Weekend Links

This little girl will melt your heart

A funny but on point take on Guns: Most of you might have already seen this but in case you missed it, its a must watch.

A hypothetical sketch of Indian States at a bar

Outrageous Offering at Whole Foods: Read it to believe it

Weekend Links

I hope everyone had an easy weekend, mine was full of good food and lots of naps. Here is what been keept my mind occupied this past week:

Shashi Tharoor's Speech at the Oxford Union: If you have not had a chance to listen it, I sincerely urge you to please do it now - it's succinct, on point and oh so biting

Corporate Social Responsibility: The Kachra project is a community effort to hold Unilever responsible and make amends for the hazardous mercury waste they dumped in Kodaikanal. Once you take a look at the video, please do not forget to sign the petition

Hilarious Bhojpuri Translation of Hollywood movies

AIB Party Song: I am a big AIB and Irrfan Khan fan and these guys just nailed it with their latest work.

Weekend Links

Spoiled Rotten: Being too friendly with your kids might backfire - a great article on today's parenting style.
Object of Desire: A brilliant article on the issue of female consent and how our films are propagating a very skewed version of it.
Before I say Goodnight: A beautiful piece on the fragility and beauty of out lives.

Weekend Links

It has been a while since I did a post on what I have been reading. Here are few things that I found really great:

TED Talk: The Happy Secret to Better Work. Funny and insightful. Pay attention to the last 30 secs.
Swallow This: The dark secrets of the food industry - scary but eye opening. A long article but I really urge that you take the time out to read it.
How to make stress your friend: It shows a new and very insightful perspective on stress and how to handle it.

Weekend Links

1. If you do not live in this life right now, you will never get to the places you are imagining - A beautiful short story.
2. This is how books should be labeled.
3. A must read article on the effects of the use of nanoparticles on our bodies. If you are interested in more details, here is the longer version of the story.
4. A good case for keeping your stuff in the hotel safe 
5. Shame & Survival - A good article by Monica Lewinsky on the humiliation culture of our society and here is her recent TED talk.

Weekend Links

1. The power of a book: A hilarious iphone parody commercial by Ikea
2. Easy DIY hair styles: I never try any new hair styles partially because I am lazy but also because I do not know 'how to' change or do my hair which doesn't take the whole morning. This article offers few pretty easy to try styles which even I am tempted to try out.
3. No one could see the color blue until modern times: You must have heard about the whole hoopla surrounding the color of the dress. This article and the episode of radiolab mentioned in here gives a cool insight on how humans see color.
4. Vitamin Myths: In the newly released book Vitamania: Our obsessive quest for nutritional perfection, the author helps dispel some of the most common myths surrounding modern nutritional guidelines. I plan to the read the book in the near future - but the interview here & here kind of gives you a gist of things. Read more here and here
5. Harvard does a case study on this world famous Fashion Blogger: Anyone who is even remotely connected with fashion is aware of blogger The Blonde Salad and her meteoric rise in the fashion industry - she has become such a big brand that Harvard did a case study on her tracing back the steps on how she built a $8 million per year empire. 

Weekend Links

1. Natural Beauty Products at WholeFoods: A list of some of the better beauty products at Whole Foods. I have not used any except Dr. Bronner's soap, although I have heard people swear by Weleda's skin food. 
2. Two new series that I have watched and liked recently Olive Kitteridge on HBO. Its a four part mini series. Better Call Saul On AMC has been pretty good so far.
3. This was an interesting article on V-day celebrations in Japan
4. New Card game that pushes kids to move their butt - is this the future of kids in this digital age?
5. What ISIS really wants: A very detailed article on the beliefs, strategy and future plans of this group - and let me tell you it is some scary shit

Weekend Links

• For all the Jon Stewart fans out there - 10 of his best moments
• Story of buzzing cows and tripping bees: The pleasure of getting wasted dates back to prehistoric times - Very interesting article on Intoxication
• We all know about the Placebo Effect - This week I found out what Nacebo Effect is and again I am stumped at how powerful our mind can be
• Kiddie Fashion is the next big thing that's taking the blogging world by a storm. Just check out these insanely stylish children. Scout Fashion; Mini style hacker ; Fashion_Laerta
• Madame CEO, get me a coffee: Interesting article by Sheryl Sandberg on women doing the 'Office Housework'

Weekend Links

• Incase you were wondering, this is what Emma (Ross & Rachel's baby) looks like today
• This is the most innovative antiV-day celebration I have heard of - A public pillow fight
• Indian TV ads have always championed the art of exploring the wide range of human emotions to push commercial products. The new trend to hit that space is Women Power
• And I will round it up with this beautiful quote I found on Pinterest:

Weekend Links

Since I spend most of my waking hours on the web, I come across lots of good stuff that's worth sharing. So I thought to make a note of all the good, must read-see links in a weekly post. Here are this week's list:

• TED talk on Why do we like what we Like : Great talk on how are experiences of pleasure as well as pain are so dependent on our mental perception.
• AIB Roast of Ranveer Singh & Arjun Kapoor: WARNING- This is not for the faint hearted. It's filthy beyond your imagination, it's hard to believe that this was a live show - but it's funny, if you like that sort of thing.
• Valentine's day card for the non-mushy Couples: This was shared by my friend on What'sApp and I just had to share it with the 3 family members that actually read this blog. Super funny stuff.
• A conversation between Swami Vivekanand & Ramakrishna Paramhans: Not sure if its true but its thought provoking for sure: 

1. Swami Vivekanand:- I can’t find free time. Life has become hectic.

Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you free.

2. Swami Vivekanand:- Why has life become complicated now?

Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Stop analyzing life. It makes it complicated. Just live it.

3. Swami Vivekanand:- Why are we then constantly unhappy?

Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Worrying has become your habit. That’s why you are not happy.

4. Swami Vivekanand:- Why do good people always suffer?

Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Diamond cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials, but don’t suffer. With that experience their life becomes better, not bitter.

5. Swami Vivekanand:- You mean to say such experience is useful?

Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Yes. In every term, Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons .

6. Swami Vivekanand:- Because of so many problems, we don’t know where we are headed...

Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides the way.

7. Swami Vivekanand:- Does failure hurt more than moving in the right direction?

Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Success is a measure as decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure as decided by you.

8. Swami Vivekanand:- In tough times, how do you stay motivated?

Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Always look at how far you have come rather than how far you have to go. Always count your blessing, not what you are missing.

9. Swami Vivekanand:- What surprises you about people?

Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- When they suffer they ask, “why me?” When they prosper, they never ask “Why me?”

10. Swami Vivekanand:- How can I get the best out of life?

Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.

11. Swami Vivekanand:- One last question. Sometimes I feel my prayers are not answered.

Ramkrishna Paramahansa:- There are no unanswered prayers. Keep the faith and drop the fear. Life is a mystery to solve, not a problem to resolve. Trust me. Life is wonderful if you know how to live.