Cherry tree at our backyard

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Math for Kids

url : http://www.mathkinz.com/

I found this site, (developed by a fellow Indian) intriguing while i was browsing. The gentleman who developed this site has done an excellent work. I mean not a many does these kinds of self-less work which would be useful to others . This website is designed to give a good exercise in maths for the kids starting from pre-k to grade 6. Being that the foundation age for developing interest in maths, i thought it might be beneficial for young kids, thus it is in my blog now. There are printable worksheets available for free download. There are even mathematics competitions carried out by the crew. Please check it out.

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Lets Face The Financial Crunch

I’m probably the least financial-minded person , and I’ve never owned a stock, bond or whatever else people invest in. Neither do my spouse, inspite of working in a financial company.

With all the news about the financial market’s meltdown over the last two weeks, i feel really sorry for my fellow men whose money and job, are in jeopardy.

So for those who have been worrying abt their finances after the black Monday, I just thought of sharing few tips to survive during such financial crisis, which i came across through television channels/newpapers/Internet.
Tips:
1. Don't panic.

2. Only invest money you don't need for the next five years. Don't put money in the stock market that you'll need for living expenses in six months. Instead, invest for the long term.

3. Have an investment plan and diversified strategy : invest your money at several banks.
4. Consider buying shares at low rates. If you have extra cash, consider purchasing shares at the "discounted" rate. Remember to buy low and sell high. Be sure to review the company's business plan before you invest.
5. Talk to your CPA(Certified public accountant) or other financial professional. Consult your CPA or other financial professional about your investments if you still have questions.
6.Check that your bank accounts are federally insured. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) guarantees deposits up to $100,000 per person. If you have to hold more than that, spread it across different banks.
7.Make sure your brokerage accounts are federally insured, too. The Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) guarantees you at places like Merrill Lynch and E-Trade up to $500,000, including $100,000 worth of cash. The SIPC is only there to make sure you get your shares and bonds back if a brokerage fails. And again, if you are one of the lucky few that has more than $500,000, spread it among multiple banks.
8.Refinance your mortgage. The crisis on Wall Street just caused a collapse in the interest rate on long-term US Treasury bonds, as lots of investors rushed there for safety. And that usually leads to a fall in long-term mortgage rates. So take advantage of that now. Rates are typicallys .5% lower than they were a week ago.

9. Last but not the least "will power" to face the situation.

Photographed by me.

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Fall 2008

Official fall started today . Its getitng cold here. So the usual guest (FLU) would make its frequent trip to all of our houses here. Been really sick , especially my 1 yr old gets cold, once in a fortnight. On top of all these things one cannot deny the splendorous beauty of the fall. I still remember my first fall color at New Hampshire, i was wide eyed & wonder stuck because for its a new experience for a person who comes from Asian countries like India. Although it was biting cold below 20 Deg Farenheit.... I managed to come out and click few pictures. But im sorry i lost those pictures by having them saved in yahoo pictures which had been totally collapsed now. It was really discouraging to me as i had too many pictures in that. All though i moved them all to other photo management website... i kind of lost interest to even check those pictures these days. I find picassa good with lots of storage space. Anyways will shoot some nice pictures and post it later.



Here you go.... the pictures i took yesterday (9/28/08) from our patio. It was too gloomy and rainy for the past 3 days. Looks good on picture but not good on a weekend! :-((

Phtographed by myself.

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String of beauty

Who does not like flowers, especially the fragrance they carry, is unique. I always have a special love for the flowers in my home-town chennai. Different varieties of jasmine (malli), rose (roja), oleander(arali), Chrysanthemums(samanthi) and lot more are piled up in the bazaar and sold as loose flowers by weight or strung as strands and sold length-wise. No matter what, one cannot forget the smell of flowers which will remind us of our memories going to temples,beach,park, theater, or any other places. I have posted few pictures of the flowers and flower bazaar in chennai which reminds me of my past memories.

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Mom Vs Mom !

Stay-Home-Mom Vs Working Mom:

I am just sick over this topic.. coz i've been thru so many snide comments from working moms about looking after the kids and staying at home. I love being a Stay-Home-Mom but I do have plans to get back to work later.In my humble opinion,the decision to stay back with children or to work is just a choice. It's not about morality or duty or resposibility and it's not really about money. It's about what you want to do with your life. Whether/Why/Where/When/How you work should matter to no one other than your partner and children. I find it baffling that someone who chose stay at home parenthood for their family should be slackening than someone who chose to work.Either Stay at Home or working Mother can be Great parents.

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Celebrities : family pictures

Ajith Family:

Arjun Family:
Bhagyaraj Family:
Captain Family:
Chiranjeevi Family:
Simran Family :

Shalini Family :
Sachin Family :
Ganguly family :
Shahrukhan Family :

Trisha Family :
Vijay Family :
Vishal Family :

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Tamil Joke

I got this one long back. I tried to save it in my inbox coz i liked it a lot. But u need to know tamil to read this email .... have fun .

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Tamil TV serial - A nudnik headache

I have been waiting for a chance to express or articulate my thoughts about the Indian tv serials, or especially tamil tv serials . Although there are a couple of them to mention about , mostly 99% of the tv serials sucks!!! I seriously doubt that all the director's brains might have been vaporised. Becoz almost all the serials follow the same set of rules like :
1) A family story with lot of characters as relations and unrelated branched stories.
2) The lead role - always a woman, will have the best characteristic features that nobody can find one in reality.
3) The Anti-heroine/hero role - mostly a woman again,possess all the worst characteristic features, will take revenge on the woman who plays the main role.
4) A definite love track.
5) A useless husband / father / brother ... the male character!!!
6)A delay of time with the dialogue deliveries between the characters which makes obvious that they does not know ABC about acting.
7) The most horrible thing is the background music which really gets into my nerves.
8) Comedy series : in which somebody will always laugh behind the scenes.(Probably the director feels that it is a comedy)
9) Some suspense thrillers which are supposed to be scary are very funny,predictable and in fact you can see these type of serials if u wanna watch a good comedy serial.
10) Duration of a serial is 30 minutes. But is actually telecasted only for 15minutes. Rest of the time is for title song at the beginning and a 2 or 3 commercial breaks in between.
11)The commercials... oh my god! i could add another bunch of points about it. But i dont wanna bore u like these serials.
And the lists does not end here... :-))

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Useful information about curry leaf plant

I have been looking for curry leaf plant since 3 years to add them in my garden. But i couldnt find one until last week . Luckily i found one at an indian grocery store. It was about an inch tall. I tried to grow a plant by sowing the seed long back, but it was more difficult than i thought. I didnt succeed probably because of various reasons. First, i sowed the seeds during winter. Second, i sowed it deep down the soil which is not the proper way. The seed should be covered by the soil with a very thin layer, while sowed. Third , too much of water is not good, at the same time do not let it completely dry between next watering. Fourth, during winter it needs enough light, I read in a website that the indoor light fixtures would help the plant's growth, so i had put it in my kitchen & it is pretty good. I thought the following information about curry leaf plant might be useful for gardening lovers.

Botanical Name: Murraya koenigi
Indian Name: Curry patta

Origin, Distribution and Composition of Curry Leaves
Curry leaf plant is a variety of shrub. The leaves are slightly bitter and aromatic.
The curry tree is a native of India and Srilanka . It grows in all tropical zones An analysis of curry leaves shows that they contain mineral and vitamins like calcium, phosphorus, iron, nicotine acid and vitamin C.

Healing Power and Curative Properties of Curry Leaves
Curry leaves possess the qualities of a herbal tonic. They strengthen the functions of stomach and promote its action. They are also used as a mild laxative. The leaves may be taken mixed with other mild tasting herbs. The juice extracted from 15 grams of leaves may be taken with buttermilk.

Digestive Disorders
Fresh juice of curry leaves, with lime juice and sugar, is an effective medicine in the treatment of morning sickness, nausea and vomiting due to indigestion and excessive use of fats. One or two teaspoons of juice of these leaves mixed with a teaspoon of lime juice may be taken in these conditions. The curry leaves, ground to a fine paste and mixed with buttermilk, can also be taken on an empty stomach with beneficial results in case of stomach upsets.
Tender curry leaves are useful in diarrhoea, dysentery and piles. They should be taken, mixed with honey. The bark of the tree is also useful in bilious vomiting. A teaspoon of the powder or the decoction of the dry bark should be given with cold water in this condition.

Kidney Disorders
The root of the curry plant also has medicinal properties. The juice of the root can be taken to relieve pain associated with the kidneys.

Premature Greying of Hair
Liberal intake of curry leaves is considered beneficial in preventing premature greying of hair. These leaves have the property to nourish the hair roots. New hair roots that grow are healthier with normal pigment. The leaves can be used in the form of chutney or the juice may be squeezed and taken in buttermilk or lassi.

Burns and Bruises
Curry leaves can be effectively used to treat burns, bruises and skin eruptions. They should be applied as a poultice over the affected areas.

Eye Disorders
Fresh juice of curry leaves suffused in the eyes. makes them look bright. It also prevents the early development of cataract.

Insect Bites
Fruits of the tree, which are berries, are edible. They are green when raw, but purple when ripe. Juice of these berries, mixed with equal proportion of lime-juice, is an effective fluid for external application in insect stings and bites of poisonous creatures.
Other Uses and benefits of Curry Leaves

Hair Tonic: When the leaves are boiled in coconut oil till they are reduced to a blackened residue, the oil forms an excellent hair tonic to stimulate hair growth and in retaining the natural pigmentation.

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Vivid virus

I recently came accross an interesting computer virus which was in the name of "Antivirus" software called XP Antivirus 2008 . Its really decieving bcoz they use the XP logo and would promt us to buy the fake-antivirus software. Please do not give your credit card information or try to buy that software because its actually a virus in the name of antivirus software.
Links to get rid of the Antivirus 2008 in case if you got one!
1. http://www.windowsvistaplace.com/xp-antivirus-2008-removal-instructions-xp-antivirus-2008/spyware-removal
2. http://www.removal-instructions.com/removeAntivirus2008.html

Or you can do google search and get tons of results.

Their deceiving logos:




Some simple precautious steps to avoid computer viruses:
1.Avoid downloading from unknown person or source.
2.Avoid readin unknown emails from ur inbox.
3.Whenever you search for something in google , try not to open the wep-page with insensible urlseg: bjskltbg.gjgpeuehjjks.combe cautious and read the url and see if it has a sensible name.
4.Set your computer so it doesn't autolaunch files, updates, security checks, html pages, cookies, etc. without your permission!
5. Keep the Antivirus protection programs up-to-date .
6.Please try to understand how viruses and worms get onto your computer and you can virtually stop them all in their tracks.






















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Ganesh chathurthi 2008

This is ganesh clay-idol , on chaturthi day at our home this year. I made 3 varieties of Kozhukattais and some sundal and invited few friends in the evening , where all of us exchanged our savouries with each other and chanted ganapathy ashtothram , which was really contentful.

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My favourite clicks Part-1

I just fell in love with the color of these flowers which i found at Hotel Marriot where we stayed for our vaccation to Hersey's Park,PA.


Hershey's Family:

Mommy & Baby

Took this picture in costco from the flower stall . It was a bunch of orange rose boquet

White Crysanthemum, taken at a farmers market during vaccation:

Empire State building , managed to take this shot, within few seconds, while i was moving in a car in NYC. I was happy that it came out so clear without a shake. Newyork city view taken from weehawken NJ.

Capemay Vacation pics oct 22 2007, a day after the pumpkin festival

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Digi Workshop

I've been taking pictures since i turned 15 if i remember right. I was in my 10th grade. It would be funny if i rewind back those days. I have no idea what photography was all about. But i liked it. When i grew older i developed more interest towards photography and clicked better pictures. My first camera was a yashika , the model back in the 80's, where we have to load the film and get rolling on.Lately i've been playing with the canon digital camera. Most of us, classify ourselves as a beginner thus own a digital camera, but we do not know how to make the most of it. I'm not a professional photographer, but i would call myself a good photographer. You check my works from the archives, which i will post it later. Now, I would like to share some tips on getting good pictures with ordinary digital camera(without SLR) here.
Basics:
1. Avoid shaking: therefore hold your camera with a grip, if possible lean again a solid surface or hold your breath for a while taking pictures. It’s not rocket science but it’s amazing how many people get it wrong and wonder why their images are blurry.

2. Resolution: Always choose the highest resolution , becoz if u happen to shoot a picture of ur lifetime and that u have ur camera's resolution set a low, theres nothing you can do to make it print at a descent size. Rather have the high resol. and reduce the file size before emailing.

3.When to use flash: The flash only works from 6 – 12 feet. Don’t use a flash when shooting scenery or long distance pictures. But DO use the flash when you're shooting people in bright midday sunlight - it fills in the harsh shadows. And, no, it won't overpower the sunlight.

4. Focus: Hold the button HALF WAY DOWN to focus on a subject (not the background). If necessary - say, the subject is off center - first compose the entire shot using the zoom, then point the center spot at the subject, press the button halfway down (this locks the focusing point!), then re-frame the shot and take the picture!!

5. Distance: try to be as much close as possible to the subject .

6.Some Functions in the digital camera :

You must be wondering how to get a picture with the background dull and the subject to be perfectly clear,we have always got a habit to click pictures with the "Auto" mode.Now here try to use the setting called "portrait" in your digital camera. I've demonstrated 2 pictures with "Auto" mode and then with the "Portrait" mode, pls find the diff and enjoy using it.

Whenever you intend to shoot a tiny objects with your ordinary digital camera, you might again get it blurry if your camera is in "Auto" mode. Switch the setting to " Macro" mode and try focusing the small objects. Pls find the pics below with auto & macro mode and see the difference it makes.("macro" option will always carry a flower symbol.)


Hope you like it. Enjoy taking pictures.

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Faith

Im not too orthodoxed but i believe and respect my relegion. Basically we do pooja or prayers to have self disciplinary routine in our life, and to control our mind. The meaning of festival in any relegion is, a celebration that we do in honor of our God/Goddess. We do it because it offers us sense of belonging to a particular religious , social , or a group. Through these festivals we get to hear stories and knowldge about the occassion through our elders, which we can pass it on to our next generation. And through these stories we would learn a moral to follow in our lives. I like to celebrate festivals. Therefore i like decorating idols during the fextival, although i dont have much of experience or knowledge abt it. I try to keep up the relegious ethics as far as possible. But mostly i do it , as i would dress up my own baby. So i enjoy doing it. And i feel contented. I have posted few pictures below .

KrishnaJayanthi 2008:

Varalakshmi Vratham 2008:

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