tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-162044992024-03-14T00:06:14.802-05:00Life As I Know ItAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.comBlogger279125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-12119259220253336312011-02-26T20:53:00.000-06:002011-02-26T20:53:06.878-06:00Assistive Technology Blog: Captioning On Youtube<a href="http://www.assistivetechnologyblog.com/2011/02/captioning-on-youtube.html?spref=bl">Assistive Technology Blog: Captioning On Youtube</a>: "There are some very friendly and extremely simple features on Youtube that let you add captions to your videos for your audience that may ha..."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-40704375709677527892011-02-22T00:10:00.000-06:002011-02-22T00:10:48.566-06:00Assistive Technology Blog: Accessibility Video Tutorials For Websites<a href="http://www.assistivetechnologyblog.com/2011/02/accessibility-video-tutorials-for.html?spref=bl">Assistive Technology Blog: Accessibility Video Tutorials For Websites</a>: "Think Vitamin Membership recently made all its accessibility tutorial videos free. Think Vitamin is a website for web developers, and has ma..."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-5140576789710601622011-01-01T14:26:00.000-06:002011-01-01T14:26:43.036-06:00I HAVE MOVED!Blogspot has been quite nice to me, but I find it kind of stale and boring now. I blog here now: <a href="http://daftmale.tumblr.com/">http://daftmale.tumblr.com/</a><br />
<br />
I wish everyone a Happy New Year!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-75125938230273907912010-10-13T23:56:00.001-05:002010-10-13T23:56:53.819-05:00When You Are Engulfed In Flames..<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQQgQlKjXVGNc9klHbVS0pcDY_geYTV9AW_yAnwahEErEw8COPM6RO7E4DX2QnEV6SIyXu_NXUeELs22cjliwmLY90SQsDdnKORpuwVgbJEnd6qsgW-EhlzSBo0zL23oVrExIxA/s1600/2010-10-13+23.02.18-713820.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzQQgQlKjXVGNc9klHbVS0pcDY_geYTV9AW_yAnwahEErEw8COPM6RO7E4DX2QnEV6SIyXu_NXUeELs22cjliwmLY90SQsDdnKORpuwVgbJEnd6qsgW-EhlzSBo0zL23oVrExIxA/s320/2010-10-13+23.02.18-713820.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527761271924573074" /></a></p><p>Can't wait! I can't believe I would be seeing my favorite author tomorrow!</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-87368807398435150072010-10-13T02:09:00.001-05:002010-10-13T02:09:16.998-05:00Bloggin On The Go..<p>I have decided to phone blog now so that I could use the physical keyboard on my phone more often. I am actually sitting in front of a computer but still not using it because I really don't have anything to talk about. Oh yeah, life has been kind of sucky and unexciting for a while now, but that's a different story.</p> <p>So I was thinking that from now on if I am stranded at an airport, watching someone eat their food at a restaurant, see a baby crying, or see a dog lover get excited about their new pup, I will phone blog. There and then. Unlike those smart people who tweet in less than 140 words, I am going to write an insane amount of text about something that I find idiotic or hilarious. Oh, I have also decided to give twitter one more shot. I have tried it several times in the past, but always failed. This time I have downloaded the Twitter app on my phone also (I told you I am serious this time). I don't know what I will tweet about, but rest assured that nonsensical blog posts would show up here for sure (from my phone).</p> <p>if the backspace was a character I would have many more words in this post - but I digress.</p> <p>I have spent like 10 minutes typing now, and this post doesn't even make sense. </p> <p>And my fingers hurt a little bit.</p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-21600342527812599032010-10-12T14:52:00.001-05:002010-10-12T14:52:46.614-05:00<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFf8phq_8sMqEEStg7Og4upqq5xxWMw8rJ7F_VhwBgcUsgSdEW16lww80S5M8JhoIs05OZPMhBkM3hK5JJBamMM1iHf7Wto5faM5QRBC59y88Un-eXCrHldsHlmyULNxNX1KcSug/s1600/2010-10-12+14.49.44-766615.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFf8phq_8sMqEEStg7Og4upqq5xxWMw8rJ7F_VhwBgcUsgSdEW16lww80S5M8JhoIs05OZPMhBkM3hK5JJBamMM1iHf7Wto5faM5QRBC59y88Un-eXCrHldsHlmyULNxNX1KcSug/s320/2010-10-12+14.49.44-766615.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5527249966198298242" /></a></p><p>Trying to phone blog. </p> Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-31063520498706328672010-08-06T17:04:00.000-05:002010-08-06T17:04:08.268-05:00You Are So Funny....NOT!<div style="text-align: justify;">Well, there are funny people, and there are funny people who are annoying.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I always appreciate the presence of funny people around me because they just do a hell of a good job at making me laugh. The one thing I like best about these funny people is that they would be conversing about something and suddenly they would say something that would be absolutely hilarious. Usually, they compare the topic we/they are talking about to something that they have experienced in the past, watched on tv, or read in a book. There are also those funny people who just randomly pull something out of their asses. What they say may or may not make sense, but it sure does crack me up (these are #1 on my list).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">These are the kind of people I like. I always like it when they are being funny just because i love to laugh and they do a good job at making me laugh my lungs out. I always wait with bated breath for them to crack their next joke!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">And then there are the funny people who are annoying. Notice that I am still calling them funny. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">These people have a good sense of humor, no doubt. But they are not the natural jokesters. Okay, sorry, they are, but they try too hard. Let me tell you what they do.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">They crack a joke, and a person like me laughs. Immediately, two things happen. Either they get some kind of an ego boost and assume that their value went up on the "How funny are you" stock exchange, or they think that it is their moral responsibility to keep me happy by making me laugh constantly. And here is when they start mutating from funny to funny but annoying.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I usually don't like to break people's hearts. If they keep cracking jokes, I keep laughing (yes, fake laughter). But after a while my jaw starts to hurt, and I start blaming the supposed jokester for bringing misery to me. I immediately start praying to God to make that guy stop. If I am on an airplane, I immediately open a book or close my eyes and pretend to be asleep. But if I am in a social gathering stuck with this clown, I keep laughing. Sometimes the jokester sees my eyes water while I am laughing and immediately assumes that he is doing a very good job. I wish he (sometimes she) knew that the tears were a direct result of the suffering his or her jokes (or should i say their will to keep going) were causing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">But just like so many other things in life it is pretty much impossible to escape this species. They are everywhere, and determined to ruin your day by being extremely funny.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-79402752464207221992010-08-05T16:46:00.005-05:002010-08-05T17:21:51.938-05:00Flying Woes<div style="text-align: justify;">Air travel has never been easy for me. No, I don't vomit when the plane is mid air, nor do I get panic attacks like some people. I am one of those guys whose flight is always delayed or canceled. If not delayed or canceled, I miss it, and it's never my own fault. I have been known to sleep at airports (on the cold floor) on numerous occasions, or sprint at full speed to catch my next flight (which I still miss), and that happens because my bad luck is always working overtime to keep me away from my final destination.<br /><br />I recently realized that I am always in the last seating zone (it has always been 4). I have never been in 2 or even 3 (1? forget about it!). I am always at the end of the queue to board the flight. What makes this matter worse is that usually with Seating 4 "everyone else" is allowed to board the flight which means that those assholes from Seating 1, 2 and 3 who missed the announcement earlier get to board the flight with me, which in turn means that if they join the queue before me then I am further pushed back in the queue. But that's not the worst part.<br /><br />The worst part is that because I am one of the last ones to board, all the space above the seats to keep your carry-on is full, and I always have a tough time dealing with adjusting others' luggage to make way for mine. Sometimes I have to give my bag to the flight attendant and she finds space for it somewhere. Occasionally the bag would go at the back of the plane, which means that I have to wait for it to come to me when I deboard, and if I am in a time crunch, this situation makes sure that my next flight is missed.<br /><br />Since traditionally I have had such a horrible experience flying in and out, don't I deserve some kind of a nice treatment in the future to make up for all the sufferings? How about Seating 3 to start with?<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-32713256666102126052010-08-04T17:10:00.001-05:002010-08-04T17:12:53.705-05:00I m Sending You An Email And Guess What..<div style="text-align: justify;">Some people I know have recently been provided with smart phones, and needless to say, these folks are now sending emails from their phones to everybody. Obviously, there is nothing wrong with it. That's in fact a smart move. Send emails while watching tv, playing with your kids, driving..it's all good.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But here's the problem - they either do not want to type a lot on that tiny keyboard, or they have just become goddamn lazy (and rude), because what they do is they type the actual message in the subject of that email, and leave the body blank. Now when I read the subject line of that email on my phone or computer I obviously open it, thinking that there would be details in the goddamn body of that email. But guess what, I am always surprised because there is no goddamn text in that email. It's freaking blank!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That pisses me off. Why? I will tell you why.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Because 1), it wastes my time and energy. Reading the subject first and then opening the email (anticipating a detailed message) only to find out that there is nothing else being mentioned is an insult to my efforts. When I put some energy trying to get more information from an email, I expect to be rewarded. If you want to send one line messages to everybody, send us all a freaking text message on our phones. If you are too lazy to do that then at least mention "end of message", "that's it", or "over and out" (or whatever) at the end of the message in the subject line.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">2) I just think it's rude. An electronic message is made of a number of parts (To, subject, body etc.) and I feel that each component of an email should be respected by providing content that it's meant to accept. If you are sending me just a file via email and I know that you are going to do that, then it's okay. Send me an email with an attachment and an empty body. Go crazy, I don't mind. But sending the message in the subject line is like disrespecting the "Body" part of that email. It's like snatching a toy from your kid and giving it to your dog. The kid doesn't deserve that treatment (I am okay with you snatching the toy from your dog and giving it to your kid though). And like I mentioned earlier, it's just rude to send an email without text in the actual goddamn body.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Lately I have been noticing a pattern. I can spot the email that would have an empty body instantly, and the first thing I do is cuss. I call the sender an asshole.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There. I am done bitching, and I feel good now. </div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-48947989855525762982010-07-08T17:08:00.000-05:002010-07-08T17:08:45.981-05:00Babies<div style="text-align: justify;">After watching Multiplicity last night, I thought to myself - Why doesn't somebody mass produce babies and sell them at stores so that we could just go and pick one (fair skinned babies would be a huge hit with Indian parents!). The babies should come with certain features though - they should never get hungry, never cry ( hate it when they cry in supermarkets and airplanes), and perhaps never grow up (some people complain that they loved their kids so much when they were little). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I love babies, but not sure if I can handle one of my own. I would rather have a dog. Or a spider. Even a fairly sophisticated <a href="http://princeofnormal.blogspot.com/2008/12/my-name-is.html">robot </a>would keep me entertained for years (Should recharge its own batteries though).</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-67941420038359921342010-07-02T17:11:00.000-05:002010-07-02T17:11:29.416-05:00I Am A Football Expert Because I Update My Facebook Status Every 10 Seconds<div style="text-align: justify;">There's one aspect of smart phones that I am not really liking these days, and that aspect is the Facebook app. Now don't get me wrong. I spend most of my time holding my phone or my iPod Touch and checking out Facebook updates. However, there is something that is kind of annoying me, and it will stop on the 11th of this month for sure (I hope).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">We all love football, and the last three weeks or so have been extra special because of the World Cup. Now this is where my problem starts. It goes without saying that everybody (including the ones who have never played football passionately but have watched the <a href="http://www.premierleague.com/page/Home/0,,12306,00.html">Lipstick League</a> on cable every year) is an "armchair expert" of this game. I don't mind that. We all have opinions, and we all make judgments. Nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is that all of those so called experts are updating their Facebook statuses every 10 minutes on their phones. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"OMG! OMG!"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> "Handball!"</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"That was not a fair yellow" </div><div style="text-align: justify;">"$&^k the referee"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">..and the list goes on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I know that there was a goal. I know somebody got a red card, and I freaking know that the referees are not doing a good job. What I don't know is why you all cannot just quietly watch the game and keep your excitement and emotions to yourself or the people around you? </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Being a Facebook junkie, I keep checking my Facebook all the time, and all I see are these insane statuses - every 5 - 10 minutes. The biggest mistake I make is when I comment on somebody's status (or even just Like it for that matter). I keep notification emails about the fifteen of my friend's friends who just commented on his status right after mine. The phone keeps beeping and when I check my email, all I see is "Asshole # 1 commented on your Assholic friend's status", "Asshole # 2 commented on the same Assholic friend's status", and so on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I don't mind post match comments, but commenting every 5 minutes while the game is still in progress? Don't you understand that nobody gives a <i>chhit</i> about your updates? And also, don't you know that those updates are awfully annoying (yes they are, if you said no to that question)?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">I know nobody cares about the emotional trauma I go through when I read those updates, but please, for the love of God, let me watch the games in peace. I am not complaining, I am just saying that I don't want my phone to keep beeping all the time during my game only to tell me that an armchair expert just made a comment about a yellow card. </div><br />
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<br />
Enjoy the World Cup my <strike>awesome</strike> Facebook friends!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0Ames, IA, USA42.02335 -93.62562241.9595885 -93.742351500000012 42.0871115 -93.5088925tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-56511092791268405842010-06-14T01:18:00.004-05:002010-06-14T15:16:22.764-05:00Haye Mirchi!!This audio clip should hopefully show up soon on a website I am working on...as background music. It would be part of a roughly 30 second stop motion video I am making to promote a <a href="http://mirchiplex.com/">website</a> my friends have been working on.<br /><br />I hope you like it :-).<br /><br /><object width="260" height="68"><embed src="http://www.soundation.com/studio/play/player.swf?audio=eeb4f85cdd0bc3fdc48cbed6acccb100" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="260" height="68"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-92150216864589431432010-06-10T11:35:00.004-05:002010-06-10T11:43:35.105-05:00Hello!<div style="text-align: justify;">Quick post - I have not been blogging at all because I am bored. Of blogging. Well, that's not entirely true. I am bored, yes, but I am also lazy.<br /><br />I have been wanting to blog about a certain things but procrastination made sure that i did not.<br /><br />Just today, however, I noticed that I have had a surge in the number of visitors to my blog over the last one month or so, especially from Texas, NY, and Northern Europe (hello to you all and everybody else!).<br /><br />Do you all like reading this blog? I don't know, but I am inclined to assume that you do.<br /><br />So starting today, I will write more regularly (and also probably revive my other blogs), and see if my blog continues to interest you.<br /><br />Thank you for your time and interest everybody!<br /><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-19602872063949871002009-12-27T23:43:00.012-06:002009-12-28T01:02:22.923-06:00Pop Goes The Corn..<div align="justify">I am not writing about anything exciting. In fact, most of the things I write about are mishaps.</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">Here's another one.</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">I recently decided to make some "white chocolate popcorn" (I made that name up). The "recipe" for it was provided by my super cool (ex) boss. Basically, here is what was to be done - get white chocolate, melt it, and pour it over the popcorn. Simple, right?</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">Wrong. </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">Why?</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">Because I was involved.</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">I was in a very relaxed mood that night - I just wanted to watch some tv and do nothing else. Usually I just grab a bag of chips and start munching, but that (fateful?) night I was a little ambitious. I decided to make the "white chocolate popcorn", not the regular popcorn you losers eat. </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">Kidding.</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">Anyway..</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">I started with the white chocolate bar. The bar was sitting in the fridge for a few days so it was as rigid as the stones used to build the Pyramids. I decided to just keep it on the counter to thaw it, but soon ran out of patience. I used my awesome (not really) knife to cut three huge blocks of that chocolate bar and almost ended up stabbing myself in the thumb. </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">Now was the time to melt those big boys, and so I did.</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">In the microwave.</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">For 3 minutes.</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">And started watching TV.</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">At the 2nd minute and 50th second I got up to take a gander at the inside of the microwave, and for a moment could not really comprehend the situation. </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">Why were there angry black bubbles blowing inside the microwave? Is white chocolate supposed to turn black after heating up? I didn't think so either. Those black bubbles made a certain sizzling sound, and I sensed that something was not right.</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">In fact, nothing was. </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">I quickly stopped the microwave (with 3 seconds still left) and opened the door to see my tupperware totally massacred! The black bubbles were made not by the chocolate but the melting plastic, when it was crying in pain, and seeking help. </div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">I was flabbergasted. I had completely underestimated the power of the microwave. At that moment I was thinking that melted chocolate straight out of the microwave has the capability of becoming the deadiest weapon ever. A few seconds later I started thinking about the mess that was to be cleaned in my kitchen.</div><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJ8PrHKEKNfEldnLYwYJoGqN2BKjJqk8F34AXtfyowHsTGIjl0k9eMSyetlAsp-ViB62aRW8f2Mma8yvEkwL07lp886XpmktxkE4mGetR-cgqDVM7qtxm1v0CyXVpVAe8V9NhrQ/s1600-h/IMG_1808.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420166655146899698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKJ8PrHKEKNfEldnLYwYJoGqN2BKjJqk8F34AXtfyowHsTGIjl0k9eMSyetlAsp-ViB62aRW8f2Mma8yvEkwL07lp886XpmktxkE4mGetR-cgqDVM7qtxm1v0CyXVpVAe8V9NhrQ/s320/IMG_1808.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4Mz9hTd4gGmlPLqRnftZNXe4zpyBN2H1_Y-zkyvZtYqjsIQXYaqZRSLOdWJiUUt4VNpge7FL9ggMUIAoBkCnmYyYE3acnAHKdGkrpgmwXmmypN8RSqj0uiu7VzN5KPbOjhmxYg/s1600-h/IMG_1813.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420167680082260162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4Mz9hTd4gGmlPLqRnftZNXe4zpyBN2H1_Y-zkyvZtYqjsIQXYaqZRSLOdWJiUUt4VNpge7FL9ggMUIAoBkCnmYyYE3acnAHKdGkrpgmwXmmypN8RSqj0uiu7VzN5KPbOjhmxYg/s320/IMG_1813.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_RRutAJROBdqKJhZdnicxEJTI1FdV5RMiMz_BMTmb9UIc74VDCiAscTIIEPf__45aW-C6w0wf30cwQcM_EskCEBxZQ5idz-EEPsRVh7iqfKioo5Ls_NnatudRGDHLhnJ4-POQQ/s1600-h/IMG_1810.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420167658874353458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_RRutAJROBdqKJhZdnicxEJTI1FdV5RMiMz_BMTmb9UIc74VDCiAscTIIEPf__45aW-C6w0wf30cwQcM_EskCEBxZQ5idz-EEPsRVh7iqfKioo5Ls_NnatudRGDHLhnJ4-POQQ/s320/IMG_1810.JPG" /></a> I then realized that those classic vessels and the stove still exist for a reason. I quietly cut three more blocks of the chocolate and put them in a vessel and melted them on low heat on the stove.</p><p><br /></p><div align="justify">Slowly, and patiently.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRDJTbwirbIlcnOea7TqbjDm-cHSLLAdgMQvc2OvrrLdzg95K6aVFqSzIQs2tsOHAPFHfEG3b1CFMVozO6Ykv3pmSLRpSY9q_69h6DeCj7x4Isn_lowYnf-kl4CeXFZMB_OtRfw/s1600-h/IMG_1815.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420169820228532770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRDJTbwirbIlcnOea7TqbjDm-cHSLLAdgMQvc2OvrrLdzg95K6aVFqSzIQs2tsOHAPFHfEG3b1CFMVozO6Ykv3pmSLRpSY9q_69h6DeCj7x4Isn_lowYnf-kl4CeXFZMB_OtRfw/s320/IMG_1815.JPG" /> <p align="justify"></a>And within a few minutes (15?) I was pouring some rich and smooth white chocolate over my popcorn.<br /><br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekqx_VG_AIWp9CuUzQN0j18NNDLfkjbPCKTXO-MaWzNf-lLCX0t35RbxOC0m16VdsTu2ZOZ8ITz-aAjxw-6SgvCxLdTLedOOyExo0WPElm-45pW18GT3GdjD3no7f0GOmBJ2rsA/s1600-h/IMG_1818.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420170652746409842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhekqx_VG_AIWp9CuUzQN0j18NNDLfkjbPCKTXO-MaWzNf-lLCX0t35RbxOC0m16VdsTu2ZOZ8ITz-aAjxw-6SgvCxLdTLedOOyExo0WPElm-45pW18GT3GdjD3no7f0GOmBJ2rsA/s320/IMG_1818.JPG" /> <p align="justify"></a>The end result.<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_9iJnTPb-OrZ41pIUe0buDaGAYX43v4DS1F5PhScXKVGVVOH85A93watC2FOsZEGYVVck5XlCYnHUKgGKsihdPXkomMDxpBndl4cNIOcBL8-3nUsUpjy-cD1R_z4Z0D8C_eI9w/s1600-h/IMG_1819.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420170660111167506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_9iJnTPb-OrZ41pIUe0buDaGAYX43v4DS1F5PhScXKVGVVOH85A93watC2FOsZEGYVVck5XlCYnHUKgGKsihdPXkomMDxpBndl4cNIOcBL8-3nUsUpjy-cD1R_z4Z0D8C_eI9w/s320/IMG_1819.JPG" /></a> I munched away to glory watching yet another episode of "It's Always Sunny.." on the DVD. Fifteen or so minutes later I smelled something. <p align="justify"><br />Burning.</p><p align="justify">With the usual "Oh shit" coming out of my mouth, I leaped and ran towards the stove to see that I had kept the empty vessel on the stove without turning it off! There was just a little bit of chocolate stuck to the bottom here and there, and it was all burning and turning black. </p><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGVBKXFynxyvIUoAtONVZ32ZtJCQ3AlApXjZYW8U7glsWQZyep0xlPWOUd4ht-MpGAWtXPZPMRL3FitdleSyoAoKaEvE-HT6jfx6MLkWkWYBBalrqTjik6kaBaaqz3vhPDw4Vsg/s1600-h/IMG_1823.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420172611601870658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmGVBKXFynxyvIUoAtONVZ32ZtJCQ3AlApXjZYW8U7glsWQZyep0xlPWOUd4ht-MpGAWtXPZPMRL3FitdleSyoAoKaEvE-HT6jfx6MLkWkWYBBalrqTjik6kaBaaqz3vhPDw4Vsg/s320/IMG_1823.JPG" /></a> </p><p>But the damage was not a lot. I quickly washed the pot and the stains went away fairly easily. I kissed my tupperware goodbye (by throwing it in the trash can) and continued to enjoy my popcorn. </p><p><br /></p><p>All's well that ends well (thanks Boss!).</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-1981321236932140322009-12-27T23:32:00.003-06:002009-12-27T23:42:32.651-06:00Good Riddance To..<div align="justify">A lot of people know about this blog now, thanks to that goddamn Blogger application that I installed on Facebook. I didn't like the fact that some assholes who did not know earlier that this blog existed were also reading it and commenting on the "notes". I always had the urge to write about random things that kept coming to my mind but stopped at the last moment because of the reason I just mentioned.</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify"> So I uninstalled that goddamned app.</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">If you are reading this "note" on Facebook then I did not write it.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-83257970154877030122009-11-04T23:32:00.004-06:002009-11-05T00:08:09.161-06:00Oops, I Did It Again!<div style="text-align: justify;">A while ago I was thinking about how and where I embarrass myself, and came up with these:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>The Hindu temple</b>: I have a knack for saying or doing something that kind of irks the <i>pandit </i>or the people at the temple. The last time I went to the temple was around a month ago because it was an important occasion (and my mom forced me to go). That day I went to the temple wearing a green t-shirt with guitars on it, a faded blue jeans, and Chucks. When I entered the temple, I saw everyone else dressed up nicely (men in formal pants and buttoned shirts or <i>kurta </i>and women in <i>sari</i>)- and immediately felt ashamed of myself. I quickly offered my prayers and sneaked out quietly. To read more about my temple stories, click on the Temple Drama label.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>During random conversations</b>: I lose interest very quickly if the conversation is not interesting - I completely stop paying attention. My brain is always looking for opportunities to hibernate, and that is what it successfully does when I lose interest in a conversation. The two things that do not hibernate and remain active all the time though, are my head and vocal chords. So during a "lost interest already" conversation I keep nodding my head, and I keep saying "umhmm, umhmm", "yeah", "sure" and similar things just to maintain the continuity of the conversation without letting the other person know about the situation. But some people are smart - way too smart. They somehow come to know that I am not paying attention. They suddenly stop talking, and ask me, "so what did I just say?". Oops. That is when I shit bricks in my pants and grin like an idiot. I also admit defeat and say "sorry (I wasn't listening)". :D</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Note: If you are talking to me and all you hear me say is one of the things I mentioned above, then you (now) know what's going on.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Social gatherings</b>: I was telling someone recently about my "performance" when I am around other people - inconsistent. I can either be very comfortable and keep blabbering and clowning around like a buffoon , or, turn totally antisocial and just keep my mouth shut. Usually the antisocial situation occurs when either I do not know what the people are talking about, or people do not get my jokes. People not getting my jokes is more embarrassing because it's kind of awkward when I am the only one laughing like an asshole at the end of the joke. So if I am with you (and your friends) and I am acting strange, it's your fault.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Accen</b><b>t</b>: It doesn't happen anymore but it used to when I came to the US a few years ago - I obviously had problems understanding the accent. If somebody said something and I didn't understand, I would just reply back keeping in mind the tone of their speech, and go, "yes", or "yeah" or "oh yeah? ha ha ha". I am sure everybody thought I was a jackass. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Note: It still happens once in a while ;-). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think I am going to embarrass myself even more now. I am not happy about the fact that this post is going to show up on Facebook.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">*sigh*</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-38113275509786158812009-11-03T01:25:00.003-06:002009-11-03T01:57:53.242-06:00Quick Update<div style="text-align: justify;">It's time to give this old blog of mine some well deserved attention. Blogging has always been fun, and not writing on a regular basis makes me sad. The <a href="http://www.smileyouareoncamera.blogspot.com">sister blog</a> should be getting some love from me too.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I will be blogging on <a href="http://www.ctrlaltstartup.blogspot.com">ctrl+alt+startup</a>'s blog too on a fairly regular basis. So far, I have been doing what I do best - procrastinate. I finally posted something there last night. I hope I made <a href="http://ctrlaltstartup.blogspot.com/2009/08/team.html">Web Ninja, Code Monkey and Chief Operating Babe</a> proud. Read more about ctrl+alt+startup <a href="http://ctrlaltstartup.blogspot.com/2009/07/about-ctrlaltstartup.html">here</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I also started a new <a href="http://www.thirdeyecaptures.blogspot.com">picture blog</a> around an hour ago. I will post some pictures there that I take with my SLR. The idea is to learn and perhaps let others learn. As of now I don't think I would be discussing too much technical jargon, but i hope i do in the near future.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-84925884203642046692009-09-16T21:19:00.003-05:002009-09-16T21:46:15.088-05:00Women And Motor Cycles<div style="text-align: justify;">A strange question popped up in my mind a few days ago, and the question is - "What are the similarities between women and motor cycles?"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Here are some of the answers I have come up with:</div><div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;">They both look good in red or black.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">They make a lot of noise.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">You can ride both of them.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">They can be high maintenance.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">If you take care of them they make sure that your ride is smooth (no pun intended).</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Mishandling them may land you in a world of hurt (both emotional and physical).</li><li style="text-align: justify;">They both look most beautiful when they are just standing in a corner without indulging in any kind of verbal/noise emanating activity.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Most of us do not like to share them, but some of us are okay with sharing them with others - on a fairly regular basis.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Riding them for too long may cause body (back?) pain.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">Sometimes you look at somebody else's and instantly wish that you had theirs.</li><li style="text-align: justify;">If treated well, they both would stay with us for the rest of our lives.</li></ul></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-6264640029971221182009-05-17T02:01:00.003-05:002009-05-17T02:49:21.642-05:00Dream On..<div style="text-align: justify;">I have been seriously thinking about a lot of things.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Not many people know about it, but when I was a kid I wanted to become a musician. However, growing up in India really meant that I was to focus my energy on my studies. Also, my parents never really encouraged me to learn a musical instrument (they did want me to learn classical music when I was very little, but I refused). I think one of the reasons why they did not encourage me was because they could not have afforded the lessons, the instruments and the works. And again, like I mentioned earlier, they wanted me to focus on my education. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since the last few days I am thinking about making my dream come true (I know it sounds very dramatic, but I am seriously thinking about it). I want to be a musician. I am not planning to be in a band and cut an album and tour and all that. I just want to learn a certain instrument very well (guitar?), get some recording gizmo, and make an MP3. That's all I am planning to do. The day I make my mp3, I will smile. My heart would smile. But now the problem is this - I know how to play the guitar, but I don't know how to play the guitar. I mean, I can strum some chords, do a little bit of picking here and there etc., but when it comes to the technicalities of it - I fail. I fail because I do not know most of the stuff associated with good guitar playing. If you ask me to tune down my guitar half a step I wouldn't know how to do it. So my plan is:</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Learn to "really" play the guitar: I had ordered a set of "Learn Rock Guitar" DVDs around 8 - 9 months ago. I did do a few lessons from it but lost interest later. It's time to relearn those lessons and learn new ones.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Record stuff: I don't know how to record. I looked up recorders and mixers and stuff on <a href="http://www.musiciansfriend.com/rec">musiciansfriend.com</a> and got totally lost and confused. None of the jargon used to explain the functionalities of those gizmos made any sense to me. So I ordered <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Recording-Basics-Ultimate-Beginner-Start/dp/0769286178/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242544282&sr=8-16">this</a>. I would learn what the things do first, and then order stuff and learn to use them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Create MP3 and distribute it for free.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sounds simple, no?</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another dream of mine has always been to learn photography - like really learn stuff and click amazing pictures using the technalities involved in photography, and not just click pictures with my point and shoot randomly without knowing what is really going on in those pictures. For that I would require an SLR.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I looked up some cool SLRs online today, and instantly shat my pants. Those cameras are not cheap - even the ones for beginners are around 500 bucks. I checked Amazon, and BeachCamera. And then I checked Best Buy. I had almost given up hopes of buying an SLR when a certain offer grabbed my attention on Best Buy's website - "no interest on orders of 499 and up if paid in full in 18 months."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So I applied for their credit card...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And got it instantly!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At that very moment I ordered the <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8929699&st=canon+rebel+xs&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1214611419717">Canon Rebel XS</a>, and went to the store to pick it up, with a smile on my face of course! I picked it up, came back home, and opened the box only to find out that they had actually given me the <a href="http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8794691&st=canon+rebel+xsi&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1205537713445">Rebel XSi</a>, and not the XS, which is a lot more expensive and has better features! I looked at my clock and realized that the store was about to close in 10 minutes. I called them to let them know of the mistake they had made, but they did not answer. I tried again. Same thing. Then I emailed the store general manager explaining the entire situation. I wrote that I want what I paid for, and that I would return it tomorrow and get the XS. The XSi is now sitting in my room inside its box, doing nothing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But atleast I am glad that I have started chasing dream # 2. I am hoping to learn a few tricks quickly and click some nice pictures.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh and ofcourse, dream # 1 should hopefully see the light of the day some time soon too :-).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And yes, as of now, my parents' dream of me getting married soon can go to hell :-).</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-40255991459933207532009-05-06T02:45:00.002-05:002009-05-06T02:46:25.155-05:00I just wish I had spent some more time with a few people I did not spend so much time with.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-57694646099500740932009-05-05T21:32:00.004-05:002009-05-05T22:32:16.900-05:00I Ain't Got No Money, Honey..<div style="text-align: justify;">Common sense finally prevailed.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I did not buy the Streamium or the iPod dock, and I don't plan to buy any of those in the near future. I bought a vacuum cleaner instead, and I am glad I did. I brought it home and used it for like 2 minutes, just to test it, and it did wonders! After turning it off I saw the amount of dust it had in its dust compartment or whatever it's called, and I was both amazed and ashamed at the same time. Amazed because of the power and efficiency it managed to display, and ashamed because in just two minutes I realized that I have been living with filth around me for a very long period of time. The last I had vacuumed with my older crappy vacuum cleaner was about four months ago (maybe more, I don't know).</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And I bought a 16 piece dinner set, because my folks are coming over for around a month, and I really did not have any decent plates,bowls and spoons to serve food to them in.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And then..</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">..I bid on two tickets to U2's concert in Chicago [the bitch]. I had to bid on them because obviously the show is sold out, and I have been thinking that this might be my only chance to see them ever, since they are getting older and may not tour in the future. Of course, there are more reasons that defy common sense, but what the hell, you only live once. Just last night I found out that Snow Patrol is opening for them, so that kind of motivated me all the more to get those tickets, although secretly I am hoping to be outbid/ sniped by somebody else.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And I am going to Normal this weekend because a couple of my friends are graduating, and then to Champaign to meet a good old friend of mine, and I am pretty sure that I would end up spending quite a substantial amount of money when I am there. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And I got my car serviced this month, so spent a little bit on that.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oh of course, how can I forget my bills - I have not yet paid them, and I hate paying them. So I have to still make way for a few hundreds of dollars. I sometimes feel that access to electricity, Internet and car insurance should be our birth right and we should not really pay for these man made necessary evils, but then that's just me I guess.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I am pretty sure that I will go broke by the 10th of this month.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So here's my plan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I recently used a few amazing coupons and got a 5 lbs bag of potatoes for 88c (which is usually around 4 - 5 bucks). I also bought a loaf of bread for 38c (original retail price - $1.18). Now, my plan is to survive on just potatoes and bread until my parents come here. No Chinese, no Indian, no Pizza, no nothing. I will be a caveman for the next 15 days or so and try my best to survive. I think I will buy more bread because I am pretty sure that the loaf I have right now would vanish in the next 2-3 days. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hopefully a potato a day would keep the doctor away.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-9188488916143753572009-05-04T01:04:00.003-05:002009-05-04T01:37:25.903-05:00Incidental Expenses Are So Heavy..<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Just this morning I was telling my best friend about how I do not know what I spend my money on, and we both agreed that it is almost certainly impossible to save money, however hard(ly?) we try. He asked me if I bought something new, and I said no, which is true. I have not bought a single interesting gizmo in the last so many months.<br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After talking to him and a few cups of chai later, something made me go to Amazon's website. Since I was already there I decided to look for some cool electronics stuff. Since I now have an iPod, I decided to look for docking stations for it, convincing myself that I really need one just because they can so conveniently connect the iPod to my stereo, play music and charge it at the same time. I did like one, and almost decided to buy it when my eyes managed to spot one of those ultra cool Streamiums that I had always wanted but could not really get it because they are so expensive. Anyway, I forgot about the dock and started exploring the Streamiums. Philips launched a really cool Streamium last december called the NP2900/37, which I fell totally in love with. The biggest advantage of that player is that I can log in to my Rhapsody account through it and play songs - without the computer. It only needs an Internet connection - wired or wireless. It can also wirelessly connect to the computer and play songs from the hard drive. And oh yeah, it has Internet radio, which means that I can possibly listen to a gazillion Internet radio stations from around the world. I almost decided to buy it, but something kept stopping me. Then I did a feasibility study. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I already have a Philips micro system that connects to my computer and plays music that exists on my hard drive. If my computer is turned on then I can access any music website that exists on the Internet and play music, including Rhapsody, last.fm, and Pandora to name a few. If I want Internet radio, I can always use Winamp or go to any other random website that has Internet radio stations. The only disadvantage, if at all it is one, is that there is a USB cable dangling between my computer and the stereo, whereas with the new Streamium it would all be done wirelessly. So, after around 10 hours of thinking and debating, I decided not to spend $230 on something that would really not add value to my experience. Oh, and I decided not to spend $140 on the dock also. I will continue to use the RCA cable that I have to connect my iPod to the stereo, for which I paid $3 around a year ago.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But you know what I really want? A vacuum cleaner. Seriously, I want one really bad. The one I have is really crappy and just doesn't do anything. For me, vacuuming with that vacuum cleaner means literally (hand) picking stuff from the floor and breaking my back. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But again, something always stops me. I feel that I just should not spend too much on a vacuum cleaner.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I know I am wrong.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And of course like I always say, I know how good my bad luck is. While Amazoning today my computer's power adaptor died, and my computer's got like 50 minutes of power left in it. Now I will really really have to buy a power adaptor. This is something I cannot avoid. The adaptor had died two years ago also, and I had paid 90 bucks back then to get a new one. </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Oh fudge.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-72721080810984465712009-04-22T20:41:00.004-05:002009-04-22T21:53:51.377-05:00Deja Vu..<div style="text-align: justify;">My friends often complain to me about how their parents are always digging their noses in to everything, and that they are so interfering and annoying that my friends just want to move to a different city so that they could stay away from their parents and live in peace and enjoy the freedom, do whatever they feel like, and most important of all, not be annoyed by illogical and irrelevant arguments.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That kind of always bugged me, and to be honest, I felt really bad - not for my friends, but for their parents because (until a week ago) I had not seen my parents in three years, and in the last three to four months or so, was getting a little homesick. In the last three years, I missed them a lot, and always yearned for their love and comfort they have given me. That is the only reason why I could not comprehend the fact that my friends were trying to run away from their parents.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My parents came here a week ago.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like I said earlier, I saw them after three years, and obviously, was totally thrilled. I totally loved their presence around me. I love my mom and was very very glad to see her.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, it's been just one week, and I am beginning to remember my days of freedom that I have enjoyed in the last few years. I have started to understand why my friends are trying to run away from their folks. I have realized that kids change, but parents don't.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Don't get me wrong though. I love my parents - to the bone. But there are so many things that are somewhat annoying me, and when I look back, I realize that this is how it's been right form the beginning...</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My dad loves politics, which essentially means that he loves to discuss politics with whoever is around him. Unfortunately, I am the one who ends up around him these days, and he asks me random questions. Now seriously, I have no problems answering his questions, but he has a certain answer in his mind which defies all kinds of logic, and he expects my answer to be as close to his answer as possible.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I think my dad has a problem accepting technology and the amazing things it can let you do. My sister goes to work and usually I am either on the computer, or on my phone - Facebooking. My dad is always intrigued - he keeps wondering why I keep punching buttons on my phone all the time. I don't tell him that I Facebook - explaining the entire phenomenon to him would be another daunting task that I am not sure I can handle very well. Plus, I would have to tell him the pros and cons of social networking, and listen to his theories about how technology is killing the beautiful art of letter writing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He also thinks that there is a reason for everything - and that he is supposed to know all those reasons. He wonders why the person living downstairs smokes so many cigarettes, why there is a doormat at the entrance (duh, right?), why my sister and I grocery shop like the world's going to end tomorrow, etc. My sister and I more often than not fail to answer his questions. Even if we provide an answer, I am sure it does not meet his expectations.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My mom always wants me to eat. If I am sitting idle (read Faceooking on phone) she thinks I am hungry and instantly asks me to eat something - like repeatedly. She also cannot comprehend why we buy so many items when we grocery shop. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Just yesterday all of us went to my sister's boss's house for dinner. Now, to be honest, I have changed a lot in the last so many years. I mean, my sense of humor, the way I talk, the way I smile and all that jazz has definitely changed, and I myself can feel it. There was a time when I would totally get a panic attack when someone talked to me about cigarettes or booze in front of my parents, but not anymore. Last night I cracked a few booze jokes at my sister's boss's house and we all were laughing like cute donkeys. Well, not sure if we all were laughing - I forgot to see my dad's reaction. He is totally against alcohol and cigarettes and meat and all that jazz, and I am pretty sure that after last night my dad thinks that I am an asshole.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">My mom was surprised by how outspoken and "stylish" I was. She probably thought that I am an asshole when it comes to socializing and all that, but I surprised her. She thought I have an american accent though. My sister and I think I don't, and that is absolutely correct.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">So anyway, a few shockers here and there have been experienced, and memories from childhood have been brought back - in just one week. It is amazing how parents don't change one bit. They are as stubborn as mules, and so are the kids. However, it is kind of fun when we all argue about immaterial things, trying to prove that the rest of the gang is absolutely wrong. All of us in my family have different personalities - my dad and sister are the kind of annoying ones with their unlimited questions and Hitlerism whereas my mom and I are the patient ones, who keep their cool all (most?) of the time. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Being with family is both fun and unfun.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-64929604535064064082009-04-19T22:53:00.003-05:002009-04-19T23:13:12.916-05:00A Lesson Unlearnt..<div style="text-align: justify;">Andre now knows very well that he cannot learn lessons from the past. He has been through this before - three times to be precise, and every time, he had prayed to get out of it and had promised himself that he would never again get into a similar situation. That he would use his brains, and that he would not let his heart take any decisions.<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But here he is, doing the same thing, going through the same thing. Cannot think about anything else, and cannot do anything else. Uncertainty is a part of the game, yet he always dives into it, knowing that he may be utterly disappointed in the end, or perhaps, right at the beginning. But there is something that keeps encouraging him, and provokes him to go forward. Something that gives him confidence and courage, something that keeps him moving. Something that puts words in his mouth, and something that doesn't stop him from expressing himself. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">It is not something normal, but rather weird. It doesn't happen to him very frequently, but when it does happen, it just makes him do crazy things. It makes him go and achieve it. It makes him give it everything he got, because he feels it is so beautiful.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He is going to do it again. We do not know what it has in store for him, but he will do it anyway. Just like always.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And no, he is not listening to his brain.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16204499.post-40456117062502722072009-04-15T00:11:00.007-05:002009-04-15T00:58:45.949-05:00Your Samosa Makes Me..<div style="text-align: justify;">It's amazing how people come up with something so interesting that it immediately catches your attention and before you even know it, becomes a part of your life. <br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One such amazing concept, or let's jusy say a website, is <a href="http://www.yourlogomakesmebarf.com/">www.yourlogomakesmebarf.com</a>. It is a site where people from all over the world post amazingly ridiculuously hideously uncreative logos that represent local or perhaps national businesses. The idea of a logo I guess is to tell people what the business it is associated with does. The prettier the logo, the more impressed customers would be, maybe resulting in an increased clientele in the future. But what if the logo is crappy? Such a logo perhaps tells the customers that the business is as bland and unimaginative as the logo itself, and that going to that business may only result in murder.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I like this site not only because I get to see the best worst logos, but also because the people who post them write hilarious descriptions, which obviously adds to the super unawesomness of the logo. I used to check this website a few times a week, but I just realized recently that I check this website atleast once a day now - just like Facebook. I appreciate humor in my life, and <a href="http://www.yourlogomakesmebarf.com">yourlogomakesmebarf.com</a> does an awesome job in supplying humor to me on a daily basis.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Another awesome site that I really like is called <a href="http://www.yosamosa.com">www.yosamosa.com</a>, which is as interesting as the name itself. It targets desis around the world and encourages them to post news articles about India, original blogs, stories, and tweets on the various forums on that site. Extremely simple yet easy to use, <a href="http://www.yosamosa.com">YoSamosa</a> lets you do unlimited things in YoSamosa land in various groups and forums. Still in its early stages, <a href="http://www.yosamosa.com">YoSamosa</a> is yet another site that I see myself totally hooked on to in the coming days.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">What I like about this site is that it has some really smart people on it who post smart articles, unlike other sites like Humsurfer and Indianpad, where all you see is junky articles and videos that are posted by their users just for heck of it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I see <a href="http://www.yosamosa.com">YoSamosa</a> as a meeting point for students who want to discuss and exchange project materials, people belonging to certain communities who want to organize an event in their local areas, and for normal users like me (and you?) who are interested in reading interesting stuff and exchanging ideas. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are very few things that catch my attention, and <a href="http://www.yourlogomakesmebarf.com">yourlogomakesmebarf</a> and <a href="http://www.yosamosa.com">yosamosa</a> are two of them. I expect to see a lot of action from these sites in the future. Stick around!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18036189725491268657noreply@blogger.com1