La Dolce Vita

Constantly Hungry?

2008-03-01T16:52:00.003+05:30

Are you trying to lose weight but constantly confronted by hunger and carb craving?

This is a common problem that most dieters face.Call it reverse psychology or biochemical mischief, but our body tends to crave more of the foods that we consciously are trying to avoid.

I do not belong to the school of thought which tells you that all sorts of 'dieting' is bad for your body.I believe in diet control as well exercise in order to lose excess weight and gain health.If your approach to getting healthy is wholesome, you absolutely have to curb the carb crave.

How do you go about stepping down from a 3C (cakes, cookies, candies) lifestyle to 3F (fat-free, fit, fresh) one?
Simply cutting down refined carbohydrates from your diet isn't enough.You have to replace them with foods which have a lower calorific value but a greater filling potential.
Here is my list of healthy foods which are immensely satiating as well

1) Oatmeal : Replace your regular breakfast cereal with oatmeal.Oatmeal is palatable, much lower in calories than regular cereals, high in fibre content which also translates to being much more filling than a regular cereal.Besides providing a sustained release of energy being a complex carbohydrate, oatmeal is also rich in protein and calcium, something which your regular boxed cereals cannot boast of!

2) Salads : Cucumbers .. they are my absolute favorite salad essential.Besides being rich in water and fibre, they also contain silica which helps maintain a glossy and smooth skin. If you are fond of lettuce, try and replace it with cabbage because lettuce has pretty much nil nutritive value.

Cherry tomatoes are wonderful additives to a salad as well, but people with a history of kidney and bladder problems need to steer clear of tomatoes due to the oxalic acid present in tomatoes which serves to hasten formation of kidney stones.

Broccoli is another on of my salad favorite.

3)Yogurt : Live culture yogurt i.e the one with live lactobacilli in it is one of the best foods recommended for dieters and for people with lactose intolerance.You may ask why yogurt of all foods to curb a carb craving?
This is because usually an excessive carb craving has been linked with an overgrowth of the fungus 'candida' in the alimentary canal.Lactobacilli are healthy bacteria which inhibit the growth of candida and thereby curbing the craving for refined sugars.

4) Citrus Fruits also curb the craving for carbs as they are very filling due to a high fiber and water content.Their tangy taste also satisfies cravings in a healthy manner.

6) Lots of nicely seasoned vegetable stew and clear soups will ensure you stay full and hydrated the healthy way.

5) last but not the least, include psyllium husk in your daily meals.This is pure fibre which fills you up, consequently cutting out all the cravings

In four years, she became one-fourth of her size

2008-02-10T07:03:00.000+05:30

This is Zelma in 2002

And this is her in 2006

And you find it tough to lose those last 5 kilos!

Click here to read all about her.

Proof that the Japanese do everything better than you

2008-02-10T06:57:00.000+05:30

..even folding a T-Shirt

whew! I'd have to watch that vid about 30 times before I get it right

How to be intelligent in 3 simple steps

2008-02-10T06:53:00.000+05:30

// three ways to increase your intelligence

Continually expand the scope, source, intensity of the information you receive.
Constantly revise your reality maps, and seek new metaphors about the future to understand what's happening now.
Develop external networks for increasing intelligence. In particular, spend all your time with people as smart or smarter than you.

I don't know. would you use it?-2

2008-02-10T06:33:00.000+05:30

This only LOOKS like a paper cup , it is actually porcelin! I love designs with reverse utility.Its UBERCOOL!
Anyhow the folks at Decor Craft appeared to be flummoxed by the insane demand for this product.They seem to have gone out of stock!

Edit: Aha! I seem to have found a couple of more things on DCI which have caught my very fickle fancy

A darling transparent calculator for the perpetual geek in me!

A camouflage for the nastier things in life (Sorry couldn't help myself there)
Those are fancy toilet papers for you Your Highness

Uberglam mirror disks in assorted sizes, with adhesive tapes on the back! These have got me all hot and bothered.They would look insanely awesome stuck all over the wall of your bathroom or any other room for that matter!

I don't know. would you use it?

2008-02-10T06:30:00.001+05:30

designer's own words:
Turn your favourite office tool from your desk in a common cutlery...this is din-ink. A set of pen caps, including a fork-cap, a knife-cap and a spoon-cap, that replaces the normal pen cap during lunch time! All caps are made by annually renewable resources, like natural starch and fibres, to be 100% biodegradable and atoxic, warranting the best alimentary use. Dispensing each set in a compostable packaging the whole set is designed to respect the environment. Now give your office ballpoint pen a good excuse to be gnawed by your teeth: use them for din-ink.

aha random absurd coolness!

Whatswasthatagain.com

2008-02-03T20:56:00.000+05:30

Bad Domain Names

All of these are companies that didn't spend quite enough time considering how their online names might appear - and be misread...

Who Represents is where you can find the name of the agent that represents any celebrity. Their Web site is
www.whorepresents.com/
Experts Exchange is a knowledge base where programmers can exchange Advice and views at
www.expertsexchange.com/
Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at
www.penisland.net/
Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at
www.therapistfinder.com/
There's the Italian Power Generator company,
www.powergenitalia.com/
And don't forget the Mole Station Native Nursery in New South Wales,
www.molestationnursery.com/
If you're looking for IP computer software, there?s always
www.ipanywhere.com/
The First Cumming Methodist Church Web site is
www.cummingfirst.com/
And the designers at Speed of Art await you at their wacky Web site,
www.speedofart.com/

Batch delete empty folders from your hard drive

2008-01-27T00:14:00.000+05:30

Getting tired of empty folders on your hard drive?
Empty folders are not only a nuisance, they also slow down the windows search.
The also slow down the system itself

Here's a little utility to find and delete empty folders.. its freeware!

It can be downloaded from here

RED

Whackiest shoes ever!

2008-01-25T22:19:00.000+05:30

(yes it is what you think it is)

Broccoli in cream sauce

2008-01-25T20:27:00.000+05:30

I have never ever cooked broccoli in my life.Today was the first time ever and I was amazed at how ridiculously simple it is to cook 'chef level' broccoli in cream sauce.Bachelors, this is about as simple as making an omlette and tastes about 70 times as nice! Lets get started then... Even kitchenphobics ought to try this one out.

Ingredients :

Broccoli - 1 or 2 nos. (even more if you are cooking for more than 3 people)
Butter - 2 large tbsp (or 100 gms)
Milk - About 3 cups
Cream - 2 tbsp (completely optional)
All purpose refined Flour (Maida not atta) - 2 heaped tbsp. approximately
Note: Flour can be replaced with cornstarch to yield equally miraculous results, which is what I did when I realised much to my despair today that I had run out of flour
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Garlic cloves- about 5-6 cloves, peeled and crushed (alternatively use garlic paste)
Oregano - few pinches (It lends the dish that italian flavor)

Method of preparation:

First of all, break broccoli into small florets, about 1.5-2 inches in length, wash them.

In a deep pan, put 6 cups of water and the broccoli florets and set on a high flame to cook.Cover the pan with a light lid.Pressure cookers usually end up overcooking the broccoli (Thats a mistake my mum made while preparing broccoli for the first time)

Cook for around 8-9 minutes.Remember broccoli shouldn't turn 'limp'.It should retain its trademark crispiness atleast a little.After 8-9 minutes remove the broccoli from the flame and drain out the water.

Now heat 2-3 tsp oil and lightly saute some garlic paste in it.Add the cooked broccoli and saute for 1-minute, stirring continuously, so the broccoli doesn't burn or stick

Set the cooked broccoli aside

Method of preparation for the cream sauce

Cream sauce goes well not only with broccoli but several other dishes such as pasta and it is again ridiculously easy to make!

In a saucepan, melt 100 gm salted butter on medium heat.

Add the flour(maida) or cornstarch (whatever you prefer using) in the melted butter , continue stirring.This is to remove the raw taste of flour.Remember to do this on a low to medium flame.Don't let the flour turn brown.

After cooking the flour butter mixture for a minute.Pour in the milk and keep stirring continuously so no lumps are formed.Try to use room temperature milk at this point instead of cold milk.Now that you've added milk , you can turn the flame on high.Let the sauce cook till it achieves an even consistency (it can be anywhere from 3 to 4 minutes, or even more.. your choice) Don't worry if it bubbles, its supposed to do that :)

Add black pepper - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 2 teaspoons
and a few pinches of oregano (and/or other herbs.. cilantro/parsley etc.)
Add the cream (completely optional)

Continue cooking

Now add the cooked broccoli in the sauce...viola, you're good to go! :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tips:
The sauce will be thin while cooking and thicken as it cools.
You can adjust salt to taste, with broccoli its okay to use a little more than usual
You can add precooked pasta alongwith the broccoli to the cream sauce.It'll be a brand new dish!
Serve immidietely, since the sauce tends to thicken as it gets cold.

Ivan Drago PWNED The Magic Ponytail

2008-01-24T10:04:00.000+05:30

If you ladies are wondering what the heck I am talking about... here's a refresher .
Ivan Drago was the russian rhoid rage-ster in Rocky 4 played by Dolph Lundgren

Sensitive Ponytail is Steven Seagal who plays .. well Steven Seagal in all of his movies.

Here's a little excerpt from Dolph's Official website message board

Date:	April 2006
Name:	Steven Seagal
Question:	Dear Dolph, I see you got yourself your own little website. Interesting. Seems like you have much time on your hands nowadays after I beat you in the 1994 Sexy Olympics. Maybe your fitness career will be successful, doubt it. Not as successful as my amazing singing career, its doing wonders in Swahilia. You were amazing in Rocky, its too bad they didnt choose me to fight you, that would have been even more amazing! Please do ntake offense if I am better than you. I will see you around, maybe in the dojo or maybe at a bar. Gotta love those bar fights, see you dolph.
DL:	Good luck with your weight-loss program, Steven! Doubt it'll work ....

That IMHO is called absolute pwnage

Rambo 4

2008-01-19T19:43:00.000+05:30

Whoopie! Rambo is back, bloodier than ever.Check out the trailer.Rambo:4 is releasing simply as John Rambo sometime in May 2008 (yeah quite a wait). Its being directed by the man himself Sly Stallone.A full 3.5 hours of R-rated azz whooping

Can't wait till May-day!

Miracle Berry

2008-01-19T19:29:00.000+05:30

ahaa! this is just what I need.Say hello to magic berry ~~whatsitsname~~ Synsepalum dulcificum

This berry - and its rogue glycoprotein named, seriously, miraculin - temporarily robs you of your ability to taste sour and bitter flavors. It became a fixture in West Africa, where locals would use it to down otherwise unpalatable meals.

It’s become a bit of a hit in Japan. And yet, the miracle berry is still not readily available in the United States - classified as a food additive by the FDA in 1974, it has not yet been approved for wide distribution. Most first-timers will be forced to track down an on-line distributor - or, alternatively, befriending a friendly circle of ‘foodies’ who like to throw sweet, sweet parties.

They have underground parties with this thing involving a slew of nasty tasting unappetizing snacks, which taste like a bit of heaven after having this berry.

I now know what to eat before I go for dinner over to my aunts ;)

Chinese Engrish

2008-01-15T02:05:00.000+05:30

Look *what* lovely?!

Hmm hey if it looks like squirrel, its good enough for me.

Yupp now those are the kind of CLEARCUT instructions I'd like to see everywhere.

Give your seat to crippie, or he'll eat you.

Thats a great way to punish those damned robsters

Yeah don't let your dog make sauce, someone might just dip their french fries in it.

Oh look honey! They have a separate entrance for those *beep*

Thats, right.. don't even think about dying on my turf

Really? By the looks of it, I would've never guessed.

You can't come in liquor head unless you get rid of that horrifying of highness!

Yes on second thoughts it does look a little suspicious to me

Umm i don't know if thats cute

Lettuce in pain! Quick rush it to the Salad Emergency

Thats an awful lot to abuse a plastic bag.I abuse plastic bags in the privacy of my home for free.

I am dumbstruck.. truly

Little did she know that she'd just fallen on hard times...

Same great flavor! At lower prices and suspicious hygine

Politely but firmly, say NO if those pesky stranglers invite you to get strangled.

Thats exactly the look I've always wanted.

I knew it!

hungry?

In case you're not lucky enough to have seen one, thats what they look like

No gifts for you.You've been a naughty girl

Right Moment = Great Picture

2008-01-15T01:50:00.000+05:30

How to Stop Firefox from Consuming Your Cpu Cycles

2008-01-08T20:09:00.000+05:30

Firefox, even up to version 1.5, has a nasty habit of soaking up all the available CPU and memory of your system. Here is the fix.
Steps

1. Open Firefox.

2. Type 'about:config' into the address line and hit Go or return. This takes you into the Firefox expert config menu.

3. See if there is an entry called browser.cache.disk.capacity.
* Yes? then modify the value to 16384, close Firefox and restart Firefox. It's fixed.
* No? right click somewhere on the about:config page and select Integer. Create an Integer entry called 'browser.cache.memory.capacity' and set it to 16384. Close Firefox and restart Firefox.It's fixed.

4. Check the CPU and memory size by ctrl-alt-delete and select the Performance tab... look for the firefox.exe process and the CPU for Firefox should now stay nominally under 10%.

Tips

* This process also works for flock, since it's based on Mozilla engine, same as Firefox.
* Firefox version 1.5 should have the browser.cache entry already, but default value is like 65K and apparently that causes the memory leak bug which plagues FF since ver 1.0
* If you still have problems, then the last resort is to Disable Javascript... go to Tools, Content, and clear the Enable Javascript box. This seems to always settle the issue, but then many sites won't function optimally, including gmail.com.

Warnings

* Be careful in the about:config window

And we are back - with 15 uses for my favorite ALUMINUM FOIL!! yeah

2008-01-06T16:03:00.000+05:30

1. When my scissors get dull, I layer about 7 pieces of foil and cut through them, and the scissors are sharp once again.
2. I often forget to take my gold wedding ring and my silver cross ring off my fingers when I am doing dishes or grubbing around the house, so I put them in aluminum foil and put in some salt solution and leave it overnight. The next morning they look like new.
3. Sometimes I go on a baking streak, and I find my brown sugar has gotten hard. To soften the sugar, I wrap it in foil and bake it in a 300 degree oven for 5 minutes. To keep it soft, I leave it wrapped in the foil and enclose in a labeled ziploc bag.
4. Ball up some foil and use it to clean the gunk off your grill. It cleans just as well as a wire scrub brush.
5. Makes great gift wrapping paper in a pinch and can be decorated as you wish.
6. I use foil to clean the baked on gunk off my pots and pans. It works just as well as a steel wool scrub pad.
7. Wrap your hardware and doorknobs in foil so that they don't get dripped on when you are painting.
8. Half way through the baking process, take a length of foil and wrap around the edge of your pie, securing with a metal paper clip. This will prevent your crust from browning too much.
9. Roll a double thickness of heavy duty foil into a cone shape, snip off the end, and use as a pouring funnel.
10. Use it as a temporary piping bag or pastry bag by rolling it into a double thickness and leaving just a tiny hole at the pointed end. Fold down the top of the cone so nothing oozes out or twist the top closed.
11. Put a length of foil on your oven rack to catch spills. Many pizzas have instructions that tell you to bake the pizza on the rack, but what a mess that can make. Putting the pizza on cooking sprayed foil will save a big mess.
12. Since I love grilled vegetables, especially mushrooms, I top them with some butter and whatever herb or spice I am in the mood for, wrap them in a foil packet and give them to my husband to put on the grill with the steaks.
13. To prevent stuck on food in my baking pans and cookie sheets, I will line them with foil. It cuts down on cleaning time and leaves my pans looking just as good as they did when they went into the oven. Rinse off the sheets if they are not to disastrous and save them for another baking session, or rinse them off and put them in your recycling bin.
14. To prevent static electricity in your clothing, throw a small crumpled up ball of foil into your dryer.
15. For clothing items that can't take direct heat, such as rayon, silk, and wool, you can get the wrinkles out by placing a piece of foil on your ironing board. Put the garment over the foil, and pass 3 inches above the garment several times with the iron, holding down the steam button the entire time. The wet heat from the foil with rid the garment of wrinkles.

These ideas are some of my favorites, and ones that were used in my childhood home as well as in my home now. I think that as long as they make aluminum foil, I will use it. Foil will be a staple in my household forever I think!! After all, it is recyclable too and is easily kept out of the landfills. What do you use aluminum foil for?

Authored by Anna Satler

Shaq, Le Bron and Dwight Howard all stars dance-off

2007-12-29T19:59:00.000+05:30

Shaq, LeBron, Dwight Howard All-Star Dance-Off

hilarious impromptu dance contest at East Practice during 2007 All-Star Weekend
Who would've thunk? :o
Black men can jump AND break it down.
Shaq totally killed it. Nice video vamp moves.Whaddya think?

I haven't been feeling upto making new posts of late..

2007-12-29T04:27:00.000+05:30

Maybe the Holiday Season has gotten to me.
Check out my art for a change.I am a self taught Photoshop doodler...

Not too shabby eh?

Get rock hard abs at home

2007-12-27T21:50:00.000+05:30

I have to admit, while I am stronger than most women my age and size, I used to struggle with leg-lifts because of my heavier than your normal pins.. and I hate to look like I am struggling in public.My trainer used to pretty much kill me with his abs-workout and leg-lifts routine until I struck a deal with him to do this at home, so he'd leave me alone at the gym until my abs got strong enough for me to do leg-lifts in the gym without looking like I was struggling.
This video is about abs-ercises you can do at home without investing in any kind of home gym equipment (provided you still believe in couches)
I skip the side crunches routine, since this tends to add muscle mass to the sides making the waist broader... I don't like that

Meet The World

2007-12-23T11:52:00.000+05:30

Profound depiction of the problems of a few countries through their national flags by Brazilian artist Icaro Doria.Icaro is 25 and has been working for the magazine Grande Reportagem, in Lisbon, Portugal, for the last 3 years.

Angola

Brazil

Burkina

China

Colombia

European Union

Somalia

United States

The cutest thing I saw today

2007-12-18T17:21:00.000+05:30

An obligatory kiss pout.. awwww!

Random striking images I came across while browsing imageshack.us

2007-12-18T16:36:00.000+05:30

My favorite pair of jeans is the one that I didn't buy.

2007-12-18T15:57:00.000+05:30

This (now well worn) pair of jeans landed up with me by sheer serendipity.It was a giveaway from a close friend of mine, she'd bought this pair of jeans for herself, but couldn't even get down to removing its tags beacuse soon after, she got married and got pregnant.So I was at her place one fine day and she casually asked me if I mind wearing something of hers.I was reluctant because the garment concerned was a pair of jeans.Something I couldn't get right size-wise even if I bought it myself.What were the chances?
But I drooled as soon as I saw the label.( I cannot resist words like 'Dominator' and other valorous connotations of the sort)Almost like it was cut for me, calling out to me me to wear it!I tried it on with my mouth gaping open at how beautifully it fit me, well-fitting at the waist, comfortably snug at the bottom and the thighs, flaring out gently knee-onwards (I only wear boot-cuts).It seemed to hug my body, which I've never seen happen with non-lycra blend fabrics before.

My friend told me that in the inner circle of the women's apparel industry of India, this Mumbai based brand of jeans is celebrated for its amazing fits and hardiness.Well now I know why.

It fits better than any other pair of jeans I've ever bought myself. Life's little miracles! (ah well I am just gushing)

I heart aluminum foil

2007-12-17T16:15:00.000+05:30

I talked about wrapping up empty ~~beer~~ bottles to make them into do-it-yourself vases in this post.
Some puritan snots may have rolled their eyes at the suggestion, aluminum foil being the corniest thing in the world to do home decorations with.I being a part time puritan snot should know.

Well seeing is believing.I am posting a picture of my 'home made' vases sitting pretty on my desk.
The shiny bottle goes perfectly along with my Rs. 30 velvet roses Very kitsch, very celebratory in its feel.

I know people who have and will pay 500 rs.upwards ($ 12 approx) for something which looks exactly the same.
This blog has a deeper undercurrent of serious economics, I am telling ya!

Fie Apple! get your music off your I-pod and onto your computer.

2007-12-17T14:23:00.000+05:30

I had 3 GB worth of awesomelicious music on my I-Pod Nano, I had the same music on my computer as well.But I formatted my hard drive and off went my music collection (an unfortunate partition selection mix-up).Oh but ofcourse I had my music stored on my I-pod right? But what if I want to hear the music on my computer through my massive speakers, what if I want to burn someone a cd of the same or what if I wish to swap or combine two different music collections from my I-pod and PC respectively?

Convention says you can't do that EASILY (i.e unless you're a tech expert) for reasons best known to Apple

There are now gazillions of software (most of them open source and FREE) to get around Apple's tantrums.I have not tried them yet.But will sometime in the future and let you know what I think.

Meanwhile

If you are not willing to try out any specific software for the purpose of copying your I-pod music to your pc pr any other pc for that matter, this is the method that experts use.
You should give this a shot
How to transfer I-pod music to PC

If you are willing to download a little piece of completely FREE and Spyware-free utility.Go
HERE to free your tunes

What Bruce Lee and I have in common...well its mostly very cool facts about Bruce Lee, so don't run yet, read the whole post! :D

2007-12-17T13:40:00.000+05:30

1. Bruce Lee’s Family Gave Him a Girl’s Name: "Little Phoenix" (My family gave me a hefty sounding dude's name.. I think)
Bruce’s family never called him "Bruce." They preferred to call him by his nickname "Sai Fon" or "Little Phoenix." It was a girl’s name, deliberately chosen by his parents because they believed that evil spirits did not like boys in the family (their firstborn was a son who died in infancy). So, by giving Bruce a girl’s name, they believed they could fool the demons into sparing his life!

Actually, "Bruce" was a name given by a nurse at the Jackson Street Hospital, San Francisco, where he was born (Bruce’s father was traveling with an acting troupe at the time). The nurse thought that giving the baby an English name would help avoid any confusion with his American birth certificate (yes, Bruce was an American by birth - he never had any other citizenship).
Hmm to think about it, there must have been some sort of of curse.Both Bruce and Brendan Lee died real young.

2. Bruce Lee was Part German
Bruce wasn’t pure Chinese - he was actually part German (his grandfather from his mother’s side was half German).I am of Turkish descent from way back, does that count?

3. Bruce Lee Never Lost a Fight
Well, actually he lost a fight only once in his life: when he was 13 years old. This loss actually prompted Bruce to learn martial arts from a Wing Chun master named Yip Man. After other students learned that Bruce wasn’t pure Chinese, they refused to let him train in their class. Yip Man had to train him privately. (Image: Portland Kung Fu Club)
Ditto, I always whoop azz

4. Bruce Lee was a Bad Student
Academics didn’t interest Bruce in the least. After primary school, Bruce entered La Salle College, an English-speaking boys’ secondary school in Kowloon, Hong Kong, where he often got into trouble. Bruce was expelled from La Salle for disruptive behavior.
Umm yeah.But since when did academics become a measure of genius?

Even after his parents moved him to a different school, Bruce kept on getting into street fights.
They can move me into a padded cell for all they want , I'll start punching the walls..

5. Bruce Lee was an Excellent Dancer and Boxer
Actually, Bruce studied dancing as hard as he studied martial arts: he was an excellent dancer who, at 18 years of age, won the 1958 Hong Kong Cha Cha Championship! Bruce was also a great boxer: he won the 1958 Boxing Championship - by knockout, of course.
Boxing is a form of dancing, nimbleness of the feet ,flexibility of the torso, ability to anticipate a partner/opponents moves intuitively make you a good dancer/boxer.

6. Bruce Lee was a Philosophy Major
Bruce wasn’t just all muscle and no brain. He attended the University of Washington, where he majored in philosophy with focus on the philosophical principles of martial art techniques. As you might imagine, Bruce supported himself in college by teaching martial arts. Later, Bruce dropped out of college to open his martial arts school.
Yeah I can philosophize too, real nice.

7. Want to challenge Bruce Lee? Just tap your foot on the ground!
After he got famous, a lot of people thought they could beat Bruce - they would walk up to him, tap their foot on the ground (symbolizing a challenge) and then proceed to attack him! Well… maybe not that literal, but Bruce’s popularity certainly attracted a lot nutcase trying to prove they’re better than him.
and all you have to do is just look at me the wrong way.

One day, while filming Enter the Dragon, an extra taunted Bruce Lee and challenged him to fight. The whole thing went on like this:

"This kid was good. He was no punk. He was strong and fast, and he was really trying to punch Bruce’s brains in. But Bruce just methodically took him apart."

"I mean Bruce kept moving so well, this kid couldn’t touch him…Then all of a sudden, Bruce got him and rammed his ass into the wall and swept him, he proceeded to drop his knee into his opponent’s chest, locked his arm out straight, and nailed him in the face repeatedly."

Typical of Bruce Lee, after the fight he didn’t fire the extra - he actually gave his challenger lesson on how to improve!
thats so me, only if I deem my challenger worthy.So I guess Lee found the soon-to-be smashfaced dude, a worthy opponent

8. Bruce Lee was Strong
In 1964, Bruce was invited to a karate championship in Long Beach, California. There he performed his famous "One Inch Punch," where he would deliver a devastating blow from only an inch away, sending his opponent flying back!
I am very strong and I've been told that ...without the compulsory 'for a girl' phrase attached.*wink*

Bob Baker of Stockton, whom Bruce hit, said "I told Bruce not to do this type of demonstration again. When he punched me that last time, I had to stay home from work because the pain in my chest was unbearable."

… and Fast!
Most martial art films are sped up to make fighting scenes appear fast, but not Bruce Lee’s. His moves were too fast to be captured on the regular 24 frames per second film - so they had to film him at 32 fps, and run the film slower so you can see his moves.

9. Bruce Lee vs. Chuck Norris, who would win?
Here’s a clip of Bruce Lee fighting Chuck Norris in Return of the Dragon. You can see how fast Bruce Lee moved … though it’s obvious that Chuck Norris would be immune to the One Inch Punch as his one-inch chest hair would absorb the punch with ease!

And the most bizarre Bruce Lee fact is this:

10. Bruce Lee’s Corpse Acted in his Final Movie!
Bruce Lee was filming Game of Death when he died unexpectedly. So what did the studio do? Well, they rewrote the script so Bruce’s character faked his own death to escape the mafia. Then they took footage from Bruce’s actual funeral - including close-ups shots of the open casket showing his embalmed face - and work that into the movie!
I hope the day doesn't come for me..

Source: Bruce Lee [wikipedia]

Holy Guacamole! Its Ghost Riderrrr!

2007-12-17T09:06:00.000+05:30

A helmet shaped like a skull, how cool is THAT?

Santiago Chopper takes you to the highest realm of badassitude with a helmet shaped like a skull.

I am so sure Big J would so love that hehe

Oh and you can actually BUY it here

2007-12-15T20:40:00.000+05:30

Uhmm

2007-12-15T19:41:00.000+05:30

Hello kids and grown-ups.I've just put in a search bar in the sidebar, to search this blog's content.So if you are looking for a specific post, just type in the keywords and hit 'search'.Hope it makes navigation a bit easier.I am still working on making this blog better.Any constructive criticism and tips are more than welcome.

Inside the mind of a manic depressive

2007-12-15T18:55:00.000+05:30

An entry from the weblog of a manic depressive

December 12th, 2007

My ability to engage in passive conversation has left me. I can’t trust my mind right now, it has become poison. There is no contentment behind my words. My eyes have become hypercritical and ultra particular. I must refrain from participating. I lose control too easily. It’s the momentum of thoughts and how they begin to snowball. I get carried away by the compulsion of my ideas. The confrontation pulsating through my body. One taste and I spiral into disregard for everything. Committed to a path that I will soon regret. Forever tainting my appearance to the world that knows so little about what is happening inside my head. I must stop. My future depends on it.

This blog struck me as poignantly candid.It is a real time documentation of a man's descent into the hell that manic depressive illness is.
Usually manic depressives are perceived by people as being plain mean, evil, manipulative and unpredictable.Its more like a human being trapped inside an invisible electrified cage struggling to get out, to reach out.Whosoever ventures forth to rescue him/her, gets a shock and since he/she cannot see the fence, he blames the victim for it.A manic depressive usually ends up isolating himself greatly, inspite of himself.
Even for mental health care professionals, friends and empathizers in general , it is easy to overlook the signs of this illness and brand the sufferer as a vicious person after having spent a little time with them.
This illness does not display overt signs usually congruent to other mental illnesses such as blatant incoherence or hysterical behavior.In my experience it is the super smart ones who are struck by this illness more often than not.Cursed by their genius.
I do not quite frankly know the take of the psychiatrist fraternity on this, (nor do I care since all of pharmaceutical industry is fuelled by pure greed and lack of even the most basic ethics or empathy for human life) but as far as I've seen MDI doesnot respond very well to drugs.

To those who do not know much about MDI.There's no better way to understand it than vicariously experience it through the mind of a manic depressive
Maybe you'll recognize yourself or one of your own family or friends in him.

If you or a loved one is suffering from MDI, here are some tips which seem to help
1)try and keep yourself busy doing what you love.
2)If you have artistic/creative leanings do not choose a lucrative career over what you'd rather be doing.
3) Cultivate humility and respect towards fellow human beings.Keep all your judgements (if you must absolutely pass them) objective.Realize that others are merely as human as you are.Keep yourself from falling into the cynicism trap.I have a rule that every human being deserves basic respect, regardless of what his or her position is monetarily, his/her age, level of education, level of intelligence or physical appearance.Feel one with all of humanity.every time you suffer, there are millions other who suffer with you, just like you or worse.
4)Indulge in some kind of charitable work.Actual participation, not just donations.
5) Have a reasonable view of yourself as well as the world.Avoid both hypercritical as well as megalomaniacal propensities.
6) Have a pet (unless ofcourse you hate animals which for me is impossible to do)
Do not write off owning a dog, unless you've actually had one.
7) Go for long walks and breathe in the sights with your eyes and remember nature is as mundane or exotic as your own mind.
8) Write a journal, this takes some mental steeling on your part.Write how you feel, bare yourself to the world.Don't put on a front you'd like people to believe in, write who you are.Write what makes you feel weak.We are usually at our best behavior when we are being watched

Most of us are in a gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars

Something really cool

2007-12-14T08:59:00.000+05:30

A generation next paintbrush!

At first glance, it looks like your standard brush, but upon closer inspection you’ll find integrated LEDs, touch sensors, and a camera. This gadget basically “lifts up and captures photons”, allowing artists to draw with “special ink” picked up from their immediate environment.

Its like Photoshop, only it works in real time!
Check it out in action, up close and personal.

"Magic" Digital Video Brush - video powered by Metacafe

Drive Through

2007-12-13T06:21:00.000+05:30

Calorie calculator

2007-12-12T20:35:00.000+05:30

Well my gym instructor promised me that I'll knock off 10 kgs
on a 500 calorie- a-day diet within one month.I didn't have that much to lose in the first place, but I'd asked him nevertheless how I could knock off say 10 kgs in a month, just for fun.
I didn't bother telling him I was already on a 500 calorie diet.I knocked off only 4 kilos, 6 kilos off the mark, but pretty good nevertheless.The instructor was very pleased too, I asked him not to be "whoa you said it'll be 10 kilos!" (again for fun, you see I am that kinda gal)

But the point is that even a certified gym instructor is no fortune teller because.....

Calculating how many calories you need(to cut down?) per day to reach your desired weight in a given period of time is intricate math involving the parameters of your age, height, weight, body mass index, basal metabolism rate, current calorie consumption, required calorie consumption, gender, current level of activity, desired level of activity ....... whew wait a minute.

Make it simple! Let someone else do the dirty work (just this once) ==> HERE

Check out check out check out their snazzy how-many-calories-a-day-calculator

Anywhere but here.

2007-12-12T19:16:00.000+05:30

This is a digression from the usual snappy stuff I blog about, but I just have to get it off my chest

Show me a gentleman on a crowded Delhi street and I'll show you a woman.

In this country, if you wish to live in peace either be born rich or a man.

So much for gender role reversal.I find myself playing the eternal gentleman on the street stepping aside for one man after another coming at me full steam ahead.

Dress an electric pole (or a boa constrictor) as a woman and they'll walk into it for sure.

Even Ms. Sheila Dikshit, the CM of Delhi took note of the burgeoning uncouth male immigrant population from neighbouring states.(I am taking the liberty to assume that 'burden on infrastructure' was the politest way she could make an allusion to the rape Delhi is being subjected to)
Apparently that wasn't polite enough, she had to publicly apologize for noting it in public.I assume that she said something that only a Balasaheb or a Narendra Modi could have gotten away with in this country (by the virtue of being MEN obviously)

These are strange times we live in.
Ms. Dikshit is embarking on a mission to ban the influx of diesel vehicles into Delhi in order to curb air pollution.
Something tells me that the proposition to curb diesel vehicle effluent pollution will be infinitely more welcome than curbing human pollution.Human pollutants in this nation have a symbiotic relationship with their benefactors, their patrons ; the uber-pollutants which threaten the very moral fabric and infrastructure of the country in their quest for the perks that absolute power affords.

I would not call myself a very well-traveled person, but there is one thing I know for sure about Delhi women.Unlike women from other metros and semi-urbanized towns of India, they are flowers in a perpetual half-bloom, stunted by caution, stunted by weariness and stunted by insecurity.

Their inherent blaze has been dimmed by the constant attack their dignity is under, on the street, sometimes in their own colleges, or even in their own homes.By the prying, lecherous male gaze, the leering, the completely unsolicited remarks, whose lewdness cannot be described for the want of superlatives, the groping, the pinching, the rapes.
They get their engineering degrees, their medicine degrees, post graduation degrees, post doctorals, their professorships, their honorary felicitations in front of a ten thousand strong crowd, the adoration of young pupils bordering on worship...
But do you know throughout the course of their education what is the one thing they all learn?
On the street, you are no professor, no doctor, no engineer.Just a piece of meat, dangling on a hook amongst thousands of hungry dogs and what you have between your ears does not matter, only what you have between your thighs.

So what do they do? They run.They run ...into matrimony, to the US, to Europe, or to Mumbai, they run into baggy loose garments to conceal their curves , and if they can afford none, they run into resignation.They flee to breathe, because here, there is no air.

Thank you!

2007-12-12T19:02:00.000+05:30

So far I have had six votes from fabulous people who think nothing but the best of this blog.I am honoured.
Keep visiting.

And have a gumball.
go on, its on me!

Whoopie its random tip time!

2007-12-12T18:23:00.000+05:30

1)A crumpled ball of aluminium foil makes an excellent scrubber for scouring blackened griddles, kadahis and pans.
(but please leave the teflon coated nonstick untensils alone, this method works well only on bare metal, covered with grime.)

2) Sprinkling a lot of chilli powder on ledges and other places where rats and mice are likely to enter from, discourages them like anthrax would discourage a human.But of course its not of any use if the place has a lot of human traffic, we want annoyed rats not sneezey bleary eyed humans.

3) horrendous empty beer bottles can make excellent arty looking vases if you wrap them up in aluminum foil. crumple the foil a bit before you wrap the bottle in it.
If the beer bottle is coloured, scrape off the label, wash it good and wrap a string of fake pearls around it, just loosely.It instantly becomes a trashy glam vase.To give your cheap trashy lightweight vases (yes I know you have them, everyone does) a steadier foundation, take some plaster of paris powder, dissolve it in water so its runny enough and carefully pour it in the vase till its about 1/5th full.Give it a day or so to dry and it won't topple over anymore when you put flowers in it.
Plaster of Paris, when once dry and set, is waterproof.

4) Toilet cleaning fluid or Drain-O, when diluted, is an excellent grease cutter.
Exercise great caution while handling it though as it is greatly corrosive.Wear thick latex gloves and if you are clumsy enough , those funky chemistry lab glasses too
Put the diluted fluid in a pistol spray gun bottle and spray on greasy kitchen tiles and other non porous surfaces.Leave there for a while and wipe off, it'll work much better than regular cleaning fluids.Again please wear latex gloves while using this and keep out of reach of children.
Don't use on flooring or granite or laminated countertops as its likely to discolour them
Soak stained chinaware in the same liquid and years of built up coffee ,tea and food stains will come off in minutes guaranteed! For best results soak for as long as possible.

This blog gives the finger to everyone who looks down upon household chores and seems to feel proud about employing another human being to pick up after them.There's nothing to be proud about paying another human being to clean your filth.Its degrading, both to yourself and to the other person.

Dignity of labor
Now and forever!
-A fabulous woman

Being a man is no excuse for being a useless spoilt slob.
-A Fabulous woman

The secret to being happy is not having the time to be unhappy.
-A fabulous woman

The fabulous woman is my mother :)

Quotes by Women, About Women, For Women

2007-12-11T17:29:00.000+05:30

Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed. If I fail, no one will say, "She doesn't have what it takes." They will say, "Women don't have what it takes."
~Clare Boothe Luce

Women have been taught that, for us, the earth is flat, and that if we venture out, we will fall off the edge. ~Author Unknown

The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, "It's a girl." ~Shirley Chisholm

I think it's about time we voted for senators with breasts. After all, we've been voting for boobs long enough. ~Clarie Sargent, Arizona senatorial candidate

*APPLAUSE!*

Never let the hand you hold, hold you down. ~Author Unknown

I wish someone would have told me that, just because I'm a girl, I don't have to get married. ~Marlo Thomas

Women are the only oppressed group in our society that lives in intimate association with their opressors. ~Evelyn Cunningham

Feminism is the radical notion that women are people. ~Cheris Kramarae and Paula Treichler

I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman. ~Anaïs Nin

Man endures pain as an undeserved punishment; woman accepts it as a natural heritage. ~Author Unknown

I see my body as an instrument, rather than an ornament. ~Alanis Morissette, quoted in Reader's Digest, March 2000

I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay. ~Madonna Ciccone

*attagal!*

When I see the elaborate study and ingenuity displayed by women in the pursuit of trifles, I feel no doubt of their capacity for the most herculean undertakings. ~Julia Ward Howe

Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths. ~Lois Wyse

There is a special place in hell for women who do not help other women. ~Madeleine K. Albright

The test for whether or not you can hold a job should not be the arrangement of your chromosomes. ~Bella Abzug

I've yet to be on a campus where most women weren't worrying about some aspect of combining marriage, children, and a career. I've yet to find one where many men were worrying about the same thing. ~Gloria Steinem

I refuse to believe that trading recipes is silly. Tunafish casserole is at least as real as corporate stock. ~Barbara Grizzuti Harrison

A woman reading Playboy feels a little like a Jew reading a Nazi manual. ~Gloria Steinem

The world has never yet seen a truly great and virtuous nation because in the degradation of woman the very fountains of life are poisoned at their source. ~Lucretia Mott

To tell a woman everything she may not do is to tell her what she can do. ~Spanish Proverb

Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry. ~Gloria Steinem

can't be a rose in any man's lapel. ~Margaret Trudeau

No man is as anti-feminist as a really feminine woman. ~Frank O'Connor

Why is it that men can be bastards and women must wear pearls and smile? ~Lynn Hecht Schafren

Easy is an adjective used to describe a woman who has the sexual morals of a man. ~Nancy Linn-Desmond

Nobody objects to a woman being a good writer or sculptor or geneticist if at the same time she manages to be a good wife, a good mother, good-looking, good-tempered, well-dressed, well-groomed, and unaggressive. ~Marya Mannes

It starts when you sink in his arms and ends with your arms in his sink. ~Author Unknown

I'm just a person trapped inside a woman's body. ~Elaine Boosler

We've begun to raise daughters more like sons... but few have the courage to raise our sons more like our daughters. ~Gloria Steinem

Many beautiful women have been made happy by their own beauty, but no intelligent woman has ever been made happy by her own intelligence. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

One does not have to sleep with, or even touch, someone who has paid for your meal. All those obligations are hereby rendered null and void, and any man who doesn't think so needs a quick jab in the kidney. ~Cynthia Heimel, Sex Tips for Girls, 1983

(don't let them buy you a meal at all!)

For my girls, women, ladies!

2007-12-11T17:13:00.000+05:30

The most phenomenal poem I've ever read.A B-12 shot for the feminine ego. Read this and feel the pride woman! I KNOW you relate to this!

PHENOMENAL WOMAN
by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a model's fashion size
But when I start to tell them
They think I'm telling lies.
I say
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips
The stride of my steps
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please
And to a man
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees
Then they swarm around me
A hive of honey bees.
I say
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth
The swing of my waist
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say
It's in the arch of my back
The sun of my smile
The ride of my breasts
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say
It's in the click of my heels
The bend of my hair
The palm of my hand
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally
Phenomenal woman
That's me.

P.S :- YOU are the phenomenal woman and you are loved for the phenomenon you are.Thank you for visiting

Things to do right before you make the dash out of the house in the mornings

2007-12-11T12:19:00.000+05:30

Show me a successful person and I'll show you a list maker.

Indian households are so severely dependent on maids and servants that even if for a day the maid/servant doesn't turn up, the entire machinery of the household seems to crumble into a disorganized heap.A little self sufficience can go a long way.Your house does not have to look like a pig sty even if you are a busy bachelor/bachlorette. Some families have full time servants and maids.I shake my head in disdain and disbelief at the idea of a person who is not a member of your family, having unrestricted access to all the corners of your house and your life 24 hours a day!

All you have to do is to reign the lazy impulse in and accommodate a little time in your daily schedule for general chores.

Here's a list of things to do before you go out of the house in the mornings.

Wake up atleast an hour before the time you usually leave the house.Make it 1.30 or 2 hours if you wish to include an exercise schedule (highly recommended)

The bedroom

Make the bed, straighten out the sheets, fold the comforters, blankets etc

Lay out the clothes you plan to wear for the day on the bed before you hit the shower.

The bathroom , right after you shower.

Take a stiff bristled, long handled brush and remove the hair and other gunk from the shower drain(yechh I know, but see what it turns to if you DON'T take care of it daily), Don't pick it out of the brush with your fingers! Use several layers of toilet paper or old newspaper to pick it out of the brush, and toss the crumpled paper into the bin.There! wasn't so hard was it?

Now wipe out the shower curtain, the mirror, the counter top around the washbasin.Keep a rag in the bathroom for this purpose.You can skip this step if you like having water droplet marks everywhere.
Collect all your dirty laundry and toss it in the laundry bag.Try and use separate laundry bags for coloured and whites.

If you wish you can flush the john, pour some toilet cleaning fluid in there and put the seat down, You can come back from work/school and scrub it at leisure later. (You can skip this step everyday, and leave it for just once a week)

It would be excellent if you get an small fan or an exhaust fan installed in your bathroom.Leave it on after you shower, alternatively you can leave the bathroom ventilator or window open. A dry bathroom is hostile to mildew and mold! (less tile scrubbing terror later)

Also keep a long handled wiper mop in the bathroom to quickly direct the water towards the drain.

If you get ready in the bathroom itself, put all the makeup, hairbrushes back in their place after you use them.You don't want to end up putting toothpaste instead of foundation on your face accidentally (which is what my mom would have done once, had I, the superhero(ine) wasn't there to take note and stop her in her tracks)

Ditto even if you get dressed in front of a dresser.

Note - Do not ever use a hair dryer or other hand held electronic appliances in the bathroom, no matter what!
Okay the bathroom's set , it may look tedious but its not, it takes no more than 5-10 minutes. sometimes even less

Off to breakfast table

After you are done having breakfast,

Wipe the crumbs off the dining table

Fold the newspaper back (had you been reading it) Ideally you can wash the breakfast dishes right then if you are having dry food for breakfast (eg. toast), but most people I know, including myself have a problem with doing dishes once they are all dressed up to go out,So you can leave the dishes etc soaking in a sinkfull of detergent water and come back and do the dishes later.By that time the detergent will have loosened the grime and grease on the dishes and they'll pretty much clean themselves.

Since you are in the kitchen already to put the dishes back might as well wipe off the kitchen top and the burners etc.This prevents any grease from accumulating in the long run and more importantly keeps pests away.

Last minute check before leaving the house-The Important Stuff
Turn the bathroom fan / exhaust off

Unplug the iron/hairdryers/microwave oven and other such appliances.Someone, especially the elderly and children may accidentally turn them on and forget to turn them off.Recipe for disaster.

I do not recommend leaving the computer on unattended while you're not home, even if you are fond of your massive movie downloads.

Check the cooking range and make sure its not on.Even if there's no flame, still make sure the knobs are turned to 'off' position.(put florescent paint dots on the 'off' position marker as well as the tip of burner knob so you can clearly see that they are aligned, hence OFF.. a good way to teach children how to turn the gas off as well), Gas leakages can cause potentially life threatening disasters!

To be on an even safer side, turn the knob on the gas cylinder off before leaving home.(Recommended! Small children absolutely love turning cooking range knobs around haphazardly)

Close all the open windows and doors, latch them good, lest some unwanted guests drop by!

Make sure you are wearing your work shoes, not the comfy bunny slippers you trot around the house in.

Also make sure you are wearing pants

and/or have the curlers out of your hair before you dash out.

Parents please note that inculcating a habit of undertaking chores in your children , however young they may be, is not cruelty.It is the greatest act of kindness you can perform towards them.Dependence is a curse, if babied enough as children, adults get stuck in the infantile mode, unable to pick up after themselves in the house and life itself.This attitude translates to other aspects of life as well, such as inability to accept responsibilities in relationships and at work, inability to cope with life's challenges etc.
and yes boys needn't be treated any different than girls.What a girl is taught in an Indian family, a boy must know too.That includes making round chappatis!

There you have it.Please credit me or leave a link back to this blog if you use this article anywhere.I read all the major dailies and women's publications in India, and a few from abroad so I'll know

And please comment if you found this article useful in any way to you.

Have a productive life!

The dynamics of skin aging.

2007-12-11T10:53:00.000+05:30

Met someone who looked years younger than his/her own age?Did you feel a twinge of envy?

Its not a mystical secret.There are parameters and dynamics to skin aging.Once you understand them, you can gear yourself up to combat, prevent or even reverse aging.

First and foremost.Beauty is in fact skin deep.

Understand how your face ages.When we are younger, we have an abundance of fat on our face, as we grow older this felt kind of 'melts off' hence the 'sculpting of features' effect.
Under this layer of fat lies the collagen layer, which is mostly a framework of elastic fibers which are responsible for keeping the skin firm and give it a taut 'cohesive' look which is the hallmark of youthfulness.

In my opinion men and women in their late teens and twenties are in their prime, beauty wise as their features are just sculpted enough, but they haven't begun to 'hollow out' with age.

If you don't exercise, take an imbalanced diet (lacking in protein and essential vitamins and minerals), indulge in smoking, excessive massages and tampering of the skin, it is the collagen layer which gets damaged.The effects may not show immedietely but once the layer of fat melts off , the face starts showing the signs of sagging, wrinkles and other collagen damage you may have acquired during your younger years.

There are other factors which contribute to aging of the face.Notice how women seem to have plump smooth faces as compared to men who usually tend to have more chiseled, craggy looks?

Yes the difference is in the fundamental hormonal structure.Estrogen, the female hormone is responsible for keeping the skin moist, smooth, plump, wrinkle-free and acne-free,(acne does strike girls in their teens, which is a normal result of hormonal surge) it also seems to keep dark circles at bay.On the downside estrogen imbalance is also responsible for certain gynecological problems such as mastitis (pain in the breasts), water retention and melasma (hyperpigmentation, usually on the sides of the nose, above the upper lip and on temples and slightly below the temples)

This is the reason why at times obese boys and men tend to have smoother than usual skin as their obesity causes estrogen dominance in the body.

Stress :- Under conditions of duress, the body produces a hormone called cortisol, which among other effects tends to increase the girth of the midriff i.e increase in abdominal fat and 'thins' out the facial skin.Thats why people who are stressed out or ill, tend to have a gaunt, sallow appearance.Long periods(months, years) of stress may permanently age skin.

Certain conditions such as hypothyroidism and diabetes also contribute to skin aging.hypothyroidism makes the skin coarse and consequently wrinkled.

You can run but you can't hide .. from your GENES.It may be unfair, but its true.Your genetics also contribute to how you'll age.For example, in my family, we tend to have crinkly thin skin around the eyes as we age, rest of the face stays youthful comparitively. my mum has it, most of my aunts have it and my older cousins too.So there isn't much I can do about it either.

Surprisingly,at times your face is the LAST of your body to show aging.Sometimes aging of the face is merely a symptom of a body which is not functioning optimally or has aged from within.

What you can do to retain youthful looks:

1) What happens when you cut off the blood supply to a body part? tissue death? Gangrene?

Exactly my point. The face being the 'summit' of the body, ages the most if you are leading a sedentary lifestyle which impedes your blood circulation.The better the blood circulation, the more oxygen will reach the skin and other tissues, so it stays moist, plump and youthful.

Exercise.A LOT. And dedicate at least half an hour per day to intense workouts, the kind which raise your heartbeat and make you perspire thoroughly. Even people with dry skins will find that the need for moisturizers is greatly diminished once you make it a point to exercise every day.Exercise can and will reverse premature aging in most cases.
maintain an optimal weight.yo-yo dieting, swinging from one weight extreme to another will leave the skin sagging
2)Stay out of sun during the afternoons when the rays are intense, a little sunlight exposure per day is very beneficial for health but make sure you get early morning sun, not when the heat and the sunlight are at their most intense.Use sunblock, if you must venture out in the sun.
3) get any skin conditions such as eczema, lichen planus, dermatitis and psoriasis treated promptly and make it a point to exercise, skin conditions often disappear magically once an optimal exercise routine has been established.
4)Do not smoke, do not indulge in recreational drug use.Drugs like cocaine and crystal meth EAT YOUR FACE UP literally, I am not exaggerating.There's nothing 'cool' about this.
5) Include essential fatty acids in your diet.Eat a balanced diet, organic in nature if possible.That way you can avoid the chemical onslaught of artificial hormones which almost everything is loaded with these days.
6) Ladies, if you notice a drastic change in your skin for no apparent reason, get a complete blood work and hormonal profiling done.
7) This is from my personal experience.Do not spend too many hours in front of a computer.It tends to make skin dull and ashen .. especially in darkly pigmented races.
8) Get full 8 hours of sleep, and please do not make it haphazard.Have a bedtime routine and stick to it, no matter what.
9) Do not indulge in excessive vigorous massages, facials etc, even if you have problem skin. too much tugging and manipulating the skin makes it sag.once a month is fine.
10) Do not apply harsh chemicals to the facial skin.
11) Last but not the least.Stay happy.Nothing will age you like sadness.Cut yourself off from negative people and situations.Do not hate the way you look.Chances are 5 years later you'll secretly wish you looked like this
Grief, personal loss, financial loss .. everything can be coped with.As my mother says "the secret to being happy is not having the time to be unhappy".

Stay busy, stay productive and your face will care of itself.Really!

Cakes and Ale!

2007-12-10T20:54:00.000+05:30

Here is a true story someone found regarding exams at Cambridge University. It seems that during an examination one day a bright young student popped up and asked the proctor to bring him Cakes and Ale. The following dialog ensued:

Proctor: I beg your pardon?

Student: Sir, I request that you bring me Cakes and Ale.

Proctor: Sorry, no.

Student: Sir, I really must insist. I request and require that you bring me Cakes and Ale.

At this point, the student produced a copy of the four hundred year old Laws of Cambridge, written in Latin and still nominally in effect, and pointed to the section which read (rough translation from the Latin):

"Gentlemen sitting examinations may request and require Cakes and Ale".

Pepsi and hamburgers were judged the modern equivalent, and the student sat there, writing his examination and happily slurping away.

Three weeks later the student was fined five pounds for not wearing a sword to the examination.

source : www.falstad.com

The Jar and Beer Story

2007-12-10T20:47:00.000+05:30

From a fwd email

Very very striking and delightful though, more than the usual lowbrow sappy fwds.Must read!

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When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar...and the beer.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes." The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things--your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions--things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else--the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. "Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.

The professor smiled. "I’m glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of beers."

Open Source 100% FREE Office Suite, No more Micro$coff Office For Me

2007-12-09T21:22:00.000+05:30

Say you just formatted your computer, Now you have to create a word document for your cv or a presentation , maybe a database or a spreadsheet to meet that deadline?
But much to your horror , you realize that you do not have the Micro$oft Office installation cd (or the one you had, got scratched beyond the point of salvation)
Its 1 am in the night, what are you going to do? Call up your friends and ask them if they have the cd? They won't stay your friends anymore after a midnight wakeup call!
Pull your hair out in frustration and resign to your fate?
Go around sifting through 'warez' sites of dubious reputation looking for Micro$oft Office?

Wait!
All you have to do is download OpenOffice

OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute.

Yes you heard that right.The best things in life are and should be free!

OpenOffice.org 2 - Product Description

Compatible with other major office suites, OpenOffice.org is free to download, use, and distribute. Download it now, and get:

	Writer – a word processor you can use for anything from writing a quick letter to producing an entire book.
	Calc – a powerful spreadsheet with all the tools you need to calculate, analyse, and present your data in numerical reports or sizzling graphics.
	Impress – the fastest, most powerful way to create effective multimedia presentations.
	Draw – lets you produce everything from simple diagrams to dynamic 3D illustrations.
	Base – lets you manipulate databases seamlessly. Create and modify tables, forms, queries, and reports, all from within OpenOffice.org
	Math – lets you create mathematical equations with a graphic user interface or by directly typing your formulas into the equation editor.

I've used it personally and it does a pretty darn good job for something which didn't cost me a single $ !

It would be also of note that it is much lighter and fuss free as compared to MS Office- 107 MB download.Don't wait!

Check out their website

Down with the capitalist anarchy!

Wild(e) Quotes

2007-12-09T17:58:00.000+05:30

Quotes by Oscar Wilde

A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing.

A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally.

A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.

A man can be happy with any woman, as long as he does not love her.

A man can't be too careful in the choice of his enemies.

A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.

A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction.

A poet can survive everything but a misprint.

A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it.

A true friend stabs you in the front.

A work of art is the unique result of a unique temperament.

All art is quite useless.

All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling. To be natural is to be obvious, and to be obvious is to be inartistic.

All that I desire to point out is the general principle that life imitates art far more than art imitates life.

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his.

Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much.

Ambition is the germ from which all growth of nobleness proceeds.

Ambition is the last refuge of the failure.

America is the only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between.

An excellent man; he has no enemies; and none of his friends like him.

An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.

Anybody can be good in the country. There are no temptations there.

Arguments are extremely vulgar, for everyone in good society holds exactly the same opinion.

As long as a woman can look ten years younger than her own daughter, she is perfectly satisfied.

As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its fascination. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular.

Between men and women there is no friendship possible. There is passion, enmity, worship, love, but no friendship.

Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same.

By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, journalism keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community.

Charity creates a multitude of sins.

Children begin by loving their parents; after a time they judge them; rarely, if ever, do they forgive them.

Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.

Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative.

Death and vulgarity are the only two facts in the nineteenth century that one cannot explain away.

Deceiving others. That is what the world calls a romance.

Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.

Do you really think it is weakness that yields to temptation? I tell you that there are terrible temptations which it requires strength, strength and courage to yield to.

Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.

Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter.

Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.

Everybody who is incapable of learning has taken to teaching.

Everything popular is wrong.

Experience is one thing you can't get for nothing.

Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.

Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.

Fathers should be neither seen nor heard. That is the only proper basis for family life.

Hatred is blind, as well as love.

He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.

How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she were a perfectly normal human being.

How marriage ruins a man! It is as demoralizing as cigarettes, and far more expensive.

I always pass on good advice. It is the only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to oneself.

I am not young enough to know everything.

I am so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I am saying.

I am the only person in the world I should like to know thoroughly.

I can resist everything except temptation.

I can stand brute force, but brute reason is quite unbearable. There is something unfair about its use. It is hitting below the intellect.

I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their intellects. A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.

I have nothing to declare except my genuis.

I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.

I like persons better than principles, and I like persons with no principles better than anything else in the world.

I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.

I put all my genius into my life; I put only my talent into my works.

I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.

I see when men love women. They give them but a little of their lives. But women when they love give everything.

I sometimes think that God in creating man somewhat overestimated his ability.

I suppose society is wonderfully delightful. To be in it is merely a bore. But to be out of it is simply a tragedy.

I think that God, in creating man, somewhat overestimated his ability.

I want my food dead. Not sick, not dying, dead.

If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again, there is no use in reading it at all.

If one could only teach the English how to talk, and the Irish how to listen, society here would be quite civilized.

If one plays good music, people don't listen and if one plays bad music people don't talk.

If there was less sympathy in the world, there would be less trouble in the world.

If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life.

If you pretend to be good, the world takes you very seriously. If you pretend to be bad, it doesn't. Such is the astounding stupidity of optimism.

Illusion is the first of all pleasures.

In all matters of opinion, our adversaries are insane.

In America the President reigns for four years, and Journalism governs forever and ever.

In married life three is company and two none.

It is absurd to divide people into good and bad. People are either charming or tedious.

It is always the unreadable that occurs.

It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But... it is better to be good than to be ugly.

It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.

It is only an auctioneer who can equally and impartially admire all schools of art.

It is what you read when you don't have to that determines what you will be when you can't help it.

Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.

Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship, and it is far the best ending for one.

Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life.

Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.

Life is never fair, and perhaps it is a good thing for most of us that it is not.

Man can believe the impossible, but man can never believe the improbable.

Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.

Men always want to be a woman's first love - women like to be a man's last romance.

Men marry because they are tired; women, because they are curious; both are disappointed.

Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess.

Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people whom we personally dislike.

Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation.

Most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover when it is too late that the only things one never regrets are one's mistakes.

Mr. Henry James writes fiction as if it were a painful duty.

No great artist ever sees things as they really are. If he did, he would cease to be an artist.

No man is rich enough to buy back his past.

No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.

No woman should ever be quite accurate about her age. It looks so calculating.

Nothing can cure the soul but the senses, just as nothing can cure the senses but the soul.

One's past is what one is. It is the only way by which people should be judged.

One's real life is so often the life that one does not lead.

Only the shallow know themselves.

Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious.

Pessimist: One who, when he has the choice of two evils, chooses both.

Questions are never indiscreet, answers sometimes are.

Quotation is a serviceable substitute for wit.

Ridicule is the tribute paid to the genius by the mediocrities.

Romance should never begin with sentiment. It should begin with science and end with a settlement.

Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live.

Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow.

Society exists only as a mental concept; in the real world there are only individuals.

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.

Success is a science; if you have the conditions, you get the result.

The basis of optimism is sheer terror.

The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.

The critic has to educate the public; the artist has to educate the critic.

The difference between literature and journalism is that journalism is unreadable and literature is not read.

The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.

The old believe everything, the middle-aged suspect everything, the young know everything.

The one charm about marriage is that it makes a life of deception absolutely necessary for both parties.

The only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself.

The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it... I can resist everything but temptation.

The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius.

The salesman knows nothing of what he is selling save that he is charging a great deal too much for it.

The typewriting machine, when played with expression, is no more annoying than the piano when played by a sister or near relation.

The well bred contradict other people. The wise contradict themselves.

The world has grown suspicious of anything that looks like a happily married life.

The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.

There are many things that we would throw away if we were not afraid that others might pick them up.

There are only two kinds of people who are really fascinating - people who know absolutely everything, and people who know absolutely nothing.

There are only two tragedies in life: one is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.

There is a luxury in self-reproach. When we blame ourselves we feel no one else has a right to blame us.

There is always something infinitely mean about other people's tragedies.

There is always something ridiculous about the emotions of people whom one has ceased to love.

There is nothing in the world like the devotion of a married woman. It is a thing no married man knows anything about.

There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.

This suspense is terrible. I hope it will last.

Those whom the gods love grow young.

To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect.

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

When a man has once loved a woman he will do anything for her except continue to love her.

When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.

When the gods wish to punish us they answer our prayers.

Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always from the noblest motives.

Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong.

While we look to the dramatist to give romance to realism, we ask of the actor to give realism to romance.

Who, being loved, is poor?

Why was I born with such contemporaries?

Woman begins by resisting a man's advances and ends by blocking his retreat.

Women are made to be loved, not understood.

Women love us for our defects. If we have enough of them, they will forgive us everything, even our gigantic intellects.

2007-12-09T17:15:00.000+05:30

A Dude(yes a capital D, bite me) embarks on a painstaking journey to closing his facebook account. What he doesn't know it is going to prove to be a rite of passage of sorts for him.This is the story of his struggle, his kampf (it just sounded fancy n glamourously nazi-ish) and what he learnt from this harrowing life-changing experience.
Social networking will never be the same for you again.

Full steam ahead!

Warning a generous usage of the 'f' word

And you thought orkut was evil.

Creative advertising-2

2007-12-09T11:50:00.000+05:30

some very brilliant minds at work here!

The customer is (not) always right

2007-12-09T08:59:00.000+05:30

Actual Conversations With Customers Around The World

Show The Occifer Some Respect

Highway Patrol | Los Angeles, CA

Nervous blonde I pulled over: “Hello occifer, what can I do for you?”

Sure Sweetheart, Your Place Or Mine?

Lawn Care | Location Unknown

Lawn Care Customer: “Can you fertilize me next week?”

Sure, I’ll Get The Ones That Sing & Dance

Restaurant | West Palm Beach, FL

Seafood Restaurant Customer: (While looking at the lobster tank full of live lobsters) “Do you have any fresh ones?”

A Rose By Any Other Name

Grocery Store | Kansas, USA

(A customer comes to the bakery and asks me if we sell some ointment.)

Me: “Sorry, but we don’t sell that here.”

Customer: “Where can I get it?”

Me: “I would suggest one of the local pharmacies.” *I name a few, including B & J’s Pharmacy*

Customer: “Is B & J’s Pharmacy…a pharmacy?”

Me: “Yes…”

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Of All The Moments For Freud To Slip

Movie Cinema | Australia

(I was working the candy bar when a man seeing Bridge to Terabithia with two young kids. He points to the popcorn machine:)

Customer: “I’ll have two boxes of cockporn please.”

(There was a two second pause as the customer’s eyes went wide with horror…and then I started to laugh. He got the popcorn and ran upstairs, with me standing behind the counter with tears running down my face.)

On The Need For Consumer IQ Requirements

Retail | Suffolk, UK

Customer: “Hello, I’d like to return this gas cooker…”

Me: “Sure, what’s the problem with it, madam?”

Customer: “The picture on the front of the box shows meat, although when I opened the box there was no meat inside…”

Me: *In astonishment* “Okay, I’ll just go and get my manager…”

Underwater Basketweaving, B.A.

College Campus | Unknown Location

Customer: “Can I have a banana?”

Me: “Sure.” *I ring her up and give her a banana*

Customer: “Uh, actually.. could I have a more ripe banana?”

(I hand her a very yellow banana with faint spots on it.)

Customer: “No, no, a RIPER banana. Like, a greener one.”

(I stare at her for a second, get a greener banana, and watch her walk away wondering how she got into college.)

The Proud And Stupid

Retail Clothing Store | Indiana, USA

(This one came from my manager. A customer called Target and asked about a jacket that was on sale.)

Customer (very snooty): “Hello, I would like to know if you have any Corbin Wells jackets in stock.”

My Manager: “Corbin Wells? I don’t think we sell that brand.”

Customer (getting angry): “Well, it’s on page 10 in your ad!”

My Manager: “Let me see.” *she turns to page 10* “Ma’am, page 10 is electronics.”

Customer (extremely angry): “You DO have the ad in front of you, don’t you?”

My manager: “Yes, I have the TARGET ad in front of me.”

Customer: “Oh, Target? That’s not the ad I’m looking at.”

My manager: “What ad are you looking at, ma’am?”

Customer (still snooty): “Kohl’s.” *click*

Like, Oh My God!

Retail | Fargo, ND, USA

College Girl #1: “Our friend is registered here, but we can’t find her name on the computer.”

College Girl #2: “Yeah, it’s broken.”

College Girl #1: “She’s like one of our best friends and we need to get her a present.”

College Girl #2: “Yeah.”

Me: “Oh, okay, well let’s try it again.”

(We walk over to the gift registry kiosk.)

Me: “So is your friend registered for a wedding or baby shower?”

(The two girls look at each other confused.)

College Girl #2: “…Wedding?”

Me: “Okay…what’s her first name?”

College Girl #1: “Sarah…”

Me: “Is that with an ‘h’ at the end, or is it just S-A-R-A?”

(The two girls look at each other confused.)

Me: “Okay, well the computer can search using the first two letters of the first name, so we’ll just put in S-A. And what is her last name?”

College Girl #1: *says something unintelligible that sounds like “Pheuyben”*

Me: “And how do you spell it?”

(The girls look at each other confused.)

College Girl #2: “Um…”

College Girl #1: “Uh…”

Me: “Does it start with an ‘f’ or a ‘p-h’?”

College Girl #1: “P-h.”

College Girl #2: “F.”

(The girls look at each other confused.)

(Oh. My. God. If I had “best friends” like that I’d swallow some Drano.)

Not Unless It Has A Prenup

Photo Shop | South Wales, UK

(This is where I entered the conversation.)

Lady customer: “Yes, I have at home a ‘widows’ computer. Will the software work on a ‘widows’ computer?”

Why Mom Isn’t Part Of The Admissions Criteria

College Receptionist | Midwest, USA

(Working in a psychology department main office.)

Caller: “Do you have the courses for a psychology graduate degree posted on you website?”

Me: “Let me check….yes, they are posted on our website.”

Caller: “But I can’t find them!”

(I spend a couple minutes navigating her through our website. Once at the right page…)

Me: “Is that all?”

Caller: “Well she’s a sophomore, so is this what she needs?”

Me: “No, if she’s an undergraduate she’ll need something else.”

(I navigate her to our undergraduate listings.)

Caller: “BUT, these are all PSYCHOLOGY classes!!”

Me: “Ma’am, that’s what you asked for….”

Caller: “No, I wanted the English requirements!”

Me: “For an English degree?”

Caller: “No the English requirements for a psychology degree!”

Me: “Ma’am, do you want the Gen Ed requirements for all bachelor’s degrees?”

Caller: “YES!!! That’s what I want!”

(This call continues for many more minutes in which I explain that she should already have a huge packet on that from when her daughter started college. When she insists that they never got that, I actually navigate her over to the admission website, talk her through downloading the packet (a 600 page PDF), and have to explain not only what page to turn to, but where to look on the page.)

(For her daughter’s sake, let’s hope it’s not hereditary.)

n Be Lazy

Home Improvement Store | California, USA

Customer: “I need a door.”

Me: “What kind of door?”

Customer: “You’re the professional!”

Me: “…”

Me: “Where are you going while passing through this door, and where are you leaving?”

Customer: “Garage from the kitchen.”

Me: “Great, and what size is the door that’s there now?”

Customer: “They make them in different sizes?”

*throws self out window*

These and more at Not Always Right

30 of the worst predictions ever

2007-12-09T08:17:00.000+05:30

1. “I think there is a world market for maybe five computers.” — Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943.

2. “Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equipped with 18,000 vacuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1,000 vacuum tubes and weigh only 1.5 tons.” — Popular Mechanics, 1949

3. “I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year.” — The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957.

4. “But what…is it good for?” — Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.

5. “There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home.” — Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of Digital Equipment Corp., 1977.

6. “640K ought to be enough for anybody.” — Attributed to Bill Gates, 1981, but believed to be an urban legend.

7. “This ‘telephone’ has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us.” — Western Union internal memo, 1876.

8. “The Americans have need of the telephone, but we do not. We have plenty of messenger boys.” — Sir William Preece, chief engineer of the British Post Office, 1876.

9. “The wireless music box has no imaginable commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in particular?” — David Sarnoff’s associates in response to his urgings for investment in the radio in the 1920s.

10. “While theoretically and technically television may be feasible, commercially and financially it is an impossibility.” — Lee DeForest, inventor.

11. “The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in order to earn better than a ‘C’, the idea must be feasible.” — A Yale University management professor in response to Fred Smith’s paper proposing reliable overnight delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)

12. “Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?” — H. M. Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.

13. “I’m just glad it’ll be Clark Gable who’s falling on his face and not Gary Cooper.” — Gary Cooper on his decision not to take the leading role in “Gone With the Wind.”

14. “A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make.” — Response to Debbi Fields’ idea of starting Mrs. Fields’ Cookies.

15. “We don’t like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out.” — Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.

16. “Radio has no future. Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible. X-rays will prove to be a hoax.” — William Thomson, Lord Kelvin, British scientist, 1899.

17. “So we went to Atari and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this amazing thing, even built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or we’ll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we’ll come work for you.’ And they said, ‘No.’ So then we went to Hewlett-Packard, and they said, ‘Hey, we don’t need you. You haven’t got through college yet.’” — Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on attempts to get Atari and HP interested in his and Steve Wozniak’s personal computer.

18. “If I had thought about it, I wouldn’t have done the experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can’t do this.” — Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives for 3-M “Post-It” Notepads.

19. “It will be years — not in my time — before a woman will become Prime Minister.” — Margaret Thatcher, 1974.

20. “I see no good reasons why the views given in this volume should shock the religious sensibilities of anyone.” — Charles Darwin, The Origin Of Species, 1869.

21. “With over 50 foreign cars already on sale here, the Japanese auto industry isn’t likely to carve out a big slice of the U.S. market.” — Business Week, August 2, 1968.

22. “That Professor Goddard with his ‘chair’ in Clark College and the countenancing of the Smithsonian Institution does not know the relation of action to reaction, and of the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react–to say that would be absurd. Of course, he only seems to lack the knowledge ladled out daily in high schools.” — 1921 New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard’s revolutionary rocket work. The remark was retracted in the July 17, 1969 issue.

23. “You want to have consistent and uniform muscle development across all of your muscles? It can’t be done. It’s just a fact of life. You just have to accept inconsistent muscle development as an unalterable condition of weight training.” — Response to Arthur Jones, who solved the “unsolvable” problem by inventing Nautilus.

24. “Ours has been the first, and doubtless to be the last, to visit this profitless locality.” — Lt. Joseph Ives, after visiting the Grand Canyon in 1861.

25. “Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil? You’re crazy.” — Workers whom Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his project to drill for oil in 1859.

26. “Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.” — Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University, 1929.

27. “There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will.” — Albert Einstein, 1932.

28. “The bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives.” — Admiral William Leahy, U.S. Atomic Bomb Project.

29. “Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value.” — Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre.

30. “There will never be a bigger plane built.” — A Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that holds ten people.

31. “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” — Attributed to Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents, 1899, but known to be an urban legend.

2007-12-08T16:59:00.000+05:30

2007-12-08T13:01:00.000+05:30

I hope you haven't begun to think that this blog is ever nice and never naughty?

I don't know about you, but reading bitchy blogs about crazy hollyweird celeb antics makes me feel much better about myself (not that I don't already feel divaesquely fabulous all the time)

Here's where good girls ~~like me~~ go when they go (slightly) bad.....

Perez Hilton

D-Listed

I Don't Like You In That Way

What Would Tyler Durden Do

Just Jared (warning : This one is virtually a Brangelina shrine, tread carefully if you are not too fond of The Vicious Adulteress a.k.a The Serial Adoptress and the Blond Lobotomized Twink)

There you have it , the cream of the ~~bitch~~ crop! have fun

2007-12-08T11:26:00.000+05:30

2007-12-08T11:02:00.000+05:30

But They Did Not Give Up

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better."
~ Samuel Beckett

As a young man, Abraham Lincoln went to war a captain and returned a private. Afterwards, he was a failure as a businessman. As a lawyer in Springfield, he was too impractical and temperamental to be a success. He turned to politics and was defeated in his first try for the legislature, again defeated in his first attempt to be nominated for congress, defeated in his application to be commissioner of the General Land Office, defeated in the senatorial election of 1854, defeated in his efforts for the vice-presidency in 1856, and defeated in the senatorial election of 1858. At about that time, he wrote in a letter to a friend, "I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would not be one cheerful face on the earth."

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade. He was subsequently defeated in every election for public office until he became Prime Minister at the age of 62. He later wrote, "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never - in nothing, great or small, large or petty - never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never, Never, Never, Never give up." (his capitals, mind you)

Socrates was called "an immoral corrupter of youth" and continued to corrupt even after a sentence of death was imposed on him. He drank the hemlock and died corrupting.

Sigmund Freud was booed from the podium when he first presented his ideas to the scientific community of Europe. He returned to his office and kept on writing.

Robert Sternberg received a C in his first college introductory-psychology class. His teacher commented that "there was a famous Sternberg in psychology and it was obvious there would not be another." Three years later Sternberg graduated with honors from Stanford University with exceptional distinction in psychology, summa cum laude, and Phi Beta Kappa. In 2002, he became President of the American Psychological Association.

Charles Darwin gave up a medical career and was told by his father, "You care for nothing but shooting, dogs and rat catching." In his autobiography, Darwin wrote, "I was considered by all my masters and my father, a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard of intellect." Clearly, he evolved.

Thomas Edison's teachers said he was "too stupid to learn anything." He was fired from his first two jobs for being "non-productive." As an inventor, Edison made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. When a reporter asked, "How did it feel to fail 1,000 times?" Edison replied, "I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps."
"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall."
~ Confucius

Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4-years-old and did not read until he was 7. His parents thought he was "sub-normal," and one of his teachers described him as "mentally slow, unsociable, and adrift forever in foolish dreams." He was expelled from school and was refused admittance to the Zurich Polytechnic School. He did eventually learn to speak and read. Even to do a little math.

Louis Pasteur was only a mediocre pupil in undergraduate studies and ranked 15th out of 22 students in chemistry.

Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he succeeded.

R. H. Macy failed seven times before his store in New York City caught on.

F. W. Woolworth was not allowed to wait on customers when he worked in a dry goods store because, his boss said, "he didn't have enough sense."

When Bell telephone was struggling to get started, its owners offered all their rights to Western Union for $100,000. The offer was disdainfully rejected with the pronouncement, "What use could this company make of an electrical toy."

John Garcia, who eventually was honored for his fundamental psychological discoveries, was once told by a reviewer of his often-rejected manuscripts that one is no more likely to find the phenomenon he discovered than to find bird droppings in a cuckoo clock. (sort of a cute critique actually)

Rocket scientist Robert Goddard found his ideas bitterly rejected by his scientific peers on the grounds that rocket propulsion would not work in the rarefied atmosphere of outer space.

Daniel Boone was once asked by a reporter if he had ever been lost in the wilderness. Boone thought for a moment and replied, "No, but I was once bewildered for about three days."
"Only those who dare to fail greatly can achieve greatly."
~ Robert F. Kennedy

An expert said of Vince Lombardi: "He possesses minimal football knowledge and lacks motivation." Lombardi would later write, "It's not whether you get knocked down; it's whether you get back up."

Michael Jordan and Bob Cousy were each cut from their high school basketball teams. Jordan once observed, "I've failed over and over again in my life. That is why I succeed."

Babe Ruth is famous for his past home run record, but for decades he also held the record for strikeouts. He hit 714 home runs and struck out 1,330 times in his career (about which he said, "Every strike brings me closer to the next home run."). And didn't Mark McGwire break that strikeout record? (John Wooden once explained that winners make the most errors.)

Hank Aaron went 0 for 5 his first time at bat with the Milwakee Braves.

Stan Smith was rejected as a ball boy for a Davis Cup tennis match because he was "too awkward and clumsy." He went on to clumsily win Wimbledon and the U. S. Open. And eight Davis Cups.

Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, Bill Walsh, and Jimmy Johnson accounted for 11 of the 19 Super Bowl victories from 1974 to 1993. They also share the distinction of having the worst records of first-season head coaches in NFL history - they didn't win a single game.

Johnny Unitas's first pass in the NFL was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Joe Montana's first pass was also intercepted. And while we're on quarterbacks, during his first season Troy Aikman threw twice as many interceptions (18) as touchdowns (9) . . . oh, and he didn't win a single game. You think there's a lesson here?

After Carl Lewis won the gold medal for the long jump in the 1996 Olympic games, he was asked to what he attributed his longevity, having competed for almost 20 years. He said, "Remembering that you have both wins and losses along the way. I don't take either one too seriously."
"Our achievements speak for themselves. What we have to keep track of are our failures, discouragements, and doubts. We tend to forget the past difficulties, the many false starts, and the painful groping. We see our past achievements as the end result of a clean forward thrust, and our present difficulties as signs of decline and decay."
~ Eric Hoffer

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor because "he lacked imagination and had no good ideas." He went bankrupt several times before he built Disneyland. In fact, the proposed park was rejected by the city of Anaheim on the grounds that it would only attract riffraff.

Charles Schultz had every cartoon he submitted rejected by his high school yearbook staff. Oh, and Walt Disney wouldn't hire him.

After Fred Astaire's first screen test, the memo from the testing director of MGM, dated 1933, read, "Can't act. Can't sing. Slightly bald. Can dance a little." He kept that memo over the fire place in his Beverly Hills home. Astaire once observed that "when you're experimenting, you have to try so many things before you choose what you want, that you may go days getting nothing but exhaustion." And here is the reward for perseverance: "The higher up you go, the more mistakes you are allowed. Right at the top, if you make enough of them, it's considered to be your style."

After his first audition, Sidney Poitier was told by the casting director, "Why don't you stop wasting people's time and go out and become a dishwasher or something?" It was at that moment, recalls Poitier, that he decided to devote his life to acting.

When Lucille Ball began studying to be actress in 1927, she was told by the head instructor of the John Murray Anderson Drama School, "Try any other profession."

The first time Jerry Seinfeld walked on-stage at a comedy club as a professional comic, he looked out at the audience, froze, and forgot the English language. He stumbled through "a minute-and a half" of material and was jeered offstage. He returned the following night and closed his set to wild applause.

In 1944, Emmeline Snively, director of the Blue Book Modeling Agency, told modeling hopeful Norma Jean Baker, "You'd better learn secretarial work or else get married." I'm sure you know that Norma Jean was Marilyn Monroe. Now . . . who was Emmeline Snively?

At the age of 21, French acting legend Jeanne Moreau was told by a casting director that her head was too crooked, she wasn't beautiful enough, and she wasn't photogenic enough to make it in films. She took a deep breath and said to herself, "Alright, then, I guess I will have to make it my own way." After making nearly 100 films her own way, in 1997 she received the European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award.
"Flops are a part of life's menu
and I've never been a girl to miss out on any of the courses."
~ Rosalind Russell

After Harrison Ford's first performance as a hotel bellhop in the film Dead Heat on a Merry-Go-Round, the studio vice-president called him in to his office. "Sit down kid," the studio head said, "I want to tell you a story. The first time Tony Curtis was ever in a movie he delivered a bag of groceries. We took one look at him and knew he was a movie star." Ford replied, "I thought you were spossed to think that he was a grocery delivery boy." The vice president dismissed Ford with "You ain't got it kid , you ain't got it ... now get out of here."

Michael Caine's headmaster told him, "You will be a laborer all your life."

Charlie Chaplin was initially rejected by Hollywood studio chiefs because his pantomime was considered "nonsense."

Enrico Caruso's music teacher said he had no voice at all and could not sing. His parents wanted him to become an engineer.

Decca Records turned down a recording contract with the Beatles with the unprophetic evaluation, "We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on their way out." After Decca rejected the Beatles, Columbia records followed suit.

In 1954, Jimmy Denny, manager of the Grand Ole Opry, fired Elvis Presley after one performance. He told Presley, "You ain't goin' nowhere, son. You ought to go back to drivin' a truck."

Beethoven handled the violin awkwardly and preferred playing his own compositions instead of improving his technique. His teacher called him "hopeless as a composer." And, of course, you know that he wrote five of his greatest symphonies while completely deaf.
"No matter how hard you work for success, if your thought is saturated with the fear of failure, it will kill your efforts, neutralize your endeavors and make success impossible."
~ Baudjuin

The Impressionists had to arrange their own art exhibitions because their works were routinely rejected by the Paris Salon. How many of you have heard of the Paris Salon?

A Paris art dealer refused Picasso shelter when he asked if he could bring in his paintings from out of the rain. One hopes that there is justice in this world and that the art dealer eventually went broke.

Van Gogh sold only one painting during his life. And this to the sister of one of his friends for 400 francs (approximately $50). This didn't stop him from completing over 800 paintings.

John Constable's luminous painting Watermeadows at Salisbury was dismissed in 1830 by a judge at the Royal Academy as "a nasty green thing." Name of the judge, anyone? Anyone?

Rodin's father once said, "I have an idiot for a son." Described as the worst pupil in the school, he was rejected three times admittance to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. His uncle called him uneducable. Perhaps this gave him food for thought.

Stravinsky was run out of town by an enraged audience and critics after the first performance of the Rite of Spring.

When Pablo Casals reached 95, a young reporter asked him "Mr. Casals, you are 95 and the greatest cellist that ever lived. Why do you still practice six hours a day?" Mr. Casals answered, "Because I think I'm making progress."
"Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune;
but great minds rise above them."
~ Washington Irving

Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college. He was described as both "unable and unwilling to learn." No doubt a slow developer.

Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, was encouraged to find work as a servant by her family.

Emily Dickinson had only seven poems published in her lifetime.

15 publishers rejected a manuscript by e. e. cummings. When he finally got it published by his mother, the dedication, printed in uppercase letters, read WITH NO THANKS TO . . . followed by the list of publishers who had rejected his prized offering. Nice going Eddie. Thanks for illustrating that nobody loses all the time.

18 publishers turned down Richard Bach's story about a "soaring eagle." Macmillan finally published Jonathan Livingston Seagull in 1970. By 1975 it had sold more than 7 million copies in the U.S. alone.

21 publishers rejected Richard Hooker's humorous war novel, M*A*S*H. He had worked on it for seven years.

22 publishers rejected James Joyce's The Dubliners.

27 publishers rejected Dr. Seuss's first book, To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street.

Jack London received six hundred rejection slips before he sold his first story.

English crime novelist John Creasey got 753 rejection slips before he published 564 books.

William Saroyan accumulated more than a thousand rejections before he had his first literary piece published. Way to not take a hint, Bill!

Gertrude Stein submitted poems to editors for nearly 20 years before one was finally accepted. See . . . a rose is a rose.

I bet you didn't know that John Milton wrote Paradise Lost 16 years after losing his eyesight

One of Professor Pajares's first research efforts came back with a review that began, "There are so many things I don't like about this article I just don't know where to begin."

There is a professor at MIT who offers a course on failure. He does that, he says, because failure is a far more common experience than success. An interviewer once asked him if anybody ever failed the course on failure. He thought a moment and replied, "No, but there were two Incompletes."

Let's end with Woody Allen: "I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying. Eighty percent of success is showing up."

Via The Self-Efficacy Site

Fact is stranger than fiction, Do you still refuse to believe that we are part of a grand cosmic plan?

2007-12-07T20:43:00.000+05:30

Top 15 Strangest Coincidences

It was written
# Mark Twain was born on the day of the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1835, and died on the day of its next appearance in 1910. He himself predicted this in 1909, when he said: "I came in with Halley's Comet in 1835. It is coming again next year, and I expect to go out with it."

# Oregon's Columbian newspaper announced the winning Pick 4 lottery numbers for June 28, 2000 in advance. The newspaper had intended to print the previous set of winning numbers but erroneously printed those for the state of Virginia, namely 6-8-5-5. In the next Oregon lottery, those same numbers were drawn.

# In 1979, the German magazine - Das Besteran - ran a writing competition. Readers sent in unusual stories, but they had to be based on true incidents. The winner, Walter Kellner of Munich, had his story published . He wrote about a time when he was flying a Cessna 421 between Sardinia and Sicily. He encountered engine trouble at sea, landed in the water, spent some time in an emergency dinghy and was then rescued. This story was spotted by an Austrian, also named Walter Kellner, who said that the German Kellner had plagiarized the story. The Austrian Kellner said that he had flown a Cessna 421 over the same sea, experienced engine trouble and was forced to land in Sardinia. It was essentially the same story, with a slightly different ending. The magazine checked both stories, and both turned out to be true, even though they were nearly identical.

# Morgan Robertson's 1898 novella Futility had many parallels with the RMS Titanic disaster; the book concerned a fictional state-of-the-art ocean liner called Titan, which (like the Titanic) eventually collides with an iceberg on a calm April night whilst en route to New York, with many dying because of the lack of lifeboats. Various other details in the book coincide with the Titanic disaster. Later, she wrote a book, Beyond the Spectrum, that described a future war fought with aircraft that carried "sun bombs". Incredibly powerful, one bomb could destroy a city, erupting in a flash of light that blinds all who look at it. The war begins in December, started by the Japanese with a sneak attack on Hawaii.

Death calls twice
# On July 28th 1900, the King of Italy Umberto I was having dinner in a restaurant in the city of Monza. It turned out later that the restaurant's owner looked identical to the king. The restaurant owner's name was Umberto, his wife's name was the same as the queen's and the restaurant was opened on the same date as the king's inauguration. The Restaurant-owner Umberto was shot dead the next day. So was King Umberto.

# Claude Volbonne killed Baron Rodemire de Tarazone of France in 1872. 21 years earlier, the Baron's father had been murdered by somebody else called Claude Volbonne.

# On February 13, 1746, a Frenchman, Jean Marie Dubarry, was executed for the murder of his father. Precisely 100 years later, on February 13, 1846, another Frenchman, also named Jean Marie Dubarry, was executed - for the murder of his father.

# On the 26th November, 1911, three men were hanged at Greenberry Hill in London after being convicted of the murder of Sir Edmund Berry. Their names were Green, Berry and Hill.

Just in Time
# The British actor Anthony Hopkins [who shot to fame as Hannibal Lecter] was delighted to hear that he had landed a leading role in a film based on the book The Girl From Petrovka by George Feifer. A few days after signing the contract, Hopkins travelled to London to buy a copy of the book. He tried several bookshops, but there wasn't one to be had. Waiting at Leicester Square underground for his train home, he noticed a book apparently discarded on a bench. Incredibly, it was The Girl From Petrovka. That in itself would have been coincidence enough but in fact it was merely the beginning of an extraordinary chain of events. Two years later, in the middle of filming in Vienna, Hopkins was visited by George Feifer, the author. Feifer mentioned that he did not have a copy of his own book. He had lent the last one - containing his own annotations - to a friend who had lost it somewhere in London. With mounting astonishment, Hopkins handed Feifer the book he had found. 'Is this the one?' he asked, 'with the notes scribbled in the margins?' It was the same book.

# As the inhabitants of Ruthwell, Dumfriesshire, were watching a scene in the film Around the World in 80 Days, where a hot air balloon was about to take off, their TV sets went off due to a power cut. Nearby, power lines had been damaged. A hot air balloon had crashed into them.

# Hernán Cortés' arrival in Mexico in 1519 coincided with the year in the Mayan Calendar when it was predicted that the pale-faced man-god Quetzalcoatl would return to reclaim the city of Tenochtitlán. The Aztecs therefore assumed Cortés to be the legendary man-god, which assisted him in capturing the city and thence Mexico.

Lightning strikes back
# A British officer, Major Summerford, while fighting in the fields of Flanders in February 1918 was knocked off his horse by a flash of lightning and paralyzed from the waist down. Summerford retired and moved to Vancouver. One day in 1924, as he fished alongside a river, lightning hit the tree he was sitting under and paralyzed his right side. Two years later Summerford was sufficiently recovered that he was able to take walks in a local park. He was walking there one summer day in 1930 when a lightning bolt smashed into him, permanently paralyzing him. He died two years later. But lightning sought him out one last time. Four years later, during a storm, lightning struck a cemetery and destroyed a tombstone. The deceased buried here? Major Summerford.

# In 1899 a bolt of lightning killed a man as he stood in his backyard in Taranto, Italy.
Thirty years later his son was killed in the same way and in the same place.
On October 8, 1949, Rolla Primarda, the grandson of the first victim and the son of the second, became the third.

D-Day: The Normandy invasion
# The date of the invasion June 6,1944 {6644} reflects the first great invasion associated with Normandy in 1066
# In the first Invasion in 1066 Roger de Montgomery commanded portions of William the Conquerors Forces.
# In the second Invasion 1944 Bernard Montgomery commanded portions of Eisenhower's Forces.
# German General Rommel -Montgomery's adversary in an earlier Campaign in N. Africa Commits suicide on October 14, 1944 {101444}
# The Battle of Hastings took place on October 14 {101466}
# Eisenhower's Birthday was October 14 {101490}
# The first Norman invasion initiated the first major immigration of Jews into Britain.
# The second Norman invasion initiated the chain of events that returned the Jews to Israel

A. Lincoln and J.F. Kennedy
Life
# Both presidents had 7 letters in their last name.
# Both were over 6' feet tall.
# Both men studied law.
# Both seemed to have lazy eye muscles, which would sometimes cause one to deviate.
# Both suffered from genetic diseases. It is suspected that Lincoln had Marfan's disease, and Kennedy suffered from Addison's disease.
# Both served in the military. Lincoln was a scout captain in the Black Hawk War, and Kennedy served as a navy lieutenant in World War II.
# Both were boat captains. Lincoln was a skipper for the Talisman, a Mississippi River boat, and Kennedy was skipper of the PT 109.
# Both had no fear of their mortality and disdained bodyguards.
# Both often stated how easy it would be to shoot the president. Lincoln supposedly said, "If somebody wants to take my life, there is nothing I can do to prevent it." Kennedy supposedly said "If somebody wants to shoot me from a window with a rifle, nobody can stop it." Note that both these quotes are each 16 words long.

Death
# Both presidents were shot in the head, on a Friday.
# Both were seated beside their wives when shot. Neither Mrs. Lincoln nor Mrs. Kennedy was injured. Both wives held the bullet-torn heads of their husbands.
# In each case, the man was injured but not fatally. Major Henry Rathbone was slashed by a knife, and Governor John Connolly was shot.
# Lincoln sat in Box 7 at Ford's Theatre. Kennedy rode in car 7 in the Dallas motorcade.
# Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre. Kennedy was shot in a Ford product, a Lincoln limousine.
# Mrs. Kennedy insisted that her husband's funeral mirror Lincoln's as closely as possible.

The Assassins
# Both assassins used three names: John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald. (It should be noted that Lee Harvey Oswald was known as just Lee Oswald prior to the assassination.)
# There are 15 letters in each assassin's name.
# Both assassins struck when in their mid-twenties. Booth was born in 1838, and Oswald was born in 1939.
# Each assassin lacked a strong father figure in his life. Booth's father died when he was 13 years old, and Oswald's father died before he was born.
# Each assassin had two brothers whose careers he coveted. Booth's two brothers were more successful actors and Oswald envied his brothers' military lives.
# Both assassins were privates in the military. Booth was a private in the Virginia Militia, and Oswald was a private in the Marine Corps.
# Both assassins were born in the south.
# Both assassins were known sympathizers to enemies of the United States. Booth supported the Confederacy and Oswald was a Marxist.
# Both assassins often used aliases. Booth frequently used "J. Wilkes" and Oswald used the name "Alek J. Hidell."
# Booth shot Lincoln at a theatre and was cornered in a warehouse. Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and was cornered in a theatre.
# Each assassin was detained by an officer named Baker. Lt. Luther B. Baker was leader of the cavalry patrol which trapped Booth at Garrett's Barn. Officer Marion L. Baker, a Dallas motorcycle patrolman, briefly detained Oswald on the second floor of the School Book Depository until he learned that he worked there.
# Both assassins were killed with a single shot from a Colt revolver.
# Both assassins were shot in a blaze of light-Booth after the barn was set afire, and Oswald in the form of television cameras.

Family and Friends
# Both presidents were named after their grandfathers.
# Both were born second children.
# Both married while in their thirties. Lincoln married at 33 and Kennedy married at 36.
# Both married dark-haired, twenty-four-year-old women.
# Both wives died around the age of 64. Mary Todd Lincoln died in 1882 at age 63 years and 215 days, and Jackie Kennedy died in 1994 at age 64 years 295 days.
# Both wives were known for their high fashion in clothes.
# Both wives renovated the White House after many years of neglect.
# Each couple had four children, two of whom died before becoming a teen.
# Each couple lost a son while in the White House. Willie Lincoln died at age 12 in 1862, and Kennedy's son Patrick died two days after his birth in 1963.

Politics
# Both presidents were elected to the House of Representatives in '46.
# Both were runners-up for the party's nomination for vice-president in '56.
# Both were elected to the presidency in '60.

Vice-Presidents
# Southern Democrats named Johnson succeeded both Lincoln and Kennedy (Andrew Johnson and Lyndon Baines Johnson.
# Andrew Johnson was born in 1808, and Lyndon Johnson was born in 1908.
# There are six letters in each Johnson's first name.
# Both Johnsons served in the military. Andrew was a brigadier general in the Civil War and Lyndon was a commander in the U.S. Navy during WW2.
# Both Johnsons were former southern senators.
# Both Johnsons had urethral stones, the only presidents to have them.
# Both Johnsons chose not to run for reelection in '68.

This has got me all hot and bothered

2007-12-07T19:14:00.000+05:30

Thrilllz!

Rad jewels

2007-12-07T08:18:00.000+05:30

Ultramod jewellery and other accessories at Trunkt

Currency Converter

2007-12-07T08:08:00.000+05:30

Second by second updated Currency Converter.
Get to the second, accurate FOREX rates

David Delthony's currrvy furniture, Thats hot! (Or freaky?)

2007-12-07T07:54:00.001+05:30

Buy them here, if you can't do without em :D

Freeware utility for Itunes

2007-12-06T17:12:00.000+05:30

Tag your iTunes music by mood with the freeware, color-based tagging utility Moody. While your music is playing, just pick a color for the song with Moody's 16-color scale (sad to happy, calm to intense).I have set a red colour for my Thug's Party playlist(A playlist of all my uptempo songs) :D

Once tagged, Moody writes the mood to the comments of your song's metadata (it'll look something like MoodyC3). You can either use that metadata to create mood-based smart playlists or just use Moody to fire up a playlist based on your mood. It may sound a bit tedious, but if you put Moody in quick tag mode, you can tag a lot of music pretty quickly. Moody is freeware, Windows (with .NET framework) and Mac OS X only.

If nothing works..

2007-12-06T16:43:00.001+05:30

The last resort

Triple point theory of love.

2007-12-06T15:06:00.000+05:30

I have to say a weatherbeaten yet healthy relationship will have experienced all kinds of love during its course and emerge stronger, not worn out.Needless to say the eventuality we should all aim for in our relationships is consummate love.A combination of intimacy, passion and commitment.

Intimacy : You should be able to talk freely with your partner about everything, not feeling ashamed or embarassed to admit anything.This includes your feelings at any given point of time whether positive or negative.Also the listening partner should be able to reciprocate with understanding, objectivity and compassion, not antagonism or defensiveness. This is usually near impossible to achieve in the earlier stages of a relationship, but in a healthy relationship, these issues resolve themselves with time.Knowing each other completely should result in greater respect for each other , not disdain, disappointment or contempt.So be wary of telling too many lies and fibs in the earlier stages of the relationship, you will have to let your guard down eventually.True intimacy also includes being physically unashamed in his/her presence.Be careful of being excessively comfortable though, lest familiarity breed contempt.Shut that door when you go to the loo! :D

Passion : This doesn't neccessarily point towards the physical aspect of a relationship.Its about taking delight in your relationship as well as in your partner.You should be able to see something special in your partner regardless of how long you've been together.Rejoice in his/her talents and success.celebrate the unique way he or she is beautiful, special,the twinkle in his eyes, the sparkle in her smile, the warmth of his embrace, the splendor of her curves.Her creativity, his drive.The way she reminds you to take your medicine on time, the way he opens doors for you.Don't ever let it get old.

Commitment : Know within your heart that this is the best there'll ever be and have peace and tranquility in the tender confines of your relationship. It is not worth being in a relationship which has no future, which leaves you teetering on the edge in jitters. Voice your commitment.Being in a long term relationship but dodging marriage/commitment is cruelty towards your partner.Sometimes commitment suffers due to certain factors such as in a long distance relationship, a communication gap can occur. Guard against it by talking to each other frequently, meeting frequently and also hearing out what your partner has to say (intimacy)
Be in a relationship for the right reasons,if and when YOU are ready.

MIHD.net My favorite free file host

2007-12-06T11:31:00.000+05:30

Rapidshare, the neo-nazi and elitist file host is about to be toppled over from its throne of file hosting anarchy.

How many times Rapidshare has snubbed you by pretending that your IP is already downloading a file/Rapidshare is under maintainance/You have entered a wrong word verification code/You have reached the download limit for free users?
Are you fond of baloney sandwiches?

My opinion of Megaupload is not favorable either.

Make a switch to MIHD .One of the best , fuss free file hosting services ever.I love MIHD for its amazing download speeds , reliable downloads (downloads don't stop midway) which is more than what I can say for rapistshare, clean interface( they won't confuse you with premium account nonsense)... and it is 1000% free!, You can upload upto 200 MB

here are the features listed on the MIHD site

Resumable downloads!
Download accelerators are allowed.
No daily / hourly download limitations.
We do not block users by country or ip.
Split archives are allowed! (and encouraged)
No waiting for a download to start (no timers, countdowns etc)
Our users dont have to install anything to download their files (no toolbars, spyware etc)

Yeah you heard that right. Too good to be true? No its not.Check it out for yourself!

there are a few others in the offing, watch this space,I will edit and post some more free file hosting sites soon.Maybe some even extension specific.

Meanwhile spread the word around.Do not download from rapidshare/megaupload, do not upload to rapisdhare/megaupload.Google for free file hosts, there are plenty of alternatives to Rapidshare

Such as MIHD!

MIHD won't hate you for your nationality, your unwillingness to shell out $$ or make you wait.

Edit: MIHD admin was kind enough to pay us a visit and drop a few lines.Here's what the admin had to add.(see comments)

"Just like to say if anyone has any issue to contact support we answer quickly at times during office hours

there be new site on new domain/system shortly (for the second anniversary) with more features, all existing files will be transfered transparently to the new system ( unlike rapidshare.de > rapidshare.com switch of few years ago when they just deleted everything ;) )

wish to apologise for lack of upload progress (we had flash based one but it was terribly unreliable) and file browser (beta tested for last few months), these will be available with new system mentioned above"

See! Now you've heard it from the horse's mouth.Don't wait kids, lets end the rapidshare monopoly.

Cheap Speakers, what will you do with them?

2007-12-06T10:57:00.000+05:30

Before I got my 4.1 Channel multimedia audio kit,

I was friends with this

for a long time.

Well what are you going to do with those once you've gotten used to 3-D crystal quality surround sound?

I am not a cruel person as many people allege, (well I am kinder to gadgets than I am to people) so instead of simply dumping my old faithful speakers, I glued some thick felt on their base ( you can also try gluing some wood pedestals on the speaker base and then proceed with the felt .Next I put two pairs of black stockings on them.Two socks rolled over each of the speaker,much like you'd wear them on your feet, one after the other.Make sure they are stretchy nylon stockings .. and long, not ankle socks.
Yeah you heard that right.Instant noise and vibration cancellation.. ta-da!
It greatly enhances the sound quality of cheap speakers.Try it!
Alternatively you can send your speakers to rob a bank, no one will recognize them, trust me.

:D
P.S This article is 100% my original idea since I don't know someone else crazy enough to do somethign like this.Scoffing strictly prohibited

Photography Of Euginio Recuenco- Beautiful!

2007-12-06T10:41:00.000+05:30

'Stronger" By Kanye West, revisited by Timbaland

2007-12-06T09:19:00.000+05:30

Timbaland is the modern day Midas.Whatever he touches turns to gold.

'Stronger' an already kickass song by Kanye West , goes gold when Timbaland touches it.Watch the masta at work.Its the thump which drove my coffee cup right off my desk this morning.(it helps that I have a superb set of speakers and subwoofer baby!)

Stronger Revisited from Kanye West on Vimeo.

Politically Incorrect Street Art Installations

2007-12-05T16:10:00.000+05:30

The Wall Of Evolution

2007-12-05T16:03:00.000+05:30

Wall Of Evolution one of the most interesting things I've seen of late.

Huge jpg file, visit only on high speed Internet!

Split Second Images

2007-12-05T15:42:00.000+05:30

This Blog Belongs to Camp Firefox

2007-12-05T10:36:00.000+05:30

Get Firefox
Need I say more?

Get it here or risk having me roll my eyes in dismay at you.

What is firefox?

Firefox is the future.A fully customizable browser, some like to call it a replacement for ~~Internet Explorer~~ Internot Exploder but I'd like to call it the big daddy of IE.Firefox is to IE what the alien mothership was to earth ships in the movie Independence Day.

Only difference being is that a virus(or spyware) would NEVER bring Firefox down.
Firefox is free!
It is customizable in ways you couldn't imagine possible if you've been used to IE.
You are happy riding a bicycle only as long as you don't make friends with a Maseratti.

Still not convinced? Look at one the swanky skins you can use to customize your firefox.

Have you even HEARD of skins for IE?
There are thousands of skins like these, again FREE.
Those who already have firefox, get this skin here.

What are you waiting for? Get it on with Firefox!

I feel I am being watched

2007-12-05T06:43:00.000+05:30

This is a public toilet in Houston Texas

But all is not as it seems, here's the view from inside.

Some Zupercool/cute wallpapers!

2007-12-04T21:43:00.000+05:30

Awesome if you are fond of simplistic art and clean cut lines or are an anime fan.
Here are my favorites

These and more desktop resources at Iconfactory

Gasp!

2007-12-04T21:28:00.000+05:30

Good god! Thats a Gucci pump fit for Aphrodite
but look who's totally ruining it

Money and fat are alike.They are always in the wrong place

This Blog's Reading Level is Genius

2007-12-04T20:34:00.000+05:30

Why am I not surprised?

Yes ma'm.Thats the level of intelligence required to read and understand this blog.
:D

Windows./Linux phoenetically feasable password generator utility

2007-12-04T09:44:00.000+05:30

Windows/Linux: Command-line utility PWGen generates random, meaningless passwords but uses letter and number combinations that can be pronounced and memorized. Simply typing "pwgen" and hitting Enter will shoot back a screen full of passwords to choose from, helping to prevent shoulder-surfing sneaks, but you can easily hone down and customize the results with a few command-line switches. Those seeking to store and generate more random passwords should check out suites like KeePass, but for low-security applications like websites, PWGen can quickly serve up some helpful nonsense. PWGen is a free download available in many Linux repositories and as a Windows installation at the link below.

If you are going to have an accent, might as well get it right.

2007-12-04T09:33:00.000+05:30

The guys at Fonetiks have listed online pronunciation guides to 9 varieties of the English language and 9 other languages with Instant sound and pronunciation samples by over 40 native speakers · All 1,000+ pages free

Learn How to Pronounce Words Correctly with HowJSay!

2007-12-04T09:08:00.000+05:30

HowJsay

Find yourself stumbling over those ten-dollar words you've read before but don't quite know how to say? Pronunciation search site HowJSay offers instant audio of a huge catalog of words correctly read. Although the words seem to be read mostly by British speakers, American English alternatives are provided for most words that sound different across the ocean. HowJSay might make for a handy Firefox search plug-in when you're preparing for your next speech or presentation.

What a standard 300 calorie meal looks like.You can have 4 of those and yet not exceed your daily calorie limit

2007-12-03T17:08:00.000+05:30

What Do 300 Calorie Meals Look Like?

Here is a selection of meals that are in the 300-400 Calorie range. The visual representation gives an idea of portion size.

Breakfast - 290 Calories
1 whole wheat English muffin
2 pats low fat butter
1 hard boiled egg
1/2 cup of fruit
8 oz fruit juice
8 oz water

Cereal - 300 Calories
1 cup of cereal
8 oz 2% milk
1 banana
1 coffee or tea

Baked potato - 305 Calories
1 medium baked potato
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons salsa
1 cup sliced melon
12 oz water

Oatmeal - 325 Calories
1 cup oatmeal with raisins
1 cup of fruit
1 cup coffee or tea
1 banana

Soup - 350 Calories
1 bowl of soup
1 small tossed salad
2 tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar dressing
12 oz water
4 saltine crackers

Chicken - 345 Calories
6 oz of chicken
1 cup of green beans
2 pats of low-fat butter
1 small tossed salad
2 tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar dressing
12 oz water

Chicken Salad - 350 Calories
1 large tossed salad
2 tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar dressing
6 oz sliced chicken
1 cup of low fat wheat thin crackers
12 oz water

Scrambled eggs - 360 Calories
2 scrambled eggs
2 strips of turkey bacon
1 piece whole wheat toast
1 pat of low fat butter
1 coffee or tea
8 oz water

Fish - 365 Calories
6 oz broiled white fish
1 cup of mashed potatoes
1 pat of butter
1/2 cup of peas
8 oz diet iced tea

Chicken and Rice - 395 Calories
6 oz cooked chicken
2 tablespoons of barbecue sauce
1 cup of mixed vegetables
1/2 cup of brown rice
1 small tossed salad
2 tablespoons reduced fat oil and vinegar dressing
12 oz water

Consumption
It's hard to believe that the average American consumes around 3,800 Calories per day. That's more than all the food shown on this page. Highly processed foods are very easy to overeat.

via: The Diet Blog

Fear not

2007-12-03T16:56:00.000+05:30

http://www.ofear.com/phobialist/PhobiaList.html

A list of every damn phobia on earth.No fear!

P.S
I have a phobia of slow internet speed.

Cool Furniture!

2007-12-03T08:53:00.000+05:30

When I strated writing this blog , i promised myself, no teenage fluff stuff.But these things make it easy to succumb to the temptation

2007-12-03T08:20:00.000+05:30

Your Career Type: Artistic

You are expressive, original, and independent.

Your talents lie in your artistic abilities: creative writing, drama, crafts, music, or art.

You would make an excellent:

Actor - Art Teacher - Book Editor

Clothes Designer - Comedian - Composer

Dancer - DJ - Graphic Designer

Illustrator - Musician - Sculptor

The worst career options for your are conventional careers, like bank teller or secretary.

What's Your Ideal Career?

Your Power Color Is Indigo

At Your Highest:

You are on a fast track to success - and others believe in you.

At Your Lowest:

You require a lot of attention and praise.

In Love:

You see people as how you want them to be, not as how they are.

How You're Attractive:

You're dramatic flair makes others see you as mysterious and romantic.

Your Eternal Question:

"Does This Work Into My Future Plans?"

What's Your Power Color?

You Are Aphrodite!

A total shining star with a ton of admirers
And no wonder: you live life to the fullest!
When things get bad, you can easily take off to a happier place
But occasionally, you need to deal with problems head on

What Goddess Are You?

You Are 64% Lady

Overall, you are a refined lady with excellent manners.
But you also know when to relax and not get too serious about etiquette

Are You A Lady?

You Should Be With an Earth Sign!

Your best match is a Taurus, Virgo, or Capricorn

Why? You like your guys to pamper, wine, and dine you
Not that you're a gold digger, you just like the finer things
An Earth Sign will go all out to woo you - and enjoy doing it
And you'll never find a more trustworthy or loyal match!

What Sign Guy Should You Date?

Bang on! I am with a Capricorn :)

Websites that make my heart stop- In a good way

2007-12-02T08:32:00.000+05:30

This is a list of the most stunning websites ever.Perfection, in design, in coding, in aesthetics and overall conceptualization.It doesn't get any better than this!

http://www.2advanced.com (design)

http://www.blitzds.com (design)

http://www.virtualibiza.com (chat site)

www.subwaydesigns.net/05.html

http://neostream.com

http://www.gmunk.com <-- amazing and creative in it's own way

http://www.alesys.net/ <-- interesting concepts

http://www.wireframe.co.za/ <--this guy just rocks

http://www.facefaceface.com/portfolio/ <-- nice smooth original animations

http://www.egomedia.com/ <-- geniuses

Excerpts from Dev Anand's Book about his love for Zeenat Aman. I guess he's been looking unsuccessfully for a Zeenat replacement ever since

2007-12-01T12:29:00.000+05:30

Dev Anand

Keeping young in old age

Search for new ideas that would keep you young!

Have no plans to retire and constantly think and conceive new ideas.

"I am constantly thinking, innovating and conceiving new ideas."

"It is my creative instincts that keep me going."

"Every day is special to me."

The Driving Force ³Ì¶È

Fathomless Creative Energy

"My creative impulse and creative intoxication with myself and my own feeling that people like you still want to meet Dev Anand. That is the source of my energy."

Your enthusiasm for new things should never be in doubt.

"It's a shame if you have to look towards the past for strength. That would show you don't have anything more to offer. Don't belong to that set of people."

‘Forever young’

Stay young at heart.

"The world is always moving forward. You have to look ahead too."

Avoid stagnation. You need to be always moving forward.

Accept the inescapable vicissitudes of a long innings.

Be prepared for drama, glamour, sweat, triumph and despair, all in ample amounts.

There is a lot of competition out there. We have to compete with the whole world. One must not restrict oneself to thinking that because you are top notch in one country, you are the best. Think of the universal appeal.

Do not be shaken by the continuous failure!

Resilience

Dev Anand is Vegetarian.

Dev Anand all set to shoot in Croatia
"When Heart Beats Are The Same" Eyes on Croatian 'beauty' I am charged, excited and inspired after visiting the European country, which has so far remained untouched by the Indian filmmakers.

Dev Anand is (PAL BHAR KE LIYE)26 years older than Hema

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmQrUpzxy24

Hare Rama Hare Krishna - Dum Maro Dum

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUMR6z0zQk0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yiuqfs6ytqE

Penguin Books

Excerpts from Romancing With Life

Dev Anand plans to pen another book

When Dev Anand lost Zeenat to Raj Kapoor

Dev Anand was desperately in love with Zeenat Aman

"My heart broken to pieces.... I wanted to leave the party at once and go off somewhere alone, to just be myself, so that I could swallow the humiliation thrust on my ego," Dev Anand says in his autobiography "Romancing With Life".

"A struggle within me transformed itself into a to-hell-with-it-all attitude and prompted me to say goodbye to a relationship which, though it had been non-committal emotionally on both sides, had been honest all the same," he says.

The evening, he says, had delivered a blow to his personality, and his dominating spirit. "I had decided on the spur of the movement to tell Zeenat for the first time how much I loved her. And that there was an idea in my mind of another story that would put her on a pedestal as never before, the highest so far. But that was never to be," the evergreen hero says.

Anand however quickly detached himself from Zeenat. "And so be it! I quickly detached myself. I had blundered, taking too many things for granted. There was no need for me to let any rancour remain in my mind against Zeenat. I had prepared her for the world and she was free to go into the arms of anyone who would help her further her ambitious dreams," he writes.

Dev Anand and wife Kalpana Karthik (extreme right) with close friends Sunil Dutt and Nargis. Many years later, Devsaab launched Richa Sharma in Hum Hai Naujawan, who went on to wed their son Sanjay Dutt.

Dev Anand attends the wedding of Dilip Kumar's sister.

Zeenat and I started being linked with each other in the magazines and newspapers that people hungry for gossip love to read. For, while she was the adorable painting that they loved to watch, admire and emulate, I was the painter who had etched that painting. The colours were mine as was the finished drawing on the canvas. While she as a person was God's creation, her image was of my making, and together we became inseparable in the public eye.

Whenever and wherever she was talked about glowingly, I loved it. And whenever and wherever I was discussed in the same vein, she was jubilant. In the subconscious, we had become emotionally attached to each other.

At the silver jubilee celebration of Hare Rama Hare Krishna at a theatre in Calcutta, as Usha Uthup, the famous pop singer, sang the Dum maro dum number on stage and reached the crescendo of her rendering, she pulled Zeenat, who was sitting in the audience, on stage; Zeenat in turn pulled me on stage too, so that together we could sing along with Usha. The audience in a moment of spontaneity also jumped up on stage and the song became a chorus of over a hundred voices. The maddened crowds picked Zeenat up on their shoulders, raising her heavenwards. I felt proud of her, and yet, at the same time, I felt a stab of jealously; of possessiveness as well. How could they own her in that way? She was my prized possession! I knew it was a stupid thought on my part, but I couldn't help it.

A couple of years later, after the premiere of Ishq Ishq Ishq at Metro cinema, Raj Kapoor kissed Zeenat in full view of the invited audience, congratulating her for her sparkling performance in the film. That must have made her evening all the more sparkling. Again I felt proud of her, as much as I admired Raj Kapoor for his honest and spontaneous reaction. Complimenting her was indirectly complimenting her mentor, and I inwardly saluted my contemporary filmmaker for his sound judgement.

Yet, I was jealous of him for making advances on what I considered my sole possession, my discovery, my leading lady, and desiring her with a kiss.

I picked her up. Together we went to the party. It was on in full force. The first person who greeted Zeenat from a distance was a drunken Raj Kapoor, with a gallant drawl, 'There she is! He threw his arms around her exuberantly.

This suddenly stuck me as a little too familiar. And the way she reciprocated his embrace seemed much more than just polite and courteous. She quickly bent down to touch his feet, and then gave me an embarrassed look. Raj grasped my hand in a very tight grip, like never before, as if trying to make amends for some wrong he had done, suddenly overflowing with affection.

A hint of suspicion crossed my mind. A couple of days earlier, a rumour had been floating around the Zeenat had gone to Raj's studio for a screen test for the main role in his new movie Satyam Shivam Sundaram. The hearsay now started ringing true. My heart was bleeding.

'You are breaking your promise,' Raj was now telling Zeenat in his drunken joviality, 'that you will always be seen by me only in a white sari!'

More embarrassment was writ large on her face, and Zeenat was not the same Zeenat for me any more.

The painting I had made of her started showing signs of cracking.' How long do you intend staying here, Zeenat?' I asked her.

She looked at Raj, as if seeking his permission to leave.

'Let her stay here, Dev -- and you too -- enjoy!' he said in a drunken drawl.

'By all means,' I said. 'Enjoy, Zeenat. Call me up later, when you feel like it!'

'But aren't we suppose to be going to the other place together?' she casually asked.

'Doesn't matter!' I said.

The rendezvous had already lost all meaning in my mind.

I sneaked out of the place, quietly apologizing to the host.

A group of chanting devotees was passing by my car. I sat listening to the sound of cymbals and bells.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna
Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Ram Hare Ram
Ram Ram Hare Hare

I closed my eyes. Zeenat still remained beautiful in my eyes, with an honest soul. And Raj a passionate filmmaker.

I opened my eyes. A streak of lightning seemed to flash across my mind and inspired a new thought. I started pursuing it. A new chapter was thrown open before me, its first pages slowly unfolding.

The idea of a new film was coming slowly into focus.

What may seem to many unbridled narcissism is actually the manifestation of this man's obsession with the desert spring within himself, his curiosity for anything humane within him.

"I am in love with myself, with the God within me. One day I looked into the mirror with a hat on and said `my God, I look good'," and it became my style on the screen."

How to deal with an existential crisis-The Straight Dope

2007-12-01T04:57:00.000+05:30

So here you are, earning well, doing what you always thought you would with your life, you're with the right man/woman.Things are good, things are fine.Yet under the surface something feels amiss.This deep void starts creeping up inside of you and you start questioning everything.

Gradually it consumes you and drags you into this constant state of spiritual fatigue and despondency.You start thinking more and more of your 'wasted youth' , your happy childhood and less and less about the present.People disappoint you. Why is the world so cruel?Why good things happen to bad people and bad things to good people? Why is a loved one terminally ill ? why do capitalists thrive while millions around the world starve to death.Why god? why me? Are you even real god or am I just wasting my time?

Sounds familiar? You are in the state of an existential crisis my friend.Its basically your soul waking up to you one day and saying 'Dude where's my life!?'

Existential crises make you question EVERYTHING, they rock the foundation of your belief system.But they are inevitable and you must not shirk away from them.Its a sign of your soul awakening to reality, much like the way Neo does in the movie Matrix after taking the red pill.Are you going to let it overwhelm you or are you going to be thankful for the clarity?

How to deal
1. In real world you have to take both the pills, a bit of fantasy and a bit of reality keeps things in balance, thats what movies books and other entertainment arts are for.Nourish your soul in the midst of an existential crisis.I will not recommend shopping for the sake of shopping because spending money mindlessly is usually just a temporary high and later leaves you feeling emptier than before.
Watch a masterpiece of a movie, visit an art gallery or go to a place of natural beauty , just to be alone.Do not indulge in substance abuse.You are vulnerable to addiction during an existential crisis.Actually substance abuse itself indicates vulnerability.You need mental clarity at this time, not further fogginess and confusion.

2. Connect with god.Visit a place of worship.Yes there IS a higher power and he'll make his presence felt when you least expect it.Don't let cynicism attribute little miracles of your life to mere coincidences.The last time I visited a gurudwara, the raagis(sikh hymn singers) were singing a shabd(a hymn in punjabi) 'Man kyun bairaag karega, satguru mera poora' which roughly translates to 'Oh heart why do you feel despondent and dispassionate when god offers all of his lush self to you?' I was overwhelmed to the point of tears.That was god right there, talking to me.He talks if you are willing to listen, he'll talk through people and he'll talk through things.Just listen, don't lock him out.

3.Find your core.what are you? minus your suit and tie, minus your job,minus the deadlines, minus the social pretense, minus your makeup?
Whats the one thing you'd rather be doing if there was no job, no pressure, no deadlines to meet?I am not talking about wasting time on the internet (can get very boring after a while) but something which makes your soul soar, something which may drain you phsyically but makes you feel lush spiritually.
That is the real you, your core.
In my case its art and the sheer joy of creating.

4.Charity, don't undermine the importance of charity.Are you really that thankless, snivelling, devious yuppie that you pretend to be day in and day out? If you think yes, then your existential crisis will hit you harder than it hits other people.If you keep denying the vulnerability of being human, you will be least prepared for itwhen your soul begins to crumble
Charity is not merely donating something you don't use.Its overall kindness inculcated in your everyday behavior.Never undermine the importance of a smile, a kind word and politeness in general.Be nice to people.If you are a businessperson, see people as people, not prospective customers and clients.Don't expect any sort of gratefulness in return either.If you donate, donate anonymously.If you feel that people not knowing how generous and wonderful you are, is something of a personal loss to you, you're not doing a good enough job of charity.

5.Chuck the supercilious attitude.Humble yourself, in front of god, in front of the common man. So you have a MENSA IQ and went to the greatest business school on the earth to get your MBA.How does it make you any better than the rest of the humanity? A high IQ or a pay package still cannot beat inherent wisdom in any which way.It certainly does not make one a good person.One could be a 160 on the IQ scale and still be a loathesome schmuck.
And don't be snotty about your USUALLY ACQUIRED tastes in the arts/music/fashion/movies either.
Learn to appreciate the kitsch of life as well.See the people toil through life, respect them.It works everytime for me.I love people who go though life the way one ought to, not allowing themselves to be derailed by personal loss and tragedy.Life is not what you get but how you cope.

6.Breathe deeply

7. Ban any thoughts of self-hate.usually whatever it is that makes you feel inferior when you compare yourself with someone else is usually a pretense that the other person has put on.Be prudent and objective even when it comes to your own self, don't be hypercritical.

8. Be faithful to your spouse.Having a fling at times seems the easiest way out of an existential crisis.It'll only push you deeper, infidelity is sadly made to look very glamorous in the media.I think its the ugliest thing you can do to your spouse.Do not mess up your relationship chasing some thrilling fantasy.Or just because you think your spouse is 'boring'/'not hot enough' compared to the ridiculous standards created by media.I recommend shunning the commonplace media and cultural trends altogether.They all thrive by feeding on your personal anxiety and insecurity.

I know some men who'd cheat on their wives and girlfriends simply because they cannot resist if a beautiful woman makes a pass at them.Really? Are you a pathetic hungry dog on the street who'd jump at the first piece of meat he sees? Have some integrity.Giving in to temptation is an expression of lack of self respect.Are you going to let someone else have that kind of power on you?

If you are ever sexually tempted outside of a relationship, visualise the most innocent, cutest and childlike look on your spouse's face you've ever seen.When he or she looked the most vulnerable.Are you going to hurt that child inside of them irrepairably just for some sleazy casanova/jezebel who probably doesn't even care much about you as a human being.
Watch it, they are predators, you are nothing more than a piece of meat to them, keep away.

Don't keep chasing the proverbial pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.Most of us have this habit of wondering if things could be better with someone else.No they won't be.All relationships eventually tend to cool down to the 'familiarity breeds contempt' stage.Choose one carefully and stick to her/him... create the magic, keep it alive.

However if you are in an abusive relationship, walk out.You owe yourself better than being left in a perpetual lurch by an exploitative person

9. Meet childhood friends.I mean friends, real ones.Not long lost ex-classmates who don't want to do much besides compare themselves with you and drop subtle and not so subtle hints about how much better they (think they) are doing in life than you!How to spot them : They'll start a conversation with not 'hey how are you?' but rather 'what do you do?' and then quickly proceed to rant on about their work, their payscale, their boss, their shitty new I-Phone, or Vaio instead of listening to your reply patiently.

10. If you are single, an existential crisis or a depressed phase is the worst time to look for a mate/spouse.Its also unfair, since you believe one person will come and chase away all your troubles.Its romantic fluff, dismiss it.Starting a new relationship is almost like having a baby.If you are unfit yourself, how are you going to take care of the baby?Again I'll stress, see people for what they are, not what you can get out of them.Don't translate your friendships into relationships just because you are feeling needy.

11.Be happy the way you are, remember usual does not equal normal.It is normal for you to be thicker than the coat hangers walking around on the street.It is normal for you to own a small car instead of a sedan.It is normal for you to never want to go clubbing.Its normal for to you have aspirations which veer away from those of your peers.Its all good.Be easy.

12.If you feel out of place anywhere, a job, a family situation, a social gathering...get out.Don't try to fit in.

13. Talk to someone older and much more experienced in life.Listen to them, they are pearls of wisdom gleaned from years of practice at something you are still learning ... life.They are not lunatic rants of an old person.Even if they sound like rants, try and decipher them, you'll be amazed at what you can learn

14. Keep yourself open to wisdom.Don't be guarded or dismissive of advice from people you think are beneath you.God and wisdom can come to you in any form.

15. If your existential crisis was triggered by a major change in your life, an illness, a spouse leaving or losing a job, don't wallow in your misery.Think of what you can do to change the situation, write down on a piece of paper what you plan to do next, how you wish to cope. don't turn away from life, rather embrace it.It'll hug you back eventually. Just think of the present situation as just something you have to deal with .Life, it goes on.Keep moving, stagnation is death.

16. remember life throws problems at everyone of us, some of us are just better at hiding it/dealing with it. If your life was unfair to you, no way does that give you a right to become a cynical grouch trying to exact revenge on the world.You'll only end up isolating yourself.Get out of the 'I hate everyone because they don't get me.' mindset.Oh they understand you just fine, even if they don't show it.It doesn't matter whether the world understands you or not.Do you understand yourself? Its a dangerous state to be in if the whole world knows what you're about, but you don't know it yourself.Kind of like walking in public with your fly open/ slip showing!

17. Conscience is karma in its youngest stages.If you shut your conscience up constantly, it'll grow up into a ferocious karma and it won't be that easy to run from it then!

18. Last but not the least learn to tell the difference between an existential crisis and a mental illness.You emerge stronger and calmer from an existential crisis.You also gain clarity and insight.You feel focused, not like a piece of driftwood going around aimlessly with the flow.But a mental illness keeps dragging you down to depths of despondency and mental fogginess.Get help.

Existential crises are to life what the big bang was to the universe.A simultaneous act of total destruction and reconstruction.A fresh take on life, bringing you closer to your real self, closer to the purity of life.Be a phoenix which rises from the ashes, not a stack of hay which stays nothing but a pile of ash after it burns down.YOU are the power!
More power to you!

Vampire Name Generator

2007-11-30T21:35:00.000+05:30

Time is propelling me towards the end, towards death and decay.Time is my enemy, hence I am determined to waste it.In my quest I come across such links

Vampire name generator.

Just for kicks, here are my results
:D

The Great Archives determine you to have gone by the identity:
Moll Wolf

Known in some parts of the world as:
Wraith of Delhi <<<>

The Great Archives Record:
In India this name strikes fear into the hearts of mortals.

I won't argue with that at all!

How to make an omelette, the right way

2007-11-30T16:55:00.001+05:30

My man taught me one fine morning what no one else could in 26 odd years...Before you get any ideas, welcome to the SSOPOM (Secret Society of Perfect Omelette Makers)

If your omelettes don't turn out perfect to the point of making you cry after trying this method, you can have your money back, no questions asked.

Lets get started.. bachelors,spinsters take note, this'll save you a lonely trip to Subway/McDonalds/some dirty shack you buy snacks from.

You will need

2-4 eggs.Thats 2-4 not 24 unless you are having a cholesterol party
Frying pan or griddle(tava in hindi)
Milk (only about a tablespoonful, milk makes omelettes fluffier)
oil/butter (A MUST even if you are cooking in a nonstick pan)
Something to beat your eggs with (mixer, fork, wire whisk, canes, whips, paddle .. I am kidding about the last three)
Flipper or spatula (a peculiarly flat spoon, for the less informed)
Salt and pepper (and other herbs and spices.. I personally like oregano)
Omelette fillings.. yeah baby get creative here!
- Shredded Cheese (alternatively you can melt in a full cheese slice while the omlette is half cooked, this is what the boyfriend does :)
- Capsicum
- Onions
- mushrooms
- diced tomatoes
- ham
- cocktail sausages or regular sausages sliced/pepperoni
- shredded chicken <<< All meats MUST be cooked before they go in the omelette.
- black olives
- Think pizza toppings, what goes on pizza, works alright on omelettes as well

Gather and prepare your omelette filling ingredients. Eggs cook quickly, so it is best to select and cut up all of your ingredients prior to cooking. Some common omelette additions include onions, ham, bell peppers, spinach, sausage, olives, diced tomatoes and mushrooms. Use any or all of the ingredients, in combinations of your choice.
Break the eggs.(^_^)
Whisk the eggs, we simply use a fork, no need to get the high tech artillery out. For a single-serve omelette, you can use between two and four eggs, ( I use four.. yes I am gluttonous) depending on how hungry you are, I am usually very hungry all the time. At this stage you can add salt, black pepper, and other herbs and spices to the eggs
Stir up some of your other ingredients into the whisked eggs or you can sprinkle the vegetables on the semi cooked omelette later on.whatever is your style, I won't cramp it.
Heat a wide non-stick pan on high flame, check if it is hot enough by splashing it with a little drop of water, if it evaporates quickly with *that* sound, the pan is hot enough, turn the heat on LOW now <------ Very Important.melt a tiny cube of butter on the pan, slide it around so it coats the surface evenly.Too much butter or oil is going to make your omelette break, so will too many vegetables. now gently pour the whisked eggs out on the pan.Grab the pan handle, tilt it around so the eggs spread evenly.. usually eggs spread out just fine on their own
While the eggs are firm on the bottom, but still slightly runny on top, sprinkle shredded cheese over eggs. Or simply lay a sheet of sandwich cheese on the omelette, its melts most delightfully.If you haven't added the vegetables and other ingredients to the whisked eggs, sprinkled them on the half cooked omelette You will know that the omelette is done when there is no liquid left in the eggs.
Pay special attention that the eggs are not sticking to the bottom of the pan, and use your flipper or spatula around the edges of the omelette to make sure that it is not sticking. If you've added a lot of vegetables and cheese, its is usually wise to fold the omelette in half to make a semicircle, its easier to flip and less likely to break.If you are an expert like me (hehe) you can leave the omelette as it is and still be miraculously able to turn it over without breaking it.please please be patient with the spatula, don't try to flip over the omelette too quickly.you shouldn't be scared about the omelette burning on the bottom if you are cooking it right, i.e on a LOW flame.
Roll your omelette onto your plate, or use the spatula and lift it onto your plate

Ta-da!.. Gorge gorgeous!

P.S serving the omelette with some fruit like pineapple slices/orange slices is an interesting touch.I am not extremely fond of making a sandwich out of an omelette.A well cooked omlette is worth being relished on its own.

Tip: nothing ruins an omelette than excessive salt.Use salt sparingly... I use one pinch salt per egg rule.Somehow eggs don't require too much salt.If the omelette has too little salt in it, you can always perform the 'yay low sodium' celebratory dance and add condiments like oregano or ketchup later.But there's no way in hell to salvage an oversalted omelette.You've been warned

Authored by Birinder Kaur
----- inputs by Jitesh Mohindra :D

How to hardboil an egg

2007-11-29T13:15:00.000+05:30

So how many of you are so bad at cooking that you can't even boil an egg right?
Boiling an egg is considered the simplest of things in culinary expertise hence the expression
"I am so bad at cooking , i can't even boil an egg"

I say you can.There's a right way to do everything, and its well worth learning.This method will get the hard boiled eggs just right everytime, guaranteed!

Place eggs in a saucepan or any other utensil .. but it should not be too shallow, with enough cold water to cover the egg completely by 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is brought to a rolling boil, reduce heat to a lower medium boil and cook an additional 10 minutes for a “hard boiled” egg. Rolling boil means you should see large bubbles rising in the water.For a “soft boiled” egg reduce the time by 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and immediately place eggs under ice cold water or in a bowl of iced water to chill promptly to help yolks stay bright yellow. Chill for a few minutes in the cold water until the egg is completely cooled. This is an extremely important step which prevents the greenish-gray layer from forming on the surface of the yolk over time. If the egg is not chilled immediately after cooking an unsightly dark greenish ring will eventually appear on the outside of the yolk.I don't mind this greenish layer, but if you are a parent , you'll know what unlikely things kids can make a fuss about.When I was 3 years old I had smeared 4 egg yolks on the floor, much to my mum's displeasure. I had decided that they had gone bad due to the greenish layer on them!
To peel, crack the shell around the entire egg and remove.My brother and I have differing methods on this one, he likes to tap the egg gently on the plate and then peels it from the crack, I simply smack the egg with a fork or a spoon.But it turns out there's a method to this and my little brother has been doing it right all along :D

To quote Montell Jordan , 'This is How We Do It'

Prepare a hard boiled egg and let it cool. Soaking in ice water is a good way to speed up this process.
Crack the shell at each end by firmly tapping the egg onto a hard surface such as a counter. Do one end, and then the other. There is an air bubble in the wide end of the egg; you want to crush this.
Place the side of the egg on a counter and roll forward for one revolution with your palm firmly down on the top of the egg.
Submerge the egg in a bowl of warm water and slip the entire shell off in less than a second.

edit:Next stop for me? Learning to do this awesomecoolicious thing.Its called (*drumroll*) 'blowing the shell right off the hard boiled egg'.This gent in particular appears to have mastered the technique with a showman flair thrown in for good measure.

Peeling Eggs - video powered by Metacafe

Organize your bathroom in 3 steps

2007-11-29T12:48:00.000+05:30

I spent the first 23(or so) years of my life dashing in and out of the bathroom in about 7 minutes flat, assuming it'll clean itself up after me.It didn't and I wasn't too happy about it.If you are like me, you probably don't feel very happy about your bathroom not being a self cleaning module either.Hopefully somewhere else in the world/future such technology is underway.Till it reaches within limits of our affordability, here's a how-to gleaned from my 26 years of experience with life and bathrooms in general

Toss List:

- Bottles with too little to save - With shampoo bottles, down to their last breath, I usually put some water in there, quickly swirl it around and use it, and the bottle goes to trash leaving us both (me and the shampoo bottle) happy.The bottle feels happy about being used up completely and my middle class sensibilities feel content about not even an ml of shampoo being wasted
- Samples for things you do not use : I used to let those tiny bottles of cheap shampoo stolen from hotels sit around for years even though it was and still is below my standards to use hotely stuff.
- Gifts with makeup purchased in colors you do not wear : My aunts don't get it, I don't want silver lipstick which makes me look like I have been bled to death.
- Expired medications: No brainer, actually don't store your meds in the bathroom in the first place, the humidity kills them
- mildewed crap, like fixtures, or some old toothbrush which is sitting ignored in a corner of the bathroom
- Old and worn toothbrushes ... You can use old toothbrushes to clean out your combs, but please don't let them sit around on the counter, they look most revolting
Contain and label
- Hang an organizer on the back of the door and fill with bottles, curling iron etc etc.The organizers could be mini plastic racks or those cute fabric things with multiple pouches on them
- Use a cutlery tray in the drawer to organize your makeup.My mother is a doctor and I am guilty of stealing metal and plastic trays from her office on more than one occassion.For some reason doctors like to have a lot of them around, even if they are not using them.
- Make a few first aid kits by category - minor scrape, sprain, major cut, etc. This helps you avoid having to weed through a large box of stuff for a BandAid. I once had a nasty accident with the tungsten bulb on my bathroom mirror exploding as I'd accidentally splashed some water on it.. so yes you do need a First Aid kit in your bathroom
- Separate the medications by type (allergy, cold and flu, headache, etc.) and store them in small containers
- Keep a basket just for the samples you receive so you can put out for guests to use.I cannot make use of this tip since in my house the guests themselves end up bringing those things taken from hotels. :)
- Place barrettes on a decorative strand of ribbon.Men you won't know what barrettes are, and in all probability don't use them, skip this step
- Place scrunchies on a paper towel roll.I don't need this tip since I don't have hair long enough to put scrunchies in them.Ladies, its also a good idea to put your scrunchies on a bangle rack
- Designate what shelf will be for what in the medicine cabinet. Use under the shelf organizers for items like the toothpaste and razors
Maintain the space:
- If you don’t use an item in a year, let it go
- Store only what you use in the bathroom - keep the excess in an overflow space. This goes for items like barrettes, too. If you have too many, place some in a zip lock bag and tuck them away for future use so you can shop at home when you need more
- Tidy up daily - a few minutes a day means no marathon cleaning sessions weekly.I learnt this the hard way
- Keep touch up cleaning supplies handy, like wipes for the sink
- Make a new family rule to keep the bathroom clean. For example, “In our family, if we finish it, we replace it." I partly credit my brother for introducing this rule!

How to fold a shirt

2007-11-29T12:39:00.000+05:30

I pretty much grew on my own.My mum was busy working, dad was busy being absent and grandparents too busy whining to my mother what bad undisciplined and messy children we(my brother and I) were.
While this is what they should've done instead, teach us how to be neat! (To be honest they didn't know how themselves) ;)
So kids, bachelors and bachelorettes, I present to you impeccability.. the method to the madness of folding a shirt

Button the top button and the third button.(I sometimes button the first and the last button)
Lay the shirt face-down on the folding surface.(yes a flat surface is a must if you want it perfect) You should be looking at the back of your shirt.
Smooth out any puckers or wrinkles, so the shirt is flat front and back.
The first fold is the right side. Fold about one-third of the body toward the center of the shirt. The fold line starts at the center of the shoulder and ends at the tail. You should see the back of your shirt with about one-third of the front folded to the back.
Neatly fold the sleeve forward, creating an angled fold at the shoulder. The sleeve should line up with the edge of the first body fold.
Fold the left side in the same manner.
Make a fold of several inches of the shirt tail.
Fold up the bottom half of the partially folded shirt. The tail should be just behind the collar of the shirt now.
Turn the entire shirt over. You should have a neatly folded shirt as you typically see at a clothing store.

Actual things people put on their resume ...

2007-11-28T08:22:00.000+05:30

1. I am very detail-oreinted.

2. My intensity and focus are at inordinately high levels, and my ability to complete projects on time is unspeakable.

3. Thank you for your consideration. Hope to hear from you shorty!

4. Enclosed is a ruff draft of my resume.

5. It’s best for employers that I not work with people.

6. Here are my qualifications for you to overlook.

7. I am a quick leaner, dependable, and motivated.

8. If this resume doesn’t blow your hat off, then please return it in the enclosed envelope.

9. My fortune cookie said, “Your next interview will result in a job.” And I like your company in particular.

10. I saw your ad on the information highway, and I came to a screeching halt.

11. Insufficient writing skills, thought processes have slowed down some. If I am not one of the best, I will look for another opportunity.

12. Please disregard the attached resume-it is terribly out of date.

13. Seek challenges that test my mind and body, since the two are usually inseparable.

14. Graduated in the top 66% of my class.

15. Reason for leaving last job: The owner gave new meaning to the word paranoia. I prefer to elaborate privately.

16. Previous experience: Self-employed-a fiasco.

17. Exposure to German for two years, but many words are inappropriate for business.

18. Experience: Watered, groomed, and fed the family dog for years.

19. I am a rabid typist.

20. I have a bachelorette degree in computers.

21. Excellent memory; strong math aptitude; excellent memory; effective management skills; and very good at math.

22. Strengths: Ability to meet deadlines while maintaining composer.

23. I worked as a Corporate Lesion.

24. Reason for leaving last job: Pushed aside so the vice president’s girlfriend could steal my job.

25. Married, eight children. Prefer frequent travel.

26. Objective: To have my skills and ethics challenged on a daily basis.

27. Special skills: Thyping.

28. My ruthlessness terrorized the competition and can sometimes offend.

29. I can play well with others.

30. Personal Goal: To hand-build a classic cottage from the ground up using my father-in-law.

31. Objective: I want a base salary of $50-$60,000 dollars, not including bonus. And some decent benefits. Like a retirement plan, health insurance, personal or sick days.

32. Experience: Provided correct answers to customers’ questions.

33. Education: Graduated from predatory school with honors.

34. Never been fired, although it could happen anytime now.

35. I have happily been a “kept man” for the past 10 years.

36. Have extensive experience in turkey manufactures as well as new product development and implementation.

37. I am accustomed to speaking in front of all kinds of audiences. I make points as well as I can.

38. Personal: Five children. Dog: Jasper. Cat: Morris. Gerbil: Binky.

39. While in military, was instrumental in creation of a treat detection system.

40. My compensation package at my last job included a base salary of $64,500 with excellent benefits including flextime. I am looking for a position in which I can work a more flexible schedule.

41. Hire me and you won’t regret it - I am funny, cute, smart and creative… really.

42. Referees available upon request.

43. Previous rank: Senior instigator.

44. I have recently sold my home and I now live in a large RV so I will be able to relocate quickly.

45. Reason for leaving: They stopped paying me.

46. Cover letter: Desire the chance to showcase my delightful personality, intelligence and superior judgment, which are so hard to find these days.

47. Personal achievements: Successfully played “Chop Sticks” on a toy piano with my big toes.

48. Objective: To obtain a position where I can make a difference, infecting others with my professionalism, enthusiasm and dedication.

49. Strengths: Impersonal skills.

50. Special interests: I like any projects that are fun.

51. Please explain any breaks in your employment career: 15 minute coffee break while working at a home improvement store.

52. Vocational plans: Sea World.

I actually liked number 9.. shoot me! :D Number 51 and 52 cracked me up for good reason

Underground Library

2007-11-28T07:31:00.000+05:30

feast your eyes on the saxon state library in dresden, germany.

it’s a frikkin’ beautiful library to begin with but the most interesting part for me is that the glass ceiling is actually at ground level - the whole building has been designed to sit below ground apart from 2 sections which protrude either side of the submerged room. it’s by no means the 1st of it’s kind but it’s certainly one of the best examples.

there are advantages to constructions of this kind, namely a quieter atmosphere, less need for temperature control and the ability to use limited space efficiently, e.g. sitting on top of the underground section is a public square, something which obviously wouldn’t have been possible using the same amount of ground area in a traditional design.

with architects constantly battling to design the tallest skyscrapers on earth it’s nice to see a building that’s been so cleverly designed as to use the earth to intelligently hide it.

sources: 1, 2

Man who grew roots!

2007-11-27T11:12:00.000+05:30

Row over 'tree man' virus samples

By Felix Lowe and agencies

Last Updated: 2:55am GMT 27/11/2007

An Indonesian fisherman who developed tree-like growths on his hands and feet is at the centre of an international medical spat after his country's health minister criticised doctors trying to treat him.

How about that: Weird and wacky stories from around the world

Telegraph TV: Dede talks about his extraordinary affliction

Telegraph TV: Dr Anthony Gaspari examines Dede's lesions

Indonesia's health minister, Siti Fadilah Supari, lambasted the US doctor currently treating the 35-year-old man, who has the rare affliction caused by the Human Papilloma Virus.

Indonesia's health minister Siti Fadilah Supari (second right) inspects Dede's tree-like growths

Mrs Supari is angry that Dr Anthony Gaspari has taken blood and tissue samples out of the country to the United States in a bid to diagnose the illness. She claims such samples could be used in the future to make vaccines that the poor could not afford.

Developing nations such as Indonesia risk exploitation unless they maintain control over their virus strains, Mrs Supari said.

But her comments have now offended Dr Gaspari, an American dermatologist at the University of Maryland, who maintains that, while he took the samples without permission, his sole motivation was getting treatment for the man.

Known simply as Dede, the man, who lives in a village south of the capital Jakarta, has massive root-like warts growing from his arms and legs which have gone untreated for years.

"We did take samples, and the reason we did was to render a diagnosis. We did it for humanitarian reasons, to help the patient," Dr Gaspari said, stressing his willingness to put in writing that the samples were not for commercial use.

Mrs Supari, who has famously refused to share bird flu samples with international scientists, made her comments on Sunday after returning from a World Health Organisation (WHO) conference in Geneva.

"We are offended because the samples were taken from Dede without our permission," she told reporters at the hospital where the man was being treated. "If they are taken abroad, they could become lucrative commodities."

The intergovernmental conference was aimed at rebuilding a global system for sharing viruses. Indonesia is the nation the worst hit by bird flu, with a total of 91 human deaths recorded.

Mrs Supari has, however, steadfastly refused to share samples of the deadly H5N1 strain of the disease until she receives assurances they will not be used to make expensive pandemic vaccines.

For its part, WHO wants to make sure the virus has not mutated to a form that spreads more easily between people.

thoughts on weightloss

2007-11-26T14:49:00.000+05:30

You will never lose weight because someone tells you to. Don’t even bother trying to motivate yourself to lose weight because so-and-so told you that you should. If you do, it won’t work. This may sound trite, but you have to want to do it for yourself. Then, and only then, you’ll succeed.
Everyone has advice on weight loss. Mention you’re trying to lose weight and every single person will have their own 2 cents. Be patient – in most cases people are either looking to help you or help themselves through reinforcement.
Calories, carbs, fat grams and other measures of food content are not as important as the quality and quantity of food that you eat. Each diet has some truth to it, but the secret to weight loss is simple: eat less, exercise more.
Each measure of food content has some benefit, though, and each has some problems. Try not to eliminate anything completely, but a general tip is that your diet probably contains an excessive amount of carbohydrates. Look at that first.
Get help. Research before you dive in. Do not start a diet before talking to a doctor or reading a book. You may be knowledgeable, but there can be weird interactions you’re not familiar with (for example, a low-carb diet gave me some really significant).
If your dietary needs are expensive – for example, if you find that what you buy on a diet costs more than the junk food you were eating – ignore it! You cannot – I repeat, cannot – spend too much money on your health. All the money in the world is useless if you are dead.
Soda has a lot of calories. Diet soda has a lot of sodium. Quitting both of them makes you shed a couple of pounds in days. Do it now. There is no reason for soda in your life as a regular drink.
If you MUST drink soda, drink regular soda, not diet soda. One regular soda will at least satisfy you and fill you up for a while. Diet sodas just bloat you and fill you with sodium, not to mention aspartame.
It is very difficult to cut high fructose corn syrup out of your diet, but you should. Bread should not normally need sweetener as the #2 ingredient, should it? Read labels.
Once you quit eating junk food, some of it starts to taste pretty awful.
My personal opinion is that even low-calorie sweeteners like Splenda and Nutrasweet are a bad idea for dieters. Eating something sweet fired off weird hunger impulses in my brain, so I found it was easiest to just avoid every single type of sweets other than chewing gum altogether.
Chewing gum, however, serves a lot of purposes when dieting. It keeps your mouth busy, it satisfies cravings for sweets and if you’re a typical dieter it hides the nasty halitosis (bad breath) that dieting causes.
Ricola is an excellent herbal-flavored substitute for chewing gum. If you haven’t ever tried it, give it a try.
If you have an organic foodstore near you, try some organic foods. I never would have looked twice at edmame/tofu mixes but I decided to try one at a local health foods store. It was amazingly good. Today I would rather eat that than potato chips. I wish I had some right now, in fact.
On the other hand, there are some good diet aids that are non-natural, non-organic but still worth looking into. If you love sweet drinks, try Crystal Light, for example. Tea would be better but not everyone can “get into” tea.
Farmer’s markets vegetables will show you why you don’t like vegetables. Once you’ve eaten never-refrigerated straight-from-the-farm tomatoes you’ll realize that the little flavorless round red balls in the supermarket are not really tomatos. Farmer’s market veggies are a great way to fill up and learn to love veggies all over again.
Almost any roasted vegetable can be made tasty with the right oils, herbs and spices.
Spice has minimal calories, and so do herbs.
Put enough cayenne pepper on anything and it will slow down your eating. It may even kick your metabolism up (albeit a very, very small amount).
Coffee and tea without milk and sugar will taste just as good once you get used to them. Try a little less added stuff every day. Black coffee has 0 calories.
Fried foods are always bad for a dieter. Always. Without exception.
If you only eat foods that you have to cook or prepare, it slows your eating speed down. Buy blocks of cheese and cut your own slices for a sandwich and you will see what I mean.
The exception is raw vegetables. They are very filling, have minimal calories and plenty of other benefits (fiber, vitamins, antioxidants). You can eat as many carrots as you feel like and probably only take in minimal calories.
Water has volume. Drinking water fills you up, at least temporarily - but the nice thing is you can keep drinking it non-stop. You can always add a lemon wedge if you want.
Alcohol has calories. Lots. I like alcohol, too, but it’s 100% unneeded calories.
Some alcoholic beverages, on the other hand, are a lot worse than others. A margarita or a whiskey sour has lots of sugar, calories and carbs – almost any mixed drink is a killer. A glass of wine has some calories and carbs but there are some possible health benefits, as with a glass of beer. And one of my all-time favorites has some calories but no carbs: a dirty martini, shaken, straight up, dry with an olive and a twist. Maybe it doesn’t have so many health benefits as wine or beer, but it’s a nice way to flag the day as “over” and the evening as “beginning.” Plus, it’s hard to chug a martini.
A salad bar is an invitation to disaster. 2000 calories of vegetables are still 2000 calories.
Salad dressing has a lot of calories. Huge amounts, in fact. I love ranch dressing, but I stick with oil and vinegar – lots of vinegar and a little bit of oil. If you eat a salad drowned in dressing you’re probably better off just having some chips.
You hear this often: multiple small meals make you feel much less hungry (eating 6 times a day instead of 3 times per day). I found this generally doesn’t work if you have a 9-to-5 type of job. What you can do fairly easily is eat a hearty breakfast, a raw food snack mid-morning (i.e. fruits or veggies), a largely raw food lunch (i.e. no heavy carbs or meat), a moderate-carb midafternoon snack (shortly before heading home have an energy bar) and then eat what you want for dinner but don’t eat too late. Trying to eat 6 equally-portioned type “meals” was very annoying. Snacking smart made better sense.
Eating carbs within 3 hours of your bedtime is a bad idea - you generally tend to be at your least active late in the evening, and those carbs will not be burned off.
Eating carbs for breakfast is a bad idea. You will be hungry again in an hour. Eggs, cottage cheese, or turkey is better. Fruits are OK, even though they have carbs.
Eating carbs for lunch will make you drowsy in the afternoon, so it is a bad idea.
Carbs are generally a bad idea. Other than natural bread once in a while, maybe rice and some pasta, there’s not a whole lot to say for carbs unless you’re training for the Tour de France. Even then, keep in mind Lance Armstrong gets his carbs from pasta, not from chocolate.
Have you ever actually measured out a single serving of cereal? What constitutes a serving seems like it would not be enough to feed a baby, let alone an adult. However, that should give you something to think about how adults eat.
Your eyes are almost always bigger than your stomach. Eat half of your dinner, wait 5 minutes – sip on some tea or seltzer or water or whatever – then start eating again. Half the time you won’t want half the food.
If you eat your meals with overweight people, you will eat more. Period.
If you eat your meals with healthy fit people, you may eat less… and save money.
A broad generalization: almost any single-person entrée in the United States is probably about 50% larger than necessary for a normal human meal…at least.
Restaurants don’t care if you eat everything that you are served. Their goal is to fill you up on free breadsticks, extra soda and alcoholic beverages before your entrée comes so you’ll go home happy…and fat. They won’t be there holding your hand when you get that coronary bypass.
Unlearning the "eat because it’s tasty, not because you’re hungry" lesson is hard, but you can do it. Kids do not eat when they are not hungry unless you teach them to.
American corporations want you to be fat. Advertising companies, drug companies, food companies and even the self-help/diet industry need fat people. Healthy people don’t buy weight-loss pills, or new belts, or books on weight loss, or Doritos. This is the worst nightmare of half the corporations in America: a healthy, educated consumer who doesn’t watch TV.
Being fat is not a human’s natural state. If you are overweight and lose weight, you will feel happier. Not just because you are thinner and look better and feel better, but you were intended by nature to be a runner/tree climber/gatherer/builder.
Keeping snacks in the house is just plain dumb. It is bad enough to walk by 50 vending machines at work, but don’t keep snacks lying around at home.
Canned soups are a disaster - salt, calories, preservatives, and not satisfying. No one loses weight eating canned soups.
Putting pictures of fat people from magazines and supermodels or athletes or whatever on your mirror will keep you motivated. Not that we should aspire to that body shape, but the simple fact is that it will keep you motivated.
If you are hungry in the evening before bed eat a slice of cheese. You will sleep better and not wake up ravenous.
The first thing you should take into your body when you wake is water. Not spring Water, not flavored Water, but filtered water. Cold, and a lot of it. It will kill your appetite right off and wake you up. It will cleanse your system for the day.
Natural colon cleansers may not help you lose weight, but they will make you less hungry. This is purely my opinion, but I think sometimes people eat to mask the lingering toxic effects of having too much gunk in their intestines.
I’m sure you know the feeling – after eating a big pile of salty potato chips you need something sweet “just to mask the salty taste in your mouth.” Down that road madness lies! Never chase food with food. Chase food with water, and lots of it.
Drinking cold water burns more calories than drinking lukewarm water (it lowers your body’s temperature slightly, so your body expends energy to warm it back up).
However, you should learn to enjoy lukewarm water. If you can only drink ice-cold water, you will be restricting your options too much.
You will miss some foods worse than others. When I was doing a low-carb diet, I dreamed of bread. Don’t give in. Saying "just one piece" is the equivalent of a junkie saying, "Just one hit." Don’t do it.
Butter and oil have a lot of calories but sometimes sneak into food, so keep an eye out.
Dieting is lonely. Dieting around others who are not is torture. Tell your friends and family what you are doing, and do not let them push food on you.
Caffeine is an appetite suppressant. Using a suppressant to diet is like using speed to quit crack. You have to conquer this thing on your own.
Drinking green tea and herbal teas is good for you, and it keeps you feeling full.
You may hate cauliflower. Fine. You will hate dragging your overweight body up the road when you are 60 if you do not eat veggies instead of bonbons more, though.
Small, nibbly foods are a bad idea even when they are healthy. Do not keep anything you can grab by the handful and eat lying around the house - even nuts, fruits and veggies if you like them enough to overeat.
Meat should be viewed as a flavoring, not as a food. Never eat a piece of meat at any one meal bigger than your palm.
There is no particular reason for you to eat beef, pork, lamb, etc. You could get all of the protein you need from poultry and seafood. If you like the taste of red meat, fine, but there is no need for you to eat it.
If you go on a low-carb diet, you will get sick of meat. This is not entirely a bad thing.
Don’t be too sure that being a vegetarian or vegan is a good way to lose weight, either. You can eat nothing but cheese pizza and French fries and call yourself a vegetarian – it’s the quality of the food you eat that’s more important than the label you apply to yourself.
A small handful of nuts (almonds, for example) will keep you going for hours. At the same time, three handfuls of nuts are about 2000 calories.
Milk does not work into any diet plan be it low-fat, low-calorie, low-carb. Avoid it. Soymilk is better for you.
Fruit juice is almost universally too concentrated, even organic/natural fruit juices. Cut it down with water. I usually drink about a 25% juice/75% water mixture now. Straight fruit juice tastes like syrup to me.
It is very, very easy to drink a lot of calories, particularly since most people don’t really think about calories in regards to drinks (except for soda, which you hear about in the media). Which has more calories, 8 ounces of milk or 8 ounces of V8? Beats me. Water has no calories, though.
There is no greater feeling than suddenly discovering you can wear that pair of pants that did not fit you a couple of months ago.
Needing to go buy a new belt because your old one is too big is a close second.
Measure portions. You should never eat more at one sitting than fits on a plate. By plate, I mean a plate, not Thor’s shield.
Getting "checked out" is a real mood-booster, even if you are in a relationship.
Jogging helps you maintain weight loss and fitness. Lifting weights helps you lose weight. However, walking is the best exercise because you can so easily do it any time of the day without any special equipment.
Being happy burns more calories than being depressed.
Stairs are free workout machines. Elevators and escalators are rides.
Jogging is easier when you have good shoes.
Never go to the supermarket on an empty stomach. You will end up buying more than you need and probably at least one thing you should not eat.
Try not to watch too much TV. There are many ads for junk food and whether you pay attention or not there is a lot of unconscious programming going on there.
Another good reason not to drink too much alcohol is that your judgment gets impaired. I am not talking about dancing on the table with a lampshade over your head - I am talking about standing next to the bar grabbing a handful of chex mix.
You don’t wear out shoes as quickly if you weigh less.
The first time you walk by a friend you have not seen in a while and they do not recognize you because you have lost so much weight is an amazingly positive experience.
You can quit wearing black clothes all the time. Black is slimming, but being a healthy weight is slimming-er.
There are some places on your body that will never lose their fat, and there is no point in expecting them too. In my case its my legs :-/ .
People get angry if you tell them how you lost weight. This was an amazing thing to see in practice. Nobody wants to hear that you did it by watching your food intake and exercising. They want to hear that you wore a special belt or took a pill. Hearing they need to quit drinking Coke really fires some people up.
Gaining weight is incredibly easy for most people, even with a very healthy diet. Once you have wrecked your metabolism by being overweight, it is even easier.
If your knees, back, ankles, shoulders, neck or any other joints hurt and you are overweight, losing weight will very likely help them. My feet used to hurt a lot, and that pain abruptly disappeared when I lost weight.
In the same way, gaining weight is - oddly - going to put more strain on your back and knees than being overweight but holding a steady weight.
If someone takes a picture of you when you are at your peak weight, keep it. Treasure it. Frame it. Use it for motivation.
Airplane seats, bus seats, even office chairs: for some reason the seat-building industry thinks all people are svelte and trim
Remember that you have only one life to live. A helpful thing for me to remember sometimes is that your average person has around 29,000 days on this earth. I try to think whether I would trade 1 day for potato chips. Would I give up 1 week for a steak, one month for a lifetime of Coca Cola? It may not cost me that much, but I don’t think it’s worth the chance.
If you are afraid that quitting smoking will make you eat more, you should be afraid. However, you should still quit. Using cigarettes as an appetite suppressant is like fumigating your house with poison to get rid of one mouse. Sure, it may work, but at what cost?
Your skin tone will suffer from being overweight. If you are severely overweight, be prepared for wrinkles and sagging skin when you lose weight.
Sex is better if you are fit… and you will probably get more of it, regardless of whether you are married or single.
Diet pills are worthless. I tried one, green tea pills, and although it made me lose some additional weight it was mainly because they made me so dizzy and nauseous I didn’t feel like eating. I could accomplish the same thing by sniffing garbage.
Television will make you hungry. You can’t imagine how many food-related advertisements there are on TV until you start trying to lose weight.
Once you start to lose weight, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it ten years ago. However, once you’ve lost the weight you’ve meant to lose, you’ll forget that euphoric feeling and be tempted to eat a little bit of junk again. This is the hedonic treadmill in fine, fine form.
Once I lost weight, I was afraid of getting fat again, but not so afraid that I didn’t start justifying eating things I wouldn’t have eaten when I was dieting.
There is not one single thing at Starbucks that you can have on a diet, except black coffee.
Appetizers are almost always the worst, heaviest, most caloric foods on the menu. Stick to entrees.
The failure rate for dieters is high. Even successful dieters – like me – often gain the weight back.