Halloween Special - How to make a Jack O Lantern

A basic item for Halloween decorations is a Jack O Lantern. Making a Jack O Lantern is very easy. Here are a few simple steps to make a lantern for yourself :-

Jack O Lanterns

• Choose a dry pumpkin with a hard shell. Consider size. The pumpkin should be big enough to carve eyes,nose and mouth on.You can choose a pumpkin of your desired shape,for e.g. moon-shaped,or round.
• Wash dirt off the pumpkin.
• Mark the features on the pumpkin slightly smaller than you want them to be with a pen or pencil.
• Cut the top off by putting the knife all the way through the shell into the pumpkin. Draw a circle around the stem and lift it off.
• Clean the inside, discarding the seeds and sticky interior. Make sure the inside of the face is free of clinging tissue.
• Carve out each feature by pushing the knife through,then cut on the line until the piece comes out.
• Clear away the rough edges and your lantern is ready.
• To light up your Jack O Lantern,open the top and press a candle down into the bottom of the pumpkin. If needed, cut a little bit out of the bottom so that the candle properly fits inside.
• Light the candle with a long'stemmed match or an electric kitchen lighter.

So, go ahead, make your own Jack O Lantern this Halloween and make sure it looks scary enough to make others have goosebumps!

Halloween Special- The Tower of London

The Tower of London

Dating back over nine hundred years, the Tower of London is known as one of the most haunted spots in Britain. The first stone section of the tower was built and authorized by William the Conqueror. Much human sufferings went on inside the dark, stone walls of the tower, including execution,imprisonment and torture.

There are reports that the ghoul of Anne Boleyn haunts the creepy corridors of the White Tower. She was one of the two wives who were ordered for execution by their husband,Henry VIII; the other being Catherine Howard. Anne's spirit is also spotted in the Chapel of Saint Peter and Vincula where she keeps a watch on her own grave under the altar. On the other hand, Catherine can be heard screaming behind the door of the room where she was kept locked up before her execution.

The tower is also a haunt for famous spirits like Thomas A. Becket who was chopped down at the Traitor's Gate with a crucifix, witnessed by a priest. People have also seen twelve year old King Edward and his nine year old brother Richard Duke of York in the deadly tower, still wearing the white gowns they were imprisoned in.

Misty figures, soldiers, and sixteen year old Lady Jane Grey visits the embatllements of the Tower of London. Whole squads of soldiers have been seen marching the grounds.

Several paranormal investigations were made to try and capture some of the ghostly images using special cameras and temperature gauges. Most of their experiences did not fail to baffle the investigators.

So, if you make a trip to London in future, don't miss out the opportunity of visiting the Tower of London. Who knows, you might as well have an encounter with some of the spirits that haunt the tower.

Pigeons on a bathing spree

They say you got to be lucky enough to experience incredible things a second time. So, I think I'm lucky enough to watch pigeons at bath for a second time. But, I can ensure you that this time they look even more adorable and happier than before. These buddies really made me happy early in the morning and I loved watching them , splashing and dancing in the water. I hope you enjoy watching them, as much as I did!

Pigeons at bath

It was a cloudy morning, and as I woke up from bed, I was enthralled by the sight outside my bedroom window. These fun-loving creatures were having a wonderful time in the rain. It was something really worth watching so I captured a video to share it with my friends and my readers.

Durga Puja - A Moment For The Bengalis

The countdown has already started. 

Hardly 40 days in hand.

The scent is in the breeze 

and the warmth is in our hearts.
My heart feels like floating along the cotton like clouds in the autumn sky.

I can hear the drum beats or rather "dhak" vibrating all around me.

After all, Maa Durga is on her way to Bengal. The Puja sensation is all around!

Crowded streets with vibrant, clamorous groups of people, enjoying their puja shoppings to the fullest.

The different aspects of nature seem to echo the joy and excitement which is present among us all.

We are proud to be Bengalis. So, this time lets celebrate Durga Puja in togetherness and make it really special and memorable in our own ways.

Dedicated To My Friends

I often sit and think what my life would be without my friends. And it is then I realize how much my friends mean to me, how much they care about me. So this is something I want to dedicate to all my dear friends.

I asked God for a companion

And He gave me such an incredible one like you.

You never left me alone in the dark crowds,

Where there was no one to help me out.

You never turned your back to me

When I was wild with anger.

You taught me never to lose hope,

Even when there were failures on my way.

You always cheered me up,

During the gloomy days.

You always made me smile

With everything you said,

When you saw me in distress,

You were the one to cry for me.

When the others only sympathized with me in my sorrow,

You were the only one to empathize then.

Please keep up your love and affection,

For this is what I need the most.

Thank you, my dear friend

This is all I can say.

Make Your True Friend Feel Special

Who do you call a true friend? For me, it's someone who is always beside you, through thick and thin. Well, one thing is certain, a true friend is the biggest treasure in your life. If you have a true friend,  no misery can ever let you down.

So, this friendship day, how would  you like to thank your dear friend for being there beside you always? . You know, only an e-card is not enough. Even the most expensive gifts are not enough. The best way to thank your friend is to make him realize how special he/she is for you, how much he/she means to you.  A few simple words and a hug filled with love is the best way you can thank your friend. So what are you waiting for? If you have a true friend then go and tell him how treasured he is. I hope your friendship lasts forever and grows even more deep this Friendship Day.  

The Sound Of Music

We make memories and we live them

They say music is a universal language. Music is loved by all and it reflects different thoughts and emotions of  life.

Music often reminds us of sweet memories. Has it ever happened that you have switched on your i-pod to a tune you haven't listened to for a long time, and suddenly it reminds you of some blissful days, which you would like to cherish again? 

I've always experienced it. Music makes sweet memories even more memorable. Music always gives me company in different moods of life. How can I forget the numerous meet ups with my friends?  All had a different fun, and some special music which made them so enjoyable. 

Music has added different colors to each day of my life. It is because of music that I can say "I make memories and I live them."

Monsoon Rhythms

After a scorching summer, the arrival of monsoons is the most delighting. At such times, even a dull and cloudy weather is not that unpleasant. But at times, rains are not welcoming at all. Now, you may disagree with me on this fact if you haven’t experienced it yourself. Suppose it’s eight o’clock in the morning and you are late for office or school and you forget your umbrella at home. And on your way, there’s a heavy downpour and you are drenched wet. I’m sure you would hate rains then. Well, I experienced such days many a times, especially this monsoon. I was late for school and then all of a sudden it started pouring heavily. Rainwater had collected in puddles on the road and I had walked through so many of them. By the time I reached school, my shoes and socks were soaked with mud and water. And I had to wear those soggy shoes and socks for the whole day. But while returning home, I had a wonderful experience. It was drizzling and my friend shared her umbrella with me. On our way, we burnt our tongues with a typical Indian street food “chur mur”. I am one of those who hate getting wet in rain, but I found that monsoons are not bad after all, even though the rains had really troubled me a lot. Now don’t think that I liked getting wet that morning. But I loved the “chur mur” which would never taste as delicious as under my friend’s umbrella with the soft music of the pitter patter of raindrops.

Top Five Tips To A Better Life

Road to happiness

Life teaches us new lessons everyday. It is full of small moments of happiness and sorrow. The moments don’t stay. What stay’s on are the memories of each moment. So let’s take a vow to make every moment special. Here are some great tips to see life in a new way.

Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. Don’t expect anything in return of your favor. It might happen that you have helped a friend out to complete his assignment. Remember that you have helped him / her simply because you loved to do so and not because you are expecting a favor in return. Let’s make life pleasant with simple actions.

“Sorry” is one of such words which you must use often. Never step back to accept your own fault or apologize. Look into the person’s eyes and say sorry and ensure that you mean it.

Life is a long journey and failures might come on your way. But when you lose, never lose the lesson.

Some like to dream real big. But that doesn’t make the person a laughing stock in front of others. Never laugh at anybody’s dreams. People who don’t have dreams don’t have much.

Smile when you pick up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice. It infuses warmth while your talking and makes the other person comfortable during the conversation.

What are you waiting for? Start the journey of your life afresh. Create happiness wherever you go! 

Google-The Internet Experience

Can we ever imagine a world without the internet? And thinking a little more internally, can we imagine our lives without Google? Starting with Gmail to Youtube, Orkut and Blogger, Google gives us everything. Whether you want to know the location of your doctor's chamber or which is the best restaurant in your city to dine in; whether the car you're buying is cool and efficient enough or you want to know the top rated movies of the month .You get it all on Google. Well the list is endless.

All the credit goes to the founders of Google, Larry Page and Sergey Brin who began a research project in 1996. Later this project yielded to Google.

Both Larry Page and Sergey Brin were PhD students at Stanford University in California. They introduced a new system that analyzed the relationships between websites .They called this technology PageRank, where a website's applicability was determined by the number of pages, and the significance of those pages, that linked back to the original site.

   

Page and Brin cognominated their new search engine "BackRub", because the system checked backlinks to estimate the importance of a site.

Eventually they  switched on to the name Google  ,originating from a misspelling of the word "googol", the number one followed by one hundred zeros ,which conveyed that the search engine wants to provide large quantities of information for people.

Now Google is not just “search”. It is social search. The “+1” button and the panda algorithm is sure to bring about drastic changes in the search paradigm.

No Easter Without Easter Eggs

Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated as Easter Day. There is a lot about the religious side of Easter and it’s meanings, but there are also many amusing fun facts about Easter. Easter reminds us of the brightly painted, delicious Easter eggs. But do you know how Easter eggs first came into being?

  

• Easter is all about the renewal and rebirth .The well-known Easter eggs are an ancient symbol of new life  .So what else could be so appropriate for a spring time holiday like Easter?

• Easter eggs are often hidden, supposedly by the Easter Bunny, for children to find on Easter morning. Otherwise, they are generally put in a basket filled with real or artificial straw in resemblance of a bird's nest.

• The largest Easter egg ever made was produced in Vergeville, AB. It weighed 5,000 pounds, and was 25.7 feet long.

• The first chocolate eggs were made in Europe in the early 1800s and still retain their popularity as the best treats associated with Easter.

• 90 million chocolate Easter eggs are being made for Easter every year.

• 16 billion jelly beans are made especially which is enough to fill a plastic egg the size of a nine story building.

• After Halloween, Easter is the biggest candy consuming holiday.

So gear up for the coming Easter and enjoy some delectable Easter eggs from bakeries around you. Happy Easter to all of you .