How to become a Standard Bearer?

New Year is around the corner and everyone is either worried about the parties to attend or is worried about the new year's resolution. Here is a very beautiful essay by Mr. Mirza Yawar Baig the Chairman of Standard Bearers Academy.  I hope you read it and find fetch some food for thought for the year ahead.

Being a standard bearer is all about raising your standards and constantly endeavoring to achieve success without compromising on the fundamentals. Hope you enjoy the read, and do not miss the video that is there towards the conclusion.

How to become a standard bearer from Mirza Yawar Baig

Why the world should have ended on 21/12/2012 ?

The Mayan calendar effectively ends today. For many it meant that the world would end. Question this, if Mayan's were so good at predicting the future would they still not be around? Would they not have predicted their own peril? I am a moron, i don't have the answers. I guess you do.

This life we have been living and will still do post 21.12.2012 is extremely over-rated. It is a camouflage which only a handful decipher. All the bling bling of life and the world attracts us instantly but to a large extent it is hollow and we all are to a very great extent hypocrites.

Here are a few reasons that made me hope the world would end today and the Mayans stand by their calendar. Lest!

1. The world should have ended for the atrocities, the crimes, the ruthlessness of the blood thirsty and greed filled leaders would still continue beyond 21.12.2012

2. The world should have ended for religion would still be used as the opium of masses beyond 21.12.2012

3. The world should have ended for the Arabs (& Brunei) would still continue to build hollow palaces and have cars gold plated while the African women get raped and the African innocence is staved to death even beyond 21.12.2012

4. The world should have ended for Palestine and Israel would still continue slaughtering each other while the America feeds the Israel and Arabs stare in the face of Palestine even beyond 21.12.2012

5. The world should have ended for Krokodil(Desomorphine) will still continue to eat the Russian and the Eurpoean junkies while the government turns a blind eye even beyond 21.12.2012

6. The world should have ended for daughters would still be treated as a curse in India and despite the development women are ill-treated even beyond 21.12.2012

7. The world should have ended for every teenage and adult alike prefer online lives and projected selves to offline lives and real selves even beyond 21.12.2012

8. The world should have ended for bombs would still explode in Pakistan killing innocent civilians while the US makes a grim face at it and the world watches on even beyond 21.12.2012

9. The world should have ended for North Korea will still be ruled by its dead president and no nation would dare question its nuclear weapons even beyond 21.12.2012

10. The world should have ended for Europe would still consider veil oppressive and promotes modern female slavery in the guise of liberty while Feminists applaud even beyond 21.12.2012

11. The world should have ended for people would still judge each other by their religion without knowing what the scriptures preach even beyond 21.12.2012

12. The world should have ended for we all are living a highly over rated, so called social life where we'll give condolences via Twitter even  after 21.12.2012

13. The world should have ended for Iran would still be a subject of constant criticism by the West for the alleged nuclear warheads even beyond 21.12.2012

14. The world should have ended for the rich devotees would still donate kilograms of gold to the Tirupati lord while the poor still makes his/her livelihood by selling off the devotees hair even beyond 21.12.2012

15. The world should have ended for Gangnam style and the likes would still be a rage to the world while Albert HUBO goes unnoticed even beyond 21.12.2012
 
16. The world should have ended for merciless merceneries try to kill Malala while children in Afghanistan risk their lives for education even beyond 21.12.2012
 
17. The world should have ended for educated illiterates would still demand for dowry and harass the brides while the groom looks on even beyond 21.12.2012
 
18. The world should have ended for the Illuminati would still control the world and its economy while everyone else would regard it as a mere conspiracy theory even beyond 21.12.2012
 
19. The world should have ended for individuals would still be regarded as mentally unstable despite killing innocents and slaughtering the happiness of numerous even beyond 21.12.2012
 
20. The world should have ended for  the Westboro Baptist Church would still be the most hated family in the America while presidents win the elections by pleasing the gay community even beyond 21.12.2012
 
21. The world should have ended for the rich will get richer while the poor gets poorer while people like me do nothing but blog about it even beyond 21.12.2012


My eternal optimism still reckons me to believe Louis Armstrong and makes me say "What a Wonderful World!"

Facebook Messages get a new look

While you were busy updating your status, uploading that pic from last week parties and commenting and liking and you know the drill........while you were busy facebooking, Facebook silently upgraded the way you share messages on Facebook 

Facebook announced on 22nd August 2012, that they've improved the messaging features and overhauled the look. I just received the upgrade and hence sharing the info.

Here's how the new layout will look like.


My observations on the new features & layout:

• Looks very much like MS-Outlook, isn't it?
• You can now see thumbnails of pictures in a better fashion than before. 
• The typebox is more or less how it was before. 
• The recent messages list in the left is what I liked best. I don't have to go back a step to change the message window. 
• You can now know, if the person you've messaged has seen it or not. It will also give you the exact time the message was viewed. A privacy threat? Nah...
• If you wish to learn more about Facebook Messages and care to improve them click here. 
• I am happy with the new layout, expecting Facebook to keep surprising me time and again. 

What do you feel? Leave a comment and let's get talking. 

Celebrating India - Book Release Function

If you're reading this and if you happen to be in Hyderabad today, kindly consider yourself invited to the release function of the book 'Celebrating India' by Nivasini Publishers.
The contents of this book are quite unusual. Short stories, poems, illustrations, photographs, lesser known facts, everything and anything that relates to the spirit of India can be found in this book. There isn't a single author to this book. The content submission was requested nation wide and the best of the best has been chosen to be part of this book.

The venue and timings and other details are in the poster above. I'm going to be at the venue. Let's catchup!

Facebook's new ad - Chairs are like facebook?

You must have already heard or read that Facebook today has One Billion active users. Few hours ago Facebook also released an advertisement trying to suggest how it is now an everyday thing in our lives. 

If you do not auto sign in to Facebook, you can check this advertisement on the LogIn window of Facebook., 

Like chairs, aeroplanes, bridges, floors etc which we humans use on a day to day basis to connect with each other, take a break, share emotions, etc. Facebook is also no different now. 

The caption to the video suggests that they honor everyday things that brings us (we humans I presume) together. 

However, is Facebook really like a chair? or a bridge? or a social tool? or just another avenue to past/waste time? What do you think? What does it mean for you?

See the video here:  

Twitter Blooper in Hyderabad - #ignitehyd mistaken for T agitation

The not so active twitter community of Hyderabad demonstrated a peculiar characteristic this evening.

The fourth volume of Ignite Hyderabad was scheduled to be held as part of the 2012 UX-India conference at the Indian School Of Business.

Like always, Ignite Hyderabad asked its audience to participate in the LIVE tweeting and like always the hashtag to be used was #ignitehyd 

The event started as scheduled in the Khemka Auditorium of the ISB Hyderabad. A fast paced event with just 5 minutes per speaker the event got over in about 90 minutes and there were loads of tweets being sent by the audience and shown at regular intervals on the big screen.

Where did the Hyderabadi tweeple got messed up in all this?

An award for the best tweet was announced and thus the audience geared up a little more than usual and the tweets with the hashtag #ignitehyd started trending in Hyderabad in no time. While the tweeple in the auditorium were all high on design and were sharing instant feedback through tweets, those unaware of the Ignite Hyderabad derived a whole new meaning out of the hashtag. 

The hashtag #ignitehyd was associated with the not so popular Telangana Agitation movement and the twitter community started blasting all over using the hashtag. Most of those did not even bother to check out what the hashtag was meant for and what others were tweeting. So much in the name of tweeting. An epic virtual drama followed. Check out all the screenshots attached towards the end of this post to see the user behavior for yourself. 

It's been 3 hours since the event concluded and the hashtag continues to trend as I type this. What a perfect example of the power of 140 characters. Hail Social Media!

The one who got it all wrong

Another one who got it all wrong

Just another of many who got it all wrong

The Attendee

The Attendee

The Attendee

The Hashtag #ignitehyd is still trending. The Curators must be feeling so awkwardly happy. 

Call for submission

 My friends at Nivasini Publishers are calling artistic submissions for their upcoming book themed CELEBRATING INDIA. You can submit your short stories (800-1500 words), poetry (within 27 lines), illustrations, photographs, interesting facts. You will get a chance to be featured in the Collector's edition of Nivasini.com upon getting selected. Share anything and everything depicting or narrating your way of being Indian. The childhood memories of your narrow streets, a monument you associate yourself with, the Indian food you can't spend a day without, the colors of the festivals you await to spread, the legendary war hero you want to be like, the bhangra that makes your legs shake, everything that makes you Indian. Share and let the world know what sets your India apart and why it is special to you.

Click, sketch, write, narrate. Be it in punjabi, telugu, bengali or assamese. Send your Indian spirit and be a part of the book.
Refer to www.nivasini.com if you wish to know more about Nivasini Publications. You may also get in touch with them here.

Send your submissions at  submit@nivasini.com
Latest date for submission of entries: 10th June.

Note: The work shared should be genuine, please do not plagiarize. Standard copyright rules apply.