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Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Percy Jackson and the Olympians is an American novel written by Rick Riordan. This novel has five parts and is the number one best-selling novel in New York Times.
Percy Jackson is the main protagonist of this novel. This novel is based on the Greek life and Greek mythology. The names of the five parts of this novel are:-
Part 1:- The lightning thief
Part 2:- The Sea of Monsters
Part 3:- The Titan’s Curse
Part 4:- The Battle of Labyrinth
Part 5:- The Last Olympian
Source: Internet
Percy Jackson is described as a half-blood or demigod and a son of the god of water, Poseidon in this novel. Throughout this novel, Percy, along with his two best friends, Annabeth Chase (daughter of Athena, the goddess of Wisdom) and Grover Underwood (a satyr) battle many monsters in order to save Mount Olympus (a holy abode for gods).
In the first part of this novel, Percy is sent to Camp-Half blood (a place where demigods stay) and finds out about his father and his true status. In this part, Zeus (god of sky) accuses Percy for stealing his master lightning bolt and asks him to return it by the Summer Solstice. Percy, along with his two best friends go on a quest to recover Zeus’s lightning bolt. In the end, Percy finds out thief and returns Zeus’s lightning bolt.
In the second part, Percy finds about another son of Poseidon and goes on a quest to save the weakened barrier (a barrier that separates the mortal world and the god world) of Camp-half blood. He, along with his two best friends, go on a quest to find the Golden Fleece in order to save Camp-half blood.
Finally, in the remaining parts, Percy gets to know of many demigods and battles many monsters to save Mount Olympus.
My Burj Khalifa experience
My family and I entered the Burj Khalifa through the Dubai Mall. We followed the directions given on the direction board for the words, “At the Top, Burj Khalifa” to find the lift.
When we reached the elevator area, we saw a sheikh give some explanation about the Burj Khalifa to all the tourists (including us). The sheikh’s explanation did not interest me that time as I was completely interested in seeing the Burj Khalifa and was not interested in listening to anything.
When the sheikh neared towards the end of his explanation, he said, “We’re going to the 144th floor. We’ll go to the remaining floors in a lift from the 144th floor. It takes approximately 66 seconds to get to the 144th floor of the Burj Khalifa. Enjoy!” and told us to get in the elevator. As soon as the sheikh said the “It takes one minute to get to the 144th floor”, a sudden excitement to enjoy this 66 second elevator ride came into me as I walked into the elevator. When the lift door closed, I saw some moving objects or animatory pictures around the lift. I was interested in seeing the floor numbers instead of those animatory effects so I don’t know what those pictures were about. When the lift door opened again, my family and I went through the revolving door to the observation deck and saw the view of Burj-Khalifa.
The view was amazing at that particular moment. I saw the shadow of the Burj-Khalifa, cars going here and there, tons of skyscrapers and many more.
I saw some telescopes kept here and there in the observation deck. When I had looked through the telescope in the observation deck, I felt that the view from the Burj Khalifa had become bigger.
Once we finished seeing the amazing views from the 144th floor, we asked a security guard if we can go till the last floor in the lift. The security guard said that we cannot go in the lift and that we can only go in the stairs. He also said that we have to pay extra additional money if we want to go till the 163rd floor. My mom and dad thought about the extra additional money and decided not to go. After this conversation, we just exited the Burj-Khalifa and went back to the hotel.
This experience was really fun!! I just wish that we had gone till the 163rd floor.
BLACKPINK
BLACKPINK is a South Korean girl group formed by the YG Entertainment (South Korean multinational entertainment agency) consisting of Jisoo, Jennie, Rose and Lisa. This band was originated in Seoul, South Korea on August 8th, 2016.
From left to right: Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé, and Lisa
My favourite songs from this band are:-
How you like that (2021): – This is my most favourite song from BLACKPINK. This song is a very peppy and an amazing song. When I want a distraction from doing some thing else, I listen to this song as this song helps me to rejuvenate and gives me a better focus when I come back to the something else.
I love the way the girls dance in this song. The animated effects from this song really surprises me. When the girls dance in the icy area, it makes me wonder whether we can do amazing and simple dance movements in icy areas without being slipped.
How you like that video song link :- https://youtu.be/ioNng23DkIM
DDU-DU DDU- DU (2O18): – This song is not as good as “How you like that” but it’s still nice. I don’t really enjoy watching the video for this song as the dance movements are almost the same as “How you like that”.
I love to see the red and silky hair of the singer “Rose’” when she sings “think twice because I can’t pretend to be nice like common people don’t be mistaken the easy smile is for me” in Korean.
DDU-DU DDU-DU video song link:- https://youtu.be/IHNzOHi8sJs
Pink Venom (2022):- This song is slightly better than the “DDU-DU DDU-DU” song but it’s not as good as how you like that. I love the rapping of the lines “Black paint and ammo’, got bodies like Rambo Rest in peace, please, light up a candle This the life of a vandal, masked up, and I’m still in CELINE Designer crimes, or it wouldn’t be me, ooh! Diamonds shining, drive in silence, I don’t mind it, I’m riding Flying private side by side with the pilot up in the sky And I’m wyling, styling on them and there’s no chance ‘Cause we got bodies on bodies like this a slow dance” as it’s pretty surprising to hear a person rap such long lines without losing their breath. I also love the dance step for the “Taste that Pink Venom” lyric.
Pink Venom video song link:- https://youtu.be/gQlMMD8auMs
Greek Salad
A Greek salad or Horiatiki salad is a popular and healthy salad in the Greek cuisine. This salad originated in Greece. My mom made the Greek salad two days back.
The ingredients used by my mom are “Olive oil, chunks of tofu, spring onion, red berry tomato, yellow and green capsicum, grated cheddar cheese, cucumber, broccoli, oregano seasoning (primarily basil and pepper), salt and cabbage (she used cabbage because she couldn’t get lettuce from the supermarket)”. This salad can be cooked without fire. My mom sauted the broccoli and cabbage though it’s not necessary.
The benefits of Greek salad are:-
. High on fibre and roughage
. Low cholesterol
. High in Vitamin A, C, Potassium and Iron
. Low Carbohydrates
. Contains phytonutrients and antioxidants
The following additional vegatables that can be included in the salad are, “Red Capsicum, lettuce, black/green olives, lemon juice/vinegar, lettuce and feta cheese (my mom used cheddar cheese)”.
About Burj Khalifa
Burj Khalifa is the world’s tallest skyscraper located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Burj Khalifa was named after Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The height of the Burj Khalifa is about 828 meters from ground level.
The construction of this building was started on 6th January 2004 and was finished on 4th January 2010. In other words, we can say that the Burj Khalifa took about six years and approximately 1,325 days to build. The total construction cost of the Burj Khalifa is around $1.5 billion. The Burj Khalifa was called “Burj Dubai” before it was introduced to the public.
Source: Internet
The Burj Khalifa was architected by Adrian Smith, George J Efasthiou and Marshall Strabala. The contractors of the Burj Khalifa are the Samsung C&T Corporation, Turner Construction, Arabtec Holding PJSC ,Besi and Laing O’Rourke. The owner of the Burj Khalifa is the Emaar Properties.
The construction of Burj Khalifa is important as it marks the international cooperation, a symbolic beacon of progress, and an emblem of the new, dynamic and prosperous Middle East. The Burj Khalifa has around 163 floors, according to Guinness World Records. It takes about 2,909 stairs to get to level 160, and ladders are used for the last three floors.
The Burj Khalifa is a famous tourist attraction. It’s situated in the Burj Park by Emaar. If you want to visit the Burj Khalifa, you must go to the 1 Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Blvd – Downtown Dubai.
Fun Fact:- In one of the scenes of Mission Impossible : 4, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) climbs the Burj Khalifa
Here’s a video clip of the Burj Khalifa scene from Mission Impossible: 4 🙂
Sales and Marketing
Sales refers to the selling of products whereas marketing refers to the advertising of products. Sales and marketing are required to increase the profit or net income. Sales is characterized into two types. They are:-
Inbound Sales: – Inbound sales is when a potential customer reaches out to your business to ask about a product or service
Outbound Sales: – Outbound sales is the result of a sales representative reaching out to a potential customer who has not yet expressed his interest in the product or service.
Here’s an example of sales and marketing in a bakery:-
Just imagine that you’re buying a strawberry cake in a bakery. The baker tells us a variety of ingredients for a good strawberry cake and the different types of cakes available in the bakery. This fascinates the listener and forces him/her to buy more cakes. By doing this, the shopkeeper earns a lot of money. This entire process is called sales.
In some cases, when the baker introduces a new item, he/she will give a sample bite to the customer and ask them to give a feedback. This is another form of sales.
In most bakeries, exhaust fans are fixed outside the bakery. These exhaust fans produce the smell of the food that’s being prepared and attracts the people. This is called marketing.
To market a newly opened bakery, you can stick some posters on the wall, make some videos about the bakery and upload it in the social websites like YouTube and post some articles about the bakery on Google.
Marketing of a product can also be done via “Word of Mouth”. For example:- When someone gets an admission in a newly opened school, he/she will tell their friends/family or relative about the school. The family/relative/friend will tell their close ones and try for an admission in the newly opened school. This is called “Word of mouth” marketing.
Here are some famous sales people in the world 🙂 🙂
Mary Kay Ash: Mary Kay Ash was an American Business Woman born on 12th may, 1918 and died in 22 November 2001. She was the founder of the “Mary Kay Cosmetics”. Mary Kay Cosmetics is a Multi-Level Marketing company. The CEO of this company is “David Holl”. Mary Kay Ash was extremely successful in her business as she trained her salesperson to approach selling as a service.
Dale Carnegie:- Dale Carnegie was an American writer and lecturer born on 24th November 1888 and died in 1 November 1955 best known for the book “How to Win Friends and Influence People”.
Zig Ziglar:- Zig Ziglar was an American author, salesman and motivational speaker born on 6th November 1926 and died in 28 November 2012. Zig Ziglar was the tenth of 12 children. He was the youngest kid in his family. In the year 1931, Zig Ziglar took upon a management position at a Mississippi farm. The most famous book written by Zig Ziglar is the “Secrets of closing the sale”.
Erica Feidner:- Erica Feidner is the most famous piano matchmaker. She is best known for selling more than $41 million in pianos as a Steinway and Sons (musical instrument company) for eight years.
Napoleon Barragan:- Napoleon Barragan is the most successful salesperson who began small and grew into a giant. He was born and brought up in Ecuador and sold soda and beer off the back of a donkey when he moved to Colombia as a teenager.
Steve Jobs:- Steve Jobs was an American businessman born in 1955 and died in 2011. Steve Jobs is best known for the invention of “Mac”.
Check out this website for more information about these famous sales people in the world 🙂
https://pipelinecrm.com/blog/7-famous-salespeople-and-what-we-can-learn-from-them/
My favourite indoor games in the year 2022
My favorite indoor games are “Chess”, “Carom”, “Ludo”, “Business or Monopoly” and “UNO”.
Chess keeps my brain active. I play Chess with my mom and my brother as it helps me think. Chess gives me a small view of a battle field. I often wonder how people fought wars and set up a battle field. Chess gives me an answer to this thought of mine. On the flip side, I never understood why a king in chess moves just one step and moves two steps during Castling. I think the person who created Chess messed up on this part. Otherwise, Chess is a wonderful game!!. Check out this website if you don’t understand the meaning of Castling: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castling
Source: Internet
Carrom is not as good as Chess but it has its own positives. The color combination in carom is amazing! The color red in carom says powerful and fiery as per me. The color white indicates sweetness, kindness and gentleness and the color black indicates darkness and destruction.
Source: Internet
Ludo is a kind of game that depends on luck. I like ludo as I am always lucky.
Source: Internet
Business or Monopoly has helped me with mental math. Business has taught me so many things. It has explained the meaning of buying, selling and mortgaging in an unforgettable way. Business is a kind of game that never ends. You play till the bank becomes short of money. I play Business with my brother when I get bored. Business has given me a clear idea on income and expenses.
Source: Internet
UNO is a card game. I don’t always play UNO but it’s a good game. When you start playing UNO, you’ll never want the game to end.
Source: Internet
My Favourite Songs in the year 2022
I have a lot of favourite songs. My favourite songs are, “Dark Horse” and “Roar”, by Katy Perry, “La Isla Bonita” by Madonna, “Ha, how you like that”, from the BLACKPINK band, “Chola, chola” and “Ponni Nadhi”, from the movie Ponniyin Selvan, “It’s my life”, by Bon Jovi, “It’s a sin”, by the Pet Shop Boys, “Dancing Queen”, by ABBA and finally “Halamathi Habibo”, from the movie Beast.
Katy Perry’s voice modulation in the songs Dark Horse and Roar is pretty good. In the song Roar, I like it when Katy Perry changes her tone or pitch in the middle of the song and when the word “Aphrodite” is sung by Katy Perry in the song Dark Horse, it kind of makes me think of the “Goddess of Love and Beauty”, Aphrodite.
I like the song “La Isla Bonita” due to the lyrics and Madonna’s voice. Madonna’s voice is really good in this song.
The song “Ha, how you like that” is a mix of Korean, Japanese and English. I like this song, it’s particularly different from the songs that I have listened to. The BLACKPINK band is a girl pop band. The BLACKPINK group consists of four ladies – Lisa, Rose, Jennie and Jisoo. This song was released on June 26, 2020. The BLACKPINK group won a MAMA award, for Best Dance Performance in the year 2020 for the “Ha, how you like that” song. Check out this website to get more information on the BLACKPINK band:- https://www.blackpinkmusic.com.
The song “Chola Chola” is sung by Nakul Abhyankar, Sathyaprakash, and V.M. Mahalingam. The movie and the book Ponniyin Selvan is about the Chola dynasty. The words, “Chola, chola” gives me a vivid image of the Chola dynasty in India. The song “Chola Chola” gives a small explanation about the Cholas. I like the song as it is filled with many tongue twisters.
The song “Ponni Nadhi” is sung by A.R. Rahman, A.R. Reihana or Raihanah and Bamba Bakya. “Ponni Nadhi” refers to the river Cauvery. The song “Ponni Nadhi” is sung when Vandiyathevan (a character in the Ponniyin Selvan book and movie) is travelling to the Chola kingdom in his horse. The “Ponni Nadhi” song is quite attractive and gripping so I like this song.
Bon Jovi’s voice in the song “It’s my life” is quite clear in spite of the loud background music. The background music in the song, “It’s my life” has been characterized as pop rock arena rock. I like this song due to its background music.
“It’s a sin” song is almost the same as “It’s my life” song. I like this song as the lyrics are good. The lyrics may seem bad too few people but the rock music in this song overshadows the lyrics.
I don’t have a reason why I like the Dancing Queen song by ABBA.
I like the song “Halamathi Habibo” as Anirudh Ravinchander’s (singer) voice is catchy and the dance is really nice.
If you want to listen to any of these songs, click on the following links 🙂
Dark Horse = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KSOMA3QBU0
Roar = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CevxZvSJLk8
Ha, how you like that = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioNng23DkIM
Chola Chola = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYWe6v2TW14
Ponni Nadhi = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oh5sU8YzF1A
It’s my life = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vx2u5uUu3DE
It’s a sin = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRHetRTOD1Q
Dancing Queen = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s
Halamathi Habibo = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUN5Uf9mObQ
Squash (Sport)
Squash is a sport played by two players in a four walled court with a small, hollow, rubber ball and a racquet. A squash court is shaped like a rectangular box with four vertical walls of different heights. The squash court consists of a front wall, two side walls and a back wall. A squash racquet weighs about 120 or 130 grams.
A squash court features an out of bound line, which is the topmost line on the front wall that runs to the side of the walls, a service line, which is in between the bottommost line and the topmost line and finally a bottom line, which is present above the tin.
A squash court consists of a service box on either side of the court. The service box is usually a place to stand and serve the ball during a match. If the service hits any sidewall before hitting the front wall or touches the red line, it is considered an illegal serve or fault. The middle line or the central area of the court is known as the ‘T’ in squash.
When the palm of your hand faces the direction in which you are hitting the ball, it is called a forehand and a back hand is called when the palm does not face the direction in which you are hitting the ball. A forehand shot is usually hit when the ball is in the right-hand side of the court and a backhand shot is hit when the ball is in the left-hand side of the court. Similarly, volley is a shot played before the ball bounces. In a match, the person who keeps the points is called a referee or an umpire.
Source: Internet
Source: Internet
There are few important terms used in squash during a match. They are: boast, nick, double bounce, let and stroke. We call it boast when the ball touches the side wall and then goes to the front wall. When the ball meets with the intersection of the side wall and the floor, it is called a nick. Double bounce or knot up is when the ball bounces twice. Let is basically a redo. It is called a let when your swing is blocked by your opponent in a match. Finally, a stroke is called when one player gives enough space to the other player to hit the ball but the ball was missed by the other player. In a stroke, the person who swung the racquet and misses the ball doesn’t get a point.
During a Squash match, there is no maximum point. If both the players get 10 points, then the first player to build up a two-point lead wins the match.
Source: Internet
I learn Squash with my brother, Kartik at Smashers 3.0 in Perungudi, Chennai from my coach Mr. Laxman (Jerry) sir. My brother and I learn squash with three other students. Their names are Dharma, Reema and Advitha. Here’s the link to the Smasher’s website: https://smashersportsacademy.com
The most famous squash players in India are Dipika Pallikal, Saurav Ghosal, Joshna Chinappa, Vikram Malhotra, Abhay Singh and Harinder Pal Sandhu.
There are many reasons why Squash is not an olympic sport. One of the main reasons is due to the let and stroke concept. The let and stroke rule in squash is very debatable decision. My coach told me that this is one of the reasons why squash is not an olympic sport.
Princess detective stories: The end (Part 3)
The next day, Catherine, Priscilla and Kelly woke up early and decided to go back to the monument.
Catherine said, “I think we missed something yesterday. I can feel it”.
Priscilla cried, “Umm, guys, I have to say something to you. I –“
Kelly interrupted, “Can you save it for later? We’re kind of in the middle of something.”
Priscilla replied, “No, it is very important. I can’t save it for later”.
Catherine said, “Go ahead”.
Priscilla said, “Yesterday, while we were running out of the monument, I noticed a piece of paper behind the barrel containing the tiara. The paper was emitting some dark smoke”.
Catherine asked, “What?”
“I know that it’s hard to believe but you guys have to believe me”.
Kelly answered, “I believe you. We need to go back to the monument and figure out the reason behind the dark smoke. Come on guys”. Catherine nodded her head and the girls left the palace.
On their way to the monument, Catherine asked, “Hold on, Priscilla, why didn’t you tell us about the paper on our way back to the palace?”
Priscilla replied, “I was scared and nervous so I forgot to tell”. Catherine gave a thumbs up to Priscilla and the girls continued their journey to the monument.
Kelly asked, “How are we going to get past Michelle?”
Priscilla replied, “We’ll see about that”. When the girls reached the monument, they noticed that the security guard, Michelle was waiting eagerly for someone.
Kelly said, “Great, Michelle’s here. I thought she went to run errands”. Catherine and Priscilla looked at her with a ‘what are you blabbering?’ face.
Priscilla asked, “What are we going to do about Michelle?”
Catherine replied, “We’ll just narrate everything that Priscilla told us. We don’t have a choice. We can’t lie to her again. Also, I am pretty sure Michelle will join us in the tiara mystery once we tell her”. Priscilla and Kelly said, “Okay” together and walked towards Michelle.
Michelle turned her head and shouted, “What are you guys doing here? Go back to your palace”.
Catherine said, “Calm down, Michelle!” and narrated the entire story.
Michelle laughed and said, “The dark smoke is not being emitted from the piece of paper, it is from the tiara”. The girls looked at each other surprisingly.
Priscilla asked, “How is that possible? We had a close look at the tiara and we didn’t notice any dark smoke”.
Michelle replied, “You were hypnotized by the spirit of the tiara. You guys regained consciousness in a few minutes and ran out of the monument”.
Kelly asked, “How do you know?”
“Later kiddo”, Michelle spoke sarcastically. “To defeat the spirit of the tiara, you guys need to follow the instructions given in the piece of paper. The instructions given in the paper is written in German. If you guys don’t understand, I will translate it to you guys”.
“You’re from Germany?” Catherine asked excitedly.
“Yes”, Michelle replied. “Now get inside the monument”. The girls nodded their heads and entered the monument. Priscilla took the piece of paper and removed the rubber band. She saw a bunch of words scribbled in German and a tattoo of a girl in the top right corner of the paper.
Priscilla read the paper and told her sisters, “I have no idea what this means. Let’s go to Michelle”. The girls walked towards Michelle and handed the paper.
She translated, “Go to the island of spirits and dip the star-studded tiara into the river of valleys. The tiara will get purified and can cure the sick”.
“Where is the island of spirits”, Priscilla asked.
“It’s in the other end of this town”, Michelle replied.
Catherine cried, “Are you kidding me? It takes about two hours to go to the other end of town by plane. It will take one whole day to reach the other end of town by walk. No offense guys but I think we need to drop this mystery”.
Michelle smiled and said, “None taken. Anyways, I thought about the distance and I have an idea. I am actually a pilot, you know. I know how to fly a plane. We can go to the Jetex company and hire a private jet. The manager of the Jetex Company is my friend”.
Priscilla said, “Alright! Let’s go”. Priscilla grabbed the tiara and left the monument. Michelle and the girls headed to the Jetex Company and narrated the entire story to the manager. The manager became quite interested on hearing the story and decided to give them a plane free of cost. He selected a plane from a set of planes and told Michelle to take good care of the plane. Michelle thanked her friend for being helpful and left the place. The girls and Michelle reached the island in two hours and hopped out of the plane.
Catherine said, “Great! We reached the island. What’s the next part of the instruction?”
Kelly replied, “We need to dip the tiara in the river of valleys”.
Priscilla cried, “There’s the river of valleys!”, as she pointed her finger at a fast-flowing stream. “Come on guys!” The girls walked towards the river of valleys and stared at the river. Priscilla took out the tiara from her pocket and dipped the tiara in the water. As soon as she dipped the tiara in the pool of water and pulled it out, a young girl appeared in front of them.
The girl cried, “Ugh! Michelle, you will pay for it” in German and disappeared into thin air.
Priscilla asked, “What does she mean?”
Michelle replied, “I can’t hide it from you anymore. She is the spirit of the tiara. Her name is Crimson. Crimson and I used to work at a carpenter’s shop. One day, Crimson made a tiara with the help of her father and showed it to me. Oh, I almost forgot, once she made it, she took the help of a magician and wrote a curse related to the tiara on a piece of paper. She also got a tattoo of her face in the piece of paper. The piece of paper is the one that you guys found behind the star-studded tiara. She told me to keep it as a showcase in a monument and keep the piece of paper behind the star-studded tiara. That’s the whole story”.
Catherine said, “Oh! Okay! Anyways, thank you so much! let’s take the tiara back to our kingdom and cure our father!”. The girls smiled and flew back to their kingdom. The girls showed the tiara to their father and their father got cured in an instant. Their father was very happy with his daughters and made them the queens of the kingdom Roseberry
The end.