The new canon SD 780 IS - my second love

Its black, hardly bigger than a credit card and takes great photos. This is the new canon sd 780 IS. A wonderfully good camera, which trespasses the bounds on size and compactness. I would have wanted a few more features and a better ISO rendering, but with what I paid for it, this seems very good.

The portability is so good, it will fit into the back of any jeans or slide into any pouch. I would not say best picture quality I have seen, but it does have a nice macro. Shooting in auto in low light conditions is a definite no-no, the flash turns on and ruins the effects on any background. The High ISO ranges need a tripod and some real skill to get decent images.The zoom does not range long, and the digital zoom for once is not half bad, though I would never resort to it personally.

This would detract most of the users from this camera, but for a on the go snap shooter this is better than anything in the market.

Looking forward to unleash the amateur photographer in me.

Looking past differences

Generation gap, cultural divide, intellectual gap and  religious divide. As I list out these very common catch phrases I can only see  the one clear fact in front of me; the petty differences that divide and segregate us humans.

The juvenile behaviour you sometimes see from the best of adults (an uncommon phrase used to describe the  exhaustively composed individuals) surprises you to the point of awe and gape. Silly people fighting with auto drivers, scolding people on the road, making profane gestures and signs. I would say even the best of us are caught unawares. These are the common paradigms we come across in our daily lives. We start to shout and honk at people who are driving slowly on the road. We look at a temple and immediately bow down to the lord, sometimes even remove our slippers or shoes before doing that, and if we are driving slow our cars down .to see the lord. This is acceptable and the norm, but if someone slows down to find parking or drop off someone we are irate and annoyed. I have seen many a times people pass comments on the auto drivers as being illiterate brutes, a substantial generalization and demeaning attitude in my point of view. As educated and cultured folks we should be understanding of others and accepting of weaknesses and strengths.

Stemming from the streets of bangalore; one frustrated commuter to another, next time, "think before you honk". Not all auto drivers are brutes or cunning foxes who use some magical mind control techniques to veer into your path. A little patience and a great deal of calm will go a long way.

Nervous first steps

Its official now, I will be leaving for my further studies to the americas. I am hoping for a great learning experience and putting some thought into understanding the cultures and diversities. As I prepare for this arduous journey of my life, I am nervous as any other person. This is quite expected and understandable according to the many people I have talked to(wry smile).

I am keeping myself busy taking driving lessons and visiting my relatives and friends. There are many emotions that pass through as you meet a few people, you are overwhelmed, distraught, happy. Sometimes you also feel like you are not missing people, they are going to stay forever. What with the internet and all, it seems like you are in the same room. All hail skype and google.

There is still a lot of shopping and small things I have to finish. A few small trips, a few friends to meet, a few goodbyes to say. All in all, I am hoping the next few days will be exciting with the shade of nostalgia and gripe laughter. Fingers Crossed :) .