Interesting 2....

From LiveScience.com

Ants Prefer Salt over Sugar

Ants have less of a sweet tooth and more of a preference for salty snacks, at least when they live in salt-poor areas far from the ocean, a new study finds.

All animals — from ants to humans — need salt to maintain their body's nerve and muscle activity and water balance.

Ants, though, typically swarm over sources of sugar because they need it for energy.

But researchers suspected those taste differences might vary with location and tested the salt-versus-sweet preferences of ants at various distances from the ocean, a source of salt.

The study, detailed in the Oct. 27 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was sponsored in part by the National Geographic Society and the Amazon Conservation Association.

The "cafeteria experiment" offered the ants a choice of cotton balls soaked in salt or sugar solution. Ants that lived more than 60 miles (100 kilometers) inland preferred the salt solution (which was less concentrated than the sugar solution).

This preference was mainly true of plant-eating ants, since carnivorous ants get enough salt from their prey. (Similarly herbivorous animals such as cows and deer get their salt from salt licks, while wolves and other predators get it from the bloody meat they eat.)

The researchers want to see if this pattern holds for all insects and even microbes. In particular, study lead author Michael Kaspari plans to see if spraying salt on forest leaf litter cranks up ecosystem activity, just as Gatorade improves the performance of sports teams.

Interesting...

From LiveScience.com

Why we love being scared

When you get scared, your heart rates soars, you breathe faster, your muscles tighten, and your attention focuses — all part of the fight or flight response. But when you know there is no real threat, the adrenaline rush can be enjoyable, scientists say.

One explanation for why we love scary movies is that we're not so much afraid as we are excited. Another is that we are willing to endure the terror in order to enjoy a euphoric sense of relief at the end.

A newer idea, put forth last year in the Journal of Consumer Research, suggests horror movie viewers are happy to be unhappy. People experience both negative and positive emotions simultaneously, the thinking goes. "The most pleasant moments of a particular event may also be the most fearful," wrote Eduardo Andrade of the University of California, Berkeley and Joel B. Cohen at the University of Florida.

The best

Alfred Hitchcock was, of course, the master at teasing all these senses. Konzett: "Even though we actually see only a small amount of blood (chocolate syrup going down the drain) and very little gore, if any, in this short two-minute scene, it has profoundly scared several generations of people, especially women, with many saying they are afraid to take showers for days. Very few horror scenes have had this kind of impact."

Even the low-budget "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," often criticized for gore and violence, "actually has much less blood than people imagine, with many of the killings occurring off camera," notes film reviewer and LiveScience columnist Benjamin Radford.

Steven Spielberg's 1975 "Jaws" left an entire generation afraid to enter the water for fear of shark attacks, Konzett notes. Yet Spielberg sidestepped outright gore for the most part, using thumping music, murky water and the constant threat of attack to terrify viewers.

"Films such as 'Psycho' and 'Jaws' capture the helplessness of people, catching them when they are most vulnerable. This is why many decades later, they are still popular among the younger generation in spite of contemporary horror films that are more sensational and filled with blood and gore," she says.

The Updater...

That's who I have become...

I miss being the troubleshooter but this isn't too bad either :)

The Fashion Theme...

Totally love the remixed version :)

Aaawwwwww

I love 'Deepali Naka'. Thanks Raamesh Lubna Reshma and Bala :) especially for it not being a one day affair ;) hehe

First Day...First Show...First Time...

I caught the first show of Fashion today.

Haha so damn absurd to watch a movie at 10:30 AM - it's usually the time I am asleep. The good thing is I liked the movie so it was worth waking up and traveling for.

My review of Fashion (the Madhur Bhandarkar movie)

Happy Diwali...

:D

Rangoli time...

Since I am totally artistically challenged and my sis isn't that good with rangoli stuff, so we have no choice but to get a little creative...

This years Rangoli is done. Below are pictures of what the outside of our main door looks like :)


On the left



This pictures came out a little blurred because I was trying to make do without a flash (very slight hand shake and blurred image) cause a flash ruins the effect of the candles and diya. The picture where there is a flash is just too dull.




On the right


No good pic with the candles and diya lit will try and take one tomorrow.



On the whole



We even got innovative with the lights on the top - usually it's just the rice lights (with maybe 1 of the flower thingies - can't believe I can't get a name to it right now) but this year we added a lot more of the flower things and it looks totally beautiful. Looks a little christmasy but I like it.

Makeover...

No don't worry...it's for my blog. Not this one though.

Advised some more...

Me: arre yaar you ppl talk like its the simplest thing in the world
Sumita : but it's also not the most difficult thing in the world..

I hear you...and this just isn't my night to win 'discussions' lol.

Advised...

Naman said - when you are cycling na...only the first pedal takes a bit of energy....after that....you are just enjoying the ride.

Well said I say (but only if you know how to cycle ;) hehe)

Sad Smiles...

I had a post earlier about vivid words. Words that when combined draw images. Some how 'Sad Smiles' does that.



The thought came when I was looking at pics of my Nani (she's in Curacao with my Maama) and in none of the pictures is she smiling properly. One place she actually looks exhausted and faking a smile so the term just popped into my mind.

Animals Stressed Out, Too

Came across this interesting article -

The economy, the election, and myriad other problems are really stressing out ... pets.

When humans get stressed, often their pets take on that stress, too.

"Dogs and cats are very good at picking up stress in people, as are birds," said James Morrisey, a veterinarian at the College of Veterinary Medicine of Cornell University in New York. "I've worked with a parrot who lived with a woman who had a seizure disorder, and the parrot could tell when she was about to have a seizure and warn her."

In addition to carrying the burdens of people, animals — especially wild creatures — have plenty of their own to stress about. Animals will even seek out "comfort food" when they're all wigged out. And stress in animals, as with humans, can be a good or a bad thing.

"In general, the more intelligent an animal is, the more psychological stress it can undergo," Morrisey said. "The less you're thinking about things, the less psychological stress you can potentially be under."

Complete article at - LiveScience.com

Seriously whats with everyone wanting me to get drunk???...

Phillip vs Robert

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=2nvmHdTJNyU

Crazy video. Phillip (on the left) seems to dance where as I find Robert creepy and not really dancing but doing some cool moves or whatever.

Anyway Enjoyyyy

Raj Thackeray get arrested..

and half of Mumbai is under house arrest.

Either because they are too scared to go out or because if they go out, they don't have a means of transport or because what they need is shut/closed.

It's ridiculous. I mean where the law and order mechanism. I am glad the police decided to do something about all the violence that has happened due to the MNS but they should have worked a little harder to see that no disruption happens to normal life of the average Mumbaikar.

Ah these bloody politicians...

Few important things I learned at work...

I already spoke about being 'impactful' by working towards 'being a legend' and by being a mentor.

There are a few more things that are important when you work with people. I am not expert on the subject...far from it actually, but I would still like to leave a few thoughts with who ever is interested in reading.


> Don't disrespect people ever. I know it is impossible to respect all people all the time but that's where tolerance comes in. You go around disrespecting people and they will hate you. And then it's going to be quite fun to work towards a goal...


> Always try and be truthful. If you don't know something, then say you don't know it right at the start when you realize the same. It is always better to tell someone that you aren't an expert but will do your best rather than mess things up later on. Similarly people hate if you have a hidden agenda so be upfront right from the start (unless there are very good reasons not to be)


> Accept your limitations. Accept the limitations of people around you. No one has infinite capacity. Have the right expectations from people. You might need a superman around but superman doesn't exist. Some people will come quite close though if given enough resources so try and see who can be the superman around you when you need a superman and give that person what that person needs to do the 'impossible'.


> There is always a wrong way of saying something. Try not to say things in the wrong way.


> Appreciate people. Not uselessly of course but when they deserve it don't hold back. I learned this lesson a little too late.


> Haul up people if they need it. Don't keep forgiving the same mistake over and over. If people need to be told that they aren't doing a good job, they need to be told that. Again something I failed at in many instances.


> Everyone needs some breathing space one in a while.


> Give people credit even if they had a small part to play in a success. Don't blame everything on someone if something failed. The point of being in a team is that responsibility and accountability rests with the team. Personally I think if it has to be a 1 man show, the leader should always take blame for the failure and let someone else get credit for the successes. This is also an effective way to see that everyone is pulling their weight cause after a bunch of failures, the leader would deal with the weakest link correctly (hopefully)


> Never doubt yourself. If there has to be doubting, doubt your choices.


> A lot of people will give you 'feedback'. You should listen to it. If you think it's crap then just forget it but listen to it first.


> There are 3 qualities that I think are a must for success no matter what you do and I believe all 3 can be worked on -
1) Logical thinkings
2) Attitude
3) Communication ability


[TBC]

Go Phillip...Go Phillip...Go Phillip...

Man this guy is too good.




This is Phillip Chbeeb on the show 'So You Think You Can Dance'. Totallyyyy love this style. Not sure what it's called but man if I could dance like that, it would make me happy as hell...

Well now I am just enjoying watching this. Love the wave thing he does.


Another popper you might enjoy - http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=GsyQUwx00vw. I didn't really enjoy his dance so much cause it looked a little toooo creepy. But he does seem like he has no bones AT ALL. The dancer is Robert Muraine (if I am not mistaken).

My personal messages...

I had the opportunity to speak today at my 'farewell gathering' but in my bid to have my speech 'make a difference' I forgot to thank people and say somethings I wanted to say to individual people. So here goes... [Also if I miss someone out in the first round - apologies - will keep adding to the list]. It will always be 'see you soon' and not 'goodbye'.

First for all the lunches I was treated to, major thanks to -
Ratan, Sandesh, Kaushik Monica & Sneha, Vigneswari Sunisha & Archana.


Khushboo - Forever eh? We WILL catch a movie/play some weekend I promise as long as it isn't raining of course. Please don't get us thrown out though ;) Gonna miss all the traveling with you.


Sneha - We did some great work together. Always worked at a team. No functional divide at all :) hehe I'm expecting you to give me a call at least once week and to tell me what happened at home ;)


Yogesh - Man seeing where you are today and who you are today, is a great reality check for me. Keep doing good work. I would have never expected you to perform the way you have. Makes me question my own perceptions :)


Bhavna - Dudeeeeeeee be a little serious in life man. You have the total potential to be right at the top. Just work a little harder. Don't be a Manila girl :P My baby is with you and you better take good care of it. And yes I will miss you.


Mahesh - Can't thank you enough for all the opportunities I have got at work. Also many thanks for helping me understand web usability. Also thanks for the offsite trainings, especially the last two and the management training program. I got to learn a lot not only about other people but also about myself. This company has always been ahead of the curve and I think it will continue to be that way.


Ratan - When you have your 'The Secret' session, please call me hehe I might not believe in it enough for it to do wonders but it will be fun. Thanks for all the encouragement over the years.


Ansoo - Haha I am neither anti-social nor do I suffer from a superiority complex :) One crazy conversation day that way. Appreciate the time and effort you took that day.


Naman - Honestly Naman, every company should have employees like you. You know not only hardworking and doing a good job but also people who have a holistic understanding of what an organisation is all about. Don't get bogged down by stupid things just keep being creative. And stop smoking so much.


Romil - Romil you are the best designer I have worked with. Don't let anyone ever tell you, you do sub-standard work. It will be nothing but a lie. I will miss giving you my small inputs every now and then when you are creating an ad. Also I am hoping I will hear from you a lot more now :)


Beverly - Bev you better be eating your lunch everyday and NOT at dinner time. If I so much as hear you aren't eating, I'll hire people in the company to keep an eye on you. Their job will be to pester you to eat hehe. Good job. 5 estimates in one day is a record btw :) I wouldn't have managed it.


Sanjeev - Your totally a ROCK man. I am very proud that you haven't smoked and had a drink in so long and that in spite of having the freedom and opportunity now, you continue to resist temptation. Also thanks a ton for telling me to stay back so much - no one told me to stay as much as you did.


Sumita - My partner in crime ;) I'm warning you, I better not hear you have been laughing a lot without me. Always remember I am only a ping away ;)


Sudipa, Savita, Mitch - Thanks for getting on a con-call and in chorus saying 'We will miss you Deepali'


Geeta - Thanks for the email. Appreciate it :) Do call me whenever you are in town. Will definitely catch up with you.


Neelofer - Aunty don't bash people up okay. Thoda pyar se baat karo aur logon ko live chat pe bulana band karo :P


Tariq - Pintoo ji I love the name :)


Raamesh - Haha don't go crazy with all the work okay :) Thanks for the 'Deepali Naka'. I love it totally. Also thank for the book :)


Sunisha - Miss Sindy Krawford I will miss all our experiments yaar. To good times...to good times :D Will call you sometime but I doubt we will end up talking for 3 hours at a stretch ;)


Nikhil - Nikhil bhai, kem cho, keep those cool tools coming. Hats off to you for building the number of teams you have :)


Ami - Amiiiiii if I ever do get married (not happening for at least another 2 years if I all) you are definitely invited :) land up even if I forget to send you a card :D


Jayant - Brilliant work at the offsite man. Was glad to have you in my team. You did good. Keep working hard. Keep working smart. Up is the only way for you to go :)


Monica - Monica ben, after so long you came back. Mr.G was missing you so much hehe. Well we didn't work together again unfortunately lol I just kept re-directing your emails to Naman or Bhavna but still, good to have you back before I went on my leave :) Be like your baby - forever smiling and happy :) See I thought I was forgetting something important - going to leave what I originally wrote and add what I had first thought of writing. I don't think anyone changed a perspective of mine as soon as you did. I remember we met at the Christmas party and I had just become a Manager and I was saying how I only got promoted cause it was needed etc etc etc and you said 'Well that's what opportunities are right?'. From being quite negative about a situation I looked at it positively from that day on. Thanks :)


Reshma - Good luck to you Reshma. You have quite a task ahead but I am sure if everyone works as a strong team, you all will not only survive but very soon thrive :)

Jigar - Loved your enthusiasm at the off-site. Stay pump and pump up others also always :)


Viggi - Thanks for the chocolates - reallyyyy nice stuff :) Love how you are focussed on the right things Viggi - stay the way you are. And if you are ever bashing up Amol in the future, one two slaps give him on my behalf :)


Coffey - Please feel free to call me anytime you have any problem and well now you even have Ruiyu for a while to help you out :)


Kavita - Whenever you get super pakofied of lead cleaning, just go down to the team and tell them to stop sending you so many leads hehe ;) kidding. The more cleaning you have to do the happier we all are :)


Mitch - Like the way you think girl. Matured. Lol. Btw go though the AdWords learning center, it will help you tons.


Netra - Netra ji, whenever you need anything on DMI please call me. Also you are one person I will ALWAYS be in touch with cause you know EVERYONE hehe ;)


Bala - Hey Bala, enjoyed the long general discussions we have had on marketing and advertising. Also appreciate always how you will actually come say you like the way I presented something or liked what I said in a speech or training :)


Ruiyu - Ruiyuuuuuuuuuuu you are back and now I am on leave :( but its okay. Glad to have you back :) Do good work. And if I am ever in China you have to take me around all over.


Kavita N - You should stop saying thank you so much. As for help bindas. It's the job of your superiors to help you out and there need not be so much thanking involved ;)

Amit Bharat Vinod- Thank for all the coffee, tea and maggi.


Hetal - Good luck with all the publishers hehe. Please contact me if you are stuck with some invoice, I will come and sort it out. I don't remember if I am actually done with all of those. And if there is anyyyyy jhol whatsoever catch Sneha and Bhavna. Lol kidding.


Sandesh - I created the list you asked for but I don't think you want it ;) It's always interesting to see how much you know on such diverse subjects, especially those relating to traditions and customs. Lol if I can't find an NGO, I'll give you a call. Thanks for sitting through all those sessions where I was giving 'feedback'.


Sunil - Stop getting all those silly fashion magazine clients :P kidding. The offsite was great fun. Especially the Race. I think we wanted to come first really badly cause you guys wanted to come first so badly lol. Drink a little less and goodluck with the studies.


Manik - Thanks for the maska :P Don't worry I will be following your blog for a while. All that information is good for me ;) Btw I am glad you got your own coffee to work - lesser people would have found my habit strange.


Kevin - You're quite naughty aren't you? All that quite boy image is just an image isn't it haha. More and more people are getting to know your secret.


Pradeep - I owe you a crackle. Remind me next time we meet.


Kaushik - Kaushik yaar, bachhon ko Mr.D se bachao. Lol. Man if you get tired of search, think of acting as a career. Totally loved your acting at the off-site. It was absolutely hilarious. My highlight for that evening. Better than Kev in a skirt ;) Sorry Kev.


Few more to go.

The last mile...has been crossed...

I am on sabbatical from tomorrow. Got a couple of gifts and I will still say it again I hate receiving gifts but it's stuff that I would like.

Thanks for the watch and book guys - both are brilliant - 'time and ideas' :)

The World Is Mine...

Love the song.

Hate the video. But whatever. Enjoyyyyy

Lightning Junkie...

That what I am :)


[Not my own picture obviously. Picked it up from the web - I believe from weatherbook.com]

Below is the picture taken by me :( Maybe some day when I have better equipment and technique, I'll take a fabulous picture.


Anyway enjoyed watching the lightning a lot :D

So many nice people :) ...

First it was 'oh what nice people' and I thought people might think I'm being sarcastic.

So I made it 'such nice people :)' and a couple of people still asked me if I was bring sarcy.

Finally I settled on 'so many nice people :)' which is slightly better but can still be sarcastic.

But I am not being sarcastic. I am being honest. I am quite lucky in that way. I have met so many very nice people over the years and the events of the last few months make me realize that people are willing to go out of their way to do things for you, willing to honestly tell you how important you are to them, willing to give you things you want...

Cheers to all the great people I know.

Stop Whining...

I hate when men whine. It really pisses me off.

As if we don't hear enough of whining from women.

I am not being sexist or whatever - it's just that men have a different way of saying things. They don't whine. They might crib but it's more short lived and to the point. Women on the other hand go on and on so I hate when I find men who crib like women. I mean just shut up somebody.

Burning Eyes...

Yesterday I thought it was because of the shampoo but since I had a little burning eyes this morning too, the reason is something else...

Agh the heat and the humidity - I hate this city sometimes...

But most times I totally love it.

And it becomes quite bearable on hot and humid days once I get into an air-conditioned room :)

Thank god though winter will be here soon. I do wish that it isn't like the last winter though - totally not Mumbai style winter, i.e. cold.

Ya I know I crib too much.

A Wednesday...

If you haven't watched 'A Wednesday' yet, you should.

It's a brilliant movie. At least I thought so.

It's All About My Movies - A Wednesday.

Whattttttttttt theeeeeeee...

Saw some 6 minutes of Big Boss today and whattttttttt crap are they showing man.

There was some holi game or whatever. So okay Dettol got some nice promotion etc and I was trying to figure out which team they would declare as winners.

Anyway after this 'game' is over they show that Mahajan guy talked through the glass to that chick (they have a glass separating the rooms) and asking for a kiss (through the glass itself) and I'm like whattttttttttttttttttt theeeeeee????

And she said no for something so he asks should I come into your room and she calls him and then tells him to take her clothes somewhere or something and hes like you called me for work here? and goes upto her and slaps her ass. I mean WTF are they showing on TV these days man? I walked off cause really can't stand such retarded shit on television.

I don't know what they are producing these days and I really don't understand how people are watching all this crap.

Mar Jawaan (I say Mar Jaavaa though)

Totallyyyyyyyyy love the song. It's from the movie Fashion - which I am WAITINGGGG to watch. Love Madhur Bhandarkar films - they are full of filth and dirt that surround us.

Funny incident though - a friend pings me and asks what do you mean 'Mar Jawaan'? Some sarcastic take on the army? Do you mean die martyrs or something?

And then I realized the spelling make it seems like - Die Soldiers lol. So changed it to Mar Jaavaa. Lots of spelling variations for it though - Mar Jaawan, Mar Jawan, Mar Jaavan, Mar Jaawaa, etc...

Also got a couple of people asking me what was up with me...who was I dying over etc.

Anyway enjoyyyyyyyy the song