My Favourite Poems….

Leisure-William Henry Davies

What is life if, full of care,We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughsAnd stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth canEnrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,We have no time to stand and stare.
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William Wordsworth. 1770–1850

The Solitary Reaper


BEHOLD her, single in the field,

Yon solitary Highland Lass!

Reaping and singing by herself;

Stop here, or gently pass!

Alone she cuts and binds the grain,

And sings a melancholy strain;

O listen! for the Vale profound

Is overflowing with the sound.



No Nightingale did ever chaunt

More welcome notes to weary bands

Of travellers in some shady haunt,

Among Arabian sands:

A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard

In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,

Breaking the silence of the seas

Among the farthest Hebrides.



Will no one tell me what she sings?—

Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow

For old, unhappy, far-off things,

And battles long ago:

Or is it some more humble lay,

Familiar matter of to-day?

Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,

That has been, and may be again?



Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang

As if her song could have no ending;

I saw her singing at her work,

And o'er the sickle bending;—

I listen'd, motionless and still;

And, as I mounted up the hill,

The music in my heart I bore,

Long after it was heard no more.


Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

A PSALM OF LIFE
WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN SAID TO THE PSALMIST

TELL me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream ! —
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real ! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal ;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way ;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle !
Be a hero in the strife !
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant !
Let the dead Past bury its dead !
Act,— act in the living Present !
Heart within, and God o'erhead !

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time ;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate ;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

The above poem was first published in the Knickerbocker Magazine in October 1838. It also appeared in Longfellow's first published collection Voices in the Night.

Mutability ( Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822))

The flower that smiles todayTomorrow dies;
All that we wish to stayTempts and then flies.
What is this world's delight?
Lightning that mocks the night,
Brief even as bright.
Virtue, how frail it is!
Friendship how rare!
Love, how it sells poor bliss
For proud despair!
But we, though soon they fall,
Survive their joy, and all
Which ours we call.
Whilst skies are blue and bright,
Whilst flowers are gay,
Whilst eyes that change ere night
Make glad the day;
Whilst yet the calm hours creep,
Dream thou and from thy sleep
Then wake to weep.
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"Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
And miles to go before I sleep
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Richard Cory ( Edwin Arlington Robinson, The Children Of The Night)

Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean favored, and imperially slim.
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,"Good-morning,"
and he glittered when he walked.
And he was rich - yes, richer than a king -
And admirably schooled in every grace;
In fine we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
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Robert Frost (1874–1963). Mountain Interval. 1920.

The Road Not Taken



TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;



Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,



And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.



I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Incidence of coincidence ....................

The incidence of coincidence is so prevalent, that it cannot beconsidered coincidence.

Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.

Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.

The names Lincoln and Kennedy each contain seven letters.

Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.
Both Presidents were shot on a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.
Both were shot in presence of their wives.

The secretary of each President warned them not to go, to the theatre and to Dallas,respectively.

Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln.

Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners.

Both successors were named Johnson.
Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln,was born in 1808.
Lyndon Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy,was born in 1908.

John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.

Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are comprised of fifteen letters.

Lincoln was shot at the theatre named 'Kennedy.'
Kennedy was shot in a car called 'Lincoln.'

Booth ran from the theatre and was caught in a warehouse.
Oswald ran from a warehouse and was caught in a theatre..
Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.

And here's the kicker...
A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland.
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was in Maryland, Monroe.--

An old story with a new climax!!!!!!!!!

A Bihari hat-seller who was passing by a forestdecided to take a nap under one of the trees, so he lefthis whole basket of hatsby the side.
A few hours later, he woke up andrealized that all his hats were gone.
He looked up and to his surprise, thetree was full of monkeys and they had taken all his hats. The Bihari sits down and thinks of how he can get the hats down.
While thinking he started to scratch hishead. The next moment,the monkeys were doing the same. Next, hetook down his own hat, the monkeys did exactly the same. An ideacame to him, he took his hat and threw it on the floor and themonkeys did that too.
So he finally managed to get all his hats back. Fifty years later, his grandson, Laloo,also became a hat-seller and had heard this monkey story from hisgrandfather. One day, just like his grandfather, he passed bythe same forest. It was very hot, and he took a nap under thesame tree and left the hats on the floor. He woke up and realized that all hishats were taken by the monkeys on the tree. He remembered hisgrand father's words started scratching his head and themonkeys followed. He took downhis hat and fanned himself and again themonkeys followed. Now,> > > very convinced of his grandfather's idea, Laloo threw his hat onthe floor but to his surprise, themonkeys still held on to all the hats. Then one monkey climbed downthe tree, grabbed the hat on the floor, gave him a slap and said.......................

....


Guess What????????






















"You think only you have a grandfather?"

A Good Article on Economy - Written by Indian Economist.

Facts or fiction? Very interesting……….

Japanese save a lot. They do not spend much.
Also Japan exports far more than it imports.
Has an annual trade surplus of over $100 billions.
Yet Japanese economy is considered weak, even collapsing.

Americans spend, save little. Also US import more than it exports.
Has an annual trade deficit of over $400
billion. Yet, the American economy is considered
strong and trusted to get stronger.

But where from do Americans get money to spend?

They borrow from Japan, China and even India.
Virtually others save for the US to spend. Global
savings are mostly invested in US; in dollars. India
itself keeps its foreign currency assets of over $50
billions in US securities. China has sunk over $160
billion in US securities. Japan 's stakes in US
securities is in trillions.

Result:

The US has taken over $5 trillion from the world. So,
as the world saves for the US, Americans spend freely.
Today, to keep the US consumption going, that is for
the US economy to work, other countries have to remit
$180 billion every quarter, which is $2 billion a day,
to the US! Otherwise the US economy would go for a
six. So will the global economy.The result will be no
different if US consumers begin consuming less.

A Chinese economist asked a neat question. Who has
invested more, US in China, or China in US? The US has
invested in China less than half of what China has
invested in US. The same is the case with India. We
have invested in US over $50 billion. But the US has
invested less than $20 billion in India.

Why the world is after US?

The secret lies in the American spending, that they
hardly save. In fact they use their credit cards to
spend their future income. That the US spends is what
makes it attractive to export to the US. So US imports
more than what it exports year after year.

The result:

The world is dependent on US consumption for its
growth. By its deepening culture of consumption, the
US has habituated the world to feed on US consumption.
But as the US needs money to finance its consumption,
the world provides the money. It's like a shopkeeper
providing the money to a customer so that the customer
keeps buying from the shop. If the customer will not
buy, the shop won't have business, unless the
shopkeeper funds
him. The US is like the lucky customer. And the world
is like the helpless shopkeeper financier.

Who is America's biggest shopkeeper financier? Japan
of course. Yet it's Japan which is regarded as weak.
Modern economists complain that Japanese do not spend,
so they do not grow. To force the Japanese to spend,
the Japanese government exerted it self, reduced the
savings rates, even charged the savers. Even then the
Japanese did not spend (habits don't change, even with
taxes, do they?). Their traditional postal savings
alone is over$1.2 trillions, about three times the
Indian GDP. Thus, savings, far from being the strength
of Japan, has become its pain.


Hence, what is the lesson?

That is, a nation cannot grow unless the people spend,
not save. Not just spend, but borrow and spend. Dr.
Jagdish Bhagwati, the famous Indian-born economist in
the US, told Manmohan Singh that Indians wastefully
save. Ask them to spend, on imported cars and,
seriously, even on cosmetics! This will put India on a
growth curve. "Saving is sin, and spending is virtue."


Before you follow this neo economics, get some fools
to save so that you can borrow from them and
spend.....???????

Proud to be an INDIAN

Dear Friends, Here is a personal experience, as well as a moment of national pride, which I want to share with you. Hope you find it worth the time you put in reading it : "In the middle of 1965 India-Pakistan war, US govt - then a close friend of Pakistan - threatened India with stopping food-aid (remember "PL-480"?). For a food deficient India this threat was serious and humiliating. So much so that in the middle of war, Prime Minister (Late) Lal Bahadur Shastri went to Ram Leela Grounds in Delhi and appealed to each Indian to observe one-meal-fast every week to answer the American threat. As a school boy, I joined those millions who responded to Shastri ji's call. I continued the fast even when the war was over and India became self sufficient in food. Hurt deep by the national humiliation suffered at the hands of the US govt, I had vowed to stop my weekly fast only when India starts giving aid to USA. It took just 40 years. Last week THE day arrived. When Indian ambassador in Washington DC handed over a cheque of US$ 50 million to the US govt, two plane loads of food, medical aid and other relief materials were waiting to fly to the USA. Time to break the fast? With no bad feeling about the USA, and good wishes for the Katrina victims, this humble Indian feels proud of the distance India has covered in 40 years. Let's celebrate a New India!" - Vijay Kranti.

WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH 57 CENTS

A little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was "too crowded."
"I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.
Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, and she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus
Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings. Her parents called for the kindhearted pastor who had befriended their daughter to handle the final arrangements.
As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled red purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump.
Inside was found 57 cents and a note, scribbled in childish handwriting, which read: "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School."
For two years she had saved for this offering of love
When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion
He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.
But the story does not end there...
A newspaper learned of the story and published It. It was read by a wealthy realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands.
When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered to sell it to the little church for 57 cents.
Church members made large donations Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00--a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid large dividends.
When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300. And be sure to visit Temple University, where thousands of students are educated.
Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of beautiful children, built so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.
In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, "Acres of Diamonds".
This is a true story, which goes to show WHAT GOD CAN DO WITH 57 CENTS.
May today there be peace within. May you trust your highest power that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into our bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing and dance. It is there for each and every one of you

5 minutes for India

YOU say that our government is inefficient. YOU say that our laws are too old. YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage. YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke, the airline is the worst in the world, and mails never reach their destination. YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits. YOU say, say and say. What do YOU do about it? Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a face - YOURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground Links as they are. You pay $5 (approx. Rs.60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU comeback to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity. In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah. YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else." YOU would not dare to speed in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai sala main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost." YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand. Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and confirm to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India. Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay Mr. Tinaikar had a point to make. "Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said". And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet as done the job Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here? He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfeit all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stoop to pick up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms. We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staffs who are known not to pass on the service to the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing room protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse is "It's the whole system, which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry." So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbors, Other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system, we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon. And then look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand. Or we leave the country and run away. Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England. When England periences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money. Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, & calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too.... I am echoing JF Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to Indians..... "ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY

Riddles

Q: What is the last word in the English language? Answer: Language
Q: What is orange and sounds like a parrot? Answer: A carrot
Q: What kind of dog can jump higher then a house? Answer: Any kind. A house can't jump.
Q: Jane’s father has four daughters. East, West and North. Who is the 4th one? Answer: Jane Q: If a rooster laid an egg on a roof, which way would the wind blow it? Answer: The wind wouldn’t blow the eggs anywhere because roosters don’t lay eggs!
Q: A cowboy rode into town on Friday. He stayed two nights in the local hotel and left on Friday. How is that possible? Answer: The cowboy's horse was named Friday.
Q: What goes up when the rain comes down? Answer: An umbrella.
Q: The Millionaire Mystery... A very hard working fellow decided to go into the business of selling bicycle wheels. He bought the wheels from the bicycle wheel factory for $15 a piece and sold them for $10 a piece. Needless to say, he sold a great many bicycle wheels and it wasn't long before he became a Millionaire. How did he do it? Answer: This fellow was a hard worker, okay, but he sure wasn't very smart. He lost money on every wheel he sold. Soon, he lost most of his family fortune selling the wheels. Before he went into the bicycle wheel business, he was a BILLIONARE and LOST so much money he became a MILIIONAIRE!
Q: First think of a person who lives in disguises who deals with secrets and tells nought but lies. Next tell me what’s always last to mend.The middle of middle and the end of end. And finally give me the sound often heard during the search of a hard-to-find word.Now string them together and answer me this which creature would you be unwilling to kissAnswer: A spider!
Q: A lady was in a shop and she shot someone, put them under water, dried them, and in 5 minutes went to have lunch with them. How is that possible? Answer: She took a picture.
Q: In a one story house everything was blue the walls were blue the chairs were blue everything was blue so what colour was the stairs? Answer: There are no stairs in a 1-story house.
Q: What has a head and a tail but no body? Answer: A coin.
Q: If you were driving a bus that dropped 10 people of in Lincoln, 99 at France, 30 at Afghanistan, 80 at Spain, 20 at India and 6 at Asia what would be the driver's name? Answer: Whatever your name is!
Q: 2 in a corner,1 in a room,0 in a house, but 1 in a shelter. What am I?Answer: The letter r!
Q: The word has seven letters, Preceded God, Greater than God More evil than the devil, Poor people have it, Rich people need it, If you eat it you will die. Answer: - NOTHING! Nothing has 7 letters, Nothing preceded God, Nothing is greater than God, Nothing s more evil than the devil, All poor people have nothing, Rich people need nothing, If you eat nothing you will die!
Q: What seven-letter word has hundreds of letters in it? Answer: Mailbox!
Q: If you had a ton of feathers, and a ton of stones which would be the heaviest? Answer: They both weigh a ton so they're the same!
Q: What is black and white and read all over? Answer: A newspaper!

20 gr8 thoughts

Regular naps prevent old age... especially if you takethem while driving. =======================================
Having one child makes you a parent; having two makesyou are a referee. =======================================
Marriage is a relationship in which one person isalways right and the other is the husband! =======================================
They said we should all pay our tax with a smile. Itried - but they wanted cash. =======================================
A child's greatest period of growth is the month afteryou've purchased new school uniforms. =======================================
Don't feel bad. A lot of people have no talent. =======================================
Don't marry the person you want to live with, marrythe one you cannot live without... but whatever you do, you'll regret it later.
=======================================
You can't buy love . . . but you pay heavily for it. =======================================
True friends stab you in the front.
=======================================
Forgiveness is giving up my right to hate you forhurting me. =======================================
Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do notvote. =======================================
Laziness is nothing more than the habit of restingbefore you get tired =======================================
My wife and I always compromise. I admit I'm wrong andshe agrees with me. =======================================
Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job toothers. =======================================
Ladies first. Pretty ladies sooner.
=======================================
It doesn't matter how often a married man changes his job, he still ends up with the same boss. =======================================
They call our language the mother tongue because thefather seldom gets to speak. =======================================
Saving is the best thing. Especially when your parentshave done it for you. =======================================
Wise men talk because they have something to say;fools talk because they have to say something
=======================================
Real friends are the ones who survive transitions between address books
==========================================

Riddle me

March 22, 2005 Pronounced as one letter, And written with three, Two letters there are, And two only in me. I'm double, I'm single, I'm black, blue, and gray, I'm read from both ends, And the same either way. What am I?
Answer: an eye
March 14, 2005 My life can be measured in hours, I serve by being devoured. Thin, I am quick Fat, I am slow Wind is my foe.
Answer: A candle
February 12, 2005 What other letter fits in the following series:B C D E I K O X?
Answer: The letter H. All of the letters in the series flipped vertically remain the same.
January 20, 2005 What is the next letter in the series: "B, C, D, E, G, ..."? And Why?
Answer: The next letter would be P. They all rhyme.
August 23, 2004 Two mothers and two daughters go to a pet store and buy three cats. Each female gets her own cat. How is this possible?
Answer: There is a grandmother, a mother, and a daughter.The grandmother is also the mother's mother, so there are 2 daughters and 2 mothers, but only a total of 3 people.
March 8, 2004 What has wheels and flies, but is not an aircraft?
Answer: A garbage truck
January 27, 2004 What is the best month for a parade?
Answer: March
September 29, 2003 What's white when it’s dirty?
Answer: A blackboard
August 14, 2003 Which is faster, hot or cold?
Answer: Hot’s faster. You can catch a cold.
June 16, 2003 Six glasses are in a row. The first three are full of juice; the second three are empty. By moving only one glass, can you arrange them so empty and full glasses alternate?
Answer: Pour the juice from the second glass into the fifth glass.
May 15, 2003 Two fathers and two sons went duck hunting. Each shot a duck but they shot only three ducks in all. How come?
Answer: The hunters were a man, his son and his grandson.
March 30, 2003 When is your mind like a rumpled bed?
Answer: When it is not made up.
March 16, 2003 What can you put in a wood box that will make it lighter?
Answer: holes
Feb. 20 2003 What is it that everybody does at the same time?
Answer: grow older
Jan. 20 2003 Take away my first letter; take away my second letter; take away all my letters, and I would remain the same. What am I?
Answer: The postman (mailman)
Jan.14 2003 A doctor and a nurse have a baby boy. But the boy's father is not the doctor and the mother is not the nurse. How can it be?
Answer: The doctor is the mother (female doctor) and the nurse is the father (male nurse).
Jan.11 2003 What gets wet when drying?
Answer: A towel
Jan.7 2003 The more you take away, the larger it becomes? What is it?
Answer: A hole
Jan.3 2003 You can keep it only after giving it away to someone else. What is it?
Answer: Your word
Jan.1 2003 What goes up a chimney down, but won't go down a chimney up?
Answer: An umbrella
Dec. 30 What seven letters did Old Mother Hubbard say when she opened her cupboard?
Answer: O I C U R M T
Dec. 29 What is so fragile even saying its name can break it?
Answer: Silence
Dec. 26 How could a cowboy ride into town on Friday, stay two days, and ride out on Friday?
Answer: His horse is named Friday!
Oct. 27 What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?
Answer: The letter M
Oct. 23 The more you take the more you leave behind.
Answer: footsteps
Sept. 25 A word I know, six letters it contains. Subtract just one, and twelve is what remains.
Answer: dozens
Sept. 18 This runs fore to aft on one side of a ship, and aft to fore on the other. What is it?
Answer: The name of the ship
August 25 I am a box that holds keys without locks, yet they can unlock your soul. What am I?
Answer: A Piano
June 16 What turns everything around, but does not move?
Answer: a mirror
June 4 While walking across a bridge I saw a boat full of people. Yet on the boat there wasn't a single person. Why?
Answer: Every one on the boat is married.
May 30 Here on earth it is true, yesterday is always before today; but there is a place where yesterday always follows today. Where?
Answer: In a dictionary
May 26 I am an insect, & the first half of my name reveals another insect. Some famous musicians had a name similar to mine. What am I?
Answer: beetle
May 19 What relation would your father's sister's sister-in-law be to you?
Answer: Your mother.
May 12 There is a seven-letter word in the English language that contains ten words without rearranging any of its letters." What is the word?
Answer: "therein": the,there, he, in, rein, her, here, ere, therein, herein.
May 5 Brothers or sisters have I none, but that mans father is my fathers son. Who is that man?
Answer: I am my fathers son, so that mans father must be me. So that man must be my son.
April 21 What word looks the same upside down and backwards?
Answer: SWIMS
April 11 When can you add two to eleven and get one as the correct answer?
Answer: When you add two hours to eleven o'clock, you get one o'clock.
April 2 How far can a dog run into the woods?
Answer: Halfway through the woods. After halfway the dog would be running out of the woods, not "into the woods."
March 27 Two legs I have, and this will confound: only at rest do they touch the ground! What am I?
Answer: A Wheelbarrow
March 21 It goes up, but at the same time goes down. Up toward the sky, and down toward the ground. It's present tense and past tense too, come for a ride, just me and you. What is it?
Answer: A See-Saw
March 19 Which word from Group B belongs with the words from Group A? A. blast, paper, box, bank B. juice, bag, cradle, carpet
Answer: BAG. All of the words in group A can begin with the word SAND
March 17 I am a path situated between high natural masses. Remove my first letter & you have a path situated between man-made masses. What am I?
Answer: valley (-v = alley)
March 15 What can you hold without ever touching or using your hands?
Answer: your breath
March 14 What 7 letter word becomes longer when the third letter is removed?
Answer: lounger
March 10 Whoever makes it, tells it not. Whoever takes it, knows it not. And whoever knows it wants it not.
Answer: counterfeit money
March 7 You can see nothing else When you look in my face, I will look you in the eye And I will never lie.
Answer: your reflection
March 6 I know a word of letters three. Add two, and fewer there will be.
Answer: few
March 3 What are the next 3 letters in this riddle? o t t f f s s _ _ _
Answer: e n t The first seven letters stand for - one two three four five six seven
Feb. 28 He starts and ends 2 common English words. One painful in love, one painful in everyday matter. Do you know what 2 words I must be?
Answer: Heartache and Headache

Get Radical About Your Career: 13 Ways

Get Radical About Your Career: 13 Ways
By Sally Hogshead, Branding Expert Do you cringe at the idea of a mindless job spent shuffling papers and sneaking out at 4:59 p.m.? Do you want joy and meaning from work? Do you want to kickstart momentum, attack bigger possibilities and get excited about Monday mornings?

If so, you're ready to get radical.

Think back to those times when you performed at your absolute best, when you blew past expectations and quite simply kicked butt. That's when you were "careering." You were taking action to become the most powerful, valuable, fulfilled version of yourself.

Careering isn't about working harder or making more money. It's the profound, and glorious, and terrifying, and absurdly difficult but infinitely rewarding process of transforming your current self into your ultimate self.

Careerists become the most valuable people in any company for a very simple reason: They live according to what's possible, instead of being confined by what is.The reality is, you always have the power to reinvent your career.

Always. But with that power comes a significant responsibility: being accountable for your own success.

Here they are:

Radical Truth No. 1: Welcome to the "Age of Intensity."At the office, our deadlines shorten, budgets shrink and expectations rise. At home, we spin plates and juggle priorities. We cram our lives into Blackberries, iPods and Tivos. Is this stressful? Without question. That's exactly what makes a career worth loving so essential. It's because work demands so much of us that we must demand every bit as much in return.

Radical Truth No. 2: Revolution is the new status quo.Change can make anyone feel anxious. Most people let that anxiety stop them. They opt for safety over brilliance, and security over satisfaction. They cower under desks, hoping to avoid the grenades rolling by. But change is no longer the exception, it's the rule. Time to break out a can of corporate whup-ass.

Radical Truth No. 3: The axle on the gravy train is broken.Once upon a time, professionals traded their skills and time for their employer's money and security. Well, that equation is out the window. And good riddance! No longer are you bound by formulaic promotions or forced to rely upon corporate benevolence. If you're not guaranteed the 4 percent raise, you're also not locked into it. Never before has the individual wielded so much power.

Radical Truth No. 4: The traditional career path went out the window with gold retirement watches.Gone are the red power ties and fat expense accounts. Buh-bye, tall and skinny staffing pyramids. Give our best to Gordon Gekko and the three-martini lunch. In the Age of Intensity, you operate the levers of your success with your intellectual horsepower, attitude, personal brand and everything else you bring to the party. Now. Here. Today.

Radical Truth No. 5: Quality of work. Quality of life. Quality of compensation. Pick one.Is your priority to be a star in your job? Or go home at 5 p.m.? Or have a wheelbarrow full of stock options? Once you prioritize, your job satisfaction depends on finding a company with the same priorities. If you're dedicated to exceptional performance, but your company is only dedicated to short-term profits, you and your company do not share the same goals. You're an artisan in a widget factory.

Radical Truth No. 6: Break out the nunchucks and let the streetfighting begin!Victories are no longer civilized affairs won in a stately boardroom. Today, success is won in the streets with your cunning and instinct. You have to roll up your sleeves. Are you willing to push harder, work faster and think smarter no matter what obstacles arise? Yes? Then get up off the floor, wipe your bloodied chin and get back in the fight.

Radical Truth No. 7: Darwin was wrong.In chaotic times, everyone focuses on survival. But the fittest don't just survive, they flourish. If you can thrive even in the craggiest environments, you won't just overcome difficulty, you'll succeed because of it.

Radical Truth No. 8: Work is hard.It just is. As soon as you accept this, you can stop resisting and start moving forward. The point isn't to make your job easier, but to make it worth the effort.

Radical Truth No. 9: Forget what your business card says. You're an entrepreneur.In a world in which the average job tenure is 3.5 years, you can't allow your company to point you in a direction anymore. (And, really, do you want it to?) It's all up to you. Strap on the cajones and go.

Radical Truth No. 10: Avoid manufacturing buggy whips.The buggy whip trade didn't pay much attention to a careerist named Henry Ford and his horseless carriage -- until they found themselves without a market. Are your ideas at risk of obsolescence?

Radical Truth No. 11: Transform or die. A parable: The world's fattest man weighed 800 pounds. Doctors said he had to lose weight. His life depended on becoming leaner and changing the way he did things. He didn't. He was buried in a piano case. The End.

Radical Truth No. 12: Luck is for wimps.Luck may or not be on your side, but your actions are always within your control. Play like you're not afraid to lose. (And feel free to cross your fingers, too.)

Radical Truth No. 13: Now is the ideal time to turbo-charge your career.How to boost your long-term equity, market value and self-worth? Become a smarter employee by finding an unexploited niche within your category or company. Build a stronger web of people to support you, inside your workplace and out. Attack undiscovered projects to gain prized exposure and knowledge.

Are you ready to get radical? Now's your chance. Start your own radical careering. Take action to become the most powerful, valuable and fulfilled version of yourself.

This article is an excerpt from Sally Hogshead's career handbook, "Radical Careering: 100 Truths to Jumpstart Your Job, Your Career, and Your Life." Ms. Hogshead is a branding expert, helping people and companies tap into their ultimate competitive advantage. Her Web site is www.radicalcareering.com.

The Best Time to Do Everything

When should you: Pay your bills? Pop a vitamin? Do your cardio exercises? Start a diet?—and more!
by Virginia Sole-Smith, Prevention magazine

Whoever said "timing is everything" must have shopped at my grocery store. For months I thought that getting stuck in long checkout lines was my lot in life. Then my schedule changed, thanks to a new job, and I started shopping on Wednesday nights instead of Sunday afternoons, when everyone in town stocks up for the week ahead. Presto—uncrowded aisles, unhurried staff who could help hunt down my favorite brand of peanut butter, and best of all, no one between me and the cash register.
What's true at the grocery store is true in the rest of your life—good timing can mean the difference between getting sick and staying healthy. Consider that a flu shot offers the most protection if you get it in late October or early November, before flu season gets under way, or that a cold sore will heal 18 to 21% faster if you take a dose of antiviral medication as soon as you feel the first tingle. Before you make another health move, check the tips that follow and then consult your watch or calendar. You can't afford not to.
To Sharpen Your Brain
Pay bills or do a crossword between 10 and 11 am or 8 and 9 pm.
"According to our circadian rhythms, that's when we're maximally alert," says Michael Thorpy, M.D., director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center at Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx. Try not to waste a minute—the brain boost lasts only for about an hour.
Take a nap at 2 p.m.
The dip in body temperature that helps ease you into sleep at night also occurs midday, which is why afternoons can be so unproductive. But if you can catch a catnap around 2 p.m. (the slump usually hits between 1 and 3 o'clock), it should boost your alertness for several hours. Ten minutes will do the trick—nod off for more than 20 and you may wake feeling groggy. If a nap is out of the question, eat plenty of protein at lunch, which will give you longer-lasting energy, says Christine Gerbstadt, M.D., R.D., a spokesperson for the National Dietetic Association. Midafternoon is also a good time for "strategic caffeine use," says Brian Foresman, D.O., director of the Sleep Medicine and Circadian Biology Program at Indiana University School of Medicine. "If you don't exceed a cup or two per day, caffeine works phenomenally well at increasing your alertness." This should be your last cup of coffee for the day, though—any caffeine consumed within seven hours of bedtime can disrupt your sleep.
Go on vacation in late February or early March.
And take it outdoors. By March, as many as 50% of people not living in the Sun Belt will already have had a few months of winter-induced mood dips, says Matthew Edlund, M.D., director of the Center for Circadian Medicine in Sarasota, FL, and author of The Body Clock Advantage. March is also the month when the more extreme psychological slump known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, can become overwhelming for the estimated 10 million sufferers in this country. By taking a break somewhere sunny, you can "reverse your emotional course," reports Edlund. Warmth isn't required to garner a mood boost: Hitting the slopes can be as uplifting as heading south. The key is to use the great outdoors—plan an active vacation that maximizes your exposure to daylight.
To Boost Your Energy
Follow a sleep schedule.
Several studies suggest that obeying your alarm clock can help relieve daytime fatigue. And sleep researchers are finding that people who get at least seven hours of sleep a night are much less likely to be obese—and weight gain can act as an energy drain. Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day also keeps your biological clock on schedule. This clock, a cluster of 20,000 neurons in your brain, regulates your body's temperature, hormones, blood pressure and other important functions. Throw it off-kilter and you could be looking at serious health problems: Studies on night-shift workers suggest that people with irregular sleep habits have an increased risk of digestive troubles, emotional and mental problems, heart disease and cancer, says Foresman.
Head to bed at least 3 hours after eating dinner.It ensures more efficient digestion and—because eating too much food before sleeping can cause heartburn—deeper sleep, says Foresman. If you want a cocktail, have it with dinner to give your body plenty of time to metabolize the alcohol. Even if a drink makes you feel sleepy at first, just one nightcap can cause you to wake up more frequently during the night, finds a study from Wake Forest University. Imbibing too late in the evening upsets normal brain patterns, delaying REM (dream) sleep. Later, when REM rebounds, you'll be more likely to have startling, vivid, or violent dreams, which can also disturb sleep, says Joyce A. Walsleben, Ph.D., an associate professor at New York University's Sleep Disorders Center and coauthor of A Woman's Guide to Sleep.

Mangleeshu Kavitha...........

Oru aal marichu...
Marichappol randu prashnam...
Kathikano? Kuzhichidano? Kathichal prashnam illa...
Kuzhichittal randu prashnam...
Avide pullu mulakumo atho pullu mulakillayo?
Pullu mulachillengil prashnam illa Pullu mulachaal randu prashnam
Athu pashu thinumo, thinille? Pashu thinillengil prashnam illa...
Pashu thinnal randu prashnam... Athu paal tharumo, tharille?
Pashu paal thanillengil prashnam illa...
Pashu paal thannal randu prashnam...
Athu kudichal marikumo, marikille?
Marichilengil prashnam illa...
Marichaal randu prashnam..! ..
U KNOW IT NOW..... J
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Reply ..
Mail vaayichu...
Vaayichappol randu prashnam...
ninakku Vattaayo? Arrenkilum vattakkiyathaano?
Vattakkiyathaanenkil prashnam illa... Vattaayenkil randu prashnam...
Oollamparayil kondu pono atho Kuthiravattam mathiyo?
Oolamparayil aanekil prashnam illa... (avide chikithsayilla)
Kuthiravvattom aanenkil randu prashnam
Avide rogiye chikithsikkumo atho rogathe chikithsikkumo?
Rogathe chikithsichaa prashnam illa... Rogiye chikithsichaa randu prashnam...
Vattu koodumo atho vattu maarumo?
Vattu maariya prashnam illa... Vattu maariyillenkil randu prashnam...
Veendum ! ithu pole mail ayakkumo, ayakkille?
Mail ayachaillenkil prasnam illa...Mail ayachaal randu prasnam...
Athu vaayikkano atho vaayikande?
Vaayichillenkil prasnam illa... Vaayichaal randu prashnam....
U KNOW IT NOW..... J

The History of Valentine's Day

The History of Valentine's Day (http://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/valentine/?page=history)

-1-
Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

The History of Valentine's Day

-2-
While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.
The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois.

The History of Valentine's Day

-3-
In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.
According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap".

Arthur Ashe-Success & Failure

Arthur Ashe, the legendary Wimbledon player was dying of CANCER. From world over, he received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: "Why does GOD have to select you for such a bad disease"? To this

Arthur Ashe replied: The world over -- 5 crore children start playing tennis, 50 lakh learn to play tennis, 5 lakh >learn professional tennis, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5000 reach the grand slam, 50 reach Wimbeldon, 4 to semi final, 2 to the finals.

When I was holding a cup I never asked GOD "Why me?" And today in pain I should not be asking GOD "Why me?"
Happiness keeps u Sweet, Trials keep u Strong, and Sorrow keeps u Human, Failure Keeps u Humble, Success keeps u glowing, but only God Keeps u going.

Appreciate every single thing you have,

One day a father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to thecountry with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people live.They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would beconsidered a very poor family. On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was thetrip?" " It was great, Dad." "Did you see how poor people live?" the father asked. "Oh yeah," said the son. "So, tell me, what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We havea pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creekthat has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. Wehave a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyondour sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, butthey grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us,theyhave friends to protect them." The boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks, Dad, for showing me how poor we are." Isn't perspective a wonderful thing? Makes you wonder what would happen ifwe all gave thanks for everything we have,instead of worrying about what we don't have.

Take time to appreciate

A good reminder: take time to appreciate what you have now.
On the last day before Christmas, I hurried to go to the supermarket
to buy the gifts I didn't manage to buy earlier. When I saw all the
people there, I started to complain to myself: 'It is going to take
forever here and I still have so many other places to go...'
Christmas really is getting more and more annoying every year.
How I wish I could just lie down, go to sleep and only wake up
after it was over.
I started to curse the prices, wondering if kids
really play with such expensive toys. While looking in the toy
section, I noticed a small boy of about 5 years old pressing a doll
against his chest. He kept on touching the hair of the doll and
looked so sad. I wondered who this doll was for. Then the little boy
turned to the old woman next to him: 'Granny, are you sure I don't
have enough money?' The old lady replied: 'You know that you
don't have enough money to buy this doll, my dear.' Then she
asked him to stay here for 5 minutes while she went to look around.
She left quickly.
The little boy was still holding the doll in his hand.
Finally, I started to walk towards him and asked who he wanted to
give this doll to. 'It is the doll that my sister loved most and wanted
so much for this Christmas. She was so sure that Santa Claus
would bring it to her.' I replied to him that maybe Santa Claus will
bring it to her, after all, and not to worry. But he replied to me
sadly. 'No, Santa Claus can not bring it to her where she is now. I
have to give the doll to my mother so that she can give it to her
when she goes there.' His eyes were so sad while saying this. 'My
sister has gone to be with God. Daddy say that Mummy will also go
to see God very soon, so I thought that she could bring the doll with
her to give it to my sister'. My heart nearly stopped.
The little boy
looked up at me and said: 'I told daddy to tell mummy not to go yet.
I asked him to wait until I come back from the supermarket' Then
he showed me a very nice photo of him where he was laughing. He
then told me: 'I also want mummy to take this photo with her so
that she will not forget me.' 'I love my mummy and I wish she
doesn't have to leave me but daddy says that she has to go to be with
my little sister' Then he looked again at the doll with sad eyes, very
quietly.
I quickly reached for my wallet and took a few bills and
said to the boy. What if we checked again, just in case if u have
enough money?' 'Ok' he said. 'I hope that I have enough.' I added
some of my money to his without him seeing and we started to
count it. There was enough for the doll, and even some spare
money. The little boy said: 'Thank you God for giving me enough
money' then he looked at me and added: 'I asked yesterday before I
slept for God to make sure I have enough money to buy this doll so
that mummy can give it to my sister. He heard me' 'I also wanted to
have enough money to buy a white rose for my mummy, but I didn't
dare to ask God too much. But He gave me enough to buy the doll
and the white rose.' 'You know, my mummy loves white roses
A few minutes later, the old lady came again and I left with my
trolley. I finished my shopping in a totally different state from when
I started. I couldn't get the little boy out of my mind. Then I
remembered a local newspaper article 2 days ago, which mentioned
of a drunk man in a truck who hit a car where there was one young
lady and a little girl. The little girl died right away, and the mother
was left in a critical state The family had to decide whether to pull
the plug on the life-assisting machine, because the young lady
would not be able to get out of the coma. Was this the family of the
little boy?
Two days after this encounter with the little boy in mind, I read in
the newspaper that the young lady had passed away.I couldn't stop
myself and went to buy a bunch of white roses and I went to the
mortuary where the body of the young woman was exposed for
people to see and make last wish before burial.
She was there, in her
coffin, holding a beautiful white rose in her hand with the photo of
the little boy and the doll placed over her chest. I left the place
crying, feeling that my life had been changed forever. The love that
this little boy had for his mother and his sister is still, to that day,
hard to imagine. And in a fraction of a second, a drunk man had
taken all this away from him.

Absence of GOD?????????

The professor of a university challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?" A student answered bravely, "Yes, he did". The professor then asked, "If God created everything, then he created evil. Since evil exists (as noticed by our own actions), so God is evil." The student couldn't respond to that statement causing the professor to conclude that he had "proved" that "belief in God" was a fairy tale, and therefore worthless. Another student raised his hand and asked the professor, "May I pose a question? " "Of course" answered the professor. The young student stood up and asked : "Professor does Cold exists?" The professor answered, "What kind of question is that?...Of course the cold exists... haven't you ever been cold?" The young student answered, "In fact sir, Cold does not exist. According to the laws of Physics, what we consider cold, in fact is the absence of heat. Anything is able to be studied as long as it transmits energy (heat). Absolute Zero is the total absence of heat, but cold does not exist. What we have done is create a term to describe how we feel if we don't have body heat or we are not hot." "And, does Dark exist?", he continued. The professor answered "Of course". This time the student responded, "Again you're wrong, Sir. Darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in fact simply the absence of light. Light can be studied, darkness can not. Darkness cannot be broken down. A simple ray of light tears the darkness and illuminates the surface where the light beam finishes. Dark is a term that we humans have created to describe what happens when there's lack of light." Finally, the student asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?" The professor replied, "Of course it exists, as I mentioned at the beginning, we see violations, crimes and violence anywhere in the world, and those things are evil." The student responded, " Sir, Evil does not exist. Just as in the previous cases, Evil is a term which man has created to describe the result of the absence of God's presence in the hearts of man. " After this, the professor bowed down his head, and didn't answer back. The young man's name was ALBERT EINSTEIN !!!!!!!!!

A true Friend

A simple friend, when visiting, acts like a guest.
A real friend opens your refrigerator and helps himself.

A simple friend has never seen you cry.
A real friend has shoulders soggy from your tears.

A simple friend doesn't know your lovers' first names.
A real friend has their phone numbers in the address book.

A simple friend brings a bottle of wine to your party.
A real friend comes early to help you cook and stays late to help you clean.

A simple friend hates it when you call after he has gone to bed.
A real friend asks you why you took so long to call.

A simple friend seeks to talk with you about your problems.
A real friend seeks to help you with your problems.

A simple friend thinks the friendship is over when you have an argument.
A real friend calls you after you had a fight.

A simple friend expects you to always be there for them.
A real friend expects to always be there for you!

A simple friend reads this e-mail and deletes it.
A real friend passes it on and sends it back to you!

A nice article from Swami Vivekananda on LOVE........

I once had a friend who grew to be very close to me. Once when we were sitting at the edge of a swimming pool,
she filled the palm of her hand with some water and held it before me, and said this:

“You see this water carefully contained on my hand? It symbolizes Love."

This was how I saw it:

As long as you keep your hand caringly open and allow it to remain there, it will always be there. However, if you
attempt to close your fingers round it and try to posses it, it will spill through the first cracks it find This is the greatest mistake that people do when they meet love...they try to posses it, they demand, they expect... and just like the water spilling out of your hand, love will retrieve from you. For love is meant to be free, you cannot change its nature. If there are people you love,allow them to be free beings. Give and don't expect. Advise, but don't order. Ask, but never demand. It might sound simple, but it is a lesson that may take a lifetime to truly practice. It is the secret to true love.
To truly practice it, you must sincerely feel no expectations from those who you love, and yet an unconditional caring."

Passing thought...

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take; but by the moments that take our breath away.....

Life is beautiful!!!

Keep the faith!! and live life to its fullest.

Random act of kindness_Touching story.

Her name was Mrs. Thompson.As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day ofschool, she told the children a lie.Like most teachers,she looked at her studentsand said that she loved them all the same. But that was impossible,because there in the front row,slumped in his seat,was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn'tplay well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath.And Teddy could be unpleasant.It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight inmarking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting abig "F" at the top of his papers.At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review eachchild's past records and she put Teddy's off until last.However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.Teddy's first grade teacher wrote,"Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh.He does his work neatly and has good manners ...he is a joy to be around."His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he istroubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must bea struggle."His third grade teacher wrote,"His mother's death has been hard on him.He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and hishome life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school.He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents,wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's.His present was clumsily wrappedin the heavy, brown paperthat he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents.Some of the children started to laughwhen she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and abottle that was one quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughterwhen she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbingsome of the perfume on her wrist.Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to."After the children left she cried for at least an hour.On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic.Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy.As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive.The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded.By the end of the year,Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her"teacher's pets."A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her thatshe was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy.He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and shewas still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and wouldsoon graduate from college with the highest of honors.He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacherhe'd ever had in his whole life. Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further.The letter explainedthat she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer the letter was signed, Theodore F.Stoddard, MD.The story doesn't end there.You see, there was yet another letter that spring.Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he waswondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the placethat was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing.And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered hismother wearing on their last Christmas together.They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, Thank you Mrs. Thompsonfor believing in me.Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I couldmake a difference"Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong.You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference.I didn't know how to teach until I met you."If you wish to warm someone's heart today. . . pass this along. I love this story so very much, I cry every time I read it. Just try to make adifference in someone's life today? tomorrow? just "do it".Random acts of kindness, I think they call it!

Joke_Father of the nation

God asked Lal Bahadur Shastri how many children he had during his time on earth. He replied saying he had three! Happy with the relatively good family planning adopted, God gave Shastri a Mercedes! Subhash Chandra Bose is asked the same question. When he replies he had 10 children, God is a bit upset and gives him a cheaper car, the Ford. Jawaharlal is next. He decides to see what happens if he says he had 15 children, God is pretty angry and gives him an inexpensive Maruti. Sometime later the three see Mahatma Gandhi returning on foot. They ask why God hadn't given him anything. Gandhiji replied with anger, "Some idiot told God that I was the FATHER OF THE NATION!"

Nice Slogans

# Sign on a railway station at Patna:
Aana free, jaana free, pakde gaye to khana free.
# Seen on a famous beauty parlor in Bombay:
Don't whistle at the girl going out from here. She may be your grandmother!
# Seen on a bulletin board:
Success is relative
More the success, more the relatives.
# Sign at a barber's saloon in Juhu, Bombay:
we need your heads to run our business.
# A traffic slogan:
Don't let your kids drive if they are not old enough - or else they never will be.....
#THE BEST ONE:
Its God's responsibility to forgive the terrorist organizations It's our responsibility to arrange the meeting between them and god." - Indian Armed Forces

Truth of Going Abroad - An eternal search!!!!!!!!!!

As the dream of most parents I had acquired a degree in Software Engineer and joined a company based in USA, the land of braves and opportunity. When I arrived in the USA, it was as if a dream had come true. Here at last I was in the place where I want to be. I decided I would be staying in this country for about Five years in which time I would have earned enough money to settle down in India. My father was a government employee and after his retirement, the only asset he could acquire was a decent one bedroom flat. I wanted to do some thing more than him. I started feeling homesick and lonely as the time passed. I used to call home and speak to my parents every week using cheap international phone cards. Two years passed, two years of Burgers at McDonald's and pizzas and discos and 2 years watching the foreign exchange rate getting happy whenever the Rupee value went down. &n bsp; Finally I decided to get married. Told my parents that I have only 10 days of holidays and everything must be done within these 10 days. I got my ticket booked in the cheapest flight. Was jubilant and was actually enjoying hopping for gifts for all my friends back home.If I miss anyone then there will be talks. After reaching home I spent home one week going through all the photographs of girls and as the time was getting shorter I was forced to select one candidate. In-laws told me,to my surprise, that I would have to get married in 2- 3 days, as I will not get anymore holidays. After the marriage, itwas time to return to USA, after giving some money to my parents and telling the neighbors to look after them, we returned to USA. My wife enjoyed this country for about two months and then she started feeling lonely. The frequency of calling India increased to twice in a week sometimes 3 times a week. Our savings starte d diminishing. After two more years we started to have kids. Two lovely kids, a boy and a girl,were gifted to us by the almighty. Every time I spoke to my parents, they asked me to come to India so that they can see their grand-children. Every year I decide to go to India. But part work part monetary conditions prevented it. Years went by and visiting India was a distant dream. Then suddenly one day I got a message that my parents were seriously sick. I tried but I couldn't get any holidays and thus could not go to India. The next message I got was my parents had passed away and as there was no one to do the last rights the society members had done whatever they could. I was depressed. My parents had passed away without seeing their grand children. After couple more years passed away, much to my children's dislikeand my wife's joy we returned to India to settle down. I started tolook for a suitable property, but to my dismay my savings were short and the property prices had gone up during all these years. I had to return to the USA. My wife refused to come back with me and my children refused to stay in India. My 2 children and I returned to USA after promising my wife I would be back for good after two years. Time passed by, my daughter decided to get married to an American and my son was happy living in USA. I decided that had enough and wound- up every thing and returned to India. I had just enough money to buy a decent 02 bedroom flat in a well-developed locality. Now I am 60 years old and the only time I go out of the flat is for the routine visit to the nearby temple. My faithful wife has also left me and gone to the holy abode. Sometimes I wondered was it worth all this? My father, even after staying in India, had a house to his name and I too have the same nothing more. I lost my parents and children for just ONE EXTRA BEDROOM. Looking out from the window I see a lot of children dancing. This damned cable TV has spoiled our new generation and these children are losing their values and culture because of it. I get occasional cards from my children asking I am alright. Well at least they remember me. Now perhaps after I die it will be the neighbors again who will be performing my last rights, God Bless them. But the question still remains 'was all this worth it?' I am still searching for an answer................!!!!