reader's Comments Section in our daily newspaper, today, there was an SMS text message expressing exactly what I said on the blog and it was signed "Frightened Tourist"!!

Great afternoon with Samu

Surprise, surprise - Joanna told me that I could take grandson Samuel with me yesterday afternoon, without a time limit, and also without any major parental restriction!!

First we went shopping, then to eat at Hesburger, the local version of an American Fast Food chain. (I do not eat at American Fast Food chains!!)

Then we went to the Children's Park. Here is Samuel duly caged!!

Samu, the blue Tiger, caged

Actually he was trampolining.


Samu, trampolining

Then he decided he wanted to do some Motor Cross driving.


Samu getting ready for Motor Cross driving

Finally he did some more sedate driving in the petrol engine car.


A more sedate driver - Samu

Altogether a very nice day - and he behaved just perfectly all the way through!!

Bloomed after 7 years

Annikki wanted me to take a picture of this bush which bloomed in the Kampitie garden last year after 7 years of stagnation as just a bush.


7 years to bloom


7 years to bloom - magnified

Looks like you are getting a lot of flowery photographs!!

Another bad picture of the bee

Lots of you emailed me about the Bee in Kampitie picture!!

One said that she needed a magnifying glass to see the bee. Here is another, and although it appears that the bee is still out of focus, it is VISIBLE!!

Hei, I know I need a better digital camera.

Bee in rose in Kampitie - magnified

Please watch this on your computer

Please, please watch this video on your computer.

If the link does not work please try this URL

http://www.bushflash.com/right.html

Busy Bee in Kampitie

As I walked around the garden, early this morning, I saw that the bees were very busy at the flowers.

Busy Bee in Kampitie

I discovered the limitations of my digital camera when I took some shots. Will have to upgrade if I am to put some decent photos on this blog!!

Salmon, the emblem of Oulu

While enjoying my walk yesterday, I saw this statue in the park, one I had not noticed earlier.

Oulu Statue - The Salmon, the emblem of Oulu, and the eagle

This statue lies in the shadow of the Oulu Castle. It is the castle plus the salmon that features on the Oulu Coat of Arms.


Oulu Coat of Arms

Ghostly feeling in Oulu Park

I went for my daily walk today. It was blisteringly hot, so I changed my route to walk along the stream which runs through the town and through the main park where the City Museum is located.

As I was strolling casually, I suddenly felt as if I was in a ghostly place. Healthy trees were around me but then I noticed that several trees shrouded in a white spider web like cover which had killed all the leaves and even the bark was fully enveloped by this white thick killing mantle.

Tree shrouded by a spider web like cover


Tree shrouded by a spider web like cover
showing even the bark affected by the insect attack

For a moment I too felt claustrophobic. I had never seen this effect in Oulu before.

I was frightened. Would I carry this infection back to the Kampitie garden that Annikki was so carefully tending.

I treaded carefully, just taking enough time to get a couple of shots of this effect from a reasonable distance. Then I was out of that deadly place!!

When I got home, I asked Annikki whether she knew of such an effect. She assured me that it was quite common around here but she did not know what it was and what caused it.

Not being a botanist, my search on Google did not reveal much. Anyone who can give me an explanation will be toasted!!

Parking For QUESTS Only

Came across this sign outside the largest hotel in Oulu during my morning walk.

SAS Radisson is obviously organising some Quests

Obituary of a colleague, Heikki Torvela

Last Sunday, Annikki brought me our local newspaper which carried a small report about the passing away of Emeritus Professor HEIKKI TORVELA on 8th June 2005. Heikki was just 65 years old, being born on the 28th of April 1940.

1988, Heikki (right) with Indian Ambassador K. P. Fabian
and myself when the Ambassador made a special visit to
the Microelectronics Laboratory


1990, Heikki (on right) with a a visiting scientist
from China, Xue, and myself

Heikki got his Engineering Diploma (Master of Science) in 1967. When I came to Oulu in 1984, it was Heikki who found me and asked me to join the Microelectronics Laboratory where he was the Laboratory Manager. We became close friends.

I prodded him that it had been almost 17 years since his Masters and that he should finish his Licentiate and then get his Doctorate. He was sceptical at first. I promised that I would help him with writing the thesis which he wanted to present in English. He acquiesced.

So we set about this task with great fury, Heikki getting the experimental work and results and the two of us sitting and composing the thesis. He completed his compulsory course work rapidly. He got his Licentiate in 1986, in just a year and a half of really herculean effort.

Then we quickly got to work on his Doctoral thesis. Within a year he published and got his Doctorate. He especially thanked me by name in his front page acknowledgements in his thesis which was entitled "Detection of air pollution and studies on ceramic tin dioxide sensors used to sense gases emitted from combustion processes".

Heikki was co-author with me in a couple of major international lectures which I delivered in France. On one occasion, when I was unable to travel, he kindly delivered one of my lectures at an international conference.

During the final stages of his licentiate, and then his doctorate, I stood in for him as the Laboratory Manager. He was then appointed as the Chief Engineer. I also stood in for him in that post. He got the chance to become Associate Professor at Lapeenranta University in Eastern Finland in Measurement Technology. After much soul searching where we spent hours together weighing the pros and cons, he took official leave from his post at Oulu University to hold that post. I held his post at Oulu University when he was away.

It was sad to see him leave Oulu, but he kept in touch with me regularly and helped me out on several occasions when I was in a jam.

He then moved in 1992 to Kemi as the Professor of Environmental Measurement Sciences. He did some extremely interesting and innovative work there. Although I left the University in 1992, I kept in touch with Heikki for many years.

Heikki retired in 2003 and was given the Emeritus Professor title.

It was a wonderful relationship where we both depended greatly on each other. I feel sad that just when we could have been enjoying our retirement years together, that he was so rudely taken away.

Heikki had many hobbies, including photography. He maintained a small photo developing studio in the Microelectronics Laboratory. He was also extremely physically fit.

Although he remained a bachelor, he really enjoyed life to the fullest, including an evening drink at his favourite pub.

I wish that his vibrant soul may now rest in peace.

Crumpled Rose

This morning, before I set out on my morning walk, I pottered around the garden.

There was one flower that Annikki had drawn my attention to a couple of days ago. It is a rose - except that when it blooms, in full bloom the petals look completely crumpled - "Crumpled Rose" was what Annikki called it.

Crumpled Rose in Kampitie

On the internet I found one description:

La Rose Bordeaux®
Masrobo

Pale pink - isolated, rose bed - H 1,2 +++ - TR

This rose is an ode to womanhood and sensuality. Large flowers bloom in generous flowering heads or panicles on a strong and vigorous bush with medium green foliage. It is then that bloom roses with crumpled petals, rustling like petticoats, whose pale pink shade becomes more flesh-coloured in the centre, giving off a soft and tender scent all through the summer.

T. K. Kurien (Unni) gets top job

T. K. Kurien, known to all of us as Unni, husband of Mary, youngest daughter of Dr. and Dr. (Mrs.) K. C. Mammen (Bapukuttychayan and Kunjunjammkochamma) has been appointed as the Chief Executive of Wipro's BPO business.

The write up in The BUSINESS LINE the Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications dated Tuesday, Jun 07, 2005 was headlined:

"T.K. Kurien to head Wipro BPO unit"

"We are pleased to have Mr Kurien lead our BPO initiative at a time when it is at an inflexion point. Given his wide experience in technology and process optimisation and his excellent track record as a leader, Mr Kurien has the right combination of experience and energy to sustain and leverage our position of leadership in BPO to broaden our offerings and further realise the emerging opportunities in this space. We would also like to acknowledge the significant contribution of Mr Raman Roy in building this business. We wish him well in his future endeavours," Mr Vivek Paul, Vice-Chairman of Wipro, said in a statement."

There were several excellent reports on the web. I read on one that Unni will report directly to top boss, Premji.

I have conveyed congratulations to Mary and Unni on this on behalf of all of us. Well done Unni. We are all very proud of your achievement.

Samu gets his first Football Certificate

After one week of really hard training sessions, Samuel, along with half a dozen others, got their football ccertificates this afternoon.

I was able to watch him do the entire training programme. He has improved his game by leaps and bounds.

The football training group after the end of the last session
enjoying their earned ice creams courtesy the trainers

Samu has lots of homework to do, as the trainers taught the group great stuff of how to handle the ball, fool your opponent when being tackled, and also to shoot accurately at the goal.

I enjoyed watching the training probably as much as Samu enjoyed being trained.

Keeping busy

I was again fully engaged today. Did not get time for my usual afternoon 40 winks.

I had intended to clean up my office room, but could not get started. I took Samuel for football and then took him to town as Joanna was taking him for an eye test. Joanna was at the gym.

I bought a circular polishing and surface grinding tool as I have to clean up my old jaloppy as it looks so sloppy now.

Cleaned both the fountain pumps in the pond. The lotus stems which a friend gave us are surviving as floating plants. If they survive another week, Annikki and I intend to go out to the lake and bring some plants back which are in bloom.

Joanna and Tony had a small family barbecue to celebrate their wedding anniversary. I went a little later and shared some of the cake. Daniel kept me busy for all the while I was there. Samuel was busy reading a book.