Unexpected inserts in a book

                                    Unexpected inserts in a book

When you borrow a book from a library or a friend, occasionally you may find some slips of paper like some cash receipt, slip of paper containing some address or phone number etc. They are left in the books as a temporary book mark and forgotten. The book might have been used as a carrier / courier / container for temporary transit. Such unexpected or unwanted inserts may have interesting stories to tell.

 Some inserts I have seen in some books are:

                        Library Fine receipt

Cinema ticket

Bus / train ticket

Cash memo of purchases

Envelope forgotten to be posted

Love letter to potential target

bookcrossing label

Dhobi / laundry slip

Shopping list

regular book marks

Wedding invitations

Greeting cards

Dried tree leaf

Dried flowers

Peacock feather

other bird’s feather

Nylon thread / wire

Scented strips

Playing card

Slips betraying PIN Password

Coded message to a girlfriend

Notes on book content

Agenda 4 meetings  

calculations

Appointments    

I once asked a bibliopole – second hand / rare book dealer – enquiring what inserts he finds in the books that are sold to him. He narrated a story an old one rupee note that fetched him a lot of money. I remember reading that a one rupee note of 1935 Signed by Governor Kelly is worth Rupees seven lakhs! Therefore, it is worthwhile checking twice before selling away old books!

If you dwell upon such inserts with specific reference to the person from you got the book or from whom your book was returned, you may discern many secrets. Guesswork is not only mind engaging with an element of detective spirit, but also test-worthy: after all, all minds think like, don’t they?

 

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Hand Towel as a Gift

                                        Hand Towel as a Gift

I was given a Blue colored Hand towel, embroidered with the name of the friend who gave it like:  “Mr & Mrs   XYZ  I.A.S”. Yes, it is true that this ‘friend’ was seeking publicity in such a cheap way and he was an IAS officer. Funny. He was a retired IAS officer but his wife was just a housewife. He could not even discern the inappropriateness of the lettering.

However, the towel is useful. I use it to dry my face or feet after washing them with water. Normally, I dry my hands and face first and lasty my feet. Sometimes it is the other way around -- I feel a bit uneasy about soiling my face dirtied by wiping the feet first.

Then I came up with a solution. The towel has two sides. I use the embroidered side for feet and the other side for face, hands etc . Now, should I not thank the friend for incorporating a solution for my problem? I have no bad opinion about him anymore.

Changing one’s mind from bad to good about a situation / person is a good thing. It shows I have a mind of my own that is active, dynamic and kicking. And I have the courage to look at positive side of things.

Bye, bye for the Blah, Blah! Let me move on to next blog post.

 

 

Tips for taking screenshots during an online video meeting

Tips for taking screenshots during an online video meeting

Many platforms like Google Meet or Zoom have disabled recording of meetings in free / basic versions. Therefore, screen shot sharing has a real need. Some friends click the ‘prt sc’ button many times randomly to get screenshots for distribution later on. Here are some tips to make that exercise worthwhile.

Set the screen to gallery view and take shots when maximum number of people may be seen. It is better to alert the participants that before important screen shots are taken so that many people will switch on video.

Switch to speaker view every time a new speaker comes and take a shot. Among the panelists try to get a view of all panelists at least once.

Avoid showing people in poor conditions – showing only the bald head, or when they are sleeping or yawning, picking nose etc. Avoid many 'empty chair' participants. If the participants have to be panned across many screens, please do take a screenshot of every screen.

In the case of Chief guest or important speakers, take no chances and cover them well. When there are ladies present, pay attention to frames / screen where ladies are more: they have a better sense of dressing and presenting themselves. Men may not care looking pretty ordinary.

Our attention span is short. After about 40 minutes or so participants tend to leave one by one. Catch them when the main speaker is active.

After the event is over, study the screenshots in a comparative mode and carefully select representational samples. Please do not publish or distribute ‘everything’ you shot – nobody has the interest, time or patience to wade through hundreds of photos, just to locate a few photos where they figure.  

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On Procrastination - Self Analysis

                            On Procrastination – Self Analysis

 Dennis Upper has written an article titled: The unsuccessful self-treatment of a case of “writer’s block” in the Journal of Applied behavior Analysis Vol 7 Issue 3 Fall 1974 p 497. The link for the same is: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1311997/?page=1

 If you go to the web site you will see something funny and strange. It is just one page with no content showing that the author’s tendency to procrastinate has sort of forced him leave just one blank page as the entire article. Read the peer review – it is even funnier. This paper has been cited five times in reputed journals as well.

 It was brought to my notice by Justice TNC Rangarajan, my friend,  Both of us share the same weakness – procrastination!  I replied to him thanking him for the article alert like this and see the responses!

 

Initially I deferred opening the link and reading the paper proper, wanting to do justice to the subject line. The ingenuity involved in innovative expression of procrastination is undoubtedly excellent.  Reviewer's comments are hilarious. I can imagine how you landed on this article - trying to find a solution for perennial, perpetual procrastination that plaguing you (and me) forever! I cannot get rid of the veil sense of guilt always at the back of my mind! “We are on the same blank page”, he said I added: I think that Dennis Upper has gained a lot of experience in submitting blank paper during exams!

 My Gmail page has unfinished drafts folder. Here lie messages without To: field unfilled: a simple trick prevent sending away the email by mistake. Similarly, my hard disk has a folder for stories that I publish in my blogs and elsewhere. There is a sub-folder called unfinished. Contents here are an indication of half-hearted attempts to dish out essays but given up midway. One main reason for unsuccessful stories is, you guessed correctly, PROCRASTINATION!

 When I find a perfect solution to my problem, I will let you know. For now, let me love and live with it.

  

How the BJP Govt has neglected Senior Citizens

How BJP Govt has neglected Senior Citizens?
(A Note by Sri RN Mital : Feb 2022)

In 2013 when BJP Govt came in power number of facilities and schemes
were withdrawn/ignored by the Government in 2013. Staunch BJP
supporters do not agree. I will give you examples,

1) New NPOP was prepared after 2 years of labour. Dr Gangadharan,
myself,Mrs Giri, Mathew Cherian,Mrs Shielu and many others worked for
two years, prepared a draft which was presented to Mosje on 31st March
2011. It was accepted and taken up for giving it shape of Policy. It
was ready in 2012 Then elections were there and BJP Govt put it
aside, did not declare it and brought back old obsolete Policy NPOP-99
2) The earlier Govt had agreed to set up National Commission like the
ones for women, Disabled etc. Its Constitution was drafted by Mosje
and circulated for comments. The new Govt shelved it on the plea that
there were no funds.
3) Chidambram had provided for two Research Institutes on Ageing , one
in Chennai and the other at Delhi. They were dropped
4) Senior Citizens Welfare Fund - Only 9500 Cr allotted out of 60,000
cr lying unclaimed. Even this is not being maintained. No activity for
their welfare.
5) No allotment to implement the mandates in MWPSC Act--2007 inspite
of the recommendations of Supreme Court.

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Dr P Vyasamoorthy / 9490804278

How to avoid snoring?

How to avoid Snoring

https://youtu.be/E1mgqn4uYxg

It is a short (12 minutes max video) telling how snoring affects and disturbs people sleeping nearby. It also gives five simple tips: 1. Sleep on sides and not on your back 2. Let head be slightly elevated 3. Smell aromatic oils before sleep 4. No sedatives before sleeping 5. Decongest nasal passages. Speaker also talks of Simha Mudra, jalaneti, several asanas that will be helpful, eating sattvic diet, avoiding mucus producing food, including onions, green tea, honey with lemon etc. I have printed out the complete transcript for anyone interested in checking up details.

For those who want to know more here is another 4 minutes video

https://youtu.be/m49d9FT9IgE

Dr P Vyasamoorthy / 9490804278

Fwd: How or what am I called?

What or How am I called?

 

Many of us are known by different names in different places. My formal official name is Padmanabha Vyasamoorthy. Padmanabha mans "I am a son of Padmanabhan". We do not have any concept of surnames in our community. Many split my name into two parts Vyasa and Moorthy and address me as Mr Moorthy. I have short forms of my name viz: vyasa and vyasi. The former is used among formal circles and the latter among close relatives / friends. In official spheres and social circles, I am abbreviated to PVM.

 

Coming to the actual rendering / spelling of my name lends itself to several distorted versions.  My friends choose any combination of the following three parts! By permutation and combination, I am told we will get 48 spellings!

 

Vyasa, vyasa, vysya, vyshya, veshya, Viyasa

Moor mur

Thy, thi, ti, ty

 

Those who know my profession, especially foreigners, address me as Dear Madam, changing even my gender!

 

After all, as Shakespeare seems to have said: "What's in a name? A Rose by any other name would smell as sweet."  Therefore, I do not mind anyone calling me by any name as long as they do not call me names.

 

 

 

Dr P Vyasamoorthy / 9490804278