Something to know about our diets

Apples - Protects your heart, prevents constipation, Blocks diarrhea, Improves lung capacity, Cushions joints.
Apricots - Combats cancer, Controls blood pressure, Saves your eyesight, Shields against Alzheimer's, Slows aging process.
Artichokes - Aids digestion, Lowers cholesterol, Protects your heart, Stabilizes blood sugar, Guards against liver disease.
Avocadoes - Battles diabetes, Lowers cholesterol, Helps stops strokes, Controls blood pressure, Smoothes skin.
Bananas - Protects your heart, Quiets a cough, Strengthens bones, Controls blood pressure, Blocks diarrhea.
Beans - Prevents constipation, Helps hemorrhoids, Lowers cholesterol, Combats cancer, Stabilizes blood sugar.
Beets - Controls blood pressure, Combats cancer, Strengthens bones, Protects your heart, Aids weight loss.
Blueberries - Combats cancer, Protects your heart, Stabilizes blood sugar, Boosts memory, Prevents constipation.
Broccoli - Strengthens bones, Saves eyesight, Combats cancer, Protects your heart, Controls blood pressure.
Cabbage - Combats cancer, Prevents constipation, Promotes weight loss, Protects your heart, Helps hemorrhoids.
Cantaloupe - Saves eyesight, Controls blood pressure, Lowers cholesterol, Combats cancer, Supports immune system.
Carrots - Saves eyesight, Protects your heart, Prevents constipation, Combats cancer, Promotes weight loss.
Cauliflower - Protects against Prostate Cancer, Combats Breast Cancer, Strengthens bones, Banishes bruises, Guards against heart disease.
Cherries - Protects your heart, Combats Cancer, Ends insomnia, Slows aging process, Shields against Alzheimer's.
Chestnuts - Promotes weight loss, Protects your heart, Lowers cholesterol, Combats Cancer, Controls blood pressure.
Chili Peppers - Aids digestion, Soothes sore throat, Clears sinuses, Combats Cancer, Boosts immune system.
Figs - Promotes weight loss, Helps stops strokes, Lowers cholesterol, Combats Cancer, Controls blood pressure.
Fish - Protects your heart, Boosts memory, Protects your heart, Combats Cancer, Supports immune system.
Flax - Aids digestion, Battles diabetes, Protects your heart, Improves mental health, Boosts immune system.
Garlic - Lowers cholesterol, Controls blood pressure, Combats cancer, kills bacteria, Fights fungus.
Grapefruit - Protects against heart attacks, Promotes Weight loss, Helps stops strokes, Combats Prostate Cancer, Lowers cholesterol.
Grapes - Saves eyesight, Conquers kidney stones, Combats cancer, Enhances blood flow, Protects your heart.
Green Tea - Combats cancer, Protects your heart, Helps stops strokes, Promotes Weight loss, Kills bacteria.
Honey - Heals wounds, Aids digestion, Guards against ulcers, Increases energy, Fights allergies.
Lemons - Combats cancer, Protects your heart, Controls blood pressure, Smoothes skin, Stops scurvy.
Limes - Combats cancer, Protects your heart, Controls blood pressure, Smoothes skin, Stops scurvy.
Mangoes - Combats cancer, Boosts memory, Regulates thyroid, aids digestion, Shields against Alzheimer's.
Mushrooms - Controls blood pressure, Lowers cholesterol, Kills bacteria, Combats cancer, Strengthens bones.
Oats - Lowers cholesterol, Combats cancer, Battles diabetes, prevents constipation, Smoothes skin.
Olive Oil - Protects your heart, Promotes Weight loss, Combats cancer, Battles diabetes, Smoothes skin.
Onions - Reduce risk of heart attack, Combats cancer, Kills bacteria, Lowers cholesterol, Fights fungus.
Oranges - Supports immune systems, Combats cancer, Protects your heart, Strengthens respiration.
Peaches - Prevents constipation, Combats cancer, Helps stops strokes, aids digestion, Helps hemorrhoids.
Peanuts - Protects against heart disease, Promotes Weight loss, Combats Prostate Cancer, Lowers cholesterol, Aggravates diverticulitis.
Pineapple - Strengthens bones, Relieves colds, Aids in digestion, Dissolves warts, Blocks diarrhea.
Prunes - Slows aging process, prevents constipation, boosts memory, Lowers cholesterol, Protects against heart disease.
Rice - Protects your heart, Battles diabetes, Conquers kidney stones, Combats cancer, Helps stops strokes.
Strawberries - Combats cancer, Protects your heart, boosts memory, Calms stress.
Sweet Potatoes - Saves your eyesight, Lifts mood, Combats cancer, Strengthens bones.
Tomatoes - Protects prostate, Combats cancer, Lowers cholesterol, Protects your heart.
Walnuts - Lowers cholesterol, Combats cancer, boosts memory, Lifts mood, Protects against heart disease.
Water - Promotes Weight loss, Combats cancer, Conquers kidney stones, Smoothes skin.
Watermelon - Protects prostate, Promotes Weight loss, Lowers cholesterol, Helps stops strokes, Controls blood pressure.
Wheat Germ - Combats Colon Cancer, prevents constipation, Lowers cholesterol, Helps stops strokes, improves digestion.
Wheat Bran - Combats Colon Cancer, prevents constipation, Lowers cholesterol.

3 Minute Management Course

Lesson 1
A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings.The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door there stands Bob, the next door neighbour. Before she says a word, Bob says, 'I'll give you £800 to drop that towel.' After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob. After a few seconds, Bob hands her £800 and leaves. The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks 'Who was that?' 'It was Bob the next door neighbour' she replies. 'Great!' the husband says, 'did he say anything about the £800 he owes me?'

Moral of the story: If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Lesson 2
A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident.After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg. The nun said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?' The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once again said, 'Father, remember Psalm 129?' The priest apologised 'Sorry sister but the flesh is weak'.Arriving at the convent, the nun went on her way. On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, 'Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory.'

Moral of the story: If you are not well informed in your job, you might miss a great opportunity.

Lesson 3
A sales rep, an administration clerk and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, 'I'll give each of you just one wish'. 'Me first! Me first!' says the admin clerk. 'I want to be in the Bahamas , driving a speedboat, without a care in the world'. Puff! She's gone. 'Me next! Me next!' says the sales rep. 'I want to be in Hawaii, relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life'. Puff! He's gone. 'OK, you're up', the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, 'I want those two back in the office after lunch'.

Moral of the story: Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 4
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 sittingvery, very high up !

Lesson 5
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: Bullsh*t might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

Lesson 6
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 realise 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.

Moral of the story:

1. Not everyone who sh!ts on you is your enemy
2. Not everyone who gets you out of sh!t is your friend
3. And when you're in deep sh!t, it's best to keep your mouth shut!
   

...This ends the 3 minute management course.

Pondicherry-Mahabalipuram Road Trip

The Planning ...
It had always in my dream to drive on the ECR upto Pondicherry since the day I bought my first car. I had been to pondicherry once some two years back. It is not only because of the place, it is the road which lured me again to visit that place again by my car.

I was in Taipei when I planned the trip with my mother over phone. She already knew about my intention of driving the car all the way. Subham, a friend of mine, also wanted to join us for the trip. He too was excited to take his new Alto on the NH4 and ECR.

We also added Mahabalipuram in our destination list and extended our vacation by one more day. We decided to start on saturday early morning from Bangalore and reach Pondy by noon. Everything went according to our plan and we managed to book the accomodations after little dilemma and troubles.

The plan was like this:
Day 1 (Saturday): We will leave from Bangalore on saturday early morning at around 6 Am. We will need 7 Hours to reach Pondy including breaks in between. 2 Night stay at Puducherry.
Day 2 (Sunday): Visit Auroville Matri Mandir early morning. Then the Boating @ Chunnambar and Beaches in the afternoon
Day 3 (Monday): Leave Pondicherry in the early morning to reach Mahabalipuram before lunch. Followed by Sight seeing @ Mamallapuram / Mahabalipuram. 1 Night stay at Mahabalipuram.
Day 4 (Tuesday): Leave Mahabalipuram in the early morning and reach Bangalore before Dinner time, via Kanchipuram and Krishnagiri following NH4.

We managed to book our guest rooms for 2 nights at Anandha Inn (URL:http://www.anandhainn.com/) in Pondicherry and 1 night at Hotel Tamilnadu Resorts on Beach Road of East Coast Road near Mahabalipuram.

The Road Trip ...
As per the plan we started on Saturday early morning by 6:30AM (late by 30 mins). By then city roads have already started getting busier. I filled up some gas in my vehicle and headed towards Hosur. It took almost an hour to reach Silk Board junction on Hosur Road because of increasing city traffics. The traffic became easy after Electronics City and in no time we crossed Attibele and Hosur.

It was around 8:15 when we decided to take a tea break at the A1 Plaza adjacent to Relience Oil Station on the NH4. We took some light food items with Tea/Coffee and continued our journey towards Krishnagiri.

The road NH4 (National Highway 4) is just like a dream. It is a part of Golden Quadrilateral project (4 Roads to connect Metro Cities and major towns). I could easily drive at 100Km/h speed without any hitches. We reached Krishnagiri and took a left turn towards Chennai. On the Krishnagiri - Chennai Road, after going about 3 Kms we had to take a right turn towards Pondicherry.

Till this part of our journey the road is very good. But the road from Chengam to Thiruvannamalai is like hell. I was struggling to maintain average speed of 20 in those roads. The roads are totally out of shape and have numerous pot holes. This contributed some 30 minutes delay in our journey to reach Pondicherry.

The road from Thiruvannamalai to Pondicherry is proper but doesn't have any road/lane dividers. So one has to be very cautious while driving through these roads. On our way, we met many unattended cattle herds that made us wait standstill on the road for sometime.

Finally, following the printouts from Google Map and asking localites, we reached Pondicherry by 2:30 PM. We were hungry and quickly checked in to Ananda inn. The hotel is centrally located and not very far away from the Beach road of Pondy. We managed to freshen up fast and our lunch in one of the hotel restaurants.

In the evening we visited Beach Road and the nearby temples. The walk along the less crowded streets near the Arabindo Ashram, with french style residential buildings all around, is really enjoyable. One will get a different feeling walking through those streets (Rue De).

Puducherry
This was my second visit to Pondicherry and I liked the fact that nothing had changed much from my last visit, except the marine drive has been extended towards the Sea. The weather was perfect - not to hot and not to sultry.

We thought of taking the Pondicherry Tourism Bus to visit Auroville Ashram and other places around the city. But later we decided to take our own car to have more command over the time that we spend in visiting those places.

After enjoying the complimentary breakfast in our hotel we hit the road towards Auroville. It is 11 Kms from the main city towards chennai. The road is narrow but enjoyable. You get to see so many mangroves and mango orchards on either side of the road. As we approached the Auroville the road condition became worser .. until we reached Auroville.

Auroville is really nice as it is. But this time also we missed to see the inner chamber of Matri Mandir (Meditation Dome) as it was under construction. After taking some snaps and buying few souvenirs we moved on our way to Chinnambar Resort.

After reaching there we came to know about a nice beach which can be approached only after a boat ride from the same resort. We decided to go for the beach tour. I had not been to this beach before. It worth all our money and effort. The beach is very nice and well maintained. Most importantly, the beach is a private beach restricting access to public. The clean beach was good enough to lure us to take a dip into the sea waters for sometime. We were almost lost in sea bathing until re realised that we are all very hungry and we have crossed past the lunch time. We hurriedly came back to the resort (taking the ferrying boats) and finally to the pondy city. We were lucky enough to find a restaurant (Vegetarian though) just next to our hotel.

After lunch we headed towards Sri Aurobindo's Ashram and Marine Drive. The leisure stroll by the sea shore was quite relishing. We witnessed the sun set and evening and returned to our hotel for resting. We also visited the Manakula Vinayagar Temple on our way back to the hotel.

More to come : Mahabalipuram, Shore Temples, Butter Ball, Kanchipuram (Silk Sarees), Wild Rain on Highway... keep watching this space.

Hiking on YangMingShan Mountain

YangMingShan (YMS) Mountain (Official YMS website: http://www.ymsnp.gov.tw/HTML/ENGNEW/index.htm


It was Adrain (a colleague in Taipei office) who planned for the hike on the YangMingShan Mountain in Taipei. I was trilled to hear about the plan.


As per the plan, we were four guys who showed up for the hike - Adrain, myself, Tim and Bruce. Jesper and Icaro had a night out in the city and couldn’t join us. We met at Jiantan MRT station and took the R5 Bus ride upto YMS Bus Station. In an hour we reached the YMS Bus Station. We took a quick breakfast and got some goodies from the 7-Eleven store next to the Bus Terminus.

After enriching ourselves we started walking from there up to Visitor Centre - a warm-up walk. We took a short break at Visitor Centre and decided to hit for the ChihSing Main Peak. ChihSing (which means 7 Stars in Chinese) is highest peak in YMS National Park and one could see Taipei City and Sea on the other side from the top in clear weather.

It takes almost 2-3 Hrs of continuous climb to reach the peak. It was just 1/4th of our way when I started feeling weary and out of breath. So we all took another small break in the side bench and continued our climbing. It was Bruce who extended his help and took my bag to relieve me out of those extra Kilograms. We saw some wild lives including the brown squirrels on our way.

The final 1/4th way of the climb was very steep and myself and Adrain (who had a sprained ankle) decided to go at slow pace agreeing to meet Tim and Bruce at the top. It was fun to see Tim and Bruce racing and climbing up the steep stairs so fast. And within few seconds those two runners went out of our sight.

It was me and Adrain who took our climb slowly, talking about various things on our way, and taking several short breaks. As we approached the summit the weather started to change and we faced strong wind and mist. Finally we reached the top. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t so clear and we missed the view of the YMS valley, Taipei City and the Sea from the mountain top. We joined Tim and Bruce savouring on breads, cookies, and water. As we regained our lost energies, we took the other path to descend the mountain all the way through the volcanic remains and sulphur springs.
It was amazing to see those active sulphur springs ejecting stinky fumes and hot steams which smell like raw egg. The smell reminds me of the Chemistry Labs in the school. We got some strong winds and rains on our way down. The stones near the sulphur springs were slippery and we cautiously took our steps down.

After crossing pasts some fantastic sulphur springs and scenic grasslands we reached the Hsiaoyukeng Visitor Centre withing few hours. We saw the Sulphur Valley next to the bus stop and took the shuttle bus (No 108) to YMS Bus Station. We were all hungry and took a dining break at the Starbucks café and then headed back to our homes/hotels.


To sum up, overall trip was splendid and something that I would never forget in my life !!

Durga Puja 2007 in Bangalore

Following are the places, that I came to know through various sources, where Durga Puja Celebration is happening all around Bangalore from 17Oct2007 to 21Oct2007. Wish you a very happy Durga Puja festival.

1. Ulsoor Bangali Association (RBANMS Ground near commercial road,Shivajinagar)

2. Indiranagar Cambridge Layout (Near Ulsoor Flower Market)

3. Koramangala, Sarathi Cultural Trust (Mangala Kalyana Mantapa, 8thblock, '80' ft Road, Koramangala. Near Ganesha Temple - Raheja ArcadeRd)

4. JP Nagar (N.R.Kalyana Mantapa, adjacent to Mandavi Motors,Bannerghatta Road, J P Nagar, 2nd phase)

5. Jayamahal Sarbajanin Durga Puja (Jaymahal Ladies Club Ground, OffNandi-Durga Rd)

6. R.T.Nagar Bihari Association

7. Airforce Command Hospital (Indiranagar)

8. Jalahalli Airforce Base (East/West)

9. K.R.Puram Durga Puja (Near K.R.Puram Market after I.T.I - Off oldmadras road)

10. Whitefield Durga Puja

11. Brookfield Durga Puja (near ITPL)

12. Hebbagodi Durga Puja (near Hebbagodi bus stand, beside BIOCON factory on HOSUR ROAD)

13. Attibele Durga puja (near Attibele bus terminal circle, HosurRoad,commencing from last year )

14. Durga puja near Bangalore Corporation Circle (beside GEO HOTEL )

15. Rajaji Nagar Durga puja (near Navarang theatre)

16. ARMY DURGA PUJA (MURGESHPALYA ARMY BASE, Wind Tunnel Road, NearManipal hospital)

17. AIR FORCE CAMP DURGA PUJA (NEAR PALACE GROUND)

18. Durga puja in Taluk office ,HOSUR (NEAR Balaji Theatre)

19. Durga Puja near Marathahalli (Near Munnekalola, near to Marathahalli Railway Bridge on Varthur Main Rd)

20. Kaggadaspura Durga Puja (Started this year - Dont have the location details)

Links for Puja Schedule and Timings :http://jayamahaldurgapuja.blogspot.com/

Earthquake Experience in Taipei 07-Sep-2007

I wanted to share with you the experience of Earthquake today early morning in Taipei. It happened around 3AM Friday (07Sep2007). It was a vigorous shake in middle of my sleep, which wake me up. I felt like somebody was jumping on the bed, by my side, and soon realized I am alone in the room and it has to be earthquake. I tried to look into the glass window from hotel room and saw some of the cars hooting aloud as the security systems would have triggered by the quake. By that time, I could feel the entire building is swaying and the wooden things like room partitions and ceiling was making sound that is generally heard when wooden plank is bent or sheared.

I got frightened and went running out of the room when the quake stopped. I came back to the room to put on the slippers when it again started. It was terrible, and I went running down taking the stairs to the reception. I could see some people like me had already gathered at the hotel lobby and many other anxious people peeping out of the balcony of the above floors. The receptionist explained that this kind of shock is frequent in Taiwan and we need not panic. By that time everything was normal. But it took some time for me to get back to sleep. It was amazing experience - probably I felt it more intense as I was in the 8th floor of the building. I wonder how the buildings in Taiwan last so long in midst of frequent earthquakes.

News URI:
http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2007/09/06/afx4091433.html

http://www.bangkokpost.com/breaking_news/breakingnews.php?id=121421

BREAKING NEWS : 6.6 quake, aftershocks jolt Taiwan
Taipei (dpa) - Three earthquakes measuring 6.6, 5.7 and 3.9 on the Richter scale respectively rocked Taiwan early Friday, causing small damages but there were no immediate reports of casualties. The first quake, measuring 6.6, struck at 1:51 am Friday (1751 GMT Thursday) with its epicentre 74.6 kilometres from Ilan on Taiwan's northeastern coast and 27 kilometres under the sea, the Seismological Observation Centre said. It was followed four minutes later by an 5.7-magnitude aftershock, in the same region. At 3:32 am (1932 GMT Thursday), a tremor measuring 3.9 jolted Taitung in southeast Taiwan.

The quakes were felt all over the island, causing bottles and cups to tumble off shelves and window frames to rattle. Many residents living in high rises in Taipei ran onto the street, fearing their buildings might collapse. In Ilan, an arch of the Buddhist Lu Yuan Temple tumbled to the ground, but no one was injured, according to TV reports. The quakes triggered rockfalls along the Suao-Hualien Highway on Taiwan's mountainous east coast. In Panchiao, a satellite city of Taipei, bricks broke lose from a building and smashed several parked cars, but no one was injured. Lu Pei-ling, deputy director of the Seismological Observation Centre, said there was no cause for panic, stressing that the quakes were the normal release of seismic energy. "The 5.7 quake was the aftershock of the 6.6 quake. So after the 6.6 quake, there shouldn't be any bigger quake," she said.

Taiwan lies on the circum-Pacific seismic belt, where 68 per cent of the world's quakes occur. Most of the earthquakes which hit Taiwan occur off the east coast because of friction between the Eurasian Plate and the Philippine Plate, but generally cause little or no damage.

Taiwan can experience more than 200 quakes each year, with several of them measuring 6 or even higher on the Richter scale. But on September 21, 1999, a quake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale hit central Taiwan, killing 2,400 people and leaving some 10,000 others injured.

The story of the eagles ...

This is the life story of the eagles... The eagles have the longest life-span of its species. It can live up to 70 years. But to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision somewhere in middle of its life journey.

In its 40’s, its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food. And its long and sharp beak becomes bent. Its old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its chest and make it difficult to fly.

At this critical juncture of its life, the eagle is left with only two options:

1. Die being defeated by old age and time ... OR

2. Go through a painful process of change, which lasts 150 days.

The latter process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its’ nest. There the eagle knocks its’ beak against a rock until it plucks it out. This is very painful moment for this bird of prey. After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out its’ talonsWhen its’ new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its’ old-aged feathers. And after five months of painstaking moments, the eagle takes its’ famous flight of rebirth and lives for ... 30 more years !!

Why is change needed?

• Many times, in order to survive we have to start a change process.
• Sometimes we need to get rid of old memories, habits and other past traditions.
• Only when freed from past burdens, can we take advantage of the present.