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Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Take care of your pets the right way

If you give it a thought, you will realize that pets have a special place in our life. They are not just animals for us, but more like family members. They are not as demanding as fellow humans but are as much fun since they provide much needed companionship. They all have simpler desire and demands as compared to humans. In return, they will give you plenty of love, affection; will patiently hear you out when you are in a talkative mood. They will wag their tail and make proper noises when needed even when they don’t understand a single word which you are saying. Dogs have the added benefit of providing security service to its owners. On the other hand, if you prefer a more independent pet, then give cats a thought. Not only do are they more or less self cleaning but will also keep your house rodent free.

Yesterday, one of my friends wanted to buy something a little different for the special member of their family. We hunted far and wide but no luck and returned home empty handed. By chance while on the net, I happened to notice an excellent site site dedicated to pet care items which caters to the special needs of your pet. I called him up pronto and told him to pay a visit since he just did not want any kind of dull boring Leashes and Collars set. Now he is planning on getting a really cool looking one which matches the massive attitude which the dog has and complements the huge ego of the owner also. One must remember that proper grooming is extremely important point when you want your pet to look its best and a pet with shiny coats and healthy teeth is a pleasant sight to see and it signifies that it is well taken care of by its owner. So, it's usually a daily struggle for my buddy to keep Ralph clean and out of trouble. Whenever its bath time, this whole procedure is a sight to see. It seems like the owner ends up all soapy, wet and tired from all the struggling while the dog is having a time of his life.

One thing which we were not too happy about was the dog with the attitude was that he had an habit of hopping on bed that was in sight whenever it was time to sleep. I said no more sleeping on my bed when these chaps were over. You're getting your own bed and you better bring it over. So now he has his own Dog Bedding and he looks mighty comfy there whenever he drops by. Sitting in the corner, Ralph looked mighty lonely and bored the last time he paid a visit since no one was paying any attention, so I ended up suggesting to my buddy about getting a few Dog Toys like Mammoth Pet Tire Biter Dog Toys, Jolly Pet Teaser Balls and finally a Pet Toys Storage Box where all of its stuff could be put away at the end of the day. I never realized how active this dog was until one day I saw the size of the doggie dish. it was massive and apparently he ate like a horse.

Research has proven over and over again the beneficial side effects of having pets especially for senior citizens. The pets can help the older folks in combating a lot of old age related problems like: depression, loneliness, and other negative thoughts. This I think is ideal for them who require the much needed companionship but are unable to give personal care the pets. So adopt a pet and give yourself a new outlook in life. If not for yourself, then gift one to a loved one, they will thank you for changing their perspective in life. So if you do like pets and are willing to take care of them, what are you waiting for?

Monday, August 31, 2009

How well do you know Web Directories?

A web directory is also referred to as a link directory is basically a directory for the internet. A web directory helps in linking to other sites and categorizing these sites and it should not be confused with a search engine as it does not display lists of web pages based on any specific keywords. Instead, a web directory lists web sites by category and subcategory. It is usually maintained by humans instead of software. The searcher looks at sites organized in a series of categories and menus. Web directories are usually much smaller than search engines' databases since the sites are looked at by human eyes instead of by some computer software. If a person wants their site to be included in a particular web directory, then it can be done in the following ways: either the site owner can submit the site to the Web directory, or the directory's editor(s) will eventually come across that site.

One type of web directory is a business web directory where the topics are organized in relevant categories. The business directory usually provides some of the best options that are available for business web site listings and has categories for most every type of business from all regions of the world. Users may easily search for an international business listing through one of the several search functions provided in the directory.

The other type is a free web directory with various categories and subcategories and the submission of a link is usually free but some sites require some specific categories a reciprocal link. Free directories allow online companies to collect relevant links to their websites and this is one of the top strategies used to promote businesses. The webmaster of a company should submit their site to as many directories as they can if they want to get noticed on the net.

There are many really good authoritative web directories out there. Yahoo directory has a good web directory and the yahoo site also has its own search engine listings and many other search services. It is also one of the most widely used sites on the net. DMOZ (Directory Mozilla), the Open Directory Project purports to be the “largest on the Web”, constructed and maintained by a “vast, global community of volunteer editors” and it has been around since 1999.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Nothing but reading

What I really love doing on my spare time is reading. I like reading just about anything that catches my fancy at the moment. Currently I am hooked on books written by Stephen King. He is an exceptionally good writer, since he has an ability to bring words alive. You tend to get submerged in the story and it seems like you are actually part of the story itself. Once I start reading, it becomes simply difficult to put the books down. Some of the novels which I still like till this day are: Skeleton Crew, Different Seasons, Pet Cemetery, Salem’s Lot, Everything’s Eventual. The Dark Tower series are simply riveting. He has managed to keep the story thread line intact and alive thru so many volumes. It’s simply incredible. Just recently I picked up a novel by him called “Duma Key”. This novel is simply riveting. It’s a must read novel. He started thinking in this direction after his 1999 roadside accident that permanently altered his way of thinking about life. The most disturbing source of fear in his books comes from the gradual fading of health and sanity.
Even after all these years, he can still have the ability to scare the wits out of you. If you haven’t read it yet, I won’t reveal the story line to you. If you have then you’ll probably agree with me.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Aging - George Carlin

I got this forward through a good friend who is not only on this site but also Facebook. I would like to thank her for sending this really fantastic article as it made me realise how true it is as we tend to forget the little things in life. We tend to take everything for granted and forget to enjoy each and every day as it comes along. I think the underlying message at least what I derived from it was that we should enjoy and cherish each day as it comes along without needlessly rushing blindly through the day. Yes...do stop and smell the flowers and admire the wonders that life offers to us each and every day. I hope you all enjoy this article as much as I did. Thanks for stopping by.
George Carlin on aging


George Carlin's Views on Aging

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.



'How old are you?' 'I'm four and a half!' You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.



You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.



'How old are you?' 'I'm gonna be 16!' You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life! You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!



But then you turn 30. Ooooh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're Just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?



You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.



But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!



So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.



You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!



You get into your 80's and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; 'I Was JUST92.'



Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. 'I'm 100 and a half!'

May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!



HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay 'them.'

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever, even ham radio. Never let the brain idle. 'An idle mind is the devil's workshop.' And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

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

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

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

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


9. Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.


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


AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:


Life is not measured by the number of


breaths we take, but by the moments that Take your breath away.



In Memory of George Carlin!

Todays Critic

So, one day as I was zooming down the net, I saw a site which had a lot of great posts. My car came to a screeching halt and I went in for a closer inspection. When I finally arrived at the site, I realized that this is one site which everyone was talking about. You see, a lot of people are talking about Critics Today.

This blogger seems to write really good interesting articles on so many different topics that one never gets bored. There is such a wide variety of posts and I was impressed by the quality and the amount of information contained in each and every posts. The author has good writing skills and is able in great detail about the chosen topic. This neat site which I found extremely useful and fully entertaining and I liked it so much that I have visited the site numerous times and discovered some information which I was not aware of before. The site is set up in such a manner that it easily navigable with really simple yet pleasing colors. It contains a wide variety of information that one is always finds something useful for their daily life.

The best part is that it is written in such an easy manner that just about anyone can comprehend it with ease. Time just flew by and I lost track of how many articles I must have read. Some were fantastic and others were good. Overall, the authors writing skills are good and I enjoyed most of his articles. It is one of those must visit sites. Give it a try and you won’t regret it.

Sunday, August 09, 2009

Rdiscover life by disconnecting

I guess I really haven't been around here much. For a change my mind is as blank as a clean slate and the words are not rushing out of my mind to get read. Things are mighty quiet here also with not too many people posting on a regular basis. For a change, I was able to visit some of my other sites and I have become a Facebook addict for now.

There are so many applications that are really stupid and boring and yet a few have managed to get me so addicted that I want to come back for more. One of them is Farm Town where I discovered the farmer which had been hidden inside me. I suddenly found out that I like to make things grow....at least in the digital world. When Twitter and Facebook went down awhile back, I was finally able to disconnect from the net and rediscover the real world. I guess we never realize how much time and space these electronic gadgets/ the net take from our daily life until we become disconnected from it and forced back into the world of living. I really don't have much of a choice myself since alot of my work involves using the net.

Sometimes, the clients insist that I visit their place as they are unable to visit my place and this is not really a pleasant experience as the city gets thrown into total chaos during rush hours. I prefer using the public transport whenever possible rather than using my own vehicle even though it's not one of the best and gets really irritating at times. The roads are finally emptied out and some out drivable by 12:00 in the afternoon and after 8:00 PM in the night. There is usually some type of construction going on some road while others either too narrow for the heavy traffic or there is some obstruction on the road and municipality have a real lazy attitude about removing it. The only roads which are fantastically maintained are the VVIP area roads or in front of a few government offices. The roads sometimes get worse after the monsoons as some of the roads are made of inferior quality material while others which have been made using good quality material and proper methods used continue to weather the rains and our harsh summers without showing any damage.
The entertainment quotient was somewhat lacking and I finally managed to catch up on the missed movies and the mall excursions where it seems like the young people still manage to act as goofy as before. I usually prefer to watch the movies at home but the I prefer to go to the malls as they manage to give a more pleasant shopping, etc experience than the usual regular ma and pops store which are so prevalent here. The mall culture has been here in Lucknow for a few years and it offers a better shopping experience. The malls do have air conditioning and its own backup power supply which makes it a must visit place during our unbearable summer and humid monsoon months when the cities erratic power supply makes our life a bit difficult. There simply are not enough power plants and the demand keeps on rising. It seems like none of previous state and central government had the foresight to allocate funds to the infrastructure on a timely manner and making sure that the execution of the project is not delayed due to some reason.

Being disconnected from the net sometimes gives me an opportunity to catch up on other things in life. It gives me a chance to reconnect with others and rediscover that they are still running around like headless chickens just to earn a few extra bucks. Other times I just love to talk with others and catch up with the current happenings in their life. Anyway, it seems like this post has gotten a bit lengthy and hopefully I haven't bored you at all. I wanted to drop by to let you all know that once I get bored/stressed and burned out with the real life...I'll be right back

Thursday, July 30, 2009

How much free will do we really have?

We are all given something called Free Will/Choice by God. How we utilise it is up to us. by using our Free Will we end up making various kind of decisions in life....some good, some bad and others which are simply horrible. In the end of the day, life is basically just a sum of our choices and we should come to term with it so that we end up with a less troubled and comlicated life. When we finally do meet God at the end of our journey, I honestly do believe that he/she will judge us not by our high or low points but what the end result was. We basically end up getting a mixed bag when starting out in life and we simply have to deal with the daily events to the best of our ability. Free Will comes into play when we come at crossroads in our journey through life.

Finally, at the end of our journey we realise that the only thing permanent is our soul/spirit. The physical form which we are so attached to is only for this plane of existance and we get our just rewards according to our actions in our present life. Some believe in reincarnation where we either get punished or rewarded in our next life or our present life is due to our actions in our previous life.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Time to unwind

Whenever possible I like to make some free time especially during the weekends for some serious rest and relaxation. It’s really not possible for me to get some R&R during the weekdays as my work schedule is just too hectic unless I plan it out a few days in advance. I guess everyone has their own way in which they unwind and not everyone uses the same method. The most commonly used methods which I use to relax during my free time are: Reading, music, movies, surfing the net, etc.
Reading is one of my favorite past times since childhood. During my younger days, it used to be fantasy books. My fascination for Elves, Trolls, Dwarves, Dragons, Hobbits, etc have continued to fascinate me till these days. One of my favorite books during my childhood was the Hobbit series which I still like till today. Later on I moved on to science fiction/horror genre. The writers whose books/novels which I was constantly reading and fascinated by during this period were Mario Puzo (The Godfather & The Godfather Returns), Douglas Adams (The Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy), Most Stephen King novels (Cujo, Salems Lot, Everything Eventual, The Dark Tower series, Duma Key, Skeleton Crew), Ray Bradbury (Farenheit 451,Martian Chronicles), Clive Barker (Cabal, The Great & Secret Show, The Essential Clive Barker, The books Of Blood series), etc. These days it’s just about anything that catches my eye. At one time, I had a really large book collection. I had to trim it down to manageable level once my bedroom started filling up and the books started piling up in the hallway. It really saddened me to see a lot of these books go but it seemed like there was no other choice. Reading still is one of my favorite past times today as it has the ability to transport me to another world where my imagination can run wild.

Music is another one of my hobbies which really helps me to relax and unwind after a long, hard and sometimes very stressful days especially when I am totally exhausted and I want to just sit there and unwind. Music is not just something I listen to every so often but it is a passion for me. Just like my reading habit, my music preferences have changed over a period of time. I think I started listening to anything that was playing on the radio and I don’t think I had any favorite one. The Top 40/Top 100 music seemed to be popular during the 80’s period. One radio station or another used to have at least one segment dedicated to it. Sometime during the early 1980’s one of my high school buddies introduced me to hard rock/metal music genre and there was no turning back for me. I think I started out listening to Jimmy Hendrix, ZZ Top, Eric Clapton, Doors, etc and over a period of time I discovered other groups which I discovered suited my music tastes. The only thing which has remained constant is my dislike for country music. Nothing personal but I simply cannot bear to listen to it for some reason. I distinctly remember that when I was growing up and if I needed to head off to head off to some distant part of Ohio, I sometimes used to run into certain areas/pockets where the radio stations used to play only country music. In these cases, I used to frantically such for any other station even if it was a Top 40 one.

Movies have been one of my favorite past times for a really long time and I guess this particular category is the only one which has more or less remained constant over many decades. I have always liked the action, science fiction, horror. The only book/movie craze which I couldn’t understand and didn’t like very much was the Harry Potter series. Everyone it seems had gone overboard on this character and the Potter craze it seems has fizzled out as quickly as it had started. The earliest movies which I remember watching were: Gone with the Wind, Godfather, Splash and Pretty Women. In the years that passed by I watched many movies since I am a movie buff. The ones which I still like to this day are: Beetle Juice, Omen series, The Godfather series, Aliens/Matrix/Terminator series, Indiana Jones series, and the Back to the Future series. The movies which I have seen recently are: X-Men Origins Wolverine, Terminator 4 Salvation, Punisher - War Zone, Batman Begins, and Batman- The Dark Knight. All the movies which I have watched recently were really well made and action packed but I do feel that the Wolverine and the Batman series have deviated from the original character story line a bit. This is not to say that I didn’t enjoy them but the movie makers should have followed the original comic character story line more closely in order to give a more true depiction. I especially like to watch the movies during the weekends when I have a few hours to spare. Sometimes I like to go back to my movie collection and watch something from the 80’s era if something worthwhile is not coming on one of the movie channel or no new movie releases have been announced.

Surfing the net it seems helps me to divert my mind from the daily grind since it is a great entertainment device if used correctly. It not only helps me to interact with my buddies who are spread out through the world but also keeps me up to date on the news front. I guess the net is the only true interactive medium where one can get what they what and in a way they want it. All one needs to know is how to use the search engine and know what to look for. I especially like visiting YouTube to watch video of my favorite groups or watch movie trailers of movies which are about to be released. But most of the time I am found on sites like Multiply and Facebook where I am either posting something or playing a really addictive games and this helps me to destress myself.

Friday, July 10, 2009

How does one go choosing friends?

Over the course of time and after much thought, I have realized that I did not really choose wisely most of my friends and that's why I lost many of them long time ago. If I could bring back the hands of time I would be more picky and maybe choose a friend who shares the similar interests as I have, who is honest to goodness no matter how much truth hurts, and who will be there no matter what for me.

I say the best way to get a friend is just simply to be a friend to others. A lot of people feel the need to be accepted and that is just natural. I don't discriminate when it comes to friendship and always marvel at how easy it is to make friends with both genders, man or woman and in both offline and online mode. I really like meeting new people and like to make friends wherever I go. I just like to treat others in the way that I like to be treated. Sometimes it is hard to make friends if you don't know where to look. But if one is patient enough, you realize that after a while there are those that come to you even when you are not actively looking to make new friendship. I suppose there are two types of friends when one thinks about it. I consider the fact that some people will come to you and befriend you or you just need to put yourself out there for people to see and make yourself available. Good friends are sometimes hard to find but when you find a special person then the friendship could last a life time. There is an unconditional type of feeling when you find the right person to share your time with.

One must realize that people at times come into other peoples life unannounced and leave in the same manner. Between these two points, some peoples relationship click and they become friend and have a blast of a time. Out of these friends, there are a few gems of relationships which like I said above do last whole life time. It is extremely hard to find friends as it is and truly good ones next to impossible. One should hang on to the ones which we have and yet remember to give each friendship the elbow room to grow and flourish. A friendship is like a tree. Water it and add proper nourishment and it will give you life long protection. For a friendship to last, compatibility plays a big role in friendship also.

Saturday, July 04, 2009

How do you handle certain situations?

Life is full of trial and turbulance. It is never easy for anyone and every one of us has gone through many crises through out our life. Whether we suceed or fail in a certain situation depends on our perspective and our mental make up. Sometimes we end up succeeding in overcoming our problems and at other times we end up admitting defeat, throw our hands up in the air and saying I give up. It might be because each one of us have been ingrained with a certain types of attitude and mind set when it comes to dealing with certain types of situations. Some tend to give up the moment they see an unmanageable problem looming ahead while others dig in and find an appropriate solution.

I really do believe that almost every person who actually gave up trying to solve difficult situations in life always ended up in failure in life. A person is truly a winner if he or she never gives up in life and chases down each dream he has cherished in order to make it come true one day. Or else he will always have at the back of his mind the thoughts that would not allow him to be at peace with himself and he would be regretting his decision of refusing to get back up, stand tall and face every certain challenge ahead of him in a bold and assertive manner!! People who have the never say die attitude and are able to maintain this attitude in their life usually end up doing better in life than others.


Give it a little thought and tell me: Do you agree that falling down is not defeat and that the person who refuses to get back up and try again, is the one who has actually lost the battle? Have you ever tried doing something in life that you actually ended in giving up and not trying again to change what is not possible? Or have you slogged it out until you got yourself out of the mess?

Friday, June 26, 2009

Michael Jackson - The great entertainer

I won't speak ill of this man even though he was a bit strange odd ball one. He did very strange things in the last 15 to 20 years which kept me wondering "Why?” I must admit a bit hesitantly that I did grow up listening to his music and at one time I liked some of his songs before I moved on from this particular music genre to my current fav one which is now metal. Hopefully, my metal friends won't notice this post and start ribbing me about my choices of music in the past. I guess this is my so called skeleton in the closet. lol. What's yours?

Seriously, looking back he did manage to influence the music industry alot and changed the music industry's perspective of the world. When he started out he was very talented and seemed really dedicated to his field but it seems like he got side tracked at some point in time. One thing which I do remember was that the Thriller was the biggest selling album at that time and was the high point of his musical career and the Black or White album was also worth listening to.

Due to the later actions done by him, I kind of lost the respect I held for him and started wondering what would make a man do these things. Even though he was one of the great entertainers of this era, I think there was too much time and space which was devoted in the media to his death. I sometimes wonder if other big entertainer will be given the same treatment as this one when they finally pass into the other side. He had always been in the limelight for one reason or other ranging from cosmetic ones to the baby dangling from the hotel room railing and the media went crazy when they found out.

On an ending note, I hope wherever he is at this time he is content, happy and his mind has been put to ease from his troubled past. He did manage to entertain us and gave us something worthwhile to listen to on radio or watch on television when we turned these things on. Hopefully people remember that he has family members which are getting over this loss and hopefully people will remember this and respect their privacy when they need it the most.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Reading is my favourite pastime

What I really love doing on my spare time is reading. I like reading just about anything that catches my fancy at the moment. Currently I am hooked on books written by Stephen King. He is an exceptionally good writer, since he has an ability to bring words alive. You tend to get submerged in the story and it seems like you are actually part of the story itself. Once I start reading, it becomes simply difficult to put the books down. Some of the novels which I still like till this day are: Skeleton Crew, Different Seasons, Pet Cemetery, Salem’s Lot, Everything’s Eventual. The Dark Tower series are simply riveting. He has managed to keep the story thread line intact and alive thru so many volumes. It’s simply incredible. Just recently I picked up a novel by him called “Duma Key”. This novel is simply riveting. It’s a must read novel. He started thinking in this direction after his 1999 roadside accident that permanently altered his way of thinking about life. The most disturbing source of fear in his books comes from the gradual fading of health and sanity.
Even after all these years, he can still have the ability to scare the wits out of you. If you haven’t read it yet, I won’t reveal the story line to you. If you have then you’ll probably agree with me.

Monday, June 15, 2009

A few of life’s unsolved mysteries

A few thoughts have been floating around my head for some time. These thoughts really didn't take concrete shape until just recently. It seems like there is an unnatural trend among our society to become stick like skinny in order to become fashionable. It's like I can count your bones buddy. No offense meant but these days skinny people really irritate me! Especially when they say surprising things like...'You know sometimes I forget to eat!' .....Now I've forgotten my address, my mother's maiden name and my keys, but I have never forgotten to eat. You have to be a special kind of stupid to forget to eat!

It looks like every time I step on the scale, the numbers on the machine seem to get larger and larger. It's like hey...I was just 130lbs just a few days ago. It must be because the older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight because by then, your body and your fat are start to become really good friends. Lol. The other point which I just cannot figure out is how a 2-pound box of chocolates can make a person gain 5 lbs.
The other unsolved mystery which I have encountered is: missing clothes. I never really paid much attention to this before, but recently while organizing the drawers I noticed that many of the socks and other items seemed to be missing. When I usually go to the store, I end up buying at least a pair of socks and other basic items and then during the remaining part of the year I am left wondering where did all the socks go or where the other items which I just bought is. For me it extends to clothes also I have no clue where things end up half the time and I am left scratching my head. I really think that the washing machine is eating clothes, socks and underwear... Because no matter how much hunting I do I just can't find everything. I was starting to think that the washing machine monster gets them or is it that in time they turn into wire clothes hangers? The reason I said this was that I noticed that when I go to the cloths locker there is always more wire hangers than the previous visit. These hangers are multiplying like rabbits even though I don’t go to the dry cleaners at all.
So after much searching, I finally gave up, threw my hands up in the air and said “I give up. I can't find them”. Finally, I ask the other family members if they had seen such and such. I am told by one of them to look out our bedroom window. I was really left wondering what they meant. So I went and took a look and there is everything I could not find! Some time back I did laundry and put everything outside on the line to dry instead of using the dryer as it consumes too much electricity and ruins the clothes faster. I hardly ever use the line outside and had forgotten all about it! LOL so if you are missing some clothes take a look out your window. You never know what you'll find. I think the missing clothes mystery is an age old question. I think ever since the washing machines were invented, the people have wondered where their socks and other items have disappeared off to. I have never come across anyone who can answer this question to my complete satisfaction. It truly is a mystery and a funny one at that. People lose so many clothes on a regular basis and it’s really must be aggravating at times. At one time, I was the king of loosing clothes. I don’t know where they’re going is what I usually end up saying. Besides the skinny people, I guess these missing socks are also on the life’s greatest mysteries list I guess. Lol. So, what about you all? What are some of life’s greatest mysteries for you besides "How to set up and use the new version of your favorite site with ease".

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Burn that flab away

It seems like I had gained quiet a few unwanted pounds during the course of time. this not only has made me look ungainly but it does not feel good huffing and puffing up and down the stairs when I am forced to use it.

It seems like the weather is turning warmer and warmer with each passing day and with each passing day I thoughts keep turning towards looking good once more again. So, I decided to visit one of the gyms which has opened up in my locality. What also pushed me into this health fitness mode was that quiet a few actors were showing off their six and eight packs and their well toned bodies.

It seems like gyms are opening in every nook and corner of our city. But choosing the right workout place is getting to be a bit of a hassle. So, I went gym hunting and narrowed down my list to just a few. These few from which I will make my final choice from seemed more or less complete than the regular run of the mill variety.

Before I went on my gym hunt, I had a talk with a fitness trainer to inquire about what things I should look for in a proper gym. He told me that one of the main things I should look for is that the fitness center should be divided into different sections. Each section works on a different section and is pretty much unique from the other. The sections which should be present in a complete gym are: Strength section, Cardio, Free weights and Spinning section.

The strength section should have a combo machine which helps to exercise legs, shoulder and chest areas. I wanted proper toned biceps, triceps and give my hamstrings a proper strength workouts. So, a Percher Curl, Prone Leg Curl and Seated Dip are a must for me.

In the Cardio section, I went looking for a treadmill along with the bike combo which I was told is a must. One must devote sometime in this section to burn up those calories and get the heart pumping.

The Free weights section consists of dumbbells, barbells. The Spinning section must have the Swiss Balls. This final part is where the abs comes in where one has to exercise on the Swiss balls, do crunches, leg raises, skipping and stretching.

The final two things which were on my mind as I was finalizing my choice were the price factor and whether they had an in house trainer. The right pricing of the gym package is an important consideration when choosing the gym as well having a trainer helping us out in choosing the right exercises and guiding us novices through the exercises.

I was told that there is no fixed time limit as to when a person will achieve their desired perfect abs, but a consistent and hard work will help you to achieve it within 18 to 24 months. Going to the gym and working out on a regular basis might actually help me to achieve my goal. Plus, there will be many other people like me who are just starting out in the exercise regime and I will not feel like an odd man out.

Conceal those imperfections

Have you ever had one of those days when you look in the mirror and you realize that you look so bad that you are hesitant to face the outside world? The truth is that no one looks their best at every moment in their life. Due to this fact sometimes we lose our self confidence in ourselves and our self esteem gets lowered to such extent that we are simply scared to step outside our homes. These imperfections can be due to a variety of factors like accidents or blemishes since birth, acne, scars, moles, redness, rough spots, and many other sorts of blemishes.

In order to hide these imperfections, one can consider using mens cosmetics item called The Men Pen cosmetic concealer stick. This is a product was developed 4 years ago for men to hide blemishes. It is essentially mens makeup. There are 17 different shades and it is made to help guys improve their confidence and to look better. It especially comes in handy during specific times like prom, meetings, clubbing, social gatherings, etc. Can you risk a big event by going there with a really big zit on your face? It comes in 17 different shades so I am sure you can find the right shade for yourself. This stick has helped thousands of men in over 30 countries enhance their image and improve their self-esteem.

If you are having a bad day and are not looking good or maybe you have some imperfection which you would like to hide then consider using The Men Pen. It is an amazing cosmetic concealer stick which can help you to reclaim that lost self confidence or low esteem. After reading all this, you must be thinking that these items are for women only. Why should men use it? If the male actors, models and businessmen can use in their everyday life then why can’t you? One must remember that everyone is entitled to good looks as it enhances your overall outlook in life.
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Sunday, June 07, 2009

What do you wear for work?

Since I work from home most of the time, I have the freedom to decide what to wear. What I wear really depends on what is available in my closet when I open it in the morning. When I have to go to the branch office for a meeting, then I wear something proper for it. I don't really have a uniform when I am working out from my home office, so for these kinds of days I just put on any kind of t-shirt, jeans, sweat pants and sneakers or even slippers.

At the corporate office there is a dress code and everyone is required to wear formal attire like dress shirts and pants or skirts. Sometimes I also wear a jacket if it’s cold when running off to the office for some meeting. We can wear all sorts of presentable shoes to match with our outfit, except slippers of course. During our hot, sweaty summer months, it becomes extremely unbearable to work in the formal suit and pants outfit unless the person is constantly sitting inside an air conditioned office. I truly HATE having to dress in formal clothes during this time when I am venturing out on office duties since I feel stiflingly hot and uncomfortable, so I choose the casual mode whenever possible.

When working from home or just bumming around the house, casual clothes are the best option to choose. These clothes are the most comfortable and one does not need to worry about color matching the clothe items. No more trying to hunt down the missing tie, socks nor trying to iron that stubborn wrinkle out of the dress shirt. Not every one has the option to work from home which offers greater flexibility in the dress code than regular office duties. So, what kind of clothes do you normally wear during the day? Do you get to choose your daily wear clothing or do you have to follow a dress code?

Sunday, May 31, 2009

How much do you believe in being politically correct?

Back in the good old days when I was growing up, people were more or less free to speak their minds and hardly anyone was offended. With the passage of time, peoples attitude have changed drastically and something called political correctness has gained control of our lives.

These days it's like a minefield to be honest since some people can be so sensitive and I really hate all this politically correctness which is in vogue these days. At the end of the day, if you are not a sexist, prejudiced or racist, in any way then I just do not see why you should not be allowed to say what you want. While I was living in USA, I did experience a few racist remarks towards me and I didn’t get offended by it at that time because it was plain to see that the man who was spewing this garbage was a victim of the illegal Mexican infiltration which really did take away a lot of jobs in his area.

Usually I don’t get all worked up and offended by certain jokes since these are really just jokes and don’t mean any real harm at times. If certain people go out of their way to be malicious about somebody, then that is really unfair and the people at whom these jibes are aimed at are justified in getting offended. But if you are just joking with people about certain things or want to get something off your chest then I just simply do not see why you should not be allowed to do it.

If you to ask me for my honest and unbiased opinion on this subject, I would probably say that all this political correctness has gone simply too far. I am all for proper rules/ regulation and I am 100% against all types of bullying and discrimination but I can't help thinking that it has swung the wrong way and if you happen to say something which might offend anyone, you end up being heavily punished or even worst still sued for a slip of the tongue or just for speaking your mind. If someone is such a little coward and has their feelings hurt over a harmless comment then they should grow a backbone and learn not to be so easily offended.

In the end of the day, one comes to realize that these days the situation is really fluid. When you can freely speak your mind and when you have to hold your tongue really depends on the situation which you are confronted with. If I am amongst friends or people with whom I am comfortable with, I would speak out freely about whatever is on my mind knowing that we all think more or less on the same lines. If there are strangers or people whom I do not know well enough, I refrain from making any comments which might be taken the wrong way. I have learned the hard way that sometimes it is better to err on the safe side.

Monday, May 25, 2009

How old is your oldest friendship?

Time is a strange creature indeed. It flows by and we never realize how much time has flown by till many years have passed away. The mirrors confront us with images of own self but now with a few extra wrinkles and many new strands of grey hair. With the passage of time, many changes happen in the person life.

Many things in my own life have changed. I made many friends and travelled afar and back again. Through this journey in life I guess the only thing that has remained constant for me is the friendship of a few friends for almost 25 years. I have known a few friends from way back from my high school days. Some of the others I picked up along the way. Most of my friendship started due to some common interest and some were strong enough to weather the test of time. We stuck together because we never intruded into each others lives I guess and each one of us gave the other enough freedom and independence to grow within the friendship. It was a good time way back then I guess. We had tons of fun and didn’t have too many responsibilities as compared to now. Time flew by and we all went our ways. Yet, when we finally reconnected after many decades it seemed like hardly any time had passed by.

It feels really great to have a long-lasting friendship like that this which has gone through a few tough times and know that we still keep in regular contact like we did when we first met each other. We had our arguments and bad times and we have always managed to pull through. I guess that's a true friendship. Even though we are not able to keep regular contact with each other due to the great distance and the mind boggling time difference which separates us, we still consider ourselves good friends. I guess each one of you here have gone through something similar at some point in life and some of you must still be friends with buddies with whom this friendship bond goes long back. So, how long is your oldest friendship?

Monday, May 18, 2009

What scared you the most as a kid?

I remember while I was growing up, I was always scared of one thing or another. The first thing I remembered being terrified of was crossing a wooden bridge. I was very sure that there was a monster hidden underneath ready to grab me and start chomping on my leg like you would chomp on a chicken leg. I always used to walk to the side of the bridge and peek underneath to make sure that nothing was hiding underneath before crossing.

As I grew a bit older, the monsters shifted their hiding place from under the bridge to my basement and at times the closet in my room. Sometimes, I swore something was hiding under the bed just waiting till the lights were turned off and then crawl out and I’ll turn into a midnight snack. I used to check and double check under the bed, then the closet before going to sleep. I really dread going down to the basement as I was quiet sure that there was something hiding under the stairs. I was always terrified of the dark when I was a little kid. I always preferred to have a light on and every little noise would scare me.

I guess I watched just too much television and always thought that something was out to get me. It really influenced my mind to such a great extent that I actually believed the scary stuff which was shown on TV. As I grew older, these terrors gradually faded into oblivion as I realized that the movie/book monsters only existed in these mediums and the only true real monsters of this world were the mean, demented humans.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Relationships - How much control do we have?

We all have some sort of relationships with our fellow travelers in life. These people can be one or more of the following: our parents, brother, sister, husband or wife, etc. Some of these relationships are predetermined and we have no control over them while others we can choose. Relationships are so complex and so full of variables that no one is really happy and satisfied.

If someone was to ask me to list out a few of the good and bad points in a relationship, it would be difficult just to state just a few. After a little thought I narrowed them down to the following.

The things which I like in a relationship would be:

• You have someone to love and cherish and you feel the same about them.

• A person is always there supporting you and encouraging you through everything and vice versa.

• You have someone to hold on to, laugh and cry with and share all your dreams together.

• The close friendship in which both of you are comfortable.

• Never being lonely as you have someone to talk to.



The things which I consider as negative points in a relationship are:


• The headache of having to explain myself with every detail every so often.


• Having to clean up after this grown up constantly makes a mess.

• Having occasional arguments about nonsensical items. (Sometimes more than others).

• Not always having some private time you need to yourself just to relax and think.

• The bad habits which your friend/partner just cannot get rid off.

• Sometimes there is not enough trust between the two people and at other times there is a feeling of being trapped in a suffocating relationship.

Everything is bound to occur in a relationship and there is a lesson or message attached to everything and we have to learn that message. Only then I guess we can grow in a relationship and prosper. I guess it is really about what you want in life & relationship. It is also about how to go about things the right way and not getting all worked up about all the small, petty stuff I mention above and things should go smoothly. Every person should give the other some space to grow…some “elbow” room and some private time. How would you go around deciding what you want in life? How much control do you have? What are your likes and dislikes?

Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Are you a spender or saver?

Money is one thing which is extremely difficult to earn and it is one of the first things to disappear in most situations. It is a bit difficult at times to slot oneself into one particular category, since our tendencies to be either a saver or spender changes every so often over a period of time. Looking at my spending pattern over the last decade or so, I guess I would probably categorize myself as saver rather than a spender since I usually the term spender usually connotes using money to buy things all the time that are not really needed in order to lead a normal life decently.

There were times when I had to spend my hard earned money on a lot of different items during a short time frame. However, this spending activity when it can be classified as an investment either in purchasing/renovating a property or putting money into a business venture does not cancel out the category which I have slotted myself into. These activities I consider an investment where I expect to earn much more than what I have invested in return. Other times, it is for absolutely necessary items like a new fridge (yes it does have a door handle minus dirty smudge marks Danni…lol), an air conditioner (another harsh summer is upon us), a new car – Tata Nano (my old beat up car is just not worth the trouble anymore), few more ceiling fans, etc.

I learned the hard way that having money in times of need and emergency are important because we will never know what will happen next. One should save a certain percentage of your monthly earning and invest it in some safe investment avenue like government bonds, etc so that in case of an emergency I have something to fall back on. Especially in the times of recession it is more important to have decent amount of money stashed away. Not many people will come forward to help you out financially even if they belong in the extended family.

Being a responsible adult, a person should know what to buy and when not to buy. One must learn to purchase only those that are a necessity in life and these habits should be ingrained into the child’s thinking early in life. Never have "live for today, we'll think about tomorrow when tomorrow comes" attitude in life. This will lead to disastrous results. Give it a thought and in the end try to answer the following questions honestly: Will you consider yourself a saver or spender? Which category do you fit in? In which thing do you spend money the most money or where do you manage to save money most?

Thursday, April 30, 2009

What’s the first impression you get when you meet total strangers?

It is said that "First Impression is the Last Impression." This may hold true at certain times and at certain situations, but I do not think that it is true at all the time. At times, how total strangers have perceived you may be different from the real you. Often times, how people perceived you is the person that you wanted to be perceived.

At times, initial reactions from others do not usually equate with how they perceive us as a person. It is only when we become more acquainted with them that others will be comfortable letting us know their first impression towards us. Be it the truth or not, often times, you might just want to shrug it off or laugh your heart out to learn that their initial impression on you is far different from your real you. Personally, I get lots of feedback from friends and colleagues telling me that they first thought of me as "Introvert." After they get to know me better, that's the only time that they knew the real me - everything but an introvert! Sometimes people say I should smile more but I tell them…hey that is how I look like. But on the inside I am actually quite happy and really friendly person.

First impression can be really deceiving. I think it might have something to do with our initial reaction when we meet people for the very first time. For example, I am not used to smiling a lot, at least for first time meeting. I am only able to open myself a little more as I become more comfortable talking to people, but not for the first time meeting. Never judge a book by its cover. We simply cannot get an accurate impression just by meeting a person for the first time and that too for a real short time. Always try to be a bit open minded and be ready to change your opinions of a person no matter how charming or not so charming they might have appeared in the first meeting.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

How environmentally friendly person are you?

Over a period of time, we have done a great deal of harm to our planet. Forest are being chopped down to make way for commercial complexes and residential colonies. other areas are being dug up for making landfills or some other industrial activity. Have you ever stopped to give a thought to how you can help nature heal itself from all the degradation we have subjected it to? How pro-active are you? Being environmentally conscious is very difficult at times. But every little steps do count. I like to segregate my trash into different types of categories. For example, we segregate the items according to the following categories: paper products, glass, plastic, rubber, and metal. For the bio-degradable items like kitchen rubbish(ie. - vegetable peels, etc) we bury it in our back yard. It turns into excellent fertilizer over a period of time. Plant a tree every year, and use technology which is environmentally friendly like solar energy, or products which are certified to release less harmful gases or consume less electricity.

Join BeeWellMiles and that spring back into your step

Breast cancer is a silent killer and it affects many people across all strata and all societies. Worldwide, breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer and the fifth most common cause of cancer death. Breast cancer is about 100 times as frequent among women as among men, but survival rates are equal in both sexes. Women in the United States have the highest incidence rates of breast cancer in the world.

Some things which have a direct effect on your breast health are the foods you eat, water you drink, air you breathe, genetic makeup and the medicines that you take. The impact of other, indirect factors, such as air quality, amount of exercise, meditation, and spending time with friends, is less well understood.

Anything that increases your chance of developing breast cancer is called a risk factor while anything that reduces your risk of developing breast cancer is called a protective factor. The good news is that if you are aware of the choices you can make, then you can control some risk factors. For example, if you are overweight, you can seek to lose excess pounds, which may reduce your risk of breast cancer. You can also make informed choices about the medicines you take which will reduce the chances of being affected by breast cancer to some extent.

When you finally decide to walk on the path of a healthy lifestyle, BeeWell Miles will give you all the resources you need to make the most of it. You will be able to interact with healthy living experts, log your miles and discover the calories you burn. Calculate your route's mileage and share your favorite walking/running route with others so that they can try out your favourite route and enjoy the sceanry as much as you do. You can even enter your meals to understand their caloric values, then see how your activity and nutrition offset each other. Interact with other guests and share ideas and tips on getting healthy and staying their. Plus, each day you log miles or game codes from pink Bumble Bee cans you could instantly win one of 15,000 prizes!!

So, please do your bit to help raise money for the Breast Cancer Network of Strength utilizing BeeWellMiles and try to enlist as many of your friends to participate so that people can lead a more active and healthy lifestyle. Bumble Bee Foods is doing their part to help others by spreading awareness and helping people by helping them in making better and well informed choices. Plus, they will donate $0.15/mile for every mile logged at BeeWellMiles.com (up to $200,000) from 4/1/09-10/31/09 to help Breast Cancer Network of Strength provide emotional support to those who can't wait for tomorrow's cure. People who are affected need your support in a variety of ways. You might also learn many new things which might help you to change your lifestyle by making wiser more well informed choices.
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Monday, April 20, 2009

Why is it so easy to love others and not yourself?

I'm have always been told, "In order to be loved and accepted by others, you must first love and accept yourself." This is easier said than done and I must ask why is it so difficult to just accept and love yourself as you are?

I guess we are just always extremely critical when it comes to judging ourselves. I think it is similar to how a butterfly doesn't see the color of its own wings and beauty when we do and we find it really beautiful and fascinating? That's pretty much the same thing only we have the ability to see in ourselves if we choose to do so. When we are in this negative mode, we tend to mentally discourage ourselves off by putting ourselves down. Then we dwell on how we could have done things better and end up giving ourselves a much harder time than we do other people would have given. While other people tend to get the benefit of the doubt and we often find it easy to make excuses for their behavior, we know that we are responsible for our own behavior and tend to worry needlessly that we might have done things in a different way.

I think it is really important to love and accept yourself. That being said, we live in a world where humility is taught to be a virtue and anyone who raises themselves up is immediately torn down by people who think they are big-headed and annoying. We set up a double standard for people. People who accept themselves as they are and are comfortable with their attitudes will be more energetic, able to accomplish more, be able to handle whatever life throws at me with minimum stress and tension and lead a happier life. If everything seems dark, gray, full of negative thoughts and gloomy thinking, you won't be able to notice the bountiful beauty, positive energy, etc. If you have set yourself to be sad and full of worries then this attitude will drag you down and you will not be able to give optimal performance. An attitude change will go a long way in changing a person’s outlook in life.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Will you place a home delivery order even if it’s raining outside?

I guess this incident happened about six to seven months back yet I still remember it like it was yesterday. We were in the midst of the monsoon season and we were experiencing the usual power cuts. It was pouring cats and dogs outside yet we didn't care. We were really enjoying this sudden downpour on a Sunday afternoon. I was sitting comfortably in the reclining chair beneath my blanket, enjoying the feeling of cool monsoon winds blowing through my hair. It was raining but the extra chill and booming thunder only added to the coziness.

While I was lying there and wondering if I should force myself to get out of the comfy chair to wrap up a few pending bills on this rainy day, my stomach started to growl and howl like a wild cat. I suddenly felt like eating pizza. Let's see... shall I order one from Pizza Hut? Or maybe Domino Pizza? Or maybe on of the local restaurants...? Yet it struck me then that it would be quite wrong of me to satisfy my cravings that way at this time.

You see, it was raining quiet heavily outside and most of the roads must be flooded with knee high water by now. I wanted a pizza and somebody had to deliver it. Over here, all delivery boys for home delivery ride motorcycles with the delivery box strapped on the back seat and there is no delivery van/car system. How safe is it to ride a bike in the rain? How comfortable is it for them to get into their raincoats to brave the inclement weather to send me a piping hot pizza? I was starting to feel guilty just thinking about that and so, I got up and went to the kitchen to see what I can whip up for myself in a jiffy. With no electricity it was difficult to see what I was doing. Then it struck me that at one time I had asked them this question about delivering in bad rainy weather and they had answered in the positive and within 30 minutes or else the pizza is free. So, I booted the guilt out of my mind and ordered an extra large pizza with garlic bread and cheese and a 2 liter bottle of Pepsi. No use feeling guilty about it since they do it all the time.

Even though the delivery boy would have to exercise a bit of caution on the road to the front door of my house in the pouring rain I presume he would have an umbrella and be wearing proper rain clothes. I also presume he would rather do the delivery even in the torrential downpour than not deliver at all, especially the way things are at the moment in our area and jobs few and far between and consequently fewer people ordering any take out items.
So here's the question I like would like to ask you all. Having read my post above, will you order pizza in the rain and put the kid through the trouble or feel a little hesitant and not order?

Kissimmee - A great vacation spot


It is that time of the year again when people simply want to get away from the daily grind and go on a vacation. Life is just too demanding and stressful these days and it seems like everyone just wants to go to a place which is something different than the rest and yet offers the best deal in town. It is difficult to find such places at the last minute when you are frantically searching for that something different spot.

I had been thinking off to someplace different this year and luckily I discovered a great vacation destination at Kissimmee, Florida. It is a fantastic place that is in the middle of everything that is Central Florida and just minutes south of Orlando itself. What I really liked about this place was that puts all different kinds of fun within easy reach of everyone. The exhilaration of a rollercoaster ride and the really beautiful view of a lakefront sunset sit just moments away from one another, offering a clear indication that there's something unique and special about being here. Kissimmee in Central Florida offers some great choices to the visitors, and that alone creates the endless possibilities that make memories.

For a person who has an opportunity to start his/her day that in Kissimmee can become anything you want it to be. It offers so many unlimited possibilities. The part which really attracted me was that the greater Orlando area features a unique combination of authentic small-town charm, theme park thrills, outdoor adventures, challenging golf; tranquil beach landscapes and other vacation ideas are all within reach. I guess when I finally reach there, my itinerary might include visit to a theme park, taking in a dinner show, a quiet romantic dinner for two or maybe watching the fantastic sunset. There are so many mind boggling unlimited choices and I am sure that I won’t get bored.

What really made my day was the news that Kissimmee is giving away three (3) weekend getaways (3 days/2 nights) for two (2); and two (2) weeklong vacations for four (4). Drawings will be held on or around 4/1/09, 5/1/09 and 6/1/09. The best vacations are free! So I am going to enter the sweepstakes and try my luck. Visit their site and give it your best shot and maybe you might win a free holiday. Like everyone says and is true, the best things in life really are free. If you are a nature lover then you might want to check out the wilderness preserves or maybe you are a history buff and love historic downtown areas or little eclectic shops and boutiques. Maybe it’s a picnic at the park when you discover the right spot. Go ahead and have the time of your life.
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Sunday, April 12, 2009

One of those days

Have you ever had one of those days when nothing seems to work right at all? I guess everyone has them. You know what I am talking about. I have had days when everything just goes wrong no matter what I do. These bad days start of bad and just keep going from bad to worse, like a car going downhill without brakes until you are scared to do anything at all for the rest of the day, and you just want to hide until the day is over. I guess when these days do happen, it is good to take a break, go on a vacation and just unwind. Things usually fall into place automatically and things turn out right. Someone did mention to me something called "Murphy's Law." That is the law that says that, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." That law it seems is now a perpetual part of my life now and I just cannot seem to shake it off no matter how hard I try. It kicks in at the most inappropriate moment. It manifests itself to me the first time I misplace something, anything, then everything goes down hill after that in high speed.

For example, yesterday I had to go out to some office for some financial work. Everything started out ok when I left the house. But after a short while, I got a flat tire and I was already running late. Luckily I had a spare tire in the trunk and managed to change the tire quickly. But it seems like my day was getting from bad to worse. No sooner had I gone down the street and crossed an intersection, my car ran out of gas. I was speechless initially since I didn’t know what was happening. After peeking under the hood, it dawned upon me that my car’s tank was completely empty, and not a single gas station around for miles. I tried flagging down cars trying to hitch a ride, but no luck. No luck with taxis either. It seemed like my day was completely ruined. It was almost closing time at all offices and it seemed like I won’t be able to complete my work. But it seems like miracles do happen at times. Just when I had given up all hope, a friend of mine who was passing thru spotted me. I told him that it’s a long story and I’ll explain later. I asked him to please drop me off at the office and miraculously I was able to complete all my work before closing time.
Bad moments do occur, but these are just passing moments. I guess, it is best to take what life dishes out in stride and not be bothered too much about it. I learned not to be bothered about the rough patches that I sometimes run into. They have happened and will happen in the future. One just has to keep on moving forward, look at the bright side of things and not be too much bothered about the past.

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Movies – Alone or with someone

My week last week was extremely stressful. All of us had worked some very long hours, and not getting enough time off. So it seemed that I was overloaded with work all week and was going out of my mind from stress. So we all decided to just give ourselves a much needed break. So we all hopped in the car and just took off and started driving. We really did not have any particular thing in mind. It was like we just wanted to get away from the madding crowd for a bit. Along the way I said to others that it would be great to go see a movie because they are great stress busters. Movies if properly made have the ability to take you to other worlds and you will be able to forget about your problems at least for the time being. It would be a great change for us considering that we have not gone out together in ages. So we drove to the mall and decided to see the new movie being shown at the multiplex near our house. It was a great movie, and it felt really good to be able to do that for myself. Of course the prices of all items including the ticket itself are ridiculous. It costs a lot of money to just to purchase even a bottle of water!

I don't often see movies in theaters due to the high cost and the fact is that I'd much rather go with the family than watch it alone... because movies are meant to be enjoyed with someone. Going to the movies with someone is more enjoyable for me, since it seems like we have gone on some picnic. We all can relax and have fun. I don't go to the movies at the movie hall alone myself and for that matter. I prefer the company of others there with me. But on the same note, I would like to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with going to the movies alone, especially if you are stressed out and need some time away from everyone. In such a case, you will find it relaxing to go out on your own, enjoy the activity by yourself and really concentrate on what you are watching. It is important that we get out and in order to keep our sanity. It is crucial to do this otherwise the stress is just going to build and it will ruin our relationship with each other.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

What Is Your Most Attractive Facial Feature?

What really got me thinking about this particular topic are all those irritating beauty advertisements that we all run into either on television or the print media. I really detest these ads since they claim that you will look better after you apply certain creams or undergo certain facial treatments, etc all the while trying to divert people’s attention from the fact that everyone looks good up to a certain extent….even with certain imperfections. I usually tend to ignore these ads and usually surf to the next channel/station or flip to the next page of the magazine without paying much attention.

But I guess it had to happen. It was one of the dull slow days and I ended up staring at myself while I was trying to quickly run past the full length mirror without looking at myself. I've never claimed to be a raging beauty, but neither do I think that I am an ugly duckling either. I know that I am not a very photogenic person since I just do not have a “good” side. I really do not know which the most attractive feature in my face is. But I have been told that my best features are my eyes, eye brows and smile. I consider my nose just too big. On some days it’s more prominent and I really hate those days. Actually, when I look at myself I do not see those things, but if other people are saying it, I must take it with a grain of salt and believe it. But the thing which I simply love about myself is my personality. I think it is my most valuable feature! I really do believe that true beauty lies within. What do you think is your most attractive facial feature?

Friday, March 13, 2009

How aware are you about the environmental problems?

If you have looked around, you must have noticed how much change our planet has gone through in the last century. Looking back, I realized how much damage mankind has done to this planet which we call our home. Looking at all the mess which we are in and yes it is getting worse and worse with each passing year, I am getting very worried about not only our surroundings, but also our climate. With each passing year our planet is getting warmer. This global warming is due to many factors. Some of the reasons are avoidable and other unavoidable.

Someone mentioned to me why our government doesn’t do something to stop the manufacturers which make plastics and other harmful products and chemicals that destroy our environment especially the ozone layer. Also, the slash and burn method should be stopped immediately which destroys vast forest lands.

After giving it some thought, I think we should not be too dependent on our government to stop climate change as they take too much time to come to any environmentally friendly solution and there are just too many influential industrial lobbies pressurizing our government. I think the best place we can actually start is within our own homes. If at least every home would start doing their own part in conserving energy and recycling and segregating the waste products and help educate other people in their locality, we can actually make a difference. Here are a few tips:

1. Turn of lights when not in use, TV, radio, computer and other appliances
2. Conserve water while taking a bath or washing dishes.
3. Plant as many trees in your backyard or around your property as possible.
4. Try to reuse plastics and paper products.
5. Segregate trash before putting it out for the pick up by the municipality.
6. Take your own bags when doing your grocery.
7. Do not litter when you go someplace,
8. Do not get damage the environment when going on a sightseeing tour.


If you have been listening to the news or reading the print materials you must have noticed that sometimes we are told that the earth climate is getting warmer because of greenhouse effect and at other times we are told that the earth is going to enter into another ice age and it will probably be the end of life as we know it. Which theory to believe? As an individual, sometimes I feel powerless and frustrated. Can mankind be less selfish and care about the earth more? What can we possibly do so that we can save our planet from going hotter and hotter in the future? Do you have any suggestions to stop all these menace so that we can have a healthy planet? How can we limit the damage that we are doing to our planet?

Win a MacBook Air with 1 Tweet

I just discovered a fantastic site today and I wanted to tell you all about it. How would you like to get a chance to win a Free MacBook Air? I know I would. It is a fantastic piece of machine loaded with features and every owners pride and neighbors envy. It seems ben behrouzi who is an entrepreneur is giving away a brand new MacBook Air to one cool Twitter follower. Free! This one lucky follower will be selected on March 31st 2009, but you have to be in it to win it! So, if you are not on there now, it’s not too late to join. He will be announcing the winner on Twitter and on his blog at the end of March. Good luck!

So, you must be wondering how it all works. Well, all you have to do is just send him a simple Tweet with message "Twitter Giveaway - Win A MacBook Air From Me" or something like it in your own words to let ben behrouzi know to count you in. There is no requirement to follow him, only if you choose to get his updates. This giveaway got to be the easiest giveaway to enter. If you would like to receive his updates, then all you got to do is follow @BenBehrouzi and let him know you want to win. What are you waiting for? Drop by his site now and give this contest a try. Who knows, you might end up walking away with a fantastic product absolutely free of cost.


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Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Good news or bad, which do you prefer first?

I guess everyone has their own preference when deciding which type of news they prefer to listen to first and which one they prefer to listen to later. After some thinking, I think I would prefer to get the bad news first. I have had a tendency in life to want to get the bad over with really fast, so I can move on to the good in life. It kind of drives me crazy when I tell someone that I have good news and bad news for them, and they want the good news first... then I give the bad news and they don't really like the bad news too much since it puts their mind in great turmoil and then they want to go over the bad news over and over and over again. I just don't respond to that type of stuff very well and usually exit real quick. I just think to myself, you should have asked for the bad news first! I guess it all depends on the person’s personality and how they are able to handle the news which is dished out to them.

Reasoning can be sought for either way. If you choose to receive the good news first you will be happy and later on in a foul mood for the bad news that will come later .Then if you get the bad news first you will be sad and then the happiness will come after and be the last emotion you have. Some people claim that it is better to hear the good news first than the bad news later as the good news fills our heart with happiness and joy. After hearing the good news, if we listen to the bad news, the bad news will have some impact on the bad news, and it won’t hurt us much at the heart so much as the good news will lessen the impact of the bad news. While others claim that it is better to hear the bad news first because then they have something to look forward to, being the good news. Like I said a little while ago, I would rather hear the bad news first, be upset for a minute and know I have good news to hear also than be in a good mood and then to have that mood crushed due to the bad news. So which do you prefer first Good or Bad news?

Friday, March 06, 2009

Why are people afraid to help others?

Lately I have come to conclusion after a lot of thinking that it is easier too find people who need help than trying to locate people who are willing to help others in one way or other. Just look around you and you will see what I mean. Many people say they want to help others because of some ulterior motive like: they want other people to think highly of them or they want to look good in the eyes of other people. But dig a little deeper and you will notice that they really don't make an effort to help other people. There are probably as many different reasons for not doing social service as there are people. In today's society work comes first and there is no time for volunteer work it seems.

Some way which I believe that people can help other are:

Those who feel they don't have time to help out can always donate money instead of volunteering help. Usually, I do that as well, even though money is tight in these really tough times since I know the other party is dead broke and needs it more desperately than I do. I am helping someone else and I always hope that when this person is in a better position he/she will be able to stand on his/her own feet and make a positive contribution to the society someday.

A person could easily volunteer to serve food in one of those food kitchens that are usually set up by some social welfare group or religious group, but people shrink away from this duty by saying, "It's in a bad neighborhood, I'm not going down there."

You could donate a small percentage of your paycheck to some government recognized charity or some other charity of your own preference. Even a small amount would go a long way in helping someone out.

You could do something as simple as making extra food at dinner and giving it to a needy person or just to be plain nice.

Many people are selfish by nature and just like to hear themselves talk about helping others but are just too lazy to put in the actual work to help out. They tend to think they are needy and people should be helping them even though there are others more needier than them. They need to be taught to extend that helping hand to the needy. God does watch over us all and he does reward those who do good towards others selflessly. One should do what he/she can. One should always be willing to help others out whenever possible not because you will gain something out of it but because it might make a world of a difference to the other person(s). Needy people do need help and it is our duty to extend the helping hand. Why are people so afraid to help other people and afraid to extend the helping hand towards others?

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Do people have the sense to know when not to use cell phones?

It is common knowledge that cell phones have become an important part of our life. I consider it the ultimate time-saving device--it allows you to save time by multi-tasking in ways you never before dreamed possible. It is an important part of life, yet it has also turned into a nuisance at times. They are a good communication tool and it has helped us all out under certain situations especially when we are stuck on the road and no genuine help is in site. At other times, it should not be used at all at certain places.

Besides the irritating marketing calls, one thing which still baffles me is and absurd is why is that children are given cell-phones at an early age? We managed without them for such a long time and without so many other so-called useful 'necessities'. Why should children need phones at school as surely they are there to be educated? By letting them have the cell phones with them while they are attending classes seems a little silly. Many children misuse the phone facility instead of using it for its basic contact purpose.

The other thing about cell phones is that some people do not have the common sense to know when and where not to use them. I had gone to this really important company meeting sometime back. The branch manager was making his usual company performance speech. It was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. In the middle of the meeting, someone's cell phone began ringing loudly. After the person dug it out of their pocket or holder or wherever they had kept it, they shut it off. At this point you could hear several people there quickly shutting their phones off also after realizing how many stares it drew. People are just so accustomed to having them that they don't even think about where to put it in a silent/vibrate mode or simply turning it off. Cell phones don't belong in office meetings, weddings, places of worship, funerals, courtrooms, clinics, hospitals, driving a vehicle and there are many more places they should not be used as certain management rules prohibit its use. In addition to the above mentioned inappropriate moments, there are times when I just don't want to be reached.


A person’s life will not end if they shut off their cell phones. One must remember that we have lived without these modern conveniences for hundreds of years and a short denial of use will not hurt us. Tell me, is it really that much of an inconvenience to turn your phone off and let your phone take it as a missed call in certain situations? Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I usually shut off my cell phone when it is not use. When I have to leave it on, I put it in the silent mode and at other times vibrate mode only. The cell phone is meant for emergencies. If I am not able to answer the phone right away due to circumstances beyond my control, I usually call back when possible. If it is a true emergency they will call back or leave a message. Sometimes I wonder if people have become so rude or are they simply not thinking.

I do understand that most people's lives are kind of hectic these days and a lot of things do happen in their life, but people should learn to slow down every once in awhile! Show some respect for others in situations where it is due and it is just not appropriate for your phone to be going off under certain situations. Not only will your life not end if you shut your phone off for a few hours, but the world will still be there when you get back to it. Like when someone is calling someone me while they are sitting on the toilet? Eeeeew. There are some things I just don't need to know.


On an ending note, I would like to mention once more that even though cell phones have their benefits, yet they also have several drawbacks some of which I mentioned above. Finally, remember not to walk through stores isles while using Bluetooth headphones. You will just look like a crazy person talking to yourself and probably the security people will end up following you around. Remember to use the vibrate mode in your cell phone. You’ll just love it and probably become addicted to it.

Expecting mothers can also look good

I guess everyone desires to look as beautiful as possible. I guess it is one of our inner desires to look the very best all the time. But this is not always possible. Sometimes for expecting mothers it simply becomes very difficult to look good and have that fresh look when they step out of the house to go someplace. Plus, one never knows if the beauty product will actually suit them during this transition time.

One must remember that for women who are pregnant, finding beauty products that are safe for both mother and fetus is essential. Beaute de Maman is a unique line of health and beauty products developed by a board-certified obstetrician to treat problems specifically related to the physiological and hormonal changes experienced by women during pregnancy. In fact, Beaute de Maman products are so good and have such a good reputation that they have made it into the hands of such Hollywood celebrity moms-to-be including actresses Penelope Ann Miller, Salli Richardson-Whitfield (“Eureka”), Chyler Leigh (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and Jennifer Blanc. Brooke Mueller Sheen, wife of actor Charlie Sheen, as well as Jane Hajduk, who is married to actor Tim Allen, and The Insider’s celebrity correspondent Victoria Recano, can also be counted among expectant Hollywood moms who have been seen and heard referencing various products in the Beauté de Maman line.

Buying a product that is not only safe for the expecting mother but also for the unborn child should be the first priority of any person. This way the person who is using these beauty products will be assured that not only will they look good when they want to, but also that the baby that they are carrying is safe from all the harmful chemicals, etc. So, if you are an expecting mother or know someone who is one what are you waiting for? order now.
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Cooking from scratch

By now you all must have guessed that food is one of the things in life which I am simply crazy about. Most of the stuff we eat at home is home cooked stuff. It is so much healthier, cheaper and yummier! It does take more time to prepare, but in the end, all the hard work is worth it! When I read the food labels on the food products, I realized that there are so many preservatives in the already prepared food and meals that I was really worried about what is going into my body. I like knowing exactly what goes into my food and how much preservatives and sodium is in there.

The stuff we eat at my place is usually extremely easy to cook up in a jiffy and economical. We have become really health conscious also recently. As in all Indian cooking, we use a lot of spices to make the food as tasty as possible. We have minimized the amount of salt and oil to bare minimum and we constantly experiment with different spices to see which combination we like best. When I am in a rush and want something on the plate quick I usually end up eating boiled potatoes and yogurt with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Otherwise, it is a full meal.

Sometimes when I am in the mood I like to whip up a few time consuming dishes, but this leads to a total chaos in the kitchen. The kitchen ends up looking like a war zone and I end up thinking thoughts like maybe the army’s elite forces should be called in to help me clear out this mess which I have gotten myself into. But, I end up saving loads of money which I usually end up using for some household expenditure or when the movie mania hits me, and then I am off to the movies.

Home made dosas; aloo parathas with yogurt and aachar (pickles), and Aloo puri with yogurt and aachar (pickles) are a few of my favorites. I eat these items very rarely since they are a bit on the oily side. I try to avoid outside food as much as possible since I am able to make most simple items at home at half the price and it is much healthier. I usually end up adding a lot of salad items to make it as nutritious as possible. Sure, it might not taste as delicious as the restaurant stuff, but I am satisfied with the end result and the food digest quickly. Under certain circumstances outside food just simply cannot be avoided. But, these are rare occasions and on these occasions we usually have tons of fun. So, how often do you all cook from scratch and is it too much of a hassle?

Web designing for idiots

Have you ever been in such a situation when you needed help but did not know who to ask? Well, I have been in such a situation not very long back. Sometime back when I got my computer, I was eager to get on the net and start exploring the world wide web. It seems for one reason or other, I was not fully satisfied with what the sites offered and I wanted to give making my own site a try. But where should I start? I asked all my friends but no help was coming. They were all clueless. Then one day just when I had all but given up hope, I found out About Web Design for Idiots . This site was a real help for a beginner like me.

web design for idiots main page website tutorials is for people who are very new to the world of web design. The author writes posts that are fun to read but also newbie friendly. The site includes a lot of links, graphics, and other resources to help people better grasp the concepts in such a way that is extremely easy to comprehend.

This fantastic site is a new blog, and the content is always seems to be growing at a extremely fast rate. This blog is set up in such a interactive way that everyone should find extremely practical and useful. Do you have a question? Well, get your web design questions answered by web design for idiots now. The site owner is constantly online replying to questions and comments, and if a person can not find an answer to their question, they can e-mail their questions and someone will respond in a post to help everyone. I found this option really useful since the new guys like us will always be full of questions and be needing a lot of support initially.


With a little bit of the sites help you can teach yourself oscommerce for newbies oscommerce file structure with ease. I simply loved this site and would ask all newbies out there to take a look at this site when starting of on their net journey. The tutorials are well written, concise and easy to understand. So, drop by the site and become a computer pro now instead of feeling like an idiot.
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Friday, February 27, 2009

difference of opinion

With the passage of time I have noticed that the older generations (parents and grandparents) will invariably have much different opinion of most things then we do. Whenever a discussion arises there will always be some sort of differences in the opinions. But some how my parents’ and grandparents’ opinions will be some what same most of the times, but the younger generation (like mine) will be entirely different at times. Because of this I noticed that our elders are not ready to take advice from the younger ones even though we are usually correct most of the times but instead they argue with their opinions though it’s wrong in some cases.

After giving it some thought I think it’s very natural that there will always be some generation gap will exist. The older generation tends to speak out of their personal experiences gathered over a period of time while the younger lot will speak of new things and new ways and this tends to disorient their thinking. There should be understanding between the two and also there should be acceptance to some extent between the both generations. The youngsters should think that what elders are saying, and accept the information if its right and also elders should not think that they are always right, they should also accept some changes that always occur with the passage of time, as nothing is forever in life, it keeps changing and we should have that spirit, that makes life easy and compatible.

I think that what is called a 'generation gap' should not mean that one generation is right while the other is wrong. What really matters here is that though times do change over a period of time, previous ideas and thinking cannot apply to today's set of problems. But, this previous knowledge can be used as a foundation stone to build up newer knowledge data base to solve the current set of problems. Age indeed gives us more knowledge. However, because of the contrast of things right now from how they were back then, I think the older ones 'miss' the things they've had in their yesteryears while the new generation now can't appreciate how things were before because they haven't actually lived it.

In the end, I think generation gap only exists if a person stops learning and absorbing in new ideas and insists on sticking to his/her generation in terms of ideas and thinking. This is why there are arguments. Nothing in life is static and life constantly provides new opportunities to learn and adapt out thinking no matter how old we are. One must also remember that the brain is like a sponge which is constantly trying to find new data to process and once we stop learning we tend to stagnate and stop growing mentally. Once this happens differences will start cropping up leading to tensions between different groups of people. I think one solution to lessen the generation gap would be to talk out the problem areas with the elders and if possible have them interact more with the outside world. This might change their thinking once they adapt to newer ideas.

 

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