Friday, January 30, 2009

The Bucket List



The Bucket List is a comedy drama which released in 2007. Its a story which revolves around 2 terminally ill men who decide to escape from a cancer ward in order to head off on a road trip - a trip with a wishlist of TO-DOs before they "KICK THE BUCKET"!
Here's a review of the movie: Bucket List

I was watching a couple of scenes from the movie and it suddenly struck me - What are the things that I would want to do before I "KICK THE BUCKET"! Ok, doesn't sound like a fancy thought - but hey, all of us have wish lists, don't we? And all I'm saying is that we don't have to come up with it only when we feel we're done with LIFE! Wouldn't it be better to write them down now and work towards it through the years?

So here is my "BUCKET LIST" (subject to changes)

1) Resume SWIMMING classes (and this time for a change - LEARN TO SWIM)
2) Trip to the Himalayas
3) Get my hands on an AUDI-A8!! Whow!!
4) Buy my own house
5) Visit all the wonders of the world
6) Hold a python around my neck (It's not weird!)
7) Make a Tanjore painting
8) Resume Singing (Carnatic music)
9) Learn to play the guitar
10) A trip to Dubai and visit my school and friends (GOOD OLD MEMORIES)
11) Walk with stilettos
12) Visit Universal Studios and Disneyland!
13) Bungee jumping (I'll keep this to the end - not sure if I'll survive through it :-p)

Hmmmm....tough list! Can't imagine the feeling when I actually achieve all of it! :-D
Brings a SMILE to my face!

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Mixed Emotions!



I picked this tag from Amrita's blog... (Thx!) ;-)
I'm half way through a not-so-exciting Thursday, and I have a couple of thoughts running in my mind...

I FEEL

Happy - that I have a lovely family; amazing buddies; a great job and most of all a CONTENTED Life!!

Good - about being HAPPY!! ;-)

Satisfied - that I have learned things the hard way!

Enthusiastic - about everything I do...and if it's a trip then I GO BONKERS!

Breathless - when I talk about something that I'm so totally involved with. I cannot break the continuity, you see! :-p

Excited - about moving to my new house in a couple of weeks! Yayyy...

Nagged - about unclean places, unorganized behaviour! Arghhhh...

Impatient - on every Friday evening!

Silly - when I crib about things that don't mean a THING!! Why do I do that??

Stupid - for discontinuing Swimming classes :-(

Blessed - for being the person I am!

Irritated - with people who tend to act like GODS!

Scared - when I think about how unsafe and unpredictable the world is today.

Depressed - when I lose my temper and realize it was so unnecessary.

SICK - when I'm lonely!

Just a random flow of thoughts...
You can tag yourself if you choose to! ;-)

Friday, January 23, 2009

Have you run out of blog topics?



Let me start by saying that the following pointers have not been entirely picked and identified by me. I have been reading couple of blogs and these points are what I gathered from most of it. Infact I even picked a couple of tips from them!

So let me get started.....
Have you ever run out of blog topics? I'm sure there would be mixed responses for this question.
From my side, I would have to say "YES"!
There are these days when I would have so much to write about but because of work or some other appointment I just wouldnt get the time! I don't understand why this happens only on days when I have so many thoughts and ideas to write down!

On the other hand, there have been some really DULL and gloomy days where I've had nothing else to do but BLOG. And somehow the timing isn't right to come up with something creative or even simple!!

Pretty ironical right?

For those of you who do experience this,...don't fret! I might just have the right tips for you (ALMOST!!) ;-)
Read along....

Rule No 1 : BE DIFFERENT
If you are the kind who has tons of readers stumbling across your blog every day, this tip might come in handy.
The key is to go "OFF-Topic". It's always different and gets your readers thinking about the various facets of your blog.
This is good to keep them guessing as to what your next post would be about!
Your readers get a break from the routine posts and also gives you a chance to showcase other interests of yours!

Rule No 2: KEEP THE SUBJECT INTERESTING
Let me describe this with an example.
When I started blogging, I was so completely addicted to it. I'd post random thoughts which wouldn't really fetch that involvement from the reader.
I felt so compelled to write something regularly. This perhaps was the cause of not coming up with an interesting subject.
When you get into this kind of mode, you can be branded as a blogger who blogs just for the sake of blogging. (I guess most of us who start off , fall under this category!)
The best thing to do in such situations, is to THINK! Think about subjects that are often spoken about in the news or papers, or some day-to-day events; or even some raging reviews.Anything that would help you keep your readers INVOLVED!

Rule No 3: WRITE PILLAR CONTENT
This is something we all need to ask ourselves. Do we really have something concrete in our blog.
The idea might have been great, but the manner in which it is presented isn't! This calls for a serious introspection into the presentation of the blog.
Your main focus is to reach out to your readers. For instance, if you are talking about meditation as a therapy, then concentrate on getting the idea across. This is what I mean by PILLAR CONTENT. Try to keep things simple and straight without complicating the subject.
It's always a good practice to strike the point right at the start. This holds the attention of the reader.

Rule No 4: MAINTAIN BLOG NOTES
Like I mentioned earlier, there are days when your mind simply overflows with ideas and thoughts. By the end of the day, you hardly remember any of it.
The best solution to this is to maintain blog notes. The moment you have an idea in mind, make a note of it. This can be recorded in a notebook or even on your computer.
So the next time you sit to blog, all you need to do is pull out your blog note and VOILA! You have tons of topics to choose from!

Rule No 5: TAKE SOME TIME OUT
R.E.S.T! Your mind needs some time to relax!
I would say this point applies to those who are extremely committed to their readers. Your belief is that "A BLOG A DAY KEEPS THAT FROWN AWAY"!
Well, at the end of it all, you'll find yourself frowning at the poor quality of your blog.
Adequate rest is essential when you want to live up to the expectations of your readers. This keeps the creative sector of your brain always ACTIVE and teeming with content!

Rule No 6: JUST DO IT
This tip is for all novice bloggers! I picked this up from a blog I read recently and it's absolutely true.
Sometimes you have an idea for your blog, but not sure what direction to take. The best cure for that is to just start writing. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how you’re going to end the post, just get your ideas down.

You begin piecing, cutting, pasting, re-wording and before you know it, your article is nearly done! Sometimes getting started is the hardest part, and once you begin, you realize you’re half way home. ;-)

So there you have it guys! Six valuable (I hope it is!) tips for getting your blog into action! Share your thoughts and let me know if it made a difference!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

What do you do BEST?



Have you ever sat and pondered over what you do BEST?

I'm not talking in terms of a profession. All of us are good at our work; atleast most us who 'ENJOY' the work we do; or even those of us who don't quite like it but still manage to PERFORM well!

What am trying to refer to is a TRAIT of yours that you find so unique; something without which you are just INCOMPLETE!
Have you ever felt that there are some qualities in you which make a difference to the people around you?

Somehow after a lot of thought; I feel I do make a difference! And that is to make people SMILE! :-)
I wouldn't say it's something which I've been born with but certainly that one trait which has had its effect gradually! :-)
And it really WORKS....works if you want to make people SMILE!! :-)

Ok, I'm not saying I'm a Cyrus Broacha or a Russel Peters....I have a style of my own! I can't really have a camera pointed at me and asked to act funny. I can't be made to ACT funny!!
Call it Slapstick or Jocosity or even a plain and simple jest ...I believe I have it in me!! ;-) And its just so spontaneous!
And I must admit I say it best in Tamil or English!! It's works wonders when you say/hear a joke in your mother tongue. Just don't get that effect when it's translated!!

Hmmm, so coming back to my very own and radically distinctive trait...I must say I'm proud of it! It sure can get better. Fierce competition among the male crowd!! ;-)

It's fun be at the receiver's end every time you hear a joke....but listen up! It's even more AWESOME to be the one who initiates it!!

Try it, develop it...and you'll never realize it...but you sure will bring a SMILE to everyone's face!!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Garfield





Time Pass

Bored???

Check these sites out!

http://www.spotthedifference.com/explorer.asp

http://www.jigzone.com/

http://www.websudoku.com/

http://www.hangman.no/

http://www.warbears.com/

http://www.popcap.com/games/free/bejeweled2

F.R.I.E.N.D.S all the way!!!

I guess I was in the 11th grade when I started watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S! And my eyes have been glued onto this TV serial ever since!
It's all about the characters and the humor they bring in with every episode! I LOVE the cast! Simply perfect!
I've seen every season a 100 times; but NEVER get bored of it! Even today, when I get back from work; I'm glued to the television for an hour! It's more like a silent hour that we observe at home every evening - I'm not allowed to talk nor do I allow other people in the house to talk ;-p
I just LOVE the whole series! Reminds me of some of the good old times with my best buddies!!

As I grew older I started identifying myself with one of the characters. Every time I watched it, I'd wonder "Oh man, is this how I am with people" ?? ;-)
I've always related myself to MONICA - with very similar traits. Her annoyance with unclean surroundings (a CLEAN freak basically), an overly organized nature, irritating at times :-p;...All these traits resemble me a lot!
However I must admit I'm not so great in my cooking like she is ;-p - I'm Average in that department!!
Resemblances apart; my favorite character was - I mean is CHANDLER BING! He has an amazing sense of humor; anything he says gets you rolling on the floor instantly! :D

I loved the episode where Ross goes to this Salon to get himself a nice and hunky tan - The result of which was HILARIOUS!! Haahahhaa!

In contrast, the saddest episode was the last one; when all of them left the keys of the apartment just before they could vacate it! :'-( ....Painful!!!
The entire series was like a journey! With happy moments, sad times, moments where you needed to laugh your head off....a mix of all emotions! I guess that's what makes F.R.I.E.N.D.S so complete!
So for those of you who watch it, continue watching it! (I'm sure you will! )
And for those of you who haven't got your hands on a CD yet, it's about time you did! Trust me, you won't regret it!

So tell me who are your favorite characters and what is that you find so amazing and different about FRIENDS!