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Sunday, September 09, 2007

Picking up from where we left off.

Okay, so the vacation is over. The days of sun soaking, cocktail sipping, sunscreen spraying (yes spraying) and doing nothing are really over.

Life sucks.

For some, life is a vacation. Yes, Im taking about your lives SB, RN, and NK! For others (like me, at least at this point in time) there are only two phases in life. The all-about-work phase, and the when-I'm-not-doing-work phase. So this post is to celebrate the well balanced folks who have superb time management skills and seem to have time for everthing. I drink to u!

Pic of the day:

Is it an ape? Is it a fox? Is it a wingless bat or a confused cat? Name that animal!


(You've gotta love that expression!)


Last time's pic:

Looks like the game is getting interesting now. KSK, JM, PP... things are getting warmer..pretty quick. Think more eastern, and little more ancient. :-)

The script is called Kharoshti, and was the official script of Gandhar (modern day eastern Afghanisthan.. remember Taxila and Peshawar, gandhar prince (maama) Shakuni, the gandharva school of architecture, buddhist seat of learning..... u get the point).

If you are still reading ...here's a conversation starter (but would you really want to start a conversation like this??) ....you can trace slight commonalities between Kharoshti and many modern day scripts like (obviously) Greek, but also older scripts like Pehlavi (persian), Brahmi from which evolved the Gupta script, from which evolved Devanagri.

Some Geeky facts about Kharoshti (Kharoshthi.. whatever). I know this is totally uncalled for but, sometimes, I just cant help myself. (This is fodder for those whose conversation starter above didn't bomb in their face yet)

-Kharoshti is actually written Right-to-Left (like persianic languages), has symbols closely resembling greek characters, AND has a maatra system used to vary the consonants to denote associated vowels....and I belive it is the only ancient language that was used to represent multiple spoken languages (Pali, Prakrit, Sanskrit and Gandhara)
-Kharoshti was used bilingually with Greek especially on coins of some greek kings.
-It was also extensively used by king Ashoka making its way on to some of his very famous edicts, as well as many buddhist scriptures.
-It became extinct in 3 CE and was replaced by its structurally identical counterpart and the mother of all South Asian Languages the Brahmi Script.

Here is a very interesting website on ancient languages if you are interested. Definitely a must browse site! (Page directs to the south asian language tree with this link.) http://www.ancientscripts.com/sa_ws.html

Happy Reading!

<<<<<-:->>>>>

Today also happens to be: Grandparents Day, Hot Dog Day, Pet memorial day, Teddy Bear day, and Chrysanthemum day (if you are in Japan).

So if you have grandparents call/send them a minder that you soo love them, have a hot dog, miss your dead pet and hug a bear (make that a teddy). What the heck, take some mums to your dead pet's grave.


Till next time~

6 Comments:

Blogger Ketaki said...

Is it a baby baboon?
BTW, I really like the theme you're setting here - interactive blog. It's so cool and good reading material too!
I would've never read about the ancient scripts if it weren't for The Speaking Oracle. :)

11:29 AM  
Blogger Jay said...

i certainly second KK's thought (i am not sure if she would like being called KKK).. its cool to have this kind of interactive blog..
btw: is this of the lemur family?

2:10 PM  
Blogger Speaking Oracle said...

Oh man!! You guys are already on it!.. and so close already!


KKK sounds like a hate criminal (and KK reminds me of Kay Kay Menon & the singer.. far too common)..and KSK is far from that!!

Back to the pic...I now have to mostly hand it to you Jay I think...because lemur is biologically the closest family to ' Mr.SodaGlass-sitting-on-a-tree'.

One slight difference (and a clue for u all): Mr SodaGlass' family actually is more nocturnal. They sleep throughout the day and hunt/work/whatever in the night only (Sounds like the perfect life right?). Those soda glass eyes have nightvision!
Now,you guys should definitely be able to get it!

3:32 PM  
Blogger Jay said...

Speaking-oracle, u sure pick em dont u.. some long extinct script (i loved the info on kharoshti by the way; and confirmed somethings i long suspected) and now mr "soda glass eyes".. I did spend some time last evening looking up nocturnal primates, with night vision, and the closest guess i can make is that this is a Tarsier.. i maybe however one genus away, because, the ears and the facial characteristics are slightly different for the pictures I see in the internet. (or really bad resolution, don't know).

2:51 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is it a Douroucouli?
(Dont worry, I just googled based on your earlier comment. (the clues certainly help, and make it more interesteing whhen inspite of the clue it is so tough!)
I guess if google doesn't know the answer, then no one can, right?
-Priya

4:49 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hey lady, where is the new post? I thought you were on a roll?

-priya.

3:57 PM  

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