A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning, while they are eating breakfast, the young wife sees her neighbor hang the wash outside.

"That laundry is not very clean," she said to her husband. "The neighbor doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor hung her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the young woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on her neighbor's line and said to her husband, "Look! She has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this?"

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows!"

Can you see how it might be a good idea to check first, to see if your windows are clean? What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the windows through which we look.

Before we give any criticism, it might be a good idea to check our state of mind and ask ourselves if we are ready to see the good rather than just look for something wrong in the people we encounter."

As you can already sense that I am experimenting with an all new blog-theme and it is in halfway. Mostly by this weekend I will finalize and update the theme. I liked this theme as it is cool, professional and pleasant color combination. Well, all the credit goes to its developer and thanks to him for sharing it.

By this weekend I will have a nice-cool blog with Three-column structure. Yahoooo..

Is your glass half-empty or half-full? How you answer this age-old question may reflect your outlook on life and whether you're optimistic or pessimistic.
In fact, studies show that these personality traits —optimism and pessimism — can affect how well you live and even how long you live.
Need an attitude adjustment? Find out how to reduce your stress by halting negative thoughts and practicing positive self-talk.

Be positive: Live longer, live healthier

Self-talk is the endless stream of thoughts that run through your head every day. These automatic thoughts can be positive or negative. If the thoughts that run through your head are mostly negative, your outlook on life is likely pessimistic. If your thoughts are mostly positive, you're likely an optimist.
Some of your self-talk comes from logic and reason. Other self-talk may arise from misconceptions that you create because of lack of information.

Researchers continue to explore the effects of optimism on health. The health benefits optimism may provide are:

• Decreased stress
• Greater resistance to catching the common cold
• A sense of well-being and improved health
• Reduced risk of coronary artery disease
• Breathing easier if you have chronic obstructive lung disease, such as emphysema
• Improved coping ability for women with high-risk pregnancies
• Living longer
• Better coping skills

It's unclear why optimists experience these health benefits. But one theory is that having a positive outlook enables you to cope better with stressful situations, which reduces the effects of stress on your body.

How to put a Positive spin on Negative thoughts
Remember, any conversation with near-n-dear would only be a temporary relief unless you do a self-talk. Talking with them will ignite the rational thoughts in you and would definitely a good input to Self-talk — the inner monologue sometimes referred to as automatic thinking — can be positive or negative. When the theme of your self-talk is mostly negative, your own misconceptions, lack of information and distorted ideas have overpowered your capacity for logic and reason. But if you weed out misconceptions and irrational thinking and challenge them with rational, positive thoughts, your self-talk will gradually become realistic and self-affirming.

Some common forms of irrational thinking are:

Filtering. You magnify the negative aspects of a situation and filter out all of the positive ones. For example, you had a great day at work. You completed your tasks ahead of time and were complimented for doing a speedy and thorough job. But you forgot one minor step. That evening, you focus only on your oversight and forget about the compliments you received.

Personalizing. When something bad occurs, you automatically blame yourself. For example, you hear that an evening out with friends is canceled and you assume that the change in plans is because no one wanted to be around you.

Catastrophizing. You automatically anticipate the worst. You refuse to go out with friends for fear that you'll make a fool of yourself. Or one change in your daily routine leads you to think the day will be a disaster.

Polarizing. You see things only as either good or bad, or black and white. There is no middle ground. You feel that you have to be perfect or you're a total failure.
You can learn to turn negative thoughts into positive ones. The process is simple, but it takes time and practice.

Throughout the day, stop and evaluate what you're thinking. If you find that your thoughts are negative, try to find a way to put a positive spin on them.
Start by following one simple rule: Don't say anything to yourself that you wouldn't say to anyone else.

Examples of typical negative self-talk and how you might apply a positive twist include:

Negative self-talk	Positive spin
I've never done it before.	It's an opportunity to learn something new.
It's too complicated.	Let's look at it from a different angle.
I don't have the resources.	Necessity is the mother of invention.
There's not enough time.	Let's re-evaluate some priorities.
There's no way it will work.	I can try to make it work.
I don't have the expertise.	I'll find people who can help me.
It's good enough.	There's always room for improvement.
It's too radical a change.	Let's take a chance.
No one bothers to communicate with me.	I'll see if I can open the channels of communication.
I'm not going to get any better at this.	I'll give it one more try.
I'm never going to learn how to manage my stress.	I'm going to try to learn how to manage my stress.

Practice makes perfect

If you tend to have a negative outlook, don't expect to become an optimist overnight. But eventually your self-talk will automatically contain less self-criticism and more self-acceptance.
Practicing positive self-talk will improve your outlook. When your state of mind is generally optimistic, you're able to handle everyday stress in a realistic and constructive way. That ability may contribute to the widely observed health benefits of being an optimist.

A man once visited a temple under construction, where he saw a sculptor making an idol of God. Suddenly he noticed a similar idol lying nearby. Surprised, he asked the sculptor, "Do you need two statues of the same idol?" "No," said the sculptor without looking up, "We need only one, but the first one got damaged at the last stage." The gentleman examined the idol and found no apparent damage. "Where is the damage?" he asked. "There is a scratch on the nose of the idol." said the sculptor, still busy with his work. "Where are you going to install the idol?" The sculptor replied that it would be installed on a pillar twenty feet high. "If the idol is that far, who is going to know that there is a scratch on the nose?" the gentleman asked.

The sculptor stopped his work, looked up at the gentleman, smiled and said, "I will know it."

The desire to excel is exclusive of the fact whether someone else appreciates it or not. "Excellence" is a drive from inside, not outside.

Excellence is not for someone else to notice but for your own satisfaction.

"HI I see that the house next door has now become an office. It has a nice name too. Silent World."
"Silent World, indeed. It's a misnomer."
"A what?"
"M..i..s..n..o..m..e..r. The first syllable sounds like the word "miss", while the second sounds like the word 'no'.""The final 'e' is like the 'a' in 'china', I suppose? But what does the word mean?"
"It means that something has been given the wrong name or designation."
"A wrong word has been used to describe something. Is that what you are saying?"
"I guess you could say that. For example, Silent World is a misnomer for the office next door. It should be called 'Noisy World'. It is anything silent."
"Calling Agarkar an 'all rounder' is a misnomer."
"That's a pretty good example. But the stress in 'misnomer' is on the second syllable. Here's another example. 'First class restaurant' is a misnomer for the run down place we have down the street. And do you know..."
"...what's the matter with you today? Why do you look so grumpy?"
"Haven't you told me a million times that I always look grumpy?"
"Not this grumpy. Something go wrong with the presentation you made yesterday?"
"You're smarter than you look. But yes, the presentation went down like a lead balloon."
"Went down like a lead balloon, eh? Is that another way of saying that your presentation flopped?"
"That's right. When you say that something went down like a lead balloon, it means that it was a total disaster. It failed to be funny."
"You tried to make a funny presentation? That was a big mistake. You have no sense of humour. Everyone knows that. Your jokes always go down like a lead balloon."
"They do not. Nobody has ever told me that my...."
".... remember the play you wrote a couple of years ago. You thought it was really funny. But nobody else did. It went down like a lead balloon."
"Well if you keep insulting me like that, you will go down like a ton of bricks."
"Sorry. I didn't mean to insult you. But you ...."
"...Oh never mind. I guess it's about time I forgot all about the presentation."
"Your presentations are usually good. At least that's what you claim. What went wrong this time?"
"I just didn't have time to prepare. I'd spread myself too thin, and...."
".... spread yourself too thin? You certainly don't look it. If you ask me, you have put on weight."
"Spreading oneself too thin has nothing to do with putting on or losing weight. When you say that you have spread yourself too thin, what you are implying is that you are doing too many things at the same time."
"I see. And if you are doing too many things at the same time, then it isn't possible for you to focus on anything in particular."
"Exactly!"
"Many of the students in my class have spread themselves too thin."
"Bala is teaching five courses this semester. I am afraid that he has spread himself too thin."
"I make it a point never to spread myself too thin."
"You are a completely different case. You make it a point to work as little as possible. Now then,...."
"...o.k. Grumpy, did you ask the people what they thought of your presentation?"
"I did try to sound out a couple of people, but they weren't very...."
".... `sound out people'. That's an interesting expression."
"When you sound someone out, you...."
"....I think I can guess the meaning. When you sound someone out, you probably try and find out what he/she thinks about something."
"Excellent. That's exactly what it means."
"Suresh was keen on knowing what Suparna thought of his new movie. He wanted me to sound her out."
"That's a good example. My boss is planning to bring about big changes in our company. He wants me to sound everyone out."
"...this presentation that you were making was for some private company, right?"
"That's right."
"Are you going to get paid for it?"
"Get paid for it? You must be joking. The poor owner is running it on a shoestring budget."
"A shoestring budget? What does that mean?"
"When you run something on a shoestring it means that you running it at a very low cost. You are running it on a small or inadequate budget."
"I see. And does this...."
"....let me give you another example. The ...."
"....let me try. My cousin started a restaurant on a shoestring budget."
"My uncle's company was able to produce high quality material on a shoestring budget."
"That's great! What's the company called?"
"Shoestring!"

Source: The Hindu

I know, this title has been used several times around the blogosphere. However, I like the title so much that I think I'd write my own version.

There are certainly more facets that make an effective blogger, but as the title implies, this post lists only the top 7 habits. The purpose of this article is not to discredit other habits though.

For instance, playing around with various new web applications may sound like a waste of time. It is also not obviously related to blogging. However, if you consider that it increases your familiarity with the web, it can be extremely useful for bloggers too.

Being able to learn and work quickly through various computer related tasks is a skill every effective blogger should have. I know you'd agree on this one.

So, without further ado, here is my version of the top 7 habits of highly effective bloggers:

1. Optimize your blog for SEO
Thanks to the blog platform, this usually is a one-time process. You put various tags in your blog theme and activate it from your dashboard. Of course, you still need to research keyword for individual post and use it appropriately in the title and content, but the skeleton is also in the blog theme.

2. Balance quality and quantity
Your regular audience expects that you update your blog frequently. That means quantity is an important factor to keep and grow your readership. However, with all the noise out there both on the blogosphere and the Web, you really need to post quality -- as in useful and unique -- content to stand out.

Promotion becomes easier if you have great content to work with.

3. Convey personality and be transparent
The essence of every blog is the personality and transparency of the blogger. People are more likely to trust you if you are an individual than a big corporate name.

Conveying personality is not easy though because of the way we are used to be trained to write and communicate. It is a skill worth learning though.

4. Interact with your audience passionately
Nowadays, you should have one or more ways to interact with your target audience. If you choose to enable blog comments feature, you should spend some time getting involved with them.

Ask them to contribute and answer their questions. You need to show that you are reading what they have to say.

5. Engage with other bloggers
This is somewhat related to blog content promotion, but personally I never see it from this perspective. Networking with other bloggers makes blogging a much more rewarding activity.

You can never predict what is going to happen out of it, but that is a bonus. If you approach a blogger too aggressively to promote your content, only a few bloggers will respond, not to mention that you diminish the fun purpose of networking.

6. Promote your content
Nowadays, quality content can only do so much. It is true, once people find great content, they may start telling others about it, perhaps through social media and other means, but still you have to promote it to make it visible to your audience.

Content promotion becomes necessary as the Web grows, because good content can be buried deep in the corner of the Web.

7. Monitor the blogosphere
As blogging is not only about broadcasting your thoughts, monitoring the blogosphere is necessary to respond to on-going conversations about you, your product or your brand. At the minimum, set up Google Alerts and use Technorati or other services to monitor the buzz around the blogosphere for particular keywords.

If you think there is a more important habit than those I've listed above, what is it? Share your list!

Well if you are wondering what is this then, you need to read this..

"HOW WAS your trip to Madras? Was your sister happy to see you?''

"I don't know if she was happy to see me or not. But she was definitely happy to note that my water bottle was full."

"Your water bottle! What was so great about...''

"...there's an acute water shortage in Chennai. Things are really bad. If you were to walk into a stranger's house with a couple of bottles of water, he would welcome you with open arms!"

"It's that bad, eh? It's nice to know that your sister was happy to see your water bottle at least. Did you inform that you were planning to take up a job in Bombay?""No, I didn't. Besides, I haven't really decided whether..."

"...you should have informed that you were...."

"....informed her."

"What?"

"You should have informed her. You cannot say 'You should inform' or 'She informed'. You don't merely 'inform', you 'inform someone' of something. You have to let the listener know who that someone is. Here is an example. I informed Bala that there would be a meeting tomorrow."

"Would it be wrong to say 'I informed that there would be a meeting tomorrow'?"

"Yes, it would."

"I see. Then how about this example? The Principal informed some of the students that there would be no school tomorrow."

"Wishful thinking on your part. But the example is fine. The Manager informed Madhuri that he was taking the rest of the day off."

"The teacher informed me that I had done fairly well in the test. How does that sound?"

"Sounds great! I must say that you cotton on fast."

"I `cotton on' fast. What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why don't you try and guess the meaning?"

"Well, let me see. I gave you an example and then you said that it was right. And then....Does cotton on mean that I understand things quickly?"

"Well done. When you `cotton on' to something, you begin to understand it or realise it."

"Is it an expression that is used often?"

"It is an expression used by native speakers of English in informal contexts."

"I see. How about this example then? At long last Harish cottoned on to the fact that Chitra wasn't interested in him at all."

"That's a pretty good example. Most of the students cottoned on to what the teacher was trying to say."

"That never happens in my case. Especially when it comes to Physics. Whenever my Physics teacher says something, it takes me at least half an hour to cotton on to what it is she is saying."

"That's because you don't cotton to physics like some of your other classmates."

"Cotton to? You mean cotton on to, don't you?"

"No, I mean `cotton to'. Here is an example. Jaya doesn't cotton to Karunanidhi."

"That example makes everything clear. Everyone knows that the two can't stand each other. So does `cotton to' mean to like someone."

"Very good. When you `cotton to' someone or something, you like the person or thing. Here's another example."

"Wait, wait! Let me come up with one. At the meeting the Manager came up with an excellent idea. Unfortunately, the Chairman didn't cotton to the idea."

"The heroine of the film didn't cotton to all the attention that the new hero was getting."

"It's not at all surprising that Namratha and Krishna didn't cotton to each other."

"That's a pretty good example. Now then, how about..."

"....by the way, how is your friend Namratha doing? Last I heard she was trying to find a job. Has she found one?"

"Didn't I tell you about Namratha? She won the lottery about six months ago. And since then she has been in tall cotton."

"Not cotton again."

"You don't cotton to expressions with the word cotton, do you? Anyway, any idea what 'in tall cotton' means?"

"Not a clue."

"When you say that someone is in `tall cotton' it means that he or she has life made. The person is fairly successful and has absolutely no problems with money."

"I wish I were living in tall cotton."

"Who doesn't? The two Ministers were in tall cotton till the CBI figured out what it was that they were doing."

"Can I say the two Ministers were in tall cotton till the CBI cottoned on to what they were doing?"

"You certainly can."

"How about this example? Twenty years from now I hope to be in tall cotton."

"Sounds good to me. By the way, the expression 'in tall cotton' is considered to be slang. So it should be used only in informal contexts."

"I'll try and remember that!"

"Hey, where are you off to?"

"Nagu's brother is leaving for Chennai tomorrow. Apparently he and his mother in law just don't get along."

"So how are you going to solve their problem?"

"Simple. I am going to ask him to carry about ten bottles of water."

"You have just given me an idea. I think you and I can become rich by selling water to our relatives in Chennai!"

"We'll be in tall cotton then."

Source: The Hindu.

For those who like to drink cold water, this article is applicable to you. It is nice to have a cup of cold drink after a meal. However, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you have just consumed. It will slow down the digestion. Once this "sludge" reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.
A serious note about heart attacks - You should know that not every heart attack symptom is going to be the left arm hurting. Be aware of intense pain in the jaw line.
You may never have the first chest pain during the course of a heart attack. Nausea and intense sweating are also common symptoms. 60% of people who have a heart attack while they are asleep do not wake up. Pain in the jaw can wake you from a sound sleep. Let's be careful and be aware. The more we know the better chance we could survive.

Dear Friends,

It is from the experience of a friend, forwarded to me, that I thought to put this naturopathy for diabetics here in my blog.

If you are diabetic or not, please try, as it will do only good for your health, because it includes water therapy and no harmful contents.



Please note that another name for Lady Finger ( Bhindi ) is " OKRA ".
-----------------------
In one of TV program he learnt of a treatment of Sugar (Diabetes). Since he is diabetic, he tried it and it was very useful and his Sugar is in control now. In fact he have already reduced his medicine.

Take two fresh pieces of Lady Finger / Okra (Bhindi) and remove/cut both ends of each piece. Also put a small cut in the middle and put these two pieces in glass of water. Cover the glass and keep it at room temperature during night. Early morning, before breakfast simply remove two pieces of lady finger (bhindi) from the glass and drink that water in empty stomach.
Keep doing it on daily basis.

Within two weeks, you will see remarkable results in reduction of your SUGAR.
His sister has got rid of her diabetes. She was on Insulin for a few years, but after taking the lady fingers every morning for a few months, she has stopped Insulin but continues to take the lady fingers every day.

But she chops the lady fingers into fine pieces in the night, adds the water and drinks it all up the next morning.

Please try it as it will not do you any harm even if it does not do much good to you, but U have to keep taking it for a few months before U see results, as most cases might be chronic.

Since I saw their themes in iGoogle, I was long waiting for this cooool feature in Gmail. At last the much awaiting day has come. If you are using the "New version" of the Gmail then you could have already noticed the change. For those who are sticked with "Older version" of the Gmail, quickly change to "New version" of the Gmail and experience the all New Coool Theme environment of the Gmail.

I got excited to see new themes, other than the iGoogle themes :-).

Ok If you are wondering/ looking for a small help on how to change to "New version" of the gmail, here are instructions. When you log into your gmail, on the Top-Right corner you can see a small menu like the below.



Just Click on the "Newer Version". That's it. You can feel the New look of the Gmail. Still wondering how to choose the theme of your choice? Well here are the steps.

Click on "Settings" in the Newer version. You can find a New Tab "Themes" in the settings page. Select one that looks coool to you.



(click on the picture to get a clear view of the themes). I Like the "Desk" Theme. Its looks really cool on my Office Desk :-)

And as expected some of the special themes would change according to the time of the Day (as in iGoogle). So, Don't forget to update your location name at the bottom of the "Theme's" Tab.

Now Enjoy the Gmail with all new custom look :-)

WHAT IS the meaning of ``sting operation''?
A sting operation is a well-planned scheme used by law enforcement agencies to entrap a criminal. It usually involves a lot of undercover work. Often the term is reduced to ``sting''. Here are a few examples.
It was a well-planned sting operation.
The sting, as expected, went off without a hitch.
The sting required a lot of manpower.
The word ``sting'' has another meaning as well. It is often used in informal contexts to mean ``to cheat or overcharge someone''. (Remember the Robert Redford and Paul Newman movie called ``The Sting''?) Here are a few examples.
The fruit vendor tried to sting me.
The supermarket next to my house makes it a point to sting its customers.
The mechanic tried to sting me, but I put him in his place.

What is the meaning and origin of the expression ``to hit the sack''?
This is an informal expression meaning to `go to bed'.
Here are a few examples.
Ranjani hit the sack early last night.
It's been a long day. I am ready to hit the sack.
Although it was well past their bedtime, the children weren't ready to hit the sack.
The expression became popular during World War II when American soldiers began referring to the sleeping bag/blanket that they were carrying as ``sack''. Later, the word ``sack'' began to be used for anything that one could sleep on - a bed, a table, a bench, etc. The earlier expression that was commonly used was ``to hit the hay''.

Does the word ``history sheeter'' exist?
The words `history sheeter' and `rowdy sheeter' are often used in India to refer to a person who has a long criminal record - someone who has been arrested several times. The word however does not find a place in dictionaries. There is a word however - `rap sheet'. A `rap sheet' is a term used by native speakers of English, to refer to someone's criminal record. In this case, the reference is to the sheet itself and not the individual.
Some of our politicians have a rap sheet that is a mile long.
Her rap sheet is pretty impressive. She'll be our next Chief Minister!
The lawyers asked if there was a rap sheet on their client.

What is the meaning of ``We fear the president may be buying a lemon here''.
Have you ever bought a second hand car? Sometimes the person selling the car tricks us into buying something absolutely worthless. When you have been tricked into buying something worthless you have been sold a lemon. When you say that something is a lemon it implies that it is useless because it fails to work properly. So in the sentence that you have given, you are afraid that the president is buying something that is absolutely useless. (Isn't that what most presidents do?). Here are a few more examples.
Promod has a car which is real lemon.
I wouldn't borrow Madhavan's VCR. It's a lemon.
Rajeev bought a radio last month. It's turned out to be a real lemon.
By the way, ``worthless'' is the meaning of the word `lemon' in American English. In British English, it's people who are referred to as a lemon. The word is used in informal contexts to mean a silly person.
I felt such a lemon when I tripped over the carpet.
Many of the students think that the Dean is a bit of a lemon.
Usha has no intentions of meeting that lemon Ganpat.

Source: The Hindu

There are many ways to eat a masala dosa .What ever the way one eats; there is a very good reason for doing that. It shows some traits of the person that is you...



Case 1: People who open the masala dosa and eat it: These are the people who are very open about their life.. Everyone one the persons friends would know all about him/her. I have generally seen guys do this rather than girls. Some people think that it is a gross way of eating but in truth, these people are just portraying who they are and how their life is.

Case 2: People who start from both end and approach the masala later: These are the people who like to wait for the exiting things to come to their life. Sadly when the times comes, they are not too interested or just do not know how to enjoy it to the fullest. These are the folks who just want life as either dry or exiting. They just do not know how to phase their life and enjoy it no matter what. There are two types of people within this group

Case 2.1: People who do not finish all the masala: These folks just do not care as much for the fun times as they are already brought down by the harsh reality of life. The dry periods in their life has left them with so much scars that they do not want to be really happy when the time is right. They just take only as much as they needed and end their life. A very sorry state indeed.

Case 2.2: People who finish all the masala with the little dosa they have: These are the folks who just are the extremes. They just go all out in life. No matter it is dark or bright. They may not enjoy life to the fullest but they sure make sure that they get every single good and bad thing out of life. Sometimes these folks are really hard to get along with. They are either your best friends or your worst enemies. They do not have a middle path at all.

Case 3: People who start from the middle and proceed to both ends: These are the people who like to get right to what they think is their best part of life. Usually these guys finish of the good portions in a hurry and get stuck with nothing but worst parts of their life. The thing to note among these people is that the tendency to burn out very early in their life. Like the above case, there are two kinds of people in this group too.

Case 3.1: People who do not finish the dosa: These folks are really the saddest of people. They are the ones who tend to end their life as soon as it hits the bad patch. For them, they only need and want the best things in life and nothing more. Typically, they are not prepared or tuned to life as a whole. They just want to enjoy from first till last. Sadly, no one in the world can live without even an ounce of sadness in life. Not even the richest of the richest. But to self destruct at the mere sign of distress is very bad. That is what these guys tend to do. Some learn to live life but most of them do not..

Case 3.2: People who do finish the dosa: These folks are the typical human beings. We all enjoy the greatest of times in life and push the sad parts thinking about the great times in life. Typically the plate is clean and nothing is left for fate or in life. Happiness and sadness are part of life and these guys know that and are kind of prepared for it. Life is not always happy but there are moments of happiness here and there.

Case 4: People who eat the dosa making sure that the masala lasts for the whole dosa: These people are very rare. These are the people who like to attain balance in their life. It is hard to displease these people and it is hard to make them really happy. They like their balance and are very protective of it. Sadly these are the people who tend to be lonely as anyone else may upset the balance of their system. Perfectionist to the core and are very careful. These guys do not make the best company but are needed in any group to make the group from going hay wire.

Case 5: People who do not share and eat the dosa as if it is precious: These folks are very protective about their life. They do not want anyone to come and interfere in their life. They like to hide their true nature and intentions for their benefit. Beware of such people as they are in every group for their own need and nothing else.

Case 6: People who offer their first bite to others: These guys are overly friendly. They do anything to be part of a group and make everyone feel like the group is important than the individuals. They are the glue that holds any group together. They are very friendly and bring the best of all the others in the group. They go out of their way to help other friends. Most groups should have a person like this and they are the ones who plan the group outings and other group activities. Once this person is out of the group, typically the group slowly falls apart.

Case 7: People who take one or two bites and then offer the dosa to others: These guys care about friends and friendship but they take their time to get into the group. They take their time in making friends and they typically are very committed once into the friendship. These guys like to always be in the side lines and typically do not jump into anything in life. They always take their time to analyze the situation and then make a decision. These guys take the better safe than sorry approach.

Case 8: People who wait for others to make the offer first: Typical people I must say. They are unsure about everything. Even if they wanted to offer, they will wait till the other person offers the food first. If the other person is silent, so are these people. They are the followers. They do terrific idea, they will pitch it to someone else and get their advice before proceeding. Sadly, most of the elderly world like these types of people.

Case 9: People who offer dosa only when they cannot finish it on their own: You all may be familiar with these kinds of people. People who are very generous only when all their needs are fulfilled. These folks are selfish but at the same time not misers or greedy. They just want to satisfy themselves before they give it to the world. They typically do not stuff themselves nor do they tend to starve. They are very good people who would give you the best of advices in life. They would make sure that you are not sad following their advice.

Case 10: People who offer the whole dosa and eat from others plates: These folks are other extreme. They know what they want, they get what they want but they cannot enjoy what they want. Instead they tend to settle for other things in life which satisfies the needs but does not satisfy the person completely. These guys are termed as born losers cause even when they have the thing they wanted, they can't stop others from stealing it from them.

So next time you sit with a person eating a masala dosa, look closely and see if he falls into one of the above categories. You may be surprised as how much it reveals about the person

``WEREN'T YOU supposed to come over and have dinner with me yesterday?''

``That's right. But there was a problem. You see...''

``....what was the problem?''

``My cousin rang me up around 6:00 and asked me to come over. You see his landlord's son is returning from the U.S. So the landlord wants my cousin to vacate the flat by the end of the month. My cousin and I were out all evening trying to find a suitable accommodation.''

``Did you find one?''

``No. It's so hard to find an accommodation these days.''

``You cannot say `an accommodation'. In British English the word `accommodation' is an uncountable noun. So you shouldn't use `an' before it.''

``Really? I didn't know that! How about this sentence? There is a shortage of cheap accommodation in our city.''

``Sounds pretty good. Some of the delegates wanted to know if we could take care of their accommodation.''

``The university refused to provide the teachers free accommodation.''

``Why should the university provide free accommodation?''

``Good question. Many teachers....''

``...by the way, this cousin of yours. What does he do?''

``He's an academician.''

``He's an academician? Which academy does he belong to?''

``Academy? What are you talking about?''

``Well you said that he was an academician. Which academy does he...''

``...he doesn't belong to any academy. What I meant to say was that he is a teacher. He teaches at the university.''

``A teacher, eh? In that case, the word you are looking for is `academic'.''

``What is the difference between an 'academic' and `academician'?''

``Well, strictly speaking, an `academic' is a person who teaches or does research at the university.''

``I see. How about this example? When I grow up I certainly don't want to be an academic.''

``The example is OK. But the word `academic' has the stress on the third syllable `de'.''

``But a lot of people I know....''

``...tend to put the stress on the second syllable. But the stress is on the third. The `a' in the first syllable is like the `a' in `cat', `bat', and `sat', while the `a' in the second syllable is pronounced like the `a' in `China'. And ....''

``....I think I can guess the rest. The `e' probably sounds like the `e' in `set', `pet', and `get'. The final `i' must be like the `i' in 'sit', `bit', and `hit'.''

``Exactly! Radhakrishnan was an academic before he became the President of India.''

``Everyone knows that. That's why we celebrate Teacher's Day.''

``Exactly!''

``My cousin is the only person in the family who wanted to be an academic. Now tell me, what is the meaning of the word `academician'?''

``First of all, the word has the stress on the fourth syllable `mi'. Usually when you refer to someone as being an `academician', it implies that he/she is a member of an academy or a society....''

``...any type of academy?''

``An academician is usually a member of an academy that is concerned with the arts or sciences. The Royal Academy of Arts, for instance, or the Russian Academy of Sciences.''

``I think I understand the difference now. A professor is an academic. And when that professor becomes a member of an academy which is devoted to either the sciences or the arts, then he becomes an `academician'. Am I right?''

``Absolutely! There is a tendency these days, however, to use the words `academician' and `academic' synonymously. Some people object to it. Most dictionaries have only one definition for the word `academician' - member of a society or academy.''

``I think I understand the difference now.''

``This cousin of yours. What does he teach?''

``Computer Science. And you know something, he is quite a popular teacher.''

``Did he show you the new computer lab?''

``He took me to the lab last week. He has a free access to it, you know.''

``Free access and not `a free access'.''

``What?''

``He has free access to the lab. You cannot say `a free access'.''

``I see. I would like to have access to the building next door. Say after 10:00 in the night!''

``That's a bank! No one is going to grant you access to it at 10:00 in the evening!''

``That's true!''

``But they may be willing to provide free accommodation! Your cousin....''

``....the academic in my family doesn't need accommodation. Today he received a letter from the university saying that he has been allotted one of their quarters.''
``All's well that ends well!''

Source: 'The Hindu'

One great good news for all google lovers and chat lovers. Google introduced the VOICE-n-VIDEO chat over the gmail. First When I saw it, I thought its in GTALK but later I was freaking to know that its in the GMAIL :) Wow.. Its really really the cool thing I like from google. Ofcourse, I am great fan of google. For more details on this check the video below which is from google.



and for more details check their link here.

HowStuffWorks.com offers an article titled 26 Home Remedies for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome that provides a list of things you can do to prevent and treat hand problems.

For most people, the key to beating carpal tunnel syndrome is prevention: making changes before CTS becomes a problem. If you’re already experiencing some minor tingling, numbness, and burning associated with CTS, you may be able to prevent further damage and promote healing by making a few simple changes in your lifestyle.

Here’s a quick summary of the most important tips:

• Stay in shape - You’re less likely to suffer injury if your body is physically fit
• Pay attention to how you sleep, particularly the position of your hands
• Lose weight - Excess weight can compress the median nerve in the wrist
• Take breaks while you work - When your wrist, hand, or fingers feel fatigued or achy, take a break
• As you work, keep your body and your wrists in a comfortable, neutral position
• Give your dominant hand a break whenever possible; try using your other hand to do some tasks
• Be aware of pressure points as you work
• If you use vibrating tools, take frequent breaks
• Adopting ergonomically-designed tools and workstations to reduce stress on the body
• If you have symptoms of repetitive strain injury, use ice packs to reduce swelling and inflammation, and avoid heating the affected areas, as this causes tissues to swell, further restricting movement
• Beware of improperly-fitted wrist splints
• Over-the-counter medication can reduce pain and inflammation
• Perform regular hand exercises

See the full article for the complete list.

Blog title is probably the most important component of your blog content. It is the first thing that people read, and probably the only thing if they are not interested to peruse further, based on the information the title gives.

Blog titles serve the same purpose as newspaper headlines, although compared to direct marketing headlines, they are relatively more limited in space.

The body content of your blog maybe your best piece, one of which should be the most sought after. It may cater to a big problem your target market has been facing for long. But, of course, unless the headline drives them in, the rest of your words may as well not even exist.

Unless you write for a group of people who know your work very well, chances are they won’t read the blog content unless the headline triggers their curiosity. Moreover, some web feeds syndicate only headlines, so it is obvious how the blog title has to effectively draw the readers in.

Here are four tips to help create a powerful and compelling blog title:

1. Know your readers
Who are you writing this post for? A powerful headline usually highlight either the problem you are trying to solve, the solution you offer or techniques to prevent it. If you know your readers, you will recognize the issues surrounding them and they will feel you are part of them through your communication.

2. Define purpose
Including a purpose in your blog title is important. The benefits are twofold. First, the headline shows a promise about what is coming to the readers. Through the headline you communicate the value of the post so the prospective readers will continue reading.

The second benefit is to keep yourself focus on the outcome. While obviously you can rewrite the headline after finishing the content, you are more likely to fulfill the purpose if you have it written upfront.

3. Impose clarity
“Blog Promotion Tactics”. The blog title is quite clear. Your readers should expect to read about how to promote their blogs. If this topic is a concern to them, they might read further.

Of course, the title is not strong enough and doesn’t have much in it for the readers.

Do I need to promote my blog? What can I get from that?

Although the title doesn’t communicate benefits, still it should get the attention of the readers who realize the value of the topic in question.

4. Include benefits
“… to Get More Traffic and Readers”. Suddenly the title is now better because not only it communicates what the content is about but also what the readers is going to get if they read and do what the blog post suggests.

Other powerful words such as “easy” and “simple” could help increase anticipation, as long as they are honest.

Whenever you are writing a blog title, you should try to keep these points in mind. While these rules are by no means etched in the stone, they are helpful to increase your blog readership.

Just take the time to carefully create a good blog title because at the end of the day, what matters is the number of people who actually read your blog, not the amount of posts collecting dust at the corner of your blog archives.

Courtesy: edited from web

Stamina Exercises:

Walking: Excellent cardiovascular benefits for the advanced age groups. Should be done briskly with swinging of the arms. Comfortable shoes must be worn. May be done morning or evening for 30-60 minutes.

Jogging: Suitable for youngers age group below 50 years. 30 minutes is all that is required and may be done continuously, or jog and walk in between when fatigued. The pace of jogging is equal to that of a brisk walk-run on soft or grassy surface. Wear comfortable clothes and breathe freely.

Swimming: For those who know how to swim, 20 minutes of continuous swimming is sufficient. Alternately swim the length of a pool 10-20 meters, rest at the end for 30 seconds, swim back. 10 such lengths is good. Use any stroke you know. They are all of almost equal cardiovascular and muscular benefit.

Cycling: For any age group. Minimum time 45-60 minutes of continuous controlled fast cycling. Cycling up slopes gives added benefit. Ordinary cycles are good enough and indore stationary exercycles may also be used at low resistance for 45 minutes.

Games: For the fitter younger age group. Get fit first before playing games such as squash, badminton, tennis, handball, basketball, football etc. Warm up before the games. 30-45 minutes of the game is sufficient. Weekend or once a week games must be avoided unless other fitness programes are done on the other days. Play within your capabity.

Strength Exercises:


Mobility Exercises:

More updates to come soon... Please provide your comments to improve this content.

Disclaimer: The content is provided with the intention to help the readers. Please use your own discretion and judgment while using.

1. After inserted USB drive
This screen shot shows the USB drive
which is affected with virus


2. How to Enable Hidden files & folders
• Goto Tools-->Folder options --> click view tab
• Under view tab gotoAdvanced settings Hidden files and folders
• Click radio button “show hidden files and folders”
• Remove check mark “Hide extension for known file types”
• “Hide protected operating system files”
• Click Apply , ok.




3. After Enabled the hidden files you can view the virus in the USB drive



4. What is inside the Autorun.inf?



;2wKsL0qj9D5s91DaJdDkiakaaq22ww
[AutoRun]
;jU3wwLJ34ik9roLjds8ra21SdLsSwiDI2qijKpKKjq0
s03okaSDafSskKDKDrswaLa81l4
open=p83gjy.exe
;wkkLKi8sSdkL24
shell\open\Command=p83gjy.exe
;Ld4faAj21fw2lss0aasasA6pJooskL9
shell\open\Default=1
;dO4ias5k3rHkwscwr
shell\explore\Command=p83gjy.exe
;aL0Hd8rZdaiU4qwaaJr1ojAowini32o321s4
NOTE: Script & exe files may vary

Disclaimer: The content is provided with the intention to help the readers to avoid spreading virus. Please use your own discretion and judgment while using.

DON’T GET PANIC ABOUT THE VIRUS ,Try to avoid
• Virus & worms are easily spread by carrying it on a removable medium
such as ,USB drive , I-Pod, CD, Floppy
• USB drive is otherwise called as “Flash Drive”,”Thumb Drive” ,”Memory
stick” ,”External USB Hard Disk”.
• Even though we have very good Antivirus , New Viruses are one step
Ahead than Antivirus
• We cannot restrict USB Drive , but we can avoid spreading of virus &
worms through USB Drive.
• So we have to be little bit careful while working with USB Drive,some
precautionary steps are follows

• STEP 1:
• Don’t allow the USB Drive to Auto Play after plug in, cancel it.



• STEP 2:
• Go to My computer
• Devices with Removable storage
• Do not Double click the USB Drive
• Note the drive letter assigned to USB Drive as mentioned in the Fig
• Here E:
• STEP 3:
• Go to -->Start --> Run -->Type E:
• Now you can view the Contents of your USB Drive
• Copy the necessary files
• Repeat the Process while using USB Drive
• Now your Laptop is free from viruses & worms.
• It is a time consuming process, but good way to avoid the virus.


Disclaimer: The content is provided with the intention to help the readers to avoid spreading virus. Please use your own discretion and judgment while using.

Speech By Chetan Bhagat :

Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.

I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That meansas we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs. the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?

Imagine the spark to be a lamp's flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.

To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. But it isn't the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr. Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won't be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.

Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature's design. Are you? Goals will help you do that. I must add, don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.

There is no point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don't be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It's ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I've told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.

Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don't go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you. But it's life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that's where you want to be.

Disappointment's cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don't know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty damm lucky by Indian standards. Let's be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don't. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don't get literary praise. It's ok. I don't look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It's ok. Don't let unfairness kill your spark.

Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.

There you go. I've told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, your eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.