Which eyed!!!

Most of either right handed or left. Can this be true for the eyes as well. Are we right eyed/ left eyed? Does one eye of yours dominate most of the vision?

Apparently, the answer to the above questions is a YES! I will give to a simple experiment to check it out yourself. But, there is no rule that right handers are right eyed and vice versa.

Here is the test:

1. Extend your arms in front of you with your palms facing away.
2. Bring your hands together, forming a small hole by crossing the thumbs and fore fingers.
3. Choose a small object about 10 feet away from you. With both eyes open, focus on the object as you look through the small hole.
4. Close one eye and then the other. One of the eyes should see the object move, or jump to the side.
5. The eye that sees the object move is the dominant eye.

Most people automatically use their dominant eye when looking through a camera eyehole or a telescope.

:D

A dream Shatters!

My dreams of reaching 'India Top 10' in Trackmania Nations have shattered on the same day my laptop was battered by the lightning.

Trackmania Nations is Massively Multiplayer On-line Game. It belongs to Racing Genre but, Its far more than racing. Complex tracks add to the beauty of the game. But the main thing that keeps you going is the points system and the fact that you can represent your country and battle it against other players of countries far away. There are a total of 1.7 million gamers who registered for playing the game. A lot of the servers are always full irrespective of the time of the day(coz its Global). There is a representation for 89 countries, as far as i remember. India ranked 47th while I was playing. There are 2050 members registered in India. Before my laptop expired I made to 12th place in India and 70xx(7000 odd) in the World. My goal was to feature in Indian Top 10 but i couldn't realize it.

Safety First!

If you can notice, there is a steep decline in the no. of posts i made from mid-July. What can be the reason? I was at home and using my old laptop. It was a rainy day. There were no thunders. A perfect time to play TrackMania!

Noooooooooo!!! 5 minutes after i switched on the laptop, lightning strikes. The impact was felt by everyone in the apartment. A huge sonic wave blew away my ears(not literally). The screen of my laptop monitor shut down. I was expecting the worst and the worst had happened. When I went to the service center, they said that the mother board and battery were burnt and need to be replaced.

So guys, the moral of the story is:::
Never turn on any electrical equipment during a storm.

I'm a REBEL?

I had thought about it for a bit and then decided that i am a rebel. This is not the word that defines me as a person who opposes the government by force or as a confederate soldier. So what am I, I feel that i am a person different from others who have similar origins.

Origin!!! I am not going into the history of mankind here. I will give you the incident that made me realize this, so that things will be more clear to you. Student Elections are scheduled to held on 31st of this month. There are two contenders for the gen-sec. I am the campaigning manager of one of them. A debate was held for the candidates on 23rd August. Three people in the opposition candidate's support made me think of the idea that i got. These three guys were from the same school that i hailed from.

So what? I am different and I stand by own opinion. That doesn't make me a rebel, does it? There are many other factors that influenced the split, i guess. I definitely was a rebel somewhere in my past but now things have changed.

Rain Rain!!!

I had returned back to college on the 30th of July. It was all raining in the country as traveled from the south to north of India.But, it was totally different in pilani. It was hot as usual. I felt that some things would never change. But, within 2 days I had discovered that they will.

It was raining from that day to the time i am publishing the blog...at least once a day.This is going to be a tough semester as some of my friends say, so i might not blog that frequently.Anyway...I learned a new safety tip practically, never turn on unprotected electric equipments during thunder storms...most of u might know this but just make sure u follow it. I burnt my laptop when I am at home.

:D ,no actually it is sad :C ,as i had to stop playing TMNF when i was No.12 in India.Also I had to replace the mobo which costs quiet a bit.

Adios!

Happy friendship Day

Suday moviez!!!

Last Sunday I had watched two movies back to back. I think this is the first time i did that in my life. I had to go because my brother asked me to do so. But, at the the time I felt that the time was well spent. The movies i watched were Wanted and Jaane Tu.....Ya Jaane Naa. The first one is an English movie, while the second is a Hindi one. Wanted was quiet exceptional, considering the action part of the film. There are unending action sequences in the film. Some might say that the whole concept of bending a bullet is non sense. But, afterall it is a movie, isn't it?


Angelina Jolie is very glamorous in the film. The visual effects were very good, the soundtrack also. There was one flaw that i noticed in the end. When the bullet is shown "travelling back in time", Wesleys' fried(with the Coke in the hand) continues to get down the stairs.(*No there wasn't a flaw there...noticed it when i watched it the second time)

The other movie, Jaane tu Ya Jaane Na is quiet opposite in the context of story. But, it is a big hit as well. The hero in the story is mostly calm going. The movie has new cast but, rich music (background also) is provided by A.R.Rehman. The comedy is good and the direction as well. I think this would take the debutees Imran Khan and Genelia to great heights.

Above: Imran Khan Below: Genelia D'souza
The Gang
A.R.Rehman(Music Maestro)

So, this was my sunday. Later, I spent the rest of my time playing TrackMania Nations Forever!

Buddha

I am not a Buddhist but, I know that the preachings of Lord Gowtham Buddha are exceptional. Here, have a look at them.

The Essence of Buddha's Teaching

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Buddha set forth his teaching in the following doctrine.

The Four Noble Truths:

1. All things and experiences are marked by suffering/ disharmony/ frustration (dukkha)

2. The arising of suffering/ disharmony/ frustration comes from desire/ craving/ clinging.

3. To achieve the cessation/ end of suffering/ disharmony/ frustration, let go of desire/ craving/ clinging.

4. The way to achieve that cessation of suffering/ disharmony/ frustration, is walking the Eightfold Path.

The eightfold path to the cessation of suffering:

1. Right Understanding of the following facts:

• the truth about suffering ... (The Four Truths);
• everything is impermanent and changes;
• there is no separate individual self- this is an illusion. (We are one!)

2. Right Determination to:

• give up what is wrong and evil;
• undertake what is good;
• abandon thoughts that have to do with bringing suffering to any conscious being; cultivate thoughts that are of loving kindness, that are based on caring for others' suffering, and sympathetic joy in others' happiness.

3. Right Speech:

• Abstain from telling lies.
• Abstain from talk that brings harm or discredit to others (such as backbiting or slander) or talk that creates hatred or disharmony between individuals and groups.
• Abstain from harsh, rude, impolite, malicious, or abusive language.
• Abstain from idle, useless, and foolish babble and gossip. Abstain from recrimination and negative statements.
• Abstain from harsh speech—practice kindly speech.
• Abstain from frivolous speech—practice meaningful speech.
• Abstain from slanderous speech—practice harmonious speech.
• Speak the truth if it is useful and timely. Practice only necessary speech. Let your speech be filled with loving kindness. Speak that which alleviates suffering.

4. Right Action:

• Peaceful, honorable conduct; abstain from dishonest dealings; take concrete steps necessary to foster what is good.
• Do things that are moral, honest, and alleviate suffering. Do not do things that will bring suffering to others or yourself.

5. Right Livelihood:

• Abstain from making your living from an occupation that brings harm and suffering to humans or animals, or diminish their well being. This includes: activities that directly harm conscious beings, and activities that indirectly harm sentient beings, e.g., making weapons or poisons.

6. Right Effort:

• Foster good and prevent evil;
• Work on yourself—be engaged in appropriate self-improvement. The essence of right effort is that everything must be done with a sense of proper balance that fits the situation. Effort should be properly balanced between trying too hard and not trying hard enough. For example, strike the balance between excessive fasting and over-indulgence in food. Trying hard to progress too rapidly gets poor results, as does not trying hard enough.

7. Right Mindfulness or wakefulness:

• Foster right attention.
• Avoid whatever clouds our mental awareness (e.g., drugs).
• Systematically and intentionally develop awareness.

8. Right Concentration:

• Developed by practicing meditation and/or mental focusing. Proper meditation must be done continuously while awake, and should include work on awareness of body, emotions, thought, and mind objects.

Five basic precepts:

1. Abstain from killing living beings (from destroying/taking life)—or practice love.

2. Abstain from taking the not-given (from stealing)—or practice generosity, practice giving.

3. Abstain from sexual misconduct—or practice contentment.

4. Abstain from false speech (from lying)—or practice truthfulness.

5. Abstain from taking intoxicating drinks—or practice awareness and mental clarity.

Buddha said:

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. Do not believe anything because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything because it is written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and the benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.

The following prose, attributed to Buddha, is a poetic expression of the way he saw the world.

Buddha said:

• I consider the positions of kings and rulers as that of dust motes.


• I observe treasures of gold and gems as so many bricks and pebbles.


• I look upon the finest silken robes as tattered rags.


• I see myriad worlds of the universe as small seeds of fruit, and the greatest lake in India as a drop of oil upon my foot.


• I perceive the teachings of the world as the illusions of magicians.


• I discern the highest conception of emancipation as a golden brocade in a dream, and view the holy path of the illuminated ones as flowers appearing in one's eyes.


• I see meditation as a pillar of a mountain, nirvana as a nightmare of daytime.


• I look upon the judgments of right and wrong as the serpentine dance of a dragon, and the rise and fall of belief as traces left by the four seasons.

Sunday

It was a huge sporting day on last Sunday! There was the Asia cup final(India vs Sri Lanka), the F1 British Grand Prix and the Wimbledon Men's final between Nadal and Federer.

India lost the final, which is sad but, on the positive side of it Nadal and Lewis Hamilton won in their respective events.

Down the memory lane!!!

There was a reunion for the people of the school batch of 2004 this day. I was not able to go there. But, this definitely gave me a chance to review my school life. Yes, it did. I used to think that my school life was very good, being positive. But now, I realize.... I realize that everything was not. There were certain lows in it too. The sole reason for these losses might not be me alone. Most of the time, it is the people around me that caused the trouble. We always felt that most teachers were partial towards girls/ some others. 'Maybe I was also the favorite of some teachers?'. But, I never ever made use of this to cause trouble to others.

I might be illogical when I prolonged my rivalry with my best friend in 6th grade. But, things changed quickly. We were back on terms again and rocked the next four years of our schooling lives and we continue to do so, even now. Don't know how, but life also helped me to reach some goals, without, me working hard to attain them. One such thing was to fulfill my father's dream to see me as the leader(monitor) of our class. It is always happy to see one's parents happy and proud. My parents know what I am, they supported me, more necessarily, they believed me. There was a situation, when I was condemned for causing trouble in the class. The kind of obligations that were put on me were very untrue. I used to participate in mischief but, it was never directed to cause trouble to someone in the class. People know that I am calm and never bothered any girls. But still, due to a narrow minded Principal, we were punished. That punishment was not something physical, it was a kind of mental punishment. We(a group of 7 boys) were isolated from the rest of the class during that period. I now feel that it was something that should not be affecting the mind of a 14 year old. I am deeply in debt to my dad who believed me and backed me up. He did not even scold me. He asked what has happened and offered his condolences towards me. DAD, thank you very much, otherwise I would definitely have been a lot different(in a bad sense). I don't know why, but we have received help from the most unlikely person. It was our telugu sir who tried hard to bring us out of the situation, that really changed my respect towards him. Only me used to have a good impression on the principal in school, from the time he joined. I could say with certainty that he totally ruined it, all by himself.

This situation made me strong in the mind, otherwise, I would have been a meek person even now. I showed me how to face difficulties and overcome embarrassment. There was a time when we made one of our teachers cry. On hearing that, you might think that it was a mean thing to do. But, there was a reason. I always think a lot before doing certain things. That teacher's actions were disliked by every one and that resulted in the protest. I still believe that the thing we did was absolutely right. This time, when the principal scolded us, I didn't cry .... it was more of a :D.

There was another incident in which someone has just crossed of the answers in my unit test book. I was never really determined to get the first rank in the class, but there were people who do not want me to get it and make sure that this is done. Whosoever did it, please accept a token of appreciation from me.

My gift: ..|..

The teacher that corrected my notebook also was stupid, the least to say. She said to me( while distributing them), "What Bharat, you have written all answers coreect but, why did you strike them off?". I initially thought that she was joking, and smiled and took my book. I expeted a 30/30. But, when i looked into the book, I knew that she was serious. Tears rolled down my eyes, not knowing what to do. I was in 6th that time. She asked if I suspected any one, some of my friends suggested a name, but outta my fuc*ing good nature, I said that I doubted none. No investigation was carried out at that time, i had to write those anwers again on the spot, full marks were not given, everything was lost. My faith in a good education system has just dissapeared.

On the brighter side, I have made some good friends in school. I had participated in all the sports activities(team). I had helped my house clich many tropies, even the annual sports trophy, if I remember corectly. Me and my friends have helped our school team to win second place in a regional football tournament. I did well academically.

Finally, I beleive that "Failures are the stepping stones for success". My school life definetly helped me learn many things, in the easy way or sometimes in the hard way.

Adios my friends!