BE PATIENT

This is a true story which happened in the States. A man came out of his home to admire his new truck. To his puzzlement, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint of the truck. The man ran to his son, knocked him away, hammered the little boy's hands into pulp as punishment. When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital.

Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate the fingers from both the boy's hands. When the boy woke up from the surgery & saw his bandaged stubs, he innocently said, "Daddy, I'm sorry about your truck." Then he asked, "but when are my fingers going to grow back?" The father went home & committed suicide.

Think about this story the next time someone steps on your feet or u wish to take revenge. Think first before u lose your patience with someone u love. Trucks can be repaired.. Broken bones & hurt feelings often can't. Too often we fail to recognize the difference between the person and the performance. We forget that forgiveness is greater than revenge.

People make mistakes. We are allowed to make mistakes. But the actions we take while in a rage will haunt us forever.

"Good Life starts only when you stop wanting a better One"
---The End---

PERSONAL PERCEPTION

Different people have different perception. One man's meat could be another man's poison. A couple bought a donkey from the market. On the way home, a boy commented, "Very stupid. Why neither of them rides on the donkey? "Upon hearing that, the husband let the wife ride on the donkey. He walked besides them. Later, an old man saw it and commented, "The husband is the head of family. How can the wife ride on the donkey while the husband is on foot?" Hearing this, the wife quickly got down and let the husband ride on the donkey.

Further on the way home, they met an old Lady. She commented, "How can the man ride on the donkey but let the wife walk. He is no gentleman."
The husband thus quickly asked the wife to join him on the donkey. Then, they met a young man. He commented, "Poor donkey, how can you hold up the weight of two persons. They are cruel to you." Hearing that, the husband and wife immediately climbed down from the donkey and carried it on their shoulders.

It seems to be the only choice left. Later, on a narrow bridge, the donkey was frightened and struggled. They lost their balance and fell into the river. You can never have everyone praise you, nor will everyone condemn you. Never in the past, not at present, and never will be in the future.

Thus, do not be too bothered by others words if our conscience is clear..

RIGHT SPEECH

There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "A speech will either prosper or ruin a nation." Many relationships break off because of wrong speech. When a couple is too close with each other, we always forget mutual respect and courtesy. We may say anything without considering if it would hurt the other party.

A friend and her millionaire husband visited their construction site. A worker who wore a helmet saw her and shouted, "Hi, Emily! Remember me? We used to date in the secondary school." On the way home, her millionaire husband teased her, "Luckily you married me. Otherwise you will be the wife of a construction worker." She answered," You should appreciate that you married me. Other wise, he will be the millionaire and not you."

Frequently exchanging these remarks plants the seed for a bad relationship. It's like a broken egg - cannot be reversed.

NO OVERPOWERING

Many relationships fail because one party tries to overpower another, or demands too much. People in love tend to think that love will conquer all and their spouses will change the bad habits after marriage. Actually, this is not the case. There is a Chinese saying which carries the meaning that "It is easier to reshape a mountain or a river than a person's character."

It is not easy to change. Thus, having high expectation on changing the spouse character will cause disappointment and unpleasantness.

It would be less painful to change ourselves and lower our expectations..

CREATING PERFECT RELATIONSHIPS?

A person visited the government matchmaker for marriage, SDU, and requested "I am looking for a spouse. Please help me to find a suitable one." The SDU officer said, "Your requirements, please." "Oh, good looking, polite, humorous, sporty, knowledgeable, good in singing and dancing. Willing to accompany me the whole day at home during my leisure hour, if I don't go out. Telling me interesting stories when I need companion for conversation and be silent when I want to rest." The officer listened carefully and replied, "I understand you need television." (I like this one a lot)

There is a saying that a perfect match can only be found between a blind wife and a deaf husband, because the blind wife cannot see the faults of the husband and the deaf husband cannot hear the nagging of the wife. Many couples are blind and deaf at the courting stage and dream of perpetual perfect relationship. Unfortunately, when the excitement of love wears off, they wake up a nd discover that marriage is not a bed of roses. The nightmare begins.

NO POINTING FINGERS

A man asked his father-in-law, "Many people praised you for a successful marriage. Could you please share with me your secret?"

Today i got a forward, which occupied my mail box without my will.. but once i read that, i decided that it should certainly be one of the posts in my blog... It was a long mail and thought that reading such a lengthy mail in a single post, would be little difficult.. Actually, there are few short-stories, really short, which illustrates.. ok.. no more explanations.. read these posts.. it speaks for itself...

TRUST

TRUST is a very important factor for all relationships. When trust is broken, it is the end of the relationship. Lack of trust leads to suspicion, suspicion generates anger, anger causes enmity and enmity may result in separation.

A telephone operator told me that one day she received a phone call. She answered, "Public Utilities Board." There was silence. She repeated, "PUB." There was still no answer. When she was going to cut off the line, she heard a lady's voice, "Oh, so this is PUB. Sorry, I got the number from my Husband's pocket but I do not know whose number it is."

Without mutual trust, just imagine what will happen to the couple if the telephone operator answered with just "hello" instead of "PUB".

Saint Nicholas Day

Early in the Advent season celebrate a feast that has been popular for centuries in Christian countries, especially in Northern Europe. In our over-commercialized society, this holiday gives us a good "teaching moment" to remind children that Jolly Santa Claus, is, in fact, Saint Nicholas, a fourth century bishop of the city of Myra in what is now Turkey.

Saint Nicholas was renowned for his great kindness and his generous aid to those in distress. Among the kind and miraculous acts attributed to him are saving three young girls from prostitution by secretly providing them with dowries, raising three murdered boys from the dead, and saving sailors caught in stormy seas. For these reasons, he is considered the patron saint of children, unmarried girls, and sailors, among others.

Traditional celebrations of Saint Nicholas Day in Northern Europe included gifts left in children's shoes (the origin of our American Christmas stockings). Good children receive treats - candies, cookies, apples and nuts, while naughty children receive switches or lumps of coal. Sometimes coins were left in the shoes, reminiscent of the the life-saving doweries the saint provided. Today - especially in families of German extraction - children still put a shoe outside their bedroom doors on the eve of Saint Nicholas Day, and expect to find candy and coins or small gifts in their shoe on December 6th.

In some households the father of the family may dress up as Saint Nicholas on the eve of his feast. He comes in, sometimes with his sidekick, Krampus or Black Peter, and helps each child examine his conscience. He admonishes the bad and rewards the good. If your family enjoys theatrics, this is a wonderful opportunity early in Advent to inspire children to amend their ways in preparation for the coming King. (Your family might get together with other families with young children and celebrate together.)

Who's St. Nicholas...

Nicholas, meaning "the victorious hero", was the son of a wealthy family, in a port town called Patara in Turkey. Nicholas spent a very happy childhood in this well-to-do environment. However, his parents died unexpectedly when he was quite young. He inherited the entire family fortune. After wondering for a while what to do with all this money he decided to help the poor people around him. Sharing his wealth with the people who were in need not only made him content, but made all those people happy. He even sold his house and lived in a smaller one.

The people of Myra were so poor that parents were not even able to take care of their children. Children were left on their own in the streets. Adults who didn't have a job were begging all day long for a piece of bread. The sick, old and lonely people were leading a desperate life in the streets. Father Christmas, who was aware of all this misery, founded an orphanage for the children, a kitchen for the poor, a hospital for the sick and a nursing home for the old.

Where St. Nicholas is prominent, his day, not Christmas, is the primary gift giving day. Parties may be held on the eve, December 5th, and shoes or stockings left for St. Nicholas to fill during the night. Children will find treats of small gifts, fruit or nuts, and special Nicholas candies and cookies. St. Nicholas gifts are meant to be shared, not hoarded for oneself.

Friendship, brotherhood, love, peace, tolerance and benevolence are symbolized by Father Christmas. We should love and help each other and share without discriminating on the basis of religion, race, and language.

Thanks to...
http://www.wf-f.org/st.nicholas.html
http://www.saintnicholasturkey.com
and of-course , gOOgle...

This is one of my favorite songs in recent times.. The Lyrics and the Music are at its extreme... even though it doesn't belong to a movie, the way its pictured overtakes movie songs...

You can watch the video here.. (bear with me for the not-so-good quality of the video)..

read these beautiful lines which i read and enjoyed in one of my friend's scrapbook...

To realize The value of ten years:
Ask a newly Divorced couple.

To realize The value of four years:
Ask a graduate.

To realize The value of one year:
Ask a student who Has failed a final exam.

To realize The value of nine months:
Ask a mother who gave birth to a still born.

To realize The value of one month:
Ask a mother who has given birth to A premature baby.

To realize The value of one week:
Ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize The value of one hour:
Ask the lovers who are waiting to Meet.

To realize The value of one minute:
Ask a person Who has missed the train, bus or plane.

To realize The value of one-second:
Ask a person Who has survived an accident...

To realize The value of one millisecond:
Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics

Time waits for no one.

Treasure every moment you have.
You will treasure it even more, when you can share it with someone special.

According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. During 2007 some 2.5 million people became newly infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35.

Around 95% of people with HIV/AIDS live in developing nations. But HIV today is a threat to men, women and children on all continents around the world.
Started on 1st December 1988, World AIDS Day is not just about raising money, but also about increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.

The Theme for World AIDS Day 2007

World AIDS Day was originally organised by UNAIDS, who chose the theme after consultation with other organisations. In 2005 UNAIDS handed over responsibility for World AIDS Day to an independent organisation known as The World AIDS Campaign (WAC).

The WAC’s slogan for their work is "Stop AIDS: Keep the Promise". This is an appeal to governments, policy makers and regional health authorities to ensure that they meet the many targets that have been set in the fight against HIV and AIDS, and especially the promise of universal access to HIV treatment, care, support and prevention services by 2010. This campaign will run until 2010, with a related theme chosen for World AIDS Day each year.

The 2007 theme, “leadership”, highlights the need for innovation, vision and perseverance in the face of the AIDS challenge. The campaign calls on all sectors of society such as families, communities and civil society organisations - rather than just governments - to take the initiative and provide leadership on AIDS.

Previous World AIDS Day themes

World AIDS Day themes over the years have included:

* 2007 - Stop AIDS; Keep the Promise - Leadership
* 2006 - Stop AIDS; Keep the Promise - Accountability
* 2005 - Stop AIDS; Keep the Promise
* 2004 - Women, Girls, HIV and AIDS
* 2003 - Stigma & Discrimination
* 2002 - Stigma & Discrimination
* 2001 - I care. Do you?
* 2000 - AIDS : Men make a difference
* 1999 - Listen, Learn, Live: World AIDS Campaign with Children & Young People
* 1998 - Force for Change: World AIDS Campaign With Young People
* 1997 - Children Living in a World with AIDS
* 1996 - One World, One Hope
* 1995 - Shared Rights, Shared Responsibilities
* 1994 - AIDS & the Family
* 1993 - Act
* 1992 - Community Commitment
* 1991 - Sharing the Challenge
* 1990 - Women & AIDS
* 1989 - Youth
* 1988 - Communication


The AIDS red ribbon

The red ribbon is an international symbol of AIDS awareness that is worn by people all year round and particularly around World AIDS Day to demonstrate care and concern about HIV and AIDS, and to remind others of the need for their support and commitment.

The red ribbon started as a "grass roots" effort; as a result there is no one official AIDS ribbon manufacturer, and many people make their own. It's easily done - just use some ordinary red ribbon and a safety pin!


What can I do to support World AIDS Day?

There are many ways in which you can support World AIDS Day. For example:

* Raise awareness of HIV and AIDS in your area
* Wear a red ribbon and ask others to do the same
* Sign up as a supporter of the Stop AIDS in Children campaign
* Protect yourself and your partners - this is the first and best way to stop the spread of HIV
* If you are worried - get tested

At school or work, you can support World AIDS Day by:

* Having a dressing up, down or fancy dress day
* Putting up some posters - get people talking
* Making and selling red ribbons
* Organising a creative writing/poster campaign
* Setting up a debate or a quiz - there are lots of ideas for topics on our site
* Cooking an international meal or having a cake sale
* Arranging a sponsored three-legged race or balloon release
* Getting your friends, family, colleagues or pupils to express their feelings and expand their knowledge about AIDS
* Using your imagination!

Thanksgiving Day Tradition

Stoner reserves his 2007 MOTOGP Championship Title...



INDIA WINS TWENTY20 WORLD CUP......

Karun Chandhok has taken his first GP2 Series win in today's race at Spa-Francorchamps.. First Indian to Win GP2... I heard Indian National Anthem in an Grand Prix for the First Time...



Yuvraj Singh 6 sixes in Twenty20 T20 India v England...

My first travel in Honda City... Thanks to my team-mate Rao...


Visit to My team mate Nagaraja's House... Chikku - His cute little Kid ...



McLaren’s performance at Monza left Ferrari stunned....



Chak De INDIA ... My first show @ GOLD Class PVR Cinemas...



By Team-mate Arpee's Son - Arya's First B'Day Celebrations...



The WMSC has stripped Vodafone McLaren Mercedes of all constructors points in the 2007 FIA Formula One World Championshiop an the team can score no point for the remainder of the season...

Following are the pictures which, i think, highlights last week important happenings and which i felt as interesting ones...

Un-forgettable Wonderful Trip to Wayanad with my FrenZ - Abirami, Chandrasekar n Sandhya...



Henin Wins Second US Title By Stomping Kuznetsova...



Fabulous Federer Wins Fourth Straight Crown...

• If anything can go wrong, it will
• If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong
• If anything just cannot go wrong, it will anyway
• If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which something can go wrong, and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop
• Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse
• If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something
• Matter will be damaged in direct proportion to its value
• Research supports a specific theory depending on the amount of funds dedicated to it.
• In nature, nothing is ever right. Therefore, if everything is going right ... something is wrong.
• It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious.
• Rule of Accuracy: When working toward the solution of a problem, it always helps if you know the answer.
• Everything takes longer than it takes.
• Whenever you set out to do something, something else must be done first.
• Every solution breeds new problems.
• The legibility of a copy is inversely proportional to its importance.
• You cannot successfully determine beforehand which side of the bread to butter.
• The chance of the buttered side of the bread falling face down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.
• A falling object will always land where it can do the most damage.
• A shatterproof object will always fall on the only surface hard enough to crack or break it.
• A valuable dropped item will always fall into an inaccessible place
• If your looking for more than one thing, you'll find the most important one last.
• After you bought a replacement for something you've lost and searched for everywhere, you'll find the original.
• No matter how long or how hard you shop for an item, after you've bought it, it will be on sale somewhere cheaper.
• In order to get a loan, you must first prove you don't need it.
• When a broken appliance is demonstrated for the repairman, it will work perfectly.
• Anything good in life is either illegal, immoral or fattening.
• In case of doubt, make it sound convincing.
• Never argue with a fool, people might not know the difference.
• If you want something bad enough, chances are you won't get it.
• Great ideas are never remembered and dumb statements are never forgotten.
• You will find an easy way to do it, after you've finished doing it.
• You will always find something in the last place you look.
  

This is probably a very short post... But you'll agree that its really a valuable one...

I don't know whether you are aware of this... Even if you are aware of this, let me recall it here.


I think you know that Barath is working for Infosys at chennai. It has been an year for him there. And recognizing his efforts in his work, he was awarded as the "Best Rookie" of the year. And here's the photo of him receiving the award.
As you can see in the background of the image, he's team player, reliable ( I don't know the reason behind mentioning this) , committed and hardworking ... I heard that he'll work almost 24/7... even on sundays ... really great...

And the next bubble in the picture says, he had made new initiatives... great barath... continue your winning streak....

And friends, please join me in congratulating him for his achievement...

I used to read forwards.. but not all would go to the "Forwards" folder, which is just like a trash ( which we delete when the mail box gets overloaded)... some good forwards do manage to get a place in my blog... Here's such a kind of forward which i read yesterday...

The Art of Letting Go : By Dr. Alan Zimmerman's

Sooner or later, everyone we know will disappoint us in some way. They'll say something or fail to say something that will hurt us. And they'll do something or fail to do something that will anger us. It's inevitable.
Unfortunately, we make things worse when we stew over someone's words and deeds. When we dwell on a rude remark or an insensitive action made by another person, we're headed for deeper problems.
In fact, the more we dwell on these things, the more bitter we'll get.
We’ll find our joy, peace and happiness slipping away. And we'll find our productivity slowing down as we spend more and more time thinking about the slight or telling others about it. Eventually, if we don't stop doing it, we'll even get sick.
So what should we do the next time someone betrays us? TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR FEELINGS. Even though the other person may be at fault, even though the other person wronged us, we are still responsible for our own feelings.
In other words, other people do not "cause" our feelings. We choose them.
For example, two different people could be told that their suggestions made at the staff meeting were "stupid and idiotic." One person may "choose" to feel so hurt that he never speaks up at any other meeting again. The other person may "choose" to feel sorry for the critic, sorry that the critic couldn't see the wisdom and necessity of her suggestions.
As long as we blame other people for our feelings, as long as we believe other people caused our feelings, we're stuck. We’re a helpless victim.
But if we recognize the fact that we choose our feelings and we are responsible for our feelings, there's hope. we can take some time to think about our feelings. And we can decide what is the best thing to say or do.
Then, we've got to learn to WALK AWAY FROM DISAPPOINTMENT. It's difficult to do, but it's possible. The famous 19th century Scottish historian, Thomas Carlyle, proved that.
After working on his multi-volume set of books on "The French Revolution" for six years, Carlyle completed the manuscript and took volume one to his friend John Stuart Mill. He asked Mill to read it.
Five days later, Mill's maid accidentally threw the manuscript into the fire. In agony, Mill went to Carlyle's house to tell him that his work had been destroyed.
Carlyle did not flinch. With a smile, he said, "That's all right, Mill.
These things happen. It is a part of life. I will start over. I can remember most of it, I am sure. Don't worry. It's all here in my mind. Go, my friend! Do not feel bad."
As Mill left, Carlyle watched him from the window. Carlyle turned to his wife and said, "I did not want him to see how crushed I am by this misfortune." And with a heavy sigh, he added, "Well the manuscript is gone, so I had better start writing again."
Carlyle finally completed the work, which ranks as one of the great classics of all time. He had learned to walk away from his disappointment.
After all, what could Carlyle have done about his burnt manuscript?
Nothing. Nothing would have resurrected the manuscript. All Carlyle could do was to get bitter or get started. And what can we do about anything once it is over? Not much. we can try to correct it if it is possible, or we can walk away from it if it isn't. Those are your only two choices.
Sometimes we've just got to shake it off and step up.
Finally, we need to FORGIVE. It's difficult, especially when the other person doesn't deserve your forgiveness or doesn't even seek it. It's difficult when the other person is clearly in the wrong. But when the other person is really guilty about what he is done its worth forgiving because he dared to accept his mistakes.
Part of the difficulty comes from a common misunderstanding of forgiveness.
Forgiveness doesn't mean that the other person's behavior is okay. And forgiveness doesn't mean that the other person is off the hook. He's still responsible for his misbehavior.
Forgiveness is about letting yourself off the emotional hook. It's about releasing your negative emotions, attitudes, and behaviors. It's about letting go of the past so you can go forward to the future.
Everyone in your life, everyone on and off the job is going to disappoint you. If you know how to respond to those situations, you'll be way ahead of most people. You'll be able to live above and beyond your circumstances.
Action:
Identify two people who has disappointed, hurt, or angered you.
If possible, select two people towards whom you still have some bitterness.
Then ask yourself, "How does my bitterness serve me?
Am I happier holding on to it? Do I sleep better? Is my life richer, fuller, and better because of my bitterness?"
If you find that your bitterness is hurting you, make a decision.
Actually decide to let it go.
Walk away from the disappointment -- which means you no longer dwell on it or talk about it.

And finally, i would like to thank my friend Reshma for this wonderful forward.

It has been a long time since i had posted a blog here. So just to break the "Silence Period", here's one little forward which i came across today.

"Auto! Auto!" Ranjeev was calling out at a passing by autorickshaw.

It was a Saturday evening. His roommates had been home for a long weekend. Yeah, Monday and Tuesday were declared holidays owing to a local festival. Ranjeev is working as a Software Engineer for a multinational company for the past 4 years.

"Tidel Park. How much?"
"Forty Five rupees, sir"
"Forty"
"Okay, sir"

In five minutes, they were at Teynampet signal caught up in a traffic jam.

"This signal always like this sir!. "Your cell phone ringing, sir".
Ranjeev was unaware as the ring tone was set to a low .


"Hello Amit!" ... "Long time man. Where are you?" ... "Oh man! I read the reivews. They say the movie is good. Got some work at office?" ...
"No, nothing serious. But have to go and do it today" ... "Sorry, I wont be able to join you guys for the movie today. Another time, okay?" ....
"Aish Kar. Chal, bye!"
"You work for computer company?" asked the autowalah.

"Yes! How do you know that?"

"Neatly dressing, smart, having cellphone, going to Tidel Park. I am running auto for 15 years sir. I know people by seeing only."

Ranjeev is dulled at people outlining software engineers the way they do. "It is never easy as said. It is not the apparent money and ostensible looks that make up a software engineer," he thought. "There is more to it * project, deadlines, quality, pressure, bonus, stress, onsite, and the list is long."

"Computer companies are good sir, giving job to youth. You all work very hard. I drop people from Tidel Park at midnight."

Ranjeev was maintaining his silence.

"Now people work like you very early. When I was youth I have many friends. We see many films. Ten, fifteen film one month. Saturday, Sunday we play cricket in Marina beach. Bet match sir for 50 rupees, 100 rupees. We win, then we will go to film or drink. I am big fan of Rajni. I see all films upto Baba. Now I see Dhanush films also. He acting very good. That time was really enjoying sir. You dont like film-a sir?"

"No, I like watching movies. I am planning to go to 'Phir Milenge' tomorrow"

"Where running sir?"

"Sathyam"

"You go alone? No friends? Friends are important sir. No enjoyment without friends sir."

"My friends are going now. I have some work to finish today. So I am going tomorrow."

"Work will be there everytime sir. Youth will go sir. If you dont mistake, I say something sir?"

Though looking uninterested, he had an urge to let him go. He nodded his head, "Mmm."

"You have more money but no time to spend money. You work more and get more money. Then time is very, very less to spend money. Then why do you need money sir? See sir, it is enough if you earn as much as you can spend. My father tell it to me. I follow it sir."

Ranjeev was deep in thought rewinding through his senior school days with Amit. Amit was his chum in class. They had been reading together from class VII. The last movie they saw together was 'Hum Aapke Hain Kaun' during their final year at school. Both being Salman aficionados, they watched almost all of his movies together. Now that they both work at Chennai, they call up rarely and chitchat for sometime.

The auto came to a stop. "Tidel Park, sir" "If I talk something wrong, sorry sir."

"Thats okay. Can you take me to Sathyam theatre? Fifty rupees?"

"Okay sir. Going to film sir?"

"Yes. With my friends."

Calling Amit..Connecting.."Hello Ranji!"

"Hey Amit! I am joining you guys for the movie. Can you guys get a ticket for me? I am on my way to Sathyam."

"Good that you called me. I bought a ticket for you too before I called you up. Now I was trying to sell it out."

"Thanks man! Keep it for me."

"Come soon. See you!"

Don't give a slap to your personal life working on Weekends when they are yours.

Thanks to Reshma for sending this forward, to her friend who sent this to her, to her friend's friend who sent this to him/her, to her friend's friend's friend who sent this to him/her.................

Why should we earn when we don't get the time to spend it the way that we enjoy the most!!!!!!