Are our cars too safe?

Finally, a properly 'technical' topic to save the name of this blog. Sort of. Now, if carmakers are to be believed nowadays, you can take your modern car to 60km/hr, have a booze at the wheel, keep chatting with your passenger without bothering about the road, hit a big old tree, AND walk out like nothing happens. But it turns out that they are, erm.. true. (On the safety part obviously. You can obviously forget crashing your next car as your license will be stripped away)

I recently heard a weird story. A guy just bought a new Fiat Linea, and drives out of the showroom with his family. And hits a lorry straight away. His bad luck worsens when that lorry happens to carry granite slabs. Not too happy with the crash, the lorry dumps some of its cargo on top of the car. But guess what, inspite of those massive granite slabs, none of the passengers have even a scratch to report. The car was totalled, but the people saved. He was so happy with the car that he bought another one right away!

A happy ending, then. The world is now a safer place to live, cars were never this good, end of the story. Not quite. You see, all of this safety bishbosh has come at a pretty big cost.

You may know the Hyundai Getz. It was introduced as a modern 'European' car, with all the modern safety features, a light but strong body, a highly efficient engine, blah blah blah. You will also know of the Ambassador. The longest selling car in history (over 50 years), its called the grandpa' car, a massive behemoth of steel that's widely considered to be the most outdated car sold anywhere.

Now comes the funny part. The petrol Ambassador gets 12 km per litre overall. Do you know how much the Getz gets? A humongous 11 km/l. That's right. A small modern 'hatchback' gets lower fuel economy than an antiquated Grandpa car. Wanna know why? Its this thing called weight. The two cars in question weigh exactly the same! 1050 kg. The difference in fuel consumption is bcoz of the engine in the Getz, which is too 'European' to run properly in our traffic conditions.

You would have guessed where this is going. But hold on, before you lash out on me for not caring about human lives, let me tell you this. I'm not against those electronic thingys like ABS, traction control and those things, they add just about 50 kilos. Acceptable. I'm not even against those front & side crash tests. Their weight addition is perfectly ok since they actually save lives on a consistent basis.

Its those safety authorities. The ones called EuroNCAP, especially. They started out rating cars in terms of their safety in 1997, and since they were EURO-backed, customers started taking their safety ratings seriously. A great thing, since it spurred manufacturers to come up with all the electronic gizmodos and improve crash safety spectacularly. The NCAP test gives up to 5 stars, and within 4 years, almost every car sold in Europe, and the equivalent ones in US, got full marks. So almost all cars sold in the western nations were perfectly safe.

What would a teacher do if all her students got good marks? Pat them in the back and congratulate them, right? Not in this case. Since manufacturers wanted a longer fight and the NCAP guys wanted to be in business for a longer period, the tests were made a whole lot tougher. Cars which got 5 stars were now getting only 2. New tests took care of cases where cars were crashed from their side, hit from the back (common in Europe), when they rolled over(!), and when they passengers in the front. They may even think of cases where they hit passengers in the side and back, effectively turning the car into a jelly-shaped blob. But enough of that now.

The main problem is that adding all those safety features also added tons of weight. If a new car, say, a Honda Jazz were to be entirely made of steel, it would weigh nearly 50% more. Extra layers of metal were added to the front, the doors, the roof and boot to meet these safety norms, and they had to compensated with other costly materials. For example, the Hyundai i10 has some Titanium coated parts for its engine. As you'll know, Titanium is more expensive than gold! This leaves us with cars that are heavier, more expensive, and normally less fuel-efficient than before. New engines can improve mileage, but they are simply a lot more expensive.

There are a few more issues. Each country (and state sometimes) in the world has different safety requirements, and they are all almost mandatory now. Which is fine if people specifically made cars for them. But our carmakers are too lazy to do that, focussing on global cars instead. So, the Suzuki SX4 sold here also takes care of Icelandic slalom tests, while handling 100 km/hr crash tests in Europe. And it is sold here where we hardly take it over 60. Great going. And EuroNCAP is going for another set of revisions, since all cars are getting 5 stars again.

Here are a few facts:

The Hyundai i10 gets to do the same type of tests that a Honda City is subject to. And it gets almost the same stars

The Suzuki Ritz would have weighed and cost the same as a WagonR AND made 25 kmpl if it had not been subject to the 2005 NCAP revisions

Fuel economy(kmpl) has actually dropped when comparing 1975 cars with 2005 ones

Am I saying cars should be made like Ambassadors again? Or that crash testing is useless? No way! Its just that making every car meet every kind of scenario (with a probability of 1 in a million) is just too much. Our cars are safe enough now. We'll have them the way they are, thank you very much. No need to add any more weight in the name of safety. We can have safer roads instead. Easier on our pockets too..

PS: I'm leaving town (and possibly the net) for my job, and so will be off for a while. Hopefully, i'll return soon with some more wacky topics. Thanks a ton for backing me up thus far. Ciao..:)

Unnai Pol Oruvan - Review Time !

By now, you should have seen a million posts in those facebook/twitter/orkut thingys that Unnai Pol Oruvan absolutely rocks, its a revolution in Tamil cinema, jabber, jabber.. Well, thats what i'd say too.. And with good reason as well..

First and foremost, lemme declare that i haven't got around to seeing 'A Wednesday'. So i'll treat this one as a completely fresh movie and won't draw any parallels with the original and stuff.. Let's get on with it..

This is a movie that shows the proverbial middle finger to commercial Tamil cinema.. Figure this for a feature list:

• No song sequences with the villain ogling at some item girl en route to the climax (ahem.. a recent K movie comes to mind;)

• By the way, no villain too.. Not much emphasis on any of the 'evil' characters anyway

• No separate comedy tracks to rupture the flow of the movie.. Just a few 'funny' scenes and lots of witty dialogues.. More on the dialogues later..

• No bombastic fight scenes with the hero taking on the villain in the middle of a mini Hurricane.. All the tension is built up just by the interactions between characters, and a few brisk action sequences.. Reminds me of Isaac Asimov's 'Foundation' novels..

• Surprise, surprise, no Heroine! I'm sure that alone will dither many people from seeing this movie (why am i reminded of monkeys?), but then they'll just be missing out on the year's best movie (critics willing)

• Our hero isn't a superhero, one who can jump from LIC to Spencers in a single leap.. Infact, he's not even a hero by movie standards, if you count a pouting family man as one (no offence meant to 'him'.. ) **MINI-SPOILER :P**Even more interesting is the fact that you never come to know his real name at any point.. Now that's a first all right!

Of course, 'A Wednesday' was the one that laid out the foundations, but UPO is actually more of a commercial venture, since it stars three superstars (including Venkatesh for the telugu version) and has a budget of around 24 crores.. So hats off to the director for resisting the 'formula' urge..

The first thing that strikes you bout this movie is the stellar acting.. Not just the two legends, every single person you see on the screen seem like living out their lives, not posing in front of a camera (well, the reporter does, but never mind..) Especially those two police officers, Ganesh Venkatraman (Arif Khan) and Bharath Reddy (Sethuraman), not just looked the part but acted really well too.. Arif's demeanour and acting, especially in the first half, makes you think he is the 'hero' of this story.. Supreme casting, all right.. Oh, and by the way, you don't need me to give the verdict on Kamal's acting, do you?

Actually, the first thing that does strike you is the picture clarity. Whatever technology they've used in filming (RED or yellow or something) has worked its magic.. There is none of that blurring you see with other movies on-screen, just crystal clear clarity.. Cliched, yes, but thats the best way to describe it..

Shruti Hassan, who didn't have Luck smile upon her entry into Bollywood, has struck the right chords with this one.. The BG score keeps us completely immersed in the movie, even when Kamal is munching his sandwich! Not to mention those commendable songs, which spring up now and then in the course of the film..

Then there is the plot.. The cards are laid down right away at the start.. In fact, every movie buff would know the entire story by now.. Still, you have to watch it to believe it.. Like Sehwag's 'upper cut' to Third man, the story takes a turn when you least expect it.. Not a one-mindless-twist every-few-minutes kind, but a perfectly believable-but-still-interesting way.. Even more impressive is the calm demeanour of the central characters.. None of the characters really shout out their actions out or run about like Usain Bolt just to attend a phone call.. It doesn't seem completely realistic, but thats just nit-picking..

Even with all the above, my favourite part of this movie is the dialogue. Nearly every single line of dialogue is either a to-the-point reply or a satirical poke on our current governance/society.. The writer's name doesn't seem particularly familiar in movies (he's written a good deal of books, it seems), but he's done a truly commendable job.. In a thriller movie relying on interactions rather than action sequences, the brilliant dialogue lifts it to an entirely new level..

There are one or two aberrations, like the phone calls between Sethuraman and his wife (what's the point?), and those bags placed by Kamal (oops.. spoiler..:P ), but you really wouldn't remember them amidst all the other brilliant stuff..

There is no need to sum up or anything.. This is the best movie of the year. Period. My only concern is whether the masses will accept this flick.. Coming out of the theatre, i heard a bloke saying, "மச்சான், கதையே இல்லாம படத்த நல்லா கொண்டு போயிருக்காங்க இல்ல?"(!!) The plot twists and rather generous use of English in dialogues may not necessarily go well with rural people, in spite of the Kamal factor. For the sake of better films, we can only hope that this one becomes a huge hit..

I'm running out of ideas!

Not for this blog, no way. I didn't have any ideas when i started out, so no problem running out of them anyway..:P

Its actually with my holidays.. You see, i'm supposed to join my job in early October, and finished college with the knowledge that i had 5 months to waste away. Going to an intermediate job, was quite possibly the worst way to spend my time, i decided. Hence, doing nothing was the only way to go. Big deal.. Of course, 4-month holidays were shooed away many times in the past, so it would just be a matter of time (literally) before i saw them off.

Not this spell, though..

" சும்மா இருக்குறது எவ்வுளவு கஷ்டம் தெரியுமா? "

- வடிவேலு

It was funny when i heard it first, but now the full impact of the statement has hit me..:P Somehow, i've passed these 3 1/2 months by doing a variety of things, like:

Playing a million games:

I can probably give Gamespot and IGN a complex, considering the sheer number of games i've played these days. Racing, Shooters, Strategy, Puzzles, Action, RPG, there is not a single genre i've left.. And that includes our all-time online favourite, Counter Strike. Oh yeah, that is the perfect time-killer, as long as you don't get consistently nerfed by the 'mega-pro' gamers out there. Well, that's precisely what happened and i'm losing interest in it gradually. The occasional games don't hurt, but then, that defeats the whole purpose of it. That puts videogames out of the reckoning

Reading a dozen books and a few hundred ebooks:

Another generic hobby. During the early months, i bought myself a shelf full of books (Gan knows how big), subscribed to a couple of car mags and emptied my tiny bank balance in the process. The online duniya, on the other hand, found me a few hundred good picks from the e-species. Sure enough, they held me in good stead for a couple of months. Pushed my eye sockets a few millimetres back in the bargain.

Facebook and other online time-wasters:

If it had not been for the net, i'd have been paranoid by the first 2 months. Thankfully, i 'discovered' Facebook. Knowing how to click a mouse button has surely unlocked many secrets i never knew. For instance, i nowknow that i'd have been a 'Shaolin Monk' if i developed myself into a legendary warrior, and that if i wasn't me, i'd be 'John Lennon'. Terribly useful, these quizzes.. Tells you how many people are actually making a useless git of themselves and still have the guts to brag about it. I reckon i could create an entire blog about goofy quizzes in Facebook!

Wolfram Alpha, Mashable, Google Trends, Twitter all gave their 5 minutes of useless benefits too, though none good enough to completely fill my digital void..

Fighting for my provisional certificate:

This is one interesting aspect of govt colleges. Before you can get your provisional certi, you're supposed to get two 'no-dues' slips filled up. Boy, was that a treasure hunt! Approximately 9 people have to sign in 12 places, and to get those some of those signs, you have to finish a small set of objectives.. Its a lot easier if you get these done with your friends, but you're out of luck when alone. In spite of the early start, i got lazy and didn't want to get my certi any soon. And boy oh boy, did i pay for it. When i returned to coll, the next year had started and people were too busy to respond. The worst part was when i had to wait alone in the library for 4 hours to get 1 friggin signature! This whole thing took so much of my time that i could officially count it as a pastime..:D

There were a number of minor time-killers too, like sleeping extra 3 hours every day, trying to memorise the newspaper, kalaachufying friends, jabber jabber.. None of them could prepare for the 'shock' moment though..

Reality finally got the better of me, and i now have nothing else to do.. All the past-times which used to my hog my time are just staring at me blank as hogs. Not even thinking of what i can do helps me do something. For the first time in world history, i'm officially, completely bored! The end (of free time) is near, but i don't know if i can keep my brain-cogs running till then.

And this is where i need your help. Tell me something i can do to kill the remaining time. Stand upside down on my fingers; get chased by a mad dog; try to take on Osama, anything.. Any idea would be welcome, as long as it doesn't serve any purpose, and takes up a good chunk of my time..:P

Thanks in advance!

(Yet another)PS: I'll probably think of this sometime in the future and tell myself, "You could have done something more useful then". Heck, i made my choice between doing what is right and what is easy.. Doing Nothing! And i stuck to it.. Ever heard of integrity?

The 4-year old Car Manufacturer (Part 2)

Recap: After a series of interesting(!) events, I became the Youngest Wannabe Car Manufacturer of All-Time

Soon enough, I grew up to nurture my interest in automobiles. Within a few months, I was able to spot any motorbike just by the sound of its exhaust.

Here’s a small example I remember, slightly dramatized:)

Sound from outside: […thump-thump-thump…]

Neighbour (Talking to my dad) : What bike was that?

Me: It’s a Bullet, uncle!

N: (shocked)

Another one: […vrrrr..vrrr…] or something lyk that..

N: Bet you couldn’t tell this one, kid..

Me: Ind-Suzuki, of course!

N: x-P

Note: Don’t think I kept up that 'form', though.. Flash-forward to now,

Sound from the road: […cough..cough... sputter..]

Dad: Did you hear that? Which bike is it, Arjun?

Older Me: An old one, of course.. Who cares!!

(maybe its our pre-historic Rajdoot..:P Anyway, flashback to my 5-year old self..)

While going out, I caught site of any ‘Car and Bike’ Magazine on the bookstands and pestered Dad to buy them for me. Mom joined my side and ensured that he got me one. They weren’t cheap, mind you.. 150 rupees in 1992 was a big deal, especially considering it was for a boy who didn’t even know how to spell properly. But those books made me good enough to differentiate Ferraris from BMWs. They were the reason I gathered some interest in Auto Quizzing

The really amusing part was when relatives (and school teachers in class sometimes) used to ask what I wanted to be. Without any hesitation, I’d reply, “Car Manufacturer”. Shocked the hell out of them, all right.. Every time, it brought their best reactions out of them, be it facial or otherwise..:) After recovering from their dazed expressions, a few of them would encourage me, while most would try ‘advising’ me and my parents. To no avail, of course.. Even when I was three feet tall, I’d set my ambitions sky high, and never even thought of budging away from it.. And so did my parents. I’m really thankful to them for letting me pursue my passion. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be the car-nut that I am now

But then, I made the biggest mistake of my life. I grew up. Grew up to learn how tough it actually is to become a car manufacturer. Grew up to face reality. To embrace the ‘average’ life. I began to think that living the life of an engineer isn’t such a bad thing, after all. The naysayers finally had their way, and reason started to creep inside my mind. By the time I got my job, that dream had all but vanished from memory. I was looking forward to be just another one of those million automobile engineers who had a passion towards cars..

Except that this ‘kid’ in me stubbornly refused to grow up. Every now and then, he would crop up in my brain (like one of those manasaatchi characters in Balachander films, or a split personality, if u prefer Shankar) and remind me the true objective that I had set myself. I’d try telling him why I couldn’t do it, blah blah.. We’d never get around to a consensus, but one point was finally established. For now, I shall pursue my current path and be a ‘regular’ engineer, but I shall not forget my ultimate ambition in life – to be a car manufacturer!

If you don’t understand what I really mean by the above lines, then so do I.. This post has to come to an end, right?

P.S: If you know of any bankrupt carmakers who are in need of a lousy GM (no pun intended), do tell me.. I’ll b more than happy to acknowledge your offer..=)

P.P.S:

Upon popular request (?), i've posted a picture of the 'kiddo' me in a ride. My first car this.. Rode it for 4 years until it could bear my weight no more. I've done some nifty tricks with this one, figuring out the brakes when there were none (don't let the pedals move), reversing the car (pedal in reverse, of course) and carrying 3 ppl on the 'bonnet'.. If you want any proof, just look at the condition of the front wheels..:D

Just for fun

Here is a small collection of funny and weird stuff I came across..

|| Witty and humorous quotes ||

Ø The road to success is always under construction

Ø I don't have a solution, but i certainly admire the problem

Ø To err is human, to really foul things up requires a computer

Ø Confidence is the feeling you have before you understand the situation

Ø Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether

Ø A professor is one who talks in someone else's sleep

Ø If you can't learn to do it well, learn to enjoy doing it badly (Me playing Counter-Strike:)

Ø The only reason people get lost in thought because its unfamiliar territory

Ø The whole purpose of your life is to serve as a warning to others

Ø Radioactive cats have eighteen half-lives

Ø Don't let people drive you crazy when you know it's within walking distance

Ø It's not what you say in your argument, its how loud you say it

Ø If you cannot convince them, confuse them (why am i reminded of Goks now? ;)

Ø Lead me not into temptation; I can find it myself

Ø There is nothing more horrifying than stupidity in action

Ø Never underestimate the power of human stupidity

Ø Work fascinates me. I could sit and watch it for hours

Ø Eat a live toad in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day

Ø A census taker is a man who goes from house to house increasing population

Ø Person describing a car accident: The pedestrian had no idea of which way to go, so i ran over him

Ø Don't bother to agree with me, i've already changed my mind

|| Weird ads ||

Auto Repair Service. Free pick-up and delivery. Try us once. You'll never go anywhere again

Classifieds:

Wanted. Man to take care of cow that does not smoke or drink

Three-year old teacher needed for pre-school. Experience preferred

At the cleaner’s:

We do not tear your clothes with machinery. We do it carefully by hand..

Used cars:

Why go elsewhere to be cheated? Come to us first!

T-shirt quote:

I'm not as dumb as you look

Sign in a store window:

Any faulty merchandise will be cheerfully replaced with merchandise of equal quality

In a tailor shop:

As you rip, so shall we sew..

On a bookstore going out of business in Chicago:

Words failed us!!

Tagged :-8

Tagged is a game where you are tagged by another person who gets a tag from.. well, you get the point, don’t you? So Parth, wanting to make sure that my blog doesn’t stay idle like myself, tagged me in his blog. I thank him for doing so and giving me a chance to share my favourite somethings.

Of course, every one has their own preferences / views on every topic, so I’ve followed Gan’s N idea and started with my 8 favourite ‘stuff’

|| 8 Favourite Books ||

I mostly go for sci-fi, fantasy & humor. No wonder you’ll be seeing the best of these genres in this list:

Harry Potter – The perfect novel, imho. It has everything – Humor, Action, Drama, Romance, whatnot. Any other book pales in comparison with this masterpiece. Tops my list by a huge margin

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – If HP is the best, then Hitchhiker’s the funniest book of all time. Every single line is meant to make you roll down onto the floor, sprouting gales of laughter. And it’s still classified as science fiction. It’s a pity they couldn’t translate it into a proper movie.

Isaac Asimov’s Foundation – The Epitome of all science fiction. Every single sci-fi series you see has taken something from Asimov’s work. The defining characteristic of this series is that there is no direct action, only dialogue. All that’s happening in that world is updated just through the interactions between characters. Add to that the intricate plot twists (In the novels, double-double crossing is mentioned like some lame excuse for story telling), and you have a series that elevated science fiction to its current level

Life and Times of Thunderbolt Kid – Another truly LMAO book. The author reminisces the truly wicked things he'd done while he was a kid (he did a lot more than banging cars and fixing them up, mind you..;) While I was reading this book, my parents doubted whether I had gone slightly mental. It was that funny

Right Ho, Jeeves – Just like Asimov, Wodehouse’s books really kick started the Comedy genre and made it a sell-worthy propostion. While I’m yet to read through his ocean of books, this was the one that tickled me the most. Bertie Wooster, you rock!

Sujatha’s Science Fiction stories – I don’t know how many have heard of this book, but this is the best example of sci-fi in Tamil. Supreme creativity and tongue-in-cheek humor elevate this book to a new level

Timeline – Parth and Vatsan know why this is here

Ultimate History of BMW – A Behemoth of a book, 1ft x 1.5ft big, tons of info and a collection of massive pictures all covering my favourite brand, BMW. I really couldn’t ask for more.

|| 7 Favourite Fictional Characters ||

Calvin :

“If something is so complicated that you can't explain it in 10 seconds, then it's probably not worth knowing anyway.”

Now that’s what I call attitude..

Bertie Wooster – From the Jeeves series

Pakkada from the movie ‘Pasanga’ – Now he may not be anywhere close to the level of other ethereal characters. But Pakkada, like Swami (Malgudi Days), brings an element of childish innocence and naughtiness into the character that you cannot help but adore.

Bellatrix Lestrange (HP – movie only) – Bella from the book didn’t impress me much, but the way Helena Bonham Carter carried out the role with so much passion and verve, pulled me over to the dark side. All that voice modulation and expressions, now that’s what I call acting!

Hercule Poirot (Agatha Christie) – The thing is like about Poirot is that unlike Sherlock Holmes, he is not perfect. Of course, Poirot’s humor does shine through, but the way he pulls the rabbit out of the hat, that’s what blows me away.

Marvin (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) – The best example of soberness.

He takes ‘புலம்பல் ’ to a whole new level. Marvin is a robot with a computati

onal power 50,000 times that of the average human, but broods over the fact that couldn't put it to any good use(!). Check this out for a sample:

"Yes, sir," the receptionist snapped, "can I help you?"

"I doubt it," said Marvin.

"Well in that case, if you'll just excuse me..."

"No one can help me," intoned Marvin.

"Yes, sir, well ..."

"Not that anyone tried of course."

Best characterisation for any robot. Period..:D

Mr. Bean

|| 6 Favourite Films ||

Forrest Gump – An uncomplicated story about an uncomplicated man. And some complicated visual effects. I love the way they treat some genuinely gloomy themes like Forrest’s illness and Vietnam war, and make us laugh in spite them. Perhaps this is what they call a charming movie.

Harry Potter (except HBP) – Every single movie of the HP world is an example of what Hollywood can accomplish. Brilliant actors, spectacular CG, meticulous recreations, and proof that they don’t always screw up a good plot. Except when it comes to the latest movie. I just didn’t feel the rush I got when reading the second half. It simply doesn’t translate very well on the screen. A pity, really..

Happy Days – The exact opposite of HP, a fine example of how 40 lakhs is enough to do a great movie. Though there was hardly a story as such, the unforgettable characters and sweet screenplay simply wafted you through the movie. Add to that some great music, and you have my favourite film down south

Rang De Basanti

Lord of the Rings

Chak De India – Sports + Patriotism come together like never before

|| 5 Favourite Random things ||

My Laptop – You couldn’t spend 15 hours a day with your laptop and not love it. Mine is a Dell Inspiron 1520 with a behemoth of a graphics card – the Nvidia 8600M GT. Neighbour’s envy, owner’s pride..:-)

My Phone – The slim and sleek Sony Ericsson W350. Sound quality arguably as good as an iPod

Digicams – Funny, this one. I don’t even have a half-decent digicam, but I really love them for what they are. A fun, cheap (as in the cost of shooting, not buying) way of giving vent to our creativity. Problem is, I couldn’t satisfy myself with these point-and-shoot thingys. A 12x zoom 10 MP Olympus is more like it..:D

Books – The only properly ‘useful’ item in this list..;)

Top Gear – British TV show that is quite possibly the best car-related telly on the planet. Jeremy Clarkson & co. really scorch the sets with their impossible stunts and typical British humor. Its so popular that the tickets for live recording viewers have been booked for 21 years!! Now that’s what you call a ‘sell-out’ audience..

|| 4 Favourite words ||

Eksi – This is my favourite ‘chat’ word, rather.. Gan introduced me to this one.. You know what it means.. ‘Enna Koduma Sir Idhu’(!) It seems relevant to a lot more scenarios than you might think..;)

Travel – Not these crowded traveling in the city. A 1000 km train journey is more like it. Sitting down by the windowside, reading your favourite book, listening to that great number in your walkman, man that is bliss!

Sleep – You can’t call yourself lazy if you don’t love this word! If I don’t sleep over 9 hours a day, I feel that something is missing from me..:D

Cars – No need to explain this one. My passion, hobby, profession, everything..

|| 3 Favourite Celebrity Crushes ||

Evanna Lynch – The girl who plays Luna Lovegood in HP. Damn, she doesn’t appear for more than 2 minutes in Half Blood Prince. Wish she had played Hermione..;)

Katrina Kaif

Avril Lavigne - Why do you have to go and make things so complicated?

Best ever Counter Strike Movies

Its a funny game, Counter Strike. Started out not as a game, but as a modification to one of the best (but not-so-well-known) first person shooters, Half Life. It then took form as a proper retail game, CS 1.6. But when Valve wanted to make a follow-up, it took them 4 years and three developers to get 'Condition Zero' right. But what matters really now is that it is the most played online shooter in the world. We just can't get enough of Dust 2 and Inferno, can we? Anyway, here's a great movie tribute to our ever-beloved CS.. This movie is rated 'A', but blood is not the only reason, as you'll be finding out.. ;)

Man, i wish i could shoot like them someday..

Here's another good one: