The Bills of Lading

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The fog lifts
2009-12-16 18:06:00
Location : Off HoustonFinally, a cold front came down and blew away the fog. It is almost a surprise for the air to clear up and see the anchorage filled up to its gills. Of course the cold front did bring about its chilly winds, but after so many days of fog, pretty much anything seems welcome.And we can always look back at warm sunny days. This is us leaving the Mexican port of Pajaritos. Faintly in the distance you can make out the breakwater entrance (exit in this case), and about two points on the port bow, is the very same Channel Buoy that featured in this blog a few posts back.Hopefully with the fog lifed, we should finish off with deary houston and be on the sunny shores of Mexico soon!

AIS Feed into the RADAR or the ECDIS
2009-12-15 05:24:00
Of all the crappy equipments that I have seen on the ships over the years,the AIS by far has to be the uniformly crappiest of all equipment. Its notcrappy because of its purpose - Which nobody clearly understands. Is itsupposed to be for ship security? How is is supposed to achieve that if itkeeps broadcasting your position to everybody? Or is it for collisionavoidance? Does it come under Rule 5 of Colreg? Its not a hotly debatedtopic as one might assume it to be. The reason is - crappy equipment. Givethe ships crew a 0.50 Calibre Remington Sniper rifle and they will discussthe purpose of it late into the night - From Anti piracy to settlinginterdepartmental disputes. But give the men an AIS and they will use it as paperweight. The AIS has to be the most unfriendly equipment to operateon the bridge. With dull black & white screens sometimes smaller then aniphones, you are left to make sense of various ships in assorted azimuth,range and sub-menu selections.Which is why if any pr...
More About: Feed , Radar

Graffiti in Amsterdam
2009-12-14 21:06:00
Location : Off HoustonStill engulfed by fog at anchorage, I came across an picture I had taken of an interesting wall in Amsterdam when I had gone there in summer for a ship inspection.
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Letters to Santa
2009-12-13 19:04:00
Location : Off HoustonThe fog set in again yesterday and it just might mean another extra day out here at the anchorage. But the Telly is working here, so not much to complain. The season to be merry seems to have set in on the Americans, and crazy sales ads are the only things that seem to be on.The whole nation seems to be firmly in the grip of the Christmas season, though nobody seems to be sure of what role Christ had to play in the whole event. I think this has firmly become an Santa event, with gifts becoming the main focus. The last time I was in Macy's in Beaumont, TX, they had a table set up for kids to write postcards to Santa.I loved the concept. The Kids could write postcards to Santa, and mail them right there in the Macy post-box. macy promised to donate 1 dollar for every card that was dropped in their box up to a million dollars. Apart from the fact of the donation of money, I love the concept of mails being written to Santa. I need connection to the net to get m...
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The Pajaritos channel
2009-12-11 19:05:00
Location : Off HoustonI like this picture. To go from the Tanker terminal to the city, you have totake a boat ride for about 10 minutes which takes you across the shipchannel. The boat ride costs five dollars if you are alone, and ten dollarsif you are any number greater then one. It is a calculation that I havenever been able to understand.And its great to argue over this with the boat man because neither of youunderstand each other. Ofcourse that doesn't make a difference because Iguess its the same with any person you argue with even at home. During thisboat ride, the argument we even fiercer because the boat chap was insistingon charging me ten dollars for the solo trip. In his baseball cap and twoday old stubble, he looked like a character in "Desperado" - the kind thatgets shot in the first two seconds - while he bemoaned the rising gas pricesand the effect of carbon emmission cuts on the Mexican fiscal deficit.As the couple of Modello beers buzzed around in my h...
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A day by the water
2009-12-10 22:18:00
Location : Off HoustonThe nothern winds have blown the fog away, but nothern winds being what they are, these nothern winds are cold as an Penguins crap. Makes you almost wish for the fog to come back in.But then on cold days you can always remember the warmer days. The picture is of my lunch appetiser down south in the sunny town of Pajaritos, Mexico. It was a beautiful sunny day and I had taken up a seat in a quaint reataurant by the water. They brought around the fare without me having said a word. I liked that. The day when we can give a stranger a beer without a word being spoken, will be a day when we will all smile much more.
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Fogged in
2009-12-10 06:59:00
Location : Off HoustonIts that time of the year again. No - No holidays for the evil. But the time of the year, when captains all over the world lie huddled with fear on their ships engulfed in the evil fog.Dropped anchor in the night and this anchorage is going to get packed like sardines with ships if the fog doesn't lift in a day or so.

Mexican Graffiti - 2
2009-12-08 21:44:00
Location : Off HoustonHere's another example of the Graffiti which is probably from the sameartist, who signed himself as Francisco Gali. I'm not sure what "Ayuntamiento" means in Spanish, but Coatza is the name of the town.
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Mexican Graffiti - Jar 8
2009-12-07 19:24:00
Location : Gulf of MexicoI have always liked to take pictures of Graffiti in different places, as Ibelieve that its a unrefined portrayal of the thoughts of people. Got a fewsamples of the Mexican Graffitti during the visit to Pajaritos.Loved the way the way the women have an almost Jamican look with the Mexicanguy is in an actual Sombrero. Wonder why he's named "jar-8"?

Gulf coast lighthouses
2009-12-07 05:55:00
It is always a pleasure when your hobby intersects with your job. So Ithough it an amazing coincidence when I found this sheet of the "Gulf Coast lighthouses in the USPS store - especially when I am going to be on the USGulf coast for the next few months.The lighthouses shown here are the (from L to R) - Matagorda Island - Texas, Sabine pass- Louisiana , Biloxi - Mississippi , Sand Island - Alabama andFort Jefferson - Florida. As you can see, they pretty much seem to havepicked one light house from each state on the Gulf coast. I had notknown till last year that there was also a state called Mississippi.As luck would have it, the very next port we went over to was Beaumont, TX, forwhich we had to go over the Sabine River. Which ofcourse mandated that wepass within hailing distance of our Lighthouse No 2. The description behindthe stamp described the lighthouse as follows:"Erected on soft, marshy ground in Louisiana, Sabine pass light housefeatures eight buttresses that sta...

Another view of Coatzacoalcos
2009-12-06 04:43:00
This is pretty much what the same breakwater looked like this time when wecame in the port. We couldn't see the breakwater from a mile away and thepilot got delayed by some time. Drifting towards the shore in the strongnortherly winds, trying to maintain her position till the pilot boarded - Afew uncomfortable moments back there.
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Coatzacoalcos
2009-12-05 15:34:00
Location : CoatzacoalcosThe last I had come to this port town was back in the 90's and it certainly doesn't seem to have changed that much since then. Coatzacoalcos or Pajaritos as the town is called, is still very much the laid back coastal town that epitomises Mexico.The above picture shows the town in the background, while you can see the breakwater to the port in the foreground with a tiny fishing boat next to it. The picture though is from last week. This time around, the place looks depressed with 10 feet waves crashing over the breakwater and rains lashing the town. Infact, we're having a bit of a holiday seeing as to the kind harbour master having closed the port for the day.

Back at sea
2009-12-04 02:36:00
After a long long time, I am back doing what I do best. Write blogs and transport a million barrels of oil from one place to the other. From my last post, you must have realized that coming out wasn't easy this time around. The picture up there is the last I saw of my daughter sleeping as I left in the middle of the night.Still, on the upside, I am back in the part of the world that I have grown to love working in over the last few years - the US Gulf and the Mississippi river. Infact I joined the vessel in New Orleans and make a quick run to the Mexico coast and it does feel good to be out at sea with the slaty wind on your lips.But it doesn't compare. Not by a long shot.Children sure have a silly knack of tossing your priorities all over the place.
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Girl Child - Hooray !!
2009-05-26 12:11:00
Hi AllThanks for the wonderful poke from Vins for making me realize that I have been neglecting this space for the past few days. But some great news. I am now a father. Of a baby girl. :) Mean people insist that she looks like me, but I insist that she is perfectly lovely.For something to develope from spikes on a scree up there to a live thing struggling in your arms is a huge journey. And when you hold that thing in your arms, is when you realize that the journey has just begun. This is huge for us first-time parents and a bit, no very scary in most respects. So I will take time allocating proper resources to the various parts of my life including this blog.So while I neglect this space indiscriminately, please don't do the same yourselves. Love, cry, dance and laugh. Especially dance.Hope you have the most magical year ahead and the best of health to you and your family.Cheers,Velu
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Woman - Fiction 55
2009-05-19 09:32:00
Born a child and celebrated as Goddess, she was a woman. Clad in pink, frills and bows, she was a woman. Taking care of brothers and sisters, she was a woman. Crawling, crying, caring, bleeding, and with glass ceilings, she was a woman. Exhausted, her newborn child in her arms, she was again a woman.
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A woman - fiction 55
2009-05-19 09:25:00
Born a child and celebrated as godess, she was a Woman . Clad in pink, frills and bows, she was a woman. Taking care of brothers and sisters, she was a woman. Crawling, crying, caring, bleeding, and with glass ceilings, she was a woman. Exhausted, her newborn child in her arms, she was again a woman.
More About: Fiction , A Woman

A woman - fiction 55
2009-05-19 07:10:00
Born a child and celebrated as goddess, she was a Woman . Clad in pink,frills and bows, she was a woman. Taking care of brothers and sisters,she was a woman. Crawling, crying, caring, bleeding, and with glassceilings, she was a woman. Exhausted, her newborn child in her arms,she was again a woman.
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The empty room - fiction55
2009-05-15 08:04:00
The hospital intercom rang. The pediatric ward had promised to return her baby next day after the infections were removed. Why would they call now? It was obviously a Wrong number. She let it ring for eight times before it fell silent. Then she sat on the corner of her bed and listened for footsteps.
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The look - fiction 55
2009-05-14 07:07:00
Across the room, he saw her, wildly, as if seeing her for the last time. Startled, she looked back at him, as if for the first time. Then they wheeled her to the operation theater. As the glass doors shut, he turned away from his reflection, violently, as if never wanting to see himself again.
More About: Fiction

Life of birth
2009-05-11 20:27:00
Sitting down wasn't as easy for her anymore. Her huge stomach made demands on her body that made it easy for her to either keep standing or sitting. She would have kept standing if wasn't for that insane throbbing at the base of her spine. As she lowered her weight, she let out a sigh of relief. It was a long day and she would be glad once it was over.The end of the day would simply mean that it would bring the day of the birth closer by that one day. Absently she rubbed her fingers over the stretched skin of her stomach. The skin seemed to be stretched to an limit that seemed impossible. It had seemed impossibly stretched two months before, and now even though it seemed physically impossible, it had got yet more stretched. Ruefully her fingers trailed to the side of her stomach, Bunched there were the hateful stretch lines that seemed horrendously disfiguring in a mirror. At least to herself. She knew that the marks would be visible once the child came out, but at present nothing...
More About: Life , Birth

Indian Truck graffiti
2009-05-07 19:49:00
The people driving trucks never let go of an opportunity to convey a message. Much like adding a signature in forums.This one says," may god bless the person who made the vehicle. He has made homeless, all the drivers."I wonder why this trend of putting messages on vehicle doesn't spread to private vehicles. All we put up are these stickers that are printed by the millions.
More About: India , Indian , Graffiti , Truck

A hand for Henna
2009-05-06 22:15:00
"Come Sir, sit on the stool while I apply henna to Didi. After all, it will take some time and we can't have you standing on your first visit to my humble stall.Well it is difficult for me to remember with men sir, but for Ladies, I remember them by their hands. Sir, it is my boast that I can remember a woman's hand even ten years after I have applied Henna to it. Why only last month an Didi came here from Mumbai and I remembered her even though it was more then two years. Even Didi here has not come here after her Marriage to you. Have you taken her away from us? Ah Delhi! yes yes, like that other Didi, people come to my shop from all parts of the country.What to say sir, about my quality of work, I can only let you be the judge. Like you see these turns that I am making here on Didi's hand now? And this one? these are so delicate that hardly ten people in the whole of Maharashtra can make it. But other then that, it is the other things. I refuse to put any chemicals in my Henna...
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Tea of life - Fiction 55
2009-05-05 08:28:00
Why couldn't life be like drinking tea, he wondered. Relaxing , Simple and without any complications. People could be like Marie biscuit, he thought - there to add taste and substance to life. Why couldn't ... He muttered an oath as the soggy buscuit broke off and disappeared into his hot tea, splashing his fingers.'PS : previous fiction55 here.
More About: Life , Fiction

iPhone Life - From Dada
2009-05-04 15:36:00
' As I was making all sort of shameless efforts to collect sympathy after my Gall bladder operation, (Still accepting sympathies !) , I got this magazine from my elder brother in the mail. He had picked it up during his last trip to the US as he knew how smitten I was with my iPhone.' The iPhone Life is a new publication and this was the second issue that they have come out with. You can also find them on the net at their website. If you interested, you can get the soft copy of this very magazine for free at their website.' The magazine itself is excellent if you have an iPhone, and has tips for people who are just starting off with their iPhones and also some for people who have theirs for much longer. Apart from these, there are ofcourse many in-depth reviews of various App's and accessories. For example, one of the tips was that you can now get some great blog or website such as the "Bills of Lading" on your iPhone. To do that, simply open the website in your safari web-brow...
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The Dog Saint of Nagpur
2009-05-02 18:17:00
Nagpur is still a city of small bylanes and rustic bunglows. I had taken a stroll around Dharam peth area and came upon this statue in one of the bylanes. I an not sure who/what this is supposed to represent, but going by the vermellion marks on the image, evidently it is held in great affection or esteem.There is ofcourse precedence for dog saints as this website explains, so I don't see why we in Nagpur can't have one for ourselves.View Larger Map
More About: Nagpur , Saint

Giripeth Post office - Nagpur
2009-05-02 11:45:00
Below post also included in my Philatelic blog..As I have put up in the title bar, I have a weakness of taking my pictures with post offices or post boxes. I got an opportunity to do it yesterday and I wasn't going to pass up on it. The Giripeth post office in Nagpur has a very rustic look to it, like it might have existed in this state for more then 50 years. And it really might have had. My wife is form the locality and she claims to have seen the post office in the same state since memory serves her. That would put the age of the post office anywhere from five years to twentyfive - depending on who is telling my wifes age!The Post box outside actually looks like it had fallen in one of the stronger monsoon winds and is now firmly propped up in place with a cement base. But nothing much seems to be holding up the building, with its beautiful tiled roof and wooden latticed front. It is really hot in Nagpur, with temperatures reaching up to 47 Deg C yesterday. But because of the c...
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Mr Gorbachev - Tear down this wall
2009-04-28 11:15:00
Yesterday I was trying out another GPS based application on my iphone - the GPSLite from motionX. I liked the app from its description because apparently you could mark waypoints on it, simply by clicking photo's on the way, and the iphone would geotag the pictures and save it on your track. Later, when you share your track by email, or on facebook, your whole track would be visible along with the pictures of what you saw along the way.I did take a short trip across nagpur with the app to try it out, but evidently things didn't work out as expected as the pictures just didn't come up on the map. I'll have to work a bit more on the app, because this is another application that opens new levels on the integration of our everyday devices. Also geo-tagging of pictures is something which I have been wanting to do for some time.The above picture is somewhere near the end of the track and the writing on the wall says that the wall is about to fall and requests that no one sit below th...
More About: Tear , Wall , Gorbachev

GPS tracking on the iphone
2009-04-27 10:57:00
I have been checking out the amazing applications available on the Iphone for some time, and these days, I am trying out a couple of apps that deal with GPS and other navigation based applications.One of the applications has been released by the people at Instamapper, whose blog can be seen here , and is called the "GPS Tracker". A very neat application that allows you to share your position or track live to the audience on your website or even on your blog. Not only that, you could even embed the map on your facebook profile.One of the neat examples for the practical uses of this app can be found on the "Team twitchy blog of its Rickshaw run." Its their blog of an amazing journey from Shillong to Goa in a Auto Rickshaw. These guys have just completed their journey on the 25th of April and are probably getting some well deserved beers on the beaches of Goa.I'm not planning to venture off on a cross country auto rickshaw journey anytime soon, but the possibilities unravelled are sim...
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Celebrating Shit
2009-04-20 18:03:00
Today was day 2 after my gall bladder was removed and the pain is much better. I got it removed because of a huge stone that had gotten itself lodged there, "allegedly" due to my unhealthy lifestyle and eating habits.One of the things I learned from this episode was that they remove the whole Gall bladder when you ask them politely to remove the stone. Another thing was that when you celebrate the ability to shit, it makes you realize that there really are a lot more reasons to celebrate in life.
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Fiction 55 - The cobbler
2009-04-15 19:20:00
He slipped on the shoe that the cobbler gave back."It will break?" She asked"No madam, my gaurentee." Said the cobbler."How much?""What you feel sir.""No you tell.""I can say twenty-five, but you give what you think is right.""Okay take ten."walking away, she said, "... should have given only five."PS : My first attempt at Fiction 55 , inspired by Vinnie.