Check this out !!!

Have just stumbled upon this on the net - makes interesting viewing I would say. After seeing this I would much rather have a pilot at the 'wheel' than a computer:-

http://www.break.com/index/autoplanecrash.html

With the new aircrafts being made with more reliance on computers, accidents like the one happened with an A320 of Air France where 5 people died and 50 injured. Airbus was introducing the Fly By Wire with a fully automated System, which was a huge technological jump and Air france partnered with this event.

The accident is surrounded with mystery as there have been a lot of glitches and AirBus and Air France and French Aviation Ministry have been quite tight lipped on this accident and what ever communication has come out, it seems stage managed.

http://www.airdisaster.com/investigations/af296/af296.shtml

Anyway the aircrafts of today are not fully automated and still relies on human pilots.

Another accident that can remember of is the SouthWest Airlines incident at Chicago Midwest Airport on 8th december 2005. where the pilot landed the aircraft on a runway filled with snow and the flight over ran the runway to crash on the airport wall and then stopped after hitting car on the road killing a 6 year old boy.

The reason, attributed was the Pilot relied toomuch on the OnBoard Computer and fed in information that was different from the ground reality.

Anyway... have look at the two links and decide...
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Thavamai Thavamirundu - Straight from the heart

Cast:
Raj Kiran (Father), Saranya (Mother), a hard working village couple, who bring up their two sons Senthil (Elder brother) and Cheran (Younger brother), Meena (Elder bro's wife) and Padmapriya (as Cheran's wife).

The movie is typical Cheran's, with very strong emphasis on family values and also the never compromising and un-conditional love of the parents for their kids. The movie is pretty lengthy, but one never feels it, as the scenes are well knit with good emotion and great sense of reality to any normal person's life.

Cheran has perfect casting for this movie, especially the acting of Raj Kiran, Saranya and Padmapriya compliment the storyline so well, that it gave me a feeling of personally experiencing whatever was on the screen.

To sum it up, if u have seen Cheran's Autograph, then this movie is a typical with the right mix of strong as well as subtle emotions, a village life, one family, hard work and display of love that is clean and subtly strong.
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Watch the trailer at : http://www.tamil-media.com

@ Tiong Bahru Plaza (26th Jan'06)

Madhusudanan Nair
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Mercy, Pradeep and Aysha

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Madhu & Mercy
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Me, Mercy, Pradeep, Aysha and Poornima

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Mercy, Pradeep, Aysha, Poornima and Madhu

Dr. A P J ABDUL KALAAM'S Speech @ Hyderabad

A must read for every Indian.

I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert land into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE?

Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign things?

We want foreign TVs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything mported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance?

I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India. For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim. India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance. Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; Otherwise, choice is yours.

YOU say that our government is inefficient.

YOU say that our laws are too old.

YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.

YOU say that the phones don't work; the railways are a joke,

The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.

YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.

YOU say, say and say.

What do YOU do about it?

Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a face - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground Links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs.60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Peddler Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM.

YOU comeback to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity. In Singapore you don't say anything,

DO YOU?

YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai.

YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah.

YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else."

YOU would not dare to speed beyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai sala main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost."

YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand.

Why don't YOU spit paan on the streets of Tokyo?

Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston?

We are still talking of the same YOU.

YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India?

Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay, Mr.Tinaikar, had a point to make. "Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said. "And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan.

Will the Indian citizen do that here?"

We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.

We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public.

When it comes to burning social issues Like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse? "It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry." So Who's going to change the system?

What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbors, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.

Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system.

Our conscience is mortgaged to money.

Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too....I am echoing J.F.Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians.....

"ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA
WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY"

Let's do what India needs from us. Forward this as a mail to each Indian for a change instead of sending Jokes or junk mails.

Thank you

Dr. A P J Abdul Kalaam

Honorable President of INDIA

THE POWER OF LOVE. . .

This Peom is from the SHARED THOTS from my Uncle, and has been composed by a treasured relative, on the occasion of hearing that her daughter BINDU, is on the family way....well written as usual...

thank you Thanguchechi.

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A baby is a creation of sublime love

When two souls met in the ectasy

Of consummation.

Now two hearts beat as one

Two voices speak in unison.

Life grows inside you

Life changes around you.

A nameless love fills your being

For that little seedling

Making its presence felt

In ways, both clear and subtle.

Your body got ready

To nurture this nascent life.

Your heart got ready

To welcome it into your life.

Your home will be ready

To provide it a comfortable life.

And that is the power of love;

Which is but the essence of life.

Gemini Daily Horoscope -

The Gift Of Independence,

You may be striving to act more independently today, but you might be encountering resistance from authority figures. If you are making an effort to strike out on your own today and feel that you are being held back, it may be that the people in your life are testing you to see if you are up for the challenge. You could consider using today to reflect on how you might approach the situation differently. Perhaps you can think about whether the actions you've taken illustrate that you are well-prepared to handle more responsibility. You could also consider how up front you've been with others about your intentions. Careful consideration may give you a better understanding of how you should proceed.

When we wish to claim greater independence, stepping into and fulfilling that role is often the best way to prove to ourselves that we are ready. Independence can be an exciting and scary experience. Often, just jumping into that space of autonomy and all that it entails is the best way to override fears about whether or not we are up to the task. Independence is as much a state of mind as it is a state of autonomy. While others may wonder if we are ready for this kind of self-reliance, inherent in being independent is relying on ourselves to make that decision. Own independence today, and you will find that others will honor your new state of freedom.
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I really find this quite true, I am in the process of making a big career dicision and I am quite confused especially with all the comments from the people around me.

I have calculated and worked out some things that need to, so that I can think in a more rational manner and then evaluate how my life is gonna go...

God is powerful, but when he shows the options, its we who have to choose and then he guides us...

Focused Value. . .

Quality vs. Quantity

We live in an age of quantity. The media shapes us with the notion that larger, faster, and more are often synonymous with better. We are told that we need to find more time, more possessions, and more love to be truly happy.

A smaller quantity of anything that is high in quality will almost always be more satisfying. A single piece of our favorite chocolate or a thin spread of freshly made preserves can satisfy us more than a full bucket of a product that we aren't very fond of. Similarly, one fulfilling experience can eclipse many empty moments strung together. It is not the quantity of time that matters, but the quality that you experience during each moment. Every minute is an opportunity to love yourself and others, develop confidence and self-respect, and exhibit courage.

Ultimately, quality can make life sweeter. When you focus on quality, all your life experiences can be meaningful. A modest portion of good, healthy food can nourish and satisfy you on multiple levels and, when organically grown, nourish the earth as well. Likewise, a few hours of deep, restful slumber will leave you feeling more refreshed than a night's worth of frequently interrupted sleep. A few minutes spent with a loved one catching up on the important details about family, work, or community can carry more meaning than two hours spent watching television together.

Often, in the pursuit of quantity we cheat ourselves of quality. Then again, quantity also plays a significant role in our lives. Certain elements, such as hugs, kisses, abundance, and love, are best had in copious amounts that are high in quality. But faced with the choice between a single, heartfelt grin and a lifetime of empty smiles, most would, no doubt, choose the former. Ultimately, it is not how much you live or have or do but what you make of each moment that counts.

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In todays world, I personally believe that a person must try to strike a proper balance between Quality and Quantity, but I do agree its easier said than done.

Individual Aspirations, Ambitions, Status etc drives a person toward the scale of Quantity, through which they want to lead a qualitative life, but Understanding and handling the priorities only would ultimately get u there.

Today in the news, there was an news article, Singaporean Men and Women are increasingly becoming bankrupt, mainly due to the kind of life they wanted to live, in the sense most of them wanted to have everything in the shortest possible time (Quantity), but they failed to understand that a disciplined life would definitely get them all the others. Enjoy the precious moments of life, love, care and respect others, U will surely derive satisfaction and not the least a good proper sleep.

I am not sure, which bracket I fall into, but Yes, I am a person who wishes for a quality life and building things and my life slowly but steadily.

PLAY SAFE, very much applies...
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Original article from http://www.dailyom.com

DEICING...

It is the process of removing ice from a surface. Most commonly referring to liquids applied to the wings of aircraft, deicing can also be done by other means and on other surfaces.

When there are freezing conditions and precipitation, it is critical that an airplane be deiced. Failure to do so means the airplane's wings will be too rough to be aerodynamic, thereby causing a loss of lift, and resulting in a crash to the ground. Because of the potentially severe consequence, deicing is performed at airports where temperatures are likely to dip below the freezing point.

Deicing on the ground is usually done by spraying aircraft with a liquid such as propylene glycol, similar to the ethylene glycol antifreeze used in automobile engine coolants. While less toxic than its automotive counterpart, it still must be used with a containment system to capture all of the used liquid, so that it cannot seep into the ground and streams. (In one case, a significant snow in Atlanta in early January 2002 caused an overflow of such a system, briefly contaminating the Flint River downstream of the Atlanta airport.)

Picture from: Airliners.net
Article from: Wikipedia.org

INDIAN

Indian Airlines is now INDIAN. The change has come after the management has signed the deal with Airbus for New aircrafts A319, 320 and 321.

It would be good if they also start taking care of the passangers better and also introduce some In-flight Audio/Video Entertainment.


Not sure if the older airframes would be painted in this livery, but onething is for sure: INDIAN looks cool and trendy

Just hope that things are changing for the better.

Airlines from India

I have posted some pictures of Airlines operating in India (I mean, Airlines with Indian registeration). Apart from these are also many others that operate, but I was not able to source any pic's. So those left out are

Spice Jet - Low cost budget airline - Operates with a fleet of Boeing 737-800 series aircrafts.
GO air - Low cost budget airline - Operates with a fleet of Airbus 320 - 200 series aircrafts.

Air india Express - India's only budget Internaional airline, operating mainly to the Middle East from Kerala and Mumbai. This airline operates with a fleet of Boeing 737 - 800 series aircrafts. This airline has come as a boon to all the low salaried Indian's in the Middle East.

Air India - India's flagship International carrier, operates to many countries and is popularly known for being late, fat cabin crew, poor and harsh service, but appreciated for the Seat pitch and reasonable price.

But YES, they are trying to change and overcome the image that they have now.
The Airline operates with Boeing 747 and 777 and Airbus 310-300 series of aircrafts.
They have recently placed an all Boeing order for 50+ airframes, consisting of 777's and 787's.

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Indian largest private airlines, and for majority of the domestic routes operates with Boeing 737 aircrafts and for the less density routes operates with ATR - 42.
Recently started operating on International routes (Srilanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, UK and USA) For the UK and US route they currently operate with 3 leased Airbus A340 aircrafts.
They have an order for 10 each of Airbus 330's and Boeing 777's.

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New low budget carrier, with its mail operational base in Coimbatore. Operates only with Brazil's Embraer 170-100 series aircrafts.

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Indian Airforce - Boeing 737-200 and also a few regional jet series aircrafts. This is used for government of India and also for all the Domestic travel of the President and Prime Minister.
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KingFisher Airlines, a new budget air carrier operates only with Airbus 320-200 series aircrafts and this is the only budget airline in India, that provides IFE and service like none.

This is the Only airline in india that has booked Airbus 380, that too 5 airframes to be inducted into the fleet from the year 2011.
They will also booked 5 Airbus 330 series aircrafts with delivery from 2008, when they are expected to go International.

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Air Sahara - B737-700,
Mainly operates with Boeing aircrafts like 737's and has newly added an 767. Also operates Canadair regional jet for its less density routes
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Indian Airlines - A300 - B4 - 200 (Now the name has been changed to INDIAN)
Operates an all Airbus fleet of 300, 319, 320 & 321

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Air Deccan, India's first low cost budget airline. HQ at Bangalore, and started by Ex-pilots of Indian Airlines.
Their fleet has ATR - 42 series and Airbus 320-200 aircrafts.

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A subsideary of Indian Airlines, operates with 4 Boeing 737-200 series aircrafts. By 2006 end, there is a rumour that this airline would be fully converted to a Cargo airline in the domestic sector.

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BlueDart, operates with 3 Boeing 737-200 series aircrafts. They are the first mainline courier company to start airservices. They now cater to almost all the couries companies operating in India.

Pictures are taken from : www.airliners.net

My friends. . .

Mercy while waiting for a train to Changi Airport.
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(L - R) Pradeep, Madhu and Sree @ Cathay Cine Plaza

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(L - R) Sree, Mercy, Madhu, Pradeep and Purnima (our friend since GOPIO)
We (incl Me) had been here to watch The Cronicle of Narnia @ Cathay Cine Plaza, Orchard

Happy New Year 2006 . . .

Wishing 1 and all and VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006. i sincerley wish Good health, prosperity, happiness and luck to all my family, friends and readers of this postings.

Wish yesterdays events, I could wake up only at 1230hrs and spent the rest of the afternoon at home in front of the TV and comp.

Later in the evening met up with Madhu and Pradeep at Cityhall to watch the Fireworks display at Marina bay. I felt that the fire show was better than the one I had experienced at Dubai. Fentastic co-ordinated display for fire work. The whole place was very badly crowded and had a tough time getting there and then coming out.

After the display, we walked upto Orchard and spent about 2 hours there, where we met Joby, Lan, Roshan & Wife. We all had fun chatting. By the way Madhu lost the camera in the crowd at Orchard. He had taken video of the full fire work display, but unfortunetly alls gone.

these pic's below were taken from my mobile camera, hence low resolution.

WISHING ONE AND ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR 2006

30th Dec'05 Evening gathering of friends. . .

I came back to Singapore from Chennai on the morning of 30th. I met Pradeep, Adi and Aysha for lunch at China Town. I had wonderful Meet Kebab rolls and believe me, it was just great and having that kind of food after a very long time.

Anyway later on Pradeep, Adi and Me played pool at Parkway parade and decided to spend the after dark evening at Beech Cabana, on East Coast Beech Park. Madhu and Sree had joined us for that and Sree was totally blown out. We all shared 2 mini barrels of tiger draft and 1 each of Ice lemon tea coctail. It was fun after a long time for me but and not for them as they had a fantastic time on 20th at Rouge and again for the Gopio Meet at Grand Hyatt...

We (Pradeep, Madhu, Adi & Me) went over to Arab Street for Hukka and its was the first time that I was having one after coming to Singapore. We had also ordered some food. For hukka we had taken 1 each of Pineapple and Mixed fruit. Madhu was the one who had enjoyed it the max and I am sure that the 2 pic's below would justify my comment.

Not sure about others, but I really missed Mercy and Aysha. Anyway theres always a next time...