Kala Ghoda Festival 2009: Mini Version

Paid a visit. Finally took some photographs of the place. They are a little shaky because I had my son in one hand and I was working the camera with the other. And daylight was slowly fading. That did not help me one bit. I got myself a nice t-shirt from the NGO stand called Jungle Lore. This time we did not pick anything from WSD. We are full up with their stuff already.
The trees above house some huge fruit bats. They must easily span almost two feet -- tip to tip. The bats were busy pushing each other off their perches, using their hooked claws to clamber along branches and nibble on the berries growing on the peepal tree. Yes, I spent a great deal of time watching them. I have never done this before and one has to find interesting pass times when the better half decides to spend more time at the handicraft stands!

American Tourister - Surviving in Mumbai: The Ad

This ad shows how crowded the Mumbai suburban trains can get. This is a humourous take on the city's transport network so do not go about thinking that you will get your luggage thrown out for you when you get off at your station. Assuming that you actually get off at the right station, that is.

My Books on Birds in Mumbai

Got me self four books on birds. Here you see three simply because I forgot to photograph it. It is a coffee table book so it would not have fitted into this any which way. The funny thing is that I have owned these books for ages. The latest acquisition was the one, "Birds of Mumbai" by Sanjay Monga. The others are a couple of years old.
I got the "Birds of Sanjay Gandhi National Park" booklet from a BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society) stall at a Kala Ghoda festival. The "Birds from my Window" is something I picked up years ago from Crosswords. Recently I pulled this book out and started reading it. I realised that all the books I have on birds are on the same topic but still so very different.

Birds from my Window: It is a first person account of all the birds the author has spotted from his window. Even the dull, monotone sketches are a bit of a dampner, the stories are very descriptive on avian behaviour.

Birds of Sanjay Gandhi National Park: This is something every bird enthusiast must have in his or her possession. It is fairly technical and has a detailed listing of all the birds and their characteristics, along with a list of common species that are to be found in that area. Even though it is detailed, this is probably good for those who have some birding experience and tramp about the park with a guide or group.



Birds of Mumbai: I hit upon this jackpot when I was at the Strand Bookstall. I could not decide between another bird book and one on butterflies. But eventually, this book by Sanjay Monga won me over. It has segregated areas of Mumbai into habitats like urban, forest, grassland, etc. Each area has a list of birds that one may come across, with a brief description — and an illustration!

This is what I love. Sanjay Monga teamed up with a J.J. School of Arts student, who has a great job of painting each and every bird that has been listed in the book. The rarer birds are not accompanied with an illustrations but that's ok. This book has helped me identify quite a few birds from the 'Urban Areas' section. If you are new to bird watching, pick 'Birds of Mumbai' by Sanjay Monga.

How to Make a Paper Balloon (Water Bomb)

I learned how to make one when I was in school and if you ask me to make one now, I doubt if I will be able to remember how I used to do it. So I did a little searching and found lots of resources. One even expected me to sign up for their pro membership to view larger images of the steps! Forget it.
Thanks to WikiHow.com, I will be able to pass on valuable information to my son and the legacy will live on. Bombs away!!!

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P.S.: Oh, if you want your project to sound less devious or destructive, you may want to refer to it as an 'Origami Balloon.'

Finally Overcame the 'Block'

I finally had a story idea and found a bit of time to post my thoughts about the English Premier League on Bleacher Report. I have not written anything seriously — from scratch — in quite a while...so this to me, is a bit of a rusty effort.
Read more @ The Bleacher Report: Manchester City Is Now in Third Place

The Human Calendar

I came across this Human Calendar on blog called Dorset Hill Beads I visited recently. I found it really cool and wanted to share it with you. It is really fun to look at and the entire range of photographs of the human calendar. Do visit the website and take a look.

Mr. Mulliner (Hard Cover - 1947)

Look at what I found at a roadside bookstall in Mumbai's Fort area. Two hardcover P.G. Wodehouse books that were owned by someone way back in 1947!! Click on the pictures to take a closer look.