Normally, I’m not a fan of large crowds of people or artificially constructed happiness (i.e. theme parks). There is something about the smell of cheap perfume, cigarettes, and copious fabric softener use combined with the repetitive clash of canned circus music that makes me want to run for the woods screaming after the first hour.

That and I have discovered with age that many theme park rides are just brightly painted torture devices that leave one hanging upside-down, begging for mercy, and promising to give up every state secret if the interrogator/ride operator would just make the ride come to an end.

The kids – and birds – seemed to enjoy themselves.

Understandably, I put off going to them. However, with kids there really is no way to avoid the trips completely, especially during the warmer months, so I made a compromise – we found an amusement park that was (somewhat) lacking…

Oxytocin is the bonding hormone that helps you and your spouse feel bonded together. It has lots of other nice perks, too, like decreasing feelings of pain, reducing anxiety, lowering stress levels, promoting growth and healing, increasing feelings of trust, and stimulating positive interactions.

I read about an interesting study that showed by increasing oxytocin levels with nasal inhalers, participants became 80 percent more generous than the ones who inhaled a placebo. (Read about the study here.) Generosity has been shown in recent studies to be the secret to a strong marriage. It can also lead to increased intimacy, sex and bonding, which leads to higher levels of oxytocin. So, it’s a big, happy cycle.

This oxytocin stuff sound really great, doesn’t it? How can we get more of it? While there has been some talk of medical use of the hormone (in creams, inhalers and pills), there…

Who will win?

1. Bargaining

You are somebody who can bargain until you can get the stuff for free and feel like a king when in Sarojini nagar, Janpath or Palika market. You negotiate with brokers, traffic police, teachers (for the grades), auto drivers, property dealers and SHOPKEEPERS.

Being a Delhi-ite, I sometimes catch myself snatching a Rs. 5 discount when I buy something worth Rs. 20. I feel so small, this discount doesn’t even matter to me but it’s grown in the instinct now. So yes, we might as well end up negotiating with the god of death and earn a year or more to live.

1. Road rage

Fights on the roads or witnessing such things have become a common part of your daily routine. This is a strange place because if someone has hit your car or something, it’s HIS fault. And if YOU hit someone else’s car or something, IT’S…

Power is a very intriguing story of a young Black male who is struggling to end his double life style. Ghost played by Omari Hardwick, is a Wealthy, successful Manhattan nightclub owner by night and a drug kingpin 24/7. Although he is suspected of being a drug dealer, it’s been hard for the FBI and police to pin him down, especially since his name, “Ghost” is renowned but no one has ever seen him, except his wife and a couple of friends. Before he is found out, Ghost who  goes under the name of James St. Patrick wants to dump his ghetto wife, Tasha St. Patrick (Naturi Naughton) and life style upon opening a new night club in California. In the mean while, unbeknownst to Ghost, he’s having an affair with (Lela Loran, played by Angela Valdes) the very FBI agent who has been trying to find out what Ghost…

Ho Hum, it’s pretty much the same story I’ve seen and heard many times before. While Dwayne Johnson makes a fantastic Hercules, he can’t change the redundancy of the story. Hercules is about a strong man or Demigod (which ever tickles your fancy), who’s family was killed while he was drugged by some unknown person. Since he doesn’t know what happened, he can’t defend himself against the accusation that he killed his wife and 3 children in a drunken stupor. In the meanwhile he’s asked to defend villages, towns and nations against armies, thieves, monsters and robbers because of his strength and knowledge. Finally he comes across a situation that encourages him to commit to saving Greece from a ruthless warlord only to find truth and freedom. I really liked Hercules because I really like period pieces. It was done tastefully and was entertaining. The cast was brilliant and well…

Do not chase people