Adios 2011... Ahlain 2012

To me 2011 came and went like a roller coaster. The year was one hell of a joyride which had its UPs and DOWNs, scary moments, not so scary ones and a lot of philosophical life changing decisions. I've had a lot of eye openers this year and like they say too much of knowledge is a dangerous thing, that it is hard to handle all at once.

Kochi Metro derails... :(

Woke up to this big commotion about Kochi Metro in the morning. From what I've heard it looks like, they're scrapping the Metro plan. Reason??I don't know. Its all in Malayalam and it would take me ages to read the article. I would be very grateful if somebody can translate!!! Please.. 

Souce..

Goal Courts...

If you haven't heard of Goal courts in Kuwait, these are those small 7's courts with the floodlights, astro turf and digital time keeping. Its a bit expensive but the football experience is worth every fils. The good part is they are very professional unlike some of the other courts in Kuwait.

And the Dark Knight Rises

The official trailer finally.. This one looks really interesting, with a variety of characters.
Hope its close to the first one. I don't like Christian Bale, but I bet Anne Hathaway will have something to offer.

We made it..

Its videos like this that should make you realize that there is more to life than what revolves around you. Its not materialistic nor fake, its the real deal. The emotions, and the lives of others is worth more than your next car or your next watch. We may not be able to give it all nor are we perfect to all, but its little things you do that can make a difference somewhere out there. If you have missed what happened this year, some of it is shown here.
I like the pic where the father is kneeling after he's lost his son to 9/11.
The deaf girl when she laughs first and then cries after she hears her voice for the first time.. Just beautiful..

At Aranya's...

No amount of coaxing can make me write what happened that night. Its not because I'd have to censor the night's event but rather because what I write would not justify how a simple dinner turned out to be one of those rare moments etched onto my otherwise lately dead memory cells.

It wasn't just the booze. There was much more to it that made the night special and I wish there will be many more such nights and days to cherish.

Cheers,
Amo

Stages of alchohol consumption...

Not completely right.. a little here and there in the order of events.. and a few other additions and subtractions.. then it would be me..  :)  And I have no clue about the last 3 anyway.. havent been der!! 

Make ur pizzas on an ipad...

Its come to this!! Its half a game and half the real deal.. You really do get to make your Domino's pizza on an ipad.
I don't know whether it would work in India or Kuwait but probably in the U.S. You can check it out at the appstore if you have an Ipad. The size of the app is 89MB and I don't have an Ipad so no point in trying it out. Now that is another innovative approach and looks like Domino's will be putting out a patent to that.. Amazing..
Source

Microwave hack??? Now thats a first..

Saw this one on Verge..
Its a hack or rather an interface between a Touch Pad and a Microwave. What it does is, it plays a youtube video while you use the microwave for that amount of time. When the microwave stops, the video also stops and sends a message to your twitter account.
All this being part of a College project, sounds very simple, but it does seem complicated. Seriously how they come with such ideas beats me. But I bet, this could be a precedent to all college students.

For more on how it works this is their site
Source

So you think you can dance??

Crazy, weird, spontaneous something out of the blue, is what happened at the Dubai Airport Mall. Now that is how you should let go! :) Looks like its not the first time that this has taken place over there. 

Anyway there are those Michael Jackson dances in the middle of the road, those are definitely worth a watch.

I like how it feels..

Its Enrique, and its PitBull.. and I like how it feels.. 
I am sure you will also like how it feels!! ;) 
Guess the video is still under the works..

ARE YOU GAME?

I AM GAME

Taking a wrong turn, does not necessarily make you curse your luck. Some good things in life happen by chance, and that's what makes it more special than the everyday usual planning. I happened to come across this gaming place at Koramangla, Bangalore during my recent India trip and truth be told I was one of the first customers they had. I think its a better deal compared to The Living Room with a wider arena of games and the more so beautiful and tactful LASER TAG. If you don't know what LASER TAG is, watch HIMYM, you will get an idea of what I mean. The next best thing there is definitely the FOOSBALL and with that bunch of staff over there you will definitely get addicted to it. ;) (Those guys will know what I mean).

Astronomia.. The Benassi Mix

A must have track for your car! You will love it, and shake to it all along the drive... I know I do now..
Cheers to Jibu for showing the original mix version to me. The female in this version is Adriana.. hmmmm... SMOKIN hot..

El Classico of EPL!!

The wait is finally over! Just 3 more hours left for one of the most anticipated matches of EPL this season. Manchester United takes on Liverpool at ANFIELD! With the history between the two teams, this game will be a treat for all football fans.

Game on..

I ran... . I dodged .. I jumped n wobbled.. 
I kicked some ball...and I kicked em all... 

I've won.. I've lost.. I've laughed.. I've cried..
But I would play again.. for the love of the game..

yea.. my GAME FACE!! :)

Felt so good playing a game of football after 6 months. One thing, I love to do in Kuwait, where you know you can get enough players and a decent ground within a short period of time. Well my legs are not on REAL TIME with my football brain but guess a few more days and hopefully my fitness will improve. Seeing how unfit I am at this age, makes me wonder what I'll be when I hit a 30 or a 40. God help me!! But just the thought of playing or anything to do with football gives me a high that would topple over alcohol any day!! :)

Gold mines found in Kerala..

No I'm not talking about the SREE PADMANABHASWAMY TEMPLE in Kerala. That's another story :) (True story). The following is also a true story. Images are graphic in nature and should be viewed under PARENTAL GUIDANCE.

I feel good in my hood...

One among the many tributes to Steve Jobs!
Originally its an unfinished, unreleased track by Mike Posner Ft. Eric Holljes. The 2 minute version should make you like it better. And as the person who uploaded said, they really ought to finish it.
I wasn't much of a fan of Mike Posner, but this is good stuff. 
I FEEL GOOD....

The END of Simpsons??

 On Oct 3rd, there was a buzz about reports of Fox threatening to stop producing new episodes of the Simpsons​ if its voice actors do not accept a (nearly by half) pay cut. The show is one of the longest running TV Series (1989) since it began. Somehow, I'm not much of a fan of the Simpsons, reason being all cartoons and animated shows are for kids as per my belief system. (Personal view)

De Iphone 4s Video...

So the Iphone 4S is finally being released on the 14th of this month. Well as expected, there isn't much difference as concerned with the looks. But it still does have some neat features.
 
Well for one the CDMA AND GSM support. It doesn't seem to create much hype, but imagine those who have STILL (YEAH I KNOW STILL?? SERIOUSLY? BUT THERE ARE) been using CDMA. Their wish has come true. Apple is getting a new market share, which other phone manufacturers. I BELIEVE (80% right) have not tapped.

Cinemagic October shows

Cinemagic

Finally... 

Count me in for 13th, 15th. May go for 22nd and 29th.

The Iphone 5

has not arrived yet.... But many SCAMS have..

More than half the Hackers in the world probably wait for such events to release a new malicious code onto the world wide web, And the rest of us, eagerly waiting gullible retards click on those for a glimpse of the real thing. (Just to clarify.. I haven't fallen into that group this time :) Happen to read it on Mashable).

If you're into board games..

Found this game called BANG! Its originally a board game that has been made into a multiplayer video game. Looks interesting, though a bit complicated, but definitely worth giving a shot. This trailer doesn't give you much of an idea how to play it, but there are other videos on Youtube that does. The rules seem to be pretty straightforward where, you are either a sheriff, a convict, and two other people (forgot who they were). You pick a card and it says what you can do. Ultimately its like this western gunfight put onto the board!

I haven't played it, but if they say its one of the BEST FAMILY GAMES ever, there should be something into it. I could not find it in the Itunes store; got no clue as to why! hmmm.

DA.. BANG 2 !!

Last Thursday I had posted about my ACCIDENT, which took place while I was bringing my dad back from the airport. I was a bit busy then with all the paper work and insurance company procedures, so thought that I would split it into 2 parts.

Now the only picture I posted there was my car. Like I cared about that MASRI'S CAR. But anyway I had taken some more pictures before heading to the station which included his as well. Just going through some of the pictures, I'm glad his car got F***** and that mine wasn't all that bad. Check it out.. That will teach anyone else to mess around with my Ferrari.

Front

Back

I had left off at STEP 7, where you get your paper and after talking to the INSURANCE COMPANY (I) tow your car away to the garage.

STEP 8: The I will tell you whether they will come and take photos OR whether it is fine that you take photos and bring it to them. Whatever it is, TAKE your set of photos.

STEP 9: Whatever the situation, make sure you tell your mechanic to include all the parts (MECHANICAL + FIBRE) even slightly damaged by the accident, and some other MECHANICAL PARTS (NOT FIBRE). Then add a really high LABOR CHARGE. This is all for you to show that your car is F***** and you need whatever cover you can get to fix it. Now make sure your mechanic understands this, but he be LOYAL to you. You don't want him to PLAY AROUND with you.

STEP 10: Doing this you don't need to feel guilty, because YOU are not at FAULT and you sincerely want to cover the cost of the car. Don't be GREEDY! The INSURANCE COVER is as below:

         a. Bumper/ Fibre/ Fender or other body part THEY DON'T COVER.
         b. Labor they are supposed to give you FULL COVER, but they usually give around 80%.

         c. Your ESTIMATE of parts should be of ORIGINAL SPARE PARTS VALUE because you get only 25% of what you put. If you get them from TIJARY or SCRAP YARD, doesn't matter. PUT ORIGINAL COST.

         d. Look DESPERATE. BE STERN. EMPHASIZE THAT THE CASE IS AGAINST THE OTHER PERSON.

STEP 11: Once the estimate is prepared, give it to the I, they will review it and give their price.

STEP 12: If you AGREE and SIGN on their paper, you confirm that you ACCEPT its value and there's no turning back. But IF YOUR MECHANIC calls and tells you there is something more to be replaced BEFORE you sign their paper, you can submit a revised estimate.

STEP 13: Once you agree on their terms and price, they will give you a paper to SIGN, and give you its BLUE COPY. 

 

STEP 14: Your job at the I is temporarily over. You got FOUR things to do next.
     a.  After 2-3 months, you have to report to a POLICE STATION to collect the COURT VERDICT on your case. (For me it is Shaab, The I tells you where you have to go).
     b.  With that, you go to YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY (J) (NOT HIS), and get a paper from J which states that J hasn't given you any compensation.
     c.  You take your damaged spare parts to a GARAGE specified by I and get an acknowledgment from them.

     d.  Finally go back to your I.

I'm done till STEP 13. I have no clue how STEP 14 is going to work for me or what other obstacles I'm going to face there. I just hope it goes smooth and being as optimistic as possible. Once I'm done with that, will put another update. :)

One more time.. For your eyes only..   

Put a LID on it??

Looks like, Kerala one of the Indian states is following in the footsteps of China's FAMILY PLANNING POLICY. However one difference being, two children are allowed per family rather than one as compared with China's. I really don't know whether there were any other takers for this or was it only China because of  the major population issue. But whatever you may call it, if this were to become reality, it would be a precedent to all the other Indian states. One more thing to look down SOUTH. (The others being, record in ALCOHOL SALES and HIGHEST LITERACY rate. ;))

This will be a reality if the Kerala Women's Code Bill 2011, submitted to the chief minister by a 12-member committee with Justice V R Krishna Iyer in the chair, is implemented in its letter and spirit. The report reads, "No person or institution shall use religion, region, sect, cast, cult or other ulterior inducements for the bearing of more children". Read this in Times of India.

So what happens if you break the law?
You either go to JAIL.
Or you are fined Rs. 10000.
AND you'd be branded a LEGALLY DISQUALIFIED PERSON.
Wonder what they'd do if you have triplets! ;)

Anyway I'm PRO two kids! And hope the Legislature implements this like RIGHT NOW.
So all you CHETTANS out there, its time to put a LID on it! ;)

River flows in you..

Cant believe that I have never heard this song. Its been out for over a year.
Definitely worth a listen! Also Jasper Forks - Alone

DA.. BANG!!

Part I

I had an accident last Sunday on the way back home after collecting Dad from the Airport. You can kind of say, he landed with a BANG! Long story short, a MASRI B****** cut a RED signal and hit my car. I didn't find anything useful online, so I thought I could share some information, in case God forbid you get into an accident. Some things I noted that would be helpful in case you get into an accident:

1. Stay calm, see if everyone in your car is alright.

2. Get out of the car and make sure that M***** F***** doesn't drive away or move his car.
If he does run, chase him, and BEAT the CRAP outta him (that is if he's at FAULT). If its your fault, look  APOLOGETIC and don't run :) BTW I was kidding about the beating the crap out of him. DONT DO ANYTHING of that sort. IF he does drive away note down his license plate number.

3. Call the COPS or the Emergency Number at 112 and give them your location. (Make sure you have your LICENSE, CIVIL ID and DAFTUR)

4. Talk in English rather than broken Arabic to the cops. You don't want to look like an IDIOT!

5. If its the Traffic Police, they will ask you to describe what happened there itself. But if its the Patrol Police, they will ask you to go to the nearest station. My suggestion, get the TRAFFIC POLICE.

6. At the station, they will fill a form with the persons involved and ask you to meet another PERSON IN CHARGE (let's call him Y).

7. The Y I met didn't know English, so I called an uncle who could converse in Arabic, so that the case wasn't put against me.

8. After explaining everything, Y will ask you whether you can settle with INSURANCE or go ahead with a CASE. Best is to avoid case. Here is an ALGORITHM of how to proceed next.

STEP 1: If the person at fault (say X) is ready to pay you something close to the damage costs go ahead with that. Saves you trouble of going in and out of insurance and station. Collect the money there and then itself.

STEP 2: Y might make a paper for their records (I don't know the rest of this procedure :)) If you don't follow this GOTO STEP 2.
 
STEP 3: If X is not willing to offer money, DO YOU HAVE FULL COVER INSURANCE? if YES, STEP 4, else GOTO STEP 5

STEP 4: Tell Y no need case. Y will give you a paper that you have to take to your INSURANCE COMPANY. Goto STEP 8.

STEP 5: Make CASE, Y HAS to write that X was at fault and Y will give paper to you. That paper you take to X's INSURANCE COMPANY. Goto STEP 8.

STEP 6: During all this, or after this, ask Y whether it is okay to tow your car.

STEP 7: Before you tow your car, call the INSURANCE COMPANY (C) where you are supposed to go and ask them whether they will come to the accident site, or whether you have to bring the car to their office, or whether you can tow it to the garage.
What I suggest is, you take it to the garage and give them directions to come there, so that they can take photos.

The paper you get from the cops will look something like this.

I've blurred out whats written. But basically from what everyone's told me, the person whose details are on the left side show that he's at fault. Also it says that I have to go to X's insurance company.

These are all the initial things you need to do. PART 2 is how to deal with the INSURANCE COMPANY

Got your wallet??

Google officially rolled out its Google Wallet mobile payment system on Monday. Well from the name you can clearly understand that it gets rid of your "WALLET".. But what they don't say is, you need AN ANDROID APP, or more precisely a SMART ANDROID PHONE to get started with this payment system.

Ten years back, who would have thought any of us would have been ready to dish out a gazillion dollars for an Iphone, or any other expensive phone. Hell, I told my MOM that I got my Iphone as a temporary gift for six months from my friend, because I couldn't bear to see her expression if I told her I bought it. And that was around a year back. Guilty as I felt, I finally got it out of my system... But that's another story.. Let me get back to the Google Wallet.

I like the way Google has put it...

In the past few thousand years, the way we pay has changed just three times—from coins, to paper money, to plastic cards.

Now we’re on the brink of the next big shift.

 

 
As of now Google Wallet works only with Citi-Mastercards and Google Prepaid Card.
Visa plans to work with Google to support the Visa pay Wave app and it looks like American Express, Discover and all the other Card Standard organizations are following suit.

You can get a better idea by watching the video, at Mashable, and the Google Wallet Link.

I wonder when this will come to the Mid-East. My friends in India, I really don't think you will see this in the near future.

I HATE ALEX FERGUSON!

As much as I like the way things are going for Manchester United this season, I cant seem to stop hating that M****** F***** Alex Ferguson! Its HATE, that has no boundaries and no reasons. Its just AS SIMPLE AS COMPLICATED as it can get! No you can't argue with me, No I don't want to listen to HOW MUCH HORSES CRAP he's done for the club and DEFINITELY NOT HIS STATISTICS. The 70 year old, wrinkly, C*** S***** piece of RED DUNG can coach "Man U", EVEN WHILE HE GORGES WORMS FOR BREAKFAST IN HELL!

As Piers Morgan wrote, he's a hypocrite of breathtaking proportions; whining all summer about Real Madrid tapping up Cristiano Ronaldo, while conveniently forgetting his club's relentless tapping up of everyone from Eric Cantona to Wayne Rooney! Pleasssee...

As for Ferguson comparing Rooney to Mr. Pele! Just imagine me PUNCHING MY FIST in your ASS the same way you PUNCH YOUR FIST in the air. How many international matches have you played to compare Rooney to Pele! Hell I like Rooney even though HE WHINES like a 3 year old throwing a TANTRUM over a bunch of blocks. (You can't blame him, he's a kid in a MAN'S BODY!)

I have so many Manchester United Friends out there... and you should all know this from the bottom of my heart.

I DO LIKE THE WAY your club is playing this season.
I LOVED BECKHAM FOR HOW ICONIC HE was to Man Utd and HOW HUMBLE he was.
I like Rooney for his GUTSY style of playing.
You guys are my friends and we'll always be so...

BUT AGAIN, I HATE THAT M***** F****** C*** S****** SON OF A B****

Piers Morgan's for the Daily Mirror...

No harm meant towards Rooney! He's a jolly good player :)

The Quarter Life Crisis...

This is a "VERY BORING READ"! It sat in my inbox for a month before I thought I'd go through it. (That was a year or two back). And I don't expect many of us to read it either considering the fact that the heading itself sounds BORING!

But I felt I agreed with a little of it from here and there and hence I'm putting it here. Don't know who the author is.  

NOW IF YOU ARE HAPPY THE WAY YOUR LIFE IS HEADING, DO NOT READ IT!!

BUT IF YOU DO; DON'T BLAME ME!

The Quarter-Life Crisis
by unknown

It is when you stop going along with the crowd and start realizing that there are a lot of things about yourself that you didn't know and may or may not like. You start feeling insecure and wonder where you will be in a year or two, but then get scared because you barely know where you are now. 

You start realizing that people are selfish and that, maybe, those friends that you thought you were so close to aren't exactly the greatest people you have ever met and the people you have lost touch with are some of the most important ones. What you do not realize is that they are realizing that too and are not really cold or catty or mean or insincere, but that they are as confused as you. 

You look at your job. It is not even close to what you thought you would be doing or maybe you are looking for one and realizing that you are going to have to start at the bottom and are scared.

You miss the comforts of college, of groups, of socializing with the same people on a constant basis. But then you realize that maybe they weren't so great after all.

You are beginning to understand yourself and what you want and do not want. Your opinions have gotten stronger. You see what others are doing and find yourself judging a bit more than usual because suddenly you realize that you have certain boundaries in your life and add things to your list of what is acceptable and what is not. You are insecure and then secure. You laugh and cry with the greatest force of your life. You feel alone and scared and confused. Suddenly change is the enemy and you try and cling on to the past with dear life but soon realize that the past is drifting further and further away and there is nothing to do but stay where you are or move forward. 

You get your heart broken and wonder how someone you loved could do such damage to you or you lay in bed and wonder why you can't meet anyone decent enough to get to know better. You love someone but maybe love someone else too and cannot figure out why you are doing this because you are not a bad person. 

One night stands and random hook ups start to look cheap and getting wasted and acting like an idiot starts to look pathetic. You go through the same emotions and questions over and over and talk with your friends about the same topics because you cannot seem to make a decision. 

You worry about loans and money and the future and making a life for yourself and while wining the race would be great, right now you'd just like to be a contender! 

What you may not realize is that everyone reading this relates to it. We are in our best of times and our worst of times, trying as hard as we can to figure this whole thing out.

There's more at.... Urban Dictionary

Good life Covers

"Good Life" - OneRepublic (Alex Goot & Megan Nicole cover)

One Republic - Good Life (Cover by Tiffany Alvord)

 prefer the original version.

Blogger App

Found out a few days back, that Blogger announced their app and thought I'd test it out. It's there in the Appstore and Android store. Don't know whether they have it for Blackberry as well!
This is one of the many features announced as part of Blogger's 10th Birthday.. Happy Bday Blogger!

But I am seriously unhappy about the iphone app. I just haven't found it that helpful and its got A LOT OF BUGS (read blogger). I'd prefer the Safari interface rather than the app as of now. Have to find out how it is on the Android phones.

Some of the said features are Rich-text WYSIWYG editing, image uploads, labels, configurable settings, and auto-save. Landscape editing mode is supported and will feel very familiar for iPhone users, and blog posts are automatically saved when you have an incoming call; you won't have to ever worry about losing a post.

If anybody else out there tries this, do give me an update on how you feel about it; whether its on the Iphone or an Android Phone.

Eighth major release of Android to be named 'Jelly Bean'

Once again we bring some good news and some bad news, both courtesy of our friends at This Is My Next.

First, the good news. The eighth major release of Android after Ice Cream Sandwich will be named 'Jelly Bean'. Considering Google's tradition of naming Android OS versions after sweets in an alphabetical order, this isn't really a big surprise, although we are always interested to know which sweet it would be. The version number for it is still unknown, then again, so is the one for Ice Cream Sandwich.

Now the bad news. TIMN is also reporting that the 'game changing stuff' that Ice Cream Sandwich was supposed to bring has now been pushed back to Jelly Bean. So it seems all you will get with ICS will be a couple of changes here and there along with a new theme. Then again, this is mostly what Gingerbread was as well.

We hope Google doesn't continue to push the good stuff back or else we will begin to wonder if there really is any good stuff coming our way at all. As taken from Gsmarena and Thisismynext.

Kerala liquor sales hit record high for Onam..

The liquor sales during this Onam festival season in Kerala have hit record high. The alcohol sales for the past eight days touched a staggering record of Rs 236 crore in Kerala.

When compared to previous year, the liquor sales have increased to 24.93 percent this year. Karunagappally ranked number one for the record liquor sales in Kerala followed by Chalakudy.

As taken from Asianetindia.

For those who don't know, this is the Wall mart for alchohol in Kerala!!!
Onam, Xmas, New Yrs.... Any festival/No festival... bring it on!!

Cheers.. gulp!!

Rugby World Cup 2011!

Many of us have been following: The FIFA World Cup, the ICC Cricket World Cup, the F1 Championship yada yada yada... for years. Anybody out there notice something called Rugby World Cup 2011! Well I heard about it a while back, but didn't think it was that big a deal until I saw the official trailer. There's also another promo video on Youtube which is quite interesting. (The music is Audiomachine - Breath and Life)

For a brief history, The inaugural tournament was held in 1987, hosted by both Australia and New Zealand, and it is contested every four years. South Africa is the reigning champion.

Also " MY DEAR PS3 MATES", the Rugby World Cup 2011 game looks awesome (Check out the trailer). Need to get my hands on that, some time in the future. Just a screenshot of the game. (I liked the comment below the video :))

I still don't know squat about Rugby, so hoping to catch up on some of the LIVE action, while its going on. You can also download the Rugby Phone apps for match updates.

Saw this Ad in a website

Dear Ramu Bhayya,

Why one day rent? You can have it on an hourly basis. In addition, maybe you would also like a free bed, jacuzzi, the works.

Cheers,
Friendly neighborhood Amo

P.S: From which village is he coming from?? Gone are the days when we used to be so discreet about bringing a girl home. The ghaandu is so open about it! If it does work, I wouldn't be surprised. In fact there might be people willing to sublet for a day.. Hmmm.. HMMMM....
Hmmmm... Clever guy... :)

The Big Year (2011) Movie Trailer HD

'THE NO LIFE CRISIS", "THE MID LIFE CRISIS" and "THE WORK LIFE CRISIS"!!
Doesn't this sound familiar??? Well at least for me it does...
Though I don't like Jack Black, I can still watch this one coz of Seve Martin and Owen Wilson.. Oh yeah and ALI LARTER (wolf whistle).

Rolling In The Deep

I am just obsessed with covers!! One is Linkin Park's cover of Rolling in the deep by Adele.
And the other is a mashup of Rolling in the Deep and O re piya.
Both were Joel's find, and though a bit old, are worth a listen.

One more thing, Shankar Tucker's Mumbe vaa cover is not bad either! :)

Get your cars cheap!!! :)

Saw this in the Arabtimes online edition today.
If you can't read it, basically its a sale of all the cars and bikes that are impounded by the Kuwait Traffic Cops.
I think I'll just go and see what cars are available, and how much lower their price would be.
Its at 4pm, on the 14th of this month at the garage for the impounded in Shuwaikh.(Not quite sure, which one they mean. You can go one day before to check out the condition of the car.

But again auction?? The price could go higher as well... HMMMMMMM... 

Farin Urlaub - Ok

Jan Ulrich Max Vetter, better known as Farin Urlaub.
German Punk Rock at its best. I haven't picked up most of his other songs though.. but check this one out..

Missed the classic Nokia Tune??

This is something interesting that I found in Mashable. (This site is turning out to be one of my favorite sites.)
Remember the old Nokia tune, which was a classic; and over time, we just lost interest in it?
Well there's a contest going on, where you can submit your version of it. (A new age version).
And the price for the winning one is 10,000$ (wolf whistle). I bet that caught some attention.
Its already got a lot of tunes, and some of them quite interesting. You're already late, so better hurry up. 

For more information, you can also check out --> http://nokiatune.audiodraft.com/

Blog Updates 2

These were some of the updates I had done after starting the blog. Its not much I know!
But thought I'd create an update label so that I keep going at this, and later at some point of time when I look back and see how it all started I just have to refer to this page.
Also I know, as of now I don't have many followers YET, but when it does change, all my followers can see whenever I have made an update on the blog.
So here goes.. from what I can remember.

--> Updated the favicon.. (My pic is my page's favicon)

--> Found out how to modify labels as per posts, but I still don't understand whether Blogger has a way with the pages. As of now, I am unable to categorize posts directly into pages...
--> Found out how to add RSS feeds as a widget. It looks like this now.. 

  

--> Added an esnips widget, which plays Hal e dil song (Hindi). But I find it useless now, and contemplating of removing it one of these days.

  
--> Also added a travel map, that shows which all countries I have been to. Its not much, but I liked the widget a lot. Besides I had modified the code, without even knowing, what or where. Reminded me of our Arabic tests in school. Just look for the same pattern in the question sheet, copy and paste in the answer sheet. Phew.. 

Guess this much of the earlier updates should be enough for now. :)

Samsung Galaxy Note

So, you see I'm a little slow on the gadgets these days. Now don't blame me.... With soooooooo many new phones out there, its hard to be a walking mobictionary (I believe there is no word like that.. but you can look it up if you want to :) http://www.thefreedictionary.com/).

Anyway getting back to the point, something that caught my eye is the new SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE.
Announced September (So I'm guessing I am not that late).
Well basically, the phone is bigger in dimensions and pixel size compared to the Galaxy S2, which means also a bit on the heavier side.
But the main difference is the 1.4Ghz processor that is a sound improvement and the battery that is 2500mAh. I bet all you S2 owners will be happy about that; or sad considering if you waited a bit longer you could have bought this. But like they say, better late than never.

I just wonder whether the Iphone 5 will beat the Galaxy S2; cause if not this year we'll have to wait another year. On that note, go get your Samsung Galaxy Note... oh yeah.. Gsmarena says that it is coming soon, so don't ask me when.. ;). For more info you can check out http://www.gsmarena.com/. Bet the whole world knows this site, but in case you're that late bloomer then consider this your "Cell Phones for Dummies website")

You can also check out the video below:

Dropkick Murphys - The State Of Massachusetts (Old Shoe Remix) - LOTW3

One of my favorite Dropkick Murphys song after I'm Shipping up to Boston...

Maroon 5 - She Will Be Loved (Boyce Avenue & Tiffany Alvord Acoustic Cov...

Beautiful cover,
There's this other cover of 3 Doors down by Boyce Avenue... which is also worth an ear

R.I.O. - Hot Girl (Deadmau5 Remix)

There are many remixes for this song, but I find this the best in the car.
You can also check out the Wideboys remix and the Olav Bososki remix

Manchester just blew up some Arsenal!!

Do you?? Still? Seriously... copyright@Soccernet.espn

Honestly, I'm not much of a fan of the EPL. But watching the major rivalries in this league is a treat, whether it be Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, City or the rest. For some reason, I always felt the style that Arsenal plays is distinct from those of the other League contenders.
However, the fact that they have been on a downward spiral for quite some time is a point noted and still not rectified. Whether its just PLAIN IGNORANCE or PLAIN ARROGANCE, maybe yesterday's defeat WILL be an eye opener. But please don't come back with:

Our players are ALWAYS INJURED. ( Now who's fault is that???? If a player is not FIT, don't let him play, rather than let him play, get worse, and keep him on bench all Season. PLZzzz.. )
We nurture our youth into world class players. Come on, if there is no future, then why shouldn't they look for greener pastures.
Arsenal is still a team to look out for, but with this defeat, I seriously wonder whether even a trampoline would help for them to get back to the top position.

This Season, as one of my friend mentioned, Manchester United is a team to look out for and up till now, they are sublimely fitting into that category.

I hope Liverpool is back this season. I haven't been quite IN LOVE with them for a long while. The last I remember seeing some of their magic was at the Champion's League finals with AC Milan and what a treat that turned out to be. If I remember right, I was supposed to be studying for a back paper exam the next day but rather watched the finals at Kinan's house. Can't even remember how I fared in the exam... Hmmm...

As for Man City, they also are a force to reckon with this season. Now that's what I call good management. Buy the right players at the right time. But still, will have to wait some more to see if they will live up to what they have in the making.

As for the other teams, Tottenham, Newcastle, etc.. I am still in THREE minds on watching their games. Not that they don't have a good team or great players, but is it worth the 1.5 hours??? You tell me...

Burj Al Shawarma???

Step aside Burj Khalifa, and Burj Al-Arab, Dubai has something tall and tasty to offer. Yes its a tower, yet its not the same kind. Its a Burj made of Mutton (Or our very own Shawarma).
Now why didn't any of us think of this earlier?

The rotisserie of meat was made by The Donér Restaurant in Jumeirah, Dubai and weighed 468kg at a height of 3m and a width of 60cm. Supposedly all this meat was distributed among charity organizations feeding around 3000 people.

Anyway this huge piece of meat has entered the Guinness book of World Records. Let's hope this will be a precedent to other countries in the Middle East.

My mouth is already watering.. think I should go and get myself one of the miniature ones for the time being.

Need a reason to move to Salmiya??

As taken from http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=261893

SALMIYA PARK

This competition winning design was commissioned by Kuwait Commercial Markets Complex Company for it a build-operate-transfer bid for PAAF. Gulf COnsult undertook the concept design of all recreational, landscape and engineerng elements. Architectural concept by Dino Georgio.

A large barren area of Salmiya will be transformed into a lush, 'green' family park, offering a wide range of passive and active recreational activities, cultural events and educational opportunities.

• Extensive Landscaped Park.
• Narrow Gauge Railway.
• Sports Facilities.
• Exercise Course.
• Water Features.
• Amusement Park.

Cost: KD 18.0 million

Project Data:
Public leisure/recreational/park facilities of 325,400 sq.m area including 32,540 sq.m for commercial use.

• Cultural Village and Amphitheatre.
• Picnic Area.
• Botanical Garden.
• Maintenence Building.
• Car Parking Spaces for 1,450 cars.

10% of the site is designated for commercial uses, principally taking the form of one major shopping mall.