Best Happy Birthday Song Ever!

All about INTROVERTS

Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.
This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.
Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.
Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.
On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.
Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.
Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.
Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.
Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.
Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.
Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

(Source: www.carlkingcreative.com)

Some scientific info:
Attitudes: Extraversion (E)/Introversion (I)

                          The preferences for extraversion and introversion are often called as attitudes. Briggs and Myers recognized that each of the cognitive functions can operate in the external world of behavior, action, people, and things (extraverted attitude) or the internal world of ideas and reflection (introverted attitude). The MBTI assessment sorts for an overall preference for one or the other.
                            People who prefer extraversion draw energy from action: they tend to act, then reflect, then act further. If they are inactive, their motivation tends to decline. To rebuild their energy, extraverts need breaks from time spent in reflection. Conversely, those who prefer introversion expend energy through action: they prefer to reflect, then act, then reflect again. To rebuild their energy, introverts need quiet time alone, away from activity.
The extravert's flow is directed outward toward people and objects, and the introvert's is directed inward toward concepts and ideas. Contrasting characteristics between extraverts and introverts include the following:

• Extraverts are action oriented, while introverts are thought oriented.
• Extraverts seek breadth of knowledge and influence, while introverts seek depth of knowledge and influence.
• Extraverts often prefer more frequent interaction, while introverts prefer more substantial interaction.
• Extraverts recharge and get their energy from spending time with people, while introverts recharge and get their energy from spending time alone.

Mr.Perfect ( Telugu 2011)

This family drama is absolutely a summer treat  for the entire family. The movie starring Prabhas, Kajal Aggarwal, Taapsee, Prakash Raj, Bramhanandam has all the ingredients- drama,romance, action and comedy needed to make it a dish you would relish till the last bit. The predilection of a youngster trying to disprove the  the "old attitude" of satisfying the world rather than yourself is the theme of this movie. Vicky ( Prabhas) is a video game developer in Australia, he returns to India after 4 years for his sister's marriage. His dad
(Nasser) finds a prospective bride in Vicky 's childhood enemy Priya (Kajal) who practices medicine in their native village. The scenes between Vicky and Priya are cute pranks each one plays on the other. Priya realises that they need to leave their childhood behind and behave like adults. This is when Priya begins having a soft corner for Vicky eventually she falls in love with him.

The twist comes when Vicky substantiates why a girl who sacrifices a beautiful world of a village filled with happiness for him, a guy living in a foreign land rarely having a time for a social life. Vicky returns home only to receive a call from Cadbury's who have found a girl who matches his character through a search hunt involving 6 lakh applicants. Vicky starts dating Magee (Tapsee) thereafter. Things appear to be smooth till  Vicky seeks Tapsee's hand from her dad (Prakash Raj) in marriage. Prakash Raj in typical Santosh Subramanium or Bomarillu style strikes a deal with his future son-in-law to disprove that he is not the apt guy for his daughter. The movie  takes a U-turn as we see Vicky perfecting himself to make himself accepted by Maggie's entire family but for Maggie. Vicky 's character morphosis into Priya , thus drifting away from his Maggie like nature without his knowledge.  Kasi Vishwanath as Maggie's grandad receives obeisance even from the audience. His conversation  may have been a catalyst for Vicky's transition.

The film portrays realistic incidents of sibling rivalry, racist attacks by Australian teenagers, abandoned elders, hasty love marriages and refusing to obey the elders word- these are few real life scenes which connects the audience to the story. The songs "Agipulla adapilla nenu" , "Light theesko" are songs which interested me among the rest. The background score is in sync with the story and the music director needs credit for the same!

Rating : ***** Must watch family entertainer !

VARUDU (Telugu 2010)

This may be the latest review on this Telugu hit of Allu Arjun. The movie which has captured the five day Telugu wedding in 3 hrs along with some action is surely the best tribute to the cultural extravaganza - if I could call it so. The focus of the cameraman is Allu Arjun for sure.Atleast Arya-2 had a cute and bubbly Kajal to share the frame alongside Arjun , in this movie the "varudu" (prospective guy) stars almost the entire movie. Its totally a male domination with Arya turning out to be the absolutely scary actor in this movie. The story starts with All Arjun a modern day, cool guy telling his parents to search for a bride personally. The twist comes when he decides not to see the bride till the wedding day.For a movie goer whose marital status is single , the whole thought of refusing to see the bride 's pic makes him feel that the hero is insane ! On top of it the girl refusing to do the same makes you realise that lady luck was shining on the guy and they were obviously made for each other!

The story then progresses with the wedding being described in detail with the " pasupu danchadam" (thrushing turmeric) , "nalugu function" ( applying turmeric) and the dressing up of the varudu for the day. The bridegroom's procession on the elephant bare chested has been shot extremely well by the cameraman. The most important part of the movie is when the girl and boy look at each other for the first time as the screen separating them is slowly brought down. It was the first time even I saw the girl ! The heroine looked like a simple next door girl who looked a princess in the bridal wear.

The portion where the mandapam is brought down would have been the art director's nightmare for sure.Except for the unrealistic backgrounds in certain parts of the movie and a extremely unpractical climax the movie is a beautiful piece of work. Excellant acting by Arya and Arjun !

Rating :  * * * 1/2

Punjab destroyed by a Gayle storm in Bangalore !!

On Friday, Gayle who was in a slumber for a short while woke up in true style leaving Kings IX Punjab bowlers staring at the sky. Adam Gilchrist elected to field hoping that his seamers could have a good time with the green surface on the ground in their  favour. The real game started when Chris Gayle knocked off sixes in the long off and long on in Ryan Harris ‘s over  in the battle. Dilshan who has not been quite in his original form was caught in his attempt to hit a six by Praveen Kumar. His departure meant the arrival of the much in form Virat Kohli, who helped Gayle entertain the Bangaloreans with a thundering assault of the Punjabis earning himself 107 off 49 balls. The Gayle storm sent the Chinnasamy Stadium roaring with 10 sixes and 9 fours in total till the man was caught by Harris in Chawla’s over. The end of Gayle did not rip the RCB, the game continued till a double century was on the score board with A.B.de Villiers  and A.Mithun not out.

The Kings IX Punjab must have lost all hopes when their think tank was duck out for the first ball from the RCB camp. The presence of Paul Valthaty was reassuring only for 28 balls with Gayle storming into the winning dreams of the Punjabis. The RCB camp had a party with Sreenath Arvind taking four wickets and leaving Punjabis to struggle to grab the 14 runs in his over. While Gayle danced away to glory as he added three wickets to his bag, truly letting him call  it his day . At the end, Punjab was defeated brutally by the RCB by a margin of 85 runs! Friday night’s power packed performance by Chris Gayle was truly a reason for Bangalore to party hard at the Chinnasamy stadium. Gayle’s brilliant batting and bowling now raises the RCB’s chances of reaching the play-offs.

Annual Science Camp 2011

Today was the last day of  the Annual Summer Camp 2011 organized by Parikshan Charitable Trust. I had initially hesitated in volunteering as a teacher at the camp. I really feel the camp has triggered my long term memory cells . The knowledge  I had  gained from ChildCraft and Britannica was now put to use to enlighten the kids. The subject I was allotted was Biology and since I was just a volunteer-teacher I had easy experiments in my bag. The experiments I had handled over the weeks included Sense of smell, Sweat, Lung Model, Solar System, Fire Proof Balloon, Transpiration,Invisible Ink,Stomata, Skin Moisturization , Acid Rain. The kids enjoyed initially as they involved group activities but in the last few days it seemed too theoretical as the experiments started involving lot of knowledge rather than expermentation.

Apart from the responsibility of teaching it involved baby sitting the younger ones who had a natural tendency to play with the chemicals kept around them. I was a bit nervous when I was given an experiment that involved fire but after a while gained confidence. The kids aged between 5-10 yrs , so the problem of being gunned by doubts was lesser but I handled the questions in most of the cases. On the last day, it was exciting as I saw the students perform experiments before their parents and the organizers. Along with the kids who were experimenting, their siblings much younger 2-3 yrs started joining them, inquisitive to watch their bros n sis at work.

There was a dental check up and a talk on dental care delivered by one of the student's mother -
Dr.Srividya Vashishta as a part of the camp followed by a nutritionist Sandhya check up.Earlier the camp started with a inaugural talk by the head of  Parishkan Labs who delivered a thanksgiving speech to the organizing team of the camp. I was surprised when he called out my name and thanked me for "showing interest in the camp even before my exams were over "  I seriously did not see that coming and was humbled as my friend who had worked under him had told me really good things about him.

The Revolution of Learning

A is for Apple, iGadgets at home

B is for Blackberry, your daddy’s smart phone

C is for CheckIn, place your own marks

D is for Disney, makes movies and parks

E is for Email, which old people use

F is for Facebook, it feeds you your news

G is for Google, search what it knows

H is for Hulu, catch up on shows

I is for iPod, your musical hits

J is for Java, coffee and bits

K is for Kindle, books in the cloud

L is for LOL, laughing out loud

M is for Microsoft, all hold it dear

N is for Napster, share with your peers

O is for Open, global and free

P is for Pandora, radio for me

Q is for QWERTY, tap to make words

R is for Remix, mashups absurd

S is for Skype, use it to talk

T is for Tweet, keep it real short

U is for Unix, it lives in /bin

V is for Valley, where startups begin

W is for WiFi, ‘net in the air

X is for Xbox, games with a flair

Y is for YouTube, its videos don’t end

Z is for Zynga, games with your friends

Copyright (c) 2010, Ashwin Ram

Source: http://cognitivecomputing.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/a-is-for-apple%E2%80%94the-new-millennial-edition/

The Hindu Women's Opportunity Fair 2011

The much awaited and advertised job fair exclusively for women kicked of at 9:00 am on saturday at LAITY auditorium near Bains School,Kilpauk. The fair saw around 20,000 women throng the grounds of Bains school to carry a job back home. Frankly speaking the event was disorganised with all the volunteers on the ground chatting and giggling looking at the chaos due to lack of proper queues and communication between them and the job seekers. After some initial drama the freshers were led out of the school to the main venue by some smart volunteers through a different entrance , at last giving the job seekers a hope to get a job. The fair saw a variety of companies catering to different disciplines and experience of work. The top notch BPOs such as Accenture,Sutherland Global Services,Hcl,Dell and Wipro recruited a strong number of women candidates. The remaining like Ford Technologies, Scope International looked for candidates in their domain of  work, i.e. engineering and finances respectively.

There were offers from sales girl at the Big Bazaar to the top notch executive positions being offered at this job fair.A variegated crowd with young college girls to mothers carrying their kids to the job fair showed how women are special owing to the multiple responsibilities they bear apart from what their job offers. Jobs from part time to full time and even work from home were on the offer. A welcome effort by the organisers of this fair , a better organisation of the entire affair would have favoured a better response from the public, as many walked off to escape being hurt from an unruly crowd like behaviour.

The Cup that Counts

---

‘Hum Hongae Kamyab Ek din, man main hai vishwas, poora hai vishwas‘

When you say India, the first three things which strike you are Politics, Films and Cricket. Here cricket is a tradition, a part of the culture, a gift of the British rule. The passion for cricket goes a long way back starting from the “gilli- danda” , the Indianised version of English Cricket. The game of the bat and ball, where the projectile motion of racing white ball surges the heart beat of a billion people is more of a ritual at every Indian household.

With the Cricket World Cup just a few weeks away the Indian crowds are gearing up to gorge the luncheon to salvage the hunger of 28 years! Every Indian wants the ICC World Cup 2011 back home. The question which arises on our minds is why will India lose the cup rather than why India will win. The power packed batting line up consisting of the unconquerable Virender Sehwag, Gautham Gambir, Suresh Raina, swashbuckling Yuvraj Singh, rocking Yusuf Pathan makes it obvious that only in the extremely pessimistic dreams things may go haywire. The spinners in Harbhajan, Zaheer Khan, Piyush Chawla and Ashwin R. are sure to pick the crucial wickets even under the pressure of expectations of the billion spectators watching the match hands folded.

Above all when the ageing GOD of cricket himself is on our side can anybody lack the confidence of winning. The man behind the bails – Mahendra Singh Dhoni, this man with the long mane, led the nation to victory at the inaugural T20 World Cup from when the world recognized our new, young and vibrant brigade of Champions, though his performance has been below average in the South African tour, but we sincerely hope he does use the energy he has saved for the best for this tournament.

At times watching Kapil Dev run those extra yards to pick the wickets of Viv Richards in the 1983 World Cup makes one astounded at the kind of passion the predecessors shared for the game. World Cup squad 2011 may have to learn a lot from that win of our nation at the Lords. The memories of Saurav Ganguly leading the team to missing the Cup to the South Africans is clearly etched in our memories, the then defending champions had a good run at the cup. The Indian team’s performance at the two nail-biting thriller OD is against South Africa, in the recently concluded tour, helped us regain confidence that we have a line up where there is a star performer in each player, like a Bhajji playing the winning runs as the wickets fall down before a crucial six or four and like Munaf who will weaken the opponent‘s willow power.

Dear Team India,
All our hearts yearn for that Cup!! Please bring it back for us!! You can do it!!
Our love and blessings are always with you!
Jai Hind!

Gayatri Shankar

47th Century: After failing to score in the World Cup opening match against Bangladesh, Sachin Tendulkar brought up his 47th ODI hundred in style against England in Bangalore. He hit four sixes and eight fours in his 103-ball century. He made 120 off 115 balls before England pacer James Anderson dismissed him

Munaf juggled the ball to cast Kevin out of the thriller,India needs to work a lot on bowling  and fielding quarters

Then came the fierce Zak attack which instilled hope in us after the Strauss's defiant menace at Chinnasamy Stadium yesterday.

After the thrilling match was a TIE .

MAKING THE RIGHT CHOICE

Today diversity and plethora of choices drives one confused to make the right pick. Electronic giants have developed gadgets which makes your friends , family and business  dealings just a click away or a touch . When it comes to choose a gadget  which caters to the entire family in the living room could be a herculean task  considering  the requirements of each member is different- TELEVISION. Reading  today’s article under the E-Lounge section of  Metro plus makes you realize that when some families really don’t bother about  the system that delivers them their  entertainment 24X7 , there are  others who  do extensive research  to bring home the perfect entertainer.

Personally their have been times  while  watching the Olympics or CWG if  the camera man could just shoot as close as possible to the athlete and show me the drops of sweat  so that I could feel the real spirit of the sport. Some times watching the television give you a feel that  there’s some clarity missing on screen that’s when a person like me would change the screen from WIDE, NARROW and NORMAL screen size . After nearly 10 years , realize scientific dreams come true and may be some where on the other side of the world a much brighter young adult developed the HD (High Definition) Platform. When I first saw TV on HD in my uncle’s place , I really jumped with joy within. I was like “Oh my Gosh”, its like for so long I have been blind.

Still spending on a full HD TV could be put  as a dream purchase for now and once  all channels go HD , the prices may be nominal and that would be the right time for a financially bound middle class. Till then an investment on a LCD TV would be a sound choice considering that bulky TV s are not  that attractive and you may not have to purchase a new gadget for another 5 years since your purchase  may not be outdated hopefully( but considering the technological revolution, nothing can be guaranteed).

The plasma TV , I can proudly say was at my second home- SCHOOL . Not many of my generation can actually boast of such things, watching  live music competitions happening  right within the school at a hall a few blocks away from inside the classroom was not something which I was captivated by, due to the exam fever  I had succumbed to during that year.  Now I realize that I did really enjoy may luxuries at a lesser cost at school. Then their’s a personal  association I had with the personal Plasma TV – watching my friend being voted by 1000 odd students to  represent the school ! Was splendid ! But for somebody’s home this plasma TV is not recommended unless your electricity bills are not paid by you!

The 3D TV as many technocrats speak of is not a choice to be made at the moment , as its likely to be over a lakh. Instead a LED TV with partial HD and a Blue-Ray Player and may be a PlayStation may come around to a lakh or so. 

So  check out the shop offering the right EMI and get shopping to set the new screen to watch India triumph at the World Cup with Sachin lifting the cup and kissing the cup of his life! 

The Blind Men and The Elephant

Life's lessons are potrayed in poems like these! 

THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT 

BY , JOHN GODFREY SAXE (1816-1887 )

It was six men of Indostan

To learning much inclined,

Who went to see the Elephant

(Though all of them were blind),

That each by observation

Might satisfy his mind.

The First approach'd the Elephant,

And happening to fall

Against his broad and sturdy side,

At once began to bawl:

"God bless me! but the Elephant

Is very like a wall!"

The Second, feeling of the tusk,

Cried, -"Ho! what have we here

So very round and smooth and sharp?

To me 'tis mighty clear

This wonder of an Elephant

Is very like a spear!"

The Third approached the animal,

And happening to take

The squirming trunk within his hands,

Thus boldly up and spake:

"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant

Is very like a snake!"

The Fourth reached out his eager hand,

And felt about the knee.

"What most this wondrous beast is like

Is mighty plain," quoth he,

"'Tis clear enough the Elephant 

Is very like a tree!"

The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,

Said: "E'en the blindest man

Can tell what this resembles most;

Deny the fact who can,

This marvel of an Elephant

Is very like a fan!"

The Sixth no sooner had begun

About the beast to grope,

Then, seizing on the swinging tail

That fell within his scope,

"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant

Is very like a rope!"

And so these men of Indostan

Disputed loud and long,

Each in his own opinion

Exceeding stiff and strong,

Though each was partly in the right,

And all were in the wrong!

MORAL

So oft in theologic wars, 

The disputants, I ween, 

Rail on in utter ignorance 

Of what each other mean, 

And prate about an Elephant

Not one of them has seen! 

Rockolicious!

FERRERO ©   Is a trademark of Ferrero SpA, the manufacturer of the delicious  Nutella. 

It stands for  ‘Rock’ in French.

FERRERO ROCHER :

This  is a ball of chocolate burying a hazelnut in its bosom ,with chocolate and hazelnut chips over  the wafer. The characteristic nutella taste makes it  melt in your mouth ,with a heavenly  feeling as it revolves around on your palate.

FERRERO GARDEN (Coconut ):

This again follows the rock like design of Ferrero, a wafer surrounding a smooth coconut flavoured cream which I personally feel tastes like butter scotch and with coconut gratings sticking over it.   

This is a link to the Ferrero Rocher- Nutella Cake!  ;)

http://www.nibbledish.com/people/tessa/recipes/chocolate-ferrero-rocher-cake-with-nutella-ganache

I, Robot (2004) - A Review

This action packed science fiction is directed by Alex Proyas is set in 2035. It revolves around the mystery surrounding the death of a scientist investigated by Detective Del Spooner (Will Smith) .The scientist , Dr.Alfred Lenning (James Cromwell) , is the creator a particular category robots, governed by three laws and a hidden secret. Will tours the building of USR as a part of his operation with pschycologist Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan), he meets Viki the super computer embedded into the building architecture and is responsible for controlling the robots. Will tries to break through the window of Dr.Lenning’ s office, but discovers the building is made of a material which could maximum leave a dent when crashed by a piece of metal. Will ‘s hatred for robots and constant sense of insecurity on seeing a robot leads him to book Sonny (one of the robots- voice by James Cromwell ) for Lenning ‘s death. But with the man-machine criminal laws working in favour of Sonny, he is legally orderd to be dismantled sans any further investigation. The robot ’s feelings opine towards the inherent human like qualities making him stand out from the rest of the robots in the whole movie. The movie paces slowly with Spooner unwinding the crumbs as he calls them to reach the virtual avatar of the late scientist, only to realize his phobia has made him fall prey for the world’s greatest threat. The scene where the humans and robot clash leaves you flummoxed to watch the creation destroy the creator, but there’s nothing to over react because it bears absolute resemblance to the nature versus man scenario. The climax runs into a state where its tough to decide who the hero of the movie is Spooner or Sonny. The movie delivers answers to the queries on Sonny’s dream as the viewer lays back relieved following the climax .The director ‘s intelligent potrayal of Sonny’s robotic nature in spite of him being blessed with the ‘human feeling’ helps you understand - after all man is gifted with a common sense. The Computer Graphics is mind blowing but the overall picture seems to have a overdose of metallic sheen at times, including Will’s costume.The movie with special effects and animation still depends on a piece of sketch to solve the puzzle the movie revolves around. The movie’s background score is in perfect sync with the screenplay . Though not the ultimate science fiction movie, I,Robot is good to pull us off our seats with the action sequence between the robots and Spooner. It seems to be robotic in its presentation- dialogues seem mechanized and the detective ‘s body language could have been less tougher than it was potrayed. The lighting offers a perfect mood for the viewer to fall in line with the emotions potrayed on the scene. Calvin ‘s character offers some relief from watching the tough detective and robots. This movie is surely a treat to watch any day for the robot fans! I go with four stars!

My Design

My entry to Saarang 2011 Online Ad Contest !

Watch Out Women!!

Sheryl Sand berg, is the chief operating officer of the world's largest social networking site: FACE BOOK .
The above is her speech at the TED WOMEN 's conference in Washington D.C.Here she gives amazing statistics, linking the psychology of men and women to show how the woman's maternity should not be an obvious reason for not getting to the top! The ability to share her responsibilities with her partner and to speak up for herself is the key to success! Watch it guys, its a good one!