40 Is The New 30

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Click over to your favorite blog, and pick out the 4th and 14th words (that aren’t “the” or “an”). Drop them into this phrase:

“_____ is the new _____.”

There’s your post title. Now write!

Hahaha, how appropriate. I am gonna cheat a bit and make this title more suited for me. 40 is the new 30! I believe that to be partially true and more importantly, I think that this could be increasingly true.

I don’t feel 39. I will turn 39 in two days yet I feel like I lost many years and I want them back. I feel like I missed out on a lot of things in my early 20s as well but my 30s seem to have rushed on by. I want to relive those years. Or stop aging for a few years. Let other people grow old but I stay 39 for a while, like a few years. I don’t want to say goodbye to my 30s, just yet! And, say hi to my 40s.

So let 12 months for me be like 48 months for the rest of the world. We’ll be all caught up by then atleast!

Sirius A & Sirius B

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Sirius Facts

Sirius is a two star system 8.6 light years from Earth. It consists of the main sequence star Sirius A and its small white dwarf compand their fuel and shed their outer layers.

Sirius B ision Sirius B. White dwarfs are the core remains of stars that have exhauste the closest white dwarf star to Earth. The force of gravity on Sirius B is 350,000 stronger than on Earth, meaning 3 grams of matter (roughly a sugar cube) would weigh 1,000 kilos (2,200 pounds)!

Sirius A is known as a main sequence star, meaning like the sun it produces energy by fusing hydrogen atoms in its core. Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky and the nearest that can be seen without the aid of a telescope.
Sirius B has a highly elliptical orbit around its larger companion. The derivation of the name Sirius is from the ancient Greek word for glowing, the star was also known to ancient Egyptians 4,000 years ago.

Sirius Radius
Sirius A has a radius of 740,000 miles (1.2 million km), which is 71% larger than the radius of the sun, Sirius B has a radius of only 3,650 miles (5,900 km) which makes it slightly smaller than planet Earth!

Sirius Mass
Sirius A has twice the mass of our sun, despite Sirius B being similar in size to Earth it has almost the same mass as the sun, making it an incredibly dense object.

Sirius Statistics

Also Known As: Alpha Canis Major, the Dog Star

Distance From Earth: 8.6 light years
Constellation: Canis Major

Sirius A Star Type: Class A – Main sequence white star
Sirius B Star Type: White Dwarf

Sirius A Mass: 2.02 x Sun
Sirius B Mass: 0.98 x Sun

Sirius A Luminosity: 25 x Sun
Sirius B Luminosity: 3% of Sun

Sirius A Diameter: Approx 1.5 million miles (2.4 million km) – 171% x Sun
Sirius B Diameter: Approx 7,300 miles (11,800 km) – 92% x Earth

Sirius A Temperature: Approx 10,000C (18,000F)
Sirius B Temperature: Approx 25,000C (45,000F)

Age of System: Approx 240 million years old

And The List Becomes Shorter

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So my family is abuzz with the news and finalisation of my cousin’s wedding. He is getting married at the ripe old age of 42 on August 19th. It’s his first time getting married but he has been looking or rather his parents have been looking for a very, very long time. I guess for the past 10 years or so. But because they look into stuff like astrology (jadhagam as we call it here) and because he has a hard to match horoscope he has had no luck in finding a bride the tradional way. This time it got sorted out but I am not sure if they tried to match horoscopes but it is still an arranged marriage after the families met.

So that’s one more down and just a cousin who is 42 nd myself left unmarried in our family of first cousins. Well there is my baby cousin but she is not yet 23 so she doesn’t count. She won’t even consider a wedding until she turns 25 or 26. My cousin who moved to the US in 1999 and turned 42 in February is looking like an eternal bachelor like me and most probably a reluctant bachelor – also like me. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to find the right woman but it’s a factor of things that have prevented me from getting hitched – mostly because I feel like I might be rather low on the totem pole.

I won’t go the arranged married route, with or without horoscope as I don’t believe in such stuff. I haven’t found a lover though I have had a girlfriend or two back in…..well it seems so long. Me being overweight and well…ugly could also be a major reason. there’s a few other things also in the mix, stuff I dunno if I want to put on a blog out there as they are deeply personal and I have never told anyone else about it. I am lonely and been lonely for ages and perhaps that is what I have to resign myself to. A life of loneliness. I am even lonely when I am in a group of people.

I guess not everyone finds that special someone. Here’s to us bachelors and bachelorettes. I hope you do find someone to call your own someday.

Awkward Situation

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Sometimes I wonder how do I get myself into situations like these. It’s beyond me. I don’t even know how it got started but I do know that it’s not something that I did. It’s no fault of mine yet somehow I feel like I am to be blamed and I feel quite shitty about it. But I do not deserve this at all.

No idea what or if I actually did anything and it’s not that I can easily go and ask because it is embarrassing and awkward to say the least. But once again I do not know what to say or if I should say anything in the first place. It’s a weird situation and one I did not see happening at all.

I am not sure if I will do anything about it today and will try and avoid it if I can. I just want to leave or make some changes if I can. Sheesh! What an akward mess!

RIP APJ Abdul Kalam

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Indian lost an iconic figure yesterday when former President APJ Abdul Kalam, the ‘missile man’ who came to be known as ‘People’s President’ died on Monday after he collapsed during a lecture at the IIM in Shillong on Monday evening. Kalam, who would have turned 84 in October, was confirmed dead more than two hours after he was wheeled into the ICU of Bethany hospital in a critical condition following the collapse at around 6.30 pm. According to reports, Kalam suffered a massive cardiac arrest during the lecture at IIM, Shillong. Considered the most popular President, Kalam became the 11th head of the state and occupied the post between 2002 and 2007 but lack of consensus denied a second term in office for a man who came from outside political spectrum.

Kalam was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. A career scientist turned reluctant politician, Kalam was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied physics and aerospace engineering. He spent the next four decades as a scientist and science administrator, mainly at the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and was intimately involved in India’s civilian space program and military missile development efforts. He thus came to be known as the Missile Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic missile and launch vehicle technology. He also played a pivotal organizational, technical and political role in India’s Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear test by India in 1974.

Kalam was elected President of India in 2002 with the support of both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the opposition Indian National Congress. After serving a term of five years, he returned to his civilian life of education, writing and public service. He received several prestigious awards, including the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour.

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (15 October 1931 – 27 July 2015)

Two New Beers Tried & Liked

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Buying beers to drink back at home is a new thing for me. I never used to buy bottles or cans of beer and drink them at home. Instead I opted to drink at bars or beer & wine parlours on the weekends when I got out along with lunch or perhaps before lunch. Sometimes in the evening. With bars being banned from serving alcohol other than beer and wine (except for 5 star hotels) it is difficult to enjoy drinks outside the home. And really expensive too as the bee parlours have been taxed more and hence upped the prices of beers to keep their margins the same.

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So the better option is to buy some stuff for the home. I have visited the self service style Bevco outlet in Gandhinagar twice now and this Saturday, being the second time, I bough 4 beers and a 500ml bottle of Bacardi white rum. I bought two cans of Miller and 2 of Budweiser Magnum (which I find to be better than the original). I enjoyed both beers a lot.

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So as we start a new week today, here’s a couple of pics of my beers in my brand new Arsenal pint glass. Ah, so refreshing and tasty and not bitter at all.

Spy

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Wanna watch a good, silly & humorous film filled with some laughs and even some cool action stuff? Watch 2015’s Spy written and directed by Paul Feig. The film stars Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Allison Janney, and Jude Law.

Susan Cooper is a desk bound CIA analyst who sits at her computer guiding her suave partner, field agent Bradley Fine when he goes out on missions, using the latest technology and miniature cameras to warn him of imminent danger. At the latest mission in Bulgaria, Fine accidentally shoots & kills Tihomir Boyanov without first finding a suitcase nuke whose location is known only to Boyanov. With Susan guiding him Fine is able to escape the compound. Meanwhile, the agency learns that Boyanov’s daughter Rayna (Rose Byrne) might know the location of her father’s device, so they send Fine to infiltrate her home. However, Fine is shot dead by Rayna while Susan watches online. Rayna also divulges that she knows the name of the top agents like Fine and Rick Ford. Susan volunteers to be the agent on field as she will be unknown and her boss Eliane Crocker agrees, much to Ford’s disgust who quits.

Susan, in disguise, is sent to Paris to spy on Sergio De Luca and finds that Ford has followed her. Though Ford thinks he is being secretive, Susan sees De Luca and his assistant switch Ford’s bag with one that contains a bomb and is able to warn Ford. Susan then follows De Luca to Rome, where she meets her contact Aldo, a suave Italian informant who makes inappropriate advances towards Susan. At a casino that night Susan runs into Rayna and after warning her about an assassin dropping poison in her drink, becomes part of Rayna’s inner circle. Gaining Rayna’s trust, they fly in her private plane to Budapest. Along the way, the steward kills the bodyguard and pilots and tries to kill Rayna, but Susan is able to subdue him and take control of the plane before landing it in Budapest. Rayna suspects her of being a CIA agent but Susan is able to convince her that Boyanov hired her to be Rayna’s bodyguard in the event of his death. In Budapest, the two encounter Susan’s best friend Nancy (Miranda Hart), who is sent by Crocker to back up Susan. After being shot at in the street, Susan orders Nancy to get Rayna to safety while she pursues the shooter’s vehicle. The shooter turns out to be CIA double agent Karen Walker, who sold Rayna the names of the agents. As Walker is about to fatally shoot Susan, Walker is killed by an unknown sniper.

While accompanying Rayna to a party they run into Lia, De Luca’s associate who turns out to be an assassin. While Nancy creates a diversion, Susan fights Lia in the club’s kitchen. Lia is killed by Fine, who is very much alive, and apparently fakes his death so he could be with his lover Rayna. After Susan is captured and put in an abandoned bunker along with Also, Fine appears and reveals that the real reason he faked his death was to gain intelligence on the device’s location, which could only happen by gaining Rayna’s trust. Wanting to prove herself, Susan escapes from the bunker with Aldo’s help and poses as a double agent with Rayna and Fine at De Luca’s mansion. De Luca’s buyer is a Chechen terrorist who arrives with a suitcase filled with diamonds in exchange for the nuclear device. However, De Luca, now in possesion of the device and doubting that Dudaev can safely smuggle it into the United States, kills him and his men and keeps the diamonds. De Luca intends to sell the device to not only an even higher bidder, but to someone who can transport it to New York City within a week.

As De Luca is about to kill Rayna, Ford appears and distracts De Luca, allowing Susan to save Rayna’s life again. DeLuca tries to escape in his helicopter but Susan and Ford grab onto it before it can take off. Though Ford loses his grip and falls into the lake, Susan confronts De Luca in the helicopter alone. After Nancy and Aldo arrive in a helicopter and help Susan kill De Luca, Crocker arrives to recover the device. Rayna is arrested, but it’s implied that she has come to like Susan as a friend. Also, reveals himself to an undercover MI6 agent and invites Susan to dinner if she visits London. Susan declines a similar offer from Fine and instead opts for a girls night out with Nancy. The next morning, Susan is shown screaming after waking up amidst empty champagne bottles and realizing that she has slept with Ford.

A barrel of laughs and rib-tickling comedy with lots of cool action scenes and fights. It is quite funny. I give it an 8.5 outta 10!

Walcott To Sign, Benzema & Reus Bid Rumours

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Theo Walcott has agreed a new four-year deal to stay at Arsenal – becoming one of the club’s highest earning players in the process. Walcott has been in negotiations with Arsenal over a new deal since the final third of last season, with the England star’s current terms expiring at the end of the coming campaign. It’s claimed the contract makes the 26-year-old one of Arsenal’s best paid players, taking him into the £100,000-a-week bracket. Arsenal are said to be set to announce the news in the next two weeks.

Arsenal are ready to increase their offer for Karim Benzema to finally sign the striker, according to reports. The Gunners have apparently made Real Madrid ace Benzema their top target this summer, with a class frontman a priority for Arsene Wenger. And after reports suggested Arsenal had seen a £31million rejected for Benzema, claims in Spain suggest that will now be upped to £35.3m. The Frenchman’s agent has ruled out a move in recent days but Madrid are open to selling for the right price, and Arsenal now hope to meet that.

Arsenal are ready to sign Marco Reus from Borussia Dortmund after hijacking Liverpool’s deal for the player, according to reports. Reus has been tipped to leave Dortmund this summer and reports had suggested that Liverpool were in talks with the player over a deal. But now the Daily Star says Arsenal have hijacked the negotiations and are now looking to sign 26-year-old for themselves. The news comes amid talk that Arsenal have a £200million transfer budget – and they’ll need it, with Reus tipped to cost £47.8m to sign. Real Madrid have also been sniffing around the German in recent days.

Night Shots

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This is what I see on my way back to my apartment late in the night after work. I currently work a 4:30 pm to 1:30 am shift at work and reach home at around 2:20 am. The company provides us with cabs so we don’t have to depend on our own transportation. As there is a little work going on in the gutters on the perpendicular road I get down at the junction and walk the few 100 feet or so to my building.

Night time in the city is a whole new world almost. When I get down there isn’t another soul in sight, no birds or animals to be seen or heard. Ok I have spotted a couple of bats and an owl or two on different nights. But it is very quiet and a little like in a dream state.

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Here are a couple of shots of the street on which I live. Providence Road, Cochin baby!

Shoulda Woulda Coulda

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Tell us about something you know you should do . . . but don’t.

  • Lose a bunch of weight
  • Move out and find a small place of my own
  • Try and find a bigger profile & better paying job
  • Take a chance and find a woman to marry and live happily ever after

Why and how will I get these done? I dunno. It seems easier to give up. I dunno how much will things change that will let me be able to get these things done or will it ever happen at all. But I will give it an attempt. I want these. I really do want these.

Prompt from The Daily Post at WordPress.com

Earth’s Bigger, Older Cousin Found

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NASA said Thursday that its Kepler spacecraft has spotted “Earth’s bigger, older cousin”: the first nearly Earth-size planet to be found in the habitable zone of a star similar to our own. Though NASA can’t say for sure whether the planet is rocky like ours or has water and air, it’s the closest match yet found. The planet, Kepler-452b, is about 1,400 light-years from Earth in the constellation Cygnus. It’s about 60% bigger than Earth, NASA says, and is located in its star’s habitable zone — the region where life-sustaining liquid water is possible on the surface of a planet.

A visitor there would experience gravity about twice that of Earth’s, and planetary scientists say the odds of it having a rocky surface are “better than even.” While it’s a bit farther from its star than Earth is from the sun, its star is brighter, so the planet gets about the same amount of energy from its star as Earth does from the sun. And that sunlight would be very similar to Earth’s, Jenkins said. The planet “almost certainly has an atmosphere,” Jenkins said, although scientists can’t say what it’s made of. But if the assumptions of planetary geologists are correct, he said, Kepler-452b’s atmosphere would probably be thicker than Earth’s, and it would have active volcanoes.

It takes 385 days for the planet to orbit its star, very similar to Earth’s 365-day year, NASA said. And because it’s spent so long orbiting in this zone — 6 billion years — it’s had plenty of time to brew life, Jenkins said. “That’s substantial opportunity for life to arise, should all the necessary ingredients and conditions for life exist on this planet,” he said in a statement. Before the discovery of this planet, one called Kepler-186f was considered the most Earthlike, according to NASA. That planet, no more than a 10th bigger than Earth, is about 500 light-years away from us. But it gets only about a third of the energy from its star as Earth does from the sun, and noon there would look similar to the evening sky here, NASA says.

The $600 million Kepler mission launched in 2009 with a goal to survey a portion of the Milky Way for habitable planets. From a vantage point 64 million miles from Earth, it scans the light from distant stars, looking for almost imperceptible drops in a star’s brightness, suggesting a planet has passed in front of it. It has discovered more than 1,000 planets. Twelve of those, including Kepler-425b, have been less than twice the size of Earth and in the habitable zones of the stars they orbit.

Szcesny To Join Roma On Loan

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The goalkeeper question at Arsenal seems to have been sorted out. With the transfer of top class goalie Petr Cech from Chelsea, Arsenal had 3 potential #1 goalkeepers, albeit if the other two were seen as lesser talents to Cech. Wojciech Szczesny, who lost his #1 position to David Ospina in the beginning of the year, has agreed to join Roma on a season-long loan from Arsenal. Goalkeeper Szczesny has also been given the green light by Arsenal to complete the switch and the 25-year-old will play in Italy next season. Roma had been interested in signing Szczesny permanently, but that did not suit the player or Arsenal at this stage.

Wojciech undoubtedly has the talent to become a world-class keeper, but he many now never realise at the Emirates Stadium. Szczesny still firmly believes he can return to Arsenal to challenge Petr Cech for the number one spot in the future. But the Pole also realises that his opportunities during the forthcoming season would be limited and he is keen to play regular football. It now remains to be seen whether David Ospina will settle for being second choice behind Cech or whether highly-rated Damian Martinez will be Wenger’s deputy.

Ospina had been expected to be the fall-guy following Cech’s move from Chelsea and the Colombian had hinted that he was interested in leaving the Emirates. New reports claim that the deal contains a £3.5million buyout option, and with Petr Cech and David Ospina looking likely to nail down Arsenal’s no.1 and 2 spots, Szczesny could be gone for good.

Always Something To Remind Me

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A song comes on the radio and instantly, you’re transported to a different time and place. Which song(s) bring back memories for you and why? Be sure to mention the song, and describe the memory it evokes.

Several songs remind me of different points in time and being in a different place. And also of people. I can’t mention all the songs that do so because it will be a really long post but I shall hit the memories and people in some cases.

There are a few songs that remind me of an ex-girlfriend or two and the feeling of being young and passionately in love. Some of those songs even bring a pang of pain, yearning and longing and even sorrow and guilt. Sorrow that it ended, guilty as it didn’t work out and longing for someone to be with. Some, more happier, songs also reminds me of the good times that I had and the fun I indulged with said lover. Other songs remind me of the pain and of heartbreaks and the feeling of being lonely.

Still other songs remind me of being hopeful and lively and having a bright future ahead of me and of the vigour of youth. I also think of the life I had back then and how it hasn’t turned out since then. Some songs remind me of the good times I had hanging out with my cousins during our childhood and late teens and how we will never get that carefree moments ever again. But it’s to cherish those wonderful years.

Prompt from The Daily Post at WordPress.com

Lack Of Signings For Arsenal

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Ugh, we are at it again. And the transfer window started off so well for us. While our rivals are busy buying new & top class players at an attempt to strengthen their squad, Arsenal seems to be stuck in the same old rut of “wait and watch” despite a lot of rumours floating around about players the club has contacted or bid for. Yes we brought in seasoned top class goalie Petr Cech from Chelsea and while he is a cut above the last few goalkeepers we have had in recent years, other signings have failed to materialize. Players we have been heavily linked with have either signed or in the process of signing with another club or are staying on in their current club.

Getting a striker, a steady prolific top class striker who can get us 20-15 goals on a regular basis, has been an agenda from the end of the last season. The north London outfit have been linked with moves for Karim Benzema, Alexandre Lacazette, Edin Dzeko and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Benzema seems to be the main target and new Real Madrid coach Rafa Benitez could still be willing to listen to offers. It is understood the Real manager is desperate to sign Marco Reus and he will let the Frenchaman go if it means securing his top summer transfer target. But 22 days into the summer transfer window and we have yet to see anything solid come up other than the transfer of Cech. And if you really look into it, Cech opted to come to Arsenal because he was no longer the #1 option in Chelsea and after staying loyal to the club for 11 years, Chelsea owner Roman Abrahimovich rewarded Cech with the option to move anywhere, even a rival. Arsenal seemed like the best fit for Cech as his family is settled in London and he didn’t want to uproot them.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City have been identifying and signing the players that they need which also includes players that Arsenal were linked with. Not that Arsenal has a weak side but we do need shoring up. I think other than the striker we also need a DM and, although we haven’t been linked with one yet, we need a strong CB as I am not too sure about Koz & Per over the long run.

Bear Food, Priest In A Plane & A Confessional

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A hunter is out hunting bear in the woods. He sees one, lines up his sights, takes a shot, and misses. The bear sees the hunter and charges towards him. The hunter tries to take another shot, but finds he’s out of ammo. He throws down the gun and starts running away, but he realizes that the bear is going to catch up to him.

The hunter falls to his knees and starts praying. He says, “Dear Lord, I ask that you let this bear find some religion before he does me in.”

He turns around, and the bear stops, falls to its knees, and starts praying. The bear says, “Dear Lord, for this food I am about to receive, I am truly grateful…”

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A Catholic priest, a Boy Scout leader and a lawyer take some boys out on an adventure trip. On the flight over, there is engine trouble and the plane is about to go down.

“We have a problem”, says the pilot. “There are only three parachutes!”

The Boy Scout leader suggests they give them to the boys.

“Screw the boys,” shouts the lawyer.

“Is there time?” asks the priest.

**************************************************

Michael took Kevin along with him to confession for moral support. Kevin waited in the pews while Michael approached the confessional.

“Forgive me father, I have sinned, I have been with a woman.”

“Ah Michael,” sighed the priest, “you have grieved the Holy Spirit. Tell me, was it Mary McCarthy?”

“I can’t tell you, father,” answered Michael, “I promised I wouldn’t say, but forgive me, I have sinned, I have been with a woman.”

“Michael, this is not what you have been taught by Mother Church. Was it Sinead O’Rourke?”

“I can’t say, father, I promised I wouldn’t, but forgive me, I have sinned, I have been with a woman.”

“Ah, Michael, your poor mother and father would be heartbroken to know this. I wonder, was it Philomena Donnelly?”

“I can’t tell you, father, I promised, forgive me, I have been with a woman.”

“Michael, my son, I harboured such high hopes for you when you were an altar boy. Tell me, was it Therese Murphy?”

“Father, I can’t say, I promised, forgive me father, I have sinned, I have been with a woman.”

The priest pronounced, “Michael, you must say 50 Our Fathers and 30 Hail Marys.”

“Thank you, father,” a relieved Michael acknowledged, and went back to the pews where his mate Kevin was waiting.

“Michael, Michael, what did the father say?”

“He gave me 50 Our Fathers, 30 Hail Marys and four good leads.”