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.

Puzzle - 43

There were group of people touring around the Gulf region by a Yacht. All of sudden they found that one of his friend was missing and fell off from yacht in to deep water. That person doesn't know swimming and not wearing any life jacket to make him float. Few hours later they managed to find him and brought him back alive to yacht. How is this possible?

Answer is a strange fact. The Region that they were traveling was Dead Sea, which lies in between Israel and Jordan. This sea water is very famous for its salty content and dense that anyone in it floats very easily.

Healthiness

Do you have the habit of reading articles related to health? If so try reading the articles available at NBC. There are varieties of useful articles related to many health related issues listed here. I hope you get benefited from any of these articles.

Scars of The Anger

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the fence.

The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered daily, gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence. Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.

The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence. He said "you have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one."

You can put a knife in a man and draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there.

Make sure you control your temper the next time you are tempted to say something you will regret later.

Puzzle - 42

There was a clever pet shop owner sold a parrot to a customer who visited his shop by making a statement that "I guarantee you that this colorful parrot can repeat all the words whatever it hears." Finally customer found out the fact that it didn't utter even a single word. Though, what the pet shop owner said was true. So, can you tell why?

தூறல்!!!

டிசம்பர் மாத குளிரோடு லேசான தூறலும் சேர்ந்து பெங்களூர் மாநகரை ஊட்டி போலாக்கிக் கொண்டிருந்தது...

வழக்கம் போல் 7 மணி பஸ்ஸிற்காக கோரமங்களா பார்க்கிங் லாட் அருகே நின்று கொண்டிருந்தேன். எலக்ட்ரானிக் சிட்டி போய் சேர எப்படியும் ஒரு மணி நேரத்திற்கு மேலாகும். நல்ல வேளை இந்த i-pod இருப்பதால் ஓரளவிற்கு சமாளிக்க முடிகிறது.

இந்த மழை ஏன் இங்க பெஞ்சி உயிர வாங்குதுனு தெரியல... மழை வரலைனு யாகமெல்லாம் நடத்தறானுங்க... அங்க வராம இங்க வந்து நம்ம உயிர வாங்குது. அதுவும் ஆபிஸ் போற நேரத்துல.

அருகே கம்பெனி ஐடி கார்டை மாட்டிக் கொண்டு நான்கு, ஐந்து பேர் நின்று கொண்டிருந்தனர். இவனுங்களுக்கு எல்லாம் பெரிய சாப்ட்வேர் இஞ்சினியர்னு பெருமை. இந்த ஐடி கார்டை கம்பெனிக்குள்ள மாட்டினா போதாதா? லைசன்ஸ் வாங்குன நாய் மாதிரி எப்பவும் கழுத்துல மாட்டிக்கிட்டு திரியறானுங்க.

கடைசியாக சுரிதார் அணிந்து கொண்டு புதிதாக ஒருத்தி நின்று கொண்டிருந்தாள். நான் பார்ப்பதை பார்த்து சிரித்தாள்.

ச்சீ என்ன பொண்ணு இவ... யாராவது பார்த்தா... உடனே சிரிக்கணுமா???

பஸ் வந்தவுடன் வேகமாக சென்று ஒரு நல்ல இடம் பார்த்து ஜன்னல் ஓர சீட்டில் அமர்ந்தேன்... i-podல் நேற்று டவுன்லோட் செய்த பெயர் தெரியாத படத்தின் பாடல் ஓடிக்கொண்டிருந்தது.

சரியாக எட்டு மணிக்கு என் சீட்டிலிருந்தேன்... வழக்கம் போல் யாரும் இன்னும் வரவில்லை. இன்று அப்ரைசல் வேறு இருக்கிறது. இந்த முறை ஆன் சைட்டிலிருந்து அப்ரிஸியேஷன் மெயில் வந்திருக்கிறது. அதனால் எப்படியும் இந்த முறை நல்ல ரேட்டிங் கிடைக்கும்.

மேனேஜர் சரியாக பத்து மணிக்கு வந்தார். மற்றவர்கள் அவர் வருவதற்கு 5 நிமிடத்திற்கு முன் வந்தனர். அவரை பொருத்த வரை அனைவரும் ஒரே நேரத்தில் வந்ததாகத்தான் கணக்கு. மற்றவர்களை கேட்டால் டிராபிக் ஜாம் என்ற ஒரு வார்த்தையை சொல்லி தப்பிவிடுவார்கள். 7 மணிக்கு புறப்பட்டால் எப்படியும் 8 மணிக்குள் வர முடியும். 8 மணிக்கு புறப்பட்டு 2 மணி நேரம் டிராபிக்கில் சிக்கி வரவே அனைவரும் விரும்புகின்றனர். தலை சரியில்லாத இடத்தில் மற்றவர்களை சொல்லி பயனில்லை.

சரியாக 11 மணிக்கு அப்ரைசல் மீட்டிங். தேவையானவற்றை பிரிண்ட் அவுட் எடுத்து கொண்டு மீட்டிங்கிற்கு சென்றேன். உள்ளே மேனஜர் தயாராக இருந்தார். இந்த முறையும் அப்ரைசலில் எல்லா டாஸ்கிற்கும் "C" போட்டிருந்தார்கள். அதற்கு அவர் சொன்ன காரணம் டீம் மக்களோடு சரியாக கலக்காமலிருக்கிறேனாம்.

சரியாக வேலை செய்யவில்லை என்றால் சரி. ஆனால் மக்களோடு பழகவில்லை என்று அவர் சொல்வது சும்மா ஒரு சப்பைக்கட்டு!!! இவர்கள் வேலை செய்வது போல் நடிப்பவர்களைத்தான் தலை மேல் தூக்கி வைத்து கொண்டாடுவார்கள். ஆனால் உண்மையாக வேலை செய்பவர்களை என்றும் மதிக்கமாட்டார்கள்.

மதியம் சரியாக பனிரெண்டு மணிக்கு சாப்பிட கிளம்பினேன்.

"கார்த்திக்... இன்னைக்கு பிராஜக்ட் பார்ட்டி. பஸ் 12:30க்கு வரும். இப்ப எங்க போற?" அக்கரையாக விசாரித்தாள் ஹாசினி.

"சாரி... நான் வரலை. நான் தான் மெயில்லையே சொல்லிட்டனே... எனக்கு இந்த பார்ட்டி எல்லாம் பிடிக்காதுனு" சொல்லிவிட்டு வேகமாக சாப்பிட சென்றேன்.

சாப்பிட்டுவிட்டு என் சீட்டிற்கு வந்த போழுது என் ப்ளோர் முழுதும் விரிச்சோடி கிடந்தது. 2 மணிக்கு வீட்டிற்கு கிளம்பினேன். வீட்டில் தனியாக என்ன செய்வதென்று தெரியாமல் கிடைத்த ஒரு ஆங்கில நாவல் படிக்க ஆரம்பித்தேன். எப்போழுது தூங்கினேனென்றே தெரியவில்லை. தூங்கி எழுந்திரிக்கும் பொழுது மணி 8 ஆகியிருந்தது.

அருகே இருக்கும் ஓட்டலுக்கு சென்று சாப்பிட்டுவிட்டு வந்தேன். டிவியை ஆன் செய்து ஒரு மணி நேரத்தில் 120 சேனல்களையும் 40 முறை மாற்றி மாற்றி பார்த்துவிட்டு தூங்கிவிட்டேன். 6 மணிக்கு அலாரம் அதன் வேலையை சரியாக செய்ய 7 மணிக்கு பஸ் ஸ்டாப்பில் இருந்தேன்.

வழக்கம் போல் பஸ்ஸிற்காக காத்திருப்பவர்கள் இருந்தார்கள். நேற்று புதிதாக வந்திருந்தவளும் அங்கே நின்று கொண்டிருந்தாள். நேற்றை போலவே இன்றும் பார்த்து சிரித்தாள்.

பஸ் வந்ததும் வழக்கம் போல் ஜன்னலோர சீட்டருகே சென்று அமர்ந்தேன்.

"ஹாய்... நான் இங்க உக்காரலாமா?" ஒரு பெண்ணின் குரல்.
திரும்பி பார்த்தேன். அவள் என் பதிலை எதிர்பார்க்காமல் அருகில் அமர்ந்தாள்.

வழக்கத்தைவிட i-podல் சத்தத்தை கொஞ்சம் அதிகப்படுத்தினேன். அதை புரிந்து கொண்டு எதுவும் பேசாமல் ஒரு ஆங்கில நாவலை கையில் வைத்து படிக்க ஆரம்பித்தாள். வண்டி வழக்கத்தைவிட சீக்கிரம் சென்றாலும் ஏதோ ஒரு யுகம் போனது போலிருந்தது.

தினம் செய்யும் வேலையையே செக்குமாடு போல் செய்துவிட்டு 8 மணிக்கு ஆபிஸிலிருந்து வீட்டிற்கு கிளம்பினேன். அடுத்த நாளும் அதை போலவே என் அருகில் அமர்ந்து பயணம் செய்தாள். இதுவே ஒரு வாரம் தொடர்ந்தது.

அன்றும் லேசான தூறல் போட்டுக்கொண்டிருந்தது. நடைபாதையிலிருந்து கீழிறங்கி பஸ்ஸிற்காக காத்துக்கொண்டிருந்தேன். வலதுபக்கம் நின்றிருந்த ஒரு ஜோடி ரோட்டில் நிற்கிறோம் என்ற எண்ணமில்லாமல் ஒருவர் கையை ஒருவர் பிடித்து விளையாடிக்கொண்டிருந்தனர். என் கோபம் வழக்கத்தைவிட கொஞ்சம் அதிகமாகவே வந்தது.

இதுங்களுக்கு எல்லாம் அறிவே இல்லையா? சாப்ட்வேர் இஞ்சினியர்னா பெருசா அமெரிக்கால இருக்கற நினைப்பு. இதுங்களாலதான் எல்லாருக்கும் கெட்டப்பேரு!!! திடிரென்று யாரோ என் கையை பிடித்து பின்னால் இழுத்தார்கள். திரும்பி பார்ப்பதற்குள் நான் நின்று கொண்டிருந்த இடத்தில் ஒரு ஆட்டோ நின்று கொண்டிருந்தது. கொஞ்சமிருந்தால் மேலே ஏத்தியிருப்பான். இந்த பெங்களூர்ல ஆட்டோக்காரங்களுக்கு அறிவே இருக்காது.

சரி, பின்னால் இழுத்தது யாரென்று பார்த்தால் அவள் நின்று கொண்டிருந்தாள். சைட்ல இருந்த அந்த ஜோடியப் பாத்துட்டிருந்த நேரத்துல இந்த மாதிரி ஆயிடுச்சு. அவளுக்கு நன்றி சொல்லலாமா என்று யோசித்து கொண்டிருக்கும் போதே பஸ் வந்து சேர்ந்தது.

எப்போழுதும் அமரும் இடத்தில் சென்று அமர்ந்தேன். அவளும் வந்து அமர்ந்து கையில் நாவலை எடுத்தாள்.

"ரொம்ப தேங்கஸ்ங்க..." தயங்கியவாறே சொன்னேன்.

"ஓ!!! உங்களுக்கு பேச வருமா??? நீங்க ஊமைனு இல்ல நினைச்சேன்" புத்தகத்தை பையில் வைத்து கொண்டே சொன்னாள்.

"இல்லைங்க...சாரி. நான் உங்களை ரொம்ப இன்சல்ட் பண்ணிட்டேனு நினைக்கிறேன்"

"ஐயய்யோ அதெல்லாம் ஒன்னுமில்லைங்க. ரொம்ப ஃபீல் பண்ணாதீங்க...
பை த வே, ஐ அம் ஆர்த்தி"

"ஐ அம் கார்த்திக்"

இன்று பஸ் பயணத்தின் 60 நிமிடங்களும் 60 நொடிகளைவிட குறைவாக தெரிந்தது. 60 நிமிடத்தில் வாழ்க்கை வரலாறையே சொல்ல முடியும் என்று இன்று தான் உணர்ந்தேன்.

பஸ்ஸிலிருந்து இறங்கியவுடன்...

"கார்த்திக்... உன் கூட நான் சாப்பிட வரலாமா? தனியா சாப்பிட போர் அடிக்குது. என் டீமெட்ஸ் எல்லாம் பத்து மணிக்குதான் வருவாங்க"

"உங்களுக்கு எதுவும் பிராபளம் இல்லைனா வாங்க"

"ஏன் ரொம்ப ஃபார்மலா பேசறீங்க??? நீ, வா, போனே பேசலாம்"

"சரிங்க"

"பாத்திங்களா??? திரும்பவும் வாங்க போங்கனு சொல்றீங்க"

"சரி... போலாமா?"

சாப்பிட்டு விட்டு சீட்டிற்கு வந்து வேலை செய்ய ஆரம்பித்தேன். இன்று நாள் போனதே தெரியவில்லை.

அடுத்த நாள் மீண்டும் பஸ் பயணம்...

"ஏய்!!! நேத்து மதியம் உன்ன கேண்டின்ல பாத்தேன்... தனியா சாப்பிட்டு இருந்த... உன் பிராஜக்ட் மேட்ஸ் யாரும் வரலையா?"

"நான் எப்பவும் தனியாதான் சாப்பிடுவேன்"

"ஏன்?"

"யாருக்கும் தொந்தரவு வேண்டாம்னுதான். எனக்கு உங்களை மாதிரி எல்லாம் பேச வராது"

"யார் சொன்னா அப்படியெல்லாம். என் கூட வேணா வரியா?"

"வேணாம். உங்கூட உன் பிரண்ட்ஸ் எல்லாம் இருப்பாங்க. எனக்கு அன்கம்ஃபர்டபுலா இருக்கும்"

"இல்ல... யாரும் வர மாட்டாங்க. உன் செல் நம்பர் தா. நான் மதியம் கூப்பிடறேன்"

"ஏன்கிட்ட செல் போன் இல்ல"

"என்னது செல் போன் இல்லையா??? எத்தனை வருஷம் சாப்ட்வேர் இஞ்சினியரா இருக்க?"

"3 வருஷம். ஏன் செல் போன் இல்லனா வாழ முடியாதா? எனக்கு தான் எக்ஸ்டென்ஷன் இருக்கு இல்ல. அதுக்கே எவனும் கூப்பிட மாட்டான். எனக்கு எதுக்கு செல் போன்? எப்பவாவது ஊர்ல இருந்து கூப்பிடுவாங்க. அவ்வளவுதான்"

"சரி உன் எக்ஸ்டென்ஷன் சொல்லு... " குறித்து கொண்டாள்

காலையும், மதியமும் அவளுடன் சாப்பிட்டேன்... இன்றும் நாள் பொனதே தெரியவில்லை.

அடுத்த நாள்...

"ஏன் இப்படி வயசானவன் மாதிரி டல் கலர்ல சட்டை போடற??? ஒழுங்கா ப்ரைட்டா சட்டை போட்டா என்ன?"

"ஏன் இந்த கலர்க்கு என்ன குறைச்சல். நான் பொதுவா கலரே பாக்க மாட்டேன். போய் எது பிடிச்சியிருந்தாலும் எடுத்துக்குவேன்"

"சரி... இந்த வாரம் நம்ம ரெண்டு பேரும் ஷாப்பிங் போகலாம். உனக்கு செல் போன் வாங்கனும்.. அப்பறம் நல்லதா ஒரு நாலு அஞ்சு சட்டை வாங்கனும்"

"எனக்கு எதுக்கு செல் போனெல்லாம்?"

"நேத்து நைட் உங்கிட்ட பேசலாம்னு பாத்தேன்... ஆனால் உங்கிட்ட போன் இல்லாததால பேச முடியல"

"நிஜமாவா?"

"ஆமாம்... சத்தியமா!!! இந்த வாரம் கண்டிப்பா போய் வாங்கறோம்"

"சரி..."

வார இறுதியன்று கடைக்கு சென்றோம்...

"லேட்டஸ்ட் மாடலா பாத்து வாங்கிக்கோ... இல்லைனா பின்னாடி மாத்த வெண்டியிருக்கும்"

"எனக்கு சாதரண மாடலே போதும்... காஸ்ட்லியா எல்லாம் வேண்டாம்"

"நீ சும்மா இரு...நான் செலக்ட் பண்றேன்... உனக்கு ஒன்னும் தெரியாது"

"சரிங்க... நீங்களே எடுங்க"

கடைசியாக பத்தாயிரத்தி சொச்சத்திற்கு ஒரு செல் பொன் வாங்கி ஏர்டெல் கனெக்ஷனும் வாங்கினேன். அதிலிருந்து அவள் நம்பருக்கு போன் செய்து அவள் போனை என்னிடம் குடுத்து பேச சொன்னாள். பக்கத்து பக்கத்துல இருந்து செல் பொனில் பேசுவது அசிங்கமாக இருந்தது... ஆனாலும் அவள் அதை பற்றி கவலைப்படவில்லை.

"பாத்தியா... உன் போன்ல ஃபர்ஸ்ட் பேசனது நான் தான், ஃப்ர்ஸ்ட் பண்ணது என் நம்பருக்குத்தான்"

"சரி சரி... எல்லாரும் ஒரு மாதிரி பாக்கறாங்க... வா போகலாம்"

அன்றே 5 புது சட்டைகள் வாங்கினோம். ஒவ்வொன்றும் 1500க்கு மேல்.

வீட்டிற்கு சென்றவுடன் போன் செய்து பேசினாள்...

திங்கள் காலை அலுவலகத்தில்

"கார்த்திக்... புது சட்டையெல்லாம் சூப்பரா இருக்கு...கைல ஏதோ செல் போன் மாதிரி இருக்கு" ஹாசினி

"ஆமாம்... நேத்துதான் வாங்கினேன்"

"எங்களுக்கு எல்லாம் நம்பர் தர மாட்டீங்களா?" ராஜிவ்

"உங்களுக்கு இல்லாமலா... இந்தாங்க நோட் பண்ணிக்கோங்க..."
அனைவரும் அவர்கள் நம்பரிலிருந்து மிஸ்ஸிடு கால் குடுக்க அனைவரின் நம்பரையும் சேவ் செய்தேன்.

ஆர்த்தியிடமிருந்து 11 மணிக்கு போன் வந்தது.

"கார்த்திக்... இன்னைக்கு எனக்கு பிராஜக்ட் பார்ட்டி...
நான் மதியம் உங்கூட லஞ்ச்க்கு வர முடியாது. நீ கொஞ்சம் அட்ஜஸ்ட் பண்ணிக்கோ"

"ஓகே... நான் பாத்துக்கறேன்"

"கார்த்திக்... புது போனெல்லாம் வாங்கியிருக்கீங்க... ஏதாவது விசேஷமா?" மேனஜர் குரல் பின்னாலிருந்து வந்தது.

"அப்படியெல்லாம் ஒன்னுமில்லைங்க... சும்மா வாங்கனும்னு தோனுச்சு... வாங்கிட்டேன்"

"சரி... இன்னைக்கு டீம் லஞ்ச்... எல்லாரும் ஒன்னா சாப்பிடலாம்னு பிளான். நீயும் கண்டிப்பா வரணும்"

"ஷுர்... கண்டிப்பா வரேன்"

மதியம் அனைவரிடமும் நன்றாக பேசினேன்... எல்லாரும் எவ்வளவு ஜாலியா பேசறாங்க... நான் ஏன் இத்தனை நாள் இப்படி பேசாம போனேன். ரொம்ப தப்பு பண்ணிட்டு இருந்தனோனு தோனுச்சு...

வாழ்க்கையில் ஏதோ பெரிய மாற்றம் நடந்த மாதிரி இருந்தது.

ஒரு மாதம் ஓடியதே தெரியவில்லை. டீமில் அனைவரும் இப்போது நல்ல நண்பர்களாகி விட்டனர். 5 நிமிடம்கூட பேசாமல் இருக்க முடியாது போல் தோன்றியது. அனைத்து மாற்றத்திற்கும் காரணம் ஆர்த்திதான்.

"கார்த்திக் நான் இந்த வீக் எண்ட் சென்னை போறேன்... எப்ப வருவேன்னு தெரியாது. கொஞ்சம் லேட்டானாலும் ஆகலாம். நீ இதே மாதிரி இருக்கணும். ஓகேவா?"

"ஏன் இப்படி சொல்ற? ஏதாவது பிரச்சனையா?"

"அதெல்லாம் ஒன்னும் இல்ல... எங்க அப்பாவுக்கு உடம்பு சரியில்ல... அதனால சொன்னேன்"

"சரி... அப்ப அப்ப போன் பண்ணு"

"கண்டிப்பா பண்றேன்"

அவள் சென்றதிலிருந்து முதல் இரண்டு, மூன்று நாட்கள் வேலை செய்யவே முடியவில்லை. பிறகு ஓரளவு சமாளித்தேன். ஒரு வாரம் ஓடியது.
அவளிடமிருந்து போனும் வரவில்லை. அவளும் வரவில்லை. ஒரு மாதமாகிய நிலையில் போன் வந்தது.

"ஹலோ கார்த்திக்கா???"

"ஆமாம். நீங்க யார் பேசறது?"

"நான் ஆர்த்தியோட அண்ணன் பேசறேன்... நீங்க சென்னை அப்போலோ வர முடியுமா? ஆர்த்தி கடைசியா உங்ககிட்ட ஏதோ பேசனுமாம்" அவர் குரலில் நடுக்கம் தெரிந்தது

"கடைசியா???" இந்த வார்த்தையை கேட்டவுடன் இதயம் நின்றுவிடும் போலிருந்தது.
"ஆர்த்திக்கு என்னாச்சு???"

"நீங்க இங்க வாங்க... அத சொல்ற நிலைமைல நாங்க இல்ல... சென்னை வந்தவுடனே இந்த நம்பருக்கு கூப்பிடுங்க... நான் வந்து உங்களை பிக்-அப் பண்ணிக்கிறேன்"

அந்த நம்பர் மனதில் பதிந்தது...

சென்னைக்கு அப்போழுதே நேராக புறப்பட்டேன்...

ஹாஸ்பிட்டலுக்கு அழைத்து சென்றார் ஆர்த்தியின் அண்ணன். அவளுக்கு ஸ்பைனல் கார்டில் ஏதோ பிரச்சனையாம். ஒரு வருடமாக ட்ரீட்மெண்ட் செய்து வந்தார்களாம். சரியாகிவிடும் என்று அனைத்து டாக்டர்களும் நம்பிக்கையூட்டிய நிலையில் திடீரென்று அவள் மூளையை பாதித்துவிட்டதாம். எனக்கு எதுவும் விளங்கவில்லை. புதுப்புது வார்த்தைகள். புது உலகம்.

ஹாஸ்பிட்டலில் காய்ந்து போனா பூச்சரமாக இருந்தாள் ஆர்த்தி. ஆனாலும் வாசம் மறையவில்லை. ஓரளவு பேசும் நிலைதான்... என்னை விட்டுவிட்டு அவள் அண்ணன் டாக்டரை பார்க்க சென்றார்.

எனக்கு என்ன பேசுவதென்று தெரியவில்லை. கண்ணிலிருந்து கண்ணீர் மட்டும் வந்து கொண்டிருந்தது.

"கார்த்தி... அழுவாத!!! எனக்கு கஷ்டமா இருக்கு"

"ஏன் ஆர்த்தி? ஏன் என்கிட்ட ஒரு வார்த்தை கூட சொல்லல"

"நான் எப்படியும் பொழைக்க மாட்டேனு தெரியும். ஆனா எங்க வீட்லதான் ரொம்ப நம்பிட்டு இருந்தாங்க. இங்க எல்லாரும் ஒரு மாதிரி பாக்கறாங்கனுதான் நான் பெங்களுருக்கு டிரான்ஸ்பர் வாங்கிட்டு வந்தேன்"
ஒரு நிமிட அமைதிக்கு பிறகு தொடர்ந்தாள்

"அன்னைக்கு உன்ன முதல் தடவை பார்க்கும் போதே... உன் கண்ல ஒரு விரக்தி தெரிஞ்சிது. வாழ்க்கையோட அருமை உனக்கு தெரியலனு என் மனசுல பட்டுச்சு. சரி நான் சாவறத்துக்குள்ள உனக்கு ஏதாவது உதவி செய்யனும்னுதான் உன்கூட பேச ஆரம்பிச்சேன். போக போக உன்கூட பேசறதே எனக்கு ரொம்ப சந்தோஷத்த குடுக்க ஆரம்பிச்சிடுச்சு. உங்கிட்ட சொல்லி உன்ன கஷ்டப்படுத்த வேண்டாம்னுதான் சொல்லல."

"ஆர்த்தி... உனக்கு ஒன்னும் ஆகாது. நீ என்ன விட்டுட்டு எங்கயும் போக மாட்ட"

"ஆமாம். நான் எங்கயும் போக மாட்டேன் கார்த்திக்...
நீ பாக்கற ஒவ்வொரு புது மனிதர்களிளும் நான் இருப்பேன். நீ அவுங்ககிட்ட பேசும் போது அது என்கிட்ட பேசற மாதிரி... என்ன சரியா???"

ஒரு வாரம் சென்னையில் தங்கிவிட்டு வந்தேன்...

காலை 7 மணி...

வழக்கம் போல் லேசாக தூறல் போட்டு கொண்டிருந்தது. பஸ் வந்தவுடன் ஏறினேன்.

"ஹாய்... நான் இங்க உக்காரலாமா?"

"தாராளமா"

"என் பேர் கார்த்திக்..."

"நான் பாலாஜி..."

(ஆர்த்தியுடன் பேசி கொண்டிருந்தேன்...)

Global Warming - Play your part

I always wanted to write something about this issue. This morning when I read an article titled 'Malaysian hill resorts turning into hot spots', I decided to certainly write something about it. As you know that I have posted a short note about my trip to Cameron Highland during Chinese New Year Holidays. I also mentioned that in that trip I got the feel of being very close to the nature. Chances like that seem to be fading away with the increasing forest devastation for building resorts and to do farming. People living up in the hill mentioned that during the olden days they can't come out of House without wearing a thick sweater, nowadays just a thin shirt even without sleeves will do. Environmentalists mentioned that the highest temperature measured in Cameron Highland was only 24.6 deg Celsius in 1984. Apparently due to the above mentioned factors it was measured 27.9 deg Celsius in 1998. This way it will go up till many degrees higher unless and until something is done.

Unusual flooding and cyclones were caused day-by-day in many parts of the world is an alarming indications to do something about the Global Warming. In recent the years it Global temperature measures have been showing unexpected increase. Check out the Global Temperature chart in the past years. Models referenced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predict that global temperatures are likely to increase by 1.1° to 6.4 °C (2.0° to 11.5 °F) between 1990 and 2100.

I have noticed that Virgin chief Richard Branson as an individual has been actively playing big part for years in terms of doing something for controlling the climate change. Recently some of you might have come across the article Fix climate change, win US$25 million. It is an encouraging fact that some of the private organizations are doing their part to do something about the Global Warming.


In fact we ourselves can play a part by implementing some of the innovative ideas suggested by a Student on the topic Top 50 Ideas. I'm sure at least by implementing some of this points we can definitely make lots of differences. My humble request to all my friends those who read this article is to make a commitment ourselves in future to do little things mentioned as above to bring in change from polluted environment to green environment. Those of you who has any better ideas please leave it here...

I happened to listen to a conversation with NASA's top Climate scientist James E. Hansen, in which he raised his concern about the increasing threat of global warming. Please click here to listen to it.

This really attracted me a lot, which explains the basics about Global Warming

'Doomsday' seed bank to be built and design is unveiled

This news is bit old but good to share. Norwegian government is to build a 'doomsday' seed vault that will store varieties of seeds from all over the world to preserve the most important crops that are essential for human to survive at major crisis.

Please read the following links to get more details
Link 1
Link 2

Look into the Eyes

It was a bitter, cold evening in northern Virginia many years ago. The old man's beard was glazed by winter's frost while he waited for a ride across the river. The wait seemed endless. His body became numb and stiff from the frigid north wind.

He heard the faint, steady rhythm of approaching hooves galloping along the frozen path. Anxiously, he watched as several horsemen rounded the bend. He let the first one pass by without an effort to get his attention. Then another passed by, and another. Finally, the last rider neared the spot where the old man sat like a snow statue. As this one drew near, the old man caught the rider's eye and said, "Sir, would you mind giving an old man a ride to the other side? There doesn't appear to be a passageway by foot."

Reining his horse, the rider replied, "Sure thing. Hop aboard." Seeing the old man was unable to lift his half-frozen body from the ground, the horseman dismounted and helped the old man onto the horse. The horseman took the old man not just across the river, but to his destination, which was just a few miles away.

As they neared the tiny but cozy cottage, the horseman's curiosity caused him to inquire, "Sir, I notice that you let several other riders pass by without making an effort to secure a ride. Then I came up and you immediately asked me for a ride. I'm curious why, on such a bitter winter night, you would wait and ask the last rider. What if I had refused and left you there?"

The old man lowered himself slowly down from the horse, looked the rider straight in the eyes, and replied, "I've been around these here parts for some time. I reckon I know people pretty good." The old-timer continued, "I looked into the eyes of the other riders and immediately saw there was no concern for my situation. It would have been useless even to ask them for a ride. But when I looked into your eyes, kindness and compassion were evident. I knew, then and there, that your gentle spirit would welcome the opportunity to give me assistance in my time of need."

Those heartwarming comments touched the horseman deeply.

"I'm most grateful for what you have said," he told the old man. "May I never get too busy in my own affairs that I fail to respond to the needs of others with kindness and compassion."

With that, Thomas Jefferson turned his horse around and made his way back to the White House.

So, do you know who Mr. Thomas Jefferson is? He was the third President of the United States (1801-1809). Even then he had the heart to help those who were in need. This is the attitude every one of us must develop. Our Eyes must shine with the kindness and compassion as it did in Mr. Thomas Jefferson. Don't you think so?

Puzzle - 41

A man steps into his bathroom and triggered a real bullet with a original gun exactly in his forehead right above the point between the eyes. Still he came out alive without a single drop of blood from his forehead. He is neither a superman nor a magician or any other caped crusader. How was this possible?

The Obstacle in our Path

In ancient times, a king had a boulder placed on a mountainside walk pathway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear as already walking on a small mountain path is very difficult, but none did anything about getting the big stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. On approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. As the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the pathway. The peasant learned what many others never understand.

Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve one's condition.

All about Strawberry

Since I had been touring around Strawberry farms in Cameron Highland I wanted to post some facts about Strawberry, Here it comes to your eyes for readings...

• Strawberries were cultivated by the Romans as early as 200 BC


• The first sketch of a strawberry plant was printed in 1484


• The ancient Romans believed that strawberries alleviated symptoms of melancholy, fainting, all inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, bad breath, attacks of gout, and diseases of the blood, liver and spleen


• To symbolize perfection and righteousness, medieval stone masons carved strawberry designs on altars and around the tops of pillars in churches and cathedrals


• In medieval times, strawberries were served at important functions to bring peace & prosperity


• Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside


• The average strawberry has 200 seeds


• In parts of Bavaria, country folk still practice the annual rite each spring of tying small baskets of wild strawberries to the horns of their cattle as an offering to elves. They believe that the elves, are passionately fond of strawberries, will help to produce healthy calves and an abundance of milk in return


• Madame Tallien, a prominent figure at the court of the Emperor Napoleon, was famous for bathing in the juice of fresh strawberries. She used 22 pounds per basin. Needless to say, she did not bathe daily


• In the sixteenth century strawberries were sold in cone-shaped straw baskets thus becoming one of the earliest packaged foods.


• Strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring


• In France, Strawberries were thought to be an aphrodisiac. A soup made of strawberries, thinned sour cream, borage, & powered sugar was served to newlyweds


• There is a museum in Belgium (The World Capital of Strawberries) just for strawberries


• Strawberries are a member of the Rosaceae(rose) family and its botonical name is Frugaria


• Ninety-four percent of US households consume strawberries


• Americans eat 4.85 pounds of fresh strawberries each year plus another 1.8 pounds frozen per capita


• Over 53 percent of seven to nine-year-olds picked strawberries as their favorite fruit


• Eight medium strawberries contain 140% of the U.S. RDA for Vitamin C. That's more than oranges!


• Strawberries are High in vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, potassium and low in calorie


• Strawberries, as part of a 5 a day fruit & vegetable program suggested by the American Cancer Society can help reduce the risk of cancer & heart attacks


• According to a recent national survey, strawberry lovers were labeled as "health conscious, fun loving, intelligent and happy"


• Folk lore states that if you split a double strawberry in half and share it with the opposite sex, you’ll soon fall in love


• When selecting strawberries, make sure they have a bright red color, a natural shine and fresh-looking green caps. Santa Maria strawberries are fully ripe at the time they are picked and do not continue to ripen afterward


• Always refrigerate strawberries immediately in a dry container covered loosely with plastic wrap, and they will keep for several days. Do not wash them until just before they are served, and do not remove their green caps until after they are washed


• For best flavor, allow strawberries to reach room temperature before serving

Puzzle - 40

One day there was a ship approaching the shore of the sea. While everybody is watching it approaching seashore all of sudden it started to sink. There was no storm or cyclone or fire. What could have been the reason for sink?

Smart sadhu chasen out by outsmart Tenali

The villagers were delighted. A sadhu(saint) who performed miracles, had come to their village. Every morning and evening they would gather at the temple with specially prepared delicacies as offerings to the sadhu.

When Tenali Raman heard of this, he smelt a rat. He went to the temple and sat near the holy man. The sadhu began reciting shlokas. To Raman’s surprise, he went on repeating the same shloka over and over again.

Tenali realised that he was a fraud. Suddenly, he leaned forward and plucked a strand of hair from the sadhu’s beard.

“I have the key to Heaven!” he shouted triumphantly. The villagers looked startled.

“This sadhu is so great that if I keep the hair from his beard with me, I will be blessed forever!” said Tenali .

Immediately there was a scramble as the villagers rushed to get hold of a hair from
the sadhu’s beard. The frightened sadhu ran for his life and was never heard of again.

Never try to cheat others as one day or other you will be cheated by someone who is smarter than you.

Trip to Cameron Highland

Alamak, I again escaped for few days during the Chinese New Year Holidays without updating my blog. Sorry about that. As mentioned in the Title, I visited a chilling place in Malaysia called Cameron Highland. When we went in for a Jungle walk, it made me feel like I am being very close to the nature. It was more thrilling to walk thru some of the challenging slippery trekking path to reach the desired destinations. First I had no plans to go there as when I called initially all the Hotels were full. Later on Saturday I made up my mind to just get there first and check the rest and it worked out. Everything went on smooth especially our worry about getting transport and accommodation.

There are many vegetable forms located in various parts of the Highland. They cultivate many fresh vegetables like Cabbage, Radish, Lettuce, Green Leaves, Corn and some fruits like Strawberry and Cameron Apple (tastes more like small size Honeydew mixed with apple). We could understand how they grow all these when we went into those farms. There are some other plants also grown in the jungle the popular one is Pitcher Plant and Rafflesasia (biggest flower in the Asia region). They also have the popular tea estates mainly two big companies Boh & Barath Tea Estates.

We have also visited a Cactus Valley. As a tourism attraction they have varieties of Cactus available for sale as well.

This us a must watch place for every single person who would like to enjoy the beauty of nature mother. I was just thinking students those are studying agriculture or botany as their main subject may be can go to this place to get the real feel of cultivation.

Ok, time to back to blogging again. I will try my level best again to keep you occupied with my usual puzzles, stories and many more interesting topics.

I found through my statsistics that somebody is looking forward to get the details about the places of interest. Here are the few interesting places to go around in Cameron Highland...

1. Robinson Waterfalls


2. Strawberry & Vegetable Farms


3. Mozzy Forest


4. Boh Tea Estate


5. Cameron Valley


6. Orang Asli Kampong

And Here is the Route Map for those who are interested to go for Hiking, based on my experience. There are some dangerous slippery paths, which might make you fall into the deep canyon. So, please be careful when you take any of these jungle routes and walk as group.

Pills to reduce The Weight or Life?

I was listening to an FM Channel from Malaysia this morning. In the news section they have told that a lady in Alor Star at the age of 32 passed away after she was hospitalized with the reason of Kidney problem. Later it was found out that she was taking some weight reducing pills that was banned by Malaysian Government for the past few months and it affected her this way by even taking her life. I feel sad for her as her ignorance was one of the reason to take her own life away in this manner.

In this modern world, everybody is thinking that reducing weight is not a problem at all. Just take some weight reducing pills and can see the results in few months. I would say the society is really spoiled by such pills. We all have to think that how dangerous this kind of side of effects could be?

There are so many natural ways to reduce your weight, follow strict diet (doesn't mean that you should go fasting). Choose the right food combination, do bit of exercise at least an alternative day. You could do Asanas everyday early in the morning. During weekends try to go for some sports activity, even dancing is a good exercise for that matter & Avoid munching snacks all the times. These are the natural ways to get rid off our increasing fat content in the body. Just because pills gives great comfort of not having to do all these it attracts us, at the same time please don't the fact that there is always some side effects.

Right from the beginning I had no belief in this kind of pills method to reduce. As I mentioned it’s in your hand to either just follow the natural way or take pills and may be you reduce your life instead of the weight. Worst come worst at least check with your doctor before you take any such pills.

Puzzle - 39

There is a famous jungle island seprated from main land of a tourism country. It lies in the middle of a lake, there is no bridge connecting the mainland with the island. Still, people reach the island by boats and gets touring around the jungle by A Safari Jeep. The Safari Jeep was neither built there nor was not transported to the island via air or boat. How did they bring the Safari Jeep in there?

7 Secret of Success

Answer to this lies in your room. Wondering How? Read the following...

Roof says	:	Aim High
Fan says	:	Be Cool
Clock says	:	Every Min. is precious
Mirror says	:	Reflect before you act
Window says	:	See the world
Calendar says	:	Be up-to-date
Door says	:	Push hard to achieve your goals

Do You have Brain?

Don't be surprised with this question, I'm not asking you this question. It is not at all uncommon in our day to meet people who insist that no intelligent person can accept what is not in complete agreement with human reason or what lies outside the realm of human experience. Which reminds us of how an aged Quaker once confronted another old rationalist.

This rationalist man declared: ";I will not believe in the existence of what has never been seen; we are creatures of reason you know."

"Have you ever seen France?" queried the Quaker.. "No, sir, but others have, and so my reason allows me to believe in its existence upon their testimony. "Ah, you will believe only in what you or another has seen."

"That's it, you have my idea exactly."

"Have you ever seen your brains?"

"No, sir."

"Have you ever met anyone who has seen them?"

"No sir."

"Do you believe you have any?"

So, in our life faith is more important than anything else. Especially when it comes to GOD or A Capable MASTER, it should be a complete FAITH with full of devotion.

Fight for Mistake?

For those who can't forgive somebody's apology for an accident mistake, this is what will happen...

Valentine's Special

Once, there was this guy, who was in love with a gal. She wasn't the most beautiful and gorgeous but for him, she was everything.

He used to dream about her, about spending the rest of life with her. His friends told him, "why do you dream so much about her, when you don't even know if she loves you or not? First tell her your feelings, and get to know if she likes you or not".

He felt that was the right way. The girl knew from the beginning, that this guy loves her. One day when he proposed, she rejected him.

His friends thought he would take to alcohol; drugs etc. and ruin his life. To their surprise, he was not depressed.

When they asked him how was it that he is not sad, he replied, "'why should I feel bad? I lost one who never loved me & she lost the one who really loved and cared for her."

Moral : Never Cry for One Who Makes You Cry!
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Puzzle - 38

There was a barrel without any sealing on top left outside a factory gate. It was filled with some water in it. Three friends were passing by that street. One of them guessed that the water is filled more than Half barrel and other said It is less than half barrel. The third one said that the water is filled exactly half Barrel.

If you were asked to determine who is correct without using any measuring equipment, How will you justify who is correct and why?

Answer:
Tilt the barrel until the water barely touches the lip of the barrel, If the bottom of the barrel is visible then it is less than half full. If the barrel bottom is still completly coverd by the water, then it is more than half full.

The price for LOVE

A farmer had some puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising for 4 pups and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of little boy.

"Mister," he said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."

"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat off the back of his neck, "These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good deal of money."

The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer. "I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"

"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle. "Here, Dolly!" he called. Out from the doghouse and down the ramp ran

Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with delight.

As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed something else stirring inside the doghouse.. Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up....

"I want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt. The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like these other dogs would."

With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down, and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed a steel brace running down both sides of his leg attaching itself to a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, he said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will need someone who understands."

With tears in his eyes, farmer reached down and picked up the little pup. Holding it carefully handed it to the little boy.

"How much?" asked the little boy.

"No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge for love."

Now, Do you agree with me that there is no price for LOVE? With Love, You can win almost everything in this world. The secret of even winning God is only through Love. Love All and Live Well...

Motivational Quotes

• You can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You've got to get out there and make it happen for yourself. Diana Ross


• If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive, Dale Carnegie


• Champions know that success is inevitable, that there is no such thing as failure, only feedback. They know that the best way to forecast the future is to create it. Michael J. Gelb


• Never let your failures go to your heart or your successes go to your head. Anon


• The biggest mistake is to believe that you're working for someone else. Nashua Cavalier


• You are your own yardstick. You may never be the champion, but if you measure up to your best you are the best. Anon


• The universe is full of magical things patiently waiting for out wits to grow sharper. Eden Philpotts


• Accomplishment is easiest when we work the hardest, and hardest when we work the easiest. Anon


• Whenever we do what we can we can immediately do more. James Freeman Clarke


• There are very few things we can achieve without someone's help. Anon


• Success is never ending, failure is never final. Dr. Robert Schuller


• One of the secrets of success is to refuse to let temporary setbacks defeat us. Mary Kay


• A wise man, when asked how he had learnt so much about everything, replied, "By never being afraid to ask questions about anything of which I was ignorant.", John Abbott


• Like a ten-speed bike, most of us have gears we do not use. Charles Schultz


• He that is good at making excuses is seldom good at anything else. Benjamin Franklin

The Apple Basket

One day an elderly man entered into a hospital. He was grumpy from being on medication and the nurses thought him to be insane, as he yelled for his wife to get the apple basket. By the time they had checked him into his room the nurses were exhausted from the fight he was putting up.

"Sir you have to calm down we are doing everything we can for you" they would try to explain.

"I don't need your help" the grumpy man would yell "I want my apple basket". He finally slept. The nurses sighed with relief and talked among themselves whether they should call the hospital psychologist about the old man and his obsession with the apple basket.

As they talked and laughed about the situation the wife came in carrying the basket of apples. They looked kind of stunned as she asked if she could see her husband and deliver his basket. Sure, they agreed as they watched her slip past into his room.

Curiosity consumed them over the next few weeks as they tended to the elderly man. He was eaten with cancer and the doctors had given him no hope of survival. He turned out to be a very calm, happy man once he had his basket. His wife, they noticed, would come in with apples and go out with apples and the curiosity grew even more till one nurse couldn't stand the suspense.

One night as he was nearing the end, the nurse sat down in a chair by the wife." May I ask why do you have that apple basket? I just don't understand the significance."

"I am an apple farmer by trade he sighed. From the time I was 20 till the day I do die I will forever have my apples." The nurse nodded thinking she understood. He just likes his work, she thought, assured now he was a little bit crazy.

As she started to leave, the old man asked her to sit down. "At age 20 I was saved, I accepted the God as my Savior." Oh no, the nurse thought. Here comes the lecture on religion. The old man continued. "The day I accepted the God as my Savior I got this basket, and each time I had a problem or concern that I could not handle, I put an apple in the basket un-shined."

"Why?" the nurse said shaking her head.

"Because it reminded me to give those problems to the Lord for him to shine. See my basket now, he stated. As my problems disappear so do the apples. As I get new problems, ones I cannot handle alone, I put an apple in."

The humble nurse looked into the basket... only one apple was there.

With that, he took a big breath and grabbed his wife by the hand and faded into eternal sleep. The wife paused for a moment and got up from her place to take from the basket the last remaining apple. She whispered in his ear that his reward awaits him in heaven.

The nurse stayed still and asked with tears in her eyes, "what do you think his riches will be?"

The wife knew what they were, eternal life with God. But she could see the concern and sadness upon the young nurses' face and handed her the apple and said "the biggest apple pie you can imagine!"

That was the day the young nurse was "saved," and from that day on she too always had a basket of apples by her bed.

Yes, Even we all should have one such Apple Basket and then slowly we learn to handle the problems on our own and make the Basket empty.

Puzzle - 37

Pre-school children were asked the following question: "In which direction is the bus pictured below traveling?"


Look carefully at the picture. The only possible answers are "left" and "right." Do you know the answer? State your answer with strong reason, let us see if you have the same thinking as the pre-school kid thought...

The Three Trees

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods, They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty." Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take 20 kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull." Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "his looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. At the second tree the woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship.

When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, so I'll take this one", and he cut it down. When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Puzzle - 36

I visited a science exhibition and found a stall that bets over guessing of our weight. When approached that stall owner and asked he said "If I write your correct weight you have to give me 10 bucks, I can't then I will give you 10 bucks". i thought since there is no weighing machine around I will add bit of weight with whatever he guesses and took the bet. Still I ended up loosing in the Bet and paid him 10 bucks. How is it possible?

Answer: He wrote on the paper 'your correct weight' as this is what he promised that he will write

The Joy of Serving

Source: Unknown

I held onto the hand of my shivering granddaughter as we waited our turn to get into the huge barn-like building. We couldn't see inside because of the length of the line up and so we passed our time watching the outside lineups.

Volunteers were busily placing frozen turkeys into bags at the head of one line up and in the other, families and individuals were receiving milk.

The parking lot was filled with trucks and cars and still more were waiting to get onto the lot. Strangely, though vehicles were blocked, no one honked nor appeared impatient. It seemed surreal as though everyone had been touched by something magical.

Finally we could see into the building and I was overcome with emotion as my eyes took in hundreds of overflowing boxes. Each box filled with care represented not only hours of time on the part of volunteers, but the generosity and caring of hundreds of people. The boxes were filled with food for empty stomachs. Some boxes sported brand new toys, gifts from anonymous individuals throughout the town and area, toys for children who might otherwise go without.

I suddenly felt self-conscious, aware that tears were flowing freely down my cheeks. I was touched by the display of kindness. I turned away from the crowds of people to wipe away the tears, and just as I did I was to see everything in a kind of mist and glow-like appearance. How fitting to see the "Angel Project" in this way.

It was four days before Christmas and today marked the climax of the Angel Project. This was the day that families in need could pick up food hampers and toys. Everything was donated through the generosity of strangers.

Finally it was our turn at the table and I found it difficult to speak past the lump in my throat. I was overwhelmed by all that was happening around me. Every box in that massive room represented the love of others. Every toy had been carefully selected, to be given away, yet the receiver and the sender would never meet.

Instead of Christmas shopping or cleaning, instead of baking cookies or decorating a tree, these people had dropped everything to sort, label and number boxes, and to hand out delivery addresses to volunteers to drop off boxes for those who had no transportation.

I could feel something extraordinary there in that building. It wasn't tangible nor quite definable but there was something special, beyond friendliness and I felt privileged to be there and be a part of it all.

People helped us pack the trunk and back seat of my car with food and toys for the first family and we set off to locate the address. As we drove along I felt blessed to have a tank full of gas and the opportunity to be among the delivery people in the "Angel Project."

I was not prepared for the greeting we were about to receive. I located a basement suite and when no one answered after ringing the bell I ventured down a set of steps and began calling out. "Hello, is anyone home?" A lady opened a door and as soon as I mentioned who I was and why I was there the woman began to shout. She was overjoyed and was calling out to some unseen person that we were there. Next she ran ahead of me up the stairs calling out to a neighbor, "they're here, they're here, the Angel people are here."

She ran up to the car, out there in the snow with only socks on her feet and began thanking us. She continued to thank us with each box we unpacked and though we gently reminded her that we were only the delivery people, she could not contain her joy and she continued thanking us again and again.

At the second house there were young children and when we introduced ourselves and explained why we were there, the children were sent upstairs and were admonished not to peek. I knew then that what we were about to unload might very well be the total sum of their Christmas presents.

Jani carried in the teddy bears, the huge craft set and the two other toys, all of which had been specifically chosen by Angel Project volunteers for these children. The mother helped me with the heavier food boxes and I knew this abundant supply would last a number of days.

As we left we exchanged "Merry Christmas" greetings. The woman paused just before the door closed. She looked directly at me and her eyes looked misty as she said "thank you, so much."

I shut my car door, fighting tears and a choked up feeling. This giant surge of emotion burst inside of me as I pictured those children on Christmas morning opening the wonderful gifts chosen by strangers. I could imagine tummies filled and good meals throughout the season. All this, because generous individuals opened their hearts and purse strings for people they did not know.

For Jani and I, we got to spend a special day together being a part of something beautiful and unforgettable. And though we were delivery people that day, I drove away feeling as though I was the one who had received the gift.

No matter what amount of little work you do for charity, The Joy you get out of it is uncomparable and you can never pay a price for it. Do you agree with me? Try this in your own life and you will know what I mean as it can only be felt by experience.