One Little Prayer

Come....pray with me

One Little Prayer is a new blog by me... go see!

Firefox, we love you!

I am a great fan of the Internet Browser - Mozilla Firefox. Why? Simply because it

1. Is user friendly
   
2. Is customizable
3. Is adaptable to your tastes
4. Has Google, Wikipedia search engine toolbars, and many more to choose from
   
5. Is fast
6. Has tabs, and you can move from one tab to another by ctrl+tab
   

Now, they are launching Firefox 3, on June 17th.
And, they are trying to set a record of the most software downloads in a day. So, why not be a part of it?



Go on...do it!

Sisters

This is a great book!!!! When I started it, I couldn't believe the author would do this to her readers... It begins with a likeable description of the lives of four beautiful people who are very responsible, successful and happy. But then...tragedy strikes. I hated that part.... and it went on and on..
But the book is such a ray of hope as one progresses through it!
Its a beautiful story about four sisters who start living together because of a terrible family tragedy. The story is full of hope and love....... a must read for girls (guys might get bored with the pace and the style of writing)
The reader begins to love all the characters (the author has done a great job of painting the characters through dialogues, description and incidences). The story has a happy ending.... and teaches a nice lesson of hope and love.

The Witch of Portobello

I just finished my exams, and kick started my vacation with this 'international bestseller'. I always believe that before an author begins a book, before a film-maker starts working on a new movie, before an editor commences his piece.... he should make sure that he has enough 'substance' to fill 100 pages, or 3 hours, or one page.
Mr Coelho had an excellent idea, and a very unique style to tell his new story, but the story itself was really not enough to fill a book. It had many 'blank spaces' that the book itself talks about, and they were surely not inspiring enough to go off in search of lost mothers, or that 'something missing' in someone's life. The problem is, even people with good writing skills have started believing that they have a philosophy worthy enough to make a song and dance about.
And Indian readers..... This is a NOVEL, a story. I wonder why the version sold in India omits the tiny 'a novel' that is seen on its international counterpart.
Read it only if you are prepared to get bored in between, searching for some philosophical pieces of wisdom, but getting only 'blank spaces'

Miracle of Self Confidence

I got this story in an email, and thought it worthy of sharing with my readers:



The business executive was deep in debt and could see no way out.Creditors were closing in on him. Suppliers were demanding payment. He sat on the park bench, head in hands, wondering if anything could save his company from bankruptcy.Suddenly an old man appeared before him.

"I can see that something is troubling you," he said.

After listening to the executive's woes, the old man said, "I believe I can help you."

He asked the man his name, wrote out a check, and pushed it into his hand saying,
"Take this money. Meet me here exactly one year from today, and you can pay me back at that time."

Then he turned and disappeared as quickly as he had come.

The business executive saw in his hand a check for $500,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, then one of the richest men in the world!

"I can erase my money worries in an instant!" he realized. But instead, the executive decided to put the uncashed check in his safe. Just knowing it was there might give him the strength to work out a way to save his business, he thought.

With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the uncashed check. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the check and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

"I'm so glad I caught him!" she cried. "I hope he hasn't been bothering you. He's always escaping from the rest home and telling people he's John D. Rockefeller."

And she led the old man away by the arm.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he'd been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him.

Suddenly, he realized that it wasn't the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

Happy Diwali!

May the festival of lights dispel darkness, ignorance and evil from the world

Our sir says Diwali is the celebration of the illumination within. Isn't it a pity people destroy the environment trying to illuminate the world outside?
Wishing all my readers a Very Happy Diwali!
Please write a comment if you are like me, and don't burst crackers during Diwali.

The Angry Yogi

Did this sound like a contradiction to you? How about the sick Yogi? Another impossibility? In that case, you'd better read this post. Carefully.

The background: A brilliant Yoga Instructor I know went to the institute a good 20 minutes before her class was to commence, and put the key into the lock to open the Yoga hall . It was the wrong key, and it got stuck inside. The sadhakas (students), around 30-35 of them, had begun to arrive, and there was utter chaos. The instructor had to make 3-4 trips up and down (the Yoga hall was on the second floor) to find a locksmith, a teacher who had another bunch of keys, or someone who could yank out the stuck key. She still managed to sort out the series of odd events in a calm and controlled manner. Just as she got on the lift (instead of the stairs she usually took) to reach the class on time, a lady student got in with her, and asked mockingly... "How come you need the elevator inspite of being the teacher? Are you late today?" I'm so glad it was her and not me who had to face this situation! If it had been me, something very un-yogi would have happened to the irritating student!!

The same teacher once suffered from frozen shoulder, and had a hard time then too, explaining that Yoga Instructors are humans, and can suffer from all things humans can suffer from.

I am a novice Yogi, and I feel I can be labeled the 'Angry Yogi'. You know when I really lose my top? When I am slightly angry, and someone asks me how I can get angry inspite of being a Yoga practitioner. What are they really challenging? Its like asking a doctor how he can still get a cold, inspite of being a doctor. I hate having to defend myself, and further still, having to defend Yoga. Here's the defense, once and for all...

Yoga helps you to manage your life better. If you practice Yoga, and still have a B.P of 130, it means you would have had a B.P of 140 without Yoga. Yoga does not, and doesn't even claim to cure you of all your illnesses. It helps you deal with them better. Its sad that people attack Yoga for its inadequacies, and in the process miss out on all its benefits. Yoga is actually a goody bag. You should learn to take what will help you from it. The benefits will surely vary, depending on your involvement and method.

So..Wish you all a safe and peaceful Yoga practice!!

A Thousand Splendid Suns

This book by Khaled Hosseini will surely sell well because of the success of his other novel, 'The Kite Runner'.

By itself, I liked the title, its very optimistic. Its from a poem about Afghanistan, in which the poet proclaims the place to be like 'A thousand splendid suns'. But the picture on the cover is very well chosen too, as it shows that so many suns, though splendid, will not necessarily mean a splendid life; as they will also be associated with arid heat, desert dryness, and difficulties.

The story lucidly narrates the tale of three women belonging to three different generations, and how each one firsts hopes for a good life, and then slowly sees her aspirations as well as her life fade into oblivion.
The basic theme is : Nothing changes in Afghanistan... no matter what the ruling party is, or what the age is, or what is going on in the world. Life of women is always the same...oppressed, helpless and hopelessly dependent on the men in their life. A bit disappointing, as you want Mariam to be happy, and later on even Laila.. you feel anger at the way men (especially Rasheed) dominate their life, and manipulate them by force or by lies to behave as their slaves.

*SPOILER WARNING*
I couldn't even be entirely happy for Laila in the end, as I don't see how going back and living in the same place, plus dragging your understanding husband there, helps you forget your traumatic past.
*END OF SPOILER WARNING*


Overall, this book is a good read for those who are curious about how people in this part of the world live. It also makes one appreciate the equality given to women in the more liberal countries of the world.
Final words: If you're going to read just one book by this author... Go read 'The Kite Runner'. That one sure has more depth and meaning.

The Dan Brown Code

I've just finished the last of Dan Brown's books...
I read them in this order:

• The Da Vinci Code
• Angles and Demons
• Digital Fortress
• Deception Point

He's a great writer no doubt; but guess what...
I found a common pattern in all his books! Maybe its a code..maybe he wants us to guess the end of his newest book 'The Solomon Key'

1. There's a Major controversy in all 4 books. Da Vinci Code challenges the beliefs of Christianity, Angels and Demons challenges the Pope's integrity, Digital fortress challenges American intelligence agencies' lack of respect for the common man's privacy on the internet, and Deception Point lashes out at NASA and the amount of money spent on it v/s the success stories it has given
2. All the books start off with the murder of someone we don't yet know, but later turns out to be the key element in the mystery.
   
3. All stories begin at night, waking up the hero from his deep slumber and plunging him into deeper trouble than he ever imagined (Poor David from Digital Fortress)
   
4. His perils end in 48 hours during which he gets no sleep... as all the stories cover a span of super-activity packed 2 days
   
5. There's a beautiful and brilliant heroine in all the books (except Angels and Demons) who gets involved in the plot because she is related to/works with the key element in the mystery.
   
6. All novels are fast paced, and the controversy is narrated as the hero/heroine learns it
   
7. There's a RUTHLESS killer in each novel, who kills 4-5 key people brilliantly & mercilessly, without any evidence leading to him, under the instructions some evil plotter; and then dies himself
8. The hero and heroine are in mortal danger at least 5-6 times, and save themselves in the most astonishing ways
9. *SPOILER WARNING* The suspense: The villain is the person we trust most, and his reasons are the most unexpected; he goes completely against all the principles he showed he stood for throughout the story
10. All suspicion leads to one person who is most likely to be the evil planner behind the plot, as he has the most motives, but then he turns out to be a victim of the actual planner. Invariably, he/she dies (Remember the President's PA in Deception point?) *END OF SPOILER WARNING*
    

No offense, Mr Brown, I still love and enjoy all your books. They are unrealistically fast paced, with a time-bomb on the protagonists' heads, but the plots are always so brilliant, and they unravel so fast that we invariably love the book in the end.

Awaiting the next one :)

Black is in... BLACKLE

Have you heard about this one yet? This is a site that is suggesting Google to save power, developed by Heap Media, an Australian Company.

What is it?

• Blackle is a custom version of Google in black
• It does not belong to Google Inc.
• The search is powered by Google
  

It was found that an all-white website requires about 74 watts to display, while an all black page uses only 59 watts. Google, with its while background, and its 200 million queries a day, could reduce global use by 750 Mega watt-hours a year by simply changing its homepage color to black.
Read more about blackle here.

I find this very nice, and hope Google decides to change its homepage soon. I mean...we're all so hooked to Google; how long will it take to get used to a minor change? Especially if it is going to save the world's power?

Meanwhile, I recommend you all to use Blackle as your default search engine. Its easy...just remember to type www.blacke.com instead of your www.google.com.

My own small initiative to save power is having a black blog , plus the optimistic view that its readers will increase to such a number that it will actually amount to a significant difference :)