Puzzle - 50

Assume that you were living in US and you are Mexican. One fine day you realised that all your identities have been erased and you are now considered as illegal immigrant. You have reached the US - Mexico Border, which is of half mile long covered by barbed wire and takes 12 mins to cross by walk.

You need to cross back the border to go to your home town in Mexico. In the US Border Security check booth, every 5 mins cops come out from booth and checks if anybody is crossing the border line. If you are caught while trying to escape from US to Mexico you will be sent to Jail. If you are caught while you are entering from Mexico into US without valid travel documents you will be sent back home. What attempt will you make to escape from US Security Point into reach Mexico?

Lightning Facts

• The Temperature of lightning's return stroke can reach 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The surface of the sun is not even that hot! (around 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit)


• Average Lightning Stroke is 6 miles long


• Average Thunderstorm is 6-10 miles wide


• Average Thunderstorm travels at a rate of 25 miles per hour


• A typical lightning flash lasts about a quarter of a second and consists of 3 or 4 individual discharges called strokes


• Lightning strikes somewhere on the surface of the earth about 100 times every second


• On average, thunder can only be heard over a distance of 3-4 miles, depending on humidity, terrain and other factors


• The science of lightning is termed fulminology and a person studying it, a fulminologist


• Once the leading edge of a thunderstorm approaches to within 10 miles, you are at immediate risk due to the possibility of lightning strokes coming from overhanging anvil cloud. Because of this, many lightning deaths and injuries occur with clear skies directly overhead


• Singapore has one of the highest rates of lightning activity in the world


• Lightning often strikes outside of heavy rain and may occur as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall. So, It is not true that no rain, no danger from Lightning


• Its also fiction that Lightning never strikes the same place twice. Lightning has "favorite" sites that it may hit many times during one storm


• Approximately 100,000 thunderstorms occur in the United States each year. Approximately 10% of all thunderstorms are severe enough to produce high winds, flash floods, and tornadoes

For detailed explanation about lightning please visit this page

Start the project with adequate resources

A new vacuum cleaner sales rep knocked on the door on the first house of
the street. A tall lady answered the door.

Before she could speak, the enthusiastic sales rep barged into the living room and opened a big black plastic bag and poured all the cow droppings onto the carpet.

"Madam, if I could not clean this up with the use of this new powerful Vacuum cleaner, I will EAT all this dung!" exclaimed the eager sales rep.

"Do you need chilly sauce or ketchup with that" asked the lady.

The bewildered sales rep asked, "Why, madam?"

"There's no electricity in the house..." said the lady

MORAL: Gather all resources before working on any project and committing to the client...!!!

Economic Benefits due to early Exit of Indian Cricket Team

Advertisers and sponsors are a worried lot over the early exit of India from the World Cup. However, there is some positive news on the economy front on account of Team India`s early exit. Here`s how our cricketers have helped the Indian economy.

Statistics show that there are about 80 million cable and satellite viewing homes in our country. The average viewership of all the World Cup matches currently stands at about 3 per cent, with the India-Bangladesh encounter touching a 7.25 per cent. India would have played a minimum of seven matches to reach the finals. At least 5.8 million people would have watched the matches, resulting in a productivity loss of 371.2 million man hours (5.8 million x 8 hours x 8 matches). In addition, there are other stress-resulted issues such as preparing for examinations for the students in due to take their public exams coming in April.

Nearly 3% of 80 million TV viewers (2.4 million) are ardent cricket fans and they would have watched (entire 8 hours) the remaining 28 matches. Team India`s exit has resulted in a productivity gain of 481 million man hours of work.

Are there any other benefits? Yes. Let’s take the earning figures of a skilled labourer in the Capital. He earns Rs 136 per day (Rs 17x 8 hours). If the man hours are put to productive use, then 481 million man hours can reap in Rs 817 crore of GDP. This amount is 401% more than the Rs 163-crore loss corporates are likely to lose on account of India’s exit.

State Electricity Boards also stand to gain. A television consumes 45 watts per hour. If a viewer does not watch the matches after 12 midnight, it will save 135 watts per viewer. This will enable the electricity boards to save 3.24 lakh kilowatts of electricity. If viewers completely switch off their televisions for eight hours, the State Electricity Boards can save at least 8.64 lakh kilowatts. Already, the State Electricity Boards are witnessing hefty losses. Truly, a loss from one side is being offset through other avenues.

Puzzle - 49

Sony & Vidya were sitting in the living hall after their supper (to digest a while before they go to bed). Sony was watching her favourite Channel programmes on TV while Vidya was spending her time in reading. All of sudden power went off. Sony had no choice than to go back to bed, But Vidya was keep on reading. How is this possible?

Piece of Cake

Sometimes we ask ourselves:
What did I do to deserve this?
Why does God let these things happen to me?
Here is the explanation...

A daughter tells her mother how everything is going wrong for her. She probably failed her Math exam, Her boyfriend just dumped her for her best friend.

In times so sad, A Good Mother knows just the thing to cheer up her daughter "I make a delicious cake." In that moment the mother hugged her daughter and walked her to the kitchen, while her daughter attempted to smile.

While the mother prepared the utencils and ingredients, her daughter sat across from her at the counter. Her mother asks,"Sweetheart, would you like a piece of cake?” Her daughter replies, "Sure,mom, you know how I love cake."

"Alright..." the mother said, "Drink some of this cooking oil." Shocked, the daughter responded,"What?!? No way!!!"

"How about a couple of raw eggs?" To this the daughter responded, "Are you kidding?"

"How about a little flour?", "No, mom, I’ll be sick!"

The mother responded, "All of these things are uncooked and taste bad, but if you put them together They make a delicious cake!"

God works the same way. When we ask ourselves why does he make us go through these difficult times, we don’t realize the what/where these events may bring us. Only He knows and he will not let us fall. We don’t need to settle for the raw ingredients, trust in Him. And see something fantastic come about!

God loves us so much, He send us flowers every spring. He makes the sun rise every morning. And anytime you need to talk. He is there to listen! He can live anywhere in the universe. But He choses to live in your heart!

Forward this Post to those you truly appreciate, and I hope your day is a "Piece of Cake"!

Have a Great Cake! Oops!!! I mean a Great DAY!

Table Mannerism

Guys like myself had no chance to get to know such concept of Table Mannerism as we always sit down on the floor and eat with hand when we were bought up. But I had to change myself to follow some of this when dining out with colleagues or clients in a situation like the so called formal dinner. Here are some tips for you to read and improve your knowledge too in this very same concept of Table Mannerism.

At a formal luncheon or dinner, wait for an indication from your host before you seat yourself. The host may have a certain seating arrangement in mind.

In very formal events, there will be place holders with your name on the table to guide you.

In many cases, however, the host will either guide you to your seat personally or indicate that you may sit where you please.

Gentlemen, please remember chivalry is not yet dead! While the ladies may not give you condemning looks, they will appreciate it if you wait for them to be seated before you sit.

Now we come to the problem area - Cutlery.

While many of us may not use a fork and knife at home, you are expected to adhere to some global norms at business lunches and other formal dos.

Sounds intimidating? It's not, actually. We'll tell you why...

~ Take it for granted that the place settings on your table will be correctly arranged by the server. This means you are provided with the adequate number of forks, knives and spoons for each course that is to follow.

~ Wondering which fork and which knife to pick up from the entire spread?
Simple rule: Work your way from the outside to the inside. This means the outermost fork and knife are meant for your first course (usually salads or starters) and so on.

The number of forks and knives also indicate the number of courses in the meal (This tip is particularly handy for those who like to save space for dessert).

~ The dessert spoon and fork (if necessary) are placed parallel to each other above the dinner plate.

~ The side plate (often referred to as the bread and butter plate) is to your left, along with the salad plate. The liquids -- including water, wines and tea or coffee cups -- are to your right.

~ It is customary that you maintain the place settings through the meal. If you pick up your wine glass or water goblet to have a sip, place it back in the same position.



Now we come to the 'how to' part:

Holding your cutlery
As indicated by the place settings, hold the fork in your left hand and the knife in your right. Europeans prefer to hold the fork in their left hand with the tines pointing towards the diner. The knife is held in the right, with the sharp edge facing inwards. Americans prefer to cut the food using the fork and knife. After using the knife, place it on your plate and eat with your fork, tines facing upwards. Either way of eating is acceptable.

Slicing through
While cutting up a dish, use the fork to hold the food down and cut with the knife.
The pressure of your index finger on top of the knife should be enough to slice through the dish.

Avoid sawing (back and forth motion) with your knife; it will seem as if you are hacking your meal!

Always cut bite-sized pieces of food, so you are not embarrassed while trying to fit a huge chunk into your mouth.

Taking a breather?
When you pause during a meal, you may place the fork on the left and the knife on the right side of the plate, so that they cross over at the centre of the plate.

Second helping
If you need to pass your plate for a second helping, place the fork and knife parallel to each other at the right side of the plate, to make room for the food.

Napkin guidelines
~ While it is acceptable to place the napkin on your lap as soon as you are seated, people usually prefer to follow the host's lead.

If it is a small luncheon napkin, you can unfold it completely before placing it on your lap. In case of a large dinner napkin, fold it in half, lengthwise.

~ Use your napkin to gently blot your lips during the meal. Remember, it is not a towel to blow your nose or wipe your face!

~ If you need to get up during the meal, place your napkin on your chair to indicate you will be back.

~ At the end of the meal, place the napkin neatly on the table to your right.
Do not fold the napkin; at the same time, take care not to leave it in a crumpled heap.

10 Dining Rules

1. Never speak with food in your mouth


2. If you are not comfortable using a fork to eat rice, it is perfectly acceptable to ask the server for a spoon


3. Do not ask for permission to smoke on the dinner table. It is considered rude. Preferably do not smoke at all, unless the host takes the lead or grants you permission


4. Avoid answering calls and messages on your cell phone during a meal, unless it is very urgent. Ideally, the cell phone should be on the silent or discreet mode


5. If you happen to drop a fork, spoon or knife during the meal, do not pick it up. You may ask the server for a replacement


6. Do not rest your elbows on the table during the meal. When you are not using the cutlery, place your hands on your lap. It is acceptable to lightly rest your wrists on the table


7. Avoid ordering finger foods, so that your fingers don't get messy. If you do, try to use a fork to eat these. Also, never order the most expensive item on the menu unless your host urges you to try that dish


8. Do not slurp while having soup. Wait for hot food items to cool sufficiently before you have them. It is not acceptable if you blow on hot food to cool it


9. If you want to have bread or rolls with soup, tear a bite-sized piece, place it on the side plate, butter it with the butter knife and then pick it up with the fork. Do not hold the bread in your hand while buttering it


10. If you want something you cannot reach, politely ask the person nearest to it to pass it to you. Never reach across your neighbour's plate to get something

The end
The end of the meal is usually indicated by placing the fork (tines up or down) and the knife (blade facing you) parallel to each other diagonally across the plate, with the handles pointing right.

Burp! Had a nice, sumptuous meal? Hold on, you still have work to do.
Remember to thank your host for a wonderful meal. Your host would definitely appreciate a thank-you card or note or some flowers that you could send across the next day.

You can also forward this to your friends to make them aware of The Art of Fine Dining, if they are one like myself.

If you still wanna read some more about this pls proceed to Eat Out - on your terms

Puzzle - 48

Once a poor was preparing his land for farming, luckily he found a treasure in that process. He fell sick shortly after he brought back to home. Just before he died put up a condition with his two sons to avoid fighting for share. What was that condition?

How do u gauge HAPPINESS?

First of all my apologize again for a short break in my blogging due to my tight work schedule. Trying to continue back again with this beautiful story.

Once upon a time, there lived a kind hearted man. After he died, he ascend into the heavens and became an angel. After becoming an angel, he often comes down to earth and help those to attain happiness.

Once, he met a farmer who was sulking. He told the angel that his bull just died and he couldn't plough the fields. The angel gave the farmer a healthy bull. The farmer was very happy and the angel could feel his happiness.

Another time, he met a young man who was despondent. He told the angel that he was robbed of his money and couldn't travel to his hometown. The angel gave him some money. The young man was very happy and the angel could feel his happiness.

This time, the angel met a poet. He was young, handsome and full of talent. He was also rich. His wife was pretty and gentle. But he declared he wasn't happy.

The angel asked, "You aren't happy. How can I help you?"
The poet replied, "I have everything. But I lack only one thing. Can you give it to me?"
To which the angel happily said, "Sure. I can give you anything you desired."
The poet stared right into the angel's eyes, "I want happiness."

"All right," the angel nodded. And the angel proceed to take away everything the poet possessed.

The angel took away the poet's talent, destroyed his looks, robbed his riches and killed his wife. The angel then left for heaven.

A month later, the angel appeared in front of the poet. The poet was lying on the ground, half dead, hungry and struggling for survival.

The angel then returned him everything he once possessed and left for heaven again.

Two weeks later, the angel paid a visit to the poet. This time, the poet, together with his wife, thanked the angel profusely. He finally found happiness.

~~Often, a person need to lose everything before he know how to cherish.
Actually, happiness is right in front of you.

Just what is happiness?
When you are hungry, a bowl of hot noodle in front of you is happiness.
When you are tired, a soft bed is happiness.
When you are crying, a gentle tissue is happiness.

Actually, happiness has no definition. Sometimes, small actions can touch your heart. Happiness or not, depends on how you look at it.

Last night I was watching the video talk given by my Spiritual Master, He mentioned about an interesting fact that he learned from his Master 'One who is happy under all the circumstances is the Happiest person in the world'. How true? Let us all gear up to achieve that level of perfection.

Puzzle - 47

This is a simple mathematics calculation involved puzzle. Give a try.

Once I wanted to meet my friend who lives nearby my town; Halfway between our town there is a famous Coffee Shop and our appointment is fixed there. Both of us were riding at the speed of 6 KMPH. Distance between our Houses is 36 KM. My friend had a pet carrier pigeon and it starts flying the instant we both start our travelling. The pigeon flies back and forth at the speed of 18KMPH between us until we met in the Coffee Shop. Assume that the pigeon can go from 0 to 18 kmph instantaneously, plus also turn around instantaneously without resting.
How many miles does the pigeon travel?

What Goes Around, Comes Around # 2

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer.

One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog. There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

"I want to repay you," said the nobleman. "You saved my son's life."
"No, I can't accept payment for what I did," the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.

At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel. "Is that your son?" the nobleman asked.

"Yes," the farmer replied proudly. "I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy. If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of." And that he did.

Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, he graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Years afterward, the same nobleman's son who was saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia. What saved his life this time?
Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman?
Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Nike India Cricket Commercial

Cricket Fever is getting heated up day by day for the World Cup 2007. It is going to start in West Indies in just few days. Sensibly Nike released this Ad to attract all Cricket Fans. Though it reminded me of the Addidas Ad based on footbal theme still enjoyable.

Puzzle - 46

There was a terrible fire caught in a residential area. Fire Engine Service came a bit late and they did their best to extinguish the fire as quick as possilble. Sadly, Every single person lived in that residential area was killed. Still there were survivors. How is it possible?

Answer:Every single person lived in that residential area. So, all the married escaped.

Five more minutes

While at the park one day, a woman sat down next to a man on a bench near a playground. "That's my son over there," she said, pointing to a boy in a red sweater who was gliding down the slide.

"He's a fine looking boy," the man said. "That's my son on the swing in the blue sweater." Then, looking at his watch, he called to his son. "What do you say we go, Todd?"

Todd pleaded, "Just five more minutes, Dad. Please? Just five more minutes." The man nodded and Todd continued to swing to his heart's content.

Minutes passed and the father stood and called again to his son. "Time to go now?"

Again Todd pleaded, "Five more minutes, Dad. Just five more minutes." The man smiled and said, "Okay."

"My, you certainly are a patient father," the woman responded.

The man smiled and then said, "My older son Tommy was killed by a drunk driver last year while he was riding his bike near here. I never spent much time with Tommy and now I'd give anything for just five more minutes with him. I've vowed not to make the same mistake with Todd.

"He thinks he has five more minutes to swing. The truth is ... I get five more minutes to watch him play."

If you are Drunk please go by Public Transport. You might never know that you could be taking the life of another Tommy, who has never spent much of joyful time with his father. If you are a parent with busy working schedule, include a time slot to spend time with your own kids and make them feel happy about your presence.

Puzzle - 45

There was a four way junction in a rural path US and has no signal. You have noticed that there were four cars coming from all directions. All of them didn't bother to wait and let the cars crossing one by one, they all go crossed the junction at one go without any crash. What actually happened there?

Answer: What will happen if all of them took Right Turn?

Unity is Strength

A father had a family of sons who were perpetually quarreling among themselves. When he failed to heal their disputes by his exhortations, he determined to give them a practical illustration of the evils of disunion.

One day he told his sons to bring him a bundle of sticks. When they had done so, he placed the faggot into the hands of each of them in succession, and ordered them to break it in pieces. They tried with all their strength, and were not able to do it.

He next opened the faggot, took the sticks separately, one by one, and again put them into his sons' hands, upon which they broke them easily. He then addressed them in these words:

"My sons, if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other, you will be as strong as this faggot, uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies; but if you are divided among yourselves, you will be broken as easily as these sticks."

Suttum Vizhi Sudare - Vadivelu

How to make Chukku Kaapi

After reading the previous post some you might have got to know about there is such a type of coffee exists. Should you be interested to try out Chukku Kaapi? Here is the recipe for prearing it.

Coriander Seeds - 100 gms
Sukku(dry ginger powder) - 25 gms
Cardamom - 10

Slightly roast coriander seeds and cardamom. Add dry ginger fry for 2 mins in medium flame. Let it cool and powder them. If you can't prepare this if you check with any Indian provisional shops they may have Chukku Kaapi instant mix powder pockets also.

Prepare coffe with 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of powdered jaggery or sugar and 1 ts of prepared powder. Boil well till you smell a good aroma.

This can be had with or with out 1/4 cup of milk. Very soothing during raining season / cool weather and during head pain.

Chukku Kaapi to Cappuccino

I received this email from one of my friend who is living in US. I'm not sure about the source of this posting but very interesting to read. The Credit goes to him/her who wrote this. He/She has experienced the same way I did in my childhood days, LITERALLY. So, it would be appropriate to say that I want to share this experience of ours with you all. Never heard of the word Chukku Kaapi? Its a traditional coffee made in Tamil Nadu with spices like Corriander Seeds & Dry Ginder powder. Some of the words used are much localized (Thirunelveli Basha) hope you get it right...

This blog was written because I was left with no work to do after coming
back from Café Coffee day today. I always feel that blogs are written by
people who have nothing else to do, but write blogs. And blogs are written
for people who have nothing else to do, but read blogs. So if you have
nothing else to do, continue reading.

Café Coffee Days in my life!!! I can't believe it. Six, seven years back I
would never have imagined that such a day would occur in my life. Café
Coffee day is supposed to be a place where high class people who didn't
know how to spend the money they had, go. But now I am there... I have
changed a lot since my school days.

As I said in my previous post, I never talked in English till the end of my
12th standard. May be in my primary school we talked in English a little
bit... (Since girls were there in my primary school we used to talk in
English... Mostly it was the "You go girl." "Miss this boy no... he is
stealing my pencil miss" and "Miss this boy is pinching me miss" type of
pathetic English.). Till I went to college, I never read an English
newspaper. I never knew who Sidney Sheldon was. I never saw English movies.
"Star movies" was considered adult material at home. I never talked to a
girl. I don't feel that I missed anything...But still because I didn't have
such experiences, I had to adjust a lot when I traveled beyond Cornigela,
my place.

Born in Cornigela, an ordinary conservative town, even Chennai took a lot
of time for me to adjust. My home town was too cool. You could watch movies
for 15 Rs. in an AC theatre. You get the best food at lowest prices. You
can drink water wherever you want and it doesn't affect you. Girls never
wear T-shirts or Jeans. You can see girls in half-sarees. And there were a
lot more things that were cool to me...My first costly experience as far as
I can remember was my first Pizza.

In my 12th standard holidays I had my first Pizza. We, a group of 5 friends
went to a bakery. It was around 7 p.m at night. We ordered our first Pizza
(only one because it costed so much - 20Rs!!!). As the Pizza arrived one of
the guys started using his hand to take out a piece. "Ley" ....The others
shouted... "asingam pannatheylae. Fork kudupaanga"... We got 5 forks for
eating one Pizza. Everybody tried taking out a piece with the fork. Nobody
was successful. Stupid forks... As we were trying different methods, two
girls came in, and took the table adjacent to ours. They seemed to be from
the so called high class families in Cornigela. They ordered a Pizza. We
were still trying to eat ours. Their Pizza arrived in their table. Unable
to find a solution, we looked at them for one. One of the girls took out a
piece with her hand and started eating it. Damn stupids we were!!! But what
do we do now?? We can't go back to the hand-intake method... We are
brave!!! Luckily for us the power went off... Forks were put down and
everybody started picking a piece with the hand. Our sole aim- finish it
off before power comes back!!! Unlucky for us, power came back
immediately... We had a piece each in our hands... The girls started
laughing... People around us realizing what had happened too joined
them...We promised we would never eat Pizzas again. But we all did.

The first change in lifestyle for me occurred in Chennai. Chennai was
completely different. Watching a movie for Rs.40 was a one time life
experience for most people in my village. I had to adapt to such things
since I had to be a part of the group. Otherwise you feel let out. My
habits started changing. For example, you look into the glass before
drinking water to check whether it is clean. I went to my first Coffee Pub
in Chennai. I remember saying some time back "Loosu paya thaan Coffee publa
poi mukkaa manineram wait panni oru black coffeeya 50 Ruba kaasu kuduthu
kudippaan" - I did it...

If Chennai was difficult for me, how easy would be an MBA school? I was
dumbstruck with the culture... The Hi's and the fundoo English speaking
guys were all a great change, though I had expected it. There is a sense of
hollowness when you say a Hi to somebody here. In Cornigela a smile was
enough to say what you feel. There is real sense of belonging in a smile. I
miss it - a smile without a Hi.

Here is an example to show how my family mindset is different from the
mindset here. At the end of the first term when I went home, I showed quite
a few photographs to my parents. In one photograph there was a guy who had
his arms around a girl's shoulder. My mother asked me whether they were in
love. I said "No". But even today she doesn't believe me. She still feels
that they are in love!!! If only she comes here(...

The mind works mechanically here - after you crack a joke you do what they
call high fives!!! When you meet a person you ask something like "What's up
buddy?"- Only God knows how you are supposed to answer for such a
question!!! You say "Excuse me" after a sneeze - What big mistake have you
made to say that?? When you are ready to sacrifice ethics for grades and
see even your closest friend as a competitor in group discussions, how much
difference will that Excuse me make? Pretty difficult to adjust!!!


Even Café Coffee Days and costly dinners sometimes hurt. Daily my father
takes a bus to reach home from his office because taking an auto would cost
him Rs.30. He walks a kilometer daily from the bus stop to my house. When I
think of that and the fact that I am spending Rs.50 for a Chocolate
Fantasy, I feel uneasy. Definitely it is not a matter of money. The fact is
that I somewhere in my heart feel that this is not really who I am...The
fact that I have changed a lot hurts... I want to be the same myself, but I
am unable to do so.

Started listing down a few things that have changed in my life. The left
column is a list of things that were part of my life before I entered
college. And the right are those that I came to know/were a part of my
after I entered college.


I wish I go back to school and be the same guy I was. I know I can't. But I
want to do it and live the same life all again.

Leo da Mirci once said, "I love what I do because I do only what I love".

If only following something is as simple as saying something!!!

Puzzle - 44

If you notice many of the shopping complex doors you always have to pull to open when you enter in and push outward to come out of it. Can anybody guess why?

Serve to be deserved

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him.

"How much is an ice cream sundae?"

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied a number of coins in it.

"How much is a dish of plain ice cream?" he inquired.

Some people were now waiting for a table and the waitress was a bit impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she said brusquely.

The little boy again counted the coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and departed.

When the waitress came back, she began wiping down the table and then swallowed real hard at what she saw. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels (one twentieth of a dollar) and five pennies - her tip.