Where is Tuvalu?

 

I am ashamed to say that I didn't know where Tuvalu was. This blog got 7 hits from that country. I'm so delighted. It is so humbling:

It turns out it is an island in the Pacific, South East of Tonga. Tonga, some of us of course know because of the book, 'Mutiny on the Bounty' and also because cadets from Tonga sometimes get trained at National Defence Academy, India. 

How little of the world do I know!

Would obviously like to know who pinged my blog from Tuvalu.

A Giant fell on the road

 

A giant fell on the road,

Folks were inconvenienced:

Traffic was blocked,

Wires snapped,

Power was shut.

No one died, though,

Except for the tree of course.

In time,

The fallen was sawed off,

Carried away in a truck.

Traffic resumed,

Power was restored.

All forgot the giant

That gave shade

For seventy years. 

Shadow of the bridge

 

When he fell from the bridge

That went to the other side,

He latched on to the shadow

Of the bridge

To cross over to the other side neatly.

But shadows being shadows,

They crumpled,

Only some ripples remained

On the water,

And, he and his shadow,

Disappeared without a trace.

Then the shadow of the bridge,

Settled down

To receive more falls.

For a few grams less

 

Today I made a major discovery. The discovery was actually serendipitous. The discovery was on the scale of the Rontgen rays discovery. By mistake, I used my toothpaste instead of my shaving cream to foam my stubble of a day. (I know I'm getting old.) And what I discovered was that my shaving was none the worse for it, only better, if anything. It left behind a tingling feeling, and therefore I didn't need any after-shave lotion as well.

Now, think of how this will impact the world, especially the fauji world. A soldier would not have to put in his 08 pack a tube of shaving cream. (Ladies are, of course, in any case excused). That's almost a hundred grams less on his backpack. When you are on a Long Range Patrol (LRP), every gram adds to your fatigue factor. Out on camps in training institutions, cadets would have to carry an item less in their 08 packs. What would he not do for a few grams less!

Of course, this has to be scientifically tested for compatibility with the skin before becoming a military doctrine, and perhaps later, even a civilian doctrine.

Synonyms of Lying

 

https://www.foxnews.com/media/msnbc-walks-back-misstatement-alleging-fbi-head-kash-patel-spends-more-time-nightclubs-than-office

In the article above, we have this admission, 'At the end of that segment, Figliuzzi said that FBI Director Kash Patel has been more visible at nightclubs than the FBI headquarters. This was a misstatement. We have not verified that claim.' So, what does 'misstatement' mean? It means a lie. 

Some years ago, we heard Ms Hillary Clinton say, '...I misspoke...'. Misspoke means lying.

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23789011

Do you think there should be synonyms of 'lying'? Or, should it only have one antonym: Truth?

Final fire

It is easy to have the delusion

That soft corners are forever,

But no corners are left behind,

Whether soft or hard,

In the final fire.

 

The Atman lags behind

 

The Atman lags behind

As the mind races.

The gap keeps increasing,

Through lifetimes,

And lifetimes,

Sometimes the mind slows down,

When it is caught in Alzheimer's,

Or, when caught in the trembles

Of the Richter Scale,

And sits down to catch its breath,

Sits down to pray.

How many calamities

Will we need

Till the Atman catches up

With the mind?