Broken Strings of Friendship

The agony of losing a friend
Eats you up from the inside
For not knowing what you did wrong
They do not care to respond back
Even after you have tried so many times
You have given up, but thinking hasn't
Where was it that you went wrong?
Not being able to find the answer
Ever
For the memory of that last conversation
Haunts you forever...
Heart broken and gloomy is how you feel.

July 31, 2007

Summer Tips

Avoid being out in the sun, if possible.

Always wear sunglasses that block 100% UV when out in the sun. Buy the sunglasses that cover your eyes from sides as well. UV rays get reflected from the ground surfaces as well. UV rays harm the eyes and cause cataracts.

Cover yourself up when out in the sun. Wear thicker fabrics like denim instead of cottons or wool, which let the UV rays pass through them much more easily.

Wear sunblock with SPF 30 or more at least 30 minutes before heading out in the sun. Avoid putting it on skin above your eyes/forehead.

Wear a hat to protect head and skin around your head/neck.

Drink plenty of fluids to keep yourself hydrated. Water is the best. How can you determine if you're dehydrated? An easy indicator is the color of urine. Clear means you're well hydrated. Don't drink too much water all at the same time. That could cause problems.

Protect children from sun and UV rays.

Spread the word.

Speeding kills!

Two tragic accidents in less than four days. Some drivers have gone crazy in San Jose, I say.

First one was on Monday 7/23/2007 8:20 PM, when a 19-yr old Erik Satterstrom rammed his Nissan 350Z at 80 MPH on a 35 MPH road in Almaden area of San Jose killing innocent pedestrians Inder Paul Batra, 65, Physics professor and his wife Uma Batra, 57, Dietician and then crashing into trees causing the car to burst in flames and killing himself along with his passenger Max Harding, 18.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6451806?source=most_viewed

Images

Second one on Thursday 7/26/2007 7:40 AM, on I-280 South in San Jose, where a 68-year-old Guadalupe Gomez of Redwood City rammed his car at more than 100 MPH in another car, injuring Jedidiah Lee Dooley, 27, of Los Gatos. And then hit another car who was being driven by a 39-year-old father of five daughters from San Jose - Troy Edwin Johnson. The latter burst into fire killing the driver on the scene. Gomez is facing manslaughter charges for his reckless driving spree.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_6476959?source=most_viewed

Images

It is just too sad to see people are speeding without caring about others and taking innocent lives. Innocent people who are loved by their loved ones and will sorely be missed. What a price to pay for the innocents and their loved ones! May their souls rest in peace.

To all who drive out there: Think twice before speeding and realize, you might make others suffer along with yourself for a fun that lasts few seconds.

Tips to keep spammers at bay

A few tips to help keep your email address and computer safe from spammers/viruses, etc.:

1. Do not post your email on any websites where public can see it. If you have to, do it with spaces in between and use word "at" instead of @ and word "dot" instead of actual "." e.g. jsmith at yahoo dot com. A lot of spammers use computer programs to search on websites for email addresses and if you don't put @ and . then their program doesn't catch your address, but a human being reading can access your email address.
   
   
2. Ask everyone in your address book to only open emails from you that have your name in the FROM field e.g. John Smith insteaf of jsmith. Most of the time, spammers know our email IDs but not actual names. If you get an email from someone you know and it has their email ID instead of their actual name, do not open or check with them before opening their email.
   
   
3. In your email account's address book, create a new entry with email address aaaaa@aaaaa.aaaaa or something similar. In case your email account gets infected with virus and it starts sending out emails to your contacts with virus, it will try sending email to this address first because it appears first alphabetically in your address book, but since there exists no email address like this, it will bounce back and you will know that your account has been infected with virus, if you didn't know it already.
   
   
4. Never download any attachment if you feel it's suspecious. Because if you have a feeling, it's most likely a virus. Do not be tempted to open attachments. They could cause more damage than we can imagine. Many bad attachments have extensions .pif, .gif, .pdf, etc. but these are not the only ones.
   
   
5. Never click on any link in an email from unknown sender or businesses. Most likely it is a phishing website; "phishing" in simplest language means bad guys accessing your personal information at your disadvantage without your knowledge.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing
   You can hover your mouse over the link and read on status bar the website name. If it is an IP address (some number like 123.123.123.123) do not click on it. If it's some very long website where the domain name (name before .com) is unknown or strange looking, do not click on it.
   
   
6. Thanks to Chetanbhai for this tip. Try to not expose other's emails (be a good citizen). Most times, it is not important for the recipient to know who else is sent the email. In those cases,
   
   
   
   • Use bcc only; it does not expose others' email addresses.
     
   • If you are forwarding an email, remove addresses of all previous senders. If needed, insert something like "This message is/was from my friends and I am forwarding it".
     
   
   

I had read an article on Yahoo last year on phishing scams. You might find it interesting as well.
http://kananj.blogspot.com/2006/10/entry-for-october-24-2006.html

The Countdown Nears the End

That's right!! One day, two hours, thirty one minutes and thirty nine seconds, it shows...

Explore the world of Harry Potter!

This is for the release of the most awaited book "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".

I can't wait to get hold of my copy, which I plan to pick up on Saturday morning!

More HP stuff at: http://harrypotter.yahoo.com/

Songs of Poonam Yadav

The best female singer of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007!

Babuji zara dheere chalo


Meri saanson ko jo mehka rahi hai


Tose naina laage


Hungama ho gaya


Mere maula karam ho


Sanam mere humraaz


Prem jaal mein


Pyaar to hona hi tha

Songs of Aneek Dhar

This kid's becoming my favorite singer now after Raja Hasan. He's got beautiful voice and his looks remind me of Nipun. ;) haha! but in any case, he's got fantastic voice and I'm looking forward to listening to more of his talent.

Ya Ali (July 7, 2007)


Dil se re (July 6, 2007)


Tumse milke dil ka (July 1, 2007)


Suraj hua maddham (July 1, 2007)


Main pyaar karke phas gaya (June 30, 2007)

Profile of Raja Hasan

Gharana: Hit Squad

Mentor: Vishal Shekhar

They call me: Raja Hasan Sagar

Have walked this earth for: 26 Yrs

I hail from: Bikaner, Rajasthan

Alma Mater: Paradize School

Down the memory lane: Blessings from Sanwarlalji Ranga (popular Rajasthani folk singer) in a Jagran at the tender age of 7 years.

Hobbies: Cricket, music

Favorite personality: Amitabh Bachchan

Favorite Actor: Aamir Khan / Shahrukh Khan

Message to viewers: I try my level best & would need all your support to win Challenge - 2007

First Love: Family

A blog on Raja Hasan: http://raja-hasan.blogspot.com/

Never Lose Your Blogs Again

Is it possible to save blogs on a hard drive or CD? Or keep a copy of your blogs offline? Answer is Yes!
How to back up your entire blog site?

Many Levels of Harry Potter, An Alchemical Story?

Wow! it was fantastic to have discovered this website today. Can't wait till the 7th book is out. This is soooooo exciting!!!!

Warning: If you don't want to read spoilers, may be you want to avoid clicking on link below. The site contains some hints, possible connections with spirituality, and alchemy; along with how the first six books are full of hints about what is going to happen in book 7.

But if you're like me who can't wait to get any bits and pieces about HP, then I guarantee you will enjoy browsing on this site: http://harrypotterforseekers.com/book7/prognosis.php

Vote Online for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007

Raja Hasan & Harpreet Deol have made it to the final from the Brahmastra round! Congrats to both singers!!!


List of contestants who are part of Agni Pariksha are (in alphabetical order):

Male Contestants:

Abhijit Kosambi
Amanat Ali
Aneek Dhar
Apurva
Harpreet Deol
Joy Chakraborty
Junaid Sheikh
Mussarat Abbas
Raja Hasan

Female Contestants:

Mauli Dave
Nirupama Dey
Poonam Yadav
Rimi Dhar
Sumedha Karmak

Image Copyright © 2007 Zee Television

It seems like a lot of people are not aware of the fact that you can vote online for the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007 public voting. The link for voting online is:
http://www.zeetvusa.com/sare/vote.asp

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007 on Zee TV USA

India's Hindu Widows

To CNN and other websites that post such articles, I have one thing to say:
Yes, it is true, in parts of India widows are treated unfairly and their families abandon them and that govt. should really do something about it. But it would be better to show/talk about the other side of the coin as well where in current India, widows have a lot of freedom, and this injustice only represents certain percentage of the widows. For people who have never been to India, this article would draw a very distorted picture about India. It gives false impression, and such information would discourage visitors to visit such a country, which India isn't. It also makes outsiders think very low of India. This article reminded me of the movie Water of Mira Nair. I haven't seen it myself but from the reviews I read, it was about this same thing. I won't be surprised if this article was inspired by that same movie.

Shunned from society, widows flock to city to die

* Story Highlights
* India's Hindu widows can't remarry, are forced to shave heads and wear white
* Widow says her son told her she was too old and to "go away"
* A women's group is seeking change, has set up refuge for widows
* There are an estimated 40 million widows in India

By Arwa Damon
CNN

VRINDAVAN, India (CNN) -- Ostracized by society, India's widows flock to the holy city of Vrindavan waiting to die. They are found on side streets, hunched over with walking canes, their heads shaved and their pain etched by hundreds of deep wrinkles in their faces.

Hindu widows are shunned from society when their husbands die, not for religious reasons, but because of tradition -- and because they're seen as a financial drain on their families.

They cannot remarry. They must not wear jewelry. They are forced to shave their heads and typically wear white. Even their shadows are considered bad luck.

Hindus have long believed that death in Vrindavan will free them from the cycle of life and death. For widows, they hope death will save them from being condemned to such a life again. VideoWatch how some widows are rebelling »

"Does it feel good?" says 70-year-old Rada Rani Biswas. "Now I have to loiter just for a bite to eat."

Biswas speaks with a strong voice, but her spirit is broken. When her husband of 50 years died, she was instantly ostracized by all those she thought loved her, including her son.

"My son tells me: 'You have grown old. Now who is going to feed you? Go away,' " she says, her eyes filling with tears. "What do I do? My pain had no limit."

As she speaks, she squats in front of one of Vrindavan's temples, her life reduced to begging for scraps of food.

There are an estimated 40 million widows in India, many of them shunned and stripped of the life they lived when they were married.

It's believed that 15,000 widows live on the streets of Vrindavan, a city of about 55,000 in northern India.

"Widows don't have many social rights within the family," says Ranjana Kumari with the Center for Social Research, a group that works to empower women.

The situation is much more extreme within India's rural community. "There, it is much more tradition-bound; in urban areas, there are more chances and possibilities to live a normal life."

But the majority of India's 1.1 billion population is rural. "The government recognizes the problem," Kumari says. "It can do a lot, but it's not doing enough."

One woman, a widow herself, is working for change. Dr. Mohini Giri has formed an organization called the Guild of Service, which helps destitute women and children.

Giri's mother was widowed when Giri was 9 years old, and she saw what a struggle it was. Then, Giri lost her husband when she was 50, enduring the social humiliation that comes with being a widow. At times, she was asked not to attend weddings because her presence was considered bad luck.

"Generally all widows are ostracized," she says. "An educated woman may have money and independence, but even that is snatched away when she becomes a widow. We live in a patriarchal society. Men say that culturally as a widow you cannot do anything: You cannot grow your hair, you should not look beautiful."

She adds, "It's the mind-set of society we need to change -- not the women."

Seven years ago, Giri's organization set up a refuge called Amar Bari, or "My Home," in Vrindavan. It has become a refuge for about 120 of India's widows. Giri's organization is set to open a second home, one that will house another 500 widows.

But as she says, "Mine is but a drop in the bucket."

At Amar Bari, most widows reject traditional white outfits and grow out their hair. Along the open air corridors that link the house's courtyard are green wooden doors, leading to dark tiny rooms, home for each widow. PhotoSee the widows of Vrindavan »

Bent over by osteoporosis, 85-year-old Promita Das meticulously and slowly sweeps the floor just outside her door and then carefully cleans her dishes.

"I came here when I couldn't work anymore. I used to clean houses," she says. "Nobody looked after me, nobody loved me. I survived on my own."

She married at 12 and was widowed at 15. Seventy years later, she finds herself at Amar Bari. "I used to live in front of a temple, but then I came here," she says.

She carries with her not only the pain of a life without love, but also the loss of her only child. She gave birth at 14; her baby lived a year.

Another widow, Ranu Mukherjee, wearing a bright red-patterned sari, shows off her room at the home and wants to sing for her guests. The lyrics of her song are about a lost traveler.

"When did you come here after losing your way?" she sings. "When I remember the days gone by I feel sad."

All About Hinduism • India

Source: http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/07/05/damon.india.widows/index.html

For the 4th: How to Photograph Fireworks

* Use a tripod and a remote shutter release, if you can.
* Carefully frame the shot so that the horizon is straight and you don't get a bunch of heads in the picture.
* Set aperture between f/8 and f/16 and use ISO 100.
* Keep the shutter open for a couple of seconds, starting before the explosion. (Manual mode is your friend.)
* Turn off the flash.
* Experiment and have fun!

Source: For the 4th: How to Photograph Fireworks

Harry Potter Mania - 7 more days!

Finally, the eagerly awaited month of July is here!

The countdown continues for the fifth movie Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the seventh and last book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.


Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Trailers & Video Clips

Some cool posters!




























For more posters, wallpapers, and other downloads, click here.

Songs of Raja Hasan

Saara zamana, Yaarana


Tere bina, Guru


Naino ki mat suniyo... naina thag lenge, Omkara


Toota toota ek parinda... allah ke bande, Waisa Bhi Hota Hai


Piya re, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahab


Tere bina nahin lagda, Kacche Dhaage

Personality of Himesh

I've been closely observing his behavior ever since the show has started. After the episode where his father, Bipin Reshammiya, made a personal appearance, I think the guy is probably trying to return to his senses. I hate to admit it but I actually admired some of this thinking and values. He said when he was staring out his career and got jealous of success of his competitors, his father taught him to be happy for others' success, and told him that if he ever asked for success from God, that he ask for the same and good for others as well, and never bad. I thought that was very nice, to not have ill feelings towards others around us.

Another instance when he made a comment after Raja Hasan's growing success and popularity was to never underestimate any one. Lot of times we end up judging people around us without knowing much about them. This made me think to pause and think about how I might be judging others and whether it is too soon to do that.

It was nice to see the respect he showed for his parents. When his mother was invited on stage on her birthday June 29th, it was quite an emotional incident to watch. He dedicated his first movie as an actor to his mother by making sure it was released on her birthday. That was sweet.

May be I judged him little too early? I don't know but what I do know is the dude is definitely little crazy at times. :D