Shaky science and superstition

Things fall apart
The centre cannot hold.

That was Yates, if I remember my poetry correctly.

He was not talking about an earthquake-prone country called NZ. But it applies equally well to it.

A huge Page one article about the BIG ONE in Wgn and what its impact will be. Are you ready for three days by yourself, asks the sub-heading. Fires, communication, drinking water and electricity cuts, deaths, road blocks and injuries are all they want us to be ready for.

These things are sent to try us.

Periamma and Periappa went into a bit of a depression after reading and Periappa was all for us moving to Aussie, as it is at least a stable continent.

Ok, that's science and sense for you. But how about superstition?

We had sensational fireworks at the Wgn wharf recently, courtesy Beijing. Yes, Beijing. Beijing is a sister city to Wgn, and so to mark the beginning of the Chinese new year, we were treated to some fab fireworks, much better than the ones we have for Guy Fawkes Day.

However, the Year of the Rooster isn't going to be that bright! Expect, say Chinese soothsayers, epidemics, sex scandals and ******EARTHQUAKES! Not just the itsy-bitsy teensy-weensy ones. But the BIG ones. And they point to the evidence that most of the world's biggest ones of the past have happened during Rooster years, withe the biggest being over Richter 9.

Everyone's busting my eardrum telling me to have my quake emergency kit ready. But I keep putting it off. Maybe subconsciously (and stupidly) I feel that by not getting it ready, I am denying the possibility of a big one happening. Who knows?

These things are surely sent to try us.

It's a fairly small world

Well, talk about coincidences.....

When I got into the yahoo group for Vidya Mandir school (Luz, Chennai) alumini, it had names from all over the globe in it. But nary one from NZ. Even plenty from Aussie, but no Kiwis.

I wrote and wrote asking if any VMite lived in NZ, but no one did.

And suddenly, it happened, as it often does. I was talking on the phone to Nandana's new Carnatic music teacher y'day, whom I've barely met a couple of times. We got chatting and suddenly discovered that she was from VM and what's more, her mom had been a teacher there. Talk about it being a small world.

Today, anyways, is Waitangi Day _ in other words, NZ Day. This is the day many many years ago (Feb 6, 1840), that the Brits signed the Treaty of Waitangi along with the Maori chiefs in NZ, which is the reason the country officially came to be ruled by the then Queen. So, it's a national holiday for us. Also, happens to be a good friend's 40th b'day, so we had some cake-cutting as well.

In fact, I know totally 4 other people who were all born on Feb 6 (a cousin, a nephew and another friend).

Periappa and Periamma have also finally landed today, and are at home. I am at work now, as I was already committed to working tonight. However, have taken the day off tomorrow in their honour. Anyways, Shiv brought them briefly to work so I could say hello to them. They are already enraptured with good ol Wgn and its beauty. All I said was, sure, but try coming here in winter. And they've seen Europe and US (almost the entire continent already) but still think NZ is a beaut.

Nandimmma seemes to be recovering from her bout of puking that lasted two days and left no food in her now concave tummy. My poor baby. And a fever to boot. Doc reckons its a urinary infection again, but we'll know for sure tomm.

Nandana is totally into her gardening. Project for this week is tranplanting the bean runners into a proper kitchen garden patch from the pot, so they can grow steadily taller and bigger w/o any problems. Methinks she may have a green thumb.

My poor back is already protesting the effects of the garden patch cleaning!

Aquajogging

It's my latest fad and weapon in my already-lost battle of trying to lose weight. This might seem like a desperate measure to all those who manage to stay slim. But when metabolism, genes, two pregnancies and an age of thirty-something combine to conspire, the result is nothing short of disaster.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Here's another one: when the going gets tough, the tough get going!

Anyways, the bottom line is that I've now turned to aquajogging to help me keep fit. It's definitely easier than the gym on my poor ol bones. And the novelty does help!

In fact, I am so enthused, I've gone out and got myself a pair of new togs (the old ones don't fit me too well now). All this after just one session!

I put a lot into the one session though. Gave up my precious Sunday morning snooze and was up by 7.30 am, and at the pool by 8.15 am. Talk about being committed.

I just hope it lasts, especially as I still haven't tried out my new togs.........

Back to school

Well, both my babies did go and both loved it. This was Monday, Jan 31, the day after summer hols were over and schools reopened. Also Shiv's b'day.

There was nothing remarkable about Baby #1 going to school, she's been doing that for nearly 9 years now.

But my Baby #2? It was her first day. And guess what? She is every mom's dream, she didn't want to come away from the Early Learning Centre! She wanted to stay there. And she keeps asking me daily if she can go to 'school' today. She can't as I've enrolled her only for Mondays and Fridays, but still, blessed are those moms whose kids don't scream their heads off on Day 1 of school.I am only semi-blessed, as Baby #1, who is so well-settled in school now, cried for days together at the beginning of school age.

Then, in the evening, went to look at couple of houses (to buy), nothing very impressive though. And then dinner out to celebrate Shiv's b'day at our fave joint Mr. India.

All-in-all, a very successful day!

PS; I have a mountain of idlis sitting at home, as we had dinner out. The menu at home the next two days _ idli, idli and more idlis.

Yet another one

Puulllease...we've had more than our quota for the last fortnight. But Mother Earth isn't listening, methinks. So the bed went shake, shake, shake this morning, as though someone was holding on to the headboard and shaking it violently. About half past six, it was.

Deja vu..... I picked up the baby and ran under the doorway. Waited for another one, which didn't come.

Have become such an expert that I can approx judge quake intensity based on shaking. This must've surely been Richter 5 +.

Went online later and bingo, it was 5.4 Richter.

So is all this good or bad? Even the experts _ seismologists _ don't know. It is an unusually active seismological period. Small ones like these may take the stress out of the plates and delay the big one. But no one knows for sure....