RIFLE RANGE BOY

Appa was never a friendly person. In his lifetime, I never saw him had friends coming over for a jolly good time or, he, being in the company of buddies or workmates for one. He is a man of few words. His idea of relaxation is the company of himself, within the confines of the four walls of his home and the accompaniment of his faithful transistor radio.  He is one who taught me that so much could be expressed without verbalising a single word. Bonding can be shown without any unnecessary spoken word or meaningless display of emotion. He could spend a whole hour connecting with his sibling seated in a room for a full hour without a single sound. In short, he was economical with his words and not so expressive in his actions.  All that, however, took a 180º turn when it came to Tango. Tango, not of the Tango and Cash fame, but was a lowly mutt who gasped his last breath quite recently after 13 years of existence. That would equal to 91 in human's equivalen...

They say that the key to the future is in the past. Really? Many do not agree with this statement.  Dodo bird - from the past! Sure, how would one know that fire scalds if he is not given the opportunity to feel the brunt of heat traversing on the tips of the finger? Once burnt twice shy, they say. The mere thought of the pain of being scorched is enough to keep one on his toes to avoid the same experience.  The memory of the misery of a checkered past continually playing in mind is a sure way the same mistake and even be a stepping stone for higher achievement. A regular reminder of the past may spur to strive harder and remind one of the missions in hand. On the other hand, we are accused of clinging on to the past, living in the past, drawing in a shell and residing in the self-pity or nostalgia. As if nostalgia was a bad word! In environment concerns, records of the past are needed to predict the future. Our knowledge about extinct species may prevent fur...

On the way to Granada, we made a half a day stop at Toledo. Walking through the slab-stones paved road, we tried to trace the journey of the horse carriages during the heydays of this town. Known best for its high-quality steel blades, its orders used to come from the mighty Roman Army itself. Living true to its image, Toledoans still make excellent high-performance knives. Legend has it that a clockmaker from Toledo built a clock tower to be presented to a Muslim ruler for his prototype to be used all over the Empire. Unfortunately, the leader was not impressed and hence the virtue of keeping to time never really picked in the Eastern part of the world. Toledo is tucked humbly in the middle of Southern Spain keeping close to itself all the secrets of all the Empires that once ruled this region. Carrying with it mostly Christian and Roman traditions, the Muslim regents also once made their stronghold here. The result of all these is the picturesque picture perfect photographic shot o...

Outliers, The Story of Success Author: Malcolm Gladwell (2008) Life had never been easy. Now it has been made more complicated. Kids all around the world had been fed with the idea that if you put in the hours and do as you are told, your future would be bliss. Nah, don’t buy that! The secret to success still remains an enigma. Many factors affect the success of an individual. The author goes through the lives of a few successful people and a few who had the potential but did not quite make it. One has to be born at the correct time. Sometimes the window of opportunity only comes once. One has to be of the proper state of mind and of the right age to grasp it. At the spur of the time when it happens, he must be willing to put in the long hours. That indulgence itself, an awful lot of hours, would determine your future success. The examples of Beatles and Bill Gates are mentioned here. Beatles' acid test was in Hamburg in 1962 when they took the challenge of playing long hou...

A day before my arrival at Barcelona, the city was clogged with traffic and demonstrators and demanding for the release of their Catalan Separatist Movement leaders whom the followers allege to have been detained unlawfully. Even though the Spanish and Catalan words only differ slightly in terms of spelling and pronunciation, Catalonians are hellbent to want to be different. With a glorious history behind them and the innumerable pieces of evidence to showcase their culture and history, they cannot be faulted to feel special.  The scenario on the following day was as if nothing had happened the day before and it was business as usual. Barcelona ©FG Teatre Del Liceu, Barcelona. Where Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballé performed during the 1992 Summer Olympics. ©FG   Barca, easily the second biggest team in La Liga with one of its high priests! ©FG The Basilica Cathedral and a remnant of the Roman Wall. ©FG Gothic Quarter, the connect...