Thamini Online

Dogs and Cats in action

2009-07-08T16:30:00.008+04:00

Sri Lanka Flower Collection

2009-07-04T12:03:00.007+04:00

Avidda paya dahas watii

2009-07-03T12:52:00.000+04:00

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T13:06:00.003+04:00

Happy Valentine's Day everyone :)

Animals in Al Ain Zoo

2008-12-18T18:18:00.015+04:00

Al Ain zoo covers around 850 hectares and around 4000 mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians call it their home. They enjoy big spaces and make their kingdoms out of it.

One of the animals that took my heart was the regal lion. I caught the lion resting on a rock which is the highest place in it’s kingdom as if to say I’m the king. The lioness is resting under one step from him.
For an instance I thought the lion could come to contact with the visitors since there was no boundary. But as I observed the place there is a deep watercourse surrounding its territory.

There are some other African animals like Scimitar-horned Oryx, Wildebeests, Zebras, Giraffes and Gazelles living in peace.

Birds

2008-12-12T17:19:00.016+04:00

These shots are taken in Al Ain Zoo where there is an impressive Bird House. This is the only kind of bird house I have seen where people can wonder about.

White cheeked bulbul

Parakeets

Laughing Doves

Egyptian goose

Animal Kingdom

2008-12-09T09:12:00.005+04:00

Growing in unison

2008-12-09T09:09:00.008+04:00

Nature is great blessing for all the living beings and there are many things in nature that we human beings can’t understand. I found these two trees growing in unison beside Hambanthota new road, Sri Lanka.

Floral Beauties

2008-12-09T08:30:00.007+04:00

Sleeping Beauty

2008-10-20T17:29:00.003+04:00

Desert ships

2008-10-06T17:39:00.002+04:00

In the Desert

2008-10-04T16:08:00.008+04:00

On the way to Muscat we stopped for breakfast near the desert and took some shots of sand dunes. If you are a desert safari fan this is the place for you. :)

Muscat Tour - Al Qubrah Mosque

2008-10-03T12:02:00.013+04:00

Al Qubrah is a massive mosque situated in Oman where tourists stop by to have a glimpse of this beautiful place. Unfortunately we couldn’t have a look inside as the time is limited and there are so many places to visit within two days time.

We couldn’t make the trip to lot of places as planned since there was a delay in UAE-Oman border for exit visas.
Tip: If you’re planning to visit Oman from Dubai better to enter through Fujairah where you can avoid unnecessary delays.

Al Qubrah Mosque

Date Palm Tree

2008-09-26T14:14:00.004+04:00

Red-vented Bulbul

2008-08-30T20:38:00.001+04:00

Spreading The Wings Again

2008-06-21T09:37:00.009+04:00

Looking foward to spread my wings again with a new hobby. This is one of my first photos taken from Canon 400D camera with 20-200mm lens. I always wanted to take a photo of a bird flying. I really love flora and fauna but here, where I live now I hardly see such beauty. I'm so happy with my first photo.

Negative Thinking

2008-05-02T05:49:00.004+04:00

Last few days I was reading about positive thinking and I really thought positively. Even before reading this I like positive thinking. But now I'm fed up with writing in this blog. Because I can't write good English as some people says. I'm never gonna write again. Thanks for those who appreciated my writing.

Cheers

Suba Aluth Avuruddak Weva

2008-04-13T18:38:00.005+04:00

The call of “Koha” and bloom of Erabadu flowers indicate that the Sinhala Hindu New Year (known as Avurudu) is approaching. Everyone is happy during this period and they are getting ready to make sweetmeats. Children are happy to play during their school vacation and they receive gifts from parents and relatives.

Although we are far apart from Sri Lanka and missed some activities we also celebrated Avurudu in some way. Last Friday we participated in a New Year festival organized by “Pawura Kala Kawaya”. One of our friends’ (Nilanga) is the secretary of Pawura Kala Kawaya” and he invited us to come to Safa Park Avurudu festival. Early in the morning we went there with the milk rice we prepared to be distributed among guests. Although we expected few people to be present, about 6000 people were present.

There were numerous activities for both children and adults like blow and blast balloons, Break the pot, Eating buns, draw the eye of the elephant, Eating curd, passing eggs, running events, tug of war, last but not the least Selecting Avurudu kumara and kumariya. I also participated in 50m running, but I couldn’t win. I’m not sad for not being able to win, but I am happy for the time we spent there. One of our friends’ (Asker) won male 50m running and we all wished him. We could have won tug and war also but unfortunately we lost one before the last game.

We returned home discussing how best to celebrate the New Year day. In my next post I’ll write how we celebrated it.

Turning stumbling blocks into stepping stones

2008-03-31T18:30:00.004+04:00

Last Thursday (20th March) we had a cricket match with another Sri Lankan team called “Pawura”. Ours is called G 15+, in which the name originates from the team comprising of 15 members and plus indicating their wives. It was held in a ground near Safa park and I have nothing to complain about their organizations for the match. There was a tent for us to sit in, food and drinks were also provided.

Despite burning from the sun I managed to take few shots of our team playing cricket.
We have won one match against QS cricket team and having that pride in mind we played this match as well. But unfortunately we lost this match owing to many reasons. But however we learnt our lessons that day and thought to practice well for the next match and never to underestimate the opposite team.

This Friday we have been invited to cheer QS cricket team playing in Ajman. Transpotation and food will be provided by them. We are eager to cheer them and visit this part of UAE as we have not gone that far.

“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else;
And for everything you gain you lose something else.
It is about your out look towards life; you can either regret or rejoice.”

How to draw traffic to your website using SEO

2008-03-18T17:30:00.015+04:00

While working on my previous company I came across this concept called Search engine optimization (SEO). This was a new concept to me at that time and I did a lot of researching and gathered information on that.

Search engines are a very important source of quality traffic for web based companies. But if your site is not ranked high enough on the search engines (e.g. after the third page of the search result), none of that traffic will come to you. Another great way to attract targeted traffic is through Pay-Per-Click Search Engines.

Search Engine Optimization is the process of preparing your website so that search engines can better understand its content and/or purpose. To get listed correctly in the search engines each page of your site needs to be optimized. Your site must be focused on the content, products, or services you provide. Keywords used in the content are very important to have a high rank in search engines.

Here are some traditional places to keep keywords,

Use specific keyword phrases,

in the domain name

in the file name

in the Title tag

in the Meta description tag

in the Meta keyword tag or in the image alt attributes

in an H1 (or any H) tag

as the first words on the page

in bold and/or italics or a different color

multiple times in the first paragraph or twice on the page

in the copy in every single spot on the page where it might possibly make sense to use it, and

in all the hyperlinks pointing to a page.

Google is one such search engine in which most users do keywords searching. But there is something you need to keep in mind. Google is constantly changing their ranking criteria because of search engine spam. If you put the same keyword phrase in many of those spots, you might very well trigger a spam filter which is not good for the long run of your site. Therefore the best advice I can give you is to do your SEO without any particular formula in mind.

Google’s PageRank algorithm tests to see how often a web page is updated and the length of time between changes in content. Access the below URL to read more on page rankings.
http://www.highrankings.com/linkpopularity

In order to make your site crawler friendly you need to make sure that you always have some form of HTML links in the main navigation on every page which link to the top-level pages of your site.

Sitemaps are an easy way for webmasters to inform search engines about pages on their sites that are available for crawling. In its simplest form, a Sitemap is an XML file that lists URLs for a site along with additional metadata about each URL (when it was last updated, how often it usually changes, and how important it is, relative to other URLs in the site) so that search engines can more intelligently crawl the site. Sitemap does not guarantee that web pages are included in search engines, but provides hints for web crawlers to do a better job of crawling your site.

Reference : http://www.highrankings.com/optimization.htm
http://www.sitemaps.org

FISH! Philosophy

2008-03-10T23:00:00.037+04:00

I have been blessed to attend a seminar on FISH! philosophy which is evolved from a fish market story. I hope you have seen the video of the fish market, how those people enjoy their work life and make the customers happy as well. If you haven't seen the video perhaps you can meet these people in Seattle fish market. This is a real story and they are still there. During the lunch time people go to this market to see how they sell fish. It's very amazing to watch and I'm sure you will be stressed free from your busy work lives to hear their songs and jokes.

Fish! philosophy is based on 4 factors which are very easy to implement in our day today work life.

:: Be there

:: Make their day

:: Play

:: Choose Your Attitude

Hope you'll have a happy and stressed free work life.
For more information please visit http://fishphilosophy.com

Newlyweds

2008-02-11T21:21:00.012+04:00

At Mamzar Park

Alright, here again we are going to organize a newlyweds exclusive lunch fiesta. This will happen in Mamzar park of Dubai where we can enjoy ourselves with loads of outside activities. I wanted to go to Jumeirah beach instead which I think is nicer than Mamzar. But the main reason I wanted to go there is, we all went to Mamzar once and we couldn't go to Jumeirah still. I have seen nice pictures of the beach and I'm mesmerized by its beauty and enchanted by its magical surroundings. I am looking forward for the big events. I like to walk on the beach at the evening and thread on sea water foaming ashore.

There will be new lady members joining this event to situate a women association. Earlier I was the only female member among 14 other male members. Last time we went to Mamzar, I videoed them playing beach volleyball and having a bath in the sea. I'm looking forward to have more fun again in the beach.

Fireworks

2008-02-11T21:19:00.014+04:00

Fireworks of Dubai Shopping Festival

This is one of the pictures taken at Dubai Creek

Doom dum dum....we were astounded by hearing the first sound of fireworks in Dubai Creek. It took 10 seconds for us to realize they were fireworks. We watched the night sky glittering with dozens of firecrackers. It was such an eye-catching scene that I couldn't get my eyes off them. We managed to take loads of beautiful photos of fireworks. These fireworks will be there everyday until 24th Feb i.e.Until DSF is over.

Blessings in Disguise

2008-01-16T22:28:00.003+04:00

Problem
George W. Bush arrived in Dubai and he was warmly welcomed. This was the first ever visit of a sitting US president to UAE. Due to his arrival some roads were closed for security reasons and there were huge traffic jams. My colleagues were cursing him for causing much traffic.

Solution
But lately all the cursing turned to a blessing after a text message from office when we were returning home. Due to some road closure and expected congestion it was declared a public holiday in Dubai. That was a surprise holiday, after havoc for most of the people who were caught in the traffic for hours. Fortunately I was able to come home without getting caught to much traffic jams.

Result
We spent our holiday in our friends' place also known as "Maha Gedara". We all got together and gave a lunch for one of our friend's parents who visited Dubai. The lunch came out well although the chief cook was not present (He got married in January and enjoying holidays in SL). Most of us learned to cook after coming to Dubai. We were able to have this lunch coz of US president's visit, so I call it a blessing in disguise. :)

We were called "Al Baraha Gang" which is comprised of 15 members (all are boys except me) for now and rapidly growing with new members joining after the marriage. Three of my friends went back to SL to get married and they are due to come back with their new brides in February. We are in the process of organizing nice events for couples who are starting new lives in Dubai.

Nobody

2008-01-12T12:41:00.011+04:00

I'm Nobody! Who are you?
Are you-Nobody-too?
Then there's a pair of us!
Dont tell! they'd banish us-you know!

How dreary-to be-Somebody!
How public-like a Frog-
To tell your name-the livelong June
To an admiring Bog!

By Emily Dickinson

New Year dawns in Dubai

2008-01-03T05:13:00.001+04:00

It was New Year's Eve in Dubai. To my surprise I heard people screeching, howling and clattering metals outside at exactly 12 midnight. I had a peek through the window. People were on the road dancing and they stopped vehicles heading towards them. There was such a loud noise emanating from horns of vehicles and voices of people. Despite of this drama, there were magnificent fireworks displayed on the sky, which is the only thing to be happy about being here in Dubai. Then after a while people on higher buildings were throwing water at the innocent people walking on the road or driving, passing their flats.

I hope for peace and serenity throughout 2008 without noise pollution and unfortunate incidents.

Adios 2007

2007-12-31T19:21:00.000+04:00

Well… surely time passes so fast and year ended like a flash. When you engage in work you don’t feel the time passing. But today seems a long boring day for me since I don’t have any work. So I wanted this day to end so soon. I waited impatiently for the 1st of January, not to celebrate the year but to stay home :) Coz we get a holiday tomorrow for the celebration of the Gregorian New Year.

Now let’s think back at the past year and get only the experience gained. But be careful not to cry or shed silent tears over past tragedies. The New Year is meant not to cry over split milk nor to repeat mistakes. Take them as a blessing in disguise and the spirit to avoid repetition. Just learn lessons from past and keep in mind to live a better year ahead. Let’s take bold strides with confidence in the coming year.

Wish all your dreams will come true in the year 2008. Most impotently peace in Sri Lanka, something we all Sri Lankans needed so badly.

It's Winter

2007-12-31T19:13:00.000+04:00

It’s winter. The cold breeze comes and caresses our bodies and chills us to shiver in cold. This is not like the cool and sweet breeze we have in Sri Lanka before or after a rain. I like to sit and watch the rain, how the water is pouring and makes circles on the ground. It gives the perfect colour to the tree leaves leaving them so crystal clear. Even the air seems so fresh after the rain and birds sing happily. Everything has come to alive and so my mind too. But I miss them all here.

I heard that it will only rain once a year in Dubai. Even in high noon I shiver like a person having fever. Cold climate is new to me, since in Colombo the temperature doesn’t go below 22°C. Although I waited impatiently for the arrival of winter, now I think Sri Lankan climate is the best.

If you happen to be in Dubai during summer you’ll not like to stay but to go back to cosy climate we have in Sri Lanka. I came to Dubai at the end of July and felt like I was thrown into a hearth. I was being scorched by hot breeze even without sun. The water in the taps was also hot, sometimes too hot to touch from naked hands.To tell you the truth I don’t like both of these climates I came across in Dubai.

Visit to Global Village

2007-12-28T08:52:00.000+04:00

I started my blog last year but after few posts I became lazy. I used to write a lot when I’m in a mood (happy or sad) I thought to start writing again as before. Hmmm let’s make a diary out of my blog with my new life in Dubai.

Last Friday we went to global village where the Dubai shopping festival is happening. The Global Village is a unique international destination for tourism, entertainment, leisure and culture. It brings together diverse customs and cultures covering a broad spectrum of activities including music, dances, arts and handicrafts, theatre, costumes and cuisine of different countries.

It was so far from Dubai, where we stay. We didn’t think it will be that far. We went from home around 3 and able to catch a taxi around 3.30. The emirates road we took to reach there is like a dessert, no houses to be seen.

Somehow we went inside the village which has different countries’ shopping complexes. First we went to Egypt and bought a papyrus art. Then we went to some other countries’ stalls. We bought shoes for winter, plant, bag, cap and weight lifting glows. At that time it was bit dark despite of the lights emanating from shopping complexes. The most exciting thing there was the merry-go-rounds. To join for such event we need to buy tokens which look like coins. We participated in one such game (they called it typhoone ride) which is so thrilling and at the same time bit dangerous. I screamed from the middle of the show to the last. It was so breathtaking event that I thought I’m going to fall off the seat. Mind you this is my first ever experience of such an event :)

Although we have more shops to visit, our feet were aching, it was dark and around 12 midnight we thought to go home after visiting Sri Lankan shopping complex. To our surprise and misfortune there were not that much of shops opened and no cultural things of Sri Lanka to show our Sri Lankan identity. We thought to open shops ourselves, which is something impossible. But we felt so sad to see the stalls. We had a ray of hope more shops will be opened during next month when the shopping festival is really going to blow up. With hands full of shopping items we took a taxi from there. There is a good taxi and bus services which is something really important in Dubai if you don’t have a vehicle of your own.

Dubai Life

2007-09-01T12:50:00.000+04:00

After a long time I thought to write here. Now I'm in Dubai. It's a city with large buildings. These days it's hot outside since it's summer. I'm waiting to see the Winter which will be falling on September, October.

I went to City Centre, Dragon Mart and Supermarkets only. This is not a good time to walk outside.

Job Interview Tips

2007-06-14T10:29:00.000+04:00

Hello Friends. Here are some tips for facing the Interview in Good Manner -

:: Dress appropriately in simple - comfortable clothes that reflect your personality.

:: Avoid wearing new shoes (squeaking noises) and do practice wearing your tie.

:: Be punctual - don't be late or even too early.

:: Read up about the company - what business they are into, growth trends, diversification etc

:: Read your own resume - be sure that you don't have to look into your resume to recall details during the interview.

:: Carry extra copies of your resume and testimonials - you never know when you may need them.

:: Make sure you know the full name and designation of the person interviewing you.

:: Keep your references ready.

:: Remember to make a note of your previous or current salary with all its components.

:: Make a good first impression.

:: Wish the interviewer(s) cheerfully and with a smile.

:: A firm handshake is an indicator of how you are feeling. If you are a lady, then some male employers might not make the first move, but go ahead and initiate the handshake.

:: Wait till you are asked to sit down. Look the person in the eye.

:: Do not appear too nervous or overconfident - Your body language usually conveys more than what you are saying. Don't slouch or lean forward too much.

:: Try to curb nervous mannerisms [eg. fidgeting or biting your finger.]

:: Appear comfortable, confident and interested in securing the job.

During the interview -

- Start the interview with a pleasant smile.

- Always remember to give a firm handshake. If there are women in your interview panel, wait for the other person to extend the hand while shaking hands.

- Listen carefully to what the interviewer is saying.

- Stress on what you can contribute to the organisation.

- Remember that the employer is in control of the interview.

- Don't be too long-winded, say what you want to convey in crisp sentences and use terms that would convey your job & achievements.

- Complete your sentences - don't answer just yes or no.

- What you don't know can be learned, tell them if you don't know something. But give instances of how quick a learner you are.

- Do not boast. People on the other side are shrewd and can generally see through you. At the same time talk about achievements giving due credit to others.

- When talking about yourself and your aspirations, do not sound vague or do not say that you don't know something. You should be very clear and precise about what you want to do, where you want to go etc.
If you don't understand a question, ask for clarification, don't answer vaguely.

- Don't talk about your personal problems, why you need the job etc.

- Don't get personal, even if you know the interviewer personally.

- Don't be overconfident or too nervous.

- Don't badmouth your previous employer - you could do the same in the case of the prospective customer.

- Don't complain about politics, a bad boss or a poor salary - your reasons for change should be higher responsibilities, location etc.

- If the interviewer is interrupted during the course of the interview, don't pick up papers on his/her desk and read them.

- Don't ask about salary before the offer is made.

- Strike a balance between what you actually are and what you want to be, don't paint a picture of yourself as somebody who is not concerned about money, social status etc.

- Don't be in a hurry to complete the interview.

- Ask questions at the end of the interview, it could be about the company, the job or the next stage of the interview process. It will be an indicator of your interest in the position.

- Send a thank-you letter, outlining your interest in the job and why you are qualified for it.

Be Positive and Confident - And the Job is yours. Best of Luck!

Reference http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewsnetworking/a/interviewguide.htm

Risks

2007-03-09T13:11:00.000+04:00

"To laugh is to risk appearing a fool.

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach out for another is to risk involvement.

To expose one's feelings is to risk rejection.

To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ridicule.

To love is to risk not being loved in return.

To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, Does nothing, Has nothing and is nothing. He may avoid sufferings and sorrows, But he cannot learn, Feel, change, grow, or love. Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave. He has forfeited his freedom. Only a person who takes risks is free."

-- Leo Buscalia

“A loving relationship is one in which the loved one is free to be himself

-- to laugh with me, but never at me;

to cry with me, but never because of me;

to love life, to love himself, to love being loved. Such a relationship is based upon freedom and can never grow in a jealous heart.”

A Nice Thought

2007-03-09T12:31:00.000+04:00

To laugh often and love much;

To win the respect of intelligent persons and the affection of children;

To earn the approbation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;

To find the best in others;To give of one's self;

To leave the world a little better, whether by a Healthy child,

a garden path, or a redeemed Social condition;

To have played and laughed with enthusiasm And sung with exultation;

To know even one life has breathed easier

Because you have lived

- This is to have succeeded.

Beauty of a Woman

2007-03-06T14:04:00.001+04:00

The beauty of a woman Is not in the clothes she wears, The figure she carries Or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman Must be seen from her eyes, Because that is the doorway to her heart,The place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman, Is not in a facial mole, But true beauty in a woman Is reflected in her soul.

It is the caring that she lovingly gives,The passion that she shows, The beauty of a woman With passing years - only grows.

Never Check E-mail in the Morning…and Other Surprising Time-savers

2007-03-06T12:44:00.000+04:00

You work hard but can’t seem to get everything done. There are just too many responsibilities, interruptions and demands. Rather than working longer, you need to learn to use your time better -- and sometimes that means doing things that seem counterintuitive...
Shorten your workday. If 10 hours isn’t enough, try nine-and-a-half. Losing 30 minutes of work time each day makes you organize your time better. No longer will you tolerate interruptions... make personal phone calls from the office... or chat around the water cooler. Your pace will pick up, your focus will sharpen, and you’ll soon find that you’re getting more done despite the shorter workday.

Bonus: You have freed up two-and-a-half hours for yourself each week. This works just as well outside the workplace. Allot fewer hours for chores and projects, and you’re more likely to buckle down and get them done.

Take a break. Hard workers often feel that they don’t have time to take a break. Recharging your batteries isn’t wasted time -- it keeps you running. Escape from your workday life for at least 30 minutes each day or a few hours each week. Use this escape time to do whatever it is that most effectively transports you away mentally from your daily responsibilities. That might be reading a novel, exercising at the gym or listening to classical music. These escapes keep your mind sharp and your energy level high. If you just can’t find the time, add the escape more formally to your schedule. If your escape is exercise, plan a game of tennis or golf with a friend -- the friend will be counting on you, so it will be tough for you to back out. If your escape is music, buy season tickets to the local symphony -- you’re more likely to attend if you already have purchased the tickets.

Don’t look at E-mail first thing. Instead, use the morning to focus on your most important tasks. Most people’s minds are sharpest in the morning, and completing important responsibilities before lunch creates a sense of relief and accomplishment that can carry you through the afternoon.

Helpful: When you reply to an E-mail, try to fit your entire response in the subject line. Some people waste hours each day crafting long responses when short ones are all that’s needed.
Avoid the urge to multitask. When many things need to get done, it’s tempting to try to do them all at once. But multitasking isn’t the secret to productivity -- it’s a sure way to be inefficient.
According to a study published in Journal of Experimental Psychology, it takes the brain four times longer to recognize and process each item it is working on when multitasking than when it is focused on a single job. Other studies have found that work quality suffers when we try to multitask.

To get many things done, either in the office or at home, do just one thing at a time. If another obligation crops up or an unrelated idea pops into your head, pause from your current task only long enough to jot it down in your planner (not on a scrap of paper, which could get lost).
Be your own boss. Even if you are an employee with a company, think of yourself as an independent entrepreneur working with your company, not as a hired hand working for it. We all are self-employed, in a manner of speaking. We work for the sole proprietorships that are our careers. There’s a productivity advantage to be had by keeping this in mind -- independent contractors know that they must continue to deliver results every day to retain their clients, while employees sometimes allow themselves more slack and act as if their employers owe them something.

Cut people off. Learn to put off interrupters without causing offense. When someone needs you, say, “How much time do you need? If it’s more than a few seconds, let’s schedule it for later so I can give you my full attention.” The time will be more convenient for you, and the person may solve his/her own problem in the meantime.

Greet callers with, “What can I do for you?” rather than “How are you?” -- the latter might be taken as an invitation to chat.

Don’t do chores when big deadlines loom. Faced with a big, important task and several small, easy, but less vital chores, many people start by tackling the chores. Knocking these off provides a sense that progress has been made, and it clears the tables to focus on the big responsibility -- but it’s still a poor strategy.

Always tackle the most important job first, though it might be the most difficult and time consuming. In the corporate world, the most important task usually is the one that will generate or save the most money for the company. If you put off this crucial task, unforeseen complications or new assignments might prevent you from getting the important tasks done at all.

Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Julie Morgenstern, founder of Julie Morgenstern Enterprises, LLC, a time-management and corporate-productivity consultancy, New York City. She is author of Never Check E-Mail in the Morning and Other Unexpected Strategies for Making Your Work Life Work (Fireside). www.juliemorgenstern.com

Julie Morgenstern Enterprises reprinted from Bottom Line/Personal, January 1, 2006
URL: http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/blpnet/article.html?article_id=39810

Nice thoughts

2007-03-06T12:31:00.003+04:00

As reported recently in The Wall Street Journal and the subject of a book by Sharon Begley (“Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain” ), new research conducted with the help of the Dalai Lama, the head of Tibetan Buddhism, shows that our thoughts can actually change the physical nature and function of our brains.

In a study conducted with Buddhist monks trained in deep meditation techniques, scientists found that when the meditators focused on thoughts of deep compassion and loving kindness it produced remarkable results. Perhaps not surprisingly while the monks were meditating their brain waves showed a change in gamma waves the brain waves that are associated with our perception and problem solving abilities. But here’s the surprising part, the changes in brain activity persisted even when the monks stopped meditating. In our words, thinking kind thoughts had changed their brains to be smarter and produce happier feelings long-term. Monks with the most hours of meditation showed the most pronounced brain changes.

If Buddhist monks can do it, so can we. Our brains have a “nice” muscle. The more you exercise it, the easier it is to be nice. and the more you will reap the benefits. So even if you are a bit of curmudgeon and don’t always feel like thinking nice thoughts, make an effort to overcome your grumpiness and spend a bit of time each day thinking about what you could have done today to be just a tad nicer. Over time, you’ll find yourself not only getting more smiles from co–workers and compliments at the school board meeting.

You may also be surprised to find that your ideas seem more creative, your answers to tough problems come a bit more easily and even the occasional dark moods we all experience come less frequently.

Nice truly does make you healthy, wealthy and wise…and happier!

Golden Sayings

2007-03-06T10:30:00.001+04:00

Sweet childish days, that were as long As twenty days are now.
~William Wordsworth~

We could never have loved the earth so well if we had had no childhood in it.
~George Eliot~

Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows.
~John Betjeman, Summoned by Bells ~

There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragr ant than ever again.
~Elizabeth Lawrence~

"A candle loses nothing of its light by lighting another candle."

Innocent Minds

2006-04-03T13:01:00.001+04:00

Since a very long time ago, people have searched for the meaning of love. But even the great philosophers, with their profound definitions, could not fully touch its true essence. In a survey of 4-8 year olds, kids share their views on love. But what do little kids know about love? Read on and be surprised that despite their young and innocent minds, kids already have a simple but deep grasp of that four-letter word.

Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smile to each other.

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

Love is when someone hurts you. And you get so mad but you don't yell at him because you know it would hurt his feelings.

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.

Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.

You can break love, but it won't die.

Love is when mommy sees daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsome then Robert Redbird.

I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.

When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.

Thought of the day

2006-04-03T12:53:00.001+04:00

"Love me or hate me, but spare me the indifference."

How was I born

2006-03-27T05:55:00.001+04:00

Funny story for those who surf internet

"DADDY! HOW WAS I BORN?" Junior asks his dad,

His dad, who is a software engineer sighs and replies,
"Ah, my son, I guess one day you would have to find out anyway!"
"Well, I saw your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on YAHOO.
Then I set up a date via e-mail with your mom and we met at a cyber-cafe.
We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive.

As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, but it was too late to hit the delete button."

"Six weeks later your mom sent me an instant message saying that her operating system was showing signs of unauthorized program activity from a self extracting file which had implanted itself in her BIOS.

Then nine months later a little Pop-Up appeared and said:
'You've Got Male'!