Hello Canon EOS 50D
Plonked a considerable sum of money on a new camera. Was looking for one with a better sensor (less noise for higher ISO), better focussing system, better shutter performance (1/8000 and 6.3 fps burst) and overall better handling (weather proofing, better viewfinder). EOS 50D fit the bill nicely. Seriously contemplated a switch to Nikon but it had the significant disadvantage of being incompatible with my existing collection of lenses - besides it would’ve got me fewer megapixels and no weather proofing for more money.
Yes, it doesn’t do HD movies - even the entry level EOS 500D does that these days; but I am not in it for moving pictures. And then, I can make up for my camera’s inability to shoot video with html and javascript. Here are a couple of studies in waltz time - performed by anonymous cast in front of the camera shop where the camera’s burst mode performance was being tested (very grainy ISO 3200):
The links will open in a new window. Give the page some time to load and once the pictures start moving, hover over the them to see tooltips (and to slow the action down a bit). And please use a respectable browser (i.e. not IE).
Fresh Dates
I’ve always thought of dates as a dry fruit, so when I saw this packet labelled ‘fresh dates’ on the shelf of the local grocery store, I had to pick it up.
Fresh Dates
As you’d expect, the dates of the fresh variety don’t taste at all like the dates of the shriveled, dried variety. But what was surprising was that they tasted like something familiar and yet something I couldn’t quite place. I’ve settled on a cross between India Jujube (ber, बेर, Ziziphus mauritiana) and Sugarcane for now.
Chasing Monsoon
Yet another visit to Coorg. A detailed travelogue will have to wait but this picture deserved a post of its own:
Chasing Monsoon
Why I love Bangalore/Bengaluru
The weather gadget on Mac informs:
And if you are in Delhi, well, I feel for you:
My IPL Loyalty Equations
Living without a TV and a newspaper has many merits. For instance, last year’s IPL was a non-event in our house. Yes, we did visit a Barista at Indira Nagar (now long closed) for catching the IPL opening ceremony on the telly, but that was it. Bangalore’s loss in the opener didn’t help either and I ended up backing up the team I felt least connected to - Rajasthan Royals (though only after they were decidedly close to winning - everybody loves a winner).
This year is different though. I’ve warmed up to the tournament, mostly because cricket is a large part of what I do now but partly because I seem to have arrived at a complex set of “loyalty” equations that help me chose which team I put my money on during a match. Without going into too many details, this is how it works:
Bangalore Royal Challengers (I live in Bangalore! And I admire Kumble and Dravid. And Kevin Pietersen is no longer in the team.) > Chennai Super Kings (I admire Dhoni. Muralitharan and I share birth dates) > Deccan Chargers (I am partial to everything south of Vindhyas) > Rajasthan Royals (Love the fact that Warne gives a lot of chances to inexperienced youngsters) > Delhi Daredevils (ah well, I was born in Delhi and that ought to count for something) > Mumbai Indians (Mostly because they’ve got Tendulkar and Jayasuriya) > Punjab Kings XI (someone’s gotta give company to Kolkata) = Kolkata Knight Riders (well someone’s got to be last).
The equations are devoid of even traces of cricketing knowledge (oh come on, it is 20-20) and chances are that the points table at the end of the tournament (with the exception of Kolkata) looks totally the opposite.
Munnar
After the visit to Bhutan last year, I was convinced that I was not going to see hills or mountains so green ever again. The hills at Munnar might lack the grandeur of Eastern Himalayas, but when it comes to verdure and biodiversity they are an equal match.
We took a flight from Bangalore to Cochin and then took a cab to Munnar. Though just a little over 150 km from the airport, it takes close to 4 hours to negotiate the serpentine, hilly roads. The roads were in good shape throughout but the numerous sharp turns left my head reeling.
Sharp turn
Cochin was hot and humid and I had no idea how things were supposed to get any better just under a couple of hundred kilometers up the road. But things changed remakrably fast and once we were in the hills the air turned cool and refreshing.
We stayed at the Tea Valley Resort. Our room offered beautiful views of the hills and tea plantations in the valley below. We had reached late in the afternoon and after a quick lunch, found ourselves longing for a siesta. The weather too was conspiring to put us to sleep. Shortly it started raining. The thunder and the sound of the rain formed a perfect backdrop for our slumber.
View from the resort
Beautiful dusk
Next morning was sunny but pleasantly cool. We went for a long walk all the way to the main town - a walk that took us through tea estates and cardamom plantations.
A path leading to a tea plantation and beyond
Random plantation
This scale for measuring the tea plants’ height reminded me of of the an Complan ad (“but I am growing mummy. I am a Complan tea plant”).
I am a Complan tea plant
With Lok Sabha elections around the corner, the town was abuzz with political activity. Posters of candidates vied for attention of both men and cows.
Canvassing
The rest of the stay is a blur in my mind. The next two days are clumped together and all I remember is more long walks in the hills, through the tea estates and short drives to a river and a waterfall near-by. The camera agrees:
Yet another tea plantation
A waterfall (barely)