To have the upper hand at the workplace every professional must make every effort to inculcate the following skills. Apart from knowledge of your work, these tips help you build a personal brand and sell your ideas to beat cut-throat competition among colleagues.

· The most important thing is to know yourself before you enter the office door. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses will help you go a long way. Your strengths and weaknesses will help you deal with the differentiators in the working environment. Once you are aware of your key strengths it’s time to maximise them. You may be good at everything, but at least be a master of one. This will help you grow as a professional who is confident of his or her work.

· Whenever you come across any difficult situation at the office, make sure you overcome it as soon as possible. Know and manage your problems rather than getting frustrate and affecting your productivity. Communicate your problems with friends, family and colleagues. One mantra that can help you work smoothly is the feedback. Always be open to feedback even if it comes in form of criticism. This will in any case help you in personal branding and growing as a professional at your workplace.

Follow the path of a lifelong learner. Every individual is a learner till he dies and so are you. Learn from your mistakes and try to implement things that you have learned from past experiences to give your best shot. Your hard work and uniqueness will definitely make you stand out among your colleagues.

As I was passing by a movie theatre, I saw a group of guys busying buying tickets to see a certain movie about a sparkling vampire who falls in love. That scene brought tears to my eyes. “Where have all the men gone?” I asked myself. So I went to the nearest book store and wouldn’t you know it. The most popular ones were the book versions of the aforementioned movie. Maybe this is the reason why real men are disappearing. Men can’t find good books to read. So I decided to write this blog to let all the guys what kinds of books deserve to be in their library.

Superhero Comic Books

Superhero comic books are very manly. Sure, many say that that plot and the premise do not make sense. But then you will be missing the whole point. Guys don’t read comics for the story; they read it for the sheer awesomeness. Fly through the air, fight a corny, overpowered bad guy and rescue the girl. That’s all we need. If you still don’t get it, remember that boys never grow up, only their toys get bigger.

Graphic Novels

If you can get hold of a graphic novel about superheroes, you will manage to kill two birds with one stone.

A ‘How to Fix Your Car/House’ Book

A man’s house is his castle and a man’s car is his home away from home. Learn to take care of both of them.

A Cook Book

Before you start stoning me, hear me out. Studies show that women are impressed by a man who is good in the kitchen. Why do you think that some of the best cooks in the world are male?

An Autobiography of a Famous Sportsperson

Worship your idol. Buy it and read it and proudly display your choice of sports to other men.

A Big, Fat Book

Put the biggest, fattest and the brainiest book you can get your hands on right at the front. Why? Because it looks classy, that’s why!

These are all that I can think of at the moment. You if feel that there are more types of books that need to be added to the library, let me know in the comments below. You suggestions well be read, mulled over, and may be added to a future blog post.

If you are finding your job boring and monotonous, it’s time for you to get out of your comfort zone and find ways to keep yourself motivated. It is very natural and every one of us, no matter how great our job is, at some point of time must have gone through the slump. There are a few tips that will help you stay motivated at work.

Setting goals

A realistic but, challenging goal is what will help you stay active and set new standards. Always set a goal at least ten percent higher, compared to what you are achieving at the moment.

You Love your Job, Don’t You?

Remind yourself why you are in this office. List down the best things about your job, your achievements, growth and all other things, sometimes even your boss, that will help you perk up. If you seriously cannot find any good stuff, sad, but it’s time to switch to another job.

Take up New Tasks

If you are bored with the same projects always feel free to talk to your boss and initiate to take up new tasks. But always remember, take up responsibilities that you think you can handle and live up to the expectations. Otherwise you will be inviting problems to your table.

Enhance your Knowledge and Skills

If you think you get stuck to often at certain levels, don’t just accept it. Increase your knowledge and skills and be an asset to your company.

Do I Need a Mentor?

It is great to have someone who gives you valuable advice and knowledge that helps in improving your work and knowledge. If you think there are people in your office, who are generous enough to help you out, make them your mentors.

Take a Break

No will to work, or simply you cannot put your efforts to bring quality work, trust me, you need a break. Take a small and refreshing break and ensure you come back with more productivity and quality work.

Writers and technology go hand in hand, starting with the pen and paper all the way till the Gutenberg printing press in the middle ages and the typewriter in the 20^th century. Writers who have the latest devices are considered to be the best in the business.

I though I’ll compile a list of the best gadgets for two reasons:-

a) To help my fellow writers be on top of their game

b) To give Santa Clause a hint this Christmas

1. The LiveScribe E-pen

This handy device digitally records what you write. It also has a microphone so that you can record a lecturer or a speaker. This means you can upload audio and actual content to a computer. It’s great for blogging, planning, and general purpose writing.

2. Netbook/Tablet

A netbook lets you write on the go because you never know when creativity may strike next. If you are into style then buy a tablet and connect it to a keyboard to look cool at the café.

3. Smart Phone

You should have this gadget even if you are not a writer. A smart phone isn’t just cool to have. It will let you check your mail, read you blog, etc. Not to mention the fact that it will also let you make phone calls.

4. E-Reader

It is quite obvious that writers are readers. An e-reader will let you read hundreds of books without the need to build and entire library.

5. Stress Button

Writing, like most other jobs, is a bit stressful. The Stress Button comes with a flip top to enable fantasies of blowing the world apart. It also comes with a USB cable which enables a simulated explosion or create a fake excel file in case your boss shows up.

This is a list of the best gadgets I feel are the best. If you know any more gadgets, feel free to let me know in the comments below.

One of the most prominent aspects of India, after Taj mahal would be Bollywood, if I dare say that. Apart from the celebrities visiting continents and working in other foreign films and some serious cinema, what do we really have to boast about? We spend multi crore dollars on our films but somewhere it still doesn’t come through. Well I’m pointing towards animation, cartoon, action, science fiction and horror films. These movies come to fruition after conjoining technology and creativity.

The Bollywood cartoon flicks doesn’t look like actual characters but hand drawn caricatures, horrific ghosts look more like comedy and animated movies doesn’t quite match up the level. I cannot think of a single movie that managed to evoke “Woaaooo” expression in me. Don’t mistake me for a Bollywood hater but I’m not a lover too. Some of the most valued films that I relate my childhood with are unfortunately Hollywood’s. Worth reminiscing would be: Ice Age, Finding Nemo, Up, Happy Feet, Lion King, Home Alone, Jurassic Park, Die Hard, Transformers, MI, Die hard, Inception and many more.

The question lies not in the aspect of creativity, which we already have in ample amounts here, but in the level of technology. We definitely are growing in terms of experimentation and infusing special effects but there’s a long tread ahead if we wish to produce world class cinema. In a globalised era as today, where information is transferred easily why not move beyond traditional cinema to more innovative styles including 3D.

I admit it. I’m a gamer first and a writer second. I first played a video game when I was 4 years old and I got hooked. Fast forward 18 years and I’m still playing video games whenever I get some free time and I will most probably be playing video games till the end.

During my journey through the virtual world, I have come across a couple of great games which I feel will be a great asset to writers and lovers of the English language.

1. Bookworm

There is only one word which can be used to describe this game, addictive. I installed this game on my mobile a couple of months back. I have scored more than 500,000 points and I’m still going strong. The pick up and play aspect of the game makes it a great game for newbies or n00bs as they are referred to in gaming terms.

2. Typing Of the Dead

What are you going to do when there is a zombie outbreak? Grab a gun? No silly, you grab a keyboard. After all, you are a writer, not a fighter. As the horde of zombies approach, quickly type out the words that you see on the screen to defeat them. What better way to speed up your typing than by threatening you with death.

3. Scribblenauts

The object of this game very simple, you have to make the character collect things called ‘starites’. You can do that by any means necessary, you get a keypad that you use to create items out of thin air. You can use a helicopter, a dinosaur or anything. Your imagination is the limit. The only problem is that it is only available for the Nintendo DS. But there are ways you can get it for the PC.

These are just a handful of the games that you can play to improve your skills as a writer. A quick search will turn out more. Although when it comes to me, I personally prefer the latest version of the Call of Duty franchise, or a long drawn game of Age of Empires with some of my friends.

Good bye to the old shows. It’s the era of reality shows in the Indian television industry, where every possible effort is made to project the reality in the reel life. If you look at the content of these shows, I wonder how many of you will actually call them reality shows; for me they are merely scripted shows to draw attention of the viewers and for raising the TRP’s. If using abusive language and violence is called a reality show then it is far better to switch off the idiot box.

If we look at the past era of Indian television, there were some great shows that certainly had good content for the viewers, especially the sitcoms. I remember my childhood days sitting with the family and watching some great shows that contributed towards clean and wholesome entertainment. The present scenario has some weird concepts that are not even meant to be watched with all the family members, according to the values our Indian culture. The concepts are such that it seems as if the producers of the so called ‘reality shows’ are tampering with the values of our culture and beliefs.

Some of the concepts are so brash and in-your-face that the Indian audience is not even ready to accept them. Do we still call them reality shows and make them a part of our entertainment schedule. In my opinion, reality shows are scripted with zero percent reality. The new set of reality shows presented on the Indian television is not even worth categorising under the reality show genres.

Mulling over what to write, my mind is fiddled with thoughts, so I thought to share some of the most inspiring sayings that I have come across. They have made me laugh, given me strength and taught me the value of knowledge in the most brief encounters. So here it goes:

1. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. —Ambrose Redmoon

2. Work like you don’t need money, love like you’ve never been hurt, and dance like no one’s watching. —Unknown Author

3. Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it. —André Gide

4. When you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about. -Albert Einstein

5. Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed. -Alexander Pope

6. Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. —Will Rogers

7. Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny. —Lao-Tze

8. You must be the change you wish to see in the world. —Gandhi

9. For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

10. Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humor was provided to console him for what he is. —Oscar Wilde

11. I never think of the future. It comes soon enough. -Albert Einstein

12. Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is like expecting an angry bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian. —Unknown Author

What will you do when you are asked to do something that you have never dreamt of even in your wildest dreams? Hide your face, jump with surprise and elation or start sulking? Well, for me it was more reminiscent with the third expression. Oh yes I admit that I am being mean, but that’s the truth – believe it or not! All this time, you were busy in churning out sensible articles (actually horny ones were left for me and also the scholarly ones) and then suddenly, one day you are asked to write a book! I did not open my mouth wide, but I just asked one question – “You want me to write a book?”

Though it was quite surprising that my senior colleague ended up choosing me for the work, but it was a welcome move for me. I have been reading books all my life, but I never thought of writing one of those. Now I know how difficult is the task of jotting down a reader friendly content in a book. Since my childhood days, i was always fascinated by films and the way they were analyzed by a group of intellectual people. Somehow it was irritating to me then, but now I enjoy dissecting each and every film that I see. So, now you are wondering about why am I talking about films and film critics suddenly…? I just wanted to clarify about the fact that I am a film buff, so I would definitely enjoy writing anything and everything about films. However, being a content writer and a human being, it is imperative that I should keep my choices and creative juices flexible enough to fit in to all kinds of content. I am sure you all will agree to this after being annoyed in the first of this write-up!

Now, I was given the mammoth task of writing a book on Balochistan. For people who do not know much about the name, Balochistan is the largest province of Pakistan and sadly the most terrorized region in Pakistan. I need to write one hundred pages for the book. I would definitely like to mention here about the supportive role that my senior colleagues are playing in this mammoth task of mine. Writing a book is definitely way different from writing articles. A book has a specified structure. There are chapters, sub-sections, preface and many other features. My job was made easier with the brief that the client had prepared and sent to us. They were absolutely clear about what they want from the writer and what are the areas that I need to concentrate upon. Now, I have a bad habit of starting the work as soon as I get the brief. However, here I had to take a long breath and decide upon what are the crucial points that I need to incorporate in the book.

The first few chapters of the book were not much difficult to concentrate upon. Problems started cropping up as soon as I reached the ‘SOCIETY’ section of the book. The problem with Balochistan was endless. There were very few positives in the region. However, I had to dig them out as I was asked to do so. The reason – organizations like World Bank, IMF, etc., social agencies like UN, social and political leaders, large corporate & MNCs, potential investors, Research Bodies and organizations, NGOs & Civil societies – these were the group of people who would most probably be banking on the book for their information about Balochistan. I dare write anything negative. However, stating facts was not been barred by the client. Till now, I have tried my best to keep up with the requirements. Rest is all in the hands of my senior colleagues and the client. Sometimes I feel like I was never out of my studies – the feeling is at times awkward, but most of the times it is of elation. I have to admit that it is helping a lot to add to my knowledge bank. So, next time you get to read something about Balochistan in the net, remember me!! J Wish me luck for the rest of the book…

Writers do care about the incorporation of the keywords, but they forget to care for their eyes that are generally affected with Computer Vision Syndrome, commonly known as eye-strain. Staring at your monitor screens can be very strenuous and at the same time affect your performance. There are a few tricks that can help you keep your eyes sparkling and healthy.

Tiny Breaks

It is important that while working on systems for the whole day, you should look away from your screens every half an hour. Just leave your chair and move around for five minutes and feel fresh to come back and continue with your task. This will not only help you from eye-strain, but will also keep your mind refreshed.

Look Away

This small exercise can do wonders for your eyes. When you work on your desktop your eyes tend to get stuck in one focus, therefore it is important that in between your work you should look at an object that is placed at a distance from your seat for ten to fifteen seconds. This will help in maintaining your eyes focusing ability.

Palming

Well known yogic technique that you can practice while sitting on your seats. Just rub your palms till they get warm due to friction and them put them on your eyes for thirty seconds. Remember, not to press your eyes with your palms.

Acupressure

If you have frequent headaches, itching and burning sensation in your eyes then acupressure can help you a lot. Close your eyes and use the tip of your fingers to slowly massage your eyes, inner corners of your eyebrows and orbital bones. Relax, concentrate on the massage, do not have unnecessary thoughts in your mind and you will feel the difference once you open your eyes.

Blinking

Other than your keywords, do remember to blink in order to avoid dry and irritated eyes.