A Lone Stranger

This is not only extremely interesting, but so down to earth & a must read for many of us... "The Power of Money" - by Adam Khoo - Singapore's youngest millionaire at 26 years. "Some of you may already know that I travel around the region pretty frequently, having to visit & conduct seminars at my offices in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand & Suzhou (China ). I am in the airport almost every other week, so I get to bump into many people who have attended my seminars or have read my books. Recently, someone came up to me on a plane to KL & looked rather shocked. He asked, 'How come a millionaire like you is traveling economy?' My reply was, 'That's why I am a millionaire. ' He still looked pretty confused. This again confirms that greatest lie ever told about wealth (which I wrote about in my latest book, 'Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires'). Many people have been brainwashed to think that millionaires have to wear Gucci, Hugo...

No "politics" in this at all, but what you will read is very interesting... • The slogan, "Mādarē Vatan, Bhārat Ki Jai", was given in 1857, by Azeem Ullah Khan. • The slogan, "Jai Hind", was given by Abid Hassan 'Safrani'. • The slogan, "Inquilāb Zindābād", was given by Hasrat Mohani. • The slogan "Bhārat Chhoro'' (Quit India), was given by Yusuf Meher Ali, who incidentally, also coined the famous slogan, ''Simon go back''. • "Tarana-e-Hindi" - 'Sārē Jahāñ sē achhā, Hindostāñ hamārā', was written by Allama Iqbal. • Surayya Tayyabji made the remarkable & incredible contribution that gave us our flag, the Tri-Colour as we know it today. Incidentally, not one of the above luminaries, was a proponent of Hindutva, neither were any of them, members of the RSS, VHP, or the BHP (which did not even exist then). The above is a collection from Ali Nadeem Rezavi, Professor & Chairman, Department...

That's exactly what friends are for... (A nice thoughtful piece, by a well meaning soul...) I never sat on a sofa with my father after my marriage; he had already left me, but I have edited & forward the following story, since it is almost mine: "Many years ago, after I got married, I was sitting on a couch on a hot, humid day, sipping frozen juice during a visit to my father. As I talked about adult life, marriage, responsibilities & obligations, my father thoughtfully stirred the ice cubes in his glass & cast a clear, sober look at me. "Never forget your friends," he advised, "they will become more important as you get older. Regardless of how much you love your family & the children you happen to have, you will always need friends. Remember to go out with them occasionally, do activities with them, call them ..." "What strange advice!" I thought. "I just entered the married world, I am an adult & surely my wife...

Dedicated to you O Intelligent one for appropriate answers : 1. If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented? 2. If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes? 3. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery? 4. If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled? 5. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular? 6. Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker? 7. When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say? 8. Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a racing car not called a racist? 9. Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites? 10. Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things? 11. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one? (I like this one alot!) 12. 'I am' is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that 'I do' is the longest sentence? 13. If lawyers are disbarred and clergym...

A light hearted view on the life cycle - "Being a Senior, means Being a Seenager!" I just discovered my age group! I am a Seenager.....(senior teenager) I have everything that I wanted as a teenager, only 50 years later. I don't have to go to school or work; I get an allowance every month. I have my own pad, I don't have a curfew, I have a driver's license & my own car. I have IDs that gets me into bars & the wine store - I like the wine store the best. People I hang around with, are not scared of getting pregnant, they're not scared of anything, they've been blessed to live this long, so why be scared? And I don't have acne. Life is good! You'll feel much more intelligent after reading this, if you are a Seenager. Brains of older people are slow, because they know so much. People do not decline mentally with age; it just takes them longer to recall facts, because they have more information in their brains. Scientists believe, this also ma...

Yes, we didn't have the green thing back then..... Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman that she should bring her own shopping bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment. The woman apologized & explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days." The cashier responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save the environment for future generations." * * She was right - our generation didn't have the green thing in its day. Back then, we returned milk bottles, coke bottles & beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed & sterilized & refilled, so they could use the same bottles over & over. Yes, they really were recycling. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen & we replaced the razor blades in the razor, instead of throwing away the whole razor, just because the blade ...

Why men remain faithful to their wives?.... Here is the Indian version - one is not sure whether Westerners would be able to fathom the depth of the essay. This is somebody's 'personal' account - as to why he remains faithful to his wife - mind you, it is just for survival. In his own words..... "Her multitasking always amazed me, especially when it came to Chemistry. It was 8 in the morning. In the kitchen, my wife was checking the viscosity of the sambar, the solubility of chutney & the permeability of coffee, all at the same time. The huge number of multi-sized, multi-label bottles & cans on the shelf in front of her, looked like a 17th century alchemist lab with containers of different shapes & sizes labeled in Hebrew & Arabic. Hebrew & Arabic you can learn, but here it was a different challenge. The ‘Horlicks’ bottle contained chili powder, the ‘Bournvita’ tin, salt, while the oats tin had turmeric. I won’t be surprised if the rat poison cover...

"Mother"s Day".... (Reproduced below, is a brilliant article, which will stirr your soul, wrench you from within...as it did to me....) He was pruning the plants, sitting in the posh arbour of an international school - the heat & dust didn't seem to affect him. "Ganga Das, Principal Ma'am wants to see you right now". The last two words of the peon, had lots of emphasis on them, as if trying to make it sound like an urgency. He quickly got up, washed & wiped his hands & headed towards the Principal's office. The walk from the garden to the office seemed never ending; his heart was almost jumping out of his chest; he was trying all the permutations & combinations, figuring out as to what had gone wrong, that the Principal wanted to see him urgently. He was a sincere worker; had never shirked from his duties... *Knock knock*..."Madam, you called for me?" "Come inside," an authoritative voice laced with crispness, ma...

You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along & shoves you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee? "Well because someone bumped into me, of course!" Wrong answer. You spilled the coffee because coffee was in the cup. If tea had been in it, you would have spilled tea. Whatever is inside the cup, is what will come out. Therefore, when life comes along & shakes you (which will happen), whatever is inside of you will come out. It's easy to fake it until you get rattled. So we have to ask ourselves....what's in my cup? When life gets tough, what spills over? Joy, gratefulness, peace & humility? Or.......anger, bitterness, harsh words & actions? You choose! So let's work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation to yourself & others, kindness, gentleness & love. Cheers...

MUMBAI: A promise to marry cannot be considered an inducement in every rape case, the Bombay high court has ruled while granting pre-arrest bail to a 21-year-old youth after his former girlfriend lodged a case of rape following their break-up. Justice Mridula Bhatkar held that an educated girl who has consented to have pre-marital sex should take responsibility for her decision. "In the event of consent obtained by fraud, inducement is a necessary ingredient. There should be some material on record to believe prima facie that the girl was induced to such an extent that she was ready to have sexual intercourse. Promise to marry cannot be said to be an inducement in these types of cases," said Justice Bhatkar. The judge said that though society was changing, it carries the baggage of morality. "Since generations, there is a moral taboo that it is the responsibility of a woman to be a virgin at the time of marriage. However, today, the young generation is exposed to diff...

7 signs of a toxic relationship (Getty Images) When you are in a new relationship, the heady addictive feeling gets to you. And that is why, sometimes you invariably are blinded to the fact that the relationship may be corrosive. Here are a few signs. When you are in a new relationship, the heady addictive feeling gets to you. And that is why, sometimes you invariably are blinded to the fact that the relationship may be corrosive. It may be doing you more harm than good. Here are some warning signs that can help you know whether you are in a toxic relationship. Your relationship drains you:  Research suggests that 70% of our energy drains are emotional, says health psychologist Dr Kanan Khatau Chikhal. She adds, "One of the first signs of a toxic relationship is how you feel after you meet your partner. Do you feel high-spirited and motivated or do you feel like a deflated balloon? It is subjective feeling." You need to move away from a relationship that stresses you out...

Signs that your relationship has ended It was almost love at first sight for you two. People who saw you too couldn't help but comment on your chemistry. And as if it wasn't enough both of you hit it off like a house on fire. All was hunky-dory for the first few months. However, of late you have began to notice that there's no spark in the relationship anymore. Sometime you just don't care to go out of your way to accommodate him and vice versa. Does it mean the chemistry has fizzled out? The following signs signal the end of a relationship. - No more talking late into nights. - No more surprises, mushy messages, flowers or love notes. - You don't look forward to meeting anymore. - You have nothing to talk over the phone or even when you meet in person. - You can't help but compare the good ol' times with the imperfect present. - You would rather prefer watching a three-hour movie than spending time in a coffee shop with him. - You don't f...

Things men don’t want to say but mean to (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images) Here is a list that may help you understand your man better... Who says only women are difficult to understand? It is not always easy to find out what a man really wants because most of the time he does not convey it in words. Here is a list that may help you understand your man better: I like being the 'boy' friend Most men prefer remaining Peter Pan for all their lives if possible. Girls often think that guys are players-at-heart who love the single life and only settle down for societal norms. Don't be surprised but that's the truth. While there might be some guys who would like to have one in hand and one in bush and love chasing around other women too, fact of the matter is that most of them love being the immature children. Girls anyway love to play mom. I want you to be on your toes for me While men like the chase, but sometimes they would rather be the chased. Especially whe...

Extra- marital affairs   are oh so common (Corbis Images) Extra-marital affairs work for those who want that extra spice Infidelity is perhaps as old as marriage. And, along with the growing tribe of cheating spouses, there are some partners who remain blissfully unaware of any damage to their marriage. Interestingly, the Infidelity Facts website states that up to 41 per cent of spouses who cheat actually admit to their affair. "It's nothing new, but more in the open now," says Sarika Pilot Chaudhry. Many, who are prone to experimenting, do it guilt-free as long as they're meeting "responsibilities" in the domestic space. Mrs and Mr Shah were the most perfect couple; they made the most brilliant hosts at parties and seemed inseparable. Later, the husband was seen romancing Nirali in another city. He reasoned, "I love my wife, but since we have been married for so long, I am a bit bored and need that excitement. Nirali is also married, so it...

After bachelors get married (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images) Most bachelors get used to being bachelors will they get married. Once that happens, how do their lives change? Singlehood is singlehood. A bit of indiscipline. Loads of fun. Then marriage happens. And, life changes. Chaos, oh- so lovable chaos, goes for a toss. Punctuality intrudes. Things change. And how. Waste of money: Not allowed. Remember the time when you went pub-hopping, blowing thousands of rupees without thinking of going broke? And once you did, that is, went broke, the way you managed your life before the next pay packet came along? Post marriage, such recklessness becomes a thing of the past in the first month. You spend, but carefully. You have enough in our bank on the last day of the month. You may not like the feeling of being so financially disciplined. But, how does it matter? Flirting can hurt: Very few singles can claim to have led a flirting-free life. And even if they say they have, chance...

Is happily married an oxymoron? (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images) It's almost as if marriage is the great mousetrap!!! Those that are on the outside are dying to get in and those on the inside are dying to get out! Over many an evening with spirited friends in high spirits, I've had spirited discussions on the merits and woes of marriage. Inevitably there's a lot of joke cracking like 'everyone should get married, after all, happiness isn't everything!'. Men jokingly say, "I'm not afraid of terrorism. I've been married a few years!" For all the rising divorce rates, innumerable cases of adultery, and increasing reluctance amongst people to marry either because they grew up seeing their parents miserable and bored or observing the unhappy marriages of their friends and colleagues, the fact remains that marriage still remains an institution with hordes of people queuing up for membership. Never mind that a trip to the altar of faith may e...

Top 5 myths about marriage (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images) Marriage is often seen as fix-all - dreamy singles think it will make them happy, restless men and women think it will make them feel complete. We take apart the five most popular cons that mar marriage. I won't be lonely Being lonely or having company has nothing to do with getting married. Many loners remain so even after marriage. A long-suffering woman shared her woes, she said that though she was married, she was always lonely. "I never felt that we shared anything. When I spoke, he heard but never listened. On holidays, I never felt that we were together." Those who are lonely and feel that marriage will be a solution, need to analyse and identify what they are feeling. Anytime sex Sexual desire and frequency is dependent on libido, compatibility and the acceptance of the word 'sex' among both partners. Many partners, who have a deep-seated resentment for each other and are constantly bic...

How to make a relationship work (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images) Life's equations keep changing. Sometimes, unknowingly, owing to circumstances we often tend to ignore the issues that come in the way. Before reaching a stage where there is no other alternative but to call it a quit, giving time to think what is or what has been going wrong can help one iron out the differences in a relationship. Particularly, in a man-woman relationship, there are many factors like lack of spending quality time, inability to listen to the partner, lead to misunderstandings which may give rise to fractures otherwise not warranted in a healthy relationships. There are certain things, which may not look as very significant factors, but when paid attention to can act as buffers which will save one's relationship. Here is how: 1. Never look lost in things while your partner is saying something important. This may give rise to the feeling that you are least interested in listening to what ...

10 things men say but don’t mean (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images) Here is the key to help decode what your man is actually saying... He says: It's a guy thing. Translation: "There is no rational thought pattern connected with it, and you have no chance at all of making it logical." He says: It would take too long to explain. Translation: "I have no idea how it works." He says: Take a break honey, you're working too hard. Translation: "I can't hear the game over the vacuum cleaner." He says: I heard you. Translation: "I haven't the foggiest clue what you just said, and am hoping desperately that I can fake it well enough so that you don't spend the next three days yelling at me." He says: That's interesting, dear. Translation: "Are you still talking?" He says: You know how bad my memory is. Translation: "I remember my primary school anthem, the address of the first girl I ever had a cru...