Mary Kom

That's the thing about movies like this, you get to know more about the personal life of someone relevant. Mary Kom- the movie brought out all the hurdles the boxer had to go through to enjoy the place she is in today. The boxer is from a village in Manipur and is portrayed as someone who is irascible and very violent. Often caught in fights , she was someone who reveled in it.
One fine day, Mary Kom meets her coach and the journey to her world championships start there.
After reaching the peak of her career, Mary Kom decides to marry her love,Onler. Her marriage poses as a break from her career. During that time, she misses her sport deeply and feels she belonged there. After giving birth to twin boys, Mary Kom enters the boxing arena again, with a huge comeback!

Priyanka Chopra stars in the movie as Mary Kom. Apart from her insanely huge lips and flawed make up( in some scenes where she'd put on make up), she is a perfect fit for the role as far as appearance is concerned. She carries us through the journey of the boxer in a beautiful way by evoking the right emotions in the necessary scenes. However, Priyanka Chopra fails in one tiny aspect: She could not portray herself as a Manipuri girl! Not just her looks, but her acting wasn't convincing enough that she was from Manipur. She did give her best shot by pronouncing federation as "phe-deration" but sadly that wasn't convincing enough. In mannerisms , she failed a bit. However, that is hardly important as the movie talks about the greatness of a star and she has done that without a single flaw.

THE ALCHEMIST- My interpretation!

The beginning of the book sparked an element of curiousity in me by centering itself on a boy who wanted to understand his dream. The sheperd boy, despite being literate, went on to follow his heart by becoming a sheperd in the mere belief that he could travel the world with his sheep. His experience as a sheperd and his acumen for understanding complex signs helped him understand his immediate surroundings through his sheep's eyes. The real story starts when recurring dreams of the pyramids and hidden treasures disturb his mind. The boy , in search of its meaning, comes across many who help him reach his treasure. Of course, no path is easy! The boy encounters a lot of obstacles  in his journey and through each painful hurdle, he gains a better understanding of the Language of the world( Language of the world simply means his ability to read signs from nature) And his understanding of the world helps him realize his destinty- which is the so called 'treasure'. This may be a rags to riches story, but certainly has some significant meaning  which I'm going to interpret. There are certainly close parallels between the story and our own lives.

 The 'soul of the world' has an ambiguous meaning and is open for interpretation. Basically, it is a force that communicates with you and helps you achieve your inner most desires. By communicating with the soul of the world, you are basically communicating with your inner self as it helps you realize what you want and shows you the way. What I inferred was that sometimes, you need to spend time reading the nature and its signals, or 'omens' as Paulo Coehlo calls it, as they can guide you to your destiny.A common question that crops up in the reader's mind is: does destiny really exist? Has some higher power already written the future? Paulo Coehlo mentions that if the soul wants something, the entire universe conspires to achieve it. And there lies the answer. If the soul yearns for something, it looks desperately for it. Desire is like a centripetal force. Energy emanates from it which interacts with the nature , making nature understand the soul and hence responds to it.These are the signs or omens that Paulo refers to. This is why, the sheperd spent his life reading little signs from the nature as nature had a better understanding of his soul and what it required. In the end, treausre is mere happiness! Whatever makes one happy is their treausre and I do believe that the universe conspires to make one happy.

ALS Ice Bucket Challenge: The real essence

The challenge:

 The challenge was that people had to get drenched in a bucket full of ice or donate to the ALS Association in the United States. The ones who undertake the challenge should also nominate  other people, to undertake the challenge. So nominated people were given a day's time to take the challenge and post their video on social media, or donate a handsome amount of money to the ALS Association of United States.
Set out with an objective to raise funds for their research and spread awareness on ALS( also known as Lou Gehrig's disease) , their strategy did get the entire world talk about them. They became a world wide sensation and raised millions of dollars. The impact of the challenge is felt in every corner  with millions attempting to undertake the challenge or donate money or both.

How successful is it?

 It is trending globally.

As per the graph, the interest and curiousity in ALS over time has increased exponentially during the period of the ALS Challenge, from Jun-Aug 2014. The data above do show that ALS is a successful social media stunt. 

They have raised millions of dollars to fund their research, and help wipe out ALS permanently! Their success is eminent and felt everywhere. 

Drawbacks

They might enjoy being an internet sensation, but they definitely do have some drawbacks. Let's ponder over this: Did they really fullfill all of their objectives? 

The focal point clearly is on #icebucketchallenge, not the ALS disease itself.On social media, what went viral was the challenge and celebs pouring ice on their heads. In the aspect of spreading awareness on ALS, their success is put to question. Many people who undertook the challenge still do not know what ALS is or what kind of research is required to treat the disease! What people have is just a superficial knowledge of the disease. Very few know what they are contributing to and why. Nevertheless, they managed to have a very wide outreach, which is basically a dream for many others who are trying so hard! 

Varied reactions:

There were varied reactions to this challenge. While many stars gave in to this trend and made handsome donations, there are others who didn't support this challenge for several reasons.  Pamela Anderson refused to take the challenge. She stated that ALS Testing techniques were against animal rights. Instead, she challenged them openly on social media to completely ban animal testing as a part of their research in curing ALS. 

Zachary Quinto refused to take the ALS Challenge on account of his concern for water shortages in many developing countries. Obviously, to someone like that, throwing a bucket of ice water on one's head has no direct contribution to the cause and is useless, or rather, a waste of time and an essential resource- water!

Carey Hart simply felt the ice bucket challenge was indeed a successful trend and a creative campaign, but it had become just a joke to be passed on. ( source: Huffington Post)

There were many stars who took the challenge or donated money or did both. 

So what is ALS? 

As per the definition given by ALS Association, it is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Some of the early symptoms are muscle weakening or cramps. Patients often complain that they cannot eat or chew properly, cannot walk or do basic every day activities properly. Its final stage is marked by paralysis and death. There is sadly, no test to diagonize ALS. And there is no cure for ALS as well. ALS has caused a lot of physical and mental pain in many lives. It's cause is also obscure due to which, curing it requires immense amount of research. 

The ALS Association is raising funds for research in this area to learn more about its cause and how it can be treated. They also provide support for people with ALS. 

The real essence

Instead of taking up the challenge and spreading the challenge, let us spread awareness on why we should contribute to the disease and the seriousness of the disease. Let's include the #StrikeOutALS with #icebucketchallenge( since strikeoutals is the main goal) and let us keep this energy going for a long long time. Because the challenge may fade away with time on social media, but the disease is not going to if serious action is not taken. Let us encourage more students to take up research in this area and provide our support to those who have lost their loved ones because of this disease. Also, let us motivate more people to donate for a good cause

Why that's so Raven was every teen girl's fave!

WHY THAT’S SO RAVEN WAS EVERY TEEN GIRLS FAVORITE:

If you are/were a Disney kid, you’d know the answer. That’s so Raven mimicked a normal teenage girl’s life in every possible way. This show centers on the life of Raven Baxter, a teenage girl with a supernatural gift of being psychic. Raven is often caught up in knotty situations thanks to her gift. In her journey to adulthood , Raven discovers herself through little life lessons and with the help of her two best friends, Eddie and Chelsea. The show portrays normal situations in everyday teenage life, and implicitly gives advice on how to deal with them. Be it getting into a fight, reinventing one’s identity, coping up with parents pressure and dealing with a heart break, Raven deals with it all in ways that are unexpected, hilarious and awesome.

RAVEN COPING UP WITH PRESSURE

Every teenager is faced with a situation where he/she has to cope up with some amount of peer pressure or is influenced. Here, raven joins the group of bad girls, and is up for some massive mischief. Here’s how she learns her lesson and deals with the situation.

RAVEN DEALING WITH JEALOUSY:

Jealousy is an inevitable feeling especially when you’re a teen girl. It’s also a monster that kills many beautiful relationships. Jealous fogs Raven’s judgment of her cousin and entangles their relationship in every possible way. Once the two realize they have so much in common and so much to talk about, they let go of their jealous halves and kindle a beautiful relationship. Sometimes, being open about the jealous side works. There’s nothing to be ashamed of!

WHEN RAVEN FIGHTS WITH HER BESTIE:

Now that’s common. When you and your best friend enter the fighting mode, it feels like the world is falling apart. Right? No matter what age you are in, you’ll always have that one friend who’ll kick anyone’s ass to support you and at the same time, kick your own ass when things get messed up. Raven realizes the importance of her friendship with Chelsea, and even if it means giving up her dream boy to work things out with her best friend, Raven is up for it. This show definitely emphasizes the importance of friendship.

RAVEN REDEFINES BEAUTY:

Every girl is insecure about her looks. When Raven is not allowed to ramp walk in her own dress, she is furious. But instead of getting insecure, she fights for her definition of beauty by flaunting her beauty in the fashion show. She taught women how to be confident in this episode. Definitely a must watch episode!

RAVEN IN LOVE:

Raven, much like the other girls, is also in love and goes through a series of puzzling relationships. How she deals with its problems and outcomes, is beautiful and definitely something to learn from.

So if you’re a sitcom addict, don’t worry. You’re learning. ;)

Why you should watch game of thrones!

You probably heard your friends talking about the 'epic show' in lunch. Some might have compelled you to watch the show. All in all, with the game of thrones frenzy around the air, you are probably wondering as to what is so impressive about that show. What's in it for you? Is it just entertainment or is there more? Game of thrones( be it the book or the series) simply whisks you off into a virtual world of politics. If you are tired of hearing Narendra Modi's continuous victory, the deregatory remarks on Congress and the notoriously immature antics from AAP and want to taste a different flavor of politics, game of thrones is the show for you. An interplay of politics, romance, drama, thriller and various other unthinkable elements make the intricate story. Set in the medival period, you won't get bored of the Lords and Ladies drinking in from their goblets of wine, their adept diplomacy, their erotic fantasies, their knack and wit for playing the subtle game of politics, their endless courage, their avarice for power and the list is infinite( so is the wine). Each high-born family has its own set of values, that you may vicariously relate to. The show starts off with Baratheons in the Iron throne,trapped in a complicated political marriage to the Lannisters who fund the kingdom. The Starks, rulers of the North, Winterfell, discover a secret they claim could change the future of the Seven Kingdoms. However, to keep the secret safe from the people, Lannister's begin to conspire against the Starks and here's where the battle starts. Similar political tremors erupt in other places, and all the high-born families, driven by their own hunger for power, are trapped in some battle. The Targaryens, not so far from the seven kingdoms, grow powerful day by day with three dragons, in the belief that they are the rightful heirs of the kingdom. Game of thrones is an inspiration to many. It is philosophical in its very own way. So who is the hero of the game of thrones? Well, that's for you to decide. The game of thrones does a splendid job in justifying each role and each family motive, thereby giving you the freedom to judge. That's what makes the show outstanding. You may take inspiration from the Starks who always courageously fight for justice or the power-hungry Lannisters, who glibly use their wit and charm on their way to gain power. You may support any character you like. But by doing so, you realize a part of yourself you've never seen before. As you relate to a character, you realize that your motives are similar in life and your philosophies match. So if you can spare the time, the time to learn a few lessons, the art of politics and have some fun, go ahead and start the show!And as for my favorite, that would be Tyrion Lannister. Tyrion, a high-born Lannister, is mocked at from all sides including his own family, for being an imp. However, Tyrion uses his wicked intelligence to get around the wicked corners of the seven kingdoms. In my opinion, he is the only sensible character in the Game of Throne Series. Here's an inspiring punch dialogue from the every so famous Tyrion Lannister:  Never forget what you are, the rest of the world will not. Wear it like armor and it can never be used to hurt you

Does one lie lead to many or does one lie lead to reality?

Throughout my life, I've encountered very strange experiences with lying. I m a glib liar where words just roll out of my tongue, as if it were almost true. It has never been hard for me to convince people with my cock and bull stories. But I find myself struggling to convince myself that my lie...is actually a LIE!

My idea of a great escape is a runaway from the current place. Maybe to a peaceful place, with my cell switched off so I'm out of reach. I always imagine spending time with myself in a beautiful isolated cottage house with a television and a huge stock of books. And my desperation for the great escape has caught me into tight social situations.With the advent of the summer vacations, my friends started making plans to get out. They wanted hit the theatre and catch up on the latest movies.."We are going for the Great Gatsby tonight, you've gotta come!"

OOOPS! Explaining my need to be alone is just going to make me look even more geeky and lame. As it is, I've already avoided them the last month to focus on my examinations. Should I feign sickness again this time? That would be obvious. 

Instead, I could put one of my greatest skills to use now.Painting out a situation that looked almost real. That was never a problem for me. 

"Oh I'd love to, it's just that I've signed up for a research project here in campus and I think Sir has announced a meeting for us today. You go ahead, I'll definitely catch up with you the next weekend" And there, it ends. The trouble. 

On my way back my mind constantly kept pondering over why those words rolled out. A research project.Nice. On reaching the room I dropped my books and left. I locked my room door, took my keys with me and ran to the staff room. Brimming with enthusiasm, I scream "I'm here Sir, hope I'm not late..."

A bald headed robust figure shot a strange look at me and asked "Here for what?"

My eyebrows raised" The research project?" 

"The project was over last year my dear.You look lost. How may I help you?"

I soon realized I had been thinking about the lie so much that it implicitly got added into my mental schedule. I blushed with embarrassment,apologized and left the room, 

Lying is just crazy. Or am I the one crazy?

FEAR.....

If only time machines existed, life would be perfect. Sadly Einstein wasn't hit with a clock that could help him build a time machine.
So it's merely our cursed luck,we're stuck in these messed up lives where mistakes after mistakes haunt us like ghosts from the past and  monsters of the night stealing from us every stretch of sleep that we could possibly get...as if we aren't insomniac already! Even so, it's not that creepy shadow of the past following us  that is haunting us. What takes the nerves out, is how that creepy shadow influences the future.
What seeps in these fears is....KARMA.What if we are the victim now?What if it's our turn....to be hurt....that thought can be so derailing.
 What if someone breaks my million dollar window in my big beautiful bungalow just like I did to my neighbor just to see if she could get her obese body out lashing at me in the next 10 seconds? What if I became obese because I made rude jokes on them?
Do we deserve to live our lives with these kind of fears? Or should I call them threats from our inner God- the King of our lives...our conscience? Can we keep these tormenting threats at bay and live the rest of our lives at peace? I wish answers were that easy to find.