Banana Muffins

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 6/18/2013 5:14:00 AM

'The recently acquired silicon baking cups make baking so much fun. They are non-stick, reusable, brightly colored, flexible and so easy to clean. Tip: As silicon, unlike paper, does not breathe, it is better to cool the muffins outside of the cups. The ones cooled inside the cups were a little gluey. '

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Rain Lilies welcome the Monsoon

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 6/13/2013 3:16:00 AM

'My terrace garden is bursting with Rain Lilies!The wonderful monsoon season has caused a riot of colors...Rain lilies bloom usually a few days after a rainThe flowering cycle can be artificially triggered by leaving them dry for a week. Water them a bit later and up they come.Care should be taken with the plants since many of the parts, leaves, bulbs etc. are currently considered toxic.Common Names: fairy lily, rainflower, zephyr lily, magic lily, Atamasco lily, and rain l(...)'

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The Nutmeg story with pictures

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 6/6/2013 11:31:00 AM

'On my recent trip to Kerala, I found a Nutmeg tree during one of the early morning photo walks.Nutmeg is a tropical evergreen tree important for two spices derived from the fruit: Nutmeg and Mace.The ripe fruit splits and drops to the ground to eject the seed.This is the only tropical fruit that is the source of two different spices - Nutmeg, the egg shaped seed and Mace, the dried "lacy" reddish aril of the seed.I collected these fallen Nutmeg seeds...Nutmeg, along with cinnamon, c(...)'

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Statue of Queen Victoria

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 5/30/2013 11:17:00 PM

'On my visit to the Cubbon Park, I stumbled across this statue of Queen Victoria, hidden in the trees.I googled to learn more about the statue and found an article by Meera Iyer.Here are some excerpts from the said article:The statue of Queen Victoria in Bangalore was officially unveiled on February 5, 1906 in a ceremony filled with much fanfare and oratory. The then Prince of Wales, George Frederick Ernest Albert (later King George V), did the honours.From 1876, Victoria had ru(...)'

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Photographing a six year old

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 5/26/2013 5:01:00 AM

'My six year old believes it's not cool to be in pictures... If forced, he will rebel by refusing to smile and makes a sad face...Further force can prompt the most fake smile...Then, he becomes playful and frustrates me like this Calvin & Hobbes incident... He will look away just when I have composed a great shot...Trick is to have loads of patience and wait for the natural smile...Location: MG Road boulevard, Bangalore '

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"Grapes: The Fruit of Hope"

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 5/23/2013 1:31:00 AM

'My favorite fruit is grapes. Because with grapes, you always get another chance. 'Cause, you know, if you have a crappy apple or a peach, you're stuck with that crappy piece of fruit. But if you have a crappy grape, no problem - just move on to the next. 'Grapes: The Fruit of Hope.'--Demetri Martin'

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Tilt-Shift Photography

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 5/16/2013 2:00:00 AM

'This is an optically produced tilt-shift effect, shot from the 13th floor of a tower. To know more about the technique, you can read 'An Introduction to Tilt-Shift Photography' from the Digital Photography School.   '

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Getting cocky with my blog title

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 5/10/2013 1:04:00 AM

'This week, the theme for Friday My Town Shoot Out is Graffiti. I couldn't find any graffiti, so I made my own using Photoshop.Cranium Bolts is my blog title which I had pulled out quickly while signing up on Blogger.com and I have stuck with it ever since.It has a habit of confusing people. It has never made any sense to me either and still doesn't.I guess, I should get cocky with it and overcome the buyer's remorse.'

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The early bird gets the worm

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 5/9/2013 5:02:00 AM

'Ashy Prinia or Ashy Wren-Warbler'

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You are invited!

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 5/9/2013 1:57:00 AM

'Hope you will block your calendar accordingly and make it convenient to attend the book launch, Banquet on the Dead by Sharath Komarraju on May 18th 2013.Here's a link to the event page  https://www.facebook.com/events/561733110515826/'

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Rib Tickled

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 5/5/2013 3:57:00 AM

'Sebastian and Viola as Cesario meet.It was two hours of complete laugh riot at the staging of Atul Kumar's Hindi Twelfth Night (Piya Behroopiya). The Nautanki style added to the magic with dance and music.Venue: Chowdiah memorial hall, BangaloreDate: May 4, 2013'

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Boy with flowers

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 4/29/2013 9:28:00 AM

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Plain Tiger or African Monarch

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 4/23/2013 5:04:00 AM

'Binomial Name: Danaus chrysippusPlain Tiger or African Monarch, is a common non-edible butterfly which is widespread in Asia and Africa.The Plain Tiger is believed to be one of the first butterflies to be used in art. A 3500 year old Egyptian fresco in Luxor features the oldest illustration of this species.The Plain Tiger is protected from attacks due to the unpalatable alkaloids ingested during the larval stages. The butterfly therefore flies slowly and leisurely, ge(...)'

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Red-whiskered Bulbul

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 4/18/2013 5:34:00 AM

'The Red-whiskered Bulbul is about 20 centimetres in length. It has brown upper-parts and whitish underparts with buff flanks and a dark spur running onto the breast at shoulder level. It has a tall pointed black crest, red face patch and thin black moustachial line. The tail is long and brown with white terminal feather tips, but the vent area is red.The Red-whiskered Bulbul feeds on fruits (including those of Thevetia peruviana that are toxic to mammals), nectar and insects.Young b(...)'

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Tickell's Flowerpecker

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 4/11/2013 8:23:00 AM

'Tickell's Flowerpecker or Pale-billed Flowerpecker is a tiny bird, 8 cm long, and is one of the smallest birds found in most parts of southern India and Sri Lanka.'

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Black-winged Stilt

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 4/5/2013 1:02:00 AM

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Egret takeoff

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 4/1/2013 2:59:00 AM

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Holi - The festival of colors

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 3/27/2013 7:03:00 AM

'Know more about Holi here'

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Cirrus cloud

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 3/22/2013 1:19:00 AM

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Nishu visits Krispy Kreme

Author : Shiju Sugunan      Blog : Cranium Bolts      Date : 3/15/2013 3:33:00 AM

'I took my son to Krispy Kreme today to enjoy some doughnuts. There were some yummy varieties... He also got to try his hand at making a doughnut... He made an almost perfect one... The colorful toppings... He is so proud to wear the Krispy Kreme hat... Location: Krispy Kreme, Church Street, Bangalore.'

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