Ingenious Art

Being Optimistic. Being together.

2015-03-17T00:26:00.001-07:00

You know the best part about being in a relationship? You always have someone by your side when you need them the most. I always say to her that "Truth is, I'll never know all there is to know about you just as you will never know all there is to know about me. Humans are by nature too complicated to be understood fully. So, we can choose either to approach our fellow human beings with suspicion or to approach them with an open mind, a dash of optimism and a good deal of candor. Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair."
Sharing a recent story about being in despair : I was having a messy time managing work and studies. Having just flunked in a particular test combined with long work hours at work had me wanting to almost kill myself. Just kidding, it wasn't that extreme but I'm sure you get the point. Side effects were mostly appetite loss, sleep deprivation and a lot of short anger bursts. I'm sure we've all been there done that. In short, I was in an utter state of despair. All I needed was a streak of optimism to brighten up my life. Enters my BAE for almost three years now. She surprised me by showing at my door on one of those lazy Saturday mornings. Now why this is so special is that she and I live in different cities almost 700 miles apart. The sight of waking up one day and seeing her face, after a horrendous week at work where I never had an opportunity to leave before 1 in the morning, was like a sun rising after 50 days of night. The flush of blood in her cheeks and a dimple to show for it was all I needed to lookup and feel positive about my life. You know what they say? People with dimple have a divine role in this universe: Smile.
I felt rejuvenated and also a sudden surge to make the weekend beautiful for us. Because, seeing her happy made me happy and surely she felt the same way. We decided to hire a catamaran and sail into the vast blue sea with no care in the world. One of the perks of living in Mumbai. After a couple of beers down and with no land within our range of sight, listening to waltz and swaying with the love of my life, all I could think was that life is too beautiful to be a pessimist. All you need is an acute reason to be optimistic again for happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.

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Cranberry SuperBREEZER

2013-11-22T23:29:00.001-08:00

Better known as the "Superfruit" and the "The Thanksgiving Peacock", cranberry is high in antioxidants and nutrient contents. Raw cranberries have moderate levels of Vitamin C, dietary fiber and the essential dietary mineral, manganese, as well as a balance profile of other essential micronutrients. Research indicates they may reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, urinary tract infections, gum disease and ulcers.

Cranberry juice happens to be my favorite due to its lush magenta color and its oomph factor. The little berries always pack a nutritional punch.

Cranberries are grown in the northeastern United States, Wisconsin, Washington and Oregon, as well as in Canada. Massachusetts has the oldest cranberry story — some vines date to the time of the Pilgrims. When colonists arrived in North America, they found a cranberry that was twice the size of the berries they were used to back in Europe, though just as tasty. (America has been super-sizing portions from the very start.) Today, Wisconsin is the country's leading cranberry producer.

Cranberries are perfect, edible jewels. They turn any drink into a showstopper. Raw cranberries are mouth-puckeringly sour, which is why they're almost always paired with sugar or some other sweetener such as maple syrup.

I lost my alcohol virginity to the Bacardi Cranberry Breezer and trust me when I say IT-WAS-TOTALLY-WORTH-IT. I was always skeptical about how alcohol would taste and refrained from drinking. My friends told me that all of them tastes like a tonic. Boy! Cranberry breezer was so damn different and amazingly appetizing. It became my favorite drink instantly and I just couldn't get enough of it. It is perfectly smooth and the flavor is totally balanced. Other flavors don't even come close to it.

It's the perfect combination of taste and looks. I'll recommend each and every person who wants to have some fun and chill out to try and start with a Bacardi Cranberry Breezer. The party will suddenly be rocking if you follow my counsel mate. Cheers!

This post is submitted as part of an IndiBlogger contest, Catch your flavor sponsored by Bacardi

Growth, KING Style KING Size

2013-11-11T00:52:00.002-08:00

"To keep the body in good health is a duty...otherwise we might not be able to keep our mid strong and clear." -Buddha

Ayurveda (Life-knowledge) is referred to as the “mother of all healing systems”.

The Lord hath created medicines (Ayurvedic) out of the earth; and he that is wise will not abhor them. ~Ecclesiasticus 38:4

Ayurveda is not a weird diet and the practitioners are not really tree-hugging woo-woos with an extreme affinity for Mother Nature (they're normal people who take really good care of themselves & their communities). Funny how we make expectations & judgments about things before we even try them.

Ayurveda, though it is our ancient medicine, isn't appreciated by our society. Allopathy has taken over massively. The traditional medicine has lost its sheen over the years. It is not popular today because of lack of funding from the govenrment as well as the private sector. All the money is being spent on allopathic drugs, which have massive side effects.

Ayurveda also plays a vital role in a baby's early growth & development. The aim of any parent is to provide a healthy environment to the child for appropriate nourishment enabling the kid to be able to face the pressures of our increasingly complex lifestyles.

My childhood was under the protection, love and care of my grandmother. Whenever I suffered from common cold, cough, indigestion, stomach pain etc., my grandmother pops into the kitchen and does some magic and the problem vanishes. It's wonderful how without any side effects, we are able to recover with the help of ayurvedic medicine.

It is rightly said:

"I move with the infinite in Nature's power.

I hold the fire of the soul.

I hold life and healing."

-Rig Veda

Childcare is a sensitive issue. Side effects of processed and synthetic products easily affect kids. It's always recommended by many doctors and also Home-Doctors (Grandma) to go Natural!

I have seen my sister massaging my 3-year-old niece with Dabur Lal Tail, which helps in strengthening baby's bones and muscles and is proven safe and effective for better overall physical growth of babies. She even uses Dabur Gripe Water, which guards the baby against common stomach problems like afara, aitten, indigestion and acidity. I can clearly see her growth.

I myself use Dabur Badam Tail, which helps in making my skin soft & glowing and also makes hair strong & healthy.

Why Dabur? Because for the past 125 years, they have been dedicated to provide nature-based solutions for a healthy and holistic lifestyle.

Ayurveda believes, by supporting the body, one can enjoy living a balanced and harmonious life. It targets to cure the holistic health of a person, instead of treating just the physical body of a person. Ayurveda believes in healing from within.

Because as they say: Health is Wealth.

This post is a part of Dabur Lal Tail Contest hosted by IndiBlogger.

New Top 5 TV Shows to watch out for this Fall Season - 2013

2013-10-23T00:40:00.004-07:00

1. Under the dome

Imdb rating : 7.2/10

Under the Dome is loosely based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. It tells the story of the residents of the small town of Chester's Mill in Maine, where a massive, transparent, indestructible dome suddenly cuts them off from the rest of the world. With no Internet access, no mobile signals and limited radio communication, the people trapped inside must find their own ways to survive with diminishing resources and rising tensions. While military forces, the government and the media positioned outside of this surrounding barrier attempt to break it down, a small group of people inside attempt to figure out what the dome is, where it came from, and when (and if) it will go away.

Tip : Steven Spielberg is amongst the executive producers. Enough said. Also, crazy first episode.

2. Masters of Sex

Imdb rating : 7.8/10

Masters of Sex,” a new hour-long drama on Showtime, is a fizzy, ebullient quasi-historical romp about the team of scientific pioneers who transformed American attitudes toward sex. But let’s not bury the lead: it’s also a serious turn-on.

For many viewers, this will be reason enough to watch, and there’s no shame in that game; this is adult cable television’s bread and butter, after all. Luckily, the show has an appeal beyond solid date-night viewing. “Masters of Sex” is based on Thomas Maier’s lively 2009 book of the same title, which tells the story of the rise of William Masters, a renegade who aimed to study sex in the lab, using human subjects

Tip : Date night watch

3. The Blacklist

Imdb rating : 7.9/10

Metacritic Score 74/100

The highest rated new TV series and the breakout hit of the fall starring the attention grabbing James Spader as a career criminal who decides to partner with the FBI for reasons we’ve yet to learn. This is the first series to receive a full season order of 22 full episodes. We love watching intriguing creeps and Spader is up there with the all-time best.

Tip: Must watch for Boston Legal Fans

4. Sleepy Hollow

Imdb rating : 7.8/10

The biggest hit for Fox, this modern fantasy mystery twist on the classic story featuring Ichabod Crane has greatly improved Fox’s ratings on Monday night up against powerhouse reality shows “The Voice” and “Dancing With The Stars.” It gets a big boost from delayed viewing and Fox is quite satified; it’s the second series to get picked up for the entire season.

Tip: Watch it for the special effects and a decent watch for fantasy fans

5. The Crazy Ones

Imdb rating : 6.7/10

The big winner among the new comedy lineup for CBS on Thursdays starring Robin Williams, who is whipping his competitor Michael J. Fox with his own headline show over at NBC. They won’t be competing with each other all season but it’s a nice victory for CBS nevertheless. UPDATE: CBS announced Oct. 18 it has ordered a full season of “The Crazy Ones.”

Tip : David Kelley is the show's creator and the cast includes Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Must watch comedy this fall. Expect the imdb rating to increase pretty soon.

Book Review : Catching Fire - Hunger Games 2

2012-09-16T23:42:00.000-07:00

Catching Fire starts up not far from where The Hunger Games ended. Katniss is living in the Victors Village with her family. You'd think that she'd finally be able to relax and live the cushy life. Well that wouldn't make a good book. There are rumors of rebellion and since Katniss and Peeta won the Hunger Games in defiance they have become the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol, particularly President Snow, is not happy with them. Now Katniss has to worry about looking as in love with Peeta as possible to quiet down the rebellion, but is that what she really wants?

It’s really hard to summarize a book when you’re afraid that everything you say will give away the twist. If you have not read the book DON’T read a whole bunch of reviews or comments! You’ll figure stuff out! Figuring out what’s going on and the twists is part of what makes this so good. You think you’ve got everything and everyone pegged only to find out that you only got half (if any) of it right.

I wasn’t sure what the second book was going to be about but now looking back I think “Of course! How else would it have worked?” The book starts off a little slow, but it’s important for what Collins is trying to set up. I love Katniss and I hate her. She frustrates me beyond belief, but you have to love her. I love how you see and know everything from Katniss's point of view. You’re just as confused and unsure as she is. It never feels like she’s not a real person. You feel just as scared for her family. You feel her confusion and doubt. You just really feel. I could probably name off a bunch of things that bothered me about the book (I think I mentioned how I HAAAATE love triangles with a burning passion) but you really care about the characters. You can't even hate Katniss's team of stylists, who are selfish Capitol dwellers. The book deals with so much more than who she’s going to end up with.

At first I really didn’t want to read it because I know how I am with these books. I get totally immersed, constantly trying to figure it all out. I can’t believe the twists in this book! The ending is just so…epic! How everything just falls into place and makes sense. You see the characters in a whole new light. And then you’re left with the whole butt-naked-spider-thread thing. I’m pretty sure it’s not good for my health, but they say the same thing about oreos and fried chicken.

Download Link: http://ingeniousdexterity.blogspot.in/2011/06/hungry-to-read-read-hunger-games.html

7 Wonders of MELBOURNE

2012-09-12T14:13:00.000-07:00

If I were to go on a world tour, what would have been my top seven places to visit? Surely, it would have been the Seven Wonders of the World jotted within the top seven lines of my list. Drawing from this analogy, here is my version of what are the seven wonders of the historically and artistically beautiful city we all know as MELBOURNE.

FIRST WONDER OF MELBOURNE: THE MCG (MELBOURNE CRICKET GROUND)

Go to the MCG stadium (Melbourne Cricket Ground) to see an AFL (”Aussie Rules”) game or an India-Australia cricket match and it'll be the most fun you've ever had on a stadium irrespective of whether you are a sport buff. There is something for everyone at the MCG. The first ground in the world to hold a Test Match, The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. In summer it is here that you’ll hear the sweet sound of leather on willow. During most of the rest of the year it is AFL that takes over. Footy fans refer to it as the ‘G, abbreviating the acronym to remove “cricket”. It is obligatory to eat a meat pie while watching the footy. Best place for some food and cricket.

SECOND WONDER OF MELBOURNE: THE FEDERATION SQUARE

In 2009, Virtual Tourist awarded Federation Square with the title of the 'World's Fifth Ugliest Building. Criticisms of it ranged from its damage to the heritage vista to its similarity to a bombed-out wartime bunker due to its "army camouflage" colors. For a while after its opening on 26 October 2002,Federation Square remained controversial among Melburnians due to its unpopular architecture, but also because of its successive cost blow outs and construction delays (as its name suggests, it was to have opened in time for the centenary of Australian Federation on 1 January 2001).

However, the negativity was short-lived, with approximately 90% of people surveyed reported liking at least some part of Federation Square.Despite fears that the plaza would remain empty because of its location on the edge of Melbourne's center, the open space has proved to be a remarkably popular place for protests, performances, cultural gatherings, celebrations and just 'hanging out'. Federation Square won five awards in 2003 at the Victorian Architecture Awards, including the Victorian Architecture Medal. The Australian Financial Review later reported that Melburnians have learned to love the building, citing the record number of people using and visiting it.In 2005, the New York-based Project for Public Spaces named it one of "The World's Best Squares", and it was included on The Atlantic Cities' 2011 list of "10 Great Central Plazas and Squares".It is the only modern square to appear on both lists.

THIRD WONDER OF MELBOURNE: CARLTON GARDENS

The Carlton Gardens is a World Heritage Site located on the northeastern edge of the Central Business District in the suburb of Carlton, in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

The 26 hectare (64 acre) site contains the Royal Exhibition Building, Melbourne Museum and Imax Cinema, tennis courts and an award winning children's playground. The rectangular site is bound by Victoria Street, Rathdowne Street, Carlton Street, and Nicholson Street. From the Exhibition building the gardens gently slope down to the southwest and northeast. According to the World Heritage listing the Royal Exhibition Buildings and Carlton Gardens are "of historical, architectural, aesthetic, social and scientific (botanical) significance to the State of Victoria."

FOURTH WONDER OF MELBOURNE: ROYAL EXHIBITION BUILDING

The Royal Exhibition Building is a World Heritage Site-listed building in Melbourne, Australia, completed in 1880. Today, the building hosts various exhibitions and other events and is closely tied with events at the Melbourne Museum. The Royal Exhibition Building is still in use as a commercial exhibition venue, hosting many events on a regular basis such as the Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show.

FIFTH WONDER OF MELBOURNE: MELBOURNE MUSEUM

Melbourne Museum is located in the Carlton Gardens in Melbourne, Australia, adjacent the Royal Exhibition Building.

The museum is a rich response to Melbourne’s urban condition, and provides a place for education, history, culture and society to engage with each other in a contemporary setting. It is now an important part of Melbourne’s soft infrastructure.

It is the largest museum in the Southern Hemisphere, and is a venue of Museum Victoria, which also operates the Immigration Museum and Scienceworks Museum.

SIXTH WONDER OF MELBOURNE: THE SHRINE OF REMEMBRANCE

The Shrine of Remembrance was created to meet the needs of a grieving community after the extensive loss of lives in the First World War (1914 –18). 114,000 Victorians enlisted in the First World War. Of the 89,000 of them who served abroad 19,000 were killed. They were buried in distant graves far from home at a time when most Australians did not travel abroad. The Shrine provided a place where Victorians could grieve as individuals, as families or as a community and where they could honour and preserve the memories of those they had lost. The Shrine was not only built to commemorate those who had served in the First World War. It also honoured the courage of the men, women and children who remained at home. Original designs for the Shrine of Remembrance considered the enduring human qualities of Love, Peace, Courage, Integrity, Strength, Faith, Honour and Brotherhood and the value placed on these by the community and those who had fought bravely for their country.

The Shrine of Remembrance

… would unmistakably convey to future generations the desire of the people of Victoria to commemorate the service of its soldiers in the Great War and would be sufficient to form a strong reminder of those services to a generation which will not have the practical experience of the Great War.

Letter from the Returned and Services League of Australia (Victoria Branch) to the Executive Committee for the creation of the Shrine of Remembrance, 9 August 1926

These words express the aims of the Shrine today as much as they did in 1926 and while direct experience and knowledge of the events of the First World War and subsequent conflicts fade, interest in them is growing.

In response the Shrine today places a high priority on education and the interpretation of stories of Victorians at war and in peacekeeping. Through commemoration, education, exhibitions and public programs the Shrine continues to honour Victorian service and sacrifice and to uphold and reinforce the values we associate with the original ANZACs.

SEVENTH WONDER OF MELBOURNE : St. PAUL'S CATHEDRAL

St Paul's Cathedral, across the street from Federation Square, is an imposing old-style Melbourne Anglican cathedral.

Located on the corner of Swanston and Flinders Sts, St Paul's Cathedral was built on the site of Melbourne's first Christian service on the banks of the Yarra River after Melbourne was founded in 1835.

The architecture of St Paul's Cathedral is described as a revival of the style known as Gothic transitional, partly early English Gothic and partly Decorated Gothic. Its foundation stone was laid in 1880 and the cathedral was consecrated in 1891.

Evensong. Make a date with yourself and sit in the magnificence of the building. Look around and sit in silence and hear the conversations, the footsteps and your breathing. Just take time for yourself to walk around and really look at the craftsmenship. Attend a Service, especially Evensong. They have a gift shop, and a lot of history within the walls. St. Pauls is a great hug for the soul.
PS - I visited Melbourne a couple of years ago; and it's your time to visit Melbourne NOW!

Music Review: Linkin Park - Living Things

2012-06-21T21:58:00.001-07:00

What exactly constitutes going back to one's roots? While Linkin Park have made promises of such in the lead-up to Living Things, their fifth studio album and third with Rick Rubin in the production booth, they've also insisted that nu-metal isn't what they're getting at in the claims of retro-view. So that begs the question - if they're going back, where exactly are they going?

If the faux-revolution of A Thousand Suns can be accepted as a concept album, which is arguable,Living Things is the band's return to form, according to themselves. In actuality, it's just the next step in the evolutionary process. The tricks are familiar - the gigantic screaming choruses, the monoliths of sound and digital washes, Mike Shinoda's wack-ass rapping. Yet guitars play a far more minor role than ever before on an album that begins as a disappointing run through old formulas but in the end offers a spark of hope to the cynical.

The album opens like a promo track for the Electric Daisy Carnival, an electronic haze of anticipation for the bass drop that never arrives in "Lost in The Echo". Instead, Shinoda's Seuss-ish rhyme patterns lead the charge of a rap verse that frames the emotives of Chester Bennington's heartache chorus about broken promises and, naturally, words getting lost in the echo. We are not finding ourselves exhilarated as the same tone of a dozen Linkin Park radio hits rolls on through. You've heard this song a thousand times already, even if you haven't.

"In My Remains" pushes the patience further still with big radio ambition that only gently tweaks the recipe. Shinoda sings the repeated line "Like an army falling one by one," a well-practiced kata of melodrama that's as predictable as it is dated. The campy electro-poppiness belies the house MC's angry flow in lead single "Burn It Down," but that's a sonic misstep among few on such a slick album. Rubin brings his Midas touch to the knobs, and the result is powerfully polished, just as he did with its predecessor.

When the ragepimping millionaires shift gears and focus on the futility of a doomed relationship - or the inadequate manner in which the offending female bid adieu - the question arises: what is any of this really about in the universe of Linkin Park? Five albums in, is there really still no resolution to the lyrical struggles we've heard since their outset? Has there truly been no evolution of theme and struggle beyond the ebb and flow of instrumentation and production trends?

When "Victimized" hits, the question takes on a new poignance. The band is doing themselves no favors as wildly successful industry veterans building arena anthems around endlessly repeating hooks like "Victimized! Victimized! Never again! Victimized!" There's an abundance of arena-ready choruses peppered through the album - it wouldn't be a Linkin Park album without them - but this one stands out as particularly cringeable.

For many, it's perfectly fine that the same colors are used again and again, and even celebrated when an artist prefaces new material by saying they're going back to the old material. We all need familiarity, and find it our own ways. But for others, Linkin Park has come to represent a modern emoting effigy for the bro culture, uninspired music for children of dysfunctionality looking for a justification soundtrack or at least empathy for the pain and incessant fury of mediocre suburbia they can't seem to shake. These tens of millions of moved units aren't all owned by muted-rage Pfizer babies and the products of turbulent homes, but seriously - sixteen years down the line and we still aren't over the bitterness of love's betrayal. We still can't let the wrongdoing subside. We still need to cultivate and amplify anger for the sake of anger.

If anything, the success of a band like Linkin Park is a testament to the discord of soul within our modern society. Women in 2012 are embracing and exploring self-betterment through an explosion of educated expression, yoga and beyond. There's an amplification of natural support for empowered, skilled and furiously passionate female artists such as Florence & The Machine and Grace Potter, while the masculinity of modern man continues to ride the troglodyte train. The rage rock movement continues to thrive, aimed at nothing but showing the world how loud it can scream "Fuck the world!" We still marginalize enlightenment and compassion, hipsterfying or hippiefying anything that shows a little heart. We've simply found a way to call someone a faggot without actually saying the word. And when Chester screams, occasionally it seems he's directly referencing this dissonance. And therein lies the hope for Linkin Park.

What begins as a bleak thematic rehash of an album begins to grow potential as an experimental mood works into the frame. The band fucks with the formula a bit on the digi-mecha grinding of "Lies Greed Misery," which owes more to M.I.A. and Santigold than daddy issues, and the Bjork-tinkling tenderness of "Roads Untraveled" deserves its due as a poetic offering of support for a "seat here alongside me".

Even "I'll Be Gone" gives a shot at alteration, but the chorus pulls up the screamy blanket and tucks into the color-by-numbers too soon. There's a hypnotic gravity to the track that's hard to deny, however, just as the rasta blitz on "Until It Breaks" works damn well... as long as you can dismiss the lazy Bennington spot and don't hold the Coldplay Hallmark moment around two and a half minutes in against them. It's guitarist Brad Delson's step into vocal contributions, and aside from the contrast to the rest of the song it's a brief but respectable effort.

"Tinfoil" and "Powerless," meanwhile were clearly divided for the sake of the latter's radio accessibility, as it serves a fitting FM epilogue to "My December." The electro-thrust dynamics that sell so well will undoubtedly catapult this into every third song the radio spits out this Summer.

In my review of Linkin Park's last album A Thousand Suns, I called the music "anger for fashion’s sake," and "an uprising based on marketability, gluttonously self-indulgent and commercially ambitious." Through the first few songs of Living Things, it appeared as if we were doomed to the same tired and shamelessly exploitive architecture, but through the album's progression there's a teetering sense of growth. Undoubtedly, Rick Rubin is on a quest of his own, itching to recapture some of that early Beastie grit-swagger. It doesn't always work, but sometimes it does, to the band's benefit.

We're hoping not to look back on this era with the same shame we feel when reflecting on the hybridization of rap and metal in the decade past. Hopefully the balance of legitimacy brought by artists like Trent Reznor, Radiohead or even Muse and Sleigh Bells will offset the cartoonish accidental mockery of the concept by the likes of Korn and, previously, Linkin Park. But Living Things shows potential for Shinoda, Bennington and crew to move beyond the pomposity of faux revolution and relationship rage. If they can just believe it themselves, this might really go somewhere.

Why I love doing MUNs?

2012-06-20T00:22:00.000-07:00

Do you love talking about current events and politics? Do you want to meet some very interesting people? Do you dream of being a totalitarian dictator and imposing your extremist ways upon the planet? If you answered "yes!" to all of the above, then Model United Nations is the thing for you. Here are ten reasons you should take part:

1. The people you meet. Model UN conferences are attended by some of the most interesting and entertaining people you will ever meet. On my adventures, I've met an anti-capitalist fruitarian, an anarchist, the Mayor of Hague and a Delegate of Czechoslovakia (European Union) who was fond of telling everyone, "You look very nice today." If you want to make some memorable friends, then Model UN is for you.

As Vice Chairperson, Joint Crisis Committee, NLSMUN

2. The things you learn. I know, it sounds a bit lame, but it's actually really cool. Not only do you get to hear speeches from inspirational people (like the Mayor of Hague), you also get to watch awesome YouTube videos. Did you know that the new (not-official-at-all) Israeli-Palestine anthem is about eating pigs? Oh, and Ali G is close friends with Boutros Boutros-Ghali (the sixth Secretary-General of the UN)? And that Andorra is not a third world country? It’s awesome stuff, really. All silliness aside, you'll learn some fascinating things about our world.

3. Fun and games. Attendees of the Model UN conference find the most amazing ways to entertain themselves. Whether it’s grooving out to the Congo drums, debating the merits of Communism over ice cream, or even creating lame pick-up lines (“What are your country’s immigration laws like? 'Cuz I’d really like to gain entrance to you."), there's never a dull moment. Oh, and note-passing during the debate sessions is the most awesomest part of the sessions.

4. You get to (fictionally) control a country for a day. Have you ever dreamed of running your own country? Of course you have! At Model UN, you can make your dream a reality. If you want to suspend human rights, embargo China, or invade Switzerland, you CAN! (well, fictionally). YOU choose what your country does, and the power you hold is AMAZING. I’ve seen Russia revert back to Communism, only to have the rest of their debate chamber (including the USA) follow suit. I’ve seen Ireland declare war on the UK. The possibilities are endless. Enjoy the power—and because it’s fictional, you can let it go to your head.

Like a Boss

5. The Food. Model United Nations conferences are known for their epic food. Sure, you may gain a pound or so, but it’s totally worth it. They completely over-feed you, but you sure need it. Pizza, sandwiches, lollipops, French fries, soda; trust me, you will never go hungry.

6. One Word: Extremism. If you get an out there country, you're lucky; it'd be pretty hard to explain why France has decided to revert to a totalitarian dictatorship. I represented Sudan once and declared a jihad, and I've seen tons of examples of extremism take place: Eritrea once suspended “Human Rights” in favor of “Men’s Rights,” Lebanon once declared nuclear war on the UK and USA, and The Holy See (aka the Vatican) once suspended Catholicism! Extremism has got to be one of the best parts of Model UN—when you're experimenting with extremist views, you can’t help but have a blast.

Being Hitler

7. Facebook friends. I’m sure nearly everyone out there wishes they had a few more Facebook friends—admit it: it makes you feel special. When you go to Model UN, you'll gain so many friends you won’t know what to do. Random people you meet in passing will add you; in fact, even people you didn't meet will add you! Expect a flood of friend requests and a lingering I’m-so-awesome feeling.

8. Confidence boost. When you first enter a debate chamber and listen to the delegates go, you can’t help but freak out. My first time, I was a wreck: I had sweaty palms, butterflies in my stomach, and a racing pulse. It was insanely nerve-wracking for me to put my hand up to speak, and standing in front of thirty critical, intelligent fellow delegates can be very daunting (especially when they pick your argument apart at the seams). But it's also a hell of a rush. Getting up to talk is like getting hit in a game of paintball; with every hit—or, in this case, with every speech you give—it hurts less and you become less afraid, and before you know it, you're no longer nervous at all! By the end of the conference, your insecurities will have disappeared, and you will feel freaking amazing.

9. Memories. Even after months have passed, you'll look back at your conference experience and smile. The friends you made, the laughs you shared, and the pick-up line that made you grin like an idiot are things you will always remember and treasure. The Model UN conference creates memories that last a lifetime, and when it’s over, you'll wish you could do it all again.

10. Socials and Extracurricular. Okay, so this isn’t my favorite reason, but it has to be in here. If the other reasons haven’t hooked you already, this should. Guys love hot chics roaming in skirts and we all know that chics are all for Men in suits, right?! Well, an MUN is all this and more. There are socials and clubbing night where you get the best opportunities to try out all your lines and have a real shot at someone hot! A lot of you out there are thinking about college applications, and everybody knows that colleges love extracurricular activities. Sure, grades count, but they want well-rounded people with interesting life experiences. If nothing else, your participation in Model UNs will highlight how involved and talented you are to your college of choice. And that's a benefit you can't afford to pass up!

Any other Model UNers out there? Got any favorite memories to share?

Bloom Like A Flower

2012-06-07T00:42:00.000-07:00

COZ EVERY PICTURE HAS A STORY...

Have you ever wondered how a bud blooms into a flower, spreading beauty, joy and fragrance around it? Have you realized that it blooms on its own, with the power within? You cannot force open a bud and make it bloom. We too are like buds ready to flower, but lack in power within to bloom and spread beauty and fragrance and glory. Like buds, no outsider can open us from within and bring the best in us. We have to realize on our own and shape ourselves better and better. Every one of us enjoyed childhood. Parents judge their children as the best, and are always protective of them. This acts as an obstacle when we grow up. This creates a false perception within us that what we do is always right. We pretty well know that our perceptions are not based on facts, truth, reason and logic. Still we cling to wrong actions based on falsehoods, away from reason, away from logic, away from truth. Like children, we continue to believe that we are the best. We continue to be buds rather than bloomed flowers. The only thing you have to do to bloom like a flower is to base your actions on truth, reason, logic, compassion, love and sympathy. What is the use of dying like a bud that never flowers? Let us bloom into flowers in full glory before we wilt and disappear. Let us shed the child like qualities in us and develop qualities that will last beyond our death. Let us shed our shortcomings, faults, mistakes, falsehoods and false perceptions, like we shed a dirty cloth. With all these things in us we are living like drainage dirt in a glass bottle, beautifully covered with a cloth, and perfumed with the best scent. We ourselves know the dirt in us. We have to remove the dirt and clean. No amount of dressing will help. Then only we will bloom like beautiful flowers. Let us do these things: Perceptions based on ignorance, falsehoods, and lies are your first enemy within. Throw that enemy out. Base your actions on truth, knowledge and right perceptions. Hate the word “hate”. Never hate others. This hate within you like a pest inside a bud, never allows you to bloom like a flower. Separate faultfinding from you forever. Never find fault with others for your miseries. Mostly the reason for your misery lies within you. Your wrong actions and deeds based on wrong perceptions, away from truth, reason and logic. Rely on truth, reason and logic. Don’t compare your self with others and feel sad and bad. God never gives any body everything. He gives different gifts to all. Instead of lamenting on the happiness of others, bring out the special gifts God has given to you. For this you have to rediscover your self and realize at what you have the best abilities and skills.

Develop them. Don’t live to eat. Eat to live instead. Realize that you are pure within. All the insults and abuses that others hurl at you will not harm your spirit. They can at best harm your body only which too withers like a flower. Your spirit survives forever till it merges into the Lord. Realize that like a flower, you too have a time span of life. Once life goes out of you, you are like dead wood and nothing more. So don’t accumulate things and wealth beyond your needs. What ever is surplus distribute it to the less privileged so that you will receive the blessings of the Lord. Nothing comes with you after your death. It is only the spirit that flies out of you without any attachments. But you will be remembered for your good deeds even after you are long dead. Your fragrance will be enjoyed even by so many next generations if you live a life worthy of emulation and example. Help others as much as you can as a beautiful flower never bars those who see it and enjoy it. Spread your goodness as a flower spreads its fragrance to those who seek it. Recognize and accept the good in others. Never hesitate to acknowledge the good deeds of others. Stop behaving like a child. You passed that age. Don’t feel sad if others fail to recognize the good things you are doing. You are not doing good things for recognition. You are doing good things because they are good things. Never hurt others. It will boom rang on you only. Think less about others. Think more about you. Think of good actions and deeds that remain to be done by you. List them always and update them. Be kind and compassionate to others, including human beings, plants, trees, animals and all living and non-living things that too are the creation of the Lord, just like you. NEVER EVER POSTPONE DOING GOOD THINGS. NEVER EVER THINK OF FUTURE. TAKE CARE OF PRESENT. FUTURE TAKES CARE OF ITSELF. YOU CANNOT MAKE FUTURE. YOU CAN MAKE PRESENT HAPPEN. Throw the greed out of you like you throw stinking garbage. Follow these and rediscover your self. Stop living and dying like a bud that never blooms. Live life a bud that bloomed in all its beauty and glory. .

10 Awesome Artworks - Cookie Monsters

2012-05-29T23:50:00.002-07:00

THE COOKIE MONSTER-- HE IS DAMN SERIOUS ABOUT HIS COOKIES ;)

Cookie Monster-Knitted

Cookie Monster-Wall Painting

Cookie Monster-Crayon Artwork

Cookie Monster-Real Cookie

Cookie Monster-LA Wall Artwork

You know what I did this summer?? >-)

2012-05-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

Alright, so here's a guy blogging (or as most of you would say...contesting) for this contest where 2 women bloggers win all-expense paid trips to an exotic beach location in India. I just hope that they bend the rules in favour of one male and a one female blogger

As you all know, Kyra is the brand mascot for Lakme’s new product for the summer. She's is fun loving, enjoys her music and loves travelling. Wow, what a coincidence...Me too . Now, getting this contest straight, I'm going to be having an awesome summer spending time with a hawt chic like Kyra(instead of sitting in my office where I'm interning and getting freakishly bored!! ).

Kyra, Me and Goa

No, you can't think this is typical! Oh alright, this is a little typical...(I know you girls are rolling your eyes but please humor me for a second here :P), but Goa has arguably the best beaches in the country. It's a paradise for all.

Phase1: The Journey

We decided to skip my porsche convertible and take a flight to goa to beat the summer heat. As we got out of the goa airport, it was noon and scorching. We covered ourselves grandly in Lakme Sun Expert before getting out into the open sky. We had a cab waiting for us at the airport to take us to the beach-side resort to spend five magical days. While entering our resort, we checked out the scene at the beach and it was ecstatic.

Phase 2: The Beach

So, as soon as we reached our room (yes, same room ;)), we decided to change into our beachwear and face the sun. We didn't need to reapply Lakme Sun Expert due to its long lasting ability before heading out in the sun again. I quickly changed into my beach tees and shorts and then it was Kyra's turn. I expected her to wear something not-so-revealing but bold she was. When she came out of the changing room, she was wearing a brand new yellow swimsuit leaving only little to imagination. We were a little skeptic initially about not getting tanned in the scorching sun even with Lakme Sun Expert's long-lasting properties, but we decided to go with our instincts. As soon as we entered the sand turf, we couldn't help ourselves and jumped into the sea. We tuned on our playful moods and started sparkling each other with the salty water. After a while, we got tired and so we went in for a sip of coconut water followed by sunbathing. We were just laying in the sun and soon it was time for the beautiful sunset.

Phase 3: The Nightclub
After a long walk along the shore, we went back to our resort to freshen-up and get ready for the Goan Night Life. We had decided to check out the best night club suggested to us by my friends in goa and so we ended up queuing outside Tito's. It wasn't as grand as we had imagined but whatever was missing, was filled up for me by the presence of a gorgeous women like Kyra (I have a pretty good idea she felt the same way :)) The music was great and so was the crowd; but I had eyes only for Kyra. We swayed to the beats and gradually our personalities merged into one and it was like moving as two bodies-one soul. After dancing for god knows how long, we took a break and hit the bar. I asked Kyra what she'd like to drink and the reply came spontaneously-"MAKE A GUESS". I ordered a cranberry vodka and fortunately it turned out to be her favourite (It was proven that while buying a drink for a womon, you can never go wrong with a cranberry vodka:P).

Phase 4: Bedtime

Let's not go into details here for obvious reasons. Lets just assume for the sake of decency that after returning from our tiring stint at the nightclub, we fell asleep as soon as we fell on the bed. Period.

Phase 5: Beach Breakfast

Since, I sleep like a troll, it was the sound of Kyra's voice that woke me up. She was standing over me, her face covering the sunlight that was hitting my face. Even though I could only see her silhouette, the feeling of knowing that she was with me was the best thing ever. We decided to have our breakfast on the beach itself wearing hats and covered in Lakme Sun Expert. We delighted ourselves with some fresh sea food-Kyra's favourite again- for our breakfast and then went for a leisure walk.

Phase 6: Shopping

It has been rightly said that a goa trip is incomplete without street-shopping and that's just what we went for after our leisure walk. Walking from street to street, checking out the beachwear, accessories and what not. We bought souvenirs for our friends and I bought a special gift for Kyra-A 1836 Portugal Jewellery Box which I later surprised her with. While she was checking out the stuff at the shops, I was secretly checking her out from the corner of my eyes. She caught me a couple of times and then gave me a shy smile making my heart blossom with joy.

Phase 7: Repeat

We mostly repeated the stuff we did from Phase 2 to Phase 6 for the next three and a half days. The exception was water sports. The scuba diving was exceptionally awesome. Otherwise, it was the same stuff; but permit me to say that the fun factor did not reduce but I think it may have even doubled. The reason being that as time passed by, our chemistry grew stronger. I still remember us holding hands while scuba-diving together. It was truly enchanting.

Phase 8: Back Home

While checking out, I was extremely sad inside as I knew that there was very little time left for me to spend with Kyra; but on the outside, I didn't let my crestfallen state show and was acting like a cheery bloke. I remember wishing thatI had brought with me my porsche so as to have a few more hours of time left to spend with Kyra. But I was only left with the hope that after coming back, the same charming and fun-loving Kyra and me would be in touch in this cellphone-internet fuelled generation.

Now before writing this post, I wasn't too sure about calling her. But putting all this in words has made me realize my feelings for her.

So next stop--> Call the fun-loving Lakme girl, Kyra and who knows if I'm lucky, we might as well be holding hands and walking into the sunset as you are reading this post.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Michael Mason

2012-05-22T23:01:00.001-07:00

Review:

I commenced reading this novel with the idea that I had read this before fixed in my mind. It is in my nature to re-read books, so I thought nothing of opening the pages and immersing myself in the flow of the story.

Imagine my surprise, Reader, when I quickly discerned that I had not, as I previously imagined, been acquainted with the characters that adorned the pages. I was at a lost on how my memory had failed me, but I quickly rallied and applied myself to the task at hand.

My enjoyment of the book grew as the plot unfurled, the characters were pleasing to myself, their cares and concerns resonated with the inner workings of my own character.

Ahem. Sorry. I’ll stop channeling Bronte.

This was a story of passion, of grace, of human longing to love and to be loved in turn. It was Gothic, it was Romantic, it is a true classic. Sure, it played on not just one typical plot but two, the marriage plot and the inheritance plot, but they worked. Bronte teases one, and then the other, into fitting her characters’ story deftly leaving the core to to play out properly. The core story is of Jane finding someone to love and who loves her back for herself.

Bronte’s other characters are written just well enough to have them not be just caricatures and a few shine on their own, but they all pale to the effort she puts into Jane and Edward Rochester. Rochester fits more along the lines of the Romantic Hero. Far more than Heathcliff. Of course, Heathcliff was the anti-Romantic Hero, so I guess anyone not him would be more Romantic Hero-like.

Rochester is complex character. Bronte sets him up quickly and then lets him him loose in the story. He’s a powerful force, and it takes all of Jane’s willpower to stay independent of his will and drive. That she does it is a given, how she manages it is one of reasons I kept reading it.

I think that the story is better suited for teenage girls than any other group. This doesn’t dampen the enjoyment at all for anyone else, but I think a teenager would really like this book. (If you could pull them away from the cellphone, or IM, long enough to get them started. Maybe bribery?)

I also think that Jane Eyre is more universally appealing than Wuthering Heights, although both books are classics and are well deserving of the title. Wuthering Heights is for a more refined and discerning taste. (He says, adjusting his ascot and peering down from his jeweled pince-nez.)

If you haven’t read this, or haven’t read it a long while, I recommend it.

Download Link: Jane Eyre@ingeniousdexterity.pdf

Happy Reading :)

Graffiti World: Street Art from Five Continents

2012-05-22T04:55:00.003-07:00

Graffiti World, one of my all time favs . Me being a graff enthusiast and always looking for new ideas this book opened up the world of graff like a brand new box of sneakers. One thing I love about this book is the fact that it’s like a trip around the world in only about 3 days. I also like the art style and pictures. And finally I really like the whole layout of the book itself.

This book is like wham...it’s like a roller-coaster ride. I mean they take you from the Americas to Europe in like 100 pages. The smashing and crashing of how walls are destroyed in other countries fractionates me to the fullest, and being able to travel the world to see them all is so great...especially since I don’t have to leave my room.

The explosion of art in this book is friggin overwhelming. I like opened the book and wham I was hit by a train of art. The art styles they had in other parts of the world were like really crazy...from wildstyle to doing different throw-ups and various tags. And every time I open this book I see something brand new...and well it’s awesome.

The books layout is just really cool. I love how the pictures just flash out with color and they are all original. I even found some computer-programming artists that do their work on the computer. Take syndrome studios, an organization that makes graffiti on the computer. I looked them up and they also did some work with rap artist in making music videos. The research that went into this book was really extensive and well done.

In conclusion all I have to say is that this book is the ish and I really enjoy it. The trip around the world in some amount of pages, to the crazy graffiti pictures that were taken. And the fact that this book gave me something outside of its pages was just great.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Book Review

2012-05-22T04:36:00.001-07:00

In the madness of its quickly-turning pages, I found a lucid moment. That moment planted itself in my brain and stemmed into an interest that has yet to be sated. My borderline obsession with mental hospitals and the inner workings of the human mind has expanded to a changed preference in movies, writings, and readings. What makes one sane? If reality only exists in one's mind, then what exactly is imagination?

Chief Bromden, labeled mute by his fellow patients, narrates the story of his stay with newcomer McMurphy. McMurphy faked his insanity to escape a prison sentence for statutory rape, but soon finds the condition of his new home worse than the jail cell he left behind. However, his constant rebellions against Nurse Ratched more often than not land him, and the other patients, in hot water. The final struggle between them builds into a chaotic climax befitting of Bromden's capabilities to narrate, and ends in a way I would have never expected.

Riddled with symbolism, figurative language, realism, and tragedy, I cannot emphasize how greatly I admired Ken Kesey's work. His narrative is as ambiguous and winding as the human mind. The hints he expects readers to tie together are subtle, yet beautifully placed and worded. He breathed life into each character in a way that made them nearly impossible to detest, despite how they are 'supposed' to be viewed by the outside world. And although McMurphy is your classic antihero, you cannot help but push your moralities aside and, like Bromden, silently cheer him on until the very end.

To Kill a Mocking Bird Book Review

2012-05-22T04:20:00.003-07:00

Each time I read this book, a different “universal truth” jumps out at me. When I was younger, I pondered the themes of prejudice, kindness, and dignity that run through the book, but now that I’m considerably older, what stuck out to me this time were the themes of innocence, and loss of innocence running through the whole book.

This reading I was particularly caught by the child-like perspective that the book gives each of the events. From the kids all thinking anything that touches the Radley property is poisoned, to Scout’s minimal understanding of the words used in the trial, but her complete understanding of the concepts. Likewise, with the exception of the trial, throughout the book innocence trumps experience. A particular example was when Scout first finds the goodies in the Radley tree. She finds the gum, ponders its origins, and decides that she’d like chewing the gum better than being all grown up about it. Jem, who always represents a more mature (but not much more until near the end) perspective, and he makes her spit it out when he finds out where she got it from. In the end though, Scout’s innocence let her get a good chew out of a wad of gum.

I think the fact that the book takes place over three years helps show the contrast between the innocent time at the beginning of the book, when Scout was six, and Dill, Jem and she played as relative equals, to Scout’s first day of school where Jem begins to brush her off as the “little sister.” By the end of the book, when Scout is nine, she may be physically older, but it seems that she is even more sheltered by Jem, who thinks the concept of the trial may be too grown up for her. He moves through the story from her equal to her protector, which only helps to keep Scout innocent through the book.

In the end though, the book really proves that there is something magical and golden about innocence. There is a purity and truth in innocence—whether it’s a dignified response to an unfair world, or simply an acceptance of things even if they are strange and different.

PS- Download Link will be posted as a comment ;-)

SWOT Analysis of an Engineer

2011-12-01T07:22:00.000-08:00

SWOT Analysis of an Engineer

Strengths- Male engineers are the only species on this planet that can sleep with males from their own kind for around 4 years and still not turn homosexual. Such self-restraint usually stems from the prevalent delusion in the mind of an engineer (which, by the way, is a big empty town hall). He firmly believes that upon the completion of his engineering, he will be handed over a ‘Kingfisher model meets Arundhati Roy’ kind of bride along with his degree. Forget the former, only a few are actually able to receive the latter even. Talking of delusions, female engineers have their own set. They think they are God’s ‘beauty with brains’ prototype. However, the amount of attention received by them can be attributed to the old adage that beggars (read male engineers) cannot be choosers. But such delusions are what keep the economy going. No delusion means no engineering. No engineering means no engineers. No engineers mean no investment bankers, no authors, no social workers, no ad makers, no janitors etc. Get the point?

Engineers seem to have mastered the art of survival. Food- good, bad, ugly, none- engineers just don’t care! You can run an engineer on a 2Mbps internet connection for days without a break. Engineers don’t even take pee-breaks. That is because the only time an engineer pees (in his pants) is when the semester results are out, which is once every 4 months. A very modest frequency, if you ask me. Engineers love night-outs- Sleep is for mortals, not engineers. An engineer uses lesser water in a year than a normal human being does in a day. (However, the statistics for consumption of deodorant are reversed.) If you have a pack of cigarettes, you can easily employ 20 engineers for a day. But please mind the fact that their efficiency is inversely proportional to the number of days left to the deadline. Engineers can share everything from books to boxers. They are adept at adapting to unadoptable situations. Rajnikant was an engineer before he became Rajnikant.

Weaknesses- Contrary to popular belief, mathematics, and not girls is an engineer’s Kryptonite. Engineers stopped understanding math after standard 5. Since then, they have been only pretending to understand it. If you are wondering how come then, do engineers pass in engineering entrance exams? There’s a plain and simple logic to that. The entire gig is being run by engineers. They make sure that only the worst get through. Students with the potential to suck at math are selected and made to suck at it for another 4 years. At an engineering college, the only guys who really know math are the mess workers, the laundry man, the newspaper guy and the hostel guards. If your son can calculate 2+2 in under a minute without rushing to grab a calculator, then I’m sorry but I don’t think he’ll make it through JEE!

Girls finish a close second on the list (totally overrated) followed by TV series breathing down their neck at the third spot. Engineering students have been known to suffer from epileptic fits and seizures if they are unable to find the torrents for the latest episodes of American sitcoms. The only backlog an engineer actually dreads is a backlog in sitcoms. Again, an engineer’s method of watching sitcoms is entirely opposite to the conventional ‘one episode-per week-for several years’ approach that lesser mortals follow. The engineer adopts the ‘million episodes-from several years-in one week’ strategy to devour TV series like a black hole devours matter.

This addiction is a direct result of the enormous free time at the disposal of an engineer coupled with a belief that the central character of Sitcom X will one day transfer his traits to his devotee if he stuck with him for long enough (around 10 seasons). That explains why Barney and Dexter are so popular among engineers. After all, sense of humour and crisp looks definitely help in getting laid.

Opportunities- Numerous. No aspect of human life has been left untouched by engineers. From call centers to ‘One night @ call center’, from Deutche Bank to Dominoes, from Avatar to Avantador, from technicians to terrorists, you will find engineers all around you. The boogeyman under your kid’s bed-he’s a computer engineer who failed to make it to TCS. Engineers diversify and multiply faster than any bacteria or virus known to man.

Threats- Rajnikant, actual bankers, actual authors…basically every generic worker from a particular line of work. And Justin Bieber. And Lady Gaga.

Courtesy: The Pyjama Warriors-Battling stupidity with sarcasm.

Google Doodle for 2nd October

2011-09-26T07:38:00.000-07:00

Google Doodle on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday

Wall Graffiti !

2011-09-04T00:38:00.000-07:00

Wall Rail Graffiti

Green Graffiti!

2011-08-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

HipHop Graffiti @ Ingenious Art

TiTAN- John D. Rockefeller

2011-08-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

A National Book Critics Circle Award finalist, "Titan" draws on unprecedented access to John D. Rockefeller's private papers to reconstruct the story of his troubled origins and his single-minded pursuit of wealth.

Seldom does an author so thoroughly reveal the essence of a man; Ron does an amazing job in revealing even the tiniest details of a man who was legendary both in the way he changed our industrial world and in the way he reinvented charitable outreach. Such a fascinating person. John D. was the richest man in the world of his time and the world's first billionaire. John D. Rockefeller was a study in contrasts, and from the dirty details of running his first oil enterprise to the even dirtier details of how he kept his grip on oil production, refining and transportation, Jon Chernow illustrates Rockefeller's merciless business side while also revealing to us a man so meticulous and generous in his giving that he single-handedly formed colleges and even the way medicine was practiced not only in our country but around the world.

I really enjoyed this book. And one only reaches such heights through dubious means; including extortion, bribes, back door deals, payroll politicians, and general cruelty to all the little fish below.

There are many reasons to demonize someone such as him, but what surprised me, was how I often found myself liking him. He was excessively frugal, never ostentatious, and extremely charitable. He had a nice Baptist simplicity, and a pleasant air. His philanthropy revolutionized medical science and education. He also contributed to African American causes, feminist causes, and even Helen Keller, who was an outspoken socialist.

I also enjoyed reading about his family; his scalawag of a father, who was a bigamist and a conman; his envious brothers, and his children, grandchildren, and in laws. Proof that inherited money can't buy happiness.

I don't mean to say his good justified his bad, but it's very important to recognize the complexity and dichotomy of such powerful figures, and to take from it what you can.

If you've ever wanted a view inside the life of a man who has been both reviled and praised throughout the last century, you'll find no better source than Titan.

You can download it here:
Titan-Biography of John D. Rockefellar PDF Download-eBook
(Right click and save target as)

George W. Bush’s Intelligence Quiz

2011-06-27T01:55:00.000-07:00

George W. Bush’s Intelligence Quiz

While visiting England, George W. Bush is invited to tea with the Queen. He asks her what her leadership philosophy is. She says that it is to surround herself with intelligent people. He asks how she knows if they’re intelligent.
“I do so by asking them the right questions,” says the Queen. “Allow me to demonstrate.”
She phones Tony Blair and says, “Mr. Prime Minister. Please answer this question: Your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or sister. Who is it?”
Tony Blair responds, “It’s me, ma’am.”
“Correct. Thank you and good-bye, sir,” says the Queen. She hangs up and says, “Did you get that, Mr. Bush?”
“Yes ma’am. Thanks a lot. I’ll definitely be using that!”
Upon returning to Washington, he decides he’d better put the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to the test. He summons Jesse Helms to the White House and says, “Senator Helms, I wonder if you can answer a question for me.”
“Why, of course, sir. What’s on your mind?”
“Uh, your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or your sister. Who is it?”
Helms hems and haws and finally asks, “Can I think about it and get back to you?” Bush agrees, and Helms leaves. He immediately calls a meeting of other senior senators, and they puzzle over the question for several hours, but nobody can come up with an answer. Finally, in desperation, Helms calls Colin Powell at the State Department and explains his problem.
“Now look here Colin Powell, your mother has a child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your brother, or your sister. Who is it?” Powell answers immediately, “It’s me, of course, you dumb ass.”
Much relieved, Helms rushes back to the White House and exclaims, “I know the answer, sir! I know who it is! It’s Colin Powell!” And Bush replies in disgust, “Wrong, you dumb ass, It’s Tony Blair!”

Source
http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/jokes/bljokebushintelligence.htm

Midnight Sun-By Stephenie Meyer

2011-06-24T03:10:00.000-07:00

This is for all those star-struck girls still drooling over Edward Cullen. You have your wish fullfilled in the form of Midnight Sun i.e. Twilight with Edward's perspective. Excited?? Don't be as this is only a partial draft...I say partial because Stephenie Meyer couldn't finish this book before it was leaked and so it didn't even went through the editing stages. It is unclear whether she'll continue this book in the future. It's been put on an indefinite hold; but even if she does decide to continue, it'll be only for Twilight. She won't be writing New Moon, Eclipse or Breaking Dawn from Edward's point of view
Still, Edward fans will surely have fun reading this one.

You can download it here:
Midnight Sun PDF Download-eBook
(Right click and save target as)

You gotta have GUTS to read GUTS (By Chuck Palahniuk)

2011-06-24T02:47:00.000-07:00

I really got a good laugh out of this. I had weak arms during one part, but I got through it. I just knew I had to read this when I heard that 75 people worldwide passed out after reading this short story. Well, I didn't pass out, but do understand why one would.

The key is to read this on an empty stomach.

"Gutsy" isn't the right word, but it's the first word that comes to mind.

The best way to utilise this story is to read it aloud to your friends and hopefully you can make them faint or atleast puke!

To download this click on the following link:

Guts by Chuck Palahniuk

*Warning-Not for the faint hearted!*

Hungry to Read? Read The Hunger Games Triology!

2011-06-23T00:24:00.000-07:00

Before I start into this review, I would like to pose a question. Why is it so hard to talk about the books we love? I have been having just an unrelenting bitch of a time writing this review. I keep falling into holes and back-pedaling, not wanting to sound too squee or insincere and bring ruination on my real love for this book. Maybe it's because it's YA, about a plucky girl who surmounts incredible obstacles – but then, there, I'm doing it again – implying in my flip description that I'm somehow too adult and worldly to fall for this narrative. (And, I did it again.) I did fall for this narrative, hard, and I'm going to have to just suck it up and soldier on.

I started this book thinking the idea was preposterous: a government choosing to squelch rebellion by forcing its citizens to give up their children as contenders in the ultimate reality show of death to the last survivor. Yeah right, and yet it reminded me a lot of the absurdity of the Nazi party. I realized I believed a government could be this arrogant and wrathful. When people are pitted against each other instead of turning on the establishment they often fight each other within the failed system, fighting for that elusive top spot or ignoring the pain of others grateful to escape tragedy themselves.

I soon found myself intensely involved in the Hunger Games and hoping for a certain outcome that would certainly bring about the death of many children but save our brave little heroine. Once you're in, what option do you have but to play and survive? Collins did an amazing job of taking an unbelievable and predictable storyline and making it believable and unpredictable. Complete with an impossible love interest, twists in the arena to keep you guessing, and both sympathy and hatred for the other characters, the book is hard to put down. I stayed up late to reach the conclusion that would seem obvious but was still evasive when I could conceive many alternate endings. In some ways the story reminded me of Lord of the Flies, but without as frustrating of a dues ex machina ending.

I found it interesting that even in this life and death situation, the kids refused to do anything that would displease the capitol and make them look rebellious or unwilling to play, or worse emotional and disturbed by death. They did not bond with each other, help each other, or ever want to be indebted by anyone's kindness. Sad that the gravest error would be vulnerability of spirit because the tough ones are the ones to survive. There is obviously a lot of death hashed out, but only a handful experienced by our narrator. There is one death that I wonder if it may be a little overboard, but for the most part, what could have been a gruesome story was handled very tactfully. Nonetheless the subject matter is not appropriate for younger children.

My one compliant about the novel would be the overuse of fragments. As a grammar freak, I'll let powerful fragments go. On occasion. As a literary device. But you throw five and six back to back. Just for effect. And all I'm doing is counting. How many are going by before we're back to complete sentences. There were a few paragraphs with way too many. But that's just a style difference. And the story is worth it. A good tale and a thinker.

Even after I closed this book, I found myself mulling over the statements about society, our gruesome need for reality TV, how much a community will let others suffer as long as they are safe, and the strength of the human spirit when backed up against the wall. I enjoyed Katniss' emotionally detached character, Peeta's vulnerable goodness, and Rue's small but fighting spirit. Now I want to learn more about Gale(Which I did in Catching Fire). A good strong female protagonist and a great set up for the sequel which I've already read. How will the capital be brought down? Who will Katniss chose? Can she stand by and let another gruesome show go by training the tributes from her village without action? You must be intrigued and hungry for more.

DOWNLOADS:

The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games 1) PDF Download
Catching Fire (The Hunger Games 2) PDF Download
Mockingjay (The Hunger Games 3) PDF Download
Have Fun. Happy Reading!

This Is US- Backstreet Boys

2011-06-08T04:03:00.000-07:00

Album Art-'This Is Us' by 'Backstreet Boys'

I've been listening to this amazing album for quite a while now and still I never seem to get enough of it. People say that BSB have lost its pop charm of which they were the pioneers during the nineties but I whole-heartedly, disagree.

I've rated all the songs on my iPod just as mentioned below and all of them feature in my favorites! A short description of every song is as follows...

1."Straight Through My Heart" 5/5 (Peppy, Catchy, Superb!)
2. "Bigger" 5/5 (Smooth and slow, great tune)
3. "Bye Bye Love" 5/5 (Another Hottie, upbeat tune)
4. "All of Your Life (You Need Love)" (4/5 Really Nice one as well)
5. "If I Knew Then" (4/5 R&B Tune, lush music, A.J's voice so great in this one....!)
6. "This Is Us" (5/5 The perfect song in terms of defining the album, great harmony of voices, as always!)
7. "PDA" (4/5 The funky-tuned song, typical disco beats and catchy rhymes)
8. "Masquerade" (5/5 Another great song....disco tune, along with typical BSB rockin'!)
9. "She's a Dream" (5/5 Another one of those BSB beauties, that sound different and are still are lyrically and musically peppy!)
10. "Shattered" (5/5 Mah most favorite song from the album, remind you of old BSB along with the tunes of this modern era, the modern derivation of Show Me The Meaning....
11. "Undone" (5/5 You get typical 'George Michael' feel when you listen to this and the music is so good that it crawls and grows on you, you can feel the song on yourself when you listen to it. Nick sounds so matured in this one and you can feel it. Not just he, A.J, Brian and Howie all sound great as always.....)

12. “International Luv” (4/5 A very up-to-the-beat song, with some seriously cool music!)

Love This Album! What an album This Is! Or should I say, THIS IS US!