Interesting Anecdotes

[NOV]

When You Divorce Me, Carry Me Out in Your Arms
===============================
(ignore the bad English and enjoy the story.)

On my wedding day, I carried my wife in my arms. The bridal car stopped in front of our one-room flat. My buddies insisted that I carry her out of the car in my arms. So I carried her into our home.
She was then plump and shy. I was a strong and happy bridegroom.

This was the scene of ten years ago.

The following days were as simple as a cup of pure water: we had a kid, I went into business and tried to make more money.
When the assets were steadily increasing, the affections between us seemed to ebb. She was a civil servant. Every morning we left home together and got home almost at the same time. Our kid was studying in a boarding school.

Our marriage life seemed to be enviably happy. But the calm life was more likely to be affected by unpredictable changes.

Dew came into my life.

It was a sunny day. I stood on a spacious balcony. Dew hugged me from behind. My heart once again was immersed in her stream
of love. This was the apartment I bought for her.

Dew said, You are the kind of man who best draws girls eyeballs. Her words suddenly reminded me of my wife. When we just
married, my wife said, Men like you, once successful, will be very
attractive to girls.
Thinking of this, I became somewhat hesitant. I knew I had betrayed my wife. But I couldn t help doing so.

I moved Dew s hands aside and said, You go to select some furniture, O.K.? I ve got something to do in the company.
Obviously she was unhappy, because I had promised her to go and see with her. At the moment, the idea of divorce became clearer in my mind although it used to be something impossible to me.

However, I found it rather difficult to tell my wife about it. No
matter how mildly I mentioned it to her, she would be deeply hurt. Honestly, she was a good wife. Every evening she was busy
preparing dinner. I was sitting in front of the TV. The dinner was ready soon.
Then we watched TV together. Or, I was lounging before the computer, visualizing Dew's body. This was the means of my entertainment.

One day I said to her in a slight joking way, suppose we divorce, what will you do? She stared at me for a few seconds without a word.
Apparently she believed that divorce was something too far away from her. I couldn t imagine how she would react once she got to know I was serious.

When my wife went to my office, Dew had just stepped out. Almost all the staff looked at my wife with a sympathetic eye and tried to hide something while talking with her. She seemed to have got some hint. She gently smiled at my subordinates. But I read some hurt in her eyes.

Once again, Dew said to me, He Ning, divorce her, O.K.? Then we live together. I nodded. I knew I could not hesitate any more.

When my wife served the last dish, I held her hand. I ve got something to tell you, I said.

She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn t know how to open my mouth. But I had
to let her know what I was thinking. I want to divorce. I raised a
serious topic calmly.

She didn t seem to be much annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I'm serious. I avoided her question.
This so-called answer turned her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! .

At that night, we didn t talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our
marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer, because my heart had gone to Dew.

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake
of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. I felt a pain in my heart.
The woman who had been living ten years with me would
become a stranger one day. But I could not take back what I had said.

Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release.
The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer.

A late night, I came back home after entertaining my clients. I saw her writing something at the table. I fell asleep fast.
When I woke up, I found she was still there. I turned over and was
asleep again.

She brought up her divorce conditions: she didn t want anything from me, but I was supposed to give her one month s time
before divorce, and in the month s time we must live as normal life as possible. Her reason was simple: our son would finish his summer vacation a month later and she didn t want him to see our marriage was broken.

She passed me the agreement she drafted, and then asked me, He Ning, do you still remember how I entered our bridal room on
the wedding day?
This question suddenly brought back all those wonderful memories to me.
I nodded and said, I remember . You carried me in your arms , she
continued, so, I have a request, that is, you carry me out in your
arms on the day when we divorce. From now to the end of this month, you must carry me out from the bedroom to the door every
morning.

I accepted with a smile. I knew she missed those sweet days and wished to end her marriage with a romantic form.

I told Dew about my wife s divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she does, she has to face the result of divorce, she said scornfully. Her words
more or less made me feel uncomfortable.

My wife and I hadn t had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. We even treated each other
as a stranger. So when I carried her out for the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms.
His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the
sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly, Let us start from today, don t tell our son.
I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for bus, I drove to office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily.
She leaned on my chest. We were so close that I could smell the
fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn t looked at this intimate woman carefully for a long time. I found she was not young any more. There were some fine wrinkles on her face.

On the third day, she whispered to me, The outside garden is being
demolished. Be careful when you pass there.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I seemed to feel that we were still an intimate couple and I was holding my sweetheart in my arms. The visualization of Dew became vaguer.

On the fifth and sixth day, she kept reminding me something, such as, where she put the ironed shirts, I should be careful while cooking, etc. I nodded. The sense of intimacy was even stronger.

I didn t tell Dew about this.

I felt it was easier to carry her. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger. I said to her, It seems not difficult to
carry you now.

She was picking her dresses. I was waiting to carry her out. She tried quite a few but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, All my dresses have grown fatter. I smiled. But I suddenly
realized that it was because she was thinner that I could carry her
more easily, not because I was stronger. I knew she had buried all the bitterness in her heart. Again, I felt a sense of pain. Subconsciously I reached out a hand to touch her head.

Our son came in at the moment. Dad, it s time to carry mum out. He
said. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had been an
essential part of his life. She gestured our son to come closer and
hugged him tightly. I turned my face because I was afraid I would
change my mind at the last minute. I held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her
hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly, as if we came back to our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad.

On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. She said, Actually I hope you will hold me in your arms until we are old.

I held her tightly and said, Both you and I didn t notice that our life
was lack of such intimacy.

I jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid
any delay would make me change my decision. I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door. I said to her, Sorry, Dew, I won t divorce. I m
serious.

She looked at me, astonished. The she touched my forehead. You got no fever. She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, I said, I can only say sorry to you, I won t divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn t value the details of
life, not because we didn t love each other any more. Now I understand that since I carried her into the home, she gave birth to our child, I am supposed to hold her until I am old. So I have to say sorry to you.

Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst out crying. I walked downstairs and drove to the office.

When I passed the florist shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet for my wife which was her favorite. The salesgirl asked me to write the
greeting words on the card. I smiled and wrote, I ll carry you out
every morning until we are old.

[Cindy]

Nov, Ungalukku Kalyanam Ayiducha???

[nirosha sen]

Ha! Ha! Good one Nov!! But uhm....it's okay to plagiarise, here too???? :)

[NOV]

Nov, Ungalukku Kalyanam Ayiducha???andha soga kathaiyai en kekkureenga. :)
I say this becos my wife doesnt surf. :D

[NOV]

Ha! Ha! Good one Nov!! But uhm....it's okay to plagiarise, here too???? :)Niro, these are stories that circulate through emails, the identity of the author lost somewhere in transit.
As long as we don't do this for a profit and give credit if known, I don't see why not?

Or do you have alternative views?

[Querida]

hmmm well i guess im too use to reading novels and such...it was a nice ancedote as you promised... :) maybe way too polished and loosed ends all tied up and quite a rash man...who knows in few years time when he hits another boredom streak....seriously though many people may the stupid mistake of thinking they can hide such things from their children...at times they are the first to know....and at times they have a deeper sense about these things...after all they are your children! Don't stay together for them when you are truly miserable....you forge that mommmy and daddy miserable makes child miserable as well..and just as well as you think you hide it they will too....work all you want on your marriage..but let them know too..acknowledge that they too are apart of your life....

[nirosha sen]

Nope! :) I have no other alternatives to suggest, my dear! I really thought Ajay deVerma was the original author! Thanks for clarifying!

And sorry for hurtin' your feelings! :)

[NOV]

Hurt?
Why Niro?

You brought up a very good point.

Take it easy my friend. :D

[a.ratchasi]

A man told his grandson: "A terrible fight is going on inside me -- a
fight between two wolves. One is evil, and represents hate, anger,
arrogance, intolerance, and superiority . The other is good, and
represents joy, peace, love, tolerance, understanding, humility,
kindness,
empathy, generosity, and compassion. This same fight is going on
inside
you, inside every other person too."
The grandson then asked: "Which wolf will win?" The old man replied
simply: "The one you feed."

So which wolf do we feed everyday?

[NM]

Morning - the good one....
Afternoon...the bad one....

U wanna know why???

In the morning, I wake up, tell myself "this is another good day today!"... be good.......

In the afternoon, after reading so many mails (some nasty) and getting backstabbed at work, I become too annoyed and so, I feed the bad one.....
Am trying very hard not to....but, alas! , am not a saint!!

[NOV]

After 21 years of marriage, I discovered a new way of keeping alive the spark of love. A little while ago I started to go out with another woman. It was really my wife's idea.

"I know that you love her," she said one day, taking me by surprise.

"But I love YOU," I protested.

"I know, but you also love her."

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my mother, who has been a widow for 19 years The demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally. That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.

"What's wrong, are you okay ?" she asked. My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

"I thought that it would be nice to spend some time with you," I responded.

"Just the two of us?" She thought about it for a moment, then said, "I would like that very much."

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our "date." She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's.

"I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed," she said, as she got into the car. "They can't wait to hear about our meeting."

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print. Half way through the entrees, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring
at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.

"It was I who used to read the menu when you were small," she said.

"Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor," I responded.

During the dinner we had an agreeable conversation – nothing extraordinary - but catching up on recent events of each other's life. We talked so much that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said, "I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you."

I agreed.

"How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got home.

"Very nice. Much more so than I could have imagined," I answered.

A few days later my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her. Some time later I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place my mother and I had dined. An attached note read: "Son, I paid this bill in advance. I was almost sure that I couldn't be there but, nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you."

At that moment I understood the importance of saying, in time: "I LOVE YOU" and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till "some other time."

[NOV]

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby ... that somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, "Normal," is history.

Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct ... that somebody never took a three-year-old shopping.

Somebody said being a mother is boring ... that somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

Somebody said if you're a "good" mother, your child will "turn out good." that somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.

Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voices .... that somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.

Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother ... that somebody never helped a fourth grader with his math.

Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first. That somebody doesn't have five children.

Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books ... that somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery .. that somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten. or on a plane headed for military "boot camp."

Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back ... that somebody never organized seven giggling Brownies to sell cookies.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married .. that somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home ... that somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her .. that somebody isn't a mother.

[Cindy]

Most of you might have got the following messages before...this is for those who have not...

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
He said, "Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you."
We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said good-bye.
But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.
When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.
He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,
While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use,
But the children you love, you seem to abuse.
Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.
Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
You never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.
I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.
Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.
I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."
I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway."
I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers,
especially the blue."

Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, The company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think? So what is behind the story?

[Cindy]

Do you know what the word FAMILY means? FAMILY =

( F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU

[Cindy]

You don't love someone because they're beautiful. They're beautiful because you love them.

Its true you don't know what you've got until its gone, but its also true you don't know what you've been missing until it arrives!!!

[Bad Boy]

Its true you don't know what you've got until its gone, but its also true you don't know what you've been missing until it arrives!!!

You mention Bdolf?
Though we all know this we hurt each other. What do you say moderator?

[Querida]

wow i can only sit in awe after reading all these ancedotes..sorry i have nothing to contribute but my intermediate messages of thanx :D

[NOV]

'How long will you be poring over that newspaper? Will you come here right away and make your darling daughter eat her food?'

I tossed the paper away and rushed to the scene. My only daughter Sindu looked frightened. Tears were welling up in her eyes.
In front of her was a bowl filled to its brim with Curd Rice.

Sindu is a nice child, quite intelligent for her age. She has just turned eight. She particularly detested Curd Rice. My mother and my wife are orthodox, and believe firmly in the 'cooling effects'
of Curd Rice!

I cleared my throat, and picked up the bowl. "Sindu, darling, why don't you take a few mouthful of this Curd Rice? Just for Dad's sake, dear. And, if you don't, your Mom will shout at me'

I could sense my wife's scowl behind my back. Sindu softened a bit, and wiped her tears with the back of her hands. 'OK, Dad.
I will eat - not just a few mouthfuls, but the whole lot of this.
But, you should...' Sindu hesitated. 'Dad, if I eat this entire Curd
Rice, will you give me whatever I ask for?'

'Oh sure, darling'.

'Promise?'

'Promise'. I covered the pink soft hand extended by my daughter with mine, and clinched the deal.

'Ask Mom also to give a similar promise', my daughter insisted. My wife slapped her hand on Sindu's, muttering 'Promise', without any emotion. Now I became a bit anxious. 'Sindumma, you shouldn't
insist on getting a computer or any such expensive items. Dad does not have that kind of money right now. OK?'

'No, Dad. I do not want anything expensive'. Slowly and painfully, she finished eating the whole quantity. I was silently angry with my wife and my mother for forcing my child eat something that she
detested.

After the ordeal was through, Sindu came to me with her eyes wide with expectation. All our attention was on her. 'Dad, I want to have my head shaved off, this Sunday!' was her demand!

'Atrocious!' shouted my wife, 'a girl child having her head shaved off? Impossible!'.

'Never in our family!' my mother rasped. 'She has been watching too much of television. Our culture is getting totally spoiled with these TV programs!'

'Sindumma, why don't you ask for something else? We will be sad seeing you with a clean-shaven head.'

'No, Dad. I do not want anything else', Sindu said with finality. 'Please, Sindu, why don't you try to understand our feelings?' I tried to plead with her.

'Dad, you saw how difficult it was for me to eat that Curd Rice'. Sindu was in tears. 'And you promised to grant me whatever I ask for. Now, you are going back on your words. Was it not you who told me the story of King Harishchandra, and its moral that we should honour our promises no matter what?'

It was time for me to call the shots. 'Our promise must be kept.'

'Are you out your mind?' chorused my mother and wife.

'No. If we go back on our promises, she will never learn to honour her own. Sindu, your wish will be fulfilled.'

With her head clean-shaven, Sindu had a round-face, and her eyes looked big & beautiful.

On Monday morning, I dropped her at her school. It was a sight to watch my hairless Sindu walking towards her classroom. She
turned around and waved.

I waved back with a smile. Just then, a boy alighted from a car, and
shouted, 'Sinduja, please wait for me!'

What struck me was the hairless head of that boy. 'May be, that is the in-stuff', I thought.

'Sir, your daughter Sinduja is great indeed!' Without introducing herself, a lady got out of the car, and continued, 'That boy who is walking along with your daughter is my son Harish. He is
suffering from ... ... leukaemia.'

She paused to muffle her sobs. 'Harish could not attend the school for the whole of the last month. He lost all his hair due to the side effects of the chemotherapy. He refused to come back to school fearing the unintentional but cruel teasing of the schoolmates.
Sinduja visited him last week, and promised him that she will take
care of the teasing issue. But, I never imagined she would sacrifice her lovely hair for the sake of my son! Sir, you and your wife are blessed to have such a noble soul as your daughter.'

I stood transfixed. And then, I wept. 'My little Angel, will you grant me a boon? Should there be another birth for me, will you be my mother, and teach me what Love is?'

(BY VARALOTTI RENGASAMY IN SUNDAY HERALD

[nirosha sen]

Oh Nov - That was a beautiful story! Brought the tears to my eyes, as I read it! The power of compassion is boundless, Pa!! :)

[Bad Boy]

It seems the daughter is much brighter than the father. Who wonders? If have to take care of all these internet frauds I do become dull. :lol: :lol:

[nirosha sen]

Bad Boy - You speak with the wisdom of a childless, Wanderer!! :cry:

[Bad Boy]

Bad Boy - You speak with the wisdom of a childless, Wanderer!! :cry:

No Niro,

I am as pure as a baby, shitting and crying always - rogue perhaps (I had always been very straight) but I am still a child. And I have decided to remain a child when I first started to speak with 2 3/4 years. But I spoke sentences and not only a word here and there. My Mom whished sometimes that I never started to speak. I have a lot of precise rememberance from when I was three, really. Even when I play chess and we get interupted then I only have to take a look at the chess board just 2-3 seconds and I can build up the board even weeks later. It is true. But I have problems to follow a movie, actresses if blonde and with such thinks I am very much in trouble. That is also a reason why I go for other stuff but not for movies.

When I was about 10 someone asked for my DOB and told that I won't have children ever because of 5 and 9 as the cross totals. I'll be 41 next Tuesday but that is not the end. Belive me I love children and they love me. I only face problems with so called educated or matured because I always try to itch their Intelligence - an instinct behaviour.
People don't call me a paedophile because I love children.
:lol:

[nirosha sen]

Well then, I presume compassion is another reservoir you have yet to tap into! Try it, sometimes!! Sarcasm alone is hardly a staple to survive by, trust me!!

A kind word sometimes goes a long way instead of brutal honesty!! :wink:

[Bad Boy]

Well then, I presume compassion is another reservoir you have yet to tap into! Try it, sometimes!! Sarcasm alone is hardly a staple to survive by, trust me!!

A kind word sometimes goes a long way instead of brutal honesty!! :wink:

Yeah, but vengeance is a foreign word to me too! If someone wants to match me then I check their ability too. There is the power! Eachtime I slay them I expect them to slay me too. There I am searching my master. :lol:

[Bad Boy]

Now i have filed you :lol:

will reply over the weekend I suppose!

[Querida]

are we filed under stereotypes that would restrict you from seeing us as more than what we are filed as? :?

[Querida]

yes i too long resolved to remain a child...a child who of course understands responsibility, pain, mistakes, but note hate..even now at most i feel pity more than hate...but i dont ever want to become bitter....i have seen so many ppl who think growing up means becoming selfish and serious...what is so very sad is that they kill a decent person with potential to become this robot...i am always surprised how people are so fooled by a bloody paper title...there are so many people who have a degree but not common sense or compassion...hmmm badboy i dont know why you should think ppl would think you a paedohphile unless of course you go around ferverently asserting that you aren't one... :P i think that would certainly do the trick...i find myself loving kids who have spunk and pure deviousness at times...which isnt too good cause well they get away with more than they should :P

[davie]

hi querida
watzzup hney.
catchya later. busylike hell

[Querida]

hey davie boy :D
well idle hand make devils play
and idle mind is the devils workshop
so see ya around
dont worry i dont believe in those sayings...so get done soon and but get it done right first :)

[NOV]

Good that you found the write up touching Nirosha.
Now here's one that is supposed to have taken place centuries ago....



A MONARCH OF LONG AGO had twin sons. There was some confusion about which one was born first. As they grew to young manhood, the king sought a fair way to designate one of them as crown prince. All who knew the young men thought them equal in intelligence, wit, personal charm, health, and physical strength.

Being a keenly observant king, he thought he detected a trait in one which was not shared by the other.

Calling them to his council chamber one day, he said, "My sons, the
day will come when one of you must succeed me as king. The burdens of sovereignty are very heavy. To find out which of you is better able to bear them cheerfully, I am sending you together to a far corner of the kingdom. One of my advisors there will place equal
burdens on your shoulders. My crown will one day go to the one who first returns bearing his burden like a king should."

In a spirit of friendly competition, the brothers set out together.
Soon they overtook an aged woman struggling under a burden that seemed far too heavy for her frail body. One of the boys suggested that they stop to help her. The other protested: "We have a burden of our own to worry about. Let us be on our way."

The objector hurried on while the other stayed behind to give aid to
the aged woman. Along the road, from day to day, he found others who also needed help. A blind man took him miles out of his way, and a lame man slowed him to a cripple's walk.

Eventually he did reach his father's advisor, where he secured his
own burden and started home with it safely on his shoulders.

When he arrived at the palace, his brother met him at the gate, and greeted him with dismay. He said, "I don't understand. I told our father the burden was too heavy to carry. However did you do it?"

The future king replied thoughtfully, "I suppose when I helped others carry their burdens, I found the strength to carry my own."

What do you think is the moral of the story?

[Sandeep]

What do you think is the moral of the story?[/i][/b]

If you are king and have twins you are screwed. :lol: :lol:

[Querida]

What do you think is the moral of the story?[/i][/b]

If you are king and have twins you are screwed. :lol: :lol:

:lol: :lol: :lol: @ Sandeep!
i dont know like all ancedotes it is too clear-cut...anyways i think if he cared so much for his people i had a brightening hope that he would just stay with the villagers and help all he can there...instead of becoming a king...because however much he tries..he will doing more help in that small place than all of a kingdom...let his brother be king...yet rule himself...kind of like Clinton as president and Hilary as ruling :P

[NOV]

I dont know Querida, but I felt that a person who goes through troubles - even others - is able to go through his own without much difficulty. You know - the experience.

So the moral is, besides charity and other noble causes, helping others also means helping oneself too!

[Sandeep]

So the moral is, besides charity and other noble causes, helping others also means helping oneself too!

Yes I had read somewhere "Thank the person you are helping for letting you help him".

[NOV]

Sandeep, that's right.
Now, here's another one.


A long time ago in China, a girl named Li-Li got married and went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with her mother-in-law at all. Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law's habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly.

Days passed, and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never
stopped arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that, according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness in the house was causing Li-Li's poor husband great distress.

Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law's bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it. Li-Li went to see her father's good friend, Mr Huang, who sold herbs. She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.

Mr Huang thought for awhile, and finally said, "Li-Li, I will help you
solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you.

Li-Li said, "Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do". Mr.
Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs.

He told Li-Li, "You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that
will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspects you when she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen".

Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr Huang and hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law. Weeks went by, and
months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr.
Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.

After six months had passed, the whole household had changed. Li-Li had practised controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with. The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her
own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was
happening.

One day, Li-Li came to see Mr Huang and asked for his help again. She said, "Dear Mr Huang, please help me to keep the poison from
killing my mother-in-law! She's changed into such a nice woman,
and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her".

Mr Huang smiled and nodded his head. "Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your attitude towards her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her".

[Sandeep]

Nov's story's moral :

"Try to Treat Others as You Would Want Them to Treat You"

- L. Ron Hubbard in The Way to Happiness

[Bad Boy]

Nov's story's moral :

"Try to Treat Others as You Would Want Them to Treat You"

- L. Ron Hubbard in The Way to Happiness

More or less the same I saw once in train closets here in Germany.

[a.ratchasi]

STORY 1

It's a fine sunny day in the forest, and a rabbit
is sitting outside his burrow, tippy-tapping on his typewriter.
Along comes a fox, out for a walk.
Fox : "What are you working on?"
Rabbit : "My thesis."
Fox : "Hmm. What is it about?"
Rabbit : "Oh, I'm writing about how rabbits eat foxes."
Fox : "That's ridiculous! Any fool knows that rabbits don't eat
foxes!"
Rabbit : "Come with me and I'll show you!"
They both disappear into the rabbit's burrow. After a few minutes,
gnawing
on a fox bone, the rabbit returns to his typewriter and resumes
typing. Soon
a wolf comes along and stops to watch the hardworking rabbit.
Wolf : "What's that you are writing?"
Rabbit : "I'm doing a thesis on how rabbits eat wolves."
Wolf : "You don't expect to get such rubbish published, do you?"
Rabbit : "No problem. Do you want to see why?"
The rabbit and the wolf go into the burrow, and again the rabbit
returns by
himself, after a few minutes, and goes back to typing. Finally a
bear comes
along and asks, "What are you doing?"
Rabbit : "I'm doing a thesis on how rabbits eat bears."
Bear : "Well that's absurd!
Rabbit : "Come into my home and I'll show you"
As they enter the burrow, the rabbit introduces the bear to the
lion.

Moral: IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW SILLY YOUR THESIS TOPIC IS; WHAT
MATTERS
IS WHO YOU HAVE FOR A SUPERVISOR.
In the context of the working world:-
IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW BAD YOUR PERFORMANCE IS;
WHAT MATTERS IS WHETHER YOUR BOSS LIKES YOU.

[a.ratchasi]

STORY 2
Scene:
~~~~~
It's a fine sunny day in the forest, and a lion is sittingoutside
his cave,
lying lazily in the sun. Along comes a fox, out on a walk.
Fox : "Do you know the time, because my watch is broken"
Lion : "Oh, I can easily fix the watch for you"
Fox : "Hmm. But it's a very complicated
mechanism, and your great claws will only destroy it even more"
Lion : "Oh no, give it to me, and it will be fixed"
Fox : "That's ridiculous! Any fool knows that lazy lion with
great claws cannot fix complicated watches"
Lion : "Sure they do, give it to me and it will be fixed".
The lion disappears into his cave, and after a
while he comes back with the watch which is running perfectly. The fox is
impressed, and the lion continues to lie lazily in the sun, looking
very pleased with himself.
Soon a wolf comes along and stops to watch the lazy lion in the
sun.
Wolf : "Can I come and watch TV tonight with you,
because mine is broken"
Lion : "Oh, I can easily fix your TV for you"
Wolf : "You don't expect me to believe such rubbish, do you?. Here is no way
that a lazy lion with big claws can fix a complicated TV"
Lion : "No problem. Do you want to try it?"
The lion goes into his cave, and after a while comes back with a
perfectly
fixed TV. The wolf goes away happily and amazed.
Scene:
~~~~~
Inside the lion's cave. In one corner are half a dozen small and
intelligent
looking rabbits who are busily doing very complicated work with
very detailed instruments. In the. Other corner lies a huge lion looking very pleased with himself.
Moral: IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY A SUPERVISOR IS FAMOUS;
LOOK AT THE WORK OF HIS STUDENTS.
In the context of the working world:-
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY SOMEONE UNDESERVED IS PROMOTED;

LOOK AT THE WORK OF HIS SUBORDINATES.

[NM]

THE POSITIVE SIDE OF LIFE:

Living on Earth is expensive,
but it does include a free trip
around the sun every year.

How long a minute is
depends on what side of the
bathroom door you're on.

Birthdays are good for you;
the more you have,
the longer you live.

Happiness comes through doors you
didn't even know you left open.

Ever notice that the people who are late
are often much jollier
than the people who have to wait for them?

Most of us go to our grave
with our music still inside of us.

If Wal-Mart is lowering prices every day,
how come nothing is free yet?

You may be only one person in the world,
but you may also be the world to one person.

Some mistakes are too much fun
to only make once.

Don't cry because it's over;
smile because it happened.

We could learn a lot from crayons:
some are sharp, some are pretty,
some are dull, some have weird names,
and all are different colors....but
they all exist very nicely in the same box.

A truly happy person is one who
can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

Have an awesome day, and
know that someone
who thinks you're great
has thought about you today!..


Working for God on earth does not pay much,
but His Retirement plan is out of this world

[jaiganes]

hi!
When I read NOV's story's title and first few lines(carry in arms), I thought it would be some kind of spoof like she devil (in our local parlances a typical sathi leelavathi). Any way let me alter the story a little.
"Once it is decided that the husband should carry the wife in his hands, the wife goes five times a day to MacDonalds and once in a day to Pizza Hut, at the end of the week she gains some twenty kilos. The poor husband tries to lift her, but fails and collapses!!!"
How is this for a happy ending???? :twisted:

[NM]

Here's one that brought tears into my eyes when I first read it...

The story goes that some time ago a mother punished her 5 year old daughter for wasting a roll of expensive gold wrapping paper. Money was tight and she became even more upset when the child pasted the gold paper so as to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.
Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box to her mother the next morning and said, "This is for you, Momma."

The mother was embarrassed by her earlier over reaction, but her anger flared again when she found the box was empty. She spoke to her in a harsh manner, "Don't you know, young lady, when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something inside the package?"

The little girl looked up at her with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh,
Momma, it's not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was full." The
mother was crushed. She fell on her knees and put her arms around her little girl, and she begged her to forgive her for her unnecessary anger.

An accident took the life of the child only a short time later and it
is told that the mother kept that gold box by her bed for all the years of her life. Whenever she was discouraged or faced difficult problems she would open the box and take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there.

In a very real sense, each of us, as human beings, have been given a Golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, and friends. There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.

[jaiganes]

Nembave touching aa irukku! I guess I have grown old and mean to not cry! nice stories. recently After a long time I cried watching anbe sivam! I thought if i see it the second time, i wouldn't. I was wrong, tears swelled up in my eyes the second time too. I am hoping to see if I cry the next time I see it. Paasamalar makes me cry anytime any day. I have seen it only 15 times and every time I cried like a baby. the only hindi movie that made me cry was Legend Of Bhagat Singh. The jail sequence in the movie was very very moving. On real life incidents, I felt very heavy after seeing tsunami pictures from nagapattinam and kanyakumari. I just shudder to think what the survivors there must be going through. Strangely the TV serials make me laugh. Some thing must be terribly wrong in them....

[jaiganes]

Hey ratchasi!
Those were wonderful stories! I forwarded them in the office net and ppl are asking for more! :D Thanks for making me popular in my office!!!

[a.ratchasi]

jaiganes, cash on the popularity while you can!! :wink: :wink: :wink:

[hehehewalrus]

Hey ratchasi!
Those were wonderful stories! I forwarded them in the office net and ppl are asking for more! :D Thanks for making me popular in my office!!!

yendha officela work panreenga? email thaanga resume anuparen :D

[Roshan]

recently After a long time I cried watching anbe sivam! I thought if i see it the second time, i wouldn't. I was wrong, tears swelled up in my eyes the second time too.

Me too !! Cried the second, third and even fourth time.

[jaiganes]

hhhw wrote

yendha officela work panreenga? email thaanga resume anuparen

my hotmail id is visible to you. send it there. I work in big blue!

[NOV]

Here are some vocabulary that are commonly used in the
computer world


Adobe

This came from name of the river Adobe Creek that
ran behind the house of founder John Warnock.

Apple Computers

It was the favorite fruit of founder Steve Jobs. He
was three months late in filing a name for the
business, and he threatened to call his company Apple
Computers if the other colleagues didn't suggest a better
name by 5 O'clock.

CISCO

It is not an acronym as popularly believed. It is
short for San Francisco.

Compaq

This name was formed by using COMp, for computer,
and PAQ to denote a small integral object.

Corel

The name was derived from the founder's name Dr.
Michael Cowpland. It stands for COwpland Research
Laboratory.

Google

The name started as a joke boasting about the amount
of information the search-engine would be able to
search. It was originally named 'Googol', a word for the
number represented by 1 followed by 100 zeros. After
founders - Stanford graduate students Sergey Brin and
Larry Page presented their project to an angel
investor; they received a cheque made out to 'Google'

Hotmail

Founder Jack Smith got the idea of accessing e-mail
via the web from a computer anywhere in the world.
When Sabeer Bhatia came up with the business plan for
the mail service, he tried all kinds of names ending in
'mail' and finally settled for hotmail as it included
the letters "html" - the programming language used to
write web pages. It was initially referred to as
HoTMaiL with selective uppercasing.

Hewlett Packard

Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard tossed a coin to
decide whether the company they founded would be called
Hewlett-Packard or Packard-Hewlett.

Intel

Bob Noyce and Gordon Moore wanted to name their new
company 'Moore Noyce' but that was already trademarked
by a hotel chain so they had to settle for an acronym
of INTegrated ELectronics.

Lotus (Notes)

Mitch Kapor got the name for his company from 'The
Lotus Position' or 'Padmasana'. Kapor used to be a
teacher of Transcendental Meditation of Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi.

Microsoft

Coined by Bill Gates to represent the company that
was devoted to MICROcomputer SOFTware. Originally
christened Micro-Soft, the hyphen was removed later on.

Motorola

Founder Paul Galvin came up with this name when his
company started manufacturing radios for cars. The
popular radio company at the time was called Victrola.

ORACLE

Larry Ellison and Bob Oats were working on a
consulting project for the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency).
The code name for the project was called Oracle (the
CIA saw this as the system to give answers to all
questions or something such). The project was designed to
help use the newly written SQL code by IBM. The
project eventually was terminated but Larry and Bob decided
to finish what they started and bring it to the world.
They kept the name Oracle and created the RDBMS
engine. Later they kept the same name for the company.

Sony

It originated from the Latin word 'sonus' meaning
sound, and 'sonny' a slang used by Americans to refer to
a bright youngster.

SUN

Founded by 4 Stanford University buddies, SUN is the
acronym for Stanford University Network. Andreas
Bechtolsheim built a microcomputer; Vinod Khosla recruited
him and Scott McNealy to manufacture computers based
on it, and Bill Joy to develop a UNIX-based OS for the
computer.

Yahoo!

The word was invented by Jonathan Swift and used in
his book 'Gulliver's Travels'. It represents a person
who is repulsive in appearance and action and is
barely human. Yahoo! Founders Jerry Yang and David Filo
selected the name because they considered themselves
yahoos [!!]

[jaiganes]

GEEKS RULE THE WORLD!!!!

[a.ratchasi]

INSTALLING LOVE


Tech Support : Yes ma'am...how can I help you?
Customer : Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install LOVE. Can you guide me through the process?

TS: Yes, I can. Are you ready to proceed?
C: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?

TS: The first step is to open your HEART. Have you located your HEART ma'am?
C: yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install LOVE while they are running?

TS: What programs are running?
C: let's see, I have Past Hurt, low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.

TS: No problem, love will gradually erase Past/Hurt from your current operating system. It remain in your permanent memory, but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Love Self-Esteem with a module of it's own called High Self-Esteem, However, you have to completely to turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those program prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ma'am?
C: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?

TS: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment are completely erased.
C: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself.Is that normal?

TS: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.
C: Oops! An error message. It says," Error-program not run on external component." What should I do?
TS: Don't worry ma'am. It mean that the Love Program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run in your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.

C: So, what should I do?
TS: Can you pull down Self-Acceptance, then click on the following files: Forgive Yourself; Realise Your Worth; Acknowledge Your Limitations.
C: Okay, done.

TS: Now copy them to the " My heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your recycle bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.

C: Got it. Hey, My Heart is filling up with new files! Smile is playing on my monitor, and peace and contentment are copying themselves all over my heart. Is this normal?

TS: Sometimes. For others it takes a while, but eventually everything gets it at the proper times. So love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up, Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.

C: I promise to do just that. By the way, what's your name?
TS: Just call me the Divine Cardiologist, also known as the Great Physician, or simply "I AM". Most people feel all they need is an annual check-up to stay heart-healthy. But the manufacturer (ME) suggest daily maintenance schedule for maximum love efficiency

[madhu]

wow!

nice a.ratchasi ! thats the nicest one !

"INSTALLATION COMPLETE !!"

[Shekhar]

Hi ratchasi,

This is really great!! :o :o Truly enlighterning and entertaining!!

"peace and contentment" :?: :!: My God! when I was in love my head was bedlam.. :D :D

But I know, the love you are talking about is love on a different plane, not necessarily only between a boy and a girl.

[pavalamani pragasam]

Teaching(or preaching) an important subject in the best known modern terms. :) A GREAT procedure :D Well done, a.ratchasi :lol:

[a.ratchasi]

Madam PP and all, I am merely the 'poster' of the above.
It's from one of the many forwarded mails that l receive from my contacts.

The credit should be given to the originator and the person who sent it to me, for it has touched not one but many! :)

[jaiganes]

Amazing!
The first thing that I do after receiving such emails is to ....
promptly delete them. See I am more bothered about the
size of my mail box than my heart!!! :twisted:

[NM]

Put the glass down..

Once A professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see; asked the students,

"How much do you think this glass weighs?'50gms!' ?....'100gms!'
......'125gms' ......the students answered.

I really don't know unless I weigh it,' said the professor, 'but, my question is: What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?'

'Nothing' the students said.

OK what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?' the professor asked.

Your arm would begin to ache' said one of the students.

You're right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?

' Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress & paralysis; have to go to hospital for sure! ventured another student ; all the students laughed.

Very good. But during all this, did the weight of the glass change? Asked the professor.

No' replied the students

Then what caused the arm ache; the muscle stress?' Instead What should I do?

The students were puzzled.

Put the glass down! said one of the students.

Exactly!' said the professor
'Life's problems are something like this. Hold it for a few minutes in your head; they seem OK. Think of them for a long
time; they begin to ache. Hold it even longer; they begin to paralyze you.

You will not be able to do anything. It's important to think of the
challenges (problems) in your life, but EVEN MORE IMPORTANT to 'put them down' at the end of every day before you go to sleep. That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh; strong ; can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!

PUT THE GLASS DOWN TODAY GUYS & GIRLS :)

LETS CELEBRATE LIFE

[Roshan]

That was a nice one NM !! Thanks :)

[pavalamani pragasam]

Superb,NM :clap:

[Cygnus]

NM :thumbsup: This is sure to grace the desks and walls of many a hectic office.

It is strange indeed that we pick silly quarrels and ruminate profound theories and get fresh perspectives in this very same place called the hub. This is what keeps me coming back!

[Roshan]

hello cygs,

Welcome back !! :D

[Shakthiprabha.]

This story posted is weird.

A MAN SHOULD HAVE SENSE ENOUGH TO REALISE love still lingers on
heavier grounds esp on marital relationships. It cant be reminded and made visible by making the man carry the bride (now
atleast 5 kgs more) from the threshold every single day.

If such a reminder is NCESSARY, that marriage is NOT WORTH KEEPING.

NOBODY IS HERE TO SAY ON A REBOUND.

[NM]

Guys & Gals,
What Cygnus said is very true.....
I retreated into my little hole for sometime but when this came to me, just can't resist the temptation to share it in this hub....glad Roshan, PP and Cygnus found it good...
Will keep a look out for more.... till then, chao!

[Querida]

If we reduce the population of the Earth to a small town with 100
People and keep the proportions, it will look like this:

57 Asians
21 Europeans
14 Americans (northern and southern)
8 Africans
52 women
48 men
70 coloured-skins
30 Caucasians
89 heterosexuals
11 homosexuals

6 people would own 59% of the whole world wealth and all of them
will be from the United States of America

80 would have bad living conditions
70 will be uneducated
50 will be underfed

1 would die
2 would be born

1 will have a computer
1 (only one) will have higher education

If you look at the world from this point of view, you will see how
there is a big need for solidarity, understanding, patience and education.

Also think about the following:

If this morning you've woke up healthy, you are happier then 1
million people that will not survive next week.

If you never suffered a war, the loneliness of the jail cell, the
agony of torture, or hunger, you are happier then 500 million people in the
world.

If there is a food in your fridge, you have shoes and clothes, you
have bed and a roof, you are richer then 75% of the people in the world.

If you have bank account, money in your wallet and some coins in the
money-box, you belong to the 8% of the people on the world, which
are well-to-do.

glad i could atleast contribute once...

[NM]

Querida .. welcome to this forum....& thanks for the silent reminders........plz contribute more....

[Roshan]

Querida,

That's a good one ! :) Let me also contribute something :) I have posted this long time back in Ulagam Enbathu thread and I remember some interesting analysis posted by geno and Akil on this anecdote :) Here it is;


I’m special

I’m special. In all the world there is nobody like me.

Since the beginning of time there has never been another person like me. Nobody has my smile. Nobody has my eyes, my nose, my hair, my voice. I’m special.

Nobody anywhere has my tastes, for food or music or art. No one sees things just as I do.

In all of time there has been no one who laughs like me, no one who cries like me. And what makes me laugh and cry will never provoke identical laughter and tears for anybody else, ever.

No one reacts to any situation just as I would react. I’m Special..!

I’m the only one in all of creation who has my set of abilities. Oh! There will always be somebody who is better at some of the things I’m good at, but no one in the universe can reach the quality of my combination of talents, ideas, abilities and feelings. Like a room full of musical instruments, some may excel alone, but none can match the symphony , when all are played together. I’m a symphony.

Through all entity no one will ever look, walk, think or do like me. I’m Special, I’m rare.

And as in all reality, there is great value. Because of my rare value, I need not attempt to imitate others. I will accept, yes! Celebrate my differences.

I’m special and I’m beginning to realize it’s no accident that I’m special. I’m beginning to see that God made me special for a very special purpose. He must have a job for me that no one else can do as well as I. Out of all billion applicants only one qualified, only one has the right combination of what it takes.

That one is ME ... Because I’M SPECIAL !!!!!!!!!

[a.ratchasi]

:thumbsup: Roshan!

[Querida]

hey Roshan that was enlightening :D ...yet it is sad to know how hard some of us would find it to say those things about ourselves...yet being able to understand how true one is special is a encouraging step in the right direction...thanx for sharing that! :D

[happyindian]

Querida, I came across something similar like the one you posted, it goes like this:

1) If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep . . . you are richer than 75% of this world.

2) If you woke up this morning with more health than illness . . . you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.

3) If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation . . . you are ahead of 500 million people in the world.

4) If you can attend a spiritual meeting without fear of harassment,
arrest, torture, or death . . . you are luckier than three billion people in the world.

5) If you can hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful (for anything), you are blessed....because the majority can do the same, but most do not.

6) If you can hold someone's hand, hug them or even touch them on the shoulder you are blessed because you can offer healing touch.

7) If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all.

So, isn't it time to thank God for the happiness He has given us?

Other ones, albeit diff context:

Once a Japan's biggest cosmetics company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty. Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty. Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high-resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty. No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so.

But when a rank-and-file employee in a small company was posed with the same problem, did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but instead came out with another solution. He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

-------------------------------------------------------

When NASA began the launch of astronauts into space, they found out that the pens wouldn't work at zero gravity (Ink won't flow down to the writing surface). In order to solve this problem, it took them one decade and $12 million.
They developed a pen that worked at zero gravity, upside down, underwater, in practically any surface including crystal and in temperature range from below freezing to over 300 degrees C.

And what did Russians do...............................?? The Russians used a Pencil!!!

-------------------------------------------------------
Moral of the story: always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problem.

Its nice to learn to focus on solutions not on problems.

[happyindian]

Now for some laughs:
Corporate Lesson 1

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower when the doorbell rings. After a few seconds of arguing over which one should go and answer the doorbell, the wife gives up, quickly wraps herself up in a towel and runs downstairs.

When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor. Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel that you have on."

After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her 800 dollars and leaves. Confused, but excited about her good fortune, the woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs.

When she gets back to the bathroom, her husband asks from the shower, "Who was that?"
"It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies.
"Great!" the husband says, "Did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"

Moral of the story:
If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk in time with your stakeholders, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Corporate Lesson 2
A priest was driving along and saw a nun on the side of the road, he stopped and offered her a lift, which she accepted. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to open and reveal a lovely leg.

The priest had a look and nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg. The nun looked at him and immediately said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest was flustered and apologized profusely. He forced himself to remove his hand.

Changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" Once again the priest apologized, "Sorry sister, but the flesh is weak."

Arriving at the convent, the nun got out gave him a meaningful glance and went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to retrieve a bible and looked up Psalm 129.

It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."

Moral of the story:
Always be well informed in your job, or you might miss a great opportunity.

Corporate Lesson 3
A sales rep, an administration clerk and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out in a puff of smoke.

The Genie says, "I usually only grant three wishes, so I'll give each of you just one."

"Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world."
Poof! She's gone.

In astonishment, "Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of pina coladas and the love of my life."
Poof! He's gone.

"OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager.

The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."

Moral of the story:
Always let your boss have the first say.

Corporate Lesson 4
A crow was sitting on a tree, do ing nothing all day. A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?"

The crow answered, "Sure, why not."

So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. All of a sudden a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Corporate Lesson 5
A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy."

"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the
bull. "They're packed with nutrients." The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.

The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fourth night, there he was proudly perched at the top of the tree.

Soon, he was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree.

Moral of the story:
Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there for long.

Corporate Lesson 6

A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground in a large field.

While it was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on it. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm it was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Moral of the story:
1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

:)

[Querida]

Hi happyindian :D
yes i've read the first one you posted before...and the pen in space dilemma before as well...but the lessons you posted afterward were a real treat!... :rotfl:

[pavalamani pragasam]

This is a story of four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.
There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it.
Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.
Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job.
Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it.
It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.

[scorpio]

PP Ma'm,

I' m sure 'anybody' and 'everybody' will definitely enjoy that saying.

HappyIndian!

Though it is a repeat for me ( got them thru' mail sometime back), I enjoyed yr corporate lessons!

[happyindian]

That was a good one PP :)

[NOV]

Bill Gates

Love him or hate him, he sure hits the nail on the head with this!

To anyone with kids of any age, here's some things you will agree with.

Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a High School about 11 things they will not learn in school. He talked about how feel-good, politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

Rule 1: Life is not fair-get used to it!

Rule 2: The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school.
You won't be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping-they called it opportunity.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as
they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of
your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers,
but life HAS NOT. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer.
This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real ife.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF.
Do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life peopleactually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one.

[Querida]

:lol: Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up working for one. :lol: ...glad someone said it :P

[NOV]

THE FOUR AGREEMENTS


BE IMPECCABLE WITH YOUR WORD

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using words to speak against yourself or gossip about others. Use the power of your words in the direction of truth and love.


DON'T TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY

Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a protection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be victim of needless suffering.


DON'T MAKE ASSUMPTIONS

Find the courage to ask questions and express what you really want.
Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.


ALWAYS DO YOUR BEST

Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstances, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgement, self-abuse, and regret.


Don Miguel Ruiz
(from the ancient Toltec Wisdom)

[scorpio]

Hamaara Bharat MAHAN! :D

The information below about India as given in Pakistan magazine "The News International" by "Mr. Masood Khan" on December 14, 2004 .

* World's 5 largest car companies are procuring their spare parts from India. In 2002, the export was Rs.1700 crores and it quadrupled in 2003 to Rss.7000 crores. In the next 5 years this will cross Rs.70,000 crores.
* India's HERO HONDA is the world largest Motorcycle manufacturing company. It manufactures 17 lacs motorcycles per year.
* England's popular Rover car company is going to manufacture TATA INDICA, the Indian technology car at the rate of 1 lac car per year.
* "BHARAT FORGE" had emerged as the largest forging company in the world and supplies its products to world popular companies like Volvo, Toyota, Honda etc.
* "ASIAN PAINTS" an Indian paint company has its Manufacturing plants in 22 countries across 5 continents and is the market leader in 11 countries.
* "HINDUSTAN INKS" an Indian ink manufacturing company is producing world largest 1 lac ton Ink per annum with its manufacturing branches at Europe & America.
* "Escelfbopack" an Indian Company has manufacturing plants in 11 countries and World's 25 %, Pastes and medicines are packed in their product.
* Many Indian Industries keeps getting world popular awards. The Popular Austin car company have given order to an Indian company for new designs.
* Multinational car companies like Suzuki, Hyundai & Ford have started exporting their cars from India and by 2010, they will export around 5 lacs car from India.
* Indian Medicine sector manufactures products worth Rs.30,000 crores per year out of which Rs.10,000 crores are exported.
* Due to better performance of Indian Industrial sector, their share in Indian market has raised from 25 to 65% where as the multinationals share reduced from 75 to 35%.
* Indian Herbal business grown to Rs.4,000 crore per annum.
India contributes 20% of world's textile manufacturing.
* India has proudly established its own Super Computer whereas the other Super computer established countries are only America & Japan.
* India is one among the 6 countries, which can build and launch Satellites. Even technologically advanced countries like Germany & Belgium are yet to do that.
* Due to Insat Organization, India had become the very big national satellite networked country in the World.
* 9 out of 10 Diamonds in the world are cut & polished in India being the no.1 Diamond works country in world.
* India & China's business has grown to 104% with in a year.
* India's foreign reserve had risen from 82 billion US$ to 118 billion US$.
* India had returned back the IMF loan before the due date and started funding other countries.
* India provides software to 7 out of 10 largest CD-ROM manufactures in the world.
* India spends only Rs.70,000 for producing a MBA whereas in America the expense is Rs.54 Lacs.
* The Eye Cataract operation in India costs only Rs.600 where as in America Rs.7000.
A Heart surgery in India costs only Rs.40,000 where as in America it is Rs. 6 lacs.
* The R&D expense to make a car in America is Rs.4,500 crores whereas in India in half of its expense the R&D is done with same perfection.
* More than 70 multinational companies have established their R&D centres in India.
* Indian telephone & Internet network expanding by crores in numbers.
* 100 out of Fortune 500 companies have come to India to do business while only 33 have gone to China.
* So, India is making jumping progress in the World's market, which is ranging from Brazil to China,

According to Mr.Masood Khan "these developments have not come to India in a day or by luck. In India also same situations of Pakistan exists like Dirty politics, corruption, arrogant officials, poor infrastructure etc. But still India keeps growing every day and nobody can deny the fact. This happens because the Indian people are not just seeing the dirty problems around them but they also see the confidence star on the sky, the growth opportunity and working for it with self motivation having a target for progress".

[a.ratchasi]

"WE MIGHT AS WELL DANCE!"

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who
passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut
back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched you favorite television show?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gas up and stammer, "I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty..."

Because people nowadays cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches...We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Stevie
toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living room
carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get
shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to," "I plan on," and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not
something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting? Make sure you read this to the end; you will understand why I sent this to you.

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow." And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say "Hi"?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened
gift...Thrown away...Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

"Life may not be the party we hoped for...but while we are here we might as well dance!"

[Shekhar]

ratchasi,

Your post is really wonderful and enlightening.

I am reminded of an other thought...

We miss great experiences in life, just becasue we feel shy to try something new.

[Querida]

ratchasi,

Your post is really wonderful and enlightening.

I am reminded of an other thought...

We miss great experiences in life, just becasue we feel shy to try something new.

agree...but your addition was/and at times still is one of my problems

[a.ratchasi]

Yeah, Shekhar and Q, gotta agree with you guys.
Have myself regretted many times for the things that I didnt do; but could have done. All those lost opportunities...

Though, I dont quite remember regretting anything for what I have done. :wink: :wink:

[Shekhar]

agree...but your addition was/and at times still is one of my problems

I am sorry I didn't quite get you :? :? What is the problem :?:

[Shekhar]

Though, I dont quite remember regretting anything for what I have done. :wink: :wink:

ratchasi,

There are sins of commission and sins of omission..
Sins of omission are those we regret for not doing something..
But sins of commission are obviously enjoyable, otherwise we wouldn't have done it in the first place... :lol: :lol:

[NOV]

Difference between doing something good and doing something sinful:

Good - You feel lousy while doing it, but feel good for quite a while after the act.

Sin - You feel good (enjoy) while doing it, but feel lousy for quite a while after the act.

[Querida]

agree...but your addition was/and at times still is one of my problems

I am sorry I didn't quite get you :? :? What is the problem :?:

i meant i agreed about how good ratchasi's post was and i find that i have that same problem with shyness...which was your addition no?

[Shekhar]

:idea: Yea.. I got it :!:

[NM]

ROSE


The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn't already know.. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand touched my shoulder.

I turned around to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that lit up her entire being. She said, "Hi handsome. My name is Rose. I'm eighty-seven years old. Can I give you a hug?"

I laughed and enthusiastically responded, "Of course you may!" and she gave me a giant squeeze.

"Why are you in college at such a young, innocent age?" I asked.

She jokingly replied, "I'm here to meet a rich husband, get married, and have a couple of kids..."
"No seriously," I asked. I was curious what may have motivated her to be taking on this challenge at her age.

"I always dreamed of having a college education and now I'm getting one!"she told me.

After class we walked to the student union building and shared a chocolate milkshake.

We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk nonstop. I was always mesmerized listening to this "time machine" as she shared her wisdom and experience with me.

Over the course of the year, Rose became a campus icon and she easily made friends wherever she went.
She loved to dress up and she reveled in the attention bestowed upon her from the other students. She was living it up.
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football
banquet.

I'll never forget what she taught us. She was introduced and stepped up to the podium. As she began to deliver her prepared speech, she dropped her three by five cards on the floor.
Frustrated and a little embarrassed she leaned into the microphone and simply said, "I'm sorry I'm so jittery. I gave up beer for Lent and this whiskey is killing me! I'll never get my speech back in order so let me just tell you what I know."

As we laughed she cleared her throat and began, "We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

There are only four secrets to staying young, being happy, and achieving success. You have to laugh and find humor every day. You've got to have a dream. When you lose your dreams, you die.
We have so many people walking around who are dead and don't even know it! There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. If you are nineteen years old and lie in bed for one full year and don't do one productive thing, you will turn twenty years old. If I am eighty-seven years old and stay in bed for a year and never do anything I will turn eighty-eight.
Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability.

The idea is to grow up by always finding opportunity in change. Have no regrets. The elderly usually don't have regrets for what we did, but rather for things we did not do. The only people who fear death are those with regrets.

She concluded her speech by courageously singing "The Rose."
She challenged each of us to study the lyrics and live them out in our daily lives.
At the year's end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago.

One week after graduation Rose died peacefully in her sleep.

Over two thousand college students attended her funeral in tribute to the wonderful woman who taught by example that it's never too late to be all you can possibly be.

[nirosha sen]

:D THIS IS THE BEST SITE IN THE ENTIRE HUB, ISN'T IT GUYS?????

So much food for thought, that I'm getting off with a bounce in my steps to face yet another day........

Thank you all!!

[Roshan]

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?

Reminds me of a beautiful poetry by KavippErarasu Vairamuththu !!



"Life may not be the party we hoped for...but while we are here we might as well dance!"

Nice !! Thanks AR :D

[Roshan]

We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.......
There is a huge difference between growing older and growing up. ......... Anybody can grow older. That doesn't take any talent or ability

Wow!!!


The only people who fear death are those with regrets.

Great!!!

Both "We might as well dance' and 'Rose' have been added to my personal collections!! Thanks to AR and NM !! :D

[Surya]

NM,
Nice touching little story! :D

[Roshan]

Happiness is a Journey not a destination


We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough and we’ll be more content when they are. After that we are frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation when we retire. The truth is, there’s no better time to be happy that right now. If not now when?

Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes come from Alfred D Souza. He said “for a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin- real life. But there was always some obstacles in the way. Something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles are my life”.

This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. So, treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special, special enough to spend your time...and remember time waits for no one.

So stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you’ve had a drink, until you’ve sobered up, until you die to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.. Happiness is a journey NOT a destination!!!

[NM]

:D THIS IS THE BEST SITE IN THE ENTIRE HUB, ISN'T IT GUYS?????

So much food for thought, that I'm getting off with a bounce in my steps to face yet another day........

Thank you all!!

NIROSHA........agreed ...this site is the best...with Nov's, Roshan's, Querida's, Shekhar's & AR's contributions.....but....your Annamalai part 2 is most interesting!! :clap:

SURYA : Thank you...yes, very touching, isn't it?? :cry:

ROSHAN.....: Thank you.......even if I die today, you'll still have my contribution in yr personal file tho' am not ROSE..... :D
And, that was beautiful, Happiness is a journey and not a destination.......I hv done a lot of "waiting" and have lost good friends/times permanently..... :cry: :cry:

[scorpio]

Roshan and NM :)

Very touching narrations. I felt very contented to read 'Rose' and was worried at all silly things I have been yearning for in life. :oops:

[NM]

Roshan and NM :)

Very touching narrations. I felt very contented to read 'Rose' and was worried at all silly things I have been yearning for in life. :oops:

We all do, don't we, Scorpio?? :cry:

[nirosha sen]

I'm gonna keep coming back in here, everytime I'm blue!! :(

Thanks friends!! :D

[NM]

I'm gonna keep coming back in here, everytime I'm blue!! :(

Thanks friends!! :D
Nirsoha..U are welcome, you know.., anytime! :D

[Shekhar]

Roshan,

Your post 'Happiness is a journey' is excellent. No wonder you are always so happy and smiling, and has managed to keep anger and meanness at a distance.

Just to go a bit deeper on what you have posted....

In Indian philosophy, there are two different concepts.. "Santosha" and "Ananda" ( I am using the word Indian deliberately because the concept exists both in Hinduism and in Budhism).
Santosha is happiness. But there is no english equivalent for 'Ananda', because the concept does not exist in western thoughts.
Santosha or happiness is temporary.. the kind you get, say when you eat nice ice cream.. or when you hug the person you love.
Whereas, Ananda is a state of being, you achieve training yourself over a long period of time. You feel 'happy' (Joyfully peaceful +contented) just to 'be', for no apparant reason, unaffected by the ups and downs of material world.
It is something akin to feeling of health. You realise when you don't have it. And a person who has not experienced excellent health doesnot know what it is..
So it is what you are.. not what you aim to get..

[NM]

A FULL GLASS OF MILK

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay for his hungry stomach, decided he would ask for a meal at the next house.
On the way through school, he found he had only one thin dime left and he was very hungry.
However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal he asked for a drink of water. The woman thought he looked hungry, so brought him a large glass of milk.
He drank it slowly, and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"
"You don't owe me anything," she replied. "Mother has taught us, never to accept pay for a kindness."

He said....."Then I thank you from my heart."

Years later that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, a strange light filled his eyes. Immediately he rose and went down the hall of the hospital to her room.

Dressed in his doctor's gown he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested the business office to pass the final bill to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge and the bill was sent to her room.

The woman feared opening it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill.

She read these words....."Paid in full with one glass of milk." Signed, Dr. Howard Kelly.
Tears of joy flooded her eyes as her happy heart prayed: Thank You,God, that Your love has spread abroad through human hearts and hands."

[scorpio]

NM,

Though I've read this before elsewhere, you've filled my eyes with tears!!

[NM]

NM,

Though I've read this before elsewhere, you've filled my eyes with tears!!
Dear scorpio.....these kind of things always do....i've tears inmy eye severytime I read this and some of the ones posted here in this thread... :cry: :cry:

[scorpio]

On a flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged, well-off white South African Lady has found herself sitting next to a black man. She called the cabin crew attendant over to complain about her seating.
"What seems to be the problem Madam?" asked the attendant.

"Can't you see?" she said, " You've sat me next to a kafir. I can't possibly sit next to this disgusting human. Find me another seat!"

"Please calm down, Madam." the stewardess replied. "The flight is very full today, but I'll tell you what I'll do - I'll go and check to see if we have any seats available in club or first class."

The woman cocks a snooty look at the outraged black man beside her (not to mention many of the surrounding passengers).

A few minutes later the stewardess returns with the good news, which she delivers to the lady, who cannot help but look at the people around her with a smug and self-satisfied grin:

"Madam, unfortunately, as I suspected, economy is full. I've spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one seat in first class."

Before the lady has a chance to answer, the stewardess continues...

"It is most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain. But, given the circumstances, the captain felt that it was outrageous that someone should be forced to sit next such an obnoxious person."

Having said that, the stewardess turned to the black man sitting next to the lady, and said:

"So if you'd like to get your things, sir, I have your seat ready for you..."

At which point, apparently the surrounding passengers stood and gave a standing ovation while the black man walked up to the front of the plane...

[NM]

My dear scorpio.....shouldn't this be in the joke section?? :lol: :lol: :lol: anyway, it was a good one!!

[scorpio]

NM,

I thought the story had a better message than just humour.. hence put it here! 8)

[blahblah]

Great,Great Nm and Scorpio,these little stories make you feel there is goodness left in this world.I feel better after reading those,given that I had to settle some things with a fellow in two other threads. :)

[NM]

Blah Blah...good to be of use, at last !!! :lol: :lol:

[Roshan]

NM,

'A full glass of milk' brought tears to my eyes too !!!

That was lovely. Thanks and post more !



Shekhar,

Thanks for your thought provoking post !!

[Roshan]

NM,

Your post "Full glass of milk" reminded me one of those quotes I like most. Let me post it now;

I expect to pass this world
but once
Therefore any good thing I can do or
any kindness that I can show
to a fellow human being
let me do it now
Let me not defer nor neglect it
for I shall not pass this way again

[NM]

All...
I have really learnt a lot from this thread and a few others..
Will look out for more and share these with all of you....through sharing, we find happiness, too... :wink: :wink:

[NM]

some words to live by......

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk t o. As you get older, their conversational skills will be as Important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.

FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.

TEN.. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

[NM]

NM,

Your post "Full glass of milk" reminded me one of those quotes I like most. Let me post it now;

I expect to pass this world
but once
Therefore any good thing I can do or
any kindness that I can show
to a fellow human being
let me do it now
Let me not defer nor neglect it
for I shall not pass this way again

Roshan..don't know how I missed that post!! Simple and sweet :thumbsup:

[Roshan]

NM,

I have the same thing in my collection but there are a few more in addition to what you've given.

TWENTY TWO - Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

TWENTY THREE - Open arms to change but don't let go of your values.

TWENTY FOUR - Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

TWENTY FIVE - Live a good, honorable life, then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.

TWENTY SIX - Loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

TWENTY SEVEN - In disagreements with the loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

TWENTY EIGHT - Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

TWENTY NINE - Be gentle with the earth.

THIRTY - Once a year go somewhere you've never been before.

THIRY ONE - Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.

THIRTY TWO - Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

[Roshan]

Roshan..don't know how I missed that post!! Simple and sweet :thumbsup:

Thanks NM. That's one of my favourites. :D

[Shekhar]

Thank you.. Scorpio, NM, Roshan for your beautiful posts.

Though, I decided many times not to visit FH due to over prevalent animosity, hubbers like you and your contributions always have brought me back.

[Shekhar]

A small story with very deep meaning..

A scorpion once wanted to cross a rivalet. It did not know swimming. So it requested a frog to carry it across on its back. Frog said " No I won't. because you will sting me and I will die".
Scorpion said " Don't worry, I won't sting you, because if I sting you I will also drown and die"
The frog agreed to carry the scorpion across the river. When the frog was midway, the scorpion stung the frog.
The frog was horrified at the unexpected attack and while drowning it asked the scorpion "Why did you do it.. I will die but you will also die along with me.."
Scorpion replied " I know it is not rational, but it is my nature to sting and I can't go against my nature".

People, with exception of a few enlightened, are like scorpions. They believe, it is their nature and they cannot change, and follow self destructive path.. They think, decide and act irrationally and destroy themselves.

[Cindy]

Very True Shekhar!!!

and the most pathetic thing about it is that they say it out that they can never change and give many reasons for being so... without knowing that they are ruining their own wonderful time ahead...

[Cindy]

"So if you'd like to get your things, sir, I have your seat ready for you..."


:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

To the stewardess and to you Scorp!

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[Cindy]

We do not stop playing because we are old; we grow old because we stop playing.

We might as well dance...

Happiness is a journey... not a destination...
************************************************** *
NM, Roshan, AR, ....

These are real pearls dear friends.... and of course saved to my fav's and forwarding to all my contacts...

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Cindy]

Have you ever thought that when you are angy for a single minute, you are losing 60 seconds of happiness?

[Querida]

At an airport, I overheard a father and his daughter in their last moments together. They had announced her plane's departure and standing near the door she said, "Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough too, Daddy."

They kissed good-bye and she left. He walked over towards the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking, "Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?"

"Yes, I have," I replied. Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and appreciation for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were limited, I took the time to tell him face to face how much he meant to me. So I knew what this man was experiencing.

"Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?" I asked. "I am old and she lives much too far away. I have challenges ahead and the reality is, her next trip back will be for my funeral," he said.

"When you were saying good-bye I heard you say, 'I wish you enough, may I ask what that means?"

He began to smile. "That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone."

He paused for a moment and looking up as if trying to remember it in detail, he smiled even more. "When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with enough good things to sustain them"

He continued and then, turning toward me, he shared the following as if he were reciting it from memory:
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive.
I wish you enough pain so that the smallest joys in life appear much bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough "Hellos" to get you through the final "Good-bye."

He then began to sob and walked away.
They say, "It takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire lifetime to forget them"

[Querida]

Seven World Wonders

A group of students were asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders of the World." Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes: 1. Egypt's Great Pyramids
2. Taj Mahal
3. Grand Canyon
4. Panama Canal
5. Empire State Building
6. St. Peter's Basilica
7. China's Great Wall

While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many."

The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help."

The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the 'Seven Wonders of the World' are:
1. To See
2. To Hear
3. To Touch
4. To Taste
5. To Feel
6. To Laugh
7. And to Love."

The room was so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous!

The most precious things in life cannot be built by hand or bought by man.

[NM]

Thank you.. Scorpio, NM, Roshan for your beautiful posts.Though, I decided many times not to visit FH due to over prevalent animosity, hubbers like you and your contributions always have brought me back.
Shekhar dear....thanks for compliment..... :lol2: :lol2: .tho' I'm merely a poster of these.......

These are real pearls dear friends.... and of course saved to my fav's and forwarding to all my contacts... Glad you've enjoyed these, Cindy....and yep, have heard abt that lost of 60seconds of happiness and also, when we're angry, over 10000 brain cells die too..(don't know how far it's true..better be cautious, else we'll end up in an asylum!! :lol: :lol:

The things we overlook as simple and ordinary and that we take for granted are truly wondrous! I truly agree with this one, Q.. thanks :thumbsup:

They say, "It takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but an entire lifetime to forget them"..Q...you've made me cry !!! :cry: :cry: LOVED it!

[NM]

Yesterday is
already a dream
and tomorrow
is only a vision
But today
well lived
makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness
and
every tomorrow
a vision of hope

-author unknown-

[a.ratchasi]

A girl asked a guy if he thought she was pretty, He said...no.
She asked him if he would want to be with her forever....and he
said no.

She then asked him if she were to leave would he cry, and once
again he replied with a no.

She had heard enough.

As she walked away, tears streaming down her face The boy grabbed her arm and said....

You're not pretty you're beautiful.
I don't want to be with you forever.
I NEED to be with you forever.
And I wouldn't cry if you walked away...I'd die...

Happy Valentine's Day!

[Cygnus]

awwww....a.r! That was lovely :D
Happy Valentine's !

[NOV]

Thinking of You
By Alicia von Stamwitz

Sophie's face faded into the gray winter light of the sitting room. She dozed in the armchair that Joe had bought for her on their fortieth anniversary. The room was warm and quiet. Outside it was snowing lightly.

At a quarter past one the mailman turned the corner onto Allen Street. He was behind on his route, not because of the snow, but because it was Valentine's Day and there was more mail than usual. He passed Sophie's house without looking up. Twenty minutes later he climbed back into his truck and drove off.

Sophie stirred when she heard the mail truck pull away, then took off her glasses and wiped her mouth and eyes with the handkerchief she always carried in her sleeve. She pushed herself up using the arm of the chair for support, straightened slowly and smoothed the lap of her dark green housedress.

Her slippers made a soft, shuffling sound on the bare floor as she walked to the kitchen. She stopped at the sink to wash the two dishes she had left on the counter after lunch. Then she filled a plastic cup halfway with water and took her pills. It was one forty-five.

There was a rocker in the sitting room by the front window. Sophie eased herself into it. In a half-hour the children would be passing by on their way home from school. Sophie waited, rocking and watching the snow.

The boys came first, as always, running and calling out things Sophie could not hear. Today they were making snowballs as they went, throwing them at one another. One snowball missed and smacked hard into Sophie's window. She jerked backward, and the rocker slipped off the edge of her oval rag rug.

The girls dilly-dallied after the boys, in twos and threes, cupping their mittened hands over their mouths and giggling. Sophie wondered if they were telling each other about the valentines they had received at school. One pretty girl with long brown hair stopped and pointed to the window where Sophie sat watching. Sophie slipped her face behind the drapes, suddenly self-conscious.

When she looked out again, the boys and girls were gone. It was cold by the window, but she stayed there watching the snow cover the children's footprints.

A florist's truck turned onto Allen Street. Sophie followed it with her eyes. It was moving slowly. Twice it stopped and started again. Then the driver pulled up in front of Mrs. Mason's house next door and parked.

Who would be sending Mrs. Mason flowers? Sophie wondered. Her daughter in Wisconsin? Or her brother? No, her brother was very ill. It was probably her daughter. How nice of her.

Flowers made Sophie think of Joe and, for a moment, she let the aching memory fill her. Tomorrow was the fifteenth. Eight months since his death.

The flower man was knocking at Mrs. Mason's front door. He carried a long white and green box and a clipboard. No one seemed to be answering. Of course! It was Friday  Mrs. Mason quilted at the church on Friday afternoons. The delivery man looked around, then started toward Sophie's house.

Sophie shoved herself out of the rocker and stood close to the drapes. The man knocked. Her hands trembled as she straightened her hair. She reached her front hall on his third knock.

"Yes?" she said, peering around a slightly opened door.

"Good afternoon, ma'am," the man said loudly. "Would you take a delivery for your neighbor?"

"Yes," Sophie answered, pulling the door wide open.

"Where would you like me to put them?" the man asked politely as he strode in.

"In the kitchen, please. On the table." The man looked big to Sophie. She could hardly see his face between his green cap and full beard. Sophie was glad he left quickly, and she locked the door after him.

The box was as long as the kitchen table. Sophie drew near to it and bent over to read the lettering: "NATALIE'S Flowers for Every Occasion." The rich smell of roses engulfed her. She closed her eyes and took slower breaths, imagining yellow roses. Joe had always chosen yellow. "To my sunshine," he would say, presenting the extravagant bouquet. He would laugh delightedly, kiss her on the forehead, then take her hands in his and sing to her "You Are My Sunshine."

It was five o'clock when Mrs. Mason knocked at Sophie's front door. Sophie was still at the kitchen table. The flower box was now open though, and she held the roses on her lap, swaying slightly and stroking the delicate yellow petals. Mrs. Mason knocked again, but Sophie did not hear her, and after several minutes the neighbor left.

Sophie rose a little while later, laying the flowers on the kitchen table. Her cheeks were flushed. She dragged a stepstool across the kitchen floor and lifted a white porcelain vase from the top corner cabinet. Using a drinking glass, she filled the vase with water, then tenderly arranged the roses and greens, and carried them into the sitting room.
She was smiling as she reached the middle of the room. She turned slightly and began to dip and twirl in small slow circles. She stepped lightly, gracefully, around the sitting room, into the kitchen, down the hall, back again. She danced till her knees grew weak, and then she dropped into the armchair and slept.

At a quarter past six, Sophie awoke with a start. Someone was knocking on the back door this time. It was Mrs. Mason.

"Hello, Sophie," Mrs. Mason said. "How are you? I knocked at five and was a little worried when you didn't come. Were you napping?" She chattered as she wiped her snowy boots on the welcome mat and stepped inside. "I just hate the snow, don't you? The radio says we might have six inches by midnight, but you can never trust them, you know. Do you remember last winter when they predicted four inches and we had twenty-one? Twenty-one! And they said we'd have a mild winter this year. Ha! I don't think it's been over zero in weeks. Do you know my oil bill was $263 last month? For my little house!"

Sophie was only half-listening. She had remembered the roses suddenly and was turning hot with shame. The empty flower box was behind her on the kitchen table. What would she say to Mrs. Mason?

"I don't know how much longer I can keep paying the bills. If only Alfred, God bless him, had been as careful with money as your Joseph. Joseph! Oh, good heavens! I almost forgot about the roses."

Sophie's cheeks burned. She began to stammer an apology, stepping aside to reveal the empty box.

"Oh, good," Mrs. Mason interrupted. "You put the roses in water. Then you saw the card. I hope it didn't startle you to see Joseph's handwriting. Joseph had asked me to bring you the roses the first year, so I could explain for him. He didn't want to alarm you. His 'Rose Trust,' I think he called it. He arranged it with the florist last April. Such a good man, your Joseph..."

But Sophie had stopped listening. Her heart was pounding as she picked up the small white envelope she had missed earlier. It had been lying beside the flower box all the time. With trembling hands, she removed the card.

"To my sunshine," it said. "I love you with all my heart. Try to be happy when you think of me. Love, Joe."

[NM]

Thinking of You
By Alicia von Stamwitz
"To my sunshine," it said. "I love you with all my heart. Try to be happy when you think of me. Love, Joe."
Nov..that was very sweet! Thanks for sharing this with us!!

[NM]

A View of the Big Picture
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


There was an apprentice in a Hindu temple in ancient India who was complained about almost everything.

The apprentice's guru, in his wisdom, noticed the young man's incessant complaining, so, one day, he asked the boy to fetch a small container of salt.

He told the boy to place some salt in a cup of water and drink it. The boy did as he was told.

"How does it taste?" asked the guru.

"Bitter" answered the boy.

The guru then brought the boy to a lake and told him to toss some salt into the lake.

"Now drink some water from the lake," the guru instructed. The boy did just that.

"How does it taste? Is it bitter?"

"It doesn't taste bitter here," responded the boy.

The moral of the story is that life is not always a bed of roses. It can be painful at times. If you put that pain in a cup, it's very bitter. So think of yourself not as a cup, but as a lake.

[scorpio]

NM,

That seems like a typical Zen story. :) Enlightening!

[scorpio]

A fifth grade teacher in a school asked her class to look at TV commercials and see if they could use them in some way to communicate ideas about God. Here are some of the results:

GOD IS LIKE.........


BAYER ASPIRIN
He works miracles.


a FORD
He's got a better idea.


COKE
He's the real thing.


HALLMARK CARDS
He cares enough to send His very best.


TIDE
He gets the stains out that others leave behind.


GENERAL ELECTRIC
He brings good things to life.


SEARS
He has everything.


SCOTCH TAPE
You can't see him, but you know He's there.


VO-5 Hair Spray
He holds through all kinds of weather.


DIAL SOAP
Aren't you glad you have Him. Don't you wish everybody did.


the U.S. POST OFFICE
Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet nor ice will keep Him from His appointed destination.

[blahblah]

Why do I keep coming back to this thread? :)

[NOV]

WARNING: highly emotional anecdote....

A man came out of his home to admire his new truck. To his horror, his three-year-old son was happily hammering dents into the shiny paint of the truck.

The man ran to his son, knocked him away, and in anger, hammered the little boy's hands into pulp as punishment.

When the father calmed down, he rushed his son to the hospital.

Although the doctor tried desperately to save the crushed bones, he finally had to amputate the fingers from both the boy's hands.

It took a while for the boy's recovery and in the meantime, the truck was repaired and painted, to look like new.

On the way back, the boy innocently said, "Daddy, I'm sorry about your truck."
Then he asked, "but when are my fingers going to grow back?"

[NM]

WARNING: highly emotional anecdote....
On the way back, the boy innocently said, "Daddy, I'm sorry about your truck."
Then he asked, "but when are my fingers going to grow back?"
Nov ...though you warned, I still cried! :cry: :cry:

Why do I keep coming back to this thread?Blahblah..Need U ask?? :wink:

[Querida]

:o NOV-san please tell me that was purely an anecdote and was not based on a true story at all! :( NM gurl you got to stop crying all the time you're gonna have perpetual case of the sniffles :P Blah blah it means NOV-san has been pm'ing you subliminal messages to come see this thread....now i must be off to read the jokes thread...for some reason i now forget... :huh: :mrgreen:

[Shekhar]

NOV,

Please do not post some thing like above.. It drained my whole spirit.. It is sure to haunt me for ages. :cry: :cry:

[scorpio]

An elderly Carpenter was ready to retire. He told his Employer-Contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The Contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The Carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the Carpenter finished his work the builder came to inspect the house, the Contractor handed the front-door key to the Carpenter. "This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only know he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none to well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the Carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."

Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tommorrow will be the result of your attitudes and choices you make today.

[NOV]

NOV,

Please do not post some thing like above.. It drained my whole spirit.. It is sure to haunt me for ages. :cry: :cry:

I'm sorry, but I did post a prior warning. The lesson here is to control temper, which is a destroyer. In the actual story, the father committed suicide, unable to face his son any more.

Querida, truth can be stranger than fiction. I read somewhere a fiction-writer saying that he has to make sure his story is logical when writing fiction. A non-fiction writer, of course, doesnt have such worries!

[NM]

:( NM gurl you got to stop crying all the time you're gonna have perpetual case of the sniffles :P
My dear Q...that was a pretence.... :lol: :lol: how else to stop Nov-san from searching the web for female bashing jokes..waste of time for him anyway.... :lol: :lol: better post more anecdotes and make more people cry..ha ha

[NOV]

My dear Q...that was a pretence.... :lol: :lol: how else to stop Nov-san from searching the web for female bashing jokes..Dear NM, I do not search the net for jokes. Most of the jokes I post are from mails I receive. It is rather unfortunate (?!) that they are not favorable to certain segments. :lol:

[NOV]

TEN THINGS to THINK ABOUT if YOU WANT to CHANGE the WORLD
By Michael Angier

Mahatma Gandhi believed that we must be the change we want to see in the world. This was well demonstrated when he helped India gain its independence. Gandhi was a revolutionary man, but he accomplished India's emergence as a nation without starting a revolution. In fact, he advocated no violence. One of the most powerful countries in the world yielded to the commitment of one man and the dream of millions.

What change can we effect? What's the difference we want to make in the world?
Gandhi said, "In a gentle way you can shake the world." Here are some things to think about how to do just that.

1. Know that all significant change throughout history has occurred not because of nations, armies, governments and certainly not committees. They happened as a result of the courage and commitment of individuals. People like Joan of Ark, Albert Einstein, Clara Barton, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Edison and Rosa Parks. They might not have done it alone, but they were, without question, the change makers.

2. Believe that you have a unique purpose and potential in the world. It's not so much something to create as to be discovered. And it's up to you to discover it. Believe that you can and will make a difference.

3. Recognize that everything you do, every step you take, every sentence you write, every word you speak or DON'T speak-- counts. Nothing is trivial. The world may be big, but there are no small things. Everything matters.

4. To be the change you want to see in the world, you don't have to be loud. You don't have to be eloquent. You don't have to be elected. You don't even have to be particularly smart or well educated. You do, however, have to be committed.

5. Take personal responsibility. Never think that "it's not my job". It's a cop-out to say, "What can I do, I'm only one person." You don't need everyone's cooperation or anyone's permission to make changes. Remember this little gem, "If it's to be, it's up to me."

6. Don't get caught up in the how of things. If you're clear on what you want to change and why you want to change it, the how will come. Many significant things have been left undone because someone let the problem solving interfere with the decision-making.

7. Don't wait for things to be right in order to begin. Change is messy. Things will never be just right. Follow Teddy Roosevelt's timeless advice, "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

8. The genesis for change is awareness. We cannot change what we don't acknowledge. Most of the time, we aren't aware of what's wrong or what's not working. We don't see what could be. By becoming more aware, we begin the process of change.

9. Take to heart these words from Albert Einstein--arguably one of the smartest change masters who ever lived: "All meaningful and lasting change starts first in your imagination and then works its way out. Imagination is more important than knowledge."

10. In order for things to change, YOU have to change. We can't change others; we can only change ourselves. However, when WE change, it changes everything. And in doing so, we truly can be the change we want to see in the world.

Inscribed on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop in Westminster Abby (1100 A.D.)

When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it, too, seemed immovable.

As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it. And now, as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family.

From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country, and who knows, I may have even changed the world.

Since this list was inspired by Gandhi's belief, it seems appropriate to end with another of his quotes: "Consciously or unconsciously, every one of us does render some service or other. If we cultivate the habit of doing this service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger and we will make not only our own happiness, but that of the world at large."

[NM]

My dear Q...that was a pretence.... :lol: :lol: how else to stop Nov-san from searching the web for female bashing jokes..Dear NM, I do not search the net for jokes. Most of the jokes I post are from mails I receive. It is rather unfortunate (?!) that they are not favorable to certain segments. :lol: Dear Nov......:lol: :lol: :lol: :rotfl:

[Querida]

[quote]My dear Q...

NM I thought i was a doe :wink: :D

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly.

One day a small opening in the cocoon appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further. So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If our higher power allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

[NM]

Q...
That was sweet...
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If our higher power allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!
This is true ..... :D

[scorpio]

The trouble tree:

I hired a plumber to help me restore an old farmhouse, and after he had just finished a rough first day on the job: a flat tire made him lose an hour of work, his electric drill quit and his ancient one ton truck refused to start. While I drove him home, he sat in stony silence. On arriving, he invited me in to meet his family. As we walked toward the front door, he paused briefly at a small tree, touching the tips of the branches with both hands. When opening the door he underwent an amazing transformation. His tanned face was wreathed in smiles and he hugged his two small children and gave his wife a kiss. Afterward he walked me to the car. We passed the tree and my curiosity got the better of me. I asked him about what I had seen him do earlier.

Oh, that's my trouble tree," he replied. "I know I can't help having troubles on the job, but one thing's for sure, those troubles don't belong in the house with my wife and the children. So I just hang them up on the tree every night when I come home and ask God to take care of them. Then in the morning I pick them up again.

Funny thing is," he smiled, "when I come out in the morning to pick 'em up, there aren't nearly as many as I remember hanging up the night before."

[Roshan]

I had just seen this in today's news paper, thought of sharing it.


Jaguar to be auctioned to help tsunami victims - Daily News,Sri Lanka, 18 Feb 2005

In a magnanimous gesture towards helping victims of the recent stunami, a young entrepreneur is planning to auction one of his much loved possessions, a Jaguar car worth more than 15million. The money raised through this will be used on a Rs. 30 million project to uplift the livelihoods of 34 fisher families at Nidangalawella in Kirinda, a fisheries villages washed away by the tsunami.

The autioning of the giant blue Jaguar will take place in Colombo shortly.

The foundation stone will be laid by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse for this project at Nidangalawella on February 25. The owner of the Jaguar, Deepthi Perera, Chairman of ASPIC Group of Comapnies said his action would fulfill two of his dreams. "One of my dreams was to own a Jaguar car and the second in to help desrving people in a big way" he said.

The first dream I realised just two months ago having worked very hard to make enough money to buy a Jaguar. But when the tsunami put the lives of thousands of people in the dark I thought it was the best opportunity to realise my second dream.

So I started working on it soon after the incident took place with my team at ASPIC " Perera said.

Amids numerous difficulties Perera is determined to settle 34 affected families in the new housing scheme before the Sinhala/Tamil new year.

He has already taken care of those victims over the last two months by giving them temporary shelters, boats, and fishing gear and bycycles for school children.

"I did my best to make them feel that they were not refugees" Perera said.

[NOV]

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.
She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"

Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity ... boiling water. Each reacted differently.

The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.

The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"

[Querida]

in response to the last post: i'm a nut does that count? :P

Service is its own reward, do some work that you do not get paid for.

Regardless of lifestyle and chosen profession, try in any way at any level to get across the simple message of love.

Be thankful for people who help others who can't help themselves...yet.

Anyone can work with the angels, when they help people.

There is no shortage of people that need help.

One cannot help everyone, but one can help those that cross their path.

The synchronicities in life that lead up to meeting and helping others are very satisfying to look back upon.

One can help people from all walks of life, from the rich and educated to the poor and uneducated, and see the good in all of them, if they choose to.

Most individuals who try to help others are just doing their best with whatever skills they have.

Antecedent programming and genetic disposition, to one degree or another, handicap everyone.

Each person is responsible for their own well being.... what others are doing is their responsibility.

Offer guidance to others but never violate their free will, and forgive others who don't know how to do this yet, as this is where they are on their path and it is their RIGHT to be there.

Help those who are afflicted by the apathy and ignorance of others.

It is good to help the mentally and physically ill, for they are truly the forgotten children of the world.

Street kids have the biggest awareness of FAMILY...they have had to learn it and ACT IT to survive, as no one else cares.

“Crazy” people are someone's child, parent or sibling.

Street kids and the homeless are someone's child, parent or sibling.

What one does to another, one does to them self, for we are all ONE, and just as each cell in our body has a valuable role in bodily function so does each unique personality have a valuable role in the cosmos.

Such an abundance of opportunities to help others, provides ample opportunity to nurture and grow one’s own soul.

No one has all the answers. All anyone can do is his or her own part. Here is hoping that everyone will.

[NOV]

i'm a nut does that count? :lol: :Pyuo go in hard, come out soft - the typical woman. hehehehe

[Querida]

i'm a nut does that count? :lol: :Pyuo go in hard, come out soft - the typical woman. hehehehe

ahh i see you played it safe and stuck the nuts with the carrots....instead of saying what's more true...the typical women is a bit nutty! :D

[scorpio]

It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams.

There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with those important to him. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr. Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday." Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh, sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago," Jack said.

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over "his side of the fence" as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important...Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said.

"What box? " Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most,'" Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said. "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days, the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention. "Mr. Harold Belser" it read. Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package. There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time! - Harold Belser."

"The thing he valued most...was...my time."

Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days. "Why?" Janet, his assistant asked. "I need some time to spend with my son," he said. "Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!"

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

Time has a way of getting away from all of us...TAKE THE TIME...NOW.

[NM]

That's a beautiful one, Scorpio..
Thanks.. :) :)

[scorpio]

Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son, shared a passion for art collecting. Together they traveled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and many others adorned the walls of the family estate.

As winter approached, war engulfed the nation, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram. His beloved son was missing in action. The young man had died while rushing a fellow soldier to a medic.

Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming Christmas holidays with anguish and sadness. On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed old man. As he walked to the door, the masterpieces of art on the walls only reminded him that his son was not coming home. As he opened the door, he was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hand. He introduced himself to the man by saying, "I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you."

As the two began to talk, the soldier told of how the man's son had told everyone of his-not to mention his father's-love of fine art. "I'm an artist," said the soldier, "and I want to give you this." As the old man unwrapped the package, the paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the man's son.

Though the world would never consider it the work of a genius, the painting featured the young man's face in striking detail. Overcome with emotion, the man thanked the soldier, promising to hang the picture above the fireplace.

The painting of his son soon became his most prized possession. The following spring, the old man became ill and passed away. The art world was in anticipation. With the collector's passing, and his only son dead, those paintings would be sold at an auction. According to the will of the old man, all of the art works would be auctioned on Christmas day, the day he had received his greatest gift. The day soon arrived and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world's most spectacular paintings. Dreams would be fulfilled this day; greatness would be achieved as many would claim "I have the greatest collection." The auction began with a painting that was not on any museum's list. It was the painting of the man's son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid. The room was silent. "Who will open the bidding with $100?", he asked. Minutes passed. No one spoke.

From the back of the room came, "Who cares about that painting? It's just a picture of his son. Let's forget it and go on to the good stuff." More voices echoed in agreement. "No, we have to sell this one first," replied the auctioneer. "Now, who will take the son?" Finally, a friend of the old man spoke. "Will you take ten dollars for the painting? That's all I have. I knew the boy, so I'd like to have it." "I have ten dollars. Will anyone go higher?" called the auctioneer. After more silence, the auctioneer said, "Going once, going twice. Gone." The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone exclaimed, "Now we can get on with it and we can bid on these treasures!" The auctioneer looked at the audience and announced the auction was over. Stunned disbelief quieted the room. Someone spoke up and asked, "What do you mean it's over? We didn't come here for a picture of some old guy's son. What about all of these paintings? There are millions of dollars of art here! I demand that you explain what's going on here!" The auctioneer replied, "It's very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son gets it all."

Puts things into perspective, doesn't it? Just as those art collectors discovered on that Christmas day, the message is still the same-the love of a Father, a Father whose greatest joy came from His Son who went away and gave His life rescuing others. And because of that Father's love, whoever takes the Son gets it all.

[a.ratchasi]

Words from the mouth of babies

What does Love mean?

A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4- to 8-year-olds, "What does love mean?" The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love."
Rebecca- age 8


When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth."
Billy - age 4


"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other."
Karl - age 5


"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs."
Chrissy -age 6


"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired."
Terri - age 4


"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK."
Danny - age 7


"Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss"
Emily - age 8


"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen."
Bobby - age 7


"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,"
Nikka - age 6


"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it
everyday."
Noelle - age 7


"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still
friends even after they know each other so well."
Tommy - age 6


"During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore."
Cindy - age 8


"My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night."
Clare - age 6


"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken."
Elaine-age 5


"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford."
Chris - age 7


"Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day."
Mary Ann - age 4


"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old
clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." (oww)
Lauren - age 4

"When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you."
Karen - age 7


"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross."
Mark - age 6


"You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you
mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget."
Jessica - age 8


And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child.


The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said, "Nothing, I just helped him cry"

[pavalamani pragasam]

Gems :) Yhanks, a ratchasi :)

[scorpio]

A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and four-year grandson. The old man's hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together at the table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass, milk spilled on the tablecloth.

The son and daughter-in-law became irritated with the mess. We must do something about Grandfather," said the son. I've had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.

Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather's direction, sometime he had a tear in his eye as he sat alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food.

The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, "What are you making?" Just as sweetly, the boy responded, "Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food when I grow up." The four-year-old smiled and went back to work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took Grandfather's hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled.

[NM]

Good one, scorpio! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[jaiganes]

Good one to recollect scorpio!
I had read this story in my scool english lessons. But I can't remember in which class. A similar story is told by Sivaji ganesan as 'Prestige' padhmanabhan in th emovie 'Vietnam' Veedu. He completes with my favourite dialogue "Nee mundhindaa noakku! Naan mundhindaa Naekku" English translation :"First Come First Served"

[Akash]

a.r, That was great :) !!

[Akash]

Very Good thing about love from a Bhramacharya


From Swami Vivekanantha :

I once had a friend who grew to be very close to me. Once when we were sitting at the edge of a swimming pool, she filled the palm of her hand with some water and held it before me, >and said this: "You see this water carefully contained on my hand? It symbolizes Love."

This was how I saw it: "As long as you keep your hand caringly open and allow it to remain there, it will always be there.

However, if you attempt to close your fingers round it and try to posses it, it will spill through the first cracks it finds.

This is the greatest mistake that people do when they meet love...they try to posses it, they demand, they expect... and just like the water spilling out of your hand, love will retrieve from you.

For love is meant to be free, you cannot change its nature.

If there are people you love, allow them to be free beings.
Give and don't expect.
Advise, but don't order.
Ask, but never demand.

It might sound simple, but it is a lesson that may take a lifetime to truly practice. It is the secret to true love.

To truly practice it, you must sincerely feel no expectations from those who you love, and yet an unconditional caring."

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

[a.ratchasi]

Nice, Akash.

[NM]

Akash, thanks ...i've always admired Swami Vivekanantha... :thumbsup:

[Akash]

Me too, NM :D

"Our Thoughts Make things Beautiful,
Our Thoughts Make things Ugly,
The Whole World is in our OWN mind"
- Swami Vivekananda

[scorpio]

Not sure if this is authentic, but still, interesting read!!

Believe it or not ... Of all tales of the supernatural, this one is
perhaps the best documented, the most disturbing and the most difficult to explain.

The Princess of Amen-Ra lived some 1,500 years before Christ. When she died, she was laid in an ornate wooden coffin and buried deep in a vault at Luxor, on the banks of the Nile.In the late 1890s, four rich young Englishmen visiting the excavations at
Luxor were invited to buy an exquisitely fashioned mummy case containing the remains of Princess of Amen-Ra. They drew lots. The man who won paid several thousand pounds and had the coffin taken to his hotel. A few hours later, he was seen walking out towards the desert. He never returned.

The next day, one of the remaining three men was shot by an Egyptian servant accidentally. His arm was so severely wounded and had to be amputated. The third man in the foursome found on his return home that the bank holding his entire savings had failed. The fourth guy suffered a severe illness, lost his job and was
reduced to selling matches in the street.

Nevertheless, the coffin reached England (causing other misfortunes along the way); here it was bought by a London businessman. After three of his family members had been injured in a road accident and his house damaged by fire, the businessman donated it to the British Museum.

As the coffin was being unloaded from a truck in the museum courtyard, the truck suddenly went into reverse and trapped a passerby. Then, as the casket was being lifted up the stairs by two workmen, one fell and broke his leg. The other, apparently in perfect health, died unaccountably two days later.


Once the Princess was installed in the Egyptian Room, trouble really
started. Museum's night watchmen requently heard frantic hammering and sobbing from the coffin. Other exhibits in the room were also often hurled about at night. One watchman died on duty causing the other watchmen to quit. Cleaners refused to go near the Princess too.

When a visitor derisively flicked a dust cloth at the face painted on the coffin, his child died of measles soon afterwards. Finally, the authorities had the mummy carried down to the x-udment. Figuring it could not do any harm down there. Within a week, one of the helpers was seriously ill, and the supervisor of the move was found dead at his desk.

By now, the papers had heard of it. A journalist photographer took a picture of the mummy case and when he developed it, the painting on the coffin was of a horrifying, human face. The photographer was said to have gone home then, locked his bedroom door and shot himself.

Soon afterwards, the museum sold the mummy to a private collector. After continual misfortune (and deaths), the owner banished it to the attic. A well known authority on the occult, Madame Helena Blavatsky, visited the premises. Upon entry, she was seized with a shivering fit and searched the house for the source of "an evil influence of incredible intensity." She finally came to the attic and found the mummy case. "Can you exorcise
this evil spirit?" asked the owner. "There is no such thing as exorcism," she said. "Evil remains evil forever. Nothing can be done about it. I implore you to get rid of this evil as soon as possible."

But no British museum would take the mummy; the fact that almost twenty people had met with misfortune, disaster or death from handling the casket, in barely ten years, was now well known.

Eventually, a hardheaded American archaeologist (who dismissed the happenings as quirks of circumstance), paid a handsome price for the mummy and arranged for its removal to New York. In April 1912, the new owner escorted his treasure aboard a sparkling, new White Star liner about to make its maiden voyage to New York.

On the night of April 14, amid scenes of unprecedented horror, the Princess of Amen-Ra accompanied 1,500 passengers to their deaths at the bottom of the Atlantic.

The name of the ship was the Titanic.

[NM]

The 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud lady, who is fully
dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with her hair fashionably coiffed and makeup perfectly applied, even though she is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today.

Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary.

After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.

As she manoeuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual
description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window.

"I love it," she stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.

"Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room ..just wait."

"That doesn't have anything to do with it, "she replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged... it's how I arrange my mind.

"I already decided to love it. It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do.

"Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away just for this time in my life.

"Old age is like a bank account: you withdraw from what you've put in.
"So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories.

"Thank you for your part in filling my Memory bank. I am still
depositing."

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less

[NOV]

1. TODAY I WILL NOT STRIKE BACK:
If someone is rude, if someone is impatient, if someone is unkind... I will not respond in a like manner.

2. TODAY I WILL ASK GOD TO BLESS MY "ENEMY":
If I come across someone who treats me harshly or unfairly, I will quietly ask God to bless that individual. I understand the "enemy" could be a family member, neighbor, co-worker, or a stranger.

3. TODAY I WILL BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT I SAY:
I will carefully choose and guard my words being certain that I do not spread gossip.

4. TODAY I WILL GO THE EXTRA MILE:
I will find ways to help share the burden of another person.

5. TODAY I WILL FORGIVE:
I will forgive any hurts or injuries that come my way.

6. TODAY I WILL DO SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEONE, BUT I WILL NOT DO IT SECRETLY:
I will reach out anonymously and bless the life of another.

7. TODAY I WILL TREAT OTHERS THE WAY I WISH TO BE TREATED:
I will practice the golden rule - "Do unto others as I would have them do unto me" - with everyone I encounter.

8. TODAY I WILL RAISE THE SPIRITS OF SOMEONE I DISCOURAGED:
My smile, my words, my expression of support, can make the difference to someone who is wrestling life.

9. TODAY I WILL NUTURE MY BODY:
I will eat less; I will eat only healthy foods. I will thank God for my body.

10. TODAY I WILL GROW SPIRITUALLY:
I will spend a little more time in prayer today: I will begin reading something spiritual or inspirational today; I will find a quiet place (at some point during the day) and listen to God's voice!

[scorpio]

A stranger was walking thru' a construction site where hundreds of men were busy at work. The sun was hot and not a cloud was there in the sky. The workers were complaining about everything- the heat, the lousy tools, the other workers, the design of the building. Everything.

Each time the stranger walked past a sweating worker, he'd ask, "What are you doing?" And each worker would scowl and angrily reply, " What does it look like? I'm laying bricks. Get out of here and leave me alone!"

But one man stood out from the rest. Though he was soaked in dust and filth from brick and mortar, he was humming a tune and the stranger could swear that he was smiling.

" All of these men are miserable except you," commented the stranger. " You 're all slaving away under the same hot sun, doing the same hard work over and over. Yet you're smiling while laying bricks while others are swearing.Why?"

The smiling worker turned to him, mopped his brow and replied in a strong, proud voice- " I'm smiling beacuse I'm just not laying bricks. I'm building a Cathedral."

So, WHAT ARE YOU BUILDING?

[scorpio]

Albert Einstein was once introduced to the eighteen-month-old son of a young friend. The infant looked into the old physicist's wizened face and promptly began to bawl.

"You're the first person for years," Einstein declared, patting the child on the head, "who has told me what you really think of me."

***********************
During the Cannes Film Festival one year, Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, were invited to attend a party aboard a luxury yacht. As they approached the party in a smaller boat, Maria began to feel terribly seasick. "Darling, for God's sake be a grown-up," Schwarzenegger snapped. "What's a little rough sea?"
Once they were safely aboard the yacht, Maria found her sea legs and soon felt fine. And Arnold?

He promptly turned green (in front of about eighty guests) and had to be helped off the ship and hurried to shore.

*************************
One day during rush hour, George Shearing (who had been blind since birth) found himself at a busy Manhattan intersection, waiting for someone to help him across the street.
After waiting for some time, he was finally tapped on the shoulder. Unfortunately, it was another blind man, seeking similar assistance. What did Shearing do?

"What could I do?" Shearing later laughed. "I took him across - and it was the biggest thrill of my life!"

**************************
Charlie Chaplin once entered a Charlie Chaplin Look-Alike Contest in Monte Carlo, Monaco. He was placed third.

[a.ratchasi]

A SOULFUL RELATIONSHIP

An African proverb states, "Before you get married, keep both eyes
open, and after you marry, close one eye."

Before you get involved and make a commitment to someone, don't let lust, desperation, immaturity, ignorance, pressure from others or a low self-esteem, make you blind to warning signs.

Keep your eyes open, and don't fool yourself that you can change
someone or that what you see as faults aren't really important.

Once you decide to commit to someone, over time his or her flaws,
vulnerabilities, pet peeves, and differences will become more
obvious.

If you love your mate and want the relationship to grow and evolve, you've got to learn to close one eye and not let every little thing bother you.

You and your mate have many different expectations, emotional
needs, values, dreams, weaknesses, and strengths. Neither of you are perfect, but are you perfect for each other? Do you bring out the best in each other?

Do you compliment and compromise with each other, or do you
compete, compare, and control?

What do you bring to the relationship?

Do you bring past relationships, past hurt, past mistrust, past
pain?

You can't take someone to the altar to alter him or her. You can't make someone love you or make someone stay. If you develop self-esteem, spiritual discernment, and "a life", you won't find yourself making someone else responsible for your happiness or responsible for your pain.

Manipulation, control, jealousy, neediness, and selfishness are not
the ingredients of a thriving, healthy, loving and lasting
relationship!

Seeking status, sex, wealth, and security are the wrong reasons to
be in a relationship.

What keeps a relationship strong?

1.Communication, intimacy, trust, a sense of humor, sharing
household tasks, some getaway time without business or children and daily exchanges (a meal, shared activity, a hug, a call, a touch, a note).

2.Leave a nice message on the voicemail or send a nice email.

3.Sharing common goals and interests.

4.Growth is important. Grow together, not away from each
other, giving each other pace to grow without feeling insecure.

5. Allow your mate to have outside interest. You can't always
be together. Give each other a sense of belonging and assurances of commitment.

6. Don't try to control one another.

7.Learn each other's family situation. Respect his or her
parents regardless.

8.Don't put pressure on each other for material goods.
Remember for richer or for poorer.

9.If these qualities are missing, the relationship will erode
as resentment, withdrawal, abuse, neglect, dishonesty, and pain
replace the passion.

10.The difference between 'United' and 'Untied' is where you
put the i.

[Nosferatu]

wow.... this thread is absolutely great... i must say this is the first thread that i read through from the very beginning to the very end.... i just wish i had something to add of my own.... but nothing on hand at present.... but i give u my word, i will be back in abt two days with some jewels..... i have some things at home....

anyway before i sign off i just want to say again that this thread is awesome.....

[Deep_Secrets]

I read something somewhere about a tip on how to do a HARD task....mould your attitude into one that fits the task.

Not exactly beautiful wordings but....hope you'll get the message. Basically, instead of getting angrier and ANGRIER at something that is hard to do, try singing or think cheerful thoughts. :wave:

[NM]

A SOULFUL RELATIONSHIP

An African proverb states, "Before you get married, keep both eyes
open, and after you marry, close one eye."

Ratchasi......great!! Will remember these if & when I do get married!! :thumbsup:

[NOV]

Around two weeks ago I was called to judge a talent contest at one of the city colleges. I noticed all the participants were given slips of paper with a topic written on it and told to come up and speak for three minutes.

Lots were drawn as to who would be the first speaker and the next and the next. The first contestant I noticed looked a little disgruntled as he got onto the podium to address the others.

"My fellow students and respected judges," he said loudly, "this is an unfair contest!"

I, along with my fellow judges looked up surprised. "I have been given this paper," he continued, "to speak on a subject with just a few minutes preparation whereas those after me have more time to work on their speech. This is unfair!" He then proceeded to leave the stage and stormed out of the hall.

Nobody missed him and the contest went on smoothly.
I met him on the landing as I was being escorted out later.

"Who said life is fair?" I asked him with a smile. He looked at me startled and I asked him to walk with me to my car. "Life," I
told him, "is fighting the unfair and still winning! Do you read automobile magazines?"

"Yes," he said eagerly, "I do."

"Have you seen statistics shown when a new car is being introduced into the market? They talk about speed and torque and
transmission and horse power."

"Yes," he nodded.

"But there is a line they put after all these figures. They say all this
data is when there are ideal road conditions!"

"Yes," he said again.

"Show me ideal road conditions?" I asked him and he smiled. "The car that sells well," I continued is the car that will deliver power and speed and durability in the worst of roads, in potholes and mud and slush. That car is a winner!"

We had reached my car and he stood by my side as I heaved myself in. "Don't look for ideal playing conditions," I said. "Fight the
unfair and come out a winner!" I looked back in my rear view mirror as I drove away and saw him smile and wave and knew he would fight the unfair from now on.

The fight never stops. Ask all the successful people in our own country. They fight regardless whether the battle is fair or
unfair. Stop telling the world about the unfair deal you've got out of life; start battling the unfair, come out victorious..!

[a.ratchasi]

Same here, NM, same, here! :D

[scorpio]

A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco.

"Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me.

"Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."

"There's something you should know," the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mind and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live."

"No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us."

"Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own."

At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide.

The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

[Akash]

Love . . .

Brittney loved basketball, Friends and parties too, And when it came to painting, That's all she wanted to do. She painted everything she saw, Birds, flowers, and the sky, Some
days she sat at her window, And painted everything that passed her by. But lately she'd been feeling woozy, Her muscles ached a lot, And her parents got kind of worried, So they took her to the doctor, The doctor took a couple of tests, To see if everything was okay, Then the nurse came out with a look of sadness, And this is what she had to say..

"I'm sorry, but you've got leukemia, " You've got about 3 months more." Then Brittney got up and ran out of the room, And slammed the office door. She ran down the street screaming, And cried her eyes out dry, And stayed up all night, Wondering what it's
like to die.

Her parents held her tightly, And said, "We love you," We'll make your last few months the greatest, "We'll do anything for you." So Brittney and her parents moved to Florida, to live by the sea, Because Brittney loved the ocean, And when she died,
that's where she wanted to be.

She spent her days painting, And horseback riding in by the bay, But one day she met this guy, And his name was Jay. They collected seashells together, And talked about all kinds of things, And then one day while walking, He handed her a ring.
It said, "I love you," Which brought tears to Brittney's eyes, And when he put it on her finger, She began to cry. He asked her what was wrong, and she then replied, "I've got leukemia, and about a month more. " He said," No matter what, I love you And no matter what, you are the one I adore." So they spent everyday together, And swam in the Atlantic all day, But Brittney was getting weaker, And it was hard for her stay awake.

So one day Brittney painted her picture, And gave it to Jay, She said, "I want you to remember me," "Even when I leave this place.."

And one day while they were walking, And searching for seashells in the sand, Brittney collapsed and started to lose her breath, And said to Jay, "Please hold my hand." I love you more than anyone," You are my only true love," But now my time is up," And I'll watch over you from above," Then Brittney's body was lifeless, As she lay in Jay's arms, And he sat there all day, And kept her safe from harm..


I hope this teaches us a lesson. To tell someone you love them whenever you can. Because maybe they'll be gone tomorrow. And you won't be there to hold their hand. Because love is everything to everybody. Without it, the world would be dead. So always tell someone you love them. A parent, boyfriend/girlfriend, or friend.

[scorpio]

A man approached Mother Teresa and said, Mother, I want to do something great for God, but I don't know what. Should I start a school, be a missionary in a foreign land, build up a charitable agency? He had great visions. Mother Teresa looked at him closely, with kindness, and responded: What you need to do is make sure that no one in your family goes unloved.

[a.ratchasi]

What the Modern Woman Wants

By Amanda Chong Wei-Zhen

The old woman sat in the backseat of the magenta convertible as it careened down the highway, clutching tightly to the plastic bag on her lap, afraid it may be kidnapped by the wind. She was not used to such speed, with trembling hands she pulled the seatbelt tighter but was careful not to touch the patent leather seats with her callused fingers, her daughter had warned her not to dirty it, 'Fingerprints show very clearly on white, Ma.'

Her daughter, Bee Choo, was driving and talking on her sleek silver mobile phone using big words the old woman could barely understand.

'Finance' 'Liquidation' 'Assets' 'Investments'... Her voice was crisp and important and had an unfamiliar lilt to it. Her Bee Choo sounded like one of those foreign girls on television. She was speaking in an American accent.

The old lady clucked her tongue in disapproval.

'I absolutely cannot have this. We have to sell!' Her daughter exclaimed agitatedly as she stepped on the accelerator; her perfectly manicured fingernails gripping onto the steering wheel in irritation.

'I can't DEAL with this anymore!' she yelled as she clicked the phone shut and hurled it angrily toward the backseat.

The mobile phone hit the old woman on the forehead and nestled soundlessly into her lap. She calmly picked it up and handed it to her daughter.

'Sorry, Ma,' she said, losing the American pretence and switching to Mandarin. 'I have a big client in America. There have been a lot of problems.'

The old lady nodded knowingly. Her daughter was big and important. Bee Choo stared at her mother from the rear view window, wondering what she was thinking. Her mother's wrinkled countenance always carried the same cryptic look.

The phone began to ring again, an artificially cheerful digital tune, which broke the awkward silence.

'Hello, Beatrice! Yes, this is Elaine.' Elaine. The old woman cringed. I didn't name her Elaine. She remembered her daughter telling her, how an English name was very important for 'networking', Chinese ones being easily forgotten.

'Oh no, I can't see you for lunch today. I have to take the ancient relic to the temple for her weird daily prayer ritual.'

Ancient Relic. The old woman understood perfectly it was referring to her. Her daughter always assumed that her mother's silence meant she did not comprehend.

'Yes, I know! My car seats will be reeking of joss sticks!'

The old woman pursed her lips tightly, her hands gripping her plastic bag in defence.

The car curv ed smoothly into the temple courtyard. It looked almost garish next to the dull sheen of the ageing temple's roof. The old woman got out of the back seat, and made her unhurried way to the main hall.

Her daughter stepped out of the car in her business suit and stilettos and reapplied her lipstick as she made her brisk way to her mother's side.

'Ma, I'll wait outside. I have an important phone call to make,' she said, not bothering to hide her disgust at the pungent fumes of incense.

The old lady hobbled into the temple hall and lit a joss stick, she knelt down solemnly and whispered her now familiar daily prayer to the Gods.

Thank you God of the Sky, you have given my daughter luck all these years. Everything I prayed for, you have given her. She has everything a young woman in this world could possibly want. She has a big house with a swimming pool, a maid to help her, as she is too clumsy to sew or cook.

Her love life has been blessed; she is engaged to a rich and handsome angmoh man. Her company is now the top financial firm and even men listen to what she says. She lives the perfect life. You have given her everything except happiness. I ask that the gods be merciful to her even if she has lost her roots while reaping the harvest of success.

What you see is not true, she is a filial daughter to me. She gives me a room in her big house and provides well for me. She is rude to me only because I affect her happiness. A young woman does not want to be hindered by her old mother. It is my fault.

The old lady prayed so hard that tears welled up in her eyes. Finally, with her head bowed in reverence she planted the half-burnt joss stick into an urn of smouldering ashes.

She bowed once more.

The old woman had been praying for her d aughter for thirty-two years. When her stomach was round like a melon, she came to the temple and prayed that it was a son.

Then the time was ripe a nd the baby slipped out of her womb, bawling and adorable with fat thighs and pink cheeks, but unmistakably, a girl. Her husband had kicked and punched her for producing a useless baby who could not work or carry the family name.

Still, the woman returned to the temple with her new-born girl tied to her waist in a sarong and prayed that her daughter would grow up and have everything she ever wanted. Her husband left her and she prayed that her daughter would never have to depend on a man.

She prayed every day that her daughter would be a great woman, the woman that she, meek and uneducated, could never become. A woman with nengkan; the ability to do anything she set her mind to. A woman who commanded respect in the hearts of men. When she opened her mouth to speak, precious pearls would fall out and men would listen.

She will not be like me, the woman prayed as she watched her daughter grow up and drift away from her, speaking a language she scarcely un derstood. She watched her daughter transform from a quiet girl, to one who openly defied her, calling her laotu; old-fashioned. She wanted her mother to be 'modern', a word so new there was no Chinese word for it.

Now her daughter was too clever for her and the old woman wondered why she had prayed like that. The gods had been faithful to her persistent prayer, but the weal th and success that poured forth so richly had buried the girl's roots and now she stood, faceless, with no identity, bound to the soil of her ancestors by only a string of origami banknotes.

Her daughter had forgotten her mother's values. Her wants were so ephemeral; that of a modern woman. Power, Wealth, access to the best fashion boutiques, and yet her daughter had not found true happiness. The old woman knew that you could find happiness with much less. When her daughter left the earth everything she had would count for nothing. People would look to her legacy and say that she was a great woman, but she would be forgotten once the wind blows over, like the ashes of burnt paper convertibles and mansions.

The old woman wished she could go back and erase all her big hopes and prayers for her daughter; now she had only one want: That her daughter be happy. She looked out of the temple gate. She saw her daughter speaking on the phone, her brow furrowed with anger and worry. Being at the top is not good, the woman thought, there is only one way to go from there - down.

The old woman carefully unfolded the plastic bag and spread out a packet of beehoon in front of the altar.

Her daughter often mocked her for worshipping porcelain Gods. How could she pray to them so faithfully and expect pieces of ceramic to fly to her aid?

But her daughter had her own gods too, idols of wealth, success and power that she was enslaved to and worshipped every day of her life.

Every day was a quest for the idols, and the idols she worshipped counted for nothing in eternity. All the wants her daughter had would slowly suck the life out of her and leave her, an empty soulless shell at the altar.

The old lady watched her joss tick. The dull heat had left a teetering grey stem that was on the danger of collapsing.

Modern woman nowadays, the old lady sighed in resignation, as she bowed to the east one final time to end her ritual. Modern woman nowadays want so much that they lose their souls and wonder why they cannot find it.

Her joss stick disintegrated into a soft grey powder.

She met her daughter outside the temple, the same look of worry and frustration was etched on her daughter's face. An empty expression, as if she was ploughing through the soil of her wants looking for the one thing that would sow the seeds of happiness.

They climbed into the convertible in silence and her daughter drove along the highway, this time not as fast as she had done before.

'Ma,' Bee Choo finally said. 'I don't know how to put this. Mark and I have been talking about it and we plan to move out of the big house. The property market is good now, and we managed to get a buyer willing to pay seven million for it. We decided we'd prefer a cosier penthouse apartment instead. We found a perfect one in Orchard Road. Once we move in to our apartment we plan to get rid of the maid, so we can have more space to ourselves...'

The old woman nodded knowingly.

Bee Choo swallowed hard. 'We'd get someone to come in to do the housework and we can eat out-but once the maid is gone, there won't be anyone to look after you. You will be awfully lonely at home and, besides that, the apartment is rather small. There won't be space. We thought about it for a lon g time, and we decided the best thing for you is if you moved to a Home.
There's one near Hougang-it's a Christian home, a very nice one.'

The old woman did not raise an eyebrow. 'I've been there, the matron is willing to take you in. It's beautiful with gardens and lots of old people to keep you company! I hardly have time for you, you'd be happier there.'

'You'd be happier there, really.' Her daughter repeated as if to affirm herself.

This time the old woman had no plastic bag of food offerings to cling tightly to; she bit her lip and fastened her seat belt, as if it would protect her from a daughter who did not want her anymore. She sunk deep into the leather seat, letting her shoulders sag, and her fingers trace the white seat.

'Ma?' her daughter asked, searching the rear view window for her mother. 'Is everything okay?'

What had to be done, had to be done. 'Yes,' she said firmly, louder than she intended, 'if it will make you happy, ' she added more quietly.

'It's for you, Ma! You'll be happier there. You can move there tomorrow, I already got the maid to pack your things.' Elaine said triumphantly, mentally ticking yet another item off her agenda.

'I knew everything would be fine.'

Elaine smiled widely; she felt liberated. Perhaps getting rid of her mother would make her happier. She had thought about it. It seemed the only hindrance in her pursuit of happiness. She was happy now. She had everything a modern woman ever wanted; Money, Status, Career, Love,Power and now, Freedom, without her mother and her old-fashioned ways to weigh her down...

Yes, she was free. Her phone buzzed urgently, she picked it up and read the message, still beaming from ear to ear. 'Stocks 10% increase!'

Yes, things were definitely beginning to look up for her...

And while searching for the meaning of life in the luminance of her hand phone screen, the old woman in the backseat became invisible, and she did not see the tears.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A 15-YEAR-OLD Singaporean, competing against 16- to 18-year-olds, has won the top prize in a writing contest that drew 5,300 entries from 52 countries.

In the annual Commonwealth Essay Competition, Amanda Chong of Raffles Girls' School (Secondary) chose to compete in the older category and won with a piece on the restlessness of modern life.

Her short story, titled What The Modern Woman Wants, focused on the conflict in values between an old lady and her independent-minded daughter.

'Through my story, I attempted to convey the unique East-versus-West struggles and generation gaps that I felt were characteristic of young people in my country,' said Amanda, who likes drama, history and literature and wants to become a lawyer and a politician.

Chief examiner Charles Kemp called her piece a 'powerfully moving and ironical critique of modern restlessness and its potentially cruel consequences'. The writing is fluent and assured, with excellent use of dialogue.

Amanda gets (S$1,590). A Singaporean last won the top prize in 2000, said Britain's Royal Commonwealth Society, which has been organising t he competition since 1883. Singaporeans also came in second in the 14- to 15-year-old category, and fourth in the under-12s. Other winners included students from Australia, Canada and South Africa.

Verified:http://www.thecommonwealth.org/Templates/System/LatestNews.asp?NodeID=38805

[scorpio]

ratchasi,

Very touching story indeed. Couldn't believe it is by a 15 year old. Just some time before, I posted a quote in 'Quotes' thread- Be nice to yr kids, they decide your nursing home. I think we need to change it to 'Old age' home! :shock:

[a.ratchasi]

Yes, scorpio. It is touching indeed.
Sadly, more and more parents are seen as liability. Thus the need for such 'homes'.

[Roshan]

a.ratchasi,

The story was moving. It brought tears to my eyes. The news about the author came as a total surprise to me. Something really great by a 15 year old. Thanks ratchasi for sharing it here. :)

Chief examiner Charles Kemp called her piece a 'powerfully moving and ironical critique of modern restlessness and its potentially cruel consequences'. The writing is fluent and assured, with excellent use of dialogue.

Very true !!!

[Shekhar]

1. WILL THE REAL DUMMY PLEASE STAND UP?
AT&T fired President John Walter after nine months, saying he lacked intellectual leadership. He received a $26 million severance package. Perhaps it's not Walter who's lacking intelligence.

2. WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS:
Police in Oakland, California spent two hours attempting to subdue a gunman who had barricaded himself inside his home. After firing ten tear gas canisters, officers discovered that the man was standing beside them in the police line, shouting, "Please come out and give yourself up."

3. WHAT WAS PLAN B???
An Illinois man, pretending to have a gun, kidnapped a motorist and forced him to drive to two different automated teller machines, wherein the kidnapper proceeded to withdraw money from own his bank accounts.

4. THE GETAWAY!
A man walked into a Topeka, Kansas Kwik Stop, and asked for all the money in the cash drawer. Apparently, the take was too small, so he tied up the store clerk and worked at the counter himself for three hours until police showed up and grabbed him.

5. DID I SAY THAT???
Police in Los Angeles had good luck with a robbery suspect who just couldn't control himself during a line-up. When detectives asked each man in the line-up to repeat the words: "Give me all your money or I'll shoot," the man shouted, "That's not what I said!"

6. ARE WE COMMUNICATING??
A man spoke frantically into the phone, "My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart!" "Is this her first child?" the doctor asked. "No!" the man shouted, "This is her husband!"

7. NOT THE SHARPEST TOOL IN THE SHED!!
In Modesto, California, Steven Richard King was arrested for trying to hold up a Bank of America branch without a weapon. King used a thumb and a finger to simulate a gun, but unfortunately, he failed to keep his hand in his pocket.

8. THE GRAND FINALE
Last summer, down on Lake Isabella, located in the high desert, an hour east of Bakersfield, California, some folks, new to boating, were having a problem. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't get their brand new 22 ft. boat going. It was very sluggish in almost every manoeuvre, no matter how much power was applied. After about an hour of trying to make it go, they putted to a nearby marina, thinking someone there could tell them what was wrong. A thorough topside check revealed everything in perfect working condition. The engine ran fine, the out drive went up and down, and the prop was the correct size and pitch. So, one of the marina guys jumped in the water to check underneath. He came up hoking on water, he was laughing so hard. NOW REMEMBER...THIS IS TRUE ... Under the boat, still strapped securely in place, was the trailer.

[a.ratchasi]

a.ratchasi,

The story was moving. It brought tears to my eyes. The news about the author came as a total surprise to me. Something really great by a 15 year old. Thanks ratchasi for sharing it here. :)

Chief examiner Charles Kemp called her piece a 'powerfully moving and ironical critique of modern restlessness and its potentially cruel consequences'. The writing is fluent and assured, with excellent use of dialogue.

Very true !!!


Yes, Roshan. It did surprise me too that a 15 year old girl wrote the story. So much so I had to check the source to confirm!!
And, yes, the chief examiner has summed it all too well. :)

[Querida]

6. ARE WE COMMUNICATING??
A man spoke frantically into the phone, "My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart!" "Is this her first child?" the doctor asked. "No!" the man shouted, "This is her husband!"
:lol:

23 Things to Always Remember And One Thing Never to Forget)

1. Your presence is a present to the world.

2. You're unique and one of a kind.

3. Your life can be what you want it to be.

4. Take the days just one at a time.

5. Count your blessings, not your troubles.

6. You'll make it through whatever comes along.

7. Within you are so many answers.

8. Understand, have courage, be strong.

9. Don't put limits on yourself.

10. So many dreams are waiting to be realized.

11. Decisions are too important to leave to chance.

12. Reach for your peak, your goal, and your prize.

13. Nothing wastes more energy than worrying.

14. The longer one carries a problem, the heavier it gets.

15. Don't take things too seriously.

16. Live a life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

17. Remember that a little love goes a long way.

18. Remember that a lot ... goes forever.

19. Remember that friendship is a wise investment.

20. Life's treasures are people ... together.

21. Realize that it's never to late.

22. Do ordinary things in extraordinary ways.

23. Have health and hope and happiness.

23. Take the time to wish upon a star.

And don't ever forget ... For even a day ... How very special you are.

~ Author Unknown ~

[Querida]

Beginning today, I will no longer worry about yesterday.
It is in the past and the past will never change.
Only I can change by choosing to do so.

Beginning today, I will no longer worry about tomorrow.
Tomorrow will always be there, waiting for me to make the most
of it.
But I cannot make the most of tomorrow without first making the most of today.

Beginning today, I will look in the mirror and I will see a person worthy of my respect and admiration.
This capable person looking back at me is someone I enjoy spending time with and someone I would like to get to know better.

Beginning today, I will cherish each moment of my life.
I value this gift bestowed upon me in this world and I will unselfishly share this gift with others.
I will use this gift to enhance the lives of others.

Beginning today, I will take a moment to step off the beaten path and to revel in the mysteries I encounter.
I will face challenges with courage and determination.
I will overcome what barriers there may be which hinder my quest for growth and self-improvement.

Beginning today, I will take life one day at a time, one step at a time.
Discouragement will not be allowed to taint my positive self-image, my desire to succeed or my capacity to love.

Beginning today, I walk with renewed faith in human kindness.
Regardless of what has gone before, I believe there is hope for a brighter and better future.

Beginning today, I will open my mind and my heart.
I will welcome new experiences. I will meet new people.
I will not expect perfection from myself nor anyone else: perfection does not exist in an imperfect world.
But I will applaud the attempt to overcome human foibles.

Beginning today, I am responsible for my own happiness and I will do things that make me happy . . .
admire the beautiful wonders of nature, listen to my favorite music, pet a kitten or a puppy, soak in a bubble bath . . .
Pleasure can be found in the most simple of gestures.


Beginning today, I will learn something new; I will try something different; I will savor all the various flavors life has to offer.
I will change what I can and the rest I will let go.
I will strive to become the best me I can possibly be.

Beginning today. And every day.


~ Source Unknown ~

[scorpio]

" Tomorrow will always be there, waiting for me to make the most
of it.
But I cannot make the most of tomorrow without first making the most of today. "

Querida, How true!! Thanks for the good write-up. You made my day!

[Badri]

" Tomorrow will always be there, waiting for me to make the most
of it.
But I cannot make the most of tomorrow without first making the most of today. "

Querida, How true!! Thanks for the good write-up. You made my day!

Scorpio Akka: Your day is just beginning. If it is already made, what are you going to do? Start with making the most of tomorrow?

:lol:

[scorpio]

Yeah Badri.. I'll right away start preparing for tomorrow's meetings, jot down my deliverables, see what can be delegated to whom, draw action plan and deadlines and ensure I use today to make my tomorrows better! :lol:

[Badri]

Delegate panniye kalathha ottaraanga pa sila peru!!

Amaam, what's with JG? No news! Did Cinefan meet him at their usual rendezvous?

[scorpio]

Delegate seithal Manager-kku azhagu
Delegate sethathai appappo reviw seithal nalla-manager-kku azhagu. - Don't u know that??
That's what I do. :P

I think JG would've got married by now and is now on cloud nine too busy to even see what has happened to his roasting. Cinefan only can clarify! Oru oru Weekend-um kooda cricket-aadara friendukku oru invitation kudava prairie kudukkalai??

If we digress this thread further, Hub polees Roshan will shoo us away! :lol:

[a.ratchasi]

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it's all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that the little things can be the special things in life

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I could always talk to and I learned to trust in God.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I felt you kiss me good night. I felt loved and safe.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don't.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I learned most of life's lessons that I need to know from you--how to be a good and productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn't looking,
I looked at you and wanted to say, "Thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking."

[hehehewalrus]

Raagam en jeevane
Hey querida,
where did u pick this from?? Isnt that "Naadham en jeevane"?? :D

[Querida]

Raagam en jeevane
Hey querida,
where did u pick this from?? Isnt that "Naadham en jeevane"?? :D

Hey Hehehewalrus where you been? :D
correct song from my very fav movie (Kadhal Oviyam) but i love music too much to let it be that title :D
take care

A.Ratchasi that was very moving thanx :thumbsup:

[hehehewalrus]

Querida
anything new happening to u or ur pets?
:)

[Querida]

Querida
anything new happening to u or ur pets?
:)

well i really don't have a cat i was kidding...i only have two koi fish..and they really are chicken :P


anyways before i get admonished for going off topic :wink: :

Don't Look Back

As you travel through life there are always those times
when decisions just have to be made,
when the choices are hard and solutions seem scarce
and the rain seems to soak your parade!

There are some situations where all you can do
is to simply let go and move on,
gather courage together and choose a direction
that carries you toward a new dawn.

So pack up your troubles and take a step forward.
The process of change can be tough.
But think about all the excitement ahead,
if you can be stalwart enough!

There could be adventures you never imagined
just waiting around the next bend
and wishes and dreams just about to come true
in ways you can't yet comprehend!

Perhaps you'll find friendships that spring from new interests,
as you challenge your status quo
and learn there are so many options in life,
and so many ways you can grow!

Perhaps you'll go places you never expected
and see things that you've never seen,
or travel to fabulous, faraway worlds
and wonderful spots in between!

Perhaps you'll find warmth, affection and caring,
a "somebody special" who's there
to help you stay centered and listen with interest
to stories and feelings you share.

Perhaps you'll find comfort in knowing your friends
are supportive of all that you do
and believe that whatever decisions you make,
they'll be the right choices for you!

So keep putting one foot in front of the other
and taking your life day by day.
There's a brighter tomorrow that's just down the road.
Don't look back, you're not going that way!

[scorpio]

When you are tense, let me teach you to relax.
When you are short tempered, let me teach you to be patient.
When you are short sighted, let me teach you to see.
When you are quick to react, let me teach you to be thoughtful.
When you are angry, let me teach you to be serene.
When you feel superior, let me teach you to be respectful.
When you are self absorbed, let me teach you to think of greater things.
When you are arrogant, let me teach you humility.
When you are lonely, let me be your companion.
When you are tired, let me carry the load.
When you need to learn, let me teach you.
After all, I am your FRIEND.

[Deep_Secrets]

When you are tense, let me teach you to relax.
When you are short tempered, let me teach you to be patient.
When you are short sighted, let me teach you to see.
When you are quick to react, let me teach you to be thoughtful.
When you are angry, let me teach you to be serene.
When you feel superior, let me teach you to be respectful.
When you are self absorbed, let me teach you to think of greater things.
When you are arrogant, let me teach you humility.
When you are lonely, let me be your companion.
When you are tired, let me carry the load.
When you need to learn, let me teach you.
After all, I am your FRIEND.

Hmmm...lets see....I am short tempered, short sighted, lonely, tired, and I need to learn, A LOT :cry: :cry: :cry:...

That was very lovely, Scorpio. Thanks for sharing it with us. :thumbsup:

[Akash]

THE MAYONNAISE JAR AND COFFEE

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the coffee....

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - God, family, your children,
your health, your friends, and your favorite passions-things that
if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would
still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything else-the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no
room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. "

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play
with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your
partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal."

"Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set
your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee
represented The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

[Badri]

"I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

That was last bit was really really good!

[blahblah]

When you are tense, let me teach you to relax.
When you are short tempered, let me teach you to be patient.
When you are short sighted, let me teach you to see.
When you are quick to react, let me teach you to be thoughtful.
When you are angry, let me teach you to be serene.
When you feel superior, let me teach you to be respectful.
When you are self absorbed, let me teach you to think of greater things.
When you are arrogant, let me teach you humility.
When you are lonely, let me be your companion.
When you are tired, let me carry the load.
When you need to learn, let me teach you.
After all, I am your FRIEND.

You appear to be more of a teacher than a friend! :twisted: :lol:

[Badri]

I just wanted to say that...and you beat me to it, blahblah!!! :lol: :lol:

[scorpio]

:lol: :lol: :lol:

To be honest, that's what everyone says. One of my nick names in my earlier org. was 'H.M.' (Head Mistress) :lol:

[Badri]

And you still haven't learnt!! :huh: :huh:

[scorpio]

Athu kooda piranthathu.. I take it as a compliment thambi.. after all, perfectionists are a rare commodity.

[Badri]

Athu kooda piranthathu.. I take it as a compliment thambi.. after all, perfectionists are a rare commodity.

Well, what more can I say? :huh: I rest my case :lol:

[Akash]

Charles Plumb was an U.S. Navy jet pilot in Vietnam. After 75 combat missions, his plane was destroyed by a surface-to-air missile. Plumb ejected and parachuted into enemy hands. He was captured and spent 6 years in a communist Vietnamese prison. He survived the ordeal and now lectures on lessons learned from that experience.

One day, when Plumb and his wife were sitting in a restaurant, a man at another table came up and said, "You're Plumb!". "You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb. "I packed your parachute," the man replied. Plumb gasped in surprise and gratitude.

The man pumped his hand and said, "I guess it worked!"

Plumb assured him: "It sure did. If your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today." Plumb could not sleep that night, thinking about that man.

Plumb says: "I kept wondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform: a white hat, a bib in the back, and bell-bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said 'Good morning, how are you?' or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor.

Plumb thought of the many hours the sailor had spent on a long wooden table in the bowels of the ship, carefully weaving the shrouds and folding the silks of each chute, holding in his hands each time the fate of someone he didn't know.

Now, Plumb asks his audience, "Who's packing your Parachute?" "Everyone has someone who provides what they need to make it through the day." Plumb also points out that he needed many kinds of parachutes when his plane was shot down over enemy territory -- he needed his physical parachute, his mental parachute, his emotional parachute, and his spiritual parachute. He called on all these supports before reaching safety.

Sometimes in the daily challenges that life gives us, we miss what is really important. We may fail to say hello, please, or thank you, congratulate someone on something wonderful that has happened to them, give a compliment, or just do something nice for no reason.

As you go through this week, this month, this year, recognize people who pack your parachute. I am posting you this as my way of thanking you for your part in packing my parachute!!

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word. Maybe this could explain: When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do?


You forward jokes. Moreover, to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for, guess what you get? A forwarded joke!

So next time, if you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.

[Deep_Secrets]

Visit this site for more humor from Melvin Durai... http://www.melvindurai.com/bio.html


THE STRANGE PEOPLE ACROSS THE BORDER

The other day, while visiting a furniture store, I met a
worker who looked Indian. But when I told him I was from
India, he revealed he was from Pakistan. At that point, I
had no choice: I grabbed a chair and chased him around the
store, shouting, "Death to the Pakistani!"

Actually, it didn't go quite like that. Security was tight,
so I waited until his shift ended and followed him home,
where I deflated his tires, raided his refrigerator, and
tattooed the words "I love India!" all over his body. Who
said tattoos serve no purpose?

OK, I admit it: I didn't go that far. All I did was shake
his hand and smile. We had a rather friendly chat. I didn't
ask if any of his relatives were terrorists. He didn't ask
if any of mine were infidels. We didn't even insult each
other's mother-in-law.

He stated that the Kashmir dispute shouldn't create any ill
will between us. "Yes," I said. "After all, India and
Pakistan were once the same country. We are like family, you
and I. That reminds me: Does this store offer any family
discounts?"

If it were up to us, the border between India and Pakistan
would be eliminated. Of course, if that happened, the
country would have to look for a new enemy, so people in the
military could keep their jobs. Gotta keep the economy
going.

It's a funny thing about borders -- how they divide people,
how they create enmity and envy, how they give travelers the
occasional thrill of being strip-searched.

Borders often seem so arbitrary, so illogical, like a
British monarch delegated the task of drawing borders to his
pet monkey. And yet we take them so seriously. We act like
the people across the border are so different from us.

Fifty-year-old man: "They're crazy, those people across the
border. They speak a strange language and play strange
games. Crazy, I tell you."

Wife: "Oh, be quiet. You really shouldn't speak ill of the
Canadians. They're just like us. Nice people."

I've often wondered what America would be like if every
state were an independent country. It would be virtually
impossible to travel from Nevada to Utah.

Border officer: "You're from Las Vegas? What, may I
ask, do you want in Utah? There's no gambling here, you
know. No prostitution either. We don't even allow bingo."

Traveler: "I'm visiting my parents. They live just across
the border."

Officer: "Visiting your parents? I don't believe it. It's
not Christmas yet. Sorry, I can't let you through. If you
want to enter Utah, you'll have to hide in a barrel like
everyone else."

I like the Internet because it crosses borders so easily,
brings people of different countries together. People in
almost any country can read my column, people in almost any
country can send me hate mail. I love hearing from
Pakistanis as much as anyone else.

In major American cities, you will find Indians and
Pakistanis doing business side by side, some operating
stores with names like South Asia Boutique, Indo-Pak
Groceries and Indo-Pak Sweets & No Disputes. You
may even spot them at the local park, playing a few
innings of cricket -- laughing and shouting and ignoring
the strange looks from passers-by.

There's no border between these people. I hope there never
is.

[scorpio]

Teacher Debbie Moon's first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different color hair than the other family members. One child suggested that he was adopted and a little girl said, "I know all about adoptions because I was adopted." "What does it mean to be adopted?" asked another child. "It means," said the girl, "that you grew in your mommy's heart instead of her tummy."

Note - I only remembered fellow hubbers Shekhar and Shakthi when I read this!

[NM]

For those days when sermons and services were long, there is a purpose...



Why go to church?

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."



This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: "I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today! "



When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something!

Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment! I think everyone should read this!!

"When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, "Lord, could you get that for me?

[NM]

FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING,

PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:

1. Peace of mind
2. Peace of heart
3. Peace of soul

PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:

1. Squash gossip
2. Squash indifference
3. Squash grumbling
4. Squash selfishness


PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:

1. Lettuce be faithful
2. Lettuce be kind
3. Lettuce be patient
4. Lettuce really love one another

NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:

1. Turnip for meetings
2. Turnip for service
3. Turnip to help one another


TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:

1. Thyme for each other
2. Thyme for family
3. Thyme for friends

WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE. THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.

[tomato]

Beautiful !!! The above two post were truely good, NM :wave:

[Badri]

The Garden one was especially wonderful! Touching and witty at the same time! :clap:

Excellent, Big Akka!!!

Guess we should have a seperate thread for such profound thoughts!

[NM]

Gald you liked the posts, tomato & badri..

Here's another...

MOMENTS IN LIFE

There are moments in life when you miss someone
so much that you just want to pick them from
your dreams and hug them for real!

When the door of happiness closes, another opens;
but often times we look so long at the
closed door that we don't see the one,
which has been opened for us.


Don't go for looks; they can deceive.
Don't go for wealth; even that fades away.
Go for someone who makes you smile,
because it takes only a smile to
make a dark day seem bright.
Find the one that makes your heart smile.


Dream what you want to dream;
go where you want to go;
be what you want to be,
because you have only one life
and one chance to do all the things
you want to do.


May you have enough happiness to make you sweet,
enough trials to make you strong,
enough sorrow to keep you human and
enough hope to make you happy.

The happiest of people don't necessarily
have the best of everything;
they just make the most of
everything that comes along their way.


The brightest future will always
be based on a forgotten past;
you can't go forward in life until
you let go of your past failures and heartaches.

When you were born, you were crying
and everyone around you was smiling.
Live your life so at the end,
you're the one who is smiling and everyone
around you is crying.

[scorpio]

enough trials to make you strong,
enough sorrow to keep you human and
enough hope to make you happy.


Good lines NM! :D

[NM]

Yup...you're rite' Scorpio..

Here's more...

LIFE :

3 things of life once gone never comes back..
- Time, words & opportunity

3 things of life must not be lost ..
- Peace, hope & honesty

3 things of life are most valuable...
- Love, self-confidence & friends

3 things of life are never sure....
- Dreams, success & fortune

3 things of life make a man/woman -
- Hard work, sincerity & success

3 things of life that destry a man/woman
- Greed, anger & pride

Hv a great week!

[gaddeswarup]

Taylor Series - A Matter of Life or Death

Mathematics can even be a matter of life or death. During the Russian revolution, the mathematical physicist Igor Tamm was seized by anti-communist vigilantes at a village near Odessa where he had gone to barter for food. They suspected he was an anti-Ukranian communist agitator and dragged him off to their leader.

Asked what he did for a living, he said that he was a mathematician. The skeptical gang-leader began to finger the bullets and grenades slung around his neck. "All right," he said, "calculate the error when the Taylor series approximation of a function is truncated after n terms. Do this and you will go free; fail and you will be shot." Tamm slowly calculated the answer in the dust with his quivering finger. When he had finished, the bandit cast his eye over the answer and waved him on his way.

Tamm won the 1958 Nobel prize for Physics but never did discover the identity of the unusual bandit leader. But he found a way to concentrate his students' minds on the practical importance of Mathematics!

The Observer (U.K.)
16 May 1993

[scorpio]

There was once a stone cutter who was dissatisfied with himself and with his position in life.

One day he passed a wealthy merchant's house. Through the open gateway, he saw many fine possessions and important visitors. "How powerful that merchant must be!" thought the stone cutter. He became very envious and wished that he could be like the merchant.

To his great surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than he had ever imagined, but envied and detested by those less wealthy than himself. Soon a high official passed by, carried in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants and escorted by soldiers beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before the procession. "How powerful that official is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a high official!"

Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around. It was a hot summer day, so the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence. "How powerful the sun is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the sun!"

Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on everything below. "How powerful that storm cloud is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a cloud!"

Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields and villages, shouted at by everyone. But soon he found that he was being pushed away by some great force, and realized that it was the wind. "How powerful it is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the wind!"

Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, feared and hated by all below him. But after a while, he ran up against something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew against it - a huge, towering rock. "How powerful that rock is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a rock!"

Then he became the rock, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into the hard surface, and felt himself being changed. "What could be more powerful than I, the rock?" he thought.

He looked down and saw far below him the figure of a stone cutter.

[NM]

Very nice, scorpio....... :thumbsup:

[NOV]

Meet someone, who is dying to become your friend.....

Hello! My name is Gossip.
I have no respect for justice.
I maim without killing.
I break hearts and ruin lives.
I am cunning, malicious and gather strength with age.
The more I am quoted, the more I am believed.
I flourish at every level of society.

My victims are helpless. They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and no face.
To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become. I am nobody's friend.
Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same.
I topple governments and wreck marriages.
I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartaches and indigestion.
I spawn suspicion and generate grief.
I make innocent people cry in their pillows.
Even my name hisses. I am called GOSSIP.
Office gossip- Shop gossip- Party gossip- Telephone gossip.
I make headlines and headaches.

========================

REMEMBER, you repeat a story, ask yourself: is it true? Is it fair? Is it necessary??
If not, do not repeat it. KEEP QUIET.

GREAT minds discuss ideas..
Average minds discuss events..
Shallow minds discuss people..

[a.ratchasi]

That's nice, NOV.
Good to see you in action again. :)

[NOV]

That's nice, NOV.
Good to see you in action again. :)Thanks AR.
errrrr. but I am not sure you will still welcome me back after seeing the jokes thread. :lol: :roll:

[NM]

Nov.....welcome back!!! Was really wondering where you were :roll: :roll: missed your female-bashing jokes :twisted: :twisted:

[NOV]

Thanks NM. Check out the jokes page. :P

[scorpio]

When I was a young man, I wanted to change the world.
I found it was difficult to change the world, so I tried to change my nation.
When I found I couldn't change the nation, I began to focus on my town.
I couldn't change the town and as an older man, I tried to change my family.
Now, as an old man, I realize the only thing I can change is myself, and suddenly I realize that if long ago I had changed myself, I could have made an impact on my family.
My family and I could have made an impact on our town.
Their impact could have changed the nation and I could indeed have changed the world.

[NM]

THIS IS WHAT LOVE IS ALL ABOUT
It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 am, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.

I took his vital signs and had him take a seat,knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, we began to engage in conversation I asked him if he had a doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat
breakfast with his wife.

I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer Disease. As we talked, and I finished dressing his wound, I asked if she would be worried if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him. "And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?"
He smiled as he patted my hand and said. "She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."

I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life." True love is neither physical, nor romantic.

True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.

[NOV]

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.

Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled ings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing
fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

[tomato]

Nice post NOV. Reminds me of a qoute:

Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy. ~Robert A. Heinlein.

[scorpio]

A Friend -

(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "HI"
(D)oesn't give up on you
(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over
(J)ust "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life
(N)ever Judges
(O)ffer support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits
(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you
(W)alks beside you
(X)-plains thing you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality

[Querida]

wow what an ideal friend! I agree with all the parts except for
(n)ever judges ...after all friends are human as well but for you're sake they come to realize quickly if they are being to rash...

Tomato your avatars are really psychedelic!

[a.ratchasi]

Hold my hand . . .

A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge. The father was
kind of scared so he asked his little daughter, "Sweetheart, please
hold my hand so that you don't fall into the river." The little girl
said, "No, Dad. You hold my hand." "What's the difference?" Asked the puzzled father.

"There's a big difference," replied the little girl. "If I hold your
hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let your hand go. But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go." In any relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond. So hold the hand of the person whom you love rather than expecting them to hold yours .

[tomato]

Tomato your avatars are really psychedelic!

Querida,
My vocabulary is not that good. What on earth does 'psychedelic' mean? :?: Should I change my avatar? :?

[scorpio]

a.r,

nice one :D I regret how many times I 've asked my daughter to hold on to my hands while crossing the road or walking :oops:

[Roshan]

In any relationship, the essence of trust is not in its bind, but in its bond. So hold the hand of the person whom you love rather than expecting them to hold yours .

Nice one a.r. !! Thanks :)

[Badri]

Tomato your avatars are really psychedelic!

Querida,
My vocabulary is not that good. What on earth does 'psychedelic' mean? :?: Should I change my avatar? :?

No no...don't change it! Q was just commenting on the vivid colors and designs your Avatars have. Psychedelic actually means something that can produce an illusion or an altered sense of perception or awareness. Like how your kaleidoscopic avatar does.

It is actually quite nice, as long as we don't keep staring into it, I guess! :lol:

What say, Q?

[Roshan]

[tscii:32663f0c33]

FAILURE

Failure does not mean,
You are a failure
It does mean
You haven’t succeeded yet

Failure does not mean,
You have accomplished nothing
It does mean,
You have learned something

Failure does not mean,
You have been a fool
It does mean,
You have a lot of faith

Failure does not mean,
You have been disgraced
It does mean,
You were willing to try

Failure does not mean,
You don’t have it
It does mean,
You have to do something
In a different way

Failure does not mean,
You are inferior
It does mean,
You are not perfect

Failure does not mean,
You have wasted your time
It does mean,
You have a reason to start afresh

Failure does not mean,
You should give up
It does mean,
You must try harder

Failure does not mean,
You’ll never make it
It does mean,
It will take a little longer

Failure does not mean,
God has abandoned you
It does mean,
God has a better idea!





[/tscii:32663f0c33]

[tomato]

Tomato your avatars are really psychedelic!

Querida,
My vocabulary is not that good. What on earth does 'psychedelic' mean? :?: Should I change my avatar? :?

No no...don't change it! Q was just commenting on the vivid colors and designs your Avatars have. Psychedelic actually means something that can produce an illusion or an altered sense of perception or awareness. Like how your kaleidoscopic avatar does.

It is actually quite nice, as long as we don't keep staring into it, I guess! :lol:

What say, Q?

Ok. Thanx Badri.

[NM]

A.Ratchasi...very nice indeed! :thumbsup:

[a.ratchasi]

Thanks scorpio, Roshan & NM!
I better drop a mail now to thank the sender too! :)

[NM]

A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."
"Is the man of the house home?", they asked.
"No", she replied. "He's out."
"Then we cannot come in", they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened.

"Go tell them I am home and invite them in!"

The woman went out and invited the men in"
"We do not go into a House together," they replied.
"Why is that?" she asked.
One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."
The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!!", he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"

His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"

Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"

"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife.

"Go out and invite Love to be our guest."

The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."

Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him.

Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!"

MY WISH FOR YOU...
-Where there is pain, I wish you peace and mercy.
-Where there is self-doubting, I wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work through it.
-Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I wish you understanding, patience, and renewed strength.
-Where there is fear, I wish you love, and courage.

[Querida]

oh no don't change it Tomato...i love how it looks..exactly what Badri said... :D

[tomato]

Ok Q. Thank You.

[Shekhar]

[tscii:dae2719184]

FAILURE


Failure does not mean,
You’ll never make it
It does mean,
It will take a little longer
[/tscii:dae2719184]

Good !! I have tried to get Madhuri Dixit, Aishwarya Rai, Rani Mukharjee, Bipasha basu... but failed so far. Thought I would never get them!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

[Roshan]

Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Shekhar !! :x :x

[Shekhar]

Hi Roshan, .. You can chew me later!! :)

My humour is rarely without a significance.
The point I am trying to make is that,
Failure is an intrinsic part of life which we should gracefully accept.
My capabilities are not the only cause for my sucess, there are other innumerous factors affecting it. The wisdom lies in recognising the failure quickly, accept it gracefully and move on..
Even if success would come on persevarence there is cost involved in terms of time. If I achieve some thing in two years what I should have in two months, then I should ask myself whether the spending of two years on that aspect of my life was worth it. May be it is better to recognise my limitations and shift on to something that I can achieve more dexterously thereby optimising my life. (since I have only one life to live).
To be aware of one's own limitations, to be capable of realistic evaluation of one's efforts, is perhaps the greatest strength one needs to have a successful life.

So..

If can't make a girl fall in love with me in quick time, why pursue and waste time? Better to go looking for someone else!! :lol: :lol:

[Roshan]

My humour is rarely without a significance.
The point I am trying to make is that,
Failure is an intrinsic part of life which we should gracefully accept.
My capabilities are not the only cause for my sucess, there are other innumerous factors affecting it. The wisdom lies in recognising the failure quickly, accept it gracefully and move on..
Even if success would come on persevarence there is cost involved in terms of time. If I achieve some thing in two years what I should have in two months, then I should ask myself whether the spending of two years on that aspect of my life was worth it. May be it is better to recognise my limitations and shift on to something that I can achieve more dexterously thereby optimising my life. (since I have only one life to live).
To be aware of one's own limitations, to be capable of realistic evaluation of one's efforts, is perhaps the greatest strength one needs to have a successful life.

That was something thought provoking !





So..

If can't make a girl fall in love with me in quick time, why pursue and waste time? Better to go looking for someone else!! :lol: :lol:

mmm.. this is definitely something signifcant as long as you replace the word 'me' 8)

[Shekhar]

OK your highness, I will amend it like this.. :wink:

If a man can't make a girl fall in love with him in quick time, why pursue and waste time? Better to go looking for someone else!!

right?! :D

[Akash]

One day, Plato asked his teacher, "What is love? How can I find it? "
His teacher answered, " There is a vast wheat field in front. Walk
forward without turning back, and pick only one stalk. If you find the
most magnificent stalk, then

you have found love." Plato walked forward, and before long, he returned with empty hands, having picked nothing.

His teacher asked, " Why did you not pick any stalk?" Plato answered, "Because I could only pick once, and yet I could not turn back. I did find the most magnificent stalk, but did not know if there were any better ones ahead, so I did not pick it. As I walked further, the stalks that I saw were not as good as the earlier one, so I did not pick any in the end." His teacher then said, "And that is love. "

On another day, Plato asked his teacher, "What is marriage? How can I Find it? "His teacher answered, "There is a thriving forest in front. Walk forward without turning back, and chop down only one tree. If you find the tallest tree, then you have found marriage". Plato walked forward, and before long, He returned with a tree . The tree was not bad, and it was not tall either.

It was only an ordinary tree, not the best but just a good tree. His
teacher asked, " Why did you chop down such an ordinary tree? "
Plato answered, " Because of my previous experience. I had walked
through the field, but returned with empty hands .
This time, I saw this tree, and I felt that it was the first good tree
that I saw, so I chopped it down and brought it back. I did not want to miss the opportunity ."

His teacher then said, "And that is marriage. You see son Love is the Most beautiful thing to happen to a person, its an opportunity but you don't Realize! its worth when you have it but only when its gone like the field of stalks . Marriage like the tree you chopped, it's a compromise; you pick the first best thing you see and learn to live a happy life with it ."

[NOV]

Marriage like the tree you chopped, it's a compromise; you pick the first best thing you see and learn to live a happy life with it ."oh sure.
what is left unsaid is that he would have seen better-looking, errr sorry, taller trees and would have heaved huge sighs, comparing them with what he had in his hand.

sigh.... life.... :twisted:

Good story Akash!

[a.ratchasi]

Akash wrote:
Marriage like the tree you chopped, it's a compromise; you pick the first best thing you see and learn to live a happy life with it ."
oh sure.
what is left unsaid is that he would have seen better-looking, errr sorry, taller trees and would have heaved huge sighs, comparing them with what he had in his hand.

sigh.... life....

Unfortunately, more women than men chop the wrong tree. We dont deliberately want short, bald errrr leaveless ones ourselves. Being forever optimist, at least we try to prune the choosen ones rather than lead a wishful life. In other words, we choose the ones we think can be pruned.

:poke:

[NOV]

AR, do you know why men-women problems will be perennial?

A woman is unhappy that her husband does not change after marriage

while

A man is unhappy that the woman he has married has changed after marriage

......