Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Fingernails Signs & Your Health

Your fingernails can provide clues to your overall health. You can identify almost 7 Signs of Possible Health Problems through your fingernails signs. But do you know how to read the signs?
Learn about some nail conditions that might require medical attention. If you have a nail problem that doesn't seem to be going away, or is associated with other signs and symptoms, make an appointment with your doctor to get it checked out.

Yellow Nail Syndrome
Yellow discoloration in your fingernails may result from a respiratory condition, such as chronic bronchitis, or from swelling of your hands (lymphedema). In yellow nail syndrome, nails thicken and new growth slows, resulting in discoloration. Nails affected with this condition may lack a cuticle and may detach from the nail bed in places.

Although this condition is often a sign of respiratory disease, it's possible to have yellow nails and not have a respiratory condition. Yellow nails may also result from any condition that causes the growth of your nails to slow.

Nail Pitting
Small depressions in the nails are common in people with psoriasis — a skin condition that produces scaly patches. They may also result from nail injuries. Pitting may cause your nails to crumble.

Pitting is also associated with conditions that can damage your nail's cuticle, such as chronic dermatitis of your fingers or alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.

Nail Clubbing
Clubbing occurs when the tips of your fingers enlarge and your nails curve around your fingertips. This condition results from low oxygen levels in your blood and could be a sign of lung disease. Clubbing is also associated with inflammatory bowel disease and liver disease.

Spoon Nails
Spoon nails (koilonychia) are soft nails that look scooped out. The depression usually is large enough to hold a drop of liquid. Spoon nails may be a sign of iron deficiency anemia.

Terry's Nails
With the condition known as Terry's nails, your nails look opaque, but the tip has a dark band. Sometimes this can be attributed to aging. In other cases, it can be a sign of serious illness, such as:
1. Congestive heart failure
2. Diabetes
3. Liver disease
4. Malnutrition

Beau's Lines
Beau's lines are indentations that run across your nails. They can appear when growth at the area under your cuticle is interrupted by injury or severe illness. Diseases or illnesses associated with Beau's lines include:
1. Uncontrolled diabetes
2. Circulatory diseases, such as peripheral artery disease
3. Illness associated with a high fever, caused by pneumonia, scarlet fever, mumps or measles
4. Malnutrition

Nail separates from nail bed
With a condition known as onycholysis, your fingernails become loose and can separate from the nail bed. If your nails show signs of detaching, this may be associated with:
1. Injury or infection
2. Thyroid disease
3. Drug reactions
4. Reactions to nail hardeners or acrylic nails
5. Psoriasis

Courtesy: MAYO

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Tambunan Village - A Place with Tranquility & Nature

I received mail about Air Asia promotion for Ticket to Kota Kinabalu at zero fare. Since There was three days continuous leave for Eid, booked Round trip ticket for 125SGD by booking 2 months in advance. The Day came and flew on last Saturday late night to KK. Kick started the travel morning around 7AM from KKIA towards Tambunan. Cab Driver agreed for drop at TVRC (Tambunan Village Resort Centre) for 170 RM with stopping at Rafflesia Information Centre for a short visit. Tambunan Village is roughtly about 80km from Airport.

It was a fine Sunday morning, there were mists all around on the way up to the village and there were nice chilling scenic view where I asked the cab driver to stop for few snaps. I noticed quite a number of Mushroom plantation projects at every village on the way as well. Roads were well established with nice bridges at sharp curves and clean roads through out.

There was another surprise waiting for me. Upon reaching Rafflesia information centre found out the fact that they are closed on Sundays & Public Holidays. So, I thought that my dream of finding the Rafflesia was bit shattered because as per the plan I was not intending to passing this route back.

I called the resort owner and enquired about the operating hours of Rafflesia Information Centre and confirmed the same that it is closed on Public Holiday & Sundays. With bit of disappointment left that place to move to the next destination of Mahua Water Falls near Tambunan Village. I was more worried about the weather since it is always raining during afternoon at this Rainy season in Sabah and luckily nature did favour by bringing out Sun during most of the day time.

Reached Tambunan around 9AM and checked quite quickly in a bamboo long house room. The atmosphere was kind of soothing and made me like home back at my childhood kampong life. It was a typical village (Kampong) filled with tranquility and am not sure how to express the feeling I got in there. There were rivers all around mountains. Quite nice collections of flower garden at most of the houses. Birds like sparrow & few dove families were happily flying around the rice paddy fields. And such a lovely atmosphere made me decided to stay there for two nights instead of just one night.

From the village once can easily get the naked eye view of sleeping beauty Kota Kinabalu Mount Peak from anywhere in the Village. In the village there were attractions like Mat Salleh, it was about a war memorial place for a person who lived there to fight for their land freedom.

In the town centre they had a warrior statue with a big stone laid at the centre and I was told that their souls were locked in there that keeps protecting the villagers even today. There was a Sunday market where freshly grown vegetables and it was a typical village market that you can see just like where I used to buy vegetable for one week need at my home town too.

After a quick breakfast session on the riverbed kampong style restaurant inside the resort region had made arrangement with resort for a trip to my next destination of Mahua Water Falls. Road condition was very good that even a normal car could get to there without any problem still they charged me quite a big sum for nothing. Thank god I bargained from 150RM to 80RM. But the water falls is just about 15Kms from Tambunan and normal car can easily get there with a newly laid nice road not like you need a 4WD to get there. If you want to get there, beware of this fact. 50 RM is I suppose the reasonable fare.

I will write next about Mahua Water Falls…

Friday, October 31, 2008

வேலை காலி இல்லை / ஏற்புடையதாக இல்லை

உலக பொருளாதார வீழ்ச்சியின் உச்ச கட்ட தாக்கத்தின் விளைவு இந்த மந்த நிலை என்று கூறினால், யாரால் இக்கூற்றை மறுக்க இயலும்?

சமீப காலமாக எங்கும் வாசிக்கப்படும் செய்தி இது, நாளிதழ்களுக்கு என்னவோ இது நல்ல விசயம் தான், பத்திகளை நிரப்ப! ஆனால் ஆட்குறைப்பால் நித்தம் நித்தம் வேலையில‌க்கும் தொழிலாளர்களுக்கு மிகவும் வருத்தம் தரக்கூடிய விசயம்.

நான் வேலை செய்யும் அலுவலகத்தில் அதிகம் பாதிக்கப்பட்டோர் தற்காலிக வேலையில் இருந்தவர்கள். எவ்வளவு தீவிரமாக வேலை தேடினாலும் வேலை கிடைப்பது மிகவும் கடினமாக உள்ளது இல்லையெனில் ஏற்புடையதாக இல்லை. இது தான் அவர்களிடம் நான் தெரிந்து கொண்டது. பல முன்னனி நிறுவனங்கள் வேலைக்கு ஆள் எடுக்கும் சமாச்சாரத்திற்கு தற்காலிக விடுப்பு கொடித்திருப்பதாகவும் கேள்விப்பட்டேன்.

அரசாங்க‌ வேலையிலும் ஆட்குறைப்பு, இது இன்னுமொரு செய்தி. ஒரிரு தினங்களுக்கு முன்பு நான் நாளிதழிதளில் வாசித்தறிந்த விசயம், சிங்கப்பூரில் அடுத்த வருட ஊழிய ஏற்ற விகிதம் இரண்டு சதவீத்த்தை ஒட்டியே இருக்கும் என்பது இன்னும் ஒரு வருத்தம் தரும் செய்தி. எங்கும், எதிலும் விலை ஏற்றம், பண வீக்க விகிதம் வரலாறு காணாத உயர்வு, ஆனால் சம்பளம் மட்டும் உயர்வதில்லை. அடுத்த காலாண்டில் இன்னும் என்ன நடக்குமோ, பொறுத்திருந்து தான் பார்க்க வேண்டும்.

தற்போதைய நிலவரப்படி இருக்கும் வேலையினை தக்க வைத்துக்கொள்வதற்கு என்ன செய்ய வேண்டுமென திட்டமிட்டு அதன் படி செயல்படுவது நலம் என்பது என் எண்ணம்.

A Story Of Human Body Anatomy

Interesting article and it is worth reading!


Picture Courtesy : http://lpig.doereport.com/imagescooked/642W.jpg

Time: When your body really starts going downhill

There's no denying the ticking of a woman's biological clock - but men are not immune, either. French doctors have found that the quality of sperm starts to deteriorate by 35, so that by the time a man is 45 a third of pregnancies end in miscarriage. Here, with the help of leading clinicians, Angela Epstein identifies the ages when different parts of the body start to lose their battle with time.


BRAIN - Starts ageing at 20

As we get older, the number of nerve cells - or neurons - in the brain decrease. We start with around 100 billion, but in our 20s this number starts to decline.

By 40, we could be losing up to 10,000 per day, affecting memory, co-ordination and brain function.

In fact, while the neurons are important, it's actually the deterioration of the gaps between the brain cells that has the biggest impact, says Dr Wojtek Rakowicz, a consultant neurologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London.

We all assume grey hair and wrinkles are the first signs of ageing, but some parts of your body are worn out long before you look old

These tiny gaps between the end of one brain nerve cell and another are called synapses. Their job is to ensure the flow of information from one cell to another, and as we age we make fewer.


GUT - Starts ageing at 55

A healthy gut has a good balance between harmful and 'friendly' bacteria.

But levels of friendly bacteria in the gut drop significantly after 55, particularly in the large intestine, says Tom MacDonald, professor of immunology at Barts And The London medical school.

As a result, we suffer from poor digestion and an increased risk of gut disease.

Constipation is more likely as we age, as the flow of digestive juices from the stomach, liver, pancreas and small intestine slows down.


BREASTS - Start ageing at 35

BY their mid-30s, women's breasts start losing tissue and fat, reducing size and fullness.

Sagging starts properly at 40 and the areola (the area surrounding the nipple) can shrink considerably.

Although breast cancer risk increases with age, it's not related to physical changes in the breast.

More likely, says Gareth Evans, breast cancer specialist at St Mary's Hospital, Manchester, our cells become damaged with age - as a result, the genes which control cell growth can mutate, causing cancer.


BLADDER - Starts ageing at 65

Loss of bladder control is more likely when you hit 65.

The bladder starts to contract suddenly, even when it's not full.

Women are more vulnerable to bladder problems as, after the menopause, declining oestrogen levels make tissues in the urethra - the tube through which urine passes - thinner and weaker, reducing bladder support.

Bladder capacity in an older adult generally is about half that of a younger person - about two cups in a 30-year-old and one cup in a 70-year-old.

This causes more frequent trips to the loo, particularly as poor muscle tone means the bladder may not fully empty. This in turn can lead to urinary tract infections.


LUNGS - Start ageing at 20

Lung capacity slowly starts to decrease from the age of 20.

By the age of 40, some people are already experiencing breathlessness. This is partly because the muscles and the rib cage which control breathing stiffen up.

It's then harder to work the lungs and also means some air remains in the lungs after breathing out - causing breathlessness.

Aged 30, the average man can inhale two pints of air in one breath. By 70, it's down to one.


VOICE - Starts ageing at 65

Our voices become quieter and hoarser with age. The soft tissues in the voice box (larynx) weaken, affecting the pitch, loudness and quality of the voice.

A woman's voice may become huskier and lower in pitch, whereas a man's might become thinner and higher.


EYES - Start ageing at 40

Glasses are the norm for many over-40s as failing eyesight kicks in - usually long-sightedness, affecting our ability to see objects up close.

As we age, the eye's ability to focus deteriorates because the eyes' muscles become weaker, says Andrew Lotery, professor of ophthalmology at the University of Southampton.


HEART - Starts ageing at 40

The heart pumps blood less effectively around the body as we get older.

This is because blood vessels become less elastic, while arteries can harden or become blocked because of fatty deposits forming on the coronary arteries - caused by eating too much saturated fat.

The blood supply to the heart is then reduced, resulting in painful
angina.

Men over 45 and women over 55 are at greater risk of a heart attack.

A recent study by Lloyds Pharmacy found the average person in the UK has a 'heart age' five years older than their chronological age, probably due to obesity and lack of exercise.


LIVER - Starts ageing at 70

This is the only organ in the body which seems to defy the ag ing process.

'Its cells have an extraordinary capacity to regenerate,' explain David Lloyd, a consultant liver surgeon at Leicester Royal Infir mary.

He says he can remove ha a liver during surgery and it will grow to the size of a complete liver within three months.

If a donor doesn't drink, use drug or suffer from infection, then it is possible to transplant a 70-year-old liver into a 20-year-old.


KIDNEYS - Starts ageing at 50

With kidneys, the number of filtering units (nephrons) that remove waste from the bloodstream starts to reduce in middle age.

One effect of this is their inability to turn off urine production at night, causing frequent trips to the bathroom.

The kidneys of a 75-year-old person will filter only half the amount of blood that a 30-year-old's will.


PROSTATE - Starts ageing at 50

The prostate often becomes enlarged with age, leading to problems such as increased need to urinate, says Professor Roger Kirby, director of the Prostate Centre in London.
This is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia and affects half of men over 50, but rarely those under 40.

It occurs when the prostate absorbs large amounts of the male sex hormone testosterone, which increases the growth of cells in the prostate.

A normal prostate is the size of a walnut, but the condition can increase this to the size of a tangerine.


BONES - Start ageing at 35

'Throughout our life, old bone is broken down by cells called osteoclasts and replaced by bone-building cells called osteoblasts - a process called bone turnover,' explains Robert Moots, professor of rheumatology at Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool.

Children's bone growth is rapid - the skeleton takes just two years to renew itself completely. In adults, this can take ten years.

Until our mid-20s, bone density is still increasing. But at 35 bone loss begins as part of the natural ageing process.

This becomes more rapid in post-menopausal women and can cause the bone-thinning condition osteoporosis.

The shrinking in size and density of bones can lead to loss of height. Bones in the back shrivel up or crumble between the vertebrae. We lose two inches in height by the time we're 80.


TEETH - Start ageing at 40

As we age, we produce less saliva, which washes away bacteria, so teeth and gums are more vulnerable to decay.

Receding gums - when tissue is lost from gums around the teeth - is common in adults over 40.


MUSCLES - Start ageing at 30

Muscle is constantly being built up and broken down, a process which is well balanced in young adults.

However, by the time we're 30, breakdown is greater than buildup, explains Professor Robert Moots.

Once adults reach 40, they start to lose between 0.5 and 2 per cent of their muscle each year. Regular exercise can help prevent this.


HEARING - Starts ageing mid-50s

More than half of people over 60 lose hearing because of their age, according to the Royal National Institute for the Deaf.

The condition, known as presbycusis, happens due to a loss of 'hair cells' - tiny sensory cells in the inner ear which pick up sound vibrations and send them to the brain.


SKIN - Starts ageing mid-20s

The skin starts to age naturally in your mid-20s.

According to Dr Andrew Wright, a consultant dermatologist with Bradford NHS Trust, as we get older production of collagen - the protein which acts as scaffolding to the skin - slows, and elastin, the substance that enables skin to snap back into place, has less spring and can even break.

Dead skin cells don't shed as quickly and turnover of new skin cells may decrease slightly.

This causes fine wrinkles and thin, transparent skin - even if the first signs may not appear until our mid-30s (unless accelerated by smoking or sun damage).


TASTE AND SMELL - Start ageing at 60

We start out in life with about 10,000 taste buds scattered on the tongue. This number can halve later in life.

After we turn 60, taste and smell gradually decline, partly as a result of the normal ageing process.

This can be accelerated by problems such as polyps in the nasal or sinus cavities. It can also be the cumulative effect of years of smoking.


FERTILITY - Starts ageing at 35

Female fertility begins to decline after 35, as the number and quality of eggs in the ovaries start to fall.

The lining of the womb may become thinner, making it less likely for a fertilised egg to take, and also creating an environment hostile to sperm.

Male fertility also starts to drop around this age. Men who wait until their 40s before starting a family have a greater chance of their partner having a miscarriage, because of the poorer quality of their sperm.


HAIR - Starts ageing at 30

Male hair loss usually begins in the 30s. Hair is made in tiny pouches just under the skin's surface, known as follices.

A hair normally grows from each follicle for about three years, is then shed, and a new hair grows.

However, with male-pattern baldness, changes in levels of testosterone from their early-30s affect this cycle, causing the hair follicles to shrink.

Each new hair is thinner than the previous one. Eventually, all that remains is a much smaller hair follicle and a thin stump of hair that does not grow out to the skin surface.

Most people will have some grey hair by the age of 35. When we are young, our hair is coloured by the pigments produced by cells in the hair follicle known as melanocytes.

As we grow older, melanocytes become less active, so less pigment is produced, the colour fades, and grey hairs grow instead.

Friday, October 24, 2008

தீபாவளி நல் வாழ்த்துக்கள்

உஙகளுக்கும் குடும்பத்தினருக்கும்
இனிய தீப ஒளி வீசும்

Thursday, October 23, 2008

DID I MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON?

During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question. She said, 'How do I know if I married the right person?'
I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said, 'It depends. Is that your husband?'
In all seriousness, she answered 'How do you know?'
Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind.

Here's the answer.
EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with your spouse. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies. Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience. You didn't have to DO anything.! That's why it's called 'falling' in love... Because it's happening TO YOU.

People in Love sometimes say, 'I was swept of my feet.' Think about the imagery of that expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU.

Falling in Love is easy. It's a passive and spontaneous experience. But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria of love fades. It's the natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you! nuts.

The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.

At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, 'Did I marry the right person?' And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages breakdown. People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage for fulfillment.

Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work,a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances. But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage. It lies within it. I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could.
And TEMPORARILY you'd fe! el better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later. Because (listen carefully to this):

THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON;
IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND.

SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It'll NEVER just happen to you. You can't 'find' LASTING love. You have to 'make' it day in and day out. That's why we have the expression 'the labor of love.' Because it takes time, effort, and energy . And most importantly, it takes WISDOM . You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work.

Make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage.

Just as there are physical laws! of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships.
Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your relationship WILL make your marriage stronger. It's a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable... You can 'make' love.
Love in marriage is indeed a 'decision'... Not just a feeling.

Remember this always

'GOD determines who walks into your life. It is up to you to decide who! You let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.'

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Thoughful Quotes

Respect cannot be demanded, it must be earned. Respect is earned only by giving it away.

A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others.

Never walk on the traveled path, because it only leads you where the others have been - Graham Bell

Always, there is a drop of madness in love, yet always, there is a drop of reason in madness - F Nietzshe

Time is very slow for those who wait,
very fast for those who are scared,
very long for those who lament,
very short for those who celebrate.
But, for those who love, time is eternity.
-William Shakespeare

Many people lose the small joys, in hope for the big happiness - Pearl'S Buck

A good plan for today is better than a perfect plan for tomorrow - George S Patton

Why repeat the old errors, if there are so many new errors to commit - Bertrand Russel

If a drop of water falls in a lake, there is no identity. But if it falls on a leaf of lotus, it shines like a pearl. We need to choose the best place where we can shine.

When we reach for the stars, we may not quite get them, but we won't come up with a handful of mud either - Leo Burnett

In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is do the right thing. The worst thing you can do is do nothing - Theodore Roosevelt

Love me when I less deserve it, because it’s then when I need it most - Chinese Proverb

If I could return to youth, I would commit all those errors again, but a bit earlier - Tallulah Bankhead

Forget past mistakes. Forget failures. Forget everything except what you're going to do now and do it - William Durant

Nothing can be taught to a man; but it’s possible to help him to find the answer within himSelf - Galileo Galilei

Friday, October 17, 2008

Deepavali Special 2008 Programmes on Vasantham Central



Here is the list of Programmes on Vasantham Central for this year 2008 Deepavali.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Self Detoxification

Before you go to bed at night, prepare this magic potion: Finely chop or use the food blender to chop up two cloves of fresh garlic and let it expose to the air for a few minutes while you wash up your blender or chopping board.

The chopping releases the enzyme allinase in the garlic. Gather the chopped garlic on a spoon and swallow it with water.

The garlic will travel your entire digestive tract while you sleep and scavenge and neutralize all the toxins, carcinogens, harmful bacteria, fungi, viruses, foreign chemical before they can harm your healthy cells.

Swallowing the chopped garlic will not give you garlic breath, as long as you don't chew it. You brush your teeth and rinse your mouth before you go to bed anyway.

In the morning, drink a big glass of water. Your first bowel movement will have a strong garlic odor and you will know that the harmful stuff have been eliminated from your body. Try it, especially if you have had a bad eating day.

Friday, October 03, 2008

Saying the Right Thing Even While Drunk – 'PRICELESS'

A husband wakes up at home with a huge hangover. He forces himself to open his eyes, and the first thing he sees is a couple of aspirins and a glass of water on the side table. He sits down and sees his clothing in front of him, all clean and
pressed. He looks around the room and sees that it is in perfect order, spotless, clean. So is the rest of the house. He takes the aspirins and notices a note on the table. 'Honey, breakfast is on the table, I left early to go grocery shopping.
Love You!'

Totally shocked with the note, he goes to the kitchen and sure enough there is a hot breakfast and the morning newspaper. His son is also at the table, eating. He asks, 'Son, what happened last night?' His son says, 'Well, you came home around 3 AM, drunk and delirious. Broke some crockery, puked in the hall, and gave yourself a black eye when you stumbled into the door'. Confused, the man asks, 'So, why is everything in order and so clean, and breakfast is on the table waiting for me?
I should expect a big quarrel with her!' His son replies, 'Oh, that! Mom dragged you to the bedroom, and when she tried to take your clothes n shoes off,
you said,

'LADY LEAVE ME ALONE! I'M MARRIED!'

Moral
Self-induced hangover - $ 400.00
Broken crockery - $ 800.00
Breakfast - $ 10.00
Saying the Right Thing While Drunk – 'PRICELESS'

There are truly some things that both money and Master card can't buy

80/20 Rule

Interesting quote from the movie 'Why did I get married?'

In most cases, especially in relationships, you will only get 80% of what you NEED and you will hardly get the other 20% that you WANT in your relationship. There is always another person (man or women) that you will meet and that will offer you the other 20% which is lacking in your relationship that you WANT And believe me, 20% looks really good when you are not getting it at all in your current relationship.

But the problem is that you will always be tempted to leave that good 80% that you know you have, thinking that you will get something better with the other 20% that you WANT

But as reality has proven, in most cases, you will always end up with having the 20% that you WANT and loosing the 80% that you really NEED and that you already had.

Be careful in deciding between what you WANT and NEED in your life.

Adultery happens when you start looking for what you don't have. 'Wow, this girl in my office is a real looker. But it's not her Wynona Rider features that got me. I'm crazy about her because she's also understanding, intelligent, tender - so many things that my spouse is not'

Somewhere along the way, you'll find a woman or a man who will be more charming or sensitive. More alluring. More thoughtful. Richer. Have greater appeal. And you will find a woman or man who will need you and pursue you and go loco over you more than your spouse ever did.

Because no wife or husband is perfect. Because a spouse will only have 80% of what you're looking for. So adultery takes place when a husband or wife looks for the missing 20%. Let's say your wife is melancholic by nature.

You may find yourself drawn to the pretty clerk who has a cherry laugh no matter what she says: 'I broke my arm yesterday, Hahahaha . . ..'

Or because your wife is a homebody in slippers and pajamas, smelling of garlic and fish oil, you may fall for a fresh-smelling young sales representative that visits your office in a sharp black blazer, high heels, and a red pencil-cut skirt Or because your husband is the quiet
type, your heart may skip a beat when you meet an old college flame who has the makings of a talk show host.

But wait! That's only 20% of what you don't have.

Don't throw away the 80% that you already have!

That's not all. Add to your spouse's 80% the 100% that represents all the years that you have been with each other. The storms you have weathered together. The unforgettable moments of sadness and joy as a couple. The many adjustments you have made to love the other. The wealth of memories that you've accumulated as lovers.

Adultery happens when you start looking for what you don't have.

But faithfulness happens when you start thanking God for what you already have.

But I'm not just talking about marriage.

I'm talking about life!

About your jobs.
About your friends.
About your children.
About your lifestyles.

Are you like the economy airline passenger that perennially peeks through the door of the first class cabin, obsessed with what he's missing? 'They have got more leg room! Oh my, their food is served in porcelain! Wow, their seats recline at an 80% angle and they've got personal videos!'

I guarantee you'll be miserable for the entire trip! Don't live your life like that. Forget about what the world says is first class. Do you know that there are many first class passengers who are miserable in first class -- because they are not riding in a private Lear Jet?

The main message???

If you start appreciating what you have right now, wherever you are, you are first class!

QUOTE : DO NOT LOOK BACK AND ASK WHY, LOOK FORWARD AND ASK WHY NOT

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

சென்னை மாநகர போக்குவரத்து காவல்துறைக்கு சல்யூட்

ஹாலிவுட் சினிமாக்களில் மட்டுமே அந்த காட்சியை நம்மால் பார்த்திருக்க முடியும். பத்தே நிமிடங்களில் சுமார் 20 கிலோ மீட்டர் தூரத்தை சென்னையில் பரபரப்பான பகல்வேளையில் கடப்பது சாத்தியமா? ஆம்புலன்சுக்கு கூட வழிவிட மனமில்லாத சென்னை வாகன ஓட்டிகளின் சவாலை ஒரு காவல்துறையின் ஊர்தி கடந்து சாதித்திருக்கிறது. சுமார் 120 கிலோ மீட்டர் வேகத்தில் அந்த கார் சாலைகளில் கடந்ததை பார்த்தவர்கள் மின்னலை கண்டதாக சொல்கிறார்கள். சபாஷ் சென்னை மாநகர போக்குவரத்து காவல்துறை. ஷூமேக்கர் வேகத்தில் ஒரு போலிஸ்காரர் காரை ஓட்டிச்செல்ல காரணம் என்னவாக இருக்கும்?

ஒரு உயிரைக் காக்க...

ஹிதேந்திரன் பதினொன்றாம் வகுப்பு படிக்கும் மாணவன். அப்பா அசோகனும், அம்மா புஷ்பாஞ்சலியும் மருத்துவர்கள். மகாபலிபுரத்துக்கு அருகில் இருக்கும் திருக்கழுக்குன்றத்தில் சொந்தமாக மருத்துவமனை நடத்தி வருகிறார்கள். கடந்த சனிக்கிழமை அப்பாவின் பைக்கை எடுத்துக்கொண்டு நண்பனை சந்தித்து திரும்பியவனுக்கு எமன் ஒரு மீன்பாடி வண்டி ரூபத்தில் வந்தது. எதிர்பாராமல் நடந்த அந்த விபத்தில் தலையில் ஹிதேந்திரனுக்கு அடிபட்டது. செங்கல்பட்டு அரசு மருத்துவமனையில் முதலுதவிக்காக சேர்க்கப்பட்டவன் நினைவிழந்த நிலையில் மேல்சிகிச்சைக்காக சென்னை அப்பல்லோவுக்கு கொண்டு செல்லப்பட்டான்.

பரிசோதித்த மருத்துவர்கள் கை விரித்தார்கள். ஹிதேந்திரனின் மூளை செயல் இழந்து விட்டது (பிரைன் டெத்). கிட்டத்தட்ட மரணம். இதயம் மட்டுமே துடிக்கும். பெற்றோரும் மருத்துவர்கள் ஆயிற்றே? பிரச்சினையை புரிந்துகொண்டார்கள். தன் மகனின் உடல் உறுப்புகளை தானமாக தர விரும்பினார்கள். கண்கள், இதயம், சிறுநீரகம், கல்லீரல், நுரையீரல் ஆகிய உறுப்புகள் அகற்றப்பட்டன. புரட்சித்தலைவி ஜெ. ஜெயலலிதா நகரில் இருக்கும் செரியன் மருத்துவமனையில் சிகிச்சை பெற்றுக் கொண்டிருந்த சிறுவன் ஒருவனுக்கு இதயம் அவசரமாக தேவைப்பட்டது. ஹிதேந்திரனின் இதயம் அகற்றப்பட்டு 20 நிமிடங்களில் அந்த சிறுவனுக்கு பொருத்தப்பட வேண்டும். போக்குவரத்து நெரிசல் மிக்க சென்னையின் 20 கிலோ மீட்டர் தூரத்தை 20 நிமிடங்களில் அடைவது சாத்தியமா?

மருத்துவமனையின் நிர்வாகம் சார்பில் சென்னை மாநகர போக்குவரத்து காவல்துறையை அணுகினார்கள். பிரச்சினையின் தீவிரத்தை புரிந்துகொண்ட கூடுதல் ஆணையாளர் சுனில் உடனடியாக ஒரு உதவி ஆணையாளரை அனுப்பி வைத்து உதவுமாறு உத்தரவிட்டார். உதவி கமிஷனர் மனோகரன் இந்த ஆபரேஷனுக்கு திட்டமிட்டார். தன் சக அதிகாரிகளோடு தொடர்புகொண்டவர் குறிப்பிட்ட அந்த நேரத்துக்கு போக்குவரத்து சிக்கல் இல்லாதவாறு திட்டம் தீட்டினார். சிக்னல்கள் முழுக்க போலிசாரின் கட்டுப்பாட்டுக்கு சில நிமிடங்களில் வந்தது. ஒரு ஆம்புலன்ஸில் இதயத்தை எடுத்துச் செல்லவும், அந்த ஆம்புலன்ஸுக்கு வழிவிட ஆக்சண்ட் காரில் ஏ.சி. மனோகரனே முன்செல்லவும் திட்டம் தீட்டப்பட்டது.

ஹிதேந்திரனின் இதயத்தை ஒரு பெட்டியில் வைத்து படபடப்போடு மருத்துவர்கள் ஓடிவந்தார்கள். படபடப்பில் இருந்ததால் ஆம்புலன்ஸில் ஏறுவதற்கு பதிலாக ஏ.சி.யின் காரில் ஏறிவிட்டார்கள். ஒரு நொடியை கூட வீணடிக்க விரும்பாத ஏ.சி. தனது டிரைவரான கான்ஸ்டபிள் மோகனை புயல்வேகத்தில் ஓட்ட சொன்னார். ஏ.சி.யின் கார் இலகுவாக செல்ல வழியெங்கும் போக்குவரத்து சீர் செய்யப்பட்டிருந்தது. போனில் போலிஸ்காரர்களிடம் பேசியபடியே வழியில் இருந்த தடங்கல்களையெல்லாம் அகற்றினார் ஏ.சி.


மேட்லி ரோடு, தி.நகர் புதிய மேம்பாலம், லயோலா, சூளைமேடு, அமைந்தகரை, அண்ணா வளைவு வழியாக சுமார் 120 கிலோ மீட்டர் வேகத்தில் மோகன் காரை விரட்டினார். திருப்பங்களில் கூட பிரேக்கில் மோகன் காலை வைக்கவில்லை. ஆக்ஸிலேட்டரில் வைத்த காலை எடுக்கவேயில்லை. பொதுவாக போக்குவரத்தில் இந்த தூரத்தை கடக்க சுமார் 50 நிமிடங்களில் இருந்து ஒன்றரை மணி நேரம் வரை பிடிக்கும். மருத்துவர்கள் கொடுத்திருந்த டார்கெட் 20 நிமிடம். பத்தே நிமிடங்களில் செரியன் மருத்துவமனையை ஏ.சி.யின் கார் அடைந்திருந்தது. ஆறு மணி நேரம் நடந்த இருதய மாற்று அறுவை சிகிச்சை சக்சஸ்!

இனி ஹிதேந்திரனின் இதயம் வாழும்!!

மருத்துவத்துறை காவல்துறையோடு இணைந்து இந்த சாதனையை செய்திருக்கிறது. சென்னையில் மருத்துவத்துறை சாதனைகள் புரிவது ஒன்றும் அதிசயமல்ல என்றாலும், காவல்துறையின் இந்த அதிரடி சாதனை சென்னை மக்கள் மத்தியில் பரபரப்பாக பேசப்படுகிறது. வாய்ப்புகள் கிடைத்தால் எங்களாலும் சாதிக்க முடியும் என்று சாதித்துக் காட்டிய சென்னை மாநகர போக்குவரத்து காவல்துறைக்கு சல்யூட்.

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இதயத்தை திருடியவன் ஹிதேந்திரன்

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Teaching Your Child About Respect

One of the most important things parents can teach their children is respect. And respect is not the same as obedience. Children might obey because they are afraid. However if they respect you, they will obey because they know that you have their best interest at heart.

The best way to teach respect is to show respect. When our children experience respect, they know what it feels like and begin to understand how important it is.

Respect is an attitude. Being respectful helps a child not only succeed in school but also later in life. If children don't have respect for peers, authority, or themselves, it's almost impossible for them to succeed. A respectful child takes care of belongings and responsibilities, and a respectful child gets along with others.

Al thought schools teach children about respect, parents play a significant role and have the most influence on molding their children to become respectful individuals. Until children show respect at home, it's unlikely they will show it outside the home.

Respecting your child

Learning to treat children with respect will require a change of heart, that can come only from a major shift in consciousness of how we see our children and how we define respect.

Like adults, children have human dignity too. To treat a person with respect is to acknowledge and preserve their human dignity. To treat a person with disrespect is to attack their human dignity.

If we want to bring out respectful children, we must first be respectful parents, teachers and care givers.

Children are our mirrors. they reflect back to us everything we say and do. 95% of everything our children learn, they learn from what is modeled for them. Only 5% of all they learn is from direct instruction. We are role models for our children. What we speak is what we teach. Children record every word we ever say to them or in front of them. The language children grow up hearing is the language they will speak.

How can you show respect to your child?

- Be positive. Don't embarrass, insult or make fun of your child. Compliment him or her.
- Be honest. If you do something wrong, admit it and apologize.
- Be trusting. Let your child makes choices and take responsibility.
- Be reliable. Keep promises that you make. Show your child that you mean what you say.
- Be fair. Listen to your child's side of the story before reaching a conclusion.
- Be polite. Use 'please' and 'thank you.' Knock before entering your child's room.
- Be a good listener. Give your child your full attention.

More Respect Tactics

When you set rules at home, explain to your child why the rule is important. For example, if you have a rule that says 'No taking of dinner in front of the TV,' do explain that this is because dinner time is the time for everyone to get together, catch up on what has happened during the talk, to talk and to show care and love for one another in the family.

• Teach your children to respect themselves. Self-respect is one of the most important forms of respect. Once we respect ourselves, it is easier to respect others.

• Help them set and achieve goals. Their self-respect will skyrocket when they see themselves achieving those goals.

• Encourage honesty and integrity. Let your children know that they may be able to fool some people, but they can't fool themselves. There is no pride in stealing, cheating or lying.

• Your opinion means a lot to your children. If you believe your children can succeed, they will believe they can as well. Build their independence. Give them responsibilities as soon as they can handle them.

• Most importantly, show love! Say "I Love You" often, and give plenty of hugs and kisses. If your child makes a mistake, remind them that they are still loved.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Healing & Cleansing with Barley


High in fibre, barley is also a kidney cleanser.. Better yet, with regular intake it helps to prevent heart disease.

EU HOOI KHAW writes –

BARLEY water was always a regular drink when we were still living at home.
Whenever we had to go for a medical exam that included a urine test, my mum would make us drink barley water a day before it to make sure we got a positive result !

My mother was a wise woman. I later found out from an Australian naturopath that barley is known to be a kidney cleanser, and he happily downed glasses of it at a meal we had in a coffeeshop here.

Barley is good for your intestinal health too. Try to eat the barley grains you find in your drink or sweet broth with fu chook (beancurd skin) and ginkgo nuts.

It's high in fibre which feeds the friendly bacteria in the colon and helps! speed up the transit of fecal matter in it. In this way it helps prevent haemorrhoids and colon cancer.

The propionic acid and beta glucan from barley's insoluble fibre also help lower cholesterol and prevent the formation of gallstones.

Eating barley regularly is a preventive step against heart disease as, besides the fibre content, it is also high in niacin, a B vitamin good for lowering cholesterol.

Diabetics should eat more barley as the fibre will prevent blood sugar levels from rising too high. It also provides relief from constipation or diarrhoea for those suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Barley is rich in selenium which prevents cancer and relieves symptoms of asthma and arthritis. It is a good source of manganese, copper and phosphorous.

Malt sugar comes from sprouted barley which, when fermented, is an ingredient in beer and other alcoholic beverages.

Barley, whose Latin name is Hordeum vulgare, has been cultivated for more than 10,000 years.

Since ancient times, barley has been used for healing purposes and has been known to the Chinese, Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Athletes in Greece and Rome in those days were known to eat barley bread to give them strength.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

May I Borrow $25?

A man came home from work late, tired and irritated, to find his 5-year old son waiting for him at the door.

SON: 'Daddy, may I ask you a question?'

DAD: 'Yeah sure, what it is?' replied the man.

SON: 'Daddy, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'That's none of your business. Why do you ask such a thing?' the man said angrily.

SON: 'I just want to know. Please tell me, how much do you make an hour?'

DAD: 'If you must know, I make $50 an hour.'

SON: 'Oh,' the little boy replied, with his head down.

SON: 'Daddy, may I please borrow $25?'

The father was furious, 'If the only reason you asked that is so you can borrow some money to buy a silly toy or some other nonsense, then you march yourself straight to your room and go to bed. Think about why you are being so selfish. I don't work hard everyday for such childish frivolities.'

The little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.

The man sat down and started to get even angrier about the little boy's questions. How dare he ask such questions only to get some money?

After about an hour or so, the man had calmed down , and started to think:

Maybe there was something he really needed to buy with that $25.00 and he really didn't ask for money very often The man went to the door of the little boy's room and opened the door.

'Are you asleep, son?' He asked.

'No daddy, I'm awake,' replied the boy.

'I've been thinking, maybe I was too hard on you earlier' said the man. 'It's been a long day and I took out my aggravation on you. Here's the $25 you asked for.'

The little boy sat straight up, smiling. 'Oh, thank you daddy!' he yelled. Then, reaching under his pillow he pulled out some crumpled up bills.

The man saw that the boy already had money, started to get angry again.

The little boy slowly counted out his money, and then looked up at his father.

'Why do you want more money if you already have some?' the father grumbled.

'Because I didn't have enough, but now I do,' the little boy replied.

'Daddy, I have $50 now. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you.'

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little son, and he begged for his forgiveness.

It's just a short reminder to all of you working so hard in life. We should not let time slip through our fingers without having spent some time with those who really matter to us, those close to our hearts. Do remember to share that $50 worth of your time with someone you love.

If we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of hours. But the family & friends we leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.

Monday, September 08, 2008

Olympic's Facts

Recently you might have enjoyed the Beijing 2008 Olympic series of games. Here are some interesting Olympic's Facts for your reading...
  • Around 1913, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, The founder of the Modern Olympics designed the Olympic Flag. The Olympic Flag made its debut at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.

  • Background Color of the Olympic Flag white. It is plain white, with no border, and five rings in the center. The plain white background is symbolic of peace throughout the games.

  • The five colors of the rings on the Olympic Flag are blue, yellow, black, red, and green. Three rings are across the top, and two are along the bottom. From left to right are blue, black and red across the top with yellow and green along the bottom. Yellow and green colors may be found on most flags of the world.

  • The five interlinked Olympic rings on the Flag represents continents & continent.At the end of each Olympic Games, the mayor of that host-city presents the flag to the mayor of the next host-city. It rests at the town hall of the next host-city for four years until the Opening Ceremony of their Olympic Games.

  • The Olympic Torch Relay symbolizes the passing of the Olympic traditions from one generation to the next. The Torch Relay began in the Ancient Olympics and was revived at the 1936 Berlin Games. The torch was lit by the sun's rays at Olympia and carried by relay to the host-city of the Games. The Olympic Flame symbolises purity, the endeavor for perfection and the struggle for victory, as well as representing peace and friendship.
  • Motto of the Olympic is 'Citius, Altius, Fortius'. 'Swifter, Higher, Stronger'. The other three are all parts of the Olympic Creed.

  • At the start of each Olympics, every athlete promises to play fairly and obey all of the Olympic rules. One athlete from the host country takes the Oath on behalf of all athletes. Even Olympic officials takes the Oath While holding a corner of the Olympic Flag, one official from the host country repeats an oath, similiar to that of the athletes, on behalf of all the officials.

  • Greece is first in line during the Opening Ceremony's Parade of Nations. The host city is last, and the others are in alphabetical order.

  • During the Opening Ceremony, doves are released that symbolizes Peace.

  • In the Closing Parade, the athletes are not separated into national teams as they enter the stadium. This is to symbolize the unity and friendship of the Games. It is a tradition which started at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. John Ian Wing, a 17 year old Australian boy of Chinese origin, wrote to the Games organisers a few days before the closing - his idea was adopted, and gave birth to another Olympic tradition.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Forgive & Forget - A key to better relationship

  1. Forgiving is allowing another person to be human for faults, mistakes, or misdeeds. Forgetting is putting these behind you; they are no longer brought up and no longer remain a barrier to your relationship

  2. Forgiving is letting another know that there is no grudge, hard feelings, or animosity for any wrong doing. Forgetting is the lack of further discussion, with no on going negative references to the event

  3. Forgiving is letting the other person know that you accept as genuine the remorse and sorrow for actions or words that hurt or disappointed you. Forgetting is promising that this deed, whether of omission or commission, will not be brought up again

  4. Forgiving is accepting the sincerity of penance, sorrow, and regret expressed over a grievous personal offense; making it sufficient to clear the air. Forgetting is your commitment to let go of anger, hurt, and pain over this offense

  5. Forgiving is giving a sign that a person's explanation or acceptance of blame for a destructive, hurtful, or painful act is fully accepted. Forgetting is the development of a plan of action between the two of you to heal the scars resulting from the behavior

  6. Forgiving is the highest form of human behavior that can be shown to another person. It is the opening up of yourself to that person to be vulnerable to being hurt or offended in the future, yet setting aside this in order to reopen and heal the channels of communication. Forgetting is equally as high a human behavior; it is letting go of the need to seek revenge for past offenses

  7. Forgiving is the act of love between you and a person who has hurt you; the bandage that holds the wound together long enough to heal. Forgetting is also an act of love; in rehabilitation therapy, helping the wounded return to a full, functional, living reality

  8. Forgiving is the God like gift of spiritually connecting with others, touching their hearts to calm the fear of rejection, quiet the sense of failure, and lighten the burden of guilt. Forgetting is the God like gift of spiritually touching others' hearts with the reassurance of a happy and full life with no fear of recrimination, remonstrations, or reminding of past offenses

  9. Forgiving is the act of letting go of temporary ill will, disappointment, or the disgust that arises from the break in your relationship. Forgetting is bridging this gap in the relationship, eventually strengthening it against such a break in the future

  10. Forgiving is an act of compassion, humanity, and gentleness by which you let another know that she/he is indeed a child of the universe upon whom a variety of graces and blessings have been showered and that current or past offenses need not be a barrier preventing goodness and worth to shine through. Forgetting is the act of encouragement, support, and reinforcement by which you assist the other person to rebuild, reconnect and re-establish a loving, caring, healthy relationship with you, others, and the world whereby gifts, talents, and skills are freely appreciated and shared
Negative Consequences of the absences of forgiving and forgetting. In the absence of forgiving and forgetting, the partners in a relationship run the risk of:
  • Continuously being hurt with pain and suffering going unresolved

  • Unresolved guilt and remorse for offenses committed

  • Chronically seeking revenge and paybacks from one another

  • Being caught up in unresolved anger, animosity, and bitterness

  • Defensive, self-protective, and distant behavior

  • Blaming, negative and non-growth oriented behavior

  • Being stuck in a battlefield stockpiled for future offensive attacks

  • Being lost in a festering wound that never realizes the revitalization of healing

  • Secretive and non-communicative behavior

  • Fear over making a mistake or of having the mistake revealed

  • Being overwhelmed by fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of non-approval, low self-esteem, fear of conflict & High stress
So, Forgive someone today and post about how you did it to encourage more to do the same that may lead us all join our hand without any difference in developing trouble free Universe.

The Loyal Wife

There was a man who had worked all of his life, had saved all of his money, and was a real miser when it came to his money.

Just before he died, he said to his wife, 'When I die, I want you to take all my money and put it in the casket with me. I want to take my money to the after life with me.'

And so he got his wife to promise him with all of her heart that when he died, she would put all of the money in the casket with him.

Well, he died . . .He was stretched out in the casket, his wife was sitting there in black, and her friend was sitting next to her. When they finished the ceremony, just before the undertakers got ready to close the casket, the wife said, 'Wait, just a minute!'

She had a box with her, she came over with the box and put it in the casket. Then the undertakers locked the casket down, and they rolled it away.

Her friend said, 'I know you weren't fool enough to put all that money in there in the casket with your husband.'

The loyal wife replied 'Listen, I can't go back on my word. I promised him that I was going to put that money in that casket with him.'

'You mean to tell me you put that money in the casket with him !!! ?'

'I sure did' said the wife. 'I got it all together, put it into my account and wrote him a cheque. If he can cash it, he can spend it.

Backpack is on

Hi Friends,

Sorry for not updating my blog for quite sometime as the usual excuse goes by saying was busy past few weeks. But you have something to read in couple of weeks time about Inspiring India Northern part very soon. Yes, you guessed it right. I am visiting Northern India next week. I will bring back my memory and share with you all soon. Keep looking :-)

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The Extraction Job?

The local bar was so sure that its bartender was the strongest man around that they offered a Rs 10,000 bet. The bartender would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and hand the lemon to a patron. Anyone who could squeeze one more drop of juice out would win the money. Many people like weight-lifters, wrestlers, body builders, etc had tried over time, but nobody could do it.

One day this scrawny little man came in, wearing thick glasses and a safari suit, and said in a tiny, squeaky voice, "I'd like to try the bet." After the laughter had died down, the bartender said OK, grabbed a lemon, and squeezed away. Then he handed the wrinkled remains of the rind to the little man.

But the ! crowd's laughter turned to total silence as the man clenched his fist around the lemon and 5-6 drops fell into the glass. As the crowd cheered, the bartender paid the Rs 10,000, and asked the little man, "What do you do for a living? Are you a lumberjack, a weight-lifter, or what?"

"No," replied the man.

"I work as a Project Manager in a software company !! "

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Ipod & deafness? and How EMFs affect our health?


You might love listening to your favourite music on your iPod, but a new survey has revealed that more than 70 per cent of young adults are losing their hearing power, thanks to the increasing use of headphones. A recent survey showed that more than 70 per cent of the youngsters are suffering from the first sign of hearing loss with tinnitus or ringing in the ear.

This may be due to listening to music played at dangerously loud levels on headphones. “That was a real surprise because that was actually more common than the older respondents,” a website quoted Professor Harvey Dillon, director of the National Acoustics Laboratory at the organisation that led the survey, as telling a radio channel. “Mostly for the younger people it didn't happen very often, and it didn't last for very long when it did happen. But it did happen. And we think that that's probably a warning sign for them,” he added.

The survey also revealed that two-thirds of the people listened to music on headphones and of those, 60 per cent played music at dangerous loud levels.

Prof Dillon said it could take just weeks for hearing loss to begin. “That's part of the problem. Although it's happening, definitely, it's happening gradually and people just don't notice it,” he said.

Some 25 per cent of younger people thought that if they damaged their hearing it would get better, he added. The risk of damage occurred in two stages when people go to concerts or noisy venues. “Both occurred inside the inner ear and while one was temporary the other was permanent,” he said. “We tend to notice the temporary loss of hearing .What we don't notice is that at the same time, in the same place but through a different mechanism, there's also a permanent loss going on.

A few hair cells dying here, a few hair cells dying there and they add up from time to time,” he added.

Prof Dillon said that safe headphone audio levels were 85 decibels, averaged over an eight-hour day. He also advised workers exposed to loud machinery or industrial noise to wear earmuffs or plugs to protect their hearing.

Click on this EMF Chart to know how our hearing ability is affected by various types of noises that fills our day.


PS: Nowadays when I'm seduced by the tune to increase my music player volume right before my finger taps the volume increase button my brain taps my memory about this article. Hope it does effect on you as well.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Safety Car in Formula One Race


Earlier you might have read about Formula One Facts. Also you might be eagerly awaiting to watch The first ever Formula 1 Race to be held at night in Singapore titled Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix on 26-28 September 2008 at Marina Bay area. I recently happened to get to know about another interesting fact related to Formula One Safety Car. And I thought that it will be great news to share with you for your pleasure reading. So, here it is.

The safety car is a key factor in Formula One racing. In the event of an incident or adverse weather conditions, the safety car is deployed by the FIA race director in order to show the cars down and to restore order to the race.

Instructions: The safety car is called onto the circuit to reduce speed, especially during hazardous situations like accidents, unsafe track (objects or dirt on the track), bad weather/poor visibility condition & oil slicks or if there is a danger of aquaplaning.

Regulations: When the safety car is deployed, yellow flags are waved (In Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix these flags are going to be electronic type, I read somewhere) to indicate that no overtaking permitted, reduce speed and laps completed behind the safety car count as race laps.

It looks like there is a selection process to define a specific car model as Safety Car for the year between the leading Safety Car manufacturers like DC & BMW. For this year 2008 It was Mercedes SL 63 AMG was selected as F1 Safety Car for 2008. Here you can find how the safety car evolved over the period of time.

Sign Language: The safety car communicates with the drivers by means of light signals.
Orange Light – No Overtaking
Green Light – Overtake
Flashing white light – Always On

Free Driving: Once the safety car leaves the track, the leading car determines the pace until the Start/Finish line. From then on the drivers may overtake again.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Kids Playing Video Games Excessively? Make them Play Wii Fit

Growing kids and some matured adults too are playing video game like crazy. Many of them are spending lots and lots of their time in playing video games by means of gaming devices merely like addiction. It causes havoc for their health may it be eye sight issues, behavioural issues, obesity & lack of interest in other social activity.

But strangely some studies suggest that there few positive aspects of such act like games involving firing guns could improve eyesight. Other than this Nintendo's Wii Fit seems to be a gaming method used for rehab.

Fitness-oriented video games are also being used more and more in nursing homes for rehabilitation is an interesting way to make people exercise to make healthy living. Why not you try to divert your kids playing such virtual games that makes them do exercise unknowingly and will surely benefit them with better health in result.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

How to Make Decisions? Six Hats Thinking

The Six Hats Thinking technique enables you to break out of your habitual thinking style and make better quality decisions. Six Hats Thinking was created by Edward De Bono with the aim of looking at the effect of a decision from a number of important, different perspectives, and modifying your decision accordingly. This decision making approach can be successfully used individually or in a group.

In short, you consider the effect of a decision by wearing six "hats", and in turn, articulating the aspirations and concerns of each group.

White Hat
This is the data hat, where you consider facts, figures and information, identify any gaps in your knowledge and either fill or acknowledge them. For example, you use historical data or case studies to predict future behaviour, or do a cost benefit analysis.

Red Hat
This is the emotional hat, where intuition, instinct and irrational responses are considered.

Black Hat
Is the negative, pessimistic, "the world is going to end" hat. This viewpoint is useful as flaws and assumptions can be flushed out and addressed, and contingency plans prepared.

Yellow Hat
Is the polar opposite of the black hat, where optimism prevails. This is where benefits and added value are considered.

Green Hat
The Green Hat is used to put some creativity into the process. What other options exist? Is there a trickier, smarter solution?

Blue Hat
Is the hat worn by the person facilitating the decision making process, ensuring each hat is worn in turn and gets a fair amount of air-time.

Here's an example of how Six Hats Thinking can be used.

A small training company are deciding on whether to deliver online training. This is new territory for them as they have historically only done face to face training. However, they need to grow the business and think this is what customers want.

White Hat Thinking
The team look at their finances and see face to face training numbers are generally stagnant, and declining for some courses. Feedback from customers suggest a growing proportion would prefer a training solution that could be delivered "on demand", wherever and whenever the trainee requires. There are already a considerable number of successful training companies with an online presence.

Red Hat Thinking
The team are nervous about their lack of experience in managing online training. They are concerned their roles will change into being technical support and no longer doing what they enjoy or are good at.

Black Hat Thinking
Black hat thinking flushes out concerns about the cost and complexity of building a website and creating an online training platform, particularly if not all courses are suited to an online environment. Also, how does this project fit with existing workload?

Yellow Hat Thinking
Yellow hat thinking frees the team up to believe that in a year's time they will be wondering what they were worried about. They break the project up into manageable chunks, with agreed deadlines and deliverables. They realise that if all goes to plan, there may be a new market in turning other companies training from off-line into on-line training.

Green Hat Thinking
Spending some time wearing the green hat makes the team consider other ways to deliver training, both off and on-line. They create two different training solutions which they had not previously considered.

Blue Hat Thinking
Throughout the discussion, one person wears the blue hat, ensuring no thinking style dominates or colours the others.

Six Hats Thinking forces you to consider many different perspectives when making a decision, and break out of your habitual thinking style. This technique is particularly useful for both newly formed, or established teams, as there is a transparent decision making process to be followed

Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveils iPhone 3G

Yesterday Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled iPhone 3G, the App Store, MobileMe, and more in his Worldwide Developers Conference keynote address from San Francisco's Moscone West. Here is a video clip on WWDC 2008 Steve Jobs Keynote - iPhone 3G. This is expected to be released on July 11th in Apple retail outlets & AT&T stores in the US and in 70 other countries by end of of this year.


Here are some Pros & Cons for you to decide on what you can expect on this new iPhone 3G version.

Pros:
  • Location-based services via the GPS

  • Comes at a low price (US$199 for the 8GB & US$299 for the 16GB version)

  • 3G speed is twice faster than its current version

  • Thinner than the previous model and much lighter version for extra cost

  • Software 2.0 supports Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, delivering push email, calendar & contacts

  • Longer battery life

  • Supports collection of applications available on its SDK for gaming lovers

  • Looks a little better with the new design

  • Better reception & Better Audio
Cons:
  • No Multimedia Messaging

  • No dock included anymore

  • No Copy & Paste

  • No voice dialing & Video recording

  • No flash support for browser

  • No Landscape keyboard

  • No expandable Memory

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

The Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so...

Love the people who treat you right.
Pray for the ones who don't - that they see the wisdom of their foolish ways'

Chennai Rail Network Map

Here is the map of Chennai City & Suburban Railway Network Map. This is very useful for the travellers to avoid increasing traffic jam during their journey. Click on the image below to get the clear map

Friday, May 30, 2008

Inflation & Futures Trading in Commodities

We all know that cost of living in the recent days have gone up everywhere in Asian region. A cost for a tea on the road side shops will cost you 5 bucks, If a go into a decent restaurant for a group meals I needed to fill my wallet with bunch of high end denominations of rupees. Things weren’t same as before during my visit to India just a couple of weeks back. Few months back I was chatting with one of my friend about the raising cost of living in India recently, one of the fact that he was telling me was something about Online Futures trading in commodity that adds more fuel to it. He was saying unless government takes some serious measure on all such act we might end up hitting record high inflation ratio like that.

There were analysis done on the topic “Futures ban can bring down inflation in India”. Couple of nights back I also watched special coverage news on the TV about what really drives this Online Future Trading to aggravate inflation. He was telling that there more speculators on commodities that were not meant to be traded this way. Seems like the theory matches with what my friend explained to me during our conversation.

The theory is like when there is no real need for goods by the consumer they purchase it online and keep the stock with the dealer by making payment. Assume later there is a demand for the good that he holds stock (reason being shortage in supply at that point in time) and takes more money from that consumer then instructs the dealer to deliver to the address of the consumer who is actually in need of it. So, this speculation is done purely on the interest of making money by business minded people. As a result it affects us whole.

Probably our Indian government realized the fact that future trading ban on few commodities could help to slow down the skyrocketing inflation ratio. We shall keep our fingers crossed and see what happens in future on sky high inflation issue that trembles our whole nation.

Please feel free to share your views.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Right Way of extinquishing Kitchen Oil Fire

I never realized that a wet dish cloth can be a lid to cover a fire in a pan!

This is a dramatic video (30-second, very short) about how to deal with acommon kitchen fire ... oil in a frying pan. Read the following introduction, then watch the show ... It's a real eye-opener!!

At the Fire Fighting Training school they would demonstrate this with adeep fat fryer set on the fire field. An instructor would don a fire suitand using an 8 oz cup at the end of a 10 foot pole toss water onto the grease fire. The results got the attention of the students.

The water, being heavier than oil, sinks to the bottom where it instantly becomes super heated. The explosive force of the steam blows the burning oil up and out. On the open field, it became a thirty foot high fire ball that resembled a nuclear blast. Inside the confines of a kitchen, the fire ball hits the ceiling and fills the entire room.

Also, do not throw sugar or flour on a grease fire. One cup creates theexplosive force of two sticks of dynamite. This is a powerful message. Watch the video and don't forget what you see. Tell your whole family about this video. Or better yet, send this to them.

Dragon Fruits - An Insight View

I have eaten this fruit during my childhood days I used to bring our cow to farm fields for them to eat grass, we call it Maadu meithal (மாடு மேய்த்தல்) in Tamizh. So, we go for searching varities of wild grown fruits to eat just like our tidbits these days. We come across many such items I can't name them here since its all Tamizh Names all that I know of. During such act I also remembered plucking this type of fruit from Cactus valley grown in the waste land. But those days I ate it just for the taste it, but now I have learned the real power of it.

The legend of the dragon fruit says that the fruit was created by fire-breathing dragons. By eating the dragon fruit it was believed that one became empowered with the same strength and ferocity of a dragon. Other stories say that the dragon fruit looks like a dragon's egg. Enjoy the nutritional facts and amazing health care information of it here.

  • Dragon fruit is of cactus family, with high economic value. It can be taken as fruit, flower, vegetable, health product and medicine as well, called "priceless treasure“

  • As "king of the fruit", dragon fruit appears shining red and olive-shaped. Every single one is 500-1200g, and its flesh is white or red, tasted sweet but not thick, with light fragrance. The sweetness of dragon fruit is 16-18 degree, better than water melon. It can be called as "water melon on trees", considering about its structure, eating method and planting way

  • Dragon fruit is delicious vegetable dishes, having high nutrition, low heat, rich vitamin C

  • It is good material of beverage, may be processed to be all kind of drinks

  • Dragon fruit can be used as cosmetic and health material, with functions of improving eyesight and preventing hypertension

  • Environment protection. Dragon fruit absorbs CO2 at night and releases oxygen to purify the air

  • Dragon fruit can be plant easily. It has strong root and is good at water observing, heat and drought resisting. So planting dragon fruit is low cost

  • The red flesh variety is believed to be rich in antioxidants. Antioxidants prevent the formation of cancer-causing free radicals

  • The dragon fruit is rich in vitamins

  • The dragon fruit helps the digestive process

  • The dragon fruit helps prevent colon cancer and diabetes

  • The dragon fruit helps to neutralize toxic substances such as heavy metal, reduce cholesterol levels and high blood pressure

  • Consumed regularly the dragon fruit can help against asthma and cough

  • In Taiwan, diabetics use the fruit as a food substitute for rice and as a fiber rich part of the diet

Dragon fruit is rich in fiber, Vitamin C and minerals. The typical nutritional value per 100g of dragon fruit is as follows:

Ashes - 0.68g
Fat - 0.61g
Fiber - 0.9g
Phosphorus - 36.1mg
Carotene - 0.012g
Protein - 0.229g
Water - 83.0g
Calcium - 8.8g
Iron - 0.65mg
Riboflavin - 0.045mg
Niacin - 0.430mg
Ascorbic Acid - 9.0mg

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Who I Am Makes A Difference

A teacher in New York decided to honour each of her seniors in high school by telling them the difference they each made. She called each student to the front of the class, one at a time. First she told each of them how they had made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon imprinted with gold letters,which read, "Who I Am Makes a Difference."

Afterwards the teacher decided to do a class project to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a community. She gave each of the students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony. Then they were to follow up on the results, see who honoured whom and report back to the class in about a week.

One of the boys in the class went to a junior executive in a nearby company and honoured him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his shirt. Then he gave him two extra ribbons and said, "We're doing a class project on recognition, and we'd like you to go out find somebody to honour, give them a blue ribbon, then give them the extra blue ribbon so they can acknowledge a third person to keep this acknowledgment ceremony going. Then please report back to me and tell me what happened."

Later that day the junior executive went in to see his boss, who had been noted, by the way, as being kind of a grouchy fellow. He sat his boss down and he told him that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius. The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon and would he give him permission to put it on him. His surprised boss said, "Well, sure." The junior executive took the blue ribbon and placed it right on his boss's jacket above his heart. As he gave him the last extra ribbon, he said, "Would you do me a favour? Would you take this extra ribbon and pass it on by honouring somebody else? The young boy who first gave me the ribbons is doing a project in school and we want to keep this recognition ceremony going and find out how it affects people."

That night the boss came home to his 14-year-old son and sat him down. He said, "The most incredible thing happened to me today. I was in my office and one of the junior executives came in and told me he admired me and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius. Imagine. He thinks I'm a creative genius. Then he put this blue ribbon that says: "Who I Am Makes a Difference, on my jacket above my heart. He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honour. As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about whom I would honour with this ribbon and I thought about you. I want to honour you. My days are really hectic and when I come home I don't pay a lot of attention to you. Sometimes I scream at you for not getting good enough grades in school and for your bedroom being a mess, but somehow tonight, I just wanted to sit here and, well, just let you know that you do make a difference to me. Besides your mother, you are the most important person in my life. You're a great kid and I love you!"

The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he couldn't stop crying. His whole body shook. He looked up at his father and said through his tears, "Dad, earlier tonight I sat in my room and wrote a letter to you and Mom explaining why I had killed myself and asking you to forgive me. I was going to commit suicide tonight after you were asleep. I just didn't think that you cared at all. The letter is upstairs. I don't think I need it after all." His father walked upstairs and found a heartfelt letter full of anguish and pain. The envelope was addressed,"Mom and Dad."

The boss went back to work a changed man. He was no longer a grouch but made sure to let all his employees know that they made a difference. The junior executive helped several other young people with career planning and never forgot to let them know that they made a difference in his life...one being the boss's son. And the young boy and his classmates learned a valuable lesson. Who you are DOES make difference.

I felt that You are Important and that's why you get to read to this post.

WHO YOU ARE MAKES A DIFFERENCE, AND I WANTED YOU TO KNOW THAT!!!

I am passing the blue ribbon to you.

Have an Awesome day, and know that someone has thought about you today!

If you have anyone who means a lot to you, I encourage you to send him or her this message and let them know. You never know what kind of difference a little encouragement can make to a person.