TAGGING

This post is for tagging some fantastic blogs written by wonderful people.

The idea was suggested by AMBER DAWN who is a dashing, dynamic person full of energy and vitality.Her enthusiasm is contagious.She is extremely talented and she creates marvellous things. Each of her creations is a work of art and a masterpiece.Incidentally, she is taller than me and therefore I have to look up to her.

The following are three unimportant things about me:
1) I love the outdoor work and get fed up and sick if I have to sit in the house for a few days.
2)I have trained several young men just out of college to sell weighing machines. Some of them have become big shots.
3) I always wanted to write a book on salesmanship but so far it did not materialise.

I am tagging the following three useful and informative blogs:

FRED writes things that are thought provoking and useful for nourishing the soul and strenthening it. All of us know the quote which says: WHAT DOES IT PROFIT A MAN IF HE GAINS THE WHOLE WORLD BUT SUFFER THE LOSS OF HIS OWN SOUL.

CIELO is an expert in roses and she has a garden which is a paradise on earth. You can visit it when you are happy, when you are sad, when you are disillusioned, when you are disappointed, when you are succesful and when you have failed. You will be inspired and uplifted.

LEO writes about things which most of us overlook in our daily rush life.
Therefore, there is all the more reason why we should pause and take a look at his blog. He lives in a peaceful, calm place where life flows smoothly without the traffic snarls. pollution and concrete monstrosities.

Please click on the NAMES to visit the amazing blogs.

WISH YOU ALL PEACE, JOY AND HAPPINESS!!!

WANT TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP STOP GLOBAL WARMING?

Here are some simple things all of us can do to help stop GLOBAL WARMING:

1) CHANGE A LIGHT: Replace one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

2) DRIVE LESS: Walk, bike, car pool or take metro transit more often. You will save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile you don't drive.

3) RECYCLE MORE: You can save 2400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of your household waste.

4) CHECK YOUR TIRE: Keeping your tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.

5) USE LESS HOT WATER: It takes lot of energy to heat water. Use less hot water by installing a low-flow shower head ( 350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year ) washing your clothes in cold or warm water ( 500 pounds saved per year ).

6) AVOID PRODUCTS WITH LOT OF PACKAGING: You can save 1,200 pounds of carbon dioxide if you can cut down your garbage by10%.

7) ADJUST YOUR THERMOSTAT: Moving your thermostat down just 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer could save about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

8) PLANT A TREE: A single tree will absorb one ton of carbon dioxide over its life time.

9) TURN OFF ELECTRONIC DEVICES: Simply turning off your television, DVD player, stereo and computer when you are not using them will save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide per year.

10) BE PART OF THE SOLUTION: Learn more about global warming and tell others.

BEST WISHES!

MEET MRS.MARGARET, SNACK PARLOR OWNER

This is MARGARET. Her husband's name is Xavier. They have two married sons. The younger son and his wife are staying with Margaret. The eldest son is working in the Gulf and his wife is with him.

Margaret has a wayside snack parlor and her husband is running a welding shop behind the parlor. He helps her to run the business.. She opens the parlor at 9AM. and closes it at 8PM. She makes very good chapatti and chicken curry. The chappattis( made of wheat dough ) are extraordinarily soft.

When customers come in groups she is not able to keep proper account. As a result some go away without paying.

A young boy comes to the parlor with his friends. He is from a poor family. While his friends have a good feast, he sits there drinking a soda and watching them. Some times she calls him when he is alone and gives him chappattis and chicken curry free.

She makes it a point to know her customers well and gives a good word to every one. She is very cheerful. She has a high level of energy and enthusiasm for her work.

She is religious. She says the ROSARY two times a day -- once in the parlor during the day and once at 10.30 in the night when she is very tired and just before going to sleep.

She has no ambition to become a prime minister or president. She doesn't want to become a superstar. She doesn't want to become very rich and famous. All that she wants is to lead a quiet, peaceful life without hurting anybody and earn some money doing something useful to people.

SHE IS AN ORDINARY PERSON LIKE THE MOST OF US.

THREE CHEERS TO MARGARET!!!

TV ANCHOR

This TV anchor is making a report on the NATIONAL EXHIBITION OF ENERGY SAVING AND RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTS being held at KOCHI.

WORDS OF WISDOM

Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are .

(Mary Jean Irion -------Writer and Educator)
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Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant with the weak and wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these.

(Bob Goddard----
British Author)
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Turn yourself inside out, so you can see yourself with fresh eyes.

( Jean Paul Sartre---
French writer and Philosopher)
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What would it be like if you lived each day, each breath, as a work of art in progress? Imagine you are a Masterpiece unfolding, every second of every day a work of art taking form with every breath.

(Thomas Crum-----
Martial Arts Expert and “Peak Performance” coach)

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Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness. (James Thurber ----- Humorist and Illustrator)
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BUY SPICES IN KOCHI ----- QUEEN OF THE ARABIAN SEA

ST. ANTONY'S CHURCH, THRIKKAKARA------OUR CHURCH

Today is Sunday in India. I have just come back from morning Sunday Mass. Time is 11.31AM.

POVERTY AMIDST PLENTY!

I have been hearing these words since my young age. I am hearing them now also. The words are,"The rich is getting richer and richer and the poor is getting poorer and poorer." Also this:"You need money to make more money." Dont be shocked to see these photos.

HOW TO SURVIVE IN BAD TIMES ---- THESE ADIVASIS SHOW A WAY!

These are poor, dirty, Adivasi men. They were earning their lively hood by selling forest produce such as honey, parrots, monkeys, medicinal plants etc. Since they find that profession difficult to continue, they have come down to towns to eke out a living. These are illiterate men but they have found out an ingenious way to earn some money in the jungle called city.

They have a stick to which a magnet is attached to one end. They walk and hold the magnet a little above the ground. All iron pieces such as rusty nails etc. lying on the road stick to the magnet. They collect these iron pieces in a tin which they carry. They collect 7 to 8 kilos of iron pieces every day which will fetch them about Rs.100( $2) a day.

The only difficulty with this mode of work is that they have to walk 8 to 10 kilometres every day. The elderly man was telling me that his young friend was not happy to walk such long distances every day. I gave Rs.10 to the young man for them to have some tea and told him God has given him two good legs to walk and walking is good for health. The elderly man looked very happy at my motivational talk.

MAY GOD GIVE THEM HEALTH AND HAPPINESS!

MAY YOU HAVE A LONG, HAPPY AND HEALTHY LIFE!

SPARE A MINUTE, PLEASE!

Success in life is founded upon ATTENTION to the small things rather than to the large things; to the everyday things nearest to us rather than to the things that are remote and uncommon.
( Booker T. Washington )

It is a funny thing about life; if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it.
( W.Somerset Maugham )

When you are inspired by some great purpose, all your thoughts break their bonds, your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.
( Patanjali—Indian Philosopher )

A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely re-arranging their prejudices.
(William James—Psychologist and Author)


The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.
(H.Norman Schwarzkopf—US General)

Fears are educated into us and can, if we wish, be educated out.
(Karl A. Menninger M.D.-----The Human Mind)


Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.
(John F. Kennedy----US President)

It is the easiest thing in the world for a man to deceive himself.
(Benjamin Franklin)

JUST THINK ABOUT THIS!

WORDS HAVE A LIFE OF THEIR OWN.

THEREFORE, THINK BEFORE YOU TALK.

BARACK OBAMA

BARACK OBAMA, an African-American, has become the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party. Will the American people vote for him to become the next President of the United States?

DAY LIGHT ROBBERY -------- THIRD STORY

We have now come to the third story and in this story I was robbed. This is what happened.

One afternoon I had a heavy lunch of rice, sambar, moru, rasam, vegetables, pappadam and payasam. Then I got into a public bus at Menaka bus stop to go to my bank at Pallimukku. It was an unusually hot day. The bus was over crowded. I hung on to the overhead bar and looked around. One kind man gave me a sign to come and sit next to him. He was sitting in the last row of seats where normally 6 people can sit. Only five people were there. This man pushed the man sitting next to him and made space for me. I gratefully looked at him for his magnanimous act and squeezed myself in that place. All of us know that it is better to sit uncomfortably than stand in an over crowded bus. You will suffocate. People will push you and make a chutney( paste ) out of you.
So I sat down and heaved a sigh of relief. I smiled at the man and thanked him for being so kind. He smiled back and nodded his head in acknowledgement. It is very difficult in these days to find such good and decent people. I relaxed . As I already told you, I had a heavy lunch and all my blood was going to the stomach to digest the food. I felt drowsy and my eyes closed in spite of my best efforts to keep them open. Soon I was sleeping. I woke up with a start when the driver applied sudden brakes at the next stop. I half opened my eyes and found the space next to me was vacant and the kind man was about to get down from the bus. He looked me and I looked at him. He had a strange startled look on his face. I didn't bother. He jumped out of the bus. I closed my eyes again and the bus started moving.

It was my usual habit to touch my shirt pocket at regular intervals to check if my mobile is there. This mobile of mine is a very precious thing because all my business came through it. So I have to make sure that it was safely in my pocket. To my utter shock and surprise, I found my mobile missing. I panicked and desperately looked a the people nearby hoping upon hope that one of them will give me a clue to my missing mobile. They did not bother even to look at me. Suddenly I realised that my mobile has been robed by the man who was so kind to me. I screamed to the driver," Stop the bus! Stop the bus ! My mobile is robbed. The robber got down at the previous stop!" The people looked at me as though I was a nuisance. They were not interested in my mobile. They were only concerned about reaching their destinations fast. The bus driver did not bother to stop. Again I shouted at the top of my voice, "Please stop the bus! Please stop the bus!" Nothing happened. Passengers glared at me with annoyance. Some even told me to shut up. Finally, the bus came to a halt only at the next stop.
I quickly scrambled out and ran to the previous stop which was quite far away. I was hoping upon hope that the thief will be hanging around there waiting to be caught. When I reached the stop, huffing and puffing, there was no thief waiting there. Needless to say it was foolish on my part even to think that he will be hanging around there.

I lost my invaluable mobile. All my numbers were stored there. How will I contact my customers? How will they contact me to give business? I will lose a big chunk of business. The thief could have at least given me the sim card. He will get a measly amount from the second hand dealer. I would have willingly given that amount to him. I was completely shaken up and stood there for a long time cursing my fate and mumbling abuses at the goddam thief.

I learnt my lessons the hard way. From then on I decided not to eat too much in the afternoon, not to accept any kindness from strangers, not to fall asleep in a crowded bus and to attach a string to my new mobile (when I buy it) and put the string round my neck. Now let me see if any thief (even a very experienced one) can rob it.
After reading this, I am sure the residents of the blogosphere will not lose their mobile phones any more.

MY BEST WISHES FOR ALL HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS!

SMILE ------ SMILE ------SMILE!

Please click on the photo to get a larger view.

LOVE BLOOMING IN KOCHI

A few days back I went for a walk in the Durbar Hall ground. The evening was very pleasant and a cool breeze was gently blowing. I saw many children running, playing, screaming and laughing. The parents were sitting at a distance and gossiping. Retired Justice Krishna Iyer was walking slowly with his coterie of old friends discussing court cases. Some Nepali boys who have come to Kochi looking for work were sitting on the grass watching the sun set. Some men and women were walking briskly swinging their arms wildly perhaps on the advice of their doctors.

What struck me most were the young couples sitting at the side of the walkway. This is what I saw them doing.
First couple: The girl was crying quietly and wiping her eyes with handkerchief. Her eyes were red. The young man looked very upset. He was holing her hand and rubbing it tenderly and soothingly. I felt very sad. I walked three rounds and every time I walked past them the scene was the same. I wonder what was her problem.

Second couple: The man had a note book and a pencil in his hand. I think he was writing poetry about the girl. He was reading it out to her The girl was admiring his poetry. She was looking longingly at him and blushing. It was a rare sight. I hardly see ladies blushing these days.

Third couple: The man was cracking one joke after another. I wonder from where he got so many jokes. They were laughing loudly and continuously. The girl was tapping one leg ( she had some sort of plastic slippers) so hard on the ground that you could hear the sound 100 meters away.

Fourth couple: They were just sitting like statues and gazing longingly into each others eyes, completely oblivious of people walking by and staring at them. I wondered if an earthquake was capable of disturbing them. They were in a hypnotic trance.

Fifth couple: They were sitting and leaning against against each other with their full body weight. To me it looked as though they were thinking that one of them will fall down without the other's solid support. Or may be they were passing electricity into each other. Anyway they looked very happy and immensely contented.

I had a good feast for my eyes. As I walked to the bus stop, I thought of my school days in Chennai. The girls and boys would cut classes and spend the whole day in the Museum until one day the Museum director complained to the Principal. That did not deter them one bit. They found out other places like the beach and cinema houses. That was about 40 years back. The couples at the Durbar Hall ground appeared to be very backward. I hope that some expert in the field of Romance will tell me the latest developments in confidence so that I can pass on this invaluable information to the couples when I go for a walk in the ground next time.

MY BEST WISHES TO ALL THE ROMANTIC COUPLES IN THE UNIVERSE.