YOLO: You Only Live Once!

Do you believe in Carpe Diem? Live every day as if it were your last? Charter into unknown territory even if it's fraught with risks so that you get to learn something new? Then you are in a state of YOLO, the acronym for 'You Only Live Once'. Over the past couple of years, this word has gained momentum in the daily rhetoric of teens, young adults and social media junkies. But today, it has earned a place in pop-culture lexicons and our daily lives. Take this: Since 2010, the hashtag #YOLO has been used more than 20 million times on Twitter alone! YOLO was also one of the contenders for the Oxford American Dictionary's 2012 'Word of the Year'.

WHAT IS YOLO? 
The followers of this philosophy believe in the noble idea of living life to the fullest and through their actions, convey that one should take risks in life because you probably won't get another chance to do it. This motto pushes people to try something new, make spur-of-the-moment mistakes and live every day, like it's their last.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? 
A research by University of Missouri, US, revealed when people realise that life is scarce, they focus more on positive things and appreciate everything around them. More importantly, they challenge their fears. Mandip Singh Soin, founder of an adventure travel company agrees, "My friend General Tindy Sharma, a YOLO follower, went parachute jumping at the age of 80! Even I live life on the edge. I have climbed Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa. The YOLO philosophy is all about collecting great experiences, even if it means moving out of your comfort zone." Entrepreneur Anu Chadha believes it is best to live life in the moment, by breaking a few rules. "I live by YOLO. Every year, I learn a new skill - be it music, language etc. While choosing my wardrobe, I am not afraid to experiment. I do everything I like, without worrying about its consequences or what people will think." Despite the impulsive decision-making YOLO involves, it teaches us to stop fretting over little things. "We nurture many wishful desires, which we don't fulfill most of the time, but this philosophy helps us to break our guardedness and fulfill those desires without giving it much thought. It makes us question: what's the worst that can happen, if I do this?" says social commentator Santosh Desai. That's what David Luks, the founder of a beverage company did. He discovered YOLO, when he was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and it motivated him to set up his own company. "I told myself that you only live once. I wanted to experience what it was like being an entrepreneur, so I went ahead and did it. Something I wouldn't have attempted otherwise."

YOLO MEALS, FASHION AND YOGA 
From eating habits to sartorial choices, YOLO has crept into many spheres of life. Strict dieters are opting for cheat meals that are good for the soul. Known as YOLO meals, these are traditionally unhealthy but indulgent foods that you can dig into, every once in a while. Those who are too shy to experiment with unconventional sartorial trends, can adopt YOLO fashion by wearing heavily-embellished jacket or neon shoes, even if they are not trendy! In fitness, you have YOLO yoga, which focusses on awakening to the present moment and letting go of self-judgment and doubt.

THE ANTITHESIS 
To keep YOLO in check, a counter-philosophy called YODO (You Only Die Once) is also making its presence felt. It means just like you live once, you also die once, so stop living precariously. Sociologist Shiv Visvanathan comments, "YOLO is like bungee jumping. It only gives you a temporary high. Unlike other risks that you take in life, decisions taken under this philosophy are not calculated risks; it's more like let's party all night, because you live only once! This cultural epidemic may help you gratify your short-term goals but won't benefit you in the long run." One needs to remember that while life is short, in the quest to enjoy it to the fullest, one shouldn't hurt oneself or others, physically, emotionally and mentally.

MAKE YOLO A RECOGNISED RELIGION 
Last year, during census time in New Zealand, many citizens started a campaign to make this philosophy a religion, by filling out YOLO under the 'religion' section in their forms!

To keep YOLO in check, a counterphilosophy called YODO (You Only Die Once) is making its presence felt. It means just like you live once, you also die once, so stop living precariously

When your Heart is broken into a million pieces…

It hurts when you have someone in your heart but can’t have them in your arms. When your hearts breaks, the pain is evident and it just makes you wonder and make u feel how cruel this world is. Wouldn't it be nice to have things happen the way you wanted it always. Wouldn't it be nice to have love not be so complicated always. Sometimes we waste too much time to think about someone who doesn't even think about us for a second.

Hmmm…well heart breaks happen to all of us but what is important is how we cope with it. I would like to share some of the best quotes that come to my mind, when we are sad or heart broken or just missing and wanting someone back into our lives. It keeps bringing back those fond memories in our head time and time again.

·   You took my heart and you crushed it in the palm of your hand. But being upset over that wouldn’t make only sense – I’m the one who gave you permission.

·   The worst kind of pain is when you’re smiling just to stop the tears from falling.

·   Your broke my heart, but I still love you with all the pieces.

·   Sometimes when I say I’m ok, I want someone to look me in the eyes, hug me tight and say, “I know you’re not”.

·   Having a broken heart is like having broken ribs. On the outside you look fine, but every breath hurts.

·   “I trust you” is better that “I love you” because you may not always trust the person you love, but you can always love the person you trust.

·   A million words would not bring you back, I know I've tried. Neither will a million tears, I know I've cried..

·   I keep myself busy with things to do, but everytime I pause, I think of you.

·   It’s hard to wait around for something you know might never happen, but it’s even harder to give up when it’s everything you want.

Well the quotes can never stop. They can keep on coming, but for us to be stronger in such situations and not take hasty decisions is what is needed the most. Because we all cannot forget that, yes someone has broken our heart, but also someone somewhere is yearning for it. You will always mean the world to lot many more people who love to see you smile. It’s best to think about them in such hard times.

Love will always be this hard, and it will only make us stronger. Remember God has something special in store for you in the future.

Facebook buys Whatsapp for $19bn: Mark Zuckerberg explains why

Facebook, on Thursday, agreed to buy mobile messaging service WhatsApp for $19 billion, making it the company's largest acquisition. As per the terms and conditions of the deal, all 55 employees of WhatsApp including its founders will be granted restricted stock worth $3 billion that will vest over four years after the deal closes. 

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on his Wall, explaining why he bought WhatsApp. The text of the letter is given below: 

“I'm excited to announce that we've agreed to acquire WhatsApp and that their entire team will be joining us at Facebook. 

Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. We do this by building services that help people share any type of content with any group of people they want. WhatsApp will help us do this by continuing to develop a service that people around the world love to use every day. 

WhatsApp is a simple, fast and reliable mobile messaging service that is used by over 450 million people on every major mobile platform. More than 1 million people sign up for WhatsApp every day and it is on its way to connecting one billion people. More and more people rely on WhatsApp to communicate with all of their contacts every day. 

WhatsApp will continue to operate independently within Facebook. The product roadmap will remain unchanged and the team is going to stay in Mountain View. Over the next few years, we're going to work hard to help WhatsApp grow and connect the whole world. We also expect that WhatsApp will add to our efforts forInternet.org, our partnership to make basic internet services affordable for everyone. 

WhatsApp will complement our existing chat and messaging services to provide new tools for our community. Facebook Messenger is widely used for chatting with your Facebook friends, and WhatsApp for communicating with all of your contacts and small groups of people. Since WhatsApp and Messenger serve such different and important uses, we will continue investing in both and making them each great products for everyone. 

WhatsApp had every option in the world, so I'm thrilled that they chose to work with us. I'm looking forward to what Facebook and WhatsApp can do together, and to developing great new mobile services that give people even more options for connecting. 

I've also known Jan for a long time, and I know that we both share the vision of making the world more open and connected. I'm particularly happy that Jan has agreed to join the Facebook board and partner with me to shape Facebook's future as well as WhatsApp's. 

Jan and the WhatsApp team have done some amazing work to connect almost half a billion people. I can't wait for them to join Facebook and help us connect the rest of the world.”
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg posted on his Wall, explaining why he bought WhatsApp. The text of the letter is given below: 

“I'm excited to announce that we've agreed to acquire WhatsApp and that their entire team will be joining us at Facebook. 

Our mission is to make the world more open and connected. We do this by building services that help people share any type of content with any group of people they want. WhatsApp will help us do this by continuing to develop a service that people around the world love to use every day. 

WhatsApp is a simple, fast and reliable mobile messaging service that is used by over 450 million people on every major mobile platform. More than 1 million people sign up for WhatsApp every day and it is on its way to connecting one billion people. More and more people rely on WhatsApp to communicate with all of their contacts every day. 

WhatsApp will continue to operate independently within Facebook. The product roadmap will remain unchanged and the team is going to stay in Mountain View. Over the next few years, we're going to work hard to help WhatsApp grow and connect the whole world. We also expect that WhatsApp will add to our efforts forInternet.org, our partnership to make basic internet services affordable for everyone. 

WhatsApp will complement our existing chat and messaging services to provide new tools for our community. Facebook Messenger is widely used for chatting with your Facebook friends, and WhatsApp for communicating with all of your contacts and small groups of people. Since WhatsApp and Messenger serve such different and important uses, we will continue investing in both and making them each great products for everyone. 

WhatsApp had every option in the world, so I'm thrilled that they chose to work with us. I'm looking forward to what Facebook and WhatsApp can do together, and to developing great new mobile services that give people even more options for connecting. 

I've also known Jan for a long time, and I know that we both share the vision of making the world more open and connected. I'm particularly happy that Jan has agreed to join the Facebook board and partner with me to shape Facebook's future as well as WhatsApp's. 

Jan and the WhatsApp team have done some amazing work to connect almost half a billion people. I can't wait for them to join Facebook and help us connect the rest of the world.”

Well this deal has surely rocked the market with its magnus amount spent that has been spent. Well even when some might feel the valuation to be too high just like Marks earlier acquisitions. This one has been termed by Zuckerberg as “incredibly Valuable”.

All you whatsapp fans would not neeed to worry about any changes to be brought about in the app. In a post on the WhatsApp blog, Koum elaborates on that:

“Here’s what will change for you, our users: nothing.

WhatsApp will remain autonomous and operate independently. You can continue to enjoy the service for a nominal fee. You can continue to use WhatsApp no matter where in the world you are, or what smartphone you’re using. And you can still count on absolutely no ads interrupting your communication. There would have been no partnership between our two companies if we had to compromise on the core principles that will always define our company, our vision and our product.”

Blackberry Z3 sneakpeak

As per recent rumours, it is speculated that Blackberry would partner with Foxconn to produce affordable BlackBerry 10 devices. An alleged render posted by N4BB purportedly reveals the yet-to-be-announced Blackberry Z3 device, which is rumoured for MWC 2014 launch, along with its expected specifications. The speculated price for the Z3 is said to be $150 (approximately Rs. 9,300), which we feel is highly unlikely for a BlackBerry BB10 device.

According to the rumoured specifications, the BlackBerry Z3 will have a 5-inch 24-bit colour LCD display with a 540x960 pixels resolution. Under the hood, it will be powered by 1.2GHz dual-core processor clubbed with 1.5GB of RAM.

The optics on the alleged BlackBerry Z3 are rumoured to include a 5-megapixel auto-focus rear facing camera with flash and 5x digital zoom, apart from a 1.1-megapixel fixed focus front-facing camera with 3x digital zoom.

The alleged BlackBerry Z3 is said to come with 8GB of inbuilt storage, with no details on the expandable storage. It is also rumoured to pack a 2650mAh battery.

The not-yet-official BlackBerry Z3 is said to be one of the first low-end phones to be designed, manufactured and warehoused by contract manufacturer Foxconn.

Last year in December, Blackberry signed a unique five-year partnership deal with Taiwan's Foxconn Technology Co Ltd, under which the electronics manufacturer will build low-end devices for sale in Indonesia and other emerging markets.

BlackBerry Z3 rumored specifications

1  5-inch qHD (960 × 540 pixels) capacitive touch screen display

2  BlackBerry OS 10

3  1.2 GHz dual-core processor

4  5MP auto focus rear camera with LED flash

5  1.1 fixed-focus front-facing camera

6  3.5mm audio jack

7  3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS

8  1.5 GB RAM, 8GB internal memory, expandable Memory card slot

9  2650 mAh non-removable battery

If this rumour is to believed, We can’t wait to get our hands on this beauty. With such specs and at affordable rates, Blackberry would have a winner all the way.

Amazing Creatures: Polish frizzle Chicken

A Frizzle is a type of chicken with feathers that curl outwards, rather than lying flat as in most chickens. A Frizzle is not a separate breed, but a variety within breeds. Though all breeds of chickens may be frizzled; it is most commonly seen in breeds such as the Cochin, Pekin, and Polish.

Look at this pic, how adorable do they look?

I was suprised to know that chickens also look so cute. I don't feel like eating them anymore :P

Stop throwing waste into the ocean !

Today I am writing this blog write from the bottom of my heart. I don't know what difference would it make, but maybe someone somewhere reads this and atleast decides to stop this dirty habit. And if so then I would say mission accomplished for me. I believe if we need to bring a change, one has to start from him or herself.

I love the water and love to see the beautiful beaches, the wide blue Oceans, the exotic rivers and sea costs. I water is one of the most beauties of mother nature. it immediately bring a glimmer in the eye. And lets not forget it is one of the most important things in the world that keeps the cycle of life alive. But garbage and all types of waste that are being dumped into the water, thinking it is an easy way out to get rid of this unwanted. lets sit back and think again.

Each year, trash in the Ocean kills more than 1 million seabirds and 100,000 marine animals and turtles when the ingest or get entangled in it. We're treating the oceans like a trash bin – and plastic accounts for 60-80% of marine litter. So much plastic is flowing into the sea that marine animals are dying, our beaches are polluted, and our health may even be at risk.

I had come across this video on youtube, long time ago. But these images tend to stay with u forever and makes you question your self about the environment and the world that we are creating. I still remember this video and would like you all to watch it. Maybe you'll have already come across it. But here it is.

Lets us stop throwing plastics and waste into the sea. It is about time we get start protecting our and natures future, and this is one of the most important subject that needs to be treated with immense seriousness.

5 Foods that work wonders for your Romantic Life

We can’t live without food, and we can’t love without food. Eating the right foods can improve your romantic life in a variety of ways – it can make your skin glow, it can improve blood circulation in your body and infuse you with happiness and energy. Here are some foods that you should eat in order to improve your romantic life:

Blueberries

Eating a cupfull of blueberries once a day may help spice up your love life. According to nutritionist Dora Walsh, the berries contain proanthocyanidins, a plant chemicals that is believed to keep blood vessels flexible and blood flowing around the body that could work wonders in your romantic life. 

Bananas

Bananas are not only one of the most suggestive fruits of all times due to their phallic shape,  they are also rich in nutrients that help produce sexual hormones. They contain male libido enhancing minerals and  enzymes, and regulate secretion of serotonin which is known to be responsible for the euphoric feeling after intercourse. They also help replenish low levels of glucose in the body giving you an instant kick of energy after you've eaten it. Here are some healthy reasons to go bananas!

Basil

A symbol of love since the Roman era, basil has been regarded as an aphrodisiac for centuries now. Its leaves consist of various nutrients that enhance libido and are a rich source of vitamin A, C, magnesium and potassium.

Red wine

Not only does red wine keep you looking young, it boosts sexual desire in both men and women. A research done at the University of Florence concluded that women who drank a glass of red wine regularly had better libido than others who did not. What’s more, flavonoids present in red wine reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases when consumed in moderation. Red wine is also known to release stress and make you happier. Instead of sipping it from a glass, try cooking red wine-tomato pasta on V-Day for main course.

Dark chocolate

One of my favourites. Filled with antioxidants, dark chocolate has health as well as sexual benefits. It has been associated with lowering the risk of heart disease and turning on the pleasure sensors in the brain. They contain feel-good chemicals and the ‘love chemical’ PEA (phenylethylamine). PEA peaks during orgasm and induces feelings of attraction and euphoria by releasing dopamine in the brain. Chocolates also promote a sense of well-being and relaxation. End your romantic dinner, with a serving of chocolate-coated strawberries for dessert and reap in the benefits of all these aphrodisiac foods after that. Read more about the health benefits of chocolate.

Besides these, herbs like ginseng, ashwagandha, shilajit, etc. are also known to charge up your sex life.

The Lego Movie (2014)

I have to say, this is one rare animation film that could satisfy audience of all ages. From the opening moments of the film, The Lego Movie fires an endless array of jokes at its audience from seemingly every angle. Writers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (who also directed the film) have an expert grasp of the absurd, and they use it to great effect, ensuring that every scene is stuffed to the gills with laughs. Many of the film's best moments are derived from the fact that the characters, vehicles, and environments are created from Lego pieces: one of the rules established by the filmmakers was that everything appearing on screen must be possible to construct in the real world.

The stand out feature of the Lego Movie for me would be the way the Lego Universe was created. The movie paid great attention to detail making everything appear as it would made from Lego, including the water and clouds, and the surfaces people walked on all had the circles sticking upwards a Lego piece would have. Combined with all the yellow faces, and Lego part during building, I was convinced action took place in the Lego Universe.

This film has great animation and a great story, it has an all star voice cast example Morgan freeman and will Ferrell. This film will be up on the shelve as one of the greatest films ever animated, ever thought about and ever written. In a box office market where Frozen has dominated the family slate for over 11 weeks (with an honorable mention for The Nut Job), The Lego Movie looks primed to walk away with 2014′s biggest opening to date.

It is a must watch.

Amazing Creatures: Sperm Whales

The sperm whale or cachalot is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. One interesting fact, does anyone know how they sleep. Its looks kind of strange, but still is one of nature’s marvel.

This is how Sperm Whales sleep.

The sperm whale can be found anywhere in the open ocean. From the early eighteenth century through the late 20th the species was a prime target of whalers. The head of the whale contains a liquid wax called spermaceti, from which the whale derives its name. Spermaceti was used in lubricants, oil lamps, and candles. Ambergris, a waste product from its digestive system, is still used as a fixative in perfumes. Occasionally the sperm whale's great size allowed it to defend itself effectively against whalers. The species is now protected by a whaling moratorium, and is currently listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.

Manchester City 0  Chelsea 1 (03/02/2014)

The duo collide at the Etihad Stadium with the title fight very much in mind, as the hosts attempt to climb back to the top of the table, while the Blues will try to close the gap to leaders Arsenal down to two points.

Manuel Pellegrini's team have won every  domestic home game this term but will be wary of Chelsea who inflicted a 2-1 defeat on City when the sides last met back in October at Stamford Bridge.

With everyone predicting Chelsea to park the bus against city, after Mourinho selecting Luiz and Matic and leaving out Oscar for the game. There was a surprise surprise finish to the first half, with a completely dominating performance from Chelsea and a scorcher of a goal from Ivanovic. Leaving Manchester City trailing at home.

With second half proving all the more exciting and both teams having a numbers of attempts at the goals. Jose’s men hitting the woodwork three times and City’s last burst in the dying minutes all came to an end. And Ivanovic first half thumping strike proving to be the winner for Chelsea.

So it was Jose’s men that bring Man City to heel and ends Pellegrini’s home run. The title race is wide open now.