Useless Cool Things to Learn

Back in those days when we were innocent souls eager to learn the tricks and trades of life, our parents said, 'Learn something new every day'. And so we started learning things. Getting past math, organic chemistry or Bangla grammar was no easy task, but after a few years of dedicating ourselves towards enlightenment, we realise that we pretty much wasted our time. Everyone knows how to calculate the circumference of an arc. But how many know how to wolf whistle?

Wolf whistling: As seen in countless movies, this is a special ability that only few can truly master. For the poor souls who still cannot do it, here's how to go about it. Firstly, flatten your tongue against the roof of your mouth, then put both of your index fingers in the mouth to push the tongue upwards and blow. If all you can hear is a weird gurgling noise, you are doing it wrong.

Coin Rolling: The coin goes round and round on the knuckles, no one knows how. To acquire these awe-inspiring skills, first you need to pick a coin. Your choice of coins should be according to your knuckle/ hand size. The coin should move from the top of your thumb on your index finger knuckle, and then onto the other fingers. After it reaches your pinky finger, you would have to pass that under the other fingers, onto your thumb. Make sure to do this fast, cause the world record stands at 40 rolls in a minute. It should be easier if you learn it from the youtube videos.

Jack Sparrow grinning; because he can roll coins between his fingers and you can't

Pen twirling: What was something that the cool kids did sitting on the back seats, is now a sport. In USA, South Korea and Japan, this sport has passionate followers and they invest their time and energy towards creating new tricks. Thumbaround, Fingerpass, Sonic and Charge are the four fundamental tricks, in addition to which there are Shadow, Infinity, Korean thumbspin and Hai Tua. Check out the pen spinning sites like www. penspinning.us or pentrix.com and be hooked.

Origami: Of all the cool skills, origami needs a lot of practice, dedication and more practice. And it yields the most results. Sure it's not easy, but you just see the origami-made-easy books and sites out there, you're mind would be blown. Invest some time in it, and you might find a lifelong passion there.

Air Guitar: This used to be a joke at one time. Now there are contests and people are actually being serious about it. To begin air guitar-ing, first you have to select music, then put one foot ahead of another and pick up your invisible guitar and the guitar pick and start rocking. If you have a natural talent for this, there are world air guitar championships, where they will judge you on quite a few things, including how similar your air-guitar work is to actual guitar play. Good luck.

These skills might not get you past the calculus test or save you from the school bully, but they certainly score bonus points for coolness. And that's what we need most in life, right?

By Orin

WheelsBD Pre-Ramadan Meet

WheelsBD was the pioneer of auto clubs in Dhaka, and was one of the largest and most influential one as well. In recent times though, due to a lack of proper administration, WheelsBD has gone on a reluctant hiatus from the car scene in Dhaka.

On Saturday, 30th July, 2011, a couple of WheelsBD members decided to stage a sort of comeback and organise a WheelsBD meet for the first time in months. With two other clubs in tow, Asphalt Grinders and D.V.R., the loyal WheelsBD members headed to the Bashundhara Convention Center and its adjacent areas at 4 pm for an evening of meet and greet. All the members were requested to attend the meet according to their own availability, as this was a great opportunity for the members to get acquainted with each other.

Over 70 members and 40 cars joined the meet with some high end examples like the Mercedes SLK, BMW 3-series, a 3SGTE engine Toyota Celica, several 4AGE swapped Toyota Corollas, etc. The organisers would like to especially thank some of the members for their enthusiasm and their efforts in trying to revive WheelsBD.com to its former status.

WheelsBD is a website, and not an exclusive club. It invites and welcomes every one and every club to join meets and rallies they arrange. Everyone is encouraged to join and attend the meets regularly. We hope WheelsBD is back to stay.

By Shaer Reaz

Nanotales

Not Alone
The rain obscured the view of the skyline. The bright lights of the office magnified the darkness outside. He turned up the music on his headphones, drowning out the silence, and glanced at the window, looking past the trickling water to her reflection. A few cubicles away, she was frowning at her monitor. Smiling, he bent over the keyboard.

The Rush
Three minutes. He jumped the bike on to the footpath, scattering pedestrians. The packets of piaju and chola jiggled on the handlebars. Two minutes. He hopped down to the main road as the signal went green, cutting in front of a black Pajero. One minute. Weaving in and out between buses and reckless CNGs, he checked the time. Almost home.

The Naked Beggar
The tall, thin man leaned back against the wall - absentmindedly scratching his bare chest - and watched them running home like rats before a flood; the same story on every face. They didn't understand; the rain was cleansing them, body and soul. He smiled at a small balding man, who jumped and walked faster. The world was blind.