My Compilations

Salary Hike

2012-01-17T11:28:00.001+05:30

Psychology

2012-01-06T20:11:00.000+05:30

A Psychology report..

When 2 couples come face to face...

WIVES look at each other’s sarees and

HUSBANDS look at each other’s wife!!

Small Things That Matter...

2011-12-29T05:34:00.000+05:30

A friend of mine opened his wife’s underwear drawer andpicked up a silk paper- wrapped package:

‘This, – he said – isn’t any ordinary package.’ Heunwrapped the box and stared at both the silk paper and the box.

‘She got this the first time we went to New York, 8 or 9years ago. She has never put it on, was saving it for a special occasion.’

Well, I guess this is it. He got near the bed andplaced the gift box next to the other clothing he was taking to the funeralhouse, his wife had just died. He turned to me and said:

‘Never save something for a special occasion. Everyday in your life is a special occasion’. I still think those words changed mylife.

Now I read more and clean less.
I sit on the porch without worrying aboutanything.
I spend more time with my family, and less atwork.
I understood that life should be a source ofexperience to be lived up to, not survived through.
I no longer keep anything.
I use crystal glasses every day…
I’ll wear new clothes to go to the supermarket,if I feel like it.
I don’t save my special perfume for specialoccasions; I use it whenever I want to

The words ‘Someday….’ and ‘ One Day…’ are fading away frommy dictionary. If it’s worth seeing, listening or doing, I want to see,listen or do it now!

I don’t know what my friend’s wife would have done if sheknew she wouldn’t be there the next morning. This, nobody can tell. I think she might have called her relatives and closest friends. Shemight call old friends to make peace over past quarrels. I’d like tothink she would go out for Chinese, her favorite food.

It’s these small things that I would regret not doing, if Iknew my time had come.

Each day, each hour, each minute, is special.

Live for today, for tomorrow is promised to no one!

Bachpan ka zamana hota tha...

2011-12-16T11:05:00.001+05:30

Bachpan ka zamana hota tha

Khushiyon ka khazana hota tha

Chahat chand ko paane ki,

Dil titli ka diwana hota tha,

Khabar na thi kuch subah ki,

Naa shaam ka thikana hota tha,

Thak-haar ke aana school se,

Par khelne bhi jaana hota tha,

Doston ki kahani hoti thi

Pariyon ka fasana hota tha

Barish main kagaz ki kasti thi

har mausam suhana hota tha

Har khel me sathi hote the

Har rista nibhana hota tha

Papa ki woh dante galti par

Mummy ka manana hota tha

Gum ki zubaan na hoti thi

Na zakhmo ka paimana hota tha

Rone ke wajah na hoti thi

Na hasne ka bahana hota tha

Ab naa rahi woh zindagi...jaisa

Bachpan ka zamana hota tha

Graphs That Speak To Real Life Situations

2011-09-23T14:48:00.000+05:30

The Green Thing

2011-09-10T13:44:00.000+05:30

In the line at the store, the cashier told an older

woman that she should bring her own grocery bags

because plastic bags weren't good for the

environment.

The woman apologized to him and explained,

"We didn't have the green thing back in my day."

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today.

Your generation did not care enough to save our

environment."

He was right -- our generation didn't have the

green thing back in our day... Did we 'not care enough'...?

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soft drink and

beer bottles to the store. The store sent them

back to the plant to be washed and sterilized

and refilled, so it could use the same bottles

over and over. So they really were recycled.

But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an

escalator in every store and office building. We

walked to the grocery store and didn't climb

into a 200-horsepower machine every time we had

to go half a mile.

But he was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's nappies because we

didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried

clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling

machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar

power really did dry the clothes. Kids got

hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters,

not always brand-new clothing. But that cashier is right;

We didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in

every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a

handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of Tasmania.

In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand

because we didn't have electric machines to do

everything for us.

When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail,

we used a scrunched up old newspaper to cushion it,

not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn petrol

just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran

on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't

need to go to a gym to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.

But he's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from reusable glasses when we were thirsty instead

of using a disposable cup or a plastic bottle every time we had

a drink of water.

We refilled fountain pens with ink instead of buying a

new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor

instead of throwing away the whole razor just

because the blade got dull.

But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the tram or a bus and kids rode

their bikes to school or walked instead of turning themselves /

their parents into a 24-hour limousine service.

We had one power socket in a room, not an entire

bank of them to power a dozen appliances. And we

didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a

signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in

space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how

wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't

have the green thing back then?

The Green Thing...

Knowledge & Wisdom

2011-07-13T14:09:00.000+05:30

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

Steve Jobs Commencement Address at Stanford

2011-06-08T14:54:00.000+05:30

Steve Jobs Commencement Address at Stanford is brilliant piece of advise he gave to the graduating class. It is highly inspirational and a must watch for everyone. You can watch the video of the speech here on You Tube.

If you want to read the complete text of the speeh it is available here.

Praful Teaching English to Hansa

2011-05-11T17:26:00.002+05:30

"DECIDE"

Hansa : Praful "Decide" matlab ?
Praful : "Decide" Hansaaaa-a ... vo Casettee player mein hum casettee nahi dalte usme hota hai na .... "A side" -- "B side" .... to "C-side" ... "D- side"
--- "Decide"

"Mature"

Hansa : Ae Praful, mature matlab ????
Praful: jab apna mahesh...chori karte hue pakda gaya tha.. tab usne kya kaha tha ?
Hansa: usne kaha tha.. leave me.... "MAIN CHOR NAHI HOON"
..main chor .....main chor.....mature. ..acha acha...."

"Alphabet"
Hansa: praful alphabet matlab?
Praful: alphabet hansa,local train mein safar karte hoye maasi jaise hi koi seat khali dekhti hai to wo apni beti alpha se kya kehti hai?
Hansa: alpha beth seat pe,alpha beth, oooooooooooo, acha toh yeh alphabet!!

"Asset"

Hansa: Prafulll "Asset" matlab???
Praful: Asset Hansaaa ....Jab hum gaadi mein jaate hai and jab gaadi signal par rukti hai .....taab vo bhikari log aa kar kya bolte hai ...
"Aee Seth... thoda paisa do naa" ... " Aee Sethh .... " ... Asset ..

“Depend”

Hansa: Yeh Depend kya hota hai Prafful??
Praful: Depend Hansa... wo Swimming Pool mein ek taraf to paani kam gehra hota hai, aur dusri side zyada gehra..... Deep-End.. Depend!

"Tournament"

Hansa: Ae he he Praful, Tournament matlab??
Praful: Tournament Hansa!!! Ye jo tumne jhumke pehne hain, gehne pehne hain inko English me kya kehte hain, bolo - bolo !!
Hansa: Aaa han han Tournament, (Hansa Khush)
Melisa: (Chidh Kar) Are use tournament nahi Ornament kehte hain
Hansa: Arre kuchh bhi mat boll - Ek Jhumka -- Ornament, Do Jhumkke -- Two Ornament # # TOURNAMENT !!
"Ae Praful!! ye Melisa ko bhi Babuji ke tarah kuchh bhi nahi aata.." :-D :-D

"Elastic"

Hansa: Praful elastic matlab??
Praful: Elastic Hansa..apni voh Shradha ben unki beti ila ...usko jab fracture hua tha to voh kya leke chalti thi??
Hansa: Ila to...Ila-stick leke ...Ila-stick !! Ila-stick!!!

"Automatically"

Hansa: Praful automatically matlab??
Praful: aare Hansa.. agar koi aadmi ganja hota hai tou ussko kya bolte hain...
Hansa: taklaa..
Praful: aur agar koi ladki ganji ho to ussko kya bolenge....
Hansa: takli..
Praful: aur wohi ladki agar auto mein baith kar kahin ghoomne jaye tou ussko kya bologi??
Hansa: auto mein takli… aare haan automatically!
Tum kitne samajhdaar ho Praful...

Vodka in Office?

2011-05-11T17:06:00.000+05:30

In case you are not able to follow the text in the picture I am reproducing it below -

The beauty of Vodka is that
It looks like water
The beauty of office is that
Water bottles are allowed...

Rajnikant is Great !!

2011-05-11T16:59:00.000+05:30

# When Rajnikant was studying in 3rd standard....someone stole his rough note book....& Now they call it.............Wikipedia…..Crazy people!!!!

# Once a farmer replaces scare crow in the farm with Rajnikant's statue.....And Birds returned the grains they took last year as well

# If Rajni works in BPO, clients would work in shifts!

# Rajinikant got 150 questions in exam paper asking - "Solve any 100 questions" He solved all 150 and wrote, " Rascalla!, CHECK ANY 100!"

Determination build the Brooklyn Bridge

2011-04-29T19:41:00.000+05:30

1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a spectacular bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However bridge building experts throughout the world thought that this was an impossible feat and told Roebling to forget the idea. It just could not be done. It was not practical. It had never been done before.

Roebling could not ignore the vision he had in his mind of this bridge. He thought about it all the time and he knew deep in his heart that it could be done. He just had to share the dream with someone else. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an up and coming engineer, that the bridge in fact could be built.

Working together for the first time, the father and son developed concepts of how it could be accomplished and how the obstacles could be overcome. With great excitement and inspiration, and the headiness of a wild challenge before them, they hired their crew and began to build their dream bridge.

The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which resulted in him not being able to walk or talk or even move.

"We told them so."
"Crazy men and their crazy dreams."
"It`s foolish to chase wild visions."

Everyone had a negative comment to make and felt that the project should be scrapped since the Roeblings were the only ones who knew how the bridge could be built. In spite of his handicap Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge and his mind was still as sharp as ever.

He tried to inspire and pass on his enthusiasm to some of his friends, but they were too daunted by the task. As he lay on his bed in his hospital room, with the sunlight streaming through the windows, a gentle breeze blew the flimsy white curtains apart and he was able to see the sky and the tops of the trees outside for just a moment.

It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving this, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife.

He touched his wife's arm with that finger, indicating to her that he wanted her to call the engineers again. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. It seemed foolish but the project was under way again.

For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed. Today the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory as a tribute to the triumph of one man's indomitable spirit and his determination not to be defeated by circumstances.

It is also a tribute to the engineers and their team work, and to their faith in a man who was considered mad by half the world. It stands too as a tangible monument to the love and devotion of his wife who for 13 long years patiently decoded the messages of her husband and told the engineers what to do.

Perhaps this is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical handicap and achieves an impossible goal.

Often when we face obstacles in our day-to-day life, our hurdles seem very small in comparison to what many others have to face. The Brooklyn Bridge shows us that dreams that seem impossible can be realised with determination and persistence, no matter what the odds are.

Happiness, Freedom & Peace of Mind

2011-04-12T16:00:00.000+05:30

There is a wonderful mythical law of nature that the three things we crave most in life – Happiness, Freedom & Peace of Mind – are always attained by giving them to someone else. - General Peyton Conway March, Army Chief of Staff (late nineteenth century).

Wife

2011-03-24T17:12:00.002+05:30

A Wife is a wife, no matter who THE HELL you are!!
.

Wanna grow up once again

2010-01-23T06:19:00.002+05:30

From a friend via SMS -

When I was sure of losing, I won;

When I needed people the most, they left me;

When I learnt to dry my tears, I found a shoulder to cry on;

When I became busy, I got friends;

When I mastered the skill of hating, somebody started loving me;

When after waiting for dawn I fell asleep, the sun came out;

That's Life !! Simply Unpredictable !

So I pray to God,

"Rewind my life cycle.

Give me some sunshine,

Give me some rain,

Give me another chance,

Wanna grow up once again."

Aspects of Getting Married...

2009-12-19T17:58:00.001+05:30

If Columbus had been married he might never have discovered America because of the following:

Where are you going?
With whom?
Why?
How are you going?
To discover what?
Why you?
What do I do, when you are not here?
Can I come with you ?
Coming back when?
Dinner ghar par hi khaoge?
Mere liye kya laoge?
It seems you deliberately made this ....
Hain na...
Why?
Dont lie....
Why r u making such programs
You seem to be making a lot of such programs
Why?
I want to go to my parents place
I want you to come and leave me
I want you to come and pick me up
I don’t want to come back....
I will never come back....
Why are u not stopping me....
I don’t understand what is this discovery chakker?
You always do like this.....
Last time also u did like this....
Now a day’s u always seem to do like this....
I still don’t understand what else is remaining to be discovered...
Where are u going?.....

SMS Quotes 1 - Dreams (ख्वाब)

2007-09-05T18:29:00.000+05:30

Dream is not what you see in sleep.
Dream is the thing which does not let you sleep.

जिन्दगी एक रात है
जिसमे ना जाने कितने ख्वाब है
जो मिल गया वोह अपना है
जो टूट गया वोह सपना है

Moles and What They Say About You

2007-07-30T16:45:00.000+05:30

The Chinese Almanac, also known as the Tung Shu, is commonly known as a book of auspicious and inauspicious dates, but there is so much more to the Tung Shu than that. It is a vast mine of information relating to astrology, codes and symbols, derived by the wise sages and philosophers of ancient China. In this issue, we bring to you the secrets from the almanac regarding moles on your face and what they mean depending on which part of your face they appear.

First, check your face for any moles, and then look at the diagram above to identify the number(s) that are a closest match to the moles on your face. Usually, the moles only hold meaning for you if they are prominent and they are the only one. If your face if full of spots, acne or "little" moles, they do not count. When you've ascertained which position corresponds to the mole on your face, look up the meanings listed by numbers below.

Position 1 to 3

As a child, you are somewhat rebellious and a free spirit. You have an innate creativity and work best when you are given a free hand. Generally, your superiors like your avante garde approach to life. If you have a mole here, you are far better off in business and being your own boss rather than working for somebody. What is promising is that you have the luck to be your own boss.

Position 4

You are an impulsive person, often acting with a flamboyance that gives you charisma and a sparkling personality, but you can be difficult when there are too many opinions. You tend to be rather argumentative, but never to the point of holding grudges. This mole tends to give you an explosive temper and should you decide to remove it, you will find yourself becoming calmer and more at peace with the world.

Position 5

A mole above the eyebrow indicates that there is wealth luck in your life, but you will need to earn it and work harder than most people. All the income you make must be carefully kept as there are people who are jealous of you who might attempt to sweet talk you into parting with your wealth. Be wary of those who try to interest you in get-rich-quick schemes. If you have a mole here, it is advisable not to be too trusting of others. Follow your instincts and be cautious. And never allow other people to control your finances.

Position 6

A mole here indicates intelligence, creativity and skill as an artist. Your artistic talent can bring you wealth, fame and success. It also indicates wealth luck, but this can only be fully realized if you follow your heart rather than stick to conventional means of making a living. Success will come if you are brave.

Position 7

Moles under the eyebrows indicate arguments within the extended family that cause you grief and unhappiness. This will affect your work and livelihood. It is advisable to settle any differences you have with your relatives if you want peace of mind to move ahead.

Position 8

This is not a very good position for a mole. Your financial position will constantly be under strain because of a tendency to overspend. You also have a penchant for gambling. The only thing is you must know when to stop. Meanwhile, someone with a mole here has a tendency to flirt with members of the opposite sex as well as with the same sex. Better be a little discerning where you exert your charms, or you might get into trouble.

Position 9

This mole position suggests sexual and other problems. It is an unfortunate mole and you are well advised to get rid of it. It brings a litany of woes and a parade of problems.

Position 10

A mole here just under the nose indicates excellent descendants luck. You are surrounded by family at all times and will have many children and grandchildren. You have the support of those close to you and will be both materially and emotionally fulfilled.

Position 11

Moles here suggest a tendency to succumb to illness. It is a good idea to have this mole removed especially if it is a large, dark-coloured mole. Otherwise use lots of foundation to cover it.

Position 12

A mole here foretells a successful but also a very balanced life. You are likely to be not just rich, but famous as well. But although you have every opportunity to live the high life, you will have a satisfying home and family life as well. Women with moles here are particularly lucky and tend to be beautiful and glamourous as well.

Position 13

Your children will be a big worry in your life. Your relationship with them is not good. There is nothing much you can do about this except to learn some tolerance.

Position 14

A mole here suggests a vulnerability to food which can be a big problem in your life. You may have allergies against certain foods or you may simply be eating too much.

Position 15

You are a person always on the move and constantly renovating and redesigning your house. You like to be introduced to new things and see new places. You are not happy if you remain in one place for long. You enjoy travel and adventure, and have a very observant eye.

Position 16

You need to be careful when it comes to eating, and also when it comes to your sex life. These are your two biggest problems. You tend to have weight issues which can make you depressed. You enjoy romance, sometimes with more than one person, but because you are a person with some morality, you will feel guilty about it and this will cause you much stress.

Position 17

You will be someone of great social prominence. You are active on the social scene and an excellent conversationalist. There is a tendency to become bigheaded about your success, which could lose you your good name. This will affect you deeply because you draw your confidence and self worth from what others think of you.

Position 18

You are a person always on the move. There is a great deal of overseas travel in your life, but you should take extra care each time you cross the great waters, as your mole prefers you to stay at home.

Position 19

You have money luck and many good friends, so this is a good mole to have. Your weakness is that you tend to succumb to the charms of the opposite sex. In your life, it is this that could get you into hot water, so do cool your ardour!

Position 20

A mole here can be very lucky or very unlucky. If you have a mole here, you are destined either for extreme fame or infamy. You have great flair for creativity and are also highly intelligent, but your talents can be used for both good and bad. You are not a person to be trifled with for you are no pushover and do not forgive and forget easily. This mole is a mark of someone who will go down in history either as a great or as a tyrant.

Position 21

This is a good mole, as it suggests plenty to eat and drink throughout your life. This mole also brings fame and recognition.

Position 22

Your life is always happy and things go smoothly for you. You could well become a sports superstar if you have the passion for it. Moles at the end of eyebrows also suggest a person of authority and power, so if you are the CEO of a company, you will do very well.

Position 23

You have a high IQ, and you are both brain smart and street smart. You have a highly-developed survival instinct and will lead a meaningful and long life. You will be active until a very old age and will have friends and family around you till the very end.

Position 24

You will achieve fame and fortune in your young age and you are advised to use this period to safeguard your old age, as people with moles here tend to have a harderlife as they get older.

Position 25

You will enjoy good prosperity and recognition luck, but do be careful of excesses. Stay traditional in your attitudes and you will have a long and fruitful life.

Silence

2007-07-13T19:09:00.000+05:30

There is always music amongst the trees in the garden,

but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it.

- Minnie Aumonier

Secret of Success in Life

2007-06-18T19:01:00.000+05:30

When I woke up today morning, lying in the bed, I was asking myself.
What are some of the secrets of success in life?

I found the answers right there, in my very room -
The Fan said - Be cool

The Roof said - Aim High

The Window said - See the World

The Clock said - Every minute is precious

The Mirror said - Reflect before you act

The Calendar said - Be up-to-date

The Door said - Push hard for your goals.

Time

2007-05-17T13:45:00.000+05:30

The chief beauty about time is that you cannot waste it in advance.

The next year, the next day, the next hour are lying ready for you, as perfect,

as unspoiled, as if you had never wasted or misapplied a single moment in all your life.
You can turn over a new leaf every hour if you choose.

- Arnold Bennett

Possibility

2007-05-17T13:16:00.000+05:30

At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done.

Then they begin to hope it can be done.

Then they see it can be done.

Then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.

Satisfaction

2007-05-17T12:23:00.000+05:30

Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end.

It's not a day when you lounge around doing nothing;

it's when you've had everything to do,

and you've done it.

- Margaret Thatcher

Create Your Own Path

2007-05-17T12:12:00.000+05:30

Do not follow where the path may lead.

Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Dream Kingsize !!

2007-04-16T19:32:00.000+05:30

No Dreamer is ever too small;

No dream is ever too big.

Pursue Your Dreams

2007-04-16T19:21:00.000+05:30

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams;

Live the life you have imagined !

The Way

2007-04-16T19:17:00.000+05:30

The way is not in the sky.

The way is in the heart.

- Buddha

Mobile Phone Tracking made easy...

2007-04-05T10:48:00.000+05:30

If you haven't been to this amazing site, check it out immediately.

This site offers a technology solution (still in the Beta phase) where you can type in a mobile phone number and it finds exactly where the location of the phone is (assuming the mobile is switched on)

Try it out - it's pretty accurate.

Put in the first 4 digits in the first fields, and the remaining digits in the other field.

Digest this..

2007-04-05T10:42:00.000+05:30

Introducing Gmail Paper...

"Everyone loves Gmail. But not everyone loves email, or the digital era. What ever happened to stamps, filing cabinets, and the mailman? Well, you asked for it, and it’s here. We’re bringing it back."

That's how the first line of this new feature from Google goes..

And while you are it, do not forget to check out the link "Learn more about Gmail paper" at the end of the page.

And if you are still wondering, it was the April Fool's Day joke from Google team.

Fun With Words - 2

2007-04-04T17:55:00.000+05:30

Look what happens when you cleverly rearrange the letters of words. Some interesting examples are shown below. I am sure you could come up with some more...

DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM

PRESBYTERIAN:
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER

ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER

DESPERATION:
When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT

THE EYES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE

THE MORSE CODE:
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS

SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME

ANIMOSITY:
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY

ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET'S RECOUNT

MOTHER-IN-LAW:
When you rearrange the letters:
WOMAN HITLER

SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z 'S

A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
I M A DOT IN PLACE

THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE

And for the GRAND finale:

ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE

Previous Posts on related topic - Fun with Words

The Luck Factor

2007-03-22T10:27:00.000+05:30

Professor Richard Wiseman, of University of Hertfordshire, a psychologist, says he has discovered the answer to the question -

Why do some people get all the luck while others never get the breaks they deserve?

Professor Richard Wiseman says, Ten years ago, I set out to examine luck. I wanted to know why some people are always in the right place at the right time, while others consistently experience ill fortune. I placed advertisements in national newspapers asking for people who felt consistently lucky or unlucky to contact me.

Hundreds of extraordinary men and women volunteered for my research and over the years, I have interviewed them, monitored their lives and had them take part in experiments.

The results reveal that although these people have almost no insight into the causes of their luck, their thoughts and behavior are responsible for much of their good and bad fortune. Take the case of seemingly chanceopportunities. Lucky people consistently encounter such opportunities, whereas unlucky people do not.

I carried out a simple experiment to discover whether this was due to differences in their ability to spot such opportunities. I gave both lucky and unlucky people a newspaper, and asked them to look through it and tell me how many photographs were inside. I had secretly placed a large message halfway through the newspaper saying: "Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win £250."

This message took up half of the page and was written in type that was more than two inches high. It was staring everyone straight in the face, but the unlucky people tended to miss it and the lucky people tended to spot it. Unlucky people are generally more tense than lucky people, and this anxiety disrupts their ability to notice the unexpected.

As a result, they miss opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. They go to parties intent on finding their perfect partner and so miss opportunities to make good friends. They look through newspapers determined to find certain types of job advertisements and miss other types of jobs.

Lucky people are more relaxed and open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for. My research eventually revealed that lucky people generate good fortune via four principles. They

Are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities
Make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition,
Create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and
Adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.

Towards the end of the work, I wondered whether these principles could be used to create good luck. I asked a group of volunteers to spend a month carrying out exercises designed to help them think and behave like a lucky person.

Dramatic results These exercises helped them spot chance opportunities, listen to their intuition, expect to be lucky, and be more resilient to bad luck. One month later, the volunteers returned and described what had happened. The results were dramatic: 80% of people were now happier, more satisfied with their lives and, perhaps most important of all, luckier.
The lucky people had become even luckier and the unlucky had become lucky. Finally, I had found the elusive "luck factor"

Here are Professor Wiseman's four top tips for becoming lucky:

1) Listen to your gut instincts - they are normally right

2) Be open to new experiences and breaking your normal routine

3) Spend a few moments each day remembering things that went well

4) Visualize yourself being lucky before an important meeting or telephone call. Luck is very often a self- fulfilling prophecy

Have a Lucky day and work for it !!!

Life is an Echo !

2007-03-13T10:45:00.000+05:30

Life is an echo; all comes back,

The good, the bad, the false, and the true.

So, give the world the best you have &

The best will come back to you.

Simple Illustration of Shady Stock Market Deals

2007-03-12T16:56:00.000+05:30

Once upon a time in a village, a man appeared and announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for Rs10. The villagers seeing that there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them.

The man bought thousands at Rs10 and as supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their effort. He further announced that he would now buy at Rs20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again. Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms.

The offer rate increased to Rs25 and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey let alone catch it.

The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at Rs50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now buy on behalf of him.

In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers. "Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at Rs35 and when the man returns from the city, you can sell it to him for Rs50."

The villagers squeezed up with all their savings to buy the monkeys. Then they never saw the man nor his assistant, only monkeys everywhere!!!!

Celebration means...

2007-03-09T10:30:00.000+05:30

Celebration means......
Hundred bucks of petrol.
A rusty old bike.
And an open road.

Celebration means......
Maggi noodles.
A hostel room.
4.25 a.m.

Celebration means......
3 old friends.
3 separate cities.
3 coffee mugs.
1 internet messenger.

Celebration means......
Rain on a hot tin roof.
Pakoras deep-frying.
Neighbours dropping in.
A party.

Celebration means......
You and mom.
A summer night.
A bottle of coconut oil.
A head massage.

You can spend
Hundreds on birthdays,
Thousands on festivals,
Lakhs on weddings,
but to celebrate
all you have to do is spend your Time with your loved ones.

Keep in touch with your loved ones ........

Determination

2007-03-06T16:55:00.000+05:30

Stopping at nothing and doing what's in your heart,
you know is right, means determination...

What Goes Around, Comes Around

2007-02-05T14:59:00.000+05:30

He almost didn't see the old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her. Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn't look safe; he looked poor and hungry.

He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was that chill which only fear can put in you. He said, "I'm here to help you, ma'am. Why don't you wait in the car where it's warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson."
Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.

As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn't thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.

He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help; she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, "And think of me." He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn't erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin. There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: "You don't owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I'm helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you."

Under the napkin were four more $100 bills. Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard.

She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, "Everything's gonna be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson."

Candy !!!

2007-02-01T15:58:00.000+05:30

By looking at this picture my taste buds can recall the sweet-sour taste of this candy...how about yours?

Salute to Ratan Tata

2007-01-19T15:01:00.000+05:30

Suhel Seth writes about his visit to Jamshedpur and the difference Tata's have brought to the life of the common man and to the town. Unlike other corporates who are very media savvy, Tata's have always maintained a low profile and quietly carried out their work and responsibilities.

Read the complete article here. It touches your heart and leaves you wondering what would India be if more corporates could emulate it.

Staying Late in Office ?

2007-01-19T14:29:00.000+05:30

No offense meant to people who are staying late in office actually due to work...

----- Views on staying late in the office ------

It's half past 8 in the office but the lights are still on...
PCs still running,
coffee machines still buzzing...
and who's at work?
Most of them??? Take a closer look...

All or most specimens are 20-something male species of the human race... Look closer... again all or most of them are bachelors... and why are they sitting late? Working hard? No way!!!

Any guesses??? Let's ask one of them...

Here's what he says... "What's there 2 do after going home... here we get to surf, AC, phone, food, coffee.. thats is why I am working late... importantly no bossssssss!!!!!!!!!!!

This is the scene in most research centres and software companies and other off-shore offices. Bachelors "time-passing" during late hours in the office just bcoz they say they've nothing else to do...
Now what r the consequences... read on...

"Working"(for the record only) late hours soon becomes part of the institute or company culture. With bosses more than eager to provide support to those "working" late in the form of taxi vouchers, food vouchers and of course good feedback, (oh, he's a hard worker... goes home only to change..!!). They aren't helping things too... Very soon, the boss starts expecting all employees to put in extra working hours. Let bosses try and understand the difference between "sitting" late and "working" late!!!

So, My dear Bachelors let me tell you, life changes when u get married and start having a family... office is no longer top priority, family is... and that's when the problem starts... becoz u start having commitments at home too.

For your boss, the earlier "hardworking" guy suddenly seems to become a "early leaver" even if u leave an hour after regulartime... after doing the same amount of work. People leaving on time after doing their tasks for the day are labeled as work-shirkers... Girls who thankfully always (its changing nowadays... though) leave on time are labeled as "not up to it". All the while, the bachelors pat their own backs and carry on "working" not realizing that they r spoiling the work culture at their own place and never realize that they wuld have to regret at one point of time.

So what's the moral of the story??

Very clear, LEAVE ON TIME!!!

Never put in extra time "unless really needed or specifically required as part of your job/project"

Don't stay back un-necessarily and spoil your company work culture which will in turn cause inconvenience to you and your colleagues. There are hundred other things to do in the evening..

Learn music...
Learn a foreign language...
Try a sport... TT, Cricket.........
importantly - Get a girl friend or boy friend, take him/her around town...

And for heaven's sake net cafe rates have dropped to an all-time low (plus, no fire-walls!) and try cooking for a change.

Take a tip from the Smirnoff ad: "Life's calling, where are you??"

Enthusiasm

2006-12-08T16:46:00.000+05:30

There is a real magic in enthusiasm.

It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.

Interest vs. Commitment

2006-11-22T15:38:00.000+05:30

There's a difference between interest and commitment.

When you're interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit.

When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.

- Art Turock

Where are you headed?

2006-09-06T17:44:00.000+05:30

Where you are headed is more important than how fast you are going. Rather than always focusing on what's urgent, learn to focus on what is really important.

- Stephen Covey

Lalu to teach management at IIM-A

2006-08-30T12:02:00.000+05:30

Believe it or not but Lalu is all set to don the role of a management guru and deliver a lecture to the IIM-Ahmedabad graduates on 18th Sept on the turnaround of Indian Railways which earned a profit of Rs. 15000 crore in 2005-06. Beloq are few excerpts from a news article on Rediff News -

Prasad puts it in his inimitable style: "My mother always told me not to handle a buffalo by its tail but always catch it by its horns. And I have used that lesson in everything in my life, including the Railways."

When some of the Railway Board members expressed apprehensions in increasing wagon loads, a decision which alone generated Rs 7,200 crore (Rs 72 billion), Prasad said: "Wagon is the bread earning horse of the Railways. Load it adequately. Make it run and don't stable it."

Prasad's other management mantra for the Railways has been: "If you do not milk the cow fully, it falls sick," which he is practicing while running the Railways.

Prasad's secret lies in the fact that he did not convert the ministry into a Bihar Bhawan but left the crucial decision to his bureaucrats. He is achieving his targets not by increasing fares or downsizing, but by increasing traffic.

Today it is not only IIM Ahmedabad, which wants to fete Prasad for posting a fund balance of Rs 15,000 crore in 2005-06. Even the premier international business schools like Harvard and HEC Management School, France, have shown interest in turning Prasad's experiment with the Railways into case studies for aspiring business graduates.

Read the full article here or click on the title above.

Believe in your Dreams

2006-08-30T10:13:00.000+05:30

Luke : I can't believe it!

Yoda : That is why you fail.

[Yoda - The 'Star Wars' Jedi Master]

Haircut of the Year

2006-08-26T08:12:00.000+05:30

For those who couldn't figure it out...look at his ears!!!

Disneyland on the Ganges

2006-08-09T19:23:00.000+05:30

Shiv Sagar, grandson of the popular Indian film producer Ramanand Sagar, (Ramanand Sagar is largely remembered for his immensely popular TV serial Ramayan), who holds a management degree from the Indian School of Business (ISB) Hyderabad, is planning to launch a spiritual theme park on the bank of River Ganga near Haridwar, a first of its kind in India. Read details of the same here.

Spain to Lift the Soccer World Cup 2006

2006-06-26T18:43:00.000+05:30

Spanish journalists have managed to find a prediction made by Nostradamus in 1555 about the outcome of the 2006 World Cup, Russian magazine 'Pravda' said in a report.

The 16th century author of prophecies wrote that "the Spanish king and his army will cross over the Pyrenees at the end of the sixth month of the sixth year. The king will win the battle with Beelzebub on the fields of Central Europe, and the army will return the Holy Grail to Spain".

Click on the title above to read the full story.

Fun With Words

2006-06-19T09:08:00.000+05:30

What do the following words have in common?

# Banana
# Potato
# Dresser
# Grammar
# Revive
# Uneven
# Voodoo

In all of the words listed above, if you take the first letter of each and place it at the end of the word, and then spell the word backwards, it will be the same word. Amusing ! Isn't it?

That's what Government is..

2006-06-18T09:29:00.000+05:30

Milton Friedman writes here -

"There are four ways in which you can spend money. You can spend your own money on yourself. When you do that, why then you really watch out what you’re doing, and you try to get the most for your money. Then you can spend your own money on somebody else. For example, I buy a birthday present for someone. Well, then I’m not so careful about the content of the present, but I’m very careful about the cost. Then, I can spend somebody else’s money on myself. And if I spend somebody else’s money on myself, then I’m sure going to have a good lunch! Finally, I can spend somebody else’s money on somebody else. And if I spend somebody else’s money on somebody else, I’m not concerned about how much it is, and I’m not concerned about what I get. And that’s government."

Choose Your Mood Today

2006-06-08T20:01:00.000+05:30

Taking Care of Your Laptop

2006-06-04T19:40:00.000+05:30

If you own a laptop, you should take good care of it. This also includes some cleaning once in a while. The screen and the keyboard are the areas that need the most attention. And while you are at it you need to be aware of some of the do's and don't s. Read here for some techniques to do the cleaning effectively and without damaging your laptop.

World's Greatest Magician

2006-06-03T11:02:00.000+05:30

I am sure you would be amused to see some of the most exceptional tricks being performed by the World's Greatest Magician..click on the title above to see the video clip...

I Support Reservation...

2006-06-02T17:16:00.000+05:30

One of my friend send me the below excerpt on the current controversy on Reservation -

"I think we should have job reservations in all the fields. I completely support the PM and all the politicians for promoting this. Let's start thereservation with our cricket team. We should have 10 percent reservation for muslims, 30 percent for OBC, SC/ST and so on. Cricket rules should be modified accordingly. The boundary circle should be reduced for an SC/STplayer. The four hit by an OBC player should be considered as a six and a six hit by a OBC player should be counted as 8 runs. An OBC player scoring 60 runs should be declared as a century. We should influence ICC and make rules so that the pace bowlers like Shoaib Akhtar should not bowl fast balls to our OBC player. Bowlers should bowl maximum speed of 80 kilometer per hour to an OBC player. Any delivery above this speed should be made illegal. Also we should have reservation in Olympics. In the 100 meters race, an OBC player should be given a gold medal if he runs 80 meters. There can be reservation in Government jobs also. Let's recruit SC/ST and OBC pilots for aircrafts which are carrying the ministers and politicians (that can really help the country.. ) Ensure that only SC/ST and OBC doctors do the operations for the ministers and other politicians. (Another way of saving the country..) Let's be creative and think of ways and means to guide INDIA forward...Let's show the world that INDIA is a GREAT country. Let's be proud of being an INDIAN.. May the good breed of politicians like ARJUN SINGH longlive..."

How to Stay Young

2006-05-29T14:05:00.000+05:30

A friend of mine shared with me the secret of "How to stay young". I am sharing the same with you all...

1. Try everything twice.
On Madam's tombstone (of Whelan and Madam), she said she wanted this epitaph: "Tried everything twice...loved it both times!"

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
(Keep this In mind if you are one of those grouches).

3. Keep learning.

Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, Whatever. Never let the brain get idle.

"An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's!

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with him/her.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on.

The only person who is with us our entire life is ourselves. LIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don't take guilt trips.

Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county or to a foreign country, but NOT a guilt trip.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

Not a Single Bug in my PC

2006-05-28T12:38:00.000+05:30

For wud-be parents...

2006-04-22T20:20:00.000+05:30

Here's some helpful information from Johnson & Johnson for to-be-parents and for people who have been newly promoted as parents...

You can even sign-up for the monthly newsletter at this site which is very informational.

Any Questions?

2006-04-22T19:34:00.000+05:30

Yahoo has come out with this new forum where you can post any questions and get answers from fellow users or even you can answer to the questions posted there by others.

For example I have been looking for the answer to this question since some time now but could not find any - So I have posted it on Yahoo ! Answers as my first entry.

"Why do ceiling fans always rotate anticlockwise and table fans always rotate clockwise?"

Long Bets

2006-04-18T06:33:00.000+05:30

If you have an urge to predict the future this is one site which records all such predictions. Alternately, you may read through the predictions that others have made and even challenge them if you think otherwise.

MBA Fundas From a Taxi Driver

2006-04-16T11:53:00.000+05:30

"Amazing" - This is what I would describe this piece of conversation between a Taxi Driver and his customer. The Taxi Driver shares his "trade secrets" with practical examples. And he has a valid point when he says "Each job has its own beauty. We need to learn how to experience that beauty in our work." This is very important to move ahead.

Log-A-Note

2006-04-10T11:50:00.000+05:30

This is real cool tip for people who use notepad to write down any info on a day to day basis...
Follow the below steps to create a Log-A-Note for yourself -

In Notepad
- Create a blank text file with .LOG as the first line of the file, followed by a carriage return. [ Enter ]
- Save and close the file .
- Double-click the file to open it and notice that Notepad appends the current date and time to the end of the file and places the cursor on the next line.
- Type your notes and then save and close the file. Each time you open the file, Notepad repeats the process, appending the time and date to the end of the file and placing the cursor below it.

It simply serves as a virtual diary !

Shocking ads

2006-03-31T07:50:00.000+05:30

You think advertisements are always going to please you? If so, you may just change your opinion in the next few seconds...

Keyboard not working? No Problem...

2006-03-22T19:33:00.000+05:30

If your keyboard is not working due to some technical glitch but you mouse is and you need to send and urgent email, what do you do?

While you are still evaluating your options let me tell you that this is all you have to do - Assuming that you are a Windows user, just click on Start, Select Run and type OSK and hit OK.
Bingo! What do you see...a keyboard will pop up on your screen and you can use your mouse to compose your urgent email. Yes, this is an alternative keyboard provided by Windows, just in case your keyboard or some keys stop working.

Make a note of this information..it might come in handy sometime...

Update - If the entire keyboard is not working and you are not able to type the "OSK" even then you can activate the alternate keyboard by clicking on
Start ==> All Programs ==> Accessories ==> Accessibility ==> On-Screen Keyboard

India Rising?

2006-03-09T10:42:00.000+05:30

Here's a video clip you must watch...
You got to see what the world thinks about India...

Click on the title above to go to the video clip.

Mallu Names - Formula...

2006-03-04T11:54:00.000+05:30

I was very tempted to title this entry as "Mallu Naming Conventions" particularly because we use a lot of naming conventions at work when we code new components but not everyone would be able to appreciate the pun involved.

Anyways enjoy it.

Newsmericks

2006-03-04T11:20:00.000+05:30

If you are still wondering what newsmericks is - let me explain. Aparna has a different way of presenting news "news in limerick form".

If you still have no idea what I am trying to convey then check out this very different blog and you will be amused.

Street harrassment

2006-03-04T10:49:00.000+05:30

Annie Zaidi writes in her blog Known Turf: Streets, stories, strategies what a woman goes through in most metroes whether it is Delhi or Mumbai.

"When you leave the house, an invisible snake of alert suspicion will wind down from your shoulders down your back and become a clenched fist in all public spaces, through all journeys. "

A very powerful and disturbing blog. Very well written and it says all that needs to be said.

Note - Blank Noise Project is an effort to fight this menace. Check out this blog for details.

Look What Conditioning Can Do !!!

2006-01-31T14:59:00.000+05:30

"As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at anytime, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not.

I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful, magnificent animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. "Well," he said,"when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it's enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free." I was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn't, they were stuck right where they were."

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something, simply because we failed at it once before?

Nobel Prize for Literature in 2005

2006-01-24T19:38:00.000+05:30

Harold Pinter is the man who won Nobel Prize for literature in 2005. His Nobel Lecture was E X P L O S I V E ... to say the least.

An excerpt:
Do we think about the inhabitants of Guantanamo Bay? What does the media say about them? They pop up occasionally - a small item on page six. They have been consigned to a no man's land from which indeed they may never return. At present many are on hunger strike, being force-fed, including British residents. No niceties in these force-feeding procedures. No sedative or anaesthetic. Just a tube stuck up your nose and into your throat. You vomit blood. This is torture. What has the British Foreign Secretary said about this? Nothing. What has the British Prime Minister said about this? Nothing. Why not? Because the United States has said: to criticise our conduct in Guantanamo Bay constitutes an unfriendly act. You're either with us or against us. So Blair shuts up.

If you wish to read the original – here is the link - http://nobelprize.org/literature/laureates/2005/pinter-lecture-e.html

P. S : For non-literature-buffs...the political part of the speech starts with the sentence "As every single person here knows, the justification for the invasion of Iraq was that Saddam Hussein possessed a highly dangerous body of weapons of mass destruction, some of which could be fired in 45 minutes, bringing about appalling devastation."

Good News India - Work creeps into life...

2006-01-23T13:50:00.000+05:30

Mr. D V Sridharan of Good News India writes about a story of personal courage. Amazing read. Though the narration is a bit long but it’s difficult not to read it till the end. Below is an excerpt from the story…

Work creeps into life:

In the five and a half years of publishing GoodNewsIndia, I , D V Sridharan have kept a low profile. Finally, having written about many people who stood up against odds, I could not escape my turn when an issue popped up in my own backyard. This is then my own story and I believe it belongs in this site.

My strife also cost me much time during which GoodNewsIndia, a one man operation that it is, has suffered neglect. Reading the story -which includes my brief arrest by the police- I hope you will forgive me this spell. At 64, my passion for seeking out the good work in India, has only increased. This episode and your support will sustain it. I promise to make amends in the coming months.

By a strange coincidence this is also the 100th story in the Magazine section: an occasion when writing in the first person, seems somehow appropriate.

Many of you may not have visited the site recently and therefore, the redesign will be new to you. I hope you find it pleasing.

Now without further ado to a story of vandalism, substantially resisted:

http://www.goodnewsindia.com/index.php/Magazine/story/mgm/

New China

2006-01-13T10:18:00.000+05:30

Business Week brings us the face of new china through this slideshow.
A must watch...

When a boy...

2005-12-29T07:56:00.000+05:30

Though I do not agree completely with all the lines below but wanted to share them with you because some of these are beautiful...

When a Boy...

When a Girl...

The War of the Icons

2005-12-22T18:06:00.000+05:30

Enjoy the War of the Icons...

Andrius - The Rabbit

2005-12-22T18:04:00.000+05:30

Hover your mouse over the rabbit...

Impossible

2005-10-03T20:03:00.000+05:30

Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they have been given than to explore the power they have to change it.

Impossible is not a fact, it's an opinion.

It's not a declaration, it's a dare.

Impossible is potential.

Impossible is temporary.

Impossible is nothing.

Sleep

2005-10-02T16:28:00.000+05:30

For some people there is nothing better than sleep...and they don't want to come out of bed..whatever you do...

The Road Not Taken

2005-09-30T18:42:00.000+05:30

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I ?
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost, 1920.
Mountain Interval

The Alchemy of woman

2005-09-28T14:21:00.000+05:30

The Alchemy of woman as described in the Hindu Mythology :

"He took the lightness of the leaf and the glance of the fawn,
The gaiety of the sun rays and the tears of the mist;
The inconstancy of the wind and the timidity of the hare,
The vanity of the peacock and the softness of the dawn on the throat of the swallow.
He added the harsness of the diamond, and the sweet flavour of honey,
The cruelty of the tiger, the warmth of the fire, and the chill of the snow.
He added the chatter of the jay and cooing of the turtle-dove.
He melted all these and formed a woman.

Then He made a present of her to man."

What we see?

2005-09-28T14:08:00.000+05:30

Little Girl with flowers, originally uploaded by Anand Surana.

The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.~ Henri Bergson

World Stats

2005-09-22T10:15:00.000+05:30

Check out this site which provides a whole lot of interesting stats about -
World Population
US Govt. Spending (I wish someone would provide something similar for India)
Education
Environment
Food
Energy
Health etc..

Life's Little Instructions...Part - I

2005-09-16T18:56:00.000+05:30

1. Have a firm handshake.

2. Look people in the eye.

3. Sing in the shower.

4. Own a great stereo system.

5. If in a fight, hit first and hit hard.

6. Keep secrets.

7. Never give up on anybody. Miracles happen everyday.

8. Always accept an outstretched hand.

9. Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be. No one can tell the difference.

10. Whistle.

Build a better Bush

2005-09-14T18:00:00.000+05:30

At least change the way he looks...as if it helps !!!

Click on the link and enjoy...

New Orleans vs Mumbai

2005-09-06T13:50:00.000+05:30

I couldn't' stop making this comparison..

inches of rain in New Orleans due to hurricane Katrina... 18
inches of rain in Mumbai (July 27th).... 37.1

population of New Orleans... 484,674
population of Mumbai.... 12,622,500

deaths in New Orleans within 48 hours of Katrina...100
deaths in Mumbai within 48hours of rain.. 37.

number of people to be evacuated in New Orleans... entire city..wohh
number of people evacuated in Mumbai...10,000

cases of shooting and violence in New Orleans...Countless
cases of shooting and violence in Mumbai.. NONE

time taken for US army to reach New Orleans... 48 hours
time taken for Indian army and navy to reach Mumbai...12 hours

status 48 hours later...New Orleans is still waiting for relief, army and electricty
status 48 hours later..Mumbai is back on its feet and is business is as usual

USA...world's most developed nation
India...JUST A DEVELOPING NATION..

oops...did i get the last fact wrong??? Or am I just being proud of being an INDIAN?

Google Talk

2005-08-24T19:51:00.000+05:30

They say talk is cheap. Google thinks it should be free. Google Talk enables you to call or send instant messages to your friends for free–anytime, anywhere in the world. Google Talk offers you:

Choice: Get in touch how and when you want to–over email, IM or a call

Quality: Talk through your computer but hear your friends as if they were in the same room

Convenience: Your Gmail contacts are pre-loaded into Google Talk so inviting or talking to your friends is just a click away

Google Talk is in beta and requires a Gmail username and password.

Don't copy if you can't paste

2005-08-12T10:32:00.000+05:30

Not too long ago, a large seminar was held for ministers and reverends in training. Among the facilitators were many well-known motivational speakers. One such speaker boldly approached the pulpit and, gathering the entire crowd's attention, said, "The best years of my life were spent in
the arms of a woman who wasn't my wife!" The crowd was shocked! He followed up by saying, "That woman was my mother!" The crowd burst into laughter and he gave his speech, which was well received.

About a week later, one of the ministers who had attended the seminar decided to use that joke in his sermon. As he shyly approached the pulpit
one sunny Sunday, he tried to rehearse the joke in his head. It was a bit foggy to him. Getting to the microphone he said loudly, "The greatest years
of my life were spent in the arms of a woman who was not my wife!"

His congregation sat shocked, murmuring. After standing there for almost 10 seconds trying to recall the second half of the joke, the pastor finally
blurted out "...and I can't remember who she was!"

Moral of the story: Don't copy if you can't paste.

Amazing Human Brain

2005-08-09T18:51:00.000+05:30

Believe it or not, you can easily read this :

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, is taht it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are. The olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

Things Work Out

2005-08-09T18:17:00.000+05:30

Because it rains when we wish it wouldn't,
Because men do what they often shouldn't,
Because crops fail, and plans go wrong-
Some of us grumble all day long.
But somehow, in spite of the care and doubt,
It seems at last that things work out.

Because we lose where we hoped to gain,
Because we suffer a little pain,
Because we must work when we'd like to play-
Some of us whimper along life's way.
But somehow, as day always follows the night,
Most of our troubles work out all right.

Because we cannot forever smile,
Because we must trudge in the dust awhile,
Because we think that the way is long-
Some of us whimper that life's all wrong.
But somehow we live and our sky grows bright,
And everything seems to work out all right.

So bend to your trouble and meet your care,
For the clouds must break, and the sky grow fair.
Let the rain come down, as it must and will,
But keep on working and hoping still.
For in spite of the grumblers who stand about,
Somehow, it seems, all things work out.

By Edgar A. Guest

The Art of Letting Go

2005-08-09T17:00:00.000+05:30

Dr. Alan Zimmerman's Comments:
Sooner or later, everyone you know will disappoint you in some way. They'll say something or fail to say something that will hurt you. And they'll do something or fail to do something that will anger you.

It's inevitable.

Unfortunately, you make things worse when you stew over someone's words and deeds. When you dwell on a rude remark or an insensitive action made by another person, you're headed for deeper problems. In fact, the more you dwell on these things, the more bitter you'll get.
You'll find your joy, peace and happiness slipping away. And you'll find your productivity slowing down as you spend more and more time thinking about the slight or telling others about it. Eventually, if you don't stop doing it, you'll even get sick.

So what should you do the next time someone betrays you?

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR FEELINGS.
Even though the other person may be at fault, even though the other person wronged you, you are still responsible for your own feelings. In other words, other people do not "cause" your feelings. You choose them. For example, two different people could be told that their suggestions made at the staff meeting were "stupid and idiotic." One person may "choose" to feel so hurt that he never speaks up at any other meeting again. The other person may "choose" to feel sorry for the critic, sorry that the critic couldn't see the wisdom and necessity of her suggestions.

As long as you blame other people for your feelings, as long as you believe other people caused your feelings, you're stuck. You're a helpless victim. But if you recognize the fact that you choose your feelings and you are responsible for your feelings, there's hope. You can take some time to think about your feelings. And you can decide what is the best thing to say or do. Then, you've got to learn to WALK AWAY FROM DISAPPOINTMENT. It's difficult to do, but it's possible.

The famous 19th century Scottish historian, Thomas Carlyle, proved that. After working on his multi-volume set of books on "The French Revolution" for six years, Carlyle completed the manuscript and took volume one to his friend John Stuart Mill. He asked Mill to read it.

Five days later, Mill's maid accidentally threw the manuscript into the fire. In agony, Mill went to Carlyle's house to tell him that his work had been destroyed. Carlyle did not flinch. With a smile, he said, "That's all right, Mill. These things happen. It is a part of life. I will start over. I can remember most of it, I am sure. Don't worry. It's all here in my mind. Go,my friend! Do
not feel bad."

As Mill left, Carlyle watched him from the window. Carlyle turned to his wife and said, "I did not want him to see how crushed I am by this misfortune." And with a heavy sigh, he added, "Well the manuscript is gone, so I had better start writing again."

Carlyle finally completed the work, which ranks as one of the great classics of all time. He had learned to walk away from his disappointment. After all, what could Carlyle have done about his burnt manuscript? Nothing. Nothing would have resurrected the manuscript. All Carlyle could do was to get bitter or get started. And what can you do about anything once it is over? Not much. You can try to correct it if it is possible, or you can walk away from it if it isn't. Those are your only two choices. Sometimes you've just got to shake it off and step up.

It's like the farmer who had an old mule who fell into a deep dry well. As he assessed the
situation, he knew it would be difficult, if not impossible, to lift the heavy mule out of the deep well. So the farmer decided to bury the mule in the well. After all, the mule was old and the well was dry, so he could solve two problems at once. He could put the old mule out of his misery and have his well filled.

The farmer asked his neighbours to help him with the shovelling. To work they went. As they threw shovel-full of dirt after shovel-full of dirt on the mule's back, the mule became frightened.
Then all of a sudden an idea came to the mule. Each time they would throw a shovel-full of dirt on his back, he would shake it off and step up. Shovel-full after shovel-full, the mule would shake it off and step up. In not too long a time, the exhausted and dirty mule stepped over the top of the well and through the crowd.

That's the same approach we all need to take. We need to shake it off and step up. Finally, you need to FORGIVE. It's difficult, especially when the other person doesn't deserve your forgiveness or doesn't even seek it. It's difficult when the other person is clearly in the wrong.
Part of the difficulty comes from a common misunderstanding of forgiveness. Forgiveness doesn't mean that the other person's behaviour is okay. And forgiveness doesn't mean that the other person is off the hook. He's still responsible for his misbehaviour. Forgiveness is about letting yourself off the emotional hook. It's about releasing your negative emotions, attitudes, and behaviours. It's about letting go of the past so you can go forward to the future. Everyone in your life, everyone on and off the job is going to disappoint you. If you know how to respond to those situations, you'll be way ahead of most people. You'll be able to live above and beyond your circumstances.

Action: Identify two people that have disappointed, hurt, or angered you. If possible, select two people towards whom you still have some bitterness. Then ask yourself, "How does my bitterness serve me? Am I happier holding on to it? Do I sleep better? Is my life richer, fuller, and better because of my bitterness?"

If you find that your bitterness is hurting you, make a decision. Actually decide to let it go.

Walk away from the disappointment -- which means you no longer dwell on it or talk about it. Period!

Shake it babe!!

2005-08-09T16:55:00.000+05:30

Click on the link above and do NOT maximise your browser window to full screen. Wait for the site to load and enjoy...

Understanding Women (A Man's Perspective)

2005-07-15T16:29:00.000+05:30

I know I'm not going to understand women.
I'll never understand how you can take boiling hot wax, pour it onto your upper thigh, rip the hair out by the root, and still be afraid of a spider.

A Wife's Revenge

2005-07-15T16:27:00.000+05:30

"Cash, check or charge?" I asked, after folding items the woman wished to purchase.

As she fumbled for her wallet I noticed a remote control for a television set in her purse.

"So, do you always carry your TV remote?" Iasked.

"No," she replied, "but my husband refused to come shopping with me, soI figured this was the most legal evil thing I could do to him.

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening

2005-07-14T09:38:00.000+05:30

woods, originally uploaded by Anand Surana.

Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening - Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Never Seen Anything like this

2005-07-13T16:06:00.000+05:30

Yuck ! what's this...i have never seen anything like this...

Click on the title above and watch...
If she gets stuck, just nudge her along with your mouse

Getting Comfortable with New Technology

2005-07-12T16:36:00.000+05:30

Douglas Adams, the creator of all the various manifestations of "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy" writes the following about growing older; next generation; and about getting comfortable with new technology/inventions etc. He states that -

1) Everything that's already in the world when you're born is just normal;

2) Anything that gets invented between then and before you turn thirty is incredibly exciting and creative and with any luck you can make a career out of it;

3) Anything that gets invented after you're thirty is against the natural order of things and the beginning of the end of civilisation as we know it until it's been around for about ten years when it gradually turns out to be alright really.

Apply this list to movies, rock music, word processors and mobile phones to work out how old you are.

(Click on the title above for further reading.)

Senses Challenge

2005-07-11T16:01:00.000+05:30

Put your senses to this test and see how you fare.

Good Luck!

Create your own tune

2005-07-11T15:50:00.000+05:30

When the page displays showing 4 dudes press on each separately to hear the lovely music. Press once more to stop it ...

Create your own tune by starting or stopping each of them.

Have fun !!!

Artificial Intelligence

2005-07-11T15:45:00.000+05:30

Click on the title above to go to this site. Here first you will be asked to think of something that most people would know about, but, never a specific person, place or thing. For example u may think og mind or emotion.

Once u have thought of something start answering the questions one by one And u will find that if u answer sincerely the AI built into this site will be able to guess quite correctly what u are thinking of.

Go ahead try it - it's fun!

The Differences

2005-07-06T18:06:00.000+05:30

A boy asks his father to explain the differences among irritation, aggravation, and frustration.

Dad picks up the phone and dials a number at random.When the phone is answered he asks,

"Can I speak to Mike, please?"

"No! There's no one called Mike here." The person hangs up.

"That's irritation," says Dad.

He picks up the phone again, dials the same number and asks for Mike a second time.

"No, there's no one here called Mike. Go away. Don't call again"

"That's aggravation."

"Then what's 'frustration'?" asks his son.

The father picks up the phone and dials a third time:

"Hello, this is Mike. Have I received any phone calls?"

What's so special about Sept. 1752?

2005-07-06T16:37:00.000+05:30

Sept 1752 Calendar, originally uploaded by Anand Surana.

Have you ever seen the calendar for September 1752?

If you are working in Unix, try this out. At $ prompt, type: cal 9 1752

Isn't the output queer? A month with whole of eleven days missing. Well, let me explain.

This was the time England shifted from Roman Julian Calendar to the Gregorian Calendar, and the king of England ordered those 11 days to be wiped off the face of the month of September of 1752. (What couldn't a King do in those days?!) And yes, the workers worked for 11 days less, but got paid for the entire 30 days. And that's how "Paid Leave" was born.

Bless those people.

The Poet And The Scientist

2005-07-01T14:10:00.000+05:30

There were once two people travelling on a train, a scientist and a poet, who were riding in the same compartment. They had never met before, so naturally, there wasn't much conversation between the two. The poet was minding his own business, looking out the window at the beauty of the passing terrain. The scientist was very uptight, trying to think of things he didn't know so he could try to figure them out.

Finally, the scientist was so bored, that he said to the poet, "Hey, do you want to play a game?"
The poet, being content with what he was doing, ignored him and continued looking out the window, humming quietly to himself. This infuriated the scientist, who irritably asked again, "Hey, you, do you want to play a game? I'll ask you a question, and if you get it wrong, you give me $5. Then, YOU ask ME a question, and if I can't answer it, I'll give YOU $5."

The poet thought about this for a moment, but he decided against it, seeing that the scientist was obviously a very bright man. He politely turned down the scientist's offer.

The scientist, who, by this time was going mad, tried a final time. "Look, I'll ask you a question, and if you can't answer it, you give me $5. Then you ask ME a question, and if I can't answer it, I'll give you $50!"

Now, the poet was not that smart academically, but he wasn't totally stupid. He readily accepted the offer. "Okay," the scientist said, "what is the EXACT distance between the Earth and the Moon?"

The poet, obviously not knowing the answer, didn't stop to think about the scientist's question. He took a $5 bill out of his pocket and handed it to the scientist. The scientist happily accepted the bill and promptly said, "Okay, now it's your turn."

The poet thought about this for a few minutes, then asked, "All right, what goes up a mountain on three legs, but comes down on four?" The bright glow quickly vanished from the scientist's face. He thought about this for a long time, taking out his notepad and making numerous calculations. He finally gave up on his notepad and took out his laptop, using his Multimedia Encyclopedia.

After about an hour of this, the poet quietly watching the mountains of Colorado go by the whole time, the scientist FINALLY gave up. He reluctantly handed the poet a $50 bill. The poet accepted it graciously, turning back to the window.

"Wait!" the scientist shouted. "You can't do this to me! What's the answer??"

The poet looked at the scientist and calmly put another $5 bill into his hand.

Saying The Right Thing

2005-07-01T14:04:00.000+05:30

Martin wakes up at home with a huge hangover. He forces himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he sees is a couple of aspirins and a glass of water on the side table. He sits down and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and pressed.

Martin looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotless, clean. So is the rest of the house. He takes the aspirins and notices a note on the table. "Honey, breakfast is on the stove, I left early to go shopping. Love You!"

So he goes to the kitchen and sure enough there is a hot breakfast and the morning newspaper. His son is also at the table,eating. Martin asks, "Son, what happened last night?"

His son says, "Well, you came home around 3 AM, drunk and delirious. Broke some furniture, puked in the hallway, and gave yourself a black eye when you stumbled into the door."

Confused, Martin asks, "So, why is everything in order and so clean,and breakfast is on the table waiting for me? I should expect a big quarrel with her!"

His son replies, "Oh, that! Mom dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your clothes n shoes off, you said, "Lady leave me alone! I'm married!"

Moral
Self-induced hangover -- $100.00
Broken furniture -- $2,000.00
Breakfast -- $10.00
Saying The Right Thing - PRICELESS...