Ankit Arora

Is my story similar to yours ?

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 21:03:00 +0000

I will tell you a real story, my story. You may not believe it, but all this is true..

It should not have happened. I was not able to belive that after falling 20 storeys, i survived the fall. Guess where i fell was a marsh land, and i had a rifle in my hand.I was fighting enemies. There was counter-firing and the next moment, i saw a bullet hitting my friend, a guy with whom i studied for 12 yrs during my school days. But it's strange, he was fine. The bullet entered and left his body in a millisecond. He smiled and was perfectly fine ! Strange !

All this happened in the night. The next day, in afternoon, i was sitting along with my friends. I was puzzled. Why ? Well, i dont understand how all my friends knew each other. All those who had nothing in common? Some were my school friends, some college friends and yet others were my collegues in my last job ! They all were at my home, and we all were sitting on the terrace..

I thought of arraning something and started walking down the stairs.
As i stepped down the first stair, i fell. I reached the last stair rolling !! Guess what, i wasnt hurt. Not even an iota of pain ! I rose, went into my room and then i was dressed in a formal suit, going inside a discussion room.
The next thing i was doing was giving a presentation on a topic which i dont remember..It was the perfect presentation.. No nervousness.. no preparation needed.. All i could see was applause....

Whatever you read till now was not something that i was doing.. All this was in my dream..

All in the same dream.. Some call it lucid dreaming, but i am not sure what it is ? the only thing i know is that i was in control of what i was dreaming and i was dreaming as per my wish..
I guess now you understand what happened ? Why i survived the fall ? Why i met all those friends at a common place? Why all my friends who had nothing in common, knew each other so well ?Why i had no pain when i fell from stairs ? Why that perfect presentation?Well, it was me who made all that happen.. I was the one who was making that happen...all in my dream..

Though such dreams are rare, but they are compulsive. By compulsive, i mean that they make me feel sleepy. As i am the one who is giving direction to what will happen next, i avoid waking up, and when i get such a dream, i end up sleeping 1 -1.5 hrs more !

What surprises me most is that such dreams are so vivacious, so real that i have absolutely no idea that i am dreaming.

But whatever they are, they make me feel good..

So, did you ever had such a dream ? A dream where you were the master and the dream, your follower ? Do share it with me :)

LifeMojo- Giving new dimensions to weight loss and healthy living

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 05:49:00 +0000

LifeMojo- Giving new dimensions to weight loss and healthy living

I was keeping an eye on my weight for sometime since Mar 2009. I realised that i was a bit overweight. My weight was around 70 kg in aug. It was high time to do something. I was fed up of comments from my friends and family that i looked fat now compared to an year ago.It was 14th aug 2009 when i decided that i need to do something. I recalled that I was already using free service of LifeMojo( http://www.lifemojo.com/). They provide a good interface using which i could analyse my BMI, fat percentage etc. Another good thing was that i could see how much calories i will consume - that too in indian context. Example 1 katori dal= 200 cal etc.

I had a talk with Himanshu( founder, director LifeMojo) how LifeMojo started. He told me that his CEO ( Namit Nangia) was overweight and Namit lost around 25 kgs in just 30 days by eating only salads. But he regained the weight pretty quickly. Namit realized that since he was not following a proper diet, he couldnt lose weight as he wanted to. And as they say, in every problem lies an opportunity. And that's how LifeMojo was born. Namit not only helped himself lose weight in a proper way, but also made something ( LifeMojo) that can help everyone keep tabs on his/her weight !!!

Lifemojo's website gives a lot of information about managing weight and taking proper diet, but what i was missing was i dint know how much to eat and how much excercise i should do and how to plan my diet. Thanks to LifeMojo for their personal diet consultant service - which i joined on 18 Aug 2009. It's been a month now and i have lost 1.5 inch on my waist and 1.5 kgs in weight. Though the weigt loss is not much, but still i feel that in next 1 month, i ll be able to reduce around 3 kgs compared to my weight in June-Jul 2009.

The diet consultancy service comes at an affordable price and that too their follow up is v good. During one month period, i was adviced by 2 nutritionists- Deepthi and Vidya. Deepthi used to tell me to make sure that i eat more salad, have curd sometimes during my lunch, and do jogging instead of walking everyday atleast for 20 minutes.

On the other hand, Vidya helped me by giving my links to videos which helped me to learn how to do some specific excercises like tummy trimming excercise etc. According to Vidya, you can lose weight without feeling hungry. The idea is to eat 5-6 times a day, that too small meals each time. She also insists that if I get bored of salads, i can take fruits as an alternative.

Few good things that i have felt by taking this service are that LifeMojo will send you an email each day, specifying what you should be eating that day. For e.g. in morning, in mid-morning, during lunch, in evening and during night- so your meal is planned for whole day. You need to be motivated to do what they suggest and be honest with yourself in not eating anything extra. Deepthi did gave me freedom that on sunday, i can eat and plan my diet myself :)

All in all my experience with LifeMojo has been really good. Their team was highly professional and their follow up - twice a week was perfect till last day ! They also have a google sms channel which you can subscribe to keep getting updates on your mobile.

So this is my post about how lifemojo's diet consultancy works :) and also a testimonial for LifeMojo's service.

So guys, what are you waiting for ? If you want to lose weight, and that too without feeling hungry, join http://www.lifemojo.com/ or contact the guys at lifemojo. They ll be happy to help you :)

I guess, been a long post now ! I remember it's time for my next meal. Till next time, have a healthy living and fruit-FULL eating.

O God Divine ! Save my people from Swine..

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:22:00 +0000

Hello readers,

In an effort to make sure that my countrymen are protected from Swine flu, I have appealed to GOD to get the world rid of this menace.

This is my first attempt of poetry and i know it wont be good, so pls bear with me..

O God Divine !

Save my people from Swine..

The beautiful daughter, the lovely kid,

the old man and the father who got killed.

Do you think that you did it right ?

Were you listening when their families were crying ?

Children play in the mud, in sun they bask,

they are so innocent, they dont know why they wear that mask..

The world is at danger, you know the cure..

When docs are helpless, people look upto you for sure..

O God Divine !

Save my people from Swine..

We work, we eat, we roam in crowds,

We are poor, we are illeterate, we have no choice..

When a person dies, his family dies too,

for a person dying, there are falling nine !

O God Divine !

Save my people from Swine..

You are the creator, you are the destroyer,

You made it happen, you can take it away..

With you on our side, no flu can survive..

O God Divine !

Save my people from Swine..

You love us, you hate us,you have all the rights,
but we are your children,so dont be so unkind..

O God Divine !

Save my people from Swine..

O God Divine !

Save my people from Swine..

- Ankit Arora

Swine Flu: Ten tips for you to prevent Swine Flu

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 21:05:00 +0000

SWINE FLU: TEN TIPS FOR YOU TO KEEP AWAY FROM THE PANDEMIC

The deadly Swine Flu has reached the Indian shores following the global outbreak and now, claimed one life. However, Swine Flu is certainly one of those diseased where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here are ten tips for you to keep away from the pandemic.

1. WASH YOUR HANDS FREQUENTLY

Use the antibacterial soaps to cleanse your hands. Wash them often, at least 15 seconds and rinse with running water.

2. GET ENOUGH SLEEP
Try to get 8 hours of good sleep every night to keep your immune system in top flu-fighting shape.

3. DRINK SUFFICIENT WATER
Drink 8 to10 glasses of water each day to flush toxins from your system and maintain good moisture and mucous production in your sinuses.

4. BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM
Keeping your body strong, nourished, and ready to fight infection is important in flu prevention. So stick with whole grains, colorful vegetables, and vitamin-rich fruits.

5. KEEP INFORMED
The government is taking necessary steps to prevent the pandemic and periodically release guidelines to keep the pandemic away. Please make sure to keep up to date on the information and act in a calm manner.

6. AVOID ALCOHOL
Apart from being a mood depressant, alcohol is an immune suppressant that can actually decrease your resistance to viral infections like swine flu. So stay away from alcoholic drinks so that your immune system may be strong.

7. BE PHYSICALLY ACTIVE
Moderate exercise can support the immune system by increasing circulation and oxygenating the body. For example brisk walking for 30-40 minutes 3-4 times a week will significantly perk up your immunity.

8. KEEP AWAY FROM SICK PEOPLE
Flu virus spreads when particles dispersed into the air through a cough or sneeze reach someone else’s nose. So if you have to be around someone who is sick, try to stay a few feet away from them and especially, avoid physical contact.

9. KNOW WHEN TO GET HELP
Consult your doctor if you have a cough and fever and follow their instructions, including taking medicine as prescribed.

10. AVOID CROWDED AREAS
Try to avoid unnecessary trips outside.

So people, if you follow the above 10 points, you ll most likely avoid swine flu !!

To prevent swine flu, take treatment of Fennel seed

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 17:28:00 +0000

Dear readers, I am sharing a home remedy for Swine flu as it was published on Gulf news.

Without much ado, here is the news article:

Drinking a decoction made of fennel seeds ( saunf in hindi, sompu in tamil, variyali in gujrati, mouri in bengali ) soaked in warm water first thing in the morning could prevent you from catching swine flu says a study published in a Chinese medical research magazine.

According to report published in Al Khaleej a local Arabic daily, the study has resulted in an increase of fennel seeds sales by 50 per cent in some Asian countries.
The report read that similar increase in sales was also visible in countries like Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

The fennel seed warm drink is being distributed to people who are making pilgrimage to the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah.

[Source: Gulf News]

Swine Flu taking toll in India- request fellow Indians to spread a word !

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 21:03:00 +0000

The last time I searched about Swine Flu, I searched to get information about what this disease is.. And when I searched it this time, I searched to see the influence it has on India.

I hope this ALERTS and ALARMS us !!

The results in google show the first result as the news from India. India is showing the increasing signs of swine flu and this post is for my fellow countrymen to help them prepare to deal with this menace.

I sincerely request Bharat ki Junta ( People of India) to use all the social media to spread awareness about swine flu. Blog about it, tell your family and friends they can take precaution, use social media like FaceBook, Twitter, orkut etc to spread a word.

The biggest problem is by the time the victim know that he/she has contracted the virus, it is too late. Pls DO NOT ignore your cold, cough and fever if it lasts for 2 days. Do get your swab test done and make sure you are free of this virus. The Govt of India has enough vaccine to tackle the disease, but that does not means that we should wait and get inflicted by the disease. In most cases, a person dies within 15-20 days of contracting the disease and even if the medicine ( Tamiflu etc) is given at a later stage, it is of no use !

As we all know that swine flu spreads very fast and is taking lives every day, the only way to make sure you are not it's victim is to take precautions. Make sure you avoid crowds. Wash your hands regularly and if you feel you have the symptoms, do visit your nearest hospital for checkup.

Watch this video for Symptoms of Swine Flu:

What You Can Do to Stay Healthy [Source: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ ]

1. Stay informed. This website will be updated regularly as information becomes available.

2. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people. Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
3. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
4. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
5. Stay home if you get sick. Stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them. Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures. Find healthy ways to deal with stress and anxiety.

Visit the following links for further information about swine flu:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wK1127fHQ4 [Excellent video providing info on swine flu ] http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/ [Most comprehensive coverage of swine flu ]
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Swineflu/DG_177831 [ From the govt of UK ]

Download FREE IELTS Crack Book - Prepare for Listening, Writing and Speaking

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 22:50:00 +0000

Download FREE IELTS Crack Book - Prepare for Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking

Hello dear readers,

I have been getting good feedback about my previous posts on IELTS preparation. I was wondering if i could ease the process of checking my posts on IELTS and it striked me that why not make a Free IELTS Crack book which will have the blog posts on IELTS Listening, reading, writing and speaking..

So, I have prepared the free IELTS Crack Book. Here is the screenshot of it's first page:

So here I am, providing you the link to the free IELTS Crack Book that i have prepared.
Here is the download link for version 1.0 of FREE IELTS Crack Book:

http://onlinearora.googlepages.com/IELTS_Crack_Book.pdf

Do let me know how this sounds to you and if there is something more that you would like me to come up with in next version of this crack book. Pls do leave a comment how you felt about the free IELTS crack book.

Till then happy downloading !!

http://onlinearora.googlepages.com/IELTS_Crack_Book.pdf

For Personal IELTS councelling, feel free to add me on skype ( skype id: onlinearora)

How to prepare for IELTS Speaking in 10 days ( Part 4- IELTS Speaking )

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 18:54:00 +0000

How to prepare for IELTS Speaking in 10 days ( Part 4- IELTS Speaking )

Hey guys,

IELTS speaking is the area where i didn't scored very well. I had taken a mock IELTS 15 days before my actual IELTS exam. In that mock, i scored 5.5 in speaking and the lady told me to really work on my IELTS speaking ability. And guess what, my final result in IELTS Speaking was 7.5 which is not awesome but still good enough.

Here i will share what all i did and what you should do to prepare well for IELTS Speaking.

1. I started speaking a lot on general topics for 10-12 minutes continuously just 4-5 days before the IELTS Speaking test day.

2. The IELTS speaking section can be categorized into 3 areas:

A. First part in IELTS speaking is a general discussion about you, your family, your native place, about your job, etc.. All general stuff. This goes for around 3 minutes. You dont
need any preparation for this. But make sure that you keep speaking.

B. Second part in IELTS speaking is where the interviewer will give you a topic to speak on. In my case the topic was "Speak about a product whose advertisement influenced you to purchase it". Now it was a bit smart. I thought that i should speak about a topic on which i can pull in many ideas, even though that product's advertisement may not have influenced my decision to buy it. So my HP laptop clicked me. I spoke how advertisement of HP laptop influenced my decision. What all features were discussed in the Ad. And how the advertisement distinguished the HP laptop from rest of the laptops. She gave me 2 minutes to speak. I spoke for 2 minutes and she stopped me after that. So make sure that you speak continuously for 2 minutes.

C. The third part in IELTS Speaking is where the instructor would test you how you are able to analyse the topic. She asked me if apart from advertisement, i did any other reasearch. What about the companies that prepare advertisements targetted towards children. And 2-3 more questions.
So the key here is be yourself. Take 3-4 seconds to prepare your answer and then start answering. That's it.

To summarize the above points, i would say KEEP SPEAKING, BE SMART, think in different directions while speaking, remain cool-n-calm and take 3-4 seconds before you start answering. That's it !

If you follow all these steps and if you are fluent in english, i see no reason why you should not be scoring above 8 in IELTS speaking section.

With this post on IELTS Speaking, i end the article series on IELTS preparation. In case you need any help from me regarding your preparation, feel free to contact me.

For Personal IELTS councelling, feel free to add me on skype ( skype id: onlinearora)

How to prepare for IELTS Writing in 10 days ( Part 3- IELTS Writing)

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 16:33:00 +0000

How to prepare for IELTS Writing in 10 days ( Part 3- IELTS Writing)

Hey guys, Sorry i got late to write this post. Well i hope your preparation is on right track for IELTS.

Today we will discuss about how to work on IELTS writing and what you should keep in mind to write well..It's easy to say that you should write logically.. And flow of ideas should be smooth, structured. But no one really talks about what strategies you should follow for IELTS Writing.

Let me break this post for IELTS Writing into two parts. Part A and Part B. Part A is where you will have to analyse a graph and analyse it. Part B is where you ll have to put in extra effort and give more time. The ideas for both remain the same except that Part A will be small. IELTS Writing section suggests you to write minimum 150 words in Part A and min 250 in part B.

On test day, i had written around 220 words in Part A and around 350 in Part B.

Part A

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1. While writing for IELTS, firstly, you should give an overview of what the graph analyses. In first paragraph, write about what you would be comparing. Make sure that you capture the main points.

2. I use transition words whereever possible. This is VERY VERY important for IELTS Writing. For example "In Contrast, A showed growth.." OR "In addition, the growth of females suffered during 1990" OR "Moreover, the volume of rainfall increased... " etc..
So do you words like First, Second, Third, Morever, In addition, In sum, To Conclude, In contrast, At the same time, Incidently etc. This will make your writing very easy to read from a reader's perspective.

It's really important that in for IELTS Writing, you use words like: increased, decreased, remained almost constant, stable, volatile, sharp decline etc..

3. While concluding in IELTS writing, give a 2-3 line summary of what you analysed. For eg. "In sum, the ratio of males to females increased during the period 1990-2000, while it remained stable during 2001-2005 and then showed a sharp decline during the period 2006- 2010"

Part B

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The rules for Part B remain the same. In part B of IELTS Writing, use more imagination as you dont have a graph. Use your own ideas and think in varied directions and then keep forming paragraphs. My topic for Part B was "In your opinion, what would be the result of introducing a common international languague for communication" So i formed a general introduction that there will be both pros and cons. In pros, i made around 3-4 paragraphs and talked about the benefits. In cons also i did the same. And i concluded by saying that i feel that the cons far outweigh the pros and there are more disadvantages of introducing such a language.Then i summarized it in 2 -3 lines by using keyword "To conclude, though there are advantages of introducing a new international language like .., .., .., the disadvantages far outweigh the advantages, and hence....."

One important point that follows for both part A and part B in IELTS writing is that you should also keep your writing gramatically correct and follow english rules like parallelism, correct punctuation as much as possible. This is really important.

Keep these points in mind and i am sure you will get 8.5 out of 9 in IELTS writing as i got :) If you need any assistance in writing part, feel free to contact me.

For Personal IELTS councelling, feel free to add me on skype ( skype id: onlinearora)

PS: If you have a lot of time with you, start writing a blog. You will realize that as you keep writing every few days, your way of writing will improve. This will certainly help you in your IELTS Writing !!

How to get good score in IELTS Reading in 10 days - Part 2 (Reading)

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 19:07:00 +0000

How to prepare for IELTS Reading
This is part 2 of my article on 'How to get good score in IELTS in 10 days - Part 1 (Listening) ', in continuation of my previous post. Here I would focus on how you can improve your reading skills for IELTS.

There is a difference when you compare IELTS reading with general reading.

1. Read by getting gist of each paragraph. Remember that the first step to become a good reader is to quickly understand what the reader wants to convey. Dont read word by word. Read one paragraph quickly and form a mental image of what idea the author wants to convey. This will help you in retaining what you read. This is important while taking the IELTS Reading exam.

2. This is most important:
Preparation for IELTS Reading needs to be covered in a strategic manner during the test. You have 60 mins for reading 3 passages. This is what you should do:
Passage 1: Allocate 16-17 mins, Passage 2: Allocate 20-22 mins, Passage 3: Allocate 25-26 mins
This is because with each passage the difficulty level increases. I would also advice you to complete all the passages in IELTS book that you have got from Cambridge. This is because one of the passage I got in real IELTS Reading exam was taken from this book. My 1st passage was Olympic torch. It was fact based and easy.
Second passage was on musical instruments- it was also easy. Third one was a bit tough- you will find it easy i feel if you read psychology, religion, arts, personality, sports psychology etc. For me, 3rd passage was on Child development. It was interesting but it took me more time to find answers.

So I would really recommend you to budget the time as i have mentioned above ( 16-20-24) during the IELTS Reading exam. It would really help you. Dont divide the time in 20-20-20 slots in reading.

3. Make sure you read all the instructions very carefully. If you have been asked to write TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN, do not commit mistake of writing T or F or NG - this is wrong. Same with YES/NO type of questions. Do not write Y/N. Write what is asked. Also make sure you do not answer TRUE/FALSE for a YES/ NO question and vice versa. Such an answer will be considered wrong and fetch no marks. This is very important in IELTS Reading test.

4. Focus on dates/names/figures in IELTS Reading. It helps. I used this in Olympic torch essay that had come. There were many years specified in the passage like 1956, 1962, 1992 etc. So when you are answering questions, you can directly locate these figures in passage and you will save time. You need not completely understand what the passage said when it mentioned something in 1956. You can come back to passage after reading the figure 1956 in the question.

I hope these tips would help you in your preparation for IELTS Reading. In the next part, i would focus on writing skills for IELTS. I would write about how you can become a better writer and write in a professional, structured and cohesive way. The flow of ideas while writing is most important and I would focus on these aspects in my next post on 'writing for IELTS'.

I hope you enjoyed the IELTS Reading post as much as i enjoyed writing it !! If you enjoy reading my articles, do subscribe to my blog so that you can get the article delivered in your mailbox whenever i would publish them.

For Personal IELTS councelling, feel free to add me on skype ( skype id: onlinearora)

How to get good score in IELTS in 10 days - Part 1 (Listening)

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 22:25:00 +0000

How to get good score in IELTS in 10 days - Part 1 (Listening)

This is part 1 of the article.
There are 4 sections in IELTS: Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking.
In this post, I will focus on listening skills that you can enhance in a couple of days for IELTS.

Here are my test results. I took IELTS on 30/31 May 2009.

Candidate Id : 2976
Listening : 8.5
Reading : 8.5
Writing : 8
Speaking : 7.5
Overall Band : 8

For those who are not aware of what these scores are, here is a brief overview:
9 - Expert User
8 - Very Good User
7 - Good User
6 - Competent User
5 - Modest User
4 - Limited User
3 - Extremely Limited User
2 - Intermittent User
1 - Non User

Listening Skills: This is my personal experience. I am sure it would be helpful for you as well.

1. Listen and see english movies and television serials( on youtube, if you dont have a television). I used to do search on youtube to check television programs in UK and this helped me become familiar with the UK accent. Indeed this helped me in improving my listening skills. This would also help you in Speaking section.

2. When you register for IELTS, you will get a book and 2 CDs for free. Do all the 4 listening tests in the book. It will really be very helpful. In my first test i scored just 31 out of 40, but in my last test i scored 37 out of 40. After that i took my 1st test again and this time i scored 36/40 in listening. So i can guarantee you that taking these tests will really help you.

3. When taking the practice test for listening, you may pause it and resume it at your convenience. In actual test you cannot pause- resume the CD being played. So my advice is that once you have started the listening test, complete it and then only move to next section. So you should complete all 40 questions and see how you are performing. So the idea here is do not pause while taking listening test.

4. Write as you listen- This is the most important point in listening ability. Before you start listening, you will get some time to read the questions. Use this time properly and read the questions and understand the questions completely. When you start listening, keep marking your answers as sson as you listen it. You will not get time to write it later. Also my personal experience is that even if you get time in the end, you will not be able to remember what was played. So it's best to write it as soon as you listen.

I hope these tips would help you in your preparation. In the next part, i would focus on reading skills. All the best..

For Personal IELTS councelling, feel free to add me on skype ( skype id: onlinearora)

Never Say Die - Battling HIV with Biceps - Bravo Pradip Kumar !!

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Todya, I read about this guy Pradip Kumar in Times of india and couldn't stop myself sharing his inspirational story with my blog readers. This picture depicts bodybuilder Pradip Kumar flexing his muscles during a body building championship at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.

The 38-year-old from Manipur is just like any other fitness freak who can benchpress 200 pounds for a warm-up. The only thing that makes him different is he’s a HIV-positive and that the deadly disease hasn’t stopped him from living life to the fullest.

Pradip was into drugs and that's how he contracted the disease. But being HIV didn' t let him down. Infact, he used his anger and pain to become strong and channelised his emotions into body building.

I believe that Pradip is a role model for millions suffering from HIV and offers a ray of hope to them.

Hats off to Pradip for his spirit and that's why he was chosen as a brand ambassador of HIV/AIDS in 2008 by the Manipur State AIDS Control Society.

Mumbai Marathon 2009 - The spirit of Mumbai

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:20:00 +0000

Run Mumbai Run !!

Mumbai, yet again, showed the unflinching attitude of standing together in face of adversity. It has not been long when terror striked Mumbai. But Mumbai was in high spirits again on 18 Jan 2009 readying itself for Mumbai Marathon 2009. I too got the oppurtunity to run half marathon ( 21.097 kms)

Some were running for peace, some for health and some for various NGOs. And so was I- running for peace, for health, for the undying attitude of Mumbai !! For me, it was needed a long run. After all, what can you expect from someone who is used to walking just 1-2 kms per day !!

There is something that kept me moving till I reached the finish line. There were old people somewhere around their 70s who were ahead of me. There was support and cheer from crowd. There were thousands of volunteers who kept providing me water and ORS ( Oral rehydrastion solution) throughout my marathon. There were sweet little kids who were cheering 'Come on.. You can do it' and were offering biscuits and bananas..

Not only my own friends, but even I couldnt believe that I could complete the half marathon. The motivation to cross the finish line kept me moving throughout. What I learned from this marathon experience is that you can do much more than what you set for yourself. Initially I was targetting just 6-7 kms but challenging myself I ended up running 21 kms.

What I witnessed was also awesome. There were numerous NGOs in dream run. Lots of celebrities. Roads were too clean. Standard chartered and TCS billboards everywhere. 7 km, 18 km and other markings on the way. Kenyans who went ahead of me like a breeze !! Words would not be enough for me to describe my experiences. You ll have to be there to experience it yourself !!

For those who ran full marathon, I salute you ! It not only takes a lot of guts, but also perseverance and a lot of effort to keep one healthy after completing the full marathon. For those who are thinking of running next year, believe me it would be a great experience for you. But just keep in mind that you ll enjoy it more if you keep practising even 3-4 kms per day.

So what are you waiting for ? Get on your heels - Run Mumbai Run !!

How to avoid Job Loss in a turbulent economy ?

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:21:00 +0000

Lehmann bankrupt ! Merill Lynch Sold out !! Is AIG next ???Since the credit crisis began last yr, the financial markets are badly hit.
Bear Sterns fall, 6 months ago, created panic in the financial sector. The impact is not just US and financial industry. The impact is world over. Since the big banks play a major role in the economy of most countries, all the countries have been badly hit.What happens in such a market is quite evident. Job losses, panic in market, gloomy scenario about the future haunts everyone.
Is there something you can do to get rid of such unexpected situations.
The answer is a big "YES" and I am here to suggest a few alternatives.

We all know that we should have a plan B ready, in case plan A fails. But how many of us really think about plan B ??

Let's suppose you were working with Lehmann or with Merill or you're working somewhere and you dont feel job security. What you possibly do is to look at various alternatives:

1. What are you really good at, except the work you do in your office. May be you're a great Cook and you always thought of running a restaurant. Whatever happens to lehman or merill, you can always be sure that your hotel/restaurant will make money becoz people wont stop eating if there's a financial meltdown !!

2. Did you always felt a desire to teach your favorite subject but never had time to do so ?Why dont you start part time tuitions in Arts, Science or history at your home ? A part from doing what you love, you'll make yourself independent of a need for a job !!

3. Well, if you still want to be in the financial domain, what about a teaching faculty position in a business school, where you can use your current banking/finance experience. I am sure even after financial markets have crashed, you ll find a plenty of teaching positions related to your experience.

4. What if you are a spanish, Italian or a Chinese living in a country whose native language is none of these languages. You may start your own Foreign Language classes ! I am sure you never even thought about this !!

These are just a few of the oppurtunities.
So guys and gals, dont feel depressed about the current financial situations in the world.
Take it positively ! Such situations make a stronger person and prepare you for unexpected possibilities ahead !

Just look around you ! You'll find thousands of oppurtunities !!

Goa Trip: College Guys reunion after 4 years

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:12:00 +0000

Goa Trip with college buddies: 16 May-19 May 2008.

Planning for GOA:
It all started around mid April when one of my close friends, Lambu aka Pramod spread the virus of visiting Goa among us ( Me and my college buddies).Imagine college friends reunion, after almost 4 years ( we left college in 2004 and its 2008 now), that too in one of the most exciting, enthralling Tourist Spot in India- Goa.After a long series of email exchange among my close buddy group, we finally decided to reach Goa on 16th May 2008 and leave on 19 May 2008.So now we were gearing up for a great blast at Goa !! Yeppie, even the thought of reunion was superb- thanks to Lambu for pushing all for the Trip.
Finally the D Day arrived. I left my room in Mumbai at 12.00 pm and reached Goa at 4.00 pm. Was getting too excited to meet lovely old college guys after 4 yrs. After waiting for almost 2 hrs at the airport, 4 guys ( Sud, Daju, Chinu n Daddu) who were coming from Banglore arrived. Well, i cant express my feelings in words now. It was amazing to see all 4 of them. One looked slim, another one looked bald and yet another gave a 'DevDas' look !!! It was around 5.30 pm now.Our other two friends ( Ankit aka Ganja aka Homo, and Lambu) were expected at 7.15 pm. So we 5 headed towards Bosco, around 20 mins in Bus. We had some snacks there and came back to Airport at 7.15 to receive Ganja and Lambu.So now we were 7 people now.

Brief intro of crazy buddies:
Let me give a brief account about my crazy buddies to make this post interesting:

1. Lambu aka Pramod- You can easily make out when he talks that he's a businessman. He is the guy who, on one day, can convince you to buy a Nokia set claiming that Motorola sucks. On another day, he is the same guy who will convince you to buy Motorola ( becoz it is great in design, low cost, has more features- and he will say he is using it for 2 yrs) and will claim that Nokia sucks. He really is a decent guy. You'll notice his decency in one of the pics i have shown below.

2. Ganja aka Ankit- This guy was most excited after meeting all the old buddies. Well there's nothing new about it. He's always excited meeting Guys !! This guy can beat you in any race as he is most adventure-prone. He defeated every one in a GO-KARTING race. We believe that he takes care of his falling hair, more than his girlfriend ( if he cud ever make one !! ). Still the hair keeps falling every moment.

3. Sudd aka Sudhir- This guy keeps making faces and tries to copy me. I enjoy irritating him the most and will continue to do so !

4. Daju aka Servesh- Though this guy looks like a human being, he is not !! Well, do you think a normal human being can climb a coconut tree in just 30 secs and bring a coconut from the tree ??? He keeps entertaining you with his talks, which more you ask him to stop, more he continues !!

5. Daddu aka Satya- Dont know why this guy has become like a 'Devdas' ( Guy who has long beard, moustache and gives a saint look) ? Well, he seems to be most intellectual guy in the group. I mean yeah he is !

6. Chinu aka Chinmay - This guy is always smiling. You should see him while he is swimming- he makes weird faces while swimming- dont know why so ?

7. Bunnu aka myself - As they call me most of the time.

Finally, We got a room to stay:
We took a Chevrolet and headed for some place to stay. This was not the peak season so we expected somewhat decent rates, but the hotel rates were exorbitant. A hotel owner asked us 7500 for 3 night stay in a single room ( Was he kidding or had he gone mad ?).We left this place and moved to another hotel. As you know Lambu, he made us go from one hotel to another for almost 2 hrs and kept negogiating.Thanks again to decent Lambu, whose negotiating skills have always been a saviour. His Marwari style convinced the owner to rent us two big rooms at just 1800 per night. So we paid a total of 3600 for our stay.

DAY 1:BAGA Beach( 16th night): Baga beach looks great at night. It was full moon night and the view of sea was simply superb.This beach is a must visit for anyone visiting Goa. It is located in North Goa.

DAY 2:WATER SPORTS, HUKKA, SNOOKER( BAGA BEACH: 17th May

Enjoyed Parasailing, WaterScooter and Scary banana ride ( Scary becoz they will take you on a banana shaped boat, in the middle of the sea, and then the boat will be turned upside down). Banana ride and WaterScooter - I enjoyed the most. Parasailing was not that scary..

Here I am doing Parasailing( Courtesy: Ganja dear)

DAY 3:SOME FORTS,VAGATOR BEACH, GO KARTING ( 18th May)
Picture of decent Lambu, while staring a bikini-clad foreigner along with localites :))

Look at this guy, Can a normal human being do this ?? Crazy Fellow- Daju.

Shameless Ganja- Behaving as a race winner of GOKARTING race- though he came fifth !!

DAY 4: ( 19 May)GOOD BYE GOA:
It was time to bid adieu to my buddies and to Goa ! We hired a Chevrolet and moved towards Railway station as 4 of the guys had to catch train at 3.15 pm. We all hugged each other and left the railway station at around 3.45. Then the three of us (Ganja, Lambu and me) left for Airport. Our flight was at 6.30.We kept roaming at Airport. As the clock ticked 6.30, i moved to catch the flight to Mumbai and Ganja n Lambu moved to catch flight to Delhi. With this, the Goa chapter comes to an end. Good bye Goa, We will come again some day. We had a great n memorable time here.

One more thing: The best time to visit goa is from dec to march.There is no point in visiting Goa during June to Sep, as it is Off-season.

Bookmark my post in case you ever plan to visit Goa.

Pangea Day- Celebrating World Peace

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Sun, 11 May 2008 16:00:00 +0000

Yesterday ( May 10, 2008) was World Pangea day, celebrated across the world. I was lucky enough to get an entry pass to NCPA( National Centre for Performing Arts), Mumbai India. Here it started at 11.30 in night and ended at 3.30 am in morning.

I took these pictures at Pangea Day Mumbai, India:

There were various short films showcased at the event. Some of them were really very creative and some were so touching. I ll discuss a few here.

Pangea Day- Films and message

The first film showcased Mozambique and starts by showing an Aunty hanging a sweater on a rope in her house. Next scene shows kids playing Football. All of a sudden a big guy comes and takes away the football, lashing at kids, "You bloddy kids tear away all the Condoms". The ball is gone now. The kids rush to a shop, gets a condom, blows it and tie a knot. Then they cover it with paper, cloth and wrap it with a thread of sweater that was hung in Aunty's home. They keep wrapping th ball till the Sweater vanishes. They keep playing and suddenly the ball goes to Aunty's house. And to your utter surprise, Aunty starts making the sweater again from the ball. The film ends from where it started- Showing the Aunty hanging the sweater again on the same rope.

Message: The film gives the message that in Mozambique there are more than 5 million Condoms supplied every year by UN, but on an average, a man in Mozambique uses just 5 condoms per year. Most of the condoms are used by kids to play football. Now i understand why HIV/AIDS is so prevalent there.

Some other films which are really touching are: The dancing Queen( Shows dance of two fingers on a table and at the end of dance - shows a girl who is on wheelchair), The Dog(This was my favorite film- This film had a deep meaning and its ending leaves you thinking what might have happened in the end. Must see for all)

Here I wrap up my post. Pls do see all the movies at www.pangeaday.org. The movies are awesomely Thought Provoking and show the immense creative talent of short filmmakers.

Pls do leave your comment about the films- Which film you liked most and what message you took home from the films.

StartUp Saturday Mumbai Launched

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Sun, 11 May 2008 15:35:00 +0000

The most awaited StartUp chapter for Mumbai has been launched yesterday (Sat, 10 May 2008). We were a group of 40 people who met at Kohinoor Hotel, Dadar where we had two sessions- one by Preetam, CEO of Marcellus and another session on Adobe AIR by Brajeshwar.

Pic: Participants at StartUp Saturday Mumbai

The best part of such meetups is the interaction that we have with like minded people.

Startup saturday will be held every second and fourth saturday of the month.

Visit Mumbai Startup Saturday for more details.

Pic: Preetam, CEO Marcellus giving a presentation.

Visit StartUp Mumbai Pics to see all pics of StartUp Saturday Mumbai.

How to add google Ads within Blogger posts ?

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Sat, 03 May 2008 18:50:00 +0000

Here are the four steps to quickly add Google ads inside your blog post.

1. Login to Google Adsense, select an ad format and Get the Ad code.

2. In the code, replace:

3. On template, click 'Expand Widgets', then select the HTML and paste it in a text file.
Now look for

4. Note that 'Adsense Code' refers to the code you got after doing step 2.

Thats it, you're done. You should see the Google Ads floating on left hand side with your content on right hand side.

Why bloggers must use Windows Live Writer

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 17:04:00 +0000

Hello Gang !

This is my second post using windows live writer ( Free product for bloggers from Microsoft)Here are a few reasons why you must use the live writer:

1. Doesn't matter if you are connected with internet or not. Just install the live writer. Configure your weblog( be it blogger, wordpress or any blog service).

2. Suppose you are not connected with internet, now no worries, just save your post as draft. And publish it whenever you get connected with internet.

3. You can configure multiple blogs using the same live writer.

4. You can insert hyperlink, Pictures, Tables, Maps. Tags and videos and make an interactive post using the writer.

There are tons of other features which I haven't expored yet.

I know you are getting curious to download it right away. So here is the direct link to download windows live writer.( Note: After visiting this page, click on Writer and then on Install)

For those of you who are using the writer for some time now, pls do share how to make the best possible use of Live writer.

Mumbai Blogger Meet Roundup

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:22:00 +0000

Hello Gang !

I just came from Mumbai Blogger's Meet organized by IndiBlogger sponsored by Microsoft Live Writer.
Here is a recollection of the moments spend at the meet:

It all started today at around 3.30 pm with Indiblogger's guys asking everyone to come infront and talk about his/her blog for a minute( Hall of Fame as they say)

Now, it doesnt makes sense for me to write what each blogger talked about, so please check the proceedings of blogger meet here.

What I liked the most about the meet was that I came to know about Microsoft's new product Windows live writer which is awesome for bloggers.

More on Windows Live Writer in my next post.

One more thing: This is the first post that I am publishing using Windows Live Editor.

So are you using Windows live editor, or did you attended Mumbai blogger's meet ?

Why you should join Art Of Living Course ?

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:18:00 +0000

Hello Bloggers !

Its been quite a few days that I havent blogged ! Well, I was busy pursuing the Art Of Living Course ( World famous course for Spiritual Awakeing and Medidation led by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar) here in Mumbai, India.

This course is practised by over 20 million people around more than 132 countries worldwide.

As the title of this post suggests- "Why you should join Art of living course?" - I will talk about my experience and other people experience who completed
this course in my batch.

The course I am talking about is Art Of Living - Part 1 Course. I had been thinking for a long time to join a course which may give me more control over my
own life. So in this quest, I landed up with this course. The course started on 14 Apr 2008 and ended on 20 Apr 2008. This one week has been a kind of self
dicovery for me and many things which I didnt knew about myself- I came to know due to this course.

On the first day, we were told that for one week, we are not supposed to touch Tea, Coffee, Alcohol, Cigarrettes. Now I am the kind of person who takes almost 5-6 Tea Cups in a day. And I thought this is just ridiculous, but now its been over a week and I havent even taken half a cup of Tea. This is just one example of my self control which I was not aware of before attending this course.

On the first day, it seemed tiresome and questionable - will we be able to take out 3 hrs per day for continuous 6 days? Well, I feel this course of 22-23 hrs ( spanned over 6 days) has been a great investment by me for me !!

Coming to what the teachers teach you ? Apart for various Asanas, Pranayam, Sudarshan Kriya, and Fun filled activities, the teachers gave us some great knowledge points and they kept repeating those for all 6 days.

Here are few of the knowledge points we gained:

1. Accept People and Situations as they are.

2. Give your 100% in whatever you do.

3. Dont be a football of other people opinion. ( Meaning- Listen to everyone, but take your own decision)

4. Dont look for intention behind other people's mistakes.

5. Opposite values are complimentary ( Meaning- If good times never last, so will be the bad times which will end one day)
These are just a few points that we would always keep in our mind.

Coming to the best part of the course- Sudarshan Kriya- This was the first time in my life when I had the experience where my whole body had a great current in it as though I was getting energy from environment and from within me. I talked to Teachers about this experience and they told me that I had a realization of 'Praana Shakti'.

Well, I am not sure what it was, but it was an awesome experience. Even toWday, when I did the Kriya at home, I felt the vibrations in my body, though with less intensity.

Sunday, 20 Apr 2008 was a day of celebration for all of us. We had successfully completed our course. Each participant brought delicious food from home and we had a great breakfast together sharing food with each other. Imagine how much variety we had, as we were 42 participants and everyone bought something or other from their home.

As a Guru Dakshina( Teacher's Gift), the Teachers asked us to practice the exercises daily for 40 days. So today is my 3rd day after the course. And its a long journey. Lets see how it goes...

Feel free to ask me any questions you may have. I will surely reply :)

If you loved reading this post, then do attend their course, and hey, pls subscribe to my blog. I will post my experiences after completing 40 days.

Top Indian Bloggers gather at Bar Camp 3 Mumbai

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:43:00 +0000

Hello Gang ! Today I had a great experience at BarCamp3 held at Mumbai, India. I just came to know about it yesterday, so am sorry I couldnt post about it earlier !

So people, here I share my experiences about this awesome unconference @ BarCamp3 Mumbai:

I reached at S.J. School of Management ( SJSOM) at 10.00 am today morning. There was a huge gathering, almost 350+ people attending the same.

It all started with a brief introduction about what everyone was going to present over the next couple of hours.

As the people were giving brief intros, I met Mani and his friend Ashwin who came all the way from Chennai to attend this bar camp at Mumbai.

There were different threads( presentations) going in parallel. I would share my experiences about the threads that i attended..

The first session that i joined was on blogging by renowned indian blogger Rashmi Bansal, who talked about how she enjoyed blogging and how her hobby has made her famous in indian blogging arena !
Here i met Dhawal Shah who is coming up with his own starup Franchise2Win.

Next was the presentation by Ankesh. His was a fabulous presentation and he provided some great examples on how multiple authors can be good for a blog, about Seth Godin marketing strategies and about how he was working with 2 other guys and working on their 15th site !

Time to go for lunch people ! Its already 1.30 pm now ! Well the food was pretty good. We enjoyed it and hurried back to attend some startup demos.
It al started at around 1.45 with Burrp tv. Their idea was very innovative and presentation too good !
Next in pipeline was a presentation by Sheldon from Tasty Khana. He talked about how people can book their meal and table directly from his site and place an order as per their requirement to variuos restaurants. Well, i would say, it was a great concept and a tasty presentation on his behalf !

Aditya Mishra ( he seems multitalented ! After all he was one of the Planners) gave a presentation about how the Startup saturdays are coming along in Bangalore and how the same are being planned for Mumbai !

I also met Prabal Aggarwal who is a final yr MBA student and also blogs at Blog O Mania, Rohan Dighe from Social Web Factory which was launched a month back and had a talk about how his site is coming along.

I also met Sandeep Shetty from Directi ( Hey, thanks Directi for sponsoring barcamp !! ). He talked to me about how he is following Social Media Marketing, Web 2.0 and internet marketing !

Lastly I met a 2 cute looking gals: Meetu who writes reviews about latest movies on her blog and IdeaSmith from The Idea Smithy.

Finally, we wrapped up at 5.30 with the planners asking for feedback and how we felt being at barcamp.

I would without doubt say that these planners are doing an awesome job ! They are providing all bloggers a platform to connect and get involved in various activities like blogging, social networking, technology, startups et al ! Kudos to BarCamp Planners !!

Well, for those who have no clue about what BarCamp3 Mumbai was all about- do check out their website.

Overall it was a great time being at BarCamp3 Mumbai. Hope everyone enjoyed as much as I did ! Looking forward to next bar camp..

To end this post, I would ask: Did you attended the BarCamp3 ? If yes, How was your experience ? What did you took away from Barcamp ( apart from Freebies :) If you were among Presenters, what challenges did you faced, and if you were among presenters, what all did you learned ?

By the way, if you enjoyed reading me, make sure you always keep enjoying by subscribing me :))

How to access internet on laptop using GPRS enabled handset ?

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 15:40:00 +0000

Rightly said, "Adversity leads to oppurtunity !!"

And this fits very well in my case also. Recently I moved to an area where I couldnt get broadband internet connection. I talked to my sister and she said she knows someone who was using internet on a desktop computer using nothing but a GPRS enabled handset. I thought this sounds exciting, so why not give it a try. And guess what, I am publishing this post via my laptop which is connected to web through my GPRS enabled handset.

Now, you folks must be thinking how this works?

Here is what I did and you can do the same:

1. Get a GPRS enabled handset and get the internet connection activated on your handset.

2. Connect your mobile to your laptop using a data cable OR a bluetooth connection ( anything is fine. I am using a data cable, by the way)

3. Establish a dial up connection on your laptop/desktop computer. Now it will ask you to select a modem.Select the one which represents your handset modem. In my case, I have a SONY ERICCSON W580i handset, So I selected the same modem when I saw the options.

4. Once this is done, you can open the connection. Leave the username & Password fields blank. You need not put anything in these two fields.

5. Lastly, the dialup number- This proved challenging to me people !I was using the number *99# which didnt worked. I researched on internet and found another number *99***1# which also didnt worked for me. Lastly, I found one more number *99***2# and guess what- I was more than happy !!!I could see myself connected with internet using just my GPRS enabled mobile handset !!

Guys, believe me, it took me almost two days in this research, but it was worth it !
And guess how- Firstly I could get an internet connection, which seemed impossible initially and Secondly, Well I learned something new and which you will definitely find useful !!

So people, follow these steps and remain connected with web while moving, or while in traffic. And dont forget to ask your mobile service provider about the rates of using internet !!

How to write an interesting blog post ?

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 18:14:00 +0000

So people !! Here are 5 ways that you can use to write your Blog Post that will entice ( aah.. sounds great ) your reader's imagination and will make them peep inside the depth of your content.

1. Asking a Question :
Opening your blog post with a question creates curiosity and makes your reader thinking. Thinking leads to active engagement with your writing, thereby making your post interesting !!

2. Share some anecdote or cite a quote :
Anecdotes are quick stories that can make people laugh or immediately establish the main point of your post. A nice quote from a recognizable authority or famous person can also work wonders when holding attention in those crucial opening seconds.

3. Invoke the Mind’s Eye :
Producing a mental image in a reader’s mind is one of the most powerful things you can ever do as a writer, so expressly engaging the imagination is a powerful opening technique. Activate the mind’s eye of the reader by using words like “imagine,” “picture this,” “do you remember when,” etc.

4. Use an Analogy, Metaphor or Simile :
Analogies, metaphors and similes are some of the most powerful devices available when it comes to telling a story in a single sentence. This is a great way to capture a reader’s attention and also acts to provoke mental imagery that allows readers to tell a story to themselves.

5. Show a rocking, i mean Shocking Statistic :
Starting off with an interesting factoid is also a great technique. People love being provided with interesting data, but only if it is unique, startling, or even shocking. The statistic should also be directly relevant to the point of your post as well.

Oh ! Did i forgot to tell you the most important part of your blog post. Well its the closing. A great way to close is to tie back into your opening.

So, which of the 5 techniques did I NOT use in the opening to this post and What do you think you can do to make an interesting post ??

FREE blog review for my readers- Part 1

onlinearora@gmail.com (Ankit) — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 06:14:00 +0000

Hello dear readers, As promised, here i am with my FREE review for two of the blogs. For rest I will provide the review in my next posts. I have provided review of two blogs of 'Steve' and another one of 'The Judge'

Steve's Blog- My review
http://stopbreathingnow.org/

Layout/Design:
His is an aqua theme with three columns with content in middle. The header is for this site only but looks as if its a Banner !! I would suggest to use a header that goes along with Aqua theme. On left bar, we see blog search and on right Google search- i feel you can combine these two and better provide only 'Search' option instead of these two.

Content:
The site has pretty interesting things to read. Also, I noticed that there are very less comments left on this site. Now for this, he can end his post in such a way as to prompt the reader to comment him. That would make his blog more interesting :)

Advertisements:
Google Ads on right seem good, but i would say better blend these with your template. I mean change the background colour of your Ads to blend it with Aqua theme. Rest looks fine. Also I would advice you to remove Alexa rating as it displays 'No data'

The Judge Blog- My review
http://mediamorgue.blogspot.com/

Layout/Design:
The header seems very different showing foot ( goes very well with the name- media morgue). The gray and black colour scheme really looks fabulous. One thing i feel is you need to scroll down too much on the home page itself, so it would be great if you keep just 6-7 posts on main page.

Content:
Content is always the king and i feel this blog has pretty good and intersting posts related to media. To take an example, this post looks funny http://mediamorgue.blogspot.com/2008/01/meet-spartans-or-not-preferably-not.html
Now to make it more interesting, it could have ended like "So shall we meet the spartans ? Well see the clip and tell me what you think ? "

Advertisements:
I feel Google Ads can be taken advantage of and some ads on right hand side can be reduced.
Though Google Ads are present in posts but they are not noticeable. you can consider a 160X600 vertical banner on right side, which i feel would be a good use of google Ads.

So people, here I end my post with the review of two blogs. Please comment on how I did this review and if you would like to add some points for both these Guys, feel free to comments here. Thanks !!!