Friday, June 29, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
GLOBALIZATION
Question: What is the truest definition of Globalization?
Answer: Princess Diana's death.
Question: How come?
Answer: An English princess
with an Egyptian boyfriend
crashes in a French tunnel,
driving a German car
with a Dutch engine,
driven by a Belgian who was drunk
on Scottish whisky,
followed closely by Italian Paparazzi,
on Japanese motorcycles;
treated by an American doctor,
using Brazilian medicines.
This is sent to you by Indian,
using Bill Gates 's technology,
and you're probably reading this on your computer, that use Taiwanese chips, and a Korean monitor, assembled by Bangladeshi workers in a Singapore plant, transported by Pakistan lorry-drivers, hijacked by Indonesians, unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen, and trucked to you by Mexican illegals.....
That, my friend, is Globalization !!!!
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Success in life
THIS IS BY A FRIEND>…. WHICH IS VERY INSPIRAIONAL TO ME
Raghu
There are no magic formulas for success, but the older I get, the more I rely on a few simple principles to help get me through each passing day. One could argue that these are simply "common sense", but as my wise grandmother used to say, "common sense isn't very common." The common superficial indicators of success-money, a good job, fancy possessions, and a house on the water- really don't indicate much more than an individual who has focused his life on things. True success goes deeper, and that is what drives the following observations. Sorry, I can't guarantee that any of these will work for you, but by diligently applying them to my own life, I have noticed a distinct change for the better over the last 20 years.
1. FIND YOUR PASSION
The most essential step to leading a successful life is to find your passion. Everything positive will flow from your pursuit of an area that truly floats your boat. There are many definitions of "passion" out there, but try this one out for size:
A PASSION IS SOMETHING YOU DO THAT MAKES TIME FLY BY
When I was a teenager, I loved to play piano. It always amazed me that my two hours of practice seemed to go by in a few seconds. On the other hand, if you are only playing piano to please your parents, spouse, or teacher, practicing will inevitably become an interminable agony.
Some possible passions are sports, gardening, music, reading, weaving, meditation, movies, and dining out. Pretty much anything is fair game no matter how offbeat. I have a good friend who discovered his true passion in life was growing orchids! Even more amazing is that he was able to develop an avocation into a vocation by buying a greenhouse and selling extra plants.
Not all hobbies will necessarily lead to full time employment, but with a little creativity, you'll be surprised at what is possible. In my life, I've turned playing piano into giving lessons part time, growing flowers to selling perennials at flea markets, and reading books to giving lectures on various classic works.
How do you find your passion? Join Internet newsgroups. Start a local club revolving around your specific interest. Get your friends hooked. Then merely sit back and watch what happens. In some cases, your interest may wane after a few months, but in other instances you will find a true passion, something that will consume your life until your dying breath.
2. TAKE CHANCES
Nothing is sadder than someone stuck in a dead end job or hopelessly mired relationship. Change is always a little scary, and many people simply choose to be miserable rather than risk financial stress or marital discord.
Approximately one year ago, I was working full time with some of the most negative people on this planet. In addition, my position was going nowhere and I was doing more and more work for the same amount of pay. Then, on that fateful day May 31st, 2006, my life changed in an instant. While eating a bowl of cereal, I experienced very severe pain and needed to be rushed to the hospital. As the doctors muttered something about an "unexplained abdominal blockage" I was given the last rites. After making it through the night, I awoke with a nasal-gastric tube down my throat. Unable to eat or drink, I was given only ice chips for 5 miserable days.
Yet, while I was lying on my back for what seemed to be an eternity, I had plenty of time to think. And when I was released from the hospital one week later, the first thing I did was turn in my resignation. My family and friends thought I was crazy to leave a tenured position that paid $60,000. per year. But, I had seen the light, and you may be curious as to where I am one year later. Well, I have the most incredibly wonderful postition in the same field. I am treated with respect by a "dream team" of colleagues and next year will actually be making more money than I ever have... AND enjoying it! Yes, there were financial insecurities along the way, and there were times when bills didn't get paid. But I find it extremely ironic that I had to look death in the eye to finally learn how to live.
It takes a great deal of guts to change the status quo in your life. There are no guarantees, but if you follow your heart very little can go wrong!
3. DON'T SAY ANYTHING TO ANYBODY
This was my mother's favorite phrase and it took me 20 years to fully comprehend the import of her wisdom. Gossip is extremely, extremely dangerous. If you are labeled a troublemaker at work your career is ruined. If you are catty and chatty in a relationship, you stand a good chance of losing your significant other's trust. A good rule of thumb to use if debating whether or not to say something is:
DON'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SOMEONE YOU WOULDN'T SAY TO THEM IF THEY HAPPENED TO BE STANDING RIGHT THERE
A particular dangerous variant of the gossip game is "But I only told one person!" Sure you did, and that person only told one person, and the next guy in the chain only told one person, and before you know it everyone knows. Loose lips do indeed sink ships. Yes, gossip is quite tempting but at best only gives the gossiper a smug superiority...for a while. So, in the coming weeks, try to say five positive statements a day about people in place of anything even remotely controversial. You will notice a change for the better in your relationships almost immediately.
4. LET SERVICE BE YOUR MANTRA
Leading a hedonistic lifestyle is almost always synonymous with unfulfillment and failure. Look at the hapless Virginia Tech shooter- an individual consumed with anger and totally engrossed in a fantasy world. People who service others are in a win-win situation. Success comes from the feeling of accomplishment by sharing your wealth of ideas and individual talents. Here's a short list of service oriented choices which can only heighten your feelings of accomplishment. And who knows?- you may meet your significant other or a special friend in the process.
a) Become a Big Brother/Big Sister/
b) Volunteer to be on your community's P.T.A., or chaperone various school functions.
c) Help at your local church with a food bank or clothing drive.
d) Give free lessons in the area of your choice (I sometimes give complementary music lessons to disadvantaged children who cannot afford them.)
e) Build houses, repair dreams, mend broken hearts.
f) Become involved with Boy Scouts/Brownies, Den Mothers and Fathers are always needed.
g) Agree to be a "Patient Visitor" at your local hospital. I did this one Summer and learned more about life in two months than in my previous 35 years!
In this me-me-me culture, it takes considerable effort to look beyond yourself to the greater good. But I can think of nothing more powerful then servicing others, even in the smallest way. It will make you feel successful like few other activities can, and could easily change your life in a major way.
5. ARRANGE TO BE LUCKY
It always seems that certain individuals are simply lucky, but I have discovered that you can indeed arrange to be as lucky as the next guy. For example, suppose you are interviewing for a particular job. Only allowing yourself 2 prospects means than luck could occur at most 2 times. But doing 20 interviews increases your possibility of luck tenfold! When I was interviewing for a new position, I did 25 interviews, of which 2 resulted in job offers. So, I was "lucky" twice. In a similar manner if you wish to meet new people, and have three blind dates over an entire year, you're not giving luck much of a chance to work. But meeting three people per month increases your chance of luck by a factor of 12. The truly "lucky" people stack the deck in their daily life so that luck has the maximum probability to occur. And sure enough, over time luck is sure to be a "lady tonight" without any extra effort on their part.
6. FORGET ALL COMPARISONS
If I had my way, I'd abolish ALL competitions, contests, and any event that grades people. It only fosters dreaded comparisons, which is a major factor in depression and disillusionment. Let's face it, no matter how good you are at something, someone, somewhere, is even better. And conversely, even if you feel you are hopeless at something, I guarantee you could teach someone, somewhere, that is even more hopeless.
Instead of comparing yourself to some impossible yardstick, simply do. That's right, just do something. Play guitar, plant a rose, take a walk, climb a tree. Inactive people are the dangerous ones, the meddlers and parasites of society. Get yourself out there even if it is something as simple as weeding the garden. The body craves movement and activity, yet does even better without self judgements. Worrying about doing better at a particular sport, or feeling guilty about a past imperfect performance simply eats up time and immobilizes you. And an immobilized person is an unsuccessful individual. It's essentially as simple as that.
7. FIND YOUR INNER GOD
Rather than endlessly wonder about the location of Heaven, or the existence of Satan, try to find your inner God. We all have a conscience, or "tracking system" to help us in times of need. I prefer to call this inner light "God", but you can call it by whatever term makes you comfortable. Your success in life is intimately tied to how well you are in tune with your "soul". Some people spend a lifetime ignoring their inner voice and the end result is confusion and despair. We all are stronger than we think...I brought myself back to life last year when I suddenly realized my work on earth was merely starting at the age of 47. Although the signal may be weakened by all the noise and junk we put in our lives, it is always there, waiting to be at our service.
Cultivate bewilderment, walk under the pale light of stars, and listen...I guarantee you will never turn off your inner God again!
8. BECOME FRIENDS WITH "YD"
You have an enemy lurking in the bushes. And alas, it will never go away. The name of the enemy is YOUR DEATH, which I prefer to write as "YD" which seems a little less threatening. The final key to you leading a successful life is to come to terms with YD. Frankly, this isn't easy, and some individuals spend a lifetime trying to cheat death, only to be surprised as they approach the finish line.
One very simple thing you can do to feel comfortable about YD is to write your own obituary, no matter if you are 18 or 81. After all, no one knows you as well as yourself, and the experience will be quite humbling. Trying to reduce your life to a few simple paragraphs will inevitably force you to realize you are a mere speck, an asterisk, the head of a pin. Along the way you will discover areas of your life you want to put in your obituary, but can't right now, and this will lead to important changes in your future. I wrote my own obituary at the age of 25, which lead to an incredible two decades of self-exploration. If you have a significant other, you may want to write each other's obituary along side of your own. It is very likely the two obits will be quite different, and this could lead to a productive talk about future plans.
Another activity which will help you shake the hand of YD is to make a "Death Gift Box". This sounds morbid, but is simply an ordinary toy box that is filled with small tokens of appreciation for important people in your life, should you die suddenly or unexpectedly. You could write a letter to a friend, or dry an exquisite red rose for your mother. Be sure to tell someone or mention in your will the location of your death gift box, so your sentiments can be distributed accordingly.
Recently in my community, a gifted 36 year old teacher died suddenly in a tragic car accident. Fortunately, she had put together a death gift box. I cannot describe the looks on the lucky individuals' faces who opened presents from their friend's gift box. They found it almost impossible to put their "treasures" away, and as in most win-win situations, that teacher's memory is now perpetuated forever by a simple act of kindness.
I will never forget sitting next to my grandmother as she was dying 25 years ago. In a faint whisper, she asked if there was anything positive about death. I thought for awhile, then responded "well, at least you can find out how that good dream ends!" She laughed a bit, then was gone. Just as a sentence is a mere collection of words without a period, death is the period that gives life meaning. And all of our lives are ideally a good dream which death merely extends until the next lifetime...
Best Regards,
Raghunandan Jagdish
________________________________________
CEO & Director, Nandan GSE Pvt Ltd
Works: D 205 MIDC Turbhe, Navi Mumbai 400705
Office: C15, Nanddham Industrial Estate,
Ph: +91-22-2763-5508/09 Fax: +91-22-2763-5510
e-mai: raghu@nandan-india.com
You'll fly in the right direction with us...
________________________________________
Sunday, June 03, 2007
For a close friend....
I rarely forward stuff… but this was a particularly touching piece and I thought it has to be shared with someone special. You came to mind…. I have CCed this email to you all but please consider that I have personally thought of you individually. You have made a difference in my life in very special ways that I shall always remember…..
I shall hope to actually sit and write one of these letters for you sometime!
Thank you for being there for me
Raghu
3rd June 2007
Mumbai
Too Busy for a Friend...
One day a teacher asked her students to list the names of the other students in the room on two sheets of paper, leaving a space between each name.
Then she told them to think of the nicest thing they could say about each of their classmates and write it down.
It took the remainder of the class period to finish their assignment, and as the students left the room, each one handed in the papers.
That Saturday, the teacher wrote down the name of each student on a separate sheet of paper, and listed what everyone else had said about that individual.
On Monday she gave each student his or her list. Before long, the entire class was smiling. "Really?" she heard whispered. "I never knew that I meant anything to anyone!" and, "I didn't know others liked me so much," were most of the comments.
No one ever mentioned those papers in class again. She never knew if they discussed them after class or with their parents, but it didn't matter. The exercise had accomplished its purpose. The students were happy with themselves and one another. That group of students moved on.
Several years later, one of the students was killed in
The church was packed with his friends. One by one those who loved him took a last walk by the coffin. The teacher was the last one to bless the coffin.
As she stood there, one of the soldiers who acted as pallbearer came up to her. "Were you Mark's math teacher?" he asked. She nodded: "yes." Then he said: "Mark talked about you a lot."
After the funeral, most of Mark's former classmates went together to a luncheon. Mark's mother and father were there, obviously waiting to speak with his teacher.
"We want to show you something," his father said, taking a wallet out of his pocket "They found this on Mark when he was killed. We thought you might recognize it."
Opening the billfold, he carefully removed two worn pieces of notebook paper that had obviously been taped, folded and refolded many times. The teacher knew without looking that the papers were the ones on which she had listed all the good things each of Mark's classmates had said about him.
"Thank you so much for doing that," Mark's mother said. "As you can see, Mark treasured it."
All of Mark's former classmates started to gather around. Charlie smiled rather sheepishly and said, "I still have my list. It's in the top drawer of my desk at home."
Chuck's wife said, "Chuck asked me to put his in our wedding album."
"I have mine too," Marilyn said. "It's in my diary"
Then Vicki, another classmate, reached into her pocketbook, took out her wallet and showed her worn and frazzled list to the group.
"I carry this with me at all times," Vicki said and without batting an eyelash, she continued: "I think we all saved our lists"
That's when the teacher finally sat down and cried. She cried for Mark and for all his friends who would never see him again.
The density of people in society is so thick that we forget that life will end one day. And we don't know when that one day will be.
So please, tell the people you love and care for, that they are special and important. Tell them, before it is too late.
Best Regards,
Raghunandan Jagdish
________________________________________
CEO & Director, Nandan GSE Pvt Ltd
Works: D 205 MIDC Turbhe, Navi Mumbai 400705
Office: C15, Nanddham Industrial Estate,
Ph: +91-22-2763-5508/09 Fax: +91-22-2763-5510
e-mai: raghu@nandan-india.com
You'll fly in the right direction with us...
________________________________________
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Time: 26th May 2007
Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
You fritter and waste the hours in an offhand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your home town
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way
Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gunAnd you run and you run to catch up with the sun, but it's sinking
And racing around to come up behind you again
The sun is the same in a relative way, but you're older
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death
Every year is getting shorter, never seem to find the time
Plans that either come to naught or half a page of scribbled lines
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way
The time has gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say
The time has gone, the song is over, thought I'd something more to say
| |
Home, home again
I like to be here when I can
And when I come home cold and tired
Its good to warm my bones beside the fire
Far away across the field
The tolling of the iron bell
Calls the faithful to their knees
To hear the softly spoken magic spells.
Pink floyds masterpiece….
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Dawn
Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And Tomorrow is only a Vision;
But Today well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Moral Dilema
A group of children were playing near two railway tracks, one still in use while the other disused. Only one child played on the disused track, the rest on the operational track.
The train is coming, and you are just beside the track interchange. You can make the train change its course to the disused track and save most of the kids. However, that would also mean the lone child playing by the disused track would be sacrificed. Or would you rather l et the train go its way?
L et ' s take a pause to think what kind of decision we could make........
..
....
..
scroll down
scroll down further
Most people might choose to divert the course of the train, and sacrifice only one child. You might think the same way, I guess. Exactly, I thought the same way initially because to save most of the children at the expense of only one child was rational decision most people would make, morally and emotionally. But, have you ever thought that the child choosing to play on the disused track had in fact made the right decision to play at a safe place?
Nevertheless, he had to be sacrificed because of his ignorant friends who chose to play where the danger was. This kind of dilemma happens around us everyday. In the office, community, in politics and especially in a democratic soci et y, the minority is often sacrificed for the interest of the majority, no matter how foolish or ignorant the majority are, and how farsighted and knowledgeable the minority are. The child who chose not to play with the rest on the operational track was sidelined. And in the case he was sacrificed, no one would shed a tear for him.
The great critic Leo Velski Julian who told the story said he would not try to change the course of the train because he believed that the kids playing on the operational track should have known very well that track was still in use, and that they should have run away if they heard the train ' s sirens. If the train was diverted, that lone child would definitely die because he never thought the train could come over to that track! Moreover, that track was not in use probably because it was not safe. If the train was diverted to the track, we could put the lives of all passengers on board at stake! And in your attempt to save a few kids by sacrificing one child, you might end up sacrificing hundreds of people to save these few kids.
While we are all aware that life is full of tough decisions that need to be made, we may not realize that hasty decisions may not always be the right one.
"Remember that what ' s right isn ' t always popular... and what ' s popular isn ' t always right."
Everybody makes mistakes; that's why they put erasers on pencils.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
