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Memorable Moments of Cricket In SSN VI

2008-04-12T13:29:00.000+05:30

So far I've been talking about certain clips involving me in the matches we've played. They may or may not have had any influence in the result of the matches- only they gave me satisfaction.
However, this time I bring you the entire action, excitement and emotions of a match in which I had a starring role. Sadly, the match was not the usual bowling match, rather an over-arm

Clarke and Morals: Extremely Contrasting Entities

2008-04-02T08:08:00.005+05:30

I'm not usually into writing gossip, however, this one is about a cricketer whose batting I've liked. And the fact that the whole thing is crazy didn't stop me from publishing this post.
Anyway here's the story.

Michael Clarke has proposed to Lara Bingle with a diamond ring supposedly worth $100,000- an offer the famous swimsuit model just couldn't refuse. From the outset it looked like a wonderful romantic story.

A famous Australian starlet coveted by all and sundry (to say it the Aussie way) is conquered by one of the hottest Australian cricketer of recent times (believe me- Michael "Pup" Clarke's stocks are sky high at the moment- He is tipped to be the next Captain of Australia; his batting career on an upswing; the man who conjured up three wickets to bring a fantastic ending to a highly controversial yet ultimately series deciding Sydney Test against India- Michael Clarke is hot in Australia at the moment)

However, a little probing into the matter and I find its all back to Tinseltown. "All that glitters is not gold, matey" I hear a voice say.
Lara Bingle aint your beautiful, yet not available kind of girl, and Clarke is not the hard, yet good cricketer either.

Lara Bingle has been involved in hordes of controversies, one of which would shame any suitor even though her body looks hot (which she showed nude for all to see when she was just 18. She sued EMAP Australia for publishing those pictures and gaining undue publicity as they had been taken when she wasn't so "famous", or notorious I would say). She had had an affair with Brendan Felona, an Aussie Rules Footballer who marriage broke up when the affair became public. She was also the Face of Australian Tourism until she was removed from it unceremoniously and replaced by Bindi Irwin. She appeared as a bikini clad vixen in Fingal Bay for the famous "So where the bloody hell are you?" commercial for Australian Tourism and the parody of this Ad for 2006-07 Ashes series ad in another bikini, this time on a cricket pitch.

The future Aussie skipper is no saint either. He was been involved in various controversies that clouded the Sydney test, and not surprisingly all of them showed his immorality. How immoral could you get if you wed a girl who has already bedded another woman's husband, and that too publicly. Crazy I say!

So that way, they do make a pair, albeit a pair you wouldn't look up as a divine union, but an unholy one. However, it is not up to us to decide that- its their decision, and that is all that matters I guess. Period.

Ramayana 3392 Reloaded: Simply Scintillating

2008-03-31T11:02:00.001+05:30

They put it aptly at the end of Ramayan 3392, after Bharat is crowned King of Aryavarta-that this is "The Beginning". Indeed it was just a beginning to the carnage that ensues in the 2nd part. Its just wild madness at a frenetic pace to use some analogies. Ramayan itself has taken a new avatar in this Reloaded series.

Gone are the colorful hues and the old school comic images; they have now been replaced by more realistic images with dark hues that reflect the difficult times the lead characters face. The drawing style also infuses a frenetic pace into the proceedings and although this was a feature of the previous series, due to the presence of more fights (there are atleast 3 in every issue) and chases extreme care has been taken to make full use of it to keep the reader glued to the books.

The story continues from where it ended in the last series, with the prohetic words "The Beginning" and follows the journey of trio- Rama, Seetha and Lakshman from Mithila. They encounter various dangers, make some friends and hordes of enemies on their way to safety (which they know not where to find). They meet namesakes of characters of the original epic Ramayana, however we find that these namesakes like Sabari, Angad, Khara, Dushan etc. are portrayed in a totally different vein.

It promises to provide us with an exiciting, nail-biting thriller for a climax, and I can't wait to read those issues.

The latest part of the series Ramyana Reloaded 5 is just out in the stands. Get your copy soon.

Tokyo Drift Fast and Furious Teriyaki boys soundtrack

2008-03-28T23:01:00.003+05:30

There are a lot of songs in the hip hop genre, but none so fast as this. True to the name of the movie it appears in- its fast and furious. It starts off with a lilting baby piano sound and explodes in a medley of hard drum beats and a shrill female chorus who sing english with an altogether different pronunciation and a heavily loaded asian accent.

It is followed by the rap part, and alternates between the female chorus and the drum beats accompanied by the rap which is in Japanese and English. The song then slows down in the middle for us to catch and very soon picks up its original pace and proceeds to make us play catch up.

The whole song is kind of number listening to which even your grandmother would get onto the stage and dance- its so pacy and energetic. I had the privilege of watching some beautiful girls from my college dancing for this number in a music and skit show. There's no better feeling that watching beautiful girls endowed with some curvaceous figures dance to the tune of this booming number. Don't watch too closely, lest you might end up getting a heart attack.

Anyway- here's the song and the lyrics. Enjoy!

Free Download Tokyo Drift soundtrack The fast and the furious rapdishare megaupload Ziddu
Size: 6.3 MB

http://tinyurl.com/2lg7kt

Free Download Tokyo Drift soundtrack lyrics The fast and the furious rapdishare megaupload Ziddu (lyrics)
http://tinyurl.com/326g8s

Digxa Shopping Services

2008-03-28T08:29:00.000+05:30

I've always wanted to shop with all in depth knowledge about the thing I'm shopping for. However, even though its possible on paper, nobody can ever be sure of a thing's pros and cons unless its a trusted brand.

And even trusted brands may fail sometimes, while new ones spring up. So what we need is some kind of site that keeps updating itself regarding the hot shopping topics searched for. Because customers are always looking to get the latest in every commodity.

Enter Digxa- an online comparison website that helps you compare the prices, features and other such factors of each and every commodity you may require and home in on the product you want.

Its pretty simple, and very useful. Shopping has never been so easy. And the categories are enormous. From computers to cell phones and PDA and other technological advancements to the basic furniture, watches, shoes etc.

So what are you waiting for? Just look up the site and start comparing. Keep yourself updated on changes in the market as well find out the best brand and deal for your product.

Memorable Moments of cricket in SSN VI

2008-03-27T14:03:00.006+05:30

Well folks, I had developed a lot of my skills- fielding, bowling etc. However, I hadn't produced a performance that cried out "I have arrived, fear me!". The day wasn't far from the last memorable moment, I soon found out.

It was a day after I had had a gross injustice committed to me. I had been totally snubbed by Sundar, who was the team captain, while he threw the ball to supposed heavyweights like Santhosh and Ramkumar who were unrestrained in their profligacy. The thing that struck me most was the fact that Santhosh had been given the first oved of the innings, and he went for 12 runs. Yet, he was given the over without even a slight hesitation by Sundar.
If I had given away so many runs in my over, even due to my misfortune, I would have shunned for an entire semester, keeping in mind that single over.

The gross injustice of it all fueled my fire that had been raging for quite a long time. It had already been lit ablaze a long time back when silly idiots used to comment about my bowling. What do these people know about cricket or spin bowling to teach me my job, let alone talk about it?

Anyway, I decided it was time to unleash the fire (maybe instincts slogan was inspired from this moment) in me. The next match I got the opportunity.

I was given an over, with strict warning not to give away runs, with a balanced field. The batsmen at the crease were Vijay and Raghavan- no two heavyweights, yet no pushovers. I went around the wicket for the first few deliveries and found that I had remarkeable spin. Pitching on middle or off I spun the ball way outside off stump that it was immediately termed a wide. I tried my best to control my line or spin, by angling it more towards middle or leg stump, or trying to reduce the spin, all to no avail.

Just then, Vijay had a brainwave. He jokingly told me try bowling around the stumps. It was a casual comment, yet I saw the wisdom in it. The immediately changed to around the stumps, to miraculous effects. From that angle, my balls pitched just on or outside leg stump and spun far away from off stump.

Every ball was speared in at the same spot with the accuracy of a sniper or Glenn Mcgrath (whichever side of the globe you are) and every time the ball spun, bounced and evaded all efforts of Raghavan, Vijay, later Sundar and some others' desperate grasp. It seemed they had no idea of where the ball was heading. I had thought (a few matches before) my heydays as a great legspinner ala Warne had ended, and that I had forgotten the deep leg spin.

Not even in my wildest dreams had I imagined that I would recover my pomp so soon, and at this match. Maybe it was the pitch, or perhaps it was the conditions (sunny day), or perhaps it was just my day; whatever it was I took top honours that day as a bowler.

However, we lost the match- due to Vijay's good fortune, who got more than 3 lives, one of which was a dropped catch of mine ().

Upgrade your arsenal for paintball with jerry's paintball guns

2008-03-27T08:50:00.003+05:30

Paintball is always a fun game. Right from your childhood, even upto old age, its the kind of game that livens up parties. Come to think of it, its so popular that versions of this game exist in India as well, although they call it an indigenous festival of colors called Holi, during which they wear white dresses and spray different colors on each other.

Of course, we all know that paintball isn't as simple as that. While its pure madness in Holi, in paintball, its more calculated. Its like an army game. You've got to have a good arsenal to beat your opponents. The guns need to have certain characteristics like real ones- accuracy and rate of fire. And of course, if it has some accesory for aiming-its a bonus.

So where do you get quality paintball guns and accessories? I found a good online shopping site for that-Jerry's Paintball that specialises in paintball versions of real army guns. Guns like Spyder and Tippman brands don't need any introduction among kids who play US Army Paintball. They are the most coveted ones of their kind. The kids are going to love this. The prices are reasonable, for such sophisticated products, and I would say its worth a visit to check out what they have to offer. I can't say you would be blown over, but you'll surely be impressed.
Enjoy!

Kaushal Sheth: Online Guide to Web hosting

2008-03-26T10:31:00.000+05:30

Well folks, I understand everyone of you out there surfing on the net wants to host a site of their own- some of you may use it for your business, some others for targeting online audience to widen your customer base, and even some would want it to show off your presence online.

But it takes quite a lot of your precious time, and some luck in finding a reliable and afforadble web hosting solution. After all, yo don't want your site to crash at some opportune moment, would you?

So the man you have got to reach out for is- Kaushal Sheth whose web hosting guide is a godsend for travellers on this road where danger lurks at every turn.

He has given you a list of top ten web hosting sites, and sufficient reasons to support his statements. And of course you can also get some more info from his techie friends who leave comments in the site.

He values Host Monster, Host Gator, and of course Yahoo Host as his top 3, just for your info.
Next time you want web hosting, you know where to turn people!

Mac users worry not! There're games for you too!

2008-03-19T10:18:00.003+05:30

Almost every game out there is made for windows, and some for linux. But what about the poor Mac OS? How do Mac users get entertainment? Well, some might say Mac users are usually geeks, who don't need indulge in such time-wasting activities. But whatever you say- there must be some applications for Mac entertainment, just for the sake of it.

Some of the best pasttimes online is playing Poker. After all, we all play Poker with our friends, and so it's not anything new, but playing with real money, at the comfort of your home with no worries as to who has to deal, or calculating the big blind, small blind etc.-now that does amount to something. That's exactly what I found at Mac Poker Online. It has a collection of sites that can support Poker on Mac. The guys have reviewed each site and tell you truthfully as to what to expect there. Sites reviewed include Pacific Poker , Fulltilt Poker etc. The site is also well presented- with links at the right places- all the right links you would look for. The color scheme is pleasing as well- just the kind of colors you wold expect in a casino.
They have some FAQ questions as well-like whether online gambling is legal etc. They also give you detailes about the various Online Casino Bonuses offered in the sites reviewed. These bonuses are extra cash provided, usually when you join, or when you play for some amount of time.
Anyway- they are what they are- bonuses, so don't need to be hard won- they are easily won. You just need to follow the instructions.
So look up the site Mac users- its time you had your share of fun. And there's no better way to pay Poker Online and earn cash, while having fun. Enjoy Folks!

Memorable Moments of Cricket in SSN V

2008-03-19T09:18:00.002+05:30

I had last left the story when I had learned to judge deep catches and had taken 3 successfully. Today I continue from the last line of the previous chapter- fickleness of fortunes in the cricket pitch. I have two other instances of catches that came my way that I must mention here.
Though I didn’t catch either of these two, due to totally different reasons, I learned valuable lessons from both.

The first was when I had just been to the pitch to celebrate a wonderful castling by some bowler I can’t remember, and was jogging back to my place. I reached it at a leisurely pace, and turned and saw to my horror the ball flying towards me, and I knew that it was going to fall short of me. And it sure did. But what happened next was what that made the moment more special. The ball fell short and bounced in front of me. In a moment of extremely fast reflexive actions, I threw my hands in an effort to stop its journey, and sure enough it was successful. The ball was heading to the boundary, if not for that effort, and I had saved two runs. The fact that a lot of wickets had fallen already, and that I had tried my best and saved two runs impressed my friends. They understood that the ball had been bowled with me not being ready. Nobody even mentioned my missing of the catch, but I felt guilty. If I had been at my place at the time of delivery, this would have been another catch in my bag, However, I looked at the brighter side of it- if I had been at the place and fluffed it, and then all my good work in the day would have been forgotten. So it was God’s way of saving me from disgrace. So this wasn’t a miss actually- it was not my catch at all.

The last of the catches was a simple one, by my standards then- surprising how high standards can rise in the space of just one day. I was at sweeper cover now (the offside equivalent of square leg), and the wind was blowing from my right to the left. So when the ball was heading to me from a top edged square cut, I did all my known basics right, but forgot that the wind would have its part to play. I had also forgotten to see the ball until the last moment. I judged with an air of presumption that I had assumed after having caught so well till then, and placed my palms at a position where according to me the ball would land. If not for the wind, the ball was heading nowhere else. However, the wind pushed the ball further leftwards and it just grazed my fingertips, as my palms closed and fell to the ground, to my horror. That was one of the many lives Vijay would get, in a match where fortune helped in their victory- extras, especially from an over by Shankar, were the hero here, and good old lady luck for Vijay, whose top edges either dropped short, fell in no man’s land, or (in this case) were dropped. Puli (Senthil Kumar) could not believe I had dropped this. I told him what had happened, and he immediately reprimanded me for forgetting the basics. If I had my eyes on the ball, my palms would have moved towards it in a reflexive action. I felt like having been slapped.
I felt my pride melting away. Indeed- if you don’t follow the basics with hard concentration, you only stand to lose, however good a catcher you are.
That’s about my experiences with deep catching. Next in the series comes my exploits in close-in fielding. Keep tuning.

Memorable Moments of Cricket in SSN IV

2008-03-18T10:54:00.002+05:30

Well, I’m back with more memories. The funny thing about memories is that you have got to keep remembering them for them so stay put. Else they’ll be replaced by new ones in the fresh category.

Anyway, I had last left story at the point where I had come to a nadir with respect to my fielding. Although my bowling had improved quite well- not quite as well as I would’ve liked, my fielding was fast unbecoming.

So, a few months later, when we began to play cricket (in our last semester in college), I was determined to set the record right. We were now playing in a different place- in the barren lands adjoining the sports block. So I thought- a new place, a new day.

Indeed it was, I was asked to open, and played quite well. However I tried to loft a fast half volley on my legs when I must have just flicked it away with my strong wrists, and holed out to long on. I guess I need more batting practice to start using the full range of my strokes, and make judgments as to choose which stroke for which ball. The fact that I’ve learnt it is a different story- narrated later in this series.

Anyway, after having given a good start to the innings, it was propelled to a good finish by the other batsmen, and we had a good score to defend. I was asked to field at long on this time- quite a new position for me, which is usually kept for bowlers who can easily change after overs during a spell. I was asking God- please give me a chance to prove myself.

And give it He did very soon. Early into the innings, Vijay pulled a short one; got the top edge and the ball flew in my direction. I quickly focused on in it like a hawk focuses on its prey, unwavering from the ball, and my feet started to move all by themselves in the right direction. I moved like in a trance truly and I felt the ball dying, thought it might fall before me so I leaned forward at the last moment and pouched it comfortably, close to my thigh, with both hands.

My joy knew no bounds that I threw the ball high up in delight, while still continuing the run towards the bowler’s end. My first catch in the deep! The fact that I had caught this ball fielding at long on, while my own demise was by holing out to the same place was poetic justice to me.

And there was more to come on the same day.

Later in the innings I had been shifted to long off and another top edge sailed straight to me. This time I was confident. I followed the ball like a missile homes in on its target. I knew I didn’t have to move at all for this. I just steadied my position, bent my knees slightly without moving an inch, and pocketed the gift right down my throat with my palms in the protective posture. It was a catch as cool as it gets- in fact I was calmness personified (true to my name Prashanth), and my technique seemed so perfect that I had even taken care to not prevent my palms from hiding the ball from my eyes even at the last moment. Sadly, the ball was a no-ball. I had seen it the moment the bowler (Shankar) had overstepped, but I didn’t allow thoughts that this was going to be a useless catch to bother me. In fact, I told myself the umpire wouldn’t have noticed the overstepping, but it was going to be a futile prayer. He had crossed the line by a large distance, and it would take a blind man not to see that.

Anyway, I was happy I hadn’t spilled any of the catches so far. If the first made me happy, the second made me delightful.

And there was to be a third as well. This one made me delirious. This time I was back at my stock position; yes you guessed it- square leg. We had just finished a high scoring match which we had won, and we expected to see more fireworks by the end of the day. Right in the first over of the match there were signs. A boundary had been hit, fine off the leg side. Later in the over, Ramkumar (Rockram) pulled a short one, and the ball was heading to me at square leg. This time, I had no issues; nothing at all. I just watched the ball, followed the basics and pocketed another catch- 3 on 3! That catch started a slide, and wickets tumbled. The match was at a stark contrast to the previous one where wickets were at a premium, Prakash and I were amazed at the fickleness of fortunes in the cricket pitch.

To the victor go the spoils

2008-03-17T09:24:00.004+05:30

Well, India have had a tough, and triumphant series down under, and now its time to look at the spoils.

First of all, there are a lot of positives from the series, as well some riches unearthed. The most conspicuous and greatest gain of the tournament has been the emergence of Ishant Sharma as a lethal bowler. India has always been handicapped by the absence of a strike bowler who could deliver consistently. We've had some good bowlers who peaked now and then, however, even those bowlers in their day weren't so much as deadly- bowlers like Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan, Sreesanth, RP Singh, L Balaji, Ajit Agarkar to name a few. But with Ishant at the helm, and Zaheer, Irfan and Sreesanth (Not to forget the newest member of the squad- the modest Praveen Kumar) India have a pace battery that is varied as well potent.

Uthappa has managed to keep his role as a floater- he can get runs quickly at the end of the innings or at the opening as well. His kind of shots find most use in the powerplays, so Indians must learn to use him well- he was used well in the series, and if the Indian think-tank did it consciously then they are going in the right direction.

Gambhir has emerged as the best No.3 in ODIs India had for a long time. His technique is solid, and he's extremely comfortable against the spinners- and plays it as well as Sachin and Dravid. And the fact that he played so well in the T20 shows that he can change the pace of the innings according to the situation.

With Rohit Sharma's cool head and the big hitting capabilities of Yuvraj and Dhoni, India looks a menacing batting unit- just like ever on paper, but this time for real as well. Yuvraj showed great signs of what he can do in the match againt Sri Lanka- where everybody was struggling to pierce the in-field, Yuvraj revelled in getting his runs in boundaries. We saw a repeat of that in the 2nd Final against Australia, which was cut short by Yuvraj's momentary lapse of concentration and getting carried away. He needs to control his feelings of exuberance, and concentrate on getting the runs more than anything else. Like Gavaskar said "Play good cricket India! Not glamourous cricket!" Tendulkar's presence at the top will be a morale booster for the side while terrifying the opposition, which means others can play their natural game, with the feeling that while Sachin's out there, there's nothing to worry.

Dhoni's captaincy has improved manifold that he actually out thought Ponting in various occasions. His masterstrokes in the final are now part of folklore- introducing Chawla for the first time in the series, in both the finals (even when the pitch in the 2nd Finals was said to favour the fast bowlers), as well giving the new ball to Praveen Kumar on both occasions. He has also changed his batting style to the extent that he scores atleast 30-40 runs at a run-a-ball pace almost every match. Earlier he would score big innings, but sporadically. This style is more befitting the role of a captain, but he must not forget his origins- of the batsmen who demolished bowler's reputations. Already some people have started feeling he has lost the shots he became famous for. The fact that he throws away such talk by saying "Stealing singles is more fun that bludgeoning boundaries" is all nice in the press, but he must know that India might need him in that role as well. But for now, he is the "cement" in the middle order for India (commentatorspeak). If India gets going well from the top more often, he may get the license to hit as he comes at 4 or 5 down.

So all in all, India has become a side to look for- already South Africa are keen to defeat India, looking at it as their salvation of sorts, and so they must constantly be thinking and moving ahead. They must guard themselves against burnout- which is very frequent nowadays, and with the bench strength that India has right now, they can afford to rotate players. The Aussie tour has showered injuries upon the side- as the latest medical report revealed, and its time India took burnout as a serious issue.

Hair Grafting and Consultation

2008-03-16T09:34:00.003+05:30

We all love our hair- in fact the truth is the hair is what that gives beauty to our face while we whine about our nose, chin and cheeks. If we ever imagined ourselves as bald we would understand this fact- we would look so otherworldly; we would look like aliens from the star trek series.
So what's got to be done if you hair is falling? First of all, its time you understood the seriousness of the problem and found out where's the problem- whether its genetic, or due to aging, or due to other reasons. Then if the trend is not reversible by medicine, you must go in for hair transplant.
Looking up the Net for a nice hair transplant site (I looked up for myself as preventive measure- I'm not losing hair, touchwood) I came across a certain Dr. Shapiro who gave me an amazing piece of information- even your nutritional supplements can cause hair loss! Now how many of us know that?
He does hair transplants at South Florida, and it costs as low $3 for a graft! I must say he's a reliable man from his site, and from the information he provides, you can be sure he's a man who knows what he's doing. The site provides videos of patients who tell us about him, and various other footage about his job. There's also a wonderful FAQ section that answers all your queries as well allaying inherent fears.
Gotten a problem with your hair? Time to meet Dr.Shapiro mate.

A Fistful of dollars sountrack

2008-03-16T09:21:00.003+05:30

The movie wasn't a sensation, and so wasn't the soundtrack at any rate. Even the movie achieved prominence only after a decade or so, and the soundtrack became famous only because it reminded people of the movie and not because it had anything special. But, it signalled the start of a legacy and because of that this soundtrack is an artifact.
The soundtrack isn't bad either. Its got the usual Ennio Morricone elements (interestingly he was credited as Dan Savio in the film's credits), the whistling and yodeling along with the latin guitar. It's quite an enjoyable tune- the kind of tune that stays in your mind long after you've heard it; the kind of tune you keep humming while on the move.
Its worth it for you to download it and find out how this track sounds, coz I aint gonna describe this.

Free Download A Fistful of Dollars original soundtrack rapidshare megaupload ziddu
Size: 3.9 MB
http://tinyurl.com/37yqku

Get Rich With Vitamins Fellas! Move over soft drinks!

2008-03-15T09:40:00.004+05:30

My mama always said "Son, if you ought to grow big and strong like Hanuman (he is a Hindu deity who is portrayed as the strongest person who is not a God by birth), you need vitamins and proteins."
With the entry of junk food and chips, there's perhaps no way we could eat according to our daily dietary requirements. Life shows no mercy, and soon you end up with some vitamin deficiency disorder, and believe me- such disorders may cause havoc in your life, especially if you're young- under 16 or so. If your body aint well made until atleast 20, you could end chronically sick, affected by petty diseases now and then. Like for example a silly cold could trouble you for days. Or you could end up with disorders that could deform your body shape- if you ever get such a disorder, forget about having a beautiful shape ever- you wont ever get back the perfect homo sapiens form, and it caused by deficiency of Vitamin D.

So how do we get the necessary vitamins? Eating Veggies? But how do I know which veggie has which vitamin, and veggies aren't so tasty are they? So the best way is vitamin supplements.
Looking up the Internet for vitamins supplements I came across this 10-in-one multi vitamin formula that provides all our required vitamins as Liquid Vitamins in just about a few ounces. And a bottle of 323 ounces is just $19.95. The whole site is filled with recommendations from top Doctors and authorities on the subject.
Even if you are an ignoramus on this subject, it wont take you long to understand the benefits. The site is well planned and gives you exactly what want. Help sections are found easily and FAQs are answered comprehensively. It takes a few glances to understand that the site is reliable.
Whether you are an athlete or a person working in a blue collar job you surely need vitamins for daily growth and maintanence of your invaluable body. So I suggest you look up the site soon for more info on keeping up with your diet, or it would be too late.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Soundtrack

2008-03-15T09:14:00.008+05:30

Well, this was supposed to have come a long time earlier- this is one of greatest theme music you would ever see, however, the reason why this comes so late in my blog is because I wanted my 100th post to be a special one.

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly was one of the first Cowboy Western I ever say, and by far its one of the best for sheer stand-out quality. Although the effect would be better if you had watched Sergio Leone's earlier works A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars more, I saw The Good, The Bad and The Ugly is pretty good even otherwise, because in that case you have no expectations. You simply sit back and enjoy the film. As Roger Ebert says- there is no plot, however there are sequences. The gunfight sequence, the nameless man's arrival sequence, introduction of the 3 characters sequence, the War sequence etc. They all add color to the movie.

Anyway, enough of the movie. I'm giving the soundtrack here, so let me tell you something about it. It used three different instruments and the same tune for the 3 characters. The main theme, resembling the howling of a coyote, is a two-note melody that is a frequent motif, and is used for the three main characters, with a different instrument used for each one: flute for Blondie, ocarina for Angel Eyes and human voices for Tuco. Ennio Morricone's fans would know that whistling and yodeling are staple diet in his compositions, and here too they can expect the same.

The Soundtrack actually enhances the effect manifold for the characters, and gives them a legendary feel- Blondie riding into the sunset in the climax, with the super cool music behind him,I've never known a better finish to a film. Just the shot and the background music would make you want to go through all the film makes you to.

The song in itself is reflective of the theme of the movie as well. It starts to peak, and get quite passionate at times, and just when it gets quite heady, it goes back to the light-hearted tone, indicating that after all, this is just for fun. Even the movie is the same- all the killing, fighting, death, sentiments- its a medley, but finally, it all ends light-heartedly leaving you with smile on your face, so that you come out of the movie hall just the way you entered- no tears, nothing to rake your head about.

Here's the song

Free Download Ennio Morricone The Good The Bad and The Ugly Sountrack ( Theme Music ) Clint Eastwood Lee Van Cleef rapidshare megaupload Ziddu

Size: 6.2 MB
http://tinyurl.com/2vrmfm

Online Casino Reviews

2008-03-14T09:12:00.002+05:30

Online casinos are dime a dozen now. Anybody with knowledge of a pragramming language, and a decent connection can set up an online casino with a software created by "themselves". And its pretty easy to transfer the money, with paypal and all.
But, for the user, to pick a casino from the ocean available online is a humoungously difficult task.
Enter onlinecasinolist.com, a site that provides reviews of numerous online casino sites on the web. Ratings are given by users as well as critics are based on a variety of factors like security, certificate, fair play,customer support, deposit options, payout speed etc.
They have a review of the software used in the site as well, sorting the software based on Games selections, special effects, and speed of response.
And they have various categories of classification so you can easily pick the casino you want in a trice. Like for example they have the page to sort casinos by the bonuses they provide. And here's a review of the best online casino according to them.
Its a brilliant idea to sort casinos like this to prevent wayward travellers from getting lost. So whenever you want to gamble online, don't forget to pay a visit to this site. It'll be worth your time to look up the best casino, because they say "When you want to play, play with the best".

Greatest Love Songs: Dole Dole (Telugu)

2008-03-14T08:39:00.002+05:30

Not many songs deserve a review from me, and only a few deserve a detailed explanation. But this song is so good, that it deserves a blow by blow account from me. So here it is, enjoy reading about it after listening to the song.
Dole Dole from the Telugu movie "Pokiri" sung by Ranjith and Suchitra

The "Nam Dam Thara Thiri Thada" repeated about 4 times (the echo effect) with which it starts give you the feel of being transported to a new world, to a dream perhaps. Then the vocals start off in the best way they could have- the beats gradually pickin' up speed and reaching a stable state- the state in which most part of the song stays.

From thereon it sounds as if an apsara from Heaven is singing (and the song is full of her overtures). Suchitra's voice (enhanced with more echo and other such fine tuning) combined with the lyrics- seem to be feeding you wine- no something even more intoxicating than that- heavenly nectar!

"Some voices are a whine,
And some sing like a swine,
But the sweetest purest voice is wine"
-Prashanth Krishnan

She stands as living proof of the above poem.

You're taken to dizzy heights when she starts off Zara Jaldi Jaldi and the Vadi Antharanga line complements her voice like the cross to the t.

If her "Omaha Zeeya" made Uyirin Uyire the flier it was, this line makes this song the Melody it is.

The Chalega Chalega cameo (Ranjith is the male lead) is that part of the song that keeps appearing occasionally (and at the right places) to allow you to loosen up your legs after reaching excited states with the preceding lines (Courtesy: Suchitra)- it throws (or rather, brings) you back into reality.
It is instances like these that add color (not that it lacks variety) to the song, else it would seem like an Angel playing her Harp- sweet and enchating, yet sounding the same, some "insane" (forgive me, couldn't find another word!!) people might say.

Then of course it has some beautiful interludes with the violin and guitar (the whole song uses all kinds of instruments to fantastic effect) - readying the launch pad like Dhoni with a good bat-lift (before that huge loft).

Then of course- the usual train like drum beats that was also heard in Suttum Vizhi Sudare, overlapped by a chorus rendering guaranteed to switch off all interaction with surroundings and pull you inside- perhaps you might indulge in nostalgia, or maybe you might be enjoying a trip in the beach with your sweetheart, or might just enjoy the blissful state.
The Veena and Tabla in this place are worthy additions.
The baton is handed over to Main Vocals with a high pitched bouncer (the last words of the chorus- "Hooo").
Then the Siren Suchitra continues her overtures in the 1st verse- nothing need to be specially mentioned here- the rendering speaks for itself, with Sumanth's words "Gnaaaa" adding a feel of pure Carnatic (trust me, pure Carnatic has no place here, but it seems so it does)

The lyrics need special mention here- very rhyming and not at one moment losing the momentum, in fact gaining as Suchi glides on.

The "So you wanna shake it up now" in the end (afore the fast Veena bit) reminds you that this is just another song- not a Deva Gaana.

It seems to take off for a moment, and then it reaches a sort of constancy- and softness- back to nostalgia, the chorus doubly pleasing now, combined with Zwishchenzungs from the men chorus and the oddities in the beats. This is the best part of the song some might say-a finesse guaranteed to please all and sundry.
This is the part solely reserved by the drums- like the Veena and Tabla in the last chorus.
And it starts off with a drum beat that sounds like a following a ball in a squash court- reverberating off each wall.
The "lla lei" is so wonderfully complemented by the "Krr" sounds of the beat.

The whole bit allows you to sip the music, taking your time, allowing you to get used to the impact, and delaying (or should I say extending) the pleasure for some more time.

The 2nd verse is just about the same as the 1st (I understood as little of it as the whole song, but the lyrics again impress- rhyming and keeping tempo. Perhaps I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much had I understood what the words meant)- but the words "Sun Mere Deewana" sound quite different to "Dil Bar Dekhona". Both extremely sensuous and inviting, and leave a great impact.
By now you know the song is nearing its end- so you enjoy the last words more- the Dalari Dayake Yagasi Yagake doesn't disappoint you there.

The grand finale is the unexpected early arrival Zara Jaldi Jaldi- the signature lines of the Siren, overlapping (or rather overstepping) the "So you wanna…" and gives you one final peg of the best Beluga to our ears- it really feels as if Christmas came earlier.
You digest each word with the concentration of a micro-biologist, by now well used to the lyrics, and knowing that these are her last lines (of the song that is!).

The song ends in quick fashion- like a Dhoni cameo ending an Indian run-fest, with the bit "So you wanna…" which never seemed to stick anywhere, allowed to finish the number.

Here's the song(will be put soon today)

Golfers of the world unite- in the net!

2008-03-14T07:50:00.001+05:30

My dad holds the game of Golf in high regard. Whenever I wanted to play some (silly atrium) game with my friends, he would stop me and make me study. When I asked him how'll I get my enjoyment, my recreation- he'd say "Study well, and you can always get to play golf with the richest of the world".
Hmmm, I marked that up in my mind. So those who play golf have a status symbol. Indeed, the game of golf, unlike many others, was once exclusively for the recreation of the rich. And you had to be someone important to them, if you were invited for a game of golf. So fraternising with them was tough.
But not anymore, golfers can now socialise on the net. But do they not need something that binds them all in one place, apart from the playing ground?
Enter stracka.com A Social Network for Golfers where golfers can meet players with similar aspirations, track one's handicap and put up statistics for other players to see, and perhaps gape about, and of course, do general stuff available in social site like blogging, posting in forums, photoshare etc.
And some added features are the ability to check out various golfing courses of the world without actually going there.
The whole site is extremely pleasing to look, and browsing is easy. And they have some cool programs that help you review your game like the Stracka line that helps us to read our putts.
There's lot about golf in here, and while discussing your game with other players, you're sure to develop it fast than by just watching it on TV, or reading guidebooks. This is an opportunity not to be missed if you're a budding golfer.
And whats more, its all for free! Now thats some deal aint it? I know what I'm gonna do- I'm gonna register, because its free, and I would get to meet some high class people, and maybe, maybe get to learn some golf :)

Went all in and lost? No Problem! Try Again!

2008-03-13T06:17:00.003+05:30

Some of the harsh realities of life is that there is rarely a second chance. So if you took a risk and lost, there's very little chance you can get back on your feet. That's why people want stable decently paying jobs than the high risk jobs that can earn a lot of money in short time.

Anyway, all of us want credit, and lots of it. And if you had lost your job recently, or had to sell your home because you had to move, then your credit is no more, and you had bought a lot of things- including your car in which you move by that credit.

So what do you do to get yourself back on track, to regain the credit. A direct way you can think of is- get a new job. However, if you could have done that you might as well as have saved your first one. No- you've got to think different.
Someone has to trust you to give you money even if your credit is bad- which it is right now. Enter badcreditoffers that offer to your credit cards bad credit. The whole site is wonderful- it provides all the top 10 credit offers that get you bad credit, and compares them. It also gives you a list of opportunities for loans- all kinds-personal, auto, home etc.
Its a totally professional site from the looks of it and it is definetely worth a visit if you're desperate for credit.
So next time you want some urgent credit- there's nowhere else to go but here!

Australia goes all in... and loses!

2008-03-12T12:12:00.004+05:30

The end of a long summer and India have never been fresher than ever. Instead of turning up in the airports as injured wrecks (both mentally and physically), they breeze into it like Gazelles ready for a race. Indeed the much touted tough land of Australia had been left whining while the Indians can chuckle.

From the most inauspicious of beginnings- a drubbing in the 1st test at Melbourne, and a heart-wrenching loss at Sydney that was scarred with controversies, they came back 180 degrees at Perth and made the Aussies tentative and hesitant to make moves in the 4th test and rounded off a great series. If not for the umpiring errors in the dreaded 2nd test, India could well have got a 1-1 or even a 2-1 result in their favor.

The Indians were considered tough opponents in tests- what with three consecutive series victories accompanied by Sachin, Sourav and Laxman stiking form, the emergence of Zaheer and RP Singh to form a strong pace attack, along with the evergreen Kumble's spin they always had a good chance to put up a fight.

But everyone knew that come the ODI series, and the Indians were in for a beating. After all, the Aussies had won the World Cup for the 3rd time in a row in the most facile manner just a few months before. And the fact that the T20 World Champions were crushed like peanuts by a Bulldozer at the one off T20 match at Melbourne didn't augur too well for India.

However, the fact that they came back strongly to finally pip Australia, actually beat them comprehensively in the Finals to win the gruelling CB Series was a fairy-tale turnaround.

India had a lot of positives to take from the tour- both from the tests and ODIs but sadly the Aussies were left with nothing but broken pride. In fact, they are now far from vulnerable- they are only as good as the next team (and by that I don't mean England or West Indies).

Lets look at what treasures the teams unearthed after this tour:

Australia: I'll start with Australia first as they have so little to show. Jacques flaws were exposed- he is a good batsman perhaps, but nowhere near Langer. His dream start of consecutive hundreds was cut short by a sobering slap into reality by the Indian bowling attack. Australia understood that replacing someone was going to be a tough job indeed. In fact, Jacques has so many batting errors that he might not actually fit the bill for an opener. He plays the horizontal bat shots well- the cut and the pull. But his sense of driving is not sound, and he definetely doesn't have the cool head of Langer.

With the loss of Gilchrist Australia find themselves having to rush Haddin into the Tests and ODIs which would be quite taxing on him. He wasn't particularly good in the series against India a few months back, and didnt get to play in the CB series. So he is an untested product.
With the loss of Hogg to retirement, and Mcgill to injury Australia find that hole left by Warne is biggest they would need to fill. Its so huge and gaping that you could send an elephant through it. And with indefinite suspension of Tait, Australia's bench strength doesn't look so strong as it seemed in the Sri Lankan tour.
Only Hopes seems a good prospect for the future, along with Johnson who is consistent. Lee is lethal, and perhaps the best bowler right now, but I wouldn't say he could be as deadly as Mcgrath. As for Bracken I cant think of him excelling in tests. His pace variation and cutters and smart bowling can only get him so far.

So suddenly, after all the raving about how the Australian domestic system produces the best players, and that Australian supremacy will last forever unless other nations adopt this domestic structure, we find that their bench strength is most thin!
So much for crying out loud! The heavier (in the head) they are, the harder they fall!

Part 2 follows- India unearthes riches.

Greatest Love Songs Siente Mi Amor: Salma's singing is sexy as well!

2008-03-12T04:43:00.001+05:30

Well, it is a fact so indisputable that it could very well be an axiom- anything with a Salma Hayek motif can be termed sexy! Anything! Even the way her phone rings perhaps!
Wow this woman has so many talents, and every one of it oozes feminine sexuality! Amazing! Makes me wonder if an exotic Latina (or Mexican like her) would make the perfect girlfriend.

Introduced in "Desperado" as the sultry Carolina, she reprises her role in the sequel "Once upon a time in Mexico", and sings a passionate love solo to boot an exceptional performance of a perhaps imaginary woman (honestly I don't think you'd find women like the one she prtrays in the film- so incredibly lovable, yet so easy to get, even dumb, and so loyal once she's in love. Perhaps if you were to be the (again imaginary) El Mariarchi Antonio Banderas, you stand a chance!)

Anyway, the song is as good as her performance, in the sense that it delivers what you ask from it- a song exemplifying passionate love Latino style with matching lyrics. For a Latin number(or Spanish number, however you would like to call it) it has the usual suspects- the guitar, soem native drums and pleasing modulations. The interesting addition is the electric guitar, which makes it more suited for the 21st century audience.

The lyrics (Siente Mi Amor means Feel My Love) is as passionate as any love song can get- its about how the married woman finds solace in the love of her life- her husband, and the memories of them being together.

Its a lovely song, and her voice is as sensous as a drinking honey would be tasty.

Here's the song, enjoy!

Free Download Salma Hayek Siente Mi Amor ( amour ) Once upon a time in mexico composed by Robert Rodriguez (director of the movie)
Size: 10.1 MB
http://tinyurl.com/3x6mae

Farreys Home Appliances: Great variety with quality

2008-03-12T03:13:00.001+05:30

Having had a lot of problems getting all the bits and pieces fixtures for our new home, my dad and I were exhausted. And we noticed we could have done it simply through the net when I came upon this site- Farreys.

One look at the site and you would immediately sense that these guys mean business. The site is professional in all respects, and that itself makes a big impression. First impression is the best impression! :-)

Well, they have almost every home fixture or appliance needed- from ceiling fans, lighting fixtures, bathroom fixtures, fine art lamps, forecast lighting etc. You're just astounded by the vastness of it all that you won't know where to start. So they have a helpful search tool that homes in on the right solution for your application.

And if you still have problems they provide the helpline right on top of the site in big font. The fact that they are straightforward and mean business is once again elucidated in their display of all policies- What happens if I want to make a cancellation? What about shipping costs? Would there be any pricing errors?
Although it is not like a general FAQ section, it is very informative (businessmen, unlike us normal people, don't have all the time in the world to read FAQs. Their worries are about the policies and terms which they read carefully)

The whole site is easy to navigate- with tabs for all categories, and once you are ready to buy, they have the customary shopping cart to help you through with your purchases.
Of course, they have this 30-day return policy as well, and I guess you would want to ask them what that is all about.

Anyway, Farreys is a trusted brand that has been around from 1924, and I would recommend that you turn to them whenever you need fixtures for your home.

National Relocation: All in one

2008-03-12T01:38:00.000+05:30

Trying to sell our land to buy a home was perhaps one of the toughest things my dad and I ever did. We didn't want to use agents, and thought with the internet we could easily finish off a good deal. We didn't want it to be steal, but wanted atleast a good deal.
It was tough going- all the real estate sites aren't as friendly as they say it is. Then when we found National Relocation, and were immediately impressed.
The whole professional look of the site was a sight to sore eyes. The color scheme was pleasing, in fact, soothing to say the least. They offer a variety of services and it is put up nicely on the home page. They have everything regarding homes and real estate. From home rentals to movers, from mortgaging help to title insurance they have everything listed for you.

Want to look up Michigan foreclosure listings? They have it right here!
Or are you looking for Detroit real estate? You've got nowhere else to go!
And you want information on East Lansing real estate as well? Stay right here!

It's like "Ask! And thou shall be provided" in this site. Easy search options, along with information on nearby schools and neighborhoods in general, they even have a mortgage calculator so that you don't need to brush up your math to find out how much you'll get.

Real estate transactions were never so easy, and like my dad found out- they could actually be a lot of fun, and get you good earnings as well. Maybe after looking at this site, you might even think of getting into the real estate business yourself and getting yourself listed on this site. I would strongly recommend the site for its user friendly environment as well.
The site is an all-in-one magic box!

Jodhaa Akbar: An Emperor learns to love, and then to rule!

2008-03-12T00:14:00.007+05:30

The movie goes at quite a nice pace in the first half. I found myself waiting for what is gonna happen next scene. Each and every character adds color to the film, which already quite colorful, considering the fact that it is the splendor of the Mughal and Rajput Empire being protrayed. Each and every scene is so natural that you would believe you were actually in those times. The shades are not too gawdy, nor too simple. They're just perfect. For sheer eye candy, I wouldn't go far than this movie. Hrithick and Aishwarya as King and Queen of Hindustan is a sight to behold.

I coudln't single out any character as having a special role, apart from the lead pair themselves, who are two pillars of strength, and stamp their dominance on the movie like the Twin Towers do to the Kuala Lampur landscape. Hrithick Roshan as Emperor Akbar the Great is astounding that you start believing that even the real Akbar would have approved from the heavens. He is near perfect sounding like a King whenever he has to (that's something new I've seen in him- his commanding voice is an asset), looks, walks and loves like one. Aishwarya Rai as Jodha is very good, but once or twice, she is too artificial. Otherwise she is perfect as well.

And since when is Hindi cinema gonna learn the art of subtlety? Why is it that for every song sequence someone has to be portrayed as singing the lines? Why cant the lines ever reverbrate in the air for once? I had loved listening to the Azeem O Shan Shahenshah, and was eager to see how it had been picturised, and the first sight that greeted me turned me off.I had expected the song to be singing in the background while Akbar rode majestically on his horse flanked by his army.
Sadly, I had forgotten this was Bollywood.

After all how good is a bollywood film if it didn't have some people singing sentimentally of the hero as their saviour et al. This is exactly what that differentiates a Hollywood movie from Bollywood (Kollywood is an entirely different issue- it is a class in itself, and lets refrain from talking about it here). It is very well understood that the reforms brought about by Akbar are well received by the people. There was no need for a group of people singing in praise of him- in the most sentimental manner (typical of Bollywood), with a beaming Hrithick Roshan sitting in the centre of a dias. For once such a scene could be warranted here, but after having seen countless such sequences in other Bollywood films in the most irrelevant of times, this one is also taken in the same vein.

The story is thin- after all, there's little evidence of an epic love story betwixt Akbar and Jodha (yet they justify the movie by saying history forgot their love, and that they created history in silence. Somehow, you are bound to believe it, after the way Akbar was shown in Mughal-e-Azam as a King who pays more importance to royal matters, than matters of love. Of course- why should the Emperor leave traces about his private affairs?), so the writers had to concoct a lot of scenes to make it screen-worthy. However, they are going far when they seem to say that Jodha was the reason Akbar began to show more concern towards his subjects, something like a fatherly concern than a King's. Ridiculous!

While the idea looks fine for a fictional movie, it is an insult to Akbar's greatness by saying Jodha was the prime reason behind it. Although it is true that Akbar was the first King to rule by love, and not by force- like his illustrious grandfather Babar (Humayun was always too ill to actually rule), it is blasphemous to say that Jodha changed his mindset. Why the movie makers could as well as have said "You people can start calling Jodhabai as Jodha the great and start idolising her instead of Akbar". I know writers have some liberty, but this is pushing it.

The fact that she was one of Akbar's chief queens, and that Akbar's heir Jehangir (The Salim of the Salim-Anarkali romance) was her progeny shows that he loved her deeply, or had utmost respect for Rajputs, and their power, and hence wanted to appease them at all costs. But that is no reason to say that Akbar would listen to every whim and fancy of hers, or that she was the mastermind behind Akbar. Akbar was surrounded by great contemporaries- the likes of Birbal, Man Singh, Todar Mal, Tansen etc. and from constant association with such intelligentsia Akbar became cognisant with the intricacies of ruling a land as diverse as the mighty India. He himself thought of such great ideas like a unified religion Din-e-lahi which was far ahead of its time.

Also, the movie seems to say that Akbar's most important contribution was to remove the tax levied to Hindus as virtue of their religion, and that he was called Akbar the Great after that. Such indifference to matters of history do not go unnoticed, and it's a heinous lie if the producers ever mention that a lot of research had gone into the making. Bah Humbug!The movie is cluttered with so many research flaws. I've never heard of a woman of royal lineage making a public appearence anywhere, let alone in a battlefield. And of course, even if they did ever come to public meetings they always had to wear the purdah to cover their face.

The climactic duel between Akbar and Shareefuddin is so cinematic that children who watch the movie would think Akbar was another fairy tale character like Krish. Its so quintessentially bollywood- with Jodha and Banu (Akbar's sister and Shareefuddin's wife) watching their husbands joust, that it stinks of unrealism (royal women in the battlefield??). Oh for crying out loud! The whole second half rings out loud in the ears with such serious flaws. I've never heard of an assassination attempt at Akbar's life. But I may not know (being an avid reader of history), and the producers may know better :)

The songs bear the mark of a master artist- AR Rahman. Each one is worth a separate post. Azeem O Shan is the inspiring kind of number with powerful drum beats that are part of the welcome party for kings. Its quite versatile too, and never sags. It takes my No.1 slot because its been quite some time since such a power ballad came to the Hindi film industry that has been strewn with love songs. Khwaja is an exotic number, a typical ghazal rendition by AR Rahman himself. The rest of the songs are good as well, and all are melodies.

Verdict: Should be watched once, could be watched more if you like flicks on royal matters, maybe watched many times if you like Hrithick or Aishwarya.

Chinese Food in California: Simply Scintillating

2008-03-11T10:37:00.002+05:30

Chinese food has always attracted curiosity in everybody. Right from their noodles with chopsticks to the snakes and spiders and insects, it is very exotic and amusing for some.
It actually makes one yearn for it- how tasty will be snake, or how will it be to eat food with just two sticks.

So for all you lovers of Chinese Cuisine, I've got great news. You don't have to go all the way to the Orient to get authentic Chinese food. You've got a restaurant right in your neighborhood where you can hang out with friends and enjoy the exotic hospitality of China right by your doorstep.

Moving over California country you're bound to find the Lakeview Gardens, China Garden at Westlake Village. I don't have any expectations for a Chinese restaurant, just because I believe they surprise and impress you with their hospitality, and good food- here it is orange chicken and shrimp for instance, which are simply delicious.

I would actually dare to say you wont just eat once this Chinese Food in Westlake Village and you would recommend it to your friends and relatives. Who knows it might end up being your favorite hang-out, and maybe you might even get a Chinese girlfriend. :-)

But all that's just speculation. The only truth is- they have good food here, and perhaps thats all you care about. Get your knives and forks ready, (or should I say chopsticks) and enjoy this Chinese extravaganza.

Greatest Love Songs: I want to know what love is

2008-03-10T00:04:00.001+05:30

This is one of the many love songs from the band Foreigner, and I believe it is the quintessential power ballad. It rouses your spirits- makes you feel various emotions, most importantly love.

For a power ballad, though, it has very little of instrumental music, just some soft background score, with an interlude here and there.

The lyrics are sung very clearly and concisely, and the song moves at a nice and slow pace- I can already feel my sweetheart in my arms, embracing her in a kiss of pure love, even as I listen to it.

The song's theme is about the heartache of a lover who has faced a lot of failures in matters of love and the like. He sings "In my life... There's been heartache and pain" and that he doesn't know if he can ever face such pain again. But he believes he can't stop now- he has come so far that there's no going back. Finally, he asks the million dollar question- he wants to know what real love is, and he asks the girl to whom he's proposing to show that love.

It is quite emotional, and if you're a lover you can surely feel what the guy feels- some kind of desperation, he just can't live if this girl refuses. Anyway- just listen to the song as any other and you'll enjoy it like a melody. Delve deep into the lyrics, and voila, you have a powerful love song.

Well, here's the song
Foreigner I want to know what love is rapidshare megaupload
Size:4.9 MB

http://tinyurl.com/yt9s3v

Note: Tinyurl is just a masked version of Rapidshare links. It’s perfectly safe. It will redirect you to the rapidshare link in a moment.

Online Bingo Gaming

2008-03-07T22:03:00.003+05:30

Online Bingo has become a phenomenon in the Net, which is due to the fact that the game is simple, involves no great skill and everyone has an equal chance of winning. But with the advent of hordes of sites for this game you're in a quandary-which site is best? Now first of all I must tell you that the site that offers the most winnings per strike is just not the best. Because there's more to online winning than getting the money into your hands.

First, the reliability of the site must be verified- you're going to give your paypal account, and or some other vital details to the site, and it must goto the wrong hands.
Secondly, the ingame Bingo experience ought to be good- how many people play the game with you and how regularly, and the sort of community feeling you get with fellow players-all that counts.
And of course- some intelligent sites offer smart features like auto-dab which autmatically crosses the numbers as they are being called, so that the user doesn't need to keep his/her eyes on the board all the time, or pay the penalty of having missed some number when they took a moment off to attend nature's call.
Anyway, looking at the above said requirements, I found this site partybingo.com a worthy place to pass your time, and look for earning solid cash as well.

The whole site has a refreshing feel to it. The pink background scheme looks pleasing as well as flashy- whichever way you like them. You don't need to install any software to play, but you need to create an account though.You can pay via a variety of options like VISA, Mastercard, Diners Club etc.
It is backed as original by authoritative sites in the US, and you can safely say that it is reliable. Of course, there's always the customary bonus of 100% of what you signed up for.
Bingo games are best accompanied by the other usual suspects like backgammon, Poker etc. and this site offers those as well.
So with so many reasons to go for this site, its time you took the decision, and spent your money usefully-look to earn more here.
Enjoy!

Sane voices in a mental asylum

2008-03-03T14:25:00.007+05:30

There's been a lot of bad blood between the two teams this season, unlike any other I've seen.
There have been instances of opposing teams not being the best of pals- recent examples being England-Australia, South Africa-Australia, Sri Lanka-Australia etc (noticed a trend didn't you?).

However, there has never been animosity between Australia and India- only respect, or even awe to great performers on either side. Harbhajan was not the obnoxious weed when Hayden toured in 2001, or 2005 (except perhaps when he kept picking his wicket!), and Symonds wasn't even in the fray to be provoked- he hadn't even established himself. (He's a weed who has taken root pretty recently). So there had been no problems for the Aussies with the Indians (of course, they are not absolutely in peace with anyone, but well...). And if at all there had been any, the media knew nothing about it, until this summer.

It has been one of the most controversial of the last decade. Something new springs up at every step. At the drop of the hat you have the media ready to gobble anything new to grossly magnify, prevaricate and "sell" to their eager ardent readers (of gossip).

At this juncture, Hayden's comment was entirely unwarranted. He knew the delicate state between the teams, and was it absolutely necessary to give a comment from the heart? It would have been better, and fitting in fact, had he hit Harbhajan for a few sixes and give vent to his feelings in the pitch.

Whether they do it unwittingly or as part of a strategy to incite and provoke the Indians, we may never know. The problem lies in the fact that the Australians are weeds who are unwilling to change. And the new Indian team, filled with hot blooded youngsters finds it hard to bite their teeth and tolerate such cocky behavior, like their illustrious peers, who kept the action on the field, and within cricketing limits. After all, the Aussies are the ones being beaten! So why should they be the arrogant brats! The whole idea of the Indians is ironical. They must just let the losers whine while the winners shine. Even the level headed Dhoni speaks about teaching the "art of sledging" to Indian youngsters, so that they may give the Aussies a taste of their own medicine.

They mustn't forget one thing-there can be good friendship between the members of these two teams, if they make an effort. Neither a (humbug of a) public apology (Not that anyone is willing to do that), nor will handshaking and hugging in front of the media would help amend relations.
Only shifting the attention wholly to cricket is the need of the hour.

Just look at the way the two great warhorses of either side- Lee and Sachin conduct themselves, and you have a ready made solution for this problem.
Lee had just sent in a life-threating beamer, of course unintended, and immediately apologized, Tendulkar started walking towards the leg side to regain his concentration (he was on 98 at that time); Lee walked further upto him and offered his hand and Tendulkar duly obliged by putting his arms into Lee's. Both were in smiles.

The apology was so truly genuine, and Sachin happy, even bemused at Lee's gesture. In fact, he wouldn't have called Lee "a bully" hadn't he persisted with the apology. Because both of them knew each other. It was a glorious moment. I must say each and every guilty party who watched that- the likes of Sreesanth, Harbhajan, Symonds, Hayden, etc. must have been shamed by the kind of friendship, kind of mutual respect these two have, the kind of friendship they could have only in the dreams of fans like us.

Not only that incident, these two have been far away from all this filth right from the start. In fact, Lee and Sachin are two names to come out of this untarnished, and that's a miracle, considering the way they have performed in this tour.
Both have excelled everybody in their respective departments, played hard competitive cricket, and duly respected the achievements of the opponents.

Whenever Lee sent a bouncer or a good ball that unsettled Tendulkar, he would nod his head acknowledging the good effort. And we all know Lee's felicitation of Sachin after the magnificient hundred in the Test at the same venue- Sydney, by patting Sachin on his helmet.
Why don't the players look at Sachin and Lee and learn from them, or why doesn't the media talk extensively about how such a friendship (the way it clinically dissects every controversial incident to the minutest detail) can stand unfettered by the fire that rages around them?

Fans like me who love Hayden's batting and Symonds all round skills, Bhajji's tweakers, and Sreesanth's fiery bowling can only dream of the day when Sreesanth would put his hands between Symond's.

Such a moment may not arrive at all, but if ever Bhajji and Hayden wanted to know what it is to play good cricket and chill off with your opponents after the game, they needn't look far- Lee and Sachin are having a drink (non-alcoholic perhaps, how would I know?) right beside their brawl.

Memorable Moments of cricket in SSN III

2008-02-28T11:16:00.004+05:30

Well, its been quite some time since I last updated this series that one starts to think I make up all these memories and that I haven't had any new ideas as of late. I must say to all these non-believers that these are authentic experiences I have been part of in my colorful life.

Anyway, back to my memories.I have always been a sharp fielder especially in the close in position which I developed in my childhood by playing my cricket in confined spaces. There you needed extremely to be extremely watchful to stop the lusty blows from batsmen standing not more than ten metres from you. You had to look, move and grab all at the span of milliseconds. There was no question of deflecting the ball- you either stopped it completely or not at all, as the ball would still reach the boundary even if you got a hand to it.

And direct hits were a must if you wanted to remove wickets regularly. Come to think of it- what with small grounds (you couldn't call my backyard a ground in the actual sense) capable batsmen with powerful hitting, under-arm bowling, no wicket-keeper dismissal (the wall was the stump) and no lbw rule, the only ways to remove a batsman was to bowl him with a fast ball, a very wily one, a catch- all of which were highly unlikely, or a run out. With short boundaries, runs were fetched in the stand-and-deliver manner more often. And with the pitches being short too, you would say there's little chance of a run-out. However you would find it surprising that quite q few important dismissals were run-outs. A sharp fielder who grabs the ball and returns in the nick of time can effect more dismissals than any wily bowler.

Anyway, I learned the art of direct hits there- I don't miss many even now. However the skills I
couldn't learn fielding in the heat of that arena were- naturally those learned in large expansive
spaces- long distance catches and throws. My fielding in the deep was underdeveloped to say the
least.
I was never a good judge of catches and my limitations were blatantly exposed in one fateful match.

I was standing in deep square leg- my usual fielding position then. The batsman pulled a short ball and the ball sped in my direction, in a beautiful parabolic trajectory and I rushed forward in an attempt to prove myself, only to find, in horror, the ball sailing way over my head. It was a misjudgment like no other! The ball would have been right down my throat if I had only stood my ground in the first place.
The guys shrugged it off as a one-off incident. Little did they, or I knew that more was in the
pipeline! The next ball was similarly short and consequently the shot and trajectory no different.

However, this time I was ready- or so I thought. I stood there rooted to my spot expecting the ball like a girl waiting for her estranged lover, but the ball swerved from its purported path, and fell down out of exhaustion not more than half way before its destination! I realized too late that the ball didn't have enough in it to reach me.
I was repeatedly reprimanded by my team-mates for not reading the ball through the air, and was moved to square cover with a strict warning. I was happy now that I was in my favorite position and felt I had seen the last of my misfortunes for the day.

Sadly, it was not to be! In my position you need to look for catches on both sides by stretching your arms far and wide. Its the exact position Yuvraj used to be and where Rohit Sharma is now.
The next ball (of course, it was not the next ball chronologically- its just the next ball of
importance in my story. Perhaps I must add the prefix "later". In fact, it was the last over of the
innings) was short and wide (again!) and it was duly slashed with a horizontal bat. The intention
was to execute a fiery square cut, however the batsman looked with horror as the ball ballooned,
rather launched itself in the vertical direction, stayed afloat for an eternity, and after a vain
attempt to reach the heavens, it began to descend towards me after its lengthy sojourn.

The fact that I was the only one who could go for the catch made me feel naked, however I reassured myself saying this was my chance for redemption, and such chances don't come easier. I didn't move this time- keeping my eyes on the ball all the time, and rightly so- as the ball didn't move from its laser-straight path. It was bound to end up in my hands. It was as certain as the Sun would set soon that day, and everyday. The ball came down, I clutched it, and... botched the catch!

The ball slipped out of my hands as if it had a mind of its own. I had dropped the mother of all simple catches! I couldn't believe what had just happened. How many ever times I try to look at it I don't know what went wrong. Everything had been perfect- my technique had been flawless.

It was the last incident to cap an already rotten day. I had to end the day apologizing to all and sundry. The catch itself had no bearing in the match- they just took one run and it was the last over of the match. However, I couldn't bear the ignominy of such a deed.

I had determined myself to improve on this very important area of my cricket. How I did and came out with flying colors is what the next episode is about!

A View to a Kill: Electrifying extravaganza

2008-02-28T09:57:00.004+05:30

Bond songs have fascinated music lovers from time immemorial. After all, the whole business of establishing an uber-cool franchise and maintaining the hype rests on an electrifying intro number, (besides a lot of things like story screenplay casting etc.) :)

However they have never made a deep impression with the critics, who usually slammed it as as childish or teenage stuff, akin to how Britney's creations was always derided as Bubblegum pop. Although it was true in her case, I wouldn't agree with their view on the former.
Anyway, even good creations like Diamonds are forever, You only live twice, All time high (from Octopussy) never got their due. Perhaps the first song to capture critical attention , even acclaim was "A view to a kill" from the movie of the same name. And no wonder- it was a powerful intro song with a medley of notes from the drums and the electric guitar. Followed by an exciting chase in the snow laden peaks, it was the near-perfect launch for any Bond movie, bettered later only by Golden Eye (so perfect that it was artificial).

The song itself was of a more versatile variety with deep lyrics, electrifying notes that sent surges of energy through your body, and Duran Duran's voice added to the effect. It was the kind of song that wouldn't send you running head over heels to the dancefloor- it aws more of a You-Can-Do-It-Buddy invigorating number.

Till now it remains the only James Bond theme song to have reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it fared excellently in the US Top Ten and other charts as well.

Its a must-be in your collection; a song you would enjoy listening to on a hard day when you're depressed; its the tonic for your soul- the kind Shakespeare talked about when he said "Music is the food of the soul".
Here's the link, enjoy!
Free James Bond A View To A Kill Duran Duran Rapidshare Megupload Ziddu
Size:4.07 MB
http://tinyurl.com/2a74zu

BT Home IT Support

2008-02-15T10:30:00.001+05:30

We all face loads of problems with indispensable appliances that we use daily, yet don't know how they work.
So whenever something goes awry, we are grounded. The manual is no help- it only explains the basic functions, and online forums for help take such a long time that you would grow waiting for a reply.
Enter BT Home IT Support. BT is a company that has extensive experience in various IT related fields, and it now offers home IT support for its customers.
The services offered are two-fold. Over the phone support and direct face-to-face support.

The site is well structured and neatly packaged. The services offered are clearly mentioned, and sample problems that they have resolved are also provided (so that you can compare them with your own problems and decide if its worthwhile to use this service).
I found that the problems displayed are those you encounter everyday- printer's not working; Computer crashed; Attack of the Popups etc.

Also- demos of the team working at customers' homes are also provided.
All services offered are only for BT customers, that is you must have a BT line to avail of it.

If you are a heavy user of electronic appliances, and face a lot of problems everyday, this is one service you don't want to deny!

Ghost-like white Stag? Bah Humbug!

2008-02-13T22:08:00.004+05:30

Recently a ghost like white stag was allegedly found and photographed in the hills of Scotland. A lengthy and highly complicated scientific explanation of the appearence of Stag, (which is reportedly not an Albino) was also provided.

Now there wouldn't be a more blatant way to draw public attention to yourself. Just imagine- you're a naturalist or something, and you're working on some drab project, say researching mating habits of some kind of deer, and your funding is gonna go dry soon- then this is the sort of thing you would try to boost it. The sheer publicity involved would attract far more funding, and even bring you better projects. And of course- you can always keep the location of the discovery secret, with a convenient reason- to prevent poachers. Ha! As if people are going poach the rare species (if at all there is) Even poachers know better than to kill such a thing.

Why they could capture it alive and sell it to some zoo for a fortune! Nah! There's no such deer! This is just a tall tale!

Also- the fact that the person involved in this case is a Lockhart, whose namesake in the world famous Harry Potter books, Gilderoy Lockhart is a person who rose to fame (in the fictional Harry Potter universe) by lying about having killed fascinating and dangerous creatures. Ah! The parallel is so exact that the whole article is amusing

Here's the picture they sent- quite a clear shot for such an elusive creature- as if it had been posing!

Read about the original article published in Yahoo News here.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080213/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_britain_stag_1

Ashop Commerce: Sell your Wares online

2008-02-13T21:42:00.004+05:30

The Internet has penetrated far, wide and deep, and any company worth its salt would use it to the fullest. One of the surest ways of increasing sales is to publicise and sell a product online. People find it simpler and faster to buy online, and thereby avoid all the hassles associated with going to the malls and dealing with the crowds while they search for what they want.
But care must be taken that all the transactions made through the site are secure, and that the security software used by the site is fool-proof.
Ashop Commerce is an Australian based website for selling products online. It uses an award winning shopping cart software (details on the site) and has links to various ubiquitous brands like Paypal, UPS, Bank of America etc. It offers a 10 day trial as well as a complete demo of how the ecommerce software works. It also provides free registration with other to publicise your products.
Consumers would find this site attractive as well- as the secure transfer system is one of the best on the web.
So what are you waiting for? Miss out on this shopping cart and you would sorely feel about it- whether you are a merchant or a consumer.

Memorable Moments of cricket in SSN II

2008-02-13T21:17:00.002+05:30

I've bowled a lot of overs in my time, and successfully too. Now I have a reputation of being a wily leg spinner who can spin the ball both ways, and turn the ball tremendously. But none of them have been more nerve wracking than this one I'm gonna talk about.
I had just been mugged by Sundar for 4 sixes off an over a few matches before- That was my first over after a very long time, and so I had lost my pace and had totally forgotten to control my flight. Without those I was just feeding him slow balls right on the slot for hitting- on leg stump line, at a full length. No wonder I had been mauled!
So this over was a make-or-break over for me. I had to impress my fellows to demand, or even ask for more overs in following matches. I was determined, or maybe desperate.
Saisriram was the batsman. He mocked me by standing to right of the off stump- exposing all three of them with a stance pointing towards square leg. He was reminding me of the way Sundar hit all those sixes, and that I was cannon fodder to him anyday.

The first ball I bowled was even fuller than I had wanted it to be- had Sai been in his normal stance that would've been a full toss outside off. But with this stance he missed it- the ball was faster than he expected.
Everyone cheered, or maybe sneered, at both of us- the crowd didn't know whom to mock and whom to cheer. In their eyes both of us creatures of ridicule (in a funny way of course). The next ball was very full- in fact it was a full toss. It rose high from my hand, floated past Sai's bat that met with air (again) and crashed onto the stumps- sucker punch!
I couldn't believe my good fortune! The crowd went wild, and Sai was looking like a dunce! Sai sheepishly walked off the pitch while Raghavan took his bat.
The interview wasn't over for me yet, but I had got my confidence back- I knew had it in me to perform my exploits against these fellas as I had done with my street and school buddies.
I just breezed past the rest of the over, conceding just two runs, and showing samples of my prodigious spin with a ball outside off stump that beat Raghavan's bat.
There had been no hat-trick, not even a wicket earned with a beauty, but the over silenced all my critics (everyone congratulated me) and had signalled to one and all- I had arrived.
It would take about 2 semesters until I would bowl my best spell- which I did recently, which everyone remarked was unplayable except for the wides, (About that spell later on in this series)
however, this was the over that started it all- acting as the tonic that invigorated me back after a career wrenching drubbing.

Domain Registration

2008-02-13T07:35:00.000+05:30

Almost all businesses now need domains. And there are so many nascent industries in the Net that cater only to online services, that domains are at a hard-to-get state, presently- prices are high and you don't get the name of the site you want.
Enter paylessdomains, a domain registration site based in Australia, and all your problems are solved.

The site has everything you need to know about domain registration, and gives genuine suggestions regarding name selection, and the volume of domains to be bought. Furthermore, the site is well structured and the prices are pretty cheap- about 11 Australian Dollars per year, which is about 10 US Dollars at the present time.

Anyway, apart from that it has a variety of domain extensions to sell- .com, org, info, de, au etc. So that does make it a good site, considering the fact that some other sites provide weird domain extensions like tk.

So if ever you thought of reserving some Internet space for you in the IT Highway- come over here- its all you ever needed to buy a domain.

Memorable Moments of cricket in SSN I

2008-02-12T10:10:00.000+05:30

The match was in the balance, Shiva who had bowled an excellent previous over had the ball. Sundar's team needed 10 off 12 balls. Prakash was the batsman. Shiva had spent eons setting up the field and started down the run up with utmost confidence, and the crowd (read five members) at his back. I was at square leg watching history in the making. Shiva bowled at a good length, and Prakash danced down the track, swiveled to face me and smacked the ball high up in the air in my direction.

I could only stand watch, with my mouth gaping as the ball sailed over me, over the boundary ropes, and way over the CSE Block roof, and was out of sight. Needless to say- the ball had disappeared over the tall CSE block and landed on its roof.

For moment, nothing happened. All eyes were glued on the CSE roof, as if waiting for the ball to come back all by itself. The next moment, pandemonium ensued. Everybody was running towards Shiva or Prakash, mostly Shiva to beat him up.

I could only watch and laugh knowingly, as I could understand how it would have felt to Shiva, already having been at the receiving end of a Sundar mauling a few matches. That over almost destroyed my career as a spin bowler.

Shiva was at a similar state now. Just the over before, he had been a hero. Now everyone was blaming him for the abandonment of the match- everyone believed the ball had been lost because of his poor bowling.
Prakash stood there, bemused at his own shot, and his power. It was to become his forte soon- power hitting. This was the moment that started it all. It is one of the most enduring moments of cricket in SSN.

India faces test of solidarity

2008-02-11T11:28:00.000+05:30

We all know how much we care about what happens at the Indo-Pak border, where our jawans brave torrid conditions of sub-zero temperatures and ridiculously low oxygen to save us from invasion each day, so that we may sleep well in then nights.

And we know very well how much we care about any incident, law ordevelopment of national significance- indeed our circle of concern doesn't extend beyond the immediate boundaries.
But, involuntarily we have been nationally united- in watching TV, especially cricket.

There are millions of fans out there who would see cricket for days together whether India plays against Australia or Bangladesh , or even New South Wales for a warm-up match. If their favorite stars are playing, they would watch the most insignificant match there could be. (When Sachin played for an English University to get match practise after his elbow surgery, there were people who wanted to know the scores of even that match)
This country is cricket crazy- its official and the whole world knows that. There wouldn't many eyebrows raised if Cricket was made the national game- it would be accepted with glee.

The BCCI is raking in cash like a minting machine all because of these frenetic fans. There's absolutely no question whether the IPL would be another watched event- it sure will be. With matches lasting just double the time of your average football game, its the perfect competition for EPL in India.

However, I believe with the influx of the might of FIFA to help popularise EPL in India, and the fact that so many of the present upper middle class hooked on the derogatory madness that is the EPL, the IPL would be muscled out.

Let's face it- IPL is bound to be boring at some point of time. Besides, the Indian fan is a curious entity- he watches any trivial if the Indian stars are part of it. Anybody else if rubbish. And that too- not any Indian would do. Only well identified figues could rein in the fans and keep them glued.
Already there have been a lot of converts- from cricket to football, who would never come back. They think they are a much higher mortals watching a world renowned game, not accepting the fact that it is just another madness.
Earlier the US was targeted by FIFA, but it found impregnable fortresses in NBA, NFL and NHL. The problem (for FIFA) with America is that their culture is rooted with watching the local games. They watch anything "National", but nothing beyond that.
Although the average Indian cricket fan seems to present a similar picture, I wouldn't bet my money on BCCI getting more from the golden goose.
Already the present cricket season (for India, and other countries) that there is an overdose of cricket. The introduction of IPL would further cram the calendar and make the game more complicated (people would find trouble remembering who is in which team and a lot of such things discussed in EPL).
Above all that- with so many T20 matches, the whole meaning of runs would be lost. I know that 80% of Indian fans are Sachin's ardent followers. About 50% of them follow his each and every run, counting them like spanish doubloons they earned. When he retires, along with the many cherished stars, and when his run machine comes to a stop at long last, people wouldn't care much about cricket.
Even I cant think of a time cricket would be enjoyable without him. The average Indian fan would easily convert to football- and that would open vistas for many other sports as well.

The Indians face the ultimate test of solidarity- the US faced it a decade back, and successfully resisted, will the Indians be able to resist the Global attack and keep their viewing localised?

Advanced English Dictionay for S60 platform

2008-02-10T11:03:00.000+05:30

I found a lot of english dictionaries for the mobile (no not for typing, but a real dictionary where you can see the meaning etc.), but this one stands heads and shoulders above the competition. Its range of words is vast, and it includes almost all the slang words you can think of.
It has an inbuilt thesaurus (it gives example sentences- there is no specific section for thesaurus.

It is a truly advanced dictionary, and the best for any mobile phone. Every word has the right amount of explanation to help you understand the meaning, and it covers all contexts of the word, with example sentences to elucidate the different meanings.

The trial and full version are part of this file. Just install it into your phone, and then click "register & info" in the main menu and click register.
Then type the following in the respective text boxes and click ok. And voila- you have the full version.
For all those guys studying for GRE and other such examinations, this is a godsend. Just put it onto your cell and you would've no problems learning new words while on the move.

Please type the password with the hyphens ( - dashes)
username: hackme112@yahoo.co.uk
password:RNC-NHQ-D67-3ZX
Format : JAR
Supported phones: Nokia, Sony Ericsson

Advanced English Dictionary on platform Symbian 60 S60 for Nokia Sony Ericsson
Size: 7 MB
http://tinyurl.com/2537yp

Note: Tinyurl is just a masked version of Rapidshare links. Its perfectly safe. It will redirect you to the rapidshare link in a moment.

PRO360.com : The yardstick for online gambling

2008-02-09T18:01:00.000+05:30

There are a multitude of online gambling sites right now, and picking the pearls from this ocean is a tough job. And even if we do home in on a few sites for certain reasons (like maximum bonus), we find they are hopelessly bad in other factors- like payouts (the most important thing of all).
So pro360.com has rated all the popular online casino sites and provided a host of factors for that. Although the color scheme is too flashy, I have nothing to report against the site structure- it contains all the required help menus, and even sections of help for newbies to the concept of online gambling.
The online casinos are rated for each and every game they feature, and you can check out how each site fares for a specific game.
The home page provides the list of top 20 online casinos and they have about 75 online casinos rated in their database. Both user's and editor's ratings are provided. Online casinos for US citizens as well as others are included.
Clicking on the site name brings up the complete review statistics that reveals all reasons that caused this rating. Factors for rating are divided into three: In-game experience, Trust score (Reliability) and Extras (Other Features). Also software used.
Every little point of each site is meticulously observed and a comprehensive review has been provided.
If ever you wanted to play online gambling, make sure you pay a visit to this site- its the ultimate guide to the best online casinos.

The story of my photos with truth III

2008-02-09T17:51:00.000+05:30

Self potraits are some of the most difficult to take- because you cant look through the lens while posing for the camera- its all a matter of chance, you think.
But not so- it needs some practise, and some trials that produce errors, but once you get the feel of it, you'll be clicking away all day at your face in different poses.
Although any digital camera would serve this prupose, the best way to do this is using the cell camera as it can be held without any shakes with just one hand, while you put on a smile for the camera.
Beware- you are supposed to take relaxed picture of your face- not contortions of it while you concentrate hard on taking the picture- so just keep calm, soon you'll get into the groove.
It would take atleast 3 to 8 takes to get an idea of the right distance from your face as well as the angle for a cool shot.
Also take into account the power of your flash- if the mobile phone camera is too close it would expose your face to extreme light that would distort your natural complexion as well add some unwanted effects like red eye. And although red eye can be removed using Photoshop, some other effects are permanent, and computer modifications of this image makes it too artificial- you wouldn't recognise yourself.
Here're some pics I took using the mobile camera:

BT Wireless Broadand service: We aim to please!

2008-02-09T16:26:00.000+05:30

BT offers a variety of services and its internet wing- bt broadband uk offers Broadband all over Britain, and when I saw the site for the first time, I was deeply impressed. The site is neatly structured with a pleasing color scheme and query/help sections at precisely where people would look for. They offer three options ranging from 5 GB downloads to Unlimited- at the same speed, which is about 8Mbps at the maximum.
Another attractive feature is the free hub (for wireless) they provide for each connection, whatever scheme you choose.
Option are priced from 8.95 pounds a month to upto 18.99 pounds. Of course, depending on the period of suscription, the prices vary after the first 3 months.
Another good thing I noticed was that they charge you for exceeding download/upload limits (mentioned above) only if you do so for two consecutive months. The charges are 30 pence per 1 GB of bandwidth exceeded. That's reasonable, I guess.
Everything is totally explained in the site, and there are no hidden charges. Just take care to go through everything they have to say.
So if you're looking for a broadband connection this is one site I'd recommend you to visit first up. And if you are impressed (like me), then you'd better be fast- because ordering connections online is available only till February 29th.

The story of my photos with truth II

2008-02-09T13:25:00.000+05:30

My favorite subject has always been, and (until the time I find my dream girl), always will be Nature. And what better place than Manali to revel in the beautiful paintings of the Divine Artist?

My trip (with college mates) to North India was a grand success- in every aspect I would say. Except the fact that we missed out on the famous Rock Garden of Chandigarh (it was dusk when we reached there, but the light was quite bad). Anyway- it was a paradise for photography, with photo moments dime a dozene, especially in Manali where we were treated to landscapes of breathtaking beauty.

Here are some of those I had the honour of capturing.

Note how the subject is centred and shown only upto the lower thighs. This allows you to show more of the taller objects behind him and it gives the subject the look of a native. The subject merges with the landscape, with authentic articles (the snow boulder) in his hands, it is the perfect postcard picture.

An accidental snapshot, but nevertheless, it produces a nice effect. The green grass that almost covers the picture with the solitary trees provide the right setting to shift attention to the subject. And the subject himself is in an unusual pose (actually it is not one- I was just signalling the photographer to stop. The subject is I)

Now this is another excellent example of how a landscape shot ought to be taken. The hills are preceded by the countryside houses, flanked by barren trees awaiting spring (it was winter when I took this photo), and the solitary, "floating" tree at the top right corner for perception of distance- so that you can easily place as to which object is at what distance from the observer.
Also there is no specific emphasis on a specific subject.

Get advance cash and loans instantly!

2008-02-07T18:46:00.000+05:30

Trustsource.org is a review site that provides ratings of various sites that offer you loans or a cash advance. There are even sites that can help you earn more in your free hours, while you are sitting idle online.
The site makes no bones about what it provides, and it does a good job of it.
The home page shows the top 5 sites reviewed. Even users are invited for reviews, although I'm not sure if every user's review is displayed.
The sites reviewed are on similar lines, but offer different services- some offer advance cash, some offer easy solutions for payday loans while some make these tranfers completely confidential, just in case you don't want your spouse to know you borrowed some money.

Some others let you spend your time online earning cash, rather than chatting mindlessly. Every enterpreneur out there knows that the payday loan is the norm in every growing industry- you don't always have readymade cash with you, as you yourself would be waiting to cash the post-dated cheques of customers. This is a good to visit and solve those problems.

The only glitch I noticed is they don't give a contact email ID. But as it is just a review site, you better direct all your queries to the site being reviewed, and not to this.
A pretty good site to look up, if ever you want to borrow cash quickly.

Looks that could kill: Dare to stare?

2008-02-07T18:00:00.000+05:30

Well folks, we have all seen a lot of grotesque things in our lifetime- mostly in horror movies like 13 Ghosts etc, or gory flicks like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. But I daresay you have never seen something as gross and ugly as these animals here.

Behold! The Ugliest creature Mother Nature ever created!

Look at this fella- they say it is a delicacy in Japan, Europe and the US. Gosh the only thought that comes to me when I look at ugly thing is kill it with an exceptionally large knife and throw it into the fire. Looking at those teeth and its entrails actually makes me want to puke. Gross!

Now I don't need to tell you what this is- yes it is a bug, and if any of you want to wiki it (are you serious!)- it is called the Dobsonfly. It just won the first prize in the Ugly Bug contest (Nope I'm not kidding, and I'm sure you'd agree with the award).

Actually you may not ever be able to see this "beautiful" face in real life- unless you have a highly powerful microscope. Because this is an image of the fly magnified about 500 times.

That is if the bug were to become as big as your keyboard, then this is the view you would get, although I must warn you- it might be the last thing you see in this world :)

This is the Muscovy Duck. I know- it does look like its top skin was removed to reveal the inner flesh. It actually looks even more gross- as if its face was burnt, and that the skin would never grow. It even looks like a portion of our brain planted on its face (yuck!). Anyway- whatever it is, it is surely not "that" feature that attracts a mate.

What is your first impression of this creature? If you did think it is some alien species, you could be easily forgiven- it does look like some creepy alien from some far off planet. But sadly (no I didn't mean it)- it is a common Russian wheat aphid, and although it is not an alien, it cuses so much trouble to the people on earth, especially to wheat, no less than an alien bent on destroying life on earth would do.

Now this is what I would call pitifully ugly. The only thought that would come to anybody's mind when you look at this Warthog is deep sympathy for its ugly appearence.

Its caved-in eyes, the unusual ears, two extended canine teeth, and a rather wrongly painted face that contains this all- sorry about your fate fella.

Check out more ugly animals from

http://www.livescience.com/bestimg/result.php?back=&cat=uglyanimal

The evolution of Gambhir

2008-02-07T17:40:00.001+05:30

Gautam Gambhir has been in the Indian for quite some time to be an easily recognised batsmen- much more than Manoj Tiwary, or Rohit Sharma. That in itself is reason enough that he is not a newbie or freshman anymore, and although he is still a youngster, one must understand that he has had enough opportunities to prove his worth, and he has come out of all the tests with improving performances. His heroics beside Sewhag in the T20 World Cup are now part of Indian folklore, but apart from that he has gotten not too many good innings to show to cement a place, and not too few to completely forsake him.
Although he has produced a brilliant hundred against Sri Lanka of recent, it doesn't tell us a lot about him.
Only his consistent performance (or not) in the series can have the final say.
Not to discourage or downsize the wonderful effort to rescue India beside his captain, one must understand that he hasn't solved his age-old problems in batting.
He still gets out LBW while playing across the line and still gets out (or comprehensively beaten) by fishing for the ball outside the off stump.
However, he has evolved from his early days. He is arguably one of the best players of spin in this side next only to Tendulkar. Dhoni, Sewhag and the others can negotiate spin well just like any Indian batsman can. But Gambhir's technique is solid- he uses his feet immaculately, while he cuts and pulls with ridiculous ease. His inside out shots are as good any you shall see in the international arena.
The way he picked Murali's doosra in the last game shows the kind of player he becomes when he is full of confidence- which he was after scoring an enterprising 70 (till then). His six off Malinga shows that he has the power to clear the ropes, which was sadly devoid of some Indian batsmen who have graced the stage.
It can be safely said that he is the best No.3 in this side. I'm absolutely sure that it is time to say goodbye for sure to Dravid- his slow accumulation has been a constant bane to the side, and with Gambhir now finding his destiny, India can forget those bad days.

topusaonlinecasinos : No need for a fancy suit to gamble!

2008-02-03T09:55:00.000+05:30

Well, whenever we talk of gambling, we think of dames, dollars and Las Vegas. And we have always felt sad when we know all the tricks of gambling and poker and what not, while the ones to get into the casinos are the ones that have all the money, that they don't care if they win or not.
How many times have you dreamed of going into a casino and earning a huge wad of cash, yet couldn't- because you didn't have enough money to arrange a cool car and an escort.
Here's your chance to redress all that- Top USA Online Casinos provides you with all the best sites for online gambling.

The people who made the site were straightforward about what to expect- the best sites for online gambling, Poker, Blackjack etc. and that's what you get- nothing more, nothing less. The home page gives you the list of sites. It contains both kind of sites- those that need you to download client software for playing and those without. And of course- it reviews online casino sites that accepts US players. It's not clear whether the reviewed sites would accept non-US citizens- but that's for you to find out by going to the site. As for the sites themselves- they are visited regularly by US Poker players, and this site takes that as one of the yardsticks for reviewing.
The reviews are crisp but full of information, highlighting the top reasons for you to choose the online casino. Security is also a deciding factor- and I'd say that is a sensible deed by this site to include it for review.

It also provides category wise classification, and complete with a contact email ID, it is just what it is- the best online gaming reviews guide, the Rotten Tomatoes of Casinos.

Tendulkar gets out hit wicket: Early blow for India

2008-02-03T09:53:00.000+05:30

For the first time in his ODI career spanning over 400 matches, Sachin Tendulkar got out hit wicket, while negotiating a good length ball from Brett Lee. Tendulkar was moving across the stumps to play it square off leg, but trodded onto his stumps in the process.
It must be mentioned that Lee had been troubling the Indian openers with short pitched deliveries, and it may have been the reason for Sachin standing so far behind in his crease that caused his eventual downfall.
The Indian team for tonight's match is packed with inexperienced youngsters and it remains to be seen how costly this early unfortunate blow would be for India.
Gambhir and Sharma forged a 65 run partnership that was exciting for their boundaries as well as the dropped chances by Australia, but it was broken by Johnson with a well directed inswinger to remove Gambhir, and Sharma fell to Lee soon after.
Dhoni has the unenviable job of teaming with more rookies to lead India to a respectable total and prevent another embarassing loss like what happened in the T20 game on Friday.

Call of Juarez mission walkthrough guide

2008-02-01T21:47:00.000+05:30

Well, Call of Juarez is the game of year, in my opinion- for concept and gameplay, as well as sound effects and graphics. Even casting has been meticulously planned and executed accurately, that the effect on the screen is breathtaking.
But, there's still one snag- there's simply no possible way to progress, at some points of the game- which I call dead ends. Of course, this aint a bug, only it means that the game is tough enough to make us rip our brains out. There are some dedicated gamers who would take up such challenges, for fun, and grill themselves to the end to progress.
But for us lesser mortals, we need people to guide us through such non-existent continuations. And Call of Juarez (CoJ) also contains innumerable secrets, and different ways to progress. Here's a perfect site to learn about all the above.
It contains a walkthrough guide- a step by step procedure of what needs to be done to complete the game- not just a short description, but a complete "walkthrough". The walkthrough guide contains even a search tool that helps you to wade through the murky pond, which is CoJ's gameplay.
It also contains files to unlock all secrets, as well more levels. Furthermore, there are various working cheatcodes and innumerable other features. As a fan of Call of Juarez and as a person who has heavily benefitted from this walkthrough guide written by a most a exalted soul who goes by the name of Grawl in the site, I would suggest you to try all means possible to get through the game yourself, and read this guide later on to look for any tricks you missed. If else, you'd better use the guide to save your day!

Find the Call of Juarez Walkthrough Guide at this site:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox360/game/938524.html

Ashop Commerce: Way to be on the Net!

2008-02-01T21:22:00.000+05:30

With the advent of the Internet and the mobile phone, we have always wanted the world to be at our fingertips. From banking to gaming, from music to movies, we get them on our very own Net. Shopping on the net is the rage, but one needs to be careful while making any transaction through the net.

Ashop Commerce is a safe shopping cart software site that gives you the feel of real shopping while still being at the comfort of your study. You can roam around with your shopping cart over several racks, picking and rejecting items on the way, and make a single payment at your final checkout. Any good e-commerce software must be able to maintain a long session as well track user browsing various products without breaking the session, and still maintain security.

This shopping cart software site provides all users with a free demo (that has no committments), and a 10 day trial period as well. It is backed by well known brands like FedEx, Bank of America, Paypal, UPS, HSBC, United States Postal Service etc. and is definitely not the kind of site to raise any eyebrows about- it is safe and easy.

It also provides you with a table of data to compare prices of products and features offered by other sites. You can also customize the appearence and features to what you want to see. There is no installation required, and the software works over the Internet itself, so that you can use it anywhere- without the need to install it in each and every system you encounter.

So here's the smart way to shop on the net- Ashop Commerce Shopping Cart Software.

The Call Of Cthulhu: Truly Gripping, yet too Short

2008-02-01T21:21:00.000+05:30

Well folks, I had FINALLY finished reading the highly rated Call of Cthulhu by HP Lovecraft- a task I had begun way back in my college years- in my very first year. Its taken about three years to complete it. a thinker from a very young age- he wrote his short story "The Alchemist" when he was only 17 yrs old. Looking at his list of works- I was stunned, finding myself lost in a veritable ocean of infinite themes and varied genres.

Many of the modern writers have been inspired by him- Stephen King is one of the most famous examples, while his works reflect certain characterisitics found in Edgar Allan Poe- the legendary wordsmith of the mystery and horror.

I was surprised that I never heard of his name till now (and I am a voracious reader), and come to think of it I only ever heard of Cthulhu from the PC game of the same name. Anyway, after that I wanted to immerse myself in the world of Cthulhu, or atleast have a basic understanding of the plot- in order to play the game, of course (I hadn't suddenly been bitten by a Cthulhu bug, trust me), and the first book I took up was "The Call of Cthulhu"- the book, going by its name, where it all started.
But, it seems this whole Cthulhu business has no specific root. Rather than concern himself with trivial matters such as chronological ordering of events, Lovecraft leaves it to the readers to arrive at a sequence for the events- an enormous task considering the vast ocean of bits-and-pieces clues in his stories- stories that already leave us half-demented by their ubiquitous gloom and constant feeling of tension and suspense.

So this wasn't the start of all Cthulhu, but you are pretty much at home in the initial stages of the novel. Although a bit slow and transgressive at places, it proceeds like your average crime thriller, the story unfolding in the eyes of a victim's kin, who is reviewing the possessions that he has inherited.

The build-up to finale, and the suspense maintained for an explosive climax is all fine, even laudatory, considering there are few characters and things for the reader to think about. But, the story fizzles out at the critical denoument- the confrontation with Cthulhu itself. Maybe a hundred years back (when it was written), it would have been a chilling tale of the supernatural. But in this space age, it is no more than an amateurish attempt at imitating Allan Poe's style of suspense and horror. Whatever they may say, Edgar Allan Poe was far better than this chap, and shall be immortal.

You can read the book for free at Wikisource:
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Call_of_Cthulhu

A rare retort to George Bernard Shaw!

2008-02-01T20:24:00.000+05:30

George Bernard Shaw, the famous Irish playwright has been the central subject of many an anecdote, which almost always end with Shaw retort. Rare, or perhaps even non-existent is the anecdote in which Shaw is in the receiving end of the retort.
But here's that rare moment:

"I'm enclosing two tickets to the first show of my new play. Bring a friend, if you have one" wrote Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill (then Prime Minister of England).

Back came the reply from Churchill to the searing attack by Shaw- "Cannot possily attend the first show. Will attend the second, if there is one!"

Shaw would have known, that he had (finally!) met his match!

Smorty: For the sensible blogger

2008-02-01T19:57:00.002+05:30

I must say I've found the perfect machine for doling out cash for me- Smorty.com
The rule of the marketing world is simple- you need customers (the demand), and to sustain them you need good service (the supply), and marketing is the mantra that connects the factory to the consumer.Now, Smorty is such a smart marketing tool that helps advertisers home in on
Bloggers to review their products- websites in this case. It's a blog advertising site, where you get paid to drink honey; where you get paid to do what's fun for you; where you get paid to blog.

Bloggers are merely required to post their opinions of the advertisers' products and websites on their blogs, along with links back to the advertisers URL.
Unlike other sites that offer similar services, this blog for money website approves in the space of 72 hours at the maximum, and on most occasions on a single day! And you can start posting immediately after you are approved- no need for bidding and waiting for days!Advertisers and Bloggers are gonna love this alike!So whether you need to advertise on blogs or want to get paid for blogging, there's nowhere else to go but Smorty.com

Sidekick turns Superhero: Captain America Returns!

2008-02-01T19:20:00.000+05:30

Well, finally it was not a death-defying ridiculous escape (Sherlock Holmes in the "Return of Sherlock Holmes") or a convenient resurrection by Eru (a la Gandalf in "Lord of the Rings : Twin Towers") that has hastened Captain America, the most celebrated hero of the Yankees (no offense fellas), but merely because America needs him. But, surely even he cannot come back from the dead- he is dead and dusted just like Dumbledore in Harry Potter : The Half Blood Prince, or can he?

The answer is Yes and No! Yes because Steve Rogers is but mortal and is surely not going to return from the grave, and No because Captain America is but an idea; and as Alan Moore would say- "An idea never dies", Captain America knows no death.

So he does return, with Bucky Barnes (Steve Rogers faithful side-kick) donning the robes of America's most cherished superhero.

Whether it's Bucky Barnes or Steve Rogers, Captain America is sure to dazzle the comics fans once again, and with a movie on the character slated for release next year, it is going to cause an unprecedented resurgence of Patriotism in the US, which is sorely divided by the unending War in Iraq, and the recent elections.

Captain America returns in the latest Marvel Comics Captain America#34. Check it out fellas and dames. Meanwhile, here's how the new Captain America Bucky looks:

50th Anniversary of Explorer 1: America enters the Space Age

2008-02-01T09:13:00.000+05:30

America has been a pioneer and is now an icon in the Space Age. Although it had stiff competition from the erstwhile Soviet Union over the control of space (ironic isn't it? While we are no more than specks of dust in the eyes of the massive Stars and humoungously powerful and almost-everlasting Black Holes, we puny humans talk of space domination), it has been able to overcome every potential threat to its hegemony and as of now stands heads and shoulders above fellow nations.
Although undoubtedly the watershed was the landing of the moon by Apollo 11 in 1969, it all started in this event- the successful launch of Explorer 1- America's first satellite, on January 31st 1958. By then, the Soviets had already sent their first animal into space.

SO let's celebrate with NASA the golden jubilee of this historic event- one that has been instrumental in various day-to-day services we avail of, like Google Earth.

Beijing National Stadium: A bird's nest

2008-01-31T11:39:00.000+05:30

Well, we've had a lot of instances in which man has been inspired from Nature (Radar from Bats, Flight from Birds and lots more), and here's another quintessential case- a naturally cooled Olympic Stadium for the upcoming 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Built on a plan that won the design competition in 2002 for the sole purpose of an Olympic Stadium, the Stadium's specialty is the natural breeze that can be felt from any seat, providing a natural cooler and ventilation system for it, which is expected to seat a 100,000 people. The prize entry came from Herzog and de Meuron, they went onto win the Pritzker Prize.

The Beijing National Stadium, or simply the National Stadium will undoubtedly host the opening and closing ceremony, and the main track and field events. It may also host the finals of certain important events.

It is expected to be completed by March 2008, and it shall look like this when it is finished. A Bird's Nest indeed!

Bubble wrapped Watercube unveiled in Beijing

2008-01-29T19:22:00.000+05:30

The National Aquatics Center also called as the "cool" building of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was unveiled today with great fanfare. It will host two events (Good Luck Beijing 2008 Swimming China Open and American Standard the 16th FINA Diving World Cup from 31 January to 05 February) prior to the Big Fish- All water events of the 2008 Olympics.

It is one of most astounding structures that China has constructed (in record time) for the upcoming Olympics. We must not forget that the official Olympics stadium for 2008 itself is supposed to be a marvel of engineering, inspired from the nest of a bird.

This one resembles an incomplete congregation of bubbles before they become one large bubble and burst (due to the internal pressure greater than the external atmospheric pressure), and hence it is aptly called the "Bubble Wrap".

Nostradamus, the Oscars and I

2008-01-23T10:06:00.000+05:30

Well, the nominations for the Academy Awards for 2008 are out and what you can expect in the coming weeks everywhere in country- from local bars to five star restaurants, from golf courses to corporate canteens is the debate of who is going to bag which. Here's a list of some of my predictions:

I've not seen most of the nominated films, so I can't comment on those categories. But in some categories it is blatantly clear as to who will win- like for example the best makeup award- surely you would find no better makeup than in the Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

There is another curious fact in this year's nominees- we find Cate Blanchett (Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Katherine Hepburn in The Aviator) in the verge of a first in Oscars- the chance to win the award for an actress in a leading as well as a supporting role (for different movies, of course). Suffice enough to say that that would be the ultimate certificate for your acting talent. The very fact that she has been the first to have been nominated such shows her versatility. Let us see if she is able to pull it off (I've no predictions to make regarding this as I've not heard about, let alone watched those movies).

The best animated film and associated categories might be swept by Ratatouille because funny movies for children usually appeal to the committee more than others. And Ratatouille was as good a movie as Shrek etc. and with its old style graphics- it was a refreshing experience to watch.

Although Ratatouille may do well in its own den (animated films), it wouldn't stand a chance against the biggies, where it has been nominated for the best original musical score (general category). It's true that it had a good musical score, but it wasn't so good enough to be noticeable. Besides, selection committee in this category don't like funny themes for music. They expect scores to be emotional, passionate etc.

Anyway- this year's Oscars is expected to spring a lot of surprises, especially with none of the films nominated have struck big at the Box Office internationally, and so that leaves the competition wide open (except for the above predictions I made). So let's see how the drama unfolds.

Advent of Indian Motifs in Hollywood

2008-01-21T09:39:00.001+05:30

India has always influenced West in a lot of ways. India has been a perennial theme in Hollywood films from times of yore- what with epic movies like The Discovery of India, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Octopussy etc. But these were movies that heavily revolved around Indian settings and characters, and I wouldn't call them an influence in the actual films.

They were Indian because they had to be.

But, there has been a noticeable trend in the mainstream films- like Dirty Harry, Scarface, Matrix etc where despite of their clearly Western themes, they are heavily dosed with Indian motifs.

Here's a list:

1. Scarface:
This movie needs little introduction- Al Pacino's bete noir film that set the trend for the many movies that followed with the bad-man-with-a-heart theme.
As much as the movie was famous- it's flagship song "Push it to the limit"
http://hardshipalarmnot.blogspot.com/2007/10/push-it-to-limit-ultimate-song-to.html
was phenomenally popular (in fact the whole soundtrack is a classic in 80's music). In what is primarily a Rock song, you find a short Veena interlude in the song to slow down the tempo of the song once it reaches a peak. Veena as we all know is a variant of a traditional Indian instrument.

2.Dirty Harry (Magnum Force):
In what is considered to be a quintessential American cop film, it is surprising to find that the background score is a medley of Western instruments with a dominating tabla score. The music is used to portray suspense and from the success of the film you can be assured that it was a good combination.

3. A Little Princess (Ramayan: Morning Raga):
This is a highly emotional film involving an orphaned little girl as the central character, and it's score derives itself from many Indian themes, one being the Ramayan. This musical piece- a flute rendition depicting sunrise is a lilting and soothing number, one which can be found only from Indian songs.

4. Matrix Revolutions (Navras):
The most famous of all Indian themes in Western films- the Navras song from Matrix Revolutions- a strong and powerful completely Indian song in a western movie. It was a revelation that shook the world as much as it pleasantly surprised India. The song was more talked about than the whole movie.

The girls are ready for Bond 22

2008-01-08T20:22:00.000+05:30

It's always been a perenial search for Bond producers to pick the new Bond girl. She needs to be picked like Diamonds from an ocean of Quartz. Aishwarya Rai, the Bollywood beauty, now wife of Abhishek Bachan was once approached for this once-in-a-lifetime role, but just shooed it away like a vegan would refuse meat, in a matter-of-fact manner, all because she didn't want to figure in passionate scenes with the then Bond Pierce Brosnan.

Anyway, the search for that Bond girl was one of the longest, and it ended with Halle Berry being offered the role which she gleefully took as the icing on the cake after having won the Oscar for Monsters' Ball the same year.

The more important search for the last edition was for the man himself-the new Bond. Now that we all have accepted Daniel Craig as the Bond for life, post Casino Royale, the search bounds back to the girls, who for some strange yet pleasurable reason need to be changed for each movie (Not once have I seen the girls make a 2nd appearence, except in some rare instances).

Anyway the search for the girls of Bond 22 is over. Maybe due to the experience with Aishwarya or due to the tremendous success of Eva Brown as an old fashioned European beauty (less of glamour and more of substance) we have the new consignment of beauties from similar roots- 28 year old Olga Kurylenko from Ukraine is confirmed to be the lead actress with English belle Gemma Arterton in a side role. The 20 yr old Gemma was first talked of being in the lead until the ravishing Olga was favoured. I'd suggest the old suggestion- of Gemma playing Bond girl with Olga in the side role would've been perfect, but well, you dont always get what you want, and believe me- you'll be pleasantly surprised by what you get.

Olga has already been part of such accomplished franchises like lead roles Hitman alongside Timothy Olyphant, and a french movie with Elijah Wood. This role of bond girl would be the piece-de-resistance of her career.

Arterton though is just about in the early stages of her career, and it remains to be seen as to how people would find her choice of opting to this role. It either skyrockets your career (in the case of Ursula Andress), or quietly sidelines you into oblivion (take the case of Luciana Paluzzi).

Paluzzi admitted that being a Bond girl is a double edged sword. She was amazed at the level of fame, publicity and recognition she got from Thunderball, but as a result of being in such an outlandish film, she was taken less seriously as an actress by her peers.

So let's wish luck for the latest entrants to the Hall Of Fame for great success in their careers.

All pics are of Olga Kurylenko. She's already fitting well into the job. I must say she does look like Sophie Marceau in the 1st pic, and a lot like Denise Richards in the 3rd.

Java for making wands: A HP fan's dream

2008-01-08T12:26:00.000+05:30

Well every HP fan out there knows there's only one thing that can go beyond the experience of reading about the magical world of Hogwarts and Co., and that would be wielding a wand that could perform "real" magic. Now we must understand that we do have devices that perform certain wand-like functions.

Take for example your simple TV remote control. At a distance that can be described as quite far off, you are able to subjugate the idiot-box (as the TV is fondly called) to heed your commands. Likewise we have remotes for all kinds of purposes- for driving cars, for operating appliances, even for triggering firecrackers.

So why not a wand? What is the difference between the common remote and the magical wand- just the shape right?

We must take into account nature's most important law- "No one gets a free lunch".

To make something listen to your whims and fancies is something. But to materialise something out of thin air is against nature's principles.

Forget such "trivial" limitations, let us suppose we do have power to create things, how would we humans be able to produce a wand that has the functions so wonderfully described in JK's seven classics?

At the site called www.beyondhogwarts.com previosuly named www.dumbledoreisnotdead.com they do provide us a simple answer- fabricate control systems using Java as the programming language and voila, you have the answer.
It's a very informative article that explains concepts of Java with the well known example of Wands. If you are a novice you'll understand the concepts better with a casual reading of it, and if you're well acquainted with Java already it could provide comic relief.
Just check out the article at:
http://www.beyondhogwarts.com/harry-potter/articles/wands-from-a-muggle-perspective.html

Billa Movie on the net for Free Download

2007-12-18T19:06:00.000+05:30

I'm not one to encourage piracy, but sooner or later this is gonna be out on all forums that I had better put it up on my site as well.
Billa 2007 movie is available for download in the following website. But, beware- you must tread carefully. Use the second option for each part. It downloads faster- but it starts a pop-up, just wait for it to start and immediately close the pop-up. Then wade through the process of downloading- you don't need to register. Just type the verification code and voila- you've started downloading the file.
Each part is 82.4 MB. I haven't checked out the quality though- mine is being downloaded even as I type.

Billa Movie Film Free Download Rapidshare Megaupload
http://tinyurl.com/2lofmp

http://preview.tinyurl.com/2lofmp

Note: Tinyurl is just a masked version of Rapidshare links. Its perfectly safe. It will redirect you to the rapidshare link in a moment. If you still don't believe me- click on the preview link posted below to verify.

Hussey in Mastercard Ad

2007-12-16T09:07:00.000+05:30

Michael Hussey a.k.a Mr.Cricket, one of the most consistent batsmen of Test cricket today and one of the Brand ambassadors of Mastercard is slated to appear in its latest ad. The ad reads thus (in typical Mastercard fashion)-

Two tickets to the one-dayer $50.
Replica team shirt $65.
Getting sledged by Michael Hussey: priceless.

The ad is in its post production stages, and is due to hit the silver screen soon. I cant wait to see the AD, although it might not be aired in India (who'd watch Mike Hussey sledging while we have Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh etc etc.

Sewhag in test squad: Master stroke by selectors

2007-12-13T17:26:00.000+05:30

Indian selectors are usually considered as next only to their Sri Lankan counterparts- who were recently dubbed by Atapattu as a "bunch of muppets headed by a joker", in their eccentricity, but the latest move of theirs to include Sewhag in the test sqaud touring Australia in 2007-2008 would surely gain immense respect for their fraternity.

The Indian selectors have made some silly decisions from the beginning of Indian Cricket, and the most crazy blunder was the manner in which Ganguly was unceremoniously dropped from the National Squad last year. But, some others may conclude that (on hindsight) it was a good move, considering how tremendously Ganguly has upped the ante to make a fairy-tale comeback which means he has peaked at the most opportune moment, in time for the Aussie series- where the top two test teams of the world- Australia and India clash in a high-voltage series of 4 tests.

Although it would be ridiculous for the selectors to draw any credit for Ganguly's phenomenal growth (and rightly so- they won't), they can be praised for the aggressive stance taken by them ahead of the all important Aussie series.

In selecting Sewhag, they have sent out a message to the Aussies that they shall not be conservative, and that the Indians too have the so-called "ruthless aggression" amongst them. In banking on Sewhag to provide some fireworks in his own demolishing style, they actually send out shockwaves to the Aussie camp.

Not to mention the motivation Sewhag might feel by this move, and thereby he would strive to perform great deeds like he did last time Down Under.
I think the selectors must double up this incusion by selecting him in the playing XI for the 1st test, after seeing how well he is coping upto the conditions in the Warm-Up matches. It could be a gamble- but given Dinesh Karthik's poor form, it wouldn't matter much. In fact, I suggest the selectors judge both players from the Warm-Up matches and pick their squad.
We must forget that Sewhag is as good a fielder as Karthik, a fantastic slip catcher, and a very handy off-spinner well known to break partnerships. He will surely add to the team's strength.

Sewhag had already mentioned to one and all, that it hurts to be out of the team, and this unexpected inclusion, and thereby display of faith would no doubt spur him to perform more responsibly.

The pitches in Australia have pace and bounce aplenty- which batsmen of Sewhag's kind would relish. He is the kind of batsman who likes the ball coming onto his bat. So he shall do well there.
Mcgrath with his accurate line and length, along with his "infinitesimal" movement was a mighty threat for batsmen like Sewhag, with little technical prowess, but right now, without Warne and him- the Aussie bowling attack is not so special as it was a few years back.

But, even without Mcgrath, the Australian Bowling attack looks potent enough to threaten Sewhag with his traditional weaknesses. Brett Lee is bowling accurately now, and with his pace (which is only a bit lower than earlier) he'll be deadly.
But, as I always say- an aggressive approach to the Aussies is the best way to keep them off- and that's the only way Sewhag knows. So it'll be a nice contest- one that would liven up Sewhag's name Down Under for many more years to come. I think Sewhag will come on tops- it's my gut feeling he's a far better batsman than we think he is.

But, if he fails (which I'm sure he will not) he could as well as kiss his Test career goodbye... T20 wouldn't get anyone far, yet it got you a shot at the Aussies, in a transition phase. If you don't cash in now- lightning will never strike twice Sew- T20 and all of cricket will forsake you.
Go on Viru- show 'em! We love you- and we believe you! (so say the selectors- and me as well)

Billa 2007 Music Review: Appalling Misjudgment by Yuvan

2007-12-02T23:50:00.000+05:30

It’s finally out- The music for the remake of Billa starring Ajith as the eponymous character. It has been the subject to a lot of hype and hoopla- understandably so, considering its an old Rajini super hit we’re talking about being remade, and to frankly put it- its just not lived up to the expectations.
Yuvan Shankar Raja has composed five songs and the Billa 2007 theme, and amazingly, he has not sung any of them- might be the result of all the criticism he gets regarding his imitating A R Rahman’s style in singing. Anyway his voice wouldn’t have fit well with the macho Billa.

Yuvan has infused his best efforts on Vethalaiya Pottendi and it shows. In fact it is easily the best song of the album. It is a medley of Digital Electronica and it has so many different, infinitesimal, yet distinct sounds that an electronics student could very well do a project on dissecting the various sounds (signals) in the song.
Of course Shankar Mahadevan’s voice is digitally enhanced giving it a cool techno feel. It is a quintessential “Techno Kuthu” (portmanteau of Techno and Dappankuthu- my little invention) song, and it is bound to be the latest party number. Shankar Mahadevan and Yuvan Shankar Raja pull it off again in the “Techno Kuthu” genre. (Remember Saroja Saman Nikalo from Chennai 600028)

If Yuvan had spent atleast half the energy or enthusiasm he has shown for this song, on the Billa score, he would’ve a winner in his hands. As it is, this is going to be the most inconspicuous song of the movie- meant only as a peripheral addition to interface with viewers of a cruder taste (or in non-technical terms, it is an extraneous fitting meant to appease the B and C center audience).
It’s like hitting a century in a dead rubber; and half of the accolades actually go to Shankar Mahadevan. He carries the song like Atlas carries the World- nobody else could’ve sung this number so well. He’s got a voice that has “Let’s Party!” written all over it that you subconsciously unwind as soon as the song begins.

The Billa theme is most disappointing. After having listened to the Theme of Don, expectations were running high for this, but sadly, it scores way below them. Someone’s gotta explain to Yuvan what a Theme song is. The key to any theme song is a short portion (maybe 5-10 seconds long) of the whole song that sounds best, is easily identified by the audience (who hum it all day long), and repeats itself at various points in the movie.

This theme starts off like The Stranger In Black (Anniyan Theme), then traverses various dimensions, transgressing into different directions and finally coming back where it started and you still can’t find music anywhere, let alone a theme music! Trying to be futuristic and techno cool, Yuvan botches up the whole score. Pathetic! I can’t imagine Ajith smashing villains with that music behind him!

The Seval Kodi is a pretty good number; in fact it’s good enough to be an intro song for Vijay (an implied reference to the lack of sophistication in his intro songs) - a typical folk song invoking a God. Enough said!
Naan Meendum is a song that owes its tune to the Billa theme, and I guess it’s the song where the Kamini character seduces Billa. It’s a bouncy track with dark shades, mysterious tunes and complete with philosophical lyrics. Worth listening a couple of times- passes muster, some of you may like it. It is like “Entha Kuthirayil” from “Satham Podathey”.

The surprise package is the song Sei- it’s a complex, highly versatile Arabic style number (that gives us the feeling of having heard it before) with highly suggestive lyrics and an overdose of the various versions of the Guitar. Neha Basin’s strange Tamil accent is another lovable feature. It’s the kinda song you find is incredibly slow, yet you can’t stop liking it!

The other most talked about remix from the original is the highly popular “My Name Is Billa”- every Rajini fan worth his salt would’ve heard it at least once. I safely say- the original is better anyday. He has retained the same tune of the original, added a few digital novelties and credited a new song to his name! The song has the traits of the typical discotheque number, but still you feel its not moving at all.

It’s pretty disappointing that Yuvan should waste one of his biggest breaks like this, and one wonders why he even took up the offer in the first place. Any composer must create music to gel with the movie.
Stand alone singles might be the craze in the US, but they don’t go well with the Tamil audience. Unless Yuvan can create masterpieces (which we all know he can’t) like “Munbe Vaa” he’d better concentrate on complementing the film. We can see that he has overlooked those regions vital to the movie- Billa Theme, My Name Is Billa (it's the song that establishes the hero), the Kamini dance number etc. Or he has been heinously lazy in composing these.

Final Verdict: Overall Average.
Vethalaiya Pottendi is special. Sei is refreshingly new. Seval Kodi a nice folk song. Naan Mendum is nice and bouncy. My Name is Billa is a confused attempt. The Billa Theme deserves more effort and respect than this.
Well Yuvan, a mélange of digital interludes doesn't a Billa make!

India Authentic : Remix the Puranas!

2007-11-28T14:44:00.000+05:30

India has been a land of rich and plentiful mythology. Almost every foreign person has heard a story of at least one of the various Gods in India (it is said there are 3,300,000 Gods) and surely they have been fascinated by the depth and moral value in each of the stories.

Virgin Comics India Authentic is a series that aims to re-create the stories of the Gods in a manner relevant to the present age- an age that expects even superheroes' powers to be logical. They portray Gods as part human, with powers only the Gods can wield fused with emotions found only in humans.

It is an ongoing series with seven parts out on the stands and another is expected in December 2007. It showcases some of the most famous Gods- Ganesha, Shiva, Indra, Kali and Vishnu, along with the well-known tale of Uma- the girl who became God, through love.The latest issue is about Yama merged with the legendary tale of Savitri- the devoted and loyal wife who saved her husband from Death.

Of course, the Puranas have been modified for a dramatic effect in the stories (because otherwise stories about Gods would most always be cliched), but the Puranas themselves have been mangled through the centuries, so it is said, and so the Virgin Comics version wouldn't go amiss.

The illustrations are all top-class, showing shades of emotions, action, depicting fury of battles, all with ease. They blend smoothly with the story.

It's pretty interesting- just like any comics series from Virgin Comics. So enjoy!!

Virgin Comics India Authentic Download Rapidshare #1 Ganesha
Size: 26 MB
http://tinyurl.com/2qllp6

Virgin Comics India Authentic Download Rapidshare #2 Kali
Size 26.5 MB
http://tinyurl.com/3x5sxy

Virgin Comics India Authentic Download Rapidshare #3 Indra
Size: 6.7 MB
http://tinyurl.com/36osdr

Note: Tinyurl is just a masked version of Rapidshare links. Its perfectly safe. It will redirect you to the rapidshare link in a moment.

Virgin Comics India Authentic Download Rapidshare #4 Uma
Size: 3.4 MB
http://tinyurl.com/3xzk8k

Virgin Comics India Authentic Download Rapidshare #5 Shiva
Size: 13.2 MB
http://tinyurl.com/2mgt8o

Virgin Comics India Authentic Download Rapidshare #6 Vishnu
Size: 16 MB
http://tinyurl.com/2qanmz

Note: Tinyurl is just a masked version of Rapidshare links. Its perfectly safe. It will redirect you to the rapidshare link in a moment.

Virgin Comics India Authentic Download Rapidshare #7 Yama
Size: 14.8 MB
http://tinyurl.com/3a43d4

Stop!! Entry Restricted!! New features in Yahoo Chat

2007-11-25T11:45:00.000+05:30

Yahoo chat servers have been around for aeons, from the very beginning of Yahoo itself. Of all the successful features of Yahoo, this has been the toughest to replicate- and has been quite a monopoly (although MSN live messengers did exist- they have not been able to unsettle Yahoo's popularity).

But the rise of Google Talk- which is faster and compact, compared to Yahoo's Instant Messenger has upstaged Yahoo- I notice so many people preferring Google Talk to chat with friends, Yahoo has understood that its position is vulnerable. It has made Yahoo sit up and pay attention.

It has much to do with Yahoo's nonchalant attitude to the perenial problem of Chat Bots. There have been countless complaints and innumerable Trojan attacks through the Chat servers, not to mention all the spam that fills up precious bandwidth (which makes Yahoo chat servers so slow, and prone to frequent crashes), yet Yahoo has maintained a stand that these never existed.

But, with the rise of Google Talk, Yahoo has decided to do something about this scourge. Its quite a simple method- just prevent automated IDs from entering the Chat rooms. Which means you can have a million automated IDs (and use them for mails etc.) but you cant come into a Chat room unless you're real.

By the new security laws in Chat servers- you need to type a special code displayed as a Captcha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captcha) every time you enter into a Chat room (So if you change 5 rooms- its 5 codes you need to enter).

So effective is the system that you find instant relief for all the real (loyal) users. While Chat rooms were flooded with Bots earlier, they've all been eliminated, or rather replaced by the real people- the ones they can chat with. Of course, there are real spammers, but that's a minority and besides its blatantly clear who is the spammer and who is the real person.

What this means is- Yahoo has finally decided to listen to its customers, and has understood that customer is God and that everyone else has to bow to them.

Enough said, Yahoo direly needs its old customers back from Google Talk. Lets see how this new move from Yahoo works out.

Advantage Term Life: Making you Fully Loaded for Life

2007-11-24T23:38:00.000+05:30

Driving my nephew to his school I noticed that life has its perils hidden everywhere. We just cannot predict whats going to happen tomorrow. The other day I was preparing meticulously for an exam when I get a call telling me that my grandma is seriously ill and fighting for dear life in the ICU. Fortunately, she's now back to normal and I was thankful to the insurance guys as much as to the doctors.
Well, that's about life's uncertainties- and I guess now you see the reason behind insuring oneself. You could try Advantage Term life insurance- they help you Save Money on Insurance and Reduce Premiums
Above all that- they have Insurance Quoting Services which something very novel.
If you run a company and want to provide insurance cover to your employees, they offer Corporate Insurance Plans for Employers
They even offer practical insurance plans like Cheap Smoker Insurance Rates.
Now that's what I call- fully loaded for life.

Reason: Autumn In My Heart

2007-11-21T13:02:00.000+05:30

This is the famous song Reason from the TV series "Autumn in my heart". Its a pretty sad song, and is slow most of the times- and twice in the song it builds up gradually to a crescendo and the pattern is very predictable, although enchanting to listen to. It has almost the same instruments Endless Love from "The Myth" (http://hardshipalarmnot.blogspot.com/2007/10/greatest-love-songs-of-all-time-endless.html) used and in fact there is a common phrase in the lyrics for both songs -"ijineun marayo" which roughly translates to "never forget".

Anyway, here's the song-

Rapidshare Free Download Reason from Autumn In My Heart sung by Jong Il Young

Size: 3.9 MB

http://tinyurl.com/ypaz5a

Correct Lyrics for Reason from Autumn In My Heart sung by Jong Il Young
http://tinyurl.com/yunbnd

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Tiger Tiger Burning Bright

2007-11-21T12:56:00.001+05:30

Copy of 8
Originally uploaded by sextus_rex

Tiger Tiger Burning Bright,
In the forests of the night!

So goes the famous poem "The Tiger" by William Blake. I could go on singing the praise of the Tiger- its my favorite animal, and it is the National Animal of my country (India). It is the perfect creation of God.

A splendour and regalia unmatched even by the Lion, a mix of Speed and Strength unfounded in any other living being in the World- a beauty in its ruthless method, a fire in its eyes- the Tiger evokes gasps of admiration and terror alike from all those who see it- maybe because if they do see it eyeball to eyeball (in point blank range), that's the last sight they will ever see I guess.

Anyway, here are some close-up shots of the Tiger in the wild, for us unfortunate souls who could never get to a Tiger so close in our lives (if at all we value them that is).

Click here to see the entire collection:

Free High Resolution Tiger Wallpapers

http://www.flickr.com/gp/13232910@N04/595oDG

Australia's answer to Kamal Hassan's Dasavatharam!

2007-11-19T19:34:00.000+05:30

If you ever thought the Aussies were nothing more than a bunch of bullies (if you think that is ridiculous, you must watch cricket regularly to know otherwise) with no sense of art or culture- well think again, because good old Warney- the Spin Wizard, has become their new Mascot for his histrionics.

In the latest TV ad, Shane Warne plays the roles of his dad, mum and himself as their baby in this innovative take on Dasavatharam (of course, unintended)- but I guess he goes one step more than all our Indian actors, being cast as a baby as well. (Sorry I couldn't get pics of the baby!)

Well, he may not be the family man in real life (he is a divorced man), but he seems to say to the World- I am the family I need; I can be the mother, father and the baby! :-)

Look at this pic- doesn't he look like Satyaraj?

Here're some links to articles:
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,22732925-2,00.html
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22733144-661,00.html

Falling Standards of Indian Education : Shaking the foundation

2007-11-19T01:52:00.000+05:30

The latest survey on world educational institutions brings out a startling fact- that no Indian University is among the top 200 of the world. What this suggests is of far greater consequence than one can imagine.
This has shaken the very bedrock of our country's growth in recent years- of NRIs (Non Residential Indians) and Indian penetration into the West.
We all know the phenomenon of the Brain Drain- of talented, intelligent Indians offering their services to the US and other developed countries for greater monetary rewards. So far, Indians have been well respected with regards to matters of the intellect. But, with the fall in institute standards, the next generation of students might find it tough to continue the legacy of being the best "foreigners" in these lands.
China has so far been behind the race due to their inherent difficulty in learning English- their language being the major hindrance, but now with reports like these, the language fluency maybe overlooked for pure quality by the Western employers and we might find more Chinese competing successfully against Indians.
The government's push for more and more reservations in all National institutes has not helped. If the situation has to change- it is we, the students who must stand up to our rights for a better education. How many of you know how rotten, cluttered and outdated is our syllabus?
More on the nature of our syllabus in another special editorial- watch out for that.

Here's the complete article:

TOP STORIES
No Indian varsity among top 200 universities
By IE Tuesday November 13, 04:38 PM

No Indian varsities, including the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology, figure among world's top 200 universities this year, while six Chinese universities were listed, signalling the rapid stride the Communist giant is making in higher education.
Harvard University tops the league table followed by Cambridge and Oxford at second and third positions respectively.
The top 10 universities are all either in the United States or the United Kingdom, a survey has found.
Besides China, other Asian countries figuring in the list of world-class universities are Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea.
The IITs, which figured regularly in all the previous surveys, since The Times Higher - Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings began three years ago, have fallen off the map this year partly because of a change in evaluation norms.
For this year's survey, individual IITs were assessed, and not the "IIT system as a whole." And none of the seven IITs was considered good enough to find a place among the top ranking world universities, according to the survey.
However, IIT Delhi and IIT Mumbai find mention among the world's top 50 technology institutions, with the former at 37 and latter at 33 -- both way behind China's Tsinghua University, placed at 16.
The six Chinese universities included among the world's top 200 are Peking University, Tsinghua University (also listed among the 50 best technology institutions), Fudan University, Nanjing University, the University of Science and Technology of China and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
The survey covering 28 countries, confirms the English-speaking world's dominance in higher education with America and Britain leading the pack.

Google Desktop : Search Extreme!

2007-11-18T23:21:00.000+05:30

When was the last time you tried to find a long-forgotten file using your in-built Windows search and were actually successful?

Have you ever had the feeling of helplessness of not remembering to bookmark certain pages of the net (that you reached after copious amounts of searching) to find that you have deleted the history, and therefore all traces of that page? Now you wanna go there, but cant remember the address, only the site name- and the page you found needs a lot of navigating from the main page.

If that had been a blog, and if you had bookmarked the blog (and not the permalink to that page), chances are you may never find that page after a month- you might have forgotten all critical data about the file.

So how do you get back to pages that you've deleted from history?
The answer is simple- Google Desktop!

Yes Google is the best search engine that's available out there, and it now offers its services to help you bring order to the clutter that is your desktop- your complete PC.

Its shrewd, fast and comprehensive. If you've ever used Google toolbar, you'll find Google Destop pretty similar, only it searches your files and web-history and a lot more.
Simply press Ctrl twice in quick succession (like a double click), and the friendly Google Desktop Seach Bar appears in the middle of your screen (you can disable it if you want).

Click here for a closer look:
http://www.freewebs.com/pujyam/toolbar.JPG

It makes suggestions for keywords even as you type in the search terms. It neatly sorts out the search results as files or web-history e-mails, chats or other, providing results in order of latest used. The results presented may contain the search-term in any way- as filename, as inline text, or in a web-page recently viewed, even in your mail-box (for example, in Yahoo mail).

It gives a preview of the page or file, and it has a cached version as well, even in case the page is invalid now, or if the file has been deleted. (of course, if its a word file etc.)
This applies even if the history has been deleted- Google Desktop will have a cached version of every single page visited- so it can serve as a great tool for parents to keep an eye on their children (without them knowing), instead of using Netnanny etc.

Click here for a closer look:

http://www.freewebs.com/pujyam/search_results.JPG

In fact- so powerful it is that it gives you a cached version of even your mail-box page, which means anyone can see the mails you've got (not read them of course, but you can see the inbox page, which is saved as a screenshot by the Google Desktop Software)

And so using this- you can actually search your Yahoo mails too (I know how idiotic Yahoo Mail searches are- absolutely irrelevant) and directly goto your mailbox from Google Desktop search (of course, you must provide the username and password) and read the mail!

Its like those portkeys and fireplaces you've in Harry Potter- just tell them the location and you're right there.

The search results are so relevant, and you can sort them out pretty quickly as you get screenshots with previews of every result. Its like identifying your mom hidden in a group of young girls- so damn easy.

Its an amazing search utility, and it is actually more than merely a search. And whats more, its absolutely free!

To read more about it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Desktop

Download it from the official site here:
http://desktop.google.com/

Matrubhoomi becoming a reality?

2007-11-18T12:18:00.000+05:30

Tell me folks- how many of you saw the movie Matrubhoomi (2003), starring Tulip Joshi- that innocent-faced girl with a look and build of a teen(She's 28 it seems), dealing with themes like female foeticide and infanticide and fratenal polyandry?

If you didn't you better check out this wiki page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrubhoomi

Once you've some basic idea of the story, and start thinking how fantastic, unrealistic is the plot- then you must read this article by Kalpana Sharma, a brilliant and fearless writer- who writes on women empowerment.

Here are some excerpts from her article: World without women published in today's Hindu Sunday Magazine (dated 18th November 2007).

In the late 1980s, when we had the first indications that technology was being used to ensure that girls were not born, a few people made rather prescient predictions about the future. They predicted that women would face much greater violence. They suggested that women would be trafficked.
These campaigners against sex-selective abortions were condemned as scare-mongerers. They were told they were exaggerating to make a point. Fewer women would mean a greater demand for them. That instead of dowry, women could demand a higher price for marriage. Realities now
We know now that the opposite has happened. Many of the dire predictions made in the 1980s are coming true. In the States where sex selection is most rampant, there are entire villages where the men cannot find women to marry. So they are “buying” women from other States. And in some instances, where the family can afford to buy just one woman, she is expected to “service” all the men in the family.

The 2001 census was a wake-up call. It exposed the damning Indian reality of falling sex ratios in the 0-6 years age group. The national average stood at 927 girls to 1,000 boys.

(I've already written an article regarding the disproportionate sex-ratio read that article here

http://hardshipalarmnot.blogspot.com/2007/09/alarming-fall-of-girls-population-in.html)

Meanwhile, according to recent reports, in villages in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, women are being sold as “wives” for as little as Rs. 3,000. Impoverished women from Bihar, West Bengal, Orissa and Jharkhand are finding themselves in households where they do not speak the same language as their “husbands” who have paid for them. They are expected to clean, cook and procreate. Ideally, they should bear boys. If they have girls, they have several reasons to worry. For one, girls in these villages are unwelcome. Second, in villages full of men, many of who cannot find women to marry, girls are unsafe. They cannot be sent out of the house alone. And even within the household, they have to be protected.
In some villages in Punjab, however, all the men in a household have access to the bought bride. She has no choice. Even if she is married to one brother, she must be available to all the other brothers in the house. Thus, polyandry exists, particularly in poor households where only one man can “buy” a wife.

Yet, sex selection has clearly shown that prosperity enhances and deepens inherent prejudices and provides the resources to act upon them. It is no coincidence that the most prosperous districts have the lowest sex ratios.

Read the full article here:
http://www.hindu.com/mag/2007/11/18/stories/2007111850070300.htm

Hips Don't Lie: Latino Magico!

2007-11-17T11:27:00.000+05:30

Well folks, it had to happen sometime- I had to put up this song someday or the other- its my one of my all-time favorites, and most favoured song from Shakira- Hips Don't Lie.

When I first heard about this song- that it had made it to the Grammys, and that the performance of Shakira and Wyclef Jean at the MTV Awards 2007 function had been choreographed Indian-style by Farah Khan, I didn't read much into it.

There was a review that praised Shakira with no-bounds- that the song was out of this world, and that it was something totally different all her offerings- a song that'll plummet her to the pinnacle of pop glory.

It sure did- by far, in the United World Chart it is at the #1 position.

In fact- it has been at the top of the charts of almost all major countries! Amazing for any song!
Everybody loves it!
It was awarded the World Single of the Year 2006, besides various other awards.

Well, there's very little I would like to say about the song, it's a mishmash of a pop number with traditional Latin beats and interludes. It contains shades of Salsa, Cumbia, Reggaeton and maybe main-stream pop as well.

The video contains a lot of belly dancing by Shakira (boy can she dance!), and no wonder- she got the MTV Award for best Choreography.
A modified version of the song was performed by Shakira at the World Cup 2006 Finals (Football, of course), and its as cool a number as it can get. The song, called Bamboo, was remixed as a much faster dance version.

The song actually evolved through a lot of stages, and right now, there're a lot of versions- I've provided them all.

The MTV Awards function song has some cool new instruments that actually make it even more enjoyable, although eliminating the feel of the more traditional effect of the song- that was made possible through minimal music from the traditional instruments.

Here you go,

Rapidshare Free Download Hips Don't Lie by Shakira and Wyclef Jean

Size: 8.5 MB
http://tinyurl.com/2yt8op

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Rapidshare Free Download Hips Don't Lie Bamboo World Cup 2006 Song by Shakira and Wyclef Jean

Size: 5 MB
http://tinyurl.com/ynntdx

Rapidshare Free Download Hips Don't Lie Bamboo World Cup 2006 Song Dance Remix by Shakira and Wyclef Jean

Size: 4.8 MB
http://tinyurl.com/yr34ca

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Correct Lyrics for Hips Don't Lie by Shakira and Wyclef Jean
http://tinyurl.com/2dnh8q

Correct Lyrics for Hips Don't Lie Bamboo World Cup 2006 Song by Shakira and Wyclef Jean

http://tinyurl.com/2xes2b

Note: Tinyurl is just a masked version of Rapidshare links. Its perfectly safe. It will redirect you to the rapidshare link in a moment.

Do Ya Do Ya (Wanna Please Me) : Achtung Baby!

2007-11-15T01:36:00.000+05:30

This is one of my favorites from Samantha Fox, although I love her Touch Me more.

http://hardshipalarmnot.blogspot.com/2007/11/touch-me-yeah-it-touched-me-in-my-heart.html

It starts with a challenge- with Samantha crooning “Are you strong enough? Gimme what I want!” It sets the tone of the song- only the strong and fast can keep pace with it. The first few moments is the only peace you’ll get in the song- the rest of it hurtles ahead like a runaway train leaving you gasping and panting by the time you reach the first crescendo. The electric guitar blares in the background and the chorus blazes your ears, yet for all its high decibel levels- its more pleasure than pain.

Of course, there is a lull in the middle, but that’s just the calm before the storm, giving you time to take a few breaths-for the last minute is pure mayhem. What must’ve been a fade out finish (like her Touch Me), its total bedlam here, concentrating all the blood to your head- it literally pulls you out onto the floor to gyrate vigorously to its beats. (naa, just shake your body as if possessed)
You needn’t understand the lyrics (there aint much anyway), to enjoy the song- its more the music kinda song than meaning, but the lyrics do have a relation to the song (as I already mentioned), it (the song) depicts the power of the girl, who can be satiated by none but the strong.

Following the popularity of the song, an extended version was released. The problem is- the original version is too short, while the extended version is too long! :-)

It’s full of power- female power! Samantha Fox rocks! Enjoy the song!

Rapidshare Free Download Do Ya Do Ya Wanna Please Me by Samantha Fox
http://tinyurl.com/2enqyn

Rapidshare Free Download Do Ya Do Ya Wanna Please Me (Extended Version) by Samantha Fox
http://tinyurl.com/2npllt

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Touch Me: Yeah It touched me (in my heart, if you're curious)

2007-11-15T01:14:00.000+05:30

They say “It is not the Disciple who finds the Guru, rather it’s the Guru who knows the Disciple”. Well, I must say, I felt the above, when this song found me at a mall. It was crowded like hell out there, and yet amidst the pandemonium, I could hear a sweet voice crooning some inviting lines. It was like honey to my ears. I tried my best to discern the words, but the only words I could fathom were “Touch Me”, “I wanna feel your body”.

I normally get to hear songs at the mall, and forget them later in the day, but somehow, this one refused to leave my mind. The lines just kept coming back. I had to listen to the song I decided.
Its not easy downloading a song not knowing the name or the album or the artist, I thought. No not at all- just type in the words you heard along with the magic word “lyrics”, and voila, you get the info of any song that contains your lyrics. Its just child’s play to single out the song from that list (yeah I felt like Madhavan writing this- his explanation of homing in on his love-interest in Alaipayuthe in my mind).

Well, back to the song- once I downloaded it, I couldn’t wait to listen, and I wasn’t disappointed either. In fact, I liked it more than I thought I would- I was smitten with it for days together. It’s now one of my all-time favorites.
The whole song is one beautiful composition in Rock- just the kinda song you’ll hear in night clubs accompanied by some dancing ravishing beauties.
It starts off with a drum beat followed by the words “Touch Me”, and transcends into another dimension- and once you are safely landed there, the woman starts to seduce you- that’s how you feel when you first listen to the song, and what a great job she does of it!

I can’t describe the song, part by part- the whole song is a symphony of the first order- it must be heard! It can’t be categorized as a dance number, or a love song- it’s merely a song, only it’s not merely another song! And its lyrics won’t be amiss amidst a cluster of great love poems.
The song was so successful that Samantha’s popularity sky-rocketed after this, and the song alone has a cult following, inducing a techno-heavy remake in 2004 which featured Gunther and Samantha Fox (the video of which contains more perverted content than an XXX store). The song was released with two versions- a blues and a rock version (the rock one being the more famous).
I’ve provided all three versions- the original Rock, blues and remake. And just in case you don't know who Samantha Fox is- here's the askmen.com notes on her. (with footnotes from me)

why we like her?
Sam Fox not only sang deep, meaningful songs (with a hint of sarcasm, of course), but she jiggled while doing it...

why is she famous?
Samantha Fox is one of the world's most famous singers. Her song "Touch Me," is instantly recognizable anywhere. Her posters (nude and clothed) are among the most common in any of the world's car garages, and one of the most successful ever.

Rapidshare Free Download Touch Me ( I want your body) by Samantha Fox
http://tinyurl.com/2ymdjx

Rapidshare Free Download Touch Me ( I want your body) Blues Mix by Samantha Fox
http://tinyurl.com/2p72ba

Rapidshare Free Download Touch Me ( I want your body) 2004 by Samantha Fox featuring Gunther
http://tinyurl.com/2pllpr

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Hybrid Cats: Pets From Dreamland

2007-11-13T18:40:00.000+05:30

Well folks, when was the last time you wanted to have a Tiger for a pet? Or perhaps a Leopard? Maybe you wanted to show off like the Kings of the Moghul dynasty, or were inspired by "Scarface" Tony Montana to buy one, as a mark of your courage, but seriously speaking- could you ever have a wild cat for a pet?

Apart from the seemingly impossible task of catching one (in its infancy), training it to be a docile pet, keeping it under a leash and feeding it through the year, there's also the government to appease- they aren't gonna allow you to grow an endangered species without special permission.

So why go through all that trouble when you can simply get yourself one of the Hybrid Cats? What are they?

Well, they're feline pets right out of your dream- they are exactly what you wanted pets to be- they are miniature and docile versions of the Big Cats.

Yes! By artificial breeding, many varieties of Cats 'cat'ering to customers needs have been created.

Some of them are the Bengal Cat, The Savannah and The Ashera. Of these Bengal cat has attracted my attention the most. It is the cross of an Asian Leopard Cat and the domestic cat, and voila, you have a cat that resembles the Tiger (or a Leopard) in appearance with all the domestic characteristics of a normal Cat.

Here's a set of pics for you to see the difference:

As you can see clearly, the one on the left is the Bengal Cat, and on the right is the Royal Bengal Tiger (Ganguly, anyone?)

The Savannah is derived from a cross of the regular cat with the African Serval. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serval)

It resembles a long slender bodied cat with long ears- its more like a Cheetah and I think its the least adorable of the three varieties. (It looks like a malformed Cheetah more than a Cat)

Here's a pic of the Savannah:

The Asherah however is a new variety- something pitted as the rarest and most exotic of domestic Cats. They are a cross between a Serval and the regular cat, and a further cross with the Asian Leopard Cat- to produce an amazing triple traits Cat- having the spots of a Leopard along with contrasting stripes of a Tiger! And guess what does it cost- a whopping 22 grand ($22,000)! All for a Cat??!!

Here're some pics of the Asherah:

But from what I see- The Bengal looks most regal, while the Asherah seems nothing special- its mishmash of so many varieties leaves the final product neither here nor there. Growing up to 30 pounds, the Ashera is believed to be the largest pet cat available today. US based company Lifestyle Pets Inc. has already sold three of these felines, which are made to be uniform in size by genetic motoring.

Besides that, they are extremely social, and also allow being handled with a leash (unusual for cats). And sources say the breeding of these cats is severely limited, thereby only under a 100 cats will be available each year.

Well, all in all- unless you become one of those tibetan monks who play with tigers, this is as close you'd get to a real Tiger.

Bikini Bandits: Crazy, yet effective

2007-11-13T14:06:00.000+05:30

Leave it to the Danes to pull out the most crazy trick out of the box. The recent move by the RFSF (Rådet for større færdelssikkerhed-Danish commission for increasing road safety) to allow a trained gang of so called Bikini Bandits to patrol the roads has been greeted with an overwhelming response from motorists.

Surveys suggest a 30% decrease in the number of cars crossing the speed limit (of 50 km/h).

So who or what are these Bikini Bandits. They are a gang of trained volunteers who prowl the streets TOPLESS (yes, topless) holding up the sign-post indicating the speed limit.

No wonder any guy would slow down or even stop to look at the sign-post (and obviously the "pole" which is holding it). Although it has been a desperate effort, and has produced favourable results, it has evoked an equal amount of criticism, especially from the female community.

Motorists stopping to gaze at the Bandits' uncovered assets has brought traffic to a standstill sometimes, while the girls jiggling their bosoms doesn't make a pretty sight for the women (who they say find such sights in public "disgusting"). Not to mention the fate of parents who would've a long bout of explanation to their little kids, if the children happen to be witnesses.

Head Bandit Heidi Svendsen (in first picture) reckons all such talk is crap and that she "couldn't care less for what others have to say. People are starting to notice!". She then sidetracked to commenting on her team as being the best (well, are there more baby? Where then?) and that they'll continue to do their jobs with full passion- that is to make Denmark sit back and pay attention.

But, of course, one mustn't forget- the Danes never worry and have no great cares to cause them stress- they've always had a care-free attitude to all things in life and why should something as innocuous and trivial as this cause them to drain their nervous energy?

On the contrary, the move is very popular among (no marks for guessing) the men.

No wonder- The Danes are the happiest people in the world (survey results).

Imagine something like this in India to stop people from littering? Dust-Bin Bandits, anyone? ;-)

Here's the link for the video of a news item on The Speed Control Bikini Bandits (Warning: Explicit Content Viewer Discretion Advised):
http://speedbandits.dk/

The Call of Cthulhu: Graphic Novel

2007-11-12T15:48:00.000+05:30

Well folks, here's a graphic novel of the Lovecraft classic "The Call Of Cthulhu" which I found (after an excruciatingly painful search) in the Internet.

The illustrations nicely blend with the dark writing style of HP Lovecraft, (better known for "The Alchemist", which he wrote in 1908 at the age of 17) and if you found the book too recondite to understand, or too lumbering to read, you had better switch to reading the novel first, and then the book if you'd please. Of course, most of the success of Cthulhu is attributed to the slow building of the suspense- of the fear of the unseen, unimaginable Cthulhu, and if you read the novel first, you would miss out on that thrill.
But, in this fast paced world, who cares??
Anyway, here's the novel folks. Enjoy!!

Rapidshare Free Download The Call Of Cthulhu by H P Lovecraft
http://tinyurl.com/3bjms6

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Here's the Wikisource link for the original book The Call Of Cthulhu by H P Lovecraft
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Call_of_Cthulhu

Music is My Hot Hot Sex: The song in the iPod Touch ad

2007-11-11T12:54:00.000+05:30

Well, this is the song for the latest iPod commercial- a number from the album Cansei de Ser Sexy of the brazilian band Cansai de Ser Sexy (meaning "tired of being sexy" in Portugese). It has two names though (the other is Music Is My boyfriend), the more popular one being Music is my hot hot sex (The latter is used more because it prevents any mixing up with a song by Skye Sweetnam).

Its quite a nice song- a dance number reminiscent of another song I reviewed here- Le Disko, but this one is snazzier and the electric guitar is lighter on the decibels. Besides, this's an out and out dance song, with lyrics extolling music, tailor-made for iPod or any music player for that matter.

Well, the song has the electric guitar rolling throughout, with the same drum beats as well- with some funny lyrics, and a nice tune that even kids will catch up with fast.

And it ends with a fast Portugese Rap. Its from a genre called Electronica (the ones that have a large dose of the electric guitar with a funky dance tune).

Here's the Ad ( on youtube)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGZ9sIAuJ9k

Here's the song along with the lyrics, enjoy!

Rapidshare Free Download Music is my boyfriend ( Music is my hot hot sex ) from Cansai de Ser Sexy

Size:7.3 MB
http://tinyurl.com/ypn78p

Correct Lyrics for Music is my boyfriend ( Music is my hot hot sex ) from Cansai de Ser Sexy
http://tinyurl.com/2m9r5o

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Greatest Love Songs: Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai

2007-11-10T19:50:00.000+05:30

Well folks- this one aint not a masterpiece from a what-was-its-name Band from a far-off country, but by a famous Music Director from India- Pritam's virtuosity combines with the flair and panache of Kay Kay to produce a masterpiece fit enough to hold its own in the Western World.

Its Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai from the critically acclaimed modern classic Woh Lamhe starring Shiney Ahuja and Kangana Ranaut. Well, where do I start folks- its one of my all time favorites, and I rarely have words to express the feelings I get whenever I listen to it (And I am loquacious, folks!).

Well, as the name suggests- the hero has started to fall in love, and he feels so many beautiful things happening around him as a result of that. His struggles and strife seem to vanish and whenever he meets her, his world transforms into paradise, with the sky growing amazingly colourful, without a rainbow. He asks himself, "Am I falling in love?" (Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai) and remarks, "Oh how beautiful it is!" (Kaisa Kumaar Hai).

Yes, its the kind of song you'll be singing if you've ever fallen in love, especially first love. Well, this song deserves a thesis from me- but I'll provide a mini version of it.

It starts off with a Guitar overture accompanied by a female chorus providing a dreamy touch, transporting you to the ethereal realms of Love. The Male chorus sets up the song nicely for a start with a bang and it sure does give you a bang-you'll be hooked to the song from the first half minute- waiting to know how the song develops. It never gets boring- rather it goes from strength to strength.

Every verse brings in something new, with lyrics penned so wonderfully like Love itself by, it stays in your heart like the first moment of happiness you cherish.

The electric guitar which gives the final touches (as well as some interesting interludes that allow the song to change gears) along with an extended fade-out finish lets the song linger in you for long.

The sudden stop in the middle (the part where the song goes over the edge, giving you the feel of a fall from a great height), when the song is at a cusp comes as a surprise- albeit an admirable one at that. Super Touch Pritam!

Controversy surrounds this song (like most of the Hindi songs and movies, nowadays), that it is direct lift from song Tak Bisakah by the Indonesian band Peterpan (yes its a band). The tunes are very much the same, although Pritam has worked on the song and enhanced most effects, like the drums, chorus and different sounds as well, not to mention that sudden stop I talked about. Besides the lyrics are totally different, the Pritam version's lyrics are mind-blowing (even if you don't know Hindi) and all in all, it can be safely said that Pritam's version is the best.

This is a love song like you've never heard before- its a celebration of Love!

There're two versions- the original (the one that appeared in the movie) and a perfect bouncy remix (by DJ A Myth and DJ Kiran) for a jive with your girlfriend/boyfriend at a party. The Tak Bisakah song from Peterpan has also been provided here.

Rapidshare Free Download Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai from Woh Lamhe composed by Pritam sung by Kay Kay ( KK )

Size: 9.1 MB
http://tinyurl.com/33qzng

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Rapidshare Free Download Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai REMIX from Woh Lamhe composed by Pritam sung by Kay Kay ( KK ) REMIXED BY DJ A Myth and DJ Kiran
Size: 8.4 MB
http://tinyurl.com/2r2ky5

Rapidshare Free Download Tak Bisakah performed by Peterpan
Size: 5 MB
http://tinyurl.com/39z7e6

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Tu Tienes Lo Que Quiero

2007-11-07T13:59:00.000+05:30

It’s a nice bouncy Latin number by the Latin American Mexican Rock Band Mana, which has been around for quite a while in the circuit- almost three decades. Surprising how I didn’t get to hear their songs until now. A friend of mine who is a voracious devourer of Western songs tells me he hasn’t even heard of the name!
Anyway- they’re quite a famous group with three Grammys and five Latin Grammys under their belt. They’re still going strong, although team members have come and gone.

I’ve heard only two songs of their vast Discography, and I feel Tu Tienes Lo Que Quiero (puzzled as to how to pronounce it?- listen to the song, I’m damn sure you wouldn’t have guessed it.) is enough to keep you hooked to this band. I don’t understand the lyrics- the metaphor “Its all Latin to me” is literal here- it’s truly Spanish and Latin I guess. But anyway it has all the regular fare you expect in a Latin number of its kind- some bouncy beats, along with a general dose of the Guitar.
A refreshing addition is the usual drums combined with the African drum Kpanlogo and some other traditional instruments as well, and so it has a tropical flavor as well. (No wonder really- becoz Mana has been termed as a band with versatile music ranging from hard rock, Latin pop, Calypso and reggae) The drum beats are so perfectly placed that you never want to take your ears off the song- it flows like a river smoothly.

It follows a nice pattern- the kind we are used to in India- The initial few lines that identify the song (Pallavi), some more lines to build up the crescendo (AnuPallavi) and some nice Verses (Saranam), of course interjected with some really cool music.

Rapidshare Free Download Tu Tienes Lo Que Quiero by Mana

Size:10.6 MB
http://tinyurl.com/36gn63

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Greatest Love Songs: You're Beautiful

2007-11-06T22:51:00.000+05:30

Well- this is one of the most famous songs (You're Beautiful by James Blunt for the album Back in Bedlam) I'm reviewing, and quite critically analysed by Giants and Conoisseurs far above my level, but no matter-I'll have my say, and you can bet for sure it'll have something different than all those voices that preceded me.

This song has a story behind it, as many love songs do. From the article in wikipedia- Newspapers have claimed that "You're Beautiful" is about a former girlfriend of Blunt's, Dixie Chassay, casting director for the Harry Potter films. On March 8, 2006 episode of the Oprah Winfrey program, Blunt said of the song, "It's kind of miserable. It was about seeing my ex-girlfriend on the Underground in London with her new man, who I didn't know existed. She and I caught eyes and lived a lifetime in that moment, but didn't do anything about it and haven't seen each other since."

Quite a tragic end to a relationship that obviously meant a lot to James Blunt. But anyway, it has given us a great song. The song is so famous and popular that it has topped the US, Canada, UK and Aussie charts, featured in the Top 10 of Latin Charts and has come 3rd in the United World Chart!!

Quite massive for the kind of song that it is- not very special, but surely if you were ever a lover, you'll feel what Blunt feels through the song, its quite emotional. The lyrics of the song aren't flowery in language or generously dosed with metaphors- they're the simple words of any sad man you'll find in everyday life.

Blunt's rendition is accompanied by a Guitar, and some soft beats. The music aint too much, but the tune and the feeling in Blunt's voice carry the song through. Most of the music comes from what he sings, and not the orchestra. He has given life to the song; any budding singer trying to know how to emote in a song need search no more- here's a perfect example.

The lyrics are quite good too- he talks about the meeting earlier mentioned (seeing his ex-girlfriend with another man), and extols her smile and beauty to great heights and feels he should be with her, flies high with such dreams, but finally falls back to earth- facing the truth, that all this would never happen, and that he has lost her forever.
Its very much like all the songs our own heroes sing in the movies, of course movies with tragic endings.
Its really really touching- and if you've had a similar experience, all the more so.
Well folks- enough of talk- here's the song. Go on, listen to it! Keep your hankies right beside you- just in case :-)

Rapidshare Free Download You're Beautiful by James Blunt from the Album Back in Bedlam

Size:5.6 MB
http://tinyurl.com/2hx6hf

Correct Lyrics for You're Beautiful by James Blunt from the Album Back in Bedlam
http://tinyurl.com/2k85f7

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GRE: Dispelling Myths III

2007-11-06T22:14:00.000+05:30

Well here I am, back with more golden rules. No chit-chat today- only business, becoz the part of the GRE we're gonna discuss today is one of the toughest nuts to crack.

Its about...

Analogies and Antonyms (AA):

Well, although all four sections- Reading Comprehension, Sentence Completion, Analogies and Antonyms have approximately equal number of questions, AA questions can be tougher than the others for the following reasons:

You must be cognizant (That's the company I'm placed in- cant help giving them this little publicity :-) ) of the given word (Antonyms), or word pair (Analogies).

You must have some cognizance of all the five 5 choices.

You must have some above average mental reasoning (for some tough ones), and must be able to use it.

First of all- its simple math (really simple folks!) that you need to know 6 words for Antonyms and a dozen for Analogies- for each and every question in the Test. English language composes of a million words, Merriam Webster has about half a million and even Barron's- which is supposed to be a highly condensed list for GRE students has about 3500.

So taking five words out of these 3500 aint not gonna pose a problem for the questions-setting comittee. BUT, its gonna present a big problem for you if you had just left the word in "choice", like you do in Semester exams.

If you have absolutely no idea of what the word means- the best you can do is just guess; trying to work out the meaning from word's roots is as crazy as generalising that all the French women are sensual and all Jews are smart.

So to increase your chances of getting a word in your (possibly) limited vocabulary, you must expand it.

This you could do by mugging up every word list in Barron's, or Word Clusters from Lyceum (Mama Easy Book). Believe me- I found this is the most boring as well as the most strenuous exercise to the mind. And whats more- half of the words you read aint not part of daily or professional usage. They're merely learnt to improve the math equation- know more words. They wouldn't appear in the GRE as well- but you folks (with an air of paranoia) read it, just in case.

I say- thats wrong. The BEST WAY to tackle these questions is to practise, practise and practise. Yes preparation is necessary I know- but its better to prepare while practising, learn while you earn. Here's the method:

Take up a verbal test- only Analogies or Antonyms. If you don't know any of the words in the question- immediately look the up the dictionary, find out the meaning and come back to the question. Try to answer it now- you will surely be able to do it now. Do the same for every question. In the course of a few tests you'll find that your vocabulary has increased manifold and you'll also remember the words better, if you repeat the procedure for the same tests 2 or 3 times- this surely aint a monotonous procedure compared to merely cramming words into your poor brain. I'll also recommend following this procedure with a good command of the Word Clusters- this procedure of mine works well with Mama Easy, not so with Barron's (I just learnt 2 word lists of Barron's afore my Exam, but knew atleast 500 words of Clusters).

Practise this method- others are either too time consuming and the words learnt that way are too volatile to stay in your memory for long. We'll meet again in the next episode- watch out for that, its gonna be about another problem topic- Issues and Arguments, with some notes on Grammar.

GRE:Dispelling Myths II

2007-11-01T09:57:00.000+05:30

Well folks, I am back with some more of the golden rules. Today we’re gonna look at sentence completion. The methods I give are a motley group- some are age old rules of the thumb while some are radically new. Ok, enough of transgressions- let’s talk business.

Sentence Completion:
Best Method:
Well folks, I’m sad to say this, but the easiest way to tackle this section is to have read lots of English books- even Harry Potter is acceptable in this case. Remember that the whole point of GRE isn't filtering students coming into the US. It is merely to equip you with a level of English and Math deemed proper for a professional student, in the US. So it just encourages you to improve your English, and what better way than to read books?

(Oh please don't talk about watching movies- the only new word you'll learn is the four lettered **** and **** (you know them already! :-) ))

If you do read books- you’ll be able to identify those words that fit and those others that are awkward for the blank to be filled. In fact- your mind will tell you a lot of possible words that can be fit in, even afore you have read the choices. That way, you’ll find yourself flinching when you read some choices (obviously rejected) while nodding approvingly for some.

Some books I recommend (Read the book fully and you shall improve marvellously in your sentences, as well as vocabulary- but that comes later in this article)

Sherlock Holmes: Complete Adventures (Needn't read all of it- may 200 pages of it)
Dracula by Bram Stoker
James Bond by Ian Fleming (only some adventures)

The level of English is capital (what people call King's English) and the stories are no less interesting than the fast movies we watch today. They also teach characterisitics of English Life, making you a cultured Englishman. (Not that Indians are barbaric or anything of that sort- just that their culture is differnt from yours, so it must be learnt)

"They will keep you immersed for days together (like in a trance), and voila, when you come out of it, thou shall have transformed into an English Master"-I'm not saying this is how its gonna happen. But you shall surely be interested in the story and shall learn slowly, but surely, just like I've done.

Dracula might be a bit slow- so better concentrate on the other two. Dracula is good for advanced users. You'll start using your dictionary every alternate moment once you start reading them. I found 4 words in only the first page of Sherlock Holmes when I read it- and I am an accomplished reader.

These books are a complete package for improving English-Grammar, Vocabulary, Sentence Formation, Slang etc etc, all in One.

Anyway, back to Sentence Completion

Other methods:
Well folks, all these methods are incomplete ones- so don’t go all out in following them. But just know that they’re available too. One way is to look at critical points in the sentence and try to eliminate absurd choices. But, this is very time-consuming unless you’re an advanced learner, and besides you cannot always be so sure with the choices you have eliminated.
I’ve not mentioned other methods here- because they’re all useless. The difference between the best method and the others is this- it’s like playing a cricket shot by instinct, naturally, rather than mechanically trying to remember each and every instruction regarding the shot and playing it. Any shot must be played by the body with feeling- not by the mind with thinking.
If you’ve mastered the Best Method (This method alone is fool-proof. None of the others can provide the complete solution.)- you’ll be answering SCs by instinct- just like how Sachin dispatches loose balls to the boundary, in a casual manner.

Warning- Only for Advanced Learners:
In the advanced stage- you’d be able to answer most of the SCs, but would still fumble at certain tricky ones. This is where your reasoning is tested. A profound knowledge of the words and their usage in various contexts is required to be 100% sure in all cases, which is very difficult to achieve. But do not be alarmed (Hardship Alarm Not J) This level of understanding is unnecessary for the GRE, unless you’re aiming at 1600 and want to be damn sure of reaching it. The possibilities of such questions in this section are low. So its better you follow the above tips to raise the bar above average. This level is outstanding.
I’ll explain further on this method when I write the article for advanced learners (another part in this series).

Note:

Don't miss out on the coming parts- the real fun begins only from the next part.

Next Episode (3rd) will be on what I consider the most important part of the Verbal test-Analogies and Antonyms- because this one needs the most preparation.
The episode following that (4th) will be devoted to Issues and Arguments.
5th episode will be for advanced learners of Verbal and the 6th will be for Quants, followed by a final episode as an epilogue, and to include anything left out. Grammar will be included-in the 4th or 5th or 7th episode. I'm thinking about it. But you shall surely get my tips on grammar.

Following this, (the series would be concluded with the 7th episode) I would be posting interesting questions (real questions), or anything new and worth reading about the GRE.

That will be written in GRE category. NOT IN GRE GOLDEN RULES.

Sorry for the delay- I shall try to post atleast once in two days in this category.

Ramayan 3392 AD

2007-10-31T09:15:00.000+05:30

What might happen if Rama were to wield the Rocket launcher rather than the legendary bow? How would it be if Arjuna were to fire Atlas missiles rather than arrows? How will it be if our grandma were to narrate bed-time stories filled with spaceships and plasma guns?

Well, this is how it shall be- and believe me, it'll be far more thrilling than you can imagine.
Virgin Comics has come up with a new series titled "Ramayan 3392 AD"- a tale composing of Ramayana's pivotal characters in a post-apocalyptic age.

Introduction:
The story is based on the saying "History repeats itself. All events of today had precendents in the past."
The world has been ravaged by the horrors of War, and only a few human socities scattered across the globe, including Armagarh (a pun on Ayodhya) and the mystical city of Mithila, prevail to oppose the monstrous might of the Asuras. commanded by the half-droid half-organic Ravana. Ravana is irresistible and he seeks the power for ultimate world domination- Seetha, the daughter of The Earth, who has the power to give life! Will Rama save Seetha from the clutches of Ravana and bring hope to the dying world?

The world is futuristic with some relics from the past. Its like Star Wars and Ramayana combined, when we look at the World; Inter-Universal Portals, Spaceships, Underwater cities, even thje ability to converse with the "gods"- the world has changed. :-)
Speaking with the "gods" is possible- so this comic, and you'll have to read the book to find out how (I aint giving out the plot so soon).

Its initially a bit uncomfortable, or even embarassing to read Rama saying "I saved your ass out there Lakshman!" (that kinda stuff- not exactly the same), but once you understand that, although it has shades of the original, the context of the original and this one vary dramatically. The original was a depiction of an Avatar of God, and his life on earth as a man.

Here is an example- a dialogue with a double entendre.

This is like any other comic tale, with characters and places bearing some names from the epic. Knowledge of the original is not a requisite, although it enhances your experience if you know the original, as sometimes plots from the epic are seamlessly woven with the story (albeit with some modifications to suit present times) in this ultra-modern masterpiece (For example, Kaikeyi banishes Rama from the Kingdom, not send him away for 14 years, etc etc.)

Not everything has changed though- Vishwamitra is still a sage, Rama is still Blue in complexion (which Lakshman finds odd), while Ravana is still the Asura king. But the comparisons with the original end there. Rama is no God's avatar and Seetha is no ordinary woman. It aint love at first sight for Rama and Seetha.

And neither are Rama's brothers inferior to him, and although a direct comparison is avoided in the story, it can be asumed that Rama is most powerful, though it is never clearly shown (we might expect to find out from the upcoming issues). Bharat is called "The Berserker" and is a mighty giant who wields the Axe with great skill, beheading enemies like we chop vegetables.

The style of narration and panache in the illustrations bring out an unearthly feel to the story, which transports us to another world- yes the world after 1300 years. Furthermore, the illustrations enhance the speed of the narration, especially during the chases and fights (there're some thrilling battles I must tell you) almost making you feel like the characters. Some of the depictions- of the wonder city of Mithila (refereshing eye-candy) and of the terrifying depths of hell of Ravana, even the portrayal of each of the characters is breath-taking. I've read a lot of comics in my time, and to say that this is one of the best illustrations for any comic is an understatement. It has taken comics to a whole new level!
The story never lags- going at a breakneck speed, and after each issue, you are left craving for more, wondering what's next. I'm now waiting for Ramayan 3392AD Reloaded (the 2nd part of the series) like someone waiting at the hospital for updates on status of a loved one.

The Asuras are depicted as a mutant race, fathered by Ravana, bent on killing everything in their path. Ravana, it is said, was born out of an evil union of AI machines and grafted human flesh. He is the result of certain secret experiments performed by an unnamed nation to produce a super being capable of mass destruction. Even if you do believe that nuclear weapons would one day be the ultimate end for this world, all that is discussed in this story about nuclear wars would be dismissed as fantasy by us (for the time-being). The whole series is science fiction and action at its best, and combined with the factor of ancient culture, it is an irresistable package.

Suffice to say that this work is as good as a HG Wells novel. But, as you already know, HG Wells once spoke of Lasers, Submarines and a whole lot of things. Today they are all realities. So who knows- we could see another Ravana?

A solution to the woes of Indian cricket

2007-10-30T19:02:00.000+05:30

Well folks, let’s face it. We all know Cricket in India is a mess right now. Although our team does win now and then- they’re all too few and far between, maybe during dead rubbers or on flat wickets, and besides, those victories are far from convincing. (I’m talking about ODIs, let’s leave out the tests for the time being)
How can a team of such talented cricketers still not be consistent in their victories? Well- I’m here to tell you all about it.

Although this looks like a thesis, I guarantee you, if you are a cricket fan, you'll every word of the following.

Opening Pair:
First of all, let me start with the batsmen and the batting order. From recent matches we can see that the opening pair of Ganguly and Sachin either make or break. In the Aussie series- they only twice produced good stands, while in the rest of the occasions their partnership was broken almost as soon as it started; not to mention the horrendous running (Ganguly to be blamed) between the wickets degraded further by the chaotic calling (both are the culprits). Enough to prove that this is not the best opening pair- although they hold the record for most century stands in ODI history.

The reason is- Tendulkar is no more the player he once was. He is more tentative and less aggressive- befitting his age, with slower reflexes to boot. How many times has he been bowled inside edging onto the stumps (also called "dragging it onto the stumps")? My dad reckons that Sachin actually invented the inside-edge bowled and has named it “The Tendulkar Dismissal”. For an example of his slow reflexes- we can recollect his dismissal (bowled off Fernando) in the crucial match against Sri Lanka in World Cup 2007. His bat came down late and hence the ball evaded the middle of the bat and went onto hit the stumps.
OK back to our topic. Ganguly too is not bent on using the powerplays too well. He is also taking his time to build every innings. So, most of the time- even on flat pitches, the Indians never go past 60 or 65 (which are highly rare occasions) in the first 10 overs. So this pair is out-dated. Its methods of conserving wickets while keeping a run rate under 5 or so is not effective in the modern ODI game (post SA 438 that is). Either Ganguly changes his game and scores fast, or he must relinquish the opening slot.

No.3 batsman:
This is the slot that has been under a lot of scrutiny for a long time, yet nobody has occupied this spot for long. Dravid used to be good until afore the WC 07. But considering his form and strike rate- obviously he can’t be the option. The role of the perfect No.3 is to be fluid enough to sustain the run rate (assuming the openers give a good start) and being solid enough to prevent further loss of wickets (if the first wicket has fallen cheaply). He must play spin and seam well.
A near-perfect example is Ponting.

Of all batsmen in the team, the one who has impressed me most is Gambhir. He has overcome his shortcomings and along with a positive approach he has constantly produced sterling knocks (right from the tour of Bangladesh) whenever he was given an opportunity. He appears to deal both spin and seam well. And he uses his feet wonderfully. Whether coming down the track to smother spin or moving away from the stumps to smash fast bowlers over cover, he has been brilliant. His technique is solid and his running between the wickets excellent. He would fit into the No.3 spot like a cross to the T.

The Middle Order:

For all his flashy manner and extravagant strokes, Yuvraj Singh has inherent limitations that are tough to move over. He cannot play well against the spinners- atleast he is tentative initially, and against the moving ball, his feet do a disco dance while his bat searches for the ball. His T20 success was merely due to the pressure exerted on the bowlers due the brevity of the format.

But he has certain gifts rarely bestowed on Indian batsmen- the ability to clear the ground, against any kind of bowler, in any direction. Although the six is the best shot, six-hitting alone doesn't make a batsmen in the middle order.

When it comes to Dhoni- the point is simple. Everyone knows his technical shortcomings- so many times has he been foxed by champion bowlers.(first ball duck to Murali in WC 07 against Sri Lanka; tormented by Flintoff and Anderson in Englang this year, cheaply removed by Johnson with the away swinging delivery- the list is endless). The rest of them (the lesser mortals) were merely bullied to subjgation. But the mediocre bowlers have understood Dhoni now and have started to cramp him for room giving him the option to only drive the ball (he is not a good player of the drive- he always hits too hard and (or) extends his bat to outside-the-off-stump balls).

And he's never been a good player of quality pace bowling (except during his two great innings against Pakistan in 2005). He can murder the slow bowlers with his massive sixes- but the fine dabs, finding gaps were never his forte, which is indispensable while facing medium pace in the middle overs. Not to mention the weight of captaincy has also curbed his wild-animal instincts.

But still he is a flexible, constantly-thinking player (that's why he is captain), so he can change his game according to the requirements. In fact the only player I believe can take up the mantle of Sachin is Dhoni- life after Sachin would revolve around Dhoni. Along with Sachin and Yuvraj, he's one of the best six hitters in the team. And he's the best runner between the wickets. So he'd make a very good middle overs player.

Uthappa is wonderful prospect to accelerate in the slog overs. He's got all the shots, can hit the ball hard, and the characteristic walk a la Hayden (his walk is as effective as Hayden's). And he runs well.

Sewhag started off as a No.7 and was promoted up the order much later. He has all the shots to cause mayhem in the last ten overs. He can easily clear the boundaries and his slashes and cuts wouldn't cost him his wicket in the final overs as there would no slips or men in catching positions, as they would be busy, guarding the boundaries. On the contrary, they would fetch him runs behind the wicket. He seems perfect for this position.

Ganguly is an aggressive, hard-hitting batsman as well as a thinking cricketer. I would suggest he can be sent in the middle order- No.4 spot seems to be suitable for him. With his experience he can hold fort while others play around him. Although he doesn't run so well, he could make it up with some boundaries. Or he could come at No.6 to go all out against any attack, or bat with the tail (which I believe no other batsman can do right now).

The Lower Order:

Irfan Pathan is a pretty good batsman and his slot viz. No.7 is almost sealed. But the Indians are always botching up the rest of the order. I strongly suggest Zaheer be moved up the order- to come immediately after Pathan. He can hit the ball far (He once did a Mascarenhas hitting 4 sixes of the last 4 balls of an innings) and he has enough experience to bat sensibly (which he has done so well in his career. He won the last ODI for us along with M. Karthik, and made a good knock along with RP Singh to help India get to a decent total in the 5th ODI).

No.9 would be M. Karthik and No.10 would be H Singh (although he seems to be a better batsmen than No.10, he's not been playing sensibly of late). No.11 would be Sreesanth or RP Singh.

So as of now the order is:

Sachin
???
Gambhir
Ganguly
Dhoni or Yuvraj
Dhoni or Yuvraj
Uthappa or Sewhag
Pathan
Z Khan
M Karthik
H Singh
Sreesanth or RP Singh

The opening slot is still tough to call (that should explain the No.12 in a 11 man squad). We need a batsman who is aggressive and takes the pressure off Sachin. Instantly our thoughts fall back on Sewhag. But he's so unstable. And we need definite starts. Gambhir could fit in well, but who'd take No.3, which is perfectly made for him?? And if Sewhag comes in, who would have to leave?

I would suggest giving Sewhag a second chance- he seems to have calmed down a bit and could be consistent.

And as I already pointed out- though his foolish shots could be fatal in the initial ten, they could be god-sent gifts in the final ten.

So Sewhag gets No.6

I suggest Gambhir must open with Tendulkar. He has shown from his stupendous form in all his T20 matches that he can hit it right from the word “go”. Besides he is also a good runner between the wickets. He will be the perfect foil for Sachin, who can build the innings at his pace. He could also add the effect of the right-left combination. The case of Gambhir being dropped is absurd, given his present form. So Ganguly must goto No.3 (this might well be the weaklink in the team, in the final analysis).

India must decide upon a regular batting line-up where everyone knows their roles, even if some players have to change their present ones radically. (Like Ganguly trying to fit into No.3).
If the players fit into their roles this would be a redoubtable BATTING line-up.

My Choice (for all 5 matches):

Sachin
Gambhir
Ganguly
Dhoni or Yuraj
Dhoni or Yuraj
Sewhag
I Pathan
Z Khan
M Karthik
H Singh
RP Singh or Sreesanth

Yes, after so much sqaubbling I've settled for Gambhir being an opener. This is so because once Sachin, Ganguly and Dravid leave the team, its Sewhag and Gambhir who would open (The T20 line-up). So he'd need some experience there. If at that time (after Ten etc... retire) the middle order needs solidity, Gambhir could come at No.3 as a calming influence and to strenghten the middle order. And as for Uthappa, it remains to be seen how well this combo would work (if at all the people out there think my way and try this out), and then only will we need to see if Uthappa is required at the time being (he is pretty good I admit).

Push It To The Limit: The Ultimate song to establish the hero!

2007-10-28T15:36:00.000+05:30

I had decided some other songs for you today just when I heard this song while playing GTA (Grand Theft Auto) III. I immediately downloaded the song (after lot of careful searching and screening) from Limewire and felt THIS was gonna be the song for today.

So here it is folks!!

This song, Push It To The Limit, sung by Paul Engemann composed by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte and featured in the oh-so-famous gangster movie Scarface starring Al Pacino (Yes, The Godfather himself!). This song is for Al Pacino in the movie what Vetri Kodi Kattu was for Rajnikanth in Padayappa. (Thankfully, the comparisons end there)

It appears in the movie when the hero Al Pacino rises in wealth and position after he kills Frank Lopez (A drug lord in the movie- his superior) and takes over as the head cocaine trafficker in Miami.

Its explosive almost all throughout and can make a fantastic dance number (not many can dance to its speed, but when used by those can- it'll make nice viewing).

Its a drums heavy number accompanied by an equal amount of guitar notes. One thing I noticed, and which surprised me is the interlude from an instrument which I suspect is a veena- it gives a totally different effect to the Western song.

Anyway- its a must-hear song- very racy. The song and its lyrics are right below.

Rapidshare Free Download Push It To The Limit sung by Paul Engemann composed by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte from the movie Scarface

Size:2.8 MB
http://tinyurl.com/33wgkv

Size: 5.1 MB
http://tinyurl.com/2qwbjv

Correct Lyrics for Push It To The Limit sung by Paul Engemann composed by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte from the movie Scarface
http://tinyurl.com/35w53p

Note: Tinyurl is just a masked version of Rapidshare links. Its perfectly safe. It will redirect you to the rapidshare link in a moment.

Greatest Love Songs: All Time High

2007-10-27T18:15:00.000+05:30

This song "All Time High" composed by John Barry and sung by Rita Coolidge is from the Bond movie Octopussy- the one in which Bond comes to India; produced by Prakash Amritraj, with his brother Vijay Amritraj, the famous Indian tennis star, donning a role.

It is about the exhilaration of a woman on finding her perfect "lover". She is filled with ecstasy and expresses it openly with feelings of admiration and even submissiveness towards her latest lover (yes this aint first love).

The song is characterized by those saxophone notes that almost always send you to the moon and suggestive lyrics. The song uses up most instruments pivotal in any love song- sax, violin, drums and of course the piano. The music is perfect for a dance with your love- a slow lingering dance with spasmodic bursts of energetic moevements. All in all the sng is rather stocked! Read the lyrics as well- if you understand what they mean and then listen to the song, its a whole new experience in love and love-making.

Rapidshare Free Download - All Time High from Octopussy sung by Rita Coolidge composed by John Barry & Tim Rice

Size: 4.4 MB
http://tinyurl.com/24t6xg

Rapidshare Free Download Lyrics - All Time High from Octopussy sung by Rita Coolidge composed by John Barry & Tim Rice
http://tinyurl.com/3y3m93

Note: Tinyurl is just a masked version of Rapidshare links. Its perfectly safe. It will redirect you to the rapidshare link in a moment.

Avast Anti-Virus: The best software for home users!

2007-10-23T19:13:00.000+05:30

Tired of having to format your hard drive countless number of times despite having different kinds of anti-virus programs installed in your system??
Completely helpless against Browser hijacking malware, because your anti-virus is just ANTI-VIRUS??
Irritated with your paranoiac anti-virus that sees threats at every turn in the web world?

Time to change to most popular FREE Anti-Virus Software- AVAST!
Yes- it’s the perfect blend of powerful protection with good Net accessibility, the perfect mix of caution and lenience, the ultimate for all home users, and what’s more- its absolutely free!

Not many of you know about this I’m sure, most of you using AVG Anti-Virus. Well although I have that as well- AVG is more of a disaster management sort of program. The old saying goes-“Prevention is better than cure”. That’s what Avast excels in. It warns us of incoming viruses with an onscreen scanner- that monitors every single file transferred to and fro the system, that you get the feeling of having a personal bodyguard completely covering you.

Besides, it’s Virus Recovery Database (or Virus Chest), allows you to store infected files in a safe folder (from where they can’t do their malicious work) and heal or delete them later on.

Every time you open the program it tests the memory and system files for affected files, thereby homing in on the problem with unerring accuracy.

In combination with the Windows Tools like System Restore, it can give any virus one hell of a time. And its warnings are almost always correct (except when I tried installing Kazaa, it blocked the file), so you’d better heed them.

Its updates (completely free) are so light (most of them under 500Kb) that they won’t take up system resources or bandwidth. Although updates are regular- it doesn’t update everyday.

It has an easy to use menu interface allows us to search selected folders, local drives and removable media (CDs, Pen Drives etc.) separately or whole.

Depending on your Hard Drive Capacity and the used space in it, and type of search selected, the search time may change. I’ve a 200 GB HDD filled to about half (100 GB) and it takes about 45 minutes for a thorough scan.

You can also adjust the sensitivity of the tests and the on-screen scanner as well. This feature allows you to access some files which maybe from 3rd parties that maybe blocked by other anti-virus software.

For most of us home users- we don’t browse all the sites in the world, and so we don’t get all the unknown viruses. So this software should be more than enough for us.

Important Info:
It only needs your registration with its site which is ABSOLUTELY FREE. The registration is valid for a period of 14 months after which you’ll have to register again. All registrations are COMPLETELY FREE.
The registration involves filling up some info about you (just like for an e-mail account), and it sends to your e-mail ID the product key using which you can have the full version of Avast Home Edition.
The Professional Edition is for offices, and that needs to be bought. But for us, the free edition is a godsend.

Greatest Love Songs of All Time: Endless Love

2007-10-22T20:25:00.001+05:30

One of the world’s greatest melodies of all time- Endless Love from “The Myth”-the Jackie Chan movie that starred Mallika Sherawat, that flopped in the box office, but not the soundtrack though. This modern classic, available in two different versions, is able to hold its own amidst the ruins and keeps the “The Myth” still remembered amongst the Chinese and Korean audiences, that is, Asian circles in general.

The song is a vocal portrayal about the tragedy involving the lead pair, about how their love couldn’t succeed. Its lyrics seamlessly fit in with the music, which is heavily based on a piano score accompanied by some soft drum beats. Its the perfect song to be listening to with your love. The movie version is sung by the lead pair themselves- Jackie Chan and Kim Hee Sun, (JC & KS) while the soundtrack of the movie contained another version sung by world renowned Asian artistes- Sun Nan and Han Hong. (SN & HH)

The (JC & KS) version is soft and establishes the main theme, music etc of the song. But, as the song is addictive, repeated listening to the song might cause a feeling of monotony. The (SN & HH) version adds more spice and variety to the song, with more emotions in rendering the lines- all in all, a more passionate number.
Both versions follow the same tune, but different lyrics (you wont actually make out the differences though- its all Chinese and Korean).
Here’re the piano scores for this song, along with all the lyrics with translations.

Rapidshare Free Download - Endless Love ( Mei Li De Shenhua ) sung by Jackie Chan and Kim Hee Sun from The Myth

Size: 4.6 MB
http://tinyurl.com/yrwmo5

Lyrics and Meaning:

Ziddu Rapidshare Free Download Lyrics and Meaning - Endless Love ( Mei Li De Shenhua ) sung by Jackie Chan and Kim Hee Sun from The Myth
http://tinyurl.com/24pxhv

Ziddu Rapidshare Free Download - Endless Love ( Mei Li De Shenhua ) sung by Sun Nan and Han Hong from The Myth

Size: 8.2 MB
http://tinyurl.com/23ct2v

Lyrics and Meaning

Ziddu Rapidshare Free Download Lyrics and Meaning- Endless Love ( Mei Li De Shenhua ) sung by Sun Nan and Han Hong from The Myth
http://tinyurl.com/295tv3

Piano Scores for both songs:

http://fengdw.blogspot.com/2006/12/endless-love-piano-score.html

Note: Tinyurl is just a masked version of Ziddu links. Its perfectly safe. It will redirect you to the Ziddu link in a moment.

The Story Behind the Eyes

2007-10-02T22:41:00.000+05:30

Imagine if you got a pic like this on your screen out of nowhere. If its in the night, and after having read a story on the supernatural, its enough to scare your wits out of you.

Something like this happened to me last Friday.

I was listening to the preview of a song I was downloading through Limewire. Meanwhile, I decided to open some other applications. And I soon got engrossed working in those applications that I even forgot that the preview had run to completion. After finishing my work and closing those apps, imagine my amazement when I find two cold surreal eyes staring at me.

I was startled for a moment. Only then did I recognise that these eyes were from the visualizations of the Windows Media Player. The fact that I had not selected repeat mode meant that the visualization produced by the last note of the song was still active on the Now Playing screen.

Only then I remembered the song. I was suddenly fascinated by the different kinds of pics I could make by just playing the song (or any other song for that matter). But try what I may, I could never get back those eyes like this. Of course I had saved the pic for posterity the moment I saw it.

The song is Kaho Na Kaho from murder. I've the song that produced this visualization. I merely challenge you to produce pics like these.

Thuggees: A Murderous Cult that has shamed India

2007-09-24T23:42:00.000+05:30

India has forever been known as a Nation of Peace and Spirituality. Although there have been gruesome rulers, they have been few and far between and were usually foreign forces. Indigenously, the people of India were always hard-working and peace loving. However, it’s sad to know that the very apt word for a gang of hoodlums (goondas, rowdies etc.) comes to the English language from India.
The word I'm talking about is "Thugs", and it’s derived from the name given to a murderous gang that operated throughout the Indian sub-continent in the 19th century called "Thuggees".
The sanskrit word "thag" means "thief or robber".
They were a composite mixture of Muslims and Hindus. Their origin is unknown. They were fervent worshippers of the blood-thirsty Goddess Kali and they killed by strangulation only.

They operated in gangs. Their modus operandi was simple but meticulously detailed. They would meet wayward travelers during a journey. They would gain their confidence and continue with them in their journey.
When the opportunity arises, they would kill off the travelers quietly in dark corners and bury the bodies with pickaxes, thus leaving no evidence of their crime.
The Thuggees were a thorn in the British flesh in the 19th century, by the end of which, it was officially recognized that the last of the Thuggees had been killed.
Views are divided about the motive of such a Nation-wide Syndicate of crime. Most historians agree it was merely for the monetary goals (most Thuggees recruits were very poor people), some feel it was an association striving for national freedom by frustrating and terrorizing the British. Although there're no specific sources to support this theory, there're none to disprove it either.
The Thuggees are a favorite motif for many film-makers looking for a ruthless and cruel antagonist, and feature in lots of films and TV series, the most famous of them being the Steven Spielberg movie -"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" (Amrish Puri is the Thuggee).

Sewhag Out As India Bat First

2007-09-24T17:18:00.000+05:30

Sewhag was unavailable to play on the final of the tense Final of the Twenty20 World Cup against Pakistan, due to the groin injury he was suffering from in the last match. He is replaced by Yousuf Pathan, younger brother of all-rounder Irfan Pathan. He is an all-rounder himself- a batsman and an off spin bowler. But he hasn't had any international experience till now. How he will fill the shoes of India's batting star Sewhag remains to be seen.
The whole of India prays that this aint a blow to India.