Howling Mad Teen

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There I go again, another one of my weird little dreams. I tell you I have these really crazy and weird ones that sometimes I wonder if I do go see a shrink and he/she finds out about my dreams then he/she will have me committed, LOL!

Anyway, in this dream I am quite young, I think between the ages of 18 -20 and I am attending a college. I am kinda kinda slim in this video which is also weird as I have never been that slim in real life. Except when I was during the ages of 12-15. Anyways, I am studying in this college and staying in a hostel – a co-ed hostel which is unheard of in India! Not just that but my roommate is a girl and a very hot one at that. Though she and I are just friends and I infact have feelings for another girl who stays in a room down the haul with another girl.

Now this college is infamous for the ragging (hazing) that the older students make the freshers go through. It can go anywhere from intimidation to physical threats and taunting. A group of asshole older guys are tormenting us younger guys, though they refrain from troubling the girls. Nothing more than a few odd and crude comments are passed. They decide that they want to torment me more for some reason. One evening as I am with my roommate they call me to them and yell at me for coming to their side of the hall “late”. They hit me a few times, not too hard, rip a hole in my shirt, throw my books and stuff onto the floor and make me pick it up a few times.

They also make fun of my weight even if I am slimmer than I have ever been in my life. The next day they taunt me as I go to the shower. There is a gap at the side of the wall – not enough for people standing outside to see someone taking a shower or in the toilet but enough to throw small rocks and pebbles at. Knowing that it’s me in the loo and trying to take a leak, they yell obscenities and throw rocks at the gap – one of the rocks hits me on my face and another on the forehead drawing blood. This makes me mad and as they howl with laughter, my transformation begins!

Oh well I am a werewolf! I get angry and run out to where they are standing and yell swear words at them and then transform into a werewolf right in front of their eyes. I am an intimidating sight and the guys start to scream and then run. I catch up with all of them and rip their hearts out and maul them crazy. And that’s when I woke up!

It was weird and crazy. Must be the heat and humidity getting to me.

Arsenal 1 Olympiakos 2

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Captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed a glaring chance with the last kick of the match as Arsenal crashed to a shocking Europa League defeat at the hands of Olympiakos. Aubameyang, so often the Gunners’ saviour, looked like he had once again rescued his side from an abject showing when his superb scissor-kick – which cancelled out Pape Abou Cisse’s opener – put them in the driving seat with seven minutes left of extra time. But the visitors punished awful set-piece defending for a second time on the night as Youssef El Arabi poked home in front of their raucous travelling fans. And there was still time for the unmarked Aubameyang to somehow screw wide from five yards out and condemn Mikel Arteta’s side to their first defeat of 2020.

For large periods of a flat game a full-strength Arsenal XI were frustrated, frustrating and feeble in front of goal – with their first shot on target not arriving until the 77th minute. Olympiakos were hardly buccaneering in their approach, especially considering they had lost the first leg in Athens, but carried out their gameplan perfectly to steal a famous win and progress to the last 16. Arteta had talked in the build-up of having three routes into Europe for next season but this competition was surely his best bet of an unlikely seat at the Champions League top table. To go out in such limp fashion will leave the manager livid – and for most of the night he was the most animated member of the Arsenal contingent. Familiar failings were their undoing as the Greek side twice scored from set-pieces. First, Aubameyang allowed 6ft 6ins centre-back Cisse a totally free header from a corner, and then David Luiz appeared to leave a cross from a half-cleared 120th-minute corner and gift El Arabi a lunging tap-in.

Olympiakos came to defend deep and in numbers, to frustrate Arsenal and then to hopefully score from a corner. It was a strategy they pulled off impeccably. But they must have expected an Arsenal forward line of Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Mesut Ozil and Nicolas Pepe – recruited at a cost of around £215m – to cause more problems. The four managed just one shot on target between them before Aubameyang’s brilliant late goal that briefly had Arsenal progressing. Ozil’s cross was nodded on by substitute Gabriel Martinelli and the Gabon striker rearranged himself masterfully to crack an acrobatic effort into the back of the net. The home fans, who greeted the full-time whistle with apathy rather than anger, roared into belated life but it was the supporters at the other end who will now have their eyes on Friday’s draw.

6 Signs Your Water May Be Contaminated

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Here are six things to look out for if you think there’s something wrong with your household water.

Does it run cloudy?

If your water doesn’t flow clearly even after running the tap for a while it could be contaminated. Try filling up a glass, and waiting thirty seconds to see if the water flows clearly. There could be bacteria in the water causing it to always be cloudy.

How’s the pressure?

If it’s taking too long to fill up your bowl to do the washing up this could be another clue that your water is contaminated. If the water pressure is slow it’s probably because of a blockage of sediment or limescale, so the water doesn’t flow as easily. This can especially be an inconvenience in the shower.

How does it smell?

Pay attention for a strange smell, typically the smell of chlorine or sulphur. These types of smells are caused by an excess of minerals in the water. Your tap water shouldn’t smell like a swimming pool when it’s just come out of the faucet so consider this a sign of contamination. A build-up of sulphur could cause an unpleasant smell. If you smell something more like rotten eggs, this will be sulphur, so get it checked as well.

How does it taste?

If your water is contaminated it will taste different. If you notice a strange new flavour it probably means it’s contaminated. This could include an oily, bitter, fishy or metallic taste. So if your drinking water tastes like an old can of tuna, be a little concerned. Oil in the water is one of the main contaminants in household water, which adds an odd taste.

Is there excessive sediment?

Any unusual residue you find in your water could be a build-up of dirt or sediment. This isn’t what clean water should look like so it’s a sign that your water is contaminated. Also, keep an eye out for odd stains and spots you find when pouring the water. Depending on where you live your water could either be soft or hard. If the water is hard this means it has a higher concentration of certain minerals such as calcium and magnesium. This also makes it more difficult to make suds, or foam up many cleaning products such as soaps and shampoos.

Does your baking often sink?

It may seem like a strange connection but if you bake, you’ll know water is important to the process. Bread, pies or pastries may not cook properly if the water quality isn’t good enough. If you notice your baked goods keep sinking when they didn’t before this could mean your water is contaminated. This is because chlorine can break up the yeast needed for it to rise.

If you’re worried about your water being contaminated try have a plumber inspect everything from your faucets to your hot water system. It’s better to be safe than sorry. There are many reported damages of drinking contaminated water.

Powder In My Glass

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I was speaking with my mom about what milk we used while we lived in Kuwait. We left Kuwait back in 1987 when I was turning 11 years old and now 32 years later I remember a heck of a lot of things about my time there but for some reason I had forgotten how we got milk for drinking as it is or with something added. My mom ofcourse easily remembered as she was the person who made it for us. It was Nido.

Nido is a milk substitute powder and milk powder brand manufactured by Nestlé first introduced in 1944. The different varieties include instant dried whole, rather than skimmed or semi-skimmed, milk with Vitamins A & D, and are a good source of calcium. When my dad and mom got married back in 1968 and he moved my mom with him to Kuwait and she was recommended to use Nido for her tea or coffee as milk was difficult to get in Kuwait. When my sis was born and later on me, she relied on Nido for feeding us. I never drank coffee or tea until I turned 13 so Nido was mainly for milk and added some boost or other thinks for it and for morning cornflakes.

It is surprising that I do not remember it but it’s odd to now think of powdered milk as I haven’t had any – we don’t use it home not since we moved back to India and none of our relatives or friends use it – that I know off. I doubt if restaurants use it here either (we have plenty of cows in India).

Butter Chicken Recipe

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You can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts. We prefer dark meat, but go with what you like.
For the chicken marinade:

  • 28 oz (800g) boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger (or finely grated)
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon of salt

For the sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons ghee (or 1 tbs butter + 1 tbs oil)
  • 1 large onion, sliced or chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, minced or finely grated
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
    1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 14 oz (400 g) crushed tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to your taste preference)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
  • 1 cup of heavy or thickened cream (or evaporated milk to save calories)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon kasoori methi (or dried fenugreek leaves)

Instructions

In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows). Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)

Heat butter or ghee in the same pan. Fry the onions until they start to sweat (about 6 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add ground coriander, cumin and garam masala. Let cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally. Add crushed tomatoes, chili powder and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour. Remove from heat, scoop mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add a couple tablespoons of water to help it blend (up to 1/4 cup). Work in batches depending on the size of your blender.

Pour the puréed sauce back into the pan. Stir the cream, sugar and crushed kasoori methi (or fenugreek leaves) through the sauce. Add the chicken with juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with fresh, hot basmati rice or naan bread.

OPTIONAL: To thin out the sauce, add a couple tablespoons of ghee or butter at the end of cooking, and gently simmer it through. Alternatively, add a small amount of water.

Lords of Chaos

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Lords of Chaos is a 2018 true crime horror-thriller film directed by Jonas Åkerlund and written by Dennis Magnusson and Åkerlund. Adapted from the 1998 book of the same name, the film is a semi-fictionalised account of the early 1990s Norwegian black metal scene told from the perspective of Mayhem co-founder Euronymous. It stars Rory Culkin as Euronymous, Emory Cohen as Varg Vikernes, Jack Kilmer as Dead, Valter Skarsgård as Bård Guldvik “Faust” Eithun and Sky Ferreira as Ann-Marit.

In the 1980s, a young guitarist called Euronymous forms a black metal band called Mayhem, the first of the genre in their country of Norway, with Necrobutcher on bass, and Manheim on drums. Manheim leaves and is soon replaced by new drummer Hellhammer and they recruit a new vocalist from Sweden called Dead, who exhibits self-destructive behavior, which he portrays during their live shows by cutting himself and bleeding on the audience, and throwing pig heads at the “posers”. At a show filmed by their friend Metalion, the band meets a fan named Kristian, whom Euronymous initially looks down on.

While home alone, Dead uses his personal knife to cut his arms and throat, and then uses Euronymous’ shotgun to shoot himself in the forehead, leaving behind a suicide note. Euronymous returns home and finds the body but instead of calling the police, he takes photos of the body and moves the knife and shotgun around. After Dead’s body is taken away, Euronymous gives necklaces to the other band members which he claims are pieces of Dead’s skull; this disgusts Necrobutcher, prompting him to leave the band. Soon after, Euronymous starts his own black metal record label and opens a record shop called Helvete (“Hell” ), which becomes a social hub for black-metallers like Metalion, Fenriz of Darkthrone, Faust of Emperor, and Kristian (who is now calling himself Varg Vikernes) of Burzum. They become known as the “Black Circle”. After being mocked by an ego-driven Euronymous, Varg uses his anti-Christian beliefs as motivation to burn down a local church. When challenged by Varg concerning his status as the leader of the Black Circle, Euronymous burns down a church with Faust and Varg accompanying.

Euronymous recruits Varg as bassist, a guitarist called Blackthorn and a Hungarian vocalist, Attila Csihar, to record Mayhem’s first album, De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. A power dispute between Varg and Euronymous arises. After a wave of church burnings begins, Faust brutally kills a gay man, leading police to link black-metallers to the crimes. Helvete is raided and shut down by the police, and Varg is arrested as prime suspect because of an interview with a Bergen newspaper in which he claimed to have been the one who burned the churches and killed the gay man. He is soon released for lack of evidence. Varg meets with Euronymous and tells him that he is leaving Mayhem and that he is going to start his own record label. Euronymous reveals that the “skull piece” necklaces were fakes, and that he never intended anyone to actually follow through on his angry rhetoric, which infuriates Varg.

In anger, Euronymous rants to a peer about wanting to kill Varg, but later calms down and sends him a contract to release the rights for his music back to him. Varg, having heard that Euronymous was making death threats against him, travels to Oslo in the early morning of August 10 to confront him. Telling Euronymous he wants to sign the contract, he enters his apartment and, after a brief conversation, stabs him. Euronymous pleads for his life, but Varg follows him through the apartment to the stairwell outside and stabs him to death. The next day, the news of Euronymous’ murder spreads throughout Norway and Varg is soon arrested. He is sent to prison for a maximum of 21 years, guilty of both the murder of Euronymous and the burning of several churches. In a voice-over, Euronymous tells the audience not to feel sorry for him, that he enjoyed his life and invented a new sub-genre of metal.

Although it isn’t very true to original events – there is no real Ann-Marit, Dead didn’t kill and hang cats though he did chase them,  the Live in Jessheim scene jumps to Dead’s suicide, given a whole year had passed in between both events and Dead and Euronymous’ subsequent falling out and animosity was never portrayed apart from one scene in which Euronymous mockingly waves a shotgun in front of Dead and suggests he shoots himself andThe time Dead stabbed Euronymous was never portrayed in the film – it is still interesting to see the Norwegian Black Metal scene story, which has fascinated me to no end. I give the film a 7.5 outta 10!

Remove Your Husband

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A Polish man married a Canadian girl after he had been in Canada a year or so, and although his English was far from perfect, the couple got on very well. One day, though, he rushed into a lawyer’s office and asked if he could arrange a divorce for him, “Very quick!”

The lawyer explained that the speed of getting a divorce would depend on the circumstances, and asked these questions: LAWYER: “Have you any grounds?”

POLE: “An acre and half, and a nice 3 bedroom house.”

LAWYER: “No, I mean what is the foundation of the case?”

POLE: “It is made of concrete, bricks & mortar.”

LAWYER: “Does either of you have a real grudge?”

POLE: “No, we have a carport and don’t need a grudge.”

LAWYER: “I mean, what are your relations like?”

POLE: “All my relations live in Poland.”

LAWYER: “Is there any infidelity in your marriage?”

POLE: “Yes, we have hi-fidelity stereo set & DVD player with 6.1 sound.”

LAWYER: “No, I mean does your wife beat you up?”

POLE: “No, I’m always up before her.”

LAWYER: “Why do you want this divorce?”

POLE: “She going to kill me!”

LAWYER: “What makes you think that?”

POLE: “I got proof.”

LAWYER: “What kind of proof?”

POLE: “She going to poison me. She buy bottle at drug store and I read label. It say Polish Remover.”

Arsenal 3 Everton 2

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Mikel Arteta’s encouraging rebuilding job at Arsenal continued with a thrilling victory over a stubborn Everton, a result that could have a big say in the race for European football next season. The Spaniard had Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang largely to thank for the outcome after the striker scored twice, including the winner – taking his personal goals tally to 19 for the season and an impressive 60 in 95 games for the Gunners. The see-saw game could not have got off to a worse start for Arteta’s side, though, as their shambolic defending allowed Dominic Calvert-Lewin to overhead kick Everton into the lead following a Gylfi Sigurdsson free-kick after just 49 seconds. But the Gunners slowly wrestled control of the game away from the visitors, with Eddie Nketiah side-footing a volley home to draw them level from early substitute Bukayo Saka’s superb left-wing cross, before Aubameyang slotted them into the lead.

Their progress was again checked when Richarlison capitalised on yet more defensive frailty to poke Everton level just before half-time, but Aubameyang headed the home side back ahead 26 seconds after the break. Everton had chances to get at least a point, but Calvert-Lewin saw a cross agonisingly elude his slide before firing straight at Leno from close range. The win means Arsenal remain unbeaten in 2020 and gives them back-to-back league victories for the first time since the opening two matches of the campaign. Should Manchester City’s Champions League ban be upheld, eighth place in the Premier League could be enough to qualify for the Europa League, and the top five could be good enough for Europe’s premier club competition. The Gunners are now just two points off Wolves in eighth and four points behind fifth-placed Manchester United.

Everton, who have European aspirations of their own following a run of five games unbeaten prior to this, are 11th but still in the mix, a point worse off than the Gunners. Having played in Athens in the Europa League on Thursday with a side that included five of the 11 that started against Everton, the Gunners had significantly less recovery and preparation time than the Toffees, who last played on 8 February. Arsenal’s quick turnaround can be no excuse for their shambolic start to this contest and their lacklustre defending, though. Their back four was all at sea in the first minute when Sigurdsson’s free-kick was floated in and they failed to react to prevent Calvert-Lewin’s finish. It probably wasn’t wise of Shkodran Mustafi to dye his hair light grey, thus making himself all the more conspicuous, while David Luiz responded by berating all those in red around him. They were equally culpable in added time at the end of the first half, missing crucial headers before Mina and then Richarlison got the crucial touches.

Smartphone Games

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Do You Spend Too Much Time on Smartphones Playing ‘Stupid Games’?

I never used to. But since 2018 I have been playing a couple of games a lot. One is Real Tennis which I do not play against another player but against the computer or in this case Android. They aren’t stupid games at all and are a lot of fun.

The tennis game is fun but I win all the time now – actually since last year – so it is getting kinda boring. But the other one is awesome. Bowling King is playing against players all over the world and you win chips and you lose chips and after you win a certain number you unlock lanes and special balls and it’s very addictive and exciting, especially when you are winning and are on a streak.

I love the game so much. I’ve been wanting to try out some football games on my phone too but I just haven’t gotten into one yet. Maybe soon.

Prompt from The Learning Network At The New York Times

Couchyn Meet With Anil

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It has been a very long time. With his work schedule for his new employers and the fact that he is based out Thrissur and has to travel a bit, I haven’t met my buddy Anil in a long, long time. We chatted on Whatsapp a couple of days ago and he called me this morning and said he was coming to town and would I be free to meet him. I sure was and I was planning on going out anyway.

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We met at Couchyn and despite his pleas to go elsewhere I told him that we were here; let’s drink. I finally convinced him and we were hungry – I hadn’t had anything other than a black coffee all day and it was just after 12 pm – so we ordered some French fries and I finally got to have a Bira! I will talk about Bira brand of beers later but it is a first for me. And he ordered a couple Old Monk rums with a Coke.

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We talked and ate a bunch. After the French fries, we had some honey flavoured crispy chicken strips and chilly fish (which was awesome).

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We also ordered an Ammachi’s chicken which was terrible. We sent it back and instead got a cheese omelet each which were yum.

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By 5 pm we left and I went to get some groceries on my way back home and took a nap.

Body at Brighton Rock

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Body at Brighton Rock is an 2019 American horror thriller film, directed, written, and produced by Roxanne Benjamin. It stars Karina Fontes, Casey Adams, Emily Althaus, Miranda Bailey, Martin Spanjers, Matt Peters, Susan Burke and John Getz. It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 8, 2019. It was released on April 26, 2019, by Magnet Pictures.

A low budget film it centers on Wendy, a part-time summer employee at a mountainous state park, takes on a rough trail assignment at the end of the season, trying to prove to her friends that she’s capable enough to do the job. She trades areas with her more experience colleague, who wants to be near a male park ranger, and takes the tougher terrain. She puts on her headphones and posts warning spikes and staples posters on spots and almost scares herself and another ranger when they bump into each other.

When she takes a wrong turn and ends up deep in the backcountry, alerted by her friends who sees her selfie that she posted. They point out something on the ground below the cliff she took the photo from and Wendy sees that it is a dead body. She has stumbled upon a potential crime scene. She radios in and they promise to send out a rescue & recovery team. But the sun is going down soon so she ends up having to spend the night next to the dead body with her limited supplies and must sleep in the cold night without a tent or sleeping bags.

Stuck with no communication after losing her radio and with orders to guard the site, Wendy must fight the urge to run. She meets a hunter who is illegally trying to kill a bear and he acts suspicious. He seems to be too curious about the dead body and scares her but soon Wendy loses him. As night falls the sounds of nocturnal animals and noises that you hear in the wild play on her fears. As she drifts off to sleep she even imagines the dead body reanimating and the zombie chases her. She comes to her senses and tries to keep herself awake. In the morning she sees a bear but mistakes it for another hallucination – only to find out that it is real and has sharp claws and teeth. It attacks her and she uses a lighter and a spray can of bug repellent to light it briefly on fire and the bear is singed.

However the bear, nastier than ever comes back to finish her off when shots from a shotgun scare it away. It’s the local sheriff and some cops along with Wendy’s colleagues looking for her. They are stunned that she was able to fight it off as much as she could in her weakened state. She tells them about the hunter only to find out from the cops that they his id shows that the dead body is infact the hunter! Wendy is initially stunned but they show her that he was indeed the hunter she hallucinated and that he died from a bear attack and had been lying there in the woods for several days. Wendy looks out from the cliff and laughs as the camera pans out.

Boring and dull only the zombie scene and the bear fight and final scene was really interesting to me. I didn’t find the movie very entertaining or interesting. A 4 outta 10 for me!

Making More Of Your Local Area? How You Can Get Involved

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Many of us grow very attached to the places that we live. This isn’t just about your home, but also about the local area and your community. You may love the little high street that you walk down, perhaps enjoy walking or running in the local park. But yet, many of us don’t do too much to preserve our local areas or help and be involved with the local community. If this is something that you might want to change this year, then here are some suggestions to help you make more of your local area.

Work with a local charity 

One of the first things you could consider doing would be to work with a local charity. There are many ways that you can do this. You can look at setting up fundraising events or tackle challenges yourself in aid of the local charity. It might then be worth commemorating the efforts with a personalised brick from websites like www.brickmarkers.com dedicated for highlighting fundraising and people’s efforts. It could be that you want to work with them, perhaps help raise awareness with their social media profiles, for example. The more you do, the better you will feel.

Actively donate when you can

If you want to help others then a great way to do that would be to actively donate things you no longer want or need. Clothes or household items that can be donated to local refuge centres or charity shops is a great way to help the community thrive. You could also look at things such as donating food to food banks. Buying a few extra tins in your weekly shop or scouring your cupboards for food that you have that you don’t want or need. It’s often the small charitable acts that can make the biggest difference.

Organise local community events

Maybe you want to try and get involved in local community events and this can be a great way to help your community. It could be a local event that you help to organise, such as a market or a car boot sale. It might be a family fun event where you organise attractions and other things for people to do and experience. This could help raise money for the community and allow local businesses to advertise and also communicate with their local customer base.

Be proud of your local area 

Finally, be proud of your local area and the community you are part of. You can do that by helping clean up local areas such as regularly picking up litter in local parks or green belt areas. It might be that there are community gardens that need a little attention or you could even raise the idea of a vegetable patch or allotment that the whole community can work on and benefit from in terms of produce. The more you do and help locally, the better your area will be. Let’s hope this has inspired you to get more involved with your local area.