I have a few more that I shall be posting soon.

Once I get it right, I will post the picture do the lightbox as well.

Once I get it right, I will post the picture do the lightbox as well.

Just wanted to clarify that this is a Lotus in a pond near my home and not a representation of my political allegiance.

I have recorded the exploits of the creature Chupakabra earlier as well

The funny thing with the Android phones is that since January 2011, I have bought three of them - each one bigger and more poweful than the one preceeding it and I always paid 12,000 bucks for it. Started with a Samsung Galaxy S3 which was the most awful android phone I ever saw and eventually had to return it. Then I bought a Xolo Q1010 which was a very nice phone and a couple of months ago I bought this one, as in previous two occassions, for 12K.

This made me wonder about the colour of Whisky bottle. Beer is usually kept in green or brown bottle to save it from sun light as the beer exposed to sunlight has a reaction called "skunking" and this is why Corona Beer is called Skunked beer since it comes in clear bottles. Why is the bottle of a whisky that has white and black in it's name green? The box of the bottle and the lable has only black and white colours but the bottle is green. Why?

This picture was taken in Kingdat, at the house of Mira's cousin and this was taken using my RedMi Note 3 phone and not a camera. I am quite pleased with the result. I have not dony any post processing that I won't do to a picture taken using my camera.

Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon decided to take on the Sabre jets in his significantly smaller Gnat and that too when the air base itself was under attack and there was a good probability that he would die even before he can take off.

He got the Param Vir Chakra posthumously in the end but that just didn't matter when he decided to fly his plane.

Anyway, I decided to add one level of detail in the drawing that I have not been doing so far and spent some time in drawing the hair. I am pleased with the outcome. What do you think?

And why am I talking about that now? Because this image of the rose was not as dramatic to behin with. This contrast was added on later and while doing that I couldn't stop thinking about how dramatically we can alter a picture now and how that was almost an impossible task some time ago. Check out the original image below to see the kind of difference photoshop can make.

Any comments and feedback is highly appreciated.

Ronin is my favourite Robert Deniro movie and I love some of the lines in that movi like the one above and another one is "'Whenever there is a doubt, there is no doubt'. That is the first thing they teach you."

And drink monogamy is what it is. The typical response of a person who has seen you taking a glass of wine after having a whiskey is that he will freeze in his track and ask something like "Are you having a wine after whisky?" as if you have directly violated any of the ten commandments but the same guy will not even notice that the woman you are with is not your wife. So what do you do when you get asked such a question? Well I don't know, but a counter question "can you tell me why is it bad?" seems to work most of the time.

This is the kind of bullshot one writes when one can't think what to write.

Yes.

Should we give up crackers and fireworks on Diwali?

No. Not at all.

I am not going to discuss how other sources of pollution are so many times more harmful than fireworks... how diwali smoke is not even of fraction of what some people may want us to believe. We can have that discussion some other day. Today is why I love fireworks.

You see, spending countless hours driving to visit friends and relatives, getting stressed over Diwali gifts, getting tired every day for a full week while cleaning the house… most of things associated with Diwali are not fun. What makes Diwali is are the fireworks on the night of Diwali. The crackers are the light at the end of tunnel of the Diwali experience; crackers are what make the Diwali “Happy” for me.

Telling a kid to give up crackers is only paying lip service to environment; we can help our environment a lot more if WE ourself are willing to give up a few things… and by raising our voice against the biggest culprits.

It's easier to echo the opinion of crowd, but just because everyone is saying it, doesn't mean it is the truth. Before you try to brainwash my kids with the concepts of Green Diwali and Dry Holi, it would be a good idea to do a little research on environment and pollution - things like the 40,000 shining new smoke spewing cars that are added to the roads of capital every month, or the 150 litres of water that an average Dilliwala flushes down the toilet daily, or the impact of mindless consumerism - that makes up keep buying new phones and TVs every 6 months has on the environment, or the urban heat islands - the concept of how your house causes increase in average temperatures.

Telling a kid to give up crackers is only paying lip service to environment; we can help our environment a lot more if WE ourself are willing to give up a few things… and by raising our voice against the biggest culprits.

I started with a strong background, a background that can take some punishment as I planned to break the bottle on it. I decided to go with a card board instead of a paper and after I placed the bottle on it, I asked Manuraj to stand at a safe distance while I wrapped my hand in an old towel and smashed the bottle using a brick. I couldn't just drop the brick on it because I had to prevent small shards of glass flying around on which Manu or I might step or sit while taking pictures.

The next challenge was to ensure that he doesn't touch anything while taking macro shots so I had to supervise the entire thing with great concentration and had to keep asking him to move his hands back if got too close. I also moved the bottle around when Manu wanted a different angle.

"It's Sunday and I am ironing my clothes for the coming week. The life is arduously predective" was the feeling I had in the last few months of my stay in Australia. I had completed my studies and was slowly settling in the daily grind.

However I am not having any such feeling after starting drawing after a period of about 20 years...or am I.

This is based on a photograph of Manuraj I took on his last birthday done using a mechanical pencil with a 2B lead. Roll over the image to see a water colour version of the same.

While he has done a lot of movies, each better than the other, my favourites among the lot are Mrs. Doubtfire and Dead Poet’s Society.

My guess is he is still not convinced that Manuraj has taken the shots.

So much for a little bit of fiber.

So much for a little bit of fiber.

The use of unconventioally bold typography and smaller image makes this stand out from the crowd most of which seem to have a similar packaging.

The answer to they question "Where does the Red Star on the label come from and what does it stand for?" is:

"The red star is an original icon of the brand, used since the very beginning. Its exact origins are unknown, and there are a few explanations. For instance one explanation is that it was a symbol of European brewers in the Middle Ages, who believed it to have mystical powers to protect their brew.

Another explanation is that four points of the star, accounted for the elements earth, fire, water and wind and that the fifth point is the unknown, which is an element that brewers in the Middle Ages couldn’t control. A third explanation is that the position of a star on the front door of the brewery indicated the stage of the brewing process. During the Cold War, the original design was altered to avoid association with communism (it was replaced by a white star with a red outline). After the end of the Cold War, the original full red star was restored. For us, the red star's principle association is a festive, warm and cheerful mood."

Check out the Image Gallery.

Copy from Johnnie Walker Ad.

Copy from Johnnie Walker Ad.

To take our Republic Day celebrations one step further, we decided to drive down to India Gate. We did the same two years ago as well and had a chance to take a look at some of the army vehicles. This time though we were a little late and the area was closed off.

Barack Obama gave this place a new lease of life when he visited this place instead of Taj which he couldn't see because of time constraints. Since that day this place has never looked back. A fair amount of money has been pumped in for its restoration and this place has gained a very important place in the tourist map of New Delhi. This is what Porus would have called "being treated like a king by another king".

Have you seen the Beer Images Gallery that compiled last year? If not, I'd strongly recommend it. Go check it out.

Have you seen the Beer Images Gallery that compiled last year? If not, I'd strongly recommend it. Go check it out.

Have you seen the Beer Images Gallery that compiled last year? If not, I'd strongly recommend it. Go check it out.

It is a day that fills every Indian with pride and sorrow. Pride for winning the war and sorrow for losing the soldiers and officers lost in doing so.

More birthday pics here.

More birthday pics here.

Honestly speaking, I was feeling that the later parts Fast and Furious had not been as good as the initial ones but to know that he is not going to be around to be part of any more sequel is very sad.

This one is for you Paul an empty bottle of your favourite beer. The Fast and Furious franchise is just as empty with you gone. RIP.

I have compiled more inages related to Dussehra and Diwali in an image gallery. Do have a look

I have compiled more inages related to Dussehra and Diwali in an image gallery. Do have a look

You need to change those things that bother you and I am surprised why I have not tried to do it. Lakshmi is the Goddess of Money and is worshipped on Diwali along with Lord Ganesh. Now money is one of the most important things in life and I understand why we would like to worship Lakshmi. That being said, knowledge is also a very important thing to have so why don't we worship goddess Saraswati. Next Diwali, I shall have a picture/statue of Goddess Saraswati for Diwali Pooja.

The electrical lights were hand made by boys. Electric cable, bulbs and bulb holders/shades used to come from the market and those were assembled at home. The bulbs were connected in a series using a single cable, the ends of which used to go in the socket. One single fused bulb meant the entire string won't work. To increase the lives of strings, a master bulb would be added at one end which would break the flow of current when heated and created blinking lights.

In the late 90s such strings were not made at home but were bought from local electricians. Still later, in the late 90s and early 2000, cheap electric lights, also known as Christmas Lights in the west, imported from China were widely available. This is where we are now. We buy them and use them on Diwali.

However, this is also changing and the next emerging trend is to call an electrician and get him to do the Diwali lights for you. The electrician brings his own lights, puts them up and after Diwali takes them down as well - complete outsourcing.

The disadvantage though is that you can't figure out if the decoration is for Diwali or for a wedding.

Fateh Burj, at 328 ft, is the tallest victory tower in the city of Mohali, Punjab, India.

In 1710, Banda Singh Bahadur won the battle against Wazir Khan, who commanded the Mughal army, in this place. Wazir Khan had come to Chappar Chiri to stop the march of the Sikh army led by Banda Singh Bahadur to Sirhind.

Now two days of weekend don't seem enough for doing all that one has to do but back then, on Sundays - the only weekly off, I used to spend so much time cleaning it. Eighteen years later, the Bullet looks just as new as it used to when I bought it courtsey Bharat who got it restored last year.

For those of you who have owned a bullet, you know owning one is nothing less than a love affair.

Difficulty with taking pictures of the nature is that each shot is unique. In still life shots the only difference is the difference you make in composition and lights but in nature shots the natures also makes changes. And while each looks different to you, they look identical to othersmaking it very difficult to pick out the one you like best.

"It's because of you that I am getting my statue from here. You don't look like the average guy here"

"Actually I work for a surgical equipment company and I come here to help these guys."

He reminded me of my friends from Tata Interactive - Chetan, Rajesh and Sunita who used to paint Ganpati statues during this time of the year, not for money but for passion and it was clear why this man made me think that this is the place from where I want to get my statue.

So when he walked in after his lunch on the day I went to collect my Ganpati, I shared my disappointment.

"I came here because of you and I am disappointed by what I see"

"What happened sir" he asked with genuine concern and listened to my complaints and assured me of a solution. "Sir, give me a little time and I'll fix this for you."

And he did fixed it, better than my expectations.

"Sir you can come back in 10 minutes, it will be ready"

"I have come here twice and still you have not done what I wanted, how can I trust you to get it right this time around?"

I sat there and generally cribbed about the quality once could get in Bombay versus what they were delivering.

"saab, I have worked in Bombay"

"Really, looking at the poor finish, it doesn't seem like that!"

"No sir, I was there. I used to work a Khar."

"How did you manage to land a job there?"

"I used to make the statues of Andha Kanoon."

Then it dawned to me that this man used to work on the statues of Lady of Justice - a white painted lady with a black blindfold. Now that explains his quality.

I have compiled an image gallery of images from this as well as last year.

The team was kicked out of the bat cave and also from Bacardi. They were last heard planning to approach some joker.

I surfed the web for some ideas on how to make the nest but Mira and Manu didn't wait for that, the next day when I got back from the office I saw them trying to make the nest with Manu in tears. After some time, we successfully made a couple of nests (with your experience as a parent, you know that if you are making something as delicate as this, it is advisable to make two instead of one, especially when you have the material to make it).

Next were the eggs and we debated how that can be done and finally we used clay to make the un-hatched eggs and used eggshells from a chicken egg for the one that has hatched. The bird came from a cage we bought last year from India Gate.

Last year Manu had to make a model of houses including thismodel of an apartment building.

Making it was only half the problem, the next challenge was to take it to school without breaking or disturbing it. The teacher should be able to see all the hard work that has gone into this. The answer was a plastic box. Since it was bigger than the nest, we padded the nest with newspaper and some tissues to make it fit snugly.

Here in these pictures you can see the nest in the plastic box. This box was the placed in a plastic bag- they way the bakers put a cake-box in a bag to ensure the top always stay at the top.

We got the seeds for baby corn during our last visit to DIlli Haat, we were looking for oregano as well but couldn't find it.

This morning when I came out with biscuits the crow was gone, I kept the biscuits on the pillar of the gate hoping he'd come back and eat them. When I went back in, Mira told me about the crow she saw a few days after we moved to Delhi. "He came to check on us at least once. He was sitting so close to Manu and me in the balcony. Usually crows don't allow anyone to come so close to them." I nodded but wondered if that can be true. Even if the crow has decided to follow us, how could he know where we have gone?

This, by the way is a kingfisher sitting on a power cable outside my home.