Long ago in a small, far away village, there was place known as the House of 1000 Mirrors. A small, happy little dog learned of this place and decided to visit. When he arrived, he bounced happily up the stairs to the doorway of the house. He looked through the doorway with his ears lifted high and his tail wagging as fast as it could. To his great surprise, he found himself staring at 1000 other happy little dogs with their tails wagging just as fast as his. He smiled a great smile, and was answered with 1000 great smiles just as warm and friendly. As he left the House, he thought to himself, "This is a wonderful place. I will come back and visit it often."
In this same village, another little dog, who was not quite as happy as the first one, decided to visit the house. He slowly climbed the stairs and hung his head low as he looked into the door. When he saw the 1000 unfriendly looking dogs staring back at him, he growled at them and was horrified to see 1000 little dogs growling back at him. As he left, he thought to himself, "That is a horrible place, and I will never go back there again."
All the faces in the world are mirrors. What kind of reflections do you see in the faces of the people you meet?
Monday, February 4, 2008
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Iron Maiden Rocks Mumbai and me tooo
Awesome!! ... thats the only word that can describe, today's event. Yet after completing the last sentence i feel as if, I am missing something. In short, I think there are no words for the way in which it made my day (night actually!!). Yes folks, the event I am talking about is nothing but a concert by the Gods, the guys who have been around to rock everyone, from ur daddy to the young folks of the present generation , none other than "Iron Maiden".
My first concert in the year 2008, and it was of Iron Maiden; Whoa!! what a way to start the year. The music was classic, as classic as it can be, Classic Rock at its very best. The melody, was perfect to set u in a state of trance. The beats were so awesome, that it should definitely make ur feet tap. The Bass lines were so enchanting, that it would draw out the soul in you, and give it a reason to live. Listening Iron Maiden perform live, is way way better than any thing good in life. I think thats what they mean by saying, Music is the best drug, to make you high.
Descriptions apart, I liked Rainmaker the best in the entire song selection, followed by the ever classic Fear of the Dark. Other numbers such as Number of the Beast, Hallowed by Thy name, Powerslave, some songs from the album Seventh Son of the Seventh Son(I dont have this album, sigh!!),Run to the Hills, Iron Maiden, were all superb too, but the first two were the best of the best. And yeah, they also had a live Eddie, walking along the stage, and it looked superb too. Bruce was jumping here and there, climbing on stuff as always, and asking the public to scream for him, like every concert. Adrian, Dave and Steve did a great job with their guitars, and Nicko who was covered by the drum set did a terrific job, especially the way he clashed the cymbals, it was freaking scary sometimes.
Cant wait for the Concert DVD to be released man, and I wish they would release it too.A big Shoutout to DNA networks to bring Iron Maiden for the second time in India, and I hope they bring big bands like them, more often to India. Some them are Korn, System of a Down, Disturbed, Pantera, Sum 41, Green Day. I hope my requests get fulfilled someday.
My first concert in the year 2008, and it was of Iron Maiden; Whoa!! what a way to start the year. The music was classic, as classic as it can be, Classic Rock at its very best. The melody, was perfect to set u in a state of trance. The beats were so awesome, that it should definitely make ur feet tap. The Bass lines were so enchanting, that it would draw out the soul in you, and give it a reason to live. Listening Iron Maiden perform live, is way way better than any thing good in life. I think thats what they mean by saying, Music is the best drug, to make you high.
Descriptions apart, I liked Rainmaker the best in the entire song selection, followed by the ever classic Fear of the Dark. Other numbers such as Number of the Beast, Hallowed by Thy name, Powerslave, some songs from the album Seventh Son of the Seventh Son(I dont have this album, sigh!!),Run to the Hills, Iron Maiden, were all superb too, but the first two were the best of the best. And yeah, they also had a live Eddie, walking along the stage, and it looked superb too. Bruce was jumping here and there, climbing on stuff as always, and asking the public to scream for him, like every concert. Adrian, Dave and Steve did a great job with their guitars, and Nicko who was covered by the drum set did a terrific job, especially the way he clashed the cymbals, it was freaking scary sometimes.
Cant wait for the Concert DVD to be released man, and I wish they would release it too.A big Shoutout to DNA networks to bring Iron Maiden for the second time in India, and I hope they bring big bands like them, more often to India. Some them are Korn, System of a Down, Disturbed, Pantera, Sum 41, Green Day. I hope my requests get fulfilled someday.
Friday, February 1, 2008
The Best is Yet to Come
She was dying. Her life was measured not in years...or months...but in weeks and days. She called the minister to her home to make her final preparations.
As they talked of her funeral, she listed the scriptures she wanted read and the hymns she wanted sung.
The the lady said to the minister, ''When I'm placed in my casket I want you to put a fork in my hand.'' Noticing the puzzled look on the minister's face, she asked if anything was wrong. ''Oh, no,'' he replied, ''but it's the first time anyone has made such an unusual request.''
So the lady began to explain. ''All my life I have attended church dinners and fellowships. Whenever we finished the meal, someone would come to collect the dishes and say, 'Keep your fork.'
I knew what this meant. The best was yet to come. There would be apple pie or chocolate cake or some other delicacy. And I know for me, the best is yet to come. My death is not a time of sadness but of celebration. So I want to have a fork put in my hand. You can tell the people why in your message.
The lady died. The minister meticulously followed her instructions. Everyone who passed the casket saw the fork in her hand, and everyone wondered, ''Why''
The scripture was read, the hymns were sung, the message was given and the story was told. Then everyone knew the reason for the fork and understood the amazing picture it portrayed.
I think I might like to be buried with a fork in my hand. The best is yet to come. Eternity...the Savior...Heaven. And the best is yet to come even now...God's deepening grace...His powerful Presence...the smile of His approval.
Always keep a fork in your hand...not literally, but spiritually and mentally...and look for the best...now...and yet to come!
As they talked of her funeral, she listed the scriptures she wanted read and the hymns she wanted sung.
The the lady said to the minister, ''When I'm placed in my casket I want you to put a fork in my hand.'' Noticing the puzzled look on the minister's face, she asked if anything was wrong. ''Oh, no,'' he replied, ''but it's the first time anyone has made such an unusual request.''
So the lady began to explain. ''All my life I have attended church dinners and fellowships. Whenever we finished the meal, someone would come to collect the dishes and say, 'Keep your fork.'
I knew what this meant. The best was yet to come. There would be apple pie or chocolate cake or some other delicacy. And I know for me, the best is yet to come. My death is not a time of sadness but of celebration. So I want to have a fork put in my hand. You can tell the people why in your message.
The lady died. The minister meticulously followed her instructions. Everyone who passed the casket saw the fork in her hand, and everyone wondered, ''Why''
The scripture was read, the hymns were sung, the message was given and the story was told. Then everyone knew the reason for the fork and understood the amazing picture it portrayed.
I think I might like to be buried with a fork in my hand. The best is yet to come. Eternity...the Savior...Heaven. And the best is yet to come even now...God's deepening grace...His powerful Presence...the smile of His approval.
Always keep a fork in your hand...not literally, but spiritually and mentally...and look for the best...now...and yet to come!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Avoid, Shun, Thwart, Prevent, and then Filter Spam
by: Nick Smith
Email is rapidly becoming the standard means of communication among businesses, associates, and even friends. While many people have now been using the internet and email for years, there are thousands of new users on the internet each day. With inexpensive web hosting, free email services, and the blog burst upon us, getting your own slice of the internet pie has never been easier.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional looking for a refresher course, or you’re new to the internet and email and want to start off right, here are some easy steps to follow to reduce the amount of spam you receive.
Don’t choose an obvious email address. Spammers will generate lists of email addresses based on common names. A common list would be something like: nick@yahoo.com, nick1@yahoo.com, nick2@yahoo.com, etc. If you create an email account with less obvious combinations of your name plus some numbers, chances are better that you won’t find your way onto one of these lists.
Treat your personal email address with care. Only give out your personal email address to close friends and family who you trust. Give your direct business email only to clients and other contacts you trust to only use your address for legitimate business purposes.
Use different accounts for different functions. Create different aliases with your business’s domain name or create a few free accounts from free email servers like Hotmail, Yahoo!, Excite, etc. Use one account that you don’t care about for posting to forums or discussion groups. Use another to subscribe to newsletters and newsgroups. When any of these addresses starts to get spammed too heavily, simply delete the account and switch to a different one.
Remove your email address from your website. Between blogs and cheap web space, it seems everyone has their own piece of cyberspace. Before you put a link to your email address on your site, remember that spammers have bots that harvest these addresses. They will even find addresses printed in plain text. Consider using a web-based form for communication from you website, or place your address as a gif or jpeg.
Do not open, respond to, or purchase from spam. Interacting with spam in any of these ways indicates to the spammer that not only is your address valid, it’s also active. Do not respond with “unsubscribe” in the subject line, or click on any links to remove your name out of the database, as both of these are common ploys to confirm your email address. Remember, because sending email is so inexpensive, spamming can be profitable even if only a small percentage of people purchase what they’re selling. Don’t support what you’re trying to stop.
Finally, Filter you incoming email using filtering software. Even if you guard your email address religiously, you’ll likely still receive spam. Filtering software is usually inexpensive and effective, but there are some important features to consider with any filtering package:
• Make sure you can control what comes to your inbox and what gets deleted. The best programs create a spam folder for you to review before permanently deleting emails.
• The software should block images from incoming emails. Many jpegs in spam actually hide code that notifies the spammer when the email is viewed. Blocking images will not only keep offensive content off your screen but will also help prevent more spam in the future.
• Choose software that provides you with updates - as new spamming techniques are created and proliferated, filtering software should keep up.
While eliminating spam from coming to your email address is nigh unto impossible, following these simple steps will mean you’ll have to spend less time deleting spam from your inbox, giving you more time for the important things of life – like reading this article.
Email is rapidly becoming the standard means of communication among businesses, associates, and even friends. While many people have now been using the internet and email for years, there are thousands of new users on the internet each day. With inexpensive web hosting, free email services, and the blog burst upon us, getting your own slice of the internet pie has never been easier.
Whether you’re a seasoned professional looking for a refresher course, or you’re new to the internet and email and want to start off right, here are some easy steps to follow to reduce the amount of spam you receive.
Don’t choose an obvious email address. Spammers will generate lists of email addresses based on common names. A common list would be something like: nick@yahoo.com, nick1@yahoo.com, nick2@yahoo.com, etc. If you create an email account with less obvious combinations of your name plus some numbers, chances are better that you won’t find your way onto one of these lists.
Treat your personal email address with care. Only give out your personal email address to close friends and family who you trust. Give your direct business email only to clients and other contacts you trust to only use your address for legitimate business purposes.
Use different accounts for different functions. Create different aliases with your business’s domain name or create a few free accounts from free email servers like Hotmail, Yahoo!, Excite, etc. Use one account that you don’t care about for posting to forums or discussion groups. Use another to subscribe to newsletters and newsgroups. When any of these addresses starts to get spammed too heavily, simply delete the account and switch to a different one.
Remove your email address from your website. Between blogs and cheap web space, it seems everyone has their own piece of cyberspace. Before you put a link to your email address on your site, remember that spammers have bots that harvest these addresses. They will even find addresses printed in plain text. Consider using a web-based form for communication from you website, or place your address as a gif or jpeg.
Do not open, respond to, or purchase from spam. Interacting with spam in any of these ways indicates to the spammer that not only is your address valid, it’s also active. Do not respond with “unsubscribe” in the subject line, or click on any links to remove your name out of the database, as both of these are common ploys to confirm your email address. Remember, because sending email is so inexpensive, spamming can be profitable even if only a small percentage of people purchase what they’re selling. Don’t support what you’re trying to stop.
Finally, Filter you incoming email using filtering software. Even if you guard your email address religiously, you’ll likely still receive spam. Filtering software is usually inexpensive and effective, but there are some important features to consider with any filtering package:
• Make sure you can control what comes to your inbox and what gets deleted. The best programs create a spam folder for you to review before permanently deleting emails.
• The software should block images from incoming emails. Many jpegs in spam actually hide code that notifies the spammer when the email is viewed. Blocking images will not only keep offensive content off your screen but will also help prevent more spam in the future.
• Choose software that provides you with updates - as new spamming techniques are created and proliferated, filtering software should keep up.
While eliminating spam from coming to your email address is nigh unto impossible, following these simple steps will mean you’ll have to spend less time deleting spam from your inbox, giving you more time for the important things of life – like reading this article.
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Kerala, God's Own Country
After what could be told as the wrath of examinations, I took a much needed vacation. The very next day I left to what is called as "GOD'S OWN COUNTRY", Kerala. It seems my Grandmom had some kind of "iccha" to see some of the temples, in which she used to play when she was in her childhood.
First of all, I completely agree with the guys who named Kerala as "GOD'S OWN COUNTRY". I mean, as soon as you reach kerala, you feel as if u have entered a Divine Area. In my Trip, first I took a flight from Mumbai to Coimbatore, and from Coimbatore, I reached Pollachi. In pollachi, we had a brief stay at my Grandmother's Mother's Younger Sister. It was a classic old-age kerala house, it used to have a roof made of dried coconut leaves but now they changed to bricks. Seeing the house itself, was a pleasure to my eyes. Later that Evening, we visited my grandmother's village known as Ellapulli, which is in the Pallakad District of Kerala. We visited the village temple, and also my grandmother's mother's Sister had another house here too. So we had a brief visit, and left for the Pallakad City.
Called the day in Pallakad City, and left for my Grandfather's village, Govindrajapuram. We had no house there so just visited the village temple, and wet my feet at the temple's pond, which was a Scenic beauty. The pond was really awesome, though the water had become a bit dirty with all the people having bath with soap on their body, but the entire area was really beautiful. Later in the afternoon we left for Guruvayoor.
Guruvayoor, the Temple City, as it is called, has the most famous Guruvayurappan Temple. The temple is very very auspicious, as it has a very huge history. After reaching Guruvayoor, we called the day. Next day we roamed around in the Temple City, and went to another place nearby, called Kunnamkullam. There we went to my Grandmother's Friend's Farmhouse. It was rit in the middle of the farmlands. So you can imagine how it would be. We then went to the Elephant Sanctuary, and came back to our room and slept off. Next Day we returned back to the farmlands, and did some exploring in the fields. Then left for Coimbatore and came back to mumbai in the night's Flight.
Though, the way i have described might make my trip sound as if I didnt do anything at all, in fact, its very much the opposite. The very fact that, the temple in which you are going, used to be visited by my forefathers, the way you are bowing down to the deity, the same way they also used to bow down, I mean , I feel its something that should be cherished for lifetime. Signing off at that note, ask me about the trip at yahoo on my ID, ill tell u a lot in detail.
First of all, I completely agree with the guys who named Kerala as "GOD'S OWN COUNTRY". I mean, as soon as you reach kerala, you feel as if u have entered a Divine Area. In my Trip, first I took a flight from Mumbai to Coimbatore, and from Coimbatore, I reached Pollachi. In pollachi, we had a brief stay at my Grandmother's Mother's Younger Sister. It was a classic old-age kerala house, it used to have a roof made of dried coconut leaves but now they changed to bricks. Seeing the house itself, was a pleasure to my eyes. Later that Evening, we visited my grandmother's village known as Ellapulli, which is in the Pallakad District of Kerala. We visited the village temple, and also my grandmother's mother's Sister had another house here too. So we had a brief visit, and left for the Pallakad City.
Called the day in Pallakad City, and left for my Grandfather's village, Govindrajapuram. We had no house there so just visited the village temple, and wet my feet at the temple's pond, which was a Scenic beauty. The pond was really awesome, though the water had become a bit dirty with all the people having bath with soap on their body, but the entire area was really beautiful. Later in the afternoon we left for Guruvayoor.
Guruvayoor, the Temple City, as it is called, has the most famous Guruvayurappan Temple. The temple is very very auspicious, as it has a very huge history. After reaching Guruvayoor, we called the day. Next day we roamed around in the Temple City, and went to another place nearby, called Kunnamkullam. There we went to my Grandmother's Friend's Farmhouse. It was rit in the middle of the farmlands. So you can imagine how it would be. We then went to the Elephant Sanctuary, and came back to our room and slept off. Next Day we returned back to the farmlands, and did some exploring in the fields. Then left for Coimbatore and came back to mumbai in the night's Flight.
Though, the way i have described might make my trip sound as if I didnt do anything at all, in fact, its very much the opposite. The very fact that, the temple in which you are going, used to be visited by my forefathers, the way you are bowing down to the deity, the same way they also used to bow down, I mean , I feel its something that should be cherished for lifetime. Signing off at that note, ask me about the trip at yahoo on my ID, ill tell u a lot in detail.
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