Monday, July 26, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
'Game Changers' Contest
By Stephanie Murg on Jun 10, 2010 02:50 PMOur friends at Design 21, the UNESCO-sponsored, globe-spanning social design network, have announced the results of their latest competition. "Game Changers" challenged Design 21 members to devise "a game that aims to create change by improving lives or inspiring new behaviors." After reviewing 90 entries from 29 countries, jurors Emily Pilloton and Richard Hutten awarded first place (and $2,000) to Brooklyn-based Danielle Pecora for her..... Clickhere to see the full article
FIFA WC Evictions- thing people dont' know....
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, June 10 (UPI) -- South Africa has evicted thousands from areas around soccer stadiums to project a good visual image of the country during the World Cup, rights groups claim.
Human rights advocates say poor South Africans living near stadiums built by the government at a cost of billions of dollars are being forcibly moved out and into settlements, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
President Jacob Zuma's government says the billions spent on stadiums and improving infrastructure will create jobs and improve the standard of living, the newspaper reported.
Many poor citizens being moved into settlements of corrugated iron shacks behind concrete walls say the impact has been the opposite.
"Why can't they take the money they spent on the stadiums and use it to build houses, not the doll houses we now live in, but proper houses?" Margaret Bennet, 45, who shares a one-room settlement shack with eight people, said. "The World Cup may be important for the high-powered people, but it means nothing for us on the streets."
"We are living in a concentration camp," said Padru Morris, 47, another settlement resident.
Evictions have a historical resonance in South Africa, where hundreds of thousands of people of mixed race were forcibly displaced from their homes under white rule to racially separate the society, the Post reported.
Natasha Flores says she was driven from her squatter's quarters near a $450 million stadium in Cape Town.
"They want to get everybody out of sight of the Western tourists," Flores said. "They don't want the world to know that South Africans are living like this."
See the Link below for more!!!
Click Here
Human rights advocates say poor South Africans living near stadiums built by the government at a cost of billions of dollars are being forcibly moved out and into settlements, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.
President Jacob Zuma's government says the billions spent on stadiums and improving infrastructure will create jobs and improve the standard of living, the newspaper reported.
Many poor citizens being moved into settlements of corrugated iron shacks behind concrete walls say the impact has been the opposite.
"Why can't they take the money they spent on the stadiums and use it to build houses, not the doll houses we now live in, but proper houses?" Margaret Bennet, 45, who shares a one-room settlement shack with eight people, said. "The World Cup may be important for the high-powered people, but it means nothing for us on the streets."
"We are living in a concentration camp," said Padru Morris, 47, another settlement resident.
Evictions have a historical resonance in South Africa, where hundreds of thousands of people of mixed race were forcibly displaced from their homes under white rule to racially separate the society, the Post reported.
Natasha Flores says she was driven from her squatter's quarters near a $450 million stadium in Cape Town.
"They want to get everybody out of sight of the Western tourists," Flores said. "They don't want the world to know that South Africans are living like this."
See the Link below for more!!!
Click Here
Today is GIFT - A FIFA World Cup Special!
Dear Diary,
The Opening Ceremony for the FIFA WC South Africa was amazing.
It started aroung 5:30 pm GMT 5:30+ (India Time. I was siting there waiting for my buiides to show up. So far, Shakira came on and now the africans were literally dances their way around the stadium. If you don't already know, they have developed their own Diski Dance. How much these people love to dance I smiled. Thankfully, Zoe, Diana, Dave and Rhett rang up front. " That's for me!" I called out as I sprang to get the door. "It's about time!" i said, as if I were in a TV Commercial. they nodded and plopped themselves on the couch. " Did we miss anything?!" Dave asked, "Yea! you came 45 mins. late" I asid dryly. " Johannesbugh looks pretty nice. too bad we didn't win the tickets." that was Rhett. He always commented somthing like this. this is just soo him, I thought. Dave tried to win tickets for 5 of us over the net....but um.. lost to a Ukrainian girl :P Rhett was such a girl somtimes, bringing up "sentimental" issues. "Rhett, we're already past that. Stop talking about it!" dave muttered and burried his face in a pillow. Rhett saw his oportunity. "That Ukrainian girl must be here somewhere...Dave can you spot her?!" "Would you guys quit it!" Zoe said sheepishly. Zoe. Dave could never stand him, cause he never liked football. Dave always tried to get him to. But it never worked. He tried to prove that he was just lazy to play or even watch. But that didn't work out either! Now, he tring to prove he's gay! There's no way a Guy would never like Soccer. well,No Comments. We spent the rest of the evening talking about different stuff, like all friends do when they've met after a while.
Finally the match begun, and we always draw slots for the tema to win. this time we got South Africa. Okay, RSA work you're magic!!! But to our horros, RSA dnt seem to be stepping up to anything. They were like school children playing for fun. I looked at Dave, he crossed his fingers. God! This was begining to look liek a Friendly...Mexico has most of teh possession till 30 mins into the game or so. Damn I really hoped we would win this, otherwise it was free dinner for Diana, Zoe and Rhett..from us. Nothing happened till Half time. This was terrible. I'm gonna go outside Zoe told us. Which immediately sparked a conversation between Dave and Rhett about how they once spent and entire 4 days watching marathon movies @ Rhett's DVD center at home, without even getting a shower. Yea, cool talk we girls always get impressed with the amazing feats the boys compete. "It's not easy!" Rhett tried to flirt Diana. " oh! yea right. I'm so attracted to you right now!!" she said sarcasticly.
Finally, Zoe was inside with us again and the match continued. "Popcorn" rhett passed the bowl over to Zoe. He was alseep. "hey! we can use him as a popcorn stand!" Rhett shouted out! " He doesn't move much" he explained, answering our puzzled and "are-you-completely-wacked" look. The finally at 54:48 South Africa had scored a Goal. He was clear out of any defenders and was approaching a defenceless Gollie. as the RSA Player flew down the field, Dave was so excited that he would score, "It's Open! It's Open!!" he kept shouting. lol. "Yea! Atta go! braided hair guy!!" When tashabalala ( hope I got that right! lol ) veered the football in the top right corner. Dave and I sprang up. High Fives. YEAH. You can imagine the rest of the faces, except Zoey's who was now um...awake. But still no emotion there.
From then on the game just Fired up..ike lightning. RSA was quick and light on the feet. Midfield was tight and the number of Free kicks and Offsides were mounting ( usually Mexico doing the offside blunders). Dave and I were now relaxed. Dave and I actually did the dance along with the RSA players after their First Goal. 
Rhett tried to act indiffernt. but Dave kept teasing him untill.. 64:06 when Mexico too secured a goal! :O Now the socre was 1-1...nothing changed after that, sure there was tons of opportunities and yes they all slipped past 'em. The game had gone into overtime before the close of the first half and did again. But that dnt help change anything. The score was 1-1...and that meant a split dinner bill between us all. " Off to yoko's Maa!" I said. "Ok, take ur sister with you!". I did. At the end of the day,to sum it all up, I met up with good friends of mine, which I hadn't in a long time. At dinner, when we all spoke, it seemed like we were never apart, that's the funny thing about Friendship. You feel it, even thoguh sometimes it isn't there! I couldn't even remember why we had a fall out last year, and I didn't want to remember anything. But it's funny how I remebered this one thing at that particular time, Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a mystery...Today is GIFT..that's why it's called the present.
Good Night Sweet Dreams,
The Opening Ceremony for the FIFA WC South Africa was amazing.
It started aroung 5:30 pm GMT 5:30+ (India Time. I was siting there waiting for my buiides to show up. So far, Shakira came on and now the africans were literally dances their way around the stadium. If you don't already know, they have developed their own Diski Dance. How much these people love to dance I smiled. Thankfully, Zoe, Diana, Dave and Rhett rang up front. " That's for me!" I called out as I sprang to get the door. "It's about time!" i said, as if I were in a TV Commercial. they nodded and plopped themselves on the couch. " Did we miss anything?!" Dave asked, "Yea! you came 45 mins. late" I asid dryly. " Johannesbugh looks pretty nice. too bad we didn't win the tickets." that was Rhett. He always commented somthing like this. this is just soo him, I thought. Dave tried to win tickets for 5 of us over the net....but um.. lost to a Ukrainian girl :P Rhett was such a girl somtimes, bringing up "sentimental" issues. "Rhett, we're already past that. Stop talking about it!" dave muttered and burried his face in a pillow. Rhett saw his oportunity. "That Ukrainian girl must be here somewhere...Dave can you spot her?!" "Would you guys quit it!" Zoe said sheepishly. Zoe. Dave could never stand him, cause he never liked football. Dave always tried to get him to. But it never worked. He tried to prove that he was just lazy to play or even watch. But that didn't work out either! Now, he tring to prove he's gay! There's no way a Guy would never like Soccer. well,No Comments. We spent the rest of the evening talking about different stuff, like all friends do when they've met after a while. Finally the match begun, and we always draw slots for the tema to win. this time we got South Africa. Okay, RSA work you're magic!!! But to our horros, RSA dnt seem to be stepping up to anything. They were like school children playing for fun. I looked at Dave, he crossed his fingers. God! This was begining to look liek a Friendly...Mexico has most of teh possession till 30 mins into the game or so. Damn I really hoped we would win this, otherwise it was free dinner for Diana, Zoe and Rhett..from us. Nothing happened till Half time. This was terrible. I'm gonna go outside Zoe told us. Which immediately sparked a conversation between Dave and Rhett about how they once spent and entire 4 days watching marathon movies @ Rhett's DVD center at home, without even getting a shower. Yea, cool talk we girls always get impressed with the amazing feats the boys compete. "It's not easy!" Rhett tried to flirt Diana. " oh! yea right. I'm so attracted to you right now!!" she said sarcasticly.
Finally, Zoe was inside with us again and the match continued. "Popcorn" rhett passed the bowl over to Zoe. He was alseep. "hey! we can use him as a popcorn stand!" Rhett shouted out! " He doesn't move much" he explained, answering our puzzled and "are-you-completely-wacked" look. The finally at 54:48 South Africa had scored a Goal. He was clear out of any defenders and was approaching a defenceless Gollie. as the RSA Player flew down the field, Dave was so excited that he would score, "It's Open! It's Open!!" he kept shouting. lol. "Yea! Atta go! braided hair guy!!" When tashabalala ( hope I got that right! lol ) veered the football in the top right corner. Dave and I sprang up. High Fives. YEAH. You can imagine the rest of the faces, except Zoey's who was now um...awake. But still no emotion there.
From then on the game just Fired up..ike lightning. RSA was quick and light on the feet. Midfield was tight and the number of Free kicks and Offsides were mounting ( usually Mexico doing the offside blunders). Dave and I were now relaxed. Dave and I actually did the dance along with the RSA players after their First Goal. Rhett tried to act indiffernt. but Dave kept teasing him untill.. 64:06 when Mexico too secured a goal! :O Now the socre was 1-1...nothing changed after that, sure there was tons of opportunities and yes they all slipped past 'em. The game had gone into overtime before the close of the first half and did again. But that dnt help change anything. The score was 1-1...and that meant a split dinner bill between us all. " Off to yoko's Maa!" I said. "Ok, take ur sister with you!". I did. At the end of the day,to sum it all up, I met up with good friends of mine, which I hadn't in a long time. At dinner, when we all spoke, it seemed like we were never apart, that's the funny thing about Friendship. You feel it, even thoguh sometimes it isn't there! I couldn't even remember why we had a fall out last year, and I didn't want to remember anything. But it's funny how I remebered this one thing at that particular time, Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is a mystery...Today is GIFT..that's why it's called the present. Good Night Sweet Dreams,
Friday, June 11, 2010
FIFA World Cup is here!!!!!
YES!! After months
of waiting while we all ( most of us) literally stroke the day off the calendar as we began the count down to the world's most awaited events.
Twitter tweets were filled with words of cnthusiasm and excitement ( which could also be termed as slightly eccentric for a few ppl) and it wasn't long before the "Trending List" widget at the side changed to " FIFA Wrold Cup" with regular tweets from FIFAcom last tweeted "FIFAcom - Kofi Annan has spoken to us, describing the FWC as 'a tremendous opportunity for Africa.' Watch out for the full ITW later."20 minutes ago via PULSE ers a visual of the excitement at event.
Even twitter has made their own page of the World Cup with a side bar on the left with releated tweets.
I myself have be tweeting about this all morning and liretally screaming it out to my friends on Facebook and Youtube. I'd love to know what team you're rooting for or to just hear a tweet from you about the world cup.
While I will be walking you thorough the FIFA WC 2010, South Africa. I'm also giving you a link for the Schedule The web user experience for this web site is fantastic, really neat work here ( the streaming is soo colse adn real, I almost cried). So, you'll get another post from me about the two matched today. Stay Tuned.
Tweet me, love to hear from you!
of waiting while we all ( most of us) literally stroke the day off the calendar as we began the count down to the world's most awaited events.
Twitter tweets were filled with words of cnthusiasm and excitement ( which could also be termed as slightly eccentric for a few ppl) and it wasn't long before the "Trending List" widget at the side changed to " FIFA Wrold Cup" with regular tweets from FIFAcom last tweeted "FIFAcom - Kofi Annan has spoken to us, describing the FWC as 'a tremendous opportunity for Africa.' Watch out for the full ITW later."20 minutes ago via PULSE ers a visual of the excitement at event.
Even twitter has made their own page of the World Cup with a side bar on the left with releated tweets.
I myself have be tweeting about this all morning and liretally screaming it out to my friends on Facebook and Youtube. I'd love to know what team you're rooting for or to just hear a tweet from you about the world cup.
While I will be walking you thorough the FIFA WC 2010, South Africa. I'm also giving you a link for the Schedule The web user experience for this web site is fantastic, really neat work here ( the streaming is soo colse adn real, I almost cried). So, you'll get another post from me about the two matched today. Stay Tuned.
Tweet me, love to hear from you!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Inspired by Iceland!!!
Tweeting through my tweets was like any other usual day...until I was re-tweeted by Danish actor, Viggo Mortensen and British writer and comedian, Stephen Fry with tweets supporting the 700 million krona (450 million Euros) promotional campaign ‘Inspired by Iceland’ that was announced at a tourism conference earlier this month.
The new campaign is specifically intended to improve the image of Iceland after the negative media attention the country gained throughout the volcanic eruption at "Eyjafjallajokull", (don't bother if you can't say that!! hehe). The campaign will show that the real situation in Iceland is actually safe and will encourage people to come and visit the country.
The website can be found here
or on twitter
and have around 250 followers.
and is liked on facebook by 3,152 people.
Stephen Fry ‘Tweeted’ on his Twitter page through the ‘Inspired by Iceland’ Facebook page, which is part of the campaign, announcing to his readers that despite what some people may think of Iceland, the country is still exciting, beautiful and safe to travel around. This is great support for the campaign as Stephen Fry is one of the most famous British actors and a well respected journalist. On the ‘Inspired by Iceland’ website yesterday, an interview with Viggo Mortensen also saw him speak highly of Iceland, its beauty and its people.
According to Einar Karl Haraldsson, a representative of the ‘Inspired by Iceland’ campaign, they intend to get more interviews and support from other well-known figures to support the campaign and promote the country in a positive light. “This of course will help show the world what the current situation in Iceland actually is,” commented Einar.
The ‘Inspired by Iceland’ campaign will be officially launched today at a dedicated ceremony in aircraft hangar 4 at Reykjavik Domestic Airport.
The new campaign is specifically intended to improve the image of Iceland after the negative media attention the country gained throughout the volcanic eruption at "Eyjafjallajokull", (don't bother if you can't say that!! hehe). The campaign will show that the real situation in Iceland is actually safe and will encourage people to come and visit the country.
The website can be found here
or on twitter
and have around 250 followers.
and is liked on facebook by 3,152 people.
Stephen Fry ‘Tweeted’ on his Twitter page through the ‘Inspired by Iceland’ Facebook page, which is part of the campaign, announcing to his readers that despite what some people may think of Iceland, the country is still exciting, beautiful and safe to travel around. This is great support for the campaign as Stephen Fry is one of the most famous British actors and a well respected journalist. On the ‘Inspired by Iceland’ website yesterday, an interview with Viggo Mortensen also saw him speak highly of Iceland, its beauty and its people.
According to Einar Karl Haraldsson, a representative of the ‘Inspired by Iceland’ campaign, they intend to get more interviews and support from other well-known figures to support the campaign and promote the country in a positive light. “This of course will help show the world what the current situation in Iceland actually is,” commented Einar.
The ‘Inspired by Iceland’ campaign will be officially launched today at a dedicated ceremony in aircraft hangar 4 at Reykjavik Domestic Airport.
Pac-Man 30th Anniversary
Pac-Man started out as the most loved PC game. Being highly addictive and fun, Pac-Man which was actually inspired by a "pizza-without-a-slice" soon grew in popularity and has now completed its 30th Anniversary. Which Google celebrated today on its main search engine website (http://www.google.com). Google has also done similar attempts in the past; for example, giving an image of the Hubble Space Satellite during a landmark set by it according to NASA. Or rendering a series of connected images to form the words Google. From the screenshots on this post, you can see the Google image that has a Pac-man game user-interface with the words Google in it. What I realized soon enough ( before my Pac-man was eaten alive!!) was that the image was actually like a game-application of Pac-Man itself.
A real masterpiece, it is like the real deal. With 3 lives and bonus points (the cherries) and also comes with the looped sound as you begin playing. And as icing on the cake, it is also very much user interactive. Breaking it down into smaller its, it is in fact a PNG file that is rendered in Adobe Image Ready. And used encoding of UTF-8, which is done to ensure it displays on all browsers of different versions.
It also displays your score, and after you're Game over, you're directed to the Pac-man Google search Page. So go there and check it out for yourself.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Garnier & Times of India "Take Charge" Initiative
Garnier & TOI had launched a Take care, Take Charge" Initiative,to help build a greener planet.
What has been a very successful event as youth and other citizens poured in with thousands of Green Ideas in a little more than two weeks. The last day of "sharing these ideas with them is 11th May 2010.
TOI has stated that they will but 10 pkg of used paper for recycling for every idea recieved. Moreover, the best six will be published in the TOI and featured in a special edition. Not to mention that the Giovernment will receive these recomendations for implementaion or devlopement...so waht better way to get your idea immplemented for the redemtion of our planet earth, creating a new face of India, and being recognized for it!
So Let's not waste anymore time, let's Take Charge.
What has been a very successful event as youth and other citizens poured in with thousands of Green Ideas in a little more than two weeks. The last day of "sharing these ideas with them is 11th May 2010.
TOI has stated that they will but 10 pkg of used paper for recycling for every idea recieved. Moreover, the best six will be published in the TOI and featured in a special edition. Not to mention that the Giovernment will receive these recomendations for implementaion or devlopement...so waht better way to get your idea immplemented for the redemtion of our planet earth, creating a new face of India, and being recognized for it!
So Let's not waste anymore time, let's Take Charge.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
I'm Back!!!!
Okay...So, the exams were finally done away with! And boy! Did that feel good. Yup! It feels good to be back....
I'll keep posting as regularly as possible. Stay Tuned for More....YOu are gonna LOVE this!!!
I'll keep posting as regularly as possible. Stay Tuned for More....YOu are gonna LOVE this!!!
Friday, January 22, 2010
GraphicalWizz on Facebook.
Well, yea I was soo tempted to even start that I just couldn't wait. I've finally made a fan page for GraphicalWizz on FACEBOOK but felt pretty bumnbed out whan I realized I needed 100 fand to get a subdomain on facebook...So, i have to wait to get 100 fans just to get a ' facebook.com/graphicalwizz' sub-domain. Hope you liked my new blog layout. GraphicalWIzz has a new look as well. Stay Tuned.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
2009 Review ; The Year that was!!!
Year 2009 had alot of great things. There’s so much to begin from. This article is wrtten from a personal point of view. So, I’m going to tell you how 2009 affected me in a personal way. Ofcourse, I could come up with a Top 10 Music Videos of 2009 or Best Surprises of 2009. But I wished to write this, to personally assess myself; especially after not giving time for spiritual thinking. But really, how much can you blame a girl for enjoying life?! Hey! You’re only 16 once a life time!! So, 2009 was exceptionally hard for me. In the paragraphs preceding you’ll see the humanly insane days of my life, and why it was so hard...not to laugh!
In the month of January, nothing much developed. Was still a Freshman @ Andrew's. Yes, just a couple of immature guys bragging about the New Year parties attended not forgetting the the photos actually had them having "Non-Alchoilic beers", and that boys discovering that..didn't see us arounds for days on end. And then the last three months of the academic year means more bunking, more fun, less lectures etc.etc.etc. And making fun of college life were the best jokes of the day. One went like this –
“ A Genius can do something in one day for what a fool will do in 100 days....So as the end of this year approaches....we finish learning our syllabus in a day( right before an exam) what the faculty tried to make us learn in a year.”
February and March was over by then and so was the academic year. And THAT’S WHEN THE FUN STARTS!!! I was finally down with the possibly worst year at High School. Had the minimal friends possible, landed myself in to leads of trouble (which I’d love to share with you for a couple of laughs, but sadly that was 2008) and in high school, that’s a wrong foot to start on. So, now I was relieved. I was away from all the crazy dudes, the politics, the freak boy who stalks me adn the snobs, the jocks and the LOUD cheerleading kinds of groups. (No, we don’t actually have cheerleading squad. Some act like they are though ;) lol)But now, I was free. The vacations were great time for me to relax and rejuvenate. I struck a cord with music and went back to playing my keyboard and even tried the guitar. I tried to perfect my writing skills, but I’m getting pretty much there don’t you think?? I also experimented with Photoshop a lot and used inspiration from friends and just boredom to create some worthy digital designs. You can check them out on my previous posts this month. By the end of all this, I had found many thing I take joy in and it’s great to discover things like this. It’s an outlet to every emotion and dream inside you. Some people take jobs and work hard for the money. They don’t have something to channelize the rest of their energy and soul into, something that has a part of them in it. But, I had,this was like discovering treasure for me!
In June, the last year of high school started. I was again almost friendless. But even though the glorious days of high school that everyone wants almost never comes. I still have no regrets. Infact, I realize that I am a much stronger person than I was. I may not handle every situation properly, but I can learn from my mistakes, a friend told me not to believe that everyone should be like me. No everyone is not nice, and everything is not always harmonious. It’s like expecting a Lion not to eat you because you’re vegetarian!!!
I also, learnt that people must always be taken at face value, not at how they sweet-talk their way into you! Because, the eyes are truly a mirror of the soul! I learnt that you don’t need to be famous to be happy, you don’t need people to praise you be happy. It all comes from within. And most importantly I learned the true value of friendship. What it takes to give and receive! Who really will be there for you? And before I knew it, time had done what I does best; move like the wind-going so swiftly and never turning back! 2009 was closing, but was far from over. My birthday was a blast. I got the greatest gifts and even though the birthday was low-profile I was more than happy. This year will end. And 2010 will be the year to implement the changes in our lives from 2009. Cause, time moves on and although we can probably never keep pace...atleast we had a jolly good time at it! Life had thought me a valuable lesson, many infact.And I may never remember what happened in summer of 2009, but I will always remember the times!
In the month of January, nothing much developed. Was still a Freshman @ Andrew's. Yes, just a couple of immature guys bragging about the New Year parties attended not forgetting the the photos actually had them having "Non-Alchoilic beers", and that boys discovering that..didn't see us arounds for days on end. And then the last three months of the academic year means more bunking, more fun, less lectures etc.etc.etc. And making fun of college life were the best jokes of the day. One went like this –
“ A Genius can do something in one day for what a fool will do in 100 days....So as the end of this year approaches....we finish learning our syllabus in a day( right before an exam) what the faculty tried to make us learn in a year.”
February and March was over by then and so was the academic year. And THAT’S WHEN THE FUN STARTS!!! I was finally down with the possibly worst year at High School. Had the minimal friends possible, landed myself in to leads of trouble (which I’d love to share with you for a couple of laughs, but sadly that was 2008) and in high school, that’s a wrong foot to start on. So, now I was relieved. I was away from all the crazy dudes, the politics, the freak boy who stalks me adn the snobs, the jocks and the LOUD cheerleading kinds of groups. (No, we don’t actually have cheerleading squad. Some act like they are though ;) lol)But now, I was free. The vacations were great time for me to relax and rejuvenate. I struck a cord with music and went back to playing my keyboard and even tried the guitar. I tried to perfect my writing skills, but I’m getting pretty much there don’t you think?? I also experimented with Photoshop a lot and used inspiration from friends and just boredom to create some worthy digital designs. You can check them out on my previous posts this month. By the end of all this, I had found many thing I take joy in and it’s great to discover things like this. It’s an outlet to every emotion and dream inside you. Some people take jobs and work hard for the money. They don’t have something to channelize the rest of their energy and soul into, something that has a part of them in it. But, I had,this was like discovering treasure for me!
In June, the last year of high school started. I was again almost friendless. But even though the glorious days of high school that everyone wants almost never comes. I still have no regrets. Infact, I realize that I am a much stronger person than I was. I may not handle every situation properly, but I can learn from my mistakes, a friend told me not to believe that everyone should be like me. No everyone is not nice, and everything is not always harmonious. It’s like expecting a Lion not to eat you because you’re vegetarian!!!
I also, learnt that people must always be taken at face value, not at how they sweet-talk their way into you! Because, the eyes are truly a mirror of the soul! I learnt that you don’t need to be famous to be happy, you don’t need people to praise you be happy. It all comes from within. And most importantly I learned the true value of friendship. What it takes to give and receive! Who really will be there for you? And before I knew it, time had done what I does best; move like the wind-going so swiftly and never turning back! 2009 was closing, but was far from over. My birthday was a blast. I got the greatest gifts and even though the birthday was low-profile I was more than happy. This year will end. And 2010 will be the year to implement the changes in our lives from 2009. Cause, time moves on and although we can probably never keep pace...atleast we had a jolly good time at it! Life had thought me a valuable lesson, many infact.And I may never remember what happened in summer of 2009, but I will always remember the times!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Mona Lisa Smile ^_^
As I mentioned earlier....I had, quite some time back landed myself in a trivial argument with a contradicting so-called "writer" and "Liberalist" who refused to believe in a different form of art or creativity other that hers.(Oh well!) 
But ever since then, I have always pondered upon that and laughed and wondered "Art, Creativity...what do people really understand of it?" And it's always brought me back to my favourite Julie Robert's Mona Lisa Smile.
If you've seen the movie you'll know what I'm talking about. (And If you've seen the movie you've gotta love it.)
A class of students master everything in their books from head to tail even before the acedemic year begins. You might think wonderful class, but then what do they know outside the text book......hmmmm not much, huh? where did the art appreciating go wrong in school?!
Myunworthy opponent stated that photography was an art only mastered by few. And certain family photographs
were thus not artful enough. However, graphics editing need not have any level of professionalism or experience!!!! Much like - Anyone who says "art is anthing I say is art, is art" just another way for a non-artist to justify the non-art.
So, then what defines art? Is it just be a renowned artist that makes it art. Do, you have to spend millions of money on art school, just to show people your art and have them appreciated?!
What would you say to a person who stood besides you in a art gallery and said - " I think the Mona Lisa sucks!" or "Vincent van Gogh simply paints landscapes...what's art in that? Any person with skill can do that"
Sadly enough, "unprofessional" work is the most creative artwork usually. Why do we spend millions of dollars to buy a painting of some"famous" artist that looks lke it's made of calk and crayons; but laugh at a small child's art?! "St. Valentine's Day Massacre", has a large, floating, orblike, slightly heart-shaped beacon of color in the middle of the canvas. Oddly enough, closer inspection might suggest that the figure looks like the imprint from a large set of buttocks. (Which it is since the artist ended up sitting on his canvas.) The other fraternity brothers submit paintings of similar quality. ?!!!! As far as art is concerned, I guess it doesn't matter if it's thought to be good or bad, as long as the consumer likes it. If you like something, then it's "good" art. But if you don't, it doesn't mean it's not.
One day as we all chatted merrily away, a friend told us about her expidition to the art gallery where a group of school students were accompnying them too. The teacher had given out face cards, one type was a smile, and the oher a sad face. The students had to place them below drawings and rate them accordingly. And children did as told. But, the results?! The children thubmed up paintings with more white, simply coz it looked like cotton candy or icecream. And the darker paintings were thubmed down :p
But then again, learning from our mistakes as we accept them brings us to a point where we ask - " How can one know what is true art??"
"Guud owne, mate!" I say. And lucky for you I have the answers right here-
-->Good art can be a matter of good concept or excellent skills in execution, but I think great art touches the mind, heart or soul of the viewer.
-->Art is anything that "touches" you in a way.
To me, art is something you can watch, hear, feel or taste each day, every day, and never grow tired of how it makes you feel......
-->Craft (or skill), Mimesis (representation),Aesthetics (Form or beauty)
Expression.
-->When you discover new different things the more you look at it or read it.
And most of all,
-->Art is everywhere though. It just depends on how you look at it. ;)
So, here's to all those who got it out wrong there. But then, again there's no right from wrong in art...it's just a matter of perspective and broad vision!!!!
PS: I know you're watching...copy this too! BTW I hope you liked this post on you ^_^
But ever since then, I have always pondered upon that and laughed and wondered "Art, Creativity...what do people really understand of it?" And it's always brought me back to my favourite Julie Robert's Mona Lisa Smile.
If you've seen the movie you'll know what I'm talking about. (And If you've seen the movie you've gotta love it.)
A class of students master everything in their books from head to tail even before the acedemic year begins. You might think wonderful class, but then what do they know outside the text book......hmmmm not much, huh? where did the art appreciating go wrong in school?!My
were thus not artful enough. However, graphics editing need not have any level of professionalism or experience!!!! Much like - Anyone who says "art is anthing I say is art, is art" just another way for a non-artist to justify the non-art.So, then what defines art? Is it just be a renowned artist that makes it art. Do, you have to spend millions of money on art school, just to show people your art and have them appreciated?!
What would you say to a person who stood besides you in a art gallery and said - " I think the Mona Lisa sucks!" or "Vincent van Gogh simply paints landscapes...what's art in that? Any person with skill can do that"
Sadly enough, "unprofessional" work is the most creative artwork usually. Why do we spend millions of dollars to buy a painting of some"famous" artist that looks lke it's made of calk and crayons; but laugh at a small child's art?! "St. Valentine's Day Massacre", has a large, floating, orblike, slightly heart-shaped beacon of color in the middle of the canvas. Oddly enough, closer inspection might suggest that the figure looks like the imprint from a large set of buttocks. (Which it is since the artist ended up sitting on his canvas.) The other fraternity brothers submit paintings of similar quality. ?!!!! As far as art is concerned, I guess it doesn't matter if it's thought to be good or bad, as long as the consumer likes it. If you like something, then it's "good" art. But if you don't, it doesn't mean it's not.
One day as we all chatted merrily away, a friend told us about her expidition to the art gallery where a group of school students were accompnying them too. The teacher had given out face cards, one type was a smile, and the oher a sad face. The students had to place them below drawings and rate them accordingly. And children did as told. But, the results?! The children thubmed up paintings with more white, simply coz it looked like cotton candy or icecream. And the darker paintings were thubmed down :p
But then again, learning from our mistakes as we accept them brings us to a point where we ask - " How can one know what is true art??"
"Guud owne, mate!" I say. And lucky for you I have the answers right here-
-->Good art can be a matter of good concept or excellent skills in execution, but I think great art touches the mind, heart or soul of the viewer.
-->Art is anything that "touches" you in a way.
To me, art is something you can watch, hear, feel or taste each day, every day, and never grow tired of how it makes you feel......
-->Craft (or skill), Mimesis (representation),Aesthetics (Form or beauty)
Expression.
-->When you discover new different things the more you look at it or read it.
And most of all,
-->Art is everywhere though. It just depends on how you look at it. ;)
So, here's to all those who got it out wrong there. But then, again there's no right from wrong in art...it's just a matter of perspective and broad vision!!!!
PS: I know you're watching...copy this too! BTW I hope you liked this post on you ^_^
Thursday, December 10, 2009
The Twilight Saga: New Moon Review
Yes! They're back!! The newest in thing in tinsel-town....Vampires. But what tops that all - True Blood Series, Blade Series..is our one and only Twilight.
I'm not giving you an insight about Twilight. If you don't know it yet?! Boy! You're are way too 'Zombiee-ised' and outta-this-world!
So, the next hot thing...Edward and Bella's Love Story.As I walked into the cinema hall, I was delighted, I hadn't got a chance to read the book yet, partly because I wanted to be surprised at the movie's screening. And here I was ready to be surprised and have the daylights knocked outta me!! Yes!I came prepared.
I had paid so much attention to detail, much more than the previous movie! And, I like most others was expecting to see somethign more between Edward Nand Bella...how their love grew, their passion so much that it would be unbearable to part. BUt, it wasn't anything like it! The group of Vampires who call themselves the "Cullens"...(haha and you though only wolves moved in packs?!!!) wanted to hold a paerty for Bella. But, they start getting unconfortable when Bella accidentally cuts her finger. ANd their thirst for her blood becomes hard to cover.
But that paper cut at her party causes a violent stir and soon the family reckons it’s time to leave. Edward gives his “It’s not you, it’s me” speech, which sounds more like “We can’t be together because I might kill you” and the vampires are gone.
Surprisingly Edward turns up for hardly any screen time. And Bella who seems to be lost in the human world is hunting for someone...soulmate, perhaps?!
Then there are a few quick scenes to remind everyone that the Cullens are, in fact, vampires with special powers. Reading minds, seeing the future, and controlling moods are all checked off in a few quick exchanges of dialogue.
And then Jacob shows up...although at first everything seems perfectly normal somethings not right!
And, Taylor Lautner surprisingly shows promise as an actor( way to go buddy!), from his previous staring - Shark Boy( Image Below) if only because he was able to keep a straight face when the line “Bella, you’re bleeding!” became his cue to take off his shirt.
And then as you know it. Naturally, Jacob’s developed pecks come from a fever that eventually turns him into a werewolf, where hanging with his friends means trading in a normal life for denim jean shorts and six pack abs. Though their furry forms mean little more than special effects dollars spent on snarling.
And then he goes on fighting his vampire enimies, and tries to convince Bella that he will protect her from those blood-thirsting vampires.
And the moviw goes on for quite a long, uninteresting time. As, I am tempted to count the popcorn as I eat them!!!
A long-awaited, yet rushed climax transports Bella to Italy in order to stop “The Sparkle Show” starring a suicidal Edward Cullen. There she encounters the infamous Volturi, a vampire council of various talents. This plot detour provides a tasty role for Michael Sheen, but only leads to more tedious dialogue. The dramatic pauses alone could have saved precious time that could be spent doing… well, anything else.
Still, as her ashen-boyfriend comes back, she still throws Jacob those stealing glances. And goes up to say she likes the warmth of his body. By now, I had eaten 87 popcorns. And this movie was as cheesy as the previous one.
All-in-all, the movie is definately worth a watch! And besides, Twilight fans decided to go way before the director was even considering his budget for the film. It's worth the money...even if you're not a twilight saga fan...I'd suggest you to go....missing out to see these hotties is NOT one of the top 50 things to do before you're dead!!! No. I'm Serious.
Olympic Torch Relay heads to Vancouver
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The following appeared on Boston.com:
Headline: Olympic Torch Relay heads to Vancouver
Date: Dec 10, 2009
"After departing Athens, Greece on October 30th, the Olympic Flame has been traveling across Canada, now about 1/3 of the way into its 106-day, 26,000 km overland relay (another 18,000 km by air). Over 12,000 torch-bearers will carry the flame along a winding path covering all of Canada, passing through over 1,000 communities total - from Toronto, Winnipeg and Calgary to smaller communities such as Gwa'Sala-Nakwaxda'xw, Notre-Dame-du-Lac, Moose Jaw and Sheshatshiu. The final destination: Vancouver's BC Place on February 12, 2010, where it will light the Olympic Cauldron and signal the start of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Expect a follow-up post early next year, covering the rest of the journey."
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To see this recommendation, click on the link below or cut and paste it
into a Web browser:
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Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Butler not living up to preseason hype
December, 8, 2009
Dec 811:59PM By Andy KatzNEW YORK – Butler coach Brad Stevens said that the Bulldogs are essentially the same team that was picked fifth in the Horizon League prior to last season.
That same team won the league, highlighted by beating Xavier on the road when the Musketeers were No. 13 in the country. But the next ranked team Butler played was in the first round of the NCAA tournament –- a loss to No. 20 LSU.
Throughout the summer, the buzz on the Bulldogs was on Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack after they helped the USA win the Under-19 FIBA World Championship gold for the first time since 1991. Pitt's Jamie Dixon, who coached the team, said that what he learned about Mack and Hayward is that he didn’t want to play Butler.
Well, John Thompson III's Georgetown team played Butler on Tuesday and the Hoyas played them well, winning 72-65 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. Afterward, JT3 wanted to make sure that everyone knew that the core of the Bulldog players could play on any high-level team.
He’s right, but the Big Three -- Hayward, Mack and center Matt Howard -- were a combined 13-of-43 (30.2 percent) against the Hoyas, who held the Bulldogs to 31 percent shooting on the night . By and large, it's fair to say that Butler still hasn’t elevated itself since last season.
The schedule has certainly been tough, playing and winning at Northwestern, (the Wildcats haven't lost since), but losing to Clemson and Minnesota and squeezing out a last-second win over a down UCLA at the 76 Classic in Anaheim two weeks ago.
Ohio State, sans all-American Evan Turner (fracture in his back), is on tap Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse and then Xavier pays Butler a visit after that. Then a road trip to 8-1 UAB awaits.
“My point about our schedule is we want to play people,’’ Stevens said. “Let’s live. Let’s go out and challenge ourselves and see how good we can be.’’
Still, these Bulldogs are 1-8 against ranked teams since the start of the 2007-08 season.
“I know we’re pretty young and naïve on this whole deal,’’ Stevens said. “We’ve lived this on every side, won the conference tournament, been an at-large and not gotten in. We’re just committed to playing the way we need to play.’’
Stevens said the Bulldogs have to focus on themselves and can’t feel sorry for their current state. They have to go back to being a proficient offensive team and defend better.
Howard must stay on the court, too. He fouled out in 25 minutes, the fifth time this season he’s been gone too early. Howard missed his first eight shots and finished 1-of-9, which was made more difficult by the play of Georgetown’s Greg Monroe.
“If he’s out, he’s out and we just have to deal with it,’’ said Butler guard Shelvin Mack, who had his right shoulder taped in the hallway at Madison Square Garden after tweaking it during the game. “We’ve got to get back to playing Butler basketball and playing defense. That’s the main thing. We can’t allow teams to shoot over 50 percent against us.’’
Minnesota shot 50 percent against the Bulldogs. Even Valparaiso shot over 50 percent.
Starting with the Turner-less Buckeyes this weekend, all that Butler needs to do now is win games. It's possible the Bulldogs may need to win the Horizon League tournament to get a bid, but the Bulldogs will likely find a way into the field. Once there, if Howard stays out of foul trouble, they’ll have a chance to advance. But there is still plenty of work to do.
The coaches and players say they weren’t caught up in the preseason No. 10 ranking. Butler had never been ranked in the preseason, let alone at No. 10. Now the hype will die down a bit. Once Butler is back to being relevant, the Bulldogs will likely be more prepared for the exposure.
“A ranking doesn’t win any games,’’ Mack said. “You’ve got to play defense. It doesn’t matter where we were picked.’’
Dec 811:59PM By Andy KatzNEW YORK – Butler coach Brad Stevens said that the Bulldogs are essentially the same team that was picked fifth in the Horizon League prior to last season.
That same team won the league, highlighted by beating Xavier on the road when the Musketeers were No. 13 in the country. But the next ranked team Butler played was in the first round of the NCAA tournament –- a loss to No. 20 LSU.
Throughout the summer, the buzz on the Bulldogs was on Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack after they helped the USA win the Under-19 FIBA World Championship gold for the first time since 1991. Pitt's Jamie Dixon, who coached the team, said that what he learned about Mack and Hayward is that he didn’t want to play Butler.
Well, John Thompson III's Georgetown team played Butler on Tuesday and the Hoyas played them well, winning 72-65 in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden. Afterward, JT3 wanted to make sure that everyone knew that the core of the Bulldog players could play on any high-level team.
He’s right, but the Big Three -- Hayward, Mack and center Matt Howard -- were a combined 13-of-43 (30.2 percent) against the Hoyas, who held the Bulldogs to 31 percent shooting on the night . By and large, it's fair to say that Butler still hasn’t elevated itself since last season.
The schedule has certainly been tough, playing and winning at Northwestern, (the Wildcats haven't lost since), but losing to Clemson and Minnesota and squeezing out a last-second win over a down UCLA at the 76 Classic in Anaheim two weeks ago.
Ohio State, sans all-American Evan Turner (fracture in his back), is on tap Saturday at Hinkle Fieldhouse and then Xavier pays Butler a visit after that. Then a road trip to 8-1 UAB awaits.
“My point about our schedule is we want to play people,’’ Stevens said. “Let’s live. Let’s go out and challenge ourselves and see how good we can be.’’
Still, these Bulldogs are 1-8 against ranked teams since the start of the 2007-08 season.
“I know we’re pretty young and naïve on this whole deal,’’ Stevens said. “We’ve lived this on every side, won the conference tournament, been an at-large and not gotten in. We’re just committed to playing the way we need to play.’’
Stevens said the Bulldogs have to focus on themselves and can’t feel sorry for their current state. They have to go back to being a proficient offensive team and defend better.
Howard must stay on the court, too. He fouled out in 25 minutes, the fifth time this season he’s been gone too early. Howard missed his first eight shots and finished 1-of-9, which was made more difficult by the play of Georgetown’s Greg Monroe.
“If he’s out, he’s out and we just have to deal with it,’’ said Butler guard Shelvin Mack, who had his right shoulder taped in the hallway at Madison Square Garden after tweaking it during the game. “We’ve got to get back to playing Butler basketball and playing defense. That’s the main thing. We can’t allow teams to shoot over 50 percent against us.’’
Minnesota shot 50 percent against the Bulldogs. Even Valparaiso shot over 50 percent.
Starting with the Turner-less Buckeyes this weekend, all that Butler needs to do now is win games. It's possible the Bulldogs may need to win the Horizon League tournament to get a bid, but the Bulldogs will likely find a way into the field. Once there, if Howard stays out of foul trouble, they’ll have a chance to advance. But there is still plenty of work to do.
The coaches and players say they weren’t caught up in the preseason No. 10 ranking. Butler had never been ranked in the preseason, let alone at No. 10. Now the hype will die down a bit. Once Butler is back to being relevant, the Bulldogs will likely be more prepared for the exposure.
“A ranking doesn’t win any games,’’ Mack said. “You’ve got to play defense. It doesn’t matter where we were picked.’’
Life on Mars...again?!!
Well, one hypothesis down..two to go! lol
Life on Mars theory boosted by new methane study
Scientists have ruled out the possibility that methane is delivered to Mars by meteorites, raising fresh hopes that the gas might be generated by life on the red planet, in research published tomorrow in Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
Some Digital artwork from way back!! Share your thoughts!
Techno 2032 is colourized and rendered to give the artist rendering of the future.
All rights reserved by Elvina D'Souza
Digital artwork of various sketches were used to achieve this digital painting. Colorization has not been added.
All rights reserved by Elvina D'Souza
Very basic and ameture editing donw on this digital artwork. Textures, lighting and erndering effects are used here.
All rights reserved by Elvina D'Souza
This non-photographic art piece was delivered by using color gradients, lightning effects and brush actions,the artist redention of stardust and celestial activity.
All rights reserved by Elvina D'Souza
Just an Art Illustration done by Elvina D'Souza. I used clip images and textures,overlay and lighting effects to achieve this.
All rights reserved by Elvina D'Souza
A Non-commercial poster by ElvinaD'Souza. LIghting, and rendering only are used in this digital art .
All rights reserved by Elvina D'Souza
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