Hippopotamus and the Tortoise

Hi, I recently received an e-mail, which is very inspiring. I thought I would like to share the same with you all. So, here it goes.....

These are truly amazing pictures. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

NAIROBI (AFP) - A baby hippopotamus that survived the
Tsunami waves on the Kenyan coast has formed a strong
Bond with a giant male century-old tortoise in an animal
Facility in the port city of Mombassa, officials said.
The hippopotamus, nicknamed Owen and weighing about
300 kilograms (650 pounds), was swept down Sabaki
River into the Indian Ocean , then forced back to shore
When tsunami waves struck the Kenyan coast on
December 26, before wildlife rangers rescued him.

"It is incredible. A-less-than-a-year-old hippo has adopted a
Male tortoise, about a century old, and the tortoise seems to
Be very happy with being a 'mother'," ecologist Paula Kahumbu,
Who is in charge of Lafarge Park , told AFP.

"After it was swept away and lost its mother, the hippo was traumatized.
It had to look for something to be a surrogate mother.
Fortunately, it landed on the tortoise and established a strong bond.
They swim, eat and sleep together," the ecologist added.
"The hippo follows the tortoise exactly the way it followed its mother.
If somebody approaches the tortoise, the hippo becomes aggressive,
As if protecting its biological mother," Kahumbu added.

"The hippo is a young baby, he was left at a very tender age and
By nature, hippos are social animals that like to stay with their
Mothers for four years," he explained.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take,
But by the moments that take our breath away."

This is a real story that shows that our differences don't matter
Much when we need the comfort of another.

So, I think that we could all learn a lesson from these two creatures of God,
"Look beyond the differences and find a way to walk the path together".

What do you think?

I Am Late!

Has there been any incident in your life when you were late for school or office? Oh yes! I am one of the victims of this sorrowful incidence.

The sharp sound of the huge alarm bell ringing echoed in my ears. I woke up warily and noticed that I was five minutes late. Thus, I hastily got ready for school. Luckily I was in time.

I think there was some enrapturing news in the newspaper because my father was stuck to his seat. After a huge argument he stood up reluctantly. Without a word I sat down beside him in the car and had a fleeing glance at my watch. As expected I had very little time to reach school at the nick of the hour.

Suddenly our car came to a screeching halt. As this disaster struck I was now sure that there was no chance that I would not be late for school. I cursed my lucky stars. The fierce faces of my teachers now floated before my eyes.

I learnt that there was some technical failure in the car. The big and hefty machine was pushed to the mechanics garage. It was then repaired in ten minutes. I looked at my watch and my heart sank in disappointment, as it was already 7 o’clock (the time my school begins).

I wondered how my friends would react if I, the most punctual student, reached late to school. The confused faces of my friends searching for me in the vast crowd of school children lingered before my eyes.

With all these gloomy thoughts I finally reached school. I ran to the school gate but to my dismay the gate was already closed. After a lot of pleadings with the watchman, I was unwillingly admitted inside.

As soon as I reached my class I got some knee shaking glories from my teachers! I tried my best to explain that I was late through no fault of my own, but my clarifications fell upon deaf ears. How I wished I could disappear into the thin air! As my day began with a bad note, I was cranky and annoyed throughout the day.

I have something to say to those suffering from anguish due to these reasons. Life does not always run on a smooth track so we should learn to accept it as it comes! At times, listening to a bit of scolding is better than trying to defend yourself, by retorting back.

Has something similar to this happened with you too? Why not tell me then??

Rain

Like crystals of liquid

They fall on the ground

Bringing happiness, greenery

And natural beauty all around

Flowers blossom in amusement

And the peacocks are an enchanting sight to see

The bare fields now yield many crops

Gazing at such a scene is delighting to me

The wonderful fragrance of the flowers

And the lovely colors of the peacock’s plumes

The rainbow above the lush green fields

All these in the fresh air blooms

The rain is so charming

And brings such enjoyment

I just love the sight of it

And watching it is a great entertainment!

Laugh Till You Drop!!

Everyone has a funny bone, so today I am back to tickle your bone till you don’t fall off your chair (laughing of course!). Hope you enjoy it!

Funny Animals

A struggling actor walks into a zoo for work.

“The Gorilla has died. I will pay you $ 300 to dress in this monkey suit and amuse the visitors.” Says the manager.

The actor agrees but the visitors soon get bored of him and move on the lion’s cage. Desperate to keep his job, the actor climbs up the lion’s cage and dangles just out of the reach of the lion. This infuriates the lion but amuses the visitors. He performs this stunt attracting a huge crowd. Thrilled, the manager gives him a bonus.

The next day, he loses his grip and lands at the feet of the lion.

“Help, Help me” he shouts in terror and starts running.

“Shut up! Do you want both of us to lose our job??” asks the lion as he pounces on him.

Sleep-o-mania

“You’re sleeping on the job again! This is too much! You’re fired from the first day of the next month!” shouts an angry boss.

“It’s not the first day so for God’s sake why did you wake me up just now???” retorts the employee.

Silence & Bang = Chess Boxing!

Do you people remember one of my earlier posts “Chess – A Game Of Brainees”? I think now I have to rethink about the concept. Recently while I was scanning the newspapers, I stumbled upon a bizarre game – Chess Boxing!

Sounds great, huh? I then did some research on this topic and am now sharing my knowledge with you.

Chess Boxing, what’s that? A French film director & cartoonist Enki Bilal invented this game in 1992. He wrote a famous graphic novel titled “Froid Equateur” in which the plot revolves around his imaginative chess boxing. Later a Dutch artist Lepe Rubingh was inspired by this and thus brought this concept to life.

This game is played by a 4 minute round of chess, followed by a 2 minute round of boxing. It consists of upto 11 alternative rounds of chess & boxing. There is a 1 minute break in between for the players to change their gears.

Now you must be wondering how the winner is decided? The game is decided by checkmate or knockout. If the match is a draw, then the better boxer wins.

This sport already has an internationally recognized association called the World Chess Boxing Association. The game is based on the motto “Fighting is done in the ring and wars are waged on the board”.

So now you guys too get ready to exercise your brain & be smashed out too!!