Friends

A "friend" is an interesting term ... ppl have come to associate friends with two diametrically opposite viewpoints ...

First, a friend is the one who is with you in all the times, good or bad. He is the one who is always on "your" side. (He flatters you in the good times, and blames the others for your failures in the bad times. )

Second, a friend is your critic. He always points out your mistakes, irrespective of whether u just scaled mount Everest or you failed miserably in a venture.

Clearly, both the views are flawed. The former can be easily confused with a flatterer and the latter, with an antagonist.
The obvious solution is to say that a friend should have both these qualities. But, there is something more to it. A friend should know when to show which quality i.e. he should not mess up your moments of joy with stinging criticisms .. as well as... he should not wrongly blame others for your faults.

Friends who exhibit this poise are more likely to be helpful and close to you than the 2 categories mentioned earlier.

(Post under construction .... )

Non-veg : Imagine this .....

I have been mocked and ridiculed for being a veggie. Well I pity all of them. the self-centered assholes. Have they ever imagined how would it be like if their own brothers and sisters were murdered like this in front of them. How it is like to know that you are going to die and actually seeing your kindred being mercilessly slaughtered. Murdered just for someone else's delight.

What if tomorrow someone opens up a slaughter house to slaughter humans .. wouldn't all these ppl cry foul? (If they don't ... dudes .. you are beyond repair) Then why do they show no compassion towards non-humans? .. just because they can't retaliate .. or coz they aren't human !!
sad!!

neway .. check this out ... this is a song by "The scorpions" named "Under the same sun" .. awesome song .. nd have a look at the lyrics :

"I saw the evening
Fading shadows one by one
We watch the lamb, lay down to the sacrifice
I saw the children
The children of the sun
How they wept, how they bled, how they died

Do you ever ask yourself
Is there a Heaven in the sky"

Microsoft is lame

How lame can anyone get !!
apparently microsoft is planning to sue OpenSource communities for an infringement of 235 of its patents !! ... kewl .. Bill really knows how to mint Bills:P
Patents related to the user interface and the kernel; OpenOffice suite

Bill ... no need to get hysterical ... there are other moral ways of quashing competition ... grow up! don't you remember how Microsoft came into existence?? ... remember Apple?? ... How "someone" stole their OS which became "DOS" ??

newayz ... OpenOffice ... Bill ... do u claim title to the concept of open office? ... CONCEPT !! ... the concept belongs to the world Bill .. grow up !!

see here for the complete news

IBM launches 4.7GHz processor !!

The frequencies just got faster ....
IBM just unveiled its 4.7GHz POWER6 processor !!

A dual core, 64-bit processor with 8MB on-chip cache .. wow!! ...

check out the complete new here

Microsoft makes a foray into the ad market

hah .. so finally the giants enter the hitherto unheeded (by Microsoft:D) field of online ads. The competitor is none other than Google.

So what provoked Microsoft to enter the ad field?
The question remains unanswered ... but we can guess it has something to do with "popularity" or "future competition" ...

well .. google just launched its own online word processor program ... for FREE !!! ... which Microsoft sees as a potential competition to its Office products.
So, how does Microsoft counter-attack? .. By a $6bn deal to buy out the ad agent aQuantive. People also see it as a reaction to the google's recent spate of buyouts including $3.1bn deal with DoubleClick.

Whateva, the competition just got groovier
Click here for the complete news

Fake Steve Jobs !!!:P

check out this blog ... this guy is just blows me off !!!

http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/

Linkin park : Leave out all the rest

Check out the lyrics ...... shows how much LP has matured these past years .. the 4 yr wait really seemed worth it after I heard this song ... just awsm !!

I dreamed I was missing,
You were so scared.
But no one would listen
'Cause no one else cared.

After my dreaming,
I woke with this fear.
What am I leaving,
When I am done here?

So if you're asking me I want you to know;
When my time comes,
Forget the wrong that I've done.
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed.

And don't resent me,
And when you're feeling empty,
Keep me in your memory.
Leave out all the rest.
Leave out all the rest...

Don't be afraid,
Of taking my beatings;
Of shit behind me.

I'm strong on the surface,
Not all the way through.
I've never been perfect,
But neither have you.

So if you're asking me I want you to know;
When my time comes,
Forget the wrong that I've done.
Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed.

Don't resent me,
And when you're feeling empty,
Keep me in your memory.
Leave out all the rest.
Leave out all the rest...

.
.
.
.
.
.


I can't be who you are,
I can't be who you are.

Spiderman 3 ... arghhhh

After the action-packed and mesmerizing two installments of Spiderman, here's the third one : the worst so far.

But, as a token of respect:) to Spiderman 1,2 ,I'll start with the plus points.
2 overwhelmingly powerful villians join forces to eliminate their common enemy : spiderman. Both of them are amazing. You have the Sandman born out of a mistaken particle physics experiment. (which they perform in open air:) .. outside a lab .... r they crazy?) and the other one Venom, an alien parasite attached to spiderman's peer who wants him dead. Both of them have awful powers.
The climax just rocks. You get this adrenaline boost seeing all the action and turn of events. Rocks!!

But, there's where the plus points end. sigh!:(
The first half of the film is pointless. Spiderman's unsuccessful attempts to woo her girl, his romantic life, etc etc. What crap? Are we here to see how spiderman kisses or how he approaches women? btw ... I bet everyone in the theatre had this feeling of just leaving the theatre at some point or the other in the first half. Awful.
the real movie starts in the 2nd half : and unfortunately, the wooing session continues here too ... but is more in the background and has kinda -ve shades, so its k. By k i mean ... handleable, without getting any feelings of just slapping spiderman in the face for his dumb gaffes.
In the 2nd half, as we are gettin a feel of spiderman, the director has a lot to offer. Understanding the complex relations between harry and spiderman, Venom and Sandman. As a result, there has been sort of an unfair treatment to each character. No one would have minded two separate movies for each of the villians coz both of them have that ability to fill up a movie:)
Finally what you get is ... 15 min of great action and 2:15 hrs of boredom!

So, when u r just gettin that action for what you went for the movie, bang ... the movie just ends. And you come out shaking your head in disappointment. Wasted 3 hours in which you could have solved your own love problems !!:)

Why do we need "scientific" reasons?

When I saw the "Matrix" trilogy for the first time, the concept was fascinating. A virtual world designed to keep the people in the real world unaware of themselves. But, what if someone says you are fast becoming a victim of such a design? And the grand design is made by none other than "SCIENCE"!!

Right from a very young age, a lot of emphasis is given to scientific thinking, scientific point of view and logic. NO problems. But, then science crosses the lines to rubbish spirituality and traditions as "crap". Why are they crap? Because there are no "Scientific" explanations for some of the beliefs.

"scientific" ... the meaning of the term changes with each century. From Newtonian theory to Darwin's theory, every theory has its shortcomings. Even the most "intuitive" Newtonian theory was superseded by the thoroughly complicated and counter-intuitive Einstein's theory. Science is still far away from perfect !!! Then, why do we judge these beliefs based on science? With science's limitations today, the fact that these beliefs can be true cannot be ruled out.

If in the Newton times, someone said, "hey, an electron can be at 2 places at a time", he would have been regarded as deranged and mocked at. But, today we know it is the truth (refer Einstein's theory:). So, whats the guarantee that tomorrow the basis on which we overturn the beliefs, themselves do not exist!

Just because a bunch a scientists could not find the relation between the planet positions and our "supposed" future (Even I do not believe in this crap, but ... ), can science label astrology as crap? Can't it be attributed to our limited knowledge or immature science?

Why do we believe that there isn't anything called "soul"? Why do we rubbish reincarnation theories? Why do we deny the existence of GOD? (here, GOD isn't someone who made this world or controls this world .. NO ... he is just a perfect HUMAN BEING).
Just because science says so? Just because it is illogical? Don't you acknowledge your own shortcomings? Don't you think there might be some things out of your ken? Some things you can't know because you can't see or feel them with your senses?

Actually, the fault is ours. We think our culture is a big hoax. Something called the GOD was imagined so that there'll always be someone who one fears. Well, science chauvinists need to open their eyes to the shortcomings of science.
Thousands of years ago, it was said that eating green vegetables on some days in a month is unhealthy. The belief was rubbished. Today, it is found to be true. 5 times a month, when the moon is nearest to the earth, the gravitational pull of the moon causes increases water-levels
and humidity. This atmosphere is conducive for germs and hence, unhealthy for us.

The main problem with religion is, the reasons why we follow some of the mores are lost in time. So, there is no way of distinguishing between what are true traditions and what are just blind beliefs.

One of the unintended victims is : Spirituality. Although science dosen't directly attack spirituality, it has come under the scanner. If spirituality is overthrown and "logic" emphasized so much, I fear we might be reduced to robots, devoid of emotions and relationships. What makes us humans unique is NOT only the science but our culture, which is a fine mix of science, religion, traditions, spirituality and social inclinations.

Also, there's no reason to abandon our beliefs about soul and GOD and the higher facets of our spirituality. Science should just keep itself in check. It should understand its limitations. We should understand its limitations.

The Subconscious

Spoiler : I do not try to explore the mystic and hermetic lands of the subconscious and propound the ways to tap its omnipotent powers for your spiritual upliftment. NO. I am not into that crap. This blog is merely a collection of my some of my observations and conclusions drawn from them.

For skeptics, lets first try to establish that there is something called "the subconscious".

Have you experienced something called "the lightning solution" (It is unlikely that you know this term, coz i just coined it!!:) ) ? Lemme explain.
There's a knotty and complicated problem badgering you since days. You aren't able to figure out the solution no matter how hard you try. Finally, somehow, while you are doing something else or just goofing off, your mind interrupts you to announce the solution to the problem !! You haven't been thinking on it for days, then how did you "stumble" upon the solution?
Well, some might say that the quantum waves of the solution somehow penetrated your mind blah blah blah ... others might say ... ghosts of the primordial period whispered the solution into your ears:P.
I beg to differ

Here's where the subconscious comes into the picture. According to me, the conscious is the part of the mind you can discern through your senses. But, the mind is far more complex than this. the subconscious mind is where the problem are actually pondered upon. It would be unwise to assume that we have only one subconscious, there may be many (like Threads in a processor:P).
Anyways, the important thing is - how does it work?
What I think is, the conscious part of the mind provides the subconscious some inputs to work on. (Thus, it logically follows that if you don't mull sufficiently on a problem, the subconscious has a lesser chance of coming up with a solution) Then, it is the job of the subconscious to work out a solution and interrupt the conscious whenever necessary.

So, enough of this boring blabbering ... now we have a theory as to how the subconscious works, so how can we put it to test?
Try this out -
1) Suppose you encountered a problem just as you are about to sleep. Don't defer it to the next day. Think on it a bit and then doze off. This (hopefully) will kick off the subconscious and will probably simplify your problem solving task the next day.

2) Give the subconscious enough time. Studying everything at the last moment is not going to help you. The job of subconscious is not only to find solutions to problems, but also to reflect on whatever you have learned in the course of the day (the process of reflecting may take months:D). So, it is recommended (by me:P) that start studying asap and go slow, don't overstuff yourself. It will help you to grasp the concepts well and retain them longer. Remember, the earlier you start studying, the more time your mind has to consider the aspects of the issue in question.

So, it is not that we have NO control over what our subconscious does. We do have some. We just have to figure out how to exploit it.
The power of subconscious is soo vast, its not worth neglecting it.

GRE (old sylabus) : how to maximise ur score

You can either learn from someone's mistakes or you can learn from someone's success. Surely, both the forms are equally important. This is a guide to the former.

I didn't get a particularly good score in GRE. 1340. Not that bad, but obviously if you are reading this, your aim will be significantly higher (say 1500+). So, here are some of the "avoidable" mistakes I made. Learn from them, don't repeat them:P

1) There seems to be a pervasive misunderstanding that GRE is a test of Barron's words. Although it was quite true until some time ago, things have changed significantly. Today, Barron's is a guide to - which words are least likely to be asked in the GRE, and it is a good guide:). Even if you learn each and every Barron's word carefully, paying attention to the minutest nicety, you would be very lucky to cross 550 in verbal.
This dosen't mean you go to the market and buy a book giving you a list of non-barron's words. The point I wish to propound is that "learning" words from "lists" is no longer the only thing required to crack the GRE. What you need is good language which only comes from voracious reading (not only fiction, but a wide variety of books, magazines and articles). The words asked are not obscure words coined by a jobless pedant, they are the words which we have heard here and there, yet they are not as popularly used.
Words like "hull"(v) or "ream"(n) etc. These words won't appear in any of the lists.
Yet, a good reader will be well aware of these words. Also, it is less likely yo find these words in a fiction or a non-fiction book. What you need is a comprehensive reading habit.
That is the new GRE !! nothing great .... nothing to be afraid of ... very few esoteric words, but its a real test of your language !! and thats what people are afraid of !:). The test of your language and NOT your ratta skills.

I suggest, if you have time, start reading newspapers, magazines, watch sitcoms, movies, etc. Don't discount on the Barron's lists ... they are going to fetch yoy 550 ... its the way to 800 that we are trying to uncover and the way has to pass through Barron's !!:)


2) Do not neglect RCs and SCs. People tend to leave RCs for option assuming that they can cover up the score in the other question types. They are grossly mistaken. RCs is going to be your saving grace in the GRE (it was my saving grace, words totally screwed me). + If you get easy questions for the other types, good answers for the RCs can land you well above 1500. Also, RCs are NOT as difficult as people tend to think. Its difficulty is merely aggrandized by the grapevine. They are manageable, but only with practice can you tackle RCs.

And the last thing, don't neglect analytical section either, although it is not at all difficult to score above 4, people tend to bungle up in over-confidence. It is not that easy either. + a good 5 or 5.5 can compensate for a mediocre GRE score.

In summary, Barron's is NOT the ultimate guide, concentrate on improving your language.
DO NOT neglect RCs and SCs.

Best of luck !!