It had its finer moments like Abhinav Bindra winning the first individual Olympic gold for India, the nuclear deal, India beating Aussies more than once but this is not what you are more likely to remember 2008 a few years down the line. What will stick out like a sore thumb at the mention of 2008 is the market meltdown and the terror attacks in Mumbai. The time to say good buy to 2008 and welcome 2009 is here and let's hope the New Year brings happiness, peace and prosperity.

Best wishes for the Christmas. I mentioned a few days ago that I may not be regular in my posts but I still managed to post pictures quite regularly. Tommorow I am going out of town and will not be posting images for the rest of this week. This drum is a part of decoration on our Christmas tree which Manu decorated with me. I Have a nice Christmas story for you but that will have to wait till next week.

Usually I am quite successful in making birds pose for me. I have photographed parrots, pigeons, kites, sparrows and other birds and not just birds, some cats have also posed for me. However this duck was proving to be a difficult case. I was following it around the the edge of the pond but it kept swimming away as if purposly trying to avoid me. Finally I called

"In view of the recent attacks, we have to be more careful. The public and the press have appreciated us and we should not let them down or do anything for that confidence to slip. We need to be extra vigil, we need to be alert, and we need to be on duty 24X7. Every time you go out, I want you to remember that you are not an individual, you are a part of a respected team and each and every one of you is a brand ambassador of Mumbai Police. Now go out and make this city safe. GO, go, go."

Batman Avenue? Strange name for a road. Let's see if I can find a Superman Street or Spiderman Lane as well. This is what I thought when I first saw the sign for Batman Avenue in Melbourne. Later I realised it was not named after the caped crusader who also goes by the name of Bruce Wayne but after John Batman-the man who found Melbourne. Actually he was the first guy who settled in Melbourne and founded Victoria.

The Indian market has not collapsed like the US market and the real estate has also not suffered the way it has in India. The sharp rise in price (about 300-400%) we saw in the last 5 years in Bombay has stopped and the prices has gone down but the real estate is still hell of a lot more expensive than it was 5 years ago.

So Henry Ford the second had made an enemy and decided to get even with him. He couldn't beat Ferrari on his own so he started looking for partners and finally tied up with Lola. What a name for a car. Anyway Lola was already using a Ford engine for one of their car. They made a mid-engined car and started racing it in 1964. In 1966, Ford managed to achieve what they set out to do.

“Do you want to buy Ferrari?”
“I would rather push a Ford than drive a Ferrari.”
“You don't get me. I am asking if you would like to buy the whole company, Enzo Ferrari wants to sell it?”
“Are you serious?”

And Henry Ford II couldn't resist the temptation. I mean it is hard to resist the temptation of buying a sports car and the thought of buying a company manufacturing racing cars must be like a wet dream come true to people like Henry Ford II who had the means of buying one.

This is Ford GT 2006. Ford used to make a racing car called GT 40 and that car was the inspiration behind this car. I remember watching the Top Gear review of Ford GT 40 and GT 90 on BBC by Jeremy Clarkson. Ford GT90 was another concept car but I guess it was never produced. A limited number of GT40s were made and Jeremy told the reason behind it. The original Ford GT 40 was not big enough to accommodate a driver of Jeremy's height.

I was sitting with Mira and Manu in our garden when I heard a loud bang. I rushed outside and saw this Maruti Zen being hit by a Tata 407. It was a relief that no one was sitting in the car. After that my attention went to the driver of the mini truck. In India a very common variety of accident is called “Hit and Run”. Hit and run means that it was your mistake and after you hit someone, instead of stopping you run the hell out of there.

If I could be granted one wish, I would like to get inside a child's brain. Ever since he was born, I am intrigued by him. The way a child thinks is amazing and so completely different than ours. I have seen him absorbed in deep thoughts while playing with his toys, or looking out the window or even while watching TV and in this case while posing for the camera.

If I buy a relatively inexpensive toy for Manu, I pick up two because I know if I pick only one Manu will ask me to buy another one "Tomorrow get one for Nayan too". Nayan is our next door kid and Manu's best friend. Once I picked up a toy that came in a packing of three. This was a problem Manu had never faced before.

This is what I had in mind when I thought about the picture for February and it was not easy taking these shots as I shoot only in natural light. Manu complained that the angle was a little awkward for him so I fetched a chair for him so he can be more comfortable. Even them he kept talking to me kept moving his hands and I had to take quite a few shots.

It is not an aphrodisiac, it is a biscuit called "Little Hearts". For Manu everything shaped like a heart is "Love" so he has named these biscuits "Pyar wala biscuit" or Love Biscuit. I am making a calendar with Manu's pictures and every month will have a picture of Manu highlighting something important in that month. This is the image for February.

Our office remained closed last Thursday and Friday duo to the terror attacks so we are working on next two Saturdays. The weekend is going to be small so I decided to post this image a day in advance. Before Monday I have to make up my mind if I want to post pictures of bottles or some other I have lined up.

There is a building under construction opposite my office. I saw this guy sleeping on the window frame of the 3rd floor. It is amazing how relaxed and peaceful this guy is in sleep when there is nothing preventing him from falling over. When I saw him, he was sleeping with his back towards me and then he turned around on the small platform he is sleeping on without ever appearing to be in the danger of falling down.

This is the last image of Corona I was planning to post when I stopped posting during the Terror strike on Taj and Oberoi. I have mentioned that I have taken some pictures of other bottles too including Chivas Regal, Fuel Vodka and Smirnoff. The reason I have been in an overdrive is the calendar I am printing using various bottles. It is ready now and I got the first print ready yesterday.

Or wiping his mouth. You decide.

Manu is now 4. It seems like yesterday when I flew to Delhi a day before he was born to be with Mira. Today He was thrilled to go to school in his favorite clothes, carrying chocolates for his friends. In the evening he enjoyed the party as did the kids who had come over. A couple of years ago he was clueless about birthdays and a few years later he would want to be with his mates, not his parents. This is the golden age when we can celebrate the special day together.

Tommorow Manu will be 4 years old. He is really excited about his birthday.

I have spent four days at home because of the terrorist attacks on the Taj and the Trident/Oberoi Hotels. During those days I wanted to post but just couldn't do it. I had so many thoughts in my mind that I wanted to communicate. Today when I actually got the time to post, I am not able to compose my thoughts. I guess I will not try to post anything about terrorism till Manu's birthday on 3rd and after that if I feel my thoughts are relevant, I will post something on Mental Floss. This is a small working iron. It has an element that heats up when you plug it in but unfortunately it is not hot enough to actually iron something. I am not complaining as it was bought as a toy for Manu. I made sure that I have thrown away the cable before Manu could see it and figure out what it is for. It may not be hot enough to iron but is definitely hot enough to burn skin if touched.