Miss-information

Most people are aware nowadays of the fact that not all 'news' is true; particularly the ones spread via social media.  Here is a little game that teaches you about how those kinds of news are generated, in the hope that you will be able to spot them in the future.

Communicate to Heal

I am presenting a session at the Toastmasters District 84 conference in May 2021.  The session is titled Communicate to Heal.  I have a survey associated with the session. 

Travel during the Pandemic

Travelling during the pandemic is a tricky proposition.  Airports are said to be transmission hot-spots.  Airplanes are potentially also super spreading sites.  Trains and buses are likely as risky as flying.  Driving your own car is likely safer, except when you stop for food, gas, rest, etc...

A simpler solution is to just not travel physically, but instead travel virtually !  With Youtube and other sites hosting free videos of people travelling all kinds of exotic locations, you can just travel virtually from your own home.

My process for virtual travel is:

1. Pick a place

2. Go to youtube and search for “Virtual Travel <place_name>”

3. Pick up to 5 videos and watch them.

I also have another screen with:

• Google maps and 

• Browser

to look at maps and the history of monuments and places featured in the video.

Here is a link to the places I have visited virtually

Let me know if you find other great videos for virtual travel !

McCarthy TeamWork BootCamp

(Picture from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_McCarthy_(author) )

A few years ago, I came across the "23 1/2" rules of software development from Jim McCarthy.  I found the rules to be full of wisdom and started to use them.  I recently came across a later list of 54 rules.

I enrolled in a mailing list related to the rules, and heard about a TeamWork BootCamp that Jim and Michele McCarthy ran.  The purpose of the camp is to create a team that ships great products starting from a group of individuals; in a relatively short time.  The full in-person boot-camp is ~ 5 days.

If you want to create a great product (or service), I highly recommend the BootCamp.

The theoretical basis for the program is described in their book – Software For Your Head.

McCarthy TeamWork BootCamp main site is http://www.mccarthyshow.com/

Tom DeMarco wrote a review of the BootCamp, and here are some other useful references:

• Blog on Boot Camp by Adam Feurer
• Core Protocols google site
• Core Protocols for Shared Vision site
• Blog on Team Tips by Paul Reeves
• An approach to build great (agile) teams by Hannes Horn
• Emotional Intelligence — the secret ingredient behind high performing teams by KD Singh Arneja
• Better meetings with the Core Protocols by Peter Antman
• Richard Kasperowki’s site has lots of resources, including:
• Positive Bias: the Foundation for High-performance Teams

Dimanche Domino la Rue Desforges

My grand-mother (nani Beda) used to live at 72 Rue Desforges, Port-Louis and every Sunday morning, there used to be a big game of Dominos.  We usually had her sons Ismet, Toto and their friends Salim Toque and his brother Rafiq.  Sometimes Him (Abdool Raheem Seetal), and Doudou (Abdool Currim Seetal) would also join in.

It was a noisy, festive affair.  Nani Beda would fry 'gateaux piments' and someone would get hot freshly baked dipain maison from the bakery across the street (Boulangerie La Cheminée).  We would split the dipain in two, coat it liberally with di beurre plume (Red Feather butter), then stuff it with gateau piment.

Study group chez Gajack

When I was in RCPL (I think in lower six), we had a Sunday study group at our friend's place - Osman Rajack - in Trou Fanfaron.  We would review mostly Maths and Physics, and I think other than Osman, we had A3 (Atifur Ayoob Abdool), Bagal (Anwar Auckburally) and maybe some others, but I don't remember.  We sometimes had Osman's brothers pop in, and also Ti Taras (Mamade don't_ remember_his_last_name).

However, the star of the occasion was the rotis that Osman's mum used to make for us, and the 'café chamarel' his dad made.  Those rotis were out of this world.  Morning rotis were with curry pomme de terre in masala and chutney pomme d'amour and chatini cotomili. Dinner rotis were stuffed with giromon touffe and brede songe and all kinds of other good stuff, like zachard legumes.  One or two of those and you were in food coma nirvana !

Working From Home and COVID-19

Advice/Quotes for this period

If you are working from home, you need to create time to take care of yourself every day.  It can be a walk around the block, some meditation, sitting in the garden, anything that takes you away from work and home life.  Start small and build on it.

Every hand that we don't shake must become a phone call we place.
Every embrace that we avoid must become a verbal expression of warmth and concern.
Every inch and every foot that we physically place between ourselves and another, must become a thought as to how we might be of help to that other, should the need arise.

Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky

Keep a schedule, still get dressed and shower, try to eat as you would in the office, and generally remember to act like you are at work. Otherwise you show up with pj's on, no makeup, hair like a whirlwind, and never sleep.

S Chavez

During Video Conferences, go around the 'room' by last name and give everyone an opportunity to speak.

G. Hui

One thing I do (even when at the office) is declaring out loud: "I'm Done Work for the Day!". It flips a switch in your mind to shift form work mode to home mode. This is more important when your work and home is the same place. Some of us have even started posting this in our team slack channels to foster a greater sense of community.

C Onuczko

Take care of your mental health during this time. And a big part of this is taking time to step away from your computer to refocus yourself physically and mentally.  Staring at your screen for 8+ hours a day without moving is not good - so please be sure you walk away for a few moments during the day.

A Hobbs

If you get anxious and depressed because you cannot go out, look for that list of tasks you have been procrastinating, and every time you feel like you need to go out, pick one task and do it ! :-)

Links:

10 Self-care rituals during the Pandemic

How to beat burnout

Lots of great tips about how to stay focused and productive when working from home
Video conference etiquette
Coping with Stress During the Covid19 Outbreak
How-to-work-from-home-without-losing-your-mind
How-to-host-a-virtual-coffee-fika
CDC COVID-19 site
Working from home with your partner

I can still taste the candy!

I recently came across this great story:

There was an old man who was admitted to the hospital.
A young man visited him every day, and sat with him for more than one hour.
He helped him eat his food, and take his shower.
Then he took him walking in the garden of the hospital.
After that he brought him back to his room and helped him to lie down.
He then left after making sure the old man was well.

One day the nurse entered his room, to give him medicine and inspect his condition, and said to him:

"May the Lord be always gracious to your kind and caring son. Every day he visits you and shows great care."

He looked at her and closed his eyes and said to her:

"I wish it was one of my children. This is an orphan from the neighborhood where we live. I met him one day, crying at the door of a Masjid, after his father died. I comforted him and bought for him candy. I neither saw him nor talked to him for a very long time.

When he grew up and came to discover where my wife and I were living. He was visiting us every day to inspect our conditions. When I later fell sick, he took my old wife to his home. He then comes to the hospital to see my treatment everyday. One day I asked him: My son why do you have to deal with us and care about us?

He simply smiled and said: I can still taste the candy."

Should you board your windows before the Hurricane ?

Boarding your widows before the arrival of a Hurricane is one question that has eluded definitive answers from "the Google".

The basic idea is that your windows may not survive the hurricane, so it may be prudent to 'board them up' usually using plywood, but if you cannot get those, you can use fencing panels (plywood usually sells out just before hurricanes).

Your windows could be damaged in 2 ways:

• Flying debris fly through your window 
• Window cracks and smashes just because of wind strength

You window may also 'let water through' when you have rain and strong winds.

Many newer houses have windows that are storm rated to some extent.  But that does not necessarily mean they won't get damaged.  For some of the "double glazed windows with gas inside", the gas inside of them can leak out, so they lose any kind of pressure.

Boarding with plywood is also no guarantee that your window will survive.  All depends on the force with which the flying debris hits it.  Boarding with metal storm shutters are safer, but usually need to be ordered well in advance.

As I stated above, "The Google" does not know the answer to this question. 

My strategy has been to:

• Make sure I have enough plywood, tools and supplies to board my windows
• Keep an eye on what the neighbors are doing
• If my gut tells me I need to board, then I do

I have been in Florida since 2005 and have not boarded my windows yet, and not had any damage.

Hajj 2018

Hajj

My wife and I went to the Hajj pilgrimage in 2018. It was definitely a once in a lifetime trip. We made the decision to go at fairly short notice, so there was not much in terms of extensive preparations, but it all went well.

There are many articles on how best to prepare for the Hajj, and I referred to them for our preparations.

One item we had difficulty finding was antiperspirant with no fragrance, because for part of the pilgrimage, the wearing of perfume is not permitted. We eventually got some from a pharmacy in Medina. So if you get stuck like us and were not able to get some from your home country, you could get it in Saudi Arabia and a pharmacy may be a good bet.  The one we got was from Louis Widmer :

Mette lor Dum !

"Mette lor Dum !" is an expression in Kréol Morisiyen to refer to a specific stage in the cooking of a Biriani (typically at a wedding feast - in the large 'Degs') in Mauritius. The Indian equivalent (specifically Hyderabadi) is to dum cooking.

See my earlier post for pictures of Degs and Biriyani at a Mauritian wedding.

Dampokhtak
Asaf-ud-Daula

Mauritian Creole

I am fascinated by many of the words in Mauritian Creole... what they mean and how they came about.

Here are some that I love:

Fiél
Fiél = moxie (="force of character, determination, or nerve.")

Pingét
Adjective applied generally to an 'impertinent' girl

Ti Piment
Adjective applied generally to a 'sharp-tongued' girl


Are there any words you are fascinated with ?

Coca Cola - Ramadan 2018

My first Piano teacher

Just found out from my mum that my first Piano teacher was Ms Agatha Macascin (Macaskin ?), who lived on Dauphine st near the Lallmamodes. We bought our first piano from Ms Rosette at the top of la rue L'Arsenal and then later sold it to Mr Ardil Ghanty for Rs400. I failed my first piano exams, so Mme Bach became my second piano teacher. We bought Mme Bach's son's piano.

Origins of my Violin - Part 3 and Conclusion !

I found the names of the sisters my mum bought my violin from; Rita and Augustine Galdemar! Got the names from my buddy Alain D'Espaignet - aka "Billy the Kid" ! I did a search of the names and came across two documents :

Relevés du cimetière de Port-Louis Ouest

Reference to "LE PETIT CHOSE, pseud. (Ange Galdemar) — Lettres à ma cousine. Mercantile Record Cy. 30p." in EARLY IMPRINTS AND PRIVATE PUBLICATIONS

Fruits of Mauritius - Watouk

I recently heard about an obscure fruit from Mauritius called Watouk. After asking for help, I got this from Bashdev: "Watouk also known as clidemia hirta produces berries. Called locally as fraise lolou"

An RCPL74 friend found a paper about the plant. I believe you get it around Plaine Champaigne - where we get goyaves de Chine.

Origins of my Violin - Part Deux

I wrote a blog post a while ago about this and just got some new information. It's possible that the 2 sisters we bought my violin from raised Frances Tursan D'Espaignet, who became a Maths teacher at St Joseph college in Mauritius. One of the sisters taught piano, and the other taught violin. Frances D'Espaignet was an orphan raised by his 2 aunts. Frances D'Espaignet eventually built a house and lived on La Rue Blondeau in Rose-Hill.

Hurricane Prep - Mauritius v/s US - post Irma

Hurricane Irma is now gone. I now have some time to reflect on the Hurricane (aka Cyclone) experience in the US compared to Mauritius.

Main differences :

Hurricane prep. In Mauritius, Hurricane prep does not include buying a weather radio (because most households have radios already), or bottled water (because most houses have a water tank above the house; or 'basins' around the house, and/or we fill up all available large containers with water). In the US, the run on bottled water and gas always surprises me. I am not sure why folks don't just fill up their large pots and pans with water (do people not have large pots and pans anymore ?). The run on gas is understandable because in the US we have the option to evacuate and drive out of the path of the hurricane. No such option in Mauritius.

Hurricane prep in Mauritius also does not generally include 'boarding up' your house. Mostly because the old wooden colonial houses have 'built-in' shutters already - you just have to close them. New houses are made of reinforced concrete with strong windows (I don't think we have shutters on the concrete houses). In the US, we typically have a run on plywood that we cut to board up our windows.

A big part of hurricane prep in Mauritius involves taking down your outdoor TV antenna and is, unfortunately, one of the major causes of fatalities - folks getting electrocuted while on their roofs.

US weather services do not use a warning class 1-4 like in Mauritius. Makes sense since the US and in this case, Florida is so much bigger than Mauritius (~ 83x). Otherwise, they would need to issue a different 'Warning class' for each location. Which they 'kind of' do - they issue a Hurricane Watch, then a warning when it gets more serious. At least that's what I think they do - the definitions for the terms are on the NOAA site.

US weather services tend to use a 'cone' which can be confusing as some people think it represents the area expected to experience the worst winds, when if fact it represents projected trajectory of center of hurricane (I might not be exactly right here, so if someone knows better, please let me know).

Communicating with friends and relatives in the aftermath of the hurricane is very different. In Mauritius, the phone service is always down at some point during a hurricane hit, but somehow everyone eventually knows what happened to you. The general assumption is you fared the same as them, since the place is relatively small, and exceptional damage is transmitted rapidly by word of mouth. In the US, these days social media is the main method. I found Facebook updates the most efficient. Single post - most friends. Then Whatsapp for relatives.

Another difference in the aftermath is in Florida, a lot of folks who don't have power just move to a hotel. No such behavior has so far been observed in Mauritius.

I think that covers the differences.

The things that are the same are:

run on batteries before the hurricane
trimming of trees ideally well before hurricanes
glued to the TV weather services for updates in the lead-up and during
power loss at some point during
waiting for power to be restored and dealing with no power
no school (Yippie ! :-) )
cleanup and repairs (Booohoooohoooo :-()

Success and Wealth

I overheard someone talking about this topic, and it triggered a flood of thoughts in my mind. Is wealth the same as success? If you are poor, does that mean you have failed at life? I think the answer to both questions is NO! Here is a graph of those metrics:

What the graph aims to show is that Wealth and success are orthogonal- i.e. they are statistically independent. That is my opinion/guess. One of the difficulties with this topic is that while it can be argued that wealth can be objectively measured (ignoring issues like the value of your health), success is probably a very subjective measure. The definitions I came across were "the accomplishment of an aim or purpose" and/or "the attainment of popularity or profit". The talk I overheard was a religious one, and the argument was that success is practicing the virtues, while failure is wallowing in the vices. Even if you are not religious though, it is worth pausing to think about what you are trying to achieve with your life. Is it wealth? Or Success? (or Happiness or Health .... or....)

Wedding dinner - Bride's side

Mauritius wedding trip - Part 4

This one was similar to the Wedding dinner on the boy's side, except that the order of arrival was reversed. This time (since we were on the girl's side), we arrived 'mid-way' through the proceedings, and tried to make a fanfare. The dinner was held at Rabita Hall.

Again, there was a podium where the bride and groom sat, and guests would go up and chat with them, and near the end of the dinner, would take pictures with them.