My take on media antics today

Before I go into my full on bashing mode let me just say that the media does do some good work. these just some things that bother me or things that are worth praise.

1. First of all, we should be happy that we have been gifted the Freedom of Speech. I know it's a basic right but still... Thank God that it exists in our country.

2. What I hate about channels like NDTV is that they're also serving roles of MTV and V by showing trailers. When I turn on a news channel I expect to see news and good coverage on that. Not the latest trailer or song. Not an infinite amount of ad's. That's what Zoom and Mtv are for. I think they might as well create a channel for Ad's and keep the rest minimal.

3. What is the first thing you learn about report writing in school? You the tell the news AS IT IS. YOU DO NOT EXPRESS YOUR OPINION. This is exactly what channels like Aaj tak and Zee News aren't doing. They make everything so negative. It's as if the channel itself has a point of view "The country is fucked". I'm sorry, that's for the viewer's to decide, NOT YOU. Compare a news story on NDTV and Aaj Tak. I think NDTV does a great job of delivering it professionally. Aaj Tak on the other hand, exaggerates it's with it's dramatising (and somewhat undertrained) reporters and overly critical statements. It's not story telling.

4. I appreciate the Media following up on Jessica Lal, Nitish Kataria and other such cases. It is commendable and heart warming to know that justice has been given but I agree more with the judiciary view that they don't need to pressurize the case. When they report cases of rape, abuse where the victim has stood up for herself., that's good journalism. On some level it provides insight, comfort and maybe even courage for those who are going through the same thing. They don't need to bark and howl at the judges, lawyers. You should do your job and let others do theirs.

What the TV industry really needs is it's own Oprah Winfrey show which will tell those stories of courage. It will create awareness on sex education, Aids, verbal and mental abuse etc. And there will be people who will definitely relate to it and maybe even come out of their misery. I think when people hear real experiences it's hits that part of the brain where they become more aware and cautious of their surrounding. Today, it's no use pretending to be blind and just not paying attention to these issues. The world has changed and so should we.

Christmas/Birthday wishlist

Did I ever mention that I LOVE to dream? Now, I don't see myself possessing any of the items below in near future, no, for a reeeeaaaallllly long time. But there's no harm in jotting it down, right?

1. 80Gb Video iPod. Who wouldn't want this? Black iPods are the sexiest things.
2. Mac Book. A nice white one with 1Gb RAM and 160 Gb hard drive memory.
3. Drawing Tablet. I seriously need one. My scanner has been taken by my Dad because it's of more use in his office. But I haven't been able to paint any of my drawings using Photoshop. I think a tablet would be really cool. I can just draw whenever I feel like it!
4. F.R.I.E.N.D.S dvd set for all 10 seasons. I love re-runs. :)
5. A watch. Sounds pathetic, I know. But I really need a shiny new watch.

My imperfections astound me

I not good at accepting situations the way they are. I'm also not good at handling failure. I go down that dark path and it just gets deeper and deeper. It's like injuring yourself. I cut myself with the blame and guilt until there's nothing left to feel about it. I've dealt with this a lot in the past year and I've realized it's very painful for me. My whole attitude and nature changes. I'm whiny, more demanding, a real pain in the ass. I can never seem to move forward. The more I dwell on it, the more it hurts.
I've experienced the consequences of this too. It's like an endless cycle. I've tried very hard to break away from it.
I've almost been successful. I don't want to go there again. I just don't. I want a change.

I've turned over to the dark side: Converting XP theme to Vista

After browsing through millions of screenshots, I couldn't resist. I customized my XP to mimic the Vista theme. And it looks glassy, gorgeous and a hell lot better than the luna theme.

I wanted to use kol's theme (from deviantart) but apparently, his theme was so popular, microsoft asked from to remove it. WTF Bill? That's like banning fanfiction or fan art. Imagine that!

So how did I achieve this task?

1. Before you experiment with anything of this magnitude, you better setup a restore point.
Go to Accessories > System Tools > System Restore and just follow the wizard and set up a point. This will ensure that if there's any crisis situation, you can revert back to the point and undo the damage. It's basically a key which will erase most actions carried out after you've set up the point.
2. You need to download a Vista theme first. These are unofficial themes made by generous Photoshopers. (what would I do without you guys!) You can go around Deviant Art, Win Customize and similar sites to download one of your choice. I got mine here and it's pretty awesome! Follow the instructions from Tech recipes and I'm sure it'll work just fine.
3. The .theme files should go in C:/WINDOWS/Resources/Themes.
4. When changing system files, you get a pop up about file protection. As per download instructions, ignore and close the window.

Most themes do cause some delay in the computer's performance. I haven't encountered anything like that yet so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

The Bengal Tiger is back!

Ganguly is going to be back on the team for the test series! That is such great news. The circumstances under which he was dropped from the team were so puzzling and the whole incident had more drama than a top rated soap. But now he's gonna be back!
Call me lame, but I actually felt bad for him in his 'Ooh aah India' commercial. And we didn't have much to ohh-aah about either. The Indian team was on the top of it's game when Ganguly was the captain. We went upto the World cup finals for heaven's sake! For better or for worse, it will be good to see some change. I'm tried of the newbies' who play well in one game but are completely unreliable in the next.

I've lost hope for the team. There's not much that might be achieved in the WC 2007. I'll always hope for the best but I think the chances are slim.

Ga-ga over Vista

Well, Windows Vista was launched today so I headed over to Wiki to take a look at the features . And boy, am I excited!!! Windows Aero makes the desktop look so much better. I love the translucent menus! Eye candy for sure!
But Windows Vista Basic looks good too; though it doesn't have same looks as the Standard version. They're giving Media Player 11 with it. I had downloaded 11 beta before I reformatted my computer and it was nifty! Graphics and clarity was amazing. And I liked the' search as you type' option too. I'm lazy and my playlists are overfull and though I have bands alphabetically organized. Search is my best friend. :)

I hope someone comes up with similar theme for XP users. Just to get the feeling. ^_^

Alienware themes have similar quality. Their Media Player skin was really amazing.

Now I'm that person, who goes after looks of a computer and wants to customize it like crazy!!!

Dhoooooom 2 - Review

****** SPOLIER ALERT!!*********



I saw this movie twice! This is quite a novelty since my exams are approaching.
I saw it on Tuesday with Aruna and Richa and on Wednesday with my parents. I didn't like it much. I appreciated the action and stunt bits. It was all fantastic and dhoomtastic. I particularly liked the part where he camouflages with the statue. He looked scary too. But would a tiny predator and a projected diamond really go unnoticed? Come on, are Mumbai Policemen that dumb?
Drainage water never looked cleaner as Hrithik swims through it. The main point, HRITHIK!!! He ruled and overshadowed all the other actors, stealing Abhishek's glory. Hrithik played every minute of his part beautifully while Abhishek was left with nothing but his brood and few strong dialogues.
One wonders what exactly was Bipasha's importance in the movie, except the insane twin sister part.
Comedy in the movie was good. From Ali's day dreams to Baywatch spoofs to Sweetie's murderous instincts. All gold. Uday is usually unbearable in movies, but he's great when working his way around comedies. ^_^
Aishwarya acted well. It was good to see her in a movie which didn't involve some historic importance. And she looked good too! But if I have to hear the word "funny guy" one more time, I may lose my cool. Indeed, she had a very irritating personality.

I think Romance didn't need to be such a big factor (especially for the ending). But I have to admit, Hrithik + Aishwarya = Smokin' Hot!

I was upset with the ending. I love it when the villain wins! It would have been great if the two managed to steal something right under his nose again and THEN settled in Fiji.

Quotes I liked -
mere ko topi mat pina.. - Ali. I might just adapt this in my daily conversations. :)

pehle socha, kya aadmi hai,
kya pyar hai,
fir laga, kya bakwas hai! - nice haiku by Abhishek

I hate news channels (for now)

Why is it, that when you want to see a particular news segment, it's almost never shown! Instead there's endless discussion on India's pitiful performance in cricket or senseless gossip about a celebrity.
My grandparents and my Dad were about to go to Mumbai today and there's news about stone-pelting and bus burning incidences in our area. I switch on Sahara Samay and it shows nothing but Sanjay Dutt's case.

WHY? WHY?!! I need to know if my area is safe!!

ETA: Report from CNN-IBN
Report from NDTV
Whoa, the situation seems to be getting really bad. According to NDTV there was violence in Kalanagar. Pimpri is on curfew and there are also reports that there's violence on Bund Garden road.
My grandparents are heading tomorrow. I hope all this gets under control soon. Dad might leave for Mumbai later today. He's got an exhibition to attend.

As for me, I bunked college today and studied Electrical Engineering. I'm still perfecting the DC Networks chapter. I hate those sums. I always manage to screw up something...

There's a first time for everything

I think writing the first entry is always the hardest. As newbie bloggers progress in the blogworld, the first entry always reminds them of their s illiness (if any). I certainly feel so when I read the first entry of my LJ. I sometimes feel the need to change it to make it sound more like what I am today. But I want to preserve who I was, even if it sounds immature.

As noticed, I tend to ramble with no reason. I'm 17 now and a fresher at SKNCOE wherein I'm undertaking Computer Engineering. I'm proud of what I'm studying. Forgive the clique, but I love what I'm learning. I never really liked school or studies. It wasn't interesting enough. Now, I have something that I actually enjoy learning. It's a completely new experience for me. I want to do well so badly. I want to succeed.

I'm an introvert. I love friends and all the time I spend with them. But I like spending time alone as much. I people think of me as being selfish for this. I'm also quite sentimental but I feel like I have very different and conflicting personalities within me.
I'm your lost and confused teenager with an identity crisis. Who am I? I can think of a billion things to answer this. But I still can't find who I am. I'm also very paitent. With time I think I will pick up all this too.