Water is the new Oxygen

Rain, rain, go away,
Come again another day;

Little Johnny wants to play,

Rain, rain, go away!

The day will come when we will admonish kids not to sing this nursery rhyme; when, instead, we will fervently pray for rain to come, to fill up all the water bodies which supply the precious element to our villages, towns and cities. 

The new 'E'moji: Vitamin E

Our very first lesson of alphabets was so very simple: A for Apple, B for Ball, C for Cat, D for Doll, E for Elephant…and so on and so forth. Then we learned how to string the alphabets together to form words. 

With technology leaping at speeds even faster than light, we now have communication tools at our fingertips. Words flew away and got replaced by symbols; these, in turn, being replaced with emojis. So how about somebody creating a bunch of innovative emojis for Vitamins, too, to remind people to ensure these are included in their nutrition?! The emoji on the plate in the image on the left is packed with Vitamin E!

Ironic Idli Surprise

Mg. Isn't it ironic that we all learned this metric unit at school, drilled it and its siblings into our minds to pass crucial exams, but, as adults, never really bother about it?! How much importance do we give it? How many of us bother to check the amount of various ingredients on the packet of foods we buy? Quite a large number of us would not even know the daily requirements of vitamins, proteins, fibers, carbohydrates and minerals! One of the most vital of this last group, namely minerals, is iron; and one of the many things which go into giving us bountiful energy is this essential, but oft neglected, mineral. Combined with protein, it is iron which enriches our body’s RBCs (red blood cells) that generate haemoglobin, which gives a surge of oxygen to our body, thus providing energy fuel. So what's that all-important Mg requirement for us? As per Livogen FAQs' useful info (http://www.livogen.in/iron-chef), 5mg is recommended for infants, 17mg for men and 21mg for the ladies (mothers-to-be and lactating mothers require more, as per their doctors' recommendations.) Drill those numbers into your mind and rustle up something in the kitchen to create a yummy, healthy dish which contains iron...

Learning the Magic of Photography in UK

A photograph captures a moment in a frame & preserves it for posterity. Quite often, captured by the lens in a fuzzy manner is something which you had not quite realised was there when you focused your camera on that moment. For example, your camera is focused on the moon, but you don’t realise that something flew by it – was it a shooting star or an angel or just a strange alien creature? 

Wouldn’t it be cool to have photographs which moved? Imagine, then, taking that photo of the moon & the photo moving in such a way as to display every second your camera was trained on it, thus showing what flew by. Such is the magic ability of photos in the world of Harry Potter...ah, well, time to get back to the world of Muggles...

Awaken India! Sirf Ek Ungli desh ko badalne ke liye

We Indians are #1 at ranting about the general state of things. Bribery, red tape, corruption. When it is time for elections, though, where are we? Enjoying a blissful public holiday instead of casting our crucial vote to elect for a better government. Why blame the system when we ourselves encourage it? We don't vote, we willingly pay bribes, we just resign ourselves to waiting for weeks & months to get something official done. Apathy, apathy, apathy. Next year once again the elections will be on. What are YOU going to do? Are you going to continue being apathetic or are you going to use that one important finger?

The Better Way to exercise - use your Tab!

Twist. Turn. Hold Steady. Aerobic steps? Yoga class? Actually these are the antics I was performing with my PC tablet. The tablet was a freebie which came with the purchase of some electronic gadgets. It was my very first tablet, so naturally I was thrilled to bits. The tab came in a bright pink box, the pink colour probably selected because it was actually a tab for kids. It looked much like a cake box and I opened it with childish delight. 

Wake up and smell the coffee! A trip down fragrant lanes

Memories tend to be very vivid visually. You see something or somebody and it will trigger off a nostalgic memory. Have you, though, had nostalgic memories associated with different smells? 

This blog post is a dreamy saunter down memory lanes, the wanderings set off by smells and fragrances in the home.  

Who needs a time machine when WeChat is here!

Communication-cum-connection tools across space has got a new entry: WeChat. This social app enables us to connect with friends via text and share images and videos. Let's for a moment imagine that WeChat enables us to go back in time. If I had this wonderful opportunity to use this app not just to connect with existing people but also with those who lived in the past & fictional characters, who would I chat with? This blog post reveals my wishes...

Telemedicine: Going beyond boundaries to provide healthcare

Phantom Talking Drums

One of my many favourite comics as a child was  Phantom, the purple-costumed masked superhero with his faithful four-legged companions Devil the dog and Hero the horse. It was not just his heroism which fascinated me but also some of the common threads which were woven into each adventure – the skull cave, the hero’s rings, etc. One of these fascinating concepts was that of the beating of drums (image courtesy alongside: comicvine.com) to convey a message or to summon help. 

In today's contemporary world we don't need those talking drums to get help! We just pick up the phone or send a quick SMS. Then there is online chat & emails, forms of communication which transcend physical space. Using this very idea of transcending physical space and touching lives in unique ways is telemedicine. 

Edomz revenue earning program for bloggers

For those who are looking for how to make money from your blogs, whether large or small, I would recommend trying out Edomz - especially for bloggers from India who often find their applications being turned down for other online earning programs. You can earn revenue from your blogs easily. 

The best part: as soon as your revenue earnings read $10 you can get a payment! (it was earlier $5). Now which other revenue sharing program offers this? Publishers from across the globe are welcome to join up withEdomz. There are absolutely no joining fees. (please read the updates of my review at the end too).

Did NASA really predict a blackout on 21st December 2012?

There are wild rumours abounding about NASA's prediction of a total blackout in the entire world due to a cosmic alignment. Apparently, as claimed by the rumours, there will be no electricity on that day and people should not travel during this time. Some sites (such as this one) has this eye-grabbing headline 'NASA predicts total blackout on 23-25 Dec 2012 during alignment of Universe.' When you see the page, there is an additional note that "This story has not been confirmed by CNN. NASA has debunked this myth". Yet, people continue to believe in rumours. So what did NASA really  say?

Save water: let it not get soaked up more

H₂O – this is one chemistry formula most of us will always remember as it was the easiest one! As you know, it represents water. As you are also well aware of, whether in the form of a molecule or ice, in liquid or gaseous form, water is an essential element of our very existence. Residents beneath the sea, denizens within forests, creatures within the ground, avian in the sky & humans everywhere – all need water for survival. It is us humans, though, who are responsible for depleting this precious resource of life because we soak it up too much. It is about time we saved water and followed a basic principle: Soak it no more!

Let me explain how we are soaking up far too much of earth’s precious water & what concrete steps we can take to soak it up no more...

How to pay Income Tax online in India

When the mammoth being called Internet came into existence, who would have thought it would grow by such leaps and bounds that we could get tasks done with a few clicks! Shopping, auctioning, studying, paying bills….all these tasks and more are at our fingertips. One of the major tasks is paying taxes. Paying income tax online in India is now as easy as learning 1-2-3. No more long queues and lazy clerks to deal with!

Top 7 Reasons Why Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in India maybe a Headache!

As every citizen in India know, trying to get anything done, whether applying for a birth certificate, a ration card, a bank account, etc is an excruciatingly s-l-o-w process, not to mention standing in long queues for hours/days/weeks/months and/or giving a bribe!

First photos of the Super Moon today

Celestial Treat in the Night Sky: The Super Moon at its super closest
Our prettiest neighbour came up close and personal tonight! While everybody speculated about what the Super Moon's would do, could do, did do and did not do, I followed my own advice given in my article on the causes and effects of the Super Moon. Yes, folks, I took out my handy Panasonic Lumix camera, zoomed in on the beauty and here are the results of the Super Moon images for all to see and admire:

Playing peekaboo between tree leaves

Zooming in on the Super Moon

At her brightest best

Without the zoom

Rings of light and shade caught around the Super Moon

Top 10 Work From Home Online Jobs Sites

Congratulations! If you have Googled the words “work from home sites” and been brought to this page, you’ve just hit the jackpot! Just as you are excited about coming to this page, so was I on discovering India Study Channel (ISC).

Discovering India Study Channel was similar to what the kids in Enid Blyton’s Wishing Tree stories discovered when they climbed into the cloud hovering above the Wishing Tree: a whole new magical world filled with new adventures and new people, some helpful, some arrogant, and some downright weird. India Study Channel too does have an eclectic mix of people!

One of the many great aspects of ISC is that no matter how harsh a critic you are, you will not be banned from the site. Brickbats are welcomed with as much panache as bouquets. Neither will your account be suspended nor will you be banned. Suspension takes place only for excessive copy-pasting (the suspension is revoked after a certain number of days); banning occurs only for excessive spamming.

The people you meet at ISC are extremely helpful, from Webmasters to bronze level members. There is no dearth of helpful assistance to guide you in posting, learning and earning. Your earnings are credited directly to your bank account. Once Webmaster Timmy John even called me up at 8a.m. to confirm my Account number - tell me who takes so much trouble?! My trust in ISC of being a prompt payer was redoubled tenfold that day.

Best of all: you will not pay a single rupee, dollar or whichever currency you use – promise! – neither for registration, nor entry fee, nor for anything at all at any time in the future. Anybody can join India Study Channel from any part of the world and there is no age bar too. Wow!

All about India Study Channel

Without further ado, let me tell you all about India Study Channel, where I have earned more than Rs.40, 000/- since joining in October 2008. India Study Channel is a one-stop site not just for all education-related information, but a wonderful site to earn a small part-time income. I say small because I don’t want to give you any false expectations of earning a million bucks in a few months – the way most other work from home sites promise. Nevertheless, believe me, that small income can make an incredible difference to your life. After all, who doesn’t want to earn just a little bit more?!

Best Work from Home Online Jobs at India Study Channel

There are many wonderful ways to earn online at India Study Channel. Read patiently till the end and find out how….

1. Contributions: You can write articles, give information about educational institutes in India, write reviews...and lots more! Your contributions are called posts. Some – not all – sections of India Study Channel will get you cash credits for your posts. Even Forum posts and responses can get you cash credits. All the cash credits you garner will translate to actual hard-earned cash when you reach the minimum payout level of Rs.2000/-. This is the official minimum payment, but members can get payment even on reaching a minimum of Rs.750/- or Rs.500/- if they also have a sufficient balance of cash credits. In fact, from my own experience, I can say with 100% guarantee that the best work from home opportunity in India is at India Study Channel.

2. Win a Contest: Take part in Group Discussions and contests initiated by the Webmasters and gain good amounts of cash credits as a winner. One of my favourite awarda was when I won for a story-writing contest: ISC touches the sky

3. Win an Award: There are many Awards at India Study Channel including Member of the Week, Member of the Month, and Wizard Awards (for Forum, Ask Expert and Resources sections at present). All these awards are in the form of cash. As of today, I have been honoured with 3 Best Forum Supporter Awards, 1 Member of the month award, Wizard of the Month for the English section and - one of the crowning glores - 2010 ISC Star of the Year Award.

4. Google AdSense Revenue Sharing Program: This is definitely the main source of your part-time income through India Study Channel. The Google Adsense revenue sharing program enables you to earn from the revenue generated through the Google Ads displayed at all the pages where you post. If you already have a Google AdSense Account, just link your ISC account to it – and see your earnings rise. If you do not have a Google AdSense account, India Study Channel is a great avenue to acquire it. Contribute wisely and well to ISC for at least 6 months, reach the Gold level of membership by garnering points and then apply through your profile page. See that shiny shield at the top? That's my Platinum Membership shield. Speaking of profile page – note that even my profile page generates Google AdSense earnings!

Oh yes – I am earning a good bit through the Google Ads at my ISC pages. Yippee!

How to Join India Study Channel

Joining India Study Channel is a simple 2-step process.

1. Register here: India Study Channel

2. Enter any name (need not be your actual name) which will be used henceforth as your User ID.

That's it! You're all set to work from home!
[Important Note: Make sure that you enter the validation code which ISC will send you via email as soon as you have registered]

And what are the other 9 best work at home sites? Well, they are the Partner sites of India Study Channel – actually there are much more than nine, (in fact dozens)!

Go on...join up at India Study Channel right away. You will not only start earning a small income from ISC, but are very likely to gain tons of self-confidence & arouse the creative spark dormant inside you.

Best Online Investments in India Study Channel

Sorry, you are not going to read here about investments in mutual funds or shares or gold! What you are going to learn about is a superb online investment at a work-at-home-and-earn site. The name: India Study Channel.

How much do you need to invest at India Study Channel?

1. In terms of Money: Not one cent – promise!

You can register for free right here:

Also, at no time during your membership will you have to pay anything to India Study Channel.

2. In terms of Time: It is as per your wish totally. You can spend anywhere from 5 minutes to 16 hours (you need at least 8 hours sleep right?!)

3. In terms of Quantity: This, too, is entirely up to you. You are free to contribute 1 post or none at all. You can just spend your time taking part in Forum discussions or simply browsing through the various sections.

What are your returns from investing in India Study Channel?

1. In terms of Money: That depends entirely on the quality of your contributions, irrespective of the quantity of your contributions. The better the quality of your posts, the better your earnings. These earnings bring in cash credits to your account, which in turn translates to actual payment later. Learn more here: How to Earn Online at India Study Channel.

2. In terms of Time: The more time you spend at India Study Channel, the more extraordinary people you will meet. The more years you spend with India Study Channel, the greater the possibility of increased earnings in $ (converted to your currency) through the Google AdSense Program.

3. In terms of Quantity: The more contributions you make, naturally the greater the possibility of increased earnings.

What makes a site great for an online investment? Transparency, Prompt payments, Mutual Trust – these 3 qualities are what I look for and I found it at India Study Channel.

Trust me, a few months from now you will be posting a "Thank You" comment at this blog for sharing with you information on the Best Online Investments in India. You see, India Study Channel will bring happiness to your life.

Read more about ISC here: Top 10 Work From Home Online Sites

Mumbai Indians Team 2010

The Mumbai Indians Team for the IPL 2010, like last year, look like a prolific team on paper. Unfortunately, in this exciting shorter version of the gentlemen's game, the Mumbai Indians have not lived up to the promising talent that is abundant in the team. Leave aside lifting the trophy, the Mumbai Indians squad did not even make it to the semifinal stages in the previous two IPL editions.

Mumbai Indians Squad IPL 2010

Captain: Sachin Tendulkar

Vice-Captain: Zaheer Khan

Batsmen in Mumbai Indians Squad IPL 2010:

Sachin Tendulkar

S. Dhawan

J.P.Duminy

Ambati Rayudu

Saurabh Tiwary

Bowlers in Mumbai Indians Squal IPL 2010:

Dilhara Fernando

Zaheer Khan

Dhawal Kulkarni

Lasith Malinga

Harbhajan Singh

Rahul Shukla

All-rounders in Mumbai Indians Squad IPL 2010:

Dwayne Bravo

Sanath Jayasuriya

Ryan McLaren

Graham Napier

Abhishek Nayar

Kieron Pollard

Ishan Malhotra

Ali Murtaza

R. Sathish

K. Syed Sahabuddin

Wicketkeepers in Mumbai Indians Squal IPL 2010:

Chandan Madan

Aditya Tare

Support Staff of Mumbai Indians Squad IPL 2010:

Coaches: Robin Singh and Pravin Amre

Fielding Coach: Jonty Rhodes

Chief Mentor: Shaun Pollock

Trainer: Ramji Srinivasan

Physio: Dr. Nitin Patel

Masseur: Donald Shugg

With one-day double centurion Sachin Tendulkar once again at the helm and stalwarts like Jayasuriya, Duminy and Bravo, the Mumbai Indians 2010 Team were expected to go all the way to the top. It is hoped that the Mumbai Indians 2010 squad will do far better this time, their chances being bolstered by new entrant Kieron Pollard. Let's cheer them on like the group in the photos below, whom I captured on camera during the promo shoot for the Mumbai Indians Squad 2010.

2010 Academy Awards Winners List

Well, only 2 of my predictions on who would win the 2010 Oscars were wrong! My favourite, Meryl Streep did not get the coveted golden statuette. You can check my predictions here: 2010 Oscar Winners: Who Will Win?

Here is a List of the 2010 Academy Award Winners:

• 2010 Oscar Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
• 2010 Oscar Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow for The Hurt Locker
• 2010 Oscar Best Actor: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
• 2010 Oscar Best Actress: Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side
• 2010 Oscar Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds
• 2010 Oscar Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique for Precious
• 2010 Oscar Best Animated Feature Film: Up
• 2010 Oscar Best Cinematography: Avatar - Mauro Fiore
• 2010 Oscar Best Film Editing: The Hurt Locker - Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
• 2010 Oscar Best Art Direction: Avatar
• 2010 Oscar Best Costume Design: The Young Victoria - Sany Powell

For a complete List of 2010 Oscar Winners click here: 2010 Oscar Night Winners

2010 Oscar Winners: Who Will Win?

2010 Oscars: A few hours from now about two dozen golden statuettes will be excitedly clutched by the best of the Hollywood industry – directors, actors, writers, musicians, sound mixers et al. The 2010 Oscars will be closely contested & may create unexpected winners.

2010 Oscar Winners: Who Will Win?Here are a just a few of my predictions for 2010 Academy Awards:
1. Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
2. Best Director: Quentin Tarantino for Inglorious Bastards
3. Best Actor: Jeff Bridges for Crazy Heart
4. Best Actress: Meryl Streep for Julie & Julia (she is my favourite Hollywood star hence the vote for her!)
5. Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Bastards
6. Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique for Precious
7. Best Animated Film: Up (one of the most heart-warming & beautifully created films, animated or otherwise, that I have ever seen)
8. Best Cinematography: Avatar

For a complete list of nominees, trailers & more click here: Oscar.com
For the Live Webcast of 2010 Oscars click here: Live from the Red Carpet