Rads Blog-a-Zine

Avoid them without Regret

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:50:00 +0000

People who put words in your mouth and talk for you: When someone asks you something, you are the person who has the right to speak, not your friend or your uncle who think that you do not have a voice. Stay long enough with such people and you may lose your voice forever.

People who force their likes/interests on you: If your friend or a family member likes something doesn't mean you have to like it and they have no right to force it on you.

People who keep underestimating you: Some people just don't consider you for certain tasks coz they just blindly assume that you can't do it. They have no right whatsoever to do that before even asking you or giving you a chance.

People who order you around and treat you like their slave: You are not anybody's slave/chamcha and you don't have to impress anyone who seems to think so.

People who keep talking about problems, and diseases all the time: You have enough problems already and you don't need to wallow in your friend's issues as well.

People who are always telling you that you can't do this or that: When you are sharing your ideas with someone, you want to be appreciated, and encouraged, not misguided or discouraged.

People who take you for granted and never appreciate you: When you are doing something for someone, the least they can do is thank you. Typically, these people also just drop at your place without even informing and checking if you're otherwise busy.

People whom you can never trust with your secrets: You pour out your heart to your best friend and she/he goes and rats on you to everybody else.

People who are always pitying you: "Oh poor you come here, have this candy", seriously? don't you think you have enough self pity without having to get more from others.

People who never mean what they say and always stand you up: They make promises but never seem to keep them. Everybody's busy with their lives and people tend to forget things once in a while but when they are doing it too many times it only shows how little they care about you. The next time your friend/family member makes you wait ask them if they have forgotten to apply their favorite lipgloss or their favorite perfume before coming to meet you. If the answer is no, you know where you stand.

People who lie to you to make you do things you don't want to do: It clearly shows they don't respect your feelings and they don't understand you at all.

People who make fun of you and embarrass you in front of others: You know you don't deserve such treatment. You're not a clown and you don't need someone to laugh at you for being what you are and belittle you.

People who gossip about you behind your back: You'll know who they are sooner or later.

People who just pretend to be friends with you: When you ask them about a solution to your problem they sound very vague and generic which only shows they haven't even been listening to you properly. Just becoz they need more people attending their parties and weddings just to show off they have soooo many friends, doesn't mean they get to pretend being there for you and act as if they care about you.

People who are just too much of themselves: Its always about them and what they want. They are the ones who are always doing the talking and who are always planning things that should be done when in a group. Just look at their arrogance, Hello!! its a group outing, and other people in the group need a vote too.

People who are judging you without any proof: Nobody has the right to call you insensitive or selfish or whatever that is they think you are. Ask them to analyze themselves before they judge you.

People who are always comparing you to others or themselves: Everybody is unique in their own way.

People who are always envying you: They're probably jealous becoz they think you are better than them and it is good for your ego but you don't need to be around their pouting and sad faces always, it could really make you go mad sometimes and also nobody can like everything you do or wear so much, they're probably crazy or obsessive.

People who are always praising you: Nobody can be so praiseworthy all the time. When someone does that always and with too much enthusiasm, it just seems so fake and pretentious. You can never trust such people.

People who are pessimistic: They are always negative and can never see anything cheerful or sunny and they are so damn addictive.

People who keep pushing you: You might need a friendly push once in a while but it is not anybody's job to keep pushing you always, you just wish they'd get off your back.

People who dictate and always tell you what to do: Did you hire a decision maker? Then you probably have the rights to fire them too. You don't need someone to tell you what to do and what not to do like you are a 10 year old, even they don't like being dictated.

People who blame you for everything: There's always one such person in everybody's life who's always blaming you for everything that goes wrong.

People who're always trying to imitate or copy you: No its not flattering, its creepy and annoying. They should get a life of their own and not disturb yours.

People who are too needy and clingy: Ugh! pathetic and creepy.

People who never ask you for advice or never appreciate it when you give one: What are you even doing being friends with such people? Friendship is a two way street too, when you go to your friend for advice you expect them to come to you when they need one. It just shows they don't trust you enough to give them good advice or think that you're not even capable of giving good advice. You can identify these people very easily too, they're just waving away their hands at you when you're trying to say something.

People who steal ideas from you: You must have met atleast one of them, they listen to your ideas and then go and broadcast them as their own, shamelessly. These people are often the boyfriend/girlfriend stealers too.

People who rip you off and live in your wallets: They never take out their cash or credit cards for anything no matter what. OK, so they maybe stingy but they do not have to live off your money. They always keep selling you their sob stories and asking for your money and never seem to return it even when you need it. Some people don't even ask you, they just think they can take it from you wallets like they own you, not even consulting you once.

People who only come to you when they need help: They have no right to call themselves friends. They probably keep in touch with you so that they can come to you when they need your help with something. After the episode's over, you never see them again. They are what you call the "use and throw" types.

People who never have anything nice to say about you: They keep calling you things like fat, foolish, idiot, stupid, a total waste, and a wuss. Now that is just plain rude and these people should be sent back to school and taught how to be nice to others.

People who let out their frustrations on you: Some people are always angry and seem to show it on others whenever they are frustrated about something. They should get some help or join a club for anger management if they can't seem to control it.

People who are too possessive and bitchy: You might have observed that sometimes your friend or a family member, say a cousin, might get jealous of you coz you're spending time with someone other than them, or supporting someone else coz you find their choice better. These people get instantly jealous and they show it in front of everyone that they're jealous, thus embarrassing you and the other person involved. Like you're their property and they own you. Its irritatingly creepy and you could do better without such behavior from your friends. The next day you find them talking to the very same person behind your back.

People who think you should be grateful for their friendship: These people just don't think but actually keep reminding you that you should be grateful for being accepted into their friendship circle, like they've picked you up from dirt and took them under your wing. Irritatingly sometimes family members do this too.

People who're always scowling and wear an unhappy, sad face as a default expression: Some people never seem to be happy about anything and they are always carrying this dull and frowny expression on their faces. Its like they do not know how to smile. Hang out with them for a while and your face becomes that too.

People who judge you based on race, religion, and caste: Its 2012 people, wake up and smell the brew. It just shows how stereotypical some can still be after all these years of evolution.

People who're always lecturing you: Some people have this obsessive need to lecture and deliver speeches to everybody around them like they're some gyaani persons who have supreme knowledge and we're the illiterate. These people are typical and you mostly find them giving a running commentary during tv shows and stuff, like people around them are ignorant and do not understand anything being broadcasted.

People who openly flirt with your spouse right under your nose: Have some decency people.

People who force you to be friends with them: Hey cummon, our husbands are friends so we should hang out too, are you kidding me? NO!!! I'll be friends with whoever I like. Some people think that if they're colleagues, they should be friends out of office too, they keep inviting you to their homes, plan outings with you and your family etc etc., its irritating and annoying.

People who stare at you like you're an alien: What is it with these people? If they don't like you why are they looking at you. If looks could kill these people would have killed everyone around them.

People with acidic tongues: They are always dripping with negative sarcasm.

People who can never utter a polite word: Its like they were never taught manners at school. Its just three words: sorry, please, and thank you. How hard is it to say them. And when they see other people being polite, they stare as if to say you don't have to be polite, its totally not necessary in today's world. Stick with them and you'll forget your manners.

People who never have time for you: Seriously, nobody can be that busy that they can't even make you a phone call once in a while. If they'd never give you the time of the day, you don't have to either.

People who're incapable of sympathy: These people hang out with you always but seem to suddenly disappear during your sad moments or low points in life when you need them the most. Its like they can't stand anything unhappy. Sure some people find it uncomfortable to console coz they think they might not find the right words to say but the least they can do is be there for you and listen to you.

People who always expect you to sacrifice: You have to give up everything for them always. Sometimes you just get tired of being the giving person always.

People whom you can never satisfy: No matter what you seem to do, they are never satisfied or maybe you're just not good enough for them.

People who judge you based on your sex: You're a girl so you're a bimbo. You're a guy so you're an asshole.

People who are around you only coz of your fame or money: You know them, they're never around when you lose either of both.

People who judge you based on how educated and career-oriented you are: Oh yeah, they seem to be interested in only you're education and the job you do and if they find out you are uneducated or that you stay at home they treat you like you're a thick head and a good for nothing.

People who're always ignoring you: Its like when you're with them you're invisible. You go on talking but magically they can never hear you.

People who're always acting goody-goody: Who knows how good they're when nobody's around but they're always acting as if they never break rules and they make us feel ugly for indulging once in a while.

People who're always going hot and cold on you: Its like they suddenly wake up and decide they don't want to be friends with you anymore. They give you no reason, and are not willing to talk to you about it either. If they're thinking you're going to go begging after them, boy are they wrong, aren't they?

People who can never adjust with you: They will never accommodate or adjust with you when the going gets tough.

I'm done taking crap from people, and being treated like a doormat. These people are not good for your self-esteem and your general emotional health, and its usually a trauma being with them. They make you doubt your abilities and hate yourself so much that sometimes you want to punish yourself for being such a waste of space. They keep reminding you of your limitations and flaws and you find yourself making excuses for them thinking that you're the one who's made some mistake, and boy are you right about that, the mistake you're making is not dumping their sorry ass. They also make you feel like you don't deserve anything good and that you are a good for nothing loser. You do not want people to limit you from being free and doing what you want. I know sometimes its ok to forgive and cut them some slack but if people want to be such douche-bags all the time then its high time they're taught a lesson and the best way to do is avoid them or just give them a cold shoulder. People have to learn to be considerate and accommodating of others feelings instead of being morons all the time. Have you encountered any other such people who you are happy to avoid without any regrets? Please do share them in the comments below.

Running a Blogathon

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:39:00 +0000

Have been meaning to write this for a long time and found it in my drafts, and thought now would be a great time to post it. Not becoz I'm planning on doing one, but come to think of it, it may not be a bad idea, coz it might for once help me to be more regular on my blog. Running a marathon of blog posts is not everybody's thing and though some are naturally good at it, some might encounter a writer's block from time to time. This post is just a list of stuff for all those people who have lost their mojo or are experiencing a writer's block, and for those who want to run blogathons, these might be some great options which you didn't know you were looking for: let this list be your muse.

--> Become a member of Blog-aTon and blog on the topics listed by them every month.
--> Become Wordless from time to time, there's nothing wrong with it.
--> If you decide to blog for every day for a month, you can get prompts for every month from BlogHer's NaBloPoMo. Or, you can host your own NaBloPoMo by publishing one post every day for a month on your favorite topics.
--> NaBloWriMo is another blogger who supplies prompts to bloggers for the month of October, now why only October, I have no idea, but this is a great idea.
--> If you are a graphic designer/painter/doodler or any kind of illustrator really, you can get your muse from Illustration Friday.
--> BigHugeLabs has a blog title generator with some random ideas that might interest you.
--> About.com has a list of topics you might want to write about and I think its a great list for newbies.
--> Oneword a day to help you to just concentrate on writing without thinking.
--> Help by saving extinct or going to extinct words by blogging about them. You can get the list from SaveTheWords. I think its a unique and wonderful idea, and the website seems fun.

If these websites haven't helped you or if its not what you're looking for then here are some more tips:

--> What did you do today, just blog about it, don't think.
--> Write about your hobbies, or just some random stuff that you like to talk about, simple!
--> Make up your own traditions like music monday, fashion friday, etc., I've seen a lot of bloggers doing this.
--> Join a few blog communities, they usually host these contests for giveaways where you have to blog about a certain topic. Its a win-win for everyone involved.
--> Take up tags and don't shy away just becoz you have to disclose personal information. You could be discreet without your readers getting suspicious ;)
--> Host giveaways, everybody loves freebies :))
--> Ask your friends to guest blog for you.
--> Split your posts into parts if they're too lengthy.
--> Follow other blogs to get some inspiration, blog hopping clears your mind and you can have a fresh start after you get back to your blog.
--> Accept readers' requests, and take advice from family/friends/readers by asking them what they want to see on your blog. You can do this on websites like facebook.com or you can have a poll on your blog. This could even be your next blog post :)

Blogposts are not books, so keeping them short, sweet, and simple is the best way to go. Nobody likes reading lengthy posts with long and confusing sentences unless they have a lot of time to waste. Also using plain and simple English saves time and energy for both you and your readers. That way you wont be sweating too much for a single blog post. Quality of a post is more important than the length and quantity. Adding pictures helps too. Make use of white space by breaking down text into paragraphs or lists so that the post doesn't look cluttered. Avoid jargon or repeating sentences just to increase the length of your post, its not cool. Be honest about whatever you write, that is the easiest way to blog more. Let your creative juices flow and do not think about anyone or anything while composing your post. After all its your blog and you have the right to write about anything you want.

Having said all that, I'd like to dedicate this post to all those bloggers who have suddenly decided not to blog and seemed to have disappeared totally. You know who you are, I wish you could get back to blogging again, I really miss reading your blogs, my google reader's almost always empty and I would really like to see more posts from you guys. Hope this post inspires you to blog atleast once in a while. This post is also for all those newbies who have just started blogging or who have no idea what blogging is all about but want to start a personal blog, just go ahead and do it, you know you want to. Blogging is fun and relaxing, its not always a job, it is sometimes just a way of expressing yourself and connecting to the world. Blogosphere is such a great place to do just that and it would be a shame not to use it. If you think in the same way you should blog too. All the best :)

Do any of you have any more ideas that could help bloggers from getting stuck, and give them ideas to blog more often? Please do share your thoughts in the comments below, I'd love to hear from you.

Indo Western Dressing Styles

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:39:00 +0000

I think I'm blessed coz I'm an Indian who embraces both the Indian and Western dressing styles and becoz of which I get to combine them both sometimes without having to shop for new dresses especially when I'm bored with the usual outfits. Mixing and Matching is my way to go, so I thought why not mix and match Indian and western dresses, like everybody else seems to do these days. I got inspired to do this from my last visit to India when I saw that people were happily and casually combining jeans with kurtis (Indian tunics), and tee shirts with patialas (Punjabi dress bottoms). There have been some examples quite a few years back but not everybody was readily accepting these and hence there were not really very many options in stores. But recently all that has seemed to change and I've seen stores carrying a wide variety of designer wear on the lines of these newly found indo-western trends. Here are some examples I found online:

From what I have seen, short kurtis (as in the above picture, left) are usually paired with any style and cut, full length or cropped jeans, and skirts while slightly longer or knee-length kurtis (which were usually worn with patiala pants traditionally) are paired with straight cut/skinny jeans, leggings/jeggings, and cropped jeans/pants. The kurti-jean version can also be accessorized with scarves. Kurtis come in short sleeved, long sleeved, mid length, and sleeveless designs.

Now since kurtis are paired with jeans instead of patiala pants, the only thing left was to team up tee shirts with patialas :D (I know, its so cliche and funny but I also find it a genius invention). Someone must have suddenly thought that, why do indo-western has to be only kurti and jeans, and what about the tee shirts and patialas, so they came up with this crazy idea. At first I thought ugh! weird, but I've seen a lot of ladies wearing it and they are actually pulling it off irrespective of their build, age, and height. But unlike the jean-kurti versions, this outfit only looks good with long tee shirts.

I guess it all started with Kareena Kapoor wearing these outfits in Jab We Met, a rom-com hit film back in 2007. Just like her character in the film, these outfits scream "crazy chick" with a "just do it" and careless attitude, who doesn't give a damn what the world seems to think of her. They are the best for everyday casual wear without the fuss. They just show how much Indian women love adopting both Indian and Western styles. I also think these styles are traditional and yet in an untraditional way, especially when you want the Indian in you to show without being completely Indian. They are so out of the box and gen-x.

Also I think flats are the best way to go with these outfits, especially the kolhapuri kind, they are best for the Indian roads too. Oh! how I wish I was in India right now, where every season is like summer, so I can wear my kurtis and patialas. Have any of you ladies tried these styles, and how do you like them, let me know in the comments below.

Hate & Situations

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:12:00 +0000

Hate can happen anytime depending on the situation and a person's comfort levels. It is circumstantial and if we observe closely we will find out that we hate someone or something more only when we're having bad days. When we hate a person there's always a reason that is more to do with us than to do with them. Hate and anger are closely related and when we hate someone it is usually associated with grief, and anger. All I'm saying is that, hatred is a feeling that it is often situational. For example, I hate the peanut butter flavor becoz the first time I tasted it was when I was not in the mood for anything oily/buttery and was already full with a heavy meal. So, when I tasted it, I felt the bitterness and chunkiness of unwanted and hard to digest peanuts on my mouth rather than its buttery awesomeness, and now whenever anyone says peanut butter I just imagine that horrible feeling I had when I first tasted it and hate it immediately without even thinking about how good it might taste had I been really hungry or if I had been craving fats.

When we are low and down we need something to lift up our spirits and make things easy for us, but instead, if we're faced with something that irritates us more, we immediately hate it and that hate as I explained is more to do with our situation than with the persons or things we are hating at that moment. We just choose to throw our frustration at them coz we're weak, we can't hate ourselves anymore than we already do, and we have no other choice at that moment except to get rid of all that pain in some way. In such cases, the easiest way is to hate stuff around us.

When a person is being rude to us, it always doesn't mean they hate us, it also means that they are having a situation where our presence is making it more difficult for them to breathe easily. We might not know it but we might be suffocating them with something other than the strong perfume we chose to wear. But we do not normally understand this coz we live in a world that supports WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) but what about the unseen anger and pain that the person is suffering that we do not know about? I think we should stop being more selfish and think about others once in a while before judging them and calling them rude and concluding that they hate us. Maybe they do, but that hate is more to do with them than it is to do with you. A deaf person hates hearing people not coz they treat them bad but coz they hate themselves and God for making them deaf and it is a situation they cannot change. They are stuck with it for the rest of their lives whether they like it or not and hence their grief is shown as their anger and hatred on others who are blessed with hearing. They're jealous of privileges that hearing people have and sometimes its just plain difficult for them to express it easily.

Life is never easy for anyone in spite of all the privileges some might have. Sometimes people just hate anybody who hates them maybe coz they are just tired of being hated by everyone or maybe they have this obsessive need to be liked by everyone. That again is situational and more to do with them than with others. All I'm saying is there's always a condition, a circumstance, a state of things, and some reason behind why we do what we do and hate is a part of all that. Its complex, but unfortunately in our busy rate race of lives we do not have time to cut down the complexities and understand what's behind them so we just ignore everything and decide to do the simple and easy thing which is to hate everything around us. Its easy to be angry and throw things rather than to sit and talk or just mull. Talk, that's one important thing that can avoid sticky situations and make each other hate less and love more. If we can find the time to talk and explain each others situations and understand why we are what we are and why we did something then it would be a lot easier on our heart and the people around us.

The ultimate aim is to be happy and we cannot be happy if we're around someone we hate and its the same with the other person so in order to make ourselves happy we avoid the confrontation and ignore or just block out everybody and everything we hate just to have some moments of bliss. But for how long can we go on doing that? life has a way of throwing us together with people and things we hate all the time, and sometimes its inevitable, so to make this easy on ourselves why not come to a truce where both parties compromise and deal with it like adults.

Observe, think, perceive, talk, and explain more so that you can hate less. Spread love, not hate, you don't want to die knowing ppl hate u or vice versa. Hope you liked my therapy session :) Have a nice day!

Beating these Winter Blues

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 17:11:00 +0000

Admitting it, winter's the most horrible and brutal season. Getting out of bed early in the morning, taking a shower, and going out seem to be the worst things ever. Everything seems so dull, drab, and gloomy. Makes one wanna hibernate until the sun comes out. There's no way you can even think about going for a walk without covering up yourself with layers and layers of winter wear unless you wanna suffer with hypothermia. Dressing up takes so much time, you just wanna give up the entire thought. Its depressing! All you wanna do is sit in your comfy sleep robe with a book in front and a hot chocolate drink in your hand. Sounds cozy doesn't it? but we can at-the-max spend time that way maybe for an hour or two. What then? So I made a list of things (yeah, I'm a list maniac, like you didn't know that already, if you're a regular reader of my blog) that I do to beat these winter blues, maybe you can try them out too.

---> Reading: Like I already mentioned, this is the time to read all the books that have been pending all through the year. Hit the public library, or warm your tablets/e-book readers and make a list of all the books you would like to read, and begin it today.

---> Writing: If you have a habit of filling in the journals and haven't had time to do it until now, winter's the time to dig them out and fill them up, or like me, you can just blog.

---> Cooking: Yeah I never thought I'd say this but when you have to be stuck at home most of the time, you'd find that cooking is the best way to pass time and learn something, or just be creative. Team up with a friend to make this more enjoyable.

---> Photography: Can be done indoors too, this is the time to explore food, low light, portrait, and macro areas of photography. This is very time consuming and enjoyable at the same time.

---> Painting: If you love painting then bring in some supplies and start experimenting, who knows you might create a da-vinci of your own.

---> Exercise: Unfortunately winter's the time we put on a lot of weight coz we're stuck at home most of the time. So, in order to change that and look fab for spring/summer, join a gym or yoga class and shed those calories. You can also invite some friends and do aerobics at home if you're not into visiting the gym regularly.

---> Parties: Host a party at home, everybody loves that. catch up with friends you've been missing, and find out what's going on in their lives.

---> DIY Projects: If you're into crafts, then winter's the best time to take up some projects like, beading, needle and thread work, wood work, wall hangings etc., let your creative juices flow.

---> Couch Time: Yes, winter's when you should catch up on all your favorite movies and tv shows that you love and wanted to watch again and again. Plan this with family or friends to make it more fun.

---> Indoor Games: You know them, chess, monopoly etc., have some game nights with friends or family, and make it a party, even better.

---> Cleaning and Decorating: Yeah, I'm sorry but winter's the time for fungus and mildew, so clean as much as possible and as many times as you can so that you're spring cleaning becomes easy, and seems less of a task. You can also re-decorate your homes to make them more bright and sunny to make up for the dull weather outside.

---> Plan for Getaways: Plan for vacations you want to take during spring or summer and ways to save for them. You might also like having one during winter to a sunnier place like Florida.

So getting stuck at home doesn't seem so bad huh? What do you do to beat the winter blues and what do you think of my way of doing it, let me know in the comments below, while you're enjoying you're cuppa joe :)

I'm the Best, and so are YOU

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:12:00 +0000

'I'm the best and I deserve the best', this is going to be the mantra for me from now on and I think it should be yours too if it isn't already. I have always been a second-guessing and behind-the-scenes kind of gal who always feared rejection, and though I've changed over the years, some times they seem to creep back on me especially when I'm defenseless. But I found out that chanting this mantra can have a way of getting to you in ways that surprise me and help you break the rules and be what you are fearlessly. But that's not all coz you can only think you're the best when you feel it and look the part. And you can feel and look the part only when you let yourself out of the box and expose yourself to all the best things life's got to offer. And this can be achieved only when you think you deserve the best. Just as an experiment put yourself out there and let yourself see what it would be like to look and feel the best, I think its a feeling worth having with you all your life, after all its just one life and you may not get it again and again.

But in the process there are some rules to be followed. Do not let anyone tell or dictate you that its not what you want or that you don't deserve it. Do not let them choose for you and let them dress you up in ways they think you would look best. And do not become arrogant or over-confident, coz feeling the best can have a way of doing that to you sometimes and that is not what we are trying to aim most of the time unless you want to make an acquaintance jealous and get rid of him/her. You also have to stop second-guessing yourself and start shining in your awesomeness. You have to be prepared to be recognized and be chosen coz you are the best. Do not think about times when you were embarrassed or ashamed in front of others, instead think of all the happy times when you were praised for something.

I once heard that a trick to a successful lie is to believe that it is the truth. When you believe in something wholeheartedly it is possible to achieve it no matter what. And that belief can be achieved only when you make it come true. So if you think you being the best is a lie then make yourself experience the best in life and make it come true in order to believe that you can do it. Then once you have convinced yourself that you deserve the best, you can feel the best too. Things cannot become true when they are just in thinking, or maybe just in writing in your journals, you have to make them true and real to believe them. Once you have done all that you are ready to say that you are the best and face that demon that has made you defenseless in the first place. You will find that believing in being the best is your best defense always and it will help you defend yourself against anything threatening or saying otherwise.

Believing that you are the best is the only way to show others that you are the best. Coz when you believe that you are the best only then will others believe you deserve the best as well and will start respecting you. It shows them that you have a grip over your life, you don't let others dictate you, and you are confident in dealing with responsibilities. You will also not be ignored anymore and you will have a say in decisions coz you are the best. So I'm just going to go ahead and say it, like I mean it; "I'm the best" Go ahead, try it. Felt good didn't it? Now continue saying it. All the best :)

12 wants for 2012

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:49:00 +0000

Ok, so I've been seeing a lot of holiday wishlists, and desires for 2012 going on around in the blogosphere, so I thought its a nice idea for my blog too, and here I am. My wishlist for 2012 is:

Before I begin I want you to know that this is just a generalised version of what I want, the things shown in the picture may not be exactly what I'm coveting, and then, they might be too. The order in which I listed these things is not necessarily according to my priority.

1---> I'm kind of an abstract artist, and also love painting on photos I take, so I thought that this graphic tablet would help me paint better. Its not that I don't like painting on my mousepad but it gets difficult at certain points and I would love to have this gadget just to make it easier.

2---> I want a high-end android smartphone not only becoz everyone around seems to own one but also becoz of its awesomeness. I'm currently eying Samsung android phones but I wish Nokia would come up with something too.

3---> I wanted an e-book reader for so long but when tablets came with multi-purpose features, I thought that'll be a better option than just an e-book reader, also coz I love the amoled touch interfaces. But none of the tablets that came out in 2011 were upto the mark, so am waiting for better versions.

4---> I so need a good hair straightener, that does the work in minutes and does not burn my scalp. Any suggestions anyone? I'm listening.

5---> I've decided that I'm going to wear more flashy jewelry not only coz its trendy but also coz I love it. Statement jewelry defines a person in a way that even clothing cannot so I'm going to buy and wear more of that this year.

6---> A large tote bag for when I go shopping, to carry food, H2O, along with the other usual stuff. Small bags ain't cutting it and it gets irritating at times, especially during winters.

7---> Flashy and cropped skinny jeans, not a single one in my wardrobe and I want to change that. Guess I'm just tired of the regular blue/black/white jeans. Also cropped jeans are great for summer weekends.

8---> I love layering, especially in fall, winters and spring and it is also essential if you're living in a place like Chicago, so I'll need more cardigans, especially cashmere, not that I have any less now but there can never be enough cardigans for me.

9---> I'm ditching heels and wearing flats, not that I'm a regular heel-wearer, I don't usually wear more than 2-inch heels but let's be honest, they're not at all comfortable, and not even practical sometimes. I know that they make me look taller, and flats only accentuate my petiteness but heels don't do any good to your spinal cord in the long run.

10---> I'm a lipgloss junkie and have too many of them already but I think a girl can never have enough of them. I'd like to add more lipsticks coz I just have one which I bought for a cousin's wedding last summer but I never liked lipsticks, they seem so fake and make lips look like you've painted them with some ugly color, so instead I'm going to add more glosses which not only moisturize lips but also do not steal away your original lip color.

11---> A DSLR camera, which I've been craving for ages now, but delayed it coz I want to get better at photography before I buy one, now since I've been using point and shoots for 3 years, I think its high time I started using one.

12---> A faux suede coat, funny I don't have one yet, but I never really found a good one, guess I'm not just lucky with them, so the hunt is going on, hopefully it will end this year.

I know I'm such a materialistic gal, but shopping makes me happy and I find cozyness in retail therapy. Also I'm not totally unpractical, I need all of this stuff, and have been using some of them for years. What's on your wishlist for this year, if you're into tagging, consider yourself tagged, let me know when you've blogged. If you're not, then just let me know in the comments below. Would love to see what you're craving.

Asian Cuisine Ramblings

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 16:34:00 +0000

I'm kind of a vegetarian who likes limited non-veg (chicken/cooked shrimp/fish) and prefers it only when there's not much veg around so after coming to the US where there aren't very many vegetarian options, and the non-veg options are mostly uncooked or half-cooked, I became a little miserable and whenever I found a place where there are good veg dishes, I got really excited, yeah I get happiness out of small things like finding a good veg restaurant, if you're a veg eating Indian who lives in US, you'll know why. Its not that I hate non-veg but its a problem when I have to eat it raw and something other than chicken, or cooked shrimp/fish. I keep mentioning 'cooked', coz people here seem to eat and like the raw and half cooked shrimp/fish and that is what you would find in most of the restaurants. Sadly chicken is the only thing cooked everywhere so when I don't find any veggie stuff, I have to go for it. I was never exposed to other cuisines much before I came to US, except for the Italian pizzas/pasta and Chinese noodles, and since its a global market here we find anything and everything with respect to cuisines. So, I started cooking more at home and hunting for restaurants where I can find some decent cooked food. We could go to places like Dunkins/Subway but they have everything in bread and cheese sprinkled on them (what's with that???). McDs and other such places are not even an option. I want rice or noodles atleast for lunch/dinner! Bread is something I eat when I get sick, when I go to a pizza place or to a bakery for snacking (oh! the yummy puffs and pav-bhajis), or when I need a quick jelly sandwich. Sure, there's the occasional yogurt and juice place but I'm not on a diet. The Asian cuisine seemed to have something to offer in that area, and I finally found some likeability.

As much as I like Chinese, and it would always be one of my favorite cuisines, I cannot get to terms with the usage of raw vegetables in most of their dishes. Yes I have a serious problem with anything raw in food, I need a proper 'everything cooked well' kind of meal, maybe its becoz that's the way I'm raised and that's the way I've eaten all my life. So, when I tried Japanese for the first time, I was like, what? people who eat raw fish with a fancy name actually have something cooked? Yes, me and the husband found some places where veggies in any dish other than salad are cooked properly and surprised that it was Japanese. One such place was Nori Japan, at the Lincolnwood Mall. We ordered Chicken Teriyaki and Maki rolls (non-sushi) here, and they had rice options white/brown so we went with brown. And OMG! everything including the little amount of veggies they had was cooked well.

The other restaurant we tried was Wow Bao, downtown. We ordered veg Pot-stickers, and the chocolate/coconut custard bao and they were both amazing.

We also tried some fried noodles at an Asian restaurant called Noodles & Co., on Broadway street and now finally decided that we'd love to try Japanese again and again.

I'm not sure if only the dishes that we ordered had everything properly cooked or if its the case with every other menu item but we were very pleased with our orders.

Chinese restaurants are mostly takeout places and there's one called Panda Express which is supposed to be Gourmet Chinese. I couldn't eat anything other than tofu there, and that too was very spicy and not upto my expectation. How can anyone eat a huge piece of uncooked broccoli, its like shoving a rubber tube down your throat during gastro endoscopy. Manchu Wok is another Chinese takeout place that we visited and it was OK too except for the raw veggies in some of their dishes. When we are ordering anything veggie other than salad we expect it to be cooked, but not here. Although I should say I loved their orange chicken which is their signature dish. We have one small takeout place near to where we live and thankfully that is the only restaurant as of now that is keeping me from hating Chinese totally. Love their Lo/Chow Mein with veggies and chicken, and their brown rice with fried shrimp.

One Asian cuisine I totally hate is Thai, and again, everything they seem to have is raw. Pad Thai is the only dish that I can bear but that too seems a little raw to me.

Why do people have to eat everything raw??? don't they know how to cook or are they just too lazy?

And the Indian restaurants sadly are just too much oil, way too much spice, and very highly priced. I like it better when I cook it. Even the husband can whip up a tastier dish than these restaurants in Chicago.

So finally Japanese won, with a close second place by Chinese, and we could say that Asian cuisines are good-ish. I dunno if the 'raw thing' is becoz the Americans prefer eating mostly raw stuff or Asians (other than Indians) are used to eating everything raw too, but that's a serious issue with me and the husband. However, they are cheaper compared to other cuisines like Italian and good for a quick takeout. They are what I call comfort food in a slightly healthy way when you don't want to do Subway or Dunkins.

Apart from Asian I also like Mexican at a restaurant called Chipotle, their chicken and veg burritos are awesome. There's also some Spanish Taco place that has a veg menu which I like but that's all another story. Also, I finally came to terms with eating and liking wheat bread as an alternative to rice so some other options opened up as well. Hope you enjoyed reading my path of ramblings from being woebegone to finding a little bit of sanity in the USA.

Accessorizing for Winters in Style

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 19:57:00 +0000

Its so very cold outside and there's no way one could step out without their sweaters, coats, hats, scarves, boots, and gloves. Since we have to cover ourselves and spend so much time wearing all this stuff, why not do it in style?

So I browsed and came up with a list of some stylish winter accessories that I thought would be a good addition to my wardrobe this winter, if you like accessorizing and with style you might like these.

Loving the cozy white gloves and knitted hat from BCF

I never go for matching sets coz I usually like to mix and match stuff, but this year I thought I'd try something new and here's what I found on JCPenny's Cold Weather catalogue.

I'm loving the first cyan infinity scarf and matching knit hat, the gloves and scarf in the second, and all three in the third.

Apart from these, there's leggings/thermal tights/pantyhose to be picked up especially if you decide to wear skirts, sweater dresses, or long tops and show off your legs. I found a great option here.

What I love about these tights is that they are not sheer, they don't have ridiculous designs which look like they've been made for teenagers, and they can be paired with any outfit since they're a very basic black. They're great for winters and you don't have to wear socks, and that's one accessory down.

I also found that these tights can be coupled with a pair of leg warmers like these options I found here, here, and here:

Leg warmers are in trend this season. Loving the purple and grey ones, the first one I like becoz I have a purple sweater top, and I think these will be perfect with it, the second one I like becoz the grey color in general can be worn with many dresses. As shown in the pictures, leg warmers can be worn with heels, flats, and high boots. They can be worn with jeggings, leggings, thermals, tights, pantyhose, and skinny jeans.

Most importantly all of today's finds are under budget :))

How do you like my way of accessorizing for winters and what have you picked out for this winter, let me know in the comments below.

Dinner and Fireworks!

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 18:41:00 +0000

The poor husband was down with flu but I did not let that deter us from enjoying the New Year's Eve (NYE), especially coz its going to be the most hyped 2012, and we all might die soon :D. Nah! I don't believe in all that nonsense but I just didn't want to sit at home and sulk during NYE. So we decided to go to the pier, get some dinner and catch up with the fireworks display. And, being the photographer I am I had to take some shots and I had to share it with my beloved readers.

Navy Pier was beautifully decorated for NYE:

We had dinner at Capi's Italian Kitchen: Tomato Basil Soup, fresh Breadsticks with Alfredo white sauce followed by Chicaken Picatta, and ending with Romeo's Brownie Dessert (this reminds me of the Sizzling Dessert at a restaurant in Bangalore, Commercial Street). Yummy and heavy, hey we needed all the energy to walk to the other end of the pier for fireworks!!

The early fireworks display this year was for 10 minutes, and these were some of the awesome moments of them all:

There would be another 10-15 min. display at 12 midnight but it was really cold and the husband didn't have it in him to stay any longer. So we headed back and on our way back I took some shots on Michigan Avenue:

You can find atleast one of these huge limousines whenever you are on michigan avenue or anywhere downtown in Chicago.

Someone was taking a horse ride on NYE, cute :)

We came home, really tired, called and wished our friends and families in India, and called it a day! How was your NYE, hope y'all had gr8 fun, Happy 2012 Everyone!

BTW now you can just subscribe to me on Facebook without having to add me, you can view all my public updates. You can find the link to the right. Cya there if you will.

Coveting Turquoise under Budget

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 19:21:00 +0000

I've decided to wear white this New Year's and thought that flashy jewelry is the best way to make it work to get that festive/party/celebration kind of feel and look. After a lot of thought and several inspections of my jewelry collection I decided that I'd go with turquoise coz I do not own any turquoise pieces and I think its flashy enough for a white dress. Turquoise also makes the dress look like you have actually planned it and you can wear it to any kind of party: casual/formal, or event: public/private. Since I really don't have time to go to a jeweler's or stores, I shopped online and have been looking at some terrific pieces for almost a week. I have finally decided on the below sets, though I bought only one of them, coz I just needed one, and I was under budget. All of the sets are under $50 and I was really excited when I found them. So, I decided to share it with everyone who wants to pair a white dress with turquoise jewelry for their parties/events on New Year's Eve or any other occasion.

Before I start I want you to know that this is not an ad and I'm not being paid to do this, this is my honest opinion on stuff that I like and/or bought. I also do not know if this jewelry is durable coz I just bought one piece from the sets and haven't used it yet but you get what you pay for and these are like really cheap/reasonably priced in my opinion. Please be sure if you really need it and that the jewelry will suit you before you buy them, especially coz its online. Also turquoise comes in different shades of blue so you might want to be sure which shade you want and the colors shown online might not do justice to the jewelry always. I grouped different items to form a set coz I thought they'd go well together but you might not always need to buy all of the items if you think that you have certain pieces of jewelry that would match any one of the pieces in the sets shown. Do not be influenced by my opinion. Its just a suggestion for people who have no clue on what to wear to parties like the New Year's Eve and like the title says its for those who covet turquoise jewelry under a budget.

The first set: This is an amazing 4-row necklace set with matching earrings, I found a bracelet that I thought would go perfect with it, and a stretch ring to match the bracelet since I have really small fingers. The necklace has few green and blue beads so you can pair your bracelet with any other beaded stretch bracelets you have in blue/green but do not overdo it if you want a classy look. You can wear a silver tone watch with it. This set is more suited for public events or parties with friends and/or acquaintances.

Where to buy: Necklace and Earrings set, Bracelet, and Ring
Total Cost: $40

The second set: This set is a hand knotted, brown string necklace with a similar bracelet. The plus point is that the bracelet is adjustable and I love that coz I have really small hands. Pair these with silver hoop earrings, silver tone watch, and a silver tone ring. This set is perfect for casual dressy parties.

Where to buy: Necklace, and Bracelet
Total Cost: $28

The third set: The necklace is a sterling silver chain with turquoise beads. Very simple and classy. I thought the earrings match perfectly too. Pair it with silver bangles, silver tone watch, and a sterling silver band. This set is perfect for formal parties.

Where to buy: Necklace, and Earrings
Total Cost: $27

The fourth set: If you like wearing really long necklaces then this set is perfect for you. It also has some blue glass beads in between and comes with matching earrings. You can pair this up with the matching bracelet. You can also opt for the ring from first set to go with it. A silver tone watch should complete the set. This set is perfect for public events and casual dress-up parties with friends.

Where to buy: Necklace and Earrings set, Bracelet
Total Cost: $30

The fifth set: If you want to do a simple Jane look then this necklace, with matching bracelet and simple earrings will be perfect. Pair this with a silver tone watch, and a silver ring. This set can be perfect for both formal and casual parties.

Where to buy: Necklace, Bracelet, and Earrings
Total Cost: $40

Hope you find what you need from the above sets. Personally I like all of them and would have bought them all except that I'm poor at the moment and one of my New Year's resolutions is to shop less and I don't want to jinx it by shopping for more than what I need. What are you guys planning to wear this New Year's and what kind of jewelry have you picked out. Please leave a comment below and I would also love to know your opinion on my selections.

I'm so looking forward to the long weekend. This year had a lot of long weekends including Christmas and am wishing that would be the same in the next year. Happy New Year Everyone!

All Things Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:08:00 +0000

Quite a few of my friends have been asking me to post pictures of 'Christmas in Chicago' but I was a little skeptical about going out on freezing winter nights just to take pictures. This year however we didn't have a White Christmas and oddly, I kinda missed the snow. Instead it was sunny and we had slightly bearable temperatures. Every year the windy city is decorated with lights right from after Thanksgiving to New Year's. Though I do not like the sound of wasting so much energy/power, the photographer in me thinks its pretty and cute. Now, since my love for photography overcame my skepticism, I finally hit the city streets, Christmas events, malls etc., and got some shots. The stuff I captured is all the things I can think of when I think "Christmas". Hope you guys like them.

Michigan Avenue during Christmas Eve:

Christmas Tree Decor at Union Station, Downtown:

Decorations some place near Chicago area:

Christmas Decor Sale at Daley Plaza:

Christmas Candy at Macy's: They actually had gummy bears and jelly beans in red and green :)

Navy Pier's Winter Wonderland Festival sponsored by Bank of America:

State Street Christmas Bokeh:

Cute Snowman at a store downtown:

Lincoln Park ZooLights sponsored by ComEd and Charter One:

and finally my signature shot, a Christmas Bokeh:

Hope y'all had a great Christmas, wherever you are. For more pictures from me, you can subscribe to my posts on facebook, I have a whole album there with hundreds of shots.

Major Changes

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 20:46:00 +0000

I guess I'm just done with being known as a geek, and a nerd (both of which I'm totally not) so I've decided to add some more sections to my blog, on fashion, style, beauty, travel, food, you know, the usual day-to-day life (but not the boring stuff you didn't want to know anyways) etc., coz I feel like I've been portraying myself in a wrong way to my readers. Also, I felt that I was confining and restricting myself by only concentrating on topics like warez/gadgets/books/movies/digital art (no wonder people think I'm a nerd) and I want to explore other subjects as well coz there are so many other interesting topics which I like talking/writing about and I wouldn't want my readers to miss out on that. After all, this blog is ME and I want my readers to know that. All I'm saying is that, I've not been doing justice to my blog by not including parts of my life (coz I thought readers wouldn't be interested in it, which I now know, is not true) and I want to change that. Also, I'm pretty bored with the usual stuff I blog.

Don't worry, I'm not totally dumping the current topics I do, I'll just squeeze in more new sections, kind of like 'more me'. Of late I've been losing my mojo and I'm just looking for some ways to bring back some kind of sanity into my life, although photography and digital painting help to an extent, I just need to pep up the writing part of my life too. One more reason for the changes is I'll be able to write more when there are more number of topics on hand. Also, living in the US has changed my perspective towards life in general and my posts will reflect more of that as well.

Also please check my photoblog, vlog, tweets (especially if you're looking for more tweets on technical writing/writing in general, and some general tweets from me :)), coz even when I'm not here, I'm always frequenting any one of these places. I've also recently started painting more coz I found that art can be a great therapy without the bills, and you can check some of my pieces on Redbubble, and ImageKind, the good news is that, now you can also order my photos/paintings from these websites.

Thanks a lot everyone for being so patient coz I still find more than 50 readers on FeedBurner and I hope to increase that soon coz I'm guessing more variety ought to get more readers and can also get me some kind of spring/greenery into this blog. You may think I'm shallow or greedy coz I'm trying to attract more subscriptions/readership but if I actually get some more readers that will only be a plus and not something I'm targeting. Readers always encourage you to write more and that is what I aim to do above all.

I have been going hot and cold on my blog but will try to stop that by blogging more often. I would also love to hear your opinion on what I should do to make my blog more lively, do you think I should leave it as it is or bring in some changes? or Do you have any suggestions for topics I should be concentrating on, I'm listening.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Lenovo G450 - My Baby

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:39:00 +0000

Its strange that I have been using this laptop for over a year now and haven't thought of reviewing it yet. Also I think that it deserves a mention in my blog coz of its awesomeness so today I decided to write about it. The Lenovo G450 was launched in 2009 and as soon as I saw it on sale, I knew I had to get it. I've been a great fan of the IBM Thinkpads and now since Lenovo is continuing them I knew that the look would be even better and I am not wrong. It has the dexterity and awesome technical features that the IBM Thinkpads had, combined with the sleek and glossy finish.

The laptop came loaded with the latest Windows 7 Home Premium and some other useful software like Adobe Reader, Lenovo VeriFace, Lenovo OneKey Recovery (I think its the best), Easy Capture, and CyberLink Power2Go CD/DVD writing software. Also there are trial versions of Norton Internet Security and the latest MS Office Suite 2007. It runs a Pentium Dual Core Processor at 2.10 GHz. The RAM (memory) is 4 GB which is essential for the 64-bit operating system. Wireless LAN is supported and its compliant with IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g. It has a 0.3 mp camera integrated and using the Easy Capture software you can take still photos too. The hard drive is a whooping 320 GB. There are 3 USB2.0 ports, 2 on the left and 1 on the right. There's a CD/DVD r/w drive that makes crisp and fast CDs and DVDs. The stereo speakers are awesome for entertainment. The microphone is comfortably placed next to the mousepad and is great for voice chat. There are also output jacks for accessories like speakers and headphones. A dedicated switch for wi-fi makes it easy to connect/disconnect to wi-fi whenever required. There's also a dedicated strip above the keypad for touch-based volume controls, laptop on/off button, and the one touch recovery button for formatting the laptop. The display is an amazing 14 in. TFT which was lacking in my previous Sony Vaio laptop so I'm loving this. Also it doesn't come loaded with unnecessary trial versions of useless software like the Sony Vaio did. Because of this, formatting the laptop and restoring it to the factory original version is easier and can be done in 10 mins.

It lacks bluetooth interface and a memory card reader slot but who can complain when you're getting a laptop under $500. The laptop also weighs about 4-5 lbs and I think it is a little heavy compared to its competitors but I have no issue with that coz I will not be carrying it everywhere with me. It only comes in grey color unless you buy it with an extra skin of your choice, not free. All-in-all I have fallen in love with this laptop and would definitely recommend it to a friend.

Free Painting Software

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Fri, 13 May 2011 20:09:00 +0000

Digital Painting has always been amazing and full of surprises to me no matter how much everybody else around me seem to think its fake and a cheat. If you think so too, let me tell you that digital painting is equally creative and requires as much effort as the traditional manual painting. If you like painting on your mouse pad as much as I do then you might wanna try these out:

ArtRage 2: Its a starter edition but has a very good tracing feature to render your images into paintings. You can also paint on different canvases with some limited brushes.

Deep Paint: It was once a very costly software now turned to freeware. I absolutely love its cloning brushes.

MyPaint: It has a very good collection of some amazing brushes which I totally love and haven't stopped experimenting with yet.

Project Dogwaffle: I know the name sounds silly but the program is really good. It takes a little time to figuring it out but there aren't very many options so it can't be that hard.

Twisted Brush Open Studio: Its a free edition of Pixarra's original software with the same name. It kind of looks like a clone of Corel Painter and has a lot of features. Can be a little tricky to use but worth the effort.

Alchemy: The software is as wierd and unconventional as the name. But its very simple and has really unique brushes. Good for abstract art and y'all know how crazy I am about that one.

Just go through the galleries in each of the websites to look at the amazing work done by painters using these software. You may not be able to create any so perfect but at the very least you can end up with an amazing abstract ;)

Happily Ever Afters

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:29:00 +0000

I was never a big fan of anything that ends with "happily ever after" and always wondered why authors end their stories when they do and why don't they continue the story by telling us what happens after, until recently I read this book (which I'm not going to name coz this is not a review) where "happily ever after" was actually explained in 3 chapters and then I thought, " now I understand, why some things are best left unsaid". I actually liked my imagination of happily ever after better than what the author had to say and couldn't read any further than a few pages, was surprised I lasted that long too. There's a reason why fairy tales end with "happily ever after" and end when they do coz there is something called imagination and when the author leaves scope for that, she/he is involving the reader in the plot and making it interactive, that way, the reader feels wanted and needed. Also "happily ever after" means a happy ending, unlike reality, and there's something about happy endings which makes reading a book or watching a movie worthwhile.

An author is most liked by a person when he/she finds out that they are reading about themselves and the book is usually a hit when some things are left unsaid and the reader gets to decide what must have happened rather than the author laying down facts of what could have been coz then that becomes the author's life and his/her POV (point of view) and a reader like I said will not find it appealing any more. Speaking too much of your mind can sometimes be like forcing others to view life as you do (which I think I'm doing right now) and interrupting their thoughts and ability to imagine and view things for themselves/on their own, and in my opinion nobody likes that.

I have always been a person who reads the ending first coz I'm too curious about what happens at-the-end and not patient enough to read the 300 or so pages first to see how the author unweils the story from nothing to something, so, if you are like me, then you will understand that if a happily ever after was actually explained then you wouldn't read the book any further to know how that has happened. Too much understanding of an ending can get you imagining your own plot and start comparing it to the author's rather than being interested in reading and appreciating what the author has written. I've always liked Sheldon's books for this one and only fact that his endings are awesome, they never reveal the plot or whatever happens before that last page thus spiking the reader's interest in wanting to read the book all through from the first to the last page to see how a simple beginning had turned into something incomprehensible. Actually I also liked them for the fact that he wrote about girl power :D

What I'm trying to say is that its kinda lame for an author to want to explain an ending. Maybe this particular author suddenly woke up one day and thought that 'hey why don't I give a piece of my mind to my readers and go ahead and explain my imagination of happily ever after?' Gosh, having read an authors imagination for 300 or so pages why would anyone want to read more of an after-ending? Its like the beginning of another book, or rather a sequel, but hey this is no trailer to the sequel, its just an author speaking her mind too loudly, or is it the author's way of saying that the readers have no brains so let me put some thoughts into them. Ok, so if you were writing for a bunch of no brainers, let me make it clear that people with no brains do not read books in the first place, let alone reading a whole explanation of "happily ever after". A writer should know when to let it go already. Woody Allen is one smart witer who knows his audience and keeps them guessing about what happens next, including the ending.

Reading pages of "happily ever after" is like drinking water after eating an ice-cream sundae. So, I'm not going to repeat myself and explain any further. Having said all that, she lived happily ever after :)

Ranking Friends

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 16:31:00 +0000

"Can we be more than friends?" "Oh you mean like best friends...?"

This was one of the top tweets yesterday. I was like, seriously? I don't understand what is this necessity to rank friends as best, better, or good. Friends are just that "friends", why to add an adjective/adverb to them and make it all complicated. I'm not saying this coz I'm intimacy-phobic but all of you must have noticed atleast once in your lifetime that even the bestest (if that's a word) of them have not been there in a very difficult period of time while some of them who just happen to be among your list of friends have proved otherwise and have assisted you in your times of crisis. If the so called "bestest friend" had a genuine reason for not being able to help you then that's all together something else, which I'm not talking about right now, but what if there was absolutely no reason and a lame excuse involved in order to avoid helping you? what then? and what does that say about your "best friend" well, I'll leave you to wonder about that coz I'm not going to use abuses in my post.

What is a "best friend" really? according to me everybody falls under the "use n throw" category, meaning, you help them:they help you and vice versa, and there's nothing to say that a best friend always has to help you either, then what is it all about, you ask? I think it is about being there for you (atleast) during your highs and lows. Also, there's no such thing as a "best friend" without an ulterior motive, atleast that's what I think, maybe I'm wrong and I'm not targeting anyone here (especially not anybody from my list of friends, both online and realtime) I'm just generalizing the so called best friendship in modern generation. Maybe we could categorize friends as the one's who like to go shopping with us and the one's who gather together to bitch about life, or the one's who don't expect anything from you but are always there for you in times of need etc., you would say that these are some real good categories compared to something so meaningless as good, better or best, coz I have really seen people who mooch off their friends being called "best friend", have people become so selfish that the words "best friend" have come down to that? and after seeing that don't you think these words have no meaning at all? they are just thrown away at anybody and everybody.

Human mind is the ficklest, if a person has been there for you in a crisis then that's your "best friend" for that period of your life and when the same person has not been there for another crisis then they're bad again? I think the words "best friend" are highly overrated coz from what I have seen more than half the population don't mean it when they say it (there's something called impulse and out of situational emotion they might just dole it out most of the time), so the meaning definitely changes depending on the situation and the person involved.

Apart from this, if we're called a best friend by someone then our friendship responsibilities increase as do the expectations of our friends and maintaining that rank is as difficult as ranking our friends in the first place. Some people whom I asked about this concept also said that its really difficult to maintain the stature of being called someone's best friend. If u ask me, why bother, don't rank friends, the words "best friend" sound so childish and high-school to me, they must have definitely been introduced by a pimply teenager whose emotions are ruled by hormones running a riot. Being best is like being perfect and there is no such thing as being perfect. Life happens, friends come and go, there's no saying that the person you once called ur best friend will remain by your side forever coz sometimes even if they want to, they might not be able to coz they might have moved to another side of the planet and that doesn't make them less of a friend but you might not call them your best friend anymore coz they are physically no longer there for you. So let me end this now and say ciao while you decide who your "best friend" or "just friend" is ;)

You can have million of friends, but you can only count on your fingers who has been true to you and loves you for what you are - Anonymous.

A 5pointer's story by an IITian

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:18:00 +0000

Yes, that's what I'd call Chetan Bhagat's "five point someone - what not to do at IIT" and I loved it. It was hilarious and I didn't really mind the fact that the language and editing were not very good at places coz the way he told the story made up for everything else. Though it is a story about IIT students, it is pretty much the story of every college student in India. It reminded me of my college days, a bunch of us were back benchers who were always late to classes, never scored well in exams and got punished for reading novels during lectures etc. Yeah, we were notorious as per the Indian standards, but now when I think of it, I have a good laugh and I wouldn't have had it any other way. The book brings out all that nostalgia and at the end you wouldn't have liked it so much if it was any different, like the 3 idiots movie which was based on it, I totally hated it.

Though it was fiction, everything was so close to reality that at points I actually thought maybe the author was just narrating his own story with fake names. The book was like reading a blog with each chapter as a blog entry and guest posts by fellow readers/bloggers/friends in between. The language was more like Indian-English (or maybe we should just call it Indlish) and the editing and grammer at places were bad, but who cares when the story is so interesting. Chetan Bhagat's a great story teller, I'd give that credit to him.

So the story is about 3 guys, Hari (the narrator), Ryan, and Alok who were IIT-Delhi students in the 90s. Hari is a short-fat and simple guy from a middle class family who likes food, loves girls, and is happy being part of a crowd (I know, kind of like your average Indian guy). Ryan is the good-looking, handsome guy with rich parents, whom he doesn't care about and doesn't give a damn about anybody who thinks he should. According to him the whole Indian education system is at fault. He's always opposing lecturers, doing things his own way and spends more time out of classes. He comes up with crazy hair-brained plans and loves taking risks. Alok is from a poor family and the only thing important for him is to mug-up everything the lecturers teach and get a good GPA so that he can get a good job and take care of his family. The story is about how these guys who're from different backgrounds, having a common goal, become friends at IIT and how they struggle to maintain the balance between their lives in and outside campus (coz IITians are known to have no lives outside campus) due to their low 5point something GPAs which seem to define everything they do and are, their relationships, families, friendship, the mistakes they make and how they've grown up during the 4 years.

God, why did they ever make a movie out of it? While the book is like a fresh cup of coffee on a Sunday morning, the movie is the like the stale taste you're left with after eating a day old leftover of a chinese take out. It was totally tweaked, boring, a drag, and Amir Khan is too old (no offense) to be playing an IIT student. I also felt that he took over every scene and there was less scope for the other characters which were actually very interesting in the book. There were very few scenes which were close to real life but then that's how bollywood movies are and should be I guess. And watching Kareena as Neha (Hari's girlfriend in the book) was the last straw. If you are debating between reading the book, and watching the movie, go read the book and you will not regret the choice. Some might just say, why compare the two, just read the book, and watch the movie, as if they were two different stories, if you want to do that go ahead and do that too, after all it should be your decision. What I'm saying is, don't take my word for it and see it for yourself. If you have already read the book, or saw the movie, or done both, let me know what you thought about it.

Back it up with Transcend StoreJet

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:48:00 +0000

I'm a great fan of Transcend products and this is my 3rd device from them. I have already written about a Western Digital storage device which is very famous when it comes to external storage devices but had some complaints and decided not to go for it again. The WD device that I used was a bulky book sized one, which required an external power cord to support it along with a USB connecting cord. Now that was a little too much bulk for me to handle and moreover the device was very very delicate. One mistake, where you either drop it on the floor (coz the surface is very slippery) or do not remove it safely after transferring files to it, you're done with it, like forever, it either corrupts all your files or totally stops working. Also, the transfer rate was way too slow once it reached a 50GB limit. The device really got to my nerves over the years. But you can't really blame WD coz it comes with all the warnings and at an affordable price compared to its passport sized drives.

Transcend StoreJet on the other hand is a pocket sized external storage device which weighs lighter, has a hard rubbery covering on it, and powers/charges with two USB connecting cords. Just plug-n-play and drag-n-drop. Yes, its that simple and no hassle. Also the transfer rate is much much better than the bulky WD MyBook Essential. It easily fits in my handbag or jean pocket, so its very portable. It doesn't need a permanent place around the computer. I had it for only a few months now and so far its been good. Who knows, maybe it will throw up problems too after a few more months but till them I'm enjoying working with it. Bought it online at amazon.com. Know more about the good and bad of this product from the experts at cnet. Have you bought/used any good storage devices lately? Let me know how they have worked for you.

Best Free Image Editing Software

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:20:00 +0000

In one of my earlier posts, I've blogged about some good online image editing tools. These are really good and you can always use them just to have fun, edit your pictures, add effects to them, or to create a drawing using some pre-defined features. But the problem is that, some people are skeptical about uploading their pictures online to some unknown website, and also these websites do not offer the flexibility you can get with an installed software. Once the software is downloaded and installed in your computer, you need not connect to the internet anymore or even worry if one of the websites is down. Here is a list of such software which you can install in your computer and edit your pictures whenever you want or just use them to create some digital art:

Paint.NET : Nope, this is not the default "MS Paint" in your computer, but a more advanced and better version of it. This is for what I call a quick and easy editing of your pictures. The website also has a forum where you can discuss issues, report bugs, download some plugins, and submit one if you are a programmer.

Artweaver : A good alternative to photoshop. It also supports PSD files!

NeatImage : Images might be grainy/noisy sometimes due to low-light conditions and this software de-noises pictures, giving them a smooth finish.

GIMP : This is the closest you can get to Photoshop and is probably the most famous alternative. It has almost all the advanced features like photo retouching, and filters/brushes. Also, you can get a lot of GIMP plugins from the internet, just like for Photoshop.

Serif : This is in the same lines as Artweaver. It is like photoshop but with lesser features compared to Artweaver.

Pos Panorama Pro : You guessed it right, it creates panoramas, which is, stitching a group of pictures taken in a same location to form one single big picture.

Photoscape : This software offers some really good photo effects like vignetting, soft-focus and blooming. Its better than Serif, in some cases.

These are some of the best free image editing software I could come up with. If you have tried any other such good software, please let me know. Enjoy editing :)

Loves Me; Loves Me Not

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 21:06:00 +0000

Every girl should have a boy that tells her how "Beautiful" she is no matter how much "flaws" she has - Anonymous

So true isn't it? I read a book recently which is somewhat in the same lines of how a girl should be treated by a guy. The book "He's Not Just That Into You - The No Excuses Truth To Understanding Guys" by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo discusses about various scenarios which gals face while dating guys who are just not into them. It apparently started as a normal discussion at work between Greg and his colleagues, and then some emails were exchanged (lots of gals asking for advice), online polls were conducted (to test if guys reacted just as Greg suggested they would) and it finally became a book. You can watch it in Greg's own words here (embedding disabled).

We'll be given a lot of real time situations faced by girls (in their own words) and how Greg as an experienced guy who had dumped many girls, reads into the signs and tells them that the guy they've been dating is just not into them. The book can be looked upon as a dating/relationship advice from a guy to a girl. All the chapters until the 11th were pretty obvious and just known facts to many girls but the book picks up speed from then on and becomes really interesting. Greg being a comedian maintained his comic streak all the while in the book. He came up with some really funny names for these pathetic gals who badly needed dating/relationship advice. The book's a good read for any woman who's in a dilemma and cannot figure out if a guy really likes her or not or if she's being treated like a doormat. What's even better is that we get a woman's point of view too coz its co-authored by Liz who threw every possible challenge against Greg to prove him wrong but in the end couldn't win coz who better understands a guy than another guy. The whole point is that every girl is precious and needs to be loved and treated well by her boyfriend/husband and the guy would do so if he's really into her, atleast that's what Greg says. Many of the topics discussed are controversial and totally arguable coz relationships are just not that easy. But gals, if you want to feel good about yourself read this book instead of succumbing to comfort eating, it might help you.

If a guy really loves a girl he would move mountains to keep her happy and this guy proves that.

So now don't you think that Greg was correct after all?

But I guess guys have this problem too (she loves me; she loves me not) and maybe Greg and Liz should consider writing another book "She's Just Not That Into You - The No Excuses Truth To Understanding Gals", after all gals are not the only one's who are vulnerable enough to having relationship problems.

Registry Cleaning and Repair Tools

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 23:41:00 +0000

Having an anti-virus/anti-spyware software installed in your computer does not always give it enough protection from being infected by bugs. Also, virus and spyware is not the only reason your pc's performance is sluggish or why it crashes. If you are a regular surfer of the internet like me, it is necessary to clean up the computer everyday in order to get rid of junk like temporary files, cookies, browsing history, etc., and also to remove any personal data, passwords etc., which you might have entered on a website while browsing. This is where the registry cleaning and repairing tools come into the picture. These tools sweep your system and some of them also help you repair any registry malfunstions/errors that might have been caused due to an improper or failed installation/uninstallation of a software etc. Below is the list of such software which is very easy to use and totally free:

CCleaner : This is a must in every computer for a regular sweep of junk.

Auslogics Registry Cleaner : Performs very well for a regular cleaning along with fixing registry errors.

Glary Registry Repair : This tool not only cleans the computer but also protects it from adware that use the registry to infect it.

Windows Registry Repair : It is a very simple and lightweight tool for a quick clean of the registry.

I have used these tools and they have worked well for me. If you have used any other such free and yet efficient software, let me know. Happy Browsing! :)

A Chick-flick philosophy

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 04:24:00 +0000

I thought I was getting too old for silly and girly romantic comedies but an accidental one I saw recently was way too good to be ignored as yet another one of those dumb chic-flicks. Beauty and the Briefcase is about a young wannabe fashion writer who actually has a check list for the perfect guy (you know, "the one") and looks for all those qualities in every guy she dates. Well obviously there is no such thing as a perfect guy (ok guys, I know, I know, there's no such thing as a perfect gal either bah!) but I thought like all other RCs this one somehow finds her prince charming too, only thing is that she doesn't and yet does. I mean she does find a guy but the one who is the exact opposite of her dream guy. Only it took her to get a pretense job in a business world to realize that this is the guy whom she wants and not the ghost of a fake guy who lives in her imagination (well no kidding there! and I'm no feminist). It wouldn't have been a romantic-comedy if there was no happy ending and I know that most of the romantic comedies end this way but what I really liked here is that they have taken a fairy tale logic that every girl has, and proved it wrong in a very rosy and glitzy way. Hilary Duff was superb as always, very comic and cute. The movie was not boring at all and worth a watch if you're into romantic comedies. Although, the story might sound cliche/old/cheesy/corny/whatever to others (the one's who hate romantic comedies).

Image Courtesy: Google Images. One of the promotional posters created for the movie.

On being a Blogger

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 16:14:00 +0000

You know you're an obsessive blogger when:

-The first thing you do in the morning is login to your blog.
-You stare at the computer, and keep on staring thinking "I have to write something for my blog".

-You blog about an online test you just took.

-You go about pestering everybody around you to read your latest blogpost, like their only job is to read your blog.

-You ping your blog to all your friends on facebook, twitter etc., etc., spam their mailboxes, and do everything possible to make them help you spread the word on your blog.

-You keep checking every few minutes to see if anybody has visited your blog and keep refreshing it to see if you have any comments.

-You look around for other bloggers like you and join bloggers' communities you can relate to.
-You comment on others' blogs so that they’ll return the favor and comment on yours.

-You go to bloggers' meets.

-You change your lifestyle to suit your blog.

-All you think about is making a blog post whenever you hear about something interesting.

-You join blogathons to keep yourself motivated and maintain your readers' count.

-Its your friend's b'day and you blog about it.

-You take a break from blogging and feel guilty all the while.

Sometime in December 2005 I decided to have a blog linked to my personal website like everybody in those days did. At first I was very skeptical so I kept quiet for a while even after registering on blogger.

Then finally I mustered some courage and posted an introduction to my blog in Jan 2006. That’s when Rads BlogaZine became public. It’s a shame on me that in the midst of everything that’s life I totally forgot the fact that my blog completed 5 yrs last month. And the only regret I have so far is that I do not blog often which I should, atleast once a week. Anyways I’ve enjoyed publishing the few posts I wrote and listed below are my 5 faves:

1) The Garbage We Buy
2) The Balancing Act of Work and Life
3) Are you a Shopaholic
4) E-book Mania
5) A 20somethings Crysis

Thanks to blogger for hosting my blog, my online friends who inspired and encouraged me to start a blog. Thanks to all the bloggers communities which have helped me improve the look and feel of my blog, enlightened me about stuff like copyrights/disclaimers etc., and helped me publicize it. Thanks to my husband who bears with me whenever I spend time with my blog instead of with him and then reviews my posts patiently, providing suggestions on what to write and what not to.

And last but not the least THANKS to all my readers, even the silent ones, who take time out of their busy lives to visit and read all that I write patiently and some of you even comment :-o. I publish all comments unless they are spam and respond to each and every comment even if its negative. After all, feedback is what makes a good blog. Congratulations to my Blog. Cheers! :)

Image Courtesy: All images are from Google Images and since every image comes with a copyright from its owner, I don't think its necessary to credit them again.

A 20-something's crysis

noreply@blogger.com (rads) — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 03:46:00 +0000

This post has been selected as one of the Tangy Tuesday Picks on Blogadda

I came across a status message on Facebook which says: why do ALL the women in mid-thirties sound the same?....
I began commenting on that and went on to say that since the person is already in his/her mid-thirties maybe he/she'll tell me about the miseries of 20somethings first, but that might be construed rude coz not all can take sarcastically funny humor well. Then I thought why not blog about it.

I really dunno why or what happens during mid-thirties coz I'm nowhere near mid-thirties (though would sure love to see some answers to that question) but this post is not about the mid-thirties, it is about the 20-somethings phase of life which is an even more difficult hurdle to cross before one even gets to the thirties. Americans, like they always do, have come up with a fancy name for it called the "quarterlife crisis". Apparently from what I heard and read, it begins in your late teens and lasts upto your mid thirties. According to me, it is a period when one is the most screwed-up and twisted. It is the most confusing period when one gets bored with life suddenly for no reason and sick with everybody else around, clueless about what to do and where to start coz first of all he/she wouldn't know what they want out of life. The whole aim of a person during this period is: to find oneself and discover the whole meaning of one's existence. Typically a 20s is always tired of: all the boring lectures, working in the same job day after day, job changes, going to the same cafeteria and drinking the same coffee everyday, etc., etc., Maybe this is what an average person's routine is, even after this phase has passed but when you're single you tend to think "WTF am I doing and why? and for whom?" It makes you wanna do rebellious things like quit your job, decide you should shave your head suddenly one day or worse dye you're hair orange/yellow/purple whatever (but that's not the point). What I'm trying to say is that insecurity, uncertainty, indecisiveness are the major traits of these young adults. But I guess that is what happens when forced into the world to live alone after 18 to 24 years of education and guidance from teachers and parents. This is also why 20somethings get nostalgic and talk like they are still in school. They cannot let go of their childish nature easily and become mature adults out of the bloom; they also admire and get attracted to anybody who's more matured than them. You may also call this crisis a cry for help but 20somethings also can't cry out loud coz of the fear that they might be teased. Our hormones always seem to be whacked out and running a riot and I might sound like a drama queen to those reading this but that's how it is.

Suddenly it is all about money, "Is he/she making more than me or less than me? Does he/she have a better designation than me? Is he/she working in an MNC or just a consultancy? and then you start hating yourself not only becoz you're in a jobless situation but also becoz you are comparing yourself with others and wasting time instead of thinking about your future. You're in a bad mood most of the time cribbing about this and that. You are always looking for someone who is just like you to be sure that you're not alone. You're always on the lookout for a soulmate. You like someone but you're not sure if you're in love coz you really don't know what love is. You have a boyfriend/girlfriend but don't know if he/she is the one you'd like to settle down with. You also find reasons to break up coz you're in no way ready to get settled down yet. And even if you take that impulsive decision to get married you don't know if you're ready to face the challenge of having kids. You watch shows like FRIENDS, How I Met Your Mother, and Seinfeld and think the characters are exactly like you. And the next minute you log into facebook taking silly/stupid quizzes like "Which friends character are you?" anticipating the result all the while... like that is actually going to tell you the future. Also when you find a palm reader/tarot card reader or a rune reader you jump at the chance of getting your fortune told to see if your dreams would come true (I never understand why the hurry to have everything sketched out at once). You're always dreaming about having a successful life which is: to get married by 25, have kids by 30, have a good career in the field of you're interest and own a house by 35 (only if it were that easy huh?). It all becomes overwhelming and every birthday seems like you're coming close to the deadline and not achieving anything. You're parents have paid mega bucks for you're hi-fi education and so they have lots of hopes and expectations on you, OMG! there's so much pressure you think you'll have a breakdown. You feel like running off to some unknown remote island and leave everything behind. Some of you might think you have achieved something this minute and the next minute you see an overachiever you get depressed and feel hopeless again, you head back to your comfort zones or rather comfort eating for people like me. You realize life is not like the fairy tale dream you had of it when you were in school. Like Meredith Grey says in GA, we notice suddenly "We're adults. When did that happen? And how do we make it stop?".

Life gets tougher and we find ourselves quitting at every little obstacle we may have to face. And then there's that career path to take care of. You concentrate more on how to build you're resume/CV than you do on your job. You'll have to work extra hours coz you're the newbie and you have to please your boss to one day get to his position. WoW its a hell of a phase and I guess so is every other phase of life but since I've not been to any other phase yet, let me rant about this first. You don't know what your priorities are and never seem to figure out why/what to prioritize either. You already have a kid and want to have one more, but you know your mom's not ready yet for another non-paying 24X7 babysitting job. The trashing/complaining never ends!!!

So for the person who posted the above status on fb I don't know why women/people in mid-thirties think alike but I'm sure its a much less confusing and much happier phase of life (I maybe wrong but right now that's how it feels). All the above issues maybe the same with some 30somethings and mid-forties too but atleast they don't see them anymore as major issues like a 20something does since they get busy with other more important issues in life or they might have simply got used to it and accepted life like it is.

There are also a lot of books out there which tell you they can help you in your crisis and all that but you can hardly expect help from a book (I can tell you this coz I've actually bought a lot of inspiring quotes, self-help kind of books and I guess you have too when you were looking for answers to unknown questions) and I also think its a phase everybody has to go through while making their own mistakes and learning from them coz that's how we grow to become strong human beings. Also, do not let your parents pave paths and decide everything for you coz then you'll never learn/grow to become fine adults.

Some other views on 20somethings from other websites:
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=quarter%20life%20crisis
http://www.cds.caltech.edu/~shane/text/quarterlifecrisis.html

There's also a whole website and discussion forum on this topic: http://quarterlifecrisis.com/
It was created by the girls who invented the term "quarterlife crisis" sometime in the nineties...

Image Courtesy: A painting by my friend MV Harini, who's a very talented 20something stuck in corporate life :)