Wordplay

Don't forget to check out the categories on this blog...

2007-05-02T00:28:00.000-07:00

Hey guys

Do feel free to check out the categories above which link to other interesting blogs.

SHREYA GHOSHAL - Dedicated solely to the soulful Shreya Ghoshal...

FOOD FOR THOUGHT - Thoughts for us to ponder, realise, debate or even live by...

MARTIAL ARTS - Dedicated to provide all possible resources on martial arts...

BOLLYWOOD AND KOLLYWOOD MOVIE REVIEWS - Dedicated to provide reviews of the best bollywood and kollywood movies of today...

FREE ONLINE GAMES - That's right play everything for free...

One of my most CLASSIC self-made riddles...

2007-05-01T01:47:00.000-07:00

What can be found in:

molecules but not atoms,
fire but not air,
water but not liquid,
materials but not wood,
houses but not walls,
intestines but not stomach,
teeth but not mouth,
face but not skin,
nose but not nostrils,
eyes but not pupils...

What is it?

Wet riddle

2007-05-01T01:37:00.000-07:00

What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?

Sugary riddle

2007-05-01T01:36:00.000-07:00

If there are three cups of sugar and you take one away, how many do you have?

Warning: This riddle is a lame one.

New born riddle

2007-05-01T01:33:00.000-07:00

Why was John unable to take a photo of his friend with his new born baby?

Warning: This riddle is a lame one.

Killing riddle

2007-05-01T01:31:00.000-07:00

Why wasn't Bertha put in jail after killing dozens of people?

Wordy riddle

2007-05-01T01:29:00.000-07:00

What English word retains the same pronunciation, even after you take away four of its five letters?

Socky riddle

2007-05-01T01:26:00.000-07:00

If a sock drawer has 8 black socks, 6 grey socks, 4 white socks, and 2 green socks, how many socks would have to be pulled out in the dark to be sure that there is a matching pair?

Strange riddle

2007-03-27T05:12:00.000-07:00

Late one evening, a man and a his wife were driving their car at speed down a country road. The car spun of the road and hit a tree. The man decided to seek help at a garage a few miles away.
He made sure that all the windows were wound up and locked all the doors.

When he returned, his wife was dead, and there was someone in the car he had never seen before. No physical damage was done to the car and it was still locked. How did the woman die? Where did the stranger come from?

Leggy riddle

2007-03-27T05:07:00.000-07:00

A horse travels the same distance every day. Oddly, two of its legs travel 30 miles each day and the other two legs travel nearly 31 miles. It would seem that two of the horse's legs must be one mile ahead of the other two legs, but of course this can't be true.

Since the horse is normal, how is this situation possible?

Unusual riddle

2007-03-27T00:41:00.000-07:00

The paragraph below is very unusual. Can you find out what is so unusual about it? In fact, nothing is wrong with it, yet it is unusual though. Why is that so?

John was walking back from a visit down in Branton Hill's manufacturing district on a Saturday night. A busy day's traffic had had its noisy run and with not many folks in sight, his Honour got along without having to stop to grasp a hand, or talk - for a mayor out of City Hall is a shining mark for any politician. Coming to Broadway, a booming bass drum and sounds of singing, told of a small Salvation Army unit carrying on amidst Broadway's night shopping crowds. John, walking towards that group, saw a youg girl, back toward him, just finishing a long, soulful oration...

Writing about writing

2007-02-09T00:15:00.000-08:00

Writers writing about writing may seem to be a highly conceited act. Since I am not reeaaally a writer, or at least I don't claim myself to be one, I guess me giving tips on writing can be taken casually. Preferably with a pinch of salt. I may not have contributed much to the world of print but I do know a thing or two about being a connoisseur for writing. Apart from blogging and writing articles currently, I used to write award winning poems and short stories during my earlier days. Overtime everyone develops a style of doing something; anything. For writing, I know I have a certain style by now, though there is way too much room for polishing up.

The initial stage is the creative process which is something that we do not need to understand. There is nothing to understand because creativity does not have to make sense.

Creativity starts with a feeling. The kind of feeling to do something on an instinct. Artists, just like writers, start off by doing a piece of work randomly. It may not make any sense for a start, but at most times it triggers off a new idea in the artist's mind to create something creative. The same thing happens to writers. Initial works may be shown the path to recycle bins but end up being useful by sparking off something of value in the writer's mind. Probably that is why recycle bins are named as such, to be recycled. Anyway, once we get an idea, we have to grab it quickly, just like grabbing a seat in an extremely crowded bus, and hold on to it in order to use it.

The creative process may seem complex. To ease the complexity we can simply develop the good old habit of reading. Actually not can, but we should read. Unless we read, we can't write. It is as simple as it gets.

The next simple, or maybe not so simple, task is to write frequently. As frequently as possible as much as time permits. Okay that seemed like a redundant statement but you get the point. The more we write the lesser the chances of getting a writer's block. When I mention writer's block, I don't mean getting some column to write in a magazine but I am refering to a mental block in terms of writing. The more we write, the more we learn to write in a fluid manner and develop a style of our own along the way if we have not got one already.

As we continue writing, we will slowly discover our voice. When that happens, we get to know about ourselves better.

Oh and one more thing, of course the nitty gritty details like grammar and spelling errors have to be avoided. That's right, totally avoided. For people like me *ahem*, it has become a habit long ago but that is because I made sure I was conscious of that. Proofreading is of high importance. Proofreading one more time after proofreading is of high recommendation. Most people don't enjoy it but fortunately I do.

Speaking of which, I just got to know some time back that there is actually a job for proofreading alone. Hmm, I am seriously considering it. Anyway, if you find the above useful, try it. If you don't, hmm, try it anyway because there is something to be gained along the way I am sure.

Riddleman is back

2007-02-06T23:52:00.000-08:00

Folks... I am back. This time to answer the riddle raised on Jan 6 for riddle enthusiasts out there. I had mentioned in the riddle that the window and tunneling are the only two options available for escaping. That is the given clue if you had noticed. Hence the solution is to dig the tunnel and pile the dirt into a mound to mount on and escape through the window.

Right I can hardly wait to ask this one. Which English word retains the same pronunciation, even after you take away four of its five letters?

Think about it while I take a break... erm... I mean while I think of more fun stuff to post.

Ann Coulter devours kitten onstage

2007-01-11T23:58:00.000-08:00

(Austin, TX) Author and outspoken right-wing pundit Ann Coulter was greeted with cheers at a speaking engagement at the University of Texas, December 14 2006, after she devoured a live kitten onstage.

Coulter, 45, spoke to a sold-out audience at this particular stop on a tour promoting her new book, "The Joy of My Face." Coulter began with a series of polemical remarks against the newly elected Democratic majority in Congress, after which she led the audience through a Powerpoint presentation on the same subject. At the conclusion of the three slide presentation, a stage hand brought a cardboard box from behind Coulter and placed it at her feet.

Coulter reached into the box and withdrew a tawny kitten, to many fond "oohs" and "ahhs" from the audience. Coulter then raised the kitten above her head and shouted "This is what your spineless liberal Congress will do to your country!" Amidst a crescendo of mingled fear and shock from the onlookers, she lowered the small cat to her mouth and bit into its back. As the kitten struggled in her hands, the conservative pundit rent flesh from its flanks and chewed heartily, mouthing unintelligible words during the act. After approximately two minutes of chewing on the kitten, Coulter let its lifeless body fall to the stage.

Coulter was lauded by a standing ovation and deafening applause from the crowd of four hundred before she exited the stage with the deceased kitten. Marjorie Daniels of Austin commented "Ann's got guts, and she sure knows how to show them! I'm glad I brought my kids with me to see her, she's so inspirational."

Coulter is slated to speak in four Texas locations over the next week, though it is unclear whether she will repeat the act.

"It really shows a lot of courage to do what she did and I admire her for it," stated Amelia Salisbury, a mother of four who attended the speech. Coulter was unavailable for comment. - Agaric

The above story was created purely for mockery purposes and no kitten was harmed during the creation of the story.

With regards to previous riddle...

2007-01-06T22:06:00.000-08:00

I had promised an answer for my last riddle (Dec 10, 2006) and dutifully I should keep it. My apologies for not posting it earlier but hey... I said "stay tuned for the answer" and did not mention "soon" anywhere in that sentence. Haha, okay all right, here it is.

The court jester should reply that he is going to get beheaded. Think about it. If he gets beheaded, his statement becomes true but he should only get beheaded if his statement is false according to the king's conditions. Whereas if he gets hanged, his statement becomes false which must not happen because he ought to be hanged only if his statement is true. Either way there is a problem.

Hence, for the king to avoid himself from getting contradicted and reward the man for his timely wit, the king releases him. There you go.

All right, another riddle (I like doing this).

Imagine being locked up in a cell. There is an unbarred window high up in the cell. Jumping up does not help to reach the window. Tunneling out will take too long a time. Considering that the window and tunneling are the only two options available to escape, how will you go about doing it?

P.G. Wodehouse aka PLUM

2006-12-20T00:12:00.001-08:00

I am smitten by this true blue wordsmith P.G. Wodehouse. He has contributed so much to the world of wordplay. It is no wonder that he still has millions of fans world-wide even though he has been demised for more than 3 decades. Interesting chap... Anyway for more information on PLUM feel free to visit this wikipedia link and oh hey here is a quote from him to last for today (I hope).

"I know I was writing stories when I was five. I don't know what I did before that . . . just loafed, I suppose."

This is a good riddle, I hope...

2006-12-10T02:38:00.000-08:00

The answer to the previous riddle is silence. How easy is that... Haha... Ahem ya that's because I knew it before hand. Now for another.

I made this up, one of my favourite ones.

In ancient India, a man (it's always the man...) was convicted and brought before the king. Now this man is a witty court jester. Wanting to test the jester's wit, the king gave him two options. The convict has to make a statement; any statement. If it is false, he gets beheaded. Whereas if it is true, he gets hanged. What should the man say to save his skin? Sounds like a dilemma? Well of course, like most riddles, there is an answer.

Stay tuned for the answer and try guessing in the mean time.

Court (Jester) Sullivan's first

2006-12-10T02:09:00.000-08:00

Apparently this is Court Sulllivan's favourite article.

In 6th grade, I went out with a girl named Shanna, who had a locker right below me. She was an outgoing blonde who was a little out of my league (at least in 6th grade), and I was a fairly shy blonde who played center field for the Blue Jays on Saturday afternoons (I once made a diving catch, but that's neither here nor there). Shanna and I saw each other at our lockers every day of course, but I was bad at making small talk.

One day, Shanna handed me a note...IN PERSON. It was all folded up in that girly way where it takes longer to unravel the note than it does to read it. The bell for the next class was imminent.
"Here," she said.

I could have sworn my heart was going to jump out of my scrawny chest and hit her in the face, splattering blood all over her mother's makeup. I couldn't think how I would ever be able to clean up the mess and let the incident blow over.

Instead, the only thing that came out of me was, "Oh, ummm.....ok." Then we parted ways for 6th period.

I sat down in that 6th period class, or as I like to call it, the "the time the world shrank to two people," and pondered whether to throw the note away, run out of the school, and move to Sioux Falls, South Dakota in order to avoid seeing her ever again. Then I remembered I had piano practice that afternoon and my mom would kill me if I missed it.

I couldn't imagine what Shanna would have to say to me, but judging from her gentle note-passing approach, and the fact that I had never dropped a book on her head or done anything to really impact her life, I assumed it could only be some sort of secret divulgence.

Slowly, I unfolded the note, awe-inspired by the angle of every crease. "Do you think she planned out how to fold this ahead of time, or is it just a random power girls have to leave just enough paper to tuck the note into itself and close perfectly?" I wasn't good at answering my own questions.

Finally, I reached the core. I felt around for money like an 18 year old opening a birthday card from his father. Okay no, I didn't do that.

I read the letter. It was approximately two paragraphs long and I don't remember exactly what it said. I do remember it started with "Court-" and ended with "[heart], Shanna." In the middle, she basically exposed our awkward "like-tension" around the locker and casually asked me if I wanted to go out with her. As I recall, the tone of her letter could be paraphrased like this:

Court-

I wonder why you don't talk to me more. You are pretty quiet. I like you. I will allow you to go out with me if you want. But if you don't want to, no big deal. I just thought I'd bring up the option.

I look forward to going out with you in the future.

Thanks,
Shanna
The Girl in Charge, Whitesburg Middle School

After taking the bathroom pass three times that period to vomit up the nervousness of the quickly-approaching "next locker encounter," I decided I had no choice but to go out with her. Who was I to turn down a blooming hottie?

The bell rang. Slowly, I made my way to my locker. Suddenly, it wasn't just a place to get books for the next class, it was a giddy, nervous, emotional bubble. Our lockers may as well have been one entity.

I got to our locker first and took my time gathering and replacing a few books, not wanting to miss her and prolong the encounter overnight. She still wasn't there. "Maybe she'll never come back," I thought. "That's it. That's perfect. I know she likes me, and that's enough for me. No awkward hello's, first kiss bumbles, or after-dinner conversations about English homework. Just me and this note, proving everything to all my friends!"

"Hey Court."

Damn.

"Oh...hey Shanna."

"Did you read my note?"

"Yeah ummm, I did. Uhh, sounds good to me." My voice was cracking on impact with the air.

"So you wanna go out?"

"Yeah...definitely." I had no idea what I was saying. Definitely?!

"Ok cool, well, I guess I'll see you after 7th period."

"Yeah ok."

"Bye."

"Bye."

I had never gone out with anyone before. Save for an even more awkward love note given to me in 3rd grade, I had never even heard a girl acknowledge these type of feelings for me before. (See how I used the word acknowledge, as if a lot of girls DID have feelings for me, but never expressed them? Yeah, that's just my ego kicking in for a ninth inning save here.) "What the hell do people do when they go out? Where would we ever have alone time? I was lost.

The answer was simple: I had to write her back. So it was, that my first girlfriend became a penpal, interrupted only by awkward "we should probably be expressing like for each other" conversations in between periods during school.

Eventually, she wrote me saying I didn't talk enough, and she wanted to stop going out (I don't think it was called breaking up back then). Besides, she really liked my best friend. Oh, and by the way, could I try to see if he liked her back?

Oh, had she just used me to get closer to my best friend? Had our relationship meant NOTHING?!?! WHAT ABOUT ALL THAT INK I SPILLED FOR YOU!!! DON'T YOU KNOW PAPER COSTS $2 AT THE SUPPLY STORE?!

So that's the story of me and my first girlfriend. Sad? Well, true at least.

Ten years later, my mom and I took our cat in to the vet in my hometown (Huntsville, AL). The vet assistant came out and I recognized her immediately. It was Lisa, my girlfriend from 11th grade. No stupid! That wouldn't make sense for the story. It was Shanna, duh.

She led us back to a room without a hesitation in her eye. I knew it. She didn't recognize me but I couldn't help feeling nostalgic. I had to say something to her, right? I mean, there's no pride to be lost over a 6th grade relationship anyway. (Is there?)

I asked her if she remembered me. Right in front of my mom. Her eyes squinted with faint familiarity. But she obviously needed help. I told her my name and that we used to know each other in middle school. "OHH," she said, followed by some irrelevant proof she wasn't lying.

I studied her reaction for any sign she had taken the bait. Would she know "what I was really talking about?"

"Yeeeah," she said carefully, as if still processing her childhood.

Then it came: a slow, twinkly-eyed smile of understanding that grew conspicuously larger and slyer over a period of 10 seconds. For those 10 seconds, we must have shared 25 notes worth of unspoken thoughts.

It was an unusual moment. Both of us were actually able to look back and acknowledge our silly schoolboy/schoolgirl flirtation openly, knowing we had obviously grown into different and uncompatible people. But still, it felt really good...in that forever young sort of way (not that I'm really old enough to use that term yet).

Then it made me think, which encounters today will I reflect on in 10 years?

Well, whoever they're of, I hope I won't be telling you about our awkward first dates at her locker after 6th period.

Riddle for today

2006-12-08T05:04:00.000-08:00

Answer to the previous riddle is nothing. That's right, nothing, haha. Ready for another?

What is so fragile that when we say its name we break it?

Stay tuned for the answer.

Lay the worth of wordplay

2006-12-05T21:14:00.000-08:00

From the creator of Hop aboard on my abode...

We now have a new blog specially for wordplay...

Coming to computers near you...

Yes that's right, I am planning to put up creative writing, random jokes, riddles, poems etc all right here. Also, do check out the categories listed on top. Let me know if you have any suggestions and ahem here is the riddle for today.

More powerful than God
More evil than devil
The poor have it
The rich need it
If we eat it, we will die
What is it?

Hint: Pay attention to the 5th line.

Stay tuned for the answer.