Friday 30 December 2011

Happy 2012

May you get a clean bill of health from your dentist, your cardiologist, your gastro-enterologist, your urologist, your proctologist, your podiatrist, your psychiatrist, your plumber and the I.R.S.

May your hair, your teeth, your face-lift, your abs and your stocks not fall; and may your blood pressure, your triglycerides, your cholesterol, your white blood count and your mortgage interest not rise.

May New Year's Eve find you seated around the table, together with your beloved family and cherished friends. May you find the food better, the environment quieter, the cost much cheaper, and the pleasure more fulfilling than anything else you might ordinarily do that night.

May what you see in the mirror delight you, and what others see in you delight them. May someone love you enough to forgive your faults, be blind to your blemishes, and tell the world about your virtues.

May the telemarketers wait to make their sales calls until you finish dinner, may the commercials on TV not be louder than the program you have been watching, and may your check book and your budget balance - and include generous amounts for charity.

May you remember to say "I love you" at least once a day to your spouse, your child, your parent, your siblings; but not to your secretary, your nurse, your masseuse, your hairdresser or your tennis instructor.

And may we live in a world at peace and with the awareness of God's love in every sunset, every flower's unfolding petals, every baby's smile, every lover's kiss, and every wonderful, astonishing, miraculous beat of our heart.

Wishing You the Best in 2012!!!

{“Our happiness depends on the habit of mind we cultivate. So practice happy thinking every day. Cultivate the merry heart, develop the happiness habit, and life will become a continual feast.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale}

Monday 17 October 2011

I Am Nature's Greatest Miracle ~ By Og Mandino

Since the beginning of time never has there been another with my mind, my heart, my eyes, my hands, my hair, my mouth. None that came before, none that live today, and none that comes tomorrow can walk and talk and move and think exactly like me. All men are my brothers yet I am different from each. I am a unique creature. Although, I am of the animal kingdom, animal rewards alone will not satisfy me. Within me burns a flame which has been passed from generations uncounted and its heat is a constant irritation to my spirit to become better than I am, and I will. I will fan this flame of dissatisfaction and proclaim my uniqueness to the world. I am a unique creature of nature. I am rare, and there is value in all rarity; therefore, I am valuable. I am the end-product of thousands of years of evolution; therefore, I am better equipped in both mind and body that all the emperors and wise men who preceded me. But my skills, my mind, my heart, and my body will stagnate, rot, and die lest I put them to good use. I have unlimited potential. Nevermore will I be satisfied with yesterday's accomplishments, nor will I indulge anymore, in self-praise for deed which in reality are too small to even acknowledge. I can accomplish far more than I have, and I will, for why should the miracle which produced me end with my birth? Why can I not extend that miracle to my deeds of today? I am not on this earth by chance. I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy. I have been given eyes to se and a mind to think and now I know a great secret of life for I perceive, at last, that all my problems, discouragements, and heartaches are, in truth, great opportunities in disguise. I will no longer be fooled by the garments they wear for mine eyes are open. I will look beyond the cloth and I will not be deceived. No beast, no plant, no wind, no rock, no lake had the same beginning as I, for I was conceived in love and brought forth with a purpose. And nature knows not defeat. Eventually, she emerges victorious and so will I, and with each victory the next struggle becomes less difficult. I will win for I am unique. I am nature's greatest miracle.

Monday 4 July 2011

Google + a new contender in the social network battle



Google’s venture into the social networking world is exciting – but is it a ‘Facebook Killer’? I’ve just lost few hours to Google’s voyage into the social networking world – or, as all and sundry else in the world is calling it, its “Facebook Killer”. It’s called Google+, and it’s at this time available in the same way as Gmail (and, indeed, Facebook) began: as a limited roll-out to a select few.

Well, it’s maybe not that select now: I nipped in as the first open invites sent out of the Googleplex. With everybody in that wave allowed to send out invitations, the service quickly became overloaded and the gates were shut once more. I can’t visualize that Google won’t be allowing increasing crowds in, however.

So what can I tell you, from this side of Google’s stronghold walls? Well, I’m trying to choke back my geek excitement. I know the tricks that my attention-deficit disordered mind can play on me. My DNA is just a little too close to that of the average Google employee for me to really be able to part their joy at creating a polished new tech product from my joy at taking it apart and playing with all the buttons.

And there are a lot of shiny buttons in Google+. By hook or by crook, in the past few years, the search-engine company has developed a name for a staid, functional aesthetic. That’s surprising, given the bright and breezy, informal tone of Google’s overall voice, and the revolutionary design nature of some of it’s before time non-search products, such as the dynamic Gmail and Google Maps.

But Google+ has put paid to that. The interface is clear, with some nice hidden jokiness, and it has a responsiveness that suddenly makes Facebook look like a creakingly old website.

It is fun to play with, and somewhat addictive. Those are both vital elements if Google is going to be able to drag people away from Facebook, while at the same time requiring them to re-enter and re-categorise all their friends. And reorganising your friends is where Google+ comes into its own.

The service is based on the idea of “circles”. Instead of a nebulous mass of pals, where you end up mostly encouraged to post to everyone, and where it’s hard to control who you hear back from, the first step in setting up a Google+ account is to callously divide your friends into Acquaintances, Family, Friends, and whatever else you want.

The trick is that you can post to just one of those categories, to just one or more people, to the whole word, or to various permutations thereof. At the same time, you can switch between reading the “streams” of these circles, preventing the undivided torrent of news that affects Facebook and Twitter.

If that sounds about as much fun as a tax audit, Google has at least made it as entertaining as possible, with an easy drag-and-drop interface.

Around this core are a few more entertaining mini-applications. By far the most enjoyable is the Hangout, a multiple-person video-chat conference.

There is a well-rounded mobile app for Android (with one in the works for the iPhone and iPad), which has a genuinely useful multi-person messaging tool called Huddle and a tool to automatically upload photos and videos for sharing later.

Is that enough? Well, my suspicion is that Google has planned 100 days or so during which it will include additions to the basic Google+ infrastructure on a regular basis. It’s a great way to steal users from Facebook.

It is clear that Google+ is taking a lot of the cloud computing giant’s creative energy and raw computing power.

The last time Google attempted to pull off something like this, it ended up with Google Buzz, a product saddled with some early privacy missteps.
Google has erred on the side of caution with Google+, but there is still some weirdness. For instance, the service bizarrely requires you to specify your gender (helpfully giving you “Male”, “Female” and “Other”), and then compulsorily shares that with the entire world. I know a lot of women who work hard to keep their gender ambiguous online; and I know plenty of reasons why you wouldn’t want the wrong people to be able to track down all the “Others” in their area.

But these missteps are relatively small, and hopefully will be fixed quickly. In the meantime, I think Google has a hit on its hands – at least among the first adopters, and those who haven’t tied their colours to the Facebook mast.

Is that enough? It used to be. Google’s original search engine spread by word of mouth from techie to techie. Gmail took off because geeks liked it to deal with their heavy e-mail workload, and when everyone else’s spam and inbox grew out of control, they ended up at Gmail too.

But first adopters clearly want an excuse to get out of Facebook and, for them, Google+ is the Pied Piper. Will it tempt the other hundreds of millions who have made their home on Mark Zuckerberg’s servers?

However it plays out, the fight will be entertainment in itself.

Thursday 30 June 2011

Show Up without Showing Off



Woody Allen was wrong.

His famous one-liner was, “80% of life is showing up.”

Wrong. Showing up isn’t enough.

Think about it: How many times have YOU showed up … and sucked?

HERE’S THE REALITY: That you show up isn’t nearly as important as how you show up.

People respond to the sum total of what you present to them. Either positively, negatively, or not at all. It all depends on how you show up.

The problem is, people often shrink from showing UP because they’re terrified of being accused of showing OFF.

This doesn’t have to be the case. You can still show up strongly without showing off annoyingly.

Let’s explore seven strategies for doing so:

1. Stop proving yourself and start expressing yourself. This is a hard and humbling shift to make in your behavior. Took me about five years. And looking back, I now realize there are a few steps that can be taken by anyone to do so:

FIRST: Stop proclaiming and start displaying. Create avenues for others to experience your unique talents.

SECOND: Stop demanding your rights and start deploying your gifts. An attitude of entitlement doesn’t look good on anyone.

THIRD: Stop trying to be somebody. Befriend who you already are. It’s a lot less work.

Ultimately, these practices will enable you to inspire people from the inside, as opposed to advising them from the outside. Remember: The less you have to prove, the less other people will feel threatened around you.

Do this, and you will show up stronger than ever. What does your presence awaken in people?

2. Forego the fear of being found out. If you’re at war with yourself, you will not show up well. And the body count will double every time you walk into a room. Instead, your mission is to preserve an attitude of self-acceptance. To occupy your vulnerability and make friends with all aspects of yourself – even the ones that make you cringe.

That’s what I’ve discovered after 3,278 consecutive days of wearing a nametag: When you relax and assume everything is perfect, you begin to feel rightness and complete appropriateness in who you are. And so do the people you meet.

Do this, and you will show up stronger than ever. Are you AT war with yourself or IN love with yourself?

3. Assemble initiative, not inertia. That means being willing to be heard. That means being twice as proactive in everything you do. And that means being diligent in putting yourself in the success moment, and doing so with deadening regularity.

The enemy of initiative, on the other hand, is being paralyzed by your own mistakes. Being distracted by your own nonsense. And becoming a prisoner of yesterday’s errors. Be careful. Inertia is the slaughterer of success. Only movement counts.

Do this, and you will show up stronger than ever. Are you a cause or an effect?

4. Learn to become a part of every place you enter. In the fantastic book, Honoring, I learned: “Come soft and bright as a sponge to be filled, unresisting; and allow nothing to weigh too much within your soul.”

That’s definition of vulnerability. That’s the epitome of openness. And if you practice this, and you will be welcomed everywhere you go. You will feel at home wherever you go.

Do this, and you will show up stronger than ever. When you walk into a room, how does it change?

5. Learn to become someone when you’re alone. That way, should you find yourself suddenly kicked to the curb (by your job, friends, spouse, partner, whatever), you can still prosper. As long as you listen deeply TO yourself, stay in constant rapport WITH yourself and heed what you hear FROM yourself.

That’s why I love yoga. It’s rock-solid practice trusting your support system of inner resources. Plus, you learn to “take your practice off the mat,” which is the process of transporting what you learned from one discipline into various other life containers.

As Emerson wrote in Self-Reliance, “The great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” And ultimately, becoming someone when you’re alone makes it easier to show up AS someone when you’re not.

Do this, and you will show up stronger than ever. How often do you hold daily appointments with yourself?

6. Build a better you. Mousetraps are overrated. YOU are the only product that ever matters. After all, people buy people first. My suggestion is that you rededicate yourself as an instrument, recenter yourself in your commitment and recreate situations where your gifts can flourish.

That’s how you become the person you most admire. By creating a vision of how you would like yourself to be, “trying on” that vision until it fits like a glove, and then making sure lots of key people are watching you wear it.

Do this, and you will show up stronger than ever. In what area(s) of your life are you most motivated to improve?

7. Don’t just DO differently – BE differently. Here’s how: First, choose to approach the world as one giant banquet. Second, regard every moment as a new, positive opportunity to exercise your choice about how to experience life. And third, live like it’s nobody’s business.

That’s what it takes to BE (not just DO) differently. Sadly, most people aren’t ready for different. They get scared when they meet different. And you have to learn to be OK with that. You have to learn to soar in spite of that. So, remember what my Grandpa says, “Do the best you can with as many as you can.”

Do this, and you will show up stronger than ever. Do you have the courage to be unpopular?

REMEMBER: That you show up is eclipsed by the importance of HOW you show up.

Don’t shrink from doing so for fear of being accused of showing off.

Sculpt yourself into the person you want to present to others.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author, Speaker, Coach, Entrepreneur
scott@hellomynameisscott.com

Thursday 23 June 2011

Few Things We've Learned from the Hollywood Movies


1) During all police investigations, it will be necessary to visit a strip club at least once.

2) All beds have special L-shaped cover sheets which reach up to the armpit level on a woman but only to waist level on the man lying beside her.

3) The ventilation system of any building is the perfect hiding place. No one will ever think of looking for you in there and you can travel to any other part of the building you want without difficulty.

4) When paying for a taxi, don't look at your wallet as you take out a bill - just grab one at random and hand it over. It will always be the exact fare.

5) Kitchens don't have light switches. When entering a kitchen at night, you should open the fridge door and use that light instead.

6) Television news bulletins usually contain a story that affects you personally at that precise moment.

7) A single match will be sufficient to light up a room the size of Wembley Stadium.

8) It is always possible to park directly outside the building you are visiting.

9) A detective can only solve a case once he has been suspended from duty.

10) It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts - your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.

11) Police Departments give their officers personality tests to make sure they are deliberately assigned a partner who is their total opposite.

12) An electric fence powerful enough to kill a large dinosaur will cause no lasting damage to an eight-year-old child.

13) If staying in a haunted house, women should investigate any strange noises in their most revealing underwear.

14) It is not necessary to say hello or goodbye when beginning or ending phone conversations.

15) Should you wish to pass yourself off as a German you need not speak the language. A German accent will do.

16) Even when driving down a perfectly straight road it is necessary to turn the steering wheel vigorously from left to right every few moments.

17) The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window in Paris.

18) You're very likely to survive any battle in any war - unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.

19) A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince in agony when a woman tries to clean his wounds.

20) If being chased through town, you can usually take cover in a passing St. Patrick's Day parade- at any time of the year.

21) All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French bread.

22) It's easy for anyone to land a plane, providing there is someone in the control tower to talk you down.



23) Once applied, lipstick will never rub off - even while scuba diving.

24) Mothers routinely cook eggs, bacon and waffles for their family every morning, even though the husband and children never have time to eat them.

25) Cars and trucks that crash will almost always burst into flames.

26) If a killer is lurking in your house, it's easy to find him. Just relax and run a bath - even if it's the middle of the afternoon.

27) Wearing a singlet or stripping to the waist can make a man invulnerable to bullets.

28) Medieval peasants had perfect teeth.

29) All single women have a cat.

30) Any person waking from a nightmare will sit bolt upright and pant.

31) One man shooting at 20 men has a better chance of killing them all than 20 men firing at one.

32) Most people keep a scrapbook of newspaper cutting - especially if any of their family or friends has died in a strange boating accident.

33) When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your room will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.

34) Dogs always know who is bad and will naturally bark at them

35) When they are alone, all foreigners prefer to speak English to each other.

36) Action heroes never face charges for manslaughter or criminal damage despite laying entire cities to waste.

37) Whenever a natural or man-made disaster is about to occur, the hero escapes (alive) nano second before its too late and is catapulted into the air by the force- but is never harmed

38) No matter how badly a spaceship is attacked, its internal gravity system is never damaged.

39) If there is a deranged killer on the loose, this will coincide with a thunderstorm that has brought down all the power and phone lines in the vicinity.

40) You can always find a chainsaw whenever you're likely to need one.

41) All Americans have phones which can reach throughout the house-even if it has a cord. If its cordless- you can pick up perfect reception all around the house...unless there is an insane killer about

42) all bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going to go off.

43) Guns are like disposable razors - if you run out of bullets, just throw the gun away. You can always buy a new one.

44) Make-up can safely be worn to bed without smudging.

45) Building ventilation ducts are always clean.

46) Film stars are always super-human- they never need to use the bathroom

47) any computer, anywhere, even in the jungle, can hack into the most secure government system.

48) Any aliens from outer space that you meet will speak your language.

49) No matter how many times you punch someone they will always come back for more - and their wounds have healed dramatically the next day

50) All telephone numbers in America begin with the digits 555.

51) All handcuffs can easily be opened with nothing more than a paper clip.

52) Grocery shopping bags are made out of brown paper and there is always enough shopping to fill two bags exactly.

53) If you need to open a locked door make sure you have a credit card handy, that will do. Unless it’s the door to a burning building with a child trapped inside.

54) If you need to reload your gun, you will always have more ammunition - even if you haven't been carrying any before now.

55) If your town is threatened by an imminent natural disaster or killer beast, the mayor's first concern will be the tourist trade or his forthcoming art exhibition.

56) Most laptop computers are powerful enough to override the communication systems of any invading alien civilization.

57) No-one involved in a car chase, hijacking, explosion, volcanic eruption or alien invasion will ever go into shock.

58) When a person is knocked unconscious by a blow to the head, they will never suffer a concussion or brain damage.

59) Large loft-style apartments in New York City are well within the price range of most people - whether they are employed or not.

60) At least one of a pair of identical twins is born evil.

61) Should you decide to defuse a bomb don't worry which wire to cut. You will always choose the right one.

62) Honest and hard working policemen are traditionally gunned down three days before their retirement.

63) If you are blonde and pretty, it is possible to become a world expert on nuclear fission at the age of 22.

64) Even if you've been set up for murder, been framed and you have the whole world wide police force hunting you down, you will automatically live happily ever after as long as you break away from the police and kill the bad guy.

65) If you desire to send any car into flame for any given reason, just shoot it three times, even though in real life you could stand right in front of a vehicle and shoot the gun into the gas tank, it wouldn’t ignite the fuel, only 1 or 2 bullets in the world can cause a spark, and it seems every police man in movies who blow up vehicles have those bullets!

66) Any woman who has just witnessed her father, (brother, husband, family member etc.) killed right there in front of her, will never be traumatised, mourn, or be effected in anyway to resist making love to the hero who saved her!

68) Why when the hero of the movie gets the girl at the end, it seems like they will live happily ever after, yet doesn’t even mention her name or remember her in sequels!

69) You never need to look up the phone number for the pizza delivery service and the delivery guy is always psychic -you never need to tell him where you live or what you want on your pizza.

70) After witnessing a horrible crime being committed- don't call the cops, instead conduct your own Private Eye investigation.

71) If a lifetime of watching movies has taught me anything at all, it's to MAKE SURE that a captured secret agent is dead BEFORE you walk away from your miscellaneous torture device.

72) That, and to always look behind you when you hear menacing violin music begin to play.

73) In school, teachers will always be interrupted mid-sentence by the end-of-class bell.

74) Rather than wasting bullets, Megalomaniacs prefer to kill their arch enemies using complicated machinery involving fuses, pulley systems, deadly gases, lasers and man-eating sharks which will allow their captives at least 20 minutes to escape.

75) Never disarm a bomb unless it has one second left on the timer. The same goes for escaping from areas with a timed locking mechanism.

76) Always trust the most annoying person you can find because he/she will always survive.

77) If you are being chased by zombies run as fast as you can, even though they can barely walk they will still catch up with you.

78) Secret agents cannot drown because they have special lungs that allow them to breathe forever.

79) If someone you love dies then start mourning and crying, doing so will mean that they will then magically appear in front of you!

80) If someone or something is about to kill you and you have a gun then you are screwed because even if you have a loaded gun, the bullets will mysteriously disappear once you start shooting.

81) If you are in a vehicle and you have a vision of a huge accident and then get out of it then beware, because afterwards, any random object could kill you in any random way. (From Final Destination)

82) If your wife is having an affair, never kill the person she is having it with, you may have to eat him the next day. (From The Cook, The Wife, The Thief and Her Lover)

83) No matter what your mission is you will be given the latest gadget (or have it installed in your car), which will be the exact thing you need to complete your mission (and it will always work). Also no matter how much experience and training someone has shooting, they will always miss the hero.

84) No matter how fast someone runs through the woods, the killer will be able to walk and manage to get just in front of the person as they fall or turn around.

85) All of the killers’ victims will fall out of trees and become visible only when the last person alive is running for their lives.

86) Being a camp counsellor at a summer camp is as good as a death sentence

87) All zombies roaming the streets have only been bit once or twice, yet when a zombie gets someone on screen they always tear them to pieces

88) Two gophers and a piece of clothes can be made into the deadly weapon known as gopfer-jakus

Source: http://www.area51newmexico.com/page5.php

Wednesday 22 June 2011

I am what I am


I am what I am, I can't help myself
And if you don't like it get with somebody else
I'll never change my ways, it's not a phase
This is how it is and this is how it's gonna stay

Because I am what I am, I know what I'm not
I'm not the type of guy that doesn't know how good he's got it
And I won't back down, won't come around
Saying that I changed cause that's not how it's going down

Cause I know (I know, I know)
Wherever I go (I go, I go)
I know where I stand
I am what I am
Hey! Hey!
I am what I am
Hey! Hey!

I am what I am, what can I say?
I'm gonna be this way right up until my dying day
Because that's how it goes head to my toes
And if it doesn't show well I just had to let you know

Because I am what I am and nobody else
And if you've got a problem better take it somewhere else
Because I can't turn back, I'm right on track
And if you think you know well then you better check your facts

Cause I know (I know, I know)
Wherever I go (I go, I go)
I know where I stand
I am what I am

[ From: http://www.metrolyrics.com/i-am-what-i-am-lyrics-jonas-brothers.html ]

Wednesday 8 June 2011

Let me ask myself, am I blemishless?



“You are observing a fast to protest against corruption and to support Anna Hazare but why don't you take a pledge to pay your taxes honestly? Why do you submit fake rent receipts and agreements to get tax deductions and why do you claim medical reimbursements by submitting fake medical bills,” I asked my friend.

He was confused for a moment, not sure whether his fast was for the holy month of Navratra or for his support against corruption; nevertheless, he sees every other person in this world that he deals with as corrupt. He does not think, on the other hand, that his own dubious actions are a corrupt practice. Why? Because everyone else does the same thing, and because he thinks it is the government's fault to have given us loopholes in tax issues so that people act in a corrupt manner. After whetting his appetite on a day of fast with loads of salad and dry fruits, he came up with a fairly concise answer, “If the government wants to stop corruption in tax matters, it should propose a flat tax law.”

When I think of corrupt practices, it's not just politicians that come to my mind but every ordinary citizen that I deal with. Corruption is not so much a political phenomenon as it is a psychological issue. If it takes 30 days to process a passport application in India, there is always a segment of restless people who want it to be done in 10 days. Whether the person doing the passport verification work asks for a bribe or not, there is always a section of people who volunteers to pay “extra” to expedite the process. Before we realise, what looks like an isolated action becomes a practice. When victimised, the beneficiary suddenly starts to shout hoarse about corruption and the thorns of seeds he planted start to prick his own skin.

We, the citizens of India, in our constant endeavour to garner out-of-the-box favours are ready to pay extra to get things done. Whether it is a passport inquiry or an electricity connection, we act as restless fools, not realising that we are jeopardising our own future.

When it comes to choosing patience to procedure, we falter. When we are forced to stand in a queue to pay the electricity bill, we succumb to our own restlessness to find a short-cut. A million citizens may be willing to sit in Hazare's rally to protest against corruption; but when it comes to their own backyard, they are happy to hide the mess instead of confronting it upfront. How many laws do we need to end our misery? Is there a dearth of laws to punish someone for a corrupt practice? Do we lack the constitutional potency to punish the guilty?

No, we don't. There are two things we are lacking in; law enforcement and the psychological strength discussed above. Once we get the psychological strength, law enforcement will take care of itself. Why? Because, those who enforce laws are normal human beings.

If we learn to follow procedures and stop buttering officials, they will realise one day that they need to earn their own bread. Who's going to get bribed when there is no one to give bribe? If we start to change ourselves instead of mustering effort to change the world, corruption can be easily taken care of. Just ask yourself, who is corrupt here, am I corrupt? Is he corrupt? Are they corrupt? If we take care of the “am I corrupt” part, the “is he” or “are they” parts will take care of themselves. Who is going to bell the cat?

Courtesy: The Hindu
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/article2038320.ece

By Rohit Gupta

(The writer's email is rohitgupta14@hotmail.com)

Wednesday 18 May 2011

പുരാവസ്തു


കേട്ട് കഴിഞ്ഞ ഈ ഓവര്‍ട്ടേകര്‍മാരുടെ ഇടയില്‍ "പെര നിറഞ്ഞു നില്‍കുന്ന പുരാവസ്തുക്കള്ളില്‍ ഒരുവനായി" ചൂണ്ടി കാട്ടാന്‍ അവസാനം നീ എങ്കിലും കൂട്ടിനു വേണം എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞ ലണ്ടനിലെ തെണ്ടി ഇതാ ഇന്ന് മിന്നു കെട്ടാന്‍ പോകുന്നു. നിന്നെയൊകെ ഓര്‍ത്താകും പണ്ട് ആരോ "മണ്ടന്മാര്‍ ലണ്ടനില്‍" എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞത്. എന്തായാലും, മംഗളം നേരുന്നു സുഹൃത്തേ ഒരായിരം മംഗളം നേരുന്നു.... ടോം & ജെറിയെ പോലെ എന്നും ഇണങ്ങിയും പിണങ്ങിയും ഇന്നി ഉള്ള കാലം അടിച്ചു പൊളിക് മക്കളെ...

ഇനിയും തോല്‍പിക്കാന്‍ കച്ച കെട്ടി ഇറങ്ങാന്‍ തുനിയുന "ശശികളുടെ" ശ്രദ്ധയ്ക്ക്, എല്ലായിപോഴും തോല്‍വികള്‍ ഏറ്റു വാങ്ങാന്‍ തൈയാറായി നില്‍കുന്ന കുറച്ചു വിഡ്ഢി കൂഷ്മാണ്ടാങ്ങള്‍ (ഞാന്‍ ഉള്‍പടെയുള) ഇനിയും ബാക്കിയുണ്ട്....

എന്ന് സ്വന്തം
പുരാവസ്തു

Monday 9 May 2011

De Realty Bubble


Real estate in Trivandrum {Evergreen City of India}, the capital of Kerala, is reaching new heights everyday with rapid development taking place across all the segments- residential, commercial and retail. Being the education, commercial and medical hub of Kerala, Trivandrum has huge significance attached to it. At the same time as students move around to the city for higher studies, others come either in search of employment or for medical treatment. Being the best tier-II metro with Information Technology (IT) and IT enabled Services (ITeS) infrastructure and second best in availability of human talent, the property in Trivandrum is thriving in full swing. It has a number of important government offices, business units of corporate bigwigs, hospitals, educational & research institutes and IT campuses. It has all the administrative head offices, many industrial units, development centers and other important institutions. It is a knowledge city that has everything from medicine to music to culture to employment to what not!

People come to the city in large numbers every year for different purposes (education, jobs and medical treatments) and this has elevated the demand for residential property in Trivandrum. The recent growth in the IT industry has encouraged the need for residential and commercial property in the city. It has been attracting buyers and developers from across the country and even beyond with NRIs and foreign investors taking interest in Trivandrum realty sector. Builders, architects and management consultants of national and international repute are seeing fortune in being a part of the swiftly growing real estate market of India.

One of the very exciting trends developing these days between property buyers is that more than being in the metro cities, they desire to settle down in a place that offers all state of the art facilities and convenience. It has been observed that investors are now keen on buying property in smaller cities as realty market of metros near saturation, leaving no room for further development. Furthermore, lower prices become a great puller as the booming Indian property market promises to yield high returns few years down the line. The huge development in Trivandrum in terms of infrastructure assures higher capital and rental values in the coming times.

Top developers like Skyline Foundations and Structures Pvt. Ltd., Muthoot Builders, Heera Construction Company Pvt. Ltd., SI Property, Artech Group and others are actively involved in the developments of residential projects in the city. Raheja, DLF, Leela Group and L&T will be building commercial spaces for corporate giants. The retail scene is also gearing up with mixed use retail developments taking shape in the capital city of Kerala. The face of shopping is bound to don a new look with various leading national and international brands for apparels and jewelry getting ready to step in the markets of Trivandrum.

With the advent of software giants and growing population, an increase in prices of property in Trivandrum is definite to happen. The property rates are by now at par with some of the most expensive cities and growing which makes one of the most rewarding investment destinations. In the face of the rapid construction activities, the spurt in demand is so high that it continues to surpass the supply. In addition to the demand for property by locals, requirement is also coming from NRIs and foreign investors. Since renting flats in Trivandrum fetches good value owing to the migration of students and professionals, investors usually rent their properties. So, it is wise to invest or buy property across all realty segments of Trivandrum-residential, commercial and retail.

Thursday 28 April 2011

ചില ഫേസ്ബുക്ക് സത്യങ്ങള്‍.........



ഞാന്‍ ഒരു ചെറുപ്പക്കാരനാണ്. കാണാന്‍ അത്ര പോര; ഇന്ദ്രന്‍സ് ലുക്കാണ്, കാര്‍മുകില്‍ വര്‍ണ്ണം. പ്രൈവറ്റായി ബി.കോം. ഫസ്റ്റ് ക്ലാസില്‍ പാസായി. ഇപ്പോള്‍ ഒരോഫീസില്‍ സെക്രട്ടറിപ്പണിയെടുക്കുന്നു. കൊള്ളാവുന്ന ഓഫീസായതു കൊണ്ട് ഫുള്‍ടൈം നെറ്റുണ്ട്. ആദ്യമൊക്കെ ഒഴിവുനേരങ്ങളില്‍ പത്രം വായന, യൂട്യൂബ് പരതല്‍ ഒക്കെയായിരുന്നു പണി. ചൂടന്‍ പടങ്ങളു വല്ലതും കിട്ടുമോന്നു ശ്രമിച്ചിട്ട് ഒരു രക്ഷയുമില്ല, എല്ലാം ബ്ലോക്കിയിരിയ്ക്കുകയാണ്. അങ്ങനെ ഏതോ നേരത്താണ് “ഫേസ്‌ബുക്ക്”എന്നു പറഞ്ഞ ഒരു സംഭവമുണ്ടെന്നറിഞ്ഞത്. ഒരു ഐ.ഡിയൊക്കെ ഉണ്ടാക്കി അതില്‍ കയറിപറ്റി. ഉള്ളതില്‍ നല്ലൊരു ഫോട്ടോ, കമ്പ്യൂട്ടറിലിട്ട് പരമാവധി തല്ലിയലക്കി വെളുപ്പിച്ച് പ്രൊഫൈലിലിട്ടു. വിവരങ്ങളൊക്കെ സത്യമായി തന്നെയാണ് പൂരിപ്പിച്ചത്. ഭാഗ്യത്തിന് കൊള്ളാവുന്ന വല്ല കൊച്ചുങ്ങളും കയറിക്കൊത്തി കല്യാണത്തിലെത്തിയാല്‍, പറ്റിച്ചൂന്നു പറയരുതല്ലോ..!

ഇനി കുറച്ച് ചങ്ങായിമാരെ കിട്ടണം. നോക്കുമ്പോള്‍ നല്ല മണിമണിപോലത്തെ പെണ്‍കുട്ട്യോള്സ്‍, കിടിലന്‍ ചേച്ചിമാര്, വലിയ വലിയ എമണ്ടന്‍ ചേട്ടന്മാര്, സിം‌പ്ലന്‍ ചെറുപ്പക്കാര്, ഒക്കെ ഇഷ്ടം പോലെ. നൂറോളം പേര്‍ക്ക് റിക്വസ്റ്റ് വിട്ടെന്നാണ് ഓര്‍മ്മ. എന്നെ ആഡ് ചെയ്തത് വെറും പതിനെട്ട് പേര്..! പത്ത് ചേട്ടന്മാരും, ആറ് ചെറുപ്പക്കാരും രണ്ട് ചേച്ചിമാരും. ഒരൊറ്റ പെങ്കൊഞ്ച് പോലും മൈന്‍ഡാക്കിയില്ല.

എല്ലാവരും സ്റ്റാറ്റസ് ഇടുന്നതു കണ്ട് എനിയ്ക്കും മോഹമായി. നല്ല കനമുള്ളത് ഇരിയ്ക്കട്ടെ എന്നു കരുതി ചില മാസികളില്‍ നിന്നും പുസ്തകങ്ങളില്‍ നിന്നുമൊക്കെയായി ഒന്നാന്തരം വാചകങ്ങള്‍ പൊക്കിയിട്ടു കൊടുത്തു. അബദ്ധത്തില്‍ ഒന്നോ രണ്ടോ പേര് ലൈക്കടിച്ചതല്ലാതെ ഒരുത്തനും ഗൌനിച്ചില്ല.

ഹോ..! ചിലവന്മാരുടെയൊക്കെ യോഗം! “ഞാനിന്ന് ഉച്ചയ്ക്ക് കപ്പ തിന്നു” എന്നൊരെണ്ണം കാച്ചിയാല്‍ അമ്പത്തേഴ് ലൈക്കും എഴുപത്തിമൂന്ന് കമന്റും. എന്നാപ്പിന്നെ ആ ലൈനില്‍ നോക്കാം എന്നു കരുതി ഞാനും ഇട്ടു .

“ഞാനിന്ന് ഉച്ചയ്ക്ക് ബിരിയാണി തിന്നു.”

ഒരു ദിവസം മുഴുവന്‍ കാത്തിരിരുന്നിട്ടും ഒരു ലൈക്ക് പോലും കിട്ടിയില്ല..! ശെടാ, കപ്പയ്ക്ക് ബിരിയാണിയേക്കാള്‍ വിലയോ !
പിറ്റേദിവസം മാറ്റി ഇട്ടു.

“ഞാനിന്ന് ഉച്ചയ്ക്ക് കപ്പ തിന്നു.”

“നീയെന്നാ കോപ്പെങ്കിലും തിന്നടേ“, എന്ന മട്ടില്‍ ഒരീച്ച പോലും ആവഴി വന്നില്ല.

ചാറ്റ് വിന്‍ഡോയില്‍ കണ്ടവരോടൊക്കെ “ഹായ്” പറഞ്ഞു. ഒന്നോ രണ്ടോ പേര്‍ മാത്രം തിരിച്ചും “ഹായ്“ പറഞ്ഞു. പിന്നെ വന്ന മെസേജ് “ബിറ്റ് ബിസി”. അപ്പോഴെനിയ്ക്ക് മനസ്സിലായി, എന്റെ ഈ ചളുങ്ങിയ മുഖവും കറമ്പന്‍ നിറവും വച്ചോണ്ടിരുന്നാല്‍ ആരും മൈന്‍ഡാക്കില്ല. അങ്ങനെ എന്റെ പടം മാറ്റിയിട്ട് സല്‍മാന്‍ ഖാന്റെ പടം കയറ്റി. വിദ്യാഭ്യാസം, ഗ്രാജ്വേഷന്‍ എന്നാക്കി. ആശാവഹമായിരുന്നു മാറ്റം. ഇടയ്ക്കിടെ ചില ഫ്രെണ്ട് റിക്വസ്റ്റ് വരാന്‍ തുടങ്ങി. കുറച്ചു നാളുകൊണ്ട് നൂറോളം പേര്‍ ലിസ്റ്റിലെത്തി. ഞാനിടുന്ന സ്റ്റാറ്റസിന് വല്ലപ്പോഴും ഓരോ കമന്റൊക്കെ കിട്ടി.

“ഞാനിന്ന് ഉച്ചയ്ക്ക് കപ്പ തിന്നു” എന്നിട്ടപ്പോള്‍ “അതെന്താ ചോറില്ലായിരുന്നോ” , “കപ്പ അധികം തിന്നരുത്” എന്നിങ്ങനെ രണ്ട് കമന്റുകളും മൂന്ന് ലൈക്കും കിട്ടി. കുറച്ചു പുരോഗതി ആയെന്നര്‍ത്ഥം.

എന്നിട്ടും ചില തൈക്കിളവന്മാര്‍ക്ക് കിട്ടുന്ന കമന്റോ ലൈക്കോ എനിയ്ക്കു കിട്ടിയില്ല. എന്തുമാത്രം പെണ്ണുങ്ങളാ അവന്റെയൊക്കെ കൂടെ കെട്ടിമറിയുന്നത്..! അവളുമാരുടെ പുറകെ കുറെ ആണുങ്ങളും. എങ്ങനെ കളിച്ചാലും അറുപതും എഴുപതും കമന്റ് കിട്ടും ഓരോ പോസ്റ്റിനും..

ചില പെണ്ണുങ്ങളുടെ പോസ്റ്റിലാണെങ്കില്‍ നൂറില്‍ കുറഞ്ഞ കമന്റേയില്ല. ചില കെളവന്മാര് സ്ഥിരം കുറ്റികളായി അവളുമാരുടെ ഒപ്പം കൂടിയിരിയ്ക്കുകയല്ലേ. ഞാനും അവിടെയൊക്കെ പോയി ഓരൊ കമന്റിട്ടു. ഒരുത്തിയും ലൈക് തന്നില്ല. മറ്റവന്മാര്‍, ഞാനിങ്ങനെയൊരുത്തന്‍ അതിന്റെടേല്‍ ഉണ്ടെന്നു പോലും ഗൌനിച്ചില്ല.

ഇതുകൊണ്ടൊന്നും ഒരു രക്ഷയുമില്ലെന്നു മനസ്സിലായി. ഒരു ട്രാന്‍സ്ജെന്‍ഡര്‍ ഓപ്പറേഷനുള്ള സമയമായിരിയ്ക്കുന്നു. പുതിയ ഐ.ഡി ഒരെണ്ണം ഉണ്ടാക്കി. “ശ്രീദേവി”. നല്ലൊരു സുന്ദരിപ്പെണ്ണിന്റെ പടവും ഇട്ടു. വയസ്സ് ഇരുപത്തൊന്ന്. വിദ്യാഭ്യാസം എഞ്ചിനീയറിംഗ്.

റിച്ചര്‍ സ്കെയിലില്‍ 9- രേഖപ്പെടുത്തിയ ചലനം ആയിരുന്നു ആദ്യദിവസം തന്നെ. നൂറ്റിയാറ് ഫ്രെണ്ട് റിക്വസ്റ്റ്...! പതിനാല് മെസേജ്. ചാറ്റ് വിന്‍ഡോ പൂട്ടിവച്ചു, ശല്യം കാരണം.

പിറ്റേന്ന് ആദ്യ സ്റ്റാറ്റസിട്ടു. ”ഞാനിന്ന് ഉച്ചയ്ക്ക് കപ്പ തിന്നു..” ഒരു മണിയ്ക്കൂറിനുള്ളില്‍ നാല്പത്തെട്ട് കമന്റും ഇരുപത്തിനാല് ലൈക്കും. ചില കമന്റുകള്‍ :

“കപ്പയാണോ “ശ്രീ”യുടെ സൌന്ദര്യരഹസ്യം..?”
“ബിരിയാണിയെക്കാളും എത്രയോ നല്ലതാണ് കപ്പ..”
“കപ്പ നമ്മുടെ ദേശീയ ഭക്ഷണം ആക്കണം..”
“ഞാനിനി മുതല്‍ കപ്പയേ തിന്നൂ ശ്രീദേവിക്കുട്ടീ...”

ഇവന്മാരുടെ ആക്രാന്തം കണ്ടപ്പോള്‍, “ഞാനൊരു പുരുഷനാടാ പുല്ലന്മാരെ” എന്നു പറഞ്ഞാലോയെന്നു പലവട്ടം തോന്നി. പിന്നെ വേണ്ടാന്നു വച്ചു, ഞരമ്പന്മാര് രസിച്ചോട്ടെ..!

ഒരാഴ്ചകൊണ്ട് ആയിരത്തഞ്ഞൂറ് ഫ്രെണ്ട്സ്. വലിയ വലിയ എമണ്ടന്‍ ചേട്ടന്മാരൊക്കെ എനിയ്ക്ക് റിക്വസ്റ്റ് അയച്ച കൂട്ടത്തിലുണ്ട്. പിന്നെ സിം‌പ്ലന്മാര് ചെറുപ്പക്കാരും. ചെറുപ്പക്കാരെ സഹിയ്ക്കാം, അവന്മാര് കമന്റിട്ട് കളിയ്ക്കുകയേ ഉള്ളൂ. ചില തൈക്കിളവന്മാരുടെ മെസേജാണ് സഹിയ്ക്കാന്‍ വയ്യാത്തത്. മോള് കല്യാണം കഴിച്ചതാണോ ? എന്താ ചാറ്റില്‍ വരാത്തത്..? ഞാനിത്ര മെസേജയച്ചിട്ടും എന്താ മറുപടി തരാത്തത്..?

അപ്പോഴാണ് എനിയ്ക്കൊരു രസം തോന്നിയത്. ഫേസ്‌ബുക്കില്‍ സ്ഥിരം നോട്ടെഴുതുന്ന വിദ്വാന് ഒരു മെസേജ് വിട്ടു:

“എന്റെ ചേട്ടാ..ഞാന്‍ ചേട്ടന്റെ ആരാധികയാണ് ! എന്തൊരു ഗ്ലാമറാണ് ചേട്ടന്റെ കണ്ണടയ്ക്കും ഊശാന്‍ താടിയ്ക്കും!! ചേട്ടനെ കണ്ടാലേ അറിയാം ഒരു ബുദ്ധിജീവിയാണെന്ന് !!! ചേട്ടന്റെ നോട്ട് ഞാന്‍ ദിവസവും മൂന്നുവട്ടം വായിയ്ക്കും..!!! ചേട്ടാ................!”

ഹോ..! പിന്നെ സുനാമിയടിച്ച മാതിരി ഒരു പ്രളയമായിരുന്നു. ദിവസം മൂന്നുനേരം ആ ചങ്ങാതിയുടെ മെസേജ് വരും “ചക്കരേ..തേനേ“ എന്നും പറഞ്ഞ്. മസിലു പിടിച്ചു നടന്ന ചില വലിയ ചേട്ടന്മാരൊക്കെ ഐസു പോലെ ഉരുകുന്നതു ഞാന്‍ കണ്ടു. കഴിഞ്ഞ ദിവസം ചുമ്മാ ഒരു പോസ്റ്റിട്ടു:

“@!#@#“.

നൂറ്റി ഇരുപത്തെട്ട് കമന്റാണ് വീണത്..! നാല്പത് ലൈക്കും..!! വീട്ടിലെ പട്ടിയ്ക്ക് തീറ്റ കൊടുക്കുന്ന പാത്രത്തിന്റെ ഫോട്ടോ ഇട്ടു കൊടുത്തപ്പോള്‍, എല്ലാവന്മാരും കൂടി അത് നക്കി തോര്‍ത്തി വൃത്തിയാക്കി തന്നു. നൂറ്റി അറുപത് കമന്റ്, അന്‍പത്താറ് ലൈക്ക്. പണ്ട് സില്‍ക്കു സ്മിത കടിച്ച ആപ്പിളിന് ജനം അടികൂടിയത് ഞാനോര്‍ത്തുപോയി.

am not sure who the author of this article. i got this from ma frds profie,l but its interesting

Wednesday 27 April 2011

Evergreen quote of Marcus Tullius Cicero



“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague.”

– Marcus Tullius Cicero

The Power of Negative Thinking



Let’s be honest about it. Life is scary. I know, you’re supposed to be a grown up and you’re not supposed to be afraid of anything. But at 3 in the morning, when you’re laying awake, unable to sleep because you’re worrying about where you’re going to get the money for the house payment, life can be frightening.

And sometimes, it can be very useful to admit that. Most of the time, we keep a “stiff upper lip.” We try to maintain a positive attitude, to think that things will always get better. And there is much value in that. But there come times when you just need to deal with all the nagging little negative thoughts that build up as a result of your attempt to be positive all the time.

You know you have doubts all the time. You’re often afraid to admit them even to yourself, but they’re there. They eat away at you because you never let them out. Actually, negative feelings are healthy. They temper your enthusiasm with a dose of reality, and remind you that there are risks in everything you do. They help you remember to be careful. But if they build up inside of you, and are never dealt with, then they can immobilize you.

So every now and then, when you’re feeling particularly blue, it’s time to have an out-an-out bitching and moaning session. And if you raise such an event to the status of a ritual, that is, if you intentionally decide to do it, it can be very productive and beneficial to you.

Give it a try. Sit down and think about one of the problems in your life. Really dwell on it. Think of all the reasons why it makes your hopes and dreams and goals impossible to accomplish. In your mind, let your problem put a negative slant on every aspect of your life. Then, start having some fun with it. Start with a little exaggeration. Add some melodrama, and maybe a little obscenity. Say to yourself something like, “The truth is, I can’t stand your little business venture. I hate you for even thinking of it. I thought things were fine just the way they were. I’m really too lazy to bother with all of it. I think I’ll just eat a lot of chocolate and get fat."

You get the idea. Really revel in your misery to the point where it becomes funny. And you’ll notice that your energy level starts to go up. Because negativity is energy, and it can get you moving when you let it come out. Have you ever seen a healthy two year old who lacks energy? Of course not. Because two year olds know something that we have forgotten -- the value of a good tantrum.

If you keep your doubts and negative feelings bottled up inside, they eventually gain control of you. But letting them out in a good tantrum puts you back in the driver’s seat. Acknowledging your problems and your doubts gives you control over them. Getting furious about them will give you the energy you need to overcome them.

So every now and then, think negative. It could have a very positive influence on your life.

— Ralph Marston