PayPal

For people who do not have a paypal account, I would recommend that they get one for making online purchases, etc. Especially good for merchants. So, if you are interested please join with through the banner below. Many thanks.
Sign up for PayPal and start accepting credit card payments instantly.
For all my myLot friends - I would like to share some advice that some of my friends on myLot told me about. I thought I'd share it with you, since it can really multiply your earnings on myLot. I have been informed that, when you post/reply to discussions, if you write at least six lines, you will be paid a higher amount for that, than if you were to just write one or two lines. If you can keep your sentences short, then six lines is not a lot ! So friends, try to keep this advice in mind for your future discussions and the money start to add up quicker than it was before.


Sunday, June 29, 2008

First impressions

    When meeting new people, I have this habit of watching their facial expressions, body movements and listen closely to what the other person is saying. It is a great learning experience and helps me in getting to know the other person better. I can usually size up a person within minutes. I like to rely on intuition about people when I meet them and usually I am right. Facial expressions, body language, and speech can all give a person away. A person conveys a lot of information thru their body language and facial expressions which is not available thru other means. I think we all judge others based on the first impressions automatically. Sometimes, I have to revise my opinions of a person at a later stage, since I have been wrong maybe a couple of times. But this does not happen very often. Usually we are not very open to second or third impressions since first impressions make a lasting impact on most of us as it tell us a lot about the other person. But this is not always the case. A person who looks or acts like a snob might really be just a normal person who is just putting on a front for some reason or other.
    I am rather shy person especially when it comes to attending a gathering of people that I do not know at all and I really hate to draw attention to myself unnecessarily. But I warm up rather quickly with people I am familiar with and don't mind to be at the center of attention with people I am comfortable with. Because of this change in behavior, some people interpret my shyness as being vain and conceited as in I don't want to talk with them. Knowing that I myself am very prone to giving the wrong first impression to some people, I'm try to be open minded and sometimes give a person a second chance just to give them the benefit of a doubt, even if I did not like them the first time around.
    Try not to judge a person by the cover because then you might lose an opportunity for a great long lasting friendship. So try to be a little open minded when meeting new people. Read more...

      Saturday, June 28, 2008

      A blast from the past

        Strange are these days indeed and some things in life never ceases to amaze me. It seems that John McCain has received an endorsement from the unlikeliest quarter. It looks like the Vietnamese ex jailer - Tran Trong Duyet who states that he held John McCain captive for about five years as a POW, now all of a sudden considers him a good friend and if he was eligible, would probably cast his vote for him.

        But it seems that Tran Trong Duyet seems to have either forgotten what went inside the prison walls or is trying to push it all under the carpet, since these old prison camps were nothing better than torture chambers. He is constantly insisting that nothing of this sort ever happened and everyone is lying. Reams and reams of data has been collected mentioning the trauma and pain the POWs went thru, but it was constantly brushed aside as nothing but fictitious material. At times medical attention was purposely delayed and prisoners were put in solitary confinement in an attempt to get the prisoners to reveal information. Many former POWs claim that they were repeatedly bound, beaten and tortured by their captors. Many of them still suffer the lingering physical pain from it even after so many decades.

        As of now, relationship between two countries have normalised and the friendship was highlighted when Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung's met President Bush at the White House very recently. But the trauma is still there. Just scratch the skin a bit and the old wounds will reopen. It was a very difficult time for the service men and their families. Alot of people went thru either mental, physical trauma or both. The minimum that can be done is admit that it was done, give a formal apology and get it over with. At least this way the past can be put behind us and both countries can move forward without any excess baggage. It looks very stupid and silly denying something when there is so much documentary evidence stating that horrible things were done at the camp. No one is going to take Tran Trong Duyet seriously at all, since it is apparent that he is just pushing the party line and not being honest at all. Just by stating that Tran Trong Duyet considers John McCain a good friend and would vote friend doesn't mean that the feeling is recipocrated. There is probably alot of hard feeling still there. In alot of such cases, the past usually troubles the ex-soldiers for a long time. But time has moved on and it is about time that we mend our fenches. There was alot of blood spilled on both sides. Nothing can bring back the lost ones or remove the pain and suffering that still goes on. Read more...

          Friday, June 27, 2008

          Change of browsers

            Till recently I was a big fan of Microsoft Internet Explorer. Even with a few minor bugs, I still used it for all my surfing needs. Frankly, no one had any real choice. Plus, everything was written around the Internet Explorer, so it became the default choice whether we wanted it or not. These days, I have discovered the joys of Mozilla Firefox. it is a wonderful piece of software. it is alot faster and has similar features. If you have not discovered the joys of Firefox yet, take the plunge now. You will simply love it. Read more...

              Thursday, June 26, 2008

              Rising prices does affect everyone.

                Due to the rising prices of different commodities, we have been re-thinking about how we spend our hard earned cash. We cannot live without food, but the wasteful expentidure and be cut back, if not completly eliminated. We go shopping once every three weeks or so and purchase most of our groceries. Rising prices of gas has forced us to cut back on our excursions to bare minimum. No one is immune from the effects of rising prices. At such hard times, we have to take a hard look at our cash inflow and outflow to determine where we can save so that we can have a soft landing when the crunch time comes. There is not much wrong with our economy and most of this price rise is due to external facors. But this crisis has forced us to look at alternative options. Alot of people are going back to simpler lifestyles. But nothing so drastic here. We might start off by getting solr panel sooner or later. Having an electric vehicle is a good option for commuting short distances within the city. It's not only pollution free, but also is more cost effective. Hybrid cars are still to expensive and are not really ready for mass production. Car pooling does help in checking wasteful expenditure a bit. I guess we all have to get used to high prices and adjust our lives according. But try to adjust your lifestyle a bit, make a few changes and maybe it won't hurt so much. Try renovating your house so that it uses less energy and your energy bills will come down drastically. Read more...

                  Wednesday, June 25, 2008

                  A positive attitude is beneficial

                    Have you realised how much thoughts and thinking affect our bodies and minds. It has a much more profound effect than we realise. We should not let small things in life bog us down. We have to try to maintain a positive attitude and if you are unhappy for some reason then, you have to try to change your thinking. Sometimes, terrible things just cannot be avoided and you have to face them head on. But if you really think about it, most of the things that happen to us are not a catastrophe and we should not think about them like they are. Having a negative attitude depresses the bodily functions and negatively affects our thinking and outlook in life. We tend to lose friends, family friends and well wisher during this period due to our negative outlook.

                    I am a firm believer that in order to achieve positive results in life, you have to start out with positive attitude. We have to constantly work at generating positive or good vibes everyday. A positive attitude would also mean having the right attitude or right reaction to certain circumstances that occur in life. Certain situations that we encounter in life are just challenges that will make us strong enough to take such responsibilities in life, if we are able to learn from them.

                    Everyday, I try to be as positive as possible. I have found that being positive also helps in increasing my confidence level. It has to come from within us and it just cannot be generated from outside. I think I would describe it as how we think about ourselves and others, you know...your attitude towards life. Having a positive attitude really helps us to become a better individual. We just need to have a belief in our self that we can take control of our own life amidst trials, turbulence and obstacles that we encounter in our passage thru life. It can help in converting a mountain size problem into a molehill.

                    Positive attitude does indeed bring beneficial results. it seems that these days negativity surrounds everywhere and finding the true happiness is always eluding us time to time. In that situation, we need to find happiness within ourselves by building positive foundations so as we can remain positive no matter what problems comes our way. Read more...

                      Tuesday, June 24, 2008

                      Drinking water does help

                        Did you know that our body is made up of approxmaitly 70% water. It helps your body to regulates every function in your body. Water flushes out all the impurities in our bodies, and gives that healthy glow to your skin. Not drinking enough water will lead to toxins building up inside your body. I try to drink as much as possible and I really do feel healthier and more full of energy. It is not the solution to all of your health problems, but it does have many positive benefits.

                        Some of the benefits which I could think of are:

                        *Helps in the digestion of food
                        *Helps in lowering blood pressure by making blood thinner
                        *Helps to greatly reduce constipation since excess water is not pulled out from your intestines.
                        *Helps to promote healthy hair and nails
                        *Helps to reduce irritability and stress
                        *While helping in metabolizing fat and regulating body temperature so you do not get either too cold or too hot.

                        Summer time is upon us and this means excess water loss. Remember to drink extra water since you will be sweating it all out anyway. Drinking water does help in preventing a few summer time related medical emergencies. Pack a water bottle when you step out of the house. Replace carbonated drinks with water whenever possible. Read more...

                          Monday, June 23, 2008

                          Gone cell phone mad

                            Sometimes I really wonder why a lot of people spend so much time on the phone. Look anywhere and you will see either an earpiece sticking in the ear, or else they will have a phone glued to it. I really do not have a clue why they do this. I have a cell phone that I use only for convenience and emergencies.

                            I really cannot figure out why the average person walk around with a cell attached to their ear for hours on end. Professionals who need to stay in touch either with each other or with clients are one thing ... average person is another thing.

                            I sometime really wonder if there were no cell phones, would people still be willing to walk around with a phone booth attached to their hip just to be able to talk to someone all day? Would they be willing to talk to each other any other way or are they just addicted to it? Read more...

                              Sunday, June 22, 2008

                              What does your internet footprint reval about you?

                                Some employers these days are using the Internet in their background check before considering hiring a new employee. Employers look at your photos and profiles as a screening process during recruitment.
                                It does not matter what your opinion about this particular subject is, you must think twice before you post anything on the Internet. One you post it on a site, it stays on Internet as long as site is active. Sometimes we do not realise that what we put on the net will be there for an extremely long time!
                                Even though I do post a lot of stuff on many sites and do a lot of blogging, there is not anything that would be embarrassing let alone grounds for not hiring. I can imagine what some people have on their profiles around the web keeping them from getting a job.

                                How would you feel knowing that company is utilizing MySpace, Facebook and Internet search engines as background checks on you?

                                But if I was hiring someone for my company, I would certainly check them out on the internet, even though I do not totally agree with it. But I do consider it a tool to discover the public face that they have on the net. If I found posts on a social network site boasting how they did something illegal or unethical I would not hire them. Since the person is a total stranger to the company, it would like to get as complete a picture as possible about the candidate as possible. Read more...

                                  Sunday, June 15, 2008

                                  Would I really like to meet my old school friends?

                                    While browsing thru a few social networking sites, I found a few really old high school friends which I had not been in contact with over 20+ years. When I saw the names, alot of memories came flooding back and it seemed I was swept back in time.

                                    When the initial surprise wore off, I was wondering if I really would like to meet all of my old high school buddies. I guess it all depends, since everyone is very much different when they are in high school and when they become adults they might have changed alot. Also, one must remember that sometimes the things that brought you together as friends in the first place might not be there anymore. But if you go to meet them with the realization that people change over a period of time, then it might be worth a shot.

                                    I have kept in contact occasionally with a few of my old best friends. But the others I have lost contact with the passage of time and for various other reasons. I guess I have changed in so many ways also since there is nothing static in life. The only constant thing in life is change. Some of them have been a part of my growing up life and partly I do owe who I am today to those friends that I had then.

                                    SO in my final analysis my answer will be defiantly ... YES, even though 20+ years have flown by. I think it might be worth at least a chance to go out to lunch with them since I am really curious to know what they have been up to all these years and what they look like in real life. Who knows, maybe we can be as good a friends as when we were young. It won't be the same as when we were younger, but if our friendship bond was strong enough, it will stand the passage of time. But what about you? Will you give it a chance? Would you ever meet up with these friends from the past again? Read more...

                                      Saturday, June 14, 2008

                                      What are the qualities you like in your friends?

                                        We all have friends, but real and true friends are hard to find. The main quality that draws me to a person is if they treat me like they have always known me. I just develop an instant liking for who are down to earth people. I like my friends who are honest,funny, can be trusted, and should also share some of the same interests as you. After thinking about this particular topic for a long time, I have come to the conclusion that God has allowed me to have many different people in my life and those people meet many different needs. Friends are the second most important group of persons in my life, next to my family. We should treasure them and hold them close to us. Read more...

                                          Friday, June 13, 2008

                                          How superstitious are you?

                                            Well today is Friday the 13th and I do not know how my day will turn out. Sure I may be a bit superstitious but I honestly cannot remember anything bad happening on this day. It just another day for me and I usually just go about my business as usual. Such is the fear of the 13th number is this 13th number is usually missing from many building and sometimes there is no house number 13. I hardly ever give it a thought, unless someone points it out to me and fills my head full of ideas of all the unlucky things that might happen on this inauspicious day.

                                            paraskavedekatriaphobia is The fear of Friday the 13th. The origin of this number dates way back to the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The Last Supper had thirteen people seated at a table which resulted in the death of Jesus Christ. The day on which Jesus Christ was crucified was Friday, and since then it has been viewed both positively and negatively.

                                            I really do not know how disastrous or 'fateful' the combination of Friday and the number 13 have been, but these two items really have kept the people thinking and worried for centuries. All I know is that it's another day for me. Since I do not believe in this superstition, I personally just ignore it and not anything is done about this particular day to ward off the evil effects. Unlucky things do happen with people, but not because the effect of this number and day combination. So stop worrying about it. Any day can be lucky or unlucky. Read more...

                                              Saturday, June 7, 2008

                                              My house and the park

                                                My last house stood on a slight rise just on the edge of the city and it overlooked a park which was located just a little distance from our house. We lived in a quiet neighborhood. Not much ever happened there. Spring and summer months were real nice since we had a huge park located near by and alot of kids used to come to the park to play baseball, football or any other sports activity which caught their fancy. Sometimes families used to come to the park for a picnic. You could always tell when a picnic was going on because the delicious food smells used to come our way at times. Usually I used to go up to the park and join a game in progress if they were willing to let me in or if they were short of a few guys. If I was feeling too lazy, I used to just sit on the sidelines and watch. Sometimes, if a few of my buddies were there, I enjoyed my trip to the park more. My buddies and I either used to just sit under the shade of the Maple tree... munch on snacks and just talk, play our own game or join a game in progress. We lived in this house for many years until we finally sold it one day. Time moved on....we grew up and went our own ways, made new friends along the way and changed alot of house and cities with the passage of time. But this park still holds a special place for me. The house had a splendid view of the park and I am sure that the new owners must be enjoying it as much as I did when I was younger. Sometimes when I look back, the park always pops up in my mind and brings back some fond memories and I am reminded of how much carefree fun I had when I was younger. One should enjoy each moment every day, because you will never have another chance to change it. Dark stormy clouds will always come into your life, but try not to be weighed down by it. The brighter moments in your life will always dispel these dark moments. At times when I am walkind or driving past a park and some activity is happening in the park, it takes me back in time. Read more...

                                                   

                                                  ss_blog_claim=64eb27d800bf9debb2e591ae98643281