Fighting the food prices!

Fighting the food prices!




Weekend was back, so I got ready with the shopping list I had compiled over the week of all the things I needed to buy. It wasn’t a long one, just around ten items because I wanted to buy only the necessary ones.

At the end of my shopping at the local super market, when I saw the end total on the bill, my eyes popped out in shock.The bill was this much for less than ten items!

I checked the bill thrice and it was correct! “Food has become really expensive nowadays, I thought!”
World crises and inflation are to blame.we are now spending more than 22 per cent of their salaries on food or gas. That’s a high that we’ve only seen twice in the last two decades, according to some stats I recently read in an article.

So, if you like to eat (and who doesn’t!), what can you do to try to stay within your budget? I am no Consumer Savings Expert, but I will tell you those 10 tips my

boss taught me to combat food prices.
1. Shop warehouse stores: Not all prices are the same everywhere particularly if you tend to go overboard, but there are some really good deals to be had. Look for great buys on perishable items and shop towards the end of the day, when department managers want to unload extra inventory from the stores.
2. Use vouchers or coupons: Buy those vouchers which come with magazines and go to stores which let you shop during special days or on online. It’s a great way to save money on certain products. Online, you not only save money, you also get exactly what you want. However not all supermarkets allow you to stack, so check first.
3. Hit/Big stores: Whether you cruise the narrow aisles of the big Giant or hit one of the smaller chains,big stores offer savings on boxed, bagged and canned goods. Make sure you check the expiration dates, however.
4. Use grocery store rewards cards: These loyalty cards have become a necessity to access store sales, but they also have another benefit. You can download online coupons directly to your rewards card and the savings will be taken off at the register. Visit the rewards-card pages of such store websites to find these manufacturer coupons. Keep your cards safe!
5. Buy generic: By and large, store-brand generics can be much cheaper than manufacturer products with the exactly same quality. In fact, generics come off the same assembly line before being slapped with separate labels so skip the brand name items.
6. Use discount gift cards: Like the rewards cards, this is another way of combatting high food prices. Certain big stores offer discount cards and these can also be used on most of the products on the shelf. Make use of these cards to save up on those extra few dirhams.
7. Make a reasonable list: Avoid impulse purchases by making a list before you leave home and sticking to it when you hit the store. Knowing specifically what you need also helps avoid duplications of products you already have at home.
8. Plan your meals: It’s a lot easier to make a list when you have a plan. Creating a weekly menu also helps you avoid quick trips to the supermarket that end up costing you more in many ways. For last minute meals, look for great discounts by buying meats, produce and other food items that are on sale at your local grocery store.
9. One-stop shop: Save gas, time and money by shopping in stores which allow you to buy everything on your list within one visit.

10. Avoid out-of-season produce: To every vegetable and fruit there is a season...and a better price. . Wait until prices are at their best and plan your menu around seasonal produce to save big.
Happy Shopping – Happy Saving !

Technology

Technology has changed the way we are living today. Even the way we approach people and the way we talk has changed. Imagine a time when we did not have computers. Most of us relied on faxes and pagers and there was nothing like a mobile phone.Gone are those days when people used to communicate by sending faxes. Of course, we do send faxes if there is a problem with internet and emails but forwarding a simple email has made work much faster.
Now technology has made everything easier. If you need something on the Net, everything is available at a click of a button. You could even do your shopping online.
Technology exists all around us and it is difficult to fathom the very idea of living without it because a lot of the things we own in our homes and use in our everyday lives would simply cease to exist.
The ways we communicate through technology have really evolved in the last few years. First, there were cell phones, then came chat forums, instant messaging, and email through the internet. Nowadays, anyone can keep their family, friends, co-workers informed of the daily goings-on in their life, regardless of where these people are in the world, through social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook.
On special occasions or festivals you don’t have to send letters by post any more as mobile phones are all around so sending an SMS is faster and more reliable.
Can you imagine living life without any form of transportation at all? The only transportation you could use was your own two feet. Nothing else. And the shoes that cover your feet wouldn’t be the attractive sneakers being pumped out by the second at a nearby factory. They would be made by hand out of the hides of animals, much like moccasins!
Some would argue that not having all the advancements from technology would produce a more utopian society. Whether or not technology has contributed to the decline of society remains to be debated, but one thing you cannot argue against that it has made the quality of living for anyone using technology much better.
Although it has improved the overall quality of life, the fact remains that technology has also affected the way people interact with one another and the way they view themselves.
Like anything else in this world, there is a good and a bad side to technology, but it is up to you to determine how it will play out in your life. Will you let it affect your life adversely, or would you reap from the benefits, all the while keeping a sense of balance?
--

second revolution

Subject - So let the second revolution

Politics and politicians who were meant to represent hope for the people have long since morphed into a source of despair and pain for most Indians. The season of scams and tumbling skeletons have only added to the already rock-bottom confidence and faith in our government institutions and government. The cry for a Lokpal Bill is a clear and visible desire of the people to initiate some change in the way their government conducts itself.

There’s a tragi-comic debate being played out on television channels the debate is between national political parties about who is more corrupt. It’s a sign of our times when corruption and malgovernance is reduced to one of relative standards, instead of an absolute standard of probity and integrity.
It’s a very useless debate and an unfortunate reflection of how fast the standards of our governance, and indeed politics, are plummeting. What would be more appropriate and indeed what people want to know is what the parties will do in future to create a sharp break from the old-style politics and governance and embark on a new style of a transparent and responsive form of government.

The Lokpal Bill in its current form or this timid effort at trimming discretions will not even make a little dent in the trajectory and vibrant growth of vested interests in government, malgovernance and corruption
So let the second revolution begin on August 16!

-- 

Todays lesson

"I am willing to put myself through anything; temporary pain or discomfort means nothing to me as long as I can see that the experience will take me to a new level." 
-- Diana Nyad, swimmer 

Subject - Say hello to transparency!

Subject - Say hello to transparency!

Say hello to transparency!

Everyday we see scams (sometimes even when they are not there) being
exposed in the media, demonstrations, Parliament jams and court
orders. But there is little positive action. What is needed is action
against black money, the driver of all corruption. Are we citizens
ready to move beyond protests and take a small step that could hit at
the heart of black money?

Black money thrives in the cash economy. If we introduce
traceability in financial transactions, it will be difficult to hide.
We can do this using some simple available technologies. It is
possible to carry out all transactions in electronic form, where money
is transferred from the payer’s bank account to the payee’s. The back-
end core banking system of almost all banks allows that. ATM
withdrawals, any-branch banking and internet banking thrive on it. The
internet, however, is used by a small section. Credit card (and debit
card) based payments and transaction could be another way, but have
not caught on much (except for use of debit cards for cash
withdrawals).

But India has over 750 million mobile phone connections, and
growing at 15 million per month. Over 500 million invididuals are
believed to have mobiles. In a few years, mobile telephony could touch
most of India’s adult population. It is now possible to link one’s
mobile phone to a bank account. So, it is possible to carry out most
transactions including money transfer, bill payments, balance enquiry
and checks on past transactions. A bank’s computer uses the caller
line identification (CLI) and a customer’s PIN to authenticate her,
following which any transaction can be carried out using an
application loaded on her phone. End-to-end encryption makes
transactions secure. Transactions are instantaneous: for example, any
payment is notified by sending an SMS to the payer as well as payee.

The Mobile Payment Forum of India, RBI and National Payment
Corporation of India worked with banks, telecom operators and
technology providers to make money transfer possible between customers
of any two banks, any two operators and any two technology providers.
One does not even need the bank account number to make payments, as
the payee’s mobile number and a mobile money ID (MMID) uniquely map to
her bank account.

Mobile payments would make cash redundant. One could pay a
vegetable vendor who displays a mobile number and MMID at the shop.
Similarly, auto fare or kirana shop payments can be made
instantaneously. Money can be transferred whether the recipient is
near or far. Doing so from Mumbai to an Orissa village would now be a
simple matter. A single day amount could be small, say Rs 50, or as
much as Rs 50,000.

Safe, secure, simple, instantaneous, and with a complete list of
payments and receipts in one’s passbook, there is no reason why anyone
would not use this method. Using mobile payments instead of cash could
be our way to bring in traceability and say no to the black money
economy.

Do all banks provide mobileto-mobile payments? About 10 banks do
and another 15 will by the end of next month. Will there be teething
troubles? Sure, but nothing that can’t be handled. Will transaction
charges be too much? Banks and telecom operators can make transactions
below Rs 1,000 free and charge one or two rupees for transactions up
to Rs 10,000. Will SMS come in real time? Telcos can ensure that.

One may argue that many in rural India and some in urban India do
not have bank accounts. With financial inclusion initiatives, no-frill
accounts can be opened quickly. In fact, mobile payments would
incentivise people to open such accounts. Further, telecom operators
are tying up with banks to come up with phone-based pre-paid cards
(mobile wallets) for making payments and transferring money as in
mobile banking. Will illiteracy be a bottleneck? Several banks and
technology providers use mobile voice banking: one just has to speak
to carry out a transaction. So, there may be some hiccups, but there
are technological answers.

Many of us will remember that computerisation of railway
reservations in the 1980s dealt a blow to rampant corruption. As an
example of technology being used to bring in transparency, mobile
payments give us a much bigger opportunity. In due course, we would
demand that government recalls 500 and 1,000 rupee notes and makes it
mandatory for all shops and vendors to accept only electronic
payments. But let us take the initiative. Let us get our MMID and
start making mobile payments instead of using cash. Let shops start
displaying their mobile numbers and MMID. That would be a big
statement against black money.

Let Lord Vishnu protect himself from the clutches of humans

The extent to which Indians are rich are not only exhibited by their noble values and heritage but with such vast riches that the World would ponder to know for ever.

Having said the above,human greed which was non existant in the past is very much prevalent in the present day world.
It should not even be worthwhile to know further about this Godly treasures which has been so well preseved over centuries.More we know, more we would be curious and the dirty human mind will explore all perverted ideas to encash by one way or other.Infact other than the purpose of journalism initiatives, the said treasure was not even worth knowing.It is the secrets of God and almighty.It is someting to have pleasure to know the treasures of a neighbors family which is immoral.In this case its is the treasure of Lord Vishnu, which no human worth the salt should even explore.

Friends,keep the things as it exists and concentrate on your good positive daily work.Do not even imagine or think positive/personal of this treasure as this princially does NOT belong to you.It would be futile and with bad omen already sensed with the death of the petitioner by intial exploration,things would be much more henious and would be bad for the community and even human race if something unforseen happens!
Pray Lord Vishnu to give better strength to maintain peace, love and order in human society.That would be more than required to protect the wealth of God by less trusted humans be it commandos, Police or anyone.They all come under the sam umbrella of present Government functioning which has led to current sorry stste of affairs in the name of poor.The poor could remain happy if he is left alone.Do not make him happy by unscrupoulous means.

Let Lord Vishnu protect himself from the clutches of humans 

Subject - Just an ordinary day!!

Subject - Just an ordinary day!!

Subject - Just an ordinary day!!

Sunday is a lazy day for me. Not so for the visitors. Even before the sunrise people start coming to home. . Many of them are the regular visitors who visit at stipulated time.


The earliest one to visit is the maid. No, not the regular housemaid. This is our ‘cleaning lady’ who cleans our courtyard. She comes as early as five early in the morning. She sweeps a little area outside the gate near the road and throws water to clean the courtyard. She is an artist too!! A motif is drawn with colored powder at the courtyard. She is expected to draw different patterns on different days. On auspicious days she makes larger and more colorful ‘rangolis’.

My wife is very particular about it. I can see the arguments every month end when she come to collect the money. wife says she repeated the same pattern for two consecutive days! She denies and says why should she repeat the same since she knows more than 50 patterns ranging from peacock to sunflower!!!

She never wakeup us early in the morning. When we open the door in the morning all what we can see is the work done.

An hour or so later comes milkman. He comes by a small bike with a big plastic container attached at the rear. We have tied a small basket at the gate for him to leave the milk pouch. He also doesn’t go scotch free when come to collect the money at the month end.wife arguments could be anything from leakage in pockets and how last week a cat cut open the milk pack at the basket. What would the poor milkman do for the cat’s mischief? Finally they reached an agreement. He would ring the bell so that she could come and take the milk pack before the cat comes to know about it!

By seven or so the newspaper boy arrives. He comes by a bicycle. In fact I’ve never seen him coming. I always see him running away after throwing the newspaper at doorstep with surgical precision from the road. He has been always in a hurry as if someone is chasing him. I think from the reporters to the printing press to the delivery boy, everyone in the news business work in a hurry!! I wanted to stop him one day to tell that I wanted a different paper to be put everyday. I could catch him only at the month end Sunday when he came for collecting the subscription money.

Reading the news with a hot cup of morning tea, I heard a knock at the gate. “FLOWER” shouted the invader. Oh. Yes. It’s our ‘flower lady’ who brings flowers for decorating the Gods. She brings different type flowers for us to choose from. We have hand picked a few Gods from a million of deities and installed at the prayer room. The short-listed Gods to be offered flowers and other rituals everyday according to their specialty!

The Goddess Saraswathi, the goddess of learning is placed at the middle. There is Lord Vinayaka, the remover of all obstructions. There is Lord Shiva, the destroyer god. Lord Vishnu, the most popular god who appears in ten avatars. Then there is Goddess Lakshmi who is responsible for creating wealth in the ministry of Gods!

Flowers for all of them as a daily affair, created the ‘flower ladies’ all over the country. She has a big round and shallow bamboo basket. Flowers are placed over the leaf petals.

Then came the ‘Vehicle wash man’ with an ear-to-ear grin. I could count all his teeth in that long and wide grin. He had a reason to do so. For the past so many weeks I’ve been telling him in a simple language that he understands. NO. I DO NOT WANT YOUR SERVICE. But he comes ever Sundays thinking that I might have changed my mind. I repeated the same this time also. I was surprised by his optimism. I know he would come next week also to listen to my ‘NO’!

The next visitor arrived has the ‘right’ to enter the home without much of permission. He is our “Iron man”. No. He just presses our cloths. He does it with a charcoal powered 18th century Iron! It’s amazing how he does it without burning the cloths. He comes about twice a week. Collect all the washed cloths in the morning. The neatly pressed and stacked cloths are delivered by the evening. I like the warm smell of pressed cloths.
MY wife is not very happy with his washing cum pressing service. So she bought the washing machine and the pressing job alone is given to him. I do not know the reason. But almost all the ‘ladies’ in the neighborhood do the same. The ‘Iron man’ is slightly afraid ofmy wife. Her complaint is that he destroys the shirt buttons. “You should never run the hot iron on the buttons” she warns him regularly. We pay about 2 to 4 rs for every piece of cloths he presses.



Now this guy with the four-wheeled pull cart brings all sorts of vegetables to the doorsteps. He doesn’t ‘stop’ in front of every house. Stops at every four/ five houses or so. He has to deal with a number of ‘ladies’ simultaneously. Someone asks ‘How much is for tomato today?’ before he completes the answer come the next question ‘what about carrot?’. “What discount will you give if I buy 2kilo” questioned another. Everyone is choosing, picking and negotiating on a vegetable-by-vegetable basis. Imagine him handling five ‘ladies’ with all sorts of logics and questions.

He should know why tomato prices are going up and up everyday? He should answer why the cucumber color is differed from the one he has brought yesterday? Another one has come with a potato she has bought from him yesterday! “There was a worm inside” she declared showing the cut potato to the crowd for support. The evidence presented was examined one by one and declared “yes. Indeed”. The crowd threatened him that he would be ‘blacklisted’. He offered a free replacement. How would he know if a worm is hiding inside a potato he has sold?? He is a versatile genius. It looks more like Karpov playing chess simultaneously with that odd crowd. The game typically lasted for about 20-30 minutes. All the women let him move on after paying him the money. He moved on to the next inevitable attack by the next batch of housewives!

Here comes the most hated man in the neighborhood. The self-appointed night watch man. No one wanted him to patrol the lanes inside the residential locality. But he does it by himself. And visit every home at the end of the month for the ‘service charge’.
No, he is not hated for his self-style or for the money he asks. He spoils everyone’s sleep. He ‘patrols’ the lanes late in the night or in the wee hours. He does it by walk. Makes loud noise all the way by hitting the baton on the road. This is how he announces that is on ‘duty’.
As if that is not enough, a dozen dogs in the neighborhood start barking at him simultaneously. A few of the stray dogs chase him at times creating a mess of noises at the doorsteps. Everyone getup from the sleep with a rude shock. It’s very difficult to get a nice sleep after that. He is an old bachelor. No one wants to be bad with him. People bear him as an unavoidable pain.

The next visitors were the neighbors with their cute little girl. They came with a box of sweets to announce their new possession. They’ve bought the ‘latest model’ Television set yesterday! They wanted us to come to their home and see it. She explained me how it was better than the one bought by the other neighbor last week. I agreed to her fully, as I know a debate would be fatal to me. Our TV was not in the contest anyway as it was about two years old. We promised that we would join them in the evening.

The little girl also was exited with the new TV. She said there were a lot of cartoons in it. We liked her talk. She wanted me to lift her to see the items kept on the top shelf. Her mom said her no. I said she is only a little girl and she was just curious to see. I lifted and held her in my arms. She touched and inspected each items kept there.

She picked up a pen. I was relived, as this was not anything she would drop and damage. She started scribbling with it over my collar. I didn’t care, as it was on my old casual home ware. After a few minutes she called her mom to show what she has done with that pen. Everyone seen it one by one and broken into laughter. I looked like a fool and went to the mirror to see what it was.


She has written in capital letters on my collar - DOG

Just an ordinary day!!

The Best Feeling in Life...

The Best Feeling in Life...

Do you know what is the best part of life?

Its when your family understands you as a friend,
And your friends support you like your family !

True yeah?

"The power of your subconcious mind" by Joseph Murphy.

"The power of your subconcious mind" by Joseph Murphy.

A simple overview on this book is..

The author says the human mind can be divided into conscious and sub-conscious. The conscious mind is that we are aware of what we speak when we are talking to someone..or while typing a mail etc..The concious mind is active when we are awake. This knows the difference between positive and negative or good and bad..

The subconscious mind is the one thats active when we are in sleep. This does not know the difference between positive and negative or good and bad..Whatever we speak/think/ act conciously is taken as an input by the subconscious mind be it positive or negative. This is the reason why people say think/ speak/ do good..

Whatever we want to achieve, we can tune it through our subconcscious mind by consciously dreaming about it and taking necessary efforts. For example you might have a business presentation in front of your CEO. You can prepare and along with that consciously dream as to how you want to be appreciated by him/ her for your work.. This works..

When we end each day we consiously can say "Tomorrow is going to be an excellent day. I am going to face constructive challenges that will aid my development personally/ professionally". This is taken as an input by our subconcious mind and our subconscious leads us to this.

This has benefitted me a lot.. Hope this review benefits you all too.. 

What is missing in life????"

What is missing in life????"

This human life is most valuable and God has provided us with everything.But its in our own hands to utilise it to the maximum.coming to the topic what does an individual miss in his life???Eventhough he has a bungalow,car.......everything.......he still lacks something........thats "Peace of Mind".......there is only pieces of mind........if this is not there everything in life becomes void........An individual loses this important aspect of life due to the desires........THE DESIRE FOR MORE......MORE MONEY.......MORE POWER.......so if we have a ceiling on our desires.........we can still be happy and live in ultimate BLISS even in this age..

Bad News for Salaried Employees of India

Bad News for Salaried Employees of India

Well, I am among the millions of Indians who are unhappy because of this news but nonetheless, we dont have a choice and the only thing we can do is, try to mould the situation in a way that we get the most out of it.

What is this about? 

Remember the post a few weeks back that was titled Good News for Salaried Employees of India??

I had explained that the Income Tax department of India has made some changes to the Tax Return Filing policy which will be a good news for all of us. Unfortunately, I have to Apologize for talking too soon about it.

After a few weeks, we are starting to get more clarity on this development and now it looks like this Good News isnt so good after all...

What is the Problem here? 

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) had made millions of Indians smile by announcing that salaried taxpayers with an annual income of up to Rs 5 lakh need not file their returns. (Refer to my article mentioned in the previous paragraph) They won't have to spend time, effort and money in filing their tax returns.

The problem here is that, given all the conditions that govern if someone needs to file his/her returns or not, it looks unlikely that it would be of any real use to us. At the end of the day, if the conditions are going to ensure that everybody does file their returns like usual, whats the point of having this new ruling?

According to the Ruling by the CBDT, a salaried person is exempt from filing his return for the financial year 2010-11 if he fulfils the following conditions:

a) Income after allowable deductions is up to Rs 5 lakh.
b) Income is only from salary and savings bank interest
c) Salary is from one employer.
d) Savings bank interest is below 10,000.
e) Tax on bank interest is paid and included in Form 16

Let us analyze these points one by one.

a. Income after allowable deductions is up to Rs 5 lakh. 

Fine - Fair Enough. Many of us will fall under this bucket.

b. Income is only from salary and savings bank interest 

Problem - Anyone who is earning around 5 lakhs a year may have Bank Fixed Deposits, Share Market Investments, Mutual Fund Dividends, Rental Income etc. So, anyone who earns an income out of any of the two means (Salary & Savings Bank Interest) cant use this.

Even Investments made under section 80C like NSC, PPF or infrastructure bonds to claim deduction under Sec 80CCF are not considered. So, if you have done something to save tax in the past and earned an income out of it, you cannot use this.

Result - Atleast 65% of people are now out of the bucket.

c. Salary is from one employer only. 

Problem - Anyone who switched jobs cant take advantage of this rule. Even if your income is below 5 lakhs, if you switched jobs, you cant use this.

Result - Another 10 - 15% of us are out of the bucket.

d. Savings bank interest is below 10,000. 

Problem - Lets assume that I dont invest in any investment option like stocks or mutual funds or bank FDs and keep all my cash in my savings account. At the end of the year, I may earn an interest of more than Rs. 10,000/- and it is a very real possibility. Unless you are someone who spends every single rupee you earn, you cant use this.

Result - Another 10 - 15% of us are out of the bucket.

e. Tax on bank interest is paid and included in Form 16

Problem - Your employer will give a form 16 only for the salary he pays you. Why would he bother about clubbing your bank interest earned? Some employers ask for other income earned before they print out the form 16s for you. If you are that lucky bunch, you may get an interest paid certificate from your bank and give it to your company. Otherwise, you cant use this.

Result - Another 10 - 15% of us are out of the bucket.

Let us do the Math:

Out because of condition b - atleast 65%
Out because of condition c - atleast 10%
Out because of condition d - atleast 10%
Out because of condition e - atleast 10%

Summing Up - 95% 

So, this essentially means that 95% of the salaried population that may fall under the 5 lakhs slab will not be able to use this new ruling and will eventually have to file their tax returns.

A point to note here is that - even this 5% seems to be a big number. Am not really sure if someone would fall under all these categories and still manage to not file their tax returns. The more realistic number would be around 1% of the population or even less.

Let's assume that there is indeed somebody (A hypothetical Situtation) who has no such investments and, therefore, no income other than from his salary and the interest on the bank account. Even then, he may not be able to fulfil the conditions for exemption. The notification says that the tax due on the interest income should have been paid and the income and the tax should be mentioned in Form 16 from the employer. The interest on bank account is credited on a half-yearly basis. The interest from October to March gets credited after March 31. You need to be a financial expert to correctly estimate the tax due on this income and pay the right amount. Considering the fact that banks pay interest on your daily end-of-day bank balance, the calculation part for even 3 months is going to be hectic and you can easily rule out the 6 months part. Without a tool that calculates your interest based on daily balances (and this is if you know your daily end of day balance) you cant really predict your bank interest income.

What is the final Verdict?

Given all the complicated conditions and the paperwork required to avail of the exemption and the possible repercussions of not filing your return, it looks like spending the 30-40 minutes online to file your tax returns is a far simpler option.

It will save you a lot and I mean a lot of time and effort and it is extremely easier than breaking your head about all these conditions...

Happy Filing your Tax Returns

oh politics

I will play the black sheep here and say Kani should be exonerated of all charges and let free. Then we can create a roaring mafia business by employing well trained women enforcers and hit-women. If they are caught, they will also all be let free by using Kani’s case as a reference.

I think we should also have a SC/ST/BC quota system for all criminal cases where people from those castes will automatically get bail. Illiterates, old people and specially illiterate old mothers should also be given bail or have all cases dismissed using Kani’s mother’s case as reference.

Existing gangs and crime syndicates like Dawood and others are automatically exempt. Rich and powerful people can buy the judiciary, so they are also exempt. Corrupt police officers are also exempt, they own the system. Pakistan trained terrorists are not only exempt, but will have VIP status to preserve our “friendship” with our neighbours, we will give them A/C rooms, chicken biryani and 72 virgins each.

The common hardworking honest man will finally be the only one who will face the full force of the already meaningless legal system.

Sorry to sound so sarcastic but the last few months have made me terribly disillusioned and depressed about the state of our once great nation.

Which among these is the biggest scams of UPA government ?

2G Spectrum

Common Wealth Games

Petroleum

Cash-for-votes

Adarsh Housing Society

Subject - my childhood times

Subject - my childhood times

my childhood was the time when i was innocent
when the world seemed to be fair
when my universe was around my toys

my childhood was the time when 9i lived in dreams
when everyone was selfless
when everyone appeared to be a friend

my childhood was the time when my life was full of colours
when sorrows never knocked my door
when smile was gift presented to everyone

my childhood was the time when love was pure
when there were no obligations
when tenderness prevailed

my childhood was the time which is long gone
tears flow from my eyes when i go back in my childhood
my childhood will never come back but
the child in me will never go

Subject - 10 rules of life(FUNNY)

Subject - 10 rules of life(FUNNY)

10 rules to LIVE

1 - Live to relax!
2 - Love your bed, it is your temple!
3 - If someone comes to visit you to relax, stand (lay down) beside him!
4 - Relax in the day, so that you can sleep at night!
5 - Work is holy, so don't attack it!
6 - Don't do something tomorrow, that you can do the day afterwards!
7 - Work as little as possible. Let the others do what needs to be done!
8 - Don't worry, nobody died from doing nothing, but you could get hurt at work!
9 - If you feel like doing work, sit down and wait until that feeling goes away!
10 - Don't forget: working is healthy! So leave it for the sick people!

Have a nice day 

Relax!

When you're feeling completely overwhelmed,

and you know that you'll never get it all done,

Relax! 


Though your frenzied, hurried actions May generate a lot of activity,

they probably won't create much lasting value If they're done in haste.

You can relax right now, no matter how urgent your deadlines seem to be.

There's no need to save your relaxation,

For the weekend, or a vacation, or retirement -


Experience the benefits today!


Being uptight and anxious

Will not make you any more effective.

Being calm and focused will.

You can only give your full attention

To one thing at a time.
To pretend otherwise is a waste of effort.

Relax! 


Use your energy to achieve rather than to fight.

Stop worrying and start to calmly work through

What needs to be done.

Relax! 


When you're enjoying the ride, you'll get to where you want to go.

Subject - the blind man and the advertising story

Subject - the blind man and the advertising story

An old blind man was sitting on a busy street corner in the rush-hour begging for money. On a cardboard sign, next to an empty tin cup, he had written: 'Blind - Please help'.
No-one was giving him any money.
A young advertising writer walked past and saw the blind man with his sign and empty cup, and also saw the many people passing by completely unmoved, let alone stopping to give money.
The advertising writer took a thick marker-pen from her pocket, turned the cardboard sheet back-to-front, and re-wrote the sign, then went on her way.
Immediately, people began putting money into the tin cup.
After a while, when the cup was overflowing, the blind man asked a stranger to tell him what the sign now said.
"It says," said the stranger, " 'It's a beautiful day. You can see it. I cannot.' "

Gmail - Tirupathi Vs Tiruvanathapuram -------> Perumal's conversation!!! - adayaranumon@gmail.com

Gmail - Tirupathi Vs Tiruvanathapuram -------> Perumal's conversation!!! - adayaranumon@gmail.com

Some Thoughts on Father's Day

Some Thoughts on Father's Day

Every father is different, and has a different influence on his children.

Had he been alive would have crossed his century by this time.

though he was not a celebrity,he had his own stregths.

He was unique in his own way,totally unassuming personality,person of amazing grit and determination who  believed in  perfection, cleanliness and simplicity,faced many adversities and came out successfully.

I can recollect now how he used to share his stories of his early days of the large joint family he grewup with, his childhood in village, his travials as employee in Simla. Lahore, & Delhi.

Apart from his office work ,he spends most of the time in reading newspaper and hearing cricket commentaries on Radio.and listening to carnatic music.

He had the knack of keeping extreme calmness amid tough conflicts and this mostly resulted in automatic solution.

He always underplays his role, brief ,direct to the point and doesnot get excited like mother.

His emphasis on good education was the foundation on which we grew up.

Our books mostly from the eldersib or the second-hand shop.

Allunused papges from the old notebooks were stitiched together and used as rough note book.Though he never spent for himself,he never cringed to spend for us.Though not over energetic like mother he had the practical approch to all the problems.Mostly composed , enforced discipline through silence.

His favourite food is moolakootal with cheannai and vazakai

With his meagre income he sucessfully manged to brough up all the eight of us with good discipline.

What I love with him is that the value he attached to all things .wehter it is washing clothes, or cleaning the comb with  a pin,it is always methodical execution.

If I were to distill a few of the key things my dad taught me, I would say:- Be your own man - ever stop. Keep growing and learning.

- Don't let the SOBs get you down

- Be honest and simple 

old eateries

During my recent trip to south Tamil Nadu with my family, I visited the nine Vishnu temples collectively known as ‘Nava Thirupathi’. One of the temples is situated at Aalwar Thirunagari on the way from Tirunelveli to Thirchendur. After coming out of the temple, in the vicinity I happened to witness a small jaunt where a group of people had gathered in what could be best described as a petty shop. On enquiry I came to know that it was a coffee shop fondly known as ‘Maami Coffee’ famous for the filter coffee and vada that was served in the evenings.

Tempted on knowing that I went there only to see that there was a massive crowd present to take tokens for the coffee and vada. I too tried my luck and succeeded eventually. There were several cars parked on the roadside and among this was also a car with the insignia ‘District Collector’. Later I came to know that not only the collector but also a lot of bureaucrats and executives would often throng the shop for the strong coffee and tasty vada.

Another fact that caught my attention was that irrespective of the stature of the person whoever followed the line got the token and there was no unnecessary aura attached to the person. This was a unique feature of  Maami Coffee. No influence was entertained by the owner. I approached her to know what was the secret of this unique coffee and she had an instant answer — a warm smile. However, after some persistence she told me that it was a trade secret which could not be revealed.

Surprised with my efforts to have a cup of coffee and my endeavour to find the special ingredient in the coffee, my daughter, who was watching the whole episode from a distance, gave me a puzzling look and asked what was the fuss all about as after all it was just a cup of coffee.

These days it is fashionable to have food from star hotels or swanky restaurants. The young generation is paying less importance to hygienic food and ways of eating. Junk food has caught their fancy. But that was not how it used to be always. In those days great care was given to see as to what goes into the stomach and eateries were known for the quality of food they gave and not for the panache they displayed.

Triplicane, in Chennai, was a paradise for bachelors who were solely depending on private messes for the square meals. Saidoji Mess was a very famous joint and in spite of the various conditions stipulated by the owner, queues were frequently seen outside the mess. Rayar Café, in Mylapore, and also Kaiyendhi Bhavan (also in Mylapore) is still a foodies’ paradise with a lot of celebrities thronging the eatery for the tasty tiffins. In the midst of all this who can forget the world renowned Iruttu Kadai Halwa. Come evening and there is always a huge crowd at this street in Tirunelveli, with a constant presence of the police to manage the crowd.

All these eateries do not have the publicity and on-your-face presence many of the new-age eateries have and this might be a reason why they are not very popular with the young generation. It would do good for them to remember the old adage: All that glitters is not gold.

novel method. in customers satisfaction

Do you want satisfied customers or do you want customers who are so thrilled with your company they become loyal, raving fans? I'll take option No.2. Satisfied customers may come back a second or third time; they may even become regulars. But unless you exceed expectations, your satisfied customers could just as easily become your competitors' satisfied customers

a simple shortcut to knocking their socks off every single time – and it won't cost you a dime. It's the "under-promise, over-deliver" (UPOD) method.

The idea behind UPOD is that people are most favorably influenced by great service they don't expect, rather than great service they do expect.

If you tell customers they will get their new shirt fully stitiched the next day, and the shirt arrive the next day, those customers will be satisfied, maybe even happy. But if you tell customers they will get their new shirt in five days, and it arrives the next day, your customers will be amazed and thrilled.

Here's the trick with UPOD: It's not about doing things faster or throwing in "extras." It's about building the "under-promise" part into the equation from the start. If Friday is the earliest you can complete a study, then promise to have it done the following Wednesday. "Surprise! We finished early." If you know you will deliver a couch in July, promise to have it there by August. "Great news! We wanted you to have it as soon as possible!" Build a business model in which you have enough income to cover three valet attendants, promise two, and the day of the party, send over three. "We just thought you could use the extra help. No extra charge."

Most businesses know UPOD is a good practice, but few adhere to it because people think they have to change their operation to wow customers. Just take this very simple shortcut: Change your promise.

Using UPOD will also help you avoid mistakes that inevitably occur when people rush to meet deadlines. It will enable you to respond positively to last-minute requests and help you stay calm, cool and collected as you work surprisingly reasonable hours. Most importantly, when you under-promise and over-deliver, you will inspire satisfied customers to become devoted customers – and that's money in the bank.

anumon lakshmi

3,srinivasamurtiavenue adyar

http://adayaranumon.blogspot.com

Gmail - To my marketing friends (UPOD) novel method. in customers satisfaction - adayaranumon@gmail.com

Gmail - To my marketing friends (UPOD) novel method. in customers satisfaction - adayaranumon@gmail.com

health news for all

Why You're Probably at Risk for Blood Clots
by Cate Stevenson, BA 

The latest health news around inactivity is not pretty. In fact, researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital say that sitting too much could up your risk for a potentially deadly blood clot by as much as three-fold. The researchers say that their study is the first to prove that an inactive lifestyle increases the risk of developing a "pulmonary embolism." A pulmonary embolism happens when part or all of a blood clot that forms in the deep veins of your legs travels through your bloodstream to your lungs.

The study included 69,950 female nurses who were followed for 18 years. Every two years, the study participants provided details about their lifestyle habits. Women who spent most of their time sitting (more than 41 hours a week outside of work) were two times more likely to develop a pulmonary embolism than those who spent the least time sitting (less than 10 hours a week outside of work).

The link between levels of physical activity and pulmonary embolism risk remained conclusive even after accounting for such factors as age, smoking, and body mass index.
Not surprisingly, the research team also found a link between physical inactivity and high blood pressure and heart disease.

How can you prevent a pulmonary embolism? The answer is simple: stay physically active. Here are four activities that can keep you moving and using your muscles and circulatory system:

1. Ride your bike. Cycling is great for getting your legs pumping and blood flowing to your heart.

2. Go for a walk. Walking is the simplest, most effective way to stretch and keep your circulation working efficiently.

3. Jump in a pool. Swimming can take the weight off a sore back or knee while giving your muscles and heart a workout.

4. Play a team sport. Anything goes here -- baseball, hockey, soccer -- it doesn't matter. Just get out there and get active!

Remember to get your doctor's advice before starting any new exercise program or sport.

One final note: when travelling and sitting for long periods, get up and walk around if you can and do calf muscle exercises on a regular basis while en route.

Subject - Does coalition politics create compulsions that are insurmountable?

J

Subject - Does coalition politics create compulsions that are insurmountable? Does coalition politics create compulsions that are insurmountable? Let’s deconstruct the beast called coalition a bit. For the UPA, which is struggling to stay above the 272 mark, it means turning a blind to eye to what coalition partners do to their ministries. The end result is smaller parties in the coalition create their own fiefdoms – Trinamool Congress’ eagerness to hang on to the railway ministry, the DMK’s insistence on telecom and the NCP demanding the home portfolio in Maharashtra are a case in point. It’s patently unhealthy for general governance, but for the bigger parties surviving in power surely calls for many compromises. Smaller parties have their own operational dynamics which might be at odds with the government these are part of. These state-based parties have to reach out to and pamper their own constituencies in the districts and rural areas. Patil’s morality drive cannot be a case of individual preference. He is obviously catering to the sensibilities of his constituents back home. If Mumbai slips off the radar sometimes, it does not matter. The case of Mamata Banerjee is too clear – railways can wait, it is West Bengal that matters. Crucial ministries allow the parties to dole out favours to keep the vote base happy, and make money to keep the party going. With big parties following their own agenda – they also have to keep their constituents satisfied — and the smaller ones following their own, it is the cohesiveness in the approach to governance that suffers. The days of single-party rule are over. With both the major parties – the Congress and the BJP – gradually losing hold over the states, it’s going to be more complicated in future. With a major share of seats at their command, coalition partners will get more demanding. There will be more compromises, and by extension, more trouble for governance. --

Subject - happiness in your tough circumstances

Subject - happiness in your tough circumstances

Hai All

happiness in your tough circumstances

Most of you have probably heard of this known statement defined, " I will be happy when I get out of this situation or this type of circumstance, or this relationship, job, or I will be glad when I get away from this group of people!"

Whenever one focuses on the "When" in the difficult situation, it brings just brings more unhappines because "when" is always in the future tense, and not in the now stage, which the circumstance doesn't never change at all!


To change the difficult circumstance, change begins with you and your focus! In other words, change your outlook about the situation!
Change your focus off the difficult circumstances, and focus your thoughts on good things! For example," If you are in a circumstance with a difficult person or an a challenge, focus your thoughts and say within yourself, " This situation has already changed for the good! There is already good out of this situation! There is already an abundance of blessings out of this difficult situation!" Focus and act that it has already happened and you will begin to feel so good! It might take work,but you will find so much happiness while focusing on those things! The situation will change!

With me, I wish that I could have known this in my earlier years! It has done so much in my own life right now! I am glad of discovering this now!

Find your happiness

In order to find your happiness, focus and think about the things that you love, which are in you, and concentrate on those things! This is where your happiness come from, the inward you, which is in your heart !When you focus on the things that you love, you will find your happiness!




I will say again that, " The things that you have a great love for and have great passions for in your heart , this is what defines your happiness!

For examples," Like if you love to travel, " Focus on different places that you will love to go!" If you love to watch football or soccer, " Focus and when the season starts, get to a the nearest television!" If you love to write," Focus on the things that you love to write about in order to be a blessing to lives of other people!" If you have a love and a passion for outdoors and hunting, " Focus and get a vision of your self in the outdoors and hunting!" If you have a love and passion for music," Focus and put your self in the vision of the music you love to create!" If you love watching a person speak, " put yourself in the position of getting that person's tapes, or dvd, and listening to them!" I

Ever since doing this, I have found myself more happier when I contrentrate on the things that I love and have great passion about!

I really hoped that this has helped! I hope to hear your comments!
--

Subject - Organizing My Frazzled Mind!

Subject - Organizing My Frazzled Mind!

Organizing My Frazzled Mind!
There's a commercial on TV right now where the screen very quickly flashes photos and they pile upon each other at a frantic speed. I told my daughter the other day, that's how my mind feels a lot of the time.

In our world of high technology, speed is what everyone is focused on. The problem with that is we end up becoming very stressed from the never-ending input and change.

So, what can we do to change how our brain is feeling? Two things come to mind--remember to breathe, and get organized! Both will be incredibly helpful in getting us to a less stressful, calm place.

Remember to Breathe

The first, remember to breathe sounds easy but it's not. How many times have you found yourself literally holding your breath waiting for something to happen or something to pass? We tense up in anticipation of those things we're not prepared for, things that we are anxious about, thing that we fear.

Release Your Mind

How many of you are stressed about money? You cringe when you hear the word budget because you don't have one. My financial planner told me that if people would lie out their finances on paper and make a plan that most would find out that things are probably better than they think.

If you take the things that you fear, things that make you anxious and sit down, breathe and make a plan for how to deal with them, you will find that most are nowhere near as worrisome as you may have originally thought.

Remove the Stress

Something as overwhelming as an out of control, cluttered room can be incredibly stressful and make you feel frazzled. Now close your eyes and imagine how you would like the room to be. Clear and organized I'd expect. Notice how that makes you feel. Is the stress melting away? Now how can we accomplish this?

Divide the 'Big Picture'

Looking at things in the big picture can often be too much. We don't see an easy way through what we're trying to do. Break it down into baby steps or small parts and it suddenly doesn't feel quite as much to deal with.

Tackle the Easy Stuff

First tackle the easy stuff. The obvious trash. Are there newspapers you can toss, anything broken? Get a garbage bag and get that stuff out of the room right off the bat. That should clear out some space for you to work in. Next pull out anything that you no longer need or want and would be willing to donate.

Donate to Ease Stress

I've found most people have a much easier time tossing unwanted items to donation since they feel the items will still be used and not just thrown away. Once you pull those items out bag or box them and take them directly to the trunk of your car. Don't leave them in the room or you will be tempted to pull something back out.

Avoid Getting Overwhelmed

Taking those steps will free up some space not only in your room but also in your head. You will feel a sense of accomplishment and positivity which will then motivate you to move forward. The better you feel about what you've done, the more you will want to continue what you started. Most people stop in the middle of the project if they feel frustrated or feel that they're not making progress. By taking baby steps and working at something for a short and productive time, you will avoid that trap.

Is a whole room too much to tackle at this point? Then focus on something smaller like maybe the trunk of your car, a closet or even just a drawer. You can take the same approach described for the room and use it for a smaller area.

Pull Out Your Calendar

One thing you can do to alleviate feeling stressed and overwhelmed would be to pull out your calendar and make a plan for the next month or even the next few months. Jot down all of the events you know you'll be dealing with and see where you might have time to yourself. Time to regenerate and spend sometime doing something you enjoy. Block out those times just for you. That time is just as important as the time you spend running around doing things for other people.

Create a Meal Plan

Perhaps one thing you can do is to create a meal plan just for the dinners for one week. Look and see what you have in the freezer or cupboard and then plan some meals. Make a grocery list to augment what you have on hand. If you can take worrying about dinners each day out of the equation, this will free up your mind for other things or for that relaxing time we were just talking about.

Top 10 Free Email Services

1) Gmail - Free Email Service

Gmail is the Google approach to email and chat. Practically unlimited free online storage allows you to collect all your messages, and Gmail's simple but very smart interface lets you find them precisely and see them in context without effort. Unfortunately, Gmail does not offer IMAP, only POP access. Gmail also puts contextual advertising next to the emails you read.
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2) Inbox.com - Free Email Service

Inbox.com not only gives you 5 GB to store your mail online but also a highly polished, fast and functional way to access it via either the web (including speedy search, free-form labels and reading mail by conversation) or through POP in your email program.
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3) FastMail Guest Account - Free Email Service

FastMail is a great free email service with IMAP access, useful features, one of the best web-based email interfaces and few ads.

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4) Yahoo! Mail - Free Email Service

Yahoo! Mail is a comfortable, reliable and secure email service with a reasonable amount of storage. A pretty good spam filter keeps the junk out, and you can send rich emails using Yahoo! Mail's HTML editor.

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5) AIM Mail - Free Email Service

AIM Mail, AOL's free web-based email service, shines with 2 GB of online storage, very good spam protection and a rich, easy to use interface. Unfortunately, AIM Mail lacks a bit in productivity (no labels, smart folders and message threading), but makes up for some of that with very functional IMAP access.

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6) Windows Live Hotmail - Free Email Service

Windows Live Hotmail is a free email service that gives you a 2 GB of online storage, fast search, solid security and an interface easy as a desktop email program. When it comes to organizing mail, Windows Live Hotmail does not go beyond folders (to saved searches and tags, for example), its spam filter could be more effective, and POP or IMAP access are missing.

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7) HotPOP - Free Email Service

HotPOP offers free, reliable email accounts you can use with any email program using POP3 and SMTP. In addition, HotPOP lets you forward incoming messages to multiple other addresses. Unfortunately, HotPOP lacks IMAP access and a web-based email interface and is a bit short on storage space.

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8) Goowy mail - Free Email Service

Goowy mail is your rich Desktop email program on the web with a fast interface that lets you drag and drop, use context menus and enjoy lots of pleasant eye candy. In addition to email, goowy offers a calendar, an RSS feed reader and games done in a similar fashion. More features and online storage would do goowy mail good, though.

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9) BigString.com - Free Email Service

BigString.com is a free 1 GB email service that includes rich certified mail services and lets you expire or edit sent messages, for example. Unfortunately, BigString.com is not equally well equipped for handling incoming mail and lacks organizing tools.

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10) My Way Mail - Free Email Service

My Way Mail is a clean, fast and fun (though not particularly advanced) free email service.

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‘First impressions count.’

That’s what you usually hear when going for an interview, or for that matter, any type of formal meeting. However, first impressions can, and usually are, (for me at least) very mistaken. Before we get too ahead of ourselves, here’s a question for you to ponder upon- What forms a first impression?
 what forms a first impression. For me, however shallow it is to say this, one of the features that forms a first impression are a person’s looks. Rather, not by a person’s looks, but by the expression on someone’s face. If I’m walking on the road and a man with a wide, scary grin and glinting eyes that are fixed upon me is walking next to me, then I’m going to start walking faster.
Another feature that contributes to my first impression of a person is how they are dressed. Taking an example of a young 8 year old girl (this has happened before) dressed up in a fancy dress; a fancy pink dress, complete with lacy bows and a shimmering clip, I’m going to assume that she is either spoilt, or a brat, or both. There is no real explanation for my conclusion, just that it annoys me when I see little girls, specifically, overdressed.
Third factor: the tone of their voice/the way they talk. Say I’m somewhere; a party, and I start a conversation with someone who I have not met before. If they (I’m assuming it’s a she) have a whiny, overly-sarcastic (I can handle just sarcastic), or a just plain annoying voice, I’m not going to want to talk to them any longer. I don’t think I am required to give an explanation as to why I would not like to talk to someone with a whiny or annoying voice. For overly-sarcastic though, the reason is that when someone always has an overly-sarcastic tone, it is most likely they are going to be rude. Judgmental, yes, I know, but that’s usually what happens. Then, obviously, the way they talk. If they are snobbish, put on a fake accent, or talk in a way that makes me (or you) feel like they’re better or smarter or more whatever than you (or me), it’s going to form an impression, and not a very good one at that.
I’m sure there are many more factors that contribute to the forming of a first impression (rumors; a bad reputation), but I think I’m writing a bit too much than is required (sorry, editors). So, leaving how a first impression is formed, let us move on to whether first impressions are usually proved right or wrong.
I can honestly say for myself that my first impressions are, nine out of ten times, wrong. Taking a real example of how my first impression on a group of guys (no names being mentioned) turned out to be completely wrong (well, for most of them). Earlier, whenever their names were mentioned or they were talked about, it was always with a bit of hostility. But once I actually got to know them, my bad impression of them turned out to be totally untrue, and I realized that I had been basing it upon a couple of rumors and what other people had said about them. Now, some of the people in that ‘group’, so to say, are best friends with me.
I don’t know if this applies just to me or to other people as well, but here’s a bit of advice for all of you- Never base your relationship with a person on your first impression of them.

Subject - nationalism

Subject - nationalism

Subject - nationalism

Each political party has defined nationalism in the interest of their political pursuits. It is increasingly becoming difficult to separate regionalism, nationalism, fanaticism, extremism and terrorism. Bomb blast at every nook and corner, Jamia Nagar incident, cracking down Tech-terror network in Mumbai, burning train at Godhra - riot and further probe, bashing north Indians in Mumbai and elsewhere, killing of original tribal by illegal immigrants in Assam, burning churches in Orissa and Karnataka, Ram Sethu issue in Tamil Nadu etc. etc. are some recent cases which have been explained by us in either way, call it whatever one wants. It is rightly said by Churchill that true genius resides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, and conflicting information. The great loser really is the Nation India .

Subject - A Sardar In Need Of A Winning Lotto Ticket

Subject - A Sardar In Need Of A Winning Lotto Ticket A Sardarji finds himself in dire trouble. His business has gone bust and he's in serious financial trouble. He's so desperate that he decides to ask Bhagwan for help. He goes into the temple and begins to pray. "Oh Bhagwan, please help me, I've lost my business and if I don't get some money, I'm going to lose my house as well, please let me win the lotto". Lotto night comes and somebody else wins it. The Sardarji goes back to the synagogue. "Bhagwan, please let me win the lotto, I've lost my business, my house and I'm going to lose my car as well". Lotto night comes and the Sardarji still has no luck!! Back to the temple... "My Bhagwan, why have you forsaken me?? I've lost my business, my house, my car and my wife and children are starving. I don't often ask you for help and I have always been a good servant to you. Why won't you just let me win the lotto this one time so I can get my life back in order???". Suddenly there is a blinding flash of light as the sky parts open and the Sardarhi is confronted by the voice of the God: "SARDARJI, MEET ME HALF WAY ON THIS ONE, BUY A DAMN TICKET".

Subject - Fate's fate

Fate is what we say when we lose.......

Have you ever heard anyone saying fate when they win ??????

Thats the fate of fate !!!!!!!

_________________

He Gave Me Everything I Needed

When I Asked God for Strength  He Gave Me Difficult Situations to Face

When I Asked God for Brain & Brown
He Gave Me Puzzles in Life to Solve

When I Asked God for Happiness 
He Showed Me Some Unhappy People

When I Asked God for Wealth
He Showed Me How to Work Hard

When I Asked God for Favors 
He Showed Me Opportunities to Work Hard

When I Asked God for Peace
He Showed Me How to Help Others

God Gave Me Nothing I Wanted 
He Gave Me Everything I Needed

- Swami Vivekananda