Storm-Defrost (Well ,it's just this blog, you know?)

Caution : Bleak "poetry" ahead

2011-06-11T11:52:00.000+05:30

The only thing I hate more than having a cold are the soul sucking blues that come with it. Here are a few bleak lines that came out of me being sick. I'm still sick ....it feels like someone put gravel down my throat :(

Sometimes the truth is hard to explain ,

With all the grey skys clouding up my brain

Looking in the mirror ,a stranger's eyes stare back at me,

It's not easy to know who you are and who you want to be.

Hit the ground running everyday,

There's no room for me to breathe ,

Trapped in my own mind trying to escape,

As the sun sets on another day,

Tomorrow it starts all over again .

Will post something "happy-smile-y" when I am feeling better .

The obligatory NEW YEAR post

2011-01-21T16:46:00.001+05:30

HAPPY NEW YEAR ALL
Yes I know it's late but I was too busy saving the universe (Well, some one's got to do it)
So then, another year has rolled by............2010 was it good for you???
I have never been a believer in doing the whole new year resolution thing .It's just too arbitrary . Anyway I have been meaning to post some fiction here so I will be doing that soon.

A sound mind

2010-10-27T18:16:00.009+05:30

Let's play a game .
Take a look at the shapes in this picture.

Done ?
Okay now if I tell you that these shapes are named Bouba and Kiki . Can you guess which is Bouba and which is Kiki?
You picked the one on the left to be Kiki ,didnt u?
You are not alone.
As many as 90% people will pick the jagged one to be Kiki and the rounder shape to be Bouba.
This is known as the Bouba/Kiki Effect and was first observed by German-American psychologist Wolfgang Köhler in 1929.
In 2001, Vilayanur S. Ramachandran and Edward Hubbard performed this experiment and asked American college undergraduates and Tamil speakers in India "Which of these shapes is bouba and which is kiki?" In both the English and the Tamil speakers, 95% to 98% selected the curvy shape as "bouba" and the jagged one as "kiki", suggesting that the human brain is somehow able to extract abstract properties from the shapes and sounds.
Recent work by other scientists has shown that even kids who are too young to read show this effect.
It suggests that the naming of objects is not completely arbitrary. The rounded shape may most commonly be named "bouba" because the mouth makes a more rounded shape to produce that sound while a more taut, angular mouth shape is needed to make the sound "kiki". The sounds of a K are harder and more forceful than those of a B, as well.
If you would like to know more about this effect you can read the paper here

(F)Law of Attraction

2010-10-26T17:14:00.004+05:30

If you have not been living under a rock for the past few years you must have heard about the so called "Law of Attraction" aka Intention Manifestation .The idea being that if you want something you should set an intention for it and focus on it and the thing will be attracted into your life.
The first time I heard about it I thought this is too good to be true and guess what it is too good to be true.
The whole thing is based on the assumption that "like attracts like" . Well , I wasn't sleeping in science class at school , so I remember that opposites attract and like charges & poles repel each other.
Also if you could get something just by imagining it would we not see every guy with a hot supermodel type.
Those of us who live in real world know that to achieve something you actually have to work for it. Need a good grade on an exam? So study for it. Need a job? Start looking for one , send out your resumes ,use your contacts , keep doing all these things till you get one. Sitting at home and thinking about one is not gonna get you a job. Need more money? Try to find a source of extra income .Buying lottery tickets and intending to win is not gonna work.
Try telling an intention manifestation fanboy that you didn't get results from intention manifestation and he will be sure to tell you that just intending is not enough ,you also have to take "inspired action"
Well then why not just take action instead of fussing around with law of attraction mumbo jumbo
People who believe in law of attraction actually making up for a lack of self belief.They need to give themselves permission to own their victories.

7 things you will never see on this blog.

2010-10-25T20:04:00.010+05:30

I, Storm Defrost ,do solemnly swear never to post the following on my blog

1. Daily routine

Image: Darren Robertson / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

"I got up in the morning and brushed my teeth , had a cup of tea and then i went to the ... "

I shall not bore you with my day to day routine . I will try not to blog about mundane happenings of my life.

2. Controversial/Popular topics just to get traffic

" Should sex education be compulsory in India ?"
"The inside scoop on Kate Perry's wedding"
"What happened to all the Commonwealth games money ?"
"Is movie star Moronica dating chocolate face Bozo ?"

Frankly my dear I don't give a damn
I am not going to write on the latest gossip just because it will get more traffic on my blog . People should write about stuff they actually find interesting.

3. Baby photos

After being taken to a baby blog via the next blog button 5 times in a row , I have come to the conclusion that the world does not need more blogs with pictures of babies on it
There is a place for baby photos and it's inside a family album tucked away in a cupboard at your home . Not on a blogging site where people are trying to find something interesting to read

4. Name Dropping

"I was having tea with the Dalai Lama when Britney Spears called Me to ask what I was wearing to Amartya Sen's brunch"
Sadly I don't know any celebs ( which is surprising as even reality show rejects are considered celebs these days) but even if I did I would never use a famous persons name just to make my blog look cool

5. Shameless self promotion.

Image : brandingbrand.com/blog/

"I am storm and I'm the bestest biotech researcher in the whole world . You should totally hire me to head your research institute"
"I am storm and I'm the bestest writer in the whole world .You should totally sign me up to write a dozen novels."
"I am Ms Pretty Young Thing . I'm so tired of guys hitting on me all the time"
"I am Mr goody two shoes. When I'm not busy saving stray puppies, I like to read to blind children"

Don't you hate it when people can't stop telling you how awesome and amazing they are.
I'm just a normal human being and I'm content with that.

6. Name calling

Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I shall not indulge in mud slinging matches with other blogs .Calling other people names doesn't make me look good. There are a few blogs which thrive solely on writing mean stuff about other bloggers

7. Censor unfavorable comments

Image: Rawich / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As for now the only two people who read my blog are an old lady in Finland and I.( OK so I made up the old lady so it's just me ) But if you don't like my blog go ahead and let me know. Disagree with my views or whatever , just leave me a comment. I'm not going to delete a comment just because it is negative .

Procrastination

2010-10-24T15:42:00.003+05:30

I was pondering new ways to procrastinate when I decided to Google "how to overcome procrastination " .
A number of insightful and well-meaning articles opened up. Mostly about setting goals , making plans , using positive self talk and blah , blah , blah . There are also a few articles which explain why people procrastinate in the first place . Turns out that procrastinating evolved as a defense mechanism . No kidding . All those times in school when you were putting off that boring essay assignment you weren't being lazy or anything you were just protecting yourself .Wish I had known that before I could have used that excuse in school , though I have a feeling my teachers wouldn't have bought it .
Another reason people procrastinate is the rush they get when they get the job done at the last minute.
Move over adventure sports , we have a new adrenaline high in town.
Do not have money or the guts to go bungee jumping , water rafting, mountain climbing or whatever . No problem , just delay that very important presentation your boss wanted on his desk by 10 am until 9:55 am . If doing that job in 5 minutes will not give you a buzz nothing will. Of course you might end up getting fired or something but hey , at least you got an adrenal rush from it.

Blog Fright???

2010-10-23T21:48:00.006+05:30

I'm wondering what to post here. Wonder if anyone will even read it.
There was this thing I had started to write a few days back
Something like a novel......I'll post it soon ,once I get the blog up and running properly.
To be honest that is just an excuse I'm giving myself . The real reason is I am just plain scared that I will have to endlessly wait for comments on my work.

Cheap hotel deals

more pics

2010-10-22T16:02:00.003+05:30

hmmm...

2010-10-22T14:38:00.000+05:30

Don't have much to write right now so I'll just be posting some pix i took a long time ago.

Hi

2010-10-22T13:50:00.052+05:30

Hello to everyone .

My main reason for starting a blog is to get feedback for my writing .

I love writing, I really do but still I haven't been able to write anything concrete , like a novel,majorly because I can't take an idea beyond a few hundred words .

I have a lot of ideas so I have ended up with lots of snips of fiction and non fiction. Actually I'm hoping I will be able to string them together into some kind of story .

I welcome any comments you may have about my posts. Genuine criticism is welcome but please do not be rude in your comments.