Shahid Kapoor on spiritual quest before next film

Mumbai, Feb 26 (IANS) A sudden change in work schedule made Shahid Kapoor a nervous wreck last month. A timely visit to his father Pankaj Kapoor's spiritual guru in the hills however revealed to him the virtues of stillness in an overactive lifestyle.

Having finished all his assignments, the actor has no projects on hand at the moment apart from his dad's film 'Mausam'.

Shahid told IANS, 'All I can say is faith makes all things possible. That's why it's called a leap of faith. I was working 20 hours a day till Jan 20. I was working insanely. When I woke up on Jan 21, I had no work to go to.

'Initially I felt a sense of freedom. Then immediately it was followed by panic...what do I do with myself? I've become an insomniac and started tweeting at 4 a.m. I don't feel tired. I feel I haven't earned the right to rest. And I don't know what to do with myself!'

However, here is the upside. 'Every time I've sat at home without work, it has worked for my career. I did it before 'Vivah' and before 'Jab We Met'.'

Shahid will be doing only one film in 2010 and that is his father's 'Mausam'. He will serve as a hands-on technician, spotboy whatever for the project.

'While I'm being directed by my dad, I'd like to learn in every department. I want to learn about cinematography, choreography and direction. Most of all, I'd learn a lot about acting from my dad. I want to try and absorb from him.'

The thought of acting in front of his father petrifies Shahid. 'It's a very scary thought. But in life you have to face challenges. Of course, there's anxiety and fear about acting in front of my father. I quite often think I've given a decent performance. And then when I hold a trial show for my father, all the confidence crumbles.'

Shahid remembers a nightmarish incident. 'I remember this one time when we were shooting for 'Jab We Met' near Khandala. Dad dropped in and was watching me on the monitor. And I just couldn't give my shot! I actually had to tell my dad to leave. I tactfully told him to proceed, and I'd join him for lunch. He immediately understood. And my next shot was okay.'

Explaining his reason for staying away from all other projects, Shahid says, 'It's a film very close to my heart because after 35 years of acting, dad is finally directing a film. After being the best actor in the country - that's what I believe him to be - he has decided to make a film with me in the lead because he wants to project me in a certain way.

'It's a huge sacrifice for someone who does so little work as an actor. The least I can do is to be there unconditionally for him during the time that he makes the film.'

To prepare for 'Mausam', Shahid needs to train as a pilot at a military academy.

Says Shahid, 'I don't want to reveal right now what all I'll be doing. But, yes, I do play an air force pilot. But if you think I'll learn how to fly a plane for the film, then all I can say is I haven't reached that stage of madness!'

Noise Pop happy hour. Keywords: bands, hipsters, crowded, beer, flash photography

Noise Pop is an annual music festival that takes place at different clubs (mostly) all over San Francisco. It used to be a lot better, which I'm contractually obligated to say as an aging hipster. But no, really, it did. Just check out the schedule from 2001 and compare it to this year's.

ANYWAY, one very nice thing NP does is have free happy hours with bands. Now, as an aging hipster, I loves me some happy hour shows because staying out til midnight or later on a school night is becoming increasingly difficult. With a HH show, I can see some bands and be home by 9. Sweet.

That's what brought me to beloved cool kid bar Benders last night, or I guess technically "last evening," since I got there at 6. MAN WAS IT PACKED. Like wall to wall people. I missed the first band. The second band was the positively enchanting The Ian Fays who, as it turns out, are 3 cute chicks with excellent songs that you could barely hear in Benders. Sad face. I also like that one of the girls is a tambourine/triangle player which I love because I want a tambourine/triangle girl in my band.

PBR cans were $2. THAT'S REAL VALUE.

Up next were Love Is Chemicals. Also very good! Much, much louder! Although you couldn't really hear the vocals at all. I got a very strong Built to Spill vibe from them, which I bet they hear a lot, and not just because the lead singer is bald and has a beard.

I advise you to check out both bands. And do check out one of the Noise Pop happy hours if you have a high tolerance for crowds. Like, tonight you can see Social Studies, The Old Fashioned Way, and Shark Toys, all for free. For free!

Also, there were about 14 people with big cameras taking pictures nonstop, so there is a very good chance that my face is now plastered all over the Internet. THANKS A LOT, INTERNET.

Tell me what you think about this parking situation

I need to get your opinion on something.

The curb in front of my house is big enough to park 2 cars between the garages on either side of me. A little while ago, some chick rented the garage next door. She's using it as an art studio or something. Anyway, since she rented it, she has pretty much taken over ownership of the 2 street spaces. Her car and 2 scooters are always fucking parked there. ALWAYS. There's street cleaning every 2 weeks and she moves them temporarily for that and then BOOM right back. Like she owns the fucking spaces or something.

I think it's just a dick move. I mean, yeah, of course, I'm not entitled to the parking space in front of my house, but it would still be nice to have a crack at it once in a while. Plus, it's technically illegal to leave your car parked in the same spot for 2 weeks, but I'm not gonna rat her out to DPT or anything.

So what do you think? Is she cool or is she being a dick?

Just 1411 Tigers Left in India | Save Our Tigers

From around 40,000 at the turn of the last century, there are just 1411 tigers left in India. I have take the initiative by posting this. Please spread this information and take the initiative to save our tigers.

Tiger Facts

From around 40,000 tigers at the turn of the last century, there are just 1411 tigers left in India.

2009 was the worst year for tigers in India, with 86 deaths reported.

There are 37 Tiger sanctuaries in India. However, 17 sanctuaries are on the verge of losing their tiger population.

Corbett National Park is the oldest tiger park in India. It was created in 1936 as ‘Hailey National Park’.

The Kanha National Park’s lush sal and bamboo forests, grassy meadows and ravines provided inspiration to Rudyard Kipling for his famous novel, The Jungle Book.

www.SaveOurTigers.com

Shortcuts to good health

Everyday, without our knowledge, a faint little feeling in the stomach prompts us to involuntarily look at the clock.
Then the revelation hits us – it is evening and we have not had the time to eat our lunch. In today’s times, where a sedentary lifestyle is the rule, it’s observed that the health of people is deteriorating day by day. They have started taking themselves and their body for granted. They don’t even remember when they last had a proper meal. Eating healthy just requires a little planning. Here are some shortcuts to achieve a healthy body:
Breakfast is a ‘must’
Start your morning with some breakfast, be it a piece of fruit or a whole wheat bread. Put oatmeal into a thermos of hot water, and you could even let it sit overnight. In the morning, you shall have hot cooked oatmeal ready to eat. Similarly, a hard boiled egg can be eaten. This will prevent your body from going into starvation mode. Eating breakfast everyday will also help increase your metabolic rate.
Five meals a day
Have at least five meals a day in which three can be the main meals – breakfast, lunch and dinner, while other two meals can consist of foods which are handy and nutritious at the same time. Eating frequently prevents hunger pangs, provides consistent energy, and maintains metabolism efficiency. Grab healthy foods such as fruits that are high in fibre like apple, watermelon, muskmelon, orange, sweet lime, papaya and peaches.
Ask for healthy food
Some people’s work demands frequenting restaurants for dinner. Always watch out for hidden fats. Creamy soups, white breads, flaky pastries and mayonnaise-based salad dressings add unnecessary fats to the food. Try consuming broths instead of creamy soups. Instead of mayonnaise dressing, use variety of condiments and flavoring agents such as lemon, vinegar, herbs, onion and garlic to improve the palatability of your salad. Remember, a gram of fat contains more than twice as many calories as a gram of protein or carbohydrate. Ask for grilled, baked, boiled or broiled food rather than fried foods.
Hydrate when you’re traveling
Your work might involve a lot of traveling in which air travel is one of the most dehydrating experiences. Because of this, people often complain of sore throats and other respiratory illnesses. To avoid these, one should not drink caffeine, cola or alcohol before or after the flights as these are diuretics and can increase the water loss. Avoid salted snacks like salted peanuts or fried foods in order to minimize dehydration. Try consuming lots of fluids in the form of water, fruit juice, coconut water, lime water, etc. In any case, one should drink at least 12 to 15 gasses of water everyday. The stress associated with travel may slightly increase the protein requirement, so one should make an effort to consume a little more protein each day.
Good quality of food
Always remember that the quality of food you eat determines your efficiency at work. Avoid refined foods like white rice and those used to make white bread and sugary breakfast cereals as most of their vitamins and minerals are stripped away. They turn into blood sugar (glucose) so fast just like sugar; they can cause a spike in our insulin level. Alternate refined flour with wholegrain flour. Substitute white sugar with honey and jaggery. Remember, all this will help us to remain healthy.

source:timesofindia.com

A Field Guide to The Highly Intrusive Bed and Breakfast Owner

Some people find the idea of sitting down with a complete stranger with whom you have nothing in common and blathering about nothing at all for about a half hour enticing and attractive. I am not one of those people. Unfortunately, our Highly Intrusive Bed and Breakfast Owner this weekend was one of those types.

Normally, of course, I avoid B&B's like they're Top 40 radio for precisely this reason. I'd much rather have an efficient and impersonal check-in, followed by a session with the mini-bar and the cool anonymity of a standard room. But this time, The Wife and I were using a gift certificate we got as a gift, so we didn't really have a choice.

We got to the B&B, in Mendocino, after hitting about 5 wineries in the Anderson Valley on the way in, so we mostly just wanted to get the key to our cottage and unwind.

(Yes, I did have enough sense to pay extra for the private cottage. NO WAY am I staying in the main house and bumping into the Jolly Retirees in the hallway when I'm going to the bathroom at 7:30 a.m.)

The HIBBO - let's call her "Sue" - was having none of that. We knew something was up when we got there and she was just taking another couple out to their room and said she'd be "right back" and was gone for 20 minutes. Then she came back and we got started. Sue explained that she could have put everything in a notebook, but nobody would read it, so she proceeded to run down the Rules of the Inn in a half-hour session that lacked only PowerPoint slides and bad coffee to make it as excruciating as any Sales Conference you can imagine. There was a lengthy explanation of what local guidebooks were available and which could and could not be removed from the main house. Various aspects of the Grounds were discussed, including what animal and bird life was native to the area and likely to be spotted therein. We were warned to drive extremely slowly on the 100-foot trek from the parking area to the cabin, lest we inadvertently flatten some of said local fauna.

Since the Inn furnished a breakfast, as implied by "bed & breakfast," various dietary restrictions were explored. The Wife, who is a semi-practicing gluten-avoider, made the mistake of telling Sue that, and much time was then devoted to exploring other possible dietary quirks that faux-celiacs might embrace. Tea was a popular subject. When The Wife indicated her preference for tea over coffee, Sue asked what kind of tea she preferred.

"Oh, anything," The Wife foolishly replied.

"Well, we have various kinds. Do you like more herbal?"

"Anything is fine, really," The Wife said, starting to panic.

"There are a number of herbal options, or do you like berry flavors more?"

"Yes, berries!" The Wife said, suddenly realizing that this conversation had no good out.

By the point, I had picked up a magazine and begun lazily leafing through it, trying to send some kind of signal. But Sue was either immune to normal conversational cues or just didn't give a damn. She asked whether we planned to dine at any local restaurants. The Wife offered that yes, we had reservations the following night at a local dining establishment that looked good, based on an online review of the menu.

Sue's mood darkened. "Well, I've had a lot of people tell me they've had problems there. They don't do substitutions," she warned. "I had one guest who went there and asked for a different sauce for her chicken, and she got a naked chicken breast on her plate!!!!"

That's right. This restaurant's substitution policy is so baroque - and so secretive - that if you ask for a substitution of any kind, you are punished with a naked chicken breast, without warning. We assured her that we would not, in fact, be asking for any substitutions.

You get the idea. Eventually - finally - we got into the cottage and opened a bottle of wine and went on to have, I can say without reservations, a wonderful weekend, in which we saw Sue not at all. We did see a deer coming back one night. I was tempted to run it over, just to spite her, but I didn't.

Jam & Bubble Gum

An Australian man was having a coffee and croissants with butter and jam in a cafe when an American tourist, chewing gum, sat down next to him.
The Australian politely ignored the American, who, nevertheless started up a conversation. The American snapped his gum and said, 'You Australian folk eat the whole bread?'
The Australian frowned, annoyed with being bothered during his breakfast, and replied, 'of course.' The American blew a huge bubble. 'We don't. In the States, we only eat what's inside. The crusts we collect in a container, recycle them, transform them into croissants and sell them to Australia .' The American had a smirk on his face. The Australian listened in silence.
The American persisted, 'D'ya eat jam with your bread?' Sighing, the Australian replied, 'of course.' Cracking his gum between his teeth, the American said, 'we don't. In the States, we eat fresh fruit for breakfast, then we put all the peels, seeds and the leftovers in containers, recycle them, transform them into jam and sell it to Australia...
The Australian then asked, 'Do you have sex in the States?' The American smiled and said 'Why of course we do.' The Australian leaned closer to him and asked, 'And what do you do with the condoms once you've used them?'
'We throw them away, of course!' Now it was the Australians turn to smile.
'We don't. In Australia , we put them in a container, recycle them, melt them down into chewing gum and sell them to the United States .

How to call the Police

WHEN YOU'RE OLD AND DON'T MOVE FAST ANYMORE.
George Phillips , an elderly man, from Meridian , Mississippi , was going up to bed, when his wife told him that he'd left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window. George opened the back door to go turn off the light, but saw that there were people in the shed stealing things.
He phoned the police, who asked "Is someone in your house?"
He said "No," but some people are breaking into my garden shed and stealing from me.
Then the police dispatcher said "All patrols are busy. You should lock your doors and an officer will be along when one is available."
George said, "Okay."
He hung up the phone and counted to 30. Then he phoned the police again.
"Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people stealing things from my shed. Well, you don't have to worry about them now because I just shot them." and he hung up.
Within five minutes, six Police Cars, a SWAT Team, a Helicopter, two Fire Trucks, a Paramedic, and an Ambulance showed up at the Phillips' residence, and caught the burglars red-handed.
One of the Policemen said to George , "I thought you said that you'd shot them!"
George said, "I thought you said there was nobody available!"
Don't mess with old people.

Jokes|neighbors,I gave them

God was in the process of creating the universe. And he was explaining his subordinates...
"Look everything should be in balance. For example, after every 10 deer's there should be a lion. Look here my fellow angels, here is the country of the United States I have blessed them with prosperity and money. But at the same time I have given them insecurity and tension...
And here is Africa. I have given them beautiful nature. But at the same time, I have given them climatic extremes...
And here is South America. I have given them lots of forests. But at the same time, I have given them lesser land so that they would have to cut off the forests... So you see fellows, everything should be in balance.
One of the angels asked... "God, what is this extremely beautiful country here?" God said....... "Ahah...that is the crown piece of all. "INDIA", my most precious creation. It has understanding and friendly people. Sparkling streams, serene mountains. A culture which speaks of the great tradition that they live. Technologically brilliant and with a heart of gold...
The angel was quite surprised "But god you said everything should be in balance."
God replied - "Look at the neighbors, I gave them

Lindsay Lohan featuring in Muse Magazine | Pictures

A few more outtakes from that infamous Lindsay Lohan threesome Muse magazine photo shoot. These aren’t as touched up and in greyscale as the others..so she tends to look more cracked out that normal. But some of you freaks find that attractive and I’m not here to judge..so enjoy.

  

Rajasthan Royals

The team from India's princely state didn't quite command the kind of respect and interest that befits royalty. So when the Rajasthan Royals, led by Shane Warne, swept the opposition away and took home the first-ever IPL title, everyone was surprised. Sohail Tanvir and Shane Watson were the other big names that powered the side, but it was players like Swapnil Asnodkar and Ravindra Jadeja that shone.

IPL 2009 got underway with Bollywood diva Shilpa Shetty and her then fiance Raj Kundra also joining the franchise as co-owners. Kaif was left out and Watson was unavailable. Tyron Henderson, who was roped in after a tug-of-war with KXIP, played just one game. Yusuf Pathan starred in a win over KKR in the only Super Over of the tournament. At the 2010 auction, Rajasthan bought two Australian players - Adam Voges and in a surprise move, the out of action Damien Martyn. The team had bought out Tyron Henderson, Robert Quiney and Mohd Kaif prior to the auction.

· Shane Warne

· Johan Botha

· Damien Martyn

· Michael Lumb

· Abhishek Jhunjhunwala

· Shrikant Wagh

· Abhishek Raut

· Sumit Narwal

· Faiz Fazal

· Syed Ahmed Quadri

· Amit Paunikar

· Kamran Khan

· Amit Singh

· Graeme Smith

· Dimitri Mascarenhas

· Morne Morkel

· Shaun Tait

· Munaf Patel *

· Yusuf Pathan *

· Sidharth Trivedi

· Swapnil Asnodkar

· Mahesh Rawat

· Naman Ojha

· Amit Paunikar

source: iplt20.com

New Bar Night: Smuggler's Cove, The Residence

You know, given the drinkers who form the backbone of the New Bar Night cadre, it is somewhat difficult to find bars that none of us have ever been to. Before too long, we're going to be down to Irish bars in the deep Outer Sunset that are manned by 4 regulars at all times and the jukebox hasn't been updated since 1974. Actually that sounds pretty good.

Anyway, that's why it's nice when a new bar opens in the same place where an old bar used to be. You save on travel time and already know how to get there.

The SF bar scene collectively shat itself when Smuggler's Cove opened in the old Jade Bar space on Gough a few months back. I'm not sure why. I mean, it's cool, I guess. What they did there was take the sleek loungey vibe of Jade and hang so much nautical crap everywhere that it feels like you're walking into the Pirates of the Carribean ride at Disney World.

And the menu! Jesus! It's about 10 pages and takes about a half-hour to read. Here's a picture I took of one page:


I know, looks like a magazine article about drinking in Hawaii, right? The drinks all have incredibly complicated descriptions and about 12 ingredients, like this:

BOOM SHAKKA SHAKKA

Sir Charles Barkley once remarked upon a particularly tragic sunset that "God must forbear us each our chance to cast the lots of life." His barrel-aged rhums were the toast of St. Tiffani-Amber. For our libation, we strain his finest product through a whiskey-soaked piece of lugsail. Lemon, orange, marmalade, cucumber bitters, spiced strained rhum, exploding souls, Dutch paprika, Squirt.

I bet you when it's busy (and it's apparently often busy) it's hell on Earth trying to get a drink, since every one takes about 15 minutes to make, but it wasn't so bad last night. Still, we could only have two before we had to take our leave. Worth a visit, but I couldn't see making it a regular destination. You wouldn't hang out at Disney World every day either. Or maybe you would. If so, you probably have a parole officer.

A few months ago, Amber went to sleep and when it woke up it was The Residence. You've changed. No more smoking, which is maybe good or bad, depending on your perspective. All cleaned up and new furniture. That's definitely good. And bar menus! Who would have thought? At Amber, the bar menu was a piece of construction paper taped to the wall behind the bar that said "Sierra Nevada $5."

So it's nicer. My associate, who spent far more time in Amber than I, reports that many of the same regulars are there. Along with some of the activities that gave Amber a certain reputation, if you know what I mean. I'm winking right now but you can't see that.

I couldn't tell you what kind of drinks were on the new drink menu because we were just drinking beers. I guess it would be a cool place to hang out and have a few. There's fancy couches and wood paneling and a fake fireplace and a mantel with a portrait from the Renaissance or something above it. There was also what appeared to be a mother-daughter duo having drinks when we were there. You sure wouldn't see that in the old Amber.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Going to Mendocino tomorrow BRB.

Lindsay Lohan Topless Pictures from Muse Magazine

he full set of the threesome photo shoot that Lindsay Lohan did for Muse magazine. It looks way too natural for her, don’t you think?

 

Kings XI Punjab

Kings XI Punjab have an aura of glamour and verve around them thanks to owners Preity Zinta and Ness Wadia. They boast the services of the flamboyant Yuvraj Singh and dependable Sangakkara; the destructive Irfan Pathan and experienced Jayawardene. So when the first edition of the IPL kicked off, the team from India's lion-hearted state were looked on with awe and admiration. But the side could not progress beyond the semi-final stage..

 

In 2009, the spectacular South African setting did little to embellish the team's chances - they bowed out before the semis, depleted by the absence of Brett Lee and Sreesanth at various stages. Left-arm pace man Yusuf Abdulla was one of the finds of the tournament and he has been retained for the third edition. Luke Pomersbach and Nuwan Kulasekara were bought our ahead of the 2010 auction while they picked former India batsman Mohammed Kaif who is expected to recreate the magic with Yuvraj Singh in the Punjab side under new captain Kumar Sangakkara.

· Brett Lee

· Mohd. Kaif

· Adrian Barath

· Love Ablish

· Vikramjeet Malik

· Amanpreet Singh

· Bipul Sharma

· James Hopes

· Manvinder Bisla

· Reetinder Singh Sodhi

· Yusuf Abdulla

· Yash Gandhi

· Karan Goel

· Shaun Marsh

· Kumar Sangakkara

· M Jayawardene

· Ravi Bopara

· Yuvraj Singh

· Irfan Pathan

· S Sreesanth

· Ramesh Powar

· Piyush Chawla

· Shalabh Srivastava

source: iplt20.com

Rachel Stevens Topless for FHM Magazine | Pictures

British actress Rachel Steven’s rings in 2010 for FHM magazine in the January issue.

Kolkata Knight Riders

When Shahrukh Khan - India's biggest movie star - co-purchased the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise, the nation couldn't help but feel an affinity with the side. And when Brendon McCullum stormed into the competition with a whirlwind 158*, it drew a collective gasp of admiration from fans of the sport across the world. If Sourav helmed the side, then there was John Buchanan who powered the think-tank. But the team could not live up to expectations.

In the second season, suggestions of a multiple-captain approach drew a lot of debate but as it turned out, McCullum ended up leading the side throughout. But the side's prospects did not improve. KKR ended the tournament pretty close to the bottom of the table. Ricky Ponting and Morne van Wyk have been bought out ahead of Season 2010, while Shane Bond has been bought at USD 750,000. U-19 player Harpreet Singh has also been picked for the tournament.

· Cheteshwar Pujara

· Owais Shah

· Chris Gayle

· Manoj Tiwary

· Charl Langeveldt

· Harshad Khadiwale

· Chirag Pathak

· Varun Aaron

· Eklakh Ahmed

· Ganapathi Vignesh

· Iqbal Abdulla

· Murali Kartik

· Ishant Sharma *

· Brendon McCullum

· Brad Hodge *

· Angelo Mathews

· Ajantha Mendis

· Sourav Ganguly

· Laxmi Ratan Shukla

· Wriddhiman Saha

· Ashoke Dinda

· Ajit Agarkar

· Rohan Gavaskar

source: iplt20.com

IPL-Team Delhi Daredevils

Delhi Daredevils, owned by GMR Industries, have a number of genuine match-winners in their squad. They boast of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir at the top of the order while wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik beefs up the middle-order. Tillakaratne Dilshan, along with AB de Villiers, has been a revelation in this format. Veteran Daniel Vettori adds depth to the squad. Daredevils made it to the semis in the first season.

In the second season, they rode high on the strength of Dirk Nannes' pace, topped the league, but again, lost in the semis. Gambhir has now stepped in as captain after Sehwag decided to step down. Delhi have bought out Oz legend Glenn McGrath before the third season. They picked up Wayne Parnell, the South African all-rounder for a whopping USD 610,000 at the 2010 auction. They also included the U-19 player Manan Sharma in their ranks.

· B de Villiers

· Pradeep Sangwan

· Umesh Yadav

· Amit Mishra

· Kedar Jadhav

· Moises Henriques

· Wayne Parnell

· Sarandeep Singh

· Shashi Ranjan

· Sarabjeet Ladda

· Ashish Nehra

· Aavishkar Salvi

· Mithun Manhas

· David Warner

· Andrew McDonald

· Dirk Nannes

· Farveez Maharoof

· Tillakaratne Dilshan

· Virender Sehwag

· Gautam Gambhir

· Dinesh Karthik

· Rajat Bhatia

· Joginder Singh

source: iplt20.com

God's really letting me down with the extras these days

A couple of years ago, The Wife (back when she was Super Hot Irish Girlfriend) told me she got perturbed because she saw a girl that she used to see on the bus all the time in a totally different place and it was jarring and her theory was that God only has a set number of extras to fill the crowd roles in the movie of your life and He was obviously running low that day and so Bus Girl had to double as Girl in Front of Starbucks on Market or whatever.

So tell me about this.

This morning I'm working out in my gym at 6:00 a.m. because that's how I roll and in comes this guy I've never seen before but who clearly is a little off. He wears wraparound sunglasses the whole time and is basically just kind of acting strangely. Like he stands around near the machines without using them but then he's examining his key chain very closely and maybe talking into it like it's a cell phone. I wasn't paying really close attention but that's what it looked like. Anyway, I left.

(I should point out at this juncture that my gym is generally pretty mellow and I see basically the same 5 people every time I go there. So that's why this guy kind of stood out.)

OK, fast forward to about 8:00 a.m. when I'm coming up from Civic Center Station. Not to get too stalkerrific, but I'll just say that Civic Center is a fair distance from my hood. So I come up to street level and THERE HE IS, wearing the exact same clothes and the same wraparound shades but this time he's accessorized with a 40-ouncer in a paper bag. I did like a quadruple take and then went on my way.

So WTF? I guess winos need to work out too. It was all just a bit...odd.

(Post Script - If your main takeaway from this is TK GOES TO A GYM AND WORKS OUT??? I can't blame you. I'm just as surprised to be doing it as you are to be reading it.)

Here's your damn Bachelor recap

God, I hate myself for watching this show. Luckily, I hate Vienna more.


(Oh, P.S. The Wife DVR'd the visit-the-families episode and we watched that yesterday too. Tenley's family was funny because they basically just had one question: "You're not going to cheat on Tenley, are you?" And also because her Mom looks EXACTLY like Milhouse's Mom.




This week we're all on Saint Lucia which is a weird place where they spell out "Saint" instead of just saying "St." Everybody goes on a Dream Date with Jake. This involves a meal of some type, some booze, and the chick saying that She Is Falling in Love With You. Jake made a big deal about how Gia was the type who wore "$1,000 shoes" and she was so comfortable walking through the town! That means she didn't scream and spray mace everywhere when she saw a Brown. I bet that happens a lot. He bought her a necklace, but she was confused and put it on her wrist and then said she wouldn't take it off for the rest of her life. That'll be awkward at her wedding to some other dude. Still, she's hot. Then they went to the Fantasy Suite and banged.

Was Tenley the one he took to the Old Abandoned Sugar Mill in the jungle? I was expecting an episode of "Saw" to break out. That chick is barely holding it together. You can tell she's going to need like 400 mg of klonopin a day just to keep from shaking apart like an old truck. Then they went to the Fantasy Suite and didn't bang because she made a big deal about how her ex-husband was the only guy she'd ever been with.

Oh, and then Vienna and him went somewhere and did something. Was that the candlelit dinner on the beach? I was kind of buzzed by that point so I don't remember too good. Then they went to the Fantasy Suite and probably had anal sex because Vienna would have blown him on Day 1.

Then Ali called up from an apartment in One Rincon, from what I could tell, and said she wanted to come back on the show and he was all "No way," which is good, because she was starting to bug.

He cut Gia loose which is too bad because now he's got two functionally retarded chicks. Gia's no particle physicist herself, but I kind of liked her little Elmer Fudd accent and her whole steeze. Anyway, next week on the shocking finale, he'll decide that he doesn't want to wake up next to Vienna's stupid Fetal Alcohol Syndrome face forever and pick Tenley. The end.

10 Romantic Ideas for Valentine's Day

Create a Love Space
A splendid idea on Valentine's Day is to open your heart to your sweet one and let know your feelings for her. An easy way to do this would be to create a "love space". If you are not already registered to my space, you can sign up for a free account and within minutes you'll have a page dedicated to your sweetie. Keep it focused on romance with weekly love notes, romantic poems, and photos. You can even add a romantic love song that she loves very much in your 'love space'. That way she will get to listen to her favorite song whenever she visits the page! If you both are private persons and don't like to let the world know about your relationship, you can sure make the page private. That way you'll also feel free to open your heart and write about your inner feelings without a care.

Send An e-Card
You may have doubts whether sending an e-card will not be an impersonal way of communicating with your special someone. But trust us, this is a great way to add a little romance to your sweet one's day. Browse the various free e-card sites, such as Deepest Feelings.com, for a gamut of romantic e-cards ranging from the funny 'n flippant to the poetic and passionate. It is even better if you can send a personalized message with your card and sites like Deepest Feelings lets you do that. Put in a bit of thought to your message and rather than ending it casually, think deep and write from the heart. It will work wonders with your lover. Imagine your sweet one's delight on finding a cute, romantic e-greeting with a romantic message in his/her inbox on Valentine's Day. Doesn't that seem great?

Make a Video
Another splendid idea is to make a short video declaring your love for your honey. If you have a camera phone or a webcam at your disposal, you can easily make a video and upload it online in sites like YouTube for free. You can then send a link via email to him/her to check out your valentine video! If you don't prefer a public declaration of your love, you can keep it personal and have a private viewing of your video with your sweetheart who'll surely love the idea.
A nice tip is to use windows movie maker in your video-making.

Buy roses for your love
This one is specially for men. Buy a dozen roses for your sweetie, hide them in different spots of a place like a park or a mall. Invite her and hide in some nearby spot from where you can watch the proceedings. Arrange a person to hand over a rose to her as soon as she arrives. Attach a note to it informing her where to find the next rose. This should be the case with each rose and the last one should lead her to you waiting with a bouquet of flowers. You should take the authorities into confidence for this plan to work out smoothly. Thereupon, treat her to a sumptuous lunch/dinner.

Candle-lit dinner
Treat your honey to a romantic dinner by candle-light. That doesn't mean you don't have to take your sweetheart to a posh restaurant and spend a lotta bucks. Rather, you can arrange your own candle-lit dinner at home. Cook up a splendid dinner together. Even a simple pasta would work; buy dessert from the bakery in the grocery store. Set the table; create a romantic atmosphere with candles, sweet snacks and wine. Have soft romantic music playing in the background, and dim the lights so that it's mostly the candles lighting the room. Then dress up and "attend" the dinner walking up to the table hand in hand with your love. You'll be amazed how much more fun it gives to have a candle-lit dinner at home. Once dinner is over, dance slowly to your song. Then snuggle as you watch a romantic flick together.

Prepare a dessert
This one is specially for the ladies. Invite your honey and treat him to a dessert dish. Find out about the favorite dessert of your partner and prepare it yourself on Valentine's Day. Even if it doesn't turn perfect and your cooking skills don't prove amazing, he'll pleasantly surprised and love you for your serious attempt.

Balloons in the car
Sneak into your sweet one's car while he/she is busy at work and fill it with roses and balloons upto the roof. Also leave a note inside telling how much your sweetheart means to you. It will amaze and touch your love to no less measure.

Walk on the beach
Take a ride to a secluded beach at sunset and park your car nearby. Slip your hand into your partner's and take a stroll along the beach bare foot, watching the sunset together. It will be better to stay awhile after the sunset and enjoy the sight and sound of the waves crashing into the shore, as the water covers your feet. Look up at the starry sky and feel the magic of the universe.

Have a beach-dinner
If you can arrange it, treat your love to a candlelit dinner under the stars, preferably to the accompaniment of some music playing off somewhere in the background. You can arrange it all near a lake or pond to make the ambience even more romantic. To top it all, you can rent a small boat and row it after dinner to go out to the middle of a lake and watch the stars.

Love-letter
Believe it or not, writing love letters is still as cool. Yes, the world may have changed and e-mails and text messages may be the order of the day, but a passionate letter of love still possesses that eternal charm and out-of-the-world romanticism which many would die for. So put your pen to paper and pour your feelings out for the love of your life. Say in simple words what your sweetheart means to you, and how your life has changed since his/her arrival. Then hide it in some spot where your sweet one is likely to lay his/her hand soon. Don't worry if you're not too good with words, your sweetheart will surely appreciate your gesture. Your effort will culminate into a moment which both of you'll treasure forever, trust us.

I am outraged by this post

Here's this PSA you might have seen on your TV machine:



Hm. Yes, distracted driving is certainly not cool, but "outraged," Oprah? Really?

We've gotten to this point where outrage has been so diluted that it doesn't really mean "outrage" any more. I was outraged about the Iraq War; I'm not outraged about those people who try to get you to sign petitions on the sidewalk or the fact that there's not a Popeye's Chicken N Biscuits within walking distance.

But British Moms are outraged by "Career women make bad mothers" billboards.

Republicans are outraged about the jobs bill.

Local legislators are outraged at the state senate vote.

And so on. Look, outrage is a perfectly proper response to some situations. But it's so watered-down now that when you really need it, it doesn't mean anything. I mean, how can you use the same word to apply to Central American death squads when you just used it to describe how you feel about John Mayer's thoughts on his racist genitalia?

Anna Friel nude on stage in a preview

Anna Friel is a British-born actress who currently stars in the ABC drama series Pushing Daisies. Her acting career began in soap operas on the British Channel 4. Yes, that's right, that's Anna Friel nude on stage in a preview of the classic play Breakfast at Tiffany's at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket. Now check here Anna Friel Up skirt Pictures :)

    

Eliza Dushku - cover girl of the October issue of Complex magazine

Eliza Dushku is an American television and film actress. She starred in her first film, That Night, with actress Juliette Lewis at the age of 12 in 1992.

Eliza Dushku is the cover girl of the October issue of Complex magazine, and as you might have guessed, she looks beyond awesome.