Ad Bloggium Ad Nauseum Ad Break

I've not blogged in a really long time
Going by how busy every one is, i'm not sure too many people missed me (cue to flood my comments box)

The truth is, i can't think of anything to say.
and surprisingly for once, that has prevented me from actually saying anything.

I'm sleeping almost fourteen hours a day, for lack of anything else to do.
I'm supposed to be preparing for GD/PI.. but have simply no clue how to go about it..
I'm procrastinating and yawning and looking up recipes for baked corn and spinach in order to avoid the inevitable magazines that are piling up.

I am also apparently setting up a wi-fi network with authentication at the wireless network edge. Did that make sense to you? if so, can you please come help me out? ;)

I wish i were a lot of things.. typical new year resolution depression time.. when i recollect all of last years' resolutions that weren't kept.. Thinner/Taller/Fitter/Smarter/Better.Read/Citius/Altius/Fortius etc..

I want to step outside my comfort zone and do new things.. But am as usual too lazy to do any of the above.

Started out having nothing much to say and am ending almost the same way.

Except for a few words about the Tsunami

Only level one and (to a certain extent) level two of the relief work has been completed. The resettling of displaced communities is as important as the immediate relief. Kinda like first aid versus the actual surgery. We'd do well to remeber that.

Also, this disaster has brought forth a lot of innovation. We have shown ourselves to be a terrifically generous bunch of folks.. Maybe when all this settles down, this generosity could be put to use to eradicate some of our more deeprooted malaises.

I've read about the blogging community coming together forcefully and proactively.. after this is all over.. this direction and energy can be put to use to educate our kids, free our women and empower our poor.

That's something i've been thinking about a lot.

I've also been amazed at how short sighted our administration proves to be (time and time again). Our chief minister now wants to spend 500 Cr to build a coastal protection wall.
*edit* ;)
Madam, are you trying to tell me that your administration which has been digging (ad nauseum) the road outside my house for th past six years (every monsoon season) is going to build a top class coastal protection wall that will withstand storms that private enterprises like the coastal beach resorts cannot construct? The same administration that hasn't been able to provide drinking water or clean up the city?

There are lot more viable solutions :
~ Afforestation - evergreen trees are usually able to withstand cyclones on the coast
~ Building of disaster relief centres every 50km to accomodate the displaced and affected after every coastal disaster - this would cost only some 10 Cr instead of 500
~ Setting in place early warning systems - Joining the Pacific Rim Warning system - this time around, meteorologists in hawaii didn't even have the phone number of someone in India who could have been warned about the impending tragedy

And that's that.
Enough has been said and written online/offline about celebrities and social workers and stories of heroes and miscreants.
I shall stop now.

Thank you and Goodnight

      " We will either find a way
      or we will make one" - Hannibal

Cos the love you give, won't mean a thing.. unless you sing, sing sing sing..

It's been a week and a half since the tsunami
and online blogs have helped mobilise a surprising amount of relief for those affected

visit kiruba for a regular roundup of what's happening where
Naveen has satellite pictures of the tsunami and also a list of places where you can contribute
and India Uncuthas daily despatches from Amit Varma who's working in Nagapattinam and Cuddalore with relief organisations

So there you go..
Please contribute your time, effort, money cos every bit counts.

Amen