Buster Shin's Online Home

Derek Sivers: How to start a movement

2011-02-14T17:05:00.001Z

Sixth Sense

2011-02-10T14:17:00.002Z

"THE LOOK"

2011-02-04T11:50:00.000Z

This is the look you get from your Wife/Husband/Mother/Father.

Everyone knows "THE LOOK".

The Look is usualy dispensed when there is a crowd of people and the dispenser does not want to make a scene but wants to make it clear to you through the look that it is game over for you. The usual reaction from The Look by the person the it is given to is silence followed by a fear not to go home!

Personally speaking I would rather get slapped than get "THE LOOK" because with a slap I usually get some sympathy after, but the Look can result in your parents not talking to you for weeks which makes you feel like doo-doo, especially when they go to a function and leave yo' behind at home!

Unfortuantly, once i became an adolecent The Look became more frequent as my parents realised that getting a slap doesn't accomplish anything!!! Nuts!

Circusmtance when I have been given the look (when I was a kid):

Going to a family function and spending the whole time outside in the freezing cold playing without a jacket on!

Sliding down the staircase on my bum at a family friends house only to get my leg caught in a step to then go flying forward and hit my forhead on a fireplace poker set at the bottom of the banister.....clever place to put the poker set.........and then have to cut short the visit only to go to Hospital to get the wound stiched up!!

I can't rember exactly the individual circumstances, but acting a fool in front of your parents in general, making, what you think, everyone laugh, but in fact are embarrassing your parents!

Getting a bad report from school. Problem with this one is I would get the look at school in front of the teachers and then get a beating when I got home! It was then followed by me having to write Lines, and then having to "catch my ears" before bed......every dugu family knows this!! When you catch your ears from between your legs!! KILLLAAAA!!!

Getting hit as a kid has'nt effected me. Oh, I just found a photo of my teddy bear from when I was a kid, I used to love dressing him up!!! See i'm perfectly normal!

Lamborghini Boat

2010-08-27T15:37:00.007+01:00

Words cannot describe the mess I made when I saw boat!!!

MEOWWWWWWWW

Why is our bum at the back??

2010-07-30T09:00:00.000+01:00

I duno, but thank god it is!!!!

There's an Evil Monkey in my room

2010-07-05T09:00:00.000+01:00

The best of the Evil Monkey!!!

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=2025250590

The size of the sun in comparison

2010-06-11T13:01:00.006+01:00

The sun never cease to amaze us with its theatrics, its lava flares dancing across its surface in a ballet of nuclear fusion, sometimes leaping millions of miles into the air. And although the sun is big, its intense heat and light makes it difficult to capture good images with normal instruments. So NASA scientists use an Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager and an Atmospheric Imaging Assembly detector to view the ultra-violet (UV) and extreme ultra-violet lithography (EUV) wavelengths released by the sun. The resulting images are spectacular.

Full disk image of the sun. Ain’t it beautiful?!

It is the fire of life. It can be kind but it can get angry. But it never throws its weight around. It is the sun. And although it is 330,000 more massive than earth and contains 99.8% of the mass in our solar system, it is small in comparison with some other stars.

Full disk image of the sun as taken by NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory, which orbits 22,300 miles above earth.

Earth in comparison to the sun

Earth’s distance from the sun varies between 91.4 million miles – in January – and 94.4 million miles – in July. The average distance of 92,955,887.6 miles (149, 597, 870.7 kilometers) is called 1 astronomical unit (AU), a measurement that is used to report distances to other planets and stars as well. In short, it’s not a weekend drive.

NASA puts the size of earth to the sun in perspective like this: Suppose the radius of Earth were the width of an ordinary paper clip. The radius of the sun would be roughly the height of a desk, and the sun would be about 100 paces from earth.

Earth size in comparison to the sun and other planets:

The size of the sun in comparison

Our sun is one of billions in the entire universe. It also is fairly small in comparison with other big stars. In fact, our sun is classified as a G2 dwarf star. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, is twice as massive as the sun and 25 times more luminous. And Sirius is dwarfed by Pollux, which is eight times the radius of the sun. And Pollux is dwarfed by Arcturus, which is almost 26 times the size of the sun.

It’s a big, big universe

But there are bigger stars yet. When compared to Antares, our handsome sun is a mere pixel on a map. And Antares is not even the biggest star. That title is thought to belong to a star called VY Canus Majoris. It is about 2,000 times the size of the sun, or more than twice the size of Antares.

Sun in comparison to Antares:

Note that it VY Canus Majoris is the biggest in size but not mass. The currently known most massive star is thought to be WR 102ka – known as Peony Nebula Star – at about 175 times the mass of the sun.

How big is the universe?

The Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe calculated the age of the known universe at 13.7 billion years old, based on its radius of 13.7 billion light years. And it is growing bigger every day, at a speed of 71 km/s/Mpc. The size of the whole universe is estimated to be 78 billion light years. If you start traveling today at 60 miles per hour (100km/h) you’ll get to the end of your first coffee stop, the end of one light year, in nine trillion years. Then you just keep going for another 77 billion light years. Or you could stay here, look after our beautiful planet… and enjoy the sun.

Sikhism viewpoint on organ donation

2010-06-11T07:00:00.000+01:00

What is organ donation?

Organ donation is the gift of an organ to help someone else who needs a transplant. Hundreds of people lives are saved each year by an organ transplant. Organs that can be donated by people who have died are the heart, lungs, kidneys, Liver, pancreas and small bowel. Tissues such as skin, bone, heart valves and corneas can also be used to help others.

When can organ donation take place?

Doctors and nurses are committed to doing everything possible to save life. Organs are only removed for transplantation once all attempts to save life have failed and after death has been certified by a doctor or doctors who are entirely independent of the transplantation team. Most donated organs come from people who die from a serve brain injury and who receive treatment from a ventilator in an intensive care unit. The brain injury damages vital centers in the brain stem which are essential to maintain life. No one can live once these centers have been destroyed. Tests can show conclusively when this has happened. In some circumstances, patients who die in hospital but are not on a ventilator may also donate. They are called non-heart beating donors.

Consent

The consent or lack of objection, of those closest to the patient is always sought before organs can be donated. This is why it is so important for people to discuss their wishes with their loved ones. Donation is an individual choice and views differ even within the same religious groups. Many families who agree to organ donation have said “It helps to know that some good has come from our loss”

Care and respect

The removal of organs is carried out with greatest care and respect. The family can see the body afterwards and staff can contact a Chaplin or local religious leaders if the family wishes.

Where does Sikhi stand in regards to Organ donation?

The Sikh philosophy and teachings place great emphasis on the importance of giving to others, hence the free kitchen at every Sikh temple. Sikhs have in the past put others before themselves a great example of this is when Sri Guru Teg bahadur Ji sacrificed his live (he was beheaded) to defend the rights of the Hindu religion (a faith which he didn’t even practice). If Guru JI can give his life for the betterment of others, the least we can do is give our organs once we are dead to benefit others.

Through goodness and truth, the dead establish a bond with the living. Ang 143 SGGSJ

Courtesy of http://frontlinepunjabiyouth.blogspot.com

Paul Kodish

2010-01-23T15:29:00.002Z

Paul Kodish is a professional drummer who currently plays in Australian drum and bass band Pendulum.

Pendulum is by far my favorite drum and bass group...the gravity and atmosphere they put into their beats are on an epic scale, nothing I have ever heard before.

I came across this video of Paul Kodish and was blown away.......

El Camino del Rey...aka DEATH TRAIL!

2010-01-20T18:14:00.001Z

Christmas Facts!

2009-12-10T10:32:00.002Z

- Kissing under a Mistletoe is a Pagan tradition and is associated with fertility!

- The colours in Santa Claus’ suit, red and white, were the creation of artist Haddon Sundblom. Sundblom was commissioned by the Coca-Cola Company to redesign Santa Claus, although, Thomas Nast was the first artist to illustrate Santa Claus.

- Santa Claus has many different names around the world including Father Christmas in the UK, Pere Noel in France, Kriss Kringle in Germany, La Befana in Italy, Julinesse in Denmark, Dedushka Moroz (meaning Grandfather Frost) in Russia and the Three Kings in Spain and Mexico.

- The 26th of December is traditionally known as St Stephen's Day, but is more commonly known as Boxing Day. The reason it was called this is either alms boxes in church were opened and the money distributed to the poor, or alternatively it was named from the practice of servants receiving boxes of gifts from their employers on this day. Boxing day is NOT named after the practice of throwing out large numbers of boxes after Christmas!

- English Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas between 1647 and 1660 because he believed such celebrations were immoral for the holiest day of the year.

- Popular belief holds that 3 wise men visited Bethlehem from the east bearing gifts. However there is no mention in the bible about the number of wise men who visited. Three gifts were brought - gold, frankincense and myrrh, but names commonly attributed to the wise men - Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar were added some 500 years later.

- Pope Julius I declared Christ’s birthday as December 25th sometime during the 4th century.

- Christmas trees received their first written acknowledgement in Germany in 1531.

- The tradition of hanging stockings over the fireplace derived from Dutch children placing their shoes next to the fireplace on Christmas Eve. Stockings later replaced the shoes.

- Until the turkey, a goose was the most popular fare served at a Christmas meal.

- The popular Christmas carol Silent Night was written by an Austrian priest named Joseph Mohr in 1818 as a result of a broken church organ.

- Santa has a calculated 31 hours to thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west.

- Christmas trees such a Douglas fir and Evergreen are grown in all 50 states of America.

- The abbreviation of Christmas to Xmas partially comes from the Greek letter ‘chi’, the first letter of the word ‘Christos’, meaning ‘Christ’.

- Australian priests suggest saying “Happy Christmas” instead of Merry Christmas since “merry” often referred to drinking alcohol.

- Bing Crosby’s Christmas classic “White Christmas” is the best-selling Christmas song of all time.

- Alabama was the first state in America to proclaim Christmas day as a legal holiday in 1836.

- Oklahoma was the last state to proclaim Christmas day as a legal holiday in 1907.

- Poet Clark Moore is credited with naming Santa’s reindeer; Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Dancer, Dasher, Doneder, Prancer, and the most famous reindeer, Rudolph.

- The colours in Santa Claus’ suit, red and white, were the creation of artist Haddon Sundblom. Sundblom was commissioned by the Coca-Cola Company to redesign Santa Claus, although, Thomas Nast was the first artist to illustrate Santa Claus.

- Austria issued the first Christmas stamp in 1937.

- The first United States President, Franklin Pierce, was the first in 1856 to decorate a Christmas tree in the White House.

- While working for inventor Thomas Edison, Edward Johnson had lights crafted especially for his Christmas tree leading to the popularization of Christmas tree light.

- The red stripe in the candy cane was intended by the inventor as the blood of Christ.

- Mistletoe myth states should a woman appearing under the mistletoe not receive a
kiss, she will not marry the following year.

- The first Christmas card was designed by John Horsley in 1840 but was not sold until 1843.

- Christmas wreaths of holly and berries are believed to represent Christ’s thorns and blood.

- In Mexico, the poinsettia plant is called “Flower of the Holy Night”.

- Tinsel became a popular Christmas tree adornment after a mythical spider created sprawling webs from branch to branch. It is believe the Christ Child changed the webs to a silver colour.

- The Christmas tree displayed in Trafalgar square in London is an annual gift to the UK from Norway since 1947. The Norwegian spruce given is a token of appreciation of British friendship during World War II from the Norwegian people.

Seasame Street Number 12 Pinball Animation

2009-11-12T23:47:00.002Z

It's been a while since my last blog, I will try and update more often.

Here is a classic video clip from Sesame Street....12 Pinball! Unfortuantly I still don't know how to count past 12!!!

U-Min Dancers

2009-08-17T14:49:00.002+01:00

These dancers are just KILLLLEERR!!!

All new Gurdwara in Dubai

2009-07-12T22:46:00.003+01:00

Korean Vampires!!!

2009-07-09T10:27:00.000+01:00

Remind me never to go to Korea!!!

Beating your kids

2009-06-10T12:56:00.003+01:00

How come everyone today is too much of a sissy to smack their kids around? That's what I want to know: why are parents afraid to beat their kids? When I was a kid and I screwed up, my parents beat my ass. We didn't have a conversation about it. I didn't have a "time out." In fact, I've never even once been grounded in my life. What's the point? Send your kid to his room and make him play video games and read comic books all day? Great idea, why don't you take him to a psychiatrist while you're at it so she can pull some disorder out of her ass to hide the fact that you're a bad parent?

Kids today need a good beating every now and then. If you don't beat your kids when they fall out of line, the next thing you know your son will go off and bang some dude in the ass just out of spite. You tell them to clean their room, they say "no," you smack them. It's simple; it works. Don't listen to these fools on TV with their bull hippy psycho babble; if they had it their way, every child would be raised in a pastel colored room with Philip Glass pumped through the speakers 24 hours a day. Then again, it might not be all that bad because it will make your kids complacent, so it won't be as hard for them to swallow when they realize that they'll be spending the rest of their lives chained to a desk in a cubicle writing reports to make someone else rich.

The problem is that kids today think their opinions matter. By not beating your kids, they get a skewed perspective of reality where they start thinking that they have it rough and that they can get away with dying their hair and listening to Insane Clown Posse. That's where you need to come in and put the law down. To help you, the negligent parent, I've put together a guide to smacking your kids for your convenience (hint: you may want to even print this guide up and hang it on your fridge as a reminder to both you and your kids). Here are some useful techniques:

Five across the eyes. This is a very basic maneuver and usually enough to cover most situations when your child is out of line. Simply put four fingers tightly together and either leave the thumb off to the side or fold it behind the other four fingers. Then smack your kid across the face with the back of your hand. Now this is the tricky part: make sure to snap your wrist just before contact otherwise you won't get a stinging effect. Very important because you don't want to risk letting your kid think you're a sissy.

The sucker punch. Just ask the question "hey, what's that on your shirt?" and when they look down, bust their lip. You need to do this every now and then to keep them guessing. Don't ever let them off the hook. Just because they're not doing anything wrong doesn't mean that they didn't do something wrong earlier that you weren't aware of.

The yard stick. Or for those of you who don't use the arbitrary American system, this is also known as "the meter stick." This is a good general purpose beating because the stick usually doesn't last beyond three or four good whacks--usually enough to send the message.

The one-two shut-the-hell-up. This is priceless when you're shopping and your kid won't shut the hell up: "I'm hungry, I want toys, I need my Insulin..." etc. First smack your kid (the 5 across the eyes technique works). Wait a few seconds for your kid to start crying, then smack your kid again to let him know that you mean business. This usually shuts them up because they see that the amount of crying is proportional to the amount of beatings.

The 2 x 4 / PVC pipe. If you do your job as a parent, this should never have to be administered. This is for heavy duty jobs only (ie. any time your kid comes home and begins a sentence with "she might be pregnant..." or "I can _____ if I want to..." where the blank can be any of the following: smoke, have sex, experiment with drugs, watch Oprah, etc). Usually the threat of this beating is enough to keep your kid from screwing up.

The Dragon Kick. If you're interested in a permanent solution to your child giving you lip about washing the dishes, cleaning his or her room or filing your tax return, then the Dragon kick might be the technique for you. I guarantee that you will only have to ask once after the Dragon kick has been administered.

The skull thump. A quick blow usually dealt to the side or back of the head. Simply flick them in the head with your finger. An alternative is to smack your child up side the head with your palm. Very useful for teaching your child to read when he or she makes a mistake. Hitting your child when he or she is learning builds confidence, or undermines confidence--I can't remember which.

The one-handed chauffeur reach around. A quick reach around while you're driving to smack your kid and his friends too if they disrespect. Swerve the car back and forth for the full effect.

The cane intercept. If you're too old to chase your kid around the house, use the handle of your cane to trip him if he tries to get away. When he gets up, poke him in the head a few times to let him know who's boss.
There you have it. Use these basic techniques to discipline your child if you want him or her to turn out to be a success story like me. Here's how to tell if you've fulfilled your obligations as a parent:

Remember: never take rubbish from your kids. You make payments on the house, utilities, their clothes, school, and their food. You own them. If they don't like it, they can move out. If you love your kids, love them enough to beat them so that they don't grow up to be idiots.

http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=beat

More direct quotes from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji against consuming intoxications

2009-06-10T09:02:00.000+01:00

This is for those people who still say "It's not written in black and white in bani whether we can or cannot consume intoxications"......here is your answer.

One person brings a full bottle, and another fills the cups. Drinking the alcohol, their intelligence departs, and madness enters their mind. Ang-554 SGGSJ

Drinking in this wine one takes on countless sins and corruptions. Ang-553 SGGSJ

Kabeer, those mortals who consume marijuana (intoxicants for pleasure), fish (meat) and wine (alcohol), no matter what pilgrimages, fasts and rituals they follow they will go to hell. Ang- 1377 SGGSJ

for further info check this link:
http://bustershin.blogspot.com/2008/04/eating-meatsikh-scientific-viewpoint.html

Dangermouse....the super hero!!

2009-06-04T09:22:00.000+01:00

Did you know that Dangermouse was known as the "One -eyed wonder"

I have to question if this really is suitable for kids!

Fire Alarm Jam

2009-05-27T17:00:00.001+01:00

We have all done you.....you know.....when you hear a siren or the indicator ticker in the car and you beatbox....well this is to the next level!!!

It's all about Terry Tate!!!!

2009-05-15T12:19:00.004+01:00

You may remeber this dude from 'My Wife and Kids' TV show!

He has my dream job!!!

I can't BEAR it!

2009-05-02T11:06:00.000+01:00

Analysis of Yodish

2009-04-29T00:15:00.000+01:00

Talking like Jedi Master Yoda is a fun and easy way to make a joke amongst your fellow Star Wars fans. His unique style of reversing the words in a sentence are easily recognized by fans around the world.

Here's How:

1. Take the first two or three words of a sentence, and just add them to the end. For example: 'You will find what you are looking for' turns into 'Find what you are looking for, you will.'

2. Rearranging the negative in a sentences works very well. For example: 'I will not help you' turns into 'I will help you not.' Avoiding contractions will help in this -- 'I can't go there' turns into 'Go there, I can not.'

3. Adding a 'hmmmm...' at the end of an altered question. For example, 'Do you know what I am talking about?' turns into 'Know what I am talking about, do you? Hmmm...?'

4. Adding a 'yes' to an altered statement. For example: 'You are here for my help' turns into 'Here for my help, you are... yes...'

Originally found at http://starwars.about.com/movies/starwars/

Weapon Masters- the Chakra

2009-03-23T09:41:00.000Z

What is right? or left??!

2009-02-16T09:11:00.001Z

It's been quite long since i last updated my blog, but i am going to try and update more often....I'm going to try a minimum of one a week!

Quezzzion: Why do we in britain drive on the left??

Anzer: This strange quirk perplexes the rest of the world; however, there is a perfectly good reason.

Up to the late 1700's, everybody travelled on the left side of the road because it's the sensible option for feudal, violent societies of mostly right-handed people.

Jousting knights with their lances under their right arm naturally passed on each other's right, and if you passed a stranger on the road you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between yourself and him.

http://www.2pass.co.uk/goodluck.htm

HAPPY NEW YEAR- another fact for the new year! Why do we dial 999 in an emergency?

2009-01-06T09:03:00.000Z

Firstly Congratulations on Guru Gobind Singh Ji's Birth aniiversary and Happy New Year. It has been some time since I lasted posted a blog so below is another one of my Random facts i researched!

The 999 system came about via the Metropolitan Police in London as they found that their Police Stations were being overrun either by visitors to the station alerting them to emergency situations or trying to phone them in the growing trend of using the new invention, the telephone. Not every one could remember or knew the telephone number of the local Police Station. In November of 1927 the general public in London were advised " if you have an emergency dial 0". When the operators answers ask for the service you require. The Metropolitan Police maintained this service till 1934 then they introduced their Information Room with the famous number of Whitehall 1212. Where all emergency calls ended up. Emergency calls via telephone kept increasing and telephone operators were unable to identify emergency calls from other operator service calls.

As is normal a disaster of some description was required to prompt government action. In November of 1935 a fire occurred in London in which five people died, in the inquiry which followed it became apparent that a system was required that alerted telephone operators to emergency calls. A parliamentary Committee called the Belgrave Committee examined the problems and set up various experiments in London. A great deal of discussion took place between the Home Office, the Police and Post Office. It was decided not to use 111 as this number can be dialled by phones which are faulty. 12 was not a good idea as at that time any one wanting a number on the 12 exchange would be barred because of the emergency calls. The same could be said for 222, this would have closed a big exchange in London and that could not happen.

999 was used because the numbers could be remembered easily, that they were all at the same end of the dial. It was relatively simple to convert coin boxes to accept 999 calls with out charge. The 999 system open in London in July 1937, it was 1938 before it reached Glasgow. It was the first service of its type in the world.

Foods to avoid, which contain alcohol and cow stomach

2008-12-02T13:27:00.001Z

Cheese is made by coagulating milk to give curds which are then separated from the liquid, whey, after which they can be processed and matured to produce a wide variety of cheeses. Milk is coagulated by the addition of rennet. The active ingredient of rennet is the enzyme, chymosin (also known as rennin). The usual source of rennet is the stomach of slaughtered newly-born calves. Vegetarian cheeses are manufactured using rennet from either fungal or bacterial sources. Advances in genetic engineering processes means they may now also be made using chymosin produced by genetically altered micro-organisms.

Vegetarian Cheeses

These contain the words “suitable for vegetarians” on the packing. Vegetarian cheeses are made with rennets of non-animal origin. In the past, fig leaves, melon, wild thistle and safflower have all supplied plant rennets for cheese making. However, most widely available vegetarian cheeses are made using rennet produced by fermentation of the fungus Mucor miehei. Vegetarian cheese may also be made using a rennet from the bacteria Bacillus subtilis or Bacillus prodigiosum.

Spirit vinegar is distilled before the acetification process has finished and contains a small amount of alcohol which changes the flavor dimension of the vinegar.

First, just so you know, the only type of alcohol in anything that you would ever put in your mouth is ethanol, CH3CH2OH.

When bacteria ferment they create one of two possibilities, ethanol CH3CH2OH, or acetic acid, CH3COOH. Acetic acid is a more oxidized form of ethanol. Ethanol is what you want if you're making wine, beer, liquor, etc. Acetic acid is what gives all vinegars their distinct taste, and the simplest of all vinegars would be a ~3% solution of acetic acid. Most vinegars contain additional flavor components. Any acetic acid in an alcoholic drink however would make it bad, since it has a very strong flavor.

In spirit vinegar, the fermentation process is stopped before the bacteria have completely converted all the ethanol (which is always found in very small amounts anyway) into acetic acid. Whereas even a small amount of acetic acid in alcoholic beverages would completely ruin the flavor, the small amount of alcohol left over in spirit vinegar enhances the flavor in some people's opinions.

If you are asking this question on a practical "I want to get drunk" level. The answer is that drinking spirit vinegar would be just about the stupidest way to get drunk. The percentage of alcohol is miniscule, and you would probably have to drink gallons of vinegar to get drunk from it.

Heinz ketchup and beans contain spirit vinegar!

Anger Management

2008-11-17T10:03:00.008Z

Recently I am beginning to realise I may have anger management issues!!

To start off with, let’s not talk about my road rage! I have to admit I have calmed down a lot behind the wheel in the last few years, but have to occasional burst of anger!! (Note: I use to word occasional instead of frequent!!)

For anyone that has watched Anger Management, I can really sympathise with Adam Sandler's character. I have found, especially with my dad, that when I am making a conscious effort to remain calm, I am having "calm down, no need to be aggressive" thrown in my face!!!

Just the other day, for example, I switched the hall way light on, and my mum kept switching it off.....so after the 5th time of switching on again I said "mum, can you leave the light on please"....ensuring that my tone was muted, that I didn’t have a lilt in my voice to suggest anger, and even saying "please" at the end rather than "mum, can you PLEASE leave the light on",

Next thing I know my dad comes over and says "you are so aggressive, you need to calm down"...... Despite being very confused, the immediate thought was "What did I say wrong?” For a while I was thinking I may be schizophrenic in that I perceived myself to be one way, but actually am another way.....I could even be white but I may never know!

There is no winning sometimes, maybe I should wear a clown mask all day and sing happy songs....but I have a feeling this is what my dad would see.....

Happy Gurpurb!!

2008-11-13T22:19:00.003Z

It's been great few weeks full of celebrations!

As a Sikh, today holds special reverence as we celebrate the birth of our first Guru, Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Guru means Teacher and Ji is a suffix or postposition used with a name or title as a sign of respect.

This post is also special as I am also posting a poem written by non other than The Lion of Hounslow Town (this is his myspace) commemorating this special day.

The Growing Fruit

As time continues
The sweet fruit can grow and grow
And have enough nutrients
To release its own seed
To cater for his own needs
And for its offspring, be able to guide, enjoy and fully feed
To teach them not to fall into the Bitter Cycle of caste, Creed or Breed
Instead to love all, and be present when a friend is in need
Be the antiseptic resource, when a wound has no choice but to bleed,
To be the voice of those who can't speak, and the eyes of those who can't read
To be the one of truly great deed's, to listen clearly and hear those silent pleas
To that broken connection, you have come to mend,
To a stranger, be a friend

Gurpreet Singh Rai © 2008

The horrors of dreaming....

2008-11-04T07:52:00.001Z

I have 3 types of dreams that ruin my day.

First type: The punch bag. This is the dream when you are trying to defend yourself (or batter someone!) but when it comes to throwing a punch it is like you are throwing a punch under water!! There is no weight behind it and it's a real struggle to make contact.

Second type: The Not-so-Running man. When you are trying to run but you can't!!! When you do try to run it's like running under water....a lot of effort but you don't get anywhere!

Third type: The failed academic. This in my mind is the worst type of dream. I have had so many of this type of dream, it totally ruins my day!!! I spoke to my Dad about this type of dream and he too said he sometimes has this dream too....and he's in his 60's!!! This type of dream can have many story lines but the jist is basically that you have to study again and have a few days to sit your exam again!

The typical storyline for this type of dream (often varies wildly!) is were I get a letter through the post saying my degree is null and void because I was a few points out in my A-levels which only came to their attention, so I have to go back to high school and learn the new syllabus for the subject in 1 day only to sit the final exam the next day!!!!!!!!!! If I do not pass I have to resit the whole year, and then redo my degree!!!!

At first it starts of well as not only is it me in the class, but all my mates......but then it turns out they are only there for a reunion and when the lesson starts it's only me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

When I am given a sample exam question it's all gibberish to me.....at this point I wake up in a panic.....thinking that it is exam day! And in my morning haze I lay in my bed for about 5 minutes in a cold sweat thinking "I'm dead!".....soon after the panic resides as I begin to realise it's only a dream, but the damage has been done!!!

I think the reason for this type of dream is that, as I’m in my mid-20s, majority of my life has been studying (in reality winging it!) and now we don't have anything to study for...well study in the sense preparing homework last minute, revising on the day, dreading parents evening etc.., our minds revert to our previous state of panic!!!!! Studying now has a different meaning as it did in school. Now we study to learn something interesting or that will result in us getting more money!!

I think electro shock therapy is on order!!! Anyone got any jump leads I can borrow?!!!

'The Nightmare' by Fuseli.

I used this picture as I find it funny how the woman looks as though she has fainted! That particular pose cracks me up!!! LOL The Horsey looks possessed....HA HA HAHA!! A possessed horse, thats tooooooo funny!! Giddy Up!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BANDI CHOR DIWAS!!!!!

2008-10-29T11:12:00.002Z

While Hindus around the world celebrate their biggest festival of lights Diwali with full enthusiasm, Sikhs celebrate the day as 'Bandi Chor Diwas' or, the day of release of detainees.

Sikh history traces these celebrations way back to the 17th century. It was during the reign of the Mughal emperor Jahangir when they got into conflict with Sikhs.

The Sixth Guru, Guru Hargobind secured the release of not only himself but also 56 other kings who had been imprisoned at the Gwalior Fort. And, on this day the Guru and the Kings returned to Amritsar to a glorious welcome.

Since then Diwali festival means the marking of the historical event for the Sikhs.

Sikhs celebrate Diwali as 'Bandhi Chor Diwas' (detainees' release day). To celebrate this day, number of religious gatherings are organized. Sri Darbar Sahib arranges all the celebrations like installing special tents and arranging community meals."

He added: "The message of this sacred day is that like Guru Hargobind was not having any dispute with anyone. We should also follow the same path. He had always worked to help people against poverty and injustice. Though Guru Ji was not having any relation with Rajput kings but for seeing the injustice to them he put a condition of their release along with him."

In 1577, the foundation stone of the Golden Temple was laid on the day of Diwali. In fact the third Sikh Guru, Guru Amar Das asked all his disciples to assemble to receive the blessings of the Guru.

Bobby McFerrin

2008-10-29T08:55:00.000Z

This guy is a genius! Another one of my favorites.

He has made many memorable songs such as "Don't worry be happy", the theme to the Cosby show and "knick Knack"....which you may have heard on the recent BUPA commercials.

What's the world coming to?!

2008-10-16T11:01:00.003+01:00

Below is a clip from youtube showing a new type of knife.

A needle in the tip of the blade shoots out the frozen ball of gas which instantly balloons to the size of a basketball, freezing organs.

How can something like this be produced, who is it for??!!

Beautifully written....

2008-10-13T09:42:00.001+01:00

At birth a Sikh girl is immediately “our darling” to her mother and father.Later, she becomes admired by her brothers and sisters and favoured by her relatives.On attaining to “ the bloom of youth” she is wedding with costly gifts and presents.

Now, respected by her husbands family and deemed lucky in her new household, she is regarded as the equal of her spouse in both virtue and wisdom.She becomes as a doorway to salvation. Such is the verbal portrait of a Guru-inspired And blessed, faithful Sikh woman. Var Bhai Gurdas Ji(5.16)

Things to do at work......besides working!

2008-10-09T09:28:00.005+01:00

Here are some things you can do to pass by some time:

Totally Ignore the first five people who say "Good Morning" to you.

Phone someone in the office you barely know, leave your name and say, "just called to say I can't talk right now. Bye".

In the middle of a meeting, suddenly shout out YAHTZEE".

Walk sideways to the photocopier, crab style.

Say to your manager, "I like your style" and shoot him with double-barreled fingers.

At the end of a meeting, suggest that for once, it would be nice to conclude with the singing of the National Anthem (extra respect if you actually launch into it yourself).

After every sentence, say 'Mon' in a really bad Jamaican accent. As in, "the report's on your desk, Mon". Keep this up for 1 hour.

In a colleague's diary, write in 10:00 am; "see how I look in tights".

Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.

Finish all your sentences with "In accordance with the prophecy."

Dont use any punctuation in any emails you send

Call the psychic hotline and don't say anything.

Have your co-workers address you by your wrestling name, The Ultimate Zulu Man

Have races in the corridors with chairs that don't have wheels on them

End all sentences with ".co.uk".

While riding an lift, gasp dramatically every time the doors open.

Blink wildly and then close your eyes really tight for an interesting light show

Lay down on the floor for a while, and then suddenly stand up

Try and make noises like a star Trek Door

Try to not think about penguins

Pretend you're a robot

Scratch yourself and then sniff you knuckles

Pretend to be a car

Make a low buzzing noise

Try and sound Welsh, my favorite words to say are "schooel" and "Weeaalls"!

Have a "Who is less competitive" competition with someone in the office.

When going up or down the stairs, hop like a kangaroo.

Answer questions like Yoda!

When standing in an elevator face and stare at the person next to you.

Make pigeon noises when in a conference call, they will never know who it is!!

Go to sleep

Over the next 2 weeks I am going to see how many of these I can do....I will keep you posted on my progress.co.uk!!!

The Tree and the Apple!!!

2008-10-01T14:11:00.003+01:00

I sat an I.Q exam a few years ago and got quite a high score, 142, which makes me "Highly gifted and appearing to be a Genius to most others" OR "Someone with very high intellect"!!

I have to say, I did'nt even try when i did this test!!! Toot Tooot!!!!!

Anywho, I showed my Dad the certificate and his response was:
"You can show me all the certificates you want. You will always be stupid in my eyes"

Cheers Dad!

Nikon or Canon ?!???????????

2008-09-29T11:12:00.001+01:00

Ques-shion: Nikon or Canon??

Anzer: Nikon, because I have one !!! SHAMONE!

Ustad Tafo Khan

2008-09-15T11:55:00.006+01:00

Below is a clip of Tafo Khan....i'm not here to talk about his handling of the tabla....but all I will say is...Damn, he's fast!!!!

He makes the funniest of faces when he hits the sum (first note of each cycle)after playing a chakardar (composition played 3 times that lands on sum)!!!!

Hyperinflation

2008-09-14T08:58:00.000+01:00

Zimbabwe ranks fourth, though its status may soon change. The central bank governor announced the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe will remove “more zeros” from the country’s currency - 10 to be exact. And it will resuscitate the use of coins that were earlier abandoned due to hyperinflation.

What’s hyperinflation? It’s when inflation is out of control. Prices increase rapidly and currency loses value. A classic trigger is extremely rapid growth in the supply of paper money. A nation issues large quantities of money, often to pay for a large stream of government expenditures. The more money issued the less valuable it is. Inflation in Zimbabwe is officially pegged at 2.2million percent, with the value of goods doubling every 21 to 25 days.

In further efforts to curb cash shortages, the RBZ will also increase the withdrawal allowance to $200b. Before now, despite outrageous inflation, the RBZ limited cash withdrawals for individuals and corporations to $100 billion daily. That’s barely enough to buy a single candle in a country where power outages are frequent. Uniformed forces, however, were able to withdraw $1trillion daily.

The new currency will be issued August 1, per the RBZ. But how will they print the new currency? Earlier this month, the Germany company Giesecke and Devrient that has been Zimbabwe’s banknote paper supplier for 40 years halted its supply in protest of Zimbabwe’s deteriorating political and social-economic situation.

Zimbabwe recently issued $100 billion Zimbabwe notes which are each worth less than $1 US dollar and can’t even buy a loaf of bread.

And this isn’t even even the most outrageous banknote in history. The Economist lists the highest-denomination national banknotes since 1900. They are:

1,000,000,000,000,000,000 Hungary Pengo, 1946
100,000,000,000,000 Germany Papiermark, 1923
500,000,000,000 Former Yugoslavia Dinar, 1993
100,000,000,000 Zimbabwe Dollar, 2008
100,000,000,000 Greece Drachma, 1944
50,000,000 Poland Marka, 1923

Happy Days!

2008-09-09T17:36:00.002+01:00

Below is my favorite video for this month! Amir Khan getting knocked out in 30 seconds.....if I could be bothered I would have edited this video just showing him getting knocked out and his little drunk ballerina dance as he tries to get his composure on a loop!!!!!!!!

LOLLLLLL Hopefully the ballet world will snap up this new talent!

Im back....

2008-09-03T19:07:00.002+01:00

Im black...and im back!

been a super busy few weeks!

Had an awesome time in Dubai! Hot, sexy and luxurious...and the holiday!

I thought i had a tan, but the dude in the clip below got the short end of the tanning stick!!! But seriosuly, i came across this and was amazed at this dudes skills....he's playing the sticks for johns sake!

nuff respect!

Holiday

2008-08-10T19:47:00.002+01:00

We are off to Dubai and will return in about a week and a half.

Bernie Mac

2008-08-09T15:39:00.001+01:00

Actor and comedian Bernie Mac has died at the age of 50.

The star was best known in the UK for film roles in Ocean's Eleven, Charlie's Angels and Transformers.

But in the US, he achieved critical and popular acclaim for the long-running sitcom The Bernie Mac Show, which earned him two Emmy award nominations.

He was admitted to hospital in Chicago last week and died early on Saturday morning due to complications arising from pneumonia, his publicist said.

The comedian suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs.

However, he said the condition went into remission in 2005.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7551477.stm

May his soul rest in peace.

Why are Planets round?

2008-08-07T13:31:00.002+01:00

Yes, Planets seem to be spheres, not cubes or cylinders or oddball rocky shapes. Some smaller bodies such as asteroids or Mars moons Phobos and Deimos, do have odd shapes, but larger bodies like the nine planets and most of their moons do look like spheres. That's because of the nature of gravity. You can think of gravity as a force that points inward toward the center of the planet so that every part of the surface is pulled evenly toward the center, resulting in a spherical shape.
Of course, planets are not perfect spheres because mountains and valleys and even skyscrapers are all deviations from the spherical shape. However, as planets get larger, gravity gets stronger, until eventually large objects on the surface are crushed under their own weight. That's why we don't have mountains that are 50 miles high or skyscrapers that are 2,000 stories tall. Planets stay basically spherical because any large deviations get crushed.

Although gravity keeps planets close to spherical, there are other forces that cause deviations from the basic spherical shape. For example, the rotation of the earth once every 24 hours, causes an apparent centrifugal force which creates a bulge at the equator. In fact the earth's diameter at the equator is 7,926 miles while the diameter between the poles is only 7,900.

http://www.pa.msu.edu/sciencet/ask_st/031198.html

Inspirational speech by Adolf Hitler

2008-08-04T10:49:00.002+01:00

Must watch.

Snoop Singhy Singh

2008-07-30T22:05:00.004+01:00

Well, I haven’t seen the film Singh is Kinng so I couldnt really form an opinion about it....but then I did hear Akshay Kumar say in an interview "Singhs are normally portrayed as either criminals or jokers in films, but I am here to change that"........funny he says that....he plays a character named "Happy Singh" who , from what I have read, "is very mischievous and gets involved in a number of disastrous situations"........and Lucky Singh who is an underworld Don in Australia

.........sounds like Akshay is playing the stereotype, it seems all those years of taking steroid injections in the bum has shrunk his brain.

I came across this interesting article on The Langar Hall website:
http://thelangarhall.com/archives/363

I found this clip of Snoop Doggs track for the Singh is Kinng film....NOTE: not the original music video.

My favorite word....that I have never used!

2008-07-28T09:59:00.002+01:00

There is a word that I absolutely love.

It's such a quality word, not necessarily for its meaning, but for the way it rolls of your tongue and how it makes your feel when you say it.

It makes me feel like a clever clogs when I THINK it, because up until now I have never used it in a sentence.

So today, I am going to aim to use this word as many times as possible!

SURREPTITIOUS:

1. marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed

2. conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods

Context examples:
clandestine intelligence operations / cloak-and-dagger activities behind enemy lines / hole-and-corner intrigue / secret missions / a secret agent / secret sales of arms / surreptitious mobilization of troops / an undercover investigation / underground resistance

Similar:

Covert (secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed)

Awwwww NUTS!!!!!!

Mock the Week

2008-07-22T14:48:00.000+01:00

This show is hilarious!!!

G is for Gangster

2008-07-15T09:22:00.003+01:00

Bert and Ernie...just how I rembered them!

The Hills

2008-07-02T13:51:00.005+01:00

I have to confess.....I am a fan of The Hills!

Who would have thought I would be into such a program! I watched one episode and was sucked into their superficial world of Fashion, boyfriends, make ups and break ups!

The new season of The Hills is going to be wicked!

Audrina, Lauren and Lo have moved into a house, but Audrina lives in the Guest House....Friction is definatly on the cards!

Heidi has told her work that she is now willing to travel and relocate...more friction between her a spencer.

Spencer is acting the psycho and dropping his "Don't you have any loyalty" lines!

Jason is back in Audrina's life.....Playa!

And is'nt it just brilliant that Lauren and Whitney are working together again!?!?!!!!

....Man, I am beginning to write how they speak....full of gossip and at a fast pace!

.....This is what happens when there is too long of a break between seasons of Prison Break!!!!

Aries Spears the Rap Impersonator!!

2008-07-01T09:10:00.002+01:00

Courtesy Car

2008-06-26T15:09:00.004+01:00

I finally dropped my car off to the Garage to get it fixed after my accident in Janaury! Nothing Major...some dude decided to drive into the back of my car while he was on his mobile....so I had to wait for the numpty to accept liability all this time!

My friend who was in the car and suffered whip-lash and "back pain" got the long end of the stick.....I will say no more!

Anywho, they gave me a brand spanking new Golf GT diesel fully loaded (well almost, no sat nav) its so new that it only has 24 miles on the clock.....

After the guy did an inspection of the courtesy car with me he said "I have to add, this is a brand new car so DO NOT exceed 60mph or go over 4,000rpm as the engine needs to be 'run in' for the first 1,500 miles"............................... <:o))

300 Mega Pixels!!

2008-06-24T14:43:00.002+01:00

With that type of resolution you will be able to zoom into your thoughts!!!!!

Bohemian Rhapsody

2008-06-18T13:44:00.005+01:00

Bohemian Rhapsody......This is simply my favorite song of all time. I have a tendancy to "kill" a song....listening to it again and again sapping out every thought and harmony possible.......BUT this song??......this song is something special.

I remember listening to this song back from a trip to Austria....for 5 hours non stop! Sad I hear you say.....but this song is just so progressive, so thoughtful, so spiritual! Definatly Freddie Mercury's Opus Magnum.

The song is of six sections: introduction, ballad, guitar solo, opera, rock and an outro. This format, with abrupt changes in style, tone, and tempo, was unusual to rock music but rather reminicent to North Indian classical music which typically has the following structure from Introduction to Outro:

Alap > Gat > Madhya-Gat > Tabla Solo > Drut-Gat > Jhala.

Notice that this also has 6 sections?!!!!

Mine is on Order!!!!!!!!

2008-06-17T10:56:00.003+01:00

All those times I got into trouble at School for "Playing the tables"...if I had this table i would be able to vent!

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

The Apprentice

2008-06-12T09:02:00.003+01:00

We screamed, we screamed soo much! Me and the Mrs could'nt even bare to look at the TV screen!

I was saying "I really want Lee to win, but Claire is going to bag it" the Mrs was saying "I want Lee to win but Claire is going to get it"...this went on for about 15 minutes, in the end the suspence was killing me!

So I began walking out of the room as though I did'nt care, saying "Claire has got it, oh well"...but as soon as Alan Sugar said "Lee.....you're hired" I screamed like I girl! WE screamed the house down at 10pm but did'nt care! the son of a milkman who wanted to make it big so that he did'nt let his kids feel insecure like he did about his dads profession became the Apprentice!

Wicked!

Who was Che Guevara??!

2008-06-10T08:04:00.000+01:00

I have been reading a book called 'Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life'. This book is a must for all the revolutionists amongst us.

Even to those without Marxist sympathies, Che was a dashing, charismatic figure: the asthmatic son of an aristocratic Argentine family whose sympathy for the world's oppressed turned him into a socialist revolutionary, the valued comrade-in-arms of Cuba's Fidel Castro and a leader of guerilla warfare in Latin America and Africa.

In the famous essay in which he issued his ringing call for "two, three, many Vietnams," he also spoke about martyrdom and managed to compose a number of chilling phrases:

"Hatred as an element of struggle; unbending hatred for the enemy, which pushes a human being beyond his natural limitations, making him into an effective, violent, selective, and cold-blooded killing machine. This is what our soldiers must become …"

and so on.

He was killed in Bolivia in 1967, leading a guerrilla movement that had failed to enlist a single Bolivian peasant. And yet he succeeded in inspiring tens of thousands of middle class Latin-Americans to exit the universities and organize guerrilla insurgencies of their own.

"What you on about Buster?!?!?!"

Well for the ghetto fabulous amongst us, I got my main G-weezee to translate for you!!!

Being Veggie.....

2008-06-09T10:01:00.002+01:00

Vegetarian

MTV Cribs.....Arabian Style!!!

2008-06-04T18:53:00.003+01:00

This is the house of Prince Al-Walid.....or Willy as I like to call him! It's a bit small don't you think?

When your feel down in the dumps always remember.....

2008-06-01T09:19:00.002+01:00

When you think your life is bad just remember that you are not Kelly Taylor from 90210:

"Kelly faced many difficult issues and obstacles, often with the assistance of loved ones, including:

Her difficult home life

Choosing between her boyfriend and her best friend

Being date-raped

Using diet pills

Being tricked into joining a cult

Being able to quit the cult

Being caught in a fire, and temporarily becoming addicted to cocaine

Being shot

Getting amnesia

Being raped

Going to rehab

Being stalked and almost killed by a patient from rehab

Becoming unexpectantly pregnant and having a miscarriage

Learning that she might not be able to have children because of a condition in her body."

SHEEEEESSSSHHHH!!!

And then it goes on to say..."In overcoming these obstacles she is able to become a better person and help others"......no way!!!

Dr Lonnie Smith

2008-05-29T09:51:00.002+01:00

I first heard music by Dr Lonnie Smith about 4 years ago and was instantly drawn to his unique style.

http://www.drlonniesmith.com/

I put both him and Thelonious Monk, who was made famous for his work on Round Midnight, in their own category of jazz.

Thelonius himself has a beautiful style when playing the keyboard where, as mentioned also by ?uestLove (drummer from the roots) that Thelonious would constantly go out of beat despite being in perfect time!

Thelonius Monk

Being a Tabla player, it's a real treat to hear something like this....problem being with me trying to replicate this is that I go out of beat and cannot get back into it!!!

Dr Lonnie Smith's music is distinctive as you usually hear him Scat Singing during his pieces, and you cannot help trying to do vocal improvisations to it!

I can't help but feel like a Beat-Nik when listening to these 2 masters....and as a result I usually spend the rest of the day conversing with people with a whisper tone and saying "Yo Daddy-o" when greeting people!!

In terms of tabla, Kishan Maharaj recited compositions while he performs them making it sound as though he too is doing Scat Singing!

Why do men have nipples???!!!

2008-05-26T09:50:00.001+01:00

All those times I have ran out milk but was unable to milk myself to put on my cereal.....Well here is the the reason us men have nipples:

"All humans begin life in the womb as females. If no Y chromosome is present in the foetus, then the embryo will continue to develop as and be born as a female.

If there is a Y chromosome present in the embryo, the male sex hormone testosterone restricts the full development of breasts to just nipples.

If the Y chromosome prevails in producing a male, this is not done without a fight. Male babies are weaker as a result than female ones, accounting for the slightly higher death rate in male babies."

....fascinating.

Bear Grylls

2008-05-21T09:10:00.002+01:00

I bet when Bear Grylls was born his parents never thought he would grow up to be a Bear, but he didn't.

This dude is a testament to human evolution! He shows us that we really cannot survive without being a caveman!

The closest most of us would get to survival would be making baked beans and toast or having a mixing bowl full of various cereals as a 3 course meal (you know you did this back in your university day!!! or is it just lazy old me?!), but this guy shows us how to survive in extreme circumstances and even give a glimpse of how our ancestors survived.

He has a program that comes on Discovery channel called 'Born Survivor'...I have to say:

My name is Buster Shin and I am an addict.

The program usually begins with him parachuting down from a plane or helicopter in the middle of a remote area, such as a Desert or a Rain forest.

He then shows how to create shelter using leaves, stones, sticks and even using a dead camel!!! How to eat and drink with what is available and finally how to navigate your way out of these areas.

Some scenes can be seen as quite disgusting, but I'm sure most ways of surviving would be more difficult than others. Like in one episode he lifts up a pile of Elephant pooh and squeezes it and begins to drink the water coming out of it. And another episode shows him drinking his own Pee!!! pretty much every episode shows him eating something vile (raw fish, Zebra, Rat, Grubs, Termites etc..)

The closest I have come to a Zebra is a Zebra Crossing!

I can see how some people may do this to survive, (others just for pleasure!!) but if I was in that situation I am worried that I would chicken out and just begin to dig up a hole and bury myself........or even cremate myself...depending on how desperate I am!!!

The show was recently criticised for being a "fake" as he would get help from support crews, and now the show has a disclaimer supporting this fact, but whoever has the knowledge he does and eats what he does is a real hero!

So here is to Mr Bear!!

By the way, for all you watch fanatics out there, Bear sports a Bremont watch......a quality British timepiece!

Tribute to Tabla Maestro Kishan Maharaj

2008-05-19T09:01:00.000+01:00

Tabla maestro Pandit Kishan Maharaj, who enthralled audiences with his solo concerts, died in Varanasi after a brief illness, May 05 2008.

84-year-old Maharaj was admitted to a private hospital in Varanasi on April 29 after he suffered a paralytic attack and passed away Sunday night following a cardiac arrest, his family said.

Maharaj suffered the paralytic attack in the presence of sarod exponent Amjad Ali Khan and his family who had gone to visit him.

Maharaj is survived by wife Beena Devi, three daughters and son Puran Maharaj, who is also a tabla player.

Awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2002, Maharaj's ability to play cross rythmns and produce complex calculations, particularly in 'tihai' patterns, made him one of the most respected and popular tabla players of his time.

He had immense versatility with regard to playing any kind of classical percussion instrument be it with sitar, sarod or dhrupad and dhamar styles of singing.

He gave tabla performances at the tender age of 11 years and was the torch bearer of the Banaras gharana.

He learned the art under the watchful eyes of his father Pandit Hari Maharaj.

After the untimely death of his father, Maharaj's training was taken over by his uncle, Pt. Kanthe Maharaj, one of the great old masters and himself a disciple of Pt. Baldeo Sahai. Pt. Baldeo Sahai was the grandson of Pt. Ram Sahai, founder of the Banaras gharana.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Kishan_Maharaj_passes_away/articleshow/3013481.cms

Funny Japanese Clips

2008-05-15T09:15:00.000+01:00

I'm Back......and i'm Black!!!

2008-05-12T11:28:00.004+01:00

We returned from Sunny Rhodes a few days ago, slightly disappointed with the unseasonably good weather in the UK....

Disappointed because I wanted to rub it in that I was somewhere hot and show off my unhealthily dark Tan!

Never mind, I was sitting half naked on a beautiful sandy beach sipping on mocktails soaking up the sun rays, blazing the roads in Rhodes on a Quadbike, walking everywhere barefoot, visiting beautiful ancient sites, swimming in the med, getting a whole body massage at the spa, and enjoying the 5 star resort........While you guys were cooped up in your offices/cars/trains/houses wearing your trousers/shirts...with defective Air conditioning!

Mwaahahahaha!

Back to reality, I'm sitting in my office, wearing trousers and my new shoes which I still need to 'break in', with defective A/C, using a fan on my desk which is blowing out warm air, looking out of the window behind me with the worst view of West London you can imagine, dreading the thought of climbing into my boiling hot car at lunch as I forgot to leave the window slightly open to let some air in!!!

Well the good thing about all this is that I am now booking our next holiday for the end of this month!! Wooooo Hoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Anywho, I will be posting some photos in the coming days from the holiday so watch this space....

πηγαίνουμε στη Ρόδο... υεαααααααα!

2008-04-27T15:18:00.008+01:00

Don't understand what the title says? Well I will transalate.....it says "We are going to Rhodes...yeaaaaaa!"

Yes thats right, finally, me and the Mrs are finally off on our first summer holiday to the island of the Gods!

So, no blog updates for the next 2 weeks!!! Yeaa Baby!!!

Wooooop Wooooooooooooooop!

Ghost

2008-04-26T15:11:00.001+01:00

I read this article in the sun, and looked at the 'Scary' picture.....

The first thing that comes to my mind is...Why was she taking a photo of a fence?!!!! Even if you picture the shot without the kid in the shot it's still a rubbish shot!

The article should really be on how bad her photography is. It's not even straight!

Blatant Photoshop job!!!

But saying that, I took the shot below at a concert and there was a ghostly image in the shot that I cannot explain....spooky.

Wiper Blade

2008-04-25T10:07:00.004+01:00

On my drive to work today I heard on the radio that the humble windscreen wiper celebrates its 100th birthday today.

Just imagine driving in the rain without them......it's dangerous....believe me!!

Gladstone Adams came up with the idea exactly a century ago as he drove home from London through a snowstorm having watched Newcastle United play Wolves in the 1908 FA Cup final.

Interesssttinngggg!

The Love Guru Trailer

2008-04-24T14:21:00.002+01:00

I can't wait to watch this!!!! LOLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

St. Georges Day

2008-04-23T09:36:00.003+01:00

Who was St George?
St. George is the patron saint of England. His emblem, a red cross on a white background, is the flag of England, and part of the British flag. St George's emblem was adopted by Richard The Lion Heart and brought to England in the 12th century. The king's soldiers wore it on their tunics to avoid confusion in battle.

Like England, every country in the UK has its own patron saint who in times of great peril is called upon to help save the country from its enemies.

How does England celebrate St George's Day?
By tradition, April 23rd is the day for a red rose in the button hole, the national flower. However, unlike other countries, England does not celebrate it like Americans celebrate 4 July with fireworks. In fact, you are more likely to see big St Patrick parades in England celebrating Ireland's National Day, more than you would see any sign of St Georges Day being celebrated.

Quick Facts
Everything about Saint George is dubious, so the information below should be taken as mythical rather than real.

• Born in Turkey (in Cappadocia)
• Lived in 3rd century AD
• His parents were Christian
• Later lived in Palestine
• Became a Roman soldier
• Protested against Rome's persecution of Christians
• Imprisoned and tortured, but stayed true to his faith
• Beheaded at Lydda in Palestine
• 23rd April was named as Saint George's day in 1222

Interesting Facts
• Despite the fact that St. George has been the patron saint of England since the 14th century, only one in five people know that St. George’s Day falls on April 23rd.
• More than a quarter of people living in England do not even know who their patron saint is!
• Shakespeare was born on April 23rd, 1564 and he died on the same day in 1616.

My Gay friend who is not gay!

2008-04-22T14:24:00.001+01:00

As I mentioned a few post previous, I am an avid poet!! So here is another one!

I write this poem today
to tell everyone my friend is gay,
For he is not really gay
but he just acts like it!

Beautiful

2008-04-21T14:00:00.002+01:00

D*ET and GYM

2008-04-18T10:31:00.006+01:00

Diet is a word used so often it has become offensive!

I challenge any guy to ask a woman if she’s on a diet.......if you survive the sucker punch let me know about your experience!

But I myself am now on a strict Diet.

"Why?" I hear some of you say, "Your body is perfect you sexy young man". I know this, but it's always good to support perfection!

My aim: loose 10kg in 3 months!!

Back in the day I wanted to bulk up so much with muscle that I would scare myself!! but now it's time I begin cutting up before my belly never goes back in!!!

I have upped my complex carbs and protein, and reduced fat.

Being Veggie I have to up my carbs quiet a bit so I have the energy to survive the punishing workout, but not to up them so much that I assimilate more fat cells!

I go to the gym 3 days a week, training 2 body parts each session. I have also included cycling to and from the gym AND finishing each workout with an Army style cardio regime.

The idea of being vegetarian and weak is bogus. It lays down with what your genetics are like and how efficient your diet is. Look at the Hippo, or the elephant....they are vegiterians....Lions wouldn't even test them!!!!!! Note: Don't call me a hippo or elephant otheriwse I will slap you so hard you will put on 10 stones!

I get my protein from various sources such as 1xSlim Fast (with a meal!), Soya, Lentils, milk, chickpeas and various nuts and seeds.

Me and my training partner cycle to the gym, which is about 10 minutes to the gym (all downhill!!) and a 20 minute ride on the way back!!!(because our legs are jelly by the time we get on the bikes!) It's ideal if you train with a good friend so you know how much to push each other and you can keep in touch on the regular, especially with our busy lives these days.

The training regime is very punishing....my muscle are often sore for days after training, but I love the pain! If I do not feel pain the following day I feel the workout is a waste!!! A WASTE I TELL YOU!!!!! No Pain, no gain!

Diets can usually be bland and boring, and you may tend to drench your meals with sauces, this is not good due to all the E-Numbers and all the other stuff that is not written in English on the ingredients label.

As Jack Lelanne says "If man made it, don't eat it"......A bit sexsist if you ask me, but I know what you mean Jack!

So watch Nigella Lawson or Jamie Oliver to get ideas on what to cook....or in my case, give the cooks in the house ideas! Gigidy Gigidy Gigidy Goo!!!!

Why is the Financial Times newspaper pink?

2008-04-16T14:11:00.000+01:00

I was reading the FT today, and while reading that the IMF (International Monetary Fund) cuts the UK’s growth forcast (we are screwed! Save as much as you can!) I wondered....Why is the Financial Times the colour it is (peach/pink/light brown..watever)?? Random I know!

So I did a bit of surfing and found the answer on the FT website!

Since 1893, the Financial Times has used its distinctive salmon-pink newsprint as a distinguishing trademark to set itself apart from other daily news publications.

https://www.ftnewspaper.com/cgi-bin/ftusa.cgi/fess/framework?embed=newspaper_faq2&title=About%20the%20FT#whyftpink

Now I can sleep at night!!!

Happy Vaisakhi

2008-04-14T13:21:00.004+01:00

Happy Vaisakhi to one and all.

Below is a Vaisakhi inspired poem written by Gurpreet Singh (aka Lion Rai)

Birth of Khalsa

1699 was the time,
When the 10th Guru Gobind Singh Ji,
Called upon five beloved ones,
One by one, five praisable men stepped up,
Offering their heads, they detached to re-attach, to re-create,
And made faith and commitment their wife.
To this day they we remember them as the 'Five Beloved Ones'

The 'Five Beloved Ones' that sacrificed themselves for their Guru,
The 'Five Beloved Ones' who were a representation of the people,
And by this, they showed a beautiful gesture of unity,
In the Land of Five Rivers, a beautiful community,
And by this brave act, they got blessed with forever immunity,
Close your eyes, and have a true moment of true contemplation,
As they still walk with courage, love and determination,
They still walk side by side with the Khalsa Panth, Collective and Nation,
The Khalsa will continue to persevere,
Through acts and deeds of great nature and culture,
The Khalsa openly give and volunteer,
The original memory of the great 'republic' is still so clear and sincere.

Danger Mouse.....The producer

2008-04-10T09:00:00.005+01:00

Dangermouse (aka Brian Burton) the producer is my all time favorite hip hop music producer, the Pinot noir of producers. He's up there with Timbaland in my eyes with his groundbreaking and 'out of the box' thinking approach to creating music.

I've been a fan of Dangermouses' hip hop style, which is often called "Mash up" hip hop. Samples are used, sometimes, without permission by the artist to create a new track either complementing the original or twisting it so much that you get a taste of the original but making it sound like something totally different!!! if you know what I mean!!!! I think the only way for you to understand this type of music would be to listen to artists like Dangermouse, MF Doom, Madlib, King Britt etc..

You can tell he is a sucker for detail, with his crispy drums to his analogue samples, fresh synths to the nastiest basses imaginable!

With regards to Madlib, he created an album called "Beat Konducta India", this is a mashups of indian bollywood music and hip hop....but unlike anything you have heard before!!! Craaazzzzyyyyyyyyyy

Dangermouse has worked with the most innovative lyricists in the industry, people like MF Doom, Jemini and Prince Po. Unfortunatley, and fortunatley in some ways, they have not hit the commercial stage. I say its fortunate as the record industry is run by executives and not artists, so numbers of sales are primary to uniqueness of output. This is were current day hip-hop gets its Pop!

Dangermous bought his name to the market by creating the infa-mouse (LOL!) Grey Album. This album was using samples he took from the Beatles "White Album" and the accapella from Jay-Z "Black Album"........why he called it the Grey album I will never know!

It caused a massive amount of controversy when EMI, copyright holder of The Beatles, ordered Danger Mouse and retailers carrying the album to cease distribution. The amount of attention The Grey Album received caused EMI to act. Danger Mouse never asked permission to use The Beatles' material, and intended to produce a limited production run of 3,000 copies. Jay-Z's material, on the other hand, was commercially released in a cappella form. Although the work was copyrighted, it was released for the implicit purpose of encouraging mashups and remixes.

But this catapulted Dangermouse to super-producer-dom! He was drafted in to produce the Gorillaz Demon days album, and then went on to create Gnarls Barkley!!!!!

To Dangermouse.

Why do we have eyebrows???

2008-04-06T16:13:00.006+01:00

Some of us have 2, some have just 1, some rude boys have 3, I even knew a girl who worked with me who had 4 as a result of plucking her eyebrows in low light. They come in so many unusual shapes and sizes (I have 1 eyebrow that sticks up!!!)...but why do we have eyebrows?????!!

Eyebrows are a distinctive part of a person appearance, but they also serve a purpose.

We know that eyebrows help keep moisture out of our eyes when we sweat or walk around in the rain. The arch shape diverts the rain or sweat around to the sides of our face, keeping our eyes relatively dry.

Have you ever noticed on the London underground trains the little 'lip' that is arched over the doors that diverts rain water on either side of the door???? (I notice the smallest things!)

There is a Monobrow appreciation website: http://www.monobrow.com/

The most famous Monobrowski...Bert from Sesame Street!

This guy will need a lawn mower to get his eyebrows under control!

Eating meat....Sikh & Scientific viewpoint

2008-04-02T13:54:00.006+01:00

Question: Is being born on this earth and have living bodies just to be a convenience food? Or are beings born into a life with a body so that they can develop and eventually evolve away from karma and into Dharma?

In the beginning of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib , Guru Ji says :

This human body has been given to you.
This is your chance to meet the Lord of the Universe.
Nothing else will work.
Join the SaadhSangat,
the company of the holy.
Vibrate and meditate on the Jewel on the Naam.

Make every effort to cross over this terrifying world-ocean.
Your are squandering this life uselessly in the love of Maya
I have not practiced meditation,
self discipline, Self restraint or righteous living.
I have not served the holy;
I have not acknowledged the Lord,
my king.Says Nanak, my actions are contemptible!
O Lord, I seek Your Sanctuary, please preserve my honor.
Avarice is a dog, falsehood the sweeper and cheating the eating of meat.
(Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Sri Raag ang.15)

Falsehood is my dagger and to eat by defrauding is meat.(Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Sri Raaj ang.24)

Mohsin Fani (1615-70), the well known historian and a contemporary of Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib, writes in his work DABISTAN-E-MAZAHIB as follows:
"Having prohibited his disciples to drink wine and eat pork, he (Nanak) himself abstained from eating flesh and ordered not to hurt any living being. After him this precept was neglected by his followers; but Arjun Mal, one of the substitutes of his Faith, renewed the prohibition to eat flesh and said: This has not been approved by Nanak."

Sahib Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji's "UPDESH" to Bhai Daya Singh ji which is mentioned in "SUDHARAM MARAG GRANTH" :
"One who does not Steal, Commit adultery , Slander anyone , Gamble , Eat meat or drink wine will be liberated in this very life (i.e. Jeewan Mukt)".

Meat is a stimulant of the gross passions of the mind and body. Meat is harmful on a physical, mental and spiritual level. You are killing a soul who is in the process of evolving towards God this is not going to help you in any way on your journey towards God. Meat stimulates your 'lower nature’.

It is said by many that plants also have life so why do we not abstain from eating plants?

It is very true that plants do have life, Guru Nanak dev Ji has said "patti toray maalni, patti patti geeo" (The gardener plucks leaves from the plant, (but she does not know that) there is life in each leaf) but the karmic energy and consequences of eating plants do not compare to those of an animal which has feeling, possible thoughts, parental instincts towards its offspring, also plants (lentils, maize , spinach etc) are not harmful on a mental, spiritual level but are in fact good for the digestion.

I came across this interesting article on National Geographic: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/02/0218_050218_human_diet.html

Here some Scientific reasons to support this:

Dentition: Our teeth are designed for an herbivorous diet. Our molars and premolars have a classic herbivorous design. Our canines are nothing compared to carnivorous canines. Even our incisors are geared for herbivores. Even omnivores like bears and wolves have dentition very different from our own. Some will point out the lack of certain adaptations such as a strong side-to-side grinding motion used by animals like sheep, horses, and cows. They are eating hard to digest grasses, we are not. They are specialised in something that we are not, that does not mean we are not herbivores. It means nothing more than we are not as specialized as they are.

Digestion System: Our digestion system is long and follows the same pattern as other herbivores. Our appendix is reduced, but that does not mean we are not herbivores. One thing I find is that most people think of digestive systems as either carnivorous or herbivorous, they completely overlook the fact that not all of either are the same. There are different variations of carnivorous digestive systems, just like there are different variations of an herbivorous digestive system. Many vegetarian opposers point out the fact that we do not have a four-chambered stomach. Well, that is true, but we also don't plan on living off of grass. There are very specialized herbivores, just because we are not like the very specialized herbivores, does not mean we are not herbivores. Some will point out our forward facing eyes as a carnivorous adaptation. Well, in general it is, but in primates it is not always. Even our herbivorous great ape relatives have forward facing eyes. This shows that it in no way points to a carnivorous diet.
http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-77750.html

WANTED: Pet food tasters

2008-03-29T14:38:00.001Z

How do they know it's tasty??!?!?!?!? EWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!

Good Deed........Bad Reaction

2008-03-26T11:40:00.001Z

Good Deed: Painted the wall at the back of the house.

Bad Reaction: getting shouted at (from Dad) for leaving paint splashes all over the patio, window, car and paint spray on the black drain pipes!

Whooopsy!

Picking my nose poem!!!

2008-03-25T15:40:00.002Z

As many of you know I’m an avid poet!!! LOL Well I'm not sure if the word Poet is the correct term to use, and I think avid is a little too keen, but I like to make funny rhymes that make me laugh and hopefully others!!

Over the years I have written loads of rhymes, with classic titles such as "I hate Crusty Feet", "My Dad Loves to hate me" and "My gay friend who is not gay".

So slowly slowly I will post these humorous (I think they are funny so nerr!) rhymes up.

Here’s one I wrote while I was traveling to City. Enjoy!!

Have you ever sat on a train
Going into the city on the underground again
The dirty air blowing around the track
When you blow your nose the tissue is black?

Black and gritty, you can't help but look
opening the tissue like a book
making you feel queezy, making you gag
I'm not sure this is a subject I should brag.

Yuck, yuck....I’m feeling sick
I’m off now I have a nose to pick!

BANK HOLIDAY SPECIAL- Brother In Law'ses

2008-03-20T13:36:00.011Z

I love my brother-in-laws.....they are so funny.....they are so handsome........I bet they are blushing reading this and giggling like little girls!!!..........but in both cases not as funny or handsome as me!!

I know they are so proud of having an Uncle like me.

So, I was wondering what my brother in law's will look like when they are older....below is a picture of the EXACT image I had in my head.

...and below is a picture of what I imagined what they would look like if they wore patkas.....

toooooooo smart! Hi Five!!! I Like!!!!

Giving way to other drivers......say THANKS you @?!*&$%£"!

2008-03-19T14:14:00.002Z

Don't you just hate it when you give way to someone when driving and they don't wave (during the day) or mouth "Thanks", or give you a quick flash (of their lights!!) at night?!!

I take it realllllll personal when people don't say thanks and usually brace myself when I give way....and usually wind (electrically!) my window down so I can swear at them or if I am feeling really disgusted, churn up the nastiest, dirtiest spit ever!!!!!!! wooop wooooop!!

These smug characters need a good bashing. ........I mean.....a proper kicking.

You know the type of beating.......when you are so angry you cry!!! LOL Now I am not one to encourage unruly behavior (!)

So when you are driving, wave, stick your thumb up, mouth 'Thanks' or 'Thank you, or flash your lights (very quickly, not too long to blind them!) anything...to show that the gesture of that person giving you way is appreciated.

Birthdays in the Month of March

2008-03-17T12:42:00.002Z

There are too many birthdays in the month of March....

We are just over half way through March and there have been more birthdays than days this month so far!!!

BTW: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ALL FELLOW PICEANS/ARIANS (the ones born in March only!) !!! VIVA LA FRANCE!!!!

What would you do for.............

2008-03-14T11:51:00.002Z

We have all played that game!!

This is a funny example.....that actually was asked and the actual response! (nb: it was not me answering!)

"Would you lick someones armpit after they went for a jog?"
"Yes, and I would lick their feet just for kicks if I'm getting a million quid out of it"
*Silence*

It's a great game to gague how hungus (greedy/desperate) we are as people.

Besides, if you have a million in cash you can always pay a Hynotherapist to delete the whole process of how you got the dough....however degrading it may have been!! LOLL

I do not want to be an example of what The Wu-Tang Clan rapped about in the track C.R.E.A.M ("Cash Rules Everything Around Me") from the album '36 Chambers'...and in this day and age, many people worship money rather than themselves.....but saying that, what better way to worship yourself than to adorn yourself in jewels!!! joke

I disgust myself!!!!!!

Are you man enough???

2008-03-10T22:12:00.013Z

For some reason people ask me questions about training, and I always pretend I know the answer. The main reason I pretend is so that that particular person gets injured in the gym!!! Just kidding....or am I??!?!!!!

I was recently asked a question on how to increase testosterone levels.

Please Note: I am not a medical doctor, neither am I a personal trainer, sport therapist, professional bodybuilder etc.. below are some examples I have swiped off the Net/Medical journals/learned over time!

Testosterone: The male hormone which is released by both the adrenal gland and the testicles, promotes the development of male characteristics.

Testosterone can be derived from many vegitarian foods such as:

Beans: are an ideal part of the testosterone increasing diet with their high zinc content.

Nuts: are also high in zinc and are a good dietary inclusion.

Grains: whole grains and fortified cereals are very high in zinc and therefore are good choices.

Dairy products: are testosterone enhancing foods. Milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese are all high in zinc and ideal if you're looking for so called testosterone food.

Here is just a small handful of benefits that increased testosterone levels will provide you with:
-Increased muscle size and strength.
-Decreased body fat levels.
-Increased sex drive and sexual endurance.
-Improved mood.
-Decreased levels of "bad" cholesterol.

As with anything, too much Testosterone causes problems, often serious. Studies have shown that too much Testosterone can kill brain cells!! (http://news.softpedia.com/news/Too-MuchTestosterone-Kills-Your-Brain-36644.shtml),

-Increase in red blood cells

-Skin reactions (such as acne, oily skin)

-Prostate cancer

-Infertility

-Sleep apnea

-Fluid retention

-Lipid abnormalities

-Anger issues

-Hair loss

Here are 10 Steps for Increasing Your Testosterone Levels

1) Use compound exercises as the cornerstone of your workouts. I’m talking about the basic, bread-and-butter lifts such as squats, deadlifts, bench presses, rows, chin-ups, dips, lunges and military presses. This will place your muscles under the greatest amount of stress in the gym and will force your body to increase testosterone production.

2) Always train with 100% effort and intensity. If you want to see real muscle gains, you must be willing to push yourself to the limit in the gym. Again, greater muscular stress in the gym translates to higher testosterone output.

3) Train your legs equally as hard as your upper body. As you may already be aware, intense leg training can actually stimulate growth in your chest, back and arms. This is due in part to the increase in testosterone that leg training induces.

4) Increase your EFA consumption. Essential Fatty Acids from sources such as peanuts, avocadoes, fish and healthy oils like flax seed, olive and canola are a great way to naturally boost testosterone levels.

5) Reduce your intake of soy. Soy protein raises the body’s levels of estrogen (the main female hormone) and this has a direct negative effect on testosterone levels.

6) Do Not drink alcohol. Alcohol has been shown to have quite a dramatic effect on testosterone levels, so try to limit your "binge drinking" nights and keep your alcohol consumption in moderation.

7) Increase your dietary intake of cruciferous vegetables. Broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, turnips, cabbage and brussel sprouts have all been shown to dramatically reduce estrogen levels, thereby raising testosterone.

8) Lower your daily stress levels. Being overly stressed stimulates the release of “cortisol”, a highly catabolic hormone that will cause your testosterone levels to plummet.

9) Increase your sexual activity. Sexual stimulation causes the body to increase the production of oxytocin which increases endorphin production (the "feel-good" chemical), and this also raises testosterone.

10) Make sure to get adequate sleep every night. A lack of sleep contributes to cortisol production, and this will lower your testosterone levels.

http://www.24hrfitness.co.uk/bodybuilding/increase-testosterone.html

....And then the wind changed

2008-03-08T09:55:00.010Z

G-Man from East-Sides

Donkey From Shrek

NB: This picture has been put up with the kind permission of G-Man!

Drive by Shootin'

2008-03-07T09:15:00.000Z

My drive to work is boring, so I thought I would share it with you!

I wish in real life I had the Benny Hill soundtrack playing, it would make it so much more interesting!

You may want to put your speakers on for this!!!

NB: I did not exceed the speed limit at any point of this journey

Plenty of things Dubai....get it?!?!?!

2008-03-07T09:08:00.024Z

I was in Dubai about 6 months ago and was shocked by the sheer opulence of this place!

The architecture is breathtaking, the climate is sublime and the people....well......are morons, but that's my opinion!!

1 of many punch-worthy moments in Dubai was when we arrived at Dubai airport we were picked up by our hotel and swiftly taken to our Chauffeur!

His name was Raja and he was from Pakistan. He seemed like a pleasant chappie. Conversation was light and humorous at first. He said he needs to go to a petrol station to fill up first, quite unusual for a Chauffeur car I immediately thought!

So, he carried on talking to us in Punjabi, telling us about himself and why he was working in Dubai. The journey went from being light to being heavy!! Ask Mrs Shin, I was ready to choke the driver! I began feeling depressed for this dude...........we tried to make light of the situation a few times but he carried on trying to emotionally break me............he then told us he was getting married to his "Thai's daughter" (his father's older brother's daughter, in other words, his father's niece, in other words, his cousin sister!!!!) I was like...get me outta here now Mr 8 Toes and a Tail !!!!!!

Anywho, we were driving around for a bit till I noticed we went past the same building twice and went on the same ring road twice! He was taking us for a ride literally so I told him to step on it and get us to the hotel NOW. I then proceeded to tell him about the 4 years of Muay-Thai kick boxing I did and how much I lift in the gym to motivate him to speed up!! We finally got to our hotel after an hour and half.......despite it only being a 45 minute journey in reality!!

So back to Dubai itself......... Dubai has grown to become something amazing, it has risen, literally, out of dust!! It's the fastest 0 to Global brand in the world.

The only down side for a visitor is that there is a lot of construction, truck loads of construction!! I look forward to going back in a few months to see old developments completed, you never know, they may even decide to build the worlds biggest Gurdwara but i doubt it!!!

I saw the Burj Dubai, it's huge, so huge that when I was looking up to it my head was touching the back of my ankles, maybe next time I should face the tower before looking up at it!

The Palaces are grand, to say the least. I remember when we were driving down Sheikh Zayed Road, driving down towards our hotel in Jumeriah Beach, and seeing a wall that was running down the side of the road.......I notice the most obscure things!!!.........but this wall was different!!! It looked nice! It had an arabesque design, were every 20-30 meters there was a post with a small dome on it.

After driving down the Road for about 10 minutes, I asked the driver what was behind the wall, he said it was the Sheikh Maktoum's palace!!!! THIS IS WHY I WANT TO BE AN ARAB BILLIONAIRE!!!!!!!!! I don't see Buckingham palace running down the Great West Road!!!!

There were other 'Wall's' that I noticed, often being the Shiekh's daughters palace, his brothers palace, his horse's palace etc..........

Over the years the geography of Dubai has undertaken an astronomical development. Where most countries would use architecture of buildings to change and utilise the look of their land, Dubai has used it's land to develop more land. They have built out into the Sea to create luxury apartments and resorts.

As Dubai has literally grown in recent history, this has been an oppertunity for the place to be structured logically. They have 'blocks' like the USA.......Big deal I hear you say, but anyone living in London trying to navigate the spagetti roads maps would appreciate this!!

The street lights are White!! Another big deal I hear you say but again, in London we have those nasty orange Sodium Vapour Lights!!!!

Another obscure and random observation I made with regards to the lights was that when we flew to the maldives our flight was at night, and we had a stop off in Dubai for 2 hours. As we came in to land I recall noticing that the major roads had orange lights and street lights were white, which from an aerial view made the city look really interesting!

Dubai has also been structured into small "Cities" such as the Internet City, Media City etc.. were companies are grouped based on the type of company they are. GENIUS!!!! Competition must killer out there!

Here are just some achievements of Dubai.

-World’s Tallest Building - Burj Dubai currently stands 159 stories tall. It will be completed in late 2008 and will include 30,000 homes, 9 hotels,19 residential towers, and the Dubai Mall. Entire development is estimated to cost $20B.

-World’s Largest Flag - On UAE National Day, a 50,000 square feet flag flew over Abu Dhabi, forming the largest aerial banner ever flown.

-World’s Largest Indoor Snow Park - Ski Dubai is 85m high and 85 m wide.

-World’s Longest and Tallest Bridge - The Sixth Crossing will be 1 mile long at 673 feet high, and is expected to be completed by 2012

-World’s Largest Mall - Dubai Mall will include the world’s largest aquarium.

-World’s First Revolving Tower - 55º Time Dubai will be a rotation apartment building that offers its residents 360-degree views across the Dubai cityscape.

-World’s Tallest and Only 7 Star Hotel - Burj Al Arab is one of the world’s most expensive hotels, with the Royal Suite going at $28,000 a night.

-World’s Largest Manmade Island - The Palm are the three largest man-made islands in the world, which are being built on the coast of Dubai. These islands can be recognized from the moon.

-There’s also The World off the coast of Dubai – It is a 300 island man made archipelago in the shape of the world map.

-World’s Largest Manmade Waterfront - Dubai Marina

-World’s First Luxury Underwater Hotel - The Hydropolis will be 66 feet below the Persian Gulf.
-And of course, World’s First Spaceport - the UAE Spaceport in Ras Al-Khaimah, which will offer the world’s first suborbital flights.

-AND not forgetting Dubai Metro!!!

Image Capturing Device

2008-03-05T11:10:00.017Z

I got my new professional Lens yesterday!!!!! Thanks Mrs Shin. MWAH!!!! xxxx

I had spent several weeks researching the lens and waiting for the right price to come up for this lens which resulted in me finally purchasing the lens for almost HALF the cheapest price I saw online!!

I'm hyperventilating........

I have been waiting weeks for this!!!! I have been so excited and have been raving about this for ages!!!

Mrs Shin got fed up with me spending late nights and early mornings hunting for this lens online, and doin' her head in once the order was placed....and when the delivery was missed.

THE DAY HAS FINALLY COME!!! YIPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

Here is my first ever shot taken with the camera and new lens:

Awwwwwwww Fish Sticks!!!!!!

p.s All my personal photos will have their picture quality reduced....Wooop Woooop!

The Lion of Hounslow Town

2008-03-05T09:08:00.008Z

I bumped into my main G-Weezee yesterday on my way home from work.

I tried my best to avoid him, but we both caught each others eye and I was forced to pull over in my car. (He was walking)

We had a quick chat and we both dashed home, thinking about the 5 minutes we just wasted that could have been better used in getting ourselves home.

Seriously though, he's a G (short for Gangster, he's not really).

He's the only person I know that does not play a single instrument but we can still manage to have a musical jamming session!!!!!

Unusual I sense you think, yes, but he has an acute appreciation of music and words that pushes me to produce better music, and I push him to produce less conscious lyrics!!!!! LOLLL!!!!!

He's a lyricist, writer, spoken word poet, an Author and sometimes a nice guy. He tries to pass himself off as a producer but I would call him an Enthusiast when it comes to producing!!!! H8terville!!!!!

Check his myspace.........if you want:
www.myspace.com/lionrai

Me waiting for delivery.....Delivery waiting for me!

2008-03-04T15:08:00.011Z

I hate waiting for deliveries.

Today I was waiting for a delivery......Missed the post by less than 10 minutes.......now I have to wait for 24 hours before I can collect it from the post office or 48 hours for it to be delivered again!!!!

The wait is driving me nuts!!!!! Aarrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhh!

I messed up.......but find it's hard to admit!!!

2008-03-04T11:13:00.022Z

So, we went to the Alicia Keys Concert last week at the O2. The evening was just so perfect that I was bracing myself for something really bad to happen, unfortunately I left my bubble wrap at home.

We met a member of her band who told us to meet him near the edge of the stage once the concert ends so he can take us backstage. This was the first perfect moment.

Second perfect moment was we paid less than £30 for tickets which was less than 15 rows from the front....and we didn’t have to stand all evening like the mugs on the arena floor had to! SHAMONE!!!!!

Here is a shot from the evening: Courtesy of RandyJackson

Third Perfect moment, Queen Latifah sat 3 rows directly in front of us! She was with a friend, and a body guard, eating garlic bread, and was wearing blue jeans, blue jean jacket, slick back hair and had no make up on....oh she was also sporting Chanel sunglasses on her head.....but not that I was really paying attention or anything!

There were other moments thats made the night perfect but I will be here all day writing!

So here we begin the 'I wished i stayed home wrapped in bubble wrap' moments!!!

We couldn't go backstage- so we met the band member near the gates, but didn't see Alicia (I think after this evening I can be on first names basis with her!)
The train station was packed with thousands of people trying to board the same train.
Almost being crushed to death at the foot of the escalators.

Being told I may not be able to fit through a cubby hole used as a short cut to get to the front of the platform........I AIN'T FAT, JUST BIG!!! p.s I DID fit, so Nerr nerr!

We only just managed to get on the second to last train of the day.
Was packed like a sardine in the train
Had a large Russian dudes armpit in my face and a ladies buttocks near my hand on the right, so I was forced to stand in a very awkward position to avoid the 2....across between "Walk like an egyptian" and Regan from the Exorcist (when her head spins round!)
Began feeling claustrophobic on the train
Was offered a lift if we stayed on the train by friends back home if we stayed on the underground...I refused as we had our car parked next to another station!
My wife went nuts saying we should stay with the rest of them and grab a lift home, I told her to stay with them then and I will go home alone!!!! This was a bad thing to say as she went quiet and gave me "THE LOOK"...this means I am in trouble! BIG TROUBLE!!
Jumped off the train 1 station too early

Arrived at Waterloo but missed the last train of the day to Hounslow
Me having to try explain to my wife and brother-in-law that we missed the train without looking like a plum!

Looking like a plum.

Had to jump on a Kingston train to get home
No taxis available to collect us from the station
Rang up a friend to collect us, went to voicemail

Had to bite my lip and ring my parents (who are currently not talking to me!) to collect us from the station.....at 1am!!!

Sitting in the car with deadly silence for the 10 minute journey home, making occasional eye contact with my dad from the rear view mirror and seeing his blood shot and puffy eyes!!!!

Trying to sweet talk the Mrs...despite me ruining, for her, a perfect evening!!!!

This is how I looked at the end of the evening!

Moral of the story, stay home and shut your mouth!

I am going to the Blog!!!

2008-03-04T10:45:00.000Z

Zippidy Doo!!! I am now a Blogski!