The Meaning of Diwakar and Other Names

Yesterday, my uncle, Diwakar Kale, passed away in Pune, India. It was a sad day for RSG. There are many fond memories of D.K., and he meant a lot to me. Diwakar Kaka was a person whom I could call "Light" uncle. His name had a meaning of a person who brings about "Light". Similarly, Divakar means "Sun" in Sanskrit. It may be related to Diwakar. On another note, names have different meanings. The R in RSG stands for Rahul. Rahul is a popular name in India. One of its meanings is "conqueror of all miseries" according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rahul.

Another meaning of Rahul is "as bright as the sun." Rahul is the name uttered by Buddha, and it also means "bondage." If you have not read "Siddhartha" by Herman Hesse, it is a must read. It depicts the real life of Buddha, yet it does not mention the name of Rahul in it. Rahul was the name of Buddha's son. Other well known people with the name of Rahul are Rahul Bose, Rahul Dravid, and Rahul Gandhi.

Watching "The Social Network" & Other Good Flicks

A couple of days ago, RSG saw "the social Network" in a movie theater. It is a great movie about the founding of Facebook. David Fincher did a fantastic job with directing this movie. Let's hope it is a legitimate oscar contender in February 2011. Jesse Eisenberg (see picture above) plays the part of Mark Zuckerburg in the movie. Andrew Garfield does a stupendous job as Eduardo Saverin in the movie. Another incredible movie was "The Town." Three weeks ago, Rahulio saw the Ben Affleck directed movie. Jeremy Renner and Jon Hamm are enemies in this Boston based motion picture. Finally, "Wall Street Money Never Sleeps" is another fall classic starring Shia LaBoeuf and Michael Douglas. It is directed by Academy Award winner Oliver Stone. Wall Street 2 was not as good as the first one, but it brings real events (9/11, bank bailout, etc.) together to tell the story. As for future fall movies, Matt Damon plays a character with a strange gift in "Hereafter." Since Matt Damon is one of my favorite actors, this movie is a must see.

Latest Headlines (Mexican Independence Day, Rafa wins Grand Slam, & celebration for RSG!)

In a few hours, it's Mexican Independence Day. Viva La Mexico! Mexican Independence Day is September 16. Celebrate the day with some Pacifico, and good burritos. In other news, Rafael Nadal completed the career Grand Slam in tennis by winning the US Open tournament. King Rafa beat Novak Djokovic to capture his first US Open title. Rafael Nadal won in 4 sets over the Serbian tennis stud. Novak pulled the shocker of the tournament by derailing the Federer express (aka Roger Federer) in the semifinals in a thrilling five setter. Last but not least, Rafael Nadal has congratulated Rahulio Ganpuleone on celebrating a score, a decade, plus 4 years on the planet. Rafa has asked RSG for some advice, on how he can win the Australian Open in 2011. This is no joke, but the real deal! All Rsg had to say to Rafa was "Vamos Rafa." For future advice that Rafa can ask RSG, stay tuned!

August in Retrospect

August is the eighth month of the calendar. It is a month, which means majestic in the english dictionary . For RSG, August is becoming a beautiful month. On August 18, 2010, Rahulio Ganpuleone went to the John Mayer & Owl City Concert at Cricket Pavilion in Phoenix, AZ. It was incredible to see John Mayer for the 2nd time. RSG had the opportunity to see John M. in 2004 with Maroon 5. That was a great show. But, John M. has become a great musical act over the years. By producing four popular albums in the past decade, John has continued to "say what you mean to say." Owl City did a stupendous job with their blend of synthpop, as an opening act. Their album cover has the august Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai on it. Their song, Umbrella Beach, is a classic melodious track. Before the John Mayer concert, RSG decided to take upon a new identity on the Facebook . The RSG is Rahulio Ganpuleone as of 8-13-2010 on Facebook . So far, people have realized that it is a joke which RSG devised. On another note, rsg has decided that posting status updates on facebook may be cool. But, writing on my weblog may be my own release!

Jetsetting the Western USA

Two weeks ago, RSG was in L.A. visiting friends and family. He had a chance to hit the orange county beaches (Newport Beach and Laguna Beach) as well. It was great to walk around Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. Then, Las Vegas was the next city for Hollywood G. to check out. The view from my room in the mirage was pretty sweet (check the picture). Also, I went to the new Aria hotel and the Mandarin Oriental Hotel as well. Mandarin Oriental Hotel is one of the most expensive hotels on the strip. This trip to Las Vegas was great because of a friend's bachelor party. One of the events of the bachelor party was clubbing at Jet in the Mirage. That was a fun time. In five weeks, Seattle is the next and final stop in the Western USA. Mount Rainier might be a great mountain for me to see. The city of Seattle has not graced RSG's presence since the early '90s. It's been way too long! After Seattle, it's time to think of a new travel destination. Jetsetting is definitely cool!

Great Month in Sports

The past month has been a great one in the world of sports. First, the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title for the 2nd year in a row over the Boston Celtics. Second, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams won the men's and women's singles titles at Wimbledon. Finally, the World Cup has also been fun to watch. The semifinals will start this week with Uruguay vs. Netherlands on July 6, followed by Germany vs. Spain on July 7. Back to the NBA, the Lakers will have Phil Jackson back to coach them for 2010-11 season. The lakeshow won 4 to 3 over Boston in the series. Kobe Bryant was named the Finals MVP for the 2nd year in a row. The Lakers won their 16th NBA championship. Here's a nice picture of the Kobe-Odom tandem.

Being Resilient!

Well, this post is all about the word, "resilient". Resilient means springing back; rebounding. It is used as an adjective. This is the definition from www.dictionary.com. Here's an example of the word in a sentence. My good friend, Primo, has the great trait of being the most resilient of my friends. He displays resilience in many ways through being calm, cool, and having good stress management skills. Resilient is one of my favorite words, because RSG has learned to become flexible through various, tough catastrophes in the past year. Resilience is a two-dimensional construct concerning the exposure of adversity and the positive adjustment outcomes of that adversity, when it is defined in a psychological context. Resilient people are expected to adapt successfully even though they experience risk factors that are against good development. Resilience in psychology is the positive capacity of people to deal with stress and catastrophe. Resilience is also treated as an effective coping mechanism when people are under stress, such as a long period of unemployment. Finally, RSG concludes this post with a picture of Michael J. Fox. He is an inspiration for all of us, since he has Parkinson's Disease. His uncanny ability to cope with the disease for many years is an excellent example of being resilient.