Matthew’s Airborne Alone in a Hot Air Balloon

How beautiful the world looks when viewed from a great height! Matthew adores the amazing views and never misses a chance to go hot air ballooning with his father; Lester. One day, Matthew was preparing the balloon for a ride with his father. He was inside the basket, checking on the gas pump of the burner and inflating the balloon. His father was outside, untying the knot that held the balloon anchored to the ground.

In their excitement, they had forgotten that the balloon was short of sand ballast; thrown overboard during the previous trip to gain altitude. Lester tripped over a rock and accidentally let go of the anchoring rope. In the same instance, Matthew releases surges of hot air and the balloon suddenly shot up into the sky.

Matthew said, “Dad, are you ready?” When he got no answer and turned around, he realized that he was already airborne - alone! He looked over the side and saw his father, looking only a few inches tall, waving frantically at him. Matthew brought the balloon over the snow capped mountains, over the rivers, and saw hundreds of wild horses, roaming free. It is getting late, maybe he should go home now.

The ‘Shang Ba’ Embarrassment

Well, when I was in Beijing, I showed the taxi drivers a map to the destination and they kept saying me "Sher-pa, sher-pa." "Shea-pa?" said Baicuige, “It is not Chinese.” I see. “They said ‘shang ba,’" she added. Oh, that could be it. “What does that mean, Baicuige?” I asked her. “It means ‘Get in the taxi,’" explained Baicuige. Oh, my goodness. “Huhu,” I chuckled. “Hehe,” Bai giggles in response. I thought it meant like "go here, go here," since they were pointing to somewhere in the map at the time.

Can you imagine; they must have been quite shocked when I did that to them. You know, a customer pointing to somewhere on the map and saying "shang ba, shang ba." “Hehe,” Bai giggles again. All the time I was saying to the taxi drivers, "Get in the taxi, get in the taxi." They might have thought I was nuts - they must have thought I was a bit looney. I'm so embarressed now. "’Shang ba’ in Chinese script, please” I asked Baicuige. Bai replied, “上吧.” “And what’s ‘Embarassed’ in Chinese?” I asked her. “尴尬, gan ga,” she answered. “谢谢, Baicuige,” I thanked her.

Know the True Meaning of Cleopatra’s Beauty

Unlike some of the modern day artists who can make even Cleopatra look like a circus clown, your make-up person or beauty consultant must know the true meaning of beauty - beauty that can transcend the ages, beauty that is timeless, beauty that can remain in acceptance regardless of the style used. Go for the refined look that rises appropriately to the occasion - the basic principle to aesthetic greatness in a cosmetologist’s hand. This hand for your next beauty makeover is the hand of the beauty student from the Cosmetology school in Ohio, giving you the same definition of beauty eternalized in the story of Cleopatra; the legendary princess of Egypt.

Travel Notes on Cyprus

I was told that in Cyprus, many people speak English. In fact, I think English is the country's first language as it was a previous British Colony. A lot of people there speak Russian too. So, that's an alternative destination for you to learn English instead of going to England. Things are much cheaper in Cyprus too. Clothes and accommodation are at similar prices to Russia, but just the food costs slightly higher, although still far lower from the prices in England. The temperature in Cyprus is usually about 25c so it's quite comfortable there. Summer is 35c to 40c, so you might not want to go there then. Everyone speaks English there. In fact, there are many old English couples who make Cyprus as their retirement nests. The people there are tastefully civilized; nobody will hassle or whistle at your stupendous good looks unlike in Turkey, as I was informed.

Family Fun Entertainment Experience at Home - ‘Chipmunks’ Style

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alvin and the Chipmunks. All opinions are 100% mine.

Alvin’s, Simon’s and Theodore’s big screen debut entitled Alvin and the Chipmunks was a big hit back in 2007. What could have the loyal fans of these three cute and adorable singing chipmunks ask more for, than to have their legendary idols teamed up with three new, equally cute and adorable female singing chipmunks? That’s right; it does not get any better than this! In store for fans in their newest movie sequel called Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009), is the addition of their three new alternate gender characters exacts: Britanny, Jeanette, and Eleanor.

It’s not enough to watch this fun filled sequel at the cinemas though. Rather, sharing the family fun entertainment experience at home with your children comes highly recommended! The good thing is that “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel" is now available on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Download. Furthermore, there is the value-for-money Double DVD Pack that includes "The Squeak Along" Bonus Disc, more music, more mayhem and all-new singalongs - available for purchase online from participating resellers. Think of all the fun your family will have – buy it now!

Here’s something that your kids will love! They can play dress-up with Alvin and Britanny, play chipmunk games, get chipmunk mobile applications, watch chipmunk videos, and get more chipmunk goodies from this site (http://www.munkyourself.com). Today is the day for all kinds of “munk” fun - so let’s “get munked”! For the extra boost of “More Munk Mayhem”, please also visit http://www.foxfamilyflicks.com.

Strength of Materials Video 6: Analysis of Stress 5

This is the sixth video in the Strength of Materials series; Analysis of Stress 5. Explained in this video are understanding the Concept of stresses in a Polar Coordinate System, and the Concept of stresses for axi-symmetric bodies. This video will also recap on the previous lesson. Solution to the exercises of the previous video as well as a new exercise is provided. This video lecture was presented by Professor S.K. Bhattacharyya from Department of Civil Engineering, I.I.T, Kharagpur, India, videos are made available by the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning, a joint venture by Indian institutes of technology & Indian institutes of science. TUNE IN!