I read this article in one of the aol pages. found it soooooo interesting and very much useful for many of us... hence didn't edit/modify/add any word in that article. and presenting it to you... do read completely....

"Your workload is growing, and it feels like there is not enough time in the day. You may be telling yourself a vacation is one luxury you can't afford. But the truth is that you can't afford not to take one.

A vacation allows you the opportunity to recharge your physical and emotional batteries, disconnect from everyday concerns, and return to work rested and refreshed. In fact, in a survey commissioned by Robert Half International, 51 percent of executives said employees are more productive after a vacation than before one.

To ensure your time away from the office is worry free, proper planning is required. Here are some tips:

Time it right. A Robert Half survey shows that executives consider July and August the most favorable months for employees to take a break. That's not simply because these months offer ideal beach weather -- many businesses slow down during this time of the year.

When planning your vacation, remember to take into account any activities that your department will be focused on during that time. For instance, if a big initiative is planned for the summer, you may consider postponing your trip until the fall.

Look to others for assistance. Ask trusted colleagues to handle your projects while you're away. Your supervisor can help you determine who is most qualified for a particular task. Also, provide your customers, boss and co-workers with a list of colleagues who will fill in for you. Include the list in your out-of-office e-mail and voice-mail messages, as well, so people have someone who can help them while you're away.

Consider planning a meeting with those who will be filling in for you to alert them to upcoming tasks and deadlines. Explain relevant processes and procedures and make sure they know where key files are kept.

Let your contacts know. Give colleagues and customers you frequently work with a few weeks' notice before you head off. This will give them enough time to plan for your absence.

If you take part in recurring meetings, make sure to decline them if they fall while you are on vacation. If you've organized a meeting, ask another colleague to lead it or cancel it so attendees know not to show up.

Leverage technology. One thing people dread when returning from vacation is the mountain of e-mail that often awaits them. To avoid sifting through hundreds of messages, take advantage of "rules" that allow you to sort incoming messages. Most e-mail programs offer this function. For example, you may designate daily IT updates to the Deleted Items folder since the content will be irrelevant by the time you return. Or you might set up rules that direct e-mails from certain contacts to the people who will be covering for you so nothing slips through the cracks while you're away.

Conduct a technical review. Before you leave, make sure there is plenty of room in your e-mail inbox so you don't exceed your storage limit while you're out of the office, which might prevent you from sending messages when you return. Also make sure passwords won't expire while you are gone. If you plan to work during your time off, ensure that you can use your laptop or BlackBerry from your vacation destination.

Limit contact with the office. If possible, pull the plug and leave your laptop, pager and files at home. If you have to call the office for a particular reason -- such as a conference call that requires your input -- don't let yourself be dragged into additional tasks. Limit your participation to essential items only.

Last but not least, try not to stretch yourself to the limit right before you head off.
While you may need to occasionally stay late to prepare for your vacation, don't leave everything for the final week, when you'll likely have other last-minute preparations to make. Knowing that everything has been taken care of well in advance will allow you to truly enjoy your time away from the office."

It is quite common for people to take for granted the things that they have, thinking that nothing can take such things away from them. However, experience will tell us that anything in the world can disappear in just a blink of an eye. The same is true for the faculties and senses that we have been blessed with. Our sense of smell, hearing, taste or sight can actually be impaired or lost if we do not take care of them properly.

One of the most taken for granted part of the body is actually the eye. Nowadays, people are more concerned about losing weight, etc. rather than thinking of ways to care for their precious eyes

With so many of us spending lots of time in front of the computer every day it comes to no surprise that research is showing a rise in visual problems. What can one do? here are some tips that can be followed in our daily life without any special instruments or cost...

Positioning is everything

Correct positioning of our computer, keyboard and typing copy is essential. Screen should be positioned about an arm’s length from our eyes and 20 degrees below eye level. Consider foot and wrist rests for added comfort.

While computer use won’t harm your eyes in the long term, experts say, working at a computer can cause eye fatigue and symptoms such as tired, dry, itchy or burning eyes. The screen shouldn’t be inches away (too close) or so far that you cannot see the print, easily.


Lighting can make all the difference

Room lighting should be diffuse, not direct, to reduce glare and reflections from computer screen. Look into an internal or external glare screen and be sure to set your colour, contrast and brightness levels to suit us.

Glare can create eye strain. People can combat glare at work with antireflective coatings on their computer screens as well as antireflective coatings on their glasses.

To help with the strain that artificial lighting can cause on the eyes, its recommended to convert to incandescent light from a regular soft white lightbulb or have lamps on our desks with incandescent light that illuminates the work area evenly.

A little extra help from our glasses

Anti-reflective coatings on the lenses of our glasses can be applied by optometrist to reduce discomfort and to ease reduced vision from bright and/or flickering light sources such as VDTs and fluorescent lights. And don’t forget, doctor of optometry can talk to you about eyeglasses designed specifically for people who use computers a lot.

It is a known fact that looking directly at the sun, lasers or any strong source of light for an extended period of time can make us go blind. However, not many are aware that mere but frequent exposure to sunlight, especially during midday, can cause real damage to the eyes in the long run. That is why, whenever we are driving or walking under the sun, we should always wear sunglasses with good UVA And UVB protection.

We really do not have to buy ultra-expensive sunglasses. Cheap ones that are available in warehouse store counters are already sufficient. But before we buy cheap sunglasses, we have to ensure that it truly protects your eyes from the harmful rays of the sun or other strong light sources.


Palming

Sit straight at workstation and rub our palms against each other till we feel them warm. The warmth of our palms helps soothe and relax tired eyes. Then, lightly cup our eyes with our palms and relax for 60 seconds. Count the seconds in mind. Repeat this exercise two to three times whenever our eyes feel tired, or as often as we want. While palming, we can either rest our elbows on our desk or keep away from the desk and cup our eyes. Both ways are fine.

Eat foods that are rich in vitamins A, C and E

Incorporate Vitamins A, C, and E on a daily basis; eat citrus fruits, green leafy veggies, tomatoes, spinach, poultry and dairy products. Pack a box of chopped carrots, cucumber and fresh fruits and munch in-between meals at the office.

Foods that are rich in Vitamin A, which is a source of eye-building nutrient beta-carotene, include carrots, squash, apricot, deep orange produce, cod liver oil, and green leafy vegetables such as spinach.

Vitamin C-rich foods include citrus fruits, mango, broccoli, strawberries and cauliflower.

Meanwhile, good sources of Vitamin E are eggs, peanuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds.


Splash water on your face

During breaks, splash water on our face while closing your eyes. This has an overall relaxing effect and helps us feel refreshed.


Drink Plenty of Water

Waste products and toxins that are not properly eliminated actually affect our eyes indirectly. If we love our eyes, we ought to make sure that our body is able to effectively get rid of the toxins and waste products we get from the things that we eat and other environmental factors. Drink at least eight to twelve glasses of water everyday for successful waste elimination.

Of course, don’t smoke!

Smoking increases the risk for eye diseases and vision problems, according to research. Smoking damages blood vessels, causing them to constrict and form atherosclerotic plaques — which can deprive the eye tissue of oxygen.

Take time out, 20-20-20 rule

Step I :-
After every 20 minutes of looking into the computer screen, turn our head and try to look at any object placed at least 20 feet away. This changes the focal length of our eyes, a must-do for the tired eyes.

Step II :-
Try and blink our eyes for 20 times in succession, to moisten them.

Step III :-
Time permitting of course, one should walk 20 paces after every 20 minutes of sitting in one particular posture. Helps blood circulation for entire body..It’s all in the blinking

Did you know that on average we blink 12 times per minute? But wait, did you know that when we’re on the computer we only blink 5 times per minute? That can add up to dry eyes. Relieve the discomfort by using artificial tear drops or gels and remember to blink!


Use tea bags

Keep two used tea bags in the refrigerator before we leave for work. Once we are home, place the tea bags on our eyes for a few minutes as we relax. This not only soothes tired eyes, but also reduces puffiness.


perfumes

If our eyes are sensitive, flagrance can make them red,. To diminish this effect without giving up scent, avoid classic spots-like behind your ears--that are too close to our eyes.


medical prescriptions

High blood pressure medicines and antihistamines for allergies can dry our eyes. Rehydrate with drops sans preservatives (they can be irritating) and, if we wear contacts, a moisturizing cleaning solution.


while exercising

When sweat drips into our eyes, so do dirt and oils-and rubbing our eyes with our fingers can start an infection. Instead, dab sweat with a towel and try to wear a sweatband.

After a looooooooong time, i could smell the odor of the rain drops falling on ground.

Its like the two big armies, one from heaven and the other from hell, each having googolplex soldiers on both the sides, colliding in a huge battle... The thunders, being the trumpets, signals and shows the fierceness of the soldiers from Heaven. Even though the primary weapon for the soldiers from Heaven is speed and force, they have a special weapon called 'Lightning' - THE most dangerous weapon... But the soldiers from Hell were not in a aggressive mood. They are in defensive stand. And i think, this is the ONLY battle where the target to reach is Hell. Only few soldiers manage to attain their Goal. But here too, TEAM WORK is the most important tactic to be followed, for success. :) But the beneficiary in this battle is Humans. Until this battle doesn't go beyond the tolerable level, its fine. Otherwise, it'll be the humans who'll be suffering.

ok.. lets come to reality now. since its raining heavily, i thought that the roads will be deserted. just now went out to see the situation out. To my surprise, its total Traffic jam. On looking outside, it appears as if all vehicles are parked in the road, with its engine off. And most of the vehicles were two wheelers...What a city!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I use Firefox 2.0 for all my personal browsing. I'm personally impressed with this browser than the IE or Netscape. so if any extension/Addon for firefox is out, i'll be one among the first few people to try that out. Some two weeks ago, i got to know about this Addon, Piclens, eventhough that was out long time before. The impressions of that addon were really great. To be honest, i was actually stunned to view the Coolest Web photo viewer ever seen.

So, whats that all about??? whats so interesting in that??? whats so amazing in just an AddOn???

This is what Piclens creators has to say about it...

Think beyond the browser
PicLens instantly transforms your browser into a full-screen, 3D experience for viewing images on the web. Photos will come to life via a cinematic presentation that goes well beyond the confines of the traditional browser window. With PicLens, browsing and viewing images on the web will never be the same again.

NEW! Immerse yourself in 3D Style.
Our new interactive "3D Wall" lets you effortlessly drag, click, and zoom your way around a wall of pictures for an extraordinary, full-screen viewing experience. Why mundanely flip through online photo galleries or squint at thumbnails from Google Image Search when you can fly through an immersive, full-screen experience instead?