The boys' day out
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Sorry. Havent updated in a long time. Frankly I'm having too much fun to worry about posting it and anyway my memory is weak so usually I'm not able to write down evrything tht I have done tht day. Well anyway...the guys came over to my place in Dubai for a swim and I got some pictures. Visit the gallery if interested..
Something Cute
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Feeling low? Or just bored? Something cute to brighten your day:
Click here to watch 'Cute Babies'.
Coming out... alive
Friday, December 16, 2005
It is so blissful. Nothing compares to this feeling. The quiet inside ones head, the surrender to ultimate laziness, the weather just seems nicer. IMO this sensation comes next holding your newborn child in your arms. This feeling my friends is when you get done with one (or more) stressful week of finals (or whatever you are required to do after a semster of study).
Dont want to think about how I did on the exams. I just want to see familiar faces back home, cherish the aroma of my mom's cooking delights and last but not the least, chill. 2 days. I'm home.
Going away to a happy place..
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Exams looming, see you on the other side if I make it...
Sequel: Heavy snow showers
Thursday, December 08, 2005
My thumbs are numb...if I keep going into -11C to take pictures of snow, without gloves, I will one day lose my fingers to frostbite.
This is the storm that hit Lafayette, dumping over 7 inches of snow:
And the following is what it produced:
Its gotten worse since I clicked these pictures..there are snow ploughs going through my neighbourhood...and all I see out of my window is white. I also found out, snow can be very annoying to walk through. Gets in eyes and nose to bug the hell out of you.
Decided to put up a winter gallery with some of the above and previous images post-processed to my liking.
Patience:
Lesson:
18 tricks for your body
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
These are taken from a men's health magazine...but most could apply to women too..
1. If your throat tickles, scratch your ear!
When you were 9, playing your armpit was a cool trick. Now, as an adult, you can still appreciate a good body-based feat, but you're more discriminating. Take that tickle in your throat; it's not worth gagging over. Here's a better way to scratch your itch: "When the nerves in the ear are stimulated, it creates a reflex in the throat that can cause a muscle spasm," says Scott Schaffer, M.D., president of an ear, nose, and throat specialty center in Gibbsboro, New Jersey. "This spasm relieves the tickle."
 |
2. Experience supersonic hearing!
If you're stuck chatting up a mumbler at a cocktail party, lean in with your right ear. It's better than your left at following the rapid rhythms of speech, according to researchers at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. If, on the other hand, you're trying to identify that song playing softly in the elevator, turn your left ear toward the sound. The left ear is better at picking up music tones.
3. Overcome your most primal urge!
Need to pee? No bathroom nearby? Fantasize about Jessica Simpson. Thinking about sex preoccupies your brain, so you won't feel as much discomfort, says Larry Lipshultz, M.D., chief of male reproductive medicine at the Baylor College of Medicine. For best results, try Simpson's "These Boots Are Made for Walking" video.
4. Feel no pain!
German researchers have discovered that coughing during an injection can lessen the pain of the needle stick. According to Taras Usichenko, author of a study on the phenomenon, the trick causes a sudden, temporary rise in pressure in the chest and spinal canal, inhibiting the pain-conducting structures of the spinal cord.
 |
5. Clear your stuffed nose!
Forget Sudafed. An easier, quicker, and cheaper way to relieve sinus pressure is by alternately thrusting your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then pressing between your eyebrows with one finger. This causes the vomer bone, which runs through the nasal passages to the mouth, to rock back and forth, says Lisa DeStefano, D.O., an assistant professor at the Michigan State University college of osteopathic medicine. The motion loosens congestion; after 20 seconds, you'll feel your sinuses start to drain.
6. Fight fire without water!
Worried those wings will repeat on you tonight? "Sleep on your left side," says Anthony A. Starpoli, M.D., a New York City gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at New York Medical College. Studies have shown that patients who sleep on their left sides are less likely to suffer from acid reflux. The esophagus and stomach connect at an angle. When you sleep on your right, the stomach is higher than the esophagus, allowing food and stomach acid to slide up your throat. When you're on your left, the stomach is lower than the esophagus, so gravity's in your favor.
7. Cure your toothache without opening your mouth!
Just rub ice on the back of your hand, on the V-shaped webbed area between your thumb and index finger. A Canadian study found that this technique reduces toothache pain by as much as 50 percent compared with using no ice. The nerve pathways at the base of that V stimulate an area of the brain that blocks pain signals from the face and hands.
8. Make burns disappear!
When you accidentally singe your finger on the stove, clean the skin and apply light pressure with the finger pads of your unmarred hand. Ice will relieve your pain more quickly, Dr. DeStefano says, but since the natual method brings the burned skin back to a normal temperature, the skin is less likely to blister.
 |
9. Stop the world from spinning!
One too many drinks left you dizzy? Put your hand on something stable. The part of your ear responsible for balance -- the cupula -- floats in a fluid of the same density as blood. "As alcohol dilutes blood in the cupula, the cupula becomes less dense and rises," says Dr. Schaffer. This confuses your brain. The tactile input from a stable object gives the brain a second opinion, and you feel more in balance. Because the nerves in the hand are so sensitive, this works better than the conventional foot-on-the-floor wisdom.
 |
10. Unstitch your side!
If you're like most people, when you run, you exhale as your right foot hits the ground. This puts downward pressure on your liver (which lives on your right side), which then tugs at the diaphragm and creates a side stitch, according to The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Men. The fix: Exhale as your left foot strikes the ground.
11. Stanch blood with a single finger!
Pinching your nose and leaning back is a great way to stop a nosebleed -- if you don't mind choking on your own O positive. A more civil approach: Put some cotton on your upper gums -- just behind that small dent below your nose -- and press against it, hard. "Most bleeds come from the front of the septum, the cartilage wall that divides the nose," says Peter Desmarais, M.D., an ear, nose, and throat specialist at Entabeni Hospital, in Durban, South Africa. "Pressing here helps stop them."
12. Make your heart stand still!
Trying to quell first-date jitters? Blow on your thumb. The vagus nerve, which governs heart rate, can be controlled through breathing, says Ben Abo, an emergency medical- services specialist at the University of Pittsburgh. It'll get your heart rate back to normal.
13. Thaw your brain!
Too much Chipwich too fast will freeze the brains of lesser men. As for you, press your tongue flat against the roof of your mouth, covering as much as you can. "Since the nerves in the roof of your mouth get extremely cold, your body thinks your brain is freezing, too," says Abo. "In compensating, it overheats, causing an ice-cream headache." The more pressure you apply to the roof of your mouth, the faster your headache will subside.
 |
14. Prevent near-sightedness!
Poor distance vision is rarely caused by genetics, says Anne Barber, O.D., an optometrist in Tacoma, Washington. "It's usually caused by near-point stress." In other words, staring at your computer screen for too long. So flex your way to 20/20 vision. Every few hours during the day, close your eyes, tense your body, take a deep breath, and, after a few seconds, release your breath and muscles at the same time. Tightening and releasing muscles such as the biceps and glutes can trick involuntary muscles -- like the eyes -- into relaxing as well.
15. Wake the dead!
If your hand falls asleep while you're driving or sitting in an odd position, rock your head from side to side. It'll painlessly banish your pins and needles in less than a minute, says Dr. DeStefano. A tingly hand or arm is often the result of compression in the bundle of nerves in your neck; loosening your neck muscles releases the pressure. Compressed nerves lower in the body govern the feet, so don't let your sleeping dogs lie. Stand up and walk around.
16. Impress your friends!
Next time you're at a party, try this trick: Have a person hold one arm straight out to the side, palm down, and instruct him to maintain this position. Then place two fingers on his wrist and push down. He'll resist. Now have him put one foot on a surface that's a half inch higher (a few magazines) and repeat. This time his arm will cave like the French. By misaligning his hips, you've offset his spine, says Rachel Cosgrove, C.S.C.S., co-owner of Results Fitness, in Santa Clarita, California. Your brain senses that the spine is vulnerable, so it shuts down the body's ability to resist.
17. Breathe underwater!
If you're dying to retrieve that quarter from the bottom of the pool, take several short breaths first -- essentially, hyperventilate. When you're underwater, it's not a lack of oxygen that makes you desperate for a breath; it's the buildup of carbon dioxide, which makes your blood acidic, which signals your brain that somethin' ain't right. "When you hyperventilate, the influx of oxygen lowers blood acidity," says Jonathan Armbruster, Ph.D., an associate professor of biology at Auburn University. "This tricks your brain into thinking it has more oxygen." It'll buy you up to 10 seconds.
 |
18. Read minds!
Your own! "If you're giving a speech the next day, review it before falling asleep," says Candi Heimgartner, an instructor of biological sciences at the University of Idaho. Since most memory consolidation happens during sleep, anything you read right before bed is more likely to be encoded as long-term memory.
Source
Tagged
Monday, December 05, 2005
I have been tagged by my dear cousin Sadaf, thus I will now list my 5 wierdest habits:
1)I make sure the earphone labelled as "R" goes in the right ear, no matter if I have to spend minutes untangling the cords.
2)I often open the fridge knowing there's nothing in it to eat and just stand there... admiring the emptiness :P
3)I have a set routine online, which involves visiting same sites over and over again (and ppl wonder why I am so bored)
4)I rub my forehead when stressed and that leads to it getting more itchy and its a looping cycle until I decide to consciously hold back.
5)It annoys me to listen to low quality music files, I dont know why...
Phew, I had to actually think about those. I dont believe in tagging since its unwanted pressure. However if you feel like listing ur wierd habits, please be my guest :)
Light snow showers
Saturday, December 03, 2005
18 days to go
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Have exams coming up in a week and a half and I still havent started serious studying. Im actually looking forward to the exams and will most probably start studying today, hopefully. Damn the demons of procrastination.
The faster these exams come the faster I get to finish them and go back home. I havent been eager for something like this since I cant remember when. Why I miss home so much you ask...well:
1) Good food. Yup its important enough to be number 1.
2) Places to enjoy yourself which dont require a 'drink' minimum.
3) Dont live in the middle of nowhere. Well I do live in the Meadows, but there are means to get out.
4) Isn't as cold during the winter. Seriously, I think I can take hot summers to body freezing winters any day.
5) Dont have to use the no. 11 bus to go anywhere (walking).
6) I get to drive.
18 and counting down.....
One liners for the bored soul
Sunday, November 27, 2005
"You know the world is going crazy when the best rapper is a white guy, the best golfer is a black guy and the tallest guy in the National Basketball Association is Chinese."
-Chris Rock
"A guy know's he's in love when he loses interest in his car for a couple of days."
-Tim Allen
"A man in love is incomplete until he has married. Then he's finished."
-Zsa Zsa Gabor
"I told my doctor I broke my leg in two places. He told me to quit going to those places."
-Henny Youngman
"You know why fish are so thin? They eat fish."
-Jerry Seinfeld
"A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don't need it."
-Bob Hope
"I don't consider myself bald. I'm simply taller than my hair."
-Thom Sharp
"This is a strange country we live in. When it comes to electing a president, we get two choices. But when we have to select a Miss America, we get 50."
-Jay Leno
"I figure you have the same chance of winning lottery whether you play or not."
-Fran Lebowitz
"Give a man a fish and he has food for a day; teach him how to fish and you can get rid of him for the entire weekend."
-Zenna Schaffer
"It's not that I'm afraid to die; I just don't want to be there when it happens."
-Woddy Allen
"I have my standards. They may be low, but I have them."
-Bette Midler
"I've been on a calender, but I've never been on time."
-Marilyn Monroe
"If God meant us to be naked, he would have made our skin fit better."
-Maureen Murphy
"It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it."
-Sam Levenson
"If winning isn't everything why do they keep score?"
-Vince Lombardi
Extreme Christmas lighting...anti-epilepsy helmet ON!
Additions
Friday, November 25, 2005
Some new additions to the photo gallery:
The Big Onion - Chicago
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Do not mind the title, it could very easily be misinformation. Supposedly before the wicked white man took over Chicago, it was a fertile land used for growing onions by the Indians (the Red kind). Chicago is a indian name for onion or something. I for once couldnt be bothered about looking it up, so if you care, you are more than welcome.
Alright, with that tidbit out of the way lets begin the story of my mini-vacation out of West Lafayette. An important thing to remember throughout is that I'm recollecting here, aand as far as my recollecting skills go, they can be compared with that of an amoeba. The four protagonists,Ali, Shiraz, Payal & Vivek
We left Wednesday morning, and this is how the outside of my apartment looked. I was thinking, "Wow!", but it melted soon and there not much chance in the next few days. We were supposed to leave by 11am but that didnt happen, we're Indians (the South-Asian kind). Left by 1 pm, reached outskirts of chicago by 2.30 and spent the next 2.5 hours stuck in a traffic jam. Not so much since three out of four people were contacted by Mother nature to perform their fluidly duties urgently. However sacred location to perform the ritual wasn't in sight.
Reached Hot Wok, an Indo Chinese restaurant in Shaumberg (Chicago suburb) by 5 pm (chicago time which is one hour behind lafayette). Found out the place doesnt open until 6, yippeee. Not to mention the unbearable cold and the wind to go along with it. Decided we should go to the near by cinema and get tickets for a movie show later around 7.30 when we will be done eating. Payal wanted to watch Garam Masala, Vivek had to, being her boyfriend, me and Shiraz opted for a safer and less boring Harry Potter. Got them tickets and came back to the restaurant. Had a meal which induced almost orgasmic moans from the four stuffed mouths. Seriously, living in lafayette has made me almost drool at the mention of food which does not involving burgers or pizzas, but not to take away from the delicious stuff at Hot Wok. Its to die for...
Packed leftover food and headed for the cinema. Watched movie. Got amazed by the fact that a hindi movie got over before the english movie. Somebody has to explain to me how that managed to happen with Garam Masala and Harry Potter. Got out at 10.30 pm and headed over to downtown to watch a improv comedy show. Show was okay, not improv per se, since the two comedians didnt take any suggestions from the audience but they performed a mildly amusing piece. Couldnt complain about it since we paid only 5 bucks a ticket.
Now started the fun business of looking up a budget hotel no place else but downtown. It was geting pretty late anyway. After asking many posh hotels their rates (Hilton, Grand Hyatt..dont ask why we did it..some people dont need alcohol to lose all logic) we crashed at Best Western which did very well actually. There was a plan to wake up and watch the parade on State St. at 8 am but that didnt happen (no shit!). Payal had already left at 5.30am since she had to pick her brother in law from the airport and drive with him to somewhere in Wisconsin. So that left the three guys.
Dragged ourselves out by 12 noon (because that was the checkout time), roamed around downtown, went to Devon St., which is like a Desi-town (like there are china towns) only that it isnt a town but just a street. Ate some delicious south indian stuff (dosa and sambhar wada) at a restaurant and right now I cant remember its name.
After that we headed for Navy Pier, hung around a bit took some pictures but it was way too cold to be out for any long periods of time. We debated whether to stay back another day, Black Friday (a day constituing huge sale being put up in many stores including electronics) being the reason, or go back to the dull Purdue campus. Purdue won. Im back and here I am writing this....
Some others:
Forgive my typos, I type with my left toe.
Bored
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
I was b-o-r-e-d so I made a wallpaper. I simply call it "California":
Variation 1 (my pick as of now, has a postcard feel to it):
Variation 2:
When I say bored, I mean it :)
Coupling
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Recently in my ECE 307 (Electric Field and waves) lab, my lab partners were discussing this British sitcom called 'Coupling' (see, we do work :P). They were praising it like crazy so I knew that I had to get my hands onto it and boy I wasnt let down. I think I can safely say, British comedy beats any other, hands down. This show is about 6 people (like always) and their relationships. Its more of a male vs female perspective of the same event that has taken place and it makes one hell of a show. Dripping in sexual comments, this one's not for the kids, not that they would understand a lot of it anyway, actually u never know with kids these days.
Theres one character on the show by the name of Jeff and is a very spaced out person but a treasure of one-liners, like Joey if you may, only not as lucky with women. Some of his quotes:
-'Women remember, Steve. It's like they've got minds of their own.'
-'Oh, wouldn’t that be great...being a lesbian. All the advantages of being a man, but with less embarrassing genitals.'
-'Maybe women are completely different when we’re not with them. Maybe they’re not cross all the time.'
-'Having a girlfriend is like legalized sex.'
-'Sex can be very stressful for men. You judge us on technique, sensitivity, stamina...we're just happy if you're naked...half naked...one breast'
-'Steve, you know what the sentence of death is don't you? I don't mean the sentence of death like in executions and stuff, I mean the scary one. Just five words Steve. Five little words..."where is this relationship going"?'
-'I am grappling with the most ancient dilemma of man. She likes me, but which end?'
-'It's funny watching you putting your clothes on. It's like the opposite of good.'
-'There's a supermodel who shags total prats and I don't know where she lives!'
Did I mention I really like this show :D?
On a diff note, might head to Chicago for a day during the Thanksgiving break, hopefully it'll turn out good.
Whats in a name?
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Whats behind your name?
ALINot so much fun for me since I already knew all of that. Maybe some of you out there have more interesting backgrounds. If you do find out yours, post it in the comments, I'd like to know :)
Gender: Masculine
Usage: Arabic
Pronounced: ah-LEE, AH-lee [key]
Means "lofty, sublime" in Arabic. Ali was a cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad and the fourth caliph to rule the Muslim world. His followers were the original Shiite Muslims. This name is also borne by the hero in 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'. Also, Muhammad Ali was the name adopted by boxer Cassius Clay when he converted to Islam.
Edit: Finally, somebody is catering to the atheist consumers:
Time Flies, dunnit
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Saw this tiny link on my Yahoo mail webpage about an email time capsule and decided to give it a go. So now hopefully in 20 years time I should get the following message in my inbox considering that I still keep that address and the time capsule server doesnt go to hell. The message:
TO: ali_am_85@yahoo.com
TO BE SENT: 11/15/2025
SUBJECT: I'm you from 20 years ago
Hi, hopefully when you read this you are in a very good place in your
life. This is you from 20 years ago writing from your room in West
Lafayette, in your senior year at Purdue. You were a sad lost cause at this point in time...hehe...
Best Wishes
Ali
Now this happened today morning and for some reason in the evening I decided to open my own personal (although involuntary) mini time capsule in the form a website that I had created when I was maybe 14 or 15 (cant remember exactly). It was fun going thru it reading it and being amazed at what butchery I did to photos on my hard drive and how bored I was with all the mouse pointer toys I had installed on that site. I also found it ironic that the title I had given to my website was "Total Time Pass Pages". I looked beyond the corniness of the title :P and decided it was blog-worthy.
On a less philosophical note, West Lafayatte has been having continuous rain for the past day or so and right now my weather program is giving me tornado warnings!. Meh, usually these tornadoes dont touch down anywhere close so I guess I'll have to wait before I get to see a real live one. But the good news is this:
Woohoo! first snowfall...
Nothing else to report...over and all but out.
Caution: Wet floor
Saturday, November 12, 2005
One of the reasons I got the external flash was to do some macro water photography. With the weekend being here, and no exams in close proximity, I gave it a shot (pun unintentional :p). Armed with a kitchen bowl, a spoon and my roomate Shiraz, I got a few shots just to see if my camera was capable of taking such shots. One of the shots:
I shot at shutter speeds as fast as 2000th of a second to freeze water drops in air.Hope to get some better shots once I figure out how to setup the equipment properly...
P.S. Internet cookies will be awarded to whoever correctly counts the number of times I used the word 'shot' in that entry :D
Phew
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Two days. Three exams. Dead man blogging...
New ways to curse at people you hate.
Devoid of color
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Often done by budding photogs, the binder, in its abstract form:
Coke came up with a new bottle design and name ;):
Storm
A sizeable thuunderstorm hit W. Laf last night around 2 am, and being the storm freak that I am, stayed up till 3-odd am trying to get some lightning shots. But as I knew from before and was confirmed last night, my camera wasnt built for lightning pictures. But I did get lucky and catch a few bolts here and there...
I was amazed my how much light is produced when I saw two pics of the same scene, one with lightning one without, side by side...
Ho Hum
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Dug up a previous photo, used some newfound PS knowledge to add some 'zing' to it...
Received the external flash I ordered off the internet a few days ago. Learning it. Liking it.
Eid Mubarak
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Eid Mubarak people of the world! Enjoy all the sheer-khurma and the insane high from all the sweet stuff :D
Retrospection...
Monday, October 31, 2005
First up, new photo taken today:
Lyrics worth noting:
Yeh daulat bhi le lo,
yeh shohrat bhi le lo,
bhaley cheen lo mujhse meri jawaani,
magar mujhko lauta do bachpan ka sawan,
woh kagaz ki kashti.
woh barish ka paani.
-Jagjit Singh, Woh kagaz ki Kashti
Aaj angoor ki beti se mohabbat karle,
sheikh sahab ki naseehat se bhagawat kar le,
iski beti ne utha rakhi hai sar per duniya,
yeh toh accha hua angoor ko beta na hua.
-Naza Sholapuri (lyricist), Jhoom barabar jhoom sharaabi
I would translate for any non-urdu speaking readers that stroll by this blog but the meaning in them is so deep that I would not be able to do it justice...
Web hopping..
Saturday, October 29, 2005
1. This is why I love Dubai so much.
2. Megapixel?..pshh...Im talking Gigapixel baby! Check out this image of the San Deigo skyline taken with a giga-pixel large format camera, some amazing detail there. And while you're there check out the whole gallery, it'll be one good thing you'll do today.
Sweetness...
Friday, October 28, 2005
Its the sweetest feeling in the world...when the team you support wins, and wins comprehensively. India and Sri Lanka are playing a 7 match ODI (one day internationals) series and the in first two games, Sri Lanka got their ass handed to them by the Indians (woohoo). Tendulkar is playing like his old self and others are performing like they are expected to at an international level. Man it would be simply awesome if this series was whitewashed by Indians. My only gripe is that I dont get to view any of these matches so cricinfo.com remains my best friend. It needs to be noted that Sri Lanka are the second ranked team in the world, well they were atleast before they came for this series, and they would have to play out of thier skins to make an interesting series out of this. I mean as much as I like to see India win by a big margin, I'm all for an interesting game of cricket, after all it is the hard fought, close victories that remain etched in the memory for longer.
On the topic of your team winning, White Sox recently won the Baseball World Series and thankfully my Semiconductors' prof happens to be a fan of them. So in celebration he decided to award the class with two free quizzes (as in points for just showing up to class, which actually is a big thing). They dont count much in the overall tally of points but sometimes it can mean a difference between a 'C' and a 'B' (notice how smoothly I omit mentioning 'A' :P). I had earlier mentioned an Optics midterm that I gave, and I got my grades for that, a 66, now before you gasp, the average for the class was 55 (on 100) and a minimum of 41 was needed to pass the outcome of the midterm. Yea, EE is the best aint it?!
In slightly different news, the senior seminar had a election of the most competent professor in EE. Yea like profs need ego boosting. Dont they get enough by the anal raping of the thousands of EE students at their mercy. Anyway, I picked my microprocessor prof (who isnt in the EE or Purdue faculty anymore) as the most competent guy because only in his class did I enjoy being a EE student, others are just boring hags reading notes off a slide or making lame jokes in effort to keep you intersted in their lecture. O woe is me....
Got three midterms coming up next week and Im gonna have to sit down one of these days and do some serious studying. Damn being lazy is just so much easier...
Im a sucker for Black and White (and not to mention Preity):
Before:
After:
Got two videos for ya'll:
Fold T-shirts in one go, for the lazy but neat (yea, like there's any) freak in you.
Scaring the shit out of people has to be the best thing ever!
