Monday, August 31, 2009

The Story of a Blind Girl

There was a blind girl who hated herself just because she’s blind.
She hated everyone, except her loving boyfriend. He’s always there for her.
She said that if she could only see the world, she would marry her boyfriend.
One day, someone donated a pair of eyes to her and then she can see everything, including her boyfriend.
Her boyfriend asked her, “now that you can see the world, will you marry me?”
The girl was shocked when she saw that her boyfriend is blind too, and refused to marry him.
Her boyfriend walked away in tears, and later wrote a letter to her saying. “Just take care of my eyes dear.”
This is how human brain changes when the status changed.
Only few remember what life was before, and who’s always been there even in the most painful situations.
Life is A Gift.
Today before you think of saying an unkind word – Think of someone who can’t speak.
Before you complain about the taste of your food – Think of someone who has nothing to eat.
Before you complain about your husband or wife – Think of someone ho’s crying out for a companion.
Today before you complain about life – Think of someone who went too early to heaven/hell.
Before you complain about your children – Think of someone who desires children but they’re barren.
Before you argue about your dirty house, someone didn’t clean or sweep – Think of the people who are living in the streets.
Before whining about the distance you drive – Think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.
And when you are tired and complain about your job – Think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job.
But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another – Remember that not one of us are without sin and we all answer to one maker.
And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down – Put a smile on your face and thank — you’re alive and still around
Life is a gift – Live it, Enjoy it, Celebrate it, And Fulfill it.

Friday, August 28, 2009

4 Wives

The 4 Wives

There was a rich merchant who had 4 wives. He loved the 4th wife the most and adorned her with rich robes and treated her to delicacies. He took great care of her and gave her nothing but the best.
He also loved the 3rd wife very much. He's very proud of her and always wanted to show off her to his friends. However, the merchant is always in great fear that she might run away with some other men.
He too, loved his 2nd wife. She is a very considerate person, always patient and in fact is the merchant's confidante. Whenever the merchant faced some problems, he always turned to his 2nd wife and she would always help him out and tide him through difficult times.
Now, the merchant's 1st wife is a very loyal partner and has made great contributions in maintaining his wealth and business as well as taking care of the household. However, the merchant did not love the first wife and although she loved him deeply, he hardly took notice of her.
One day, the merchant fell ill. Before long, he knew that he was going to die soon. He thought of his luxurious life and told himself, "Now I have 4 wives with me. But when I die, I'll be alone. How lonely I'll be!"
Thus, he asked the 4th wife, "I loved you most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No way!" replied the 4th wife and she walked away without another word.
The answer cut like a sharp knife right into the merchant's heart. The sad merchant then asked the 3rd wife, "I have loved you so much for all my life. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?" "No!" replied the 3rd wife. "Life is so good over here! I'm going to remarry when you die!" The merchant's heart sank and turned cold.
He then asked the 2nd wife, "I always turned to you for help and you've always helped me out. Now I need your help again. When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?" "I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!" replied the 2nd wife. "At the very most, I can only send you to your grave." The answer came like a bolt of thunder and the merchant was devastated.
Then a voice called out : "I'll leave with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go." The merchant looked up and there was his first wife. She was so skinny, almost like she suffered from malnutrition. Greatly grieved, the merchant said, "I should have taken much better care of you while I could have !"
Actually, we all have 4 wives in our lives
a. The 4th wife is our body. No matter how much time and effort we lavish in making it look good, it'll leave us when we die.
b. Our 3rd wife ? Our possessions, status and wealth. When we die, they all go to others.
c. The 2nd wife is our family and friends. No matter how close they had been there for us when we're alive, the furthest they can stay by us is up to the grave.
d. The 1st wife is in fact our soul, often neglected in our pursuit of material, wealth and sensual pleasure.
Guess what? It is actually the only thing that follows us wherever we go. Perhaps it's a good idea to cultivate and strengthen it now rather than to wait until we're on our deathbed to lament

Richness, Success and Love

A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them. She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat." "Is the man of the house home?", they asked."No", she said "He's out." "Then we cannot come in," they replied.
In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened. "Go tell them I am home and invite them in!" The woman went out and invited the men in. "We do not go into a House together" they replied. "Why is that?" she wanted to know. One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and then pointed to another one,"He is Success, and I am Love." Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."
The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed. "How nice!!," he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!" His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?" Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house. She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"
"Let us hear our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife. "Go out and invite Love to be ourguest." The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest." Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?" The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!"

Prison Help

An old man lived alone in Minnesota. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, who would have helped him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and mentioned his situation:
Dear Son,I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my potato garden this year. I hate to miss doing the garden because your mother always loved planting time. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me, if you weren’t in prison.Love,Dad

Shortly, the old man received this telegram: ‘For Heaven’s sake, Dad, don’t dig up the garden!! That’s where I buried the GUNS!!’
At 4 a.m. the next morning, a dozen FBI agents and local police officers showed up and dug up the entire garden without finding any guns.
Confused, the old man wrote another note to his son telling him what had happened, and asked him what to do next.
His son’s reply was: ‘Go ahead and plant your potatoes, Dad. It’s the best I could do for you, from here.’
MORAL: NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE IN THE WORLD, IF YOU HAVE DECIDED TO DO SOMETHING DEEP FROM YOUR HEART, YOU CAN DO IT. IT IS THE THOUGHT THAT MATTERS, NOT WHERE YOU ARE OR WHERE THE PERSON IS.

Enjoy Life at Every Moment

Once a fisherman was sitting near seashore, under the shadow of a tree smoking his beedi. Suddenly a rich businessman passing by approached him and enquired as to why he was sitting under a tree smoking and not working. To this the poor fisherman replied that he had caught enough fishes for the day.
Hearing this the rich man got angry and said: Why don’t you catch more fishes instead of sitting in shadow wasting your time?Fisherman asked: What would I do by catching more fishes?Businessman: You could catch more fishes, sell them and earn more money, and buy a bigger boat.Fisherman: What would I do then?Businessman: You could go fishing in deep waters and catch even more fishes and earn even more money.Fisherman: What would I do then?Businessman: You could buy many boats and employ many people to work for you and earn even more money.Fisherman: What would I do then?Businessman: You could become a rich businessman like me.Fisherman: What would I do then?Businessman: You could then enjoy your life peacefully.Fisherman: What do you think I’m doing right now?
MORAL – You don’t need to wait for tomorrow to be happy and enjoy your life. You don’t even need to be more rich, more powerful to enjoy life. LIFE is at this moment, enjoy it fully.
As some great men have said “My riches consist not in extent of my possessions but in the fewness of my wants”.

Remember those who serve

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. “How much is an ice cream sundae?” he asked. “50¢,” replied the waitress.
The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.
“Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?” he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. “35¢!” she brusquely replied.
The little boy again counted his coins. “I’ll have the plain ice cream,” he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.
When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn’t have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.

Juggle Balls: Life

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends and spirit and you’re keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life. How?
Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.
Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them, life is meaningless.
Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live ALL the days of your life.
Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us each together.
Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find. The quickest way to receive love is to give; the fastest way to lose love is to hold it too tightly; and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.
Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you are going.
Don’t forget that a person’s greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated.
Don’t be afraid to learn. Knowledge is weightless, a treasure you can always carry easily.
Don’t use time or words carelessly. Neither can be retrieved. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.

Help others win

A few years ago at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the 100 yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash, but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is, except one boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple of times and began to cry.
The other eight heard the boy. They slowed down and looked back. They all turned around and went back. Every one of them. One girl with Down’s Syndrome bent down and kissed him and said,”This will make it better.” All nine linked arms and walked across the finish line together. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story. Why? Because deep down we know one thing. What matters most in this life is more than winning for ourselves. What truly matters in this life is helping others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.

Helpless Love

Once upon a time all feelings and emotions went to a coastal island for a vacation. According to their nature, each was having a good time. Suddenly, a warning of an impending storm was announced and everyone was advised to evacuate the island.
The announcement caused sudden panic. All rushed to their boats. Even damaged boats were quickly repaired and commissioned for duty.
Yet, Love did not wish to flee quickly. There was so much to do. But as the clouds darkened, Love realised it was time to leave. Alas, there were no boats to spare. Love looked around with hope.
Just then Prosperity passed by in a luxurious boat. Love shouted, “Prosperity, could you please take me in your boat?”
“No,” replied Prosperity, “my boat is full of precious possessions, gold and silver. There is no place for you.”
A little later Vanity came by in a beautiful boat. Again Love shouted, “Could you help me, Vanity? I am stranded and need a lift. Please take me with you.”
Vanity responded haughtily, “No, I cannot take you with me. My boat will get soiled with your muddy feet.”
Sorrow passed by after some time. Again, Love asked for help. But it was to no avail. “No, I cannot take you with me. I am so sad. I want to be by myself.”
When Happiness passed by a few minutes later, Love again called for help. But Happiness was so happy that it did not look around, hardly concerned about anyone.
Love was growing restless and dejected. Just then somebody called out, “Come Love, I will take you with me.” Love did not know who was being so magnanimous, but jumped on to the boat, greatly relieved that she would reach a safe place.
On getting off the boat, Love met Knowledge. Puzzled, Love inquired, “Knowledge, do you know who so generously gave me a lift just when no one else wished to help?”
Knowledge smiled, “Oh, that was Time.”
“And why would Time stop to pick me and take me to safety?” Love wondered.
Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and replied, “Because only Time knows your true greatness and what you are capable of. Only Love can bring peace and great happiness in this world.”
“The important message is that when we are prosperous, we overlook love. When we feel important, we forget love. Even in happiness and sorrow we forget love. Only with time do we realize the importance of love. Why wait that long? Why not make love a part of your life today?”

Short Funny Stories with Morals

Short stories with moral lessons.
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A little bird was flying south for the Winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field.
While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him.As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was.
The dung was actually thawing him out!He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.
Morals of the story:(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.(3) And when you’re in deep shit, it’s best to keep your mouth shut!
**********************************
An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, “Can I also sit like you and do nothing?”
The eagle answered, “Sure , why not.”
So the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested.All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
Moral of the story: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.
**********************************A turkey was chatting with a bull. “I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree,” sighed the turkey, “but I haven’t got the energy.”
“Well, why don’t you nibble on some of my droppings?” replied the bull.“They’re packed with nutrients.”
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree.
The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.
Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.
Moral of the story: Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won’t keep you there.

Type Forms Stationary Set Visual Research


Honey Patel
Product & Marketing Manager
VSS Monitoring
vssmonitoring.com
(208) 703-8321

You must be the change you wish to see in the world -- Mohandas Gandhi

Monday, August 24, 2009

Anger

Something I hate most in this world is when people say things in anger that they don’t mean. When someone is angry, they don’t realize that things that they say can truly hurt someone. I know few people very well and close to me who have done this. First of all, this is just a relationship breaker. If someone does it once and spits out unnecessary things in anger, it’s fine. But, after seeing the person hurt and doing it over and over again is another story. There are two sides of this argument, and believe in one more than the other. One is used commonly by the people who have the tendency to spit things in anger they don’t mean. The first is the usual “I didn’t mean that, I just said it because I was angry.” According to that, what people say in anger is pure bullshit because they don’t mean it, it was just a reactive phase and they blabber all these things out. Second which I believe in more is that there is an ounce or a grain of truth in what comes out when a person is angry. They thought that, have just been keeping it inside themselves to not hurt, or be mean, but when angry, they can’t control their words, so they say everything that has been buried, hidden, or purposefully suppressed, comes out in anger. I truly believe this when the same things have been said in anger over and over again. Those thoughts, ideas, information, feelings have developed more and more and so when angry that consistency of statements occur.
I have a lot of buried and suppressed words that don’t come out, even in anger. I get angry, upset, hurt all the time, so how come I don’t have that capability to shout out all those things to remove them from my system. I have so many feelings, statements, truths! That need to be out of my system and be heard by those particular people. I have never said mean, unrealistic, cruel, disgusting, unnecessary, false, and betrayal things to people I love or don’t love out of anger.
Psychologically speaking, it’s a defense mechanism that people use to control the force in their psyche.
I want you and you to know that I am very hurt by things you have said in anger. I believe that there is an ounce or a grain of truth in it and after all that, I am just hurt by those words. This will never change. My views on the relationship, expectations, and you as a person have changed dramatically and I will never be able to provide you with that genuine care and love like before. I don’t owe anyone anything, and I have no reason (after doing everything I have as a person to you) to be feeling disappointed, hurt, unworthy and low. I have been a good person. I did everything I could for the relationship; I admitted my mistakes, improved my mistakes and never, ever said anything or even thought anything that could be so hurtful. My view of your world, you as a person and our relationship are very different now.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

State of Mind

The month of July and August has been crazy for me. My health, new place, new job, new people, relationships changing, and everything just revolving. It’s very difficult to adjust into a new environment with lots of other forces against you. It does give me a good opportunity to change and start a new chapter of life. The gradual change and the sudden change… I started a new job in end of August, I am dealing with health issues, and the sudden transition has had an impacting effect on me. On top of that, I had a serious apartment issue (harassment and suing landlords), gold’s gym and T-Mobile screwing up my accounts and then lot of other small errands. Life has just been on a roller coaster. Now those errands, transition, etc is getting better and smoothening out a little bit, but then relationship issues start. I can conquer one thing at a time, but not everything at once. I know when it rains, its pours, but I am just going through a never ending thunderstorm, with temporary sunshine (temporary meaning few hours). Once my overall issues are solved (mostly errands) then I can focus on my mental well being. First take care of all errands, one at a time, then focus on long term things. ….
To be continued…

Current Status

Some good news:
- Apartment problem is solved. They decided to waive all termination fees, I don’t owe them anything, and it’s all good to go.
- T mobile removed the extra charges from my account.
- Golds Gym finally cancelled my membership, and is refunding me money.
All this happened yesterday afternoon (August 18, 2009)

Few short term things to take care of:
- Pay target bill
- Mail
- CEN video
- Cancel legal aid
- Comcast
- Fafsa
- CCNA
- Contact lenses

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Speed Read

  1. Have your eyes checked. Many people who read particularly slowly do so because they have an undiagnosed vision problem. Even if you think you have perfect vision, if you haven't had an eye exam recently, there's no time like the present.
  2. Time your current reading speed. It is important to find out how fast you read now so that you can track your improvement through subsequent timings. Not only will timing help you to tell if you're improving, but it will also keep you motivated.

    • You can break out a book and a stopwatch and either time how long it takes you to read a certain number of words on a page or find out how many words you read in a given amount of time.
    • An easier way to time yourself is to take an online reading speed test. There are a plethora of these available: just enter "reading speed test" in your search engine. Many of these have reading comprehension tests, as well, so you can see how well you're understanding what you're reading.
    • Regardless of how you decide to time yourself, be sure to read at your normal speed during the timing, and time yourself on a few different pages - the average of your times should approximate your average reading speed.
  3. Get rid of distractions. Even if you think you read better when you have music playing or when you're in a crowded coffee house, you can probably increase your speed if you reduce distractions to a bare minimum. Try to find a solitary place to read, and turn off the TV, radio and cell phone. Even being in a room of people talking is distracting. If no solitary place is available, try using earplugs to block out any distractions around you. In order to maximize comprehension while reading quickly, you will need to focus on the material at hand as closely as possible.
  4. Adjust reading speed depending on the material. Often, we must trade off comprehension for speed, so an important part of increasing reading speed is deciding how thoroughly you need to comprehend a particular piece of writing. So before you even start reading, decide how fast you intend to go. If you're reading a newspaper article, chances are you just want to get the main ideas, and you can skim through the passages quite rapidly. If, however, you're reading a mathematics textbook or a demanding philosophical treatise - and you need to fully understand the material - you do not want to rush.
  5. Learn to separate the wheat from the chaff with pre-reading. No matter what you are reading, there is frequently a lot of "filler" that you can read quickly through or even skim over. With practice, you will be able to identify the most important parts of a book as you skim through it. When you get to such a passage, slow down. Before you begin a chapter or book, look over the entire piece very quickly. Try to find patterns of repeated words, key ideas, bold print and other indicators of important concepts. Then, when you actually do your reading you may be able to skim over large portions of the text, slowing only when you come to something you know is important.
  6. Train yourself not to reread. Most people frequently stop and skip back to words or sentences they just read to try to make sure they understood the meaning. This is usually unnecessary, but it can easily become a habit, and many times you will not even notice you're doing it. One exercise to help you avoid rereading is to take a sheet of paper or index card and drag it down the page as you read, covering each line once you've read it. Try to drag the card in a steady motion; start slowly, and increase your speed as you feel more comfortable.
  7. Stop reading to yourself. As you read you probably subvocalise, or pronounce the words to yourself. Almost everybody does it, although to different degrees: some people actually move their lips or say the words under their breath, while others simply say each word in their heads. Regardless of how you subvocalise, it slows you down. (You are concerned with speed reading here, not reading to practice communicating the material verbally, which can be done later if you find it necessary.) To break the habit, try to be conscious of it. When you notice yourself pronouncing words to yourself, try to stop doing it. It may help to focus on key words and skip over others, or you may want to try humming to yourself or counting "1,2,3,4" repeatedly in order to prevent subvocalising. One exercise to stop your lips from moving is to put a finger on your mouth and keep it there while you read.
  8. Read with your hand. Smooth, consistent eye motion is essential to speed reading. You can maximize your eyes' efficiency by using your hand to guide them. One such method is to simply draw your hand down each page as you read. You can also brush your hand under each line you read, as if you are brushing dust off the lines. Your eyes instinctively follow motion, and the movement of your hand serves to keep your eyes moving constantly forward. Note, however, that many speed reading instruction books warn off using a tracking member in speed reading as it inhibits the process.
  9. Practice reading blocks of words. Nearly everyone learned to read word-by-word or even letter-by-letter, but once you know the language, that's not the most efficient method of reading. Not every word is important, and in order to read quickly, you'll need to read groups of words - or even whole sentences or short paragraphs - instantaneously. The good news is you probably already do this to some extent: most people read three or four words at a time. Once you make an effort to be aware of your reading style, you'll discover how many words you read at a time. Now you just need to increase that number. Using your hand as a guide may help, as may holding the book a little further from your eyes than you usually do.
  10. Practice and push yourself. While you may see some gains in speed the moment you start using these tips, speed reading is a skill that requires a lot of practice. Always push yourself to your comfort level and beyond - if you end up having to reread a section, it's not a big deal. Keep practicing regularly.
  11. Time yourself regularly. After a week or so of practice, time yourself as in step two. Do this regularly thereafter, and keep track of your improvement. Don't forget to pat yourself on the back every time your reading speed increases!

Friday, August 7, 2009

Letter to myself.

Goals
- Improve health
- Get mentally strong
- Do outstanding in school
- Excellent work performance

You are very strong. You’ve been through so much, why are you beating yourself up? Your own body and mine are your enemies than other people. Be you’re self’s best friend and give yourself lots of attention. One, take care of your health as best as you can. At the end of the day how your body is will depend on how your mental health is, your work is and your school is. Eat healthy meals, stay healthy. Take care of your needs and what you want. In spare time there are lots of things you like to do, read, paint, listen to music, watch movies, go to parks, working out, enjoying life. Do all those things. You have a job that you wanted. In Silicon Valley, you are making good money for someone your age, outstanding respect and position in company. You love working hard and being ambitious. Put that in action at work. Be successful, learn more, gain real world experience and grow. It’s something you’ve always wanted- corporate world real and consistent job. You have it, so make best out of it. Go to work in morning, greet everyone nicely, put all your effort into doing best work and dealing with people well. Allow yourself to learn. School: you’ve always been so successful at school, and right now you are doing what you love: graphic design. Put all your effort in that, learn, and get an outstanding portfolio. Marketing and graphic design go hand in hand, so learn marketing from work and graphic design at school and integrate them both together. Get good grades like you always have and be the best like you have always did. Right now life is tough because you just moved, got a new job, dealing with health issues and you weren’t prepared for all this. There is a lot on your plate. Eat one thing at a time. Keep it simple and one thing at a time. Enjoy while you’re at it. By August 31, get all the clutter done in your life- the unfinished errands that keep piling up, finish the last things from spring (school work, etc.) and prepare yourself for a new chapter of life filled with happiness, success and opportunities to learn and grow. You are a very lucky and a brave woman, utilize that as much as you can. Today is August 7, 2009, you have about 27 days to get things figure out. Get it all done and start a new life. For right now work on getting those errands done, settling in Bay area, taking care of health and finishing up unfinished work and commitments. Once all this is taken care of, take some rest and then start a new beginning. In two weeks you have a big work commitment coming up also, so you want to be prepared for that. You are in a whirlpool right now and it’s completely up to you to get yourself out of it. After August 31st, slowly we can work on mentally well being. First clear up your mind with all the ordeals than slowing it’ll get better. You’ll be fine. You’re headed in a good direction- got a job, living independently in a city you’ve always wanted to live in and you’re doing your Masters. Put things in perspective: you’re good work in school and at work is leading to more experience and better future. Stay focused on those things. Another big thing you need to work on is making some friends. While you are settling down this month and clearing your head make some good friends. It takes time to do that, so give some time during this month to also be making friends. Be strong and stay strong and you’ll see how all your hard work and pain pays off one at a time. Good luck and take care of yourself. At the end of the day, you have to love yourself more than anyone, take care of yourself more than anyone and be happy for yourself.

Sincerely,
Honey

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Life Transition

Life is a process of beginnings and endings. In both life and nature, there are times when things move slowly and don't seem to change very much. Then, suddenly, things change quickly. Moving from August to September, the weather changes gradually at first, and then it seems that suddenly summer is over. It is the same in our lives; transitions are as natural as the changing seasons.
Life transitions are challenging because they force us to let go of the familiar and face the future with a feeling of vulnerability. Most life transitions begin with a string of losses:
• The loss of a role
• The loss of a person
• The loss of a place
• The loss of your sense of where you fit in the world
Any significant loss makes most people feel fearful and anxious. Since your future may now be filled with questions, it is normal to feel afraid. We live in a culture that has taught us to be very uncomfortable with uncertainty, so we are anxious when our lives are disrupted. On the positive side, these transitions give us a chance to learn about our strengths and to explore what we really want out of life. This time of reflection can result in a sense of renewal, stability, and a new equilibrium.
A life transition can be positive or negative, planned or unexpected. Some transitions happen without warning, and they may be quite dramatic, as in cases of accidents, death, divorce, job loss, or serious illness. Other life transitions come from positive experiences such as getting married, going away to college, starting a new job, moving to a new city, or giving birth to a child. Even though events like these are usually planned and anticipated, they can be just as life-altering as the unexpected events. Whether positive or negative, life transitions cause us to leave behind the familiar and force us to adjust to new ways of living, at least temporarily. They can leave us feeling completely unprepared and we may be thrown into a personal crisis, feeling shocked, angry, sad, and withdrawn.
Examples of Life Transitions
Life transitions can include any of the following:
• Accidents
• Buying a house
• Changing jobs
• Divorce
• Getting married
• Having a baby
• Leaving for college
• Relocation
• Retirement
• Selling a house
• Serious illness
• Significant loss (of a person, job, pet, or anything important)
• Starting a career
Stages of Life Transitions
Successfully moving through a life transition usually means experiencing the following stages:
1. Experience a range of negative feelings (anger, anxiety, confusion, numbness, self-doubt).
2. Feel a loss of self-esteem.
3. Begin to accept the change.
4. Acknowledge that you need to let go of the past and accept the future.
5. Begin to feel hopeful about the future.
6. Feel increased self-esteem.
7. Develop an optimistic view of the future.
The process of moving through a transition does not always proceed in order, in these nice, predictable stages. People usually move through the process in different ways, often cycling back and forth among the stages.
Coping Skills
Life transitions are often difficult, but they have a positive side, too. They provide us with an opportunity to assess the direction our lives are taking. They are a chance to grow and learn. Here are some ideas that may help make the process rewarding.
Accept that change is a normal part of life. People who have this attitude seem to have the easiest time getting through life transitions. Seeing changes as negative or as experiences that must be avoided makes them more difficult to navigate and less personally productive.
Identify your values and life goals. If a person knows who they are and what they want from life, they may see the change as just another life challenge. These people are willing to take responsibility for their actions and do not blame others for the changes that come along without warning.
Learn to identify and express your feelings. While it's normal to try to push away feelings of fear and anxiety, you will move through them more quickly if you acknowledge them. Make them real by writing them down and talking about them with trusted friends and family members. These feelings will have less power over you if you face them and express them.
Focus on the payoffs. Think about what you have learned from other life transitions. Recall the stages you went through, and identify what you gained and learned from each experience. Such transitions can provide a productive time to do some important self-exploration. They can be a chance to overcome fears and to learn to deal with uncertainty. These can be the gifts of the transition process: to learn more about yourself and what makes you happy and fulfilled.
Don't be in a rush. When your life is disrupted, it takes time to adjust to the new reality. Expect to feel uncomfortable during a transition as you let go of old ways of doing things. Try to avoid starting new activities too soon, before you have had a chance to reflect and think about what is really best for you.
Expect to feel uncomfortable. A time of transition is confusing and disorienting. It is normal to feel insecure and anxious. These feelings are part of the process, and they will pass.
Stay sober. Using alcohol or drugs during this confusing time is not a good idea. It can only make the process more difficult.
Take good care of yourself. Transitions are very stressful, even if they are supposed to be happy times. You may not feel well enough to participate in your normal activities. Find something fun to do for yourself each day. Get plenty of rest, exercise, and eat well.
Build your support system. Seek the support of friends and family members, especially those who accept you without judging you and encourage you to express your true feelings. A time of transition is also an excellent time to seek the support of a mental health professional. He or she can guide you through the transition process in a safe and supportive environment.
Acknowledge what you are leaving behind. This is the first step to accepting the new. Think about how you respond to endings in your life: Do you generally avoid them, like the person who ducks out early on her last day on the job because she can't bear to say good-bye? Or do you drag them out because you have such a hard time letting go? Perhaps you make light of endings, refusing to let yourself feel sad. Before you can welcome the new, you must acknowledge and let go of the old.
Keep some things consistent. When you are experiencing a significant life change, it helps to keep as much of your daily routine consistent as you can.
Accept that you may never completely understand what has happened to you. You are likely to spend a lot of time feeling confused and afraid. This makes most of us very uncomfortable. The discomfort and confusion will pass, and clarity will return.
Take one step at a time. It's understandable to feel like your life has become unmanageable. To regain a sense of power, find one small thing you can control right now. Then break it down into small, specific, concrete steps. Write them down and post them on your computer monitor or mirror. Cross off each step as you accomplish it.
Times of life transitions offer you the chance to explore what your ideal life would look like. When things are in disarray, you can reflect on the hopes and dreams you once had but perhaps forgot about. Take this time to write about them in a journal or talk about them with a trusted friend or therapist. Now is a good time to take advantage of the fork in the road.

Let Go

Lately, I have been trying to follow a motto about letting things go, for some reason I have been having a very tough time because I am afraid to get hurt or step out of my comfort zone.

Some inspirational for letting go:
To 'let go' does not mean to stop caring;it means I can't do it for someone else.
To 'let go' is not to cut myself off;it is the realization that I must not control another.
To 'let go' is not to fix;but to be supportive.
To 'let go' is not to be in the middlearranging all the outcomes;but to allow others to effect their destinies.
To 'let go' is not to be protective;it is to permit another to face reality.
To 'let go' is not to regret the past;but to grow and live for the future.
To 'let go' is to fear less and love more.
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You cannot erase the past; you must let it go.
You cannot change yesterday; you must accept the lessons learned.
You cannot stop time or stand still in a world racing around in circles;
you must dance with the wind and sing with the songs that are playing.
Let whatever mistakes you have made remain in the shadows of times gone by,
and let love be the answer to the mysteries of life.
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Letting go is one of the hardest lessons in life, Yet over changing seasons and passing time,You will have to learn to let go of certainPeople, relationships, situations and things,That fall way beyond your control.
Tenacity and the attitude of not giving up,Work wonders on many occasions but not all,As some things just are not meant to be,No matter how hard you fight and cling to them,And forcing your will upon things just repel them further.
There will always be people,Who will turn out in ways you never expected,And it dawns on you that you have to let them go,So that they can fulfill their destinies,While you go on to fulfill your own life path.
As life likes to dish out surprises and challenges,Sometimes it is only through letting go,When your heart cries in anguish,That in the agonizing process that you realize,What is truly worth holding onto.
Letting go does not signify weakness,As it might take more courage to let go than holding on,Like the big, inflexible tree that snaps in the storm,While tiny blades of grasses yield and live on,Revealing the strength of letting go.
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There are people who can walk away from you. And hear me when I tell you this! When people can walk away from you: let them walk. I don't want you to try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean hang up the phone. When people can walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left. People leave you because they are not joined to you. And if they are not joined to you, you can't make them stay. Let them go. And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person, it just means that their part in the story is over. And you've got to know when people's part in your story is over so that youdon't keep trying to raise the dead. You've got to know when it's dead. You've got to know when it's over. Let me tell you something. I've got the gift of good-bye. It's the tenth spiritual gift, I believe in good-bye. It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful, and I know whatever God means for me to have He'll give it to me. And if it takes too much sweat I don't need it. Stop begging people to stay. Let them go!! If you are holding on to something that doesn't belong to you and was never intended for your life, then you need to ...LET IT GO!!! If you are holding on to past hurts and pains ...LET IT GO!!! If someone can't treat you right, love you back, and see your worth...LET IT GO!!! If someone has angered you ... LET IT GO!!! If you are holding on to some thoughts of evil and revenge .. LET IT GO!!! If you are involved in a wrong relationship or addiction ... LET IT GO!!! If you are holding on to a job that no longer meets your needs or talents ...LET IT GO!!! If you have a bad attitude...LET IT GO!!! If you keep judging others to make yourself feel better... LET IT GO!!! If you're stuck in the past and Life is trying to take you to a new level... LET IT GO!!! If you are struggling with the healing of a broken relationship....LET IT GO!!! If you keep trying to help someone who won't even try to help themselves... LET IT GO!!! If you're feeling depressed and stressed... LET IT GO!!! If there is a particular situation that you are so used to handling yourself and God is saying "take your hands off of it," then you need to... LET IT GO!!! Let the past be the past. Forget the former things. GOD is doing a new thing for 2006 !!! LET IT GO!!! Get Right or Get Left .. think about it, and then LET IT GO!!! For the next 60 seconds, stop whatever you are doing, and take a moment to reflect: Absorb this message into your life. Feel it become part of your thinking and your power. By letting go you are claiming BACK all the power/energy you spent on this other person or obstacle. Now, when you're feeling a bit clearer, ask yourself a simple question (and ask it often in future):What is it I have that makes life worth living for?

Short Story- Skills and Practice

When I was a child, I loved basketball. Almost all my relatives played. My favorite unclewas the all-time leading scorer at the local high school, and my first recollections about mychildhood involve a basketball. I loved to play, but I also loved to practice. So I practiced. A lot.(Of course, I am not a well-known NBA star; so you know how good I really was.) Anyway, Ialways practiced with my left hand a lot more because I was right-handed. I hoped to overcomemy weakness in the left hand and gain an advantage over others. Ironically, by the time Ireached college, I had lost some of my skills using my right hand, and players would anticipatethat I would go to the left!

Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the art and science of publishing and marketing information that ranks well for valuable keywords in search engines like Google, Yahoo! Search, and Microsoft Live Search. If you run into any new jargon while reading this Knol consider looking up their definitions using the Search Engine Marketing Glossary.

Search engines only show 10 results on the first page, and most searchers tend to click on the top few results. If you rank at the top business is good, but if you are on the second or third page you might only get 1% of the search traffic that the top ranked site gets.

The 2 most powerful aspects of search engine marketing are
users type what they want to find into search boxes, making search engines the most precisely targeted marketing medium in the history of the world
once you gain traction in the search results the incremental costs of gaining additional exposure are negligible when compared with the potential rewards, allowing individuals and small businesses to compete with (and perhaps eventually become) large corporations

While many people consider SEO to be complicated, I believe that SEO is nothing but an extension of traditional marketing. Search engine optimization consists of 9 main steps
market research
keyword research
on page optimization
site structure
link building
brand building
viral marketing
adjusting
staying up to date
Market Research
The first step is to search the major search engines to see what types of websites are ranking for words which you deem to be important. For example, if mostly colleges, media, and government institutions are ranking for your most important terms it may be difficult to rank for those types of queries. If, on the other hand, the market is dominated by fairly average websites which are not strongly established brands it may be a market worth persuing.You can extend out the research you get from the search results by using the SEO for Firefox extension with the Firefox browser. This places many marketing data points right in the search results, and thus lets you see things like
site age
Google PageRank
inbound link count
if any governmental or educational sites link at their site
if they are listed in major directories
if bloggers link at their sites
Keyword ResearchUse the SEO Book Keyword research tool to search for popular and Long Tail keywords related to your industry. This tool cross references the Google Keyword Tool, Wordtracker, and other popular keyword research tools. Notice how our keyword tool provides daily search estimates and cross references other useful keyword research tools.

Keyword research tools are better at providing a qualitative measure than a quantitative measure, so don't be surprised if actual traffic volumes vary greatly from the numbers suggested by these tools. When in doubt you can also set up a Google AdWords account to test the potential size of a market.In addition to looking up search volumes for what keywords you think are important also take the time to ask past customers how they found you, why they chose you, and what issues were important to them in chosing you.You can also get keyword ideas by doing things like
checking your web analytics or server logs
looking at page contents of competing websites
looking through topical forums and community sites to see what issues people frequently discuss
Site StructureBefore drafting content consider what keywords are your most important and map out how to create pages to fit each important group of keywords within your site theme and navigational structure based on
market value
logical breaks in market segmentation
importance of ranking in building credibility / improving conversion rates
You may want to use an Excel spreadsheet or some other program to help you visualize your site structure. This mini-screenshot from an Excel spreadsheet shows example data for how you might align keywords for a section of a site focused on home based businesses, start ups, and franchise opportunities.

Make sure
your most important categories or pages are linked to sitewide
you link to every page on your site from at least one other page on your site
you use consistant anchor text in your navigation
you link to other content pages (and expeically to action items) from within the content area of your website
If you are uncertain how deep to make a portion of the site start by creating a few high quality pages on the topic. Based on market feedback create more pages in the sections that are most valuable to your business.

On Page Optimization
It is hard to rank for keywords that do not appear in your page content, so each page should be organized around the goal of ranking for a specific keyword phrase, with some related phrases and related keywords mixed into the page copy.

Unique descriptive page titles play a crucial role in a successful search engine optimization campaigns. Page titles appear in the search results, and many people link to pages using the page title as their link anchor text.If possible create hand crafted meta description tags which compliment the page title by reinforcing your offer. If the relevant keywords for a page have multiple formats it may make sense to help focus the meta description on versions you did not use in the page title. As far as page content goes, make sure you write for humans, and use heading tags to help break up the content into logical sections which will improve the scanability and help structure the document. When possible, make sure your page content uses descriptive modifiers as well.Each page also needs to be sufficiently unique from other pages on your site. Do not let search engines index printer friendly versions of your content, or other pages where content is duplicate or nearly duplicate.
Link Building
Search engines view links at votes, with some votes counting more than others. To get high quality links (that help your site rank better) you need to participate in the social aspects of your community and give away valuable unique content that people talk about and share with others. The below Google TouchGraph image shows a small graphic representation of sites in the search field that are related to SeoBook.com based on linking patterns.



Link building tips
try to link to your most relevant page when getting links (don't point all the links at your home page)
mix your anchor text
use Yahoo! Site Explorer and other tools to analyze top competing backlinks
don't be afraid to link out to relevant high quality resources

Link building strategies
submit your site to general directories like DMOZ, the Yahoo! Directory, and Business.com
submit your site to relevant niche directories
here is more background on directories and SEO
if you have a local site submit to relevant local sites (like the local chamber of commerce)
join trade organizations
get links from industry hub sites
create content people would want to link at
here is a list of 101 useful link building strategies
Brand Building
Brand related search queries tend to be some of the most targeted, best converting, and most valuable keywords. As you gain mindshare people will be more likely to search for your brand or keywords related to your brand. A high volume of brand related search traffic may also be seen as a sign of quality by major search engines. If you build a strong brand when people search for more information about your brand and other websites have good things to say about your brand, these interactions help reinforcing your brand image and improving your lead quality and conversion rates.Things like advertising and community activity are easy ways to help improve your brand exposure, but obviously branding is a lot more complicated than that. One of my favorite books about branding is Rob Frankel's The Revenge of Brand X.
Viral Marketing
Link building is probably the single hardest and most time consuming part of an effective SEO campaign, largely because it requires influencing other people. But links are nothing but a remark or citation.


The beautiful thing about viral marketing is that creating one popular compelling idea can lead to thousands of free quality links. If your competitor is building one link at a time and you have thousands of people spreading your ideas for you for free then you are typically going to end up ranking better.

In SEO many people create content based around linking opportunities. Many of us refer to this as Link Baiting. You can learn link baiting tips from

SEO Book
Stuntdubl
Performancing
Copyblogger
Wolf Howl

You can search social news or social bookmarking sites like Digg or Del.icio.us to see what stories related to your topic became popular.
Measuring Results
Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.- John Wanamaker
How can I tell if my SEO campaign is effective? The bottom line is what counts. Is your site generating more leads, higher quality leads, or more sales? What keywords are working? You can look at your server logs and an analytics program to track traffic trends and what keywords lead to conversion.

Outside of traffic another good sign that you are on the right track is if you see more websites asking questions or talking about you. If you start picking up high quality unrequested links you might be near a Tipping Point to where your marketing starts to build on itself.Search engines follow people, but lag actual market conditions. It may take search engines a while to find all the links poiting at your site and analyze how well your site should rank. Depending on how competitive your marketplace is it may take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple years to establish a strong market position. Rankings can be a moving target as at any point in time

you are marketing your business
competitors are marketing their businesses and reinvesting profits into building out their SEO strategy
search engines may change their relevancy algorithms

Current Status

My summer school ends tomorrow and then I will have a month to just relax, get settled in and worry about nothing but work and health. My professors have been very nice for three weeks and trying to do their best to work things out for me, but they are also on constrain and can’t do much about it. Everything ends August 5th, so I have to get it all done today (August 4th), along with dealing with apartment people, health and efficiently doing my work.
Work that needs to be done for school
- Stationary Set project
o Concept Sketches/Research (45 pdf pages)
o Computer Roughs
o Color Computer Roughs
o Final design
- Exploration 1
- Exploration 2
- Exploration 3
- Exploration 4
- Exploration 5
- Final Portfolio with all explorations, and 2 projects (typography poster design and stationary set design)
- Typography Final Exam
- Favorites from semester discussion
- Online director review
- A&I Final Project
Errands/Other work that need to be taken care of
- Fafsa
- Golds Gym
- Contact Lenses
- Identity theft
- Apartment issue
o Write letter
o Get police report
- Transfer money in mom’s bank account
- Emerald group
- CEN Video
- CCNA
Life is on a roller coaster without the ups. I just want to get everything done, not worry about anything and give myself a break for a while. It’s the worst right now because of environment and routine change.
You can do it Honey. One piece at a time.