Friday, December 29, 2006

Earthquake in Taiwan damaged undersea cables

If you were wondering why I didn't update my blog for few days, this is the reason.
Undersea cable damaged by series of powerful quakes off Taiwan. Ever since I started using Internet I was totally out of cyber world for 3 days continuously because of this. I didn't know that Singapore most of the Service Providers are now totally depending on the under ground cable linking for Internet service. All ISP Except Pacific Net is affected because of this quake hit. Now, the service seems to be recovering back slowly. I heard from news media that it would take at least 2 weeks to settle the issues fully. Meanwhile, I will try my level best to update the blog.

Please read the full news here : Quakes disrupt Asia communications

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Puzzle - 28

You are going to meet your good old friend living in a town called X. But to reach that town you need to cross a Jungle. The Jungle is between two towns. The town where you are heading to is one of them.In town X (the town where you friend is living) people are good and will speak only truth. Just the other side of jungle, In town Y people are big time liars, they don't speak anything other than lie. You are lost in the jungle and you see a man from either town X or Y. You are allowed to ask him only one question. What will you ask him to know the route for the town X (where your friend living)?

Simple Exercise

Earlier in my school days we used to have two PE or PT periods in a week. PE/PT stands for Physical Education OR Physical Training. In the beginning of this period my Physical Education tutor will involve us with continuous stretching exercise for more than 45 mins then we all are allowed to go for playing our own games of interest like Volley Ball, Basket Ball, Kho-Kho or Kabadi.

I always used to wonder why is he killing me with such exercise rather than allowing as to play straight away. The only way to escape from this is not to bring the exercise suite and get punished by kneeling down. We are supposed to be kneeling down the whole period of this class. But the moment Physical Education Teacher goes away we will relax to sit down and talk stories, by the time see the teacher in our sight no matter how far, back to the position. Fun right?

Anyway Now that I have got the answer that It could be continued for life long to keep us fit at all age. This answer came to me as I see through my windows in the everyday morning there are groups of elderly people doing same exercise everyday morning. Actually simple exercises like raising your hands up and down, Twisting your body and bending down with your body can really keep our body bit flexible. There are some stretching exercise to keep us fit all the time. Here are some such exercise to keep your body in control, You can do it depends on the time available to you.

Simple Exercise

Try Smiling

Try Smiling
When the weather suits you not,
Try smiling.
When the coffee isn't hot,
Try smiling.
When your neighbours don't do right,
Or your relatives all fight,
Sure 'tis hard, but then you might
Try smiling.

Doesn't change the things, of course
Just smiling.
But it cannot make them worse
Just smiling.
And it seems to help your case,
Brightens up a gloomy place,
Then, it sort of rests your face
Just Keep Smiling

God's Great Grace

There once was a man named George Thomas, pastor in a small New England town. One Easter Sunday morning he came to the Church carrying a rusty, bent, old bird cage, and set it by the pulpit. Eyebrows were raised and as if in response, Pastor Thomas began to speak...

"I was walking through town yesterday when I saw a young boy coming toward me swinging this bird cage. On the bottom of the cage were three little wild birds, shivering with cold and fright. I stopped the lad and asked,

"What you got there, son?" "Just some old birds," came the reply.
"What are you going to do with them?" I asked. "Take em home and have fun with 'em," he answered. "I'm going to tease 'em and pull out their feathers to make 'em fight. I'm going to have a real good time."

"But you'll get tired of those birds sooner or later. What will you do?"

"Oh, I got some cats," said the little boy. "They like birds. I'll take 'em to them."

The pastor was silent for a moment. "How much do you want for those birds, son?"

"Huh?? !!! Why, you don't want them birds, mister. They're just plain old field birds. They don't sing. They aren't even pretty!"

"How much?" the pastor asked again.

The boy sized up the pastor as if he were crazy and said, "$10?"

The pastor reached in his pocket and took out a ten dollar bill. He placed it in the boy's hand. In a flash, the boy was gone. The pastor picked up the cage and gently carried it to the end of the alley where there was a tree and a grassy spot. Setting the cage down, he opened the door, and by softly tapping the bars persuaded the birds out, setting them free.

Well, that explained the empty bird cage on the pulpit, and then the pastor began to tell this story.

One day Satan and Jesus were having a conversation. Satan had just come from the Garden of Eden, and he was gloating and boasting. "Yes, sir, I just caught the world full of people down there. Set me a trap, used bait I knew they couldn't resist. Got 'em all!" "What are you going to do with them?" Jesus asked. Satan replied, "Oh, I'm going to have fun! I'm going to teach them how to marry and divorce each other, how to hate and abuse each other, how to drink and smoke and curse. I'm going to teach them how to invent guns and bombs and kill each other. I'm really going to have fun!"

"And what will you do when you get done with them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, I'll kill 'em," Satan glared proudly. "How much do you want for them?" Jesus asked. "Oh, you don't want those people. They ain't no good. Why, you'll take them and they'll just hate you. They'll spit on you, curse you and kill you. You don't want those people!!"

"How much? He asked again. Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, "All your blood, your tears and your life."

Jesus said, "DONE!" Then He paid the price.

The pastor picked up the cage he opened the door and he walked from the pulpit.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Difference between doing and knowing

Ever heard the story of the giant ship engine that failed? The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine. Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work. He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom.

Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed! A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.

"What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!"

So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill."

The man sent a bill that read:

Tapping with a hammer...... $2.00
Knowing where to tap ....$9998.00

Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort in your life makes all the difference.

Friday, December 22, 2006

Merry Christmas

  • The world’s first Christmas card was sent in 1843 - the same year that Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol

  • In 1843, 1000 Christmas cards were made. In 2005, 744 million Christmas cards were delivered by Royal Mail

  • Until 1878, Valentine’s cards were more popular than Christmas cards

  • Over 17 thousand million Christmas stamps have been printed in Britain since the first ones (designed by children) in 1966

  • The card below is of the world’s first commercial Christmas card. It was commissioned by Henry Cole in 1843, the same year Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol

Let me take this opportunity to Wish
Thanks for all your support as well...

Puzzle - 27

By shuffling the letters in th word ASTRONOMERS, You can get another two words that gives same meaning. What is it?

A Simple & A Real Friend

There are lots of difference between a simple friend and a real friend. Here are some for your readings...

A simple friend has never seen you cry.
A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears.

A simple friend doesn't know your parents' first names.
A real friend has their phone numbers in his address book.

A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party.
A real friend comes early to help you cook and stays late to help you clean.

A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone to bed.
A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.

A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems.
A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.

A simple friend wonders about your romantic history.
A real friend could blackmail you with it.

A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest.
A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself.

A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you HAVE an argument.
A real friend calls you after you had a fight.

A simple friend expects you to always be there for them.
A real friend expects to always be there for you!

Also, A simple friend will bail you out of jail.
A Real Friend will be sitting beside you in the cell asking
"That was fun, huh?”

Forward this on to anyone you care about......If you get it back you have no beginning, no end. It keeps us together, like our Circle of Friends. Today I get you the friendship ball. Pass it on to someone who is a friend to you.

The Doll Maker

Once upon a time in a far-away place lived a kindly old dollmaker. He had spent his goodly long life creating dolls of all sorts, making all the little girls in the world happy.

He had kept up in the trends of the world and made dolls that say "mama", that cry, that stand up by themselves, and that even wink at you. But our dollmaker was very wise. He knew that his time for special contribution was growing short. So, with special resolve in his heart, he made his most beautiful creation. He gave her brown curls, which he personally felt had the most beauty in their long tresses. He gave her the bluest of blue eyes, into which he put the promises of eternity and into which one could gaze forever.

This special doll was given long legs with which she could dance, run and play, and occasionally even walk a second mile. He gave her beautiful hands to work and serve with and teach all the other dolls. Her fingers were long and slender. With these, the old man hoped she would comfort those around her. She had a beautiful face and he planned this so that she could see the beauty in others. He dressed her in a gown as shimmery as gossamer, and on the last day when she was completed, he lifted her up with great care and set her gently in front of a large mirror.

"What do you think little doll?" he asked "Are you not the most beautiful doll in the world?" The doll looked through her long lashes full of excited anticipation. Suddenly her pretty face clouded up and then stormed over. "Oh dollmaker, I hate brown hair and I have always longed for green eyes. These are not the colors I'd have chosen for myself. And look how gangly and long my legs are! How large my feet are! How unfashionable they will seem to the world. My gown is really very ordinary. Oh dollmaker, I am not a beautiful doll at all!"

We have been created with the most beautiful qualities. Don't look into life's mirrors and wish you were something you're not. May we thank the great Dollmaker for what we have been given.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Puzzle - 26

Here is one more to crack your brain :-p

A person is suppose to transport A Dog, A Cat and Milk Can across the river using a boat.

While transporting, The boat can occupy only himself and any one from the rest. How did he transport all of them without making the Cat as prey to the Dog or the Cat drink the Milk Can?

I think some of you might have already come across this answer, If so please let the fresh thinkers answer this question

Become Lake from being a Glass

The old Master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it. "How does it taste?" the Master asked. "Awful," spat the apprentice.

The Master chuckled and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the apprentice swirled his handful of salt into the lake, the old man said, "Now drink from the lake."

As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the Master asked, "How does it taste?" "Good!" remarked the apprentice. "Do you taste the salt?" asked the Master. "No," said the young man

The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands, and said,

"The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains the same, exactly the same. But the amount we taste the 'pain' depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things ..... Stop being a glass. Become a lake!"

So you got the Moral correct?

Breakfast can help prevent strokes

It has been identified Breakfast can help prevent strokes, heart attack and sudden death. Advice on not to skip breakfast! For those who always skip breakfast, you should stop that habit now! You've heard many times that "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Now, recent research confirms that one of the worst practices you can develop may be avoiding breakfast.

Why? Because the frequency of heart attack, sudden death, and stroke peaks between 6:00a.m. and noon, with the highest incidence being between 8:00a.m. and 10:00a.m. What mechanism within the body could account for this significant jump in sudden death in the early morning hours?

We may have an Answer.

Platelet, tiny elements in the blood that keep us from bleeding to Death if we get a cut, can clump together inside our arteries due to cholesterol or laque buildup in the artery lining. It is in the morning hours that platelets become the most activated and tend to form these internal blood clots at the greatest frequency.

However, eating even a very light breakfast prevents the morning platelet activation that is associated with heart attacks and strokes. Studies performed at Memorial University in St.Johns, Newfoundland found that eating a light, very low-fat breakfast was critical in modifying the morning platelet activation. Subjects in the study consumed either low-fat or fat-free yogurt, orange juice, fruit, and a source of protein coming from yogurt or fat-free milk. So if you skip breakfast, it's important that you change this practice immediately in light of this research. Develop a simple plan to eat cereal, such as oatmeal or Bran Flakes, along with six ounces of grape juice or orange juice, and perhaps a piece of fruit. This simple plan will keep your platelets from sticking together, keep blood clots from forming, and perhaps head off a potential Heart Attack or stroke. So never ever skip breakfast.

Remember my earlier article on Importance of having Breakfast? If not please have a look at it too.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Puzzle - 25


You have been given a bucket that can hold water of three litre and five litre. If you are asked to measure 4 liters of water out by using only these two buckets, How will you do it?


Answer 1:
Fill the 3-liter bottle and pour it into the empty 5-liter bottle.
Fill the 3-liter bottle again, and pour enough to fill 5-liter bottle. This leaves exactly 1 liter in the 3-liter bottle.
Empty the 5-liter bottle; pour the remaining 1 liter from the 3-liter bottle into the 5-liter bottle.
Fill the 3-liter bottle and pour it into the 5-liter bottle. The 5-liter bottle now has exactly 4 liters.

Answer 2:
Fill the 5-liter bottle and pour water from it into the 3-liter bottle until it is full.
This leaves 2 liters in the 5-liter bottle.
Empty the 3-liter bottle and pour the 2 liters of water from the 5-liter bottle into the 3-liter bottle.
Fill the 5-liter bottle again.
Fill the 3-liter bottle from the 5-liter bottle. Since the 3-liter bottle had 2 liters of water, only one liter is transferred leaving exactly 4 liters of water in the 5-liter jug.

Eighty Floors

There were once 2 brothers who lived on the 80th floor of a tall building.

On coming home one day, they realized to their dismay that the lifts were not working and that they have to climb the stairs home. After struggling to the 20th level, panting and tired, they decided to abandon their bags and come back for them the next day. They left their bags then and climbed on............

When they have struggled to the 40th level by this time they had gone sufficiently mad and irritated. The younger brother started to grumble and both of them began to quarrel. They continued to climb the flights of steps, quarreling all the way to the 60th floor.

They then realized that they have only 20 levels more to climb and decided to stop quarreling and continue climbing in peace. They silently climbed on and reached their home at long last. Each stood calmly before the door and waited for the other to open the door. And they realized that the key was in their bags which were left on the 20th floor.........


This story is a reflection on our life and times. All of us climb the tall building called life. Some till all the 80 floors and some less. Many of us climb under the expectations of our companion.

Time to time these are our friends and parents till the 20th floor, then our spouse and our dear ones till the next level of the building. We seldom get to do the things that we really like and love and are under so much pressure and stress so that by the age of 20, we get tired and decided to dump this load. Being free of the stress and pressure, we work enthusiastically and dream ambitious wishes.

By the time we reach 40 years old, we start to lose our vision and dreams. We began to feel unsatisfied and start to complain and criticize. We live life as a misery as we are never satisfied.

Reaching 60, we realize that we have little left for complaining anymore, and we began to walk the final episode in peace and calmness. We think that there is nothing left to disappoint us, only to realize that we could not rest in peace we have an unfulfilled dream..........a dream we abandon 60 years ago. So what's your dream.....?Know your dreams and follow it so that you will not live with regrets.

Help Others and Thank God.

Accept Yourself...
Believe in Yourself...
Like Yourself...



Inside each of us are powers so strong, treasures so rich, possibilities so endless, that to command them all to action would change the history of the world.

Celebrate LIFE!!!

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Puzzle - 24


Are you good at decryption? This is a very simple one for you to solve. Can you use youplease find out what does this sentence mean?

Bp xya lrqr j vkrrs qrjsrq, xya's ujwr pbibvurs qrjsbid hubv hri nbiahrv jdy.r m

Vanilla Ice Cream that puzzled General Motors

Never underestimate your Clients' Complaint, no matter how funny it might seem! This is a real story that happened between the customer of General Motors and its Customer-Care Executive. Pls read on....

A complaint was received by the Pontiac Division of General Motors:

'This is the second time I have written to you, and I don't blame you for not answering me, because I sounded crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of Ice-Cream for dessert after dinner each night, but the kind of ice cream varies so, every night, after we've eaten, the whole family votes on which kind of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it. It's also a fact that I recently purchased a new Pontiacand since then my trips to the store have created a problem.....

You see, every time I buy a vanilla ice-cream, when I start back from the store my car won't start. If I get any other kind of ice cream, the car starts just fine. I want you to know I'm serious about this question, no matter how silly it sounds "What is there about a Pontiacthat makes it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to start whenever I get any other kind?" The Pontiac President was understandably skeptical about the letter, but sent an Engineer to check it out anyway.

The latter was surprised to be greeted by a successful, obviously well educated man in a fine neighborhood. He had arranged to meet the man just after dinner time, so the two hopped into the car and drove to the ice cream store. It was vanilla ice cream that night and, sure enough, after they came back to the car, it wouldn't start.

The Engineer returned for three more nights. The first night, they got chocolate. The car started. The second night, he got strawberry. The car started. The third night he ordered vanilla. The car failed to start. Now the engineer, being a logical man, refused to believe that this man's car was allergic to vanilla ice cream. He arranged, therefore, to continue his visits for as long as it took to solve the problem. And toward this end he began to take notes: He jotted down all sorts of data: time of day, type of gas uses, time to drive back and forth etc.

In a short time, he had a clue: the man took less time to buy vanilla than any other flavor. Why? The answer was in the layout of the store. Vanilla, being the most popular flavor, was in a separate case at the front of the store for quick pickup. All the other flavors were kept in the back of the store at a different counter where it took considerably longer to check out the flavor.

Now, the question for the Engineer was why the car wouldn't start when it took less time. Eureka- Time was now the problem - not the vanilla ice cream!!!!

The engineer quickly came up with the answer: "vapor lock".

It was happening every night; but the extra time taken to get the other flavors allowed the engine to cool down sufficiently to start. When the man got vanilla, the engine was still too hot for the vapor lock to dissipate.

Moral of the Story : Even crazy looking problems are sometimes real and all problems seem to be simple only when we find the solution, with cool thinking. Try thinkng differently, that is in multi-dimensions. Don't just say it is "IMPOSSIBLE" without putting a sincere effort.... Observe the word "IMPOSSIBLE" carefully....
Looking closer you will see, "I'M POSSIBLE"...

Now, I remember another story about achieving success in easier manner by thinking wisely. Wait for my next post on this... Till then will leave you with a simple thought, 'What really matters is your attitude and your perception to solve any issues'.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Not My Job

These two pictures are award winning for the concept of 'Not My Job'


Actually this contains a little moral that if everybody says not my job, then who is going to do it? It takes little effort to do such simple job, I would say even though it is not your job Just do something for the society

Puzzle - 23

There was fruit whole sale packaging delivery company shipping fruits to various markets. Out of the items in a package there needs to be three boxes, one should have mango, another should have plums and one more should have mixure of both mango and plums. They are put inside three different boxes accordingly.

Just before packaging everything together in to one supervisor finds out that all the boxes have been labelled wrongly. Supersvisor opens one from the three boxes, and checks for the item inside. Immediately after that without opening rest of the boxes supervisor labels all the boxes correctly. Which box did the supervisor open and how did he/she know how to label all correct?

Christmas gift

On the last day before Christmas, I hurried to go to the supermarket to buy the remaining of the gift I didn't manage to buy earlier.

When I saw all the people there!, I started to complain to myself,"It is going to take forever here and I still have so many other places to go. Christmas really is getting more and more annoying every year.How I wish I could just lie down, go to sleep and only wake up after it..." Nonetheless, I made my way to the toy section, and there I started to curse the prices, wondering if after all kids really playwith such expensive toys.

While looking in the toy section, I noticed a small boy of about 5 years old, pressing a doll against his chest. He kept on touching the hair of the doll and looked so sad. I wondered who was this doll for. Then the little boy turned to the old woman next to him, "Granny, are you sure I don't have enough money?"

The old lady replied, "You know that you don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear."

Then she asked him to stay here for 5 minutes while she went to look around. She left quickly. The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.

Finally, I started to walk toward him and I asked him who did he want to give this doll to.

"It is the doll that my sister loved most and wanted so much for this Christmas. She was so sure that Santa Claus would bring it to her."

I replied to him that may be Santa Claus will bring it to her, after all, and not to worry. But he replied to me sadly. "No, Santa Claus can not bring it to her where she is now. I have to give the doll to my mother so that she can give it to her when she goes there." His eyes were so sad while saying this. "My sister has gone to be with God. Daddy says that Mummy will also go to see God very soon, So I thought that she could bring the doll with her to give it to my sister."

My heart nearly stopped. The little boy looked up at me and said, "I told daddy to tell mummy not to go yet. I asked him to wait until I come back from the supermarket."

Then he showed me a very nice photo of him where he! was laughing. He then told me, "I also want mummy to take this photo with her so that she will not forget me." I love my mummy and I wish she doesn't have to leave me but daddy says that she has to go to be with my little sister."

Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very quietly. I quickly reached for my wallet and took a few notes and said to the boy, "What if we checked again, just in case if you have enough money?"

"Ok," he said. "I hope that I have enough."

I added some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to count it. There was enough for the doll, and even some spare money. The little boy said, "Thank you God for giving me enough money."

Then he looked at me and added, "I asked yesterday before I slept for God to make sure I have enough money to buy this doll so that mummy can give it to my sister. He heard me." "I also wanted to have enough money to buy a white rose for my mummy, but I didn't dare to ask God too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll and the white rose."

"You know, my mummy loves white rose."

A few minutes later, the old lady came again and I left with my trolley. I finished my shopping in a totally
different state from when I started. I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind.

Then I remembered a local newspaper article 2 days ago, which mentioned of a drunk man in a truck who hit a car where there was one young lady and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother was left in a critical state. The family had to decide whether to pull the plug on the life-assisting machine, because the young lady would not be able to get out of the coma.

Was this the family of the little boy?

Two days after this encounter with the little boy, I read in the newspaper that the young lady had passed away.I couldn't stop myself and went to buy a bunch of white roses and I went to the mortuary where the body of the young woman was exposed for people to see and make last wish before burial.

She was there, in her coffin, holding a beautiful white rosein her hand with the photo of the little boy and the doll placed over her chest. I left the place crying, feeling that my life had been changed forever. The love that this little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to that day, hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second, a drunk man had taken all this away from him.

Moral of the story is Don't drive if you are drunken, you might take away somebody's treasure of their life and be thankful to God for whatever you are given with in your life.

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Formula for Success


A small truth to make our Life's 100% successful..........
If A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is equal to 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26
Then H+A+R+D+W+O+R+K = 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
K+N+O+W+L+E+D+G+E = 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
L+O+V+E=12+15+22+5=54%
L+U+C+K = 12+21+3+11 = 47%
(None of them makes 100%)
...............................
Then what makes 100%
Is it Money? ..... No!!!!!
Leadership? ...... NO!!!!
Every problem has a solution, only if we perhaps change our "ATTITUDE".
It is OUR ATTITUDE towards Life and Work that makes OUR Life 100% Successful..
A+T+T+I+T+U+D+E = 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
Don't you think so?!?!?!?!

Clever Question

A bunch of smart MBA students about to give their final paper just got nicely drunk & did not study. Next day morning remorse filled them & they thought of a brilliant idea of fooling their dean to cover their absence. They painted their hands & dresses with oil & grease &, with disheveled hair, they burst in the examination hall where the paper was going on.

They painted a sob story of how their car developed a flat tyre the previous night on a desolate road & how they didn't get any help & had to rough out back to the campus which they reached just a few minutes earlier.

They pleaded for a re-exam after a few days. The dean said he was a reasonable man & he would give the reexam after three days. The boys worked hard for the three days & went to the hall confidently. The dean explained that since this was an extraordinary request, the four students will give the examination from four different halls, the question paper being the same. The question paper was given to the four halls. It had 100 marks.

The first question which had just 5 marks was simple. The second

question which had 95 marks was:-

*

*

*

*

"WHICH TYRE ??

At times cheating is easy and make sure that you don't get caught after that...

Build Your House Right

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-Contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife, enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter. "This is your house, he said, "my gift to you. "The carpenter was shocked! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then with a shock we realize we have to live in the house we have built. If we could do it over, we'd do it much differently. But we cannot go back. You are the carpenter. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. "Life is a do-it-yourself project," someone has said. Your attitudes and the choices you make today, build the "HOUSE" you live in tomorrow. Build wisely!

10 valuable tips for life partners

Do you know what all happy and healthy marriages have in common? In every one of them you will find two people committed to making each other happy.
You will find a man who cherishes his wife and puts her needs above his own, And you will find a wife who respects and trusts her man.
We live in very selfish times. Pop-psychology messages are everywhere in the media encouraging us to love ourselves, Do right by ourselves, and
generally please ourselves first. If you really want a happy marriage, Don't buy into that type of self-centered thinking. Instead,
Try these 10 time-tested techniques and experience the happiness, peace, and tranquility of a healthy marriage.

  1. Make time for each other. It's so easy in our hyper-busy modern lifestyles to forget to set aside a little time to enjoy each other's company. Start a weekly tradition of setting a date for the two of you to be together doing something you both enjoy. Keep it simple. Take a nice walk together. Sip coffee together in a cozy coffeehouse. Talk to each other, reminisce, and get to know each other again.

  2. Take time off from each other. Give each other space and time to work on hobbies and personal interests. When you have an interesting project to work on, you will feel more fulfilled and you will be a more interesting person.

  3. Make little romantic gestures. Remember to compliment your spouse. Leave a little love note for them to find once in awhile. Celebrate the day you first met. Send flowers for no particular reason. You should continuously make little deposits in your spouse's emotional bank account. The return on your investment will be incredible.

  4. Fight fair. Little fights can add spice to each others bonding. Don't argue in front of other people. Don't insult each other or each other's families. Never threaten divorce, and never go to bed angry or without unsettled argument. Let the little things go, and don't make a big deal out of every disagreement. Before arguing, think; is this really going to matter in the long run?

  5. Take interest in what interests your spouse. Watch their favorite shows with them. Read their favorite book, so you can talk about it with them. Encourage them to develop their talents.

  6. Listen to your spouse. Husbands, remember that women need to express their feelings. Be a good sport and just listen. Don't interrupt, or get distracted. Empathize with her. Let her know that you can relate to what she's feeling. Ladies, please remember that the kind of talk you might like to have with your husband does not come naturally to most men. Just be patient. It's not a good idea to "unload" on him right when he comes home from work.

  7. Accept your spouse for who they are. Practice total acceptance. Don't hold your spouse to your expectations; you will only succeed at building resentment.

  8. Express your commitment. In little ways, you can, and should, renew your vows to each other over and over. Your spouse will feel comfortable and secure knowing that you are truly committed to the marriage. True closeness will only happen when all doubt and insecurity is replaced by confidence in the relationship. Let your spouse know that you really are in it "till death do us part."

  9. Trust in each other. I've earlier posted an article on the topic Trust & Relationship, Don't be suspicious. Don't snoop through each other's belongings. To help ensure the trust, be honest with your spouse in all things. Never keep secrets from each other, not even little ones.

  10. Make it your aim to be your spouse's best friend. Appreciate your spouse for who they are. Loosen up and have fun with each other.

If you are practicing the steps above, you are on your way to being your spouse's bestfriend. The ultimate relationship in marriage.

Read More Articles : Here

Friday, December 15, 2006

India has killed 10 mln girls in 20 years

I was shocked to hear this news and is seems to be happening again and again even at this 20th Century. Instead of cherishing the gift of God they abortion them. How cruel? If they think that they came to earth because of their mother carried them in the womb, I don't think it will happen this way. This is mainly due to the dowry system being practised I suppose. What will do you do to fight against the situation like this? Read this news and leave your comments too please

Reuters : Friday December 15, 12:30 AM

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Ten million girls have been killed by their parents in India in the past 20 years, either before they were born or immediately after, a government minister said on Thursday, describing it as a "national crisis".
A UNICEF report released this week said 7,000 fewer girls are born in the country every day than the global average would suggest, largely because female foetuses are aborted after sex determination tests but also through murder of new borns.
"It's shocking figures and we are in a national crisis if you ask me," Minister for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury told Reuters.
Girls are seen as liabilities by many Indians, especially because of the banned but rampant practice of dowry, where the bride's parents pay cash and goods to the groom's family.
Men are also seen as bread-winners while social prejudices deny women opportunities for education and jobs.
"Today, we have the odd distinction of having lost 10 million girl children in the past 20 years," Chowdhury told a seminar in Delhi University.
"Who has killed these girl children? Their own parents."
In some states, the minister said, newborn girls have been killed by pouring sand or tobacco juice into their nostrils.
"The minute the child is born and she opens her mouth to cry, they put sand into her mouth and her nostrils so she chokes and dies," Chowdhury said, referring to cases in the western desert state of Rajasthan.
"They bury infants into pots alive and bury the pots. They put tobacco into her mouth. They hang them upside down like a bunch of flowers to dry," she said.
"We have more passion for tigers of this country. We have people fighting for stray dogs on the road. But you have a whole society that ruthlessly hunts down girl children."
According to the 2001 census, the national sex ratio was 933 girls to 1,000 boys, while in the worst-affected northern state of Punjab, it was 798 girls to 1,000 boys.
The ratio has fallen since 1991, due to the availability of ultrasound sex-determination tests.
Although these are illegal they are still widely available and often lead to abortion of girl foetuses.
Chowdhury said the fall in the number of females had cost one percent of India's GDP and created shortages of girls in some states like Haryana, where in one case four brothers had to marry one woman.
Economic empowerment of women was key to change, she said.
"Even today when you go to a temple, you are blessed with 'May you have many sons'," she said.
"The minute you empower them to earn more or equal (to men), social prejudices vanish."
The practice of killing the girl child is more prevalent among the educated, including in upmarket districts of New Delhi, making it more challenging for the government, the minister said.
"How do we tell educated people that you must not do it? And these are people who would visit all the female deities and pray for strength but don't hesitate to kill a girl child," she said.

Puzzle - 22

Albert is a keen dog admirer and over the years has had a number of dogs. He has had an Alsatian, a Dalmatian, a Poodle and a Great Dane, but not necessarily in that order. Albert had Jamie first. The Dalmatian was an adored pet before the Great Dane. Sammy, the Alsatian, was the second dog Albert loved. Whitney was housed before the Poodle and Jimmy was not a Great Dane. Can you tell each of the dogs' name and the order in which Albert had them?

Forgive and Forget

A kindergarten teacher has decided to let her class play a game. The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes. Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hates, so the number of potatoes that a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number of people he/she hates.

So when the day came, every child brought some potatoes with the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some 3 while
some up to 5 potatoes.

The teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes in the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week.

Days after days passed by, and the children started to complain due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides, those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags.

After 1 week , the children were relieved because the game had finally ended.

The teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the potatoes with you for 1 week?" The children let out their frustrations and started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go.

Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game.

The teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just 1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred in your heart for your lifetime???"

Moral of the story:
Throw away any hatred for anyone from your heart so that you will not carry sins for a life time. Forgiving others is the best attitude to take!

Life is to be fortified by many friendships.
To love & to be loved is the greatest happiness.
Fate determines who comes into our lives.The heart determines who stays

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Wanna Sleep don't make me smile

Facts about Human Beings

There are many hidden facts about our human body, in my earlier postings I have already posted little bit of info there and here some for you.

  • A human being loses an average of 40 to 100 strands of hair a day.

  • A cough releases an explosive charge of air that moves at speeds up to 60 mph.

  • Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.

  • A fetus acquires fingerprints at the age of three months.

  • A sneeze can exceed the speed of 100 mph.

  • According to German researchers, the risk of heart attack is higher on Monday than any other day of the week.

  • After spending hours working at a computer display, look at a blank piece of white paper. It will probably appear pink.

  • An average human drinks about 16,000 gallons of water in a lifetime.

  • A fingernail or toenail takes about 6 months to grow from base to tip.

  • An average human scalp has 100,000 hairs.

  • It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown.

  • Babies are born with 300 bones, but by adulthood we have only 206 in our bodies.

  • Beards are the fastest growing hairs on the human body. If the average man never trimmed his beard, it would grow to nearly 30 feet long in his lifetime.

  • By age sixty, most people have lost half of their taste buds. By the time you turn 70, your heart will have beat some two-and-a-half billion times (figuring on an average of 70 beats per minute.)

  • Each square inch of human skin consists of twenty feet of blood vessels.

  • Every human spent about half an hour as a single cell.

  • Every person has a unique tongue print. Every square inch of the human body has an average of 32 million bacteria on it.

  • Fingernails grow faster than toenails.

  • Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour - about 1.5 pounds a year. By 70 years of age, an average person will have lost 105 pounds of skin.

Never Abandon Your Loved Ones

In order to renovate the house, someone in Japan tear open the wall. Japanese houses normally have a hollow space between the wooden walls. When tearing down the walls, he found that there was a lizard stuck there because a nail from outside hammered into one of its feet. He sees this, feels pity and at the same time curious, as when he checked the nail, it was nailed 10 years ago when the house was first built.

What actually happened..?

The lizard has survived in such position for 10 years!?!! In a dark wall partition for 10 years without moving, it is impossible a nd mind boggling. Then he wondered, how this lizard survived for 10 years without moving a single step - since its feet was nailed!

So he stopped his work and observed the lizard, what has it been doing and what has it been eating? Later, don't know from where appears another lizard, with food in its mouth... AHHH! He was stunned and touched deeply. For the lizard that was stuck by nail, another lizard has been feeding it for the past 10 years..

Such a love, such a beautiful love!! Such love happened even on this tiny creature... What can love do? It can do wonders!! Love can do miracles!!

Imagine it has been doing it for a tired some 10 yrs, without giving up hope on its partner.

Imagine what a small creature can do that a creature blessed with the brilliant mind can't.

As the technology advances, our access to information become faster and faster. But the distance between human beings, was it getting closer as well?

NEVER ABANDON YOUR LOVED ONES. Share this story with everyone that has touched your life and make you grow and understand and feel more about your life.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

When the father pays water bill

When the father pays water bill, This is what the kids at home will do

Puzzle - 21

This is the time of Christmas right? Its time for Santa Claus to knock our doors and pour the gifts with joy in this season of giving. With this aim our Santa Claus dressed up, picked a red hat and a pair of white gloves. Later on he found out that both gloves were right handed and no glove to wear on left hand. Still he managed to make it as a perfect pair and wore it, how was it possible?

He will turn either of the gloves inside out. Trying doing this it will suit for the other hand perfectly

Negative ions reduces depression

Have you heard about Negative Ion generators relieve depression as much as antidepressants? Yes, The other day i saw one of my friend wearing a rubber band kind of bracelet in his hand and asked him why do you wear that like ladies wearing bangle. He replied me saying that is to charge out negative ions in our body and it create positive vibes and relieves depression in that process. Seems like this is a scientifically proven method. If you have not heard about ions, positive and negative ions you may learn about them from the below given link 1.

There are many ways to procduce negative ions, ionizer (Generates negative ion) is one of the way, nowadays there are quite a lot of brands are available in the market as airpurifier with ionizer. Also you can get the Negative Ion wrist band or Bracelet that is made of silicone rubber, non-toxic material. You can even can get some Negative Ion Jade Mattress.

To read more about Ions and its effects please follow these links.

Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
Link 4

How to get a nice wife

There are times in a person's life when he needs to take crucial decisions on his own. Marriage is one of them. Believe me, the decision on whom to marry is the most important decision a person will make in his life. After marriage, your wife is the most important person in your life. She can make or break your life. The mere thought of this is very frightening.

Some of the questions that crop up are -

a. What sort of a girl do I marry?
b. Will she adjust in my family?
c. How can I decide on a girl by just meeting her for a few times?
d. When should I get married?
e. This is my life. So, I should choose the girl I marry, but then what if I make a mistake?
.. so on and so forth.

Here are some attempts done to address these & many more questions. You may call this as 'The Ten Rules of Arranged Marriage'

Rule 1 - Magic No. 26,27,28
In an ideal scenario, a girl goes to college at the age of 18. By the time she graduates, goes for her post graduation and/ or works for 1-2 years, she will be about 23- 24. This means that she has spent about 5 years away from her home. In the 5 years period, she would meet many smart guys at college or during her first few years on job. So, in all probability it would be difficult to find a good girl older than 24 yrs. Secondly, in Indian families there is lot of pressure on the girl's to get married by the time they become 24-25. Statistics says that there is a generation gap after every 5 years. So, in such scenario, one would prefer to marry a girl who is about 3-4 years younger to you. Thus, working backwards, an ideal age for a guy to get married is by 28. Earlier the marriage, the better it is. Well, as we all know , in the current market scenario, there will never be stability in our career. So, I believe there is no such thing as, "I will marry when I settle down".

Rule 2 - Subset of Marriage-able Girls
At times you hear statements like, "I am not getting the right match, I will look after 3 months, I will find a better match then". Well the truth is otherwise. The subset of unmarried girl looking for a match is fixed. From this subset, there would be girls who would get married & there would be new girls added who would be looking for a match. The net result is that at any given time, the variety & numbers of marriage-able girls are fixed.

Rule 3 - Competition for Girls
Like all other facets of life, there is lot of competition for good girls. So, if you are looking for a girl who is post graduate, has done her Engg, is working, very beautiful, smart, from a good family etc. etc, just think again. There are other guys who are also looking for similar girls & probably they are better off than you in terms of career, looks personality etc. Given a choice every guy would like to marry Aishwarya Rai. So, set your expectations accordingly.

Rule 4 - Understanding Girls
You would have met a lot of people during your life. As we all know, it's difficult to judge a person based on a few meetings. I am sure you would agree with me that in case of girls it is even more difficult to understand them in a few meetings. I know people who are still trying to understand their wife. ;-).. Understanding your spouse is a life long assignment . So, then how do you select a girl based on a few meeting? This is where you need to take the help of your parents/friends & latest technologies like email/chat to choose your girl.

Rule 5 - Society Expectation
The selection process is tough on every one who is involved in the process. In arranged marriage, involvement of family & society is pretty high. You can't meet a girl 3-4 times & then say no to her. It is bad for her future. So, you should have a good short-listing criterion. Meet only a few girls & be sure what you are looking for. It is for the benefit of everyone involved.

Rule 6 - Marriage Between Equals
Unlike love marriage, in arranged marriage you also marry into the girl's family. In arranged marriages, family support plays a major role in ensuring a successful marriage. This is where the compatibility of social status, family values & caste/religion plays a major role. It's important to note that in case there is a perfect match between the two families, the marriage is destined to succeed.

Rule 7 - Know Yourself
Unlike love marriage, in arranged marriage you first marry a person & then fall in love. So, it's very important that you do a self-assessment on the kind of person you would love. They say, "Opposite attract", while they also say, "Bird of same feather flock together". So, you take a call on what sort of person you like. Take a pen & paper; write down the kind of attributes you are looking for in a girl. Say, she should ideally have the looks of Sonia, the style of Monica, the voice of Sheena, the patience of Rashmi. You will certainly not find the perfect girl , but then you would have a good idea of what you are looking for. The secret here is to set some minimum criteria for selection . Don't forget rule no.3 here.

Rule 8 - Girl's Beauty
A girl's looks attract, but then no one wants to end up marrying a dumb. It is like buying your bike. When you initially buy it, you are crazy about the looks, but later on you love it for its reliability, fuel economy & comfort level. Similarly, a girl's looks are important, but then it should not be the most important criteria. Later on in life, you will get bored of her looks. It is then that her personality & behavior will make all the difference to your marriage . I am sure your parents will be able to advice you a lot better on this topic .

Rule 9 - Taking Advice
As I have mentioned in the next rule, it's very important that the final decision on whom to marry must necessarily be yours. However, don't do the mistake of isolating yourself from the world while planning your marriage. Discuss with your parents & very close friends on this issue. They are your well wishers . Secondly, in such important matters it's necessary that you analyze all possibilities. Remember, I am not suggesting that you follow others' advice, but don't forget to take their advice.

Rule 10 - Own Decision
All said & done, it's your marriage & your life that is at stake. Once you are married, you & your wife are the only persons who will be facing the music. Don't marry a girl just because your parents or friends asked you to do so. After marriage, if things don't work out & you end up saying, "It's because of my friends or my parents that I married you", then your marriage is destined for disaster. If the girl is of your choice, it is you who will be responsible for whatever happens. That's when the marriage works out perfectly. So, ensure that you marry the girl of your choice. How to approach the selection process? From the day, a person decides to get married; the selection process takes a minimum of 3 months. The whole process needs a lot of patience & commitment.

The ideal steps to be followed are:


  1. Definition Phase
  2. Define the minimum criteria for the kind of life partner you are looking for in terms of education, physical appearance, social status, family values, future career plans. Remember the Rule 3 here.
  3. B. Lead Generation Phase

  4. Place ads in various newspapers, magazines, websites, through friends, family friends, family societies & association etc. You need to exhaust all possible means of getting bio-datas at one go. Remember the Rule 2 here.
  5. Short Listing Phase
  6. Based on your selection criteria, short-list the interesting bio-datas.

    The general process followed for correspondence is as follows:

    1. The initiator sends a one page profile of himself/herself.

    2. Based on the profile, the receiver sends his/her one page profile along with request for detailed profile, photo, and horoscope.

    3. The initiator then sends the requested information along with a request for similar information.

    4. The receiver sends similar information.

    5. If the bio-data is selected, it is passed over to the next phase

  7. Casual Interaction Phase
  8. Based on short listing, about 7 to 10 bio-datas are taken forwarded to this phase. The next step to follow here is to exchange email/ chat ids. The guy & the girl then interact for 10 - 15 days to try & judge mutual compatibility through email/chat.
  9. Family Interaction Phase
  10. Based on the earlier phase, about 5 leads are taken for consideration in this phase. During this phase, the parents get involved & check the background information about the families to find mutual compatibility.
  11. Dating Phase
  12. Based on the earlier phase about 3 leads are taken forward to this phase. During this phase, the guy & the girl interact by going out alone for 2-3 times. The guy needs to prepare a set of simple questions like who is your favorite star, what are your hobbies? He needs to use his judgment to analyze the girl based on her responses.
  13. The D-day Phase
  14. Finally, the D-day comes when the guy has to select the girl he wants to spend his life with. If the process if followed systematically, there will be no ambiguity in deciding who should be your life partner.


Finally, my dear friends, marriage is all about compromises. In spite of all the planning that you do, there are a lot of uncertainties in a marriage. In fact this is the best part about marriage. Just remember that the person you marry must be of your choice. In such case, there would be no going back for both of you.

A few words of advice: To make your marriage a success; just believe in the age-old virtue , "Never do anything to others that you don't like for yourself?"

Put the glass down Today

Study this small story, hope that makes a BIG change in you.

Professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see & asked the students,' How much do you think this glass weighs?'

'50gms!' .... '100gms!' .....'125gms' .....the students answered.

'I really don't know unless I weigh it,' said the professor, 'but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?'

'Nothing' the students said.

'Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?' the professor asked.

'Your arm would begin to ache' said one of the students.

'You're right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?'

'Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress & paralysis & have to go to hospital for sure!' ventured another student & all the students laughed.

'Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?' asked the professor.

'No'

'Then what caused the arm ache & the muscle stress?' The students were puzzled.

'Put the glass down!' said one of the students.

'Exactly!' said the professor.' Life's problems are something like this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head & they seem OK. Think of them for a long time & they begin to ache. Hold it even longer & they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything. It's important to think of the challenges (problems) in your life, but EVEN MORE IMPORTANT to 'put them down' at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh & strong & can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!' So, as it becomes time for you to leave office today, Remember friend to
'PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY!'

Please share this Great bit of message to all who you know

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Cheated with Computer Game

Look at this kid's reaction in the cheating of game...

Puzzle - 20

I've thorns But I am not a Plant
I've a face but I am not a Human

Who am I?

An appropriate answer posted by Anu is also acceptable, that is nothing but
Porcupine, Let me see if anybody else posts the answer I expected

Change your point of view

Imagine you're in London's Heathrow Airport. While you're waiting for your flight, you notice a kiosk selling shortbread cookies. You buy a box, put them in your traveling bag and then you patiently search for an available seat so you can sit down and enjoy your cookies. Finally you find a seat next to a gentleman. You reach down into your traveling bag and pull out your box of shortbread cookies.

As you do so, you notice that the gentleman starts watching you intensely. He stares as you open the box and his eyes follow your hand as you pick up the cookie and bring it to your mouth. Just then he reaches over and takes one of your cookies from the box, and eats it! You're more than a little surprised at this. Actually, you're at a loss for words. Not only does he take one cookie, but he alternates with you. For every one cookie you take, he takes one.

Now, what's your immediate impression of this guy? Crazy? Greedy? He's got some nerve? Can you imagine the words you might use to describe this man to your associates back at the office? Meanwhile, you both continue eating the cookies until there's just one left. To your surprise, the man reaches over and takes it. But then he does something unexpected. He breaks it in half,and gives half to you. After he's finished with his half he gets up, and without a word, he leaves.

You think to yourself, "Did this really happen?" You're left sitting there dumbfounded and still hungry. So you go back to the kiosk and buy another box of cookies. You then return to your seat and begin opening your new box of cookies when you glance down into your traveling bag. Sitting there in your bag is your original box of cookies - still unopened.

Only then do you realize that when you reached down earlier, you had reached into the other man's bag, and grabbed his box of cookies by mistake.Now what do you think of the man? Generous? Tolerant? You've just experienced a profound paradigm shift. You're seeing things from a new point of view.

Is it time to change your point of view?

Now, think of this story as it relates to your life . Seeing things from a new point of view can be very enlightening. Think outside the box. Don't settle for the status quo.

Be open to suggestions. Things may not be what they seem.

Childhood Soy cuts risk of breast cancer

Researches conducted at the United States' National Cancer Institute and University of Hawaii has found that Increasing One's intake of soy-based product reduces the risk of contracting breast cancer.

Beside this, it has a good low-fat protein source and is a delicious meat equivalent food for all veggie lovers. This has also increases the calcium intake of the day though it has lesser calcium compared to milk.

Based on the news available at American Association for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute (NCI) investigators has found that consuming soy during childhood, adolescence and adult life were each associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer, but that the strongest and most consistent effect was seen for childhood intake.

They found that women who ate the most soy-based foods (such as tofu, miso, natto) during ages 5-11 reduced their risk of developing breast cancer by 58 percent, compared to women who ate the least amount. The corresponding reductions for adolescent and adult intake were about 25 percent.

"Childhood soy intake was significantly associated with reduced breast cancer risk in our study, suggesting that the timing of soy intake may be especially critical," said the study's lead investigator, Larissa Korde, M.D., MPH, a staff clinician at the NCI's Clinical Genetics Branch, in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. Korde worked in collaboration with epidemiologists at the University of Hawaii, the Northern California Cancer Center, and the University of Southern California.

They Also found that a prospective study of fish, n-3 fatty acid intake reduces colorectal cancer risk in men well.

So, take more of Soy products like Tofo, Soya Milk, Soya Sprout, taupok, taukwa, foopei, meal maker and enjoy the good health benefits from it. If you are a vegetarian I may not be able to suggest you for fish intake...

Monday, December 11, 2006

Puzzle - 19

Once there was a party hosted by Martin and room was filled with many guests and suddenly there was a power failure. Then sooner they rectfied the power supply problem and party hall was illuminated back with lights. By then they found that Martin was murded and lying dead in the hall.

Police were called to the scene and Mr. X appeared at the spot as detective agent. He enquired the people who were attending the party and shortlisted few suspects.

The names in the list were
- Anthony Arnold
- Chong Cheah
- Edward Einsteen
- Paul Patrick
- Robbert Richard

Mr. X investigated further down and with more evidents and ended as mystery!. Finally arrested the killer correctly.

Assume you are Mr. X and tell Who murdered Martin?

Remember Mr. X ended as mystery??? its not mystery, it should be understood as Mr. E, so the only person in the list is Edward Einsteen. So, he arrested him

Health benefits of Green Tea

Yes, It has lots of medicinal value to cure many diseases. How many of you heard about such benefits you can get from Green Tea? The benefits listed down may not just end with these four, many others research conducted by various health clinics are keep adding the benefits to the list. All these benefits are caused mainly due to a powerful anti-oxidant in green tea called EpiGalloCatechin Gallate (EGCG).

Here are those list of benefits

  1. Reduces the Risk of Cancer

  2. May Protect the damagages caused by heart attacks and strokes

  3. Reduces the Risk of Coronary Artery Disease

  4. Increases the Ratio of Good (HDL) Cholesterol to Bad (LDL) Cholesterol
So, Try at least a cup or two of Green Tea a day if possible and stay healthy to some extent :)

Want to more about benefits of taking Green Tea and its properties? Read the following Articles.

1. Green Tea Health Benefits 1
2. Green Tea Health Benefits2

Take control of your Life

This is a nice analogy, so take heed of the Moral.

Once upon a time, there was a very strong man. He asked for a job from a timber merchant and he got it. The pay was really good and so were the work conditions. For that reason, the man was determined to do his best. His boss gave him an axe and showed him the area where he is supposed to work. The first day, he brought down 18 trees. The Boss was very much impressed and said, "Congratulations Go on that way!

Very motivated by the words of the boss, he tried harder the next day, but only could bring down 15 trees. The third day he tried even harder, but he could only bring down 10 trees. Day after day he was bringing down less and less trees. "I must be losing my strength", he thought to himself. He went to the Boss and apologized, saying that he could not understand what was going on. "When was the last time you sharpened your axe?" the boss asked. "Sharpen? I had no time to sharpen my axe. I have been busy cutting trees."


The moral of this story:
Our lives are like that. We sometimes get so busy that we don't take time to sharpen the axe. In today's world, it seems that everyone is busier than ever, but less happy than ever. Why is that? Could it be that we have forgotten how to stay sharp? There's nothing wrong with activity and hard work. But we should not get so busy and neglect the truly important things in life, like our personal life, taking time to care for others, Taking time to read etc. We all need time to relax, to think and meditate, to learn and grow. If you don't take the time to sharpen the axe, we will become dull and lose our effectiveness. So, start from today, think about the ways by which you could do your job more effectively and add a lot of value to it.
Hope this story has given you some insight to life, may you be happy always!
"TO HANDLE YOURSELF, USE YOUR HEAD. TO HANDLE OTHERS, USE YOUR HEART"

Love Your Job But Never Fall In Love With Your Company

This was the speech given quite sometimes ago on Late sitting by Mr.Narayana Murthy, Infosys Chairman. Some of you might have already read this before, but good to read again.

I know people who work 12 hours a day, six days a week, or more. Some people do so because of a work emergency where the long hours are only temporary. Other people I know have put in these hours for years. I don't know if they are working all these hours, but I do know they are in the office this long. Others put in long office hours because they are addicted to the workplace. Whatever the reason for putting in overtime, working long hours over the long term is harmful to the person and to the organization.

There are things managers can do to change this for everyone's benefit. Being in the office long hours, over long periods of time, makes way for potential errors. My colleagues who are in the office long hours frequently make mistakes caused by fatigue. Correcting these mistakes requires their time as well as the time and energy of others. I have seen people work Tuesday through Friday to correct mistakes made after 5 PM on Monday.

Another problem is that people who are in the office for long hours are not pleasant company. They often complain about other people (who aren't working as hard); they are irritable, or cranky, or even angry. Other people avoid them. Such behaviour poses problems, where work goes much better when people work together instead of avoiding one another.

As Managers, there are things we can do to help people leave the office. First and foremost is to set the example and go home ourselves. I work with a manager who chides people for working long hours. His words quickly lose their meaning when he sends these chiding group e-mails with a time-stamp of 2 AM, Sunday. Second is to encourage people to put some balance in their lives. For instance, here is a guideline I find helpful:
1) Wake up, eat a good breakfast, and go to work.
2) Work hard and smart for eight or nine hours.
3) Go home.
4) Read the comics, watch a funny movie, dig the dirt, play with your kids etc..
5) Eat well and sleep well.

This is called recreating. Doing steps 1, 3, 4, and 5 enable step 2. Working regular hours and recreating daily are simple concepts. They are hard for some of us because that requires personal change. They are possible since we all have the power to choose to do them.

In considering the issue of overtime, I am reminded of my eldest son. When he was a toddler, If people were visiting the apartment, he would not fall asleep no matter how long the visit, and no matter what time of day it was.! He would fight off sleep until the visitors left. It was as if he was afraid that he would miss something. Once our visitors' left, he would go to sleep.

By this time, however, he was over tired and would scream through half the night with nightmares. He, my wife, and I, all paid the price for his fear of missing out. Perhaps some people put in such long hours because they don't want to miss anything when they leave the office.

The trouble with this is that events will never stop happening. That is life! Things happen 24 hours a day.

Allowing for little rest is not ultimately practical. So, take a nap. Things will happen while you're asleep, but you will have the energy to catch up when you wake.

Hence "LOVE YOUR JOB BUT NEVER FALL IN LOVE WITH YOUR COMPANY"

- Narayana Murthy

Share your view on this please..

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Puzzle - 18

Three friends went on a tour and rented a room for thirty dollars. The money was shared by them as ten dollars per head. After that, Cashier found out the rental is only twenty five dollars and made them pay extra five bucks. So, he called the room boy and gave him that five bucks asked to return the money to those friends. This guy to avoid complication in spliting took two dollars from it and gave back only three dollars them. The friends took back and each got one dollars and became like they paid nine bucks per head for the total rent of twenty seven dollars. If you add this twenty seven with two dollars that room boy took, it sums up only to twenty nine dollars. Where did the one dollar go then (when they originally paid thirty dollars)?

The answer is same as what the brilliant reader posted,

1) Room boy kept it but this wasn't stated in the problem.

3) Disappeared into another dimension.

SOLUTION

Nothing happened to the dollar. All the money is still there. Yes, they each ended up paying $9 each for a total of $27. Plus the $3 they got back is a total of $30-it's all there. They were supposed to pay $25 but they paid $27, which makes sense because the bellhop kept $2.

Charges: $25 for the room + $2 for the bellhop=$27 $30 initial charge - $3 refund = $27 Each paid $9 and $9 x 3 = $27

The trick is in the statement, "The three men had now paid $9 each, or a total of $27. This plus the $2 the room boy kept for himself makes a total of $29."

The $27 is the total payment and $2 is a cost, not a payment! It just happens to add up to $29 giving the illusion of a missing dollar.

Three words to strengthen your relationships

There are many things that you can do to strengthen your relationships. Often the most effective thing you can do involves saying just three words. When spoken sincerely, these statements often have the power to develop new friendships, deepen old ones and even bring healing to relationships that have sourerd.

The following three-word phrases can be tools to help develop every relationship.

  1. Let Me Help

  2. Good friends see a need and then try to fill it. When they see a hurt they do what they can to heal it. Without being asked, they jump in and help out.

  3. I Understand You

  4. People become closer and enjoy each other more when the other person accepts and understands them. Letting your spouse know - in so many little ways - that you
    understand them, is one of the most powerful tools for healing your relationship. And this can apply to any relationship.

  5. I Respect You

  6. Respect is another way of showing love. Respect demonstrates that another person is a true equal. If you talk to your children as if they were adults you will
    strengthen the bonds and become closer friends. This applies to all interpersonal relationships.

  7. I Miss You

  8. Perhaps more marriages could be saved and strengthened if couples simply and sincerely said to each other "I miss you." This powerful affirmation tells partners they are wanted, needed, desired and loved. Consider how important you would feel, if you received an unexpected phone call from your spouse in the middle of your workday, just to say "I miss you."

  9. Maybe You're Right

  10. This phrase is very effective in diffusing an argument. The implication when you say "maybe you're right" is the humility of admitting, "maybe I'm wrong". Let's face it. When you have an argument with someone, all you normally do is solidify the other person's point of view. They, or you, will not likely change their position and you run the risk of seriously damaging the relationship between you. Saying "maybe you're right" can open the door to explore the subject more. You may then have the opportunity to express your view in a way that is understandable to the other person.

  11. Please Forgive Me

  12. Many broken relationships could be restored and healed if people would admit their mistakes and ask for forgiveness. All of us are vulnerable to faults, foibles and failures. A man should never be ashamed to own up that he has been in the wrong, which is saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.

  13. I Thank You

  14. Gratitude is an exquisite form of courtesy. People who enjoy the companionship of good, close friends are those who don't take daily courtesies for granted. They are quick to thank their friends for their many expressions of kindness. On the other hand, people whose circle of friends is severely constricted often do not have the attitude of gratitude.

  15. Count On Me

  16. A friend is one who walks in when others walk out. Loyalty is an essential ingredient for true friendship. It is the emotional glue that bonds people. Those that are rich in their relationships tend to be steady and true friends. When troubles come, a good friend is there indicating "you can count on me."

  17. I'll Be There

  18. If you have ever had to call a friend in the middle of the night, to take a sick child to hospital, or when your car has broken down some miles from home, you will know how good it feels to hear the phrase "I'll be there." Being there for another person is the greatest gift we can give. When we are truly present for other people, important things happen to them and us. We are renewed in love and friendship. We are restored emotionally and spiritually. Being there is at the very core of civility.

  19. Go for it

  20. We are all unique individuals. Don't try to get your friends to conform to your ideals. Support them in pursuing their interests, no matter how far out they seem to you. God has given everyone dreams, dreams that are unique to that person only. Support and encourage your friends to follow their dreams. Tell them to "go for it."

B o n u s : 11. I Love You
Perhaps the most important three words that you can say. Telling someone that you truly love them satisfies a person's deepest emotional needs. The need to belong, to feel appreciated and to be wanted. Your spouse, your children, your friends and you, all need to hear those three little words: "I love you." Love is a choice. You can love even when the feeling is gone.

and finally, GOD BLESS YOU! (These are 3 words too, right? Use this to bless whoever you care)

A Thought

A mother and a baby camel were lazing around, and suddenly the baby camel asked

Baby : Mother, mother, may I ask you some questions?
Mother : Sure! Why son, is there something bothering you?

Baby : Why do camels have those great big humps on their backs ?
Mother : Well son, we are desert animals, we need the humps to store water and we are known to survive without water.... We can go on long treks across the deserts without drinking for extended periods...

Baby : Okay, then why are our legs long and our feet rounded, wiith those huge three toed feet ?
Mother : Son, obviously they are meant for walking in the desert. They help you stay on top of the soft sand... You know with these legs I can move around the desert better than anyone does ! Said the mother proudly.

Baby : Okay, then why are our eyelashes long? Sometimes it bothers my sight.
Mother : My son, those long thick eyelashes are your protective cover. They help to protect your eyes from the desert sand and wind. Said mother camel with eyes gleaming with pride....

Baby : I see. So the hump is to store water when we are in the desert, the legs are for walking through the desert sand and these eye lashes protects my eyes from the desert winds.... But Mom......

Mother : (Getting a little impatient...) Tell me boy, something is still bothering you... ????

Baby : Then Mom... what the hell are we doing here in this goddamn Zzzoooooo ???

MORAL OF THE STORY : "Skills, knowledge, abilities and experiences are of value only if you are at the right place"

Friday, December 08, 2006

Puzzle - 17

I hold the key of individuality,
I am the favourite for some kids,
I Might be the sign of acceptance,If I Go up
I mean these things and maybe much more

Who Am I?

So, the Answer is Thumb

Unforgettable dinner with my Mom

This story is nice to read and apply in our practical life...

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said I love you but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

"What's wrong, are you well," she asked? My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

"I thought that it would be pleasant to be with you," I responded. "Just the two of us."

She thought about it for a moment, and then said, "I would like that very much."

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.

She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's. "I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed, " she said,

As she got into the car. "They can't wait to hear about our meeting". We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me.
A nostalgic smile was on her lips "It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small," she said.
"Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor," I responded.

During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation - nothing extraordinary, but catching up on recent events of each other's life. We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said, "I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you." I agreed.

"How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got home. "Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined," I answered.

A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I did to not get to do anything for her.

Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined. An attached note said: "I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I Love You, Son."

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: "I LOVE YOU!" and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than God and your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till "some other time."

Pass this along to everyone with an aging parent, to a child, to an adult, to anyone with a parent and Let them know the value of Mother, if they never knew. Here's hoping today is better than yesterday and tomorrow.

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away!"