- Contents
- Science
- My trip to Muscat-Aravind.G
- My Super Druper Holiday- Meera Kumar
- The boy who loved petrol-Aravind.G
- A,B.C..-Aravind.G
- Nostalgia- Radhika.G
- My Oboe- Meera Kumar
- Mr.Riddle Giggle- Aravind.G
- Life is splendid gift- Radhika.G
- Punch Line- Aravind.G
- Jokes- Radhika.G
- Book Review- Radhika.G
- The Time Machine- Aravind.G
- Hardy Boy
- Note-Note
X-ZONE
Q: What has a resistance of 100 Ohms in moist conditions and 50,000 Ohms when dry?
Q: Name the hormone produced by mammals in times of danger or when exercising so that they react quickly.
Q: Which animal is described as having the skeleton of a bison, the hair of a goat, the tail of a horse, the head of a cow and grunts like a pig?
Q: What begins life as a male, becomes a female and then alternates for the rest of it’s life?
Q: Name the only animal with a moveable upper jaw.
Plus 2:-
Q: What is the common name for ‘Bovine Spongiform encephalopathy’?
Q: What does ‘immediate permanent incapacitation’ mean?
ANSWERS:
- The human body
- Adrenaline
- The yak
- An oyster
- An alligator
Plus 2
Back To Top
- Mad Cow Disease
- Death
$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $
y trip to Muscat
*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.* Back To TopDuring the holidays , my father planned to go to Muscat , but I did not want to go. The reason was that the Shopping Festival was going on in Dubai , and I did not want to miss a single activity or show. My father told me that the shows won’t disappear in one day, and that it would be fun in Muscat . Anyway I decided to go to Muscat . At last we reached the border of Dubai . Mountains rose on either side of our car . My father got out of the car and showed his visa to a policeman . After that an Arab man checked our bags and allowed us to continue our journey . When I looked around I saw mountains rising in the middle of the city . At last we reached Asha auntie’s house .She told us that we could stay in her house for a few days and then go back to Muscat . I had a bath and was reading a book when Bhaviya and Chinnu came back from school . I called the house, ‘the house of girls’ because Bhaviya, Chinnu and Natasha ( the baby) were all girls except Ranji uncle . We had a lot of fun playing games with each other . The next day we went to Qurram park . We played on the rides and slopes . We visited a boat ruin . After that we went to Titus uncle’s house for lunch . I was surprised when I heard that my old friend Archies was Titus uncle’s neighbor. I played with him . The next morning I started my journey back to Dubai . We had our bags and visas checked at the border . One of the car’s tyres burst on the way . After fixing on a new tyre, we continued our journey . We reached Dubai after some time . "So, how was the trip ? " my father asked me, smiling . "Super ," I said . My father laughed and walked away . He knew that his plans would always work .
&&&&&&&&&&&Back To TopFriday 12 February ‘99
It was the last day of the half-term. I was excited because we were going to Singapore and Malaysia for the holidays and I was going to be picked up from school . My dad came to pick me up during the play time after lunch. He told me that mum was waiting in the car outside. When we went out every one in the play ground shouted 'good bye' loudly. Achan said that I must be very popular (I was very pleased!). Amma drove all the way to Roy Uncle's house in Manchester. There I changed my school uniform and wore a nice trouser and top. After refreshments, Kochumol aunty dropped us in her car to the airport. We were flying by Lufthansa. The flight was from Manchester to Frankfurt and then from there to Singapore. I was told that the journey from Manchester to Frankfurt was about an hour and it was about thirteen hours from there to Singapore. It was night when we reached Frankfurt and after dinner had a long sleep in the plane.
Saturday 13 February
When we landed in Singapore, I woke up thinking that it was morning and I was surprised to her the pilot announce that it was 5 p.m. Singapore time. Achan and Amma told me that we had lost eight hours because we had crossed the time zone. Singapore is in Asia, two degrees above the equator. It is a small island and the population is 3 million. The people are mainly Chinese, Indian and Malay. I soon realised it was my birthday. Changi Airport is very big and very clean. There were decorations, mainly, red and gold. There was a big banner with the words "Gong Xi Fa Cai". I knew it was something in Chinese. When we reached the Arrival, guess who came to pick us up? It was Satyamman and I have never seen him before. So too Achan. While we were in the taxi, I told Satyamman about the eight hours we had lost. He told me that we would gain those eight hours, when we got back. He also told me that the decorations were put up for the Chinese New Year and Gong Xi Fa Cai meant ‘Happy New Year’ in Chinese. When we reached his apartment, we met Beenammayi, Nithin (their eight year old son) and Sajeevchettan, who is Satyamman's cousin. They had arranged a Surprise party for my Birthday with a Chocolate cake and a present for me. It was a beautiful gold necklace with my initial M on the locket. I was very happy to meet them all, especially Nithin, who I thought will be my Aniyan. We all went for a short walk. It was very warm. 32 degree Celsius, compared to 2 degrees in England! When we got back, I was so tired, I went to sleep in two seconds!
Sunday 14 February
In the morning, Satyamman and his family, Sajeevchettan, my parents and I went to Sentosa. Before that we went to a restaurant called Komala Vilas. It was like McDonald's, but guess what we got to eat there? I had a large Neyroast (Ghee dosa) one Iddli and a vada. Rosemilk for the drink. It is a nice vegetarian restaurant and I remembered that the last time I ate the neyroast was at Shabarimala. Sentosa is a small island just off Singapore. It is an amusement island with lots of rides and exhibitions. You can get there by taxi, boat or cable car. The weather was nice and sunny and we took our swimming gear with us. We took the cable car from the top of a hill called mount Faber. It was a long ride in the cable car and the scenery was spectacular. We saw the busy Singapore port below us. When we reached Sentosa island a tour guide took us to see the exhibition called the ' Images of Singapore'. It told us how Singapore used to be a little fishing village and after many invasions by Japanese, English and Chinese how it became first a part of Malaysia and later became independent. It was turned into the rich country it is today by the hardworking, determined people. I thought the exhibition was at times a bit boring, Nithin thought too, but all the elders seem to enjoy it. We then went to the Underwater world. There we could walk under the water and look at a lot of sea creatures closely. We saw seahorses in many colours, the great white shark, the very poisonous blue ringed octopus and lots more. I creature I liked best was Dugong. It is said that the Dugong was the creature responsible for many stories about sighting mermaids. It looks like a smiling mermaid! There were 6000 different species of fish there to see. I tried to count, but gave up soon! Then after an ice cream break, we took the monorail. The monorail goes round Sentosa and we can get down and back again at any place we want. We
then stopped at the musical fountain stop and went to see a show called 'Cinemania'. It is a simulated ride. People sit in a sort of chair and there is a big screen in front. All the lights are turned off and the cinema begins. First it was an exciting car race and we feel that we are in the fast speeding car just avoiding the collisions. The seat moves up ,down, sideways etc. It feels real. The second one was a ride through a dangerous mine. We all enjoyed that. We then took the monorail back to the central beach. We all had a swim in the sea. The water was cold. The next stop was at the musical fountain. There we saw a large statue of Mer-lion. The legend says that it was the Mer-lion which appeared from the sea, who saved Singapore from a deadly storm many, many years ago. (Simha pura then became Singapore). The large statue was very impressive and it changed its colour every few seconds. Then we went to watch the musical fountain show, but by this time, Nithin and I were very tired and had a short sleep when the elders watched the show. We went to the food court and ate from a Thai restaurant. We ate well.
TO BE CONTD.
ONCE THERE WAS A BOY WHO LOVED PETROL ,HE WENT NEAR A CAR TO GET THE SMELL OF PETROL,
HE SLIPPED ON A TISSUE ROLL,
AND HE HIT HIS HEAD ON A POLE.
-
Aravind GaneshBack To TopA,B,C
WHAT DO YOU SEE ,
D,E,F
WHERE’S THE CHEF,
G,H,I
THAT’S A LIE !
J,K,L
RING THE BELL ,
M,N,O,
NO,NO,NO !
P,Q,R
THAT’S WHAT YOU ARE ,
S,T,U
ME AND YOU,
V,W,X
WHERE’S MY SPECS,
Y,Z
GO TO BED!
@;@;@;@;@;@;@
Just yesterday I saw a documentary -or a ‘travelogue’ as they called it- on Kerala called Ente Keralam. It gave a guided visual tour of Kerala in general and some places like Thalassery, Trivandrum and other places which I can’t remember the names of, in detail. Sadly, Kochi was not one of them. I wonder why- it is one of the most popular tourist spots in Kerala and very much developed too. Anyway, as I was saying, in this documentary, they displayed Kerala’s spectacular and stunning scenery- the hills, the lakes, the fishermen, the birds, the paddy fields which are, undeniably, a part of Kerala. I was wonder-struck, to say the least. Here was my homeland, in all it’s splendor, unveiled before my eyes, unfortunately, via television. I felt extremely homesick. The sheer beauty of the place made me want to weep. The green mangroves, the coconut palms swaying in the breeze, the little children playing barefoot in the rural areas, the shepherd with his goats, the young village-girl tethering the cow and her calf….. need I say more? This was MY home, MY homeland, MY Kerala…beautiful Kerala.
Memories gushed forth…. I vividly remember the grand times I had as a little girl in Ernakulam. Of course, the rural settings were not exactly a part of my life in Ernakulam city but I fondly reminisce about the lovely holidays I had spent at Valiamma’s house in Nayathode. The wonderful cold raindrops falling from the blue sky, the people running helter-skelter in search of a possible shelter from the rain, the schoolgirls and boys playing in the rain and jumping in the puddles, utter chaos all around- but a nice kind of chaos, I am at a loss of words to describe the heavenly feeling. I used to wait eagerly to get back from school to pester my baby brother who had been sleeping peacefully and to gorge the delicacies which Ammoomma usually prepared for lunch. Then, after a while, I would run off to the park opposite the house to play with my friends, not a tad bothered about the mosquito bites. The arguments I had with Mema, whenever she was at home. When she left for a course in Trivandrum, I used to await her frequent weekend visits eagerly. The terrible time Ammoomma and the maid must have had trying to dress me up for school during the times when neither my parents nor Mema were at home. My parents and Appu used to leave for Bombay on a short notice at times. Thankfully for Ammoomma and the maid, Eliammachechi, as we used to call her, they stayed there only for a brief period. I used to love going to the marriage ceremonies of friends and relatives. Not to see the ceremony itself, but for the pure ecstasy I derived from tasting the mouth-watering dishes at the sadyas or feasts. The good ‘ol days. Then, Mema got married, all of a sudden and I must confess, I wasn’t very fond of Sivaran for being the new centre of attention in the house. Now, I burst out laughing when I think about how silly I could be (things don’t change much, do they?) I guess I got over that when I went to India for my first vacation. That was truly the ‘bestest’ holiday I ever had. But things have changed and are going to change even more. I’ll be visiting India for the last time, for many years to come, this June. My relationships with many people there, whom I thought I’d never forget, have, undeniably, retrogressed. I know I can’t bring back that fun-filled childhood, nor can I go back in time. Neither can I renew these lost friendships. But the memories, some bitter, most sweet, will always remain in my heart forever. As much as I like Dubai, sooner or later, I will, inevitably have to leave this place. I’ll be sad then, too but not as sad as I am to be away from my country. It’s true what they say- there’s no place like home..
;1;1;1;1;1;1;
MY OBOE
An oboe is a woodwind instrument, first used in France, at the end of the 17th century. The name oboe comes from the French word haut bois meaning high or loud wood. The oboe is usually made from African black wood, but it can also be made from rose wood. There are many types of oboes. The English thumb-plate is the oboe I play, and has a double sided reed and a wide opening at its bottom. The Cor anglais, is the other main type. It has an egg shaped bottom and a crook at its top. A reed is made of cane or bamboo. Oboe is the only instrument which has a double sided reed, unlike the clarinet or the saxophone, which has a single sided reed.
The oboe is played mostly in concerts or orchestras. There are usually only two oboe players in an orchestra, but sometimes they could be up to four. My oboe teacher is called Emma Ringrose and she has been teaching me for a year. I am going to do my Grade I examination soon.
?,?,?,?,?,?,?
What did Columbus ask his men to do when they were lost in the desert ?
Call a bus !
*****************
There is a green forest . Inside the green forest there is a bright red fire . Inside the fire there are many tiny black houses . What is it ?
A watermelon !
*****************
What did the jack ask the car ?
Do you want a lift?
-Aravind Ganesh ;;;;;;;;;;;;;
-
Radhika Gopinath
Veena was a young girl, barely 8 years old, living in a rural area of Kerala in India. She looked like just any other lively child to me. But little did I know, the fatal disease lurking in the depths of her tiny body. Like any other stranger I had wondered why Veena had scanty hair on her head. But, such thoughts faded away soon enough when I came to know her better. Her mother, was a maidservant in my aunt’s house, and that was how I met Veena. A very jolly and happy-go-lucky child, Veena barely talked but I frequently heard her humming melodious tunes in her chirpy voice. She was a skinny creature. Her mother, exasperated, repeatedly coaxed her to eat but somehow the little girl cleverly got away without having a single morsel. At such times, I thought of her as a sharp-witted, naughty child full of energy. But, did I know, then what her cheerful exterior was concealing from the world? One day, as I was combing my young cousin’s hair into a ponytail, Veena came to me running, and requested me to do the same with her hair. At this, my cousin laughed and mockingly, told her she must have misplaced her hair, for she could not see it on her head, at which the children sitting on the porch laughed. Poor Veena, evidently hurt by their taunts and bantering, ran to her mother, sobbing. Later that day, her mother came to me and told me that she was leaving. When I asked her why, she told me that she wished for her daughter to spend her last days away from the cruel world. Last days? Yes, she told me, Veena had blood cancer. The doctor had said that she had only a few months to live. I was, to say the least, devastated. If that was my condition, imagine what Veena’s mother must be going through. Her only, darling child cruelly snatched away from her. And that too, at such a young age. I was leaving the village for the city that day. As I sat in the train, staring into the horizon, I realized that for all that people might say, life is, truly, a splendid gift.
Back To Top* * * * * * * * * * *
Once a man went to live in a city .
Mayor of the city to the man : " Can you shoe a horse ? "
Man (Cheekily): " YES ! I can shoo any thing ! "
Mayor ( Angry now ) : " I have a job for you . Shoo yourself out of this city ! "
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Aravind Ganesh *********************** JOKES Teacher : Boy, name 2 pronouns.Boy : Who, me?
Teacher : Correct.
Ursula Octopus : You know, my eight tentacles come in pretty handy, at times.
Flounder Fish : Oh. But, I guess you must spend a lot on Rexona (underarm deodorant.)
Once a reporter visited the Senate to meet the newly elected representatives. He met a Democrat and asked him, "How did you manage to get elected?"
"Simple," said the man, "Whenever I travel by a cab, I tip the driver liberally and then tell him, ‘Always vote for the Democrats.’"
Next the reporter met a Republican and shot the same question.
"Why, whenever I travel by a taxi, I make sure never to tip the cabbie and then, when I disembark I always tell him, ‘Always vote for the Democrats.’"
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Radhika.G Back To Top ***********************
Kim/Kimi
Kim/Kimi is one of the best books I’ve read so far and is also one of my favorites. I guess it suits my taste pretty well but I doubt if it will cater to the tastes of the older and more conservative class of humans.. It is a heart-warming tale- well, not exactly a tale, but more of an autobiography- of a young teenage girl who constantly gets summoned to the principal’s room for her mischief- so much, that her friend, Jav suggests that she use it for homeroom- and who tries to battle her adolescent feelings (though not too successfully) to get through her seemingly terrible life. She’s called- you guessed it- Kim Andrews or to be precise, Kimi Yogushi as well. You see, she is half-adopted, half-Japanese and a half-sister to a 12-year old, Davey. Confused? Believe it or not, she is, too. Can you blame her? Now, 16-year old Kim’s ‘assignment’, as Davey calls it, is to find the fourth half to make her life complete. This is the most interesting part of the book. So she travels all the way to Sacramento from Iowa to search for her identity. She meets strange and fascinating people in a even weirder land- the Bisignano woman, Barbara and Ernie Okamura, Mrs. Enomoto, Mr. Okamura, Minnie and finally, her father’s family. She takes this exciting journey to Sacramento where her dead father’s family is supposedly settled all alone and this journey gradually becomes one of self-discovery and an opportunity to learn lessons in life and to differentiate between reality and fiction. She comes to understand that this cradle of humans is not that bad a place to live in. She also comes to understand the terrible condition of the common people and their sufferings and woes, during World War 2 in the concentration camps and realizes that in reality, life’s not as simple and sweet like the romance novels that she reads. It is a very engrossing novel (I’ve read it over 15 times)- the humorous, witty Javanita; big, hairy Spider; gorgeous Jeffrey; old, nutty Mrs. Mueller; adorable, funny Ernie and most of all, cute and ‘smart-alec’ sort of a kid brother, Davey make reading this book a memorable experience.
Recommended for age-group- 9-18 (preferred by girls)
-Radhika.G
/P/P/P/P/P/P/
THE TIME MACHINE-Aravind Ganesh Back To Top
It was during one summer holiday that I got the book ' THE TIME MACHINE ' . It is the story of a scientist who bursts into his house , where his friends are patiently waiting for him . He claims that he has built a time machine which will take him to the past or to the future. He shows them the machine but they do not believe him . The next day he comes back , his clothes torn and blood flowing out of his feet . He tells his friends that he has gone to the past and to the future. Where has he gone , to the 1816s or to the year 2000 ? What has he done over there ? Or is this man mad ? Will his friends believe him ? Read all this in the book 'THE TIME MACHINE '. It is a very interesting book which all children and adults will enjoy. It is also my favourite book . In this book the scientist fights with some hairy monsters and makes friends with some ancient people . An ancient girl gives him some flowers and he finds his time machine after fighting with some hairy monsters . He then goes to THE GOLDEN AGE OF SCIENCE where he is caught by some men who think he is a spy . He boxes them down and returns to the present year . He shows his friends the flowers and tells them about his adventures . None of them believe him. Except one friend Filby . The scientist goes back to his time machine and goes to the past to get photographs but he never returns again. As I have told you all , about this book , I guess all of you will be eager to read the book ' THE TIME MACHINE '.
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@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@I was lazily browsing through the book-shelves at the City Center shopping mall, when a particular book caught my eye. It was a Hardy Boys novel by Franklin. W. Dixon. Being a devout fan of the dynamic duo- Frank and Joe Hardy and their thrilling exploits, I was naturally curious and more so, because the title was unusual- for a Hardy Boys novel. I picked it up and read the blurb on the book-jacket and I was immediately hooked. Several pleas later, I was a happy kid with my book in hand. As soon as I reached home, I grabbed the book from the grocery bag and read it before going to bed. I was aware of the fact that the story was set in India, but I was not really prepared for what was awaiting me. In a nutshell, the story is absorbing and I loved it! It goes like this: Frank and Joe, the famous Hardy brothers and detectives, are assigned to a case in place of their dad, the renowned private investigator, Fenton Hardy. The client is a film director in India’s film industry, Bollywood. He is Rajiv Kapoor. His problem is, someone is sabotaging the sets of his latest venture, and it’s costing him a lot. Not only money, but his cast, his confidence and the trust of his crew. Joe and Frank, work undercover as production assistants and come into contact with a lot of interesting characters many of whom are suspects as well. Mahesh Bhatt, Alok, Nikhil, Vijay, Kamala Devi, Sachin, Tariq and others. A fire on the sets, a ghost wanderer and many other exciting incidents and witty conversations make this book a very engrossing and scintillating for readers. A must-read for all Hardy Boys fans and adventure + mystery lovers. Three stars!
All of you kids, below 14 years, who are interested in getting your profile published in the magazine, please contact the Editor or Sub-Editor at elamanatimes@hotmail.com . Applicants should send in their profiles (2-3 copies) to the above address or to Ms.Radhika Gopinath, C/O K.Gopinath, P.B.52143, Dubai, UAE. Profile should include the foll.
