Chocolate Sandwich and Fence around Sidewalk Cafe

First time went to the Chocolate Sandwich shop open by my brother in partner with his friend at Ashok Nagar, Chennai. I was way back applying for a new national Identity Card for Differently Abled, which has been pending for a long time, from the Govt. Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine in KK Nagar. Since the shop located close to the centre and on the way back, we stopped for a cup of coffee that let me check the shop in person as I haven’t visited during its opening in June.

Just like the name the shop sells different kinds of chocolates and sandwiches, along with milkshakes, donuts, burgers, and ice creams with latterly added hot premium coffee. Though it’s not a big shop I like the way they executed the idea, and captured the theme in chocolate brown and green and setting up the shop prettily (opposite to a playground) which I find so ideal. The most attractive thing for me particularly was the sidewalk cafe outside the shop which was fenced in bamboo that gleams in green. The shop located in a quiet environment unless kids playing at the ground and the sidewalk cafe will let someone relaxes through the evening and ideal for friends to converse.

Variety of chocolates displayed inside the  shop

The shop provides more than dozen seats in company of four tables (two inside and a couple outside) and free WiFi enable to access internet is plus of this shop. During my visit today, I find someone settle at a corner kept access to his mobile and enjoys the cool ambiance inside the shop tasting his favorites at leisure. Though I don’t like sandwich (perhaps because I haven’t tasted one before) I would like to visit the shop for its delicious chocolates and coffee. Two days back my dad bought sugar free chocolate for me from there but didn’t sweet as regular chocolates but it’s a gift to those experience diabetics with a desire for chocolates. (all photos shot with mobile camera)

Linking this post for Run a Round Ranch's Good Fences

Row of Boats

Few weekends back I was at Kovalam beach on ECR and we stopped there for a while when coming back from Mamallapuram on a brief ride come outing. Kovalam being a huge fishing hamlet and being Sunday evening the boats were parked a lot along the shoreline. The day was hotter when we hit the road by noon but evening become slightly cool as clouds form around the sky when we reached Kovalam.

It was time between 4-5pm so there weren’t enough crowds at the beach but there was constant rise as we wait future and before move out of the area, to avoid getting jammed since this is a beach where lot of people from Chennai’s southern suburbs would visit for mild entertainment. Here are some photos on the fishing boats that parked nearly along the curvy shoreline and as I haven’t took my camera that day, the picture were captured from my sister’s (cousin) Smartphone.

Boring

A word I hear frequently uttered by the young world these days is “boring”! Though I haven’t met many people uttering the word, but the posture of some of the young people in my family circle and the way they spell it out gives me a perception that many should follow this pattern.  Nowadays, I think not many are ready or interested to spent time with others (in person) unless it’s relevant to gadgets someway. But I think they are enriched with knowledge and we can learn many things from them if they like to share with us. But they are ready with their word (bore) at the tip of their tongue, to spit, stopping us at a word without letting a chance to complete the phrase.

Though today’s young people (in their teens and 20s) are sophisticated and open to everything, and yet get things easily, their world somehow seem to be confine with abundant or shrunken to get lost interest quickly as they don’t have to wait for anything. I think the young ones these days have no patience to listen to anyone anymore and exhibit indifference in attitude when treating others. Their advanced knowledge works well only on dealing gadgets, and when it comes to relationship and sharing they lack density. I see the reason behind them to utter boring is lies within the definition of the word meant uninterested. 

During my days of growing (as teen and youth) I don’t remember using the word or felt alike often when the kids in current time period  grumble a lot about it. Though I have just come out of the layer, I sense a lump difference in activities and expectation. Even I lost the mobility I have been active throughout my life in some ways and interested to do so many things and interact with others to keep myself occupied and learn something. But the word (boring) come from the tender lips make me frustrated and when they feel bored even not completing a quarter century (and still at the beginning of their life) I wonder how could they become fruit bearer.

Today’s young ones expect everything to be instant like washing hands as soon eat away or wipe in napkin to crumple away, and go plainly on the recommended (which seems coping with others) rather selecting the custom way where they could witness hope, and a distinctive feel and inspiration to keep travelling without changing a layer for the other. And I am saying this because they have to understand what their passion is and interested to do, because choosing things on recommend doesn’t meant to suit them. 

An old boathouse

The boathouse located at one of the corners of the Kodaikanal Lake (which resembles the shape of a start) is a pretty one and capture my attention every time I come around the lake during my visits to Kodaikanal. I think it is an old boathouse and perhaps abandoned now, as I ever seen it operated like the other boathouses that gather crowd.  But what I like more about this boathouse was its hut like structure that in a way look alike the traditional houses of China.

The Kodaikanal Lake has been fenced throughout (to keep away the public polluting the lake) and these are photos shot from the car, so I couldn’t avoid fence hindering the boathouse. Hope I could get a detail photo on the boathouse in my next turn. 

Linking this post for Run a Round Ranch's Good Fences

Prohibition of liquor is possible, quite?

A plea for prohibition of liquor in our State (Tamil Nadu) has been there for long and one of the leading political parties has prohibition as their main policy and demanding for it quite long time. But in last few years other political parties too took flag against the sales of liquor, which was done through Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) – a company owned by state government.

Very lately the main opposition party (former) leader promised to bring prohibition in the state if they are back in power, perhaps if they win the 2016 assembly election. But it was like a manifesto that supposed to release with the intention of election, the issue become too serious with the demise of Gandhian Sasi Perumal, during his protest to shut a TASMAC shop. He has been protesting in favor of prohibition for long period on the principles of Gandhi – particularly on the idea of nonviolent resistance.

Now almost political parties and various institutions in Tamil Nadu has leap into the issue and urges the state government to implement the prohibition immediately. Some going to the extreme took the issue in their hands to break through and putting fire to the TASMAC shops in the suburbs. Its obvious liquor/alcohol is ill to health and many families suffers because of the head of the family becomes a drunkard and destroy all the economy and hope, his family got on him towards their future.

No doubt, prohibition is must! But implementing immediately is quite impossible I think. I also wonder how people, even with great wisdom believe that closing the liquor shops will stop people from drinking. I know if there’s availability people used to it constantly but what if a road blocked? Isn’t there any other route to reach the destination and in this case to get the feel of intoxicated? People don’t think from the mind of drunkards or those addicted to alcohol. It’s not easy for them to stop consuming alcohol suddenly which is somehow possible only in the case of occasional/social drinkers.

I know people who live on the purpose of only drinking and seem to be intoxicated always. Even a day or two without drinking put them into troublesome and feel anguish and perhaps there are chances of attempting suicide if they are quite out of control. But it does not mean that we have to let them drink forever (and die soon), but it’s a social responsibility to bring them out of the habit and as a initial step in reducing the number of consumption of liquor, the government and social organisations should encourage those who want to come out of addiction and give treatment through rehabilitation centers for free of cost.

On other hand the government should also take step in reducing the sale of liquor rather targeting how to increase the marketing. There has been constant growth (of about 20 percent) at the sales of liquor, from the financial year 2002-03, which proves that those consume liquor has been increased, even though the price could have rose apparently we could not deny the fact and crowd we see in front of the liquor stores. The govt. should come up with creative ideas how to prevent people going blindfold behind liquor bars and also develop an alternate source (parallel) to balance their fiscal lose if they implement prohibition, in a slow and steady progress.

Although it’s good to see people (esp. students) come together with great force and protest against the liquor sale and urging the government to shutdown the shops. Instead shouting and taking violence in hand people should think in silence and try to understand where the problem lies and what the ways to prevent drunkard from drinking. I personally feel the film industries and films especially are encouraging indirectly the drinking habit through the scenes of drinking. I find almost films made in recent years have a scene or two that remind liquor even those who want to give up.

There’s a singer come lyricist called gana Bala, who write songs that praise liquor and habit of drinking. Wish he stops writing such songs that encourage alcoholics and inspire non-drinkers to the habit. Let whoever comes to the power, promise whatever they want to but make certain the prohibition has been implemented at right method and manner that does not let in illegal booze and other drug items that affect the lives of drinkers to worse.