Lessons from a Boring Day

  It was yet another leisure time of mine in which I was getting bored. I decided to switch on the Television(something which i hardly do, and thus, did that on the boring day) to while away time.
    Little did I know that the Idiot Box would, much to my own amusement, many things I'd never know if not fir it.
    Every hour spent watching TV puts a toddler seven words behind TV-free babies, researchers say. But still, I must admit children who watch TV are, to some extent, way smarter. Perhaps TV does educate you.
      For example you learn a medical fact: A person who has been shot b a bullet always speaks a partial sentence before he dies. 'The killer was..he was..' (dies). You also get useful information like all architectural buildings have air vents big enough to crawl through and investigate.
     The most important learning being "Life Skills." Bad things happen under special circumstances such as dark and stormy nights. Once a person is emotionally broken, it causes him/her to wander out alone in the stormy night without umbrellas. And contrary to this scientists say the crack of lightning and flash happen simultaneously, wherever you are.
  Police officers can also learn from TV. Whenever your boss says 'You cannot work on this case,' that's when you solve the case.
    Hmm, The page is finished. Let's get outta here!

the ignored monkey

   I was actually searching google pages for a tattoo that would fit to my liking and then I saw one which had the famous ‘3 wise monkeys’ – just that the monkeys were replaced with frogs. 

As far as I remember I always thought these rules depicted by this sculpture (it supposedly came from a Japanese folk religion) were brilliant, but yesterday, I had a different take on it.

I thought, if I were to build a fresh sculpture of these monkeys, I would have kept only one and fired the other two. They are not required and you will see why. :-)

The monkey that I would have kept would have his hands placed on his heart depicting acts of love – with a meaning that ‘DO NO EVIL’. If people don’t do evil things then no one would have had to shut their eyes, ears or mouth. :-)

As I was writing this post I was trying to find out if these ‘wise-monkeys’ had any specific name. I did not find any name, however I found out that there indeed was a fourth monkey which had his hands crossed depicting the same idea – and hence I decided to title this post as The ‘Ignored’ Monkey.

Just for a laugh: Maybe the artists of the sculpture were hard core communists, they could not allow 1 monkey to take away the job of 3 others, so instead they chose to omit him and keep the other 3!

..and time goes by..

The Chase

I can never know what I want. Maybe someday things will be different. 

Monday Morning blues-recounting one of my Monday morning experience- occurring repeatedly

   Monday morning. I was reluctant to open my eyes. I consider Monday, as a rule, an especially unpleasant day in my calender. After the delicious freedom of Saturday and Sunday (yeah, must admit it's not so delicious these days), it was difficult to get in the Monday mood of work and discipline.
    I shuddered at the very thought of school; that dismal red building, the fire eyed teachers...
     Still lying on bed, I finally realized that it was yet another Monday. It looked as though only a moment ago the last period of Friday had ended. I sincerely prayed that an earthquake would reduce the school into dust and rubles, but the good school had withstood hundreds of such prayers as yet.

To Sleep

  Am I the only one who finds it impossible to live with myself while I'm sleep-deprived?

  No shut-eye, a bleak view. I even resent the smallest sound, of the critters of the birds.

  Coming to the beauty of good sleep, after a good night's rest, I go about my business in a cheerful sort of way. Impossible takes the form of the possible. Almost everything becomes downright charming.

It's just something

  Just to stir debate

controversy

argument

a bit of give

and take

I shall name my opinions of

"most influential..."

in these categories:

 Movie: Inception

Artist: Eminem

TV show ever: Kaun Banega Crorepati ( I mean, if it's gonna run ever!)

Band: Jonas Brothers

DISCLAIMER: These are not my favourites

just my opinions, but they are the only

one's that matter, unless you wish to

insert yours below, by way of comment

otherwise I win and so does my shouting

Making sense

  It seems that once I have stopped cycling and have settled down into a more "normal" state of being that the words dry up.

There is nothing more to say, there are no issues that I need to work out loud, so there is merely silence on the blog front. Who knows when next I shall need this space.

Until next moment...

Summer ice cream-Poetry

Summer means ice cream


Yummy Memories


Strawberry or peach


Blueberry or raspberry


I love all flavors


Mouths watering


The heavenly first bite


Oh so worth the wait


So worth the summer


Summer means ice cream


Yummy memories


  

POETRY

Night is falling

Looking for Venus rising

Midst the purple sky

Here rises the sea

and its Lord, Poseidon

Dream.

Life is Frustrating..sometimes...

-------but I guess its how my life goes! I think I have hit my breaking point, I wish there was some good to go along with all the bad. That at least would make the crap a little easier to handle. That being said in comment to a comment...
   Well, I guess i'm done complaining..

Happy 64th Independance Day to everyone-INDIA MY INDIA!

Independance Day of India is celebrated on Fifteen of August (15/8/47) to commemorate its independance from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation in 1947. The day is a national holiday in India. All over the country, flag-hoisting ceremonies are conducted by the local administration in attendance. The main event takes place in Delhi, the capital city of India, where the Prime Minister hoists the national flag at the Red Fort and delivers a nationally televised speech from its ramparts. In his speech, he highlights the achievements of his government during the past year, raises important issues and gives a call for further development. The Prime Minister also pays his tribute to leaders of the freedom struggle.
  India makes me feel good, and feel alive. It's amazing to be an Indian! We have such great culture and traditions! The diverse sights, sounds and smells of India are symbolized by the culture and the tradition!
      The resplendent ambiance forms a macro perspective of the nation.There is a fine balance of modernism and nationalism in the country. But problems face are no less. Terrorism, corruption, poor infrastructure, poverty and illiteracy continue to haunt us.
      So, wat say about a fresh Tryst with Destiny on our 64th Independence Day?
     I Love India1 Mera Bharat Mahan!
    

   

India remembers 26/11

Its been one year since India witnessed one of the worst terrorist attacks in Mumbai. It was a tragic day for every Indian across the world. India has constantly been a target for the terrorists who have been trying to create chaos in India. But I am extremely happy to say that they have managed to bring about more unity within us than ever. Today every Indian is remembering the attack and paying their tributes to the brave people who laid down their lives.

It is really heartening to see how every Indian is holding a place in their heart for the victims of such attacks. There are various events organized across India to join hands against terrorism and fight as one against terrorism. Many companies are donating a part of their revenue earned today to the Indian police force to better equip themselves against such attacks in the future. I truly consider this a realization of their social responsibilities and a good move to help make the society a better place.

The only thing which is really shocking is that the captured terrorist is still in jail and hasn't been punished. What is there to investigate and argue about for 1 year? Wasn't he captured alive from the scene of crime holding an AK-47? Wasn't his face captured in CCTVs everywhere? A recent Times of India report states that India has spent Rs.31 Crore (310 million) to safeguard kasab ajmal and keep him in jail. Why the hell isn't he hanged already? Or should he be publicly humiliated and the close relatives of the victims allowed to stone him to death....hmm, not a bad idea! I strongly state that no human consideration should be given to such people. Stone them or shoot them to death in public.

I pay my tribute to the brave people who lost their lives and lets hope there are no more such attacks.

Magic moments-1

Cold November mornings.

The twenty-minute ride

would chill my body

water my eyes

When the sunlight

inviting from behind the skylight

simply beyond the gray clouds.

Those leaves;

now fallen,

brown and crisp.

The somber silence of some pupil

Yes, it's Monday,

yet again.

Sharp pencils, pens drawn on table, the warm room, the dusty black board,

the morning test

terrifying!

The end of the school!

WE, the Uncivlized

  The other day I had been preparing for the recently concluded examination but could not concentrate. REASON: Neighbor playing loud blaring music. This is the situation. Walls are littered everywhere with posters and spit. People urinate in open areas.
   Just on the other day, I heard the news that my neighbor's grandfather had passed in the ambulance as the route to the hospital was delayed due to a marriage procession blocking its path. Strikes, bandhs, rallies,  mindless parking and weird traffic-welcome to India's city life.
     Our professionals and experts shine everywhere but our public behavior hangs our head in shame. True, in the independent era we have made tremendous progress in almost all walks of life, but we are highly short of forming a civilized public behavior
    Look at the dirt and grime in the public buses, trains and the stink in the public washrooms, which are a rare specie anyhow. Hooligans, beggars and thieves running amok is no strange sight on the roads.
    So, we can all join hands to make our living environment more livable. Let's begin with ourselves.
     . 

Peace, please!

  It's broken out yet again. This useless, thoughtless violence. In its true wrath, people get murdered, looted, houses get burnt; even in the name of God.
  Come on now, who would want violence and destruction? It's so disgusting- can't the people realize at all?
    Centuries of brutal war, rivalries, etc haven't made them any wiser, I guess so. Insecurities are still prevalent. We continue to fight for land, water, God...it's so pathetic! Will there ever be respite from these bursts of violence? Can't anyone do something? Let's join hands. Please, 'let there be peace.' Please, hear my prayer...

And its the Revolution 2.0...my views on importance of social media

It's the 2.0 Revolution,' says Wael Ghonim, the Google executive who played a key role in bringing about a revolt that started off from the Facebook Walls and spread like fire to the streets of Egypt...
  
     As a new dawn ushers in Egypt, I take a look at how social media played a pivotal role in the movement.
 
     Wael Abbas and Nora Younis, avid bloggers regularly covered political protests, corruption, police brutality, democracy, human rights and the like.
      New media can bring people together, build consensus..

       Wael Ghonim, first announced the locations of protest on the Facebook page, which was soon shut down. But he had a back up plan. He used Google groups to send a mass mail campaign to all these people in order to tell them here are the locations and please spread them among your friends.

   So, people, technology definitely played a big role here. I believe it helped keeping people informed, it helped making all the Egyptians collaborate

Be Internet Smart

This blog post is concerned with the importance and urgency of safety of the billions of the users on the Internet.
  
   2011's biggest security threats include geolocation and mobile devices.

   Malware still dominates the Internet in an influential manner. According to a recent study, most of the sites checked by McAfae serve only one purpose:spreading malicious code.
   
This means it has no system of administrative control and no security policies. If there are security policies or laws they constantly need to be altered because of the changing technology. You are always up for an attack or an intrusion of your own privacy. Survivability is the key. Just the simple task of checking email, browsing, chatrooms, or even shopping can be harmful. You can be safe in this environment but you must always be on the alert for problems.

  Chat rooms, E-mail and browsing are common sources of viruses. Researches indicate that Online purchases come in the highest risk, followed by anonymous websites and commercial websites.

In the 21st Century, many computer users turn to the internet for their daily activities and it eventually became a part of their daily lives. In these times many processes that involve and depended on paperwork were now relied on servers, which were machines that help us relay the information to and from our computer. These servers containing our personal information can help us identify ourselves throughout the internet. However, there are many ways in which information can be used to disclose our personal information to anyone. While there has been an increasingly amount of computer users on the internet, many have had their piracy invaded by many strangers. However, not many users may know the exact amount of security that is involved in each of their daily activities. Yet, some believe that all information is very and under protection. However it is not secure and it can also occur through e-mails, e-commerce and websites.

So, what do we do? Below are some proved safety tips:

 Know the dangers associated with the sites your children frequent.

• Parents need to stay in close touch with their kids as they explore the Internet.
• Teachers need to help students use the Internet appropriately and safely.
• Community groups, including libraries, after-school programs, and others should help educate the public about safe surfing.
• Kids and teens need to learn to take responsibility for their own behavior -- with guidance from their families and communities.
• It's not at all uncommon for kids to know more about the Internet and computers than their parents or teachers. If that's the case in your home or classroom, don't despair. You can use this as an opportunity to turn the tables by having your child teach you a thing or two about the Internet. Ask her where she likes to go on the Internet and what she thinks you might enjoy on the Net. Get your child to talk with you about what's good and not so good about his Internet experience. Also, no matter how Web-literate your kid is, you should still provide guidance. You can't automate good parenting.

E-Readers-Turning a digital page

While the purist may frown upon the idea of reading digital books, digital reading does have many advantages and e-book readers are now slowly gaining popularity. 

Flipping through the pages, the smell of ink, the feel of the paper, the fonts, the style, layout, the colors, and the cover all add to the reading experience. However, these days instead of pouring over big tomes, you will find people peering over their e-book readers or smartphones. In the digital age, laying your hands on the latest bestseller will take a whole new meaning. It would mean simply downloading the book from Amazon or another digital distribution service, rather than going to the bookstore to get your copy. 

Digitized books have revolutionalised the way we read. However, this is not a recent phenomenon. The journey of digitized books or e-books began in 1971 with the launch of Project Gutenberg, which was an effort to digitize and archive cultural works. It’s the oldest digital library and has well over 34,000 titles available for free. The first e-book reader was launched in 1998. The intelligent reading system, SoftBook, was developed by SoftBook Press Inc in the US.

Even though the e-book readers have been around for a long time, they gained popularity only recently with the launch of Amazon’s Kindle. Prior to that, e-book readers were limited to a niche and did not gain much popularity mainly due to lack of content. Another factor that has fueled the popularity is the growing number of smartphones. These phones come equipped with PDF readers, which is also a popular format for e-books. This has resulted in an increase in the number books, newspapers, and magazines being adapted for e-book readers and smartphones.

E-readers take reading to a whole new level by allowing you to customize font size, brightness, contrast, etc. for ease of reading. You can even look up meanings of words, search for text throughout the book, highlight text, add notes, and much more. Some e-readers also have a text to speech feature, which can be an added advantage. Additionally, most e-readers are Wi-Fi enabled so you can even browse the Internet, watch videos, and play music on them.

E-Ink or LCD Screen?

There are two categories of e-readers available in the market; one uses e-ink technology, while the other uses an LCD display.

An e-reader that makes use of e-ink or electronic ink technology, which gives the impression of a real paper thanks to its 16-level grayscale. Also referred to as electronic paper display, it consumes far lesser power compared to an LCD display. Another advantage is the fact that it doesn’t have a backlight and so it doesn’t emit a glare. As a result, you can comfortably read outdoors even in bright sunlight. However, the fact that it does not have a backlight makes it a bit difficult to read in low light, but this can be resolved by using a clip-on light. The biggest disadvantage of e-ink is that it is only available in grayscale. This works fine for novels, but when it comes to newspapers, magazines or even books for children, it could spoil the fun. The makers of e-ink have launched its e-ink color screen Triton, but it remains to be seen how soon it will be adapted.

On the other hand, devices like the Apple iPad or the Nook Color from Barnes & Noble use the LCD technology to provide a color display, but the LCD screen gives out a lot of glare. They use reflective screens, almost turning the surface into a mirror and making it impossible to read outdoors. 

 

PS: the above text type is The Kindle Font :)

Email vs Chat

E-mail is my favorite means of communication, and I'm not so much a fan of  text chat .On the personal space, unfortunately, the power of e-mail has been largely restricted to group-forwards and other spam. Imagine  writing letters a couple of decades ago when e-mails were almost non-existent - one had to pen down his thoughts on paper, fold it into an envelope, paste the appropriate postage stamp and drop it into the nearest post-box before the 'next clearance' time. And wait. E-mail replaces this with an instant 'send' button. But the e-mail still lets users to structure their thoughts, allowing them to communicate precisely at their own  natural pace.
Chat, on the other hand brings in a level of spontaneity , expecting users to respond immediately  and constantly forcing them to 'be at it'. This level of spontaneity may not be required most of the times. I like writing long e-mails and realized that I would have equally enjoyed writing letters for the same reasons if I were born  before 50 years.

The Cocoon

    Yes, I live in this world. Inside these walls, I can bounce my reflections and my thoughts around. The walls, like an elastic piece, bounce them back gently to me. Nothing breaks ever, everything is preserved. The walls are stitched up, sometimes frayed knots too.
     Each of us creates our own block of space, surrounded by ideas and people whom we are comfortable with. We call ourselves diverse folk, but in the regard of this Cocoon, we are just threatening our own ideas.
      Unless and until everyone speaks into your mind and slips effortlessly yet gracefully into your cocoon, you will never find diversity. So, take it as a challenge!