O prah !

My favourite Oprah quotes:

As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around.

Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi. 

Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure. 

Do the one thing you think you cannot do. Fail at it. Try again. Do better the second time. The only people who never tumble are those who never mount the high wire. This is your moment. Own it. 

Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment. 

Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism. 

Follow your instincts. That's where true wisdom manifests itself. 

For everyone of us that succeeds, it's because there's somebody there to show you the way out. 

I always knew I was destined for greatness. 

I am a woman in process. I'm just trying like everybody else. I try to take every conflict, every experience, and learn from it. Life is never dull. 

I believe that every single event in life happens in an opportunity to choose love over fear.  

I don't believe in failure. It is not failure if you enjoyed the process. 

I don't think of myself as a poor deprived ghetto girl who made good. I think of myself as somebody who from an early age knew I was responsible for myself, and I had to make good. 

I don't think you ever stop giving. I really don't. I think it's an on-going process. And it's not just about being able to write a check. It's being able to touch somebody's life. 

Luck is when preparation meeting opportunity.  

I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes. 

If you come to fame not understanding who you are, it will define who you are. 

If you want to accomplish the goals of your life, you have to begin with the spirit. 

It isn't until you come to a spiritual understanding of who you are - not necessarily a religious feeling, but deep down, the spirit within - that you can begin to take control. 

Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down. 

Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you. 

Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to know whether you did it or not. 

So go ahead. Fall down. The world looks different from the ground. 

Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher. 

The biggest adventure you can take is to live the life of your dreams. 

The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude. 

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate. 

The whole point of being alive is to evolve into the complete person you were intended to be. 

Understand that the right to choose your own path is a sacred privilege. Use it. Dwell in possibility. 

Unless you choose to do great things with it, it makes no difference how much you are rewarded, or how much power you have. 

What God intended for you goes far beyond anything you can imagine. 

What material success does is provide you with the ability to concentrate on other things that really matter. And that is being able to make a difference, not only in your own life, but in other people's lives. 

When I look into the future, it's so bright it burns my eyes. 

When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. 

Where there is no struggle, there is no strength. 

You CAN have it all. You just can't have it all at once. 

You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job, and not be paid for it. 

The Mayonnaise Jar

I read it somewhere and thought of sharing it..

The Mayonnaise Jar

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar
And 2 cups of 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, children, health,
Friends, and 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, house, and 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.

So...

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."

So do you want to have a cup of coffee with me, My friend ??

Dhokha !!

I am currently reading Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. An intelligent story with brilliant narration.(till now)
Total: 25 chapters. After reading chapter 16, just when the story was taking an important turn, I noticed that chapters 17 & 18 were missing!!
The story directly jumps to chapter 19 which is printed twice. Fuming with anger and disgust, I felt like tearing the book apart into a million pieces and throwing it out of the train.
However, as I gained control over my emotion (after listening to a Euphoria's song), I began reading further.

Chapter 19 onwards. Got to know that one of the main characters, Hassan died. Its itching to know HOW??
Currently, I am in the mid of chapter 22.
It was a paperback edition by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc :(

~Added later~
Completed!
Just a few doubts left uncleared-
How did Hassan and his wife die?
Who were the Caldwells?

Happy Aazadi to one and all :)
Freedom...the word, in itself is so soothing to the ears. The newspapers, radio stations, news channels all are shouting this and that about independence, since a few days.
So, I also started feeling patriotic today :D
I felt like listening to A.R.Rehman's Vande Mataram and watching Rang De Basanti.
But there lies some hypocrisy in all of us whether we admit it or not. This patriotism should be real, it shouldn't be such that it stays for days like 15 August and 26 January and then is washed away the next day.

People who claim to be patriotic are looked down upon as emotional, outdated or posers! No doubt, most of them are! And those who are true in their feeling, are kids, who haven't seen the real India and still cling to the 'sweet-sugary 'notions taught at school...u know..all the cheeni-cheeni stuff..
But on the other hand, how can patriotism be true when we have lost faith in the country itself. All due to the people at the top.
 Some days back, I was watching a show on ndtv on the anniversary of Kargil War. And a senior Army officer (now retd.) admitted that "If there was less restriction and orders from the political bosses, India would have won Kargil a long time back, with much...much less loss of lives.
Actually, India lost the war because the number of our dead and wounded soldiers was nearly twice that of Pakistan's soldiers."

This Independence Day, we witness another wonderful incident-

The Prime Minister's APPEAL in today's newspaper: Donate generously to the National Relief Fund for victims in Leh"

What a perfect time it is ! The solution lies outright before us !
Many ministers' names have been coming up in Commonwealth Games Scam. Instead of sqeezing money out from us, go extract it out from those who have accumulated wealth enough-for-their-generations in the CWG Scam. Impose heavy penalties on them and you can easily collect funds for Leh victims.

We have seen uncountable incidents where India itself has been insulted by political leaders in one way or the other. The entire scene needs enormous changes and we have been repeating this line since years but now its time we acted.
If we want change at the top, we need to start change from the bottom.
Here I remember the dialogue from Rang De Basanti: Police mein bharti honge, Military join karenge, IAS banenge, politics ka hissa banke is desh ki sakaar chalayenge.Ye desh badlega, Hum badlenge ise !!

God knows, how many lives will be laid down in this process. But if the outcome is as desired, I am for it.


Image courtesy:http://www.sumitgoyal.com/2008/08/15/happy-independence-day/

Should we or should we not ??

In the morning, Amy was entering the railway station, walking hurriedly to catch the 7:05 passenger train.A small child came to her, begging, one hand stretched in the hope of receiving something and the other, stroking his stomach to define hunger.
Many thoughts crossed her mind at that instant- the train, whether she would be able to catch it or not, whether she should give the child some money or the apple in her bag, but its his daily business, at this age he should study instead of earning...
Finally, she concentrated on catching the train.


On her way back home, outside the metro station, she again came across such a situation but this time with an old woman, with a skeletal frame, wearing a tattered saree. Her mind was again divided into two parts, fighting over whether to give or not, am i promoting begging.Why doesn't this auntyji do something to employ herself, why doesn't the govt give employment opportunities to physically fit beggars??
Finally, she passed by.


In the evening, as she went to the market, yet another woman carrying a child approached her.She thought in her mind, not again.The woman followed her to some distance, begging for the child and promising different kinds of good wishes- " beti, tujhe achha pati milega, tera ghar achha basega, bhai ki achhi naukri lagegi etc etc. "
Yet again, after millions of thoughts rushed through her mind, she passed by silently.
These scenes are an inevitable part of her daily commute and they somewhere made her feel inside that she has become such a stone-hearted person.




But there were other incidents that justified what she did.
She was once travelling with her cousins on a train.An old woman with a child, came begging. They thought it better to give her something to eat. They gave her some fruits and bread-jam. The moment she had her first bite, she started behaving weirdly, shouting loudly-pata nahin kya khila diya hamein... Creating a full drama for more than 20-25 minutes, refusing to go unless she was paid a good sum. Fellow-passengers gathered and settled the situation finally. That day she remembers, a harsh lesson learnt.


Another day, same commute. A woman not looking like a beggar came towards Amy and her friend, as they stood not very far from their office. This time the dialogues were new- "Beta mere 300 rupaye gum ho gaye hain, meri madad kar do, mujhe paise dedo"
Her friend, not new to such kind of robberies (asking for help and then snatching away the wallet and shoot like a cheetah), said- aunty paise toh hamein aapse maangne chahiye, student ki pocket mein toh hamesha hi kadki rehti hai ..etc etc. As he started his speech, the uninterested aunty walked away.  


These scenes somewhere made her feel inside that she should not be fooled by beggars.
Then why Amy's mind is still parts into two opposing pieces at the sight of people, specially children; poor deprived of food, cloth, shelter- the basics.
Should she give something or simply pass by? Should she give money or food? Are chocolates a good idea?

Bowled over !!

Heya everyone!
I came across some questions that were asked in job interviews at Microsoft Inc. and at Google Inc.
Found some of them irritating.
Anyway, have a look and do tell if you have the answers to them.

Google: How many golf balls can fit in a school bus?

Google: How many piano tuners are there in the entire world?


Microsoft: How much does a 747 weigh?

Google: Describe a chicken using a programming language.


Google: You are shrunk to the height of a nickel and your mass is proportionally reduced so as to maintain your original density. You are then thrown into an empty glass blender. The blades will start moving in 60 seconds. What do you do?


Google: In a country in which people only want boys, every family continues to have children until they have a boy. If they have a girl, they have another child. If they have a boy, they stop. What is the proportion of boys to girls in the country?


Microsoft: You have a bucket of jelly beans. Some are red, some are blue, and some green. With your eyes closed, pick out 2 of a like color. How many do you have to grab to be sure you have 2 of the same?


Microsoft: Pairs of primes separated by a single number are called prime pairs. Examples are 17 and 19. Prove that the number between a prime pair is always divisible by 6 (assuming both numbers in the pair are greater than 6). Now prove that there are no ‘prime triples.’


Microsoft: Imagine an analog clock set to 12 o’clock. Note that the hour and minute hands overlap. How many times each day do both the hour and minute hands overlap? How would you determine the exact times of the day that this occurs?


Microsoft: Imagine a disk spinning like a record player turn table. Half of the disk is black and the other is white. Assume you have an unlimited number of color sensors. How many sensors would you have to place around the disk to determine the direction the disk is spinning? Where would they be placed?

Note: Pingdom claims that it came across these questions narrated by different candidates while it was looking for a developer and a support technician.


PS: The original report can be viewed here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech/itslideshow/5941045.cms


HT Shine also listed some questions that foxed the interviewee-
>A genie gives you 3 wishes that have to relate only to your workplace.What would you ask for?
>If I were to call your boss right now, what is the best thing that he would say about you?And the worst?
>Let us presume that you have just won a lottery.What will you do?Will you continue to work?If so, why?
>You are on a flight with your boss and your girlfriend/wife also happens to be on board.The plane crashes- Who would you save first?
>You have a choice between working with 2 different bosses.One boss is a Yoga expert and the other is a martial arts freak.Who will you prefer to work with?
>How long will you be able to stay with company?

Why ??

Why is it that being good always lands you in trouble??
They say "It will give you satisfaction".But what will we do with the satisfaction when others walk away with all the benefits... aur hum apni "acchhayi" leke khade reh jaate hain...


PS: I am making a collection of those beautiful old melodies.Songs that sooth the ears.If some good ones come to your mind, do let me know!

A dreamy post

Aimlessly and endlessly surfing the internet this weekend, I accidentally came across Globus On the Road contest. The contest was over but the guy behind it, Rishad Saam Mehta, who writes travel articles for various leading newspapers, filled me with a sense of slight envy.What an amazing profession he has ! He travels, writes, does stunning photography and while on the job, does scuba diving, trekking and collecting art or posters from street markets around the world.

I wish I land into a career like this...
I don't know my route, which course shall i opt for post-graduation, will my engineering be in line with it, future prospects, possibilities, the so-called 'family circumstances' in India, what studies or preparation should i start from now...and so on. Just two words can shut the above sentence up: No Idea. But still there are dreams...hopes...and faith. So the search for possibilities is on..trying to combine interests with options available.. and i definitely will find a way. But the stage of 'madness about dream' will arrive only when i am clear and sure of what i have to do. Whatever it will be; travelling, photography and adventure sports will surely be a part of it.

Truly, only idiots chase dreams and I'll be happy to be one.
...because there is immense power in dreams.

[ Playing in the background: Dream the Dream by Shaznay Lewis ]

Kahani har semester ki...

The semester starts.First day...first show-
A: Yaar iss sem me pakka padhenge...
B: Seriously yaar...
C: Hahahaa...
B: Tu kabhi encourage mat kariyo...idiot!
C: Mere laal..tu toh university top karega iss bar..
A: Shut up!...tujhe kya pata hamara talent...huh..

Sessionals come and go...koi khabar nahi...

When Finals are near...
People realize...kaash lectures laga liye hote.
People recall that throughout the semester Professors suggested fascinating books...ultimate authors..some foreign some indian...but unko padhke sala koi pass kyun nahi hota??!!!
Aur local authors ki raddi books padh ke chatur-ramalingam(s) top maarte hain...why so?Kyuki...
Pass hone ke do hi tareeke hain...
1)Ya toh farre banao, nakal chalao, aage-pichhe walon se dosti nibhao
2)Ya zimmedari uthao padhne ki.....Local author ki local books...

Moral of the story: ??..pata chale toh mujhe bhi batana plz :P

i don't know what i am writing...beware: idiotic post ahead...

How does it feel when you are just one step far from the peak and you slip down suddenly?
A mixture of regret, anger and self-disgust...all of which don't taste good. And the anguish is exponentiated by people's sympathies...
A: Koi baat nahi yaar...atleast you tried...fir kya hogya...better luck next time...
B: ...barely manages to smile... (thinking inside: shut up!!!)
C: Chalo ho gya na ab....agli baar second bhi nahi aaoge... (a failed attempt to crack a joke)
A: ...(thinks: tu toh dafa hi ho ja yahan se)

Then it dawns upon you that you aren't angry because you were so close to achieving it...but because you don't agree with people's comments. Anyway, the question still stands...how does it feel when you are so close to victory... and something goes wrong...whom do you blame?? Luck??..but if you don't believe in this word...then whom?
But one thing is for sure...Every day gives you a lesson...don't look for it..just keep your eyes n ears open.

( Wondering what happened to me?...lambi story hai..fir kabhi sunayenge... )
For now...Happy Fool's Day ;-)

Wonder years

With the new semester just beginning, there was a mass bunk.So she was enjoying her time at home. Leafing through old magazines, she came across an edition of 'Brunch' which talked about "Wonder Years - Our school and college days never fail to evoke warm, nostalgic memories."
Our alma mater is so special to all of us.But when we studied there, we subjected it to all kinds of curses, expletives etc.
So, walking leisurely down the memory lane...she recalled her first real experience as a speaker.An event at school.It wasn't that she was a total stranger to stage.She noticed her seniors performing onstage at various times. She appreciated a few of them for their originality and natural-ness.And had herself attempted to deliver good performances...some of which crashed, leaving a little embarrassment...some gained a little applaud.It was her father who pushed her into these things and encouraged her to be active in them...perhaps he sensed something in her.
Her stage presence was shared by a good friend, which gave her some relief.Both had to work together on it.She reached onstage...hands and feet cold yet wet...heartbeat fast...wondering if her friend felt the same way as her.Then she brushed away all the thoughts...had a look at the entire audience, said a prayer of two words in her heart..with a deep breath and started the show with a bright smile.

After sometime...the fingers became normal she wondered how :O as if she got used to the situation.
At the end, she delivered her 'best show till then' and she didn't even know it.It was only when the show was over and she was flooded with applaud and 'pats on the back' from her mentors, that she realized what she just did or rather achieved.
Now after years had passed and she never missed an opportunity to grab the stage, she was cherishing those beautiful memories...which were the 'base' of what she was now- known as a gifted speaker among everyone. These memories, whenever came to her mind, left a never-ending smile on her face.Amazing were those days, those people, that stage, that school...which made her what she was today.Truly, those were the Wonder Years.

Interesting Ads-5

Wrigley's doublemint ad : What an ad! Good way to give a lesson.

Interesting Ads-4

Kishorda's amazing track in the background...Hum jab honge 60 saal ke aur tum hogi 55 ki, bolo preet nibhaogi na tab bhi apne bachpan ki ?

Interesting Ads-3

The most beautiful jingle 

Interesting Ads-2

2) Airtel ad :
Nigahen nigahon se mila kar to dekho. Naye logo se rishta bana kar to dekho
Hasratien dil me dabane se kya haasil hoga. Apne hoth hila kar to dekho
Khamoshi se kab hoti hai khwahishein poori . Dil ki baat bata kar to dekho
Jo hai dil mei use kar do bayaan. Khud ko ek baar jata kar to dekho
Aasmaan simat jayega tumhare aaghosh mein. Chahat ki baahein phaila kar to dekho
Dil ki baat bata kar to dekho...

Interesting Ads-1

A collection of some nice Indian advertisements...

Share if i am missing some more good ones...

Here goes the ist one, of the 5-part series

1)Public service film : Won awards at Cannes Lion 2007 and Thailand ad-fest 2007.

Does it apply to everyone?

If we were brought to trial for the crimes we have committed to ourselves, few would escape the gallows.

I am usually not into much of introspection, but this is something that made me rewind, observe and learn :)

A 3 hour pd session squeezed into a post

A group called Confluence visited our college to subject us to hours of  boredom.Their visit was spread over 4 days and one fateful day we became their victims.Some stuff was appreciable...and some were the same old stale things everybody keeps saying.So without talking much let me put down some excerpts...

• No detail is too small & No effort is too big.
• If it is to be it is up to me.So Take Charge.
• Don't get stuck with content but with context.
• If you can't make it good, make it look good.

They mentioned a book called 'Made in America' by Sam Walton.It describes two ways to know how well an instituition is working.The first one, the toilet test.If the toilet smells good, it indicates that the institution is working well.Second was, the employee feedback.Ask a few employees how they feel about the institution.If they answer in positive, the institution will go a long way.
The session seemed interesting in the first fifteen minutes.Then as they moved on to the theoretical details, it became terribly intolerable....details like-
Competency-Any characteristic that differentiates a superior worker from an average or poor worker.Types of competency-Technical(process-driven) and Behavioural or Managerial(people-driven).
Employability-Being useful and getting paid for it.The three stages of employability-Getting a job, Keeping a job, Excelling in a job.
Then they turned to one single word-Professionalism-and elaborated on it for the rest of it.
On the whole, i can only give them 5 on 10.

I am loving it !

What is it about these pics that i love them??

                                          

I guess its the "Biking Spirit"....no more adjectives required

New beginnings...

Bringing with it a fresh splash of hopes, resolutions and self-commitments...a sparkling New Year has arrived.
Having a look at the year that passed by...
At this time last year i was back from a cousin's wedding with my Maths exam the next day....a subject i considered more terrible and torturing than RGV movies.
We had an unforgettable tour with college friends that were and some that became...
I added to my experience many lessons....some little...some life-changing ones...
And the year ended with the best that i could have...and another joyous year has began with the best that i will have...
Now with every new year, come new resolutions, many(actually,most) of which are not met completely.
That is why once i gave up making resolutions, then breaking them and then feeling the ugly guilt for long.
But a nice saying came to my mind
"When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream."
Only when one is clear of his dream...
Setting a goal...helps achieve some part of it atleast...


Anyway, its 12:27a.m. so i'll putdown the rest of my brain's output later.
Wishing that you all be blessed with a relaxed mind, a peaceful soul, a joyful spirit, a healthy body and a heart full of love.Have a great year ahead !!!


*Added later
So this year...the goal is to read all the books on my hitlist and experiment with new authors and genres (both in books and music) Also, to start gathering all info on psychology...my subject of interest since long. Apart from this, there is so much i wish to do and i believe i have all the energy to achieve it..all i need is to focus it in the right direction.zada future mein chale gye...ab padh b lena chahiye...aakhir semester finals hain :P     
    

A lil senti...but i can't help :P

New year...New beginnings...New hopes...
This is a new year on which i am the most happiest for which I have countless reasons.The topmost one being that bro cleared the SSB, the medicals and got his name in the All-India merit list....to finally join the Indian Airforce.So today we went to see him off at IGI.It means i won't be able to see him for the next 6 months.And the disappointing part is that...no cellphones are allowed there..so a complete cut-off with him.We have been enjoying at home since he was back after completing his engg last year followed by a 2 month job.
But still...today i felt like talking to you for a lil more time...laughing together...mimicking together...having fun together...for a lil more time.....

Even if i said 'Tu toh chup hi reh' but i looked up to you for all advice-professional and personal...
Even if i always kept shouting at you for various reasons but i liked your amazing fundas for every situation...
Even if i kept fighting with you over the tv remote but i liked to watch espn with you and enjoy your hilarious punjabi commentory...
Even if we always kept arguing but our views always matched in the end,and then we fought over "who started it??"
Even if ever i felt low, listening to your songs cheered up everything...
Even if i never left you a scrap(dint felt the need to), i can't help visiting your profile over and over again...and listening to your song...
Even if i used to get irritated by thousands of names you called me by but now i long to be called those...

I will achieve what you always expected me to...
But I will miss you loads...
6 months are seeming like 6 decades...

There is an unusual silence at home today.but aadat pad jayegi dheere dheere...

I pray...for you to bring out the best in you...

Keep shining !!!

Awaiting you dear :)