Japanese Garden, Portland

Supposed to be one of the best authentic Japanese gardens outside Japan.Since the day was overcast and cloudy just managed to get this picture of a waterfall in the park.

Happiness

Well, this is not a post about describing or analyzing happiness, rather a briefing of the current issue of the 'Time' magazine. Its the annual body and mind issue of Time and in this issue the magazine has some superb articles about happiness. If possible pls grab a copy. Here are the highlights:

1. Happiness in human biengs is bieng attributed to a chemical ( geez I forget the name ) and the frontal cortex of the human brain.
2. Marriage doesnt make someone happier, but most single peeople tend to show relatively less happiness.
3. Happiness is shown to boost the immune system of the human body thereby making the body resilient against even deadly diseases like cancer.
4. Its proven, 'meditative' state is actually a state of happiness and it can be measured.
5. Happiness is mostly genetically inherited.For instance infants who tend to cry the moment their mom went out of their sight are prone to unhappiness whereas infants who still remain calm and bubbly inspite of their moms' absence are shown to have higher levels of happiness throughout ther lives.
6. People who are religious and 'believers' are more happy and less stressful than 'non-believers'
7. Cocaine, alcohol and nicotine are proven to shoot the levels of the 'chemical' responsible for happiness and thereby induce a state of 'euphoria'. No wonder they sell so much :).

ON a different note, Some of the 'happening' facts I was unaware of :

1. The famed 'G spot' is actually named after a german scientist Dr Ernst Grafenberg. Courtesy, a book titled 'She comes first' :).
2.Swimming regularly is supposed to aid in a satisfied 'sex life'. - The complets swimming guide.
3. Califorina, the world's 7th largest economy has a 22 billion $ trade deficit and the state govt has gone to the extent of closing public schools and hospitals. On the contrary, they are spending about 2 million $ to move a ice-skating ring by a few yards :) - CNN
4. The 'Da-vinci code' is bieng made into a movie. Columbia pictures has purchased the rights, Tom Hanks will play the lead role of Robert Langdon. Not sure who's gonna play the role of Sophie - The Da-vinci code, secrets unvieled-US News.
5. Apparently, the US is still scared of 'Al-Queda'. Their worst fear, an attack on the country's nuclear reactors - KQED TV channel.
6. Of late, partygoers have discovered a new cocktail: Red Bull with Vodka
7. Starbucks, which started as an espresoo bar in seattle became so popular that playboy magazine had an article on the 'women in starbucks'. Boy surely some of the girls who serve coffee in starbucks blow your mind off :)- National Geographic magazine.
8. Caffiene is proven to stimulate the mind, reduce sleep and increase alertness - The National Geographic magazine.
9. Oberoi RajMahal vilas in Jaipur, Rajasthan features as a top hotel in the most of the 'world's best hotels' ratings. What a pride for India. The cost, a whooping 500$ per night on twin sharing basis - GQ group, World's best hotels ratings.

Have a great week fellas, adios.

Grand Canyon - South Rim

Christmas vacations, we headed to the south rim of the Grand Canyon region . The drive is quite scenic going through the Mohave desert national reserve. 2 days was in no means enough to explore the national park. After a tiresome 17 hour drive on the first day all we could do was to drive along the rim and we caught some breathtaking sunset views from some of the famous view points. My desire to hike down atleast on one of the easy trials was'nt fulfilled as the rangers advised not to hike alone because of slippery paths and unpredictable snow storms.
The grand canyon region has an interesting history. In short its a canyon formed by layering of various kinds of rocks over a period of millions of years. The bottommost layer is termed 'Vishnu' layer. (I was surprised by the name as it refers to a hindu god ).
This picture was taken from Hopi viewpoint ( Hopi refers to an Indian settlement in the grand canyon region) just prior to sunset.

Tsunami : The Aftermath

The world's worst natural disaster has left more than 150,000 dead and several thousands more wounded. Almost a dozen countries have been affected from south east asia to east africa. The aftermath of the disaster, was presumed to be a bigger disaster than the tsunami itself. It was feared that fatal diseases such as cholera would end up killing more pepole. Also psychologists feared that the wrath of the disaster would force many survivors to commit suicide. However the situation today seems to be very positive. International aid has totalled $3 billion. Volunteers from all over the world have poured into the region to distribute relief supplies. Decmposed and dead bodies have been cremated/buried in mass graves. Drinking water crisis is bieng resolved and any outbreak of diseases is bieng unheard of. In Sri Lanka, one of the beer companies started bottling water instead of beer to meet the demand.
Recovery seems to be on a fast track in the Indian subcontinent though the magnitude of the disaster was no comparison with that of Indonesia. Any organization/company that has not helped in this recovery will be hard to find. Amidst all this, some disheartening news was that survivors are bieng raped and sexually abused and bieng looted of whatever little wealth is left over. Hope all this comes to an end and the region sees a fast recovery.