Blogster

One Fine Day

2008-04-09T07:41:00.001-07:00

Wow here we go again, I know I know it has been a long time since I last blogged but I have been busy so please forgive me. Anyway I was walking home yesturday and in a span of three minutes saw some very interesting things:

1. A dog with a tumor
2. A woman who look like Matthew McConaughey
3. A woman who tripped on her heel and fell face forward on the concrete.

I found this to be extremely interesting, and yes i helped the lady up because I am a good samaritan. I found the saddest of these things to be the dog with the tumor who looked so happy and innocent. I wondered to myself if his owners have told him the news yet, he is such a trooper. Until next time hopefully sooner than later, have a great day!!

The Facebook Phenomenon

2007-11-14T04:49:00.000-08:00

The Facebook phenomenon has taken the world by storm. On a recent visit to a public library I was shocked to find that most people were logged on to Facebook. I can honestly say that I am also a victim of this recent trend. It was only recently that I realized this fact when I started having problems with my internet. I was like a crack addict looking for a computer so that I could log in and check what my friends were doing. I remember one year ago walking into a public library and seeing all the teenagers on MySpace. I began to ponder what the future holds for social networking sites will these same people be on the sites when they are in their 50s to stay in touch with friends or will there be a new type of site. Although I love Facebook I am sure it will be replaced by another site and then everyone will move there. It seems that everyone is moving from one network to another. I have the same friends on Hi5, friendster, MySpace and now Facebook. I think it is time to cut ties with all of them and stay with Facebook until I get a life. Is it really important to see what my friends are doing every minute probably not but it is fun.

Chavs

2007-09-08T11:46:00.000-07:00

As many have pointed out to me, it has been a long time since I last posted. What can I say? I guess I am just lazy. I have actually been pretty busy, but have vowed to update more frequently. I am still over here in the UK finishing up my third year rotations, which have been going really well. I must say it is a little strange coming back to England after so long. It is funny, because when you leave a place as a child you expect it to be the same as it was in your memories, but alas this is not the case. I must say things have changed quite a bit including the introduction of CHAV's look it up on wikipedia for a good definition of what a chav is. As for my website I am actively trying to update it but all of the files were made on a PC and I am now using a mac. I do promise that I will update it as soon as possible. Thank you to all of those who have been e-mailing about my website.

An Apple a Day

2007-04-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

The very first computer I ever used was the Apple IIe during the introduction of home computers in the early 90s. Apple computer has gone through many ups and downs in the past twenty years from being the leader in home computers to the brink of bankruptcy. In the last few years Apple has turned itself around and become trendy in the electronics world. Look around and most people who are listening to MP3 players will have an iPod in their hands. The Apple iPod single handily changed the outlook for the Apple Corporation. The Ipod was my reintroduction to all things Apple which started me on the journey to eventually return to my Apple roots.

Flash back to early 1990 and the very first day in computer class which was a luxury for schools in those days. As I sat in class playing Oregon Trail it didn't occur to me that I was actually learning. I didn't care that this was how people got to the West in the 1800s, it was cool that my friend John was bit by a snake and died. It never seemed odd to me that our first computer in the home was a PC, even though we used Apples at school. As time went on most schools began turning to Windows 3.1 and the foleys of Bill Gates. I never knew how inferior Microsoft products really were until I bought my first Apple notebook (MacBook Pro) last November. I can seriously say I am extremely impressed by Apple. The reason for switching to Apple was basically 50% Sick of Windows (Viruses, Crashing, Running Slow), 45% Apple's Multimedia Software (Photo Editing, Movie Making, etc.) and 5% Apple Vs. PC commercials. You can get most programs on Apples such as Microsoft Office, most major games and if you really wanted Microsoft Windows although I see no real point to it. All in all it took me about three days to get used to having an Apple and in general it is much easier to operate than Windows. If you are looking to buy a new computer and love taking pics, making movies/DVDs, hate crashing, slow startups, and Bill Gates than get an Apple. I give it 1o out of 10 stars. As most of you know I do not endorse products that I do not believe in 100% so if you have any questions about Macs than e-mail me and I will fill you in on any specific questions. If you want to test drive an Apple yourself head into an Apple Store in a mall near you that is the best way to get familiar with Apple computers and you might be pleasantly surprised by the customer service you receive. If you can use an iPod you can use a Mac.

In the time it took me to write this blog twenty eight PCs crashed in California alone :(

Pirates of the Caribbean 3

2007-03-23T14:46:00.000-07:00

After waiting for what seems like an eternity the theatrical trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Pirates 3) was released on yahoo today. It is no secret to anyone who knows me that Pirates of the Caribbean and POC 2 are my favorite films. After watching this trailer I have no doubt that this will be another excellent film. I have posted a link for the trailer and think everyone should check it out. I have a feeling Pirates 3 will take the top box office of the year again although it has tough competition from Spider-Man 3, Transformers, The Simpson's Movie and Die Hard 4. Anyway check it out and let me know what you think.

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/piratesofthecaribbeanatworldsend.html;_ylt=AicQ7q19zFpNmY1VdBDHY5VfVXcA

Future Blogs include; Apple Vs. PC (Which is really better?), My Time in England So Far, and commentary on current news events. So stay tuned!!

Onkar Judge

2007-03-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

This is a contestant on an American Idol type show in the U.K. called X Factor. This guy tries to sing Micheal Jackson's Earth Song. I don't think I need to say anything the video says it all. There is only one judge......Onkar Judge!!

Update

2007-03-09T03:34:00.000-08:00

WOW!!!! I can't believe the last post was in October!!! I always tried to make a point to post at least once a month but I guess I got busy doing other things. I would also like to personally thank all of you who read this blog and were concerned why hadn’t posted in a while. As most of you probably already know I am doing my third year rotations in the U.K. Manchester to be precise, and this has taken most of my time so it has been hard to post.

Things are going well and I am actually in the process of updating my website with some cool new changes, including new movie reviews, more stories from the popular series Gurinder’s True Hollywood Stories & a brand new podcast!! So stay tuned for some cool stuff and please feel free to leave comments people.

-Gurinder

Dateline NBC'S To Catch A Predator

2006-10-07T16:28:00.000-07:00

Only once in a lifetime does a show come along that keeps you riveted to your seat. NBC's To Catch a Predator segment, part of Dateline NBC sets up stings to catch online predators who try and meet underage children. This show has done over 4 stings over the last few years and yielded a smorgasbord of men from every occupation including an actor and prominent San Francsisco physician. The worst part is the men who have been caught on the latter shows have even seen the Dateline segment before.

The most disturbing aspect of those who are caught is the large number of Indians who fall for the trap. You are guaranteed to see at least 4-5 Indians in each sting operation. The first sting even netted a young Sikh man from Riverside, who wears a turban and beard, if you look at the bottom left corner of the pic you can see his mugshot. Others have netted various Indians working in Silicon Valley including some even visiting from India. Indians don't even make up 1% of the U.S. population but make up nearly 40-50% of those caught in these stings. It is a shameful act that an individual would prey on young children under the age of 18, some even have their own children that age. It is shows like this that make laws more stringent on sex offenders.

Although very entertaining this show sends a message to these sex offenders; Dateline is watching. Chris Hansen the host who interviews the individuals caught is the perfect journalist for this segment and makes it laugh out loud funny as he confronts these offenders and interviews them on why they did it, to which most reply, " I wasn't going to do anything, I swear." Next time this show is on make sure you catch it, because someone you know might just end up on it, lol.

Find out more at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10912603/

The Computer Can't Be Wrong, Can It?

2006-09-06T00:36:00.000-07:00

According to this face recognition program it states that I look 53% like Cary Grant. Although I believe the program should say 97.3% we can attribute this mistake to computer error. 53% is not bad though, I was kind of worried it might say I look 100% like the travelocity gnome, lol. Want to see what celebrity you resemble find out here; and let me know who you most resemble. The internet has finally proven its worth.

Fans of Star Trek/Lord of the Rings Rejoice!!

2006-08-31T20:20:00.000-07:00

Only one word comes to mind; BRILLIANT!!!

State of the Nation

2006-08-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

After 9/11 many people wondered if life would ever go back to the way it was before the terrorist attack. Although five years later life might seem to be normal it will never be the same as it once was, the innocence of this country has been lost. Look at going to an airport for instance, never before has traveling been so difficult. You now have to arrive two hours before your flight to make it through security. Security gates are now standard at any public event or sightseeing attraction. Now with the England terrorist plot it has become even worse. Heathrow airport, one of the busiest airports in the world has been in panic every since the attack plot was made public. In addition to previous restrictions you can no longer take any liquids on board the aircraft. Just the other day a plane was delayed because they found an "unidentified liquid" on the plane, that could be anything from a bottle of Aquafina water to a Pepsi bottle. Everyone is now required to remove their shoes and place them through the x-ray machine. I have nothing against these restrictions if it means I can travel safely but why are we so reactive to new developments. Why can't we take more pro-active stances, as the terrorists come up with more plans we should be anticipating these weaknesses in the system? I really wouldn't put it past them to use "snakes on a plane" as the next terror plot. We can not take water on the plane but yet Dell laptops with their exploding batteries are fine.

Dog destroys £40,000 Elvis teddy

2006-08-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

This is one of the funniest news stories I have heard in a very long time. Apparently this poor dog, Barney who incidentally was a guard dog, destroyed a teddy bear exhibit that he was guarding. The exhibit in England even featured a teddy bear that was owned by the king himself, Elvis. Unfortuantely the bear named Mabel was one of Barney's victims. It is astounding how this story went world-wide, the worst part they "interviewed" barney himself. While they were featuring poor Barney, his head was down and he looked very sad. The end result of this fiasco was that Barney was fired and will be sent to a farm (whatever that means, personally I think it is a code name for heaven. Seems there are not too many people out there happy with Barney.) The security personnel were at a loss of words of what "triggered Barney to go beserk." Are these people stupid, HE IS A DOG!!! THIS IS WHAT DOG'S DO!! This is the equivalent of putting a lion in a den with Zebra's and expecting him not to eat the Zebras. The reason I put this in my blog is everytime I think of the story or see Barney on the news it makes me crack up, in fact I am laughing as I write this. The link to the full story is posted below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5240832.stm

Dead Man's Chest

2006-07-08T17:49:00.000-07:00

Captain Jack is Back!! This is the slogan that most movie goers have been familiar with since the advertising blitz began almost a year ago. In the most easily anticipated film this year, Jack Sparrow returns to break more box office records. Normally I post my reviews on my website but it will be a few days before my website is up so I thought I would post it here first. Anyone who knows me, is familiar with what a big fan I am of not only the original movie but also the ride. I was ecstatic when the first movie came out and it became my favorite movie of all time. The question remained when a sequel was announced if it could be better or on par with the original. Pirates of the Caribbean; Dead Man's Chest shatters the notion that sequels can not be good as the originals. Gore Verbinski and Jerry Bruckheimer return crafting a new story that involves a debt that Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) made with Davy Jones (Bill Nighly) and now he has to pay his debt. Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth (Kiera Knightly) return to help Jack find Davy Jones' chest. This movie is the second part of a trilogy that will conclude next summer. This film is near perfect, the cinematography and feel are very similar to the first. Most of the CGI is perfect including a CGI Davy Jones and crew. The only flaw in this film was the CGI work on the "Kraken," Davy Jones' creature that he unleashes on ships. Another change is the score veteran Hans Zimmer takes over for Klaus Badelt adding some subtle additions to the original music. Some people will leave the theatre upset due to the cliffhanger ending but keep in mind this is the second movie in a three part story. All in all this film is a MUST see and I give it an A+. Catch this film you will not be disappointed and remember you heard it here first.

New Update

2006-07-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

Yes yes I know I have not updated my website in a while, but the good news is it should be updated soon. I have been sneaking in time from studying to put the finishes touches on the new content. I am also making a commercial to advertise my site, which will soon be up on YouTube as well as my friendster page. Why do I need a commercial you ask? Because I think it would be cool and funny (anything for laughs). There will be new movie reviews, pics, and a brand-new Gurinder's True Hollywood Stories. So stay tuned web buddies!!!

ARRRR MATEY!!!!

2006-04-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

CAPTAIN JACK SPARROW TO JOIN THE AUDIO-ANIMATRONICS CREW OF DISNEY’S PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN ATTRACTION

A bit of news from the happiest place on Earth. It seems that the characters Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbosa from the films Pirates of the Caribbean and the soon to be released Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest will soon be joining the other pirates at Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Most of you who read this will know this is my favorite ride of all time and Disneyland is my favorite place of all time and I believe this is some exciting news. The film is based on the ride and now the movie is having some influence on the ride. I like the idea that the characters will be woven into the exsiting ride in key scenes that pertain to the films. It will be fun to spot these characters as the film featured key scenes from the ride itself. Pirates of the Caribbean was able to succesfully do what The Haunted Mansion miserably failed to accomplish. The ride with the new additions will be open at Disneyland on June 26th and at Disney World on July 7th just in time for the opening of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest also on July 7th.

The original Pirates of the Caribbean ride opened March 18, 1967, in New Orleans Square at Disneyland in California. The ride features 120 audio-animatronic performers. More information on the ride can be found on the Pirates of the Caribbean DVD.

Culture Vs. Religion

2006-03-27T13:46:00.000-08:00

The other day, a fellow student asked me why I didn't drink and I replied, "Why would I drink?" His direct reply, "Because you're Punjabi," threw me off. What threw me off was not the reply but the fact that it was a white guy said this. It was bad enough that Punjabi's were known as the biggest drinkers in India but now we are the biggest drinkers in the world. How funny that The Sikh religion forbids drinking yet it is a big part of the Punjabi culture. Punjab is a wonderful place and our culture is rooted in our ancestry and the greatness of the people. The only problem is our PR when you see another Indian and you tell them you are Punjabi the first thing they start doing is dancing Bhangra. Bhangra is an important part of our culture but is it really necessary for people to do that, yeah I get it you are down. Most of the cultural significance is just that culture and not to be confused with religion. Most Punjabi’s think it is the same, putting a Khanda on your dhol does not make you religious. I have nothing against Bhangra but teaching it at the Gurudwara only enforces that culture and religion are one in the same. There needs to be a definite line between culture and religion or one day soon you will not be able to tell the difference.

The Reciter

2006-03-16T14:45:00.000-08:00

"Student Recites 8,784 Digits of Pi"

"SALEM, Va. - A high school student Tuesday recited 8,784 digits of Pi — the non-repeating and non-terminating decimal — likely placing him among the top Pi-reciters in the world.
Gaurav Rajav, 15, had hoped to recite 10,790 digits and set a new record in the United States and North America. But he remembered enough to potentially place third in national and North American Pi recitation and 12th in the world."
-Yahoo! News March 15, 2005

Are you kidding me, this kid had that much time on his hands to memorize 8,784 digits!! This is the most craziest thing I have read. Congratulations Gaurav you are a parrot. What kind of parents let their kid sit there and memorize this many numbers, you think there would be better stuff to memorize. Does anyone even care if he can recite 8,784 digits, I doubt it. Here is some advice memorize some books on the SAT, get to college and get a job transcribing numbers you would be great at it.

The End of an Era

2006-03-13T11:40:00.000-08:00

In exactly one month from now I will be finishing my basic sciences. This means the end of classroom teaching, exam periods, and the overall college lifestyle. I am not big on change and after a year and a half, I have gotten used to my lifestyle but alas the tides are changing once again. This means the end of going to friends houses to play ping pong, poker nights, and staying up late talking. The flip side to this is no more exams and no more stress!!! Yes I do realize I have to take the USMLE but I would rather study for one test than take three different exams in one day. I am sure to many of my close friends I have talked about the stress that I went through, but unless you are in medicine you really can't understand. The amount of information you have to know is insane!! I am actually excited to start clinicals because this is something I have been looking forward to my whole life I will actually get to play doctor now, lol. It is a bittersweet end to the hell of basic sciences.

Update

2006-03-08T15:45:00.000-08:00

I havn't forgot about my web site and I will be updatng in the next few days, so stay tuned!

Good Days and Bad

2006-03-08T15:38:00.000-08:00

Have you ever had those days where everything just goes right? Today was one of those days, the day has been going great. The best thing is you know that whatever you do on this day it will go smoothly and according to plan. It makes you think is it just luck or coincidence why this happens. As good as the good days are, the bad days just make you want to get back in bed and pretend the day never happened. These days are just plagued with hang ups and unnecessary obstacles. It seems that before today most of my days were the latter, and it feels refreshing. Let's hope these days continue and things get better.

The jetBlue Experience

2006-02-19T12:42:00.000-08:00

I have never really endorsed any product in my life other than Disneyland, but the first time I flew jetBlue Airways I was blown away!! I first encountered them while traveling from Boston to Long Beach and I was shocked that I could pay so little and get so much. I paid a little over two hundred dollars which is the cheapest price you could probably find. jetBlue's experience begins when you check-in the staff is extremely friendly and they have self check-in which saves an enormous amount of time. When you are onboard you get leather seats with no class system and 36 channels of DirecTV on a screen in front of you. They load from the front and the back of the plane to ensure the plane takes off on time. I recently came home for a week and flew them once more and the service was just as good as or better than the first time. I have flown most of the other national airlines and it is like jetBlue is paying you to fly them. The only drawback to their service is they don't really hit major city airports although you can probably get where you want to go. I recently flew American and not only did I pay almost 70% more they treat you like a second-class citizen. Their planes offer no leg room they charge you for headphones and you have to wait in line for a good hour just to check-in. If this is not bad enough all other airlines reduced their baggage weight from 70lbs to 50lbs, all except jetBlue. I implore you that when you travel you first check out www.jetblue.com. They have my forever seal of approval. Just to be clear, I did NOT get paid for this endorsement although I wish I had.

The TSA

2006-02-09T05:52:00.000-08:00

I will be flying back home on Friday and I dread having to go through the security checks. It seems like everytime I walk into an airport, I feel guilty. There is no reason to feel this way but when you are treated like a suspect after so long that is how you end up feeling this way. I am sure I can anticipate government bugs on my phone after saying this, but the TSA is the biggest bunch of idiots on this Earth. The TSA claims that all of their "agents" get weekly training and "sensitivity" training. After going through multiple airports and seeing hundreds of TSA employees I can safely say the only training they probably get is a video on how to identify brown people. TSA'a website claims that, "A primary goal of TSA is to treat all passengers with courtesy, dignity, and respect during the security screening processes." If this is what they call respect, courtesy, and dignity someone please hand them a dictionary. The best solution to this problem is simply more training on religions and cultures as well as courtesy. Most TSA agents get minimal training before starting work. Yes 9/11 was bad and we need to be more diligent but that does not mean you single out every brown person and treat them all like terrorists. When a brown person enters an airport he/she is guilty before proven innocent.

The Uncle Syndrome

2006-02-06T13:35:00.000-08:00

It is funny, because I clearly remember being 18 graduating high school and entering college. Flash forward to now, I am 27 and I look back wondering how the hell did I get here so quickly. It was not that long ago where I would look at others who were 27 or 28 and think, "man that is old." Now I am at the stage and I am sure there is some punk kid thinking the same thing. I guess I really came to terms of how old I am when a kid called me, "uncle." When did I become an uncle? The next thing I know it will be gramps. Life goes by too quick and it is ever changing, sure there are clear stages as you get older, graduating college, getting married, and having kids but when you finally reach these stages and you look back thinking that the whole time you were racing towards the goal but didnt enjoy the journey. Lesson to you young uns out there stop and enjoy what you are doing you will get to the goal, but enjoy the journey.

Website 2

2006-02-01T10:40:00.000-08:00

Good news, my website is now fully up and running!! Even though it is a year late lol. I will hopefully be updating it monthly but this is school dependent. The USMLE Step 1 is fast approaching and I need to start focusing on that, so pressure has been mounting.

Website

2006-01-31T15:48:00.000-08:00

If you have been to my website you will have noticed a new version, this is the version I have been working on for over a year now. What you are seeing is Gurinder.Com 4.0 or at least nearly that. The site is still having problems and the main pic is not loading, I am looking into the problem and will hopefully have it figured out this week.