Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
HAPPY MARRIED LIFE
A new phase in life,
A fresh journey to voyage,
Adventurous terrains to stride on,
Stimulating challenges to confront,
Interesting problems to resolve,
Incredible situations to manage,
Exciting responsibilities to shoulder,
Remarkable duties to perform,
A fresh journey to voyage,
Adventurous terrains to stride on,
Stimulating challenges to confront,
Interesting problems to resolve,
Incredible situations to manage,
Exciting responsibilities to shoulder,
Remarkable duties to perform,
WISH YOU A HAPPY MARRIED LIFE
Monday, May 2, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Hilarious!!!
A woman awakens during the night to find that her husband was not in bed. She goes downstairs to look for him.
She finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in front of him. He appears to be in deep thought, just staring at the wall.
She watches as he wipes a tear from his eye and takes a sip of his coffee. "What's the matter, dear?" she whispers as she steps into the room.
She finds him sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in front of him. He appears to be in deep thought, just staring at the wall.
She watches as he wipes a tear from his eye and takes a sip of his coffee. "What's the matter, dear?" she whispers as she steps into the room.
"Why are you down here at this time of night?" The husband looks up from his coffee, "Do you remember 20 years ago when we were dating, and you were only 18?" he asks solemnly.
"Yes I do" she replies.
The husband pauses; the words were not coming easily.
"Do you remember when your father caught us in the garden?"
"Yes, I remember" said the wife, lowering herself into a chair beside him.
The husband continued.. "Do you remember when he showed the shotgun in my face and said, 'Either you marry my daughter, or I'll send you to jail for 20 years?" "I remember that too" she replied softly.
"Yes I do" she replies.
The husband pauses; the words were not coming easily.
"Do you remember when your father caught us in the garden?"
"Yes, I remember" said the wife, lowering herself into a chair beside him.
The husband continued.. "Do you remember when he showed the shotgun in my face and said, 'Either you marry my daughter, or I'll send you to jail for 20 years?" "I remember that too" she replied softly.
He wiped another tear from his cheek and said, "I would have been released today"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HR - High Risk
After 2 years of selfless service, a man realized that he has not been promoted, no transfer, no salary increment,
no commendation. So he decided to walk up to his HR Manager. His manager looked at him, smiled and asked him to sit down saying:
"My friend you have not worked here for even a single day." The man was surprised to hear this, but the manager went on to explain.
Manager:
How many days are there in a year?
Man:
365 days and sometimes 366.
Manager:
How many hours make up a day?
Man:
24 Hours.
Manager:
How long do u work in a day?
Man:
10am to 6pm i.e 8 hours a day.
Manager:
So, what fraction of the day do u work in hours?
Man:
He did some arithmetic and said 8/24 i.e 1/3 (one third).
Manager:
This is nice of u! what is 1/3rd of 366 days?
Man:
122(1/3 x 366=122 in days)
Manager:
Do u come to work on weekends?
Man:
No sir.
Manager:
How many days r there in a year that r weekends?
Man:
52 Saturdays and 52 Sundays equals to 104 days.
Manager:
Thanks for that. If u remove 104 days from 122 days. how many days do u now have?
Man:
18 days.
Manager:
I do give u 2 weeks sick leave every year. Now remove that 14 days from the 18 days left. How many days do u have remaining?
Man:
4 days.
Manager:
Do u work on Republic Day?
Man:
No sir!
Manager:
Do u come to work on Independence Day?
Man:
No sir!
Manager:
So how many days r left?
Man:
2 days Sir!
Manager:
Do u come to work on New Year Day?
Man:
No sir!
Manager:
So how many days r left?
Man:
1 day sir!
Manager:
Do u work on Christmas Day?
Man:
No Sir!
Manager:
So how many days r left?
Man:
None Sir!
Manager:
So what r u claiming for?
While sitting only company is already paying you from last 2yrs.
Man:
!!!...
Moral - NEVER GO TO HR FOR HELP!!!
HR = HIGH RISK
no commendation. So he decided to walk up to his HR Manager. His manager looked at him, smiled and asked him to sit down saying:
"My friend you have not worked here for even a single day." The man was surprised to hear this, but the manager went on to explain.
Manager:
How many days are there in a year?
Man:
365 days and sometimes 366.
Manager:
How many hours make up a day?
Man:
24 Hours.
Manager:
How long do u work in a day?
Man:
10am to 6pm i.e 8 hours a day.
Manager:
So, what fraction of the day do u work in hours?
Man:
He did some arithmetic and said 8/24 i.e 1/3 (one third).
Manager:
This is nice of u! what is 1/3rd of 366 days?
Man:
122(1/3 x 366=122 in days)
Manager:
Do u come to work on weekends?
Man:
No sir.
Manager:
How many days r there in a year that r weekends?
Man:
52 Saturdays and 52 Sundays equals to 104 days.
Manager:
Thanks for that. If u remove 104 days from 122 days. how many days do u now have?
Man:
18 days.
Manager:
I do give u 2 weeks sick leave every year. Now remove that 14 days from the 18 days left. How many days do u have remaining?
Man:
4 days.
Manager:
Do u work on Republic Day?
Man:
No sir!
Manager:
Do u come to work on Independence Day?
Man:
No sir!
Manager:
So how many days r left?
Man:
2 days Sir!
Manager:
Do u come to work on New Year Day?
Man:
No sir!
Manager:
So how many days r left?
Man:
1 day sir!
Manager:
Do u work on Christmas Day?
Man:
No Sir!
Manager:
So how many days r left?
Man:
None Sir!
Manager:
So what r u claiming for?
While sitting only company is already paying you from last 2yrs.
Man:
!!!...
Moral - NEVER GO TO HR FOR HELP!!!
HR = HIGH RISK
Written by a Pakistani journalist about India.......
Written by a Pakistani journalist about India ....... Must forward to all Indians!
Capital suggestion
By Dr Farrukh Saleem
Here's what is happening in India :
The two Ambani brothers can buy 100 percent of every company listed on the Karachi Stock
Exchange (KSE) and would still be left with $30 billion to spare. The four richest Indians can buy up all goods
and services produced over a year by 169 million Pakistanis and still be left with $60 billion to spare. The four
richest Indians are now richer than the forty richest Chinese.
In November, Bombay Stock Exchange's benchmark Sensex flirted with 20,000 points. As a
consequence, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries became a $100 bill ion company (the entire KSE is capitalized
at $65 billion). Mukesh owns 48 percent of Reliance.
In November, comes Neeta's birthday. Neeta turned forty-four three weeks ago. Look what
she got from her husband as her birthday gift:
A sixty-million dollar jet with a custom fitted master bedroom, bathroom with mood
lighting, a sky bar, entertainment cabins, satellite television, wireless communication and a separate cabin with
game consoles. Neeta is Mukesh Ambani's wife, and Mukesh is not India 's richest but the second richest.
Mukesh is now building his new home, Residence Antillia (after a mythical, phantom island
somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean ). At a cost of $1 billion this would be the most expensive home on the face of
the planet. At 173 meters tall Mukesh's new family residence, for a family of six, will be the equivalent of a 60-
storeyed building. The first six floors are reserved for parking. The seventh floor is for car servicing and
maintenance.. The eighth floor houses a mini-theatre. Then there's a health club, a gym and a swimming pool.
Two floors are reserved for Ambani family's guests. Four floors above the guest floors are family floors all with a
superb view of the Arabian Sea On top of everything are three helipads. A staff of 600 is expected to care for the
family and their family home.
In 2004, India became the 3rd most attractive foreign direct investment destination.
Pakistan wasn't even in the top 25 countries.
In 2004, the United Nations, the representative body of 192 sovereign member states, had
requested the Election Commission of India to assist the UN in the holding elections in Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah
and Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan. Why the Election Commission of India and not the Election Commission of
Pakistan? After all, Islamabad is closer to Kabul than is Delhi .
Imagine, 12 percent of all American scientists are of Indian origin; 38 percent of doctors in
America are Indian; 36 percent of NASA scientists are Indians; 34 percent of Microsoft employees are Indians;
and 28 percent of IBM employees are Indians.
For the record: Sabeer Bhatia created and founded Hotmail. Sun Microsystems was founded
by Vinod Khosla. The Intel Pentium processor, that runs 90 percent of all computers, was fathered by Vinod
Dham.
Rajiv Gupta co-invented Hewlett Packard's E-speak project. Four out often Silicon Valley
start-ups are run by Indians. Bollywood produces 800 movies per year and six Indian ladies have won Miss
Universe/Miss World titles over the past 10 years.
For the record: Azim Premji, the richest Muslim entrepreneur on the face of the planet, was
born in Bombay and now lives in Bangalore.India now has more than three dozen billionaires; Pakistan has none
(not a single dollar billionaire).
The other amazing aspect is the rapid pace at which India is creating wealth. In 2002,
Dhirubhai Ambani, Mukesh and Anil Ambani's father, left his two sons a fortune worth $2.8 billion. In 2007, their
combined wealth stood at $94 billion. On 29 October 2007, as a result of the stock market rally and the
appreciation of the Indian rupee, Mukesh became the richest person in the world, with net worth climbing to
US$63.2 billion (Bill Gates, the richest American, stands at around $56 billion). Indians and Pakistanis have the
same Y-chromosome haplogroup. We have the same genetic sequence and the same genetic marker (namely:
M124).
We have the same DNA molecule, the same DNA sequence. Our culture, our traditions and
our cuisine are all the same. We watch the same movies and sing the same songs. What is it that Indians have
and we don't?
INDIANS ELECT THEIR LEADERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And also to mention: They think of Construction of own nation, unlike other nations who are
just concerned with destruction of others...
Simple answer to why the Indians fare better than the Pakistanis - They don't focus on
religion all the time and neither do they spend time and money in devising ways to kill their own and everyone
else over religion.
Capital suggestion
By Dr Farrukh Saleem
Here's what is happening in India :
The two Ambani brothers can buy 100 percent of every company listed on the Karachi Stock
Exchange (KSE) and would still be left with $30 billion to spare. The four richest Indians can buy up all goods
and services produced over a year by 169 million Pakistanis and still be left with $60 billion to spare. The four
richest Indians are now richer than the forty richest Chinese.
In November, Bombay Stock Exchange's benchmark Sensex flirted with 20,000 points. As a
consequence, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries became a $100 bill ion company (the entire KSE is capitalized
at $65 billion). Mukesh owns 48 percent of Reliance.
In November, comes Neeta's birthday. Neeta turned forty-four three weeks ago. Look what
she got from her husband as her birthday gift:
A sixty-million dollar jet with a custom fitted master bedroom, bathroom with mood
lighting, a sky bar, entertainment cabins, satellite television, wireless communication and a separate cabin with
game consoles. Neeta is Mukesh Ambani's wife, and Mukesh is not India 's richest but the second richest.
Mukesh is now building his new home, Residence Antillia (after a mythical, phantom island
somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean ). At a cost of $1 billion this would be the most expensive home on the face of
the planet. At 173 meters tall Mukesh's new family residence, for a family of six, will be the equivalent of a 60-
storeyed building. The first six floors are reserved for parking. The seventh floor is for car servicing and
maintenance.. The eighth floor houses a mini-theatre. Then there's a health club, a gym and a swimming pool.
Two floors are reserved for Ambani family's guests. Four floors above the guest floors are family floors all with a
superb view of the Arabian Sea On top of everything are three helipads. A staff of 600 is expected to care for the
family and their family home.
In 2004, India became the 3rd most attractive foreign direct investment destination.
Pakistan wasn't even in the top 25 countries.
In 2004, the United Nations, the representative body of 192 sovereign member states, had
requested the Election Commission of India to assist the UN in the holding elections in Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah
and Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan. Why the Election Commission of India and not the Election Commission of
Pakistan? After all, Islamabad is closer to Kabul than is Delhi .
Imagine, 12 percent of all American scientists are of Indian origin; 38 percent of doctors in
America are Indian; 36 percent of NASA scientists are Indians; 34 percent of Microsoft employees are Indians;
and 28 percent of IBM employees are Indians.
For the record: Sabeer Bhatia created and founded Hotmail. Sun Microsystems was founded
by Vinod Khosla. The Intel Pentium processor, that runs 90 percent of all computers, was fathered by Vinod
Dham.
Rajiv Gupta co-invented Hewlett Packard's E-speak project. Four out often Silicon Valley
start-ups are run by Indians. Bollywood produces 800 movies per year and six Indian ladies have won Miss
Universe/Miss World titles over the past 10 years.
For the record: Azim Premji, the richest Muslim entrepreneur on the face of the planet, was
born in Bombay and now lives in Bangalore.India now has more than three dozen billionaires; Pakistan has none
(not a single dollar billionaire).
The other amazing aspect is the rapid pace at which India is creating wealth. In 2002,
Dhirubhai Ambani, Mukesh and Anil Ambani's father, left his two sons a fortune worth $2.8 billion. In 2007, their
combined wealth stood at $94 billion. On 29 October 2007, as a result of the stock market rally and the
appreciation of the Indian rupee, Mukesh became the richest person in the world, with net worth climbing to
US$63.2 billion (Bill Gates, the richest American, stands at around $56 billion). Indians and Pakistanis have the
same Y-chromosome haplogroup. We have the same genetic sequence and the same genetic marker (namely:
M124).
We have the same DNA molecule, the same DNA sequence. Our culture, our traditions and
our cuisine are all the same. We watch the same movies and sing the same songs. What is it that Indians have
and we don't?
INDIANS ELECT THEIR LEADERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And also to mention: They think of Construction of own nation, unlike other nations who are
just concerned with destruction of others...
Simple answer to why the Indians fare better than the Pakistanis - They don't focus on
religion all the time and neither do they spend time and money in devising ways to kill their own and everyone
else over religion.
A brilliant interview ...
Some, rather most organizations reject his CV today because he has changed jobs frequently (10 in 14 years). My friend, the ˜job hopper™ (referred here as Mr. JH), does not mind it. well he does not need to mind it at all. Having worked full-time with 10 employer companies in just 14 years gives Mr. JH the relaxing edge that most of the ˜company loyal™ employees are struggling for today. Today, Mr. JH too is laid off like some other 14-15 year experienced guys “ the difference being the latter have just worked in 2-3 organizations in the same number of years. Here are the excerpts of an interview with Mr. JH:
Q: Why have you changed 10 jobs in 14 years?
A: To get financially sound and stable before getting laid off the second time.
Q: So you knew you would be laid off in the year 2009?
A: Well I was laid off first in the year 2002 due to the first global economic slowdown. I had not got a full-time job before January 2003 when the economy started looking up; so I had struggled for almost a year without job and with compromises.
Q: Which number of job was that?
A: That was my third job.
Q: So from Jan 2003 to Jan 2009, in 6 years, you have changed 8 jobs to make the count as 10 jobs in 14 years?
A: I had no other option. In my first 8 years of professional life, I had worked only for 2 organizations thinking that jobs are deserved after lot of hard work and one should stay with an employer company to justify the saying ˜employer loyalty™. But I was an idiot.
Q: Why do you say so?
A: My salary in the first 8 years went up only marginally. I could not save enough and also, I had thought that I had a ˜permanent™ job, so I need not worry about ˜what will I do if I lose my job™. I could never imagine losing a job because of economic slowdown and not because of my performance. That was January 2002.
Q: Can you brief on what happened between January 2003 and 2009.
A: Well, I had learnt my lessons of being ˜company loyal™ and not ˜money earning and saving loyal™. But then you can save enough only when you earn enough. So I shifted my loyalty towards money making and saving “ I changed 8 jobs in 6 years assuring all my interviewers about my stability.
Q: So you lied to your interviewers; you had already planned to change the job for which you were being interviewed on a particular day?
A: Yes, you can change jobs only when the market is up and companies are hiring. You tell me “ can I get a job now because of the slowdown? No. So one should change jobs for higher salaries only when the market is up because that is the only time when companies hire and can afford the expected salaries.
Q: What have you gained by doing such things?
A: That's the question I was waiting for. In Jan 2003, I had a fixed salary (without variables) of say Rs. X p.a. In January 2009, my salary was 8X. So assuming my salary was Rs.3 lakh p.a. in Jan 2003, my last drawn salary in Jan 2009 was Rs.24 lakh p.a. (without variable). I never bothered about variable as I had no intention to stay for 1 year and go through the appraisal process to wait for the company to give me a hike.
Q: So you decided on your own hike?
A: Yes, in 2003, I could see the slowdown coming again in future like it had happened in 2001-02. Though I was not sure by when the next slowdown would come, I was pretty sure I wanted a ˜debt-free™ life before being laid off again. So I planned my hike targets on a yearly basis without waiting for the year to complete.
Q: So are you debt-free now?
A: Yes, I earned so much by virtue of job changes for money and spent so little that today I have a loan free 2 BR flat (1200 sq.. feet) plus a loan free big car without bothering about any EMIs. I am laid off too but I do not complain at all. If I have laid off companies for money, it is OK if a company lays me off because of lack of money.
Q: Who is complaining?
A: All those guys who are not getting a job to pay their EMIs off are complaining. They had made fun of me saying I am a job hopper and do not have any company loyalty. Now I ask them what they gained by their company loyalty; they too are laid off like me and pass comments to me “ why will you bother about us, you are already debt-free. They were still in the bracket of 12-14 lakh p.a. when they were laid off.
Q: What is your advice to professionals?
A: Like Narayan Murthy had said “ love your job and not your company because you never know when your company will stop loving you. In the same lines, love yourself and your family needs more than the company's needs. Companies can keep coming and going; family will always remain the same. Make money for yourself first and simultaneously make money for the company, not the other way around.
Q: What is your biggest pain point with companies?
A: When a company does well, its CEO will address the entire company saying, ˜well done guys, it is YOUR company, keep up the hard work, I am with you. But when the slowdown happens and the company does not do so well, the same CEO will say, œIt is MY company and to save the company, I have to take tough decisions including asking people to go. So think about your financial stability first; when you get laid off, your kids will complain to you and not your boss.
Q: Why have you changed 10 jobs in 14 years?
A: To get financially sound and stable before getting laid off the second time.
Q: So you knew you would be laid off in the year 2009?
A: Well I was laid off first in the year 2002 due to the first global economic slowdown. I had not got a full-time job before January 2003 when the economy started looking up; so I had struggled for almost a year without job and with compromises.
Q: Which number of job was that?
A: That was my third job.
Q: So from Jan 2003 to Jan 2009, in 6 years, you have changed 8 jobs to make the count as 10 jobs in 14 years?
A: I had no other option. In my first 8 years of professional life, I had worked only for 2 organizations thinking that jobs are deserved after lot of hard work and one should stay with an employer company to justify the saying ˜employer loyalty™. But I was an idiot.
Q: Why do you say so?
A: My salary in the first 8 years went up only marginally. I could not save enough and also, I had thought that I had a ˜permanent™ job, so I need not worry about ˜what will I do if I lose my job™. I could never imagine losing a job because of economic slowdown and not because of my performance. That was January 2002.
Q: Can you brief on what happened between January 2003 and 2009.
A: Well, I had learnt my lessons of being ˜company loyal™ and not ˜money earning and saving loyal™. But then you can save enough only when you earn enough. So I shifted my loyalty towards money making and saving “ I changed 8 jobs in 6 years assuring all my interviewers about my stability.
Q: So you lied to your interviewers; you had already planned to change the job for which you were being interviewed on a particular day?
A: Yes, you can change jobs only when the market is up and companies are hiring. You tell me “ can I get a job now because of the slowdown? No. So one should change jobs for higher salaries only when the market is up because that is the only time when companies hire and can afford the expected salaries.
Q: What have you gained by doing such things?
A: That's the question I was waiting for. In Jan 2003, I had a fixed salary (without variables) of say Rs. X p.a. In January 2009, my salary was 8X. So assuming my salary was Rs.3 lakh p.a. in Jan 2003, my last drawn salary in Jan 2009 was Rs.24 lakh p.a. (without variable). I never bothered about variable as I had no intention to stay for 1 year and go through the appraisal process to wait for the company to give me a hike.
Q: So you decided on your own hike?
A: Yes, in 2003, I could see the slowdown coming again in future like it had happened in 2001-02. Though I was not sure by when the next slowdown would come, I was pretty sure I wanted a ˜debt-free™ life before being laid off again. So I planned my hike targets on a yearly basis without waiting for the year to complete.
Q: So are you debt-free now?
A: Yes, I earned so much by virtue of job changes for money and spent so little that today I have a loan free 2 BR flat (1200 sq.. feet) plus a loan free big car without bothering about any EMIs. I am laid off too but I do not complain at all. If I have laid off companies for money, it is OK if a company lays me off because of lack of money.
Q: Who is complaining?
A: All those guys who are not getting a job to pay their EMIs off are complaining. They had made fun of me saying I am a job hopper and do not have any company loyalty. Now I ask them what they gained by their company loyalty; they too are laid off like me and pass comments to me “ why will you bother about us, you are already debt-free. They were still in the bracket of 12-14 lakh p.a. when they were laid off.
Q: What is your advice to professionals?
A: Like Narayan Murthy had said “ love your job and not your company because you never know when your company will stop loving you. In the same lines, love yourself and your family needs more than the company's needs. Companies can keep coming and going; family will always remain the same. Make money for yourself first and simultaneously make money for the company, not the other way around.
Q: What is your biggest pain point with companies?
A: When a company does well, its CEO will address the entire company saying, ˜well done guys, it is YOUR company, keep up the hard work, I am with you. But when the slowdown happens and the company does not do so well, the same CEO will say, œIt is MY company and to save the company, I have to take tough decisions including asking people to go. So think about your financial stability first; when you get laid off, your kids will complain to you and not your boss.
Engineering Question Paper.......
Ques: We know that 2/10=0.2 but Prove that 2/10=2 Ans : Normal college students insist Question is "OUT of Syllabus". but Engineering Students replied: 2=two, 10=ten. therefore Two/Ten = Two/Ten = wo/en. w=23, o=15, e=5, n=14. therefore w+o=23+15=38 & e+n=5+14=19 Therefore wo/en=38/19=2. Hence Proved FOR, Engineers “ It doesn’t matter ans kya hai, they only need to know ans kya lana he."
Drinking water.........TIMINGS
Correct timing to take water, will maximize its effectiveness to Human body.
Two (02) glass of water - After waking up - Helps activate internal organs
One (01) glasses of water - 30 minutes before meal - Help digestion
One (01) glass of water - Before taking a bath - Helps lower blood pressure
One (01) glass of water - Before sleep - To avoid stroke or heart attack
Two (02) glass of water - After waking up - Helps activate internal organs
One (01) glasses of water - 30 minutes before meal - Help digestion
One (01) glass of water - Before taking a bath - Helps lower blood pressure
One (01) glass of water - Before sleep - To avoid stroke or heart attack
Dislikeness of Man - good moral
A man hated his wife's cat and he decided to get rid of it. He drove
20 blocks away from home and dropped the cat there. The cat was
already walking up the driveway when he approached his home.
The next day, he decided to drop the cat 40 blocks away but the same
thing happened. He kept increasing the number of blocks but the cat
kept coming home before him.
At last he decided to drive a few miles away, turn right, then left,
past the bridge, then right again and another right and so on until he
reached what he thought was a perfect spot and dropped the cat there.
An hour later.... The man calls his wife at home and asked her, "Jen
is the cat there?" "Yes, why do you ask?" answered the wife.
Frustrated the man said," Put that damn cat on the phone, I am lost
and I need directions to reach home!!!
Moral:
“ How much ever we dislike somebody, someday we will need their
assistance. So never worry how many people dislike you... ”
20 blocks away from home and dropped the cat there. The cat was
already walking up the driveway when he approached his home.
The next day, he decided to drop the cat 40 blocks away but the same
thing happened. He kept increasing the number of blocks but the cat
kept coming home before him.
At last he decided to drive a few miles away, turn right, then left,
past the bridge, then right again and another right and so on until he
reached what he thought was a perfect spot and dropped the cat there.
An hour later.... The man calls his wife at home and asked her, "Jen
is the cat there?" "Yes, why do you ask?" answered the wife.
Frustrated the man said," Put that damn cat on the phone, I am lost
and I need directions to reach home!!!
Moral:
“ How much ever we dislike somebody, someday we will need their
assistance. So never worry how many people dislike you... ”
Wedding Passbook ...
Monica married Nick this day. At the end of the wedding party,
Monica's mother gave her a newly opened bank saving passbook
with Rs.1000 deposit amount.
Mother: 'Monica, take this passbook. Keep it as a record of your
marriage life. When there's something happy and memorable happened
in your new life, put some money in. Write down what it's about next
to the line. The more memorable the event is, the more money you can
put in. I've done the first one for you today. Do the others with Nick.
When you look back after years, you can know how much
happiness you've had.'
Monica shared this with Nick when getting home. They both thought it
was a great idea and were anxious to know when the second deposit can
be made. This was what they did after certain time:
* 7 Feb: Rs.100, first birthday celebration for Nick after marriage
* 1 Mar: Rs.300, salary raise for Monica
* 20 Mar: Rs.200, vacation trip to Bali
* 15 Apr: Rs.2000, Monica got pregnant
* 1 Jun: Rs.1000, Nick got promoted
* ..... and so on...
However, after years, they started fighting and arguing for trivial
things. They didn't talk much. They regretted that they had married
the nastiest people in the world.... no more love...Kind of typical
nowadays, huh?
One day Monica talked to her Mother: 'Mom, we can't stand it anymore.
We agree to divorce. I can't imagine how I decided to marry this guy!!!"
Mother: 'Sure, girl, that's no big deal. Just do whatever you want if
you really can't stand it. But before that, do one thing first.
Remember the saving passbook I gave you on your wedding day? Take out
all money and spend it first. You shouldn't keep any record of such a
poor marriage.'
Monica thought it was true. So she went to the bank, waiting at the
queue and planning to cancel the account. While she was waiting, she
took a look at the passbook record. She looked, and looked, and
looked. Then the memory of all the previous joy and happiness just
came up her mind. Her eyes were then filled with tears. She left and
went home.
When she was home, she handed the passbook to Nick, asked him to
spend the money before getting divorce.
The next day, Nick gave the passbook back to Monica. She found a new
deposit of Rs.5000. And a line next to the record: 'This is the day I
notice how much I've loved you thru out all these years. How much
happiness you've brought me.'
They hugged and cried, putting the passbook back to the safe. Do you
know how much money they had saved when they retired? I did not ask. I
believe the money did not matter any more after they had gone thru all
the good years in their life.
"When you fall in any way, don't see the place where you fell instead
see the place from where you slipped. Life is about correcting mistakes."
Monica's mother gave her a newly opened bank saving passbook
with Rs.1000 deposit amount.
Mother: 'Monica, take this passbook. Keep it as a record of your
marriage life. When there's something happy and memorable happened
in your new life, put some money in. Write down what it's about next
to the line. The more memorable the event is, the more money you can
put in. I've done the first one for you today. Do the others with Nick.
When you look back after years, you can know how much
happiness you've had.'
Monica shared this with Nick when getting home. They both thought it
was a great idea and were anxious to know when the second deposit can
be made. This was what they did after certain time:
* 7 Feb: Rs.100, first birthday celebration for Nick after marriage
* 1 Mar: Rs.300, salary raise for Monica
* 20 Mar: Rs.200, vacation trip to Bali
* 15 Apr: Rs.2000, Monica got pregnant
* 1 Jun: Rs.1000, Nick got promoted
* ..... and so on...
However, after years, they started fighting and arguing for trivial
things. They didn't talk much. They regretted that they had married
the nastiest people in the world.... no more love...Kind of typical
nowadays, huh?
One day Monica talked to her Mother: 'Mom, we can't stand it anymore.
We agree to divorce. I can't imagine how I decided to marry this guy!!!"
Mother: 'Sure, girl, that's no big deal. Just do whatever you want if
you really can't stand it. But before that, do one thing first.
Remember the saving passbook I gave you on your wedding day? Take out
all money and spend it first. You shouldn't keep any record of such a
poor marriage.'
Monica thought it was true. So she went to the bank, waiting at the
queue and planning to cancel the account. While she was waiting, she
took a look at the passbook record. She looked, and looked, and
looked. Then the memory of all the previous joy and happiness just
came up her mind. Her eyes were then filled with tears. She left and
went home.
When she was home, she handed the passbook to Nick, asked him to
spend the money before getting divorce.
The next day, Nick gave the passbook back to Monica. She found a new
deposit of Rs.5000. And a line next to the record: 'This is the day I
notice how much I've loved you thru out all these years. How much
happiness you've brought me.'
They hugged and cried, putting the passbook back to the safe. Do you
know how much money they had saved when they retired? I did not ask. I
believe the money did not matter any more after they had gone thru all
the good years in their life.
"When you fall in any way, don't see the place where you fell instead
see the place from where you slipped. Life is about correcting mistakes."
The Quality Attitude
This column discusses the quality attitude and how software professionals and their managers must change their view of quality if we are to make much headway with software quality and software security. Quality is key to software performance, whether the concern is with function, usability, reliability, security, or anything else.
Our programs are often used in unanticipated ways and it is impossible to test even fairly small programs in every way that they could possibly be used. To appreciate the testing problem, consider the simple maze in Figure 1. The highlighted corners are possible branches and an example path from corner A to corner B is indicated by the arrows. Considering only the forward-going paths and ignoring loops, there are 252 possible paths from corner A to corner B in this 5 by 5 matrix. This matrix has only 25 branches. For 100 branches, we would need a 10 by 10 matrix, which would have 184,756 possible forward-going paths.
Most useful programs have many more than 100 branch instructions. For example, one of my C++ programs has 996 lines of code (LOC) and 104 branches. This is about one branch for every ten instructions. Even if large programs only had ten branches per thousand lines of code (KLOC), a 1,000,000 LOC program would have 10,000 branches. For a 100 by 100 square matrix with 10,000 branches, there are an astronomical 2.28 * 1058possible forward-going paths from corner A to corner B. Few developers are even willing to run 252 tests, let alone 2.28 * 1058 tests.
A brief analysis shows that testing this number of paths is impossible. For example, if you simultaneously ran a million tests a second for 24 hours a day on a million computers, it would take longer than the lifetime of the universe to run all of these tests. Even then, you would only have tested one set of data values.
Since it is impossible to exhaustively test large programs, we face the next question: “Is this much testing really necessary?” To answer this question, we must consider how many defects there are in typical large software systems. We now know how many defects experienced software developers inject. On average, they inject a defect about every ten lines of code. An analysis of data on more than 8,000 programs written by 810 industrial software developers is shown in Table 1.
The average injection rate for these developers is 120 defects per KLOC, or one defect in every eight lines of code. Even the top 10% of the developers injected 29 defects/KLOC and the top 1% injected 11 defects/KLOC. Even at the injection rate for the top 1% of software developers, a 1,000,000 LOC system would enter compiling and testing with 11,000 defects. More typical developers would have 120,000 defects in their products.
That is why most large programs, even after compiling and testing, have from 10 to 20 defects per KLOC when they enter system testing. For a 1,000,000 LOC system, that would be between 10,000 and 20,000 defects. With current practices, large software systems are riddled with defects, and many of these defects cannot be found even by the most extensive testing. Clearly, while testing is essential, it alone cannot provide the quality we need to have secure systems.
So, the first required attitude change for software professionals and their managers is to accept the fact that testing alone will not produce quality software systems. Also, since defective software cannot be secure, testing alone won’t produce secure systems either.
Unfortunately, it is true that there is no way to prove that a software system is defect free. But that is also true for every other kind of product. There is no way to prove that an automobile or a jet airplane or any other product is defect free, but we don’t accept that as an excuse for poor quality automobiles or jet aircraft. The question is not to prove that a software product is defect free, but rather to prove that we have taken all practical steps and used all available methods to make the product as close to defect free as possible. There are many ways to do this, and they have been proven highly effective in many other technical fields. While the methods are simple, they are not easy. They require measurement, analysis, a lot of personal attention, and, above all, a conviction that quality is absolutely essential.
The current common view that it is impossible to produce defect free software is an excuse for not making the effort to do quality work. A more subtle form of this attitude is relying exclusively on tools to identify errors. How many times has some programmer told you that a new environment, language, debugger, or analyzer is the answer to the quality or security problem? But then, even after using all of these fancy new gadgets, the resulting products still have defects and are still insecure. The problem is attitude, and no one who counts on some tool or gadget to handle quality will ever produce large, secure software products.
What should be clear from this discussion is that we have not tried hard enough to produce defect free software, so we really cannot know if such high-quality products are possible or not. The next column will discuss the quality methods that people are using today to produce exceptionally high-quality software and the steps required to extend these practices to the truly massive systems that will be common in the future. These systems must be secure and, to be secure, they must be essentially defect free. Learning how to consistently produce such systems is our challenge for the future.
Thanks for your attention and please stay tuned in.
Watts S. Humphrey
watts@sei.cmu.edu
The Testing Attitude
For as long as I have been writing programs, programmers have believed that when they clean up their programs in test, the programs will work. While this is often true, it isn’t always true. This difference is the source of many of our software quality and security problems.Our programs are often used in unanticipated ways and it is impossible to test even fairly small programs in every way that they could possibly be used. To appreciate the testing problem, consider the simple maze in Figure 1. The highlighted corners are possible branches and an example path from corner A to corner B is indicated by the arrows. Considering only the forward-going paths and ignoring loops, there are 252 possible paths from corner A to corner B in this 5 by 5 matrix. This matrix has only 25 branches. For 100 branches, we would need a 10 by 10 matrix, which would have 184,756 possible forward-going paths.
Most useful programs have many more than 100 branch instructions. For example, one of my C++ programs has 996 lines of code (LOC) and 104 branches. This is about one branch for every ten instructions. Even if large programs only had ten branches per thousand lines of code (KLOC), a 1,000,000 LOC program would have 10,000 branches. For a 100 by 100 square matrix with 10,000 branches, there are an astronomical 2.28 * 1058possible forward-going paths from corner A to corner B. Few developers are even willing to run 252 tests, let alone 2.28 * 1058 tests.
Since it is impossible to exhaustively test large programs, we face the next question: “Is this much testing really necessary?” To answer this question, we must consider how many defects there are in typical large software systems. We now know how many defects experienced software developers inject. On average, they inject a defect about every ten lines of code. An analysis of data on more than 8,000 programs written by 810 industrial software developers is shown in Table 1.
The average injection rate for these developers is 120 defects per KLOC, or one defect in every eight lines of code. Even the top 10% of the developers injected 29 defects/KLOC and the top 1% injected 11 defects/KLOC. Even at the injection rate for the top 1% of software developers, a 1,000,000 LOC system would enter compiling and testing with 11,000 defects. More typical developers would have 120,000 defects in their products.
| Group | Average Defects per KLOC |
| All | 120.8 |
| Upper Quartile | 61.9 |
| Upper 10% | 28.9 |
| Upper 1% | 11.2 |
So, the first required attitude change for software professionals and their managers is to accept the fact that testing alone will not produce quality software systems. Also, since defective software cannot be secure, testing alone won’t produce secure systems either.
The Defeatist Attitude
The next attitude that we must change concerns the feasibility of producing secure and high-quality software. Many software experts will tell you that there is no such thing as defect free software. Their obvious conclusion is that we must learn to live with poor-quality and insecure software products. While the previous discussion of testing may have convinced you that this attitude is correct, it is not. What these professionals are really saying is that there is no way to prove that a software system is defect free.Unfortunately, it is true that there is no way to prove that a software system is defect free. But that is also true for every other kind of product. There is no way to prove that an automobile or a jet airplane or any other product is defect free, but we don’t accept that as an excuse for poor quality automobiles or jet aircraft. The question is not to prove that a software product is defect free, but rather to prove that we have taken all practical steps and used all available methods to make the product as close to defect free as possible. There are many ways to do this, and they have been proven highly effective in many other technical fields. While the methods are simple, they are not easy. They require measurement, analysis, a lot of personal attention, and, above all, a conviction that quality is absolutely essential.
The current common view that it is impossible to produce defect free software is an excuse for not making the effort to do quality work. A more subtle form of this attitude is relying exclusively on tools to identify errors. How many times has some programmer told you that a new environment, language, debugger, or analyzer is the answer to the quality or security problem? But then, even after using all of these fancy new gadgets, the resulting products still have defects and are still insecure. The problem is attitude, and no one who counts on some tool or gadget to handle quality will ever produce large, secure software products.
The Quality Attitude
Having the right attitude can make an enormous difference. There is growing evidence that defect free software is possible. Some development groups are now producing reasonably large-scale software products that have had no defects found by their users. While these products actually may have latent defects, for all practical purposes, they are defect free. Today, a few development teams can consistently produce such software.The Challenge Ahead
We need to learn from and extend these proven quality methods and practices to our highest priority software needs. Today’s critical need is to apply these proven quality practices to the really complex and interconnected systems that support the nation’s critical infrastructure.What should be clear from this discussion is that we have not tried hard enough to produce defect free software, so we really cannot know if such high-quality products are possible or not. The next column will discuss the quality methods that people are using today to produce exceptionally high-quality software and the steps required to extend these practices to the truly massive systems that will be common in the future. These systems must be secure and, to be secure, they must be essentially defect free. Learning how to consistently produce such systems is our challenge for the future.
Acknowledgments
In writing papers and columns, I make a practice of asking associates to review early drafts. For this column, I particularly appreciate the helpful comments and suggestions of Tim Morrow, Julia Mullaney, Bill Peterson, Marsha Pomeroy-Huff, Alan Willett, and Carol Woody.In closing, an invitation to readers
In these columns, I discuss software issues and the impact of quality and process on developers and their organizations. However, I am most interested in addressing the issues that you feel are important. So, please drop me a note with your comments, questions, or suggestions. I will read your notes and consider them when planning future columns.Thanks for your attention and please stay tuned in.
Watts S. Humphrey
watts@sei.cmu.edu
About the Author
Watts S. Humphrey founded the Software Process Program at the SEI. He is a fellow of the institute and is a research scientist on its staff. From 1959 to 1986, he was associated with IBM Corporation, where he was director of programming quality and process. His publications include many technical papers and several books. His most recent books are Introduction to the Team Software Process (2000) and Winning With Software: An Executive Strategy (2002). He holds five U.S. patents. He is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery, a fellow of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and a past member of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Board of Examiners. He holds a BS in physics from the University of Chicago, an MS in physics from the Illinois Institute of Technology, and an MBA from the University of Chicago.Monday, April 18, 2011
Watch out your temper
There are often moments at the workplace when employees get angry and lose their cool. The reasons, for the same, may be many but the outcome is the same, leading to low performance, failure in understanding colleagues and an eruption of unknown emotions. And particularly now, with so much stress around this has become a quite commonly felt emotion.
So what could be the main cause for the same? There can be numerous causes for the eruption of anger at the workplace, from small petty instances of harassment or abuse, to peer pressure, stress, etc. So what do we do about it, keep sulking or have an emotional burst out?? Not possible- right!! Then try and control it learn it how-
For working professionals, it is imperative that they have a pleasant and a positive environment to work in. However, there are times when this very environment becomes sour and uncomfortable, causing disgruntlement and anger. And due to the current scenario and with the mounting pressure to perform better amongst the ever-increasing cut-throat competition, there seems to be a rise in unsettling emotions, including anger at work. And the result is hampered productivity, disturbed teamwork, etc., among other outcomes.
How harmful it can be?
Anger builds up inside when expression is curbed. Most people don’t have the tact to relate their problems, in an effective yet non-heated manner, and to prevent an outburst, employees bottle up their resentments.
Anger at work can be caused due to various reasons including issues with the boss, colleague, personal issues, etc. Unfortunately, stress at work has become the norm rather than an exception. Today, it is not enough for you to know the job; it is imperative that you are successful at it too
Though it is very natural to have varied emotions at work, the impact of every emotion is different. Anger, specifically can have drastic impacts on your professional life. Anger clouds perception and is known to fail intelligence, of an individual as well as of an organization.
Anger at work, if not addressed properly, can prove to be highly counterproductive. It not only impacts the individual’s morale but also the performance, team dynamics and the work environment.
Deal with it – So how do you deal with this emotion at work? What is the best way to avoid such feelings?
1. Avoid Bumpy situations and discussions- The best way to control anger at the workplace is to walk away from uncomfortable discussions. It does not mean putting off the issue. It is always better to have discussions and confrontations when you are not in an agitated frame of mind.
2.Third party intervention- When you feel a bout of anger coming, try to calm down. Once you have calmed down, return with a more rational mind to discuss what went wrong and seek a solution, if possible. If you still can’t see eye-to-eye, get a third person to help you.
3.Communicate properly – It is important to learn how to communicate effectively, as it can help one solve anger issues. Losing ones temper is useless, as it does not get you anywhere.
So next time you think you are about to lose your cool, breathe, calm down and let the moment pass, as anger can get you nowhere, but out! Tips for anger management:
TIP 1 Try counting to ten before saying anything. This may not address the anger directly, but it can minimize the damage you will do while angry. You may have heard this before from lay man to celebrities- they all use it.
TIP 2 Learn to relax. This is easier said than done sometimes, but if you find something that calms you, like listening to music, talking to your kids etc., it is a good way to keep your anger under control, and a good way to maintain a calm environment in an angry situation.
TIP 3 Laugh. Think of something funny and laugh out loud. It is very difficult to be angry when you are laughing.
TIP 4 Stop and think before you speak and leave any sarcasm out of the conversation.
So get set and fight your anger, be happy in this new year and stay healthy. :)
So what could be the main cause for the same? There can be numerous causes for the eruption of anger at the workplace, from small petty instances of harassment or abuse, to peer pressure, stress, etc. So what do we do about it, keep sulking or have an emotional burst out?? Not possible- right!! Then try and control it learn it how-
For working professionals, it is imperative that they have a pleasant and a positive environment to work in. However, there are times when this very environment becomes sour and uncomfortable, causing disgruntlement and anger. And due to the current scenario and with the mounting pressure to perform better amongst the ever-increasing cut-throat competition, there seems to be a rise in unsettling emotions, including anger at work. And the result is hampered productivity, disturbed teamwork, etc., among other outcomes.
How harmful it can be?
Anger builds up inside when expression is curbed. Most people don’t have the tact to relate their problems, in an effective yet non-heated manner, and to prevent an outburst, employees bottle up their resentments.
Anger at work can be caused due to various reasons including issues with the boss, colleague, personal issues, etc. Unfortunately, stress at work has become the norm rather than an exception. Today, it is not enough for you to know the job; it is imperative that you are successful at it too
Though it is very natural to have varied emotions at work, the impact of every emotion is different. Anger, specifically can have drastic impacts on your professional life. Anger clouds perception and is known to fail intelligence, of an individual as well as of an organization.
Anger at work, if not addressed properly, can prove to be highly counterproductive. It not only impacts the individual’s morale but also the performance, team dynamics and the work environment.
Deal with it – So how do you deal with this emotion at work? What is the best way to avoid such feelings?
1. Avoid Bumpy situations and discussions- The best way to control anger at the workplace is to walk away from uncomfortable discussions. It does not mean putting off the issue. It is always better to have discussions and confrontations when you are not in an agitated frame of mind.
2.Third party intervention- When you feel a bout of anger coming, try to calm down. Once you have calmed down, return with a more rational mind to discuss what went wrong and seek a solution, if possible. If you still can’t see eye-to-eye, get a third person to help you.
3.Communicate properly – It is important to learn how to communicate effectively, as it can help one solve anger issues. Losing ones temper is useless, as it does not get you anywhere.
So next time you think you are about to lose your cool, breathe, calm down and let the moment pass, as anger can get you nowhere, but out! Tips for anger management:
TIP 1 Try counting to ten before saying anything. This may not address the anger directly, but it can minimize the damage you will do while angry. You may have heard this before from lay man to celebrities- they all use it.
TIP 2 Learn to relax. This is easier said than done sometimes, but if you find something that calms you, like listening to music, talking to your kids etc., it is a good way to keep your anger under control, and a good way to maintain a calm environment in an angry situation.
TIP 3 Laugh. Think of something funny and laugh out loud. It is very difficult to be angry when you are laughing.
TIP 4 Stop and think before you speak and leave any sarcasm out of the conversation.
So get set and fight your anger, be happy in this new year and stay healthy. :)
How to Stay Highly Motivated
The degrees of success and happiness we achieve in life result overwhelmingly from the actions we take. But the actions which matter most are not those we do every now and then. It is our consistent actions (our habits) which more than anything else determine the direction and success of our lives. Thus, the first key to success is to adopt good habits.
However, the problem with the above bill of advice is that in the vast majority of cases our habits are not the result of conscious thought and logical decision making. Instead, our habits tend to be "reactions" to our experiences. If those experiences are disproportionately negative, they will tend to produce negative reactions and when this happens consistently, the mental foundation for the bad habit would have been laid.
Always remember that while all experiences count, the ones which count the most in shaping our habits are those which are most emotional and which occur most frequently, especially when we are young. But despite their obvious power and near control over our lives, we do not have to be slaves to our past experiences. Indeed, if those experiences have produced low self-esteem, self-defeating habits and other negative behaviors, we must not be slaves to them.
The most important tool to employ in order to take control of you habits (and as a result become the master of your destiny) is to be highly motivated. You must be driven. Your desire for success must be greater than your fear of failure. You must step outside your current comfort zone and take a chance. If you are not currently a highly motivated person, here are some steps you can take to become a more focused and motivated individual.
Establish Clear, Specific Goals!
You life goals are the things which give purpose to your life. They are the reason you live. Your desire to achieve these goals will be your greatest motivator. Thus, you must organize you life around the achievement of those goals. Write them down and read (internalize) them at least twice a day.
Take An Action A Day!
You must establish an action plan which requires that you do at least one thing each day which brings you closer to your goals. Never forget that it is action which turns goals and dreams into realities. Do something each day. Habit is nothing but repeated behavior. Just do it, do it, do it. And one day you will wake up and find yourself taking productive actions without even thinking about it. That is when you would have formed a habit.
Instill Emotion!
Rational thought and logic can enable us to figure out what to do and how to do it, but it is only emotion that will make us do it. Human behavior is emotionally driven. The two chief emotions are desire and fear. Strong desire will make you take action. But fear can also prompt action. You act because you are afraid of the consequences if you fail to act. I recommend the use of self-hypnosis to instill strong, positive emotional desire. And self-hypnosis can be as simple as retreating to a quiet place twice a day and emotionally repeating positive affirmations.
Take Charge!
Repeat this mantra, "If it is to be, it is up to me." There may be a host of reasons for current bad habits ranging from having been raised in a dysfunctional home to falling in with the wrong crowd, to just not having correct information. Regardless, if things are going to change for the better, it is up to you. No one else is responsible for bettering your life. If you find someone or group which helps, that's fine. But the chief responsibility is yours. Stop playing the "blame game" and take charge of your life.
However, the problem with the above bill of advice is that in the vast majority of cases our habits are not the result of conscious thought and logical decision making. Instead, our habits tend to be "reactions" to our experiences. If those experiences are disproportionately negative, they will tend to produce negative reactions and when this happens consistently, the mental foundation for the bad habit would have been laid.
Always remember that while all experiences count, the ones which count the most in shaping our habits are those which are most emotional and which occur most frequently, especially when we are young. But despite their obvious power and near control over our lives, we do not have to be slaves to our past experiences. Indeed, if those experiences have produced low self-esteem, self-defeating habits and other negative behaviors, we must not be slaves to them.
The most important tool to employ in order to take control of you habits (and as a result become the master of your destiny) is to be highly motivated. You must be driven. Your desire for success must be greater than your fear of failure. You must step outside your current comfort zone and take a chance. If you are not currently a highly motivated person, here are some steps you can take to become a more focused and motivated individual.
Establish Clear, Specific Goals!
You life goals are the things which give purpose to your life. They are the reason you live. Your desire to achieve these goals will be your greatest motivator. Thus, you must organize you life around the achievement of those goals. Write them down and read (internalize) them at least twice a day.
Take An Action A Day!
You must establish an action plan which requires that you do at least one thing each day which brings you closer to your goals. Never forget that it is action which turns goals and dreams into realities. Do something each day. Habit is nothing but repeated behavior. Just do it, do it, do it. And one day you will wake up and find yourself taking productive actions without even thinking about it. That is when you would have formed a habit.
Instill Emotion!
Rational thought and logic can enable us to figure out what to do and how to do it, but it is only emotion that will make us do it. Human behavior is emotionally driven. The two chief emotions are desire and fear. Strong desire will make you take action. But fear can also prompt action. You act because you are afraid of the consequences if you fail to act. I recommend the use of self-hypnosis to instill strong, positive emotional desire. And self-hypnosis can be as simple as retreating to a quiet place twice a day and emotionally repeating positive affirmations.
Take Charge!
Repeat this mantra, "If it is to be, it is up to me." There may be a host of reasons for current bad habits ranging from having been raised in a dysfunctional home to falling in with the wrong crowd, to just not having correct information. Regardless, if things are going to change for the better, it is up to you. No one else is responsible for bettering your life. If you find someone or group which helps, that's fine. But the chief responsibility is yours. Stop playing the "blame game" and take charge of your life.
Pencil & The Eraser
Pencil: I'm sorry....
Eraser: For what? You didn't do anything wrong.
Pencil: I'm sorry cos you get hurt bcos of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.
Eraser: That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad. :)
I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational. Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They're always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way... they get hurt, and become smaller (older, and eventually pass on). Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.
Eraser: For what? You didn't do anything wrong.
Pencil: I'm sorry cos you get hurt bcos of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.
Eraser: That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad. :)
I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational. Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They're always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way... they get hurt, and become smaller (older, and eventually pass on). Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.
Spread your wings and take off on your own...
An eagle's egg was placed in the nest of a prairie chicken.
The egg hatched and the little eagle grew up thinking
it was a prairie chicken.
The eagle did what the prairie chickens did.
The egg hatched and the little eagle grew up thinking
it was a prairie chicken.
The eagle did what the prairie chickens did.
It scratched in the dirt for seeds. It clucked and cackled.
It never flew more than a few feet because that is what
the prairie chickens did.
It never flew more than a few feet because that is what
the prairie chickens did.
One day he saw an eagle flying gracefully and majestically
In the open sky. He asked the prairie chickens:
"What is that beautiful bird?" The chickens replied,
"That is an eagle.
He is an outstanding bird, but you cannot fly like him
Because you are just a prairie chicken."
So the eagle never gave it a second thought,
Believing that to be the truth. He lived the life of and
died a prairie chicken, depriving himself of his heritage
Because of his lack of vision.
Believing that to be the truth. He lived the life of and
died a prairie chicken, depriving himself of his heritage
Because of his lack of vision.
What a waste! He was born to win,
But was conditioned to lose.
Do not let people or situations or even yourself
Condition you to lose in life.
“Control over Mind”
A disciple and his teacher were walking through the forest. The disciple was disturbed by the fact that his mind was in constant unrest.
He asked his teacher, "Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"
The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said, "I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more."
This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly, "Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?"
The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"
The elephant stopped eating and said, "My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."
Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at his teacher and said, "I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm."
"Yes, that's right", answered the teacher, "The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind."
He asked his teacher, "Why most people's minds are restless, and only a few possess a calm mind? What can one do to still the mind?"
The teacher looked at the disciple, smiled and said, "I will tell you a story. An elephant was standing and picking leaves from a tree. A small fly came, flying and buzzing near his ear. The elephant waved it away with his long ears. Then the fly came again, and the elephant waved it away once more."
This was repeated several times. Then the elephant asked the fly, "Why are you so restless and noisy? Why can't you stay for a while in one place?"
The fly answered: "I am attracted to whatever I see, hear or smell. My five senses pull me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. What is your secret? How can you stay so calm and still?"
The elephant stopped eating and said, "My five senses do not rule my attention. Whatever I do, I get immersed in it. Now that I am eating, I am completely immersed in eating. In this way I can enjoy my food and chew it better. I rule and control my attention, and not the other way around."
Upon hearing these words, the disciple's eyes opened wide and a smile appeared on his face. He looked at his teacher and said, "I understand! If my five senses are in control of my mind and attention, then my mind is in constant unrest. If I am in charge of my five senses and attention, then my mind becomes calm."
"Yes, that's right", answered the teacher, "The mind is restless and goes wherever the attention is. Control your attention, and you control your mind."
The Fairy's New Year Gift
Two little boys were at play one day when a Fairy suddenly appeared before them and said, "I have been sent to give you New Year presents."
She handed to each child a package, and in an instant was gone.
Carl and Philip opened the packages and found in them two beautiful books, with pages as pure and white as the snow when it first falls.
Many months passed and the Fairy came again to the boys. "I have brought you each another book?" said she, "and will take the first ones back to Father Time who sent them to you."
"May I not keep mine a little longer?" asked Philip. "I have hardly thought about it lately. I'd like to paint something on the last leaf that lies open."
"No," said the Fairy; "I must take it just as it is."
"I wish that I could look through mine just once," said Carl; "I have only seen one page at a time, for when the leaf turns over it sticks fast, and I can never open the book at more than one place each day."
"You shall look at your book," said the Fairy, "and Philip, at his." And she lit for them two little silver lamps, by the light of which they saw the pages as she turned them.
The boys looked in wonder. Could it be that these were the same fair books she had given them a year ago? Where were the clean, white pages, as pure and beautiful as the snow when it first falls? Here was a page with ugly, black spots and scratches upon it; while the very next page showed a lovely little picture. Some pages were decorated with gold and silver and gorgeous colors, others with beautiful flowers, and still others with a rainbow of softest, most delicate brightness. Yet even on the most beautiful of the pages there were ugly blots and scratches.
Carl and Philip looked up at the Fairy at last.
"Who did this?" they asked. "Every page was white and fair as we opened to it; yet now there is not a single blank place in the whole book!"
"Shall I explain some of the pictures to you?" said the Fairy, smiling at the two little boys.
"See, Philip, the spray of roses blossomed on this page when you let the baby have your playthings; and this pretty bird, that looks as if it were singing with all its might, would never have been on this page if you had not tried to be kind and pleasant the other day, instead of quarreling."
"But what makes this blot?" asked Philip.
"That," said the Fairy sadly; "that came when you told an untruth one day, and this when you did not mind mamma. All these blots and scratches that look so ugly, both in your book and in Carl's, were made when you were naughty. Each pretty thing in your books came on its page when you were good."
"Oh, if we could only have the books again!" said Carl and Philip.
"That cannot be," said the Fairy. "See! they are dated for this year, and they must now go back into Father Time's bookcase, but I have brought you each a new one. Perhaps you can make these more beautiful than the others."
So saying, she vanished, and the boys were left alone, but each held in his hand a new book open at the first page.
And on the back of this book was written in letters of gold, "For the New Year."
She handed to each child a package, and in an instant was gone.
Carl and Philip opened the packages and found in them two beautiful books, with pages as pure and white as the snow when it first falls.
Many months passed and the Fairy came again to the boys. "I have brought you each another book?" said she, "and will take the first ones back to Father Time who sent them to you."
"May I not keep mine a little longer?" asked Philip. "I have hardly thought about it lately. I'd like to paint something on the last leaf that lies open."
"No," said the Fairy; "I must take it just as it is."
"I wish that I could look through mine just once," said Carl; "I have only seen one page at a time, for when the leaf turns over it sticks fast, and I can never open the book at more than one place each day."
"You shall look at your book," said the Fairy, "and Philip, at his." And she lit for them two little silver lamps, by the light of which they saw the pages as she turned them.
The boys looked in wonder. Could it be that these were the same fair books she had given them a year ago? Where were the clean, white pages, as pure and beautiful as the snow when it first falls? Here was a page with ugly, black spots and scratches upon it; while the very next page showed a lovely little picture. Some pages were decorated with gold and silver and gorgeous colors, others with beautiful flowers, and still others with a rainbow of softest, most delicate brightness. Yet even on the most beautiful of the pages there were ugly blots and scratches.
Carl and Philip looked up at the Fairy at last.
"Who did this?" they asked. "Every page was white and fair as we opened to it; yet now there is not a single blank place in the whole book!"
"Shall I explain some of the pictures to you?" said the Fairy, smiling at the two little boys.
"See, Philip, the spray of roses blossomed on this page when you let the baby have your playthings; and this pretty bird, that looks as if it were singing with all its might, would never have been on this page if you had not tried to be kind and pleasant the other day, instead of quarreling."
"But what makes this blot?" asked Philip.
"That," said the Fairy sadly; "that came when you told an untruth one day, and this when you did not mind mamma. All these blots and scratches that look so ugly, both in your book and in Carl's, were made when you were naughty. Each pretty thing in your books came on its page when you were good."
"Oh, if we could only have the books again!" said Carl and Philip.
"That cannot be," said the Fairy. "See! they are dated for this year, and they must now go back into Father Time's bookcase, but I have brought you each a new one. Perhaps you can make these more beautiful than the others."
So saying, she vanished, and the boys were left alone, but each held in his hand a new book open at the first page.
And on the back of this book was written in letters of gold, "For the New Year."
iNature And iLiving
God really is the greatest artist. One looks at nature and you realize this.
It's all around us. In the smallest of things to the sound of songs performed by birds. The vivid detail and fragrance of flowers. The fragrant breath of pine, fir, cedar, and poplar trees. From the blue dreamy sky to the glorious mountains. You just have to open your mind and go out into nature and it will take you in. In it you can tap into your own self. One can get a real understanding of their own beauty. Peel back the endless layers of the beauty that God created in us.
This is one reason it's terribly sad to see people just staring at their cell phone screens. Walking aimlessly. They're missing the point. The big high definition picture. They want to live. They want to feel. All they really need to do is lift their heads. Walk proud. Look all around. How spectacular is this?
iPads and devices have their place. We could talk about the wonderful library one has at their fingertips. An endless resource of materials and knowledge to build our minds. Or we can talk of the 86% of people that use it for entertainment.
It's all around us. In the smallest of things to the sound of songs performed by birds. The vivid detail and fragrance of flowers. The fragrant breath of pine, fir, cedar, and poplar trees. From the blue dreamy sky to the glorious mountains. You just have to open your mind and go out into nature and it will take you in. In it you can tap into your own self. One can get a real understanding of their own beauty. Peel back the endless layers of the beauty that God created in us.
This is one reason it's terribly sad to see people just staring at their cell phone screens. Walking aimlessly. They're missing the point. The big high definition picture. They want to live. They want to feel. All they really need to do is lift their heads. Walk proud. Look all around. How spectacular is this?
iPads and devices have their place. We could talk about the wonderful library one has at their fingertips. An endless resource of materials and knowledge to build our minds. Or we can talk of the 86% of people that use it for entertainment.
It's nice to get information in a heartbeat. But it's troublesome to see so many folks bury their lives in facebook and other social networks.
Technology is great when used properly. Or it can take one down a dusty back trail to nowhere if one isn't careful.
Just something to think about.
Personal Empowerment
Use Empowering Words When You Talk to Yourself
(whether you are speaking out loud or silently)
(whether you are speaking out loud or silently)
How do you talk to yourself?
Do you use the words "can't", "won't", "don't need to", "why try"?
Many people do.
Many people do.
Do you find that what you say to yourself turns out to be true?
Why is this?
You see your brain is like a computer that you feed each day. It doesn't know always know what's real or not unless you tell it.
Example: If someone you love has hurt you, you may tell yourself that all people who love you will probably hurt you too.
Your brain just files this information for reference, it's data, little zeroes and ones and no column that asks "true or not true?" Now your brain thinks, based on what you told it, that everyone you'll ever love will hurt you.
How do you think you will respond the next time you get hurt?
Right!!
Now, what if we instead told our brain:
"Okay this person ripped my heart out - but that's only one person. I'm lovable and have many loving people in my life who are not out to hurt me. I know that the right people are coming into my life all the time. If someone hurts me, I will forgive them and bless them on their way."
Words can be empowering.
I can
I love to
I want to
I will
I must
I am
I love to
I want to
I will
I must
I am
We can reach a new level of living, if we feed ourselves empowering words and practice saying them until they become a habit.
I know first hand that it takes time.
And I also know that it's worth it.
Try it for a week.
Catch yourself saying, "I can't", when you don't really mean it and instead try, "I can", and see how you think and feel about yourself.
Remember, the words you use to empower yourself will have a lasting effect, only if you practice them and they become a habit (an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary).
They say it takes at least 28 days to develop a habit. After a week, you will see that it becomes easier. It's a mindset and you can control your thoughts. Be proactive and not reactive - give yourself some good words.
Dream big and empower yourself! Believe you can and you will.
An Inspirational Short Story
This is a story of one 10-year-old boy who decided to study judo despite the fact that he had lost his left arm in a devastating car accident. The boy began lessons with an old Japanese judo master. The boy was doing well, so he couldn't understand why, after three months of training, the master had taught him only one move. "Sensei," the boy finally said, "Shouldn't I be learning more moves?"
"This is the only move you know, but this is the only move you'll ever need to know," the Sensei replied. Not quite understanding, but believing in his teacher, the boy kept training.
Several months later, the Sensei took the boy to his first tournament. Surprising himself, the boy easily won his first two matches. The third match proved to be more difficult, but after some time, his opponent became impatient and charged; the boy deftly used his one move to win the match. Still amazed by his success, the boy was now in the finals.
This time, his opponent was bigger, stronger, and more experienced. For a while, the boy appeared to be overmatched. Concerned that the boy might get hurt, the referee called a time-out. He was about to stop the match when the Sensei intervened. "No," the Sensei insisted, "Let him continue."
Soon after the match resumed, his opponent made a critical mistake: he dropped his guard. Instantly, the boy used his move to pin him. The boy had won the match and the tournament. He was the champion.
On the way home, the boy and Sensei reviewed every move in each and every match. Then the boy summoned the courage to ask what was really on his mind. "Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?" "You won for two reasons," the Sensei answered. "First, you've almost mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. And second, the only known defense for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm."
The boy's greatest weakness had become his greatest strength.
Appreciation
One young academically excellent person went to apply for a managerial position in a big company.
He passed the first interview; the director did the last interview, made the last decision.
The director discovered from the CV, that the youth's academic result was excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research, never was there a year he did not score.
The director asked, "Did you obtain any scholarship in school?" and the youth answered "no".
The director asked, “Did your father pay your school fees?". The youth answered,”my father passed away when I was one year old and it was my mother who paid my school fees".
The director asked, “Where did your mother work?" the youth answered, "my mother worked as cloth cleaner." The director requested the youth to show his hands and the youth showed a pair of hands that was smooth and perfect to the director.
The director asked, “Did you ever help your mother wash clothes before?" The youth answered," never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books; furthermore, my mother could wash clothes faster than I could"
The director said, I have a request, when you go back today, go and help to clean your mother's hand, and then see me tomorrow morning.
The youth felt that the chance of landing the job was high and when he went back, he happily wanted to clean his mother's hands. His mother felt strange. With happiness mixed with fear, she showed her hands to the kid.
The youth cleaned his mother's hands slowly and his tears fell as he did that. It was the first time he noticed that his mother's hands were so wrinkled, and that there were so many bruises in her hands. Some bruises were so painful that she shuddered when his mother’s hands were cleaned with water.
This is the first time that the youth realized and experienced that it is this pair of hands that washed the clothes everyday to earn him the school fees and that the bruises in the mother's hand were the price that the mother paid for his graduation and academic excellence and probably his future.
After finishing the cleaning of his mother's hands, the youth quietly washed all the remaining clothes for his mother.
That night, the mother and son talked for a very long time.
Next morning, the youth went to the director's office
The director noticed the tear in the youth's eye and asked: “Can you tell what you did and learnt yesterday in your house?"
The youth answered, “I cleaned my mother's hands and also finished washing all the remaining clothes'
The director asked, “please tell me what you felt"
The youth said, "Number 1, I know what appreciation is now'. Without my mother, I would not be successful today. Number 2, Now I know how to work together with my mother. Only now do I realize how difficult and tough it is to get something done. Number 3, I know the importance and value of family relationship.
The director said, “This is what I am asking, I want to recruit a person that can appreciate the help of others, a person who knows the suffering of others to get things done, and a person that would not put money as his only goal in life to be my manager. You are hired.
Later on, this young person worked very hard, and received the respect of his subordinates, every employee worked diligently and as a team and the company improved tremendously.
A child, who has been protected and habitually given whatever he needs, develops "entitlement mentality" and always puts himself first. He is ignorant of his parent's efforts. When he starts work, he assumes every person must listen to him, and when he becomes a manager, he would never know the suffering of his employees and always blame others. These kinds of people, can achieve good results and may be successful for a while, but eventually would not feel a sense of achievement or satisfaction. If we happen to be this kind of (protective) parent, this is the time to ask the question- whether we did/do love our kids or destroy them.
You can let your kid live in a big house, eat a good meal, learn to play the piano, watch a big screen TV but when you are cutting grass, please let them experience it. After a meal, let them wash their plate and bowl together with their brothers and sisters. It is not because you do not have money to hire a maid, but it is because you want to love and show them the correct way. You want them to understand that no matter how rich their parent are, one day they will grow old, become weak and that their hair too will grow grey,. The most important thing is for your kid to learn how to appreciate experience and learn the effort and ability needed to work with others to get things done.
They should also value, appreciate what the parents have done and love them for who they are!
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