Buzzing Thoughts

My tiny mind is overloaded with thoughts and feelings - courtesy the weekend mood, the internet, the newspapers among other things. 

And to reflect them, here are a few quotes which gives words to these beliefs and notions.

On Innovation

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.
~Steve Jobs

On Overcoming Adversity

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.
~Henry Ford

If you're going through hell, keep going.
~Winston Churchill

The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.
~Harry Golden

Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.  

 ~Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus), Satires

On Silence

The silence depressed me.  It wasn't the silence of silence.  It was my own silence.
~Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar

But then

Silence is as deep as eternity; speech, shallow as time.  

~Thomas Carlyle

On Tears 

Tears are the safety valve of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it.  

~Albert Smith

On Humility and Modesty 

If I only had a little humility, I would be perfect. 

~Ted Turner

Modesty:  The art of encouraging people to find out for themselves how wonderful you are.  

~Unknown

And finally on Trying

How long should you try? Until.
~Jim Rohn

Try  and fail, but don't fail to try.
~Stephen Kaggwa

Left me wondering on the state of the overload on my little mind.

P.S. Quotes courtesy - Google and its search results. Picture courtesy - Once again Google and its search results.

 

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Sports Stars Of 2010

In about a month, the first decade of the 21st century is coming to a close. 

And it's time to have a look at the super stars who made the sports world their very own in 2010. These are the people who are bound to be the shining stars of the next decade.

While some players have fallen from grace for their activities outside the sporting circles (read Tiger Woods), you have many many others who have exhibited superb talent and magnificent skills to become the champions in their respective sports.

Starting with football.

2010 was the year of The World Cup Football. It was played in South Africa in June-July 2010.

The perennial favorites and the glorious under performers Spain won their maiden World Cup.

While Fernando Torres couldn't live upto his expectations, Iker Casillas kept his cool in front of the goal. David Villa was however the real hero for Spain, scoring 5 goals and taking the nation to the elusive World Cup victory.

Moving on to cricket.

Cricket for me, these days, begins and ends with Twenty20 (Indian Premier League to be specific).

For me, M.S. Dhoni was the super star of the years. He earned three stars on his proud chest.

First off all, Dhoni lead Chennai Super Kings to a victory in the IPL in April-May. Later in the year, they went on to win the Champion's League Twenty20. 

And lastly, but most importantly, Dhoni went from being a bachelor to a married man - marrying his sweetheart Sakshi.

Coming next is Formula 1. This is one sport I follow diligently - making it a habit never to miss a Sunday race.

However, this year was sadly different. I couldn't catch up with a single race  - live - thanks to a silly cable operator never showing Star Sports when needed. A busy work schedule didn't help either.

But that didn't stop me from checking out with the results of the races.

It was a year where Michael Schumacher made a comeback after a hiatus.  Fernando Alonso was driving in a strong car - the Ferrari - after a long time. Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button were driving the powerful McLaren.

While all these guys stood up and gave a majestic fight, it was the young German - Sebastien Vettel - who came up trumps in the Formula 1 championships. His team - Red Bull Racing - won the constructors championships.

Tennis is another sport which I try to follow.

In men's tennis, Roger Federer started the year by winning the Australian Open. And Rafael Nadal came up as the winner in remaining three Grand Slams.

Needless to say, he finished the year at top of the ATP World Tour Singles Ranking - by a lofty margin.

Women's tennis was a bit more balanced. Serena Williams won two Slams - The Australian Open and The Wimbledon. 

Francesca Schiavone won her maiden Grand Slam at The French Open. And Kim Clijsters successfully defended her title at The U.S. Open - a very significant achievement considering the fact that she is playing after becoming a proud mother.

But at top of the WTA Singles Ranking is someone who didn't win a single Grand Slam. 

She is Caroline Wozniacki from Denmark.

And she is winning attention for her looks along with her excellent game.  

I was a bit pleased with her being the champ - since I had thought she would win a couple of Grand Slams, which she eventually didn't. Yet, ending the year at the top of the table is a proud achievement.

Finally you have Saina Nehwal from India. With her excellent badminton game, she has risen to World Ranking of number 3. And for a brief period, she was also ranked as number 2. And as of today, she is once again back to the number 2 spot.

2010 was a spectacular year for her - with Saina winning the gold medal in  four significant championships.

She is just 19 years of age. And, without any questions, she is bound to take India to greater heights and make the country proud.

All in all, these sportsmen and sportswomen have displayed enormous talent, superb tenacity, brilliant skills and great will power to be at the very top of their respective sports.  

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The Church and Contraception

The Church is one of the fundamental icons of the religion of Christianity.

Contraception is a primal thing surrounding the fundamental needs of men and women - balancing out physical needs and the need for procreation.

And the relation between the Church and Contraception is something which needs to take giant steps forwards for ensuring a bright and a better world.

In my blog post - Ideas And Inventions Revolutionize Life - I discussed how the discovery of contraceptive measures and their effective usage has empowered generations of women and men.

For the sake of it's importance, its worth recollecting that the Birth Control Pill was labeled as the invention of the 20th century.

And in another blog post - HIV AIDS, The Church and Contraception - I reflected on the opinions of the Church on the matter of contraception.

The article said - and I quote below.

==

The Church opposes contraception, because it believes it interferes with the creation of life.

==

Read more on the blog post.

However, on Sunday 21st November 2010, the Church has taken a giant step in its opinion on contraception.

A snippet of that important thought is as below

==

The new book - Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times - is based on a series of interview the Pope gave the German Catholic journalist, Peter Seewald, earlier this year.

When asked whether the Catholic Church was not opposed in principle to the use of condoms, the Pope replied: "She of course does not regard it as a real or moral solution, but, in this or that case, there can be nonetheless, in the intention of reducing the risk of infection, a first step in a movement toward a different way, a more human way, of living sexuality." 

==

Net in net, the Pope has advocated the use of contraception on a case to case basis - to prevent the spread of HIV AIDS.

Although the guideline is immensely significant, I think we have a very long way to go before a complete advocacy is preached - considering the fact that Pope Benedict reiterated the Church's fundamental opposition to contraception.

Still, a step is a step - and it can only take the world forward.

The issue is of such importance that all the major websites are running full length articles on this matter on their front page.

Catch the BBC view here. And the CNN view here.

Needless to say, the Pope's comments were much welcomed by UNAIDS. They termed it as a "significant step forward". Catch the entire article here.

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Internet Addiction

Addiction is a bad thing.

The dictionary would define it in two ways.

The first one says that an addiction is an abnormally strong craving. Craving in itself is an intense desire for a particular thing.

This definition gives a moderate picture of an addiction. The second one depicts a more harsher reality.

Addiction is being abnormally dependent on something that is psychologically or physically habit forming. This habituation or dependency is alarming.

Why am I thinking about this??

Well, today afternoon, I was disconnected from the online world for more than three hours - courtesy a power cut. With nothing else to do, sleep not forthcoming and no one to talk to, the desire for  connecting to the internet was getting onto me.

It made me think - Have I become addicted to the Internet??

A few hours of disconnection shouldn't have ideally mattered. But then when you don't get something when you are really expecting it, the desires grow stronger and multiply into enormous proportions. Net result - an addiction.

The first thing that I did after the power was restored was to switch on the computer and get back online.

And this isn't a good sign for someone who is online and connected to the net - more than fifteen hours a day, for at least 5 days a week. And for the remaining two days, its twelve hours a day.

What is more troubling is a small fact. 

The number of websites that I most commonly surf do not exceed ten. This includes - a mail site, a couple of social networking sites, three news papers, a tabloid and a blog. These days, it's on a very rare occasion, that I go beyond these trusted companions.

It made me think - Is the addiction really worth it's part??

But addictions have an habit of demonstrating themselves - so that you can introspect and take the required corrective action.

And what's the signal??

A silly me, sitting up in a dark room just moments before sleeping,  at half past twelve in the night, writing a blog post entry about Internet Addiction. 

Was this really warranted?? 

The fact that I can't stop writing until I post the blog entry is the crowning moment of the addiction.

I'm hoping to take some steps to reduce this mad desire for internet in the coming days. And I pray to God Almighty to help me succeed in my endeavour.

And this might become my wallpaper in the coming days. :-)

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Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

He is back. Harry Potter is back.

With "You Know Who" a.k.a "He Who Must Not Be Named", you have Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley and Severus Snape making a comeback on the silver screen after a long gap one and a half years.

Just a week back, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows opened to the audiences in the U.K. The prime Harry Potter cast - Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint - were the center of attraction on the red carpet.

And yesterday, it has made an opening in India.

A lot has changed in this last year and a half.

In the past decade, people have taken a liking for fantasies. - be it Harry Potter or the Chronicles of Narnia. It helps ordinary men and women, like you and me, to escape the harsh realities of the real world. 

After all, who wouldn't like a world where you could get anything that you would desire with a flick of a wand.

And this is what made Harry Potter a phenomenon. 

Since 1997, after the release of the book - Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone, and subsequently with its immensely popular movie series, Harry and his gang has been heroes in the world of fantasies.

But off late they are facing stiff, very stiff, competition from Bella Swan and Edward Cullen - courtesy the Twilight Saga.

But with the kind of hoopla surrounding The Deathly Hallows, you can  safely consider that the Harry Potter magic is much alive and kicking.

This movie promises to be the darkest of the series. After all, it is a culmination of the battle between Good and Evil, and between Harry and Lord Voldemort. 

Harry's mentor - Albus Dumbledore - died in the closing parts of the The Half Blood Prince. 

With this, in The Deathly Hallows, you have Harry with his limited group of friends - Hermione, Ron, the Professors at Hogwarts and The Order Of The Phoenix - trying to find the elusive horcruxes, in an effort to destroy The Dark Lord.

The movie starts with the dramatic escape of Harry with the seven Potters. And later, it is battle all the way - between the Death Eaters and Harry and team.

You will also have Harry romancing Ginny - in one of the few simple yet  intense moments of the movie.

And Ron and Hermione sharing some quiet and intimate moments in the dark and trying times.

And if you are planning to catch the movie, here is the spectacular trailer.

It has been a long and a fruitful journey for the three stars in the past decade.

Ten years back, they were kids, fighting the Dark Forces.

Today, they are super stars in the world of cinema.

Go ahead and enjoy the movie.

One thing is for sure. The die hard Harry Potter fans would definitely be looking forward to July 2011 - when the final edition of The Deathly Hallows and  it's battle royale is rolled out in the theaters.

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Winston Churchill on Russia

Winston Churchill, the ex British Prime Minister, was the most formidable leader in World War 2.

Popularly known as the British bulldog, his quotes are widely remembered even today - due to their aptness.

Moving on to the USSR.

The USSR - Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - when it existed between 1922 and 1991 - was the largest country in the World.

More than 10000 kilometers wide, 5000 kilometers tall, spread across 11 time zones, with just a population of 293 million - it was a country very limitedly known by the world. And that is the case even today.

The USSR now exists as Russia, albeit in a smaller form (it is an understatement to call it small), and is as strong as it was earlier.

And why are we discussing about Churchill and Russia?

Here's the reason.

Faced with a critical challenge during World War 2, Churchill said these famous line explaining Russia.

It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma;but perhaps there is a key.

It is a picture perfect description of a nation which has intrigued many a generations, including today's generation.

Quite interesting isn't it??

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Something To Lose

Andre Agassi, the famous tennis player, once said this line.

What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose.

Can someone be something?

And can you prevent the loss?

And what would be your thoughts if the someone whom you consider special does not consider you special?

Or how can you know if the someone whom you consider special indeed does consider you special? Maybe very special? Maybe most special?

Maybe the billboard below might help.

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Hair Color

A long time back, when I was a child, reading was the most common pastime. 

Back then, we didn't have Cable TV, Internet, Computers et all to keep us  engaged. And reading was one habit which I pursued a lot - although it was mostly limited to vacations.

Apart from reading fiction and detective novels, I was passionate about reading comics. Phantom, Archie, Mandrake, Chacha Chaudhary etc etc were my favorites. 

Each and every story of Archie comics is incomplete without the two pretty girls - Betty Copper and Veronica Lodge. They battled on various fronts - including vying for Archie's attention. 

The duel which stood out was that of hair color's. 

Veronica commonly took swipes at Betty's blonde hair color - often accusing her of being dumb. Quite on the contrary, she was the most intelligent among the lot.

Veronica was a beautiful brunette - who considered herself to be more intellectually superior to Betty - while she was to the contrary.

And this battle of hair color's continued for as long as I remember. 

This made me think - what are the most common hair color's for people across the world? Does being blonde or brunette matter?

The most common hair color for people across the world is black. 

We don't have any percentages about the people who have black hair. But it is considered to be the most common.

Then you have the brunettes. They have hair with a shade of brown.

Featured above is Katie Holmes - the better half of Hollywood star Tom Cruise. 

Other starlets who sport this hair color include Penelope Cruz, Keira Knightley and the current Twilight heartthrob - Kirsten Stewart.

Then you have the "legally blonde" hair color. 

These are most common in people who have their origins in Eastern and Northern Europe - yet it can be seen in people across the world.

You would find many actresses with enticing blonde hair color - Charlize Theron, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Uma Thurman et all.

Before we go onto red hair, have a look at the Auburn colored hair. Auburn - as per the dictionary - is a hair color which is moderately reddish brown.

Kate Winslet, Kylie Minogue are some super stars who are known to have auburn colored hair.

And then you have red hair.

This color has the distinction of being the least commonly occurring hair color among the people.

Among the few stars who have red colored hair are Julianne Moore, Lindsay Lohan and Kirsten Dunst. The list is very limited - due to the rare occurrence of this hair color.

You also have honey colored hair.

Jennifer Aniston, Jenifer Lopez, Eva Mendes commonly sport this hair color. 

And there would be several such hair color styles - which we might not be even aware of. But needless to say, the people who own them would be proud of them.

In this age of commercialization and fashion, you can have a hair color of your choice. All you need to do is buy some Hair Coloring Solution. 

It will change your hair color - either temporarily or permanently. 

Temporary change of hair color is in vogue these days. After all, you can sport a new hair color every few months. That's why they said - variety is the spice of life.

And maybe that's the reason I found Kirsten Stewart featuring almost every possible hair color while researching for this blog. 

Catch some of her pictures below

Here she is with black hair.

And then with Blonde Hair.

And then with Auburn Hair.

What next??

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Aung San Suu Kyi

Myanmar, popularly known as Burma, a nation in South Asia, will be the focus of the world's attention today evening. The entire world is looking forward to the release of its Democracy Champion - Aung San Suu Kyi - from captivity.

  

Burma had been a colonial territory for the British for a long period of 62 years - right from 1886 to 1948.

And like India, when it gained independence in 1948, a democratic government took over the reins of the nation - hoping for a peaceful future. 

In a twist of fate, democracy came to an end in 1962, when the military junta took over the nation with a coup. And since then, till date, Burma continues to be under the rule of the military junta.

The junta pursued a particular technique of Socialism during its rule. Needless to say, the rule by the junta was hugely unpopular. Protests against the military rules were the order of the day. But in most cases, they were quelled.

After widespread protests in 1988 - under the 8888 Uprising - elections were planned in Burma. And for the first time in 30 years, elections were held in Burma.

In 1988, a political party by the name National League for Democracy was formed. It's secretary was none other than Aung San Suu Kyi. She took up the cause of the democracy in the nation.

Sensing her widespread popularity, she was put under house arrest on 20 July 1989. She was offered a release from the virtual prison if she promised to leave the nation. She refused - showcasing the abilities of a great leader.

In the 1990 elections, her party won more than 80% of the parliament seats. And as the leader, Suu Kyi was all set to become the Prime Minister.

As it normally happens, the military junta refused to accept the verdict of the people. They refused to hand over the leadership of the country to Suu Kyi. The lust of power took them over and they nullified the results of the election. 

They also placed Suu Kyi under house arrest. And since then, Aung San Suu Kyi has been an icon of the Burmese democratic struggle.

The military junta has been extremely oppressive - having put Suu Kyi under house arrest for almost 14 years in the last two decades. And in this period, she has not been allowed to meet the leaders from her party as well as international visitors.

Suu Kyi's fight for freedom is widely acknowledged across the world. She receives tremendous support from the big daddies of world politics. The UN too has been supporting her cause.

She won the Noble Peace Prize in the year 1991 itself - for her for her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights. 

In awarding the Nobel Peace Prize for 1991 to Aung San Suu Kyi, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honor this woman for her unflagging efforts and to show its support for the many people throughout the world who are striving to attain democracy, human rights and ethnic conciliation by peaceful means.

-- Oslo, 14 October 1991

She is also popularly remembered for her flamboyant "Freedom From Fear" speech - which she started with the lines below. 

"It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it."

Here's a quick look at some of the most important points in Suu Kyi's life in the last 20 years - courtesy the BBC

The tremendous international pressure on Burma for release of Suu Kyi with continuous follow up by the international media has finally paid off.

On 1st October 2010, the military junta announced that Aung San Suu Kyi would be release on 13th November 2010. And that day is today.

And we all hope that in the final hours, the junta keeps upto it's promise and releases the icon of the Burmese democratic struggle.

Suu Kyi is just 45 years of age. And with her wealth of experience from the last 22 years, and a bright future that the world hopes for Burma, Suu Kyi could just be the leader who could transform the nation and takes her to greater heights.

A bright future beckons Burma.

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Who Is She???

She came. She saw. She conquered.

She conquered my heart.

Her beatific smile made me fall in love with her. 

With her fluffy cheeks, and broadly stretched lips, her smile was simply bewitching. I just couldn't stop smiling in return.

It didn't matter that she wasn't seeing the happiness on my face.  But then everyone doesn't know how much you love or like them. And she was one among them.

Innocence reflected on her sweet face. Her purity caught my attention and since then hasn't left my mind. I can feel her simplicity without having a look at her.

She was a cutie pie. An angel heart.

Every time she looks at me, my heart skips a beat. And she has been looking at me continuously for the last one day. 

They say - Eyes can kill. And she has those eyes.

I just can't stop myself from looking at her hundred times a day. 

All that I feel while working is to lock my computer and just have a look at her. Keep staring at her. And feel nice. And feel happy.

She is the girl who has captured my heart. And my desktop.

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Tees Maar Khan

Diwali is considered to be one of the most auspicious occasions to wish and hope for the success of any activity in India.

And on this Diwali, considering this very fact, the maker's of the movie "Tees Maar Khan" decided to launch its movie promos and trailers across India today.

I have been on leave for this entire week. Watching songs on television was the most common pass time, considering my love for music.

But today, the new trailers from this movie were a welcome change. And needless to say, they were immensely attractive.

Although it would be extremely difficult to list down at least "Tees" (Thirty) reasons to watch this movie, a feeble attempt can be made to list at least a few.

Here goes the list.

Right at the top, the movie looks to be a perfect Bollywood masala movie. The dialogs looks witty and the cast is attractive.

It seems to have adequate support characters which help in propping up any Bollywood movie. And lastly, it should definitely have some nicely shot songs.

Second reason is the plot itself. The exploits of a conman have thrilled many a generations. 

Add some fun, some thrill, some excitement, some messy situations to this plot, and you have an winning theme. The last such movie which made a immense mark was "Oye Lucky.. Lucky Oye" starring Abhay Deol.

Next comes the director - Farah Khan. I would say, she has made an effective transition from being a choreographer to a director.

This is just her third film in the last seven years - which indicates that she must be putting a lot of thought before starting on any new venture. Her last two movies were excellent commercial success stories.

"Main Hoon Na" was released way back in 2004, when I was still a college student. It was considered to be good entertainer, alothough some people might disagee. And "Om Shanti Om" managed to keep me intrigued for three hours when I was alone in a foreign land.

Coming next is the USP of the movie - the lead star - Akshay Kumar. From the trailers, he seems to have played the role of the conman perfectly - with his timely dialog delivery and excellent acting.

He has already made his mark in some comic roles earlier. And people must be looking forward to this witty role.

And if Akshay Kumar is around, how can Katrina Kaif be behind? She will be romancing Akshay in this movie.

And most likely, she will be his crime partner and will be assisting him in his "not-so-good" con jobs. One thing is for sure - she will be setting the silver screen on fire with her alluring dances and enticing looks.

Next comes Akshay "Eclipse" Khanna.

He makes appearances in movies with such rarity that it would give the humble solar and lunar eclipses a complex. But if you are a fan of Akshay Khanna, then you would rush to the nearest theatre to have a look at him.

Then you also have Salman Khan, who has taken a cue from his sister-in-law Mallaika Arora Khan, and has worked on an item song in this movie.

What would be your take on Munna Badnaam Hua??

And finally, considering Shahrukh Khan's friendship with the director, you can have King Khan in a hush-hush secret role.

These seem to be the few reasons why the movie should generate enough attention in run up to its release on 24th Dec 2010.

That brings, to my mind, another reason for watching this movie. For the last two years, movies released on the Christmas weekends - "Ghazini" in 2008, and "Three Idiots" in 2009 - have been mega blockbusters.

Will "Tees Maar Khan" keep up that tradition? Only time will tell.

And only time will tell whether I get the oppurtunity to watch this movie on that weekend.

Until then, we can have the songs for our company. Catch some of them right below as you wait in anticipation.

The first one is the overall promo for the movie.

This one is the almost the title song of the movie.

And then finally you have the hit item number - Sheila Ki Jawani. Katrina Kaif is bound to set the silver screen on fire with this rocking dance.

Sunidhi Chauhan has given her voice to this song. And I can't thing of any other Indian lady singer who would have done better justice to this titillating number.

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