Summer is well and truly upon us, and it's the perfect time to whip out those comfortable cotton clothes to beat the vicious heat. With that in mind, here are some cool facts about cotton that we bet you didn't know.


Fact One: Tiny cotton seeds are a lot more durable than you think. They can actually survive even if they are blown across the ocean, which means they can travel for thousands of miles and still remain viable.


Fact Two: Cotton belongs to the Gossypium genus of plants. This makes it a relative of other popular plants like hibiscus, okra, and even swamp mallow!


Fact Three: Cotton has been cultivated for over 5,000 years across the world (including in India). Despite the geographic divide between cotton farmers, the crop has been cleaned, prepared, spun and weaved in the same manner everywhere


Fact Four: The name cotton comes from the Arabic word "Qutn," which means fancy. Cotton was also once known as vegetable wool!


Fact Five: Until the Industrial Revolution--when methods to maintain color consistency were developed--cotton was actually grown in assorted colors. These included brown, rust and light purple.

Fact Six: The immature cotton flower bud is called a square.


Fact Seven: While we can't get enough of cotton-based clothes in summers, this amazing fiber is used as padding in furniture and automobiles as well. It's also used in plastics, lacquers, smokeless powder for munitions, feed for cattle, cottonseed oil, yarn, cloth, cordage, etc.


Fact Eight: Cotton is one of the key raw materials to make Khadi--the fabric that was at the heart of Mahatma Gandhi's Freedom Movement. Khadi may also include silk and wool, which is why it is cool in summers and it also provides warmth in winters.


Fact Nine: As well all know, jeans are made of blended cotton. The term "Jean" is a French name that comes from sailors of Genoa, who wore the cloth. These sailors were called "genes!"


Fact Ten: Park Avenue has come up with a revolutionary method to reduce pilling of cotton, which happens due to regular machine washing. This method is called Bio Wash, which is an eco-friendly way of treating garments, and it smooths out the surface of the cotton, thereby ensuring it remains flat and does not cause any friction with the skin.

Park Avenue has employed this amazing technique while creating their latest line of innerwear, which you can check out here.

As Guylife turns 1, here's another contest we're bringing you to mark the occasion. Stay tuned to our site, Facebook page, and Twitter account to make sure you're among the first to hear about others!

Our friends at Body Balance have given us 10 wristbands worth Rs. 900 each. These wristbands don't just look cool--members of the Punjab Kings XI IPL team have been wearing these to enhance performance as well! And a whole bunch of celebrities, from Katrina Kaif to Sanjay Dutt and Yuvraj Singh have been spotted wearing them too. Check out a complete list of celebrities seen wearing the wristbands here. 

Entering to win one of these is as simple as sending us a Tweet!

It's that time again. The time when athletes tie their shoelaces, high jumpers stretch and shake off their nerves, cross country runners begin to warm up and the finest sportsmen around the world gather under one roof to take part in the Olympic Games. Just last Thursday (on the 10th of May) the Olympic flame was lit in Greece after the usual traditional ceremony. This got us to wondering where the whole ceremony originated. We poked around a bit and here's what we found out.

The Olympic Torch (or Flame) is a symbol of the Olympic Games. It originated--like the Olympics itself--in ancient Greece and it commemorates the theft of fire from the Greek God Zeus by Prometheus. These ancient Greeks believed that fire possessed a sacred quality and it was given to humankind by Prometheus. Mirrors were thus used to ignite the flames that perpetually burned in front of Greek temples. Their ancient ritual also included a torch relay, but this was never an actual part of the games. 

In 1928, this tradition was rekindled at the games, and the practice has continued ever since. Today, the Greeks light the torch in front of the ruins of the Temple of Hera in Olympia and it is meant to symbolize the connection between the ancient games and today's modern ones. As such, it has become a huge part of Greek tradition and culture as far as the Olympics are concerned. 

After World War II, the idea of a torch relay returned to the 1948 Olympic Games in the spirit of reconnecting countries across the globe. Every year the torch has become just a little bit fancier as host countries of the Games attempt to outdo each other. These days, it runs on gas fuel, which ensures its resistance to wind. 

The 2004 relay was especially spectacular because aside from starting and ending in Greece, it was also the first time the flame was carried to every continent. It crossed 34 cities and 27 countries. The flame travelled by plane when necessary, but within cities it was only relayed on foot!

It's also been at the center of major controversy despite the fact that being a torch-bearer is considered an extremely honorable position. In 2009, protests by human rights groups disrupted the torch progression as Parisian protesters managed to extinguish it. Many were arrested after a scuffle. 

While the tradition remains strong, many critics feel that the spirit of the torch relay has been completely lost. The only reason it survives is because of commercial interests, while the promotion of greater interchange between countries has disappeared. Considering the aim was such a beautiful and necessary one, perhaps, we should attempt to find that collaborative spirit again before this year's Olympics kick off!


-Pictures courtesy Reuters-

As we enter the business end of the IPL, we bring you a series of posts in which we review each IPL team’s uniform. The good, the bad, and the ugly--VJ Andy and Guylife’s own Harsh Kalan have a no-holds-barred, no-detail-left-uncovered look at this season’s IPL team uniforms.

VJ Andy: You probably know VJ Andy from his wildly successful Channel V shows like Dare to Date, Date My Folks, U R Fired, Get Gorgeous, among several others. What you probably don’t know is that he also has a fashion/costume design background, with credits for work on films including Tashan, Bachna E Haseeno and Ghajini.

He has also worked for some of India’s top designers, including Suneet Varma, JJ Valaya, Rahul Gandhi, and Rohit Sharma. You can connect with this multi-talented youth icon (he started his career as a choreographer!) at @iamVJAndy and on Facebook.  

Harsh Kalan: Harsh Kalan is a writer and freelance graphic designer based in Mumbai. Along with writing for Guylife, he has been designing logos and identities for a gamut of brands for several years. He is, however, most passionate about sports, and follows the IPL avidly--both for work and fun. You can connect with him on Twitter at @harshkalan

Harsh: The basic look of the Chennai Super Kings hasn’t really changed over the years. In fact the only thing that has changed in this uniform is the placement/replacement/addition of sponsors’ logos. While it looked quite jarring in the beginning, by now cricket fans have learned to accept this rather loud uniform.

But the gaudy color apart, the core jersey and trousers have a decent design. With a screen-printed lion on the gut, and a few orange and blue stripes and panels here and there, this uniform comes together pretty well. 

Name And Number: The CSK player id is printed in a variation of navy-blue. This contrasts with the yellow jersey, making the player name and number easy to read. Good job with that one!

Helmet: The yellow dome has become a trademark of sorts when it comes to winning the IPL. While it adds another monocolored element to an outfit that begs for contrast (save for the name and number), it’s one of those things that we have now gotten used to! And so it has now become irreplaceable--that is until a sponsor decides they need a contrasting helmet for their logo to shine through. Oh and this year the helmet has a cool (not!) ‘USHA Fans’ logo on the batsman’s leading side (the side that is facing the bowler, ergo TV cameras, when the batter is on strike). Other than that, there’s an ‘Aircel’ sticker on the back.

Cap: It’s a bland yellow cap with ‘USHA’ written on the leading side,’ Aircel’ on the back and the CSK logo in front. While I love understated caps, I have to say a plain yellow cap begs for some additional contrasting elements. How about a dash of navy blue and a hint of orange (as is the case with the jersey)?

Pads: The pads add to the yellow overdose. Ideally, the makers of this uniform should have gone with contrasting trousers to complement the yellow jersey, yellow helmet and the yellow pads. Well they didn’t, and what we have is a complete jalebi effect now!

Miscellaneous: The primary sponsor, ‘Aircel’ has been with CSK since IPL 2008, and their colors--blue and red--go well with the stripes and panels on this uni. Even the rest of the sponsors somehow manage to blend into this uniform. This is mostly because of the fact that the largely open yellow white space on the CSK jersey could use a few extra elements. And also because sponsors’ logos on this jersey don’t look like stickers that have been slapped on at the last minute! 

Of course, this in no way justifies what I like to call the secondary sponsor or the sponsor above the name and number on the back; which in this case is India Cements. Then again, all teams in the IPL have slowly adopted this template, and sport secondary sponsors where ideally there should be a player’s name.

Key Change: The uni-obsessed lot might have noticed a small, yet vital, change in the CSK look this year. I am, of course, referring to the lack of ‘Reebok’ branding on their threads. This is surprising considering that the sportswear giant is very much a sponsor of this team. Reebok has made way for ‘Life Ok’ on the back arm (the one which is not the leading arm!) of the jersey. There’s also no mention of the brand on the trousers anymore. 

VJ Andy: C' est Terrible! Honestly, any clinical fashion monkey could have designed a better uniform with their eyes closed. To make matters worse, two different shades of yellow have been used for the jersey and the bottoms (at least that’s how it looks). 

All in all, the uniform has a very monotonous ring to it. The arrows and stripes help draw attention to a major problem area--the bellies--and the oddly fitting pants stirs up images of bad 70’s fashion, especially the unflattering polyester fabric. Perhaps NASA should consider using this colour though, since you can definitely see this team from outer space!


Guylife Rating: 5/10

Check out this talented and kinky hottie who's bound to have a whole host of Indian fans after this post!

It’s hard to believe that Guylife has been around for a year. It seems like only last week that the call came from on high that we were “going live” on a certain date about 365 days ago. What followed was a week of scrambling, some hectic co-ordination between our editorial, tech, design, and product teams, and finally, we hit the “on” switch late one Friday evening.

And then...nothing. Till the next week, at least, when our links began to be promoted on Indiatimes.com and the world became aware that we existed. And then, like a flood, the traffic roared in. That May brought with it a series of firsts: our first Facebook “like,” our first Twitter retweet, our first post to hit 10,000, 50,000, and 100,000--and then even 200,000--views, our first comment spam, our first feedback, our first “you suck.”

Through it all, we learned. A little about ourselves, about the people we worked with, but most importantly about you: the reader. We learned about what you liked reading about, what you liked sharing, and how far we could push the limits of inappropriate humour before we precipitated a flood of “that’s in poor taste” comments.

We learned that you, obviously, love scantily-clad women. And cricket--you guys really like your cricket. But you also surprised us with the other things you were interested in: liquor, web-friendly biographies, Formula 1, food--and as soon as we figured that you wanted it, we make sure to bring you more of the same.

So from all of us here at Guylife: Harsh, Mandovi, Prashant, Ruchira, Mukesh, JD, and everyone else who’s had a hand in this incredibly busy, entertaining, and fun year, thank you.

p.s Watch this space; from tomorrow onwards, we’re going to bring you a week-long series of one-day contests. T-shirts, innerwear, ice-cream, movie merchandise, and much more--all up for grabs. Make sure you've liked us on Facebook and are following us on Twitter to get contest details as soon as we publish them.

The afternoon of May 13, 2012 will go down in the annals of English football as one of the most historic ones ever. That was the day when the natural order of the English Premier League was officially upset. After playing in the shadow of their big brother for decades on end, the neo-riche upstarts finally edged out their crosstown rivals at the last minute--quite literally!

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know we're talking about Manchester City's 94th-minute win over QPR that ensured Manchester United didn't have the last laugh this season.

In a league where each team plays a total of 38 matches, the odds of two bitter rivals ending up with the exact same number of points--that too on the top of the table--are miniscule to say the least! However, that is exactly what happened in the EPL this year, as City and United ended up with 89 points apiece; City edged out Utd on account of their superior goal difference.


Epic Afternoon

Heading into their final game of the season--which was at 2:00 pm on May 13--both Man City and Man Utd knew a win was the bare minimum. The Red Devils, who squared off against Sunderland, played clinical football, and with the help of a Wayne Rooney strike went 1-0 up in the 20th minute. Despite their dominating possession of the ball, United had to make their peace with that scoreline.

Meanwhile, in Manchester, the Blues had their hands full with the Queens Park Rangers--a club that barely escaped relegation. After Pablo Zabaleta struck first for City in the 39th minute, the still-dangerous Djibril Cissé drew level for the Rangers. Thereafter, it was a mad scramble as the Blues dominated possession, but didn't have much to show for it.

In one such moment of madness, Jamie Mackie got enough space in the box to drill in an amazing header to put QPR a goal up. Down 2-1 in the 66th minute, Sergio Mancini's men were under tremendous pressure, whereas Alex Ferguson and co. knew that calm, possession football would bring home their 20th EPL title.

The next 24 minutes played out no differently for City as they desperately tried to convert half-chances into title-winners. And with stoppage time upon them, a win seemed improbable--remember, a tie would not help their cause as United would win outright even then!


Overtime Surprise

While United fans were stocking up on confetti, there was still a matter of City playing out the prolonged stoppage time. The Blues needed their big guns to fire one last time after what had been a fantastic season for them. And sure enough, Edin Dzeko, the club's second-highest scorer in the EPL this year, headed in a corner in the 92nd minute to give his team some hope.

However, a draw was just as bad as a loss here, and City still needed something from their very best. Lo and behold, as in the 94th minute Sergio Agüero--City's highest goal-scorer--kicked in what will go down as the biggest goal of his career and in his club's history! City pulled off a heist against Queens Park and their victims were the Red Devils!


Deserving Champs

In our opinion, this was City's title to lose, and we're really glad they didn't. Thanks to a few slip-ups towards the end, Manchester United were looking set to win another piece of silverware for their overflowing trophy cabinet. Given Alex Ferguson's experience and leadership, we had all but written off a City comeback.

However, over the last month or so, the Blues have bounced back brilliantly to get back into contention. In the process, they even registered a 1-0 win over United a couple of weeks ago--to add to their 6-1 drubbing of the Red Devils at Old Trafford.

As a result, it would have been a bitter pill for City to swallow if they were to lose the title to a team they've completely dominated. So while the last-minute title win might have come against a weaker side, it still marks a perfect end to a perfect season for a club that deserved the biggest prize in English football.

Here's a video of the match's highlights (the sound quality is terrible, so you're better off without it):




-Picture courtesy Reuters-

Dennis Rodman’s Tattoos

A woman is picked up by Dennis Rodman in a bar. They like each other and she goes back with him to his hotel room. He removes his shirt, revealing all his tattoos and she sees one on his arm that says, "Reebok". She thinks that's a bit odd and asks him about it.

Dennis says, "When I play basketball, the cameras pick up the tattoo and Reebok pays me for the advertisement." A bit later, his pants are off and she sees "Puma" tattooed on his leg. He gives the same explanation for the unusual tattoo.

Finally, the underwear comes off and she sees the word "AIDS" tattooed on his manhood. She jumps back with shock. "I'm not going to do it with a guy who has AIDS!" He says, "It's cool baby, in a minute it's going to say 'ADIDAS'."


Mike vs. Magic

One night after a big fight, Mike Tyson was a bit depressed so he decided to get a prostitute to cheer him up. After the act, they were laying in bed having a smoke. The prostitute said, "Well Mike, how's it all going?"

"How's it all going?" he asked. "My life's a disaster. I was born to an underprivileged family, had a hard upbringing, was thrown in jail for rape, now I'm on parole and I've hit a cop, my wife left me for beating her up, I have to pay maintenance for my kids, I've lost two world title fights, I've disgraced myself and my sport, most people want me banned me for life and they won't pay me my money. Nothing could make my life any worse."

"Oh, that's so sad," the prostitute said. "I'll say one thing to cheer you up. You're a much better lover than Magic Johnson!" [Magic Johnson is famous for publicly revealing that he has HIV/AIDS]


Britney’s Alligator Pumps

Britney Spears was on vacation in the depths of Louisiana. She wanted a pair of genuine alligator shoes, but was very reluctant to pay the high prices the local vendors were asking.

After becoming very frustrated with the “no haggle” attitude of one of the shopkeepers, Britney shouted, “Maybe I’ll just go out and catch my own alligator so I can get a pair of shoes!”

The shopkeeper said, “By all means, be my guest. Maybe you’ll luck out and catch yourself a big one!”

Determined, Britney turned and headed for the swamps, set on catching herself an alligator. Later in the day, the shopkeeper is driving home, when he spots Britney spears standing waist deep in the water, shotgun in hand. Just then, he sees a huge 9-foot alligator swimming quickly toward her. She takes aim, kills the creature and with a great deal of effort hauls it on to the swamp bank.

Lying nearby were several more of the dead creatures. The shopkeeper watches in amazement. Just then Britney spears flips the alligator on its back, and frustrated, shouts out, “Damn it, this one isn’t wearing any shoes either!”


Shania, Shaggy and Britney At the Movies

One night Shania Twain, Shaggy, and Britney Spears all went to the movies. All of a sudden, some one farted.

Shania said: "Up up up; there's no way but up from here."

Shaggy said: "Wasn't me."

Britney said: "Oops I did it again."

The next night they went to the movies again and once again someone farted.

Shania said: "Up up up there’s no way but up from here."

Shaggy said: "Wasn't me."

Britney said: "Stronger than yesterday."

Shaggy later left to go to the washroom and Britney entered the male washroom as he did. He then turned around and asked what she was doing there and she said: "I'm not a girl not yet a woman."


Paris and Lindsay

Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton are driving down a highway in a convertible. Lindsay knows that she’s speeding, so she asks Paris if there’s a cop behind them.

Paris looks behind her and sees a cop and says “Oh shit. There is a cop behind us.”

Lindsay says “That sucks. Are his 'pull-over lights' on?"

Paris says “Yes…No…Yes…No…Yes…No”


-Pictures courtesy Reuters and guardian.co.uk-

As we enter the business end of the IPL, we bring you a series of posts in which we review each IPL team’s uniform. The good, the bad, and the ugly--VJ Andy and Guylife’s own Harsh Kalan have a no-holds-barred, no-detail-left-uncovered look at this season’s IPL team uniforms.

VJ Andy: You probably know VJ Andy from his wildly successful Channel V shows like Dare to Date, Date My Folks, U R Fired, Get Gorgeous, among several others. What you probably don’t know is that he also has a fashion/costume design background, with credits for work on films including Tashan, Bachna E Haseeno and Ghajini.

He has also worked for some of India’s top designers, including Suneet Varma, JJ Valaya, Rahul Gandhi, and Rohit Sharma. You can connect with this multi-talented youth icon (he started his career as a choreographer!) at @iamVJAndy and on Facebook. 

Harsh Kalan: Harsh Kalan is a writer and freelance graphic designer based in Mumbai. Along with writing for Guylife, he has been designing logos and identities for a gamut of brands for several years. He is, however, most passionate about sports, and follows the IPL avidly--both for work and fun. You can connect with him on Twitter at @harshkalan

Harsh: Red, blue and gold is--to put it delicately--an interesting combination. Some say it grows on you, while most claim its a bit much! Either way, those happen to be the team colors of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who, apart from their gaudy uni, have employed the services of a certain Chris Gayle to get noticed in the IPL!

The red jersey with gold sleeves and the odd smattering of blue can be quite an eyesore. Add red pants with gold and blue panels to the equation to complete the bizarre effect! Still, some fans--most of them from Bangalore--seem to be more than OK with this, so who are we to judge?! Having said that, let’s just hope RCB doesn’t break out its lime green alternate uni this year!

Name And Number: The RCB jersey boasts big blue (with white stroke or outline) player names and numbers on the back.  Besides, the addition of blue names and numbers adds more balance to the red, gold and blue equation. So, if anything, this adds a little value to the overall look of the uni.

Helmet: The golden dome of RCB comes with sponsor shout outs on the leading side (side facing the bowler/TV cameras) and the back. Given that, unlike the Kolkata Knight Riders, all RCB players seem to persist with the same shade of gold, this becomes a cool addition to the already-over-the-top uni!

Cap: Luckily RCB didn’t go with gold caps! They currently sport red lids with gold lining on the sides and the visor. There’s also some blue lining skirting the visor. Not bad at all! Plus, there’s only one sponsor’s logo on the side of the cap, making this one of the cleanest designs in the league.

Pads: Since the last couple of seasons RCB has gone with gold pads. They go well with the gold helmet, but they also add to the overall gaudy appearance of the team. Still, it’s something we’ve come to live with and it only adds color to the IPL.  

Miscellaneous: RCB have done well to accommodate their primary (front) and secondary (back) sponsors on their jersey--of course, both of these are McDowell’s No 1. Despite the odd color combination of the jersey, the designers have done well to bring together all the elements and make room for the other sponsors (on the arms) as well.

The trousers also sport sponsor logos on both legs. Again, both legs have the same sponsor--Royal Challenge. 

Key Change: None.

Andy: Absolutely love the colours and the helmets and hats are the best of the lot so far! Slight overkill as far as the multi colored sleeves go. Someone needs to simplify it and teach the designer that less is more! And does the sponsor really have to be on both legs because as far as i'm concerned it just adds to the clutter.

Either way though, with simpler sleeves, this one's definitely in the running to be my favorite!


Guylife Rating: 5/10

Yes, it's that time of year again (for all you ungrateful children who might have forgotten). A day of celebration regarding all things maternal, the influence of mothers and everything in between. Mother's day is a celebration, which annually honors mothers all over the world, providing the perfect, complementary day to 'Father's Day.' And while we have grown up acknowledging, honoring and even celebrating it, few people really know the what's what of this day. So read on to find out all about it.

For one thing, the history of this day has deep roots dating as far back as ancient celebrations of the 'universal mother' inherent in nature. Ancient Egyptians held festivities honoring the Goddess Isis, while Greeks and Romans celebrated the Goddess Cybele, who just happened to have given birth to the greatest Gods in the Roman pantheon, including the almighty Zeus!

These are the earliest records of such a day, but it slowly evolved into something known as 'Mothering Sunday,' which most experts believe to be the real root of this internationally celebrated holiday. In the early 1600s, poor English women worked hard as servants and laborers all through the week, but every Sunday they were allowed to head home for a day of rest. So children took this opportunity to shower their beloved mothers with cakes, flowers and anything else they could think of or afford.

Today, that tradition has blossomed into a rare day that is celebrated in over 150 countries, and is generally observed on the second Sunday of May. And while flowers and cakes have been replaced by far more extravagant gifts, the underlying love remains the same. Every country celebrates this day differently, what with the Bolivians associating it with Bolivia's war for independence, and Chinese children offering their mothers carnations. In India, the day generally coincides with Durga Ashtami, which honors the female consciousness via Goddess Durga. As such, even though it is called 'Mother's Day' like the rest of the world, it's fairly unrelated to the modern sense of the term.

Either way, don't forget to love and cherish your own mommy this Mother's day! And, of course, shower her with plenty of attention too.


-Pictures courtesy Thinkstock-

A few days ago, we were pleasantly surprised to see a fresh-faced female analyst on Set Max talking about the intricacies of the IPL in great depth. It was a welcome change from the middle-aged "experts," whose archaic views and lame attempts at humor make us want to flip channels the moment the on-field action stops.

The pretty lady in question is Isha Guha, a former England cricketer, who's now a part of ITV Sport's IPL coverage team. While broaching pertinent issues, Guha exudes the kind of charm that broadcasters typically try to inject through some hot-looking host without any cricketing knowledge.

While Guha announced her retirement from international cricket in March, she's going to continue her county cricket career with Berkshire. This 26-year-old (that's right, she's still quite young!) made her ODI debut back in 2001--when she was just 16! She went on to play 94 one-dayers for her country during a decade-long stint.

This right-arm medium pacer was also named the BBC Asian Network Sports Personality of the Year in 2002. She was even the top-ranked female bowler in the world in 2008, and has even played 137 Tests for England.

In other words, this gal knows what she's talking about when it comes to cricket! We say, bring her on full-time as it will not only bring in a fresh perspective to the analysts' table, but it will also increase viewership!

For now, we're glad to know that a deserving female sports personality such as Isha Guha is breaking through the badly-aging male-dominated field of cricket analysts. Besides, she goes a long way in dispelling the age-old myth that hot women don't care about cricket!


-Picture courtesy Planet Cricket-