Top 5 Upcoming Action Movies of 2012

Popcorn with Prem...

Being a die-hard fan of the action movies genre, I cannot fail but notice the array of action movies lined up to hit the cinemas in 2012. So I thought it would be a good idea to compile my favourite upcoming movies for the year. The list has quite a few surprises and mostly the expected entries. Anyways here we go.

The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan returns with his latest batman offering. The Dark Knight was one of the best movies I have seen for its story line and action. This latest offering continues eight years after the events of The Dark Knight and terrorist leader Bane (Tom Hardy) returns to Gotham City and pushes the city and its police to their limits. This forces Batman to return after taking the blame for Harvey Dent’s crimes in The Dark Knight. Will the Dark Knight defeat Bane is what needs to be seen. Will there be another offering from Nolan? Lets wait and watch.

Sir Michael Caine had this to say about the movie on denofgeek: “this one will definitely be the best ever”

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The Avengers

Nick Fury and the international agency S.H.I.E.L.D. bring together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki & his various membered army. Any action movie fan, a school kid or a corporate suit would find it hard to resist a movie which has Hawkeye, Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, Captain America & The Incredible Hulk assembled in one movie. The superpowers of all these heroes can be witnessed fighting one enemy in Loki (Tom Hiddleston). The movie is scheduled to release on 25th April in 3D at select theatres.

Chris Wells had this to say about the movie on denofgeek: “I think he did a very good job of setting up the characters based on what we know from the Marvel franchise, integrating them together with all their differences and similarities and then getting on with business. And just when you think the movie is a character piece it just goes nuts.'"

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Prometheus

Not much is still known about this movie. Many believe that this is a sort of Alien prequel whereas some others believe Prometheus is a movie in its own and not based on any other classics. Director Ridley Scott finally made a delayed foray in the Si-Fi genre. The movie is based on a team of scientist in the quest to discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth. This leads them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race. The movies synopsis and trailer is marking a striking resemblance to the alien franchise but come 7th Jun 2012 and we will have our answers.

Ridley Scott declared that he’d had a great time doing Prometheus, and that “I’m also thinking about what the hell I might do for a Prometheus 2.”

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The Amazing Spider-Man

A search for the replacement of Tobey Maguire as the Spider-Man lead to many names including Jamie Bell, Alden Ehrenreich, Frank Dillane, Andrew Garfield and Josh Hutcherson. The final choice was the oldest amongst them in Andrew Garfield as the new Spider-Man.

In the latest offering, Peter Parker finds a clue that might help him understand why his parents disappeared when he was young. His path puts him on a collision course with Dr. Curt Connors (The Lizard), his father's former partner.

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SkyFall

Its been 4 years since the last James Bond movie in Quantum of Solace and now the suave spy is back. Only this time it seems Bond is not going to be travelling to exotic locations around the world as initially planned. The movie is being primarily shot in England with the only non-UK location being Turkey.

Bond's loyalty to M is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

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-Chalked by Premdas Kanaran

Grooming industry is blooming

In the past women and male business executives paid little attention to their image. This is not so now. Image is everything in modern India as people are becoming more socially active, which requires them to adopt a certain style statement. This has led to a steady stream of housewives, single women and even men seeking for a complete beauty makeover.

For years together, a haircut was a casual matter involving an appointment to a local hairdresser. “Hair today, gone tomorrow” is the mantra of today’s generation, who are more willing to test newer things on their hair.  

A great hairstyle can mean the difference between feeling ordinary and extraordinary. Today hair has emerged as a big form of self-expression for everyone. It is a fashion statement and people don’t mind flaunting it. Modern hairstyling is all about scientific methods combined with the creativity and imagination of the hairstylist. Today, specialists are offering hair styling reflecting trends in both domestic and international markets, bringing a whole new approach to the profession of hair styling. With boundaries merging in seamless manner thanks to the advancements in technology, it is no wonder that customers are becoming more educated on what exactly style, color and form they want and expect the stylist to be well informed about the same. 

Styling hair is an art and is very rewarding, in a creative sense, for the hair stylist.

 

People are classier, educated and fashion conscious than ever before, and ready to pay any amount of money to get the “feel good” factor in line with their personality and environment. And they know a nice haircut is an important part of their image and their confidence.

Grooming as an industry is budding by leaps and bounds. Most people visit salons regularly to be groomed well and the business is booming. Good grooming being an essential aspect of an attractive personality, beauty/grooming specialists today comprise a much wanted breed of professionals. It is not as easy as it looks but a little training and a curious mind can make you a long running player in this field. Beauty salons always work very close to the customers and build a strong relationship with each customer. This profession offers excellent scope for entrepreneurship.

-Chalked by Rashmi

Forces spéciales (2011): My unexpected foray into French movies

Forces spéciales (Special Forces) was a movie I started watching without knowing that it was a French movie. My first intent was to stop playing the DVD since I did not understand French, however the subtitles helped. Despite the movie being in French, an action movie buff that I am could not resist continuing to watch the movie. To talk about Special Forces in short I can call it as a tale of survival. Whenever I watch a war based action movie, I always tend to benchmark it against one of my all-time favourites Tears of the Sun. Did Special Forces beat my benchmark or did it fail?

The movie features a rich cast of actors in Diane Kruger (Elsa), Djimon Hounsou (Kovax), Benoît Magimel (Tic-Tac), Denis Menochet (Lucas) and Raphaël Personnaz (Elias). The movie was made at an estimated budget of €10,000,000 and released in France on 2nd November 2011.

After watching the movie I started reading some reviews on some of my favourite blogs and entertainment sites to see fans and authors have taken the movie in two different ways. Some consider it to be propaganda to advertise the French Special Forces while others have classified it as a tell-tale struggle between humanity and cruelty.

So finally, Special Forces is the story of the French Special Forces and their mission, in this instance, to save journalists who have been kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan and taken to the tribal areas of Pakistan. The movie story line resembles very closely to Tears of the Sun where Bruce Willis and his team is send to Africa to extract Dr. Lena Hendricks (Monica Bellucci). In Special Forces we do not have Bruce Willis nor Monica Bellucci, but we have Djimon Hounsou and Diane Kruger. Diane Kruger, a French journalist covering a story on atrocities committed over women in war torn Afghanistan is kidnapped by a kill-crazed Al Qaeda leader Zaief (Raz Degan) and taken to a tribal village on the border of Pakistan.

Djimon Hounsou’s team’s mission is to enter Pakistan and extract the journalist and her accomplice Amin. The rest of the movie is a startling array of machine guns, choppers, hand grenades – a typical Battlefield. During the trek back to their extraction point their choppers take fire from the henchmen of Zaief. This takes them to Plan B which is to trek the mountains and cross over to Afghanistan. During this journey they pass through rubbles, mountains, a snow storm, a land slide and more henchmen hunting them.

What happens further to the mission is what keeps us glued to couch, with an interesting ending which in my opinion was quite similar to Tears of the Sun but yet better. My take on the movie was that it was a mix of being a platform to portray the French patriotism and struggle between humanity and cruelty. I would recommend this movie to any action movie buff.

A good first movie by Stéphane Rybojad.

-Chalked by Premdas Kanaran

The Inbetweeners: A TV series spin-off, a runaway success?

Since the day my colleague said about laughing her wits out after watching a movie, I could not help but take a shot at the movie. Not knowing much at all about The Inbetweeners and its history, I made myself comfy on my lounge chair to watch. A group of teenagers on a holiday trip filled with lots of booze and sex seems to be a formula that works in recent times. When the movie began, the first thought that ran through my mind was “do we really need yet another American Pie style movie?!”

Anyways I started watching the movie and 96 min later I am sitting in the couch and wondering how different this movie was from any other teenage-booze-fest movie. The truth is – its not different et all!

For anyone who has already seen the TV series, you would be familiar with the moderately normal Simon (Joe Thomas) who still has his crap haircut but has been ditched by Carli (Emily Head) and so won’t shut up about her; the self-aware nerd Will (Simon Bird) is still constantly pointing out how crap everything is; would-be sex pest Jay (James Buckley) still can’t finish a sentence without the words “minge” “gash” or “vage”; and Neil (Blake Harrison) is still copping off with various horny pensioners despite having a girlfriend back home.

The story begins with the four teenagers leaving from home on a holiday to Crete. As it turns out, it’s not the nicest places to be; at least the apartment they stayed in was not nice at all! The string of misfortunes ranged from their disappointment at being tricked to get into an empty bar by a beautiful girl to being stripped naked in public on the streets!

Seeing them trying to hit on girls in a completely empty club by dancing over to them - dancing very badly indeed over to them - might not be the freshest joke around, but it works because it’s the kind of clueless, lame thing teenage boys sometimes do. Not sure you can say that about sticking a rolled up 20 pound note up your arse, mind you. The movie is definitely worth a watch for a few (or more) chuckles and laugh along the way!

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Tim Robey at the Telegraph feels The Inbetweeners Movie will be an enormous hit, a Mamma Mia! for the Hangover demographic.

-Chalked by Premdas Kanaran

Hit the road!

What were two girls thinking when they decided to backpack across India for a month? Honestly, we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into! Yet it was more than what we could ever dream of! So where and how do you start planning to backpack in a country that is Asia’s second largest!

Choose your partner

This can break or make your trip! This is far more important than the places you will see. Backpacking can take its toll on you. Take somebody with similar interests. Everyplace has a variety of things to offer. If you want to walk and your friend wants to take the coach tour, you can kiss each other goodbye! I set out with my best friend Shruthi. For us, it was a journey of having seen each other through tough times; a journey for new things to come.

Plan the route

List all the places you would like to visit. Then shortlist destinations with geographical proximity, charting out a route depending on the number of days available. You don’t want to spend more time travelling TO the city than being IN the city. Have a fair idea of the trains, bus and cab services. You could always book your tickets to the next destination as soon as you land if need be. We did 14 destinations in one month by starting our journey at the capital and trickling down south.

Here is the route we followed: Delhi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Mussoorie, Dehradun, Mcleod Ganj, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Udaipur, Mumbai, Gokharna and finally Varkala.

It is nice to have a broad outline but don’t stick to it. The initial plan had Auli, a hill station in Uttrakhand that is famous for skiing, but due to unfavourable weather conditions we diverted to Amritsar and it was a turning point in our journey! Sometimes the “Touristy” aspects are meant to be there for a reason. The Wagah border experience invokes patriotism with the flags flying high, the crowd cheering on; communal harmony is at its best here!

Budget

Most of us relate to travel being expensive. That’s not true. You don’t need an exorbitant amount to backpack — that is for luxury holidays! India is one of the most pocket friendly destinations. Set aside a per day expenditure for food, water, stay and transportation to give you a minimum budget. We are a google-bred generation; the first step to basic research is a lot easier. But don’t go completely by it, talk to people who have visited the place before, walk around places… Find a place that interests you, look for better deals and always take a look at the rooms before you check in. A backpacker always is cost conscious. If you have friends or friends of friends/family in the city, see if you can spend a night there. A little home atmosphere could help recharge u. If you’re going to a place where ATMs are not accessible withdraw an amount that will see you through. Always keep an extra amount if you are tired of staying in cheap hotels; you may want to sink into a nice bed for a night. Also be aware that all sightseeing places charge a nominal entrance fee and you should be prepared to pay extra for cameras. We met somebody who flew all the way from Taiwan went to Agra and did not see the Taj Mahal because it was expensive! You also don’t want to be calling your parents to wire the money for you to reach home!

Expectations

“Lower your expectations to the point where they’re already met,” said Calvin. The best thing about backpacking is the thrill in planning for the trip and yes, that can get you carried away. Be prepared for surprises — good and nasty ones! Be realistic; for Rs. 300 a night do not expect a TV, A/C in your room and laundry service. Backpacking allows YOU to set the pace of your journey. If you fall in love with a place you can always extend your stay! You don’t need to

report to a particular time and are allowed to explore all by yourself! The same place will have starkly different experiences for different people. Don’t let that stop you from having your own!

Our experience

This journey was the best decision of our lives and we are grateful to our parents for allowing us to chase our biggest dream. We started our journey on November 30 and reached Chennai on December 31. It was a whole different world out there. We often felt like strangers in our own country but more often felt so accepted in new places bringing down all borders. The only time we ever looked at our watch was to see what time was the train! The best thing about travel is the people you meet from all walks of life. We met people from across the globe — bikers, retired professionals, automobile designers, travel enthusiasts, dancers, yogis, so many different people, and so many different conversations.

You exchange stories with other fellow travellers on the destination you’ve visited. A 60-year-old hippie we met told us, “You tell me your past, and I’ll tell you your future”. From giggling for no reason at the calm banks of the Ganges at Rishikesh, to a lovely drive in the woods at Dehradun, to a delicious Langar at the golden temple, to sleeping under a starry night in the deserts of Jaisalmer, to lazing in the secluded beaches of Gokharna and Varkala — the biggest lesson we learnt was that simple pleasures in life require no credit cards! For everything else…phew back to work!

~~~~~~~~ Thanks to Shina Satyapal

Two girls, 30 days, 14 destinations and one great trip! 

For the seafood lovers of Bangalore

On a boring weekday, we decided to skip our lunch boxes to munch something new, something more interesting. There were not many plans made, and we just headed out into the glaring sun in search of good food!

A quick search on the internet gave us the name and address of a sea food destination. Being seafood lovers by birth, we decided to check them out. Although the first impression was of it being over pricy, we were definitely in for a surprise!

There were prawns, crab and squid on the starters palette which made us give least attention to the chicken tikka they served along. Unlike my other experiences with sea food at Bangalore, prawns here were fresh and pretty bit tempting to take a second bite.

The main course had a variety of rice and spaghetti along with rotis’ and Ceylon porottas. The curries were mutton and Kerala fish curry which tasted yummm!!!

Desserts table was filled with gulab jamoon, varieties of mousse cakes, halwas and about 3 flavors of ice cream complete with a chocolate fountain!!!

So as we sat stuffed to the brim with the prawns and fish cuisines we were keeping our fingers crossed for the “over-pricy” bill we were about to receive! And guess what!!!

Where would you have the privilege to munch on the freshest sea food at the price of Rs.400/- per head in a buffet!!! Yes you got that right. That’s Oyster bay!!! So what are you waiting for? Go ahead, munch on to your heart’s desire! 

Oyster Bay 

77 / A,

Cygnus Chambers, 

Jyothi Nivas College Road, 

Koramangala, 

Bengaluru, Karnataka 560095, India

+91 80 4209 0000 

Namma Metro

So how many of you are still waiting for a weekend or a holiday for your maiden travel in ‘Namma Metro’? After a few months of launch, it is good to find Bangalore Metro Stations maintained well and neat. People don’t spit or litter. You cannot consume food inside the train. There are dust bins everywhere. Hence you are in a clean environment.

Photography and videography are not allowed which means Facebook status update can only be in text unless you manage to have a click through mobile phone. It is disappointing but knowing that it’s for our own protection (considering recent terrorist attacks pan India), we cannot regret the ban. There are surveillance cameras all around and the passengers are screened and bags are scanned. That does give a sense of safety.

The trains run at a frequency of 15 minutes from 6 am to 8 am in the morning and 8 pm to 10 pm in night, and with frequency of 10 minutes from 8 am to 8 pm.

Single journey tickets are called tokens. For multiple journeys, you have the contactless smart cards and can be purchased from Namma Metro website.

Sorry, Wrong Number!

Intentional 'wrong' numbers disturbing your phone too ??? .....

With the provision of call rates that is almost like free, the number of fake calls has increased. I have encountered a few. It becomes worse when the caller hears a female voice and then it turns into stalking. For 1 paisa per second, they find bliss but the victims get deprived of their sound sleep. When researched on the internet on stopping anonymous calls, I came across articles that stated on how relationships were adversely affected due to such calls but no answers provided. Filing a police complaint every time and then forwarding it to the telecom provider to block the number may not be a comfortable solution for all.

So here are some home remedies as we may say.

Solution #1 : Ask your spouse or family member to attend the call.

Solution #2: Do not respond to the caller. “Tere Ghar Mein Maa Behein Nahin hein kya” tells the exasperated call receiver. But those perverts just want to us to react and they win.

Solution #3: Attend the call and keep it on mute. Let them lose their money on call. When their multiple tries goes in vain, they will get de-motivated

Solution #4: Some phones have reject call option that can be allotted for selected numbers

Solution #5: If you have an Android Phone, then you have unlimited choice of free downloads for call blockers. Here you get options to have silent ring or pick and hang up for numbers that you have blacklisted.

Be part of Test & Measurement World

Test and Measurement (T&M) industry in India has been gaining momentum, thanks to the recent growth in telecommunications, manufacturing, biotechnology and also other electronic hardware segments. The Indian test & measurement market has been fairly resilient and growing well compared to markets in the Western world where growth rates have hit a plateau and exhibit smaller growths year on year.

“The growing emphasis on the quality of products and services delivered, as well as the need for accuracy and timely results, is driving the growth of the T&M equipment market in India. The increasing R&D activity across various industries is also expected to further augment the growth of the Indian T&M market, which has shown an average annual growth rate of 20 per cent, year on year. Experts estimate that this market has the potential to touch US$ 1 billion in the next three years.” Source:  Electronics Bazaar, November 2011

Where there is technology and electronic equipments, there is the need for test and measurement instrumentation solutions. Manufacturing, Power generation and utilities, Telecom, Industrial Automation, Defense Electronics, Aerospace, Automotive, Education almost every sector requires T&M instruments solutions. An exciting and rewarding future can be envisioned for T&M market and the people related to this industry. But due to the lack of glamour and knowledge about the career opportunities, this sector is facing a shortage of manpower. 

Tools you will come across: Oscillosocpes, Calibators, Multimeters, Signal Generators, Data Loggers, Power Quality Analyzers, etc

Terminologies you will speak: Metrology, Calibration, Safety Testing & Rating, Compliance, Polarization IndexTrue-RMS, Inrush and so on 

Job Profiles that can be yours: Calibration Manager, Product Specialist, Application Engineer, Measurement Analyst, Sales & Support Representatives and many more 

Langkawi, The Red Brown Eagle

When i Zeroed in on Malaysia, Gentings was a place every travel agency suggested. After many interactions with travel consultants, I realized I am better off myself! I wanted a place unheard, unique and untouched. And then I found Langkawi.

Langkawi means red brown eagle. Though it’s a favourite place amongst tourists, it’s not promoted much in travel packages in India. But it’s quite a regular spot for Indian movie song shoots.

Boarding on a budget airline, my husband and I landed at Kuala Lumpur.  Yippee!! We took a premium cab from the airport and checked in at a hotel called Corus Hotel right next to the twin tower. The hotel is beautiful and comes under budget. As it was just for a night stay, it didn’t matter what facilities they had. The breakfast was good.  From the swimming pool, I could see the magnificent Petronas (Twin) tower. Amazing! We went to see the twin towers and OOPS! one thing we missed out was the fact that the sky bridge was closed on Mondays. I should have got my research done properly but no problem, we clicked a few pictures from outside and strolled in the KLCC shopping centre.

Our flight to langkawi was in the evening. We thought of taking the local train to the airport, and from there our adventures started. KL had two separate airports and we took the train to the international airport. Reaching there we realized that the domestic flights were from the other airport which was half an hour away and we were supposed to take a bus.  Hurried to the bus stop and waited for the bus, biting my nails. Bus arrived and then it was pray time. God we shouldn’t miss the flight!!! Phew, reached 5 minutes before the closing time for security check in and once I got inside the plane I started breathing again. Life!!!

Within half an hour I could see the island. Lovely!!! The airport was an ordinary place and you could just walk in and enter the duty free world of Langkawi. Incredible, Wonderful and OUCH!!!! My husband rolled the trolley bag on my toes. Oh no, another crisis! I could see blood. I could see half of my nail sticking out of my toe. With tears in my eyes, I could see “Rent-a-car” stall on the right. And with limping leg and road map, we got into our Myvi white car. Why is the petrol indicator at “E”? Where is the fuel station? Will we make it? I don’t want to push a car in an unknown place for don’t know how long. But God was with us.... there it was bleaming bright... ....  our life saver.. the petrol station!!! What made it even better was petrol cost only Rs. 15. FIFTEEN RUPEES!!!

Off to Hotel Bayview in Kuah – our home for 3 days. By the time we checked in, it was raining and had become dark. Oh wow… from the room I could see the islands and the sea and the red brown eagle statue.  I love this place. I was jumping around. With all those hungama, we could finally relax. But that made it even more memorable. It was no regular hassle-free trip. When I opened my eyes the next day morning, I saw the most astonishing scenery. Blue sea, green islands, birds, boats… A world I had never seen before. Peaceful! After breakfast, we came to know that the Hanging Sky Bridge was shut due to weather conditions. But we took our chance and went to Oriental Village. Luck was on our side and the bridge access was open. We walked here and there in the park finding the right spots to get the perfect happy pictures and then stood in the long queue for the cable car that would take us to the sky bridge. It was a reserve forest called Langkawi Geological Park and from the highest point you could see the borders of South Thailand. But we missed seeing Thailand free of cost because of the fog. Well, now we have to go to Thailand to make up for that. Breathtaking view 360 degrees. The bridge shakes a little bit when you walk and the fog gives you a thrilling experience. The walk to the bridge tests your heart's strength but it’s worth the huff and puff. Returning in the cable car was even better. Our camera had no break time.

Stuffing food from KFC, we drove to the ecological attraction that was famous for the mangroves and the bat cave. We got into a speedboat and took a trip around the island. The mangrove forest was simply superb. The boat stopped at a cave and we went inside. Silence and Darkness. I hate both. And what’s that yucky smell? Let’s go, I told my husband. And then someone clicked a picture and in that flash I saw hundreds of bats hanging from the cave walls. Let’s go quickly. The next stop was a fish cultivation place and then the boat journey was over. Driving through the island was fun and my husband was experimenting with the automatic gear. We stopped at a fuel station and when we were about to go, I saw the yachts. Stop for the photos! Stop! My obedient husband hit the brakes thinking it was clutch. Reflex action, can’t blame him. But blame me for not wearing the seat belt. I hit the front glass. First a broken toe nail and now a bump on the head. What next! I remembered the dialogue from 'Jab we met' movie. Hey bhagavan meri life boring banatho! 

Next stop was the beach. Pentai Cenang beach was quite an active place unlike other beaches there. With good variety of activities like jet ski, para sailing, etc, we could even find restaurants of different cuisines. We found an Indian restaurant which was costly but felt like having Indian spicy chicken curry. Then we headed towards Eagle square. This is where the big red eagle’s statue was placed. Majestic was the first word that came to my mind. We turned to the shopping malls nearby. Langkawi fair mall has the amazing chocolate collections and yes DUTY FREE… My baggage weight would have increased only because of the chocolates I bought. I was content. I love my husband who smilingly swiped his credit card :)

The next day morning, we quickly went to Dataran Lang (Eagle Square) again which was quite close to our hotel. After spending some quiet moments watching other tourists capture their memories, we went back to the hotel and checked out. Then we drove to airport where we returned the car first and completed the formalities there. 

As we boarded the plane, I wished I had spent more time at Langkawi. We did not have time for the Daya Bunting Island , hot springs and a few others.  When the flight took off and as the island became visibly smaller and looked like a heart, I knew one day I will be back here because I could see my heart still there.

Points to remember

• Malaysia is a muslim dominated country so choose less revealing clothes
• Carry a photocopy of your driving licence if you are renting car  and car rentals are available right at the airport
• Bargain! Bargain! Bargain! You get good cars at good prices based on the number of days you rent it
• Hotel bookings can be done online and you get wonderful offers
• The whole island is duty-free so carry an extra bag to fill in chocolates and goodies
• Check if the cable car is closed for maintenance and plan your trip accordingly
• You will need a minimum of 3 relaxed days at Langkawi 

Books Books !!!!! ~~~~~~ "The Last Lecture"

"When you see yourself doing something badly and nobody's bothering to tell you anymore, that's a very bad place to be. Your critics are the ones telling you they still love you and care. "

Makes sense?? ….. Yes?.... then you Should read this book…..

Randy Pausch Is a professor, who is counting his days as he fights against pancreatic cancer.

The book as named is about his last lecture, which he sees as a way to connect to his fellows and specially his 3 little kids who’ll grow up without him around.

Thinking about a sad autobiography of a cancer patient? …. You are wrong! As he narrates his life and dreams, not even once we feel sad or sympathetic for him. He brightens up the day with instances from his childhood and teen years and makes every moment as lively as possible with his simple yet forceful language.

The energy with which he presents his lecture reflects in his words too. And it is something that lifts our spirits to greater heights. Through the various moments,people and places of his life he brings to light the real lessons of life which could change the way we see things! Some quotes below: 

• "The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something."
• If I could only give three words of advice, they would be, "tell the truth." If I got three more words, I'd add: "All the time." 
• “Find the best in everybody. Just keep waiting no matter how long it takes. No one is all evil. Everybody has a good side. Just keep waiting, it’ll come out.”

As he explains the simple yet most important moments of his life, we can’t help but agree how simple and small things matter more when it comes to adding meaning to our lives.

Randy’s lecture has become a phenomenon, with the youtube video of his actual lecture and his website, attracting millions of visitors each day…

So what are you waiting for... check it out..and do let me know if u like it.. :)

Links:

The Site : http://www.thelastlecture.com/

The Lecture Video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

The Lecture Transcript : http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/Randy/pauschlastlecturetranscript.pdf

Happy Reading... :)

- Chalked by Silver Cloud

Being The Real YOU

Who am I? I once raised this question to myself. And then I realized that I was nearly in the verge of losing my identity trying to inculcate the characteristics of others to get the trademark of being popular.

The fact was that I was not able to put up with the enactment for long. Hidden inside me was the real ‘ME’ being
smothered under the peer pressure and my desire to be ‘loved by all’ person. Sometimes I even doubted if I had split personality.

Coming from a small town, I didn’t know the dining etiquette, demeanor and poise. So I always hesitated to go out for lunch with my friends fearing that I might make a fool of myself at the dining table and I always ordered roti items to avoid using the cutlery. One day I reached a point of enough is enough and admitted my shortcomings. There was no giggling or vituperation. Instead, my friends gave me tips on mastering the art of table manners.

It took me 20 long years to come out from the cocoon and spread my wings. To my astonishment, I was acknowledged ubiquitously. I soon realized that I was being heard and seen and that the feeling of ‘odd one out’ was just a delusion. I relied on books on positive living, success and happiness, and etiquette to build
self-confidence. It was a long and audacious journey with the crisscross roads of life mystifying the way to towards the destination.

I read somewhere that no one could hurt you or make you feel inferior unless you permit. So true! The phobia of being lonely is like venom. The effect gradually comes in and finishes you wholly. Before you even know, you would have slaughtered yourself and started a life anew. A life someone else has chosen for you… Or rather say, you have chosen to live for someone else and not for you. To be what you are, around all circumstance, can drain your energy. But it’s worth the effort taken. Life is like being inside a mirror-house where one finds oneself in unusual figures. Sometimes hideous, at times comical or even deformed. And finally there is one mirror in the corner somewhere that reflects the actual YOU.

I went through this chapter in my life and found myself. How about you???

-Chalked by Rashmi