Friendship - An Inspirational Short Story

Horror gripped the heart of the World War I soldier as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle. Caught in a trench with continuous gunfire whizzing over his head, the soldier asked his lieutenant if he might go out into the "no man's land" between the trenches to bring his fallen comrade back. "You can go," said the lieutenant, "but I don't think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your life away." The lieutenant's advice didn't matter, and the soldier went anyway. Miraculously he managed to reach his friend, hoist him onto his shoulder and bring him back to their company's trench. As the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, and then looked kindly at his friend.

"I told you it wouldn't be worth it," he said. "Your friend is dead and you are mortally wounded." "It was worth it, though, sir," said the soldier. "What do you mean; worth it?" responded the Lieutenant. "Your friend is dead". "YES, Sir" the private answered. "But it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say, "JIM........, I KNEW YOU'D COME."
Many times in life, whether a thing is worth doing or not, really depends on how you look at it. Take up all your courage and do something your heart tells you to do so that you may not regret not doing it later in your life... "May each and every one of you be blessed with the company of TRUE FRIENDS."
"A true friend is one who walks in, when the rest of the world walks out."

Click Flick Prize !!

Ever since I have landed in Oman, I have been fascinated by the 'roundabouts' (large traffic islands at intersections and cross roads) over here. I have been clicking random photographs of these roundabouts all over Oman. A local weekly newsmagazine called 'Hi' conducts a monthly photography contest titled 'Click Flick' on different themes every month. Last month the theme was 'Roundabouts in Oman' and I sent a photo of the Salalah airport roundabout which I had shot during my visit to that place in July. I was pleasantly surprised when the results were declared on 28th August and I won the first prize - a brand new Olympus MEW760 digital camera. Here is the news item (click on the pics to enlarge) :

And this is the award winning photograph :

PS : There are already two claimants in the family for the 'new' camera!!

Fire Safety Links

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)-Research, statistics, quick facts and safety information for different occupancies.
www.nfpa.org

US Fire Administration- Research, free online courses , safety tips.
http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/

The Shriners produce a variety of Burn Awareness Supplies at no cost (Coloring books, crayons, stickers, etc.)
http://www.shrinershq.org/Hospitals/Burn_Awareness/

Florida Building Code 2007 ed.; NFPA 1-Uniform Fire Code 2007 ed.; NFPA 101 Life Safety Code 2007 ed.
http://www.naplesgov.com/Departments/PoliceandFire/FireBureau/
FireInspectionsandCodeEnforcement.aspx

A variety of safety tips:
http://www.fireeducator.com/

Source : Posted by Pamela DeMeo on Linkedin Groups

Carrier (read Career) or Stand ?

You may have heard the story of a young officer (Y.O) 50 years ago when he got a cycle loan and purchased one from the unit canteen. The cycle was a beauty (the way mobikes/cars are today) but did not have a carrier at the back. So he sent his orderly to get one fixed. When the cycle came back with the carrier fitted the Y.O. noted that the stand was missing. He went to the CSD authorised cycle dealer and asked him why the stand had been removed. He was told, Sahib ji,
"फौज में एक ही चीज मिल सकती है - कैरियर या स्टैंड। अगर स्टैंड लोगे तो करियर ख़तम और अगर करियर बनना है तो स्टैंड कभी मत लेना !"

This holds true for other organizations as well even to this date !

Uttarakhand

'Uttarakhand' is the name of the state to which I belong in India. I came across a brief historical description of my home state recently when I was invited to join a group of 'Uttarakhandis' on Facebook. I have plagiarised the passage and am reproducing it here for everyone's information.

Uttarakhand is both the new and traditional name of the state that was formed from the hill districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. Literally, North Country or Section in Sanskrit, the name ‘Uttarakhand’ finds mention in the early Hindu scriptures as the combined region of Kedarkhand and Manaskhand. Uttarakhand was also the ancient Puranic term for the central stretch of the Indian Himalayas. Its peaks and valleys were well known in ancient times as the abode of gods and goddesses and source of the Ganga River. Today, it is often called "the Land of the Gods" (Dev Bhoomi) because of the presence of a multitude of Hindu pilgrimage spots.Uttarakhand has a total geographic area of 51,125 km², of which 93% is mountainous and 64% is covered by forest. Most of the northern parts of the state are part of Greater Himalayan ranges, covered by the high Himalayan peaks and glaciers, while the lower foothills were densely forested till denuded by the British log merchants and later, after independence, by forest contractors. Recent efforts in reforestation, however, have been successful in restoring the situation to some extent. The unique Himalayan ecosystem plays host to a large number of animals (including bharal, snow leopards, leopards and tigers), plants and rare herbs. Two of India's mightiest rivers, the Ganga and the Yamuna take birth in the glaciers of Uttarakhand, and are fed by myriad lakes, glacial melts and streams in the region.At that time, present-day Uttarakhand also served as a haunt for Rishis and Sadhus. It is believed that Sage Vyasa scripted the Mahabharata here as the Pandavas are believed to have traveled and camped in the region. Among the first major dynasties of Garhwal and Kumaon were the Kunindas in the 2nd century B.C. who practiced an early form of Shaivism. They traded salt with Western Tibet. It is evident from the Ashokan edict at Kalsi in Western Garhwal that Buddhism made inroads in this region. Folk shamanic practices deviating from Hindu orthodoxy also persisted here.

Weekend Splash - Dolphin Watching

On 30 July three families from my department went for a 4-in-1 trip by a ‘Glass-bottomed Boat’ which included the following :
1. Dolphin Watching
2. Coral Reef Snorkelling
3. Glass Bottom Boat Experience
4. Coastline Cruise
The trip started at 0830 hrs from the ‘Marina Al Bandar’ and got over at 1200 hrs. It was a great experience for all of us except some of the ladies who felt seasick and could not fully enjoy the proceedings. I was able to click some nice photos from the sea which I am posting here :
(click on the photos to enlarge)

Had a tough time waiting for a Dolphin to appear !
Coral Reef seen through the 'Glass Bottom' of the boat.

A natural rock formation near the coast. Boats pass

through the opening during low tide.

Another famous rock formation which resembles

a 'Goat's Head' !

The Al-Bustan Palace Hotel.

The British Ambassador's residence on a hill top.

Private luxury yachts at the marina.

Salalah in Kharif Season !

Salalah is Oman’s second largest city and is the capital of the Dhofar (or southern) region. It is famous for ‘frankincense’ which is found only in this region. Salalah also has a unique climate especially during the months June to September (popularly known as the ‘Kharif‘ season) during which it enjoys cool, wet and misty monsoon. The temperature drops to twenties while the rest of the Arab world is scorching at its hottest at this time. The Kharif season is the peak tourist season when the population of this place nearly doubles and a carnival like atmosphere pervades the region. There are many places of tourist interest in and around Salalah.

I visited this place on 27/28 July after a gap of nearly six months and was amazed by the change in the climate and the environment. The barren hills around Salalah were green and the weather reminded me of Mussoorie during the monsoon. One notable destination for visitors is the Tomb of Prophet Job (locally known as Prophet Ayoub) which is located on a hilltop overlooking Salalah city. The Prophet is revered by Muslims, Christians and Jews alike and the tomb is open to all visitors. Following are some pictures of the said trip :

An aerial view of the town from the airport.

Yours truly en-route to Thumrait.

Green hills and misty skies !On the road from Salalah to Thumrait.

Footprint of Prophet Job !

The Prophet's Tomb.

UP Sainik School 'Old Boys' Get Together

Upsainians will be flocking to New Delhi on 25th July (Saturday) for a get-together planned at the Air Force Officers' Mess, Western Air Command, Subroto Park, New Delhi at 1930 hrs. Wish I was at Delhi ! On the agenda is the planning for Golden Jubilee Celebrations which are due in the school in December this year. So mark your diaries accordingly and let us make it a point to converge to UPSS in December this year !!

Occupational Safety & Health - More info !!

In continuation of a similiar post dated 23rd June, here are some more links to free information and resources related to Occupational Safety & Health :
http://hygeaplus.blogspot.com
http://andybrazier.blogspot.com
http://siri.uvm.edu/ppt/
http://safetyphoenix.blogspot.com
http://info.ogp.org.uk/safety/
http://freeinformationsources.wikia.com/wiki/Free_Health_Safety_%26_Environment_Information_Sources
http://fireworld.com/incident_logs/logs/
Enjoy !!!

Family in Oman

My family joined me here on 24th June (at last !). The boys went back to India on 05 July owing to their own commitments but will be back later. My better half will thankfully be staying back ( I am thus enjoying home cooked food after a gap of six months). Following are some pics shot during their various outings :

Gaurav at the famous Muttrah 'Souk'
Pranav & Seetu at the 'Corniche' area
Gaurav with His Majesty's yacht 'Al-Said' in the
background !

Pranav at the Corniche

Pranav with Muttrah Fort in the

background.

A view of the Muttrah market place.

Pranav & Fareed Al-Balushi(a colleague of mine

who took the boys on a couple of memorable

'trips'). Here the duo are relaxing at the

Muscat Diving Centre.

Fareed & Gaurav

Fareed with Haji Shaban - Mr Oman, Mr Gulf and

Mr Arabia besides other titles !

The boys with Mr Haji Shaban

Fareed & Yours truly (this was the first time I

saw Fareed dressed in western clothes !!)