Keep Walking!

(Courtesy:Google Earth) When I went home (India) a month ago, I visited a small departmental story (a tiny Woolworths or Coles) in my hometown, Kallakurichi. It is a small, business town having a population of 3 lakhs (Yes, 0.3 million. And our state Tamil Nadu's population is 63 million). I usually do not go shopping empty-handed. I am not obsessed with polythene bags which are difficult to decompose, so, I carry a bag whenever possible. After finished purchasing, I moved to the cash counter to pay. The person at the cash register asked me if I need bags to pack all the items purchased. To which I said, I have got my own bags to carry them. He told me it is the policy of that shop to discourage the use of polythene bags. If you bring your own bags, you will get a 5 percent discount in the total amount which I need to pay. What a good policy, I thought. Obviously, it is a cost-cut measure for that tiny shop. And, it is also friendly to the environment. I am thinking if this can be...

One day through the primeval wood A calf walked home, as good calves should; But made a trail all bent askew, A crooked trail as all calves do. Since then three hundred years have fled, And I infer the calf is dead. But still he left behind his trail, And thereby hangs my moral tale: The trail was taken up next day By a lone dog that passed that way; And then a wise bellwether sheep Pursued the trail o'er hill and glade Through those old woods a path was made. And many men wound in and out And dodged and turned and bent about And uttered words of righteous wrath Because 'twas such a crooked path; But still they followed -- do not laugh -- The first migrations of that calf, And through this winding wood-way stalked Because he wobbled when he walked. This forest path became a lane That bent and turned and turned again; This crooked lane became a road, Where many a horse with his load Toiled on beneath the burning sun, And traveled some three miles in one. And thus a century and a...

Courtesy:galattaguys@gmail.com Watch this comedy skit, hilarious!

ALL ATHLETES, YOUNG OR OLD, SHOULD REMEMBER…. There are little eyes upon you  And they're watching night and day There are little ears that quickly  Take in every word you say; There are little hands all eager  To do anything you do; There's a little boy who's dreaming  Of the day he'll be like you. You're the little fellow's idol;  You're the wisest of the wise, In his little mind about you,  No suspicions ever rise; He believes in you devoutly, Holds that all you say and do, He will say and do, in your way  When he's a grown-up like you. There's a wide-eyed little fellow,  Who believes you're always right, And his ears are always open,  As he watches day and night; You are setting an example  Every day in all you do, For the little boy who's waiting  To grow up to be like you. -Anonymous

Lately, I have been searching for a web host for starting my experimental portal. I have tried various options and found Yahoo domains for small business is a good option. Yahoo provides a domain with a rent of US $10 per year, which is pretty good. I do believe that the 24 by 7 support will be there throughout the year. The basic cost to register a domain for a year is $9.95, which includes a starter Web page, and Yahoo! offers 24/7 toll-free support. For $11.95 a month, you get a customizable, hosted Web site with 2GB of disk space and 25 e-mail accounts. We used an easy, template-based tool called Site Builder to create a site and employed precreated themes. PC Magazine Editor's Choice rates Yahoo highly above others. However, with Findmyhosting I tried searching for an ultra-cheap web hosting service in vain. Nothing compares with Yahoo . Also, I wanted to enquire from a small Indian company. I got a quote of US $18 per year. Mm..I am planning to go Yahoo.

Courtesy:Amazon Don’t anger Beijing: the Chinese power structure is deeply suspicious of advertising. Keep it simple in smaller and rural cities: 800 million rural consumers have little experience of “creative”. Teach the old: parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents want you to get straight to the point. Amuse the young with “China cool” – but don’t rock the boat. Show the promise, not the process: new Chinese shoppers need all the help they can get. Tell Mom they need her: Chinese women hold up half the sky. In the home, the role of even liberated women is paramount. Don’t show real lives: daily life in China is an obstacle course. Don’t remind them. Be confident, but never, ever brag: in a Confucian society boasting is the pits. Big is beautiful: top quality ads signal corporate credibility. When all else fails, use a baby. From Billions: Selling to the New Chinese Consumer . Reprinted courtesy Palgrave Macmillan. Glance the book!

Courtesy: Amazon "The Challenge for everyone in life is to be able to put a check mark in all of the three circles: - to use their professional skills to the maximum; - to do something that has a purpose; - and to do something that they feel passionate about." - Simon Tupman, Why Entrepreneurs Should Eat Bananas Written by Simon Tupman, Why Entrepreneurs Should Eat Bananas offers 101 light-hearted ideas to stimulate and encourage the entrepreneurial flair of business owners and employees. It also includes interviews with five entrepreneurs from around the world, each of whom recounts an inspirational story about their professional success. Further information about Why Entrepreneurs Should Eat Bananas can be accessed online at Here's the book!

I have been reading a book named 'Living with Himalayan Masters' in which the author's guru asks him to think on this: "What did you learn on your own? Whatever you learnt is from your parents, then teachers, friends, books..everything handed over from somebody else. Everything you learnt is a second-hand knowledge? Did you discover anything on your own? Did you add some knowledge by yourself? Learning by experiencing is the only real knowledge. You will be a master of that. You will not forget that." I have been thinking over this. Now, you also do.

Image Courtesy:mgmaps.com Ever thought about having a city map in your palms? Now, it is possible to download tiny maps of various cities from all over the world on your phone or Mp3 player.. Yes, you heard it, even into your Mp3 players! You can zoom in, pan around the tiny map to find out the nearest hotels, landmarks, bus stops etc.. There are lot of developments happening: Check out, Mobile GMaps - you can download Yahoo Maps, Google Maps from here. iSubwayMaps - selected cities around Europe, USA (How long we have to wait for an Indian City?) Microsoft - download street maps for Pocket PC, Mobiles, (in Microsoft's proprietary format, as usual) via Reader's Digest Australia Print Edition