My 2 cents on 3 Idiots

My verdict- Worth a watch!

I saw 3 idiots over a week ago but maybe the fact it bagged 6 Awards at the Filmfare Awards last night finally prompted me to stop procrastinating & write this!


I'm not sure why I resisted watching the film for so long, despite being invited by my friends to go see the film on more than one occasion. Maybe I was irked that actors in their thirties & forties were playing engineering students. But it could be some other reason.


Well, what can I say? Most people have already seen it. 
There were scenes that made me guffaw :)) (Like Silencer's now famous speech! I was just one step away from literally rolling on the floor! =)) )
But there were also emotional scenes that made me cry! :(
In short, I don't remember when I last saw a film that made me laugh & cry!
This mix of genres was handled rather well, according to me.
And now, about the famous suicide controversy-
Yes I know they they show one student committing suicide & another attempting it. But it's not like they've glorified or glamorized it it any way. Obviously the students who committed suicide in real life were already suicidal, & this just was the final push.
If there really were kids who actually were 'inspired' to commit suicide after watching this film, I would have to say that they were in serious need of help. How could nobody have seen the warning signs? I know it must have been painful for the parents to have their kids take their own life, but to blame a film-maker for it is very irresponsible, not to mention extremely stupid thing to do.


My rating- 4 stars ★★★★ (Out of 5)
My overall verdict- If you haven't seen it yet, go right now!


Love,

PS- Two Random things I'd like to add-

1. I notice that there's a new feature in Blogger where one can add Captions to pictures. Me likey! :)
2. I'd like to add a shout up here to the LinkWithin team (Liliya in particular). I wanted to make some changes to mine, so I shot them an email, & got a very prompt & polite reply plus the changes were made. Thanks for the awesome service!

Continue reading...

Hiho Silvers!

So I did get queries from a few of you wondering why I hadn't posted since long (Thanks soooo much for your concern! :) )

My board exams are on, three down three to go. I would love to talk more about them, but I made a promise early in the life of this blog that I wouldn't talk about studies here, so I'd rather stick to that.

Now other stuff. My Dad is now on his way to a port in Texas, USA & actually wrote 'Hiho Silver' in the subject line of one of his emails to us & also began it as 'Hiya Clementine!' <):)
So I gave mom the idea of beginning her reply with 'Howdy Pardner' (And no, that's not a typo, was just trying to get it, accent & all.)

Among other things, there are some potentially exciting new things happening in my life, but I don't really want to talk about them just yet (Because you see, in my family, the word 'plan' shouldn't be in our dictionary, because the more we make plans, the more we are forced to break them. I've known this ever since I was little & I'm used to it now.) So, let's just wait & see.

I haven't forgotten  that I was supposed to post about the movies I saw, will definitely do that in the coming week.

Oh & if I haven't been commenting regularly on your blogs, I'm very sorry. I'm a little busy & most of the time my भेजा (brain) is completely fried (If you didn't see the film then you really aren't going to understand what I mean.

Cheers,





PS- Follow my blog with bloglovin

Continue reading...

Been nominated for Blogger's Choice Awards 2010

I'm Totally surprised! 
...There's no other way to describe it! :-O

All of you guys must have heard of the famous 'Blogger's Choice Awards' at some point or another. They are these awards hosted by IZEA where users vote for their favorite blogs.


Anyway, a month or two I ago, I idly registered at the website because I just thought it could be fun. And then I forgot all about it! Right now I was just googling my blog! (Yep, I do that sometimes! ;) ) And I saw it's listing on the website.
But here comes the pleasantly-surprising part- I already have a vote! More than 80% of blogs on that website do not even have a single vote! It was a lovely little surprise for me.


I have been nominated in 4 categories-


1. Best Geek Blog


2. Best Photography Blog



3. Best Pop Culture Blog



And last but definitely not the least...
4. Freakiest Blogger



So here's what I ask of you. If you have enjoyed reading my blog &really think I 'deserve' a vote in any (or all!) of the categories, then please do so. 
Voting doesn't take long! All you have to do is sign up on the site, then you can vote for any amount of blogs in whichever category you like! Votes are counted separately for each category so if you really like Life etc. you can vote for all four!


If you have added your blog to the website, don't forget to leave a comment so I can check it out & vote! (And if you haven't added your blog yet, what are you waiting for?)


Thanks,

Continue reading...

Of exam stress, foursquare & slightly problematic holidays!

I know it's a long post title but it's the only way to explain what this post is really about!
I mean, my HSC board exams are 5 and a half days away. I'm not the type to be tensed by exams. But I know that these are important. And yet, I feel so surreal. And numb. But I also have this recurring migraine.
But life's not that bad! I did watch a few good films in the last 2-3 weeks.
Yeah yeah don't you sit there & judge me for watching films when my exams are so close. I have to indulge in some form of recreation & meditation just doesn't work for me!

Anyway, I did love the films I saw. Will definitely blog about them very soon.

You know what I'm hating the most about all this? Not being able to blog! (I did do a post on my food blog about my not-so-successful attempt at baking strawberry muffins) Mom hasn't really put any restrictions on me, but it's just that when I do use the computer I'm playing one mmorpg or another (mmorpg stands for Massively multiplayer online role-playing game. I discovered them over a year ago & play them on-and-off. They are great when you're homebound as they consist of giving commands at regular intervals.)

And I'm also hooked onto foursquare. Which is terrible, when you're homebound. I hardly go out these days, unlike when regular college was on. And since foursquare consists of geo-tagging, you have to be one who travels a lot. So it really sucks, getting hooked onto a nice game at a time you can't play it. I think I hit a ceiling that day when it emerged that I was actually jealous of some people because they were 'mayors' of many places on the game (Mom just had a really good laugh! :)) ) I happen to be a mayor of just one place- where I live! I spent some time fantasizing about how I could have been mayor of a ton of places if I was still going to college. I guess I'll just have to wait till next year. *sigh* Anyway, if you use foursquare, feel free to add me as a friend. All of the current friends I have are inactive there, & it sucks to see I'm the only one on the friend leader boards, every week! :(

Moving on now, to the Summer Holidays. Those bittersweet holidays. Everybody loves holidays, right? So why am I calling them bittersweet? I'll tell you why. We're first going to spend two or three weeks at our Home & a beach resort in Goa. Then a week in a luxury hotel here in Mumbai itself. Then two weeks at a beach resort at Kovalam Beach, Kerala. I do love beaches! (*incase you're wondering who the 'we' is, it's my parents & me! :) ) Then why am I unhappy? Because for approximately one & a half months or even two months, I will not be having any internet access. That's right, no tweeting, no blogging, nothing! :(

We think the resort in Goa might just have Wi-Fi as a value added service. Then I will at least get access for a week. If not, I'm not sure what will happen. I really, really don't want my blog to die. Or for you guys to stop visiting. Maybe I'll take some tags & then schedule them so they can get posted during my absence. But it still doesn't make up for the real thing. Still unsure what to do.

 Anyway, I'm off. At least now you know why my posts are so infrequent. 

Miss me!

Because I really miss you! *muah* :-*

Continue reading...

First Recipe up!

Hey, this is just a short post to let you guys know that I've published first recipe on my cooking blog 'When Magali Cooks'
It's a recipe for Devilled Eggs, & it's really quick & easy!
Here's a picture:

So, you hungry? Head on over there to let me know what you think. Also don't forget to comment there. 


Thanks, & Happy Cooking!

Continue reading...

Guess what arrived in the mail!

Remember all the stuff I mentioned in my post 'You know what's better than shopping? Personalized shopping!' ?

Well, after a slight delay, all that stuff has arrived now so I can post about it. First, let me show you all the stuff I got for myself- (In descending order of my liking for them)

My visiting/business cards. I ordered 250 of them. And no I'm not planning to actually take up professional photographic assignments (unless someone personally asks me to!) but it still feels nice to actually have my own visiting cards. If you magnify the image you may find parts in the middle of the card patch. That's because I had to remove my address from this picture & I think I did it rather clumsily. I really ought to learn Photoshop.

And this is my personal canvas tote. I fell in love with it when I knew it would be eco-friendly cotton. It has my name & my blog url. I plan to carry it for any blogger meet/tweet up/twestival I go to. Oh mom is the model in this picture.

This is my personalized dog-tag. On side 'A' it has a picture of my Mom & Dad with the words 'I ♥ Mom & Dad' written below in the picture in bold lettering. The starting 'I' & ending 'd' got cut off a little bit but I don't mind.

On side 'B' it has a picture of me & my really good friends (from college). (From top: Brinelle, Me & Angela) With the letters 'bam' written. BAM is obviously our initials & I know that we aren't in proper order, we just didn't think of it while clicking the picture. Oh this picture brings back a ton of happy memories.  :)

I wore it to my French classes yesterday & a lot of my friends from there were really inquisitive about the dog-tag& they all loved it!

And from here starts the knick-knacks I got my parents. For my Dad I got-

This personalized wrist watch with a Xena, Gabby & Argo print. I am a HUGE fan of the series (Xena: Warrior Princess). Really huge. But dad likes it too. Especially Gabby. So I got him this watch. Hope he likes it. (I think he will.)

And here's my second gift to him. A T-shirt with our family picture printed on it. The sentiment behind this one goes way back. When I was just a six month old baby & dad was sailing, Mom used to regularly send him new photographs she clicked of me or of both of us together. So once when he was in Manila, Phillipines, he went ashore with one of those pictures of mom & me & got them printed on a T-shirt twelve T-shirts. In those days the printing quality was nothing like we know it now, it was just one color (grey) & looked pretty pixel-lated (You have to keep in mind that it was over a decade & a half ao, way back in 1992!). Obviously I am virtually unrecognizable. But we still loved those T-shirts. He wore them throughout the years & now I think he's down to his very last one. So I got him this T-shirt with three four of us.

(This picture was taken in Safari World, Bangkok, during our vacation there last year)

And last but not least, this is my gift to mommy dearest-

A personalized heart pendant, very similar to my dog-tag. On side 'A' it has a family picture (+the tiger cub) taken at the same time as the picture I got printed on Dad's T-shirt. On side 'B' there's a picture of dad & her (also taken at safari World!). I know she likes it but it seems she's feeling a little shy to wear it!

So, what do you think of all the stuff? Would love to hear your views.


Love,

Continue reading...

Ray-Ban chick

First things first.
I'm not dead! (In case you thought I was!)
Just a little busy. And stressed. You see, I have my H.S.C. board exams coming up. The thought of which makes me a little cuckoo. So now I'm gonna talk about stuff. You know, materialistic things. So if you're the kind who hates materialistic people, do not read further. And I know you're not just gonna stop reading now, so consider yourself forewarned!
Did I tell you guys I got a new pair of Ray-Bans? (gift from Mommy) I am in love with vintage-style frames (you know, browline, horn-rimmed etc.) Also, both my Mom & Dad have two absolutely iconic Ray-Bans- Dad has Aviators while Mom has Wayfarers. (Yes I purposely linked to the Wikis so you can read up a little & find out why am I so in love with them.)
Hence, I always wanted my own Ray-Bans. I had planned on getting Wayfarers (you know the colorize range makes them in absolutely cool colors?) But I kept going in & out of stores & never got the colors I wanted. So then one day I did. This pair of bubblegum colored (yes that's what I call them) Clubmasters which are based on the Browline style. And now for their grand unveiling on my blog- 

Obviously people are gonna wonder why I got such weird glares. Especially when they cost more than my cell phone. So let me tell you. I just saw Quentin Tarantino's 1993 flick True Romance & loved all the glares in them. Vintage. I was a year old then. Most of the shades you see now-a-days are either Aviators or those supposedly-fashionable huge glares that all the so-called fashionistas wear. Which were cute at first, but are oh-so-generic now. I wanted something different & quirky to suit my personality. And I got the perfect pair. Thanks Mom :)


Cheers,




P.S.- Remember all the internet shopping I mentioned in my post 'You know what's better than shopping? Personalized shopping!' ? All that stuff has already arrived in the mail, save for one things which got delivered to my old address (my mistake). Mom is gonna pick that up tonight so expect a blog post about it in a few days!
Also, I had earlier published a picture of my glares taken with my cell phone camera. But that was blurry, & mom ate up my brains till I changed it. The current picture is much, much better!

Continue reading...

10 Medical Blogs You'll Wish Your Doctor Had Read

This is a guest post by M. Ellen Ward

10 Medical Blogs You'll Wish Your Doctor Had Read

Sometimes you wish your doctor knew a little more.  The 10 medical blogs that follow are ones you'll wish your doctor had read.  After all, you want your doctor to know as much as possible to help keep you healthy.

Family Medicine Notes

The Family Medicine Notes blog is written by Albany Medical College's assistant professor of family medicine and assistant dean of medical informatics. He talks about relevant health issues like asthma and bacteria vaccines, and about how long doctors should spend with patients.

Corante In the Pipeline

The Corante in the Pipeline blog is written by a chemist employee of a drug company.  He explores why some medications work while others don't.  He covers the excitement of the search for medications and the politics of their dispersal.

Corante Living Code

The Corante Living Code blog covers a variety of topics.  Its author is an employee at a biotech company and blog addresses and investigates new areas of medical research.  This blog could help your doctor keep up with recent developments in medicine.

Medpundit

The medpundit blog is written by a 40 year old doctor located in Ohio. Her perspective is unique because she began her work in a practice owned by a hospital and has moved into the world of private practice.  She offers opinions and insight on media presentations of medical information.

GruntDoc's Blog

The GruntDoc's Blog is written by Allen Roberts.  He is a 40 year old emergency room doctor uses this blog as a platform to address any topic that crosses his mind.  When the posts are medical in nature then his experience in a trauma center that sees around 65,000 patients each year shines through.

KevinMD.com

KevinMD.com is a blog that you will certainly want your doctor to read.  It speaks on how doctors can make life better for their patients on a grander scale than they often do now.  He also covers topics as popular and varied as salt consumption and bariatric surgery.

Doctor David's Blog

Doctor David's Blog is a place for anyone, including your doctor, to learn more about oncology, cancer treatments, and the latest medical news.  This compelling blog brings information with a humanistic perspective that all medical professionals could use a little more of.

NHS Blog Doctor

When you visit NHS Blog Doctor, you will find a place to read strong opinions with an entertaining style.  Your doctor would likely enjoy this and learn what others think of current medical news. 

The Insomnia Blog

The Insomnia Blog helps to reinforce in its readers' minds just how crucial sleep is to health.  Sleep medicine and its current issues such as the effect of social media are mentioned.

Healthy Recipe Doctor

You'll wish your doctor had read this Healthy Recipe Doctor blog because so many people forget that it is diet that contributes to and even causes the majority of health problems.

You'll wish your doctor had read these blogs for information and perspective.  You want your doctor to know about medicine and everything that is connected to it.  Even doctors cannot know what they never learned.

M. Ellen Ward writes about how to get an lpn to rn online

Continue reading...