Hopefully back on line

(Posted on all my major blogs)

Yesterday, after some 33 days of being without my internet connection, I was put back on line. Several errors were found at the connections outside our premises and also in the Gateway.

The first thing I did after getting back my connection was test my speed. I pay for a 8 M line, but I was shocked to find my upload and download speeds were less than 500 kbps.

Additionally, I have a fixed IP and I found that the IP that I was using was not mine.

Thirdly, all my computers are connected to the internet through a Router. i found that if I went on to connect my router, I lost the internet connection.

Lastly, during the last 7 years I have used DHCP to connect to the internet. I have not used PPPoE. I found that I was unable to connect using DHCP and my own Fixed IP but only through the PPPoE which was assigning me the random IP.

All these problems has made life continue to be difficult as I am using just a single computer to connect to the internet.

I have a backload of about 6 weeks of work. With this situation I will only be able to catch up by the end of April.

I have lodged my complaint with my ISP .- and hopefully I will get some action by the end of this week.

Please bear with me till I get back into full swing.

Silent prayer

Today, I said a Silent Prayer for my mother Ammachi), who would have celebrated her 94th birthday, had she been alive.

Ammachi (Senior Student) when she graduated in 1934 from
Women's Christian College, Madras.

She passed away in 2000, a few months after I spent some quality time with her.

I also said a Prayer for my late aunt who shared the birthday with my mother, Langfordammachi, who suffered tremendously in silence as she cared for my Godfather, Mr. George Matthan, my father's eldest brother, when he was ill with Parkinson's Disease.

Only God gave her the strength to care for him as she did. Each time I went to visit my Godfather, she was there smiling and talking about us but never about herself. But I knew deep down the tremendous battle she was going through.

As we now tend Annikki's mother, I realise how much greater was her pain than I had imagined.

A trying three weeks

When Annikki's mother came home from her interval care in the Old People's Home in mid February, we were a bit worried about her physical strength, as the new home she was sent to did not have correct instructions to try to keep her mobile and ensure her muscles stayed active.

In the morning of last Monday, The third day after she got home, when Annikki took her to toilet, we found that she had no energy to hold herself upright.

Annikki then had a terrible scare as her mother was fainting while Annikkki was feeding her. With great presence of mind, Annikki acted quickly. As I was around, we tilted back her chair to ensure that blood flow to the brain was maintained. We managed, with a great deal of difficulty, to get her back to bed, lifting her heavy body onto the bed.

A little later in the afternoon, while in bed and when Annikki tried to feed her some liquids, she threw up the food she had eaten earlier that day.

Annikki was quick to call the ambulance to admit her mother to the hospital via the emergency wing of the hospital. Intravenous drip was already administered before the ambulance left home.

After an investigation, it was decided to hospitalise her. She was treated with antibiotics till the flu / influenza attacks were brought under control.

She was finally discharged, two weeks after she was admitted. We brought her home.

However, the next morning, it became evident that she was extremely weak and that we, at home, did not have the equipment or skills to look after her in that state.

Luckily it was time for her interval care, so we took her in to the Nursing Home where she is now in the care of nurses.

Hopefully she will recoup her strength so that when she gets home in another week's time, we will be able to continue her care at home.

This is a very difficult time for Annikki as she has cared for her mother on a night and day basis over the last six and a half years. I have helped with all the outside home work, shopping, etc., and also with the heavier work of physically lifting her when required.

Let us hope that she will be well enough to resume her stay in her home that she knows and loves.

Annikki launches her new blog

I have been off blogging because of a problem with my ethernet connection, making me use my 56 kps internal modem rather than my 100 Mps ethernet.

No fault with my Mac.

The fault lies with my Internet Service Provider, and hopefully this will be resolved this week.

I have the proud privilege to announce a new blog by my better half, Annikki.

It is a world's first - The Mobile Snowman / Liikuva Lumiukko.

Her site is devoted to her winter passion, creating objects out of snow and ice. This has led her to a new art form - Snowmen that movee.

Her partner in this venture is our grandson, Samuel (11) who has had the passion to promote the idea and help Annikki develop it.

I had featured a few stills of her idea on this blog. Now it has bloomed into a site of its own, including a video clip which has been posted on YouTube.

The quality of the video taken by me is not ideal. I hope I can improve the quality and produce a movie of this concept.

My thanks to Vishwanath Mallabadi, a professional photographer here in Oulu, who has taken some better videos, which I am using to create a movie.

Congratulations Annikki and Samu. This is a truly unique development in art and play which children and adults all around the world (where they have access tto "snowman snow") will truly enjoy.

Wow: 10 days.......

How time flies. It has been 10 days since my last posting. Annikki and I have been up to our necks doing all sorts of things.



Annikki’s mother went into her new Old Peopler’s Home for the first time on the 2nd. When we visited her we found that they were keeping her in bed and she was losing muscle strength. So we had to visit her everyday till we ensured that they were keeping her mobile.




Then Annikki was able to visit Joanna and her new granddaughter. We had a tough time as the little baby had no name. I started calling her Kochmol. But on Friday last, Joanna informed me that the baby is probably getting a name - the world’s most used name, but the Finnish version is not so common.

Maria is the choice of Tony, while Rebecca was the choice of Joanna. Maria (related from Mariam, Mary) seems to have won the day. Both Annikki and I think it is a lovely name.

Remember Tony and Maria in West Side Story? That was Tony’s rationale for choosing that.

We know a couple of Maria’s and they are wonderful people. First there is Shantakochamma’s and Mohanchayan’s (Dr. K. O. Mammen) daughter to whom I used to tell Noddy stories (not Enid Blyton’s but those made up by me) to in the 70s. And then there is Maria Tuominen who became a great friend of the family in the late 70s when she and her family were in India and their son, Kari, became part of our family.

I had a gruelling schedule, but a very enjoyable one. Take Samu to school every morning and bring him back in the afternoon, play hide-and-seek with Daniel, tell him two to three Jungle Boy stories (again those which are made up on the spur of the moment), look at a few nature books and then have tea and biscuits with him while Samu enjoy’s his late afternoon meal that Joanna has kept ready for him.

Besides this many of the new Indians in Oulu have been pushing me to help them in different ways. I have been doing that with some pleasure. It is so wonderful to have such a vibrant community of Indians here.

The combined CHAFF and O-India lunch meeting at the Crecian Restaurant (Sunday before last) was really wonderful as Cypriot Andreas and his Finnish wife gave us a great treat.

We have been busy designing the O-India web site and there have been many discussions in progress on the O-India Google Group. This has meant regular review meetings once or twice a week and a lot of reading the inputs and editing it to be suitable when put on site.

The routine was so hectic that last Monday I actually overslept and did not get up to get Samu to school. But Tony stepped in and took him. I really felt terrible at my lapse, but the body was speaking about my schedule.

Finally I had the eye check up at the Oulu University hospital. Cataract was ruled out. There is only mild “glittering”. However, I suffer from quite severe myopia and the doctor has prescribed that I do not use the multi-focal lenses but separate ones for reading and long distance vision. I do not know how I will get used to that after having used multifocals for over 15 years!

And since winter has been so mild, I have not been using the scooter as the roads have been quite treacherous. I used it yesterday as we had a cold spell for a couple of days so there was quite a lot of grit put on the cycle tracks where we are allowed to drive the scooter. It is still quite dangerous, but I enjoyed being on the scooter again. However, it will be good when spring arrives and I can be more mobile on the two wheeler.



And not to forget - we had the world first - Annikki and Samu's Mobile Snowman sliding down the snow-slide - and I have been trying to put together the movie about this historic event. The video was shot by one of our new Indian friends in Oulu, Vishwanath Mallabadi, who is a professional photographer.

Hopefully the next blog entry will not be in another 10 days!

Action Snowman - 2nd Installment

Many of you raised the point that the pictures in my previous post on the Action Snowman did not really explain how the Action Snowman would actually move, unassisted.

Blame this on my poor photography skills, my lousy camera and the bad lighting.

I got a few more explicit photographs today afternoon. This will show you the extent of the sophistication of Annikki's design of the Action Snowman.





The first two photographs above show the slide and the snowman, with his feet raised so that only the snowman's bottom rests on the plastic plate which will propel him down the slide.



The third photograph shows the precise position of the snowman as he is ready to slide. It is just a cm away from moving and even that has been designed by Annikki as a very delicate snow ridge.



The last photograph shows the rear of the snowman as he sits on the plastic plate ready to go.

We now wait for an accomplished photographer and cameraman who will take those last few seconds when the Action Snowman slides down that slide to become the world's first unassisted moving (probably self-destructing) snowman!

If you look at the detail of the snowman, beside his delicately raised feet, look at the beautiful eyelashes - an effect Annikki got from using two rose berries.

Look at the wonderful broad smile. This was achieved by using a single twig and a little more snow. She did not use the usual carrot nose, but just a blob of snow.

This will stand out as one of Annikki's greatest creations - where she leads the rest of the world in her creativity.

Action Snowman - 2nd detailed post

many of you raised the point that the pictures did not really explain how the Action Snowman will work.

I got a few more explicit photographs which will show you the extent of the sophstication of Annikki's design of Action Snowman.


The first two photographs show the slide and the snowman, with his feey´t raised so that only the snowman's bottom rests on the plastic plate which will propel the snowman down the slide.

The third photograph shows the precise position of the snowman.

The last photographs shows te rear of the snowman as he sits on the plastic plate.

World's first "Action Snowman"

Annikki is famed for many things - but one of her specialities is designing snowmen.

Many will recall how, a few years ago, I was greeted at 4:30 am by this snowman.



Or the one she created in 2006 November:



Or her seated laplander of late last year:



But her creativity phase has reached a new high.

She wanted to make a snowman which moved.

Who would think she would ever achieve this goal?

But now she has succeeded, aided by the enthusiasm of her grandson, Samuel. First they created a snow-slide:



And Annikki created a snowman which is delicately balanced on a plastic plate which children use to slide down snow hills.



We are waiting for a good video camera before she lets the snowman slide down the snowslide!!

Annikki takes art to the limit.

I was really amazed and laughed my guts out when I saw her working in the garden late last night (after 11 pm) and saw that snowman just ready to slide down the snowhill!

The seamier side of my life

Yesterday, I told you of my first love - my Miss Universe who has been at my side for 44 years and as my partner for 41 years.

But alas, man is weak, and there have been several women, besides my wife, who have shaped my life.

My latest love affair is just 9 days old, and is a girl who has not yet got a name. She is a great bundle of joy. I call her "Kochmol", which means "Little Girl".

She is the latest addition to our family, born on Sunday, the 20th of January (9 days ago) here in Oulu.

Our new granddaughter, whom I am calling Kochmol,
till her parents decide on a name for her!

She joins a beautiful young lady, Asha, who has been a great joy in my life for the last 10 and a half years.


Asha in 1998 (Photo by Susanna).


Asha in Newcastle in 2008. (Photo by Susanna.)

Asha entered my life 10 and a half years ago, and there is not a day when I do not think of this beautiful baby who has grown to be a poised young and highly talented lady and, above all, a loving granddaughter.

When I think of my grandchildren, I must say that the two ladies, my gorgeous daughters, who have "ruled" my life started as similar beautiful babies:


Susanna 1968.


Joanna 1971.


Joanna 1989.


Susanna 2006.

Although one of them describes me as an "anarchist hippie" and the other as a "workaholic", I still love both of them dearly. If they love me even 10% of how much I love them, they remain the apples in my eyes. (Fact: I have not ever been and am not an anarchist, hippie or a workaholic!)


Nalini as a baby in 1938.


Nalini with the British Queen Mother in 1960,
at the Opening of the new wing YMCA in Fitzroy Square, London,
just a few months before her demise.

Another lady, who has by her very absence, been a lasting influence on my life is my late elder sister, Nalini, who died after childbirth in 1960. I know her spirit in my heart has been watching and looking after me all through these last 48 years.

The lady who has most influenced my life was one so simple and kind and yet so powerful that no one realised her shrewdness. An only daughter and the only sister to 8 brothers who loved their sister dearly, she held them together to control them to build the huge family publishing and industrial empire from the time her parents passed away in the early 1950s till her own demise in 2000.


Ammachi in 1934 when she graduated from
the Women's Christian College, Madras.


Ammachi with her dog, Tippu, in 1976,
after returning to Bangalore.

My mother, Ammachi, inherited her kindness and gentleness from her mother, Valliammachi, my grandmother, and her shrewdness and business acumen were from her father, the late K. C. Mammen Mappillai.



One personal example will show you the nature of my maternal grandmother.

In 1950, when we were visiting Kottayam, the family of uncles and cousins, several tens of us, decided to go on a trip to Periyar, the Elephant Sanctuary. The day before, I ate too many jackfruit causing me severe colic pains. I was really ill. It was decided by the powers at the top that I should be left behind as it would be too dangerous to take me on such a long trip.

I was heartbroken as only a child of 7 could be. I was left in the custody of Vallammachi. I was feeling as fine, but was really feeling emotionally upset. Valliammachi had been instructed to keep me on a total light liquids diet.

In Kottayam, in her home, such an atrocity was just not possible.

Within minutes of the family members leaving for the elephant sanctuary, I was treated like a little Prince and given every delicacy she could summon, including a healthy dose of the offending jackfruit which had caused the colic problem initially.

I could not have had a better day in my life than that in the company of such a grand lady!

And this remained a secret between us till today!



The last lady who played an immense effect on my life was my paternal grandmother. A tiny woman, no one would have suspected the powerhouse that she was.

She brought up her 10 children, 5 boys and 5 girls with a whip hand to make all of them outstanding students and the 5 boys became top professionals during their life time. (One was a senior administrator in the Mysore Government, the second headed Tata Consultancy Engineering Services, another worked for the Shri Ram Group as their senior Administrator, one headed various sections of Indian Railways and also the Intergral Coach Factory in Perambur, and the last ended his career as the Chairman of the Life Insurance Corporation of India!

As the wife of one of the Mysore Maharaja's senior administrative officers, she was formal enough to run her household in accordance to all the rules laid down by the aristocracy. She ruled her dining table with such firmness that children knew they were children to be seen and not heard.

Yet she was a mellow as a lamb outside of her hours of duty. In her later years she was a loving character who could not have enough of the company of her grandchildren. She outlived her famous husband, Dewan Bahadur Mysore Matthan by over 20 years.

During that time she was respected and adored by all her grandchildren.

My love affairs with these 9 women are what made me what I am TODAY:

They say that behind every man is a woman.

I am proud to say that behind this poor human being there have been 9 outstandingly great ladies.

Secret revelations: The women in my life

Annikki in 1964. at her favourite pastime -
chalk crayon drawing on the green grass of Woodchurch Road (Photo by Josey).


Annikki in 1966 , the day we announced
our engagement at Woodchurch Road, London.

When I was courting my Miss Universe, one would think there would never be any other women in my life!


January 1967, The most beautiful bride of all time
arrives at St. Mary's Cathedral, Shrewsury.


As a married couple, 41 years ago to this day, we leave the church
to embark on our difficult journey through life.

Annikki became my Mrs. Universe.


1967: Annikki becomes a mother for the first time.


Annikki's brood in 1974, Madras (Chennai)

Then Annikki became my Mother Universe. A more capable mother there never has been. She brought her children up in the most difficult of circumstances with never a complaint!


March 1997: First grandchild, Samuel.


Annikki with her first grandchild, Samuel.


January 2008: Annikki with latest grandchild.

In 1997 she became my Grandmother Universe.

Annikki, besides being the most beautiful woman alive, is also one of the most principled persons you are likely to see on the face of ths earth. In all my 44 years with her she has never been able to tell a lie, not even a white lie! She would rather say nothing than tell a fib! And what gave her all these Universe titles are her creativity in so many ways - from cakes to interior decor and creating art from rubbish, and even in her novel methods of educating her children.

To see her in her fullest glory, do visit the website A Tribute

So one would suspect with that string of "Universe" titles, there would be no other women in my life!

How wrong can you be, as I expose all!

But you will have to wait till tomorrow, as it would be shameful to tell this part of the story on this our 41st Wedding Anniversary. :-)

Pleased as punch?

Posted on my Jacob's Blog, the Oulu CHAFF Blog, the Mumbai Cathedralites Seventh Heaven Blog and the Delhi Stephanians Kooler Talk Blog.

Does the term "pleased as punch" refer to the condition after drinking an ample amount out of the Punch Bowl (remember Annikki and I are teetotallers) or is it some condition of Punch in the "Punch and Judy" Show?

However, Annikki and I were pleased as punch yesterday, whatever the origins of this phrase.

As was conveyed to most of you by "Manorama JM" yesterday, our younger daughter, Joanna and her husband, Tony, have produced their 3rd child, 3.49 kg in weight, 52 cm in length, at 15:35 on Sunday 20th January 2008.

Samuel and Daniel are very happy with their new baby sister, who is our second granddaughter, and just as beautiful as lovely Asha in England.

Our new granddaughter.

Daniel with his sister.

Samuel and Daniel with their sister.

Samuel with his sister.

Joanna watches her brood after the proceedings of the day.

I took these pictures (with my camera which is held together by sticky tape) at the hospital for Annikki, who cannot leave the house as she is looking after her mother. Grandmom was so pleased to be part of the event! And greatgrandmom was also quite thrilled to hear the news.

Annikki is the only one, who from the time she saw Joanna in mid-December, has been saying that the baby would be a girl!

Knowing Samuel and Daniel, this little girl is likely to grow up as a tomboy!

O-India Pongal / Shankaranti Celebration in Oulu

Pongal / Shankaranti Celebration in Oulu

by

Jacob Matthan

Photographs by

Vishwanath Mallabadi, Sreekanth Kanjarla, Nagendra Kolar

There could not have been a more auspicious celebration to launch the activities of the O-India Group representing the concerns and interests of Indians resident in North Finland (Oulu, Raahe, Kajaani and Rovaniemi).

The season in mid-January represents, amongst many things, the ascendancy of the sun, the abatement of the north-east monsoon and the harvesting season in many parts of India. It is celebrated under different names by all communities in all corners of India.

An event was organised by the local Indian population at the Oulu Kolutuskeskus on Asemakatu where everyone brought a small amount of their home prepared Indian vegetarian food.

The early arrivals waited expectantly for the proceedings to begin.

The evening started with an Introduction by Kiran Kumar Nataraj, one of the founders of the O-India Group.

Then to the melodic voice of Sulochana, four Indian ladies performed the traditional welcome Arathi Pooja.

This was followed by a short talk by Nageshwari who told the audience of the national meaning of this period of the year.

The whole audience were then divided into four groups representing four of the great rivers of India. It was then time for some fun games while the audience enjoyed chips and soft drinks.

Dumb Charades organised by Shalaka and Ashwini was a great fun, and the audience proved to be very experienced at this game.

This was followed by another popular game organised by Kiran, of identifying the songs associated Indian movie clips. It was interesting to see how this young audience was so clued up of hits before they were even born!

The last (luckily for me) game organised by Nisha and Sunil was more active in that blindfolded audience members had to pin thetail on the elephant.

The game which was abandoned due to lack of time was supposed to be make a fun scapegoat out of me!!!! The Good Lord was on my side vis-á-vis the mischievous Mallu couple! :-)

The games were followed by a scrumptious dinner with Srini providing the base with Tamarind Rice and Hot Pongal (prepared in the attached kitchen). A special thanks to Pizzeria Göreme who provided us with the large cooking vessel. The dinner had preparations from all parts of India, as egetable Curry, Dry Spicey Potato, Kheer, Sweet Pongal, plenty of delicious ice cream and lots of Mango phool! The food vanished but there was plenty for all.

(Nagendra replaces Bala as the camerman
in the second shot.)

And after all the O-Indians left the organising team could sit back and relax for a few minutes.

Already calls are coming in for more such events. And we are sure that will be many such events in the coming years as the people who are running the O-India Group are YOU, and all of you are enthusiastic and energetic youngsters.