If Hotel California Were a Doctor's Song, This is What it Would Mean

Who doesn’t know the Eagles? Especially their chartbuster song Hotel California?

Over the years, the song has been interpreted in so many different ways. Some say it’s about Satanism; some link it to drug addiction, others believe it depicts hedonism, and still others argue it’s about cannibalism. The mysterious lyrics have managed to intrigue people from all over the world.

When everyone’s busy decoding the song in his own way, why, then, should the medical fraternity stay behind? Here’s how a doctor recently dissected, examined, and explained its meaning:

Welcome to the Hotel California!

Operation Hotel California by Munna Bhai MBBS? o_O

The Indian Industry of Photography: What Lies in its Future

Photography – nothing much has changed since its birth. It’s the same old story of a box with a lens and a game of light and shadow to record images.

Its history in India has been glorious. Colonial rule boosted it more. Since then, it has flourished technologically. Lens quality has become better, camera mechanics have improved, and the art has rapidly turned into a mainstream career option, a bread-winning way for many. Photography, today, is an established, multifaceted industry in our country.

'Homebound' by Sudipto Das

What does the future hold for this industry?

This is a thing to ponder, because the world is rapidly and digitally advancing. Pause for a while and take a look back at the past. Not many years ago, it was entirely the age of not very efficient miniature camera.

Today, high end smartphones and other mobile gadgets are easy to access, and with these devices, the art has gone to a higher level. Amateurs and professionals are thronging the market like anything. With editing software, everyone seems to be turning pro.

Further, the world has suddenly turned selfie crazy. Grasped tight within such a rage, professional photography may find it difficult to breathe. But, who knows what the technology of the unforeseen days has in store?

Source: Bhak Sala

A drastic change in online business can be predicted:

Indian photographers are ditching their physical studios and art galleries, and relying on the World Wide Web more. They are sure to have a website of their own, if not a traditional studio.

The reason is pretty simple – a basic, plain website is easy to set up, less time consuming and low fund demanding compared to a brick-and-mortar room. And, why waste on developing solid prints when e-prints can be securely stored and offered to consumers when requested?

They have, thus, taken up their businesses online and operating via this virtual space. From training sessions to selling pictures to sharing creations on social media, the endeavors are largely being facilitated by the digital world. The time ahead surely would open wider opportunities and bigger scope of ancillary work.

Source: Medianovak

Let’s look at it from the consumer’s side:

Ordering and receiving prints online is hassle-free. You not only save energy, but also time and money. On the other hand, when you visit an offline store, you have to wait for your turn, which might turn bothersome. Moreover, a physical store can never contain as much variety as an online store.

Furthermore, you have the option of customization in the latter. You can select the paper of your choice, settle on a quality which you think is good, and even select the perfect size that you want to buy. The future of photography industry in India is definitely moving toward this virtual world.

Photographer: Arjun Kamath, Source: StorySpotted

Above all, creative minds have bent toward innovations. Conventions no longer satiate creations. Like the creators of Indian contemporary art, the lens men of the country, too, are finding the art as an outlet of creativity.

Styles are changing, concepts are getting renewed, and taboos are gradually being disregarded. India is getting modernized, and the entire industry is moving toward a mega revolution. So far, so good.

And yes, the future seems bright!

The Best Online Deal Of My Life And The Story Of The Missing Pink Choker Set

A few years back, I had ordered a few tacky-looking jewelry sets from a leading eCommerce website (today, I wonder why I did). The deal was nothing unique. There was a pink choker set with large, dangling earrings, on display, and three other multicolored scoop shorts of weird designs. I was into my first job and enjoying the liberty of spending self-earned money to the fullest. Perhaps.

So, I had placed a COD order with a Rs 2000 plus something bill. And, I was excited. It was the first thing I was going to buy with my salary. And it felt great. I eagerly waited for the delivery date to arrive. However, the product never came. The tracking tool on the website said it ‘had already been shipped.’ So, I sent back an e-mail inquiring about my order. Luckily, their response was quick.

“Dear Miss Deka, we are extremely sorry for the inconvenience and delay caused. Your product will be delivered tomorrow at 4 pm by so-and-so person.”

The wait was on. The delivery boy came the next day with a big package. I handed him the cash and quickly rushed inside the office to open it. There were three packages. The pink choker was missing. And one of the other two sets was broken.

So, there was another e-mail inquiring about the missing product and the replacement of the broken set. The response was quick again. “Dear Miss Deka, we sincerely apologize the inconvenience caused. Could you specify the model numbers of the two products?” The model numbers were mailed. And there was another response. “Dear Miss Deka, we are sending the two products at the earliest.” I was overjoyed and almost felt like a VIP. So, this means that the broken set need not be returned.

Five days later, another person was in my office, this time with a smaller package. The replacement was there, but the pink choker was still missing. The eCommerce firm had sent me a different set instead. So, there was some more emailing and complaining. More “Dear Miss Deka, we are sending the two products at the earliest” responses followed. A month later, I had three pieces of a set that wasn’t even included in the deal. And the most interesting part was, the firm had not demanded their return as of yet.

However, I was at my wit’s end. How could they not deliver my pink choker – the one because of which I had chosen the deal in the first place?!? So, I decided to try a trick this time. I hunted for that extra set on their website, noted its model number, and e-mailed them that I had not received the set. To my amusement, the pink choker was delivered this time. Wonderful, wonderful feeling! So, I had spent Rs 2000 plus something for 8 pieces of jewelry, had not I? Double profit, it was!

Sometimes I feel bad that I never inquired anything about returning the extra sets. But then, even they didn’t, did they? So why bother? For me, this was the best online deal of my life. It’s funny how I have never worn the pink choker. And about the extra sets, well, they were given away as gifts. Oh come on, you don't have to take it otherwise, do you? :) :P

Everyday Products That are Derived From Animal Parts

How vegan do you think you are? Nice that you have cut on your consumption of meat. Great that you look around for organic products only. However, the factories and industries could be silently giving your vegan lifestyle a big blow. Want to know how? Go through these everyday product your are using. They usually contain animal parts (smirk)!

Perfume from sperm whale shit or vomit

Ambergris is the name for the excreta of sperm whales. It's rare and usually found floating in the oceans. It's solid, waxy, and out-and-out the poop of the mammal. Remember the bitter taste you experienced when you accidentally sprayed your costly perfume into your mouth. Ahem, poopy pleasure!

Ground up beetles in strawberry shakes and lipsticks

Carmine is a coloring agent acquired from crushed beetles. The industry has termed it a sophisticate name - Cochineal extract. Well, sadly, it is sometimes the red ingredient present in strawberry shakes. Um, Starbucks had almost blurted it out once (oops!). And, oh yes, have you been using any cosmetic product, especially lipstick that contains 'natural red 4' or 'carmine' or 'crimson lake.' Throw it away because you are applying beetle juice. Gee!

Beaver anal gland secretion and urine in vanilla ice cream

Castoreum, the brown, slimy thing that comes out of beaver's butt, goes into vanilla ice creams that you savor with such greed. Of course, you should not expect to acquire this biochemical in its purest form straight from the butt. Because the anal glands are located very near to the castor sac, from where Castoreum is secreted, the latter is a combo of beaver piss and other secretions of the gland as well. Hey, are you licking a beaver's butt right now?

Face creams with oil exudate from sheep skin

What happen to your hair when you don't wash it for days? It gets greasy, right? And, what if you've never ever taken a bath? Can you imagine the amount of oil that will accumulate in your scalp and hair? Now, think about a sheep with a lot of wool. The sebaceous glands present in the animal's skin excrete an oily product known as Lanolin, which is a great moisturizer. And, this is exactly what goes into most face creams.

Jello-O is boiled pig skin + bovine hide + pork & cattle bones

A protein called Gelatin is obtained when pig and bovine skin, tendons, ligaments and bones are boiled in water. It is used as a thickener in puddings, Jell-Os, ice creams, marshmallow, cakes, and candies. Um, watch what you are eating!

Energy drinks are bull bile

Taurine is a naturally occurring substance present in bull bile. It is extracted from the animal and introduced in energy drinks. Check the can right now. If it says 'Taurine' you sure are drinking bull bile. By the way, Red Bull is quite a nice (self explanatory) name, don't you think?

Shark liver oil in  lipstick and eye makeup

Squalene is a substance derived from shark liver oil. This compound can mimic the natural moisturizers present in our body. It behaves as a lubricant on the surface of our skin, absorbing very quickly, and giving us a flawless appearance. Ugh, shark up!

Fish scales in nail polish

Does you nail polish contain 'pearl essence?' Well, this is not derived from some pearl found in the deepest of the deep oceans, like you believe it is. It is Guanine in disguise, which comes from fish scales. The scales are cleaned and mixed with solvents like castor oil. Coloring pigments are added, and bingo! Your bottle of nail polish happens! Yes, bitter truth, it is. Sounds very fishy, right?

Bull semen in hair products

Silky, shiny hair - don't you just love it? But, would you mask your mane with bull semen all over to get it? Ew. But, the fact is, you might actually be applying it already (yes, unknowingly). There are some shampoos and conditioners that make use of this yucky product. By the way, there's something called semen facial as well. Want to go for it?

Snail slime in scar treatment and anti aging creams

The slime is a concoction of proteins, anti-oxidants, and hyaluronic acid. These three ingredients assist in skip repair. They pull out dead cells, reduce inflammation, moisturize skin, and keep it safe from wrinkles. No wonder the cocktail has found its way into scar treatment and age-defying creams. Have you ever rubbed snail slime on your face?

Lamb / sheep intestine in condoms

Not all condoms are made of latex. Study the packet. If it says 'lambskin,' then it surely has come from the intestine of a lamb or sheep. And its perforated. With no guarantee of keeping viruses and bacteria away. But, on second thoughts, what has a condom to do with being vegetarian? Oops.

 

Image source: Internet

The Suicide Note of Kurt Cobain and the Life Lessons it Teaches Us

No matter how many times I go through the suicide note, a chill runs down my spine. And, suddenly I realize all over again how the prejudices of life cannot be drowned even by the best of riches and fame. No, glamour cannot be equal to felicity if we go by the life and words of Kurt Cobain. The sweetness of success lasts only until the point we want it to. Even if we are surrounded by a huge crowd of admirers, the uproar cannot pierce through our loneliness unless we allow it to.

Sometimes, even the most familiar of senses go numb, and the wakefulness dawns upon us that whatever we and our achievements are today, is soon going to become history. So, wasting time doing things we don’t want to do, or things that don’t excite us is simply unaffordable. We are so busy impressing others that we forget to live our own life. How pathetic is that? Yes, we have only one life. And, here are the lessons from Cobain’s suicide note you must remember if you want to live it happily:

Defy the mundane.

If a certain work is not instilling interest in your heart, you can never do it with perfection. Flaws will come up every time and suffocate you with guilt – of wrongdoing, of imperfection, and of failure.

We have always known Cobain as an extraordinary music persona, a songwriter, a performer. Nirvana goes synonymous with this name. We have seen his zeal on stage and felt the fire in his tone. But, was Cobain living in his own skin? Was he happy doing it? What made him cook up ‘Boddah’ in the first place?

Yes, when you can’t communicate your inner voice to the world out there, you tend to detach yourself from it. The roar of the crowd goes unheard. And the moment your work loses its charm in your eyes, it is nothing more than slogging. Do you want to keep on doing it? Would it not be wiser to break free?

Success cannot cure despondency.

There’s no solution to your low spirits other than yourself. The success achieved in your work is like a painkiller. Its action is temporary. And, eventually when the effect wears off, the pain comes back, and it is even more unbearable.

The best way to combat despair is to stop being stagnant. The more you are saturated with success of one kind, the more monotonous it will get. If you are an artist, try your hands in singing. If you are a writer, indulge in pottery. May be then, you will learn to appreciate your skills and your work.

Wear the hide like an elephant.

No one is immune to heartbreak. However, the more you are permeable to misery, the more it will grasp you. And it’s a bad, harsh world out there. You must prepare your bones for the inevitable onslaught. Unfortunately, Cobain had realized it very late.

Yes, be like the little child who cries his heart out for the sake of his broken toy in one moment, and cheers up the in the very next when a new one arrives. Stay miserable and the world is going to get on your nerves.

You can’t stay in everyone’s good books.

All throughout your life, you will meet some people who will love you and others who wouldn’t think twice before breaking your heart. It’s okay to have a few foes. It’s even okay to have no friends at all. Fair weather is not wanted as a replacement of quality.

Yes, this is what you become when you try to love one and all. Learn to create bridges and break meaningless ties. And yes, there’s no use trying to fix a broken mirror. Learn to let go.

Stop being charitable about trust.

Pin your faith on people with great caution. The more you are sure about them, the more the chances of you getting hurt. It’s good to be skeptical about a person’s good deeds and doubt his intentions, because you are just saving your little, brittle heart.

A good way is to hope for the best and stay prepared for the worst. A person’s true color shows up only in the darkest hour. And, if you want to witness this, untie the blindfold of trust covering your eyes. So, what are you waiting for? Snap out of the societal norms. Let the sunshine touch your inner self.

Laugh.

Love.

Live.

Do You Know Why Google Chose to Change its Logo?

It’s for the fifth time now. And this time, it’s huge. The seventeen year old logo has finally changed. But, the question is WHY?

Well, it’s a decade long story! Google was once a land, people visited via desktops and laptops. But, time’s changed. We now have smartphones, tablet PCs, and the latest – wearable devices. Imagine it like this – you have to say hello in a million different languages because the people you are greeting, belong to different ethnicity. How weird will that be?

Google was suffering from something of this sort. Its ancient logo suited the desktops, but not in the newer devices. So, because the silver lining in its cloud was missing, it decided to create one. It revamped its logo so that it can appear in any device, be it a desktop, a laptop, a mobile phone, a wearable watch, the dashboard of your car, and even your TV!

The update was introduced to the world as a Doodle on the first of September this year. And, it looked like this:

In other words, Google’s ‘hello’ to the world has received a universal language, which can be apprehended by any device anywhere, regardless of its built, model, screen size, or operating system. Its new logo can show up in the smallest of screens. All we need is Internet connectivity! Now that’s what we call convenience.

The full logo features Product Sans – a new font which reminds us of a child’s handwriting in primary school. The compact version has been changed, too. The familiar blue lower case ‘g’ has been replaced with an uppercase ‘G,’ which bears all the colors of the new logo together. Another distinct change, which has been introduced, is the addition of a colorful Google mic that assists in interacting with the Search Engine.

Take a look at how the Search Engine has evolved over the years in this video:
 

With the logo remodeled to function seamlessly across an infinite range of devices and inputs, we are definitely witnessing a ‘Google of the future.’ What say?

Reshikhola, East Sikkim: The River Flows in You

Ever seen any place which makes you say, “To hell with everything, let’s live here forever!?” Never?

Reshikhola, a paradise unexplored

Well, then you should definitely visit Reshikhola – the beautiful valley resting on the bank of River Reshi near Kalimpong in the Darjeeling district of North East India. Apparently, the land earns its name from the river. ‘Khola,’ on the other hand, is a Nepali word for ‘stream.’

By the River Reshi

About the place:

The valley with the rock strewn river and its gurgling waters separates the state of West Bengal from Sikkim. It lies in the midst of dense forests, cold, calm, fresh, and serene. In fact, to reach the riverbanks you will need to trek your way through the forests downhill. Isn’t that thrilling?

Setting step in a heaven, enjoying the beautiful Reshikhola

Somehow, it reminds us in every way of a typical Yash Chopra movie location.

Activities:

It’s an ideal escape from the humdrum city, or in Thomas Hardy’s words, ‘far from the madding crowd.’ It’s where you can birdwatch, take a dip in the cool river waters, indulge in angling, try your hand at photography, enjoy a bonfire, relish barbecued meat, go hiking, set up a tent for a night’s stay, and do so many amazing things! The land is full of scope for fun lovers.

Enjoying Camp Fire at Reshikhola

Accommodation:

The biggest luxury is the series of cottages that are on the river banks. If you are wishing for the comfort of traditional hotels in Reshikhola, you better not visit it, because there is none.

Savoring the Awesomeness of Reshikhola

The accommodation facilities are all eco-resorts with basic amenities, but very cozy rooms. Dining spaces are available and the food is awesome.

Reshi River Resort

How to reach Reshikhola:

Enjoying the Sun at Reshikhola

The place is a four hour cab ride, both from New Jalpaiguri, the nearest railway station, and Bagdogra, the nearest airport. A few kilometers ahead lies the beautiful little village of Rongli, which is the heart of East Sikkim.

The trek uphill

From there, you can plan a visit to Dzuluk, view the Old Silk Route and then proceed to the snow-clad Gnathang Valley.

Ready for the Dzuluk-Gnathang Trip

Best time to visit:

Avoid visiting Reshikhola during the rainy season. Summers are the best time, and Winters are equally enjoyable.

Finally our chauffeur has arrived. Off to Dzuluk now!

Visit this mesmerizing heaven; discover Nature at its very raw!

Weird and Bad Dressing Advices We Hear Almost Every Day

Fashion policing comes so easily (and often without asking for it) these days. Whether a fashion freak or not, each one of us has faced the assault sometime or the other in our lives.
 

Source: Google

Remember your mom lecturing you about the ‘right’ kind of dress you should wear? Remember how such dresses often used to hang loose from your shoulders and never fit you? Or the times your beau chose to pick on you for the dress you wore?

Source: Living Learning Eating

Yes, the jeers are hard to digest. But, on second thoughts, do we really need the policing? Do we deserve it?

“It’s a new era in fashion — there are no rules.” – Alexander McQueen

Here are some bad fashion tips we get from the people around us all the time and the reasons why you are better off without them:

Fashion Blah #1: The ‘dress doesn’t matter’ spiritual crap.

It does! What you are wearing influences your personality in every way. Try walking out of your home in a garbage bag. Will you feel confident and phlegmatic? Never!

Source: BuzzFeed

From the color to the fit, each aspect of your dress has an impact on your mood and behavior; did you know that? Maybe this is why it is advisable that you go for dress shopping if you are feeling low.

Fashion Blah #2: Being fashionable is being extravagant.

Roll eyes. Haven’t people heard about budget clothing? There are a lot of brands and clothing lines, which offer amazingly fashionable dresses at flatteringly affordable rates.

Rather, the focus should be more on the usage. Want to buy something, which you can wear every day, spill ketchup, wash, and dump in whatever way you like? Go for cheap fashion.

Want to buy something which you intend to wear only once in a while on special occasions? Buy something expensive, and of high quality. Problem solved.

Source: Forever Twenty Somethings

Fashion Blah #3: You should dress according to your age.

Really? And what is that supposed to mean? That you cannot look sexy? That you cannot wear the top you used to wear in your high school? That you should not keep up with the trend? It’s way too boring!

There’s no rule set in the constitution commanding that elderly people shouldn’t wear what they like. Only those mindless vigilantes of undesired fashion policing troops advise you to do so. Ignore them.

Source: BuzzFeed

Fashion Blah #4: ‘Large’ makes you look thinner:

Sadly, they don’t. They make you look clumsy instead. People recommending this should learn about the things called ‘shapewear’ and ‘plus sized clothes.’

Source: We Heart It

The latter option offers everything – from skinny jeans to body hugging tops – that are just the right size and fit for the ones who are high on the fat factor. The former keeps every flab and bulge in place, making you look fabulous.

Wrap-up:

“Life’s too short to wear boring clothes.” - Cushnie et Ochs

You are what you wear – this is the only rule you should follow. You need to stop fretting over what the world has to say, and start loving your body. If you have a good taste in clothes, you must flaunt it by wearing the most envious designs ever!

Only the insecure likes to keep himself out of everyone’s sight. Why hide what you have? Why turn invisible when you deserve, in every way, to be noticed? Break the rules now!

Source: Pinky Pink