Having an elder brother can be Awesome!!

The relationship between siblings is by far the coolest relationship ever. Besides being more flexible, there is less drama and hell lot of fun. Fights, patch ups, support, care and a lifelong unconditional bond of trust- it has all the best things. Having an elder brother feels great I must say. It's like having a 24x7 customer support guy at your service, always available for your absurd queries, career advice, emergency money lending or any other big or small issue.

The peculiar species called "big brother" or "bade bhaiya" is actually a hybrid between your father and own self. They are protective and corrective like your dad but crazy and prone to errors like you. So, they will always guide you through tough times, prepare you for what is coming but will also be the best hangout buddies too. Your relationship with your elder brother changes gradually with age. During the first 10-15 years of life with them is full of fighting, running around, biting, scratching, complaining and stealing chocolates. But as you grow up it all becomes casual and brothers become the most important support that can ever be. Not that fighting, running around, biting, scratching, complaining and stealing chocolates stops, but yes, it all becomes less personal and more fun.  

They teach you the secret tricks for survival in the world; having been faced their own set of challenges without much support from anyone they are full of strength and experience. They will help you to choose the right path, warn you about the pitfalls and appreciate your small achievements. You become stronger growing up with them and the bloody sibling fights prepare you to easily beat up anyone. They are awesome secret keepers, only if you hold on to your end of bargain which can be anything they want or any of their own secrets. If you try to double cross them they will surely take revenge in some way or the other coz they are smarter. 

Anyone reading this, having an elder brother might be recalling those vivid childhood memories like old vines playing in the head. I have some vines too. I remember the time when my brother used to come to my school to pick me up when it was raining heavily and all the roads were flooded. I remember him making maggi for me, giving me extra in the beginning knowing I wouldn't be able to finish it and and would give him more than half from my plate at the end. I remember the fights, exaggerated complains to mom to get me in trouble, those endless carrier discussions with him acting as "Arnab Goswami" and me as "Meenakshi Lekhi". ("What did you say?", "Please answer the question, you are not answering my question.") :D    

So, love him, fight with him, abuse him, but you surely can't ignore him. He has many names- your guiding light, protective shield or emergency fixed deposit. 

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"He is the hero a sister deserves, but not the one she needs right now. So, she will fight with him. Because he is not her hero. He is a silent guardian, a watchful protector. Bhaiya!" 

(Batman lovers will kill me after reading this :D )

10 Reasons Bookworms should be Shot !!

These creatures are fearless, deadly and stubborn. They are always around you, aware of your every step but hypnotized and captured by books. They won't let it go, even if there is a situation of higher importance. They can be found lying around in bizarre body postures reading endlessly. Book to bookworms is like alcohol to a drunkard. Such creatures can make your life miserable by doing nothing but reading. 

These are some reasons why such maniacs can be shot:

1) They are lazy and obstinate. Let alone working, they won't even move their leg from above the table for you to pass. Do not expect them to get groceries, get the air conditioner repaired or even answer a phone call.  

2) All their senses except eyes are cut off from the real world. Their eyes fixed on the book and mind floating in the fictional world created by picturizing the text, they will never   hear you call or scream. If you are in grave danger never call them, they might not even look up from their book. You keep jabbing about all you miseries and they will reflect it like mirror.

3) Being lazy makes it impossible for them to get up and take a bath. They are unaware of their smelly clothes and messed surroundings in the course of completing their read.

4) Having read a lot, they turn into one of the most dangerous species or breed that existed on the earth, Grammar Nazis. They nag you constantly on small grammatical mistakes and never let anything slide by without correcting.

5) Obsessive readers always leave nothing for others. You might be searching for a book to     start for ages, but alas! that bookworm would issue or borrow that book first.

6) They are over-protective about their books; beware if you dare to borrow their books. They will lecture you with the strict do's and don’ts, and will know even if a single page           has an extra crease.

7) During your conversations with a third person they just can't control their urge to share relevant bookish examples from literature or history and make you look like an illiterate       jerk.

8) They are horrible weekend partners. Buried in their books, they don't wish to go out for a movie or shopping. Weekend is the best time for them to read uninterrupted, forget food they just get up when the nature calls them.

9) They carry their book around, living room, bathroom, bus, train and office everywhere. It is annoying for people around them to see them always reading.

10) They are social loners by choice, they like to be alone and if you try to give them company you end up outraging them.

The Inherent Irony of Everything

“Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.”

"What an irony!", we often say when the apparent happening is somewhat opposite to the expected situation. There is a complexity of emotions, a contradiction of expected results when this thought strikes our mind. Sometimes hilarious but often heart breaking; ironies surround us everywhere, what is required - an observant eye to perceive it. 

People who are extremely cautious and re-check their steps frequently are always bed-ridden, usually end up forgetting something. While there are those who take the leap of faith, decide once, look around and jump off the cliff, bothering least about the consequences. Such kind of people often achieve what they desire without a scratch, while the onlookers stare with their jaws dropped, amazed on the irony of the situation and cursing their cowardice. 

One of the most fascinating form of irony is our own self. We are "something" inside, with our fears, desires, regrets, insecurities, expectations, guilts and incompetencies. But what we project to the outside world? We project what we "wish" to be. We even guide people around us to handle situations we ourselves could never face if subjected to. For example, people who could not get through the IIT-JEE exam after all their attempts, guarantee your kid's admission in the top college regardless of the kid's own caliber or interest. 

In literature or even while talking generally, irony is used to add fun to the conversation or explain something which is contrary to general expectation. It is fun to humor your friends by hurling random ironic statements like "The most silent place to study at my university is the cafeteria and not the library or the study room?" Being a part of speech used on a regular basis, ironies are familiar to many of us. Of course, we never look into whether the usage is correct or not. Found a website http://www.isitironic.com/ where we can actually check whether our usage of irony is correct or not. This website is entertaining and enlightening at the same time. Readers will cast their own vote – you can see the percentages of the votes – and the website will provide the final yes or no verdict.

Some of the best entries from this website are mentioned:

• Is it ironic that the creative process (for writing) actually kills my creativity?...

83% ironic 17% not ironic

• The most silent place to study at my university is the cafeteria and not the library or the study room?...

75% ironic 25% not ironic

• My school email system marks as spam, email that is sent from the school itself?...

89% ironic 11% not ironic  

• After Christmas a person who hates Christmas time says "Thank God" when it is over....

75% ironic 25% not ironic

• Having noted that most people do not understand the meaning of irony, we now have a crowd-sourced website that uses majority rule voting to decide what is and is not ironic....

83% ironic 17% not ironic

• The bank charges you extra money for not having enough money in your account?...

86% ironic 14% not ironic  

• I posted a generalized statement on Facebook about being disappointed in people's behavior and the person I am aiming it at unknowingly likes my post?...

83% ironic 17% not ironic

• I said "I made a typo" and then misspelled typo?

86% ironic 14% not ironic  

• I took the advice from the Charlie Chaplin song, "smile", with the lyric: "smile even though your heart is breaking"...  which I did at a funeral. I was kicked out the funeral because people thought I was happy the deceased was dead. And because of the lyric: "smile through your fear", I smiled at a scary man who was growling at me and he punched me because he thought I was disrespecting him....

90% ironic 10% not ironic 

• Benedict Cumberbatch, who narrated a documentary where he mispronounced the word "penguins" numerous times, starred in the "Madagascar" spin-off film "Penguins" of Madagascar!!...

78% ironic 22% not ironic

So, irony comes from contradiction between the apparent and traditional. I am an engineering graduate in electronics and communication branch, currently working in a software company, writing a general humor blog with a defective mobile phone. 

(Those who think it is ironic, please explain those who didn't get it) :P 

Image Source : www.boredpanda.com