Haunted Hotels : The Hotel Kurrajong, Canberra, Australia

The Hotel Kurrajong, located in Canberra, Australia, is known for its reported hauntings, particularly by the ghost of former Prime Minister Ben Chifley, who died in the hotel in 1951. Some guests and staff have reported experiencing unusual occurrences, such as flickering lights, unexpected drafts, and mysterious sounds, adding to the hotel’s reputation as a haunted location.

Elaboration:

Chifley’s Presence:

Ben Chifley, who served as Prime Minister of Australia from 1945 to 1949, lived at the Hotel Kurrajong during his time in Parliament. He died in the hotel in 1951 after suffering a heart attack in his room.

Haunting Reports: Many guests and staff have claimed to have experienced paranormal activity, including seeing Chifley’s apparition, especially in the area of the hotel where he died.

Other Reported Phenomena: Besides Chifley’s supposed spectral presence, reports also include flickering lights, unexplained cold spots, and unusual sounds.

Historical Significance: The hotel is not only considered haunted but also has a rich history, having served as a prominent residence for many political figures, including Prime Minister Chifley.

Chifley Experience: Some visitors can even book a “Chifley Experience” which includes staying in Chifley’s former room (now known as The Chifley Suite) and enjoying various perks.

Permanent Waves – Rush

Permanent Waves is the seventh studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on January 14, 1980 through Anthem Records. After touring to support their previous album, Hemispheres (1978), the band began working on new material for a follow-up in July 1979. This material showed a shift in the group’s sound towards more concise arrangements and radio-friendly songs, though their progressive rock blueprint is still evident on “Jacob’s Ladder” and the nine-minute closer “Natural Science.” Bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee also employed a more restrained vocal delivery compared to previous albums. Permanent Waves was the first of seven studio albums the band recorded at Le Studio in Morin-Heights, Quebec with production handled by the group and Terry Brown.

Let’s start things off with one of the most friendliest of songs that talks about the role that the radio plays in our lives. The Spirit Of Radio became their first top 30 single in Canada and reaching number 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100 but 13 on the UK Singles Chart in March. Lyrically, the song is a lament on the change of FM radio from free-form to commercial formats during the late 1970s. The Brampton, Ontario based station CFNY-FM—which had not abandoned free-form programming—is cited as an inspiration for the song. The second song is another favourite – Freewill. The song’s lyrics deal with the subject of free will; in a December 1989 interview on Rockline, Lee stated that “the song is about freedom of choice and free will, and you believing in what you decide you believe in”. It has been described as an “explicitly atheistic” song that mocks those who believe in a god, exemplified by the lyrics “choose a ready guide in some celestial voice”.

Developed during their warm up routines, Jacob’s Ladder is the 3rd song on the record. uses several time and key signatures, and possesses a dark, ominous feel in its first half. The lyrics are based on a simple concept; a vision of sunlight breaking through storm clouds. The song’s title is a reference to the natural phenomenon of the sun breaking through the clouds in visible rays, which in turn was named after the Biblical ladder to heaven on which Jacob saw angels ascending and descending in a vision. The 3rd single off the album, Entre Nous is up next with it’s straight ahead rock and acoustic interlude. French for “Between Us” comes from Ayn Rand’s 1943 novel The Fountainhead and captures the sense of rapport Neil Peart feels with members of the audience.

Different Strings is kinda unique as the lyrics were written by Geddy Lee and it also features Hugh Syme on piano. And then we have the length album closer Natural Science which has 3 parts – Tide Pools, Hyperspace and Permanent Waves finishing off in great Prog Rock style! t was featured, with a different arrangement, on the 1996 Test for Echo Tour, the 2002 Vapor Trails Tour, the 2007–2008 Snakes & Arrows Tour and the 2015 R40 Live Tour. The album reached No. 3 in Canada and the UK and No. 4 in the US. ush supported Permanent Waves with a concert tour of Canada, America and the UK between January 17 and June 22, 1980. The band toured with a 25-member road crew who handled the 60 tons of equipment to stage the show, which included Boeing 707 landing lights, a $50,000 mixing console and a screen projector behind the band.

What Is Claustrophobia? (Since I Suffer From This A Bit)

Claustrophobia is an intense fear of confined or enclosed spaces. It’s classified as a type of specific phobia, meaning it’s focused on a particular situation.

People with claustrophobia may experience extreme anxiety when they are in spaces like:

  • Elevators

  • Airplanes

  • Crowded rooms

  • Tunnels

  • MRI machines

  • Small cars or closets

Even thinking about these spaces can sometimes trigger fear.

Symptoms

The symptoms can be both physical and emotional, such as:

  • Rapid heartbeat (palpitations)

  • Sweating

  • Trembling

  • Shortness of breath

  • Feeling faint or dizzy

  • Nausea

  • Sense of panic or doom

  • Urge to escape the situation immediately

Causes

Claustrophobia can develop from:

  • Past traumatic experiences (like being trapped as a child)

  • Learned behaviors (seeing others react fearfully)

  • Evolutionary factors (being cautious of tight spaces may have been a survival trait)

It usually starts in childhood or adolescence, but it can also develop later in life.

Treatment

Good news: claustrophobia is very treatable! Common approaches include:

  • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Helps reframe fearful thoughts.

  • Exposure Therapy: Gradually and safely exposing someone to tight spaces to desensitize the fear.

  • Relaxation Techniques: Like deep breathing, mindfulness, and meditation.

  • Medication: Sometimes prescribed to manage anxiety symptoms.

Hair Cut, Shave & Toe Nails Cut!

So today I got a haircut and shave done today as well al cut my toe nails. This should be a regular normal thing right? However it was rather different in that I called up a saloon at home service two days ago and set up an appointment for someone to come and cut my hair at home. This is due to the fact that since my feet are facing an issue due to the bacterial infection that I have on my legs, it is difficult for me to walk. I have pain on my feet and ankles.

So after coming back from the hospital, I have only been to see my family at my sister’s place. Then I came back straight home. I wanted to get a haircut as my hair was long, while I hadn’t shaved in 3 weeks and also I hadn’t cut my toe nails in many month. They were overgrown and curving in places as well. So I looked for a saloon at home type service and 2 days ago I found one and then I gave them my details and directions to my home. The guy came in today at 12 pm as discussed. He brought toe nail clippers – the ones that cut really tough and long ones – and the barber setup.

He cut my hair and then shaved my face. Then after he sweeped the floor and got rid of the hair, he cut my toe nails. Man, I felt so much better after that. Especially now that it is summer and it’s hot & humid. I then paid the guy and then once he left, I went to have a shower. Good feeling!

Newish Grocery & Coffee Delivery App : Zepto

India has so many of these options that it’s becoming like we are spoiled. We have a lot of startups and a lot of people looking for work, hence the choices we get. Zepto is an Indian quick-commerce company headquartered in Bengaluru. It was founded in July 2021 band as of August 2024, the company is valued at over $5 billion and operates over 250 dark-stores across ten metropolitan areas in India. But you know what I really like – they have a cafe!

Not too much stuff but they have cold coffees and shakes and a few snacks. Zepto’s competitors in India’s grocery delivery space include Amazon’s India unit, Flipkart, Swiggy Instamart, Blinkit, and BigBasket. But as far as I know, none of them have this service. I am sure that they will add more to their cafe. A colleague told me of this and I thought I would check them out. Bonus, they have an outlet very near me. So I can get groceries and coffee/snacks in less than 10 minutes.

So on Thursday I ordered an Ice Cappuccino and a bag of popcorn. The popcorn was fresh and warm and the coffee was good. The next day, I ordered biscuits, some frozen chicken legs, a couple of coffees which was really good, bread, cheese and instant coffee as well. The groceries are ofcourse the usual stuff but it’s good to know that I can get good cheaper cold coffees and frappes in a few minutes if I want to. Good choice!

Sens Lose Game 3 And In Danger Of Being Knocked Out Of The Playoffs

Maple Leafs win Game 3 in OT vs. Senators – The Toronto Maple Leafs take Game 3 in overtime 3-2 over the Ottawa Senators. Simon Benoit scored the game winner. It’s Toronto’s second consecutive game won in OT. After being down 1-0, the Toronto Maple Leafs scored two consecutive goals, courtesy of Knies and Auston Matthews. But Brady Tkachuk got the equalizer in the third period, guiding this game to overtime before Benoit sealed the victory. 

The Leafs take a commanding 3-0 series lead. Toronto can advance to the second round on Saturday night in Game 4. Goalie Linus Ullmark said that “lady luck” wasn’t with the Senators tonight. He knows it’s going to sting for the team down 3-0 in the series. The Senators scored with Claude Giroux beating a screened Anthony Stolarz. Matthew Knies tied the game on the powerplay for Toronto’s fifth powerplay goal of the series. Auston Matthews scored less than a minute into the 3rd period to give the Maple Leafs the lead. Brady Tkachuk fired a wrist shot past Anthony Stolarz to tie this game and revved up the home crowd.

It’s a shame that the Sens outing in the playoffs is coming to an early end. The Senators last made the playoffs in 2017, losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins in seven games in the Eastern Conference Final.

Top 10 States With The Most Population In India

As of 2024, the top 10 most populous states in India are:

  1. Uttar Pradesh – 235.7 million

  2. Bihar – 126.8 million

  3. Maharashtra – 126.4 million

  4. West Bengal – 99.1 million

  5. Madhya Pradesh – 86.6 million

  6. Rajasthan – 81.0 million

  7. Tamil Nadu – 76.9 million

  8. Gujarat – 71.5 million

  9. Karnataka – 67.7 million

  10. Andhra Pradesh – 53.2 million

These figures are based on the latest available estimates for 2024. Uttar Pradesh remains the most populous state, with a population exceeding 235 million. Bihar and Maharashtra follow, each with populations over 126 million. The top five states collectively account for a significant portion of India’s total population, influencing various aspects such as political representation, economic planning, and resource allocation.

Arsenal 2 Crystal Palace 2

Crystal Palace twice came from behind to draw at second-placed Arsenal and leave Liverpool one point from being crowned Premier League champions for the second time in five seasons.

A draw against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday (16:30 BST) would now be enough for Arne Slot’s side, who lead Arsenal by 12 points, to clinch their 20th league title – equalling Manchester United’s record. Both Arsenal and Palace’s main focus is on their cup exploits, with the Gunners in the Champions League semi-finals and the Eagles at the same stage in the FA Cup – and both managers rested key players. Arsenal took an early lead at Emirates Stadium when centre-back Jakub Kiwior planted an excellent header past Dean Henderson from a Martin Odegaard free-kick in the third minute.

Palace looked dangerous on the attack but vulnerable at the back, and Oliver Glasner’s side equalised through a cleverly worked set-piece in the 27th minute. Adam Wharton clipped the ball to the edge of the area and Eberechi Eze volleyed his shot into the ground and the ball hit the post before making its way into the net. Leandro Trossard gave Arsenal the lead just before half-time when he picked up a pass from Jurrien Timber and squeezed a shot into the bottom corner. The Eagles continued to push for an equaliser and had good opportunities with headers from Justin Devenny and Ismaila Sarr but neither could get a good contact on the ball.

Palace did level for a second time through substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta, when William Saliba gifted him the ball with a dreadful loose pass 25 yards out and the striker produced an excellent chipped finish over stranded Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya. Gunners fans will be concerned by the absence of Ben White and Mikel Merino from the squad, with boss Mikel Arteta declining to comment on what their injuries were. When asked if they would be fit to face PSG on Tuesday, Arteta said: “We will have to wait and see as they were not able to be in the squad here.”

6 Amazing Facts About Moldova That You May Not Know

Moldova is a small country between its big neighbours, Romania and Ukraine. 2.6 million people live here, and we mostly hear about Moldova in connection with Russia’s growing influence in the region. But Moldova also has good wine or a Czech village. Let’s get to know a few interesting facts you will not find in the news.

1. You can visit a Czech village in Moldova

The small village of Huluboaia in the southern part of Moldova was founded in the late 19th century by a group of 153 Czechs. Today, only a few locals speak Czech, but a group of volunteers visit every summer to promote Czech language education and revive Czech customs and traditions.

2. Moldova is the least visited country in Europe

Only 11,000 tourists visit Moldova every year. This is probably due to its location and the few tourist attractions, but those who have visited Moldova are always happy to return. The Orheiul Vechi monastery complex, carved into the rock by monks in the 13th century, is worth a visit. The best time to visit the country is the wine harvest season in October when many wine festivals are held.

3. The most extensive wine cellars are located in Mile?tii Mici

Winemaking has a great tradition in Moldova and is one of the leading industries. Moldovans mainly grow white wine, and there are still interesting native varieties to be found.

The wine cellars in the village of Mile?tii Mici have the most extensive collection of wines and have made it into the Guinness Book of Records, with almost 2 million bottles stored here. The entire length of the cellars is 250 km, but today only about 120 km are used.

4. Chi?in?u has one of the largest Jewish cemeteries in Europe

Before World War II, Moldova had one of the largest Jewish populations. Over 60,000 were killed during the Holocaust, and more than 20,000 were buried in the cemetery in Chi?in?u. The cemetery itself was founded in the 17th century. During the 20th century, however, it had to retreat from its original size – in 1958, part of it was closed for road construction, and in 1961 for a park and tennis court.

5. Special bath for newborns

The arrival of a new family member is celebrated traditionally in Moldova. It is customary for the baby to be bathed for the first time by the eldest woman on the father’s side. Apart from water, they add flowers (for a nice life), honey and milk (to give the baby a sweet life) and money.

6. Moldova is a paradise for nut lovers

Moldova is one of the world’s largest exporters of walnuts. The local climate and soil conditions are ideal for growing walnuts. They are widely used in the local cuisine, and sweet cakes with walnut filling are very popular.

A Brief Encounter With A Woman Who Captured My Imagination

Is there a brief encounter or an insignificant remark that stuck with you?

A brief encounter that stuck with me – this was back in 2007 and I still remember what she looked like, her smile, eyes and almost everything about her. That’s some impression I’d say! She has popped into my lonely mind quite a few times over the years since.

Her name is Meher and she told me that she was a Parsi who grew up in Mangalore and moved to Bangalore with her cousin and couple of their girlfriends for work. She had been in Bangalore working in a couple of the call centers and got promoted to the post of a trainer. She then joined a company that focused solely on training and provided training for various other companies & corporates, from an entry level employee to managers, DGMs, & even GMs & VPs on various non-product and non-technical aspects & topics. Like communications, soft skills, office/business etiquette, various other HR related stuff as well. Her company had been hired for a few weeks to provide a 30 day soft skills & communication training for the first batches of entry level call center associates at our BPO (we were providing the customer care for a large international mobile service provider for their Kerala operations).

Anyways, me & a fellow colleague were asked to go and visit with the trainers from Meher’s company and sit with them for a couple of hours and observe their training sessions, go through their modules and in short see their work. My employers wanted to know if we could replicate the same training within our own organization hence cutting costs. So this is how I met Meher as she was one of the trainers there. I spent a few hours talking her & her colleagues and she made quite an impression on me. She was smart, bright, eloquent, vivacious – not to mention elegant, classy and extremely gorgeous. She had a smile that could light up a large stadium, including the parking lot! She has these beautiful eyes and a cute nose. All in all the perfect package. I managed to communicate with her via email for a few weeks but then lost touch (didn’t get her phone number)!

Scariest Places In The World : 50 Berkeley Squad, London

50 Berkeley Square is a townhouse in Mayfair, London, built in 1750. Nowadays, it is not known for being haunted. In fact, for many years it was actually a bookshop. The first few owners of the house, including Prime Minister George Canning, had no issues. The trouble only started when a man named Thomas Myers moved in. They say Myers had been rejected by a fiancée, and fell into a depression. We don’t know about that, but what is true is that from 1859 until the 1870’s Myers slept during the day and roamed his house at night holding a candle. He never left the premises, and the house fell into disrepair around him. Supposedly, after death, he continued to wander about with his candle.

The legend about the house varies, but most versions state that the attic room of the house is haunted by the spirit of a young woman who committed suicide there. She purportedly threw herself from a top-floor window after being abused by her uncle and is said to be capable of frightening people to death. The spirit is said to take the form of a brown mist, though sometimes it is reported as a white figure. A rarer version of the tale is that a young man was locked in the attic room, fed only through a hole in the door, until he eventually went mad and died. Another story is that the attic room is haunted by the ghost of a little girl who was killed there by a sadistic servant.

One tale speaks of a maidservant who was either given the haunted room to sleep in, or else was sent up to put sheets on the bed in that particular room. Either way, it didn’t end well for her because, in both versions, she was found in the room a gibbering wreck who never recovered her reason and so was unable to say what it was that she had seen that had affected her so. Then there was the story about the fearless young man who opted to volunteered to spend a night in the dreaded chamber and who vowed to do battle with any supernatural entity that dared to show its face. In the middle of the night he was found dead in bed, his eyes were wide open in terror.

It is alleged that in 1872, on a bet, Lord Lyttleton stayed a night in the building’s attic. He brought his shotgun with him and fired at an apparition. In the morning he attempted to find the apparition, but could only find shotgun cartridges. The following year the local council issued a summons to the house’s owners for failure to pay taxes, but it is claimed that they were not prosecuted because of the house’s reputation for being haunted.

In 1887 it was alleged that two sailors from HMS Penelope stayed a night in the house By morning one was found dead, having tripped as he ran from the house. The other reported having seen the ghost of Myers approaching them aggressively. No phenomenon has been reported since it was bought in the 1930s. Though many contemporary media outlets have reported happenings at the house, more recent investigators claim that nothing unusual has ever taken place there. It has also been noted that many of the stories about the house were exaggerated or invented by later writers about its ghosts.

Three Day Weekend : Did It Feel Like It While Recovering?

Due to it being Good Friday and Easter, I had a 3 day weekend with Friday being a holiday. I knew that I would use it for nothing more than rest and relaxation. My feet still hurt, especially the balls of my feet. So once Thursday’s work was over, I packed up my work laptop and mouse and had my dinner. As usual I was online untill 10:30 pm and went to bed and lights off I watched some TBBT on Netflix. Friday morning after waking up like most days I spend an hour maybe more watching Star Trek Voyager, I go and get coffee and then relax in front of the laptop until 9 am when I make some breakfast.

So this was the same for Friday and Saturday. Friday I watched Blade in the afternoon and on Saturday just before noon I watched Dawn Of The Dead. I had plans for going to see my dad – who is in my sister’s apartment along with my mom – in the late afternoon but I fell asleep and slept for a long time. Evening I woke up and decided to postpone my visit to my dad till Sunday morning. I had KFC for Saturday dinner – I bought a thigh piece and a wing with one of their Korean sauce rolls. The roll isn’t worth it but their chicken is always good. Sunday night I had some chicken noodles soup for dinner.

I did watch Moana on Sunday afternoon and later in the evening I watched Ipswich host Arsenal which the Gunners won comprehensively 4 goals to 0. Good fun! Each night I try to go to bed before 11 pm and watch some Big Bang Theory for a while before sleep catches up with me.

Ipswich 0 Arsenal 4

Arsenal denied Liverpool the chance to win the Premier League title this weekend as they comfortably beat 10-man Ipswich at Portman Road.

In their first match since seeing off Real Madrid to reach the Champions League semi-finals, the Gunners produced another excellent display against an Ipswich side on the verge of relegation. Arsenal dominated from kick-off and took the lead in the 14th minute when Bukayo Saka’s cross into the box was helped on by a slight touch from Martin Odegaard and turned into the net by Leandro Trossard. They doubled their lead after more good work by Saka, whose cross into the area was cleverly flicked on by Mikel Merino for Gabriel Martinelli to tap into an empty net.

Ipswich’s task was then made even harder when Leif Davis was shown a red card in the 32nd minute for a poor tackle on Saka. Trossard added his second of the game in the 69th minute when he finished smartly from inside the area after a well-worked Arsenal short corner. Substitute Ethan Nwaneri scored a fourth for Arsenal with a deflected shot two minutes from time. The Gunners had good chances to score more – one for Merino and two for Saka – and Mikel Arteta would have expected them to be taken. This was Ipswich’s seventh home defeat of 2025, which leaves them clinging on to their Premier League status for one more week. This victory delayed Liverpool’s inevitable title win but the focus for the Gunners is on their Champions League campaign.

Mikel Arteta is going to be without Thomas Partey for the first leg of their semi-final against Paris St-Germain on 29 April, and took the opportunity to trial a midfield that could take to the pitch for that game. Declan Rice, who has been so good in his number eight role in recent weeks, was pushed deeper to anchor the Arsenal midfield, while Merino – who has been playing as a makeshift striker – was used in his natural midfield role. They were joined in the middle by captain Odegaard, who linked up superbly with Saka on the right-hand side of the pitch. The Norway international was involved in both of Arsenal’s first-half goals. The only concern for the Gunners at Portman Road was that Saka required strapping to his ankle once he was substituted in the 57th minute, as a result of the tackle that led to Davis’ red card, as Arteta looked to protect his key man. Arsenal take on Crystal Palace next but these games feel like a build-up to their season-defining Champions League assignment.