Herbs of India - Part 2

Thulsi or Holy Basil

Holy Basil is commonly grown in Hindu homes and it is a sacred plant in the Hindu religion. Native to India , Tulsi has a long tradition of use in ayurvedic medicine.Holy Basil has been used for thousands of years as a prime herb in ayurvedic treatment, and is mentioned in the Charak Samhita (the central teaching of ayurvedic medicine) which was written at least two thousand years ago.

Beneficial points:

1.Used in ayurvedic medicine for common colds, headachesstomach disorders, inflammation, heart disease, various forms of poisoning, and malaria.

2.considered an adaptogen, which means that it assists the body adapt to stress (environmental, physical, or chemical), restore balance in the body, and normalize body functions

3. It is currently being studied for its beneficial properties and has been found to be effective for cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol levels, stress, wound healing, the immune system.

4. Research has proved that liver support and protection, hypoglycemic conditions, ulcers, digestion, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, radiation poisoning, cataracts, the memory, respiratory system, urinary problems, eczema, psoriasis and other skin conditions, been treated successfully.

5.It is an antioxidant.

Contraindications:

Not recommended for use if pregnant, nursing, or are considering becoming pregnant (may have an anti-fertility effect). Do not administer to infants or toddlers. May lower blood sugar, consult a doctor if hypoglycemic (in separate studies, it has also been shown to be beneficial for those with hypoglycemia). Holy Basil has mild blood thinning properties.

To be continued ................................

Courtesy : Pacific Botanicals.

Herbs of India - Part 1

Lately i had been posting articles which is someway or other connected to natural & healthy living. This time i've planned to post some articles on Indian herbs. Hope you all like it.

Indian herbs are renowned all over the world for their medicinal properties. India is the second highest producer of medicinal herbs in the world after China. Himalayas, Aravalis, and Nilgiri mountains are the greatest reserves of medicinal herbs in India.

Let me take one at a time so that we can stay focussed.

Turmeric:

is one of nature's most powerful healers. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin. Tumeric has been used for over 2500 years in India, where it was most likely first used as a dye.
The medicinal properties of this spice have been slowly revealing themselves over the centuries. Long known for its anti-inflammatory properties, recent research has revealed that turmeric is a natural wonder, proving beneficial in the treatment of many different health conditions from cancer to Alzheimer's disease.

The list doesnt end here; 2o reasons to add turmeric to your diet :

1. It is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, useful in disinfecting cuts and burns.
2. When combined with cauliflower, it has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer.
3. Prevented breast cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice.
4. May prevent melanoma and cause existing melanoma cells to commit suicide.
5. Reduces the risk of childhood leukemia.
6. Is a natural liver detoxifier.
7. May prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease by removing amyloyd plaque buildup in the brain.
8. May prevent metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer.
9. It is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side effects.
10. Has shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.
11. Is a natural painkiller and cox-2 inhibitor.
12. May aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management.
13. Has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression.
14. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it is a natural treatment for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
15. Boosts the effects of chemo drug paclitaxel and reduces its side effects.
16. Promising studies are underway on the effects of turmeric on pancreatic cancer.
17. Studies are ongoing in the positive effects of turmeric on multiple myeloma.
18. Has been shown to stop the growth of new blood vessels in tumors.
19. Speeds up wound healing and assists in remodeling of damaged skin.
20. May help in the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

No wonder we Indians use turmeric almost everday in our cooking.

Contraindications: Turmeric should not be used by people with gallstones or bile obstruction. Though turmeric is often used by pregnant women, it is important to consult with a doctor before doing so as turmeric can be a uterine stimulant.

To be continued.....................


Courtesy : http://www.indiabook.com/
Image Courtesy : Internet.

Guilt free snacks :

This article is dedicated for those who are in diet and tired of egg whites, steamed vegetables and other diet food.

Most of us follow an unusual eating pattern to reduce the weight but the key to a successful wightloss is portion size (to control the calorie intake) and the ability to satisfy your hunger. SO you can continue eating what you eat regularly but restrict the portion size.

Some usefull tips on how to add spice to a diet-friendly palate especially the snacks time food.

Soup: tomato-based soup with a touch of meat or fennel is healthy and can feel very special. Stay away from cream-based stocks and go with broths with vegetables and grains, like chicken vegetable or vegetable barley.

Chocolate: Here’s the good news: Minimally processed dark chocolate has heart-healthy flavonoids that have antioxidant power. And in small quantities [chocolate] can have a positive effect on brain functioning. The less-good news: You have to have the willpower to eat it small enough quantities.

Brussels sprouts: As long as they aren’t overcooked just lightly browned at the edges with some oil or vinegrette are much more nutritious than celery. Helps to maintain your youth.

Acai: You can find it in the freezer section of health food stores and markets. It is rich in antioxidants, fatty acids and phytosterols. She suggests whipping it together with other fruits for a morning smoothie to kick-start your day. Acai is rainforest fruit from the Amazon that has great rejuvenating qualities.

Cheese: Apart from its fat content it’s also high in protein yet it helps with weight control, when combined with a right amount of carb in a manageable way gives a balanced and satisfying nosh.

Pomegranate: is high in free-radical fighting antioxidants and in flavor. The power of this potential superfood is in its high level of phytochemicals (plant chemicals that have protective or preventive properties). IT can be consumes as juice , Use the juice as a holiday cocktail, sprinkle the seeds over salads or cereal .

Nuts: Again high in fat, but this is why they can be so satisfying. Pay special attention to portion control. One third of a cup, or one and a half ounces, just four times per week. Any nut will do cashews, walnuts, almonds, pecans, or try macadamia nuts for something a little more exotic.

Wish you all luck guys.

Body Butter

Impportance of moisturizer :

A moisturizer is an essential product for a healthy skin which many people fail to realise or give least importance. Moisturisers prevent and treat dry skin, but that's not all they do. They can improve skin tone and texture, and mask imperfections. Skin tells itself how old it is or, how young it is. Extreme winters and summers are biggest challenges for any skin type. To face all these challenges we need to protect our skin with a right choice of moisturizer that suits our skin type.
There different types of skin types but basically they can be categorised into 3 namely

1.Normal

2.Dry

3.Dry

and theres one more called combinational where that type of skin has oily skin type on the T zone and rest of the area dry.

Therefore choose the moisturiser that's best for you depending on many factors, including your skin type, your age and whether you have specific conditions, such as acne.

Wait a minute ..... why would i talk about moisturizer under the topic "BODY BUTTER" ? You may think i got a bit deviated but , for those who are new to the product i just wanted to give them a small intro about moiturizer and then go the topic "Body Butter"

Now what really is a body butter:

Body Butter is like moiturizing lotion minus the water (most lotions are 70 to 90% water) and the preservatives. So what you are purchasing are the straight oils and butters in the concentrated form. Unlike lotion, Body Butter will not wash right off.

Lately I started to use body butter and found it a lot better than many other lotions which would eventually make my skin dry and scaly again. Body Butter is thick and creamy and also the skin seems to absorb it quickly.

You can choose any brand of body butter that works for you , i found The body shop's butter to work fine with me. I just love their range of products and fragrance and last but not their least the quality.

So guys please understand the importance of moisturizing ur skin and have fun using them.

Have a healthy skin!!!

Vaccation 2008

My vaccation last year was great except the fact that we all fell sick (flu). Other than that it was a nice trip. we had been to LA & Lasvegas and most of the picture i clicked was at lasvegas. So pls find the picture below and let me know ur valuable comments. Took all the pics with my ordinary compact digita camera - canon.

Disneyland Castle dec 2008:

Disney Parade :

Disney Parade :

Bellagio Chihuli glass at the lobby :

City view from our room @ bellagio:

Pongalo Pongal

This is one of the major festivals of tamilnad which is in south india. Since i hail from that place i wish to add few words about it. Pongal is such a sweet festival really as well as literally .It is very special to the farmers as it is mainly oriented to the harvesting. But every Hindu thanks lord "surya baghvan" which is the sun , for giving life to the plants and there by food to all the living being. We make a speciality dish called Pongal which is basically a slow cooked rice & jaggery and offered to god as a token of thanks.

My friend sent this is a picture of her office in chennai decorated for the festival of Pongal. The pots, sugarcane branches with leaves and flowers are traditional parts of the Pongal celebration. In rural areas of Tamil Nadu and northern and eastern Sri Lanka, the pots would be on an open fire with milk and traditional pongal food being boiled in them.

Happy Pongal to all of you.

Happy NewYear 2009

Hi friends happy newyear wishes to you all. I just landed back from my vaccation. Will post my vaccation pics soon.

Christmas 2008

Happy Christmas folks! sorry couldnt find any great deal coz im on vaccation.

Christmas Shopping

We finally planned for a vaccation after about 5 years , to the west coast for a week. So trying to find some good deals for shopping. But honestly i couldnt find a good deal for outfits and cosmetics. hope to find one soon.

Calcium & Bones -Part 2

If your daily diet alone does not provide adequate Calcium, it is recommended to take a multi-vitamin supplement that contains Calcium and Vitamin-D. At the same time, latest research suggests that food items that are rich in calcium help to strengthen bone better than supplements taken in the form of pills.

As i said earlier, Vitamin D is essential for Calcium absorption in the body. The amount of Vitamin D required for Calcium absorption grows with age. If you get adequate sunlight, taking a walk out in the sun with light clothing for about 30 minutes gives you enough Vitamin D for the day.

The vitamin D is measured in terms of international unit called IU. Daily recommended intake quantity of vitamin D is shown in the picture below.

To be continued............................

Source courtesy NY department of health.

Image courtesy Internet

Calcium & Bones Part - 1

I used to think that women don’t have to worry about frail bones until they get older. I was wrong! I found out too late that women of all ages need to take steps to keep their bones strong. Unfortunately, like me, many more women already are at risk for bone weakness. Bone strength in later life depends on the development of bones earlier in life. Adequate calcium intake during youth is essential to achieve peak bone mass.

Everyone knows that calcium is essential for building strong bones and teeth. But did you know that it is also important for maintaining a normal heartbeat and regulating blood pressure – and it even helps with the healthy functioning of your nerve system

There are many diseases that is associated with bone weakness, but to name a few which is very commonly found in women (especially in old age, but not necessarily) are osteoporosis , osteopenia etc.

How can I find out if I have weak bones?
There are tests you can get to find out your bone strength, also called bone density. There are also other types of bone strength tests too. Talk with your doctor about which type of test is best for you. Don’t wait until age 65. You have a higher chance for breaks.

How can I prevent weak bones?
The best way to prevent weak bones is easy―start by building strong ones.
No matter how old you are, it is never too late to start! Although building strong bones during childhood and adolescence is the best. But there are steps you can take to stop your bones from becoming weak and brittle.

1. Get enough calcium each day (Just a rough estimate) - about 1000 mg till age 50. After which it may need to be increased to 1200 mg.



2. Get enough vitamin D each day - which helps your body to absorb the calcium.



3. Healthy diet



4. Be active



5. Avoid smoking/alcohol/caffeine

Examples of Calcium-rich Foods
Dairy Foods
(for overall health, choose fat-free or low fat products)
Milk
Yogurt
Cheese (5 grams fat or less per ounce)
Non-dairy foods
Chinese cabbage (bok choy), cooked
Figs, dried
Greens (dandelion, kale, mustard, turnip), cooked
Salmon, Sardines, canned with bones
Soy nuts
Fortified foods
(be sure to select foods with calcium added)
Breakfast bars, Granola bars, Cereal bars
Cereal
Juices
Soymilk
Rice milk
Tofu
Waffles

To know more varieties of food that contains different amount of calcium content in it you may visit / click this link in blue color.

Reading food labels for calcium content

The food label does not list calcium in milligrams. Instead, the label lists % Daily Value (%DV) for calcium in each serving. 100% of the DV for calcium is equal to 1000 mg of calcium per day.
To find the calcium content (mg per serving) from %Daily Value:
Read the %DV for calcium per serving.For example: 1 serving (1 ounce) lowfat cheese contains 20% Calcium.
Determine the calcium in each serving (mg/serving): Simply replace the % from the DV with a "0."For example: 20% Calcium = 200 mg calcium.

Terminology & Definitions

A "Calcium-fortified" or "Calcium enriched" food has 10% or more of the calcium DV added (100mg or more of calcium is added when compared to the same serving of a similar type of non-fortified food).
An "Excellent source" of calcium contains 20% or more of the calcium DV (200mg or more).
A "Good source" of calcium contains 10% to 19% of the calcium DV (100 to 190mg).

NOTE: At the same time excess of calcium intake may be unwise too. It may result in kidney stones, cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer and so on. So it is advisable to stay within the range of daily calcium intake quantity.

To be continued .........................................

Source courtetsy - NY state department of health

Image sourcee - Internet

Happy Happenings!

1st Place Winner: Srinidhi Suresh - Middle.

What could make you more happier than your child's achievements?!! That which makes you far happier than the enormity..... Yes , I would like to share one such incident with you all. I'm sure everyone is aware of the competition called Spelling Bee. I love spelling competitions and have always had a feeling that they should have had a competition for it, during my school days. Unfortunately they did not have one in my school (during my school days, back in India).

Anyways, the movie 'Akeelah and the Bee' is one of my favourite movies. If you like spellings, English grammar/vocabulary and origin of words, you’ll really love that movie.

Coming to the point, I got an email from my Cousin Sister today, that her daughter Srinidhi( 5th Grade), has won the first place, in Spelling Bee contest at her school . Immediately i called my sister and congratulated her. I could sense her voice starting to streak with tears that contains a mixture of happiness, proud and humble emotions. Ah! There's great satisfaction in experiencing a daughter's success. I have normally seen parents to be too pushy to make their kids study well and score good grades, but some kids could only make it up to a certain point. Where as in some case, the parents might be ignorant or less educated to even teach their kids, but the kids will study so well on their own. It is so rare to happen that a super smart kid could get a super coach Mom like my Sister & her daughter. Good luck to Srinidhi and the other kids. And thanks to my Sister for sharing her daughter's pictures.

Naming the natural calamities :

I was pretty unhappy during the long weekend becoz of two major incidents that happened in India. 1. Mumbai terror attack 2. Cyclone Nisha in Tamilnad.
The name of the cyclone, sounded funny to me at first. But later i was thinking about it and realised that there should be a reason behind it. And then did some research on it, and here comes the result. Presenting with humble, the few bits of knowledge that i read out of curiosity.


What is a tropical cyclone?
A tropical cyclone is the generic term for something like a thunderstorm activity.The terms hurricane and typhoon are regionally-specific names for a strong tropical cyclone.

Tropical cyclones are categorised below based on their intensity:

Hurricane - in the North Atlantic Ocean and the north-east Pacific Ocean regions
Typhoon - in the north-west Pacific Ocean region
Tropical cyclone - in other regions, including the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Ocean.

How do they get their names?
Tropical cyclones are named to provide ease of communication between forecasters and the general public, regarding forecasts, watches and warnings. Since the storms can often last a week or even longer, and more than one can be occurring in the same region at the same time, names can reduce the confusion about what storm is being described.

Who name them ?
The lists are decided on, depending on the regions, either by committees of the World Meteorological Organization (called primarily to discuss many other issues), or by national weather offices involved in the forecasting of the storms. Each year, the names of particularly destructive storms (if there are any) are "retired" and new names are chosen to take their place.







Source courtesy : world wide tropical cyclone center.
Image Courtesy : Internet

My favourite clicks - Part 2

These photographs were shot about 5 yrs ago. It was taken from my old digital camera .Happen to find these pictures while i was browsing my album. Thought i would post few of them.


1. Long shot - Lake George , NY.

2. I just fell in love with this lovely bike with a bull's horn at the bottom of the handle bar.
(Lake George NY - 2004):

Ganesh Chathurthi at our house:

This is a private residence for Dr. Emlen Physick and his family built on 1879. The 18-room mansion is now Cape May's only Victorian house museum and is administered by the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts. Entertaining and educational guided tours of the Estate run year-round.
Took this picture from our garden , a beautiful Old-garden-rose plant on 2006:

And tried to make a garland out of the flowers that we got from the plant:

Haphazard Unelightened!

I was traumatized to hear to such news. I have noticed that such tragedies always happen during the end of the year. Our nation need serious help. The city of mumbai is in a state of misery, being attacked few hours ago ,with ongoing gun battle and blasts at several places and holding to hostages. The terrifying incident has created a sense of extreme anxiety among Indians all over. It reminds me of the famous lyrics in tamil" Endru thaniyum intha suthanthira thaagam " meaning - when will the thirst of freedom be quenched?

Its a pity to note that the resque group is not enough for the amount of people being attacked and there are no enough amneties to help the people. Especially for a prosperous city like Mumbai which is the inhibitance for most of the VIP or influential people. Most interesting thing which the whole world would expect is the speech of president/primeminister of India not being delivered even after several hours of the incident! And the most disturbing fact is that, nobody really knows what is happening around. What should i add more to illustrate the haphazard state?

Hurray Long weekend!

What shud i say . I got no time to sit and research for the blackfriday sale. As of now i honestly dont have anything big in my list especially with the ongoing economic crisis.
But im planning to take lot of pictures so u can expect some pictures on my next post. Have a great long weekend folks.

Noneother than Nambiar!

Its a true loss to the indian film industry that the great legend is no more with us.

The man who created an impression with the audience that he may be a real villian, which proves his ability to impress the audience. In reality he has been a real humble and soft natured man says his fellow actor/actresses. It is really amazing to know that he has been acting since seven generations. Actually if you think of it, its not an easy thing to make the audience like you for 7 generations. At some point we might loose interest , but this man has broken the record and has done a fabulous job. May his soul rest in peace.

Image courtesy - Internet

What is black friday?

Black Friday is the friday after thankgivingday in the UnitedStates, where it is the beginning of the traditional Christmas shopping season.

The term Black Friday was first used to describe Sept. 24, 1869, when several financiers had tried to corner the gold market and the market crashed, and a depression ensued. Due to the depression it was observed as black friday.

You might think it contrarily describes the scene of hoards of shoppers trampling towards shopping malls. It's because it is when retailers' balance sheets supposedly move out of the red (red ink was used by accountants of old to indicated losses) and into the black (the retailers turning their profit).

Source courtesy - retailindustry.com

Children's Day - Nostalgia !

I remember speaking in an oratorical competition when i was studying 3rd grade on a Children's day Contest in our school. The whole school participated in the competition which was till 8th grade. It will be interesting to know how eagerly i waited to hear the final results as other contestants. They finally announced the results, at first they announced the first runner up and the 2nd runner up. Now there are only 2 good speech givers in the whole school and they both are my seniors. So everybody was expecting one of their names to be the winner.
And now, they pronounced my name & said that I was a winner. I was happy but not surprised. Because i was so confident. Wish i have some now. My dad was so happy when he heard the announcement. And then my dad asked me to send the speech in written format to the prime minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi at that time . I did what my dad said ( at that age ! :-))) And to my surprise i was happy when i saw a congratulating letter from Rajiv Gandhi's personal secretary, which came to me within a month. I still have that letter. I would definitely post it in my blog later. All such sweet memorable events, happened during our childhood stays forever. Wish we could have a rewind button in life !

veterans day2008

Im so absent minded that i finished writing a couple of articles long back, and save it. But forgot to publish it onle when it will appear in the blog to view for public. So here it is:

Its a day where they show their gratitude for the people who have served the country (in military)and to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. This is something good about the country & their people's attitude towards their countrymen. Well , this gave me an insight that , we do not have something like that in our country. Surprising huh! Though we have honored few from the huge amount of freedom fighters like Gandhiji & Nehruji & others. But why dont have honor everyone? Some might say that we have the Independence day where we honor them all. But wait all the countries in the world has an Independence day. Why would they(some of them) have allocted a day seperately & specially for veterans. I have no answer!

Image courtesy - internet.

Hate Mondays ? Love Fridays !

Do you hate Monday?
Well i hear some people (mostly men!) often saying this word "I HATE MONDAY", they just hate geting up, shutting down the alarmclock, hate the taughts of a weeks work/school/college. Sundays make them angry and depressed because a whole week has gone by and they have to get back to work/school the next day. They might also fantasize and wish mondays were a day of rest.And that fridays make them feel so relaxed.
I personalized not hate all Mondays, but sometimes i just feel a little bit lazy to start a new task in the morning esp. after a long weekend.
New research shows that people's beliefs about being in a better mood at the end of the week than at the beginning is really just a bias in the way human memory works. In reality, people's moods do not change dramatically over the course of the week, and people are not vastly happier on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings than they are on Mondays.
Stereotypes like 'Monday morning blues' and 'TGIF -- Thank God It's Friday' are largely inaccurate theories of how moods vary" day by day.
The reason lies in the difference between people's actual moods on any given day and how they remember them later, and it reflects the difference between two different mental processes. Memory is partly about recollection and partly about the meanings we associate with events. Fridays mean liberation from the chores of the workweek, and Mondays mean putting on the yoke again. Those meanings influence our recollections of our moods: When a conflict arises between meaning and memory, meaning usually wins.

Now please take a look at the funny video below:



Hate Mondays? Love Fridays







Source courtesy : Department of Human Behaviour by Shankar Vedantam.

Winter Blues

Although I had enough activities around , to keep my self busy i always felt low during winter and had a kind of unexplained feeling which would make me dull. I couldnt figure out what i was going through until few episodes. And then i came to know thru one of my friend that there is something called winter depression which is very usual to occur in western countries . That sounded strange for me, because we never had 'depression' back in India! (Or ateast until we got married! :-)) lol ).

So this is called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) - is a type of depression that is triggered by the seasons. The most common type of SAD is called winter-onset depression. Symptoms usually begin in late fall or early winter and go away by summer. Researches proved that SAD is related to changes in the amount of daylight in effect to our brain during different times of the year.

Common symptoms of winter-onset SAD include the following:

• A change in appetite, especially a craving for sweet or starchy foods


• Weight gain


• A drop in energy level


• Fatigue


• A tendency to oversleep


• Difficulty concentrating


• Irritability and anxiety


• Increased sensitivity to social rejection


• Avoidance of social situations and a loss of interest in the activities you used to enjoy

So there are several treatments for this depression which includes, light therapy, anti-depressive drugs, and counselling. Since its a new thing for someone from tropical countries like India, we find it little weird. Although most of us would not go for anti-depressive drugs/counselling it is real simple to get rid of such a feeling but invloving ourselves into as much activities as we could and make use of the day light time, from my personal experience. Well , after all, we people are super smart adaptive to any places, regions, situations!!!

Source Courtesy - webmd.com

Static

Almost all of us are familiar with static electricity especially during the winter. On dry winter days, static electricity can build up in our bodies and cause a spark to jump from our bodies to pieces of metal or other people's bodies. We can see, feel and hear the sound of the spark when it jumps. you come inside from the cold, pull off your Jacket and......there you go Static electricity makes your hair stand while removing your jacket on end. Or You walk across people, or atleast sit beside them, again you get a static shock. What is going on here? And why do static problems only seem to happen in the winter?

Everything around us is made of atom, which is the smallest part of any element that can no longer be divided. An atom is composed of charged particles called Protons, Electrons & Neutrons. Where ,

Protons - are positively charged

Electrons- are negetively charged and

Neutrons - have no charge they are neutral.

Now, positive and negative charges behave in interesting ways. You might've probably heard that the opposites attract? Two things with opposite, or different charges (a positive and a negative) will attract, or pull towards each other. Things with the same charge (two positives or two negatives) will repel, or push away from each other. A charged object will also attract something that is neutral.

So what does all this have to do with static shocks? When you take off your wool hat, it rubs against your hair. Electrons move from your hair to the hat. A static charge builds up and now each of the hairs has the same positive charge. things with the same charge repel each other. So the hairs try to get as far from each other as possible. The farthest they can get is by standing up and away from the others. And that is how static electricity causes a bad hair day! Now lets see hoe to reduce the occurance of static.

Stating eliminating tips :

1. Increase humidity using humidifiers

2.Change clothes - switch to natural fibers, since synthetics pick up more of a static charge.

3. If your skin is very dry - try an anti-static hand lotion or atleast any moisturising lotion.

Image courtesy - Internet

Source Courtesy - sciencemadesimple.com

Obama Wins !

Lately our television had a break from telecasting the same old serial stuff, and telecasted only the the presedential debates, so many infomercials, primaries, and the campaigns, because of my husband.Finally, the democratic presidential nominee Barrack Obama succeeded against John Mccain. We both stayed up until Obama’s speech last night. In the first time of history , Obama sweeps the victory of being the first black president of UnitedStates. His speech was wonderful, impactful, and most of all hopeful. And so was Mccain's, although he lost, his final speech was really touching. Each and every word he spoke shows his maturity. Especially the lines

"Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that. It's natural, tonight, to feel some disappointment. But tomorrow, we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again. We fought as hard as we could. And though we feel short, THE FAILURE IS MINE AND NOT YOURS" I just couldnt control my tears for Mccain although im not in favour of any of them. This shows their unity.( Wish we Indians could borrow some)

Also I was blown away by footage of people celebrating all over the country and all over the world. I dont really mind who ever comes , but i sincerely wish they could do something good for the country. Good luck America & Obama.

Image courtesy : www.barackobama.com

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

What is beauty? An attractive? A good figure? Clear skin?None of that. All those things are unreal. They just appeal to the senses. They're purely physical.

So what is beauty? Beauty runs deeper than the physical. It appeals to the spirit.

Beauty is like a book, it cannot be judged by its cover! I believe the personality and the soul is what makes a person beautiful, it does not always have to be the physical appearance.

I remember an incident that happened in my life when i talk about beauty. I was doing my first year in college. Those days , I was fond of beauty and beauty care products. I gave so much of importance for beauty, that i always regretted towards my skin tone that i was not blessed with a fair shade. :-)) At some point , there was a classmate of mine , i don't even remember her name . But before going forward i should say something about this girl. She had excellent academic records and was very friendly with others; She had every thing in the world that any young woman could have; except , her five fingers in her left hand! Yes she was born with this congenital abnormality (birth defect) called symbrachydactyly where there will be no fingers in the left hand.So when i was very sad for being brownish, she came to me and showed her hand, and said "you have every thing that a girl should have ,(means - with no physical flaws) that's what we need! " I felt like someone slapping on the face and said that beauty is not just physical. I can never forget this. And from then on, i never worried about my tone.

Please take a look at the video below. I found it real funny.

Its halloween day

Its really fun especially if u have kids at home. It is such a pleasure to see them wearing Halloween costume and taking them for trick or treat. My little one was wearing spider man costume this year. Unfortunately i couldn't take him out this year as it was too cold outside.

I read from a website about the halloween costume ideas for newborn babies and and little kids , which impressed me a lot. Actually with very little kids it is difficult to choose a halloween costume as we should keep in mind about the comfort level of the baby. Especially if both the parents are working, the they might consider some practical/simple yet cute costumes for the babies. One such costume would be a Scrub from blissliving.com.

Image courtesy - www.blissliving.com

Smiling Enemies

Sorry if i have decieved you by this picture. Im not gonna talk about SushmithaSen or AishwaryaRai. Im gonna talk here about jealousy. Then why this picture?? Just to literally match my title! :-)) I know some of your faces are turning red .... but pls control yourself.

Before i could jump on the topic i would like to share a joke that i read in a book.

A huge family consisting of a husband/wife/children/Motherinlaw/Fatherinlaw went out for a shopping mall. After sometime they realised that they lost the mother-in-law in the crowd. Every body searched at each and every corner but couldnt find the mother-in-law. Suddenly the wife asks her husband an expensive neclace that she saw at a near by jewellery shop. The husband got mad at his wife for asking things at an in-appropriate situation. But the wife replied "Honey im doing this for 2 reasons". The husband asks what were they. THe wife replies : "

"Reason No#1 : I had been thinking to buy a necklace since long time.

Reason No# 2 : Every time I ask you to buy something for me, the mother-in-law, appears out of nowhere".

This proves the jealousy between them. Although it sounds funny, it should be analysed and get rectified , else it would lead into problems.

So, what is jealousy?When we think about this question, we could answer it in many ways.However each one of us have an answer to the question w.r.t how it has affected in our life. According to me Jealousy is comparison. We all have the basic nature to compare , but when the degree of concentration raises it becomes an absolute jealousy.Comparing lifestyles, wealth, property, personality, spouse, etc etc.... the list never ends.When jealousy arise, the chances are a lot many bad things could happen like a relationship or a friendship could get affected. Jealousy invades and leads every relationships into misery.

We all have been through experiences when we felt that someone close to us suddenly cooled off, and kept their distance from us after hearing of a positive development in our lives. And we might be wondering why and later would probably figure out but it might still be confusing. suggestions to handle such people :

1. Ignore

2.Return their bad behaviours with good

3. Never stoop to their level.

Many researches/surveys/articles have proved that jealousy is a negative feeling that would destroy the whole life.

Drop comparing and jealousy disappears, meanness disappears, phoniness disappears. But you can drop it only if you start growing your inner treasures; there is no other way.
Grow up, become a more and more authentic individual. Love yourself and respect yourself the way God has made you, and then immediately the doors of heaven open for you. They were always open, you had simply not looked at them.

Source Courtesy : Osho ,The book of wisdom chapter 27.

Image courtesy : Dr.PaulHauk Book's Cover.

Walmart tops Fortune 500

Acoording to Fortune magazine rankings for the year 2008, Walmart is at the top . I have always admired at the companies and personalities who are at the top.
The founder of Walmart - Sam Walton (1918-1992) , was a businessman , but very unique. He is also the founder of Sam's club. was described as to be industrious, always trying to get the most out of money, and had a burning ambition to succeed. This is all apparent by: how he helped his family through the depression, started his own business from almost nothing, and how he changed the field of management. I got amazed on reading more about Sam Walton. All these people who are now at the top (atleast most of them) have struggled in their early days . And they all have same thirst to succeed in life. I think they all live for ever.
Their motto that impressed me :
"We're all working together; that's the secret. And we'll lower the cost of living for everyone, not just in America, but we'll give the world an opportunity to see what it's like to save and have a better lifestyle, a better life for all. We're proud of what we've accomplished ; we've just begun." (The Wal-Mart Story)

Image courtesy : Wikipedia & Times Magazine.

My Diwali Day 2008

Deepavali (or Diwali) is my favourite festival. I donno why but it gives me a sense of happiness for no reason... I still remember my childhood days of celebrating diwali at my granparent's house with my brothers . My mother would wake us up early and ask us to shower and dressed up with new outfits. The sense of nativity, sound of crackers , the smell of breakfast and sweets and the loud talks of relatives and friends coming over, i would say that was my best diwali celebration ever in my life and i would never forget thos lovable memories. Its always nice to have people around especially during festivals. So is my husband. We both are alike in this issue.

Although its another day in a foriegn country :-)) we got up, took shower , dressed up with same old casual outfits... :-)) and did pooja , had breakfast(tea/bread) , and then................................. started watching suntv! :-)) As usual there were no good programs, except Dr.AbdulKalam's interview.

Wish you all a very happy diwali