♪♪♪....Youngistaan Cafe....♪♪♪

ONE BEDROOM FLAT...

2011-10-28T00:42:00.000-07:00

ONE BEDROOM FLAT...
WRITTEN BY AN INDIAN SOFTWARE ENGINEER..
A
Bitter Reality

... As the dream of most parents I had acquired a degree in
Software Engineering and joined a company based in USA, the
land of braves and opportunity. When I arrived in the USA, it
was as if a dream had come true.

Here at last I was in the place where I want to be. I decided I
would be staying in this country for about Five years in which
time I would have earned enough money to settle down in India.

My father was a government employee and after his retirement,
the only asset he could acquire was a decent one bedroom flat.

I wanted to do some thing more than him. I started feeling
homesick and lonely as the time passed. I used to call home and
speak to my parents every week using cheap international phone
cards. Two years passed, two years of Burgers at McDonald's and
pizzas and discos and 2 years watching the foreign exchange
rate getting happy whenever the Rupee value went down.

Finally I decided to get married. Told my parents that I have
only 10 days of holidays and everything must be done within
these 10 days. I got my ticket booked in the cheapest flight.
Was jubilant and was actually enjoying hopping for gifts for
all my friends back home. If I miss anyone then there will be
talks. After reaching home I spent home one week going through
all the photographs of girls and as the time was getting
shorter I was forced to select one candidate.

In-laws told me, to my surprise, that I would have to get
married in 2-3 days, as I will not get anymore holidays. After
the marriage, it was time to return to USA, after giving some
money to my parents and telling the neighbors to look after
them, we returned to USA.

My wife enjoyed this country for about two months and then she
started feeling lonely. The frequency of calling India
increased to twice in a week sometimes 3 times a week. Our
savings started diminishing.

After two more years we started to
have kids. Two lovely kids, a boy and a girl, were gifted to us
by the almighty. Every time I spoke to my parents, they asked
me to come to India so that they can see their grand-children.

Every year I decide to go to India... But part work part
monetary conditions prevented it. Years went by and visiting
India was a distant dream. Then suddenly one day I got a
message that my parents were seriously sick. I tried but I
couldn't get any holidays and thus could not go to India ... The
next message I got was my parents had passed away and as there
was no one to do the last rights the society members had done
whatever they could. I was depressed. My parents had passed
away without seeing their grand children.

After couple more years passed away, much to my children's
dislike and my wife's joy we returned to India to settle down.
I started to look for a suitable property, but to my dismay my
savings were short and the property prices had gone up during
all these years. I had to return to the USA...

My wife refused to come back with me and my children refused to
stay in India... My 2 children and I returned to USA after
promising my wife I would be back for good after two years.

Time passed by, my daughter decided to get married to an
American and my son was happy living in USA... I decided that
had enough and wound-up every thing and returned to India... I
had just enough money to buy a decent 02 bedroom flat in a
well-developed locality.

Now I am 60 years old and the only time I go out of the flat is
for the routine visit to the nearby temple. My faithful wife
has also left me and gone to the holy abode.

Sometimes

I wondered was it worth all this?

My father, even after staying in India,

Had a house to his name and I too have
the same nothing more.

I lost my parents and children for just ONE EXTRA BEDROOM.

Looking out from the window I see a lot of children dancing.
This damned cable TV has spoiled our new generation and these
children are losing their values and culture because of it. I
get occasional cards from my children asking I am alright. Well
at least they remember me.

Now perhaps after I die it will be the neighbors again who will
be performing my last rights, God Bless them.

But the question
still
remains 'was all this worth it?'

I am still searching for an answer.................!!!

START THINKING

IS IT JUST FOR ONE EXTRA BEDROOM???

LIFE IS BEYOND THIS .....DON'T JUST LEAVE YOUR LIFE & PARENTS ........
START LIVING IT .......
LIVE IT AS YOU WANT IT TO BE ....... BCZ LIFE IS PRECIOUS!!!!

HERE'S 99 FACTS ABOUT GUYS

2011-10-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

‎** GIRLS PLEASE READ THIS **

HERE'S 99 FACTS ABOUT GUYS

1. Guys don’t actually look after good-looking girls. They prefer neat and presentable girls.

2. Guys hate flirts.

3. A guy can like you for a minute, and then forget you afterwards.

4. When a guy says he doesn’t understand you, it simply means you’re not thinking the way he is.

5. “Are you doing something?” or “Have you eaten already?” are the first usual questions a guy asks on the phone just to get out from stammering.

6. Guys may be flirting around all day but before they go to sleep, they always think about the girl they truly care about.

7. When a guy really likes you, he’ll disregard all your bad characteristics.

8. Guys go crazy over a girl’s smile.

9. Guys will do anything just to get the girl’s attention.

10. Guys hate it when you talk about your ex-boyfriend.

11. When guys want to meet your parents. Let them.

12. Guys want to tell you many things but they can’t. And they sure have one habit to gain courage and spirit to tell you many things and it is drinking!

13. Guys cry!!!

14. Don’t provoke the guy to heat up. Believe me. He will.

15. Guys can never dream and hope too much.

16. Guys usually try hard to get the girl who has dumped them, and this makes it harder for them to accept their defeat.

17. When you touch a guy’s heart, there’s no turning back.

18. Giving a guy a hanging message like “You know what? Uh…never mind!” would make him jump to a conclusion that is far from what you are thinking.

19. Guys go crazy when girls touch their hands.

20. Guys are good flatterers when courting but they usually stammer when they talk to a girl they really like.

21. When a guy makes a prolonged “umm” or makes any excuses when you’re asking him to do you a favor, he’s actually saying that he doesn’t like you and he can’t lay down the card for you.

22. When a girl says “no”, a guy hears it as “try again tomorrow.”

23. You have to tell a guy what you really want before he gets the message clearly.

24. Guys hate nice boy!

25. Guys love their moms.

26. A guy would sacrifice his money for lunch just to get you a couple of roses.

27. A guy often thinks about the girl who likes him. But this doesn’t mean that the guy likes her.

28. You can never understand him unless you listen to him.

29. If a guy tells you he loves you once in a lifetime. He does.

30. Beware. Guys can make gossips scatter through half of the face of the earth faster than girls can.

31. Like Eve, girls are guys’ weaknesses.

32. Guys are very open about themselves.

33. Its good to test a guy first before you believe him. But don’t let him wait that long.

34. No guy is bad when he is courting

35. Guys hate it when their clothes get dirty. Even a small dot.

36. Guys really admire girls that they like even if they’re not that much pretty.

37. Your best friend, whom your boyfriend seeks help from about his problems with you may end up being admired by your boyfriend.

38. If a guy tells you about his problems, he just needs someone to listen to him. You don’t need to give advice.

39. A usual act that proves that the guy likes you is when he teases you.

40. A guy finds ways to keep you off from linking with someone else.

41. Guys love girls with brains more than girls in miniskirts.

42. Guys try to find the stuffed toy a girl wants but would unluckily get the wrong one.

43. Guys virtually brag about anything.

44. Guys cannot keep secrets that girls tell them.

45. Guys think too much.

46. Guys’ fantasies are unlimited.

47. Girls’ height doesn’t really matter to a guy but her weight does!

48. Guys tend to get serious with their relationship and become too possessive. So watch out girls!!!

49. When a girl makes the boy suffer during courtship, it would be hard for him to let go of that girl.

50. It’s not easy for a guy to let go of his girlfriend after they broke up especially when they’ve been together for 3 years or more.

51. You have to tell a guy what you really want before getting involved with that guy.

52. A guy has to experience rejection, because if he’s too-good-never-been-busted, never been in love and hurt, he won’t be matured and grow up.

53. When an unlikable circumstance comes, guys blame themselves a lot more than girls do. They could even hurt themselves physically.

54. Guys have strong passion to change but have weak will power.

55. Guys are tigers in their peer groups but become tamed pussycats with their girlfriends.

56. When a guy pretends to be calm, check if he’s sweating. You’ll probably see that he is nervous.

57. When a guy says he is going crazy about the girl. He really is.

58. When a guy asks you to leave him alone, he’s just actually saying, “Please come and listen to me”

59. Guys don’t really have final decisions.

60. When a guy loves you, bring out the best in him.

61. If a guy starts to talk seriously, listen to him.

62. If a guy has been kept shut or silent, say something.

63. Guys believe that there’s no such thing as love at first sight, but court the girls anyway and then realize at the end that he is wrong.

64. Guys like femininity not feebleness.

65. Guys don’t like girls who punch harder than they do.

66. A guy may instantly know if the girl likes him but can never be sure unless the girl tells him.

67. A guy would waste his time over video games and basketball, the way a girl would do over her romance novels and make-ups.

68. Guys love girls who can cook or bake.

69. Guys like girls who are like their moms. No kidding!

70. A guy has more problems than you can see with your naked eyes.

71. A guy’s friend knows everything about him. Use this to your advantage.

72. Don’t be a snob. Guys may easily give up on the first sign of rejection.

73. Don’t be biased. Try loving a guy without prejudice and you’ll be surprised.

74. Girls who bathe in their eau de perfumes do more repelling than attracting guys.

75. Guys are more talkative than girls are especially when the topic is about girls.

76. Guys don’t comprehend the statement “Get lost” too well.

77. Guys really think that girls are strange and have unpredictable decisions but still love them more.

78. When a guy gives a crooked or pretentious grin at your jokes, he finds them offending and he just tried to be polite.

79. Guys don’t care about how shiny their shoes are unlike girls.

80. Guys tend to generalize about girls but once they get to know them, they’ll realize they’re wrong.

81. Any guy can handle his problems all by his own. He’s just too stubborn to deal with it.

82. Guys find it so objectionable when a girl swears.

83. Guys’ weakest point is at the knee.

84. When a problem arises, a guy usually keeps himself cool but is already thinking of a way out.

85. When a guy is conscious of his looks, it shows he is not good at fixing things.

86. When a guy looks at you, either he’s amazed of you or he’s criticizing you.

87. When you catch him cheating on you and he asks for a second chance, give it to him. But when you catch him again and he asks for another chance, ignore him.

88. If a guy lets you go, he really loves you.

89. If you have a boyfriend, and your boy best friend always glances at you and it obviously shows that he is jealous whenever you’re with your boyfriend, all I can say is your boy best friend loves you more than your boyfriend does.

90. Guys learn from experience not from the romance books that girls read and take as their basis of experience.

91. You can tell if a guy is really hurt or in pain when he cries in front of you!

92. If a guy suddenly asks you for a date, ask him first why.

93. When a guy says he can’t sleep if he doesn’t hear your voice even just for one night, hang up. He also tells that to another girl. He only flatters you and sometimes makes fun of you.

94. You can truly say that a guy has good intentions if you see him praying sometimes.

95. Guys seek for advice not from a guy but from a girl.

96. Girls are allowed to touch boys’ things. Not their hair!

97. If a guy says you’re beautiful, that guy likes you.

98. Guys hate girls who overreact.

99. Guys love you more than you love them if they are serious in your relationships.

THANK YOU FOR READING :"> ♥

How To Save or Download Facebook Videos

2011-06-22T23:04:00.000-07:00

Facebook is the largest social networking sites in the world. People use it for many different reasons, however if you use it to watch Facebook videos, you should be glad to know that you can download Facebook videos easily without using ant tool. All you have to do is watch the video using your web browser and then save it from your computer’s cache. Confused! Let’s know how to save Facebook videos step by step.

Save Facebook videos on Internet Explorer

Watch the full video on Internet Explorer first. Wait till it gets finished.
Once video is completed, head to Tools >> Internet Options >> Settings >> View Files
You can find a large sized file there with unknown file type and long file name.
Copy that file and paste in a reachable location on your computer, ex : desktop, my documents etc
Rename that file to something with .flv extension, ex : FacebookVideo.flv
Play this video using VLC Media Player or FLV player.
You are done.

Save Facebook Videos on Firefox

Watch the full video on Firefox browser first.
Navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Local Settings\Application Data\Mozilla\Firefox\Profiles
Follow steps 3 – 6 from above tutorial
You are done.

That’s it. Saving Facebook videos on your computer was never so easy. Now whenever you like a video on Facebook, download it on to your computer and enjoy.

Mobile Number Portability

2011-01-24T01:33:00.000-08:00

Mobile Number Portability

These days, while there’s lots of buzz surrounding MNP i.e. Mobile Number Portability, there’s little unawareness about it too. In fact MNP has already been launched in India. Here are some of the facts related to the Mobile Number Portability. Hope this will help you out.

What is Number Portability?

Number Portability allows consumers and businesses to keep their existing telephone numbers when they switch operators. It, literally, means that numbers are portable from operator to operator - whether that operator is a mobile, wireline, or VoIP service provider.

Number Portability benefits everyone.

It gives subscribers the freedom to choose operators based on criteria like services, price, and customer service. Their freedom of movement is not influenced by the inconveniences and costs that come with changing numbers.

It also makes it easier for operators to compete for customers, precisely because it eliminates a major barrier to churn - that is, reluctance to change numbers. Although this increased risk of churn is a concern among some operators, number portability has been a huge success around the world, because it helps to level the playing field, giving all operators more opportunities to grow their subscriber bases and revenues.

History of Mobile Number Portability

Though it was introduced as a tool to promote competition in the heavily monopolized wireline telecommunications industry, number portability became popular with the advent of mobile telephones, since in most countries different mobile operators are provided with different area codes and, without portability, changing one's operator would require changing one's number. Some operators, especially incumbent operators with large existing subscriber bases, have argued against portability on the grounds that providing this service incurs considerable overhead, while others argue that it prevents vendor lock-in and allows them to compete fairly on price and service. Due to this conflict of interest, number portability is usually mandated for all operators by telecommunications regulatory authorities. Singapore mobile subscribers were one of the first in the world to enjoy mobile number portability through this Call-Forwarding solution when it was launched there in 1997. Hong Kong, the UK, and Holland followed in 1999 and now over 54 countries around the world have implemented mobile number portability.

Terminologies:

Before getting deep inside the process involved in the mobile number portability let us have a brief idea about the following terminologies, which are very often used in this context.

Porting means the process of moving mobile number from one Service Provider to another Service Provider or from one mobile technology to another of the same or any other Service Provider.

Donor Operator means the Service provider, to whose network the mobile number belongs at the time the subscriber makes a request for porting.

Recipient Operator means the Service Provider who will be providing mobile telecommunication service to the subscriber after porting.

Number Portability Database means the database maintained by each Mobile Number Portability Service provider in electronic form, holding the details of all ported mobile numbers in its zone, along with the complete history of all transactions related to the porting of such numbers.

Per Port Transaction charge means the charge payable by the Recipient Operatorto the Mobile Number Portability Service provider for processing the porting request in respect of a mobile number.

Porting charge means such charge as may be levied by a Recipient Operator from a subscriber for porting his mobile number.

Local Number Portability Database means the database of all ported mobile numbers maintained by individual Service Provider. For BSNL, the SSTPs will serve this purpose.

Location Routing Number means the code assigned to every Service Provider for the purpose of implementing Mobile Number Portability. These are 4 digit codes and have been assigned by DOT. They have been assigned LSA wise, Operator wise and technology wise. BSNL has been allocated 42 codes in total – 21 for GSM and 21 for CDMA.

Dipping means use of query response system of the Mobile Number Portability service provider for obtaining Location Routing Number for routing a message to the called number.

Unique porting code means an alphanumeric code allocated, upon request, by a donor operator to its subscriber for the purpose of facilitation of porting of his mobile number;

MCHA means Mobile Number Portability clearing house administrator , which is the agency responsible for maintaining the MNP database and also known as MNP service provider.

MNP Zones and MCHA’s:

For the implementation of Mobile Number Portability, the entire country has been divided into two zones, viz. zone1 and zone2.

Zone 1 consists of Delhi, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, UP (East), UP (West), Himachal Pradesh and J&K LSAs (License service areas).

Zone 2 consists of Kolkata, Tamilnadu including Chennai, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, North East and Orrisa LSAs.

MCHA Licensee for Zone 1 is M/s. Syniverse Technologies (India) Private Limited.

MCHA Licensee for Zone 2 is M/s. MNP Interconnection Telecom Solutions India Pvt. Limited.

Porting Procedure for Subscriber
Contact the new mobile Service Provider to whom you want to port your mobile number.
Read the eligibility and other conditions carefully. Please visit www.trai.gov.in for further details.
Obtain Customer acquisition From (CAF) & Porting Form.
If eligible, Obtain ‘Unique Porting Code‘ by sending an SMS from the mobile number you want to port to the number ‘1900’ with text ‘PORT’ followed by space followed by your 10 digit mobile number you want to port.
Fill up the CAF and Porting Form.
Submit the duly filled Porting Form and CAF along with requisite documentary proof of the mobile service provider.
If you are a post paid subscriber, submit a paid copy of the last bill issued along with the Porting Form and CAF.
Obtain new SIM card from the new service provider.
Subscriber can withdraw the porting request within 24 hrs of applying.

Activation of Ported Number
Subscriber new mobile service provider will intimate you the date & time of porting on your mobile phone.
Replace the old SIM with the new SIM provided by your new mobile service provider after the specified date and time.
Eligibility and other Conditions for Porting a Mobile Number
Subscriber is allowed to move to another mobile service provider only after 90 days of the date of the activation of that mobile connection or from the date of porting of the mobile number, whichever is applicable.
Subscriber is allowed to change mobile service provider within the same service area only.
If you are a Post-paid subscribers, please ensure that you have paid all the dues as per your last bill (subscriber will have to sign an undertaking in the Porting Form also).
If you are Pre-paid subscriber, please note that the balance amount of talk time, if any, at the time of porting will lapse.
For detailed regulation please visit TRAI website www.trai.gov.in

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)

What do you mean by Mobile Number Portability?

“Mobile Number Portability” means the facility which allows a subscriber to retain his mobile telephone number when he moves from one Service Provider to another irrespective of the mobile technology or from one cellular mobile technology to another of the same service Provider. Hence one can port a CDMA number to GSM and vice versa.

“Mobile Number Portability” means the facility which allows a subscriber to retain his mobile telephone number when he moves from one Service Provider to another irrespective of the mobile technology or from one cellular mobile technology to another of the same service Provider. Hence one can port a CDMA number to GSM and vice versa.

In India it is currently available for intra circle only. However due to the configuration of each Telecom circle porting can also happen between Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh; Bihar & Jharkhand; Rest of West Bengal & Andaman and Nicobar; within the states of the North East excluding Assam.

What are costs and who will absorb them when number portability starts working?

The “Per Port Transaction Charge” as defined by TRAI is up to ` 19/- (Nineteen) per port request.

The “Per Port Transaction Charge” as defined by TRAI is up to ` 19/- (Nineteen) per port request.

What is the status of NP in India today?

The Department of Telecom (DoT) in India has awarded licenses for two mobile number portability clearinghouse vendors to operate clearinghouses in two zones within the country. The MNP service was launched across India by Jan 20, 2011 as per the current timeline decided by DoT.

Can a customer from one state port the same number in another state?

In India it is currently available for intra circle only. For the implementation of Mobile Number Portability, the entire country has been divided into two zones, viz. zone1 and zone2.

However due to the configuration of each Telecom circle porting can also happen between Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh; Bihar & Jharkhand; Rest of West Bengal & Andaman and Nicobar; within the states of the North East excluding Assam.

What circles are in Zone 1?

Delhi, Mumbai, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, UP (East), UP (West), Himachal Pradesh and J&K LSAs (License service areas).

The Department of Telecom (DoT) in India has awarded licenses for two mobile number portability clearinghouse vendors to operate clearinghouses in two zones within the country. The MNP service was launched across India by Jan 20, 2011 as per the current timeline decided by DoT.

What circles are in Zone 2?

Kolkata • Tamil Nadu including Chennai • Andhra Pradesh • Karnataka • Kerala • Madhya Pradesh • West Bengal • Assam • Bihar • North East • Orissa

• Kolkata • Tamil Nadu including Chennai • Andhra Pradesh • Karnataka • Kerala • Madhya Pradesh • West Bengal • Assam • Bihar • North East • Orissa

How do the two zones affect the consumers when they wish to port?

DOT has decided to implement Mobile Number Portability (MNP) within a circle. Thus a consumer can port their number to another service provider as long as it is done within a circle. Portability between other circles (called Inter circle portability) is not allowed as yet.

DOT has decided to implement Mobile Number Portability (MNP) within a circle. Thus a consumer can port their number to another service provider as long as it is done within a circle. Portability between other circles (called Inter circle portability) is not allowed as yet.

How does a consumer apply to switch their telephone number from one operator to another?

TRAI has decided that MNP would be a recipient driven process. Hence a subscriber would wishes to port should go to the new operator that the subscriber wants to port with his porting request. Click here for the detailed process as defined by TRAI.

TRAI has decided that MNP would be a recipient driven process. Hence a subscriber would wishes to port should go to the new operator that the subscriber wants to port with his porting request. Click here for the detailed process as defined by TRAI.

Who is a recipient operator?

“Recipient Operator" means a Service Provider who will be providing mobile telecommunication service to the subscriber after porting. In other words, recipient operator is the operator that a mobile subscriber wants to port to.

“Recipient Operator" means a Service Provider who will be providing mobile telecommunication service to the subscriber after porting. In other words, recipient operator is the operator that a mobile subscriber wants to port to.

What are the benefits of Mobile Number Portability to the consumer ?

• It’s affordable and convenient.
• Consumer can retain old mobile number while moving from old mobile Operator to the new mobile Operator.

• It’s affordable and convenient.
• Consumer can retain old mobile number while moving from old mobile Operator to the new mobile Operator.

What is the porting time for a consumer?

The Porting Time for a consumer is 7 working days as per TRAI guidelines.

The Porting Time for a consumer is 7 working days as per TRAI guidelines.

What is the duration for which the consumer will get disruption of Service?

Service Disruption during the porting as per the TRAI guidelines is of only 2 hrs.

Can a CDMA subscriber port to a GSM service and vice versa?

Yes. This is permitted.

Yes. This is permitted.

How long the mobile Service will be disrupted during the Mobile Number Portability Process.

There will be service disruption time of only 2 hrs during this process

There will be service disruption time of only 2 hrs during this process.

What is TRAI ?

TRAI is Telecom Regulatory Authority of India or TRAI (established 1997) is the independent regulator established by the Government of India to regulate the telecommunications business in India

TRAI is Telecom Regulatory Authority of India or TRAI (established 1997) is the independent regulator established by the Government of India to regulate the telecommunications business in India

The draft regulations are available on TRAI’s website

www.trai.gov.in.

Software Programmer’s Love !!! eNJOY

2010-12-26T09:06:00.001-08:00

Mere… Company kee ladkiyaan sunder hain Aur lonely hain…
Problem ye hai ki bus voh READ-ONLY hain…

Shayad mere pyar ko taste Karna bhool gaye…
Dil sey aisa CUT kiya ke PASTE karna bhool gaye..

Tumhare samne hain itney items Kabhi hame bhi pick karo…
Hamare pyar ke ICON pe Kabhi to tum DOUBLE-CLICK karo…

Roz subha hum karte hai Itne pyar se unhe good morning…
Woh humhe ghoor kar dekhte hain Jaise 0 ERRORS but 5 WARNINGS…

Ho gayi galti humse, Click ho gaya mouse
Duniya ki parwaah chhodo, ban jaao meri spouse!

Tumse mila main kal to, Mere dil mein hua ek sound,
Lekin aaj tum mili To kehti ho: Your file not found!

Ab aur kaho na tum, “but” ya “if”
Tum ho meri zindagi ki animated gif

Aysa bhi nahin hai ke, I don’t likeyour face
Par dil ke computer mein, Nahin hai enough disk space

Ghar se nikalti ho tum jab, Pehen ke evening gown
Too many requests se, Ho jaata hai server down

Tumhaare liye pyaar ki application, Create main karoonga
Tum usse debug karna, Wait main karoonga

Tumhaara intezaar karte karte, Main so gaya
Yeh dekho mera connection, Time out ho gaya

Kya chaal hai tumhaari, Jaise chalti hai koi cat
What is your ICQ number, Aao karein chat

Tum jabse meri zindagi, mein aayi ho banke female,
Yaad raha na ab kuch, Na postman , Na e-Mail

Joh sadiyaon se hota aaya hai Woh repeat kar doonga…
Tu naa mili to tujhko dil sey Ctrl+Alt+Delete kar doonga…

Humse Kya Khata Hui Ki message Aanna Band Hai…….
Aap hi humse naraz hain ya Web Server band hai…….

Badli hai duniya , kuchch mein bhi badal gaya hoon
Pahle bekaar tha ab S/W Programmer ban gaya hoon

Project extend ho gaya to kya ho jaata hai?
Are Tankha milti hai aur timepass ho jata hai..

teri yaad me sanam raat bhar humne to wine piya
teri yaad me sanam raat bhar humne to wine piya
kabhi offline to kabhi online piya

Pyar ke sitaare jab gardish mein hote hai
Pyar ke sitaare jab gardish mein hote hai
Laila ghar mein aur majnoo project testing kar rahe hote hai

Kaash aisa ho

2010-12-26T09:05:00.001-08:00

Aisi apni Wife ho………………

lambi jiski height ho,
Jeans jiski tight ho,
Chehara jiska bright ho,
Weight mein thodi light Ho,
Umar me difference slight ho,
Thodi see wo quiet ho,
Aise apni Wife ho.

Sadak per sab kahe kya cute ho,
Bhid me sab kahe side ho, side ho,
India ki paidaish ho,
Sas ki seva jiski khwahish ho
Aisi apni Wife ho.

Padosi jab baat kare to haath me knife ho,
Dinner candle light ho,
Hum Dono me na kabhi fight ho,
Milane ke baad dil delight ho,
Hey prabhu teri archana uski life ho.
Yeh kavita padhke sab kahe “Guru, tum right ho”,
Aise apni Wife ho.

Kaash yeh concept 0.0001 percent bhi right ho
Agar aisi apni wife ho to kya hasin life ho
Har kisi ki yahi farmaish ho
kudrat ki bhi aajmaish ho
Khudah ke software mein bhi bug ki na gunjaish ho
Ay kaash, kahin to ek aisi paidaish ho
aisi apni wife ho…

Engineer kaun hai???

2010-12-26T09:04:00.000-08:00

ENGINEER WOH HAI JO AKSAR PHASTA HAI
INTERVIEWS KE SAWAAL MAE
BADI COMPANIYON KI CHAAL MAE
BOSS AUR CLIENT KE BAWAAL MAE

ENGINEER WOH HAI JO PAK GAYA HAI
MEETINGS KI JHELAI MAE
SUBMISSIONS KI GEHRAI MAE
TEAMWORK KI CHATAI MAE

ENGINEER WOH HAI JO LAGA RAHTA HAI
SCHEDULE KO FAILANE MAE
TARGETS KO KHISKAANE MAE
ROZ NAYE-NAYE BAHANE MAE

ENGINEER WOH HAI JO
LUNCH TIME MAE BREAKFAST KARTA HAI
DINNER TIME MAE LUNCH KARTA HAI
COMMUTATION KE WAQT SOYA KARTA HAI

ENGINEER WOH HAI JO PAGAL HAI
CHAI AUR SAMOSE KE PYAR MAE
CIGERATTE KE KHUMAR MAE
BIRDWATCHING KE VICHAR MAE

ENGINEER WOH HAI JO KHOYA HAI
REMINDERS KE JAWAAB MAE
NA MILNE WALE HISAAB MAE
BEHTAR BHAVISHYA KE KHWAAB MAE

ENGINEER WOH HAI JISE INTEZAAR HAI
WEEKEND NIGHT MANANE KA
BOSS KE CHHUTTI JAANE KA
INCREMENT KI KHABAR AANE KA

ENGINEER WOH HAI JO SOCHTA HAI
KAASH PADHAI PE DHYAAN DIYA HOTA
KAASH TEACHER SE PANGA NA LIYA HOTA
KAASH ISHQ NA KIYA HOTA

Employee Resignation

2010-12-26T08:54:00.000-08:00

Poetic Resignation
The name is good, the brand is big
But the work I do is that of a pig
The work or the brand; what is my way?
I don’t know if I should stay.
To work, they have set their own way
Nobody will care to hear what I say
My will be NULL, they wont change their way
I don’t know if I should stay.
The project is in a critical stage
But to do good work, this is the age
This dilemma is killing me day by day
I don’t know if I should stay.
The money is good, the place is great
But the development is at a very small rate
Should I go for the work, or wait for pay
I don’t know if I should stay!
The managers don’t know what they talk
The team doesn’t know where they walk
That’s a bad situation, what say?
I don’t know if I should stay.
I can go to any other place
But what if I get the same disgrace
I can’t keep switching day by day
I don’t know if I should stay.
The -ves are more, the +ves are less
Then why have this unnecessary mess
No more will I walk their way,
It’s all done, I won’t stay.
Thanks & Regards
Employee
Manager Response
Reply: What I want to say?

(Manager)

The decision is good or decision is bad
Only God knows still I am glad
Keep moving in life that is what I can say
If you feel right go in the same way
May god give you the work, the challenge you want
Anyway there is always a second chance
Chances are there, grab them snatch them
That is what I can say
Keep on jumping companies to get more and more and more….
That will keep you always a fore (Even to me)
>From my experience I can tell you
Being in software development is like taking hell out of you
You are frustrated since you have no quality work
And you were frustrated because you had quantity work
It’s always like that previous job was better than the current one
And expects the new job will be much better than this one
But what you get is a frustration level up to sun
Than you will again send the resignation like this one
This is all what I want to say
Have you completed all the formalities?
Filled the form and got it signed from department humanities (HR)
Once done you can take all your cash
But don’t refer others as they will follow you’re a*s.
At last I appreciate your contribution to the company
Even though there was not any….
You will keep a copy of this with you for FYI
Don’t feel shy
As I also got it some time back from my old manger say Hi….
That is all what I want to say.
Thanks & Regards
Manager

Free Download Microsoft Office 2010 Full With Activation Key

2010-12-21T02:26:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Office 2010 download links have been released to the public today. This public beta version of MS Office 2010 (v. 14.0.4536.1000) is now available for free download on Microsoft’s Official website.

Checkout archive for more MS office 2010 download links

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 beta version also includes MS Publisher and Infopath 2010 along with Word, Excel, Outlook and Power point applications. Checkout what’s included with this download.

New Features Of Microsoft Office 2010

Outlook Social connector which includes the option to add friends to your social network direct from Outlook.
Built in screen capture for MS Powerpoint.
Upload or Save directly to Windows Live Sky Drive or SharePoint 2010.
Improved user navigation and Icons.
One click PDF saver.
Embed online videos into presentation.

Installation Requirements for MS office 2010

500 MHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor or higher
256 MB of system memory or more
3 GB of available disk space
1024x768 or higher resolution monitor
DVD-R/W Drive

Installer is around 700MB. Requires Online Activation after installation.

Supported OS : Windows XP SP3, Vista SP1, Windows 7

How To Activate Microsoft Office 2010 for Free

Go to the download page.

Click the ‘Get it Now’ button.

You will get the Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta Product Key called MAK key to activate your evaluation copy of Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta.

At the bottom, you will find the link to download MS office 2010 for free, both 32 bit and 64 bit versions.

For Activating the Office 2010, first you have to install the product and do the following steps.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Word 2010 Beta and click on the "File" tab. Next click "Help".

Step 2: Click “Change Product Key”.

Step 3: Enter the Multiple Activation Key (MAK).

Step 4: Entering the MAK key in Microsoft Word 2010 Beta automatically activates all the Office Professional Plus 2010 Beta applications. Click on the "File" tab to return to the Document view.

UPDATE: MS Office 2010 RC build 14.0.4734.1000 has been leaked on the internet and is rumored to be the latest RTM version of Microsoft Office 2010. The free keys which you got now doesn’t work with this version as it was a part of the Microsoft’s beta program.

But some users have managed to hack the activation procedure of Microsoft Office professional 2010 RC version which appears to be very simple as it only needs some files which we already have when installing the beta MS Office 2010 version. The two files which needs to be replaced seems to be tokens.dat and pkeyconfig-office.xrm-ms. The procedure for MS office 2010 crack is already available throughout major forums, where an user named SoLoR has made a script called ActivateOffice2010beta.7z which does the whole cracking procedure for you.

Since this version of MS office 2010 RC 14.0.4734.1000 is already cracked though some easy hacks, I don’t think Microsoft will release this as a final version now. So wait for an other RC build from Microsoft with this loop hole patched.

UPDATE: 18th September 2010

Here are the Official download links for MS Office 2010 [direct links]

This download contains Office Home and Student 2010, Office Home and Business 2010 and Office Professional 2010

Microsoft Office 2010 Single Image [One Setup file]

English 32-bit (x86): X16-32007.exe

English 64-bit (x64):X16-31970.exe

Microsoft Office Standard 2010

English 32-bit (x86): X16-32324.exe

English 64-bit (x64): X16-32361.exe

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 (Retail Edition)

English 32-bit (x86): X16-32250.exe

English 64-bit (x64): X16-32213.exe

Summary: Free Download Microsoft Office 2010 With Activation Product key

Automate Installation of XP

2010-12-19T05:24:00.001-08:00

You can create a CD that can install Windows XP automatically, putting in all the details and answering all the dialog boxes.

The secret behind this is the answer file, which tells Windows what to do while it's installing. The answer file can be created using Windows setup manager.

Using this tool, you can make the answer file so powerful that you can even tell Windows to include or exclude individual components, set the display resolution, and more.

Here's the Steps involved in creating XP Automated Installation Disc:

Step 1: To begin with, insert your Windows XP installation CD into the drive and copy the entire contents of the CD to a new folder on your hard disk.

Step 2: Navigate to the Support > Tools folder on the CD and double-click the Deploy.cab file. Copy all the files to a new folder on your hard disk.

Step 3: The crucial part begins now, creating the answer file. To execute the windows setup manager, double click the Setupmgr.exe file from the contents of the Deploy.cab, which you just copied onto the hard drive.

Step 4: The first few steps of the wizard are self explanatory. Select the following options from the successive dialog boxes. Create a new answer file; Windows unattended installation (Select the appropriate Windows version); "Fully automated"; "No this answer file will be used to install from CD"; and finally, accept the license agreement.

Step 5: Under the General Settings, you can customize the installation of Windows by providing the default name and organization, display settings, time zone and the product key. Fill in the fields using the drop-down list or by keying in the details. If you don't select an option from the drop-down list, the default values will be used.

Step 6: After you are done click Finish and save the answer file as "winnt.sif" when you are prompted. Advanced users can further tweak the answer file by referring to the Help file called Ref.chm in the same folder.

Step 7: Finally copy the answer file to i386 folder in the Windows XP installation folder you created in the beginning.

Step 8: To burn a bootable installation disc, you need the boot sector of the Windows XP CD. Download it from here bootfiles.zip

Step 9: Launch Nero and select CD-ROM (Boot) from the New Compilation dialog box. Under the Boot tab, specify the boot sector file you downloaded and extracted. Set the emulation as "No emulation", and keep the boot message blank. Most importantly, remember to set the "Number of loaded sectors" as 4.

Step 10: Under the Burn tab, set the write method to disc at-once. Click the New button to to begin adding files and folders to the compilation. Drag all the contents of the Windows XP installation disc that you copied to your hard drive (with the answer file in the i386 folder) into the left pane. Insert a blank CD into the optical drive and hit burn button.

Your windows automated installation Disc is ready!

DOS Commands

2010-12-19T05:23:00.001-08:00

all commands of win xp command line

DOS is sometimes helpful in detecting and correcting the errors in Windows such as p/w corruption, some files like "system restore files having viruses are not editable by explorer" Dos helps a lot in those cases

1. ADDUSERS Add or list users to/from a CSV file
2. ARP Address Resolution Protocol
3. ASSOC Change file extension associations
4. ASSOCIAT One step file association
5. AT Schedule a command to run at a later time
6. ATTRIB Change file attributes
7. BOOTCFG Edit Windows boot settings
8. BROWSTAT Get domain, browser and PDC info
9. CACLS Change file permissions
10. CALL Call one batch program from another
11. CD Change Directory - move to a specific Folder
12. CHANGE Change Terminal Server Session properties
13. CHKDSK Check Disk - check and repair disk problems
14. CHKNTFS Check the NTFS file system
15. CHOICE Accept keyboard input to a batch file
16. CIPHER Encrypt or Decrypt files/folders
17. CleanMgr Automated cleanup of Temp files, recycle bin
18. CLEARMEM Clear memory leaks
19. CLIP Copy STDIN to the Windows clipboard.
20. CLS Clear the screen
21. CLUSTER Windows Clustering
22. CMD Start a new CMD shell
23. COLOR Change colors of the CMD window
24. COMP Compare the contents of two files or sets of files
25. COMPACT Compress files or folders on an NTFS partition
26. COMPRESS Compress individual files on an NTFS partition
27. CON2PRT Connect or disconnect a Printer
28. CONVERT Convert a FAT drive to NTFS.
29. COPY Copy one or more files to another location
30. CSCcmd Client-side caching (Offline Files)
31. CSVDE Import or Export Active Directory data
32. DATE Display or set the date
33. Dcomcnfg DCOM Configuration Utility
34. DEFRAG Defragment hard drive
35. DEL Delete one or more files
36. DELPROF Delete NT user profiles
37. DELTREE Delete a folder and all subfolders
38. DevCon Device Manager Command Line Utility
39. DIR Display a list of files and folders
40. DIRUSE Display disk usage
41. DISKCOMP Compare the contents of two floppy disks
42. DISKCOPY Copy the contents of one floppy disk to another
43. DNSSTAT DNS Statistics
44. DOSKEY Edit command line, recall commands, and create macros
45. DSADD Add user (computer, group..) to active directory
46. DSQUERY List items in active directory
47. DSMOD Modify user (computer, group..) in active directory
48. ECHO Display message on screen
49. ENDLOCAL End localisation of environment changes in a batch file
50. ERASE Delete one or more files
51. EXIT Quit the current script/routine and set an errorlevel.
52. EXPAND Uncompress files
53. EXTRACT Uncompress CAB files
54. FC Compare two files
55. FDISK Disk Format and partition
56. FIND Search for a text string in a file
57. FINDSTR Search for strings in files
58. FOR /F Loop command: against a set of files
59. FOR /F Loop command: against the results of another command
60. FOR Loop command: all options Files, Directory, List
61. FORFILES Batch process multiple files
62. FORMAT Format a disk
63. FREEDISK Check free disk space (in bytes)
64. FSUTIL File and Volume utilities
65. FTP File Transfer Protocol
66. FTYPE Display or modify file types used in file extension associations
67. GLOBAL Display membership of global groups
68. GOTO Direct a batch program to jump to a labelled line
69. HELP Online Help
70. HFNETCHK Network Security Hotfix Checker
71. IF Conditionally perform a command
72. IFMEMBER Is the current user in an NT Workgroup
73. IPCONFIG Configure IP
74. KILL Remove a program from memory
75. LABEL Edit a disk label
76. LOCAL Display membership of local groups
77. LOGEVENT Write text to the NT event viewer.
78. LOGOFF Log a user off
79. LOGTIME Log the date and time in a file
80. MAPISEND Send email from the command line
81. MEM Display memory usage
82. MD Create new folders
83. MKLINK Create a symbolic link (linkd)
84. MODE Configure a system device
85. MORE Display output, one screen at a time
86. MOUNTVOL Manage a volume mount point
87. MOVE Move files from one folder to another
88. MOVEUSER Move a user from one domain to another
89. MSG Send a message
90. MSIEXEC Microsoft Windows Installer
91. MSINFO Windows NT diagnostics
92. MSTSC Terminal Server Connection (Remote Desktop Protocol)
93. MUNGE Find and Replace text within file(s)
94. MV Copy in-use files
95. NET Manage network resources
96. NETDOM Domain Manager
97. NETSH Configure network protocols
98. NETSVC Command-line Service Controller
99. NBTSTAT Display networking statistics (NetBIOS over TCP/IP)
100. NETSTAT Display networking statistics (TCP/IP)
101. NOW Display the current Date and Time
102. NSLOOKUP Name server lookup
103. NTBACKUP Backup folders to tape
104. NTRIGHTS Edit user account rights
105. PATH Display or set a search path for executable files
106. PATHPING Trace route plus network latency and packet loss
107. PAUSE Suspend processing of a batch file and display a message
108. PERMS Show permissions for a user
109. PERFMON Performance Monitor
110. PING Test a network connection
111. POPD Restore the previous value of the current directory saved by PUSHD
112. PORTQRY Display the status of ports and services
113. PRINT Print a text file
114. PRNCNFG Display, configure or rename a printer
115. PRNMNGR Add, delete, list printers set the default printer
116. PROMPT Change the command prompt
117. PsExec Execute process remotely
118. PsFile Show files opened remotely
119. PsGetSid Display the SID of a computer or a user
120. PsInfo List information about a system
121. PsKill Kill processes by name or process ID
122. PsList List detailed information about processes
123. PsLoggedOn Who's logged on (locally or via resource sharing)
124. PsLogList Event log records
125. PsPasswd Change account password
126. PsService View and control services
127. PsShutdown Shutdown or reboot a computer
128. PsSuspend Suspend processes
129. PUSHD Save and then change the current directory
130. QGREP Search file(s) for lines that match a given pattern.
131. RASDIAL Manage RAS connections
132. RASPHONE Manage RAS connections
133. RECOVER Recover a damaged file from a defective disk.
134. REG Registry: Read, Set, Export, Delete keys and values
135. REGEDIT Import or export registry settings
136. REGSVR32 Register or unregister a DLL
137. REGINI Change Registry Permissions
138. REM Record comments (remarks) in a batch file
139. REN Rename a file or files.
140. REPLACE Replace or update one file with another
141. RD Delete folder(s)
142. RDISK Create a Recovery Disk
143. RMTSHARE Share a folder or a printer
144. ROBOCOPY Robust File and Folder Copy
145. ROUTE Manipulate network routing tables
146. RUNAS Execute a program under a different user account
147. RUNDLL32 Run a DLL command (add/remove print connections)
148. SC Service Control
149. SCHTASKS Create or Edit Scheduled Tasks
150. SCLIST Display NT Services
151. ScriptIt Control GUI applications
152. SET Display, set, or remove environment variables
153. SETLOCAL Control the visibility of environment variables
154. SETX Set environment variables permanently
155. SHARE List or edit a file share or print share
156. SHIFT Shift the position of replaceable parameters in a batch file
157. SHORTCUT Create a windows shortcut (.LNK file)
158. SHOWGRPS List the NT Workgroups a user has joined
159. SHOWMBRS List the Users who are members of a Workgroup
160. SHUTDOWN Shutdown the computer
161. SLEEP Wait for x seconds
162. SOON Schedule a command to run in the near future
163. SORT Sort input
164. START Start a program or command in a separate window.
165. SU Switch User
166. SUBINACL Edit file and folder Permissions, Ownership and Domain
167. SUBST Associate a path with a drive letter
168. SYSTEMINFO List system configuration
169. TASKLIST List running applications and services
170. TIME Display or set the system time
171. TIMEOUT Delay processing of a batch file
172. TITLE Set the window title for a CMD.EXE session
173. TOUCH Change file timestamps
174. TRACERT Trace route to a remote host
175. TREE Graphical display of folder structure
176. TYPE Display the contents of a text file
177. USRSTAT List domain usernames and last login
178. VER Display version information
179. VERIFY Verify that files have been saved
180. VOL Display a disk label
181. WHERE Locate and display files in a directory tree
182. WHOAMI Output the current UserName and domain
183. WINDIFF Compare the contents of two files or sets of files
184. WINMSD Windows system diagnostics
185. WINMSDP Windows system diagnostics II
186. WMIC WMI Commands
187. XCACLS Change file permissions
188. XCOPY Copy files and folders

Odd Advertisements slogans

2010-12-19T05:17:00.001-08:00

Advertisement In A Long Island Shop:

Guitar, for sale........ Cheap....... . .......no strings attached.

Ad In Hospital Waiting Room:
Smoking Helps You Lose Weight ... One Lung At A Time!

On a bulletin board:
Success Is Relative. The more The Success, The more The Relatives.

When I Read About The Evils Of Drinking...
I Gave Up Reading

My Grandfather Is Eighty And Still Doesn't Need Glasses....
He Drinks Straight Out Of The Bottle.

You Know Your kids Have Grown Up When:
Your Daughter Begins To Put On Lipstick..
Or when your Son starts To wipe It Off

Sign In A Bar:
'Those Of You Who Are Drinking To Forget, Please do Pay In Advance.'

Sign In Driving School:
If Your Wife Wants To Learn To Drive, Don't Stand In Her Way....

Behind Every Great Man,
There Is A Surprised Woman.

The Reason Men Lie Is Because
Women Ask too Many Questions..

Getting Caught
Is The Mother Of Invention.

Laugh And The World Laughs With You,
Snore And You sleep Alone

The Surest Sign That Intelligent Life Exists Elsewhere In The Universe
Is The Fact That It Has Never Tried To Contact Us.

Sign At A Barber's Saloon In Detroit :
We Need Your Heads To Run Our Business..

Sign In A Restaurant:
All Drinking Water In This Establishment Has Been Personally Passed By The Manager.

A letter written by a father to his children!

2010-12-19T05:15:00.001-08:00

The following letter is worth reading; please do so when you have a few minutes!

A wonderful letter written by a father to his children!

I am writing this to you because of 3 reasons:

1. Life, fortune and mishaps are unpredictable; nobody knows how long they live! Some words are better said early!

2. I am your father, and if I don't tell you these, no one else will!

3. What is written is from my own personal bitter experiences that perhaps could save you a lot of unnecessary heartaches.

Remember the following as you go through life:

1. Do not bear grudge towards those who are not good to you. No one has the responsibility of treating you well, except your mother and I. To those who are good to you, you have to treasure it and be thankful, and ALSO you have to be cautious, because, everyone has a motive for every move. When a person is good to you, it does not mean he / she really likes you. You have to be careful, don't hastily regard him / her as a real friend.

2. No one is indispensable, nothing in the world that you must possess. Once you understand this idea, it would be easier for you to go through life when people around you don't want you anymore, or when you lose what / who you love most.

3. Life is short. When you waste your life today, tomorrow you would find that life is leaving you. The earlier you treasure your life, the better you enjoy life.

4. Love is but a transient feeling, and this feeling would fade with time and with one's mood. If your so called loved one leaves you, be patient, time will wash away your aches and sadness. Don't over exaggerate the beauty and sweetness of love, and don't over exaggerate the sadness of falling out of love.

5. A lot of successful people did not receive good education, that does not mean that you can be successful by not studying hard!

Whatever knowledge you gain is your weapon in life. One can go from rags to riches, but one has to start from some rags!

6. I do not expect you to financially support me when I am old, either would I financially support your whole life. My responsibility as a supporter ends when you are grown up. After that, you decide whether you want to travel in a public transport or in your limousine, whether rich or poor.

7. You honor your words, but don't expect others to be so. You can be good to people, but don't expect people to be good to you.

If you don't understand this, you would end up with unnecessary troubles!

8. I have bought lotteries for umpteen years, but I never strike any prize. That shows if you want to be rich, you have to work hard!

There is no free lunch!

9. No matter how much time I have with you, let's treasure the time we have together. We do not know if we would meet again in our next life!

Your Dad

Your Astro Sign

2010-10-31T08:38:00.001-07:00

Which baby are you?

2010-10-31T08:34:00.000-07:00

These are adorable and I'll bet they fit your b-day/personality ......... ......

------------ ---JANUARY BABY-------- --------- ---
Pretty/handsome. Loves to dress up. Easily bored.
Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to
Recover when hurt. Sensitive. Down-to-Earth.
Stubborn.

----------FEBRUARY BABY ------------ --------
Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract.
Intelligent and clever. Changing personality.
Attractive. Sexiest out of everyone.
Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest
And loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves
Freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves Aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt.
Gets angry really easily but does not show it.
Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends
But rarely shows it. Horny. Daring and stubborn.
Ambitious. Realizing dreams and hopes. Sharp.
Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the Inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous.
Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

------------ -----MARCH BABY ------------ --------
Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate Shy and Reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous
And sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity.
Sensitive to others. Great kisser. Easily angered.
Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness.
Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up Feelings. Observant and assesses others.

------------ ------APRIL BABY ------------ -------
Suave and compromising. Funny and humorous.
Stubborn. Very talkative. Calm and cool. Kind and
Sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal. Does
Work well with others. Very confident. Sensitive.
Positive Attitude. Thinking generous. Good Memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look For information. Able to cheer everyone up and/or
Make them laugh. Able to motivate oneself and
Others. Understanding. Fun to be around.
Outgoing. Hyper. Bubbly personality. Secretive.
Boy/girl crazy. Loves sports, music, leisure and Traveling. Systematic. Hot but has brains.

------------ -----MAY BABY ------------ -----
Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and Highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered.
Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings.
Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint.
Needs no motivation. Shy towards opposite sex.
Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to Dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding.
Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good Imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves
Literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike
Being at home. Restless. Not having many children.
Hardworking. High spirited.

------------ JUNE BABY ------------ -
You've got the best personality and are an Absolute pleasure to be around. You love to make New friends and be outgoing. You are a great flirt
And more than likely have an a very attractive
Partner. A wicked hottie. It is also more than likely
That you have a massive record collection. You
Have a great choice in films, and may one day
Become a famous actor/actress yourself - heck,
You've got the looks for it!!!

------------ ----JULY BABY ------------ --
Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to Be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed.
Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily
Consoled. Honest. Concerned about people's Feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable.
Emotional temperamental and unpredictable.
Easily hurt. Witty and sparkly.
Spazzy at times.
Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets.
Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things.
Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive
And forms impressions carefully. Caring and Loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of
Sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people
Through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties In studying. Loves to be with friends Always broods
About the past and the old friends. Waits for Friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive Unless provoked.
Loves to be loved. Easily hurt
But takes long to recover.

------------ AUGUST BABY ------------ ---
Outgoing personality. Takes risks. Feeds on attention. No self control. Kind hearted. self
confident. Loud and boisterous. VERY revengeful.
Easy to get along with and talk to. has an 'every
thing's peachy' attitude. Likes talking and singing.
Loves music. Daydreamer. Easily distracted. Hates
not being trusted. BIG imagination. Loves to be loved. Hates studying. In need of 'that someone'.
Longs for freedom. rebellious when withheld or
Restricted. Lives by 'no pain no gain' caring.
Always a suspect. Playful. Mysterious. 'Charming'
or 'beautiful' to everyone. Stubborn. Curious.
Independent. Strong willed. A fighter.

------------ SEPTEMBER BABY ------------ ---
Active and dynamic. Decisive and haste but tends
to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself.
Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic.
Consoling, friendly and solves people's problems.
Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and
caring. Suave and generous. Usually you have
many friends. Enjoys making love. Emotional.
Stubborn. Hasty. Good memory. Moving, motivates
oneself and others. Loves to travel and explore.
Sometimes sexy in a way that only their lover can
understand.

------------ ---OCTOBER BABY ------------ -------
Loves to chat. Loves those who love them. Loves
to takes things at the centre. Inner and physical
beauty. Lies but doesn't pretend. Gets angry
often. Treats friends importantly. Brave and
fearless. Always making friends. Easily hurt but
recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does
not care to control emotions. Unpredictable.
Extremely smart, but definitely the hottest AND
sexiest of them all.

------------ ---NOVEMBER BABY ------------ --------
Trustworthy and loyal. Very passionate and
dangerous. Wild at times. Knows how to have fun.
Sexy and mysterious. Everyone is drawn towards
your inner and outer beauty and independent
personality. Playful, but secretive. Very emotional
and temperamental sometimes. Meets new people
easily and very social in a group. Fearless and
independent. Can hold their own. Stands out in a
crowd. Essentially very smart. Usually, the
greatest men are born in this month. If you ever
begin a relationship with someone from this month,
hold on to them because their one of a kind.

------------ ---DECEMBER BABY ------------ ---
This straight-up means your the most good-looking
person possible... better than all of these other
months! Loyal and generous. Patriotic. Competitive
in everything. Active in games and interactions.
Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in
organizations. Fun to be with. Easy to talk to,
though hard to understand. Thinks far with vision,
yet complicated to know. Easily influenced by
kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having lots of
ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to
delay. Choosy and always wants the e best t.
Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to
joke. Good debating skills. Has that someone
always on his/her mind. Talkative. Daydreamer.
Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Abiding.
Able to show character. One guy/girl kind of
person . Loveable. Easily hurt. Prone to getting
colds. loves music.

A story worth sharing

2010-10-31T08:31:00.000-07:00

4 years ago, an accident took my beloved away and very often I wonder,

how does my wife, who is now in the heavenly realm, feel right now? She

must be feeling extremely sad for leaving a husband who is incapable to

taking care of the house and the kid. 'cos that is the exact feeling that

I have, as I feel that I have failed to provide for the physical and emotional

needs of my child, and failed to be the dad and mum for my child.

There was one particular day, when I had an emergency at work. Hence, I

had to leave home whilst my child was still sleeping. So thinking that

there was still rice leftovers, I hastily cooked an egg and left after

informing my sleepy child.

With the double roles, I am often exhausted at work as well as when I am

home. So after a long day, I came home, totally drained of all energy.

So with just a brief hug and kiss for my child, I went straight into the

room, skipping dinner. However, when I jumped into my bed with intention

of just having a well-deserved sleep, all i heard and felt was broken porcelain

and warm liquid! I flipped open my blanket, and there lies the source of

the 'problem'... a broken bowl with instant noodles and a mess on the bedsheet

and blanket!

Boy, was I mad! I was so furious that I took a clothes hanger, charged

straight at my child who was happily playing with his toy, and give him

a good spanking! He merely cried but not asking for mercy, except a short

explanation:

"Dad, I was hungry and there wasn't anymore leftover rice. But you

were not back yet, hence I wanted to cook some instant noodles. But I remembered

you reminding me not to touch or use the gas stove without any adults around,

hence I turned on the shower and used the hot water from the bathroom to

cook the noodles.. One is for you and the other is for me. However, I was

afraid that the noodles will turn cold, so I hid it under the blanket to

keep it warm till you return. But I forgot to remind you 'cos I was playing

with my toys...I am sorry Dad..."

At that moment, tears were starting to run down my cheeks...but I didn't

want my son to see his dad crying so I dashed into the bathroom and cried

with the shower head on to mask my cries. After that episode, I went towards

my son to give him a tight hug and applied medication on him, while coaxing

him to sleep. Then, it was time to clear up the mess on the bed. When everything

was done and well past midnight, I passed my son's room, and saw that he

was still crying, not from the pain on his little buttock, but from looking

at the photograph of his beloved mummy.

A year has passed since the episode, I have tried, in this period, to focus

on giving him both the love of his dad and mum, and to attend to most of

his needs. And soon, he is turning seven, and will be graduating from kindergarten..

Fortunately, the incident did not leave a lasting impression on his childhood

memories and he is still happily growing up.

However, not so long ago, I hit my boy again, with much regret. This time,

his kindergarten teacher called, informing me of my son's absence from

school. I took off early from work and went home, expecting him to explain.

But he wasn't to be found, so I went around our house, calling out his

name and eventually found him outside a stationery shop, happily playing

computer games. I was fuming, brought him home and whack the hell out of

him. He did not retaliate, except to say, 'I am sorry, Dad'. But after

much probing, I realized that it was a 'Talent Show' organized by his school

and the invite is for every student's mummy. And that was the reason for

his absence as he has no mummy.....

Few days after the caning, my son came home to tell me, the kindergarten

has recently taught him how to read and write. Since then, he has kept

to himself and stayed in his room to practise his writing, which I am sure,

would make my wife proud, if she was still around. 'cos he makes me proud

too!

Time passes by very quickly, and soon another year has passed. It's winter,

and its Christmas time. Everywhere the christmas spirit is in every passer-by...Christmas

carols and frantic shoppers....but alas, my son got into another trouble.

When I was about to knock off from the day's work, the post office called.

Due to the peak season, the post master was also on an edgy mood. He called

to tell me that my son has attempted to post several letters with no addressee.

Although I did make a promise never to hit my son again, I couldn't help

but to hit him as I feel that this child of mine is really beyond control.

Once again, as before, he apologized, ' I'm sorry, Dad' and no additional

reason to explain. I pushed him towards a corner, went to the post office

to collect the letters with no addressee and came home, and angrily questioned

my son on his prank, during this time of the year.

His answer, amidst his sobbing, was : The letters were for Mummy.

My eyes grew teary, but I tried to control my emotions and continued to

ask him: " But why did u post so many letters, at one time?"

My son's reply was: " I have been writing to mummy for a long time,

but each time I reach out for the post box, it was too high for me, hence

I was not able to post the letters. But recently, when I went back to the

postbox, I could reach it and I sent it all at once..."

After hearing this, I was lost. Lost at not knowing what to do, what to

say.....

I told my son, " Son, mummy is in the heavenly kingdom, so in future,

if you have anything to tell her, just burn the letter and it will reach

mummy. My son, on hearing this, was much pacified and calm, and soon after,

he was sleeping soundly. On promising that I will burn the letters on his

behalf, I brought the letters outside, but couldnt help opening the letter

before they turn to ash.

And one of the letters broke my heart....

Dear Mummy,

I miss you so much! Today, there was a 'Talent Show' in school, and

the school invited all mothers for the show. But you are not around, so

I did not want to participate as well. I did not tell Dad about it as I

was afraid that Dad would start to cry and miss you all over again. Dad

went around looking for me, but in order to hide my sadness, I sat in front

of the computer and started playing games at one of the shops. Dad was

furious, and he couldnt help it but scolded and hit me, but I did not tell

him the real reason. Mummy, everyday I see Dad missing you and whenever

he think of you, he is so sad and often hide and cry in his room.. I

think we both miss you very very much. Too much for our own good I think..

But Mummy, I am starting to forget your face. Can you please appear in

my dreams so that I can see your face and remember you? I heard that if

you fall asleep with the photograph of the person whom you miss, you will

see the person in your dreams. But mummy, why havent you appeared?

After reading the letter, I cant stop sobbing. 'cos I can never replace

the irreplaceable gap left behind by my wife....

5 Tips on improving Programming Logic

2010-08-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

Tip 1: Learn the language ‘C’

You might be an expert .NET, Java or PHP developer, but I would recommend that you MUST learn ‘C. We all know why ‘C’ is the most powerful programming language, but I am not recommending learning ‘C’ to you because of its power in programming.

‘C’ offers you a structured style of programming. You have one file with the main() method and the execution begins from there and the execution flow proceeds as you have directed it to.

The main advantage in ‘C’ is that it allows you to play around with memory directly. This I believe is very important if you need to understand how data is passed from one memory block to another. The reason is that you start to visualize in your minds eye how data moves in your program.

The next step is to develop programs that will help you improve your logic.

Tip 2: Develop programs that test your mind skillsEver heard of the Fibonacci series?

Ever built a program that will allow the user to type his/her name and allow to bounce off that name on the screen from one corner to another like a ball?

Ever thought of creating a library for a Menu Bar system?

All these are examples of programs that you can develop to improve your mind and programming skills.

I remember the time I was at college and I would spends nights after nights to build my own library for screen interface for menu bars, windows, text fields, etc. In a UNIX box I would use the ncurses library and build it. I would then try and replicate the same in Windows using the conio.h file and some assembly code.

Try to develop as many programs as possible in ‘C’, this will help you improve your programming logic.

Following are some programs that I can help you with:

1.Write a program (WAP) to find the max, min, average and total of numbers entered by the user
2.WAP to accept a string from the user and find the number of vowels and the vowels that got repeated the most.
3.WAP to accept an array of numbers and sort the same using Bubble Sort Algorithm.
4.WAP to accept a string from the user and print all its permutations and combinations.
5.WAP to accept to accept a number from the user and test if it is a Fibonacci number or not.
I can go on and on with such questions.

Tip 3: Locate code and try to understand why it was written that way

Use the internet or college library to locate code written by another developer. Try to understand why it was written that way and understand it completely. Once you have understood why it was written they way it is written, check to see if you could improve that logic.

The main objective of this exercise is to get your brain thinking.

Tip 4: Solve logic puzzlesCheck your local newspaper. One section of your newspaper will be filled with series of logic puzzles and riddles. Try solving them. Don’t get disheartened if you can’t solve them or take a long time to solve them. Remember that you are in the learning and improving stage. Things will be slow, but you will make progress.Your brain will be trained to think differently with every puzzle that you try to solve. This is because now you know a new method of solving. You could apply the same thinking pattern to your programs as well.

As a standard prescription, I would prescribe solving Suduku puzzles. Will help you improve your logic, concentration and skills of grouping and organizing.

Tip 5: Help other people build logic

Once you start feeling confident about yourself and your logic capabilities, you should immediately start helping people. Subscribe to a forum and start helping people there. The benefit of helping people on forums is that you get to learn new problems that people face. This immensely adds to your knowledge. Just imagine the power you would have once you start to learn problems faced by other people and how you or someone else resolved it.

I have seen friends following this advice but shying at the last moment. Why? Because they don’t want to be ridiculed in the forum. Don’t be scared of other people ridiculing you. Look at it as a learning experience. People who ridicule you would be the one’s with more experience… and learning from people who are experienced is no harm at all.

The purpose of Life

2010-08-06T07:31:00.001-07:00

Here’s my attempt to write a short post, which for me means staying under 2,000 words.

Channeling my inner Seth Godin, here we go…

What is the purpose of life?

The purpose of life is to increase your alignment with truth, love, and power.

You are here to:

1.Discover and accept ever deeper truths.
2.Learn to love more deeply and unconditionally.
3.Develop and express your creativity.
#1 leads to wisdom.

#2 leads to joy.

#3 leads to strength.

The point of life is to learn to be wise, joyful, and strong — all at the same time and without compromising or sacrificing any of these. In order to improve one, you must improve all three.

If these pursuits aren’t your life’s highest priority, you’ve missed the point of life entirely. You’ll have a better sense of that when you die, at which point you will lose:

1.Your physical body
2.All your stuff (money, home, possessions)
3.Your positions and titles
4.Your physical relationships
If there is an afterlife, it’s likely that the only element of your existence you can possibly retain is your consciousness. Therefore, if you seek to increase your alignment with truth, love, and power, you may have the opportunity to retain those gains even after your physical death because such gains are nonphysical. Everything else stays here.

On the other hand, even if there is no afterlife, the pursuit of truth, love, and power while you’re here will make your physical existence much more meaningful and fulfilling as you experience it. Physical life becomes significantly easier when you root yourself to the permanent instead of chasing the temporary. Truth, love, and power are permanent because they’re universal concepts. Wherever there is consciousness, these concepts have meaning.

Regardless of what happens when you die, if you center your life around the pursuit of truth, love, and power, you can’t lose. You’ll have done your best.

Whenever you turn your back on truth, love, or power, you distance yourself from experiencing wisdom, joy, and strength. This means you’ll experience confusion, unhappiness, and weakness instead. Whatever problems you currently face can be resolved by realigning yourself with truth, love, and power.

Truth.

Love.

Power.

This is how you win the game of life.

Three tricks

2010-08-06T07:20:00.000-07:00

TRICK #1
An Indian discovered that nobody can create a FOLDER
anywhere on the computer which can be named as ‘CON’.
This is something pretty cool…and unbelievable. ..
At Microsoft the whole Team, couldn’t answer why this
happened!
TRY IT NOW ,IT WILL NOT CREATE ‘ CON ‘ FOLDER

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— —–

TRICK #2
For those of you using Windows xp, do the following:

1.) Open an empty notepad file
2.) Type ‘Bush hid the facts’ (without the quotes)
3.) Save it as whatever you want.
4.) Close it, and re-open it.

is it just a really weird bug? Confused?

———— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— ——— —–

TRICK #3
Microsoft crazy facts

This is something pretty cool and neat…and
unbelievable. .. At Microsoft the whole Team,
including Bill Gates, couldn’t answer why this
happened!

It was discovered by a Brazilian. Try it out
yourself…

Open Microsoft Word and type

=rand (200, 99)

And then press ENTER

IT’S REAL JUST DO IT AND SEE..AMAZING!!!!!

How to develop your Logic

2010-08-06T07:03:00.000-07:00

Java Sudoku Solver

2010-08-06T06:56:00.000-07:00

10 Major Differnces in between C and C++

2010-08-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

C++, as the name suggests is a superset of C. As a matter of fact, C++ can run most of C code while C cannot run C++ code. Here are the 10 major differences between C++ & C…

1. C follows the procedural programming paradigm while C++ is a multi-paradigm language(procedural as well as object oriented)

In case of C, importance is given to the steps or procedure of the program while C++ focuses on the data rather than the process.
Also, it is easier to implement/edit the code in case of C++ for the same reason.

2. In case of C, the data is not secured while the data is secured(hidden) in C++

This difference is due to specific OOP features like Data Hiding which are not present in C.

3. C is a low-level language while C++ is a middle-level language

C is regarded as a low-level language(difficult interpretation & less user friendly) while C++ has features of both low-level(concentration on whats going on in the machine hardware) & high-level languages(concentration on the program itself) & hence is regarded as a middle-level language.

4. C uses the top-down approach while C++ uses the bottom-up approach

In case of C, the program is formulated step by step, each step is processed into detail while in C++, the base elements are first formulated which then are linked together to give rise to larger systems.

5. C is function-driven while C++ is object-driven

Functions are the building blocks of a C program while objects are building blocks of a C++ program.

6. C++ supports function overloading while C does not

Overloading means two functions having the same name in the same program. This can be done only in C++ with the help of Polymorphism(an OOP feature)

7. We can use functions inside structures in C++ but not in C.

In case of C++, functions can be used inside a structure while structures cannot contain functions in C.

8. The NAMESPACE feature in C++ is absent in case of C

C++ uses NAMESPACE which avoid name collisions. For instance, two students enrolled in the same university cannot have the same roll number while two students in different universities might have the same roll number. The universities are two different namespace & hence contain the same roll number(identifier) but the same university(one namespace) cannot have two students with the same roll number(identifier)

9. The standard input & output functions differ in the two languages

C uses scanf & printf while C++ uses cin>> & cout<< as their respective input & output functions

10. C++ allows the use of reference variables while C does not

Reference variables allow two variable names to point to the same memory location. We cannot use these variables in C programming.

Best practices for programming in C

2010-08-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

Styles and Guidelines

Use a source code style that makes the code readable and consistent. Unless you have a group code style or a style of your own, you could use a style similar to the Kernighan and Ritchie style used by a vast majority of C programmers. Taken to an extreme, however, it's possible to end up with something like this:
int i;main(){for(;i["]
--Dishonorable mention, Obfuscated C Code Contest, 1984. Author requested anonymity.
It is common to see the main routine defined as main(). The ANSI way of writing this is int main(void) (if there are is no interest in the command line arguments) or as int main( int argc, char **argv ). Pre-ANSI compilers would omit the void declaration, or list the variable names and follow with their declarations.
Whitespace
Use vertical and horizontal whitespace generously. Indentation and spacing should reflect the block structure of the code.
A long string of conditional operators should be split onto separate lines. For example:
if (foo->next==NULL && number <>
might be better as:
if (foo->next == NULL
&& number <>
Similarly, elaborate for loops should be split onto different lines:
for (curr = *varp, trail = varp;
curr != NULL;
trail = &(curr->next), curr = curr->next )
{
...
Other complex expressions, such as those using the ternary ?: operator, are best split on to several lines, too.
z = (x == y)
? n + f(x)
: f(y) - n;

Comments

The comments should describe what is happening, how it is being done, what parameters mean, which globals are used and any restrictions or bugs. However, avoid unnecessary comments. If the code is clear, and uses good variable names, it should be able to explain itself well. Since comments are not checked by the compiler, there is no guarantee they are right. Comments that disagree with the code are of negative value. Too many comments clutter code.

Here is a superfluous comment style:

	i=i+1;        /* Add one to i */

It's pretty clear that the variable i is being incremented by one. And there are worse ways to do it:

  		  /************************************

		  *                                   *

		  *          Add one to i             *

		  *                                   *

 		   ************************************/



                  i=i+1;

Naming Conventions
Names with leading and trailing underscores are reserved for system purposes and should not be used for any user-created names. Convention dictates that:
1. #define constants should be in all CAPS.
2. enum constants are Capitalized or in all CAPS
3. Function, typedef, and variable names, as well as struct, union, and enum tag names should be in lower case.
For clarity, avoid names that differ only in case, like foo and Foo . Similarly, avoid foobar and foo_bar. Avoid names that look like each other. On many terminals and printers, 'l', '1' and 'I' look quite similar. A variable named 'l' is particularly bad because it looks so much like the constant '1'.
Variable names
When choosing a variable name, length is not important but clarity of expression is. A long name can be used for a global variable which is rarely used but an array index used on every line of a loop need not be named any more elaborately than i. Using 'index' or 'elementnumber' instead is not only more to type but also can obscure the details of the computation. With long variable names sometimes it is harder to see what is going on. Consider:
for(i=0 to 100)
array[i]=0
versus
for(elementnumber=0 to 100)
array[elementnumber]=0;
Function names
Function names should reflect what they do and what they return. Functions are used in expressions, often in an if clause, so they need to read appropriately. For example:
if (checksize(x))
is unhelpful because it does not tell us whether checksize returns true on error or non-error; instead:
if (validsize(x))
makes the point clear.
Declarations
All external data declaration should be preceded by the extern keyword.
The "pointer'' qualifier, '*', should be with the variable name rather than with the type.
char *s, *t, *u;
instead of
char* s, t, u;
The latter statement is not wrong, but is probably not what is desired since 't' and 'u' do not get declared as pointers.
Header Files
Header files should be functionally organized, that is, declarations for separate subsystems should be in separate header files. Also, declarations that are likely to change when code is ported from one platform to another should be in a separate header file.
Avoid private header filenames that are the same as library header filenames. The statement #include "math.h'' includes the standard library math header file if the intended one is not found in the current directory. If this is what you want to happen, comment this fact.
Finally, using absolute pathnames for header files is not a good idea. The "include-path'' option of the C compiler (-I (capital "eye") on many systems) is the preferred method for handling extensive private libraries of header files; it permits reorganizing the directory structure without having to alter source files.
scanf
scanf should never be used in serious applications. Its error detection is inadequate. Look at the example below:
#include

int main(void)
{
int i;
float f;

printf("Enter an integer and a float: ");
scanf("%d %f", &i, &f);

printf("I read %d and %f\n", i, f);
return 0;
}
Test run
Enter an integer and a float: 182 52.38
I read 182 and 52.380001
Another TEST run
Enter an integer and a float: 6713247896 4.4
I read -1876686696 and 4.400000
++ and --
When the increment or decrement operator is used on a variable in a statement, that variable should not appear more than once in the statement because order of evaluation is compiler-dependent. Do not write code that assumes an order, or that functions as desired on one machine but does not have a clearly defined behavior:
int i = 0, a[5];

a[i] = i++; /* assign to a[0]? or a[1]? */
Don't let yourself believe you see what isn't there.
Look at the following example:
while (c == '\t' || c = ' ' || c == '\n')
c = getc(f);
The statement in the while clause appears at first glance to be valid C. The use of the assignment operator, rather than the comparison operator, results in syntactically incorrect code. The precedence of = is lowest of any operator so it would have to be interpreted this way (parentheses added for clarity):
while ((c == '\t' || c) = (' ' || c == '\n'))
c = getc(f);
The clause on the left side of the assignment operator is:
(c == '\t' || c)
which does not result in an lvalue. If c contains the tab character, the result is "true" and no further evaluation is performed, and "true" cannot stand on the left-hand side of an assignment.
Be clear in your intentions.
When you write one thing that could be interpreted for something else, use parentheses or other methods to make sure your intent is clear. This helps you understand what you meant if you ever have to deal with the program at a later date. And it makes things easier if someone else has to maintain the code.
It is sometimes possible to code in a way that anticipates likely mistakes. For example, you can put constants on the left of equality comparisons. That is, instead of writing:
while (c == '\t' || c == ' ' || c == '\n')
c = getc(f);
You can say:
while ('\t' == c || ' ' == c || '\n' == c)
c = getc(f);
This way you will get a compiler diagnostic:
while ('\t' = c || ' ' == c || '\n' == c)
c = getc(f);
This style lets the compiler find problems; the above statement is invalid because it tries to assign a value to '\t'.
Trouble from unexpected corners.
C implementations generally differ in some aspects from each other. It helps to stick to the parts of the language that are likely to be common to all implementations. By doing that, it will be easier to port your program to a new machine or compiler and less likely that you will run into compiler idiosyncracies. For example, consider the string:
/*/*/2*/**/1
This takes advantage of the "maximal munch" rule. If comments nest, it is interpreted this way:
/* /* /2 */ * */ 1
The two /* symbols match the two */ symbols, so the value of this is 1. If comments do not nest, on some systems, a /* in a comment is ignored. On others a warning is flagged for /*. In either case, the expression is interpreted this way:
/* / */ 2 * /* */ 1
2 * 1 evaluates to 2.
Flushing Output Buffer
When an application terminates abnormally, the tail end of its output is often lost. The application may not have the opportunity to completely flush its output buffers. Part of the output may still be sitting in memory somewhere and is never written out. On some systems, this output could be several pages long.
Losing output this way can be misleading because it may give the impression that the program failed much earlier than it actually did. The way to address this problem is to force the output to be unbuffered, especially when debugging. The exact incantation for this varies from system to system but usually looks something like this:
setbuf(stdout, (char *) 0);
This must be executed before anything is written to stdout. Ideally this could be the first statement in the main program.
getchar() - macro or function
The following program copies its input to its output:
#include

int main(void)
{
register int a;

while ((a = getchar()) != EOF)
putchar(a);
}
Removing the #include statement from the program would cause it to fail to compile because EOF would then be undefined.
We can rewrite the program in the following way:
#define EOF -1

int main(void)
{
register int a;

while ((a = getchar()) != EOF)
putchar(a);
}
This will work on many systems but on some it will run much more slowly.
Since function calls usually take a long time, getchar is often implemented as a macro. This macro is defined in stdio.h, so when #include is removed, the compiler does not know what getchar is. On some systems it assumes that getchar is a function that returns an int.
In reality, many C implementations have a getchar function in their libraries, partly to safeguard against such lapses. Thus in situations where #include is missing the compiler uses the function version of getchar. Overhead of function call makes the program slower. The same argument applies to putchar.
null pointer
A null pointer does not point to any object. Thus it is illegal to use a null pointer for any purpose other than assignment and comparison.
Never redefine the NULL symbol. The NULL symbol should always have a constant value of zero. A null pointer of any given type will always compare equal to the constant zero, whereas comparison with a variable with value zero or to some non-zero constant has implementation-defined behaviour.
Dereferencing a null pointer may cause strange things to happen.
What does a+++++b mean?
The only meaningful way to parse this is:
a ++ + ++ b
However, the maximal munch rule requires it to be broken down as:
a ++ ++ + b
This is syntactically invalid: it is equivalent to:
((a++)++) + b
But the result of a++ is not an lvalue and hence is not acceptable as an operand of ++. Thus the rules for resolving lexical ambiguity make it impossible to resolve this example in a way that is syntactically meaningful. In practice, of course, the prudent thing to do is to avoid construction like this unless you are absolutely certain what they mean. Of course, adding whitespace helps the compiler to understand the intent of the statement, but it is preferable (from a code maintenance perspective) to split this construct into more than one line:
++b;
(a++) + b;
Treat functions with care
Functions are the most general structuring concept in C. They should be used to implement "top-down" problem solving - namely breaking up a problem into smaller and smaller subproblems until each piece is readily expressed in code. This aids modularity and documentation of programs. Moreover, programs composed of many small functions are easier to debug.
Cast all function arguments to the expected type if they are not of that type already, even when you are convinced that this is unnecessary since they may hurt you when you least expect it. In other words, the compiler will often promote and convert data types to conform to the declaration of the function parameters. But doing so manually in the code clearly explains the intent of the programmer, and may ensure correct results if the code is ever ported to another platform.
If the header files fail to declare the return types of the library functions, declare them yourself. Surround your declarations with #ifdef/#endif statements in case the code is ever ported to another platform.
Function prototypes should be used to make code more robust and to make it run faster.
Dangling else
Stay away from "dangling else" problem unless you know what you're doing:
if (a == 1)
if (b == 2)
printf("***\n");
else
printf("###\n");
The rule is that an else attaches to the nearest if. When in doubt, or if there is a potential for ambiguity, add curly braces to illuminate the block structure of the code.
Array bounds
Check the array bounds of all arrays, including strings, since where you type "fubar'' today someone someday may type "floccinaucinihilipilification". Robust production software should not use gets().
The fact that C subscripts start from zero makes all kinds of counting problems easier. However, it requires some effort to learn to handle them.
Null statement
The null body of a for or while loop should be alone on a line and commented so that it is clear that the null body is intentional and not missing code.
while (*dest++ = *src++)
; /* VOID */
Test for true or false
Do not default the test for non-zero, that is:
if (f() != FAIL)
is better than
if (f())
even though FAIL may have the value 0 which C considers to be false. (Of course, balance this against constructs such as the one shown above in the "Function Names" section.) An explicit test will help you out later when somebody decides that a failure return should be -1 instead of 0.
A frequent trouble spot is using the strcmp function to test for string equality, where the result should never be defaulted. The preferred approach is to define a macro STREQ:
#define STREQ(str1, str2) (strcmp((str1), (str2)) == 0)
Using this, a statement such as:
If ( STREQ( inputstring, somestring ) ) ...
carries with it an implied behavior that is unlikely to change under the covers (folks tend not to rewrite and redefine standard library functions like strcmp()).
Do not check a boolean value for equality with 1 (TRUE, YES, etc.); instead test for inequality with 0 (FALSE, NO, etc.). Most functions are guaranteed to return 0 if false, but only non-zero if true. Thus,
if (func() == TRUE) {...
is better written
if (func() != FALSE)
Embedded statement
There is a time and a place for embedded assignment statements. In some constructs there is no better way to accomplish the results without resulting in bulkier and less readable code:
while ((c = getchar()) != EOF) {
process the character
}
Using embedded assignment statements to improve run-time performance is possible. However, you should consider the tradeoff between increased speed and decreased maintainability that results when embedded assignments are used in artificial places. For example:
x = y + z;
d = x + r;
should not be replaced by:
d = (x = y + z) + r;
even though the latter may save one cycle. In the long run the time difference between the two will decrease as the optimizer is enhanced, while the difference in ease of maintenance will increase.
goto statements
goto should be used sparingly. The one place where they can be usefully employed is to break out of several levels of switch, for, and while nesting, although the need to do such a thing may indicate that the inner constructs should be broken out into a separate function.
for (...) {
while (...) {
...
if (wrong)
goto error;

}
}
...
error:
print a message
When a goto is necessary the accompanying label should be alone on a line and either tabbed one stop to the left of the code that follows, or set at the beginning of the line. Both the goto statement and target should be commented to their utility and purpose.
Fall-though in switch
When a block of code has several labels, place the labels on separate lines. This style agrees with the use of vertical whitespace, and makes rearranging the case options a simple task, should that be required. The fall-through feature of the C switch statement must be commented for future maintenance. If you've ever been "bitten" by this feature, you'll appreciate its importance!
switch (expr) {
case ABC:
case DEF:
statement;
break;
case UVW:
statement; /*FALLTHROUGH*/
case XYZ:
statement;
break;
}
While the last break is technically unnecessary, the consistency of its use prevents a fall-through error if another case is later added after the last one. The default case, if used, should always be last and does not require a final break statement if it is last.
Constants
Symbolic constants make code easier to read. Numerical constants should generally be avoided; use the #define function of the C preprocessor to give constants meaningful names. Defining the value in one place (preferably a header file) also makes it easier to administer large programs since the constant value can be changed uniformly by changing only the define. Consider using the enumeration data type as an improved way to declare variables that take on only a discrete set of values. Using enumerations also lets the compiler warn you of any misuse of an enumerated type. At the very least, any directly-coded numerical constant must have a comment explaining the derivation of the value.
Constants should be defined consistently with their use; e.g. use 540.0 for a float instead of 540 with an implicit float cast. That said, there are some cases where the constants 0 and 1 may appear as themselves instead of as defines. For example if a for loop indexes through an array, then:
for (i = 0; i <>
is quite reasonable, while the code:
gate_t *front_gate = opens(gate[i], 7);
if (front_gate == 0)
error("can't open %s\n", gate[i]);
is not. In the second example front_gate is a pointer; when a value is a pointer it should be compared to NULL instead of 0. Even simple values like 1 or 0 are often better expressed using defines like TRUE and FALSE (and sometimes YES and NO read better).
Don't use floating-point variables where discrete values are needed. This is due to the inexact representation of floating point numbers (see the second test in scanf, above). Test floating-point numbers using <= or >=; an exact comparison (== or !=) may not detect an "acceptable" equality.
Simple character constants should be defined as character literals rather than numbers. Non-text characters are discouraged as non-portable. If non-text characters are necessary, particularly if they are used in strings, they should be written using a escape character of three octal digits rather than one (for example, '\007'). Even so, such usage should be considered machine-dependent and treated as such.
Conditional Compilation
Conditional compilation is useful for things like machine-dependencies, debugging, and for setting certain options at compile-time. Various controls can easily combine in unforeseen ways. If you use #ifdef for machine dependencies, make sure that when no machine is specified, the result is an error, not a default machine. The #error directive comes in handy for this purpose. And if you use #ifdef for optimizations, the default should be the unoptimized code rather than an uncompilable or incorrect program. Be sure to test the unoptimized code.

Miscellaneous

Utilities for compiling and linking such as Make simplify considerably the task of moving an application from one environment to another. During development, make recompiles only those modules that have been changed since the last time make was used.
Use lint frequently. lint is a C program checker that examines C source files to detect and report type incompatibilities, inconsistencies between function definitions and calls, potential program bugs, etc.
Also, investigate the compiler documentation for switches that encourage it to be "picky". The compiler's job is to be precise, so let it report potential problems by using appropriate command line options.
Minimize the number of global symbols in the application. One of the benefits is the lower probability of conflicts with system-defined functions.
Many programs fail when their input is missing. All programs should be tested for empty input. This is also likely to help you understand how the program is working
Don't assume any more about your users or your implementation than you have to. Things that "cannot happen" sometimes do happen. A robust program will defend against them. If there's a boundary condition to be found, your users will somehow find it!
Never make any assumptions about the size of a given type, especially pointers.
When char types are used in expressions most implementations will treat them as unsigned but there are others which treat them as signed. It is advisable to always cast them when used in arithmetic expressions.
Do not rely on the initialization of auto variables and of memory returned by malloc.
Make your program's purpose and structure clear.
Keep in mind that you or someone else will likely be asked to modify your code or make it run on a different machine sometime in the future. Craft your code so that it is portable to other machines.

Conclusion

It is a common knowledge that the maintenance of applications takes a significant amount of a programmer's time. Part of the reason for this is the use of non-portable and non-standard features and less than desirable programming style when developing applications. In this article we have presented some guidelines which have stood us in good stead over the years. We believe that these guidelines, when followed, will make application maintenance easier in a team environment.

Reference

Obfuscated C and Other Mysteries by Don Libes, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., ISBN 0-471-57805-3
The C Programming Language by Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie, Second Edition, Prentice-Hall, ISBN 0-13-110370-9
Safer C by Les Hatton, McGraw-Hill, ISBN 0-07-707640-0
C Traps and Pitfalls by Andrew Koenig, AT&T Bell Laboratories, ISBN 0-201-17928-9

Just For Fun

2010-05-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

What did the elephant say to the naked man?
How do you breathe through that thing?

I've used up all my sick days, so I'm calling in dead.

Two goldfish are in a tank. One says to the other, "Do you know how to drive this thing?"

What is the difference between a woman and a magnet?
Magnets have a positive side!

WOMAN: The most efficient money reducing agent known to man-kind!

How many men do you need for a mafia funeral?
Only one. To slam the car boot shut

What are 3 words you never wanna hear whilst making love? Honey, I'm home!

We will now upgrade your brain, please wait....Searching....searching...still searching....sorry,NO BRAIN found...!

When a man talks dirty to a woman, it's sexual harassment. When a woman talks dirty to a man, it's $3.95 per minute.

Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.

Born Free. . . . .Taxed to Death.

Never let a man's mind wander, it's too little to be out on it's own!!!!

My girl and me, we are so perfect, she loves me, and I love myself too...

Hi, do you want to have my children? No.?? ...Okay, then can we just practice?

Jesus loves you... everyone else thinks your an asshole�

Q:What is the difference between a wife and a girlfriend?
A:About 45 pounds!!

Minds are like Parachutes. They work best when open.

As a computer, I find your faith in technology amusing

2010-05-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

Accept me as I am.
Don't try to change me.
Love me for who I am.
If you do then you will see,
how strong my love can really be.

God made me the way I am.
I have no problem with that.
Everyone is different,
you must accept that fact.

I can only be the
person that you see.
I won't change for anyone
for I can only be me.

We all are different,
this is true .
I can only be me,
I can't be like you.

Accept me as I am
no matter what it takes.
I know I'm a good person,
because the Lord
don't make mistakes..!!!

Software Development Life Cycle Models

2010-04-06T06:47:00.002-07:00

I was asked to put together this high-level and traditional software life cycle information as a favor for a friend of a friend, so I thought I might as well share it with everybody.

The General Model

Software life cycle models describe phases of the software cycle and the order in which those phases are executed. There are tons of models, and many companies adopt their own, but all have very similar patterns. The general, basic model is shown below:

General Life Cycle Model

Each phase produces deliverables required by the next phase in the life cycle. Requirements are translated into design. Code is produced during implementation that is driven by the design. Testing verifies the deliverable of the implementation phase against requirements.

Requirements

Business requirements are gathered in this phase. This phase is the main focus of the project managers and stake holders. Meetings with managers, stake holders and users are held in order to determine the requirements. Who is going to use the system? How will they use the system? What data should be input into the system? What data should be output by the system? These are general questions that get answered during a requirements gathering phase. This produces a nice big list of functionality that the system should provide, which describes functions the system should perform, business logic that processes data, what data is stored and used by the system, and how the user interface should work. The overall result is the system as a whole and how it performs, not how it is actually going to do it.

Design

The software system design is produced from the results of the requirements phase. Architects have the ball in their court during this phase and this is the phase in which their focus lies. This is where the details on how the system will work is produced. Architecture, including hardware and software, communication, software design (UML is produced here) are all part of the deliverables of a design phase.

Implementation

Code is produced from the deliverables of the design phase during implementation, and this is the longest phase of the software development life cycle. For a developer, this is the main focus of the life cycle because this is where the code is produced. Implementation my overlap with both the design and testing phases. Many tools exists (CASE tools) to actually automate the production of code using information gathered and produced during the design phase.

Testing

During testing, the implementation is tested against the requirements to make sure that the product is actually solving the needs addressed and gathered during the requirements phase. Unit tests and system/acceptance tests are done during this phase. Unit tests act on a specific component of the system, while system tests act on the system as a whole.

So in a nutshell, that is a very basic overview of the general software development life cycle model. Now lets delve into some of the traditional and widely used variations.

Waterfall Model

This is the most common and classic of life cycle models, also referred to as a linear-sequential life cycle model. It is very simple to understand and use. In a waterfall model, each phase must be completed in its entirety before the next phase can begin. At the end of each phase, a review takes place to determine if the project is on the right path and whether or not to continue or discard the project. Unlike what I mentioned in the general model, phases do not overlap in a waterfall model.

Waterfall Life Cycle Model

Advantages

Simple and easy to use.
Easy to manage due to the rigidity of the model – each phase has specific deliverables and a review process.
Phases are processed and completed one at a time.
Works well for smaller projects where requirements are very well understood.

Disadvantages

Adjusting scope during the life cycle can kill a project
No working software is produced until late during the life cycle.
High amounts of risk and uncertainty.
Poor model for complex and object-oriented projects.
Poor model for long and ongoing projects.
Poor model where requirements are at a moderate to high risk of changing.

V-Shaped Model

Just like the waterfall model, the V-Shaped life cycle is a sequential path of execution of processes. Each phase must be completed before the next phase begins. Testing is emphasized in this model more so than the waterfall model though. The testing procedures are developed early in the life cycle before any coding is done, during each of the phases preceding implementation.

Requirements begin the life cycle model just like the waterfall model. Before development is started, a system test plan is created. The test plan focuses on meeting the functionality specified in the requirements gathering.

The high-level design phase focuses on system architecture and design. An integration test plan is created in this phase as well in order to test the pieces of the software systems ability to work together.

The low-level design phase is where the actual software components are designed, and unit tests are created in this phase as well.

The implementation phase is, again, where all coding takes place. Once coding is complete, the path of execution continues up the right side of the V where the test plans developed earlier are now put to use.

V-Shaped Life Cycle Model

Advantages

Simple and easy to use.
Each phase has specific deliverables.
Higher chance of success over the waterfall model due to the development of test plans early on during the life cycle.
Works well for small projects where requirements are easily understood.

Disadvantages

Very rigid, like the waterfall model.
Little flexibility and adjusting scope is difficult and expensive.
Software is developed during the implementation phase, so no early prototypes of the software are produced.
Model doesn’t provide a clear path for problems found during testing phases.

Incremental Model

The incremental model is an intuitive approach to the waterfall model. Multiple development cycles take place here, making the life cycle a “multi-waterfall” cycle. Cycles are divided up into smaller, more easily managed iterations. Each iteration passes through the requirements, design, implementation and testing phases.

A working version of software is produced during the first iteration, so you have working software early on during the software life cycle. Subsequent iterations build on the initial software produced during the first iteration.

Incremental Life Cycle Model

Advantages

Generates working software quickly and early during the software life cycle.
More flexible – less costly to change scope and requirements.
Easier to test and debug during a smaller iteration.
Easier to manage risk because risky pieces are identified and handled during its iteration.
Each iteration is an easily managed milestone.

Disadvantages

Each phase of an iteration is rigid and do not overlap each other.
Problems may arise pertaining to system architecture because not all requirements are gathered up front for the entire software life cycle.

Spiral Model

The spiral model is similar to the incremental model, with more emphases placed on risk analysis. The spiral model has four phases: Planning, Risk Analysis, Engineering and Evaluation. A software project repeatedly passes through these phases in iterations (called Spirals in this model). The baseline spiral, starting in the planning phase, requirements are gathered and risk is assessed. Each subsequent spirals builds on the baseline spiral.

Requirements are gathered during the planning phase. In the risk analysis phase, a process is undertaken to identify risk and alternate solutions. A prototype is produced at the end of the risk analysis phase.

Software is produced in the engineering phase, along with testing at the end of the phase. The evaluation phase allows the customer to evaluate the output of the project to date before the project continues to the next spiral.

In the spiral model, the angular component represents progress, and the radius of the spiral represents cost.

Spiral Life Cycle Model

Advantages

High amount of risk analysis
Good for large and mission-critical projects.
Software is produced early in the software life cycle.

Disadvantages

Can be a costly model to use.
Risk analysis requires highly specific expertise.
Project’s success is highly dependent on the risk analysis phase.
Doesn’t work well for smaller projects.

And that’s it. If you have any input, especially your views on advantages and disadvantages of any particular model, feel free to leave them in the comments and I can add them to my copy.

Software Development Life Cycle

2010-04-06T06:47:00.001-07:00

The following are the actives of the SDLC

1) System engineering and modeling

2) Software require analysis

3) Systems analysis and design

4) Code generation

5) Testing

6) Development and Maintenance

System Engineering and Modeling

In this process we have to identify the projects requirement and main features proposed in the application. Here the development team visits the customer and their system. They investigate the need for possible software automation in the given system. By the end of the investigation study. The team writes a document that holds the specifications for the customer system.

Software Requirement Analysis

In this software requirements analysis, firstly analysis the requirement for the proposed system. To understand the nature of the program to built, the system engineer must understand the information domain for the software, as well as required functions, performance and the interfacing. From the available information the system engineer develops a list of the actors use cases and system level requirement for the project. With the help of key user the list of use case and requirement is reviewed. Refined and updated in an iterative fashion until the user is satisfied that it represents the essence of the proposed system.

Systems analysis and design

The design is the process of designing exactly how the specifications are to be implemented. It defines specifically how the software is to be written including an object model with properties and method for each object, the client/server technology, the number of tiers needed for the package architecture and a detailed database design. Analysis and design are very important in the whole development cycle. Any glitch in the design could be very expensive to solve in the later stage of the software development.

Code generation

The design must be translated into a machine readable form. The code generation step performs this task. The development phase involves the actual coding of the entire application. If design is performed in a detailed manner. Code generation can be accomplished with out much complicated. Programming tools like compilers, interpreters like c, c++, and java are used for coding .with respect to the type of application. The right programming language is chosen.

Testing

After the coding. The program testing begins. There are different methods are there to detect the error in coding .different method are already available. Some companies are developed they own testing tools

Development and Maintenance

The development and maintenance is a staged roll out of the new application, this involves installation and initial training and may involve hardware and network upgrades. Software will definitely undergo change once it is delivered to the customer. There are many reasons for the change. Change could be happen because of some unexpected input values into the system. In addition, the changes in the system could be directly affecting the software operations. The software should be developed to accommodate changes that could happen during the post implementation period.

How to write Cover Letter

2010-02-28T04:43:00.000-08:00

All Cover Letters Should include the following stuffs:

Explain why you are sending a resume.
Don't send a resume without a cover letter.
Don't make the reader guess what you are asking for; be specific: Do you want a summer internship opportunity, or a permanent position at graduation; are you inquiring about future employment possibilities?

Tell specifically how you learned about the position or the organization — a flyer posted in your department, a web site, a family friend who works at the organization. It is appropriate to mention the name of someone who suggested that you write.

Convince the reader to look at your resume.
The cover letter will be seen first.
Therefore, it must be very well written and targeted to that employer.

Call attention to elements of your background — education, leadership, experience — that are relevant to a position you are seeking. Be as specific as possible, using examples.

Reflect your attitude, personality, motivation, enthusiasm, and communication skills.

Provide or refer to any information specifically requested in a job advertisement that might not be covered in your resume, such as availability date, or reference to an attached writing sample.

Indicate what you will do to follow-up.

•

In a letter of application — applying for an advertised opening — applicants often say something like "I look forward to hearing from you." However, if you have further contact info (e.g. phone number) and if the employer hasn't said "no phone calls," it's better to take the initiative to follow-up, saying something like, "I will contact you in the next two weeks to see if you require any additional information regarding my qualifications."

•

In a letter of inquiry — asking about the possibility of an opening — don't assume the employer will contact you. You should say something like, "I will contact you in two weeks to learn more about upcoming employment opportunities with (name of organization)." Then mark your calendar to make the call.

Cover Letter Format Guidelines:

Your Street Address
City, State Zip Code
Telephone Number
Email Address

Month, Day, Year

Mr./Ms./Dr. FirstName LastName
Title
Name of Organization
Street or P. O. Box Address
City, State Zip Code

Dear Mr./Ms./Dr. LastName:

Opening paragraph: State why you are writing; how you learned of the organization or position, and basic information about yourself.

2nd paragraph: Tell why you are interested in the employer or type of work the employer does (Simply stating that you are interested does not tell why, and can sound like a form letter). Demonstrate that you know enough about the employer or position to relate your background to the employer or position. Mention specific qualifications which make you a good fit for the employer’s needs. This is an opportunity to explain in more detail relevant items in your resume. Refer to the fact that your resume is enclosed. Mention other enclosures if such are required to apply for a position.

3rd paragraph: Indicate that you would like the opportunity to interview for a position or to talk with the employer to learn more about their opportunities or hiring plans. State what you will do to follow up, such as telephone the employer within two weeks. If you will be in the employer’s location and could offer to schedule a visit, indicate when. State that you would be glad to provide the employer with any additional information needed. Thank the employer for her/his consideration.

Sincerely,

(Your handwritten signature)

Your name typed

Enclosure(s) (refers to resume, etc.)

(Note: the contents of your letter might best be arranged into four paragraphs. Consider what you need to say and use good writing style. See the following examples for variations in organization and layout.)

Job Interview Questions and Answers

2010-02-28T04:41:00.000-08:00

Why should you be hired for this job?

Point out how your talents and how they meet what the organization needs. Do not mention any other job candidates and try to make a comparison. Try to tie a few things to your career path and how it is a good fit. Answer this question with confidence. Do not waffle. You show already know why you should be hired. If you have doubts or are tentitive about this answer, your interviewer might also have doubts.

Why did you leave (or want to leave) your last job?

Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers or the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking reasons.

What do you know about this company/organization?

This question is one reason to do some research on the organization before the interview. Find out where they have been and where they are going. What are the current issues and who are the major players?

What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year?

Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones handy to mention.

Do you have any weaknesses?

Trick question. If you know about weakness, they are no longer blind spots. Do not reveal any personal areas of concern here. Let them do their own discovery on your bad points. Do not hand it to them.

What is your greatest strength?

Numerous answers are good, just stay positive. A few good examples: Your ability to prioritize, Your problem-solving skills, Your ability to work under pressure, Your ability to focus on projects, Your professional expertise, Your leadership skills, Your positive attitude.

What have you learned from mistakes on the job?

Here you have to come up with something or you strain credibility. Make it small, well intentioned mistake with a positive lesson learned. An example would be working too far ahead of colleagues on a project and thus throwing coordination off.

Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that?

This is serious. Do not make light of it or in any way seem like you like to fire people. At the same time, you will do it when it is the right thing to do. When it comes to the organization versus the individual who has created a harmful situation, you will protect the organization. Remember firing is not the same as layoff or reduction in force.

Are you a team player?

You are, of course, a team player. Be sure to have examples ready. Specifics that show you often perform for the good of the team rather than for yourself are good evidence of your team attitude. Do not brag, just say it in a matter-of-fact tone. This is a key point.

Describe your management style.

Try to avoid labels. Some of the more common labels, like progressive, salesman or consensus, can have several meanings or descriptions depending on which management expert you listen to. The situational style is safe, because it says you will manage according to the situation, instead of one size fits all.

Would you be willing to relocate if required?

You should be clear on this with your family prior to the interview if you think there is a chance it may come up. Do not say yes just to get the job if the real answer is no. This can create a lot of problems later on in your career. Be honest at this point and save yourself future grief.

Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends?

This is up to you. Be totally honest.

What motivates you to do your best on the job?

This is a personal trait that only you can say, but good examples are:

Challenge, Achievement, Recognition

What motivates you to do your best on the job?

This is a personal trait that only you can say, but good examples are:

Challenge, Achievement, Recognition

What would your previous manager say your strongest point is?

There are numerous good possibilities:

Loyalty, Energy, Positive attitude, Leadership, Team player, Expertise, Initiative, Patience, Hard work, Creativity, Problem solver.

What kind of salary are you asking for?

A common loaded question. A tricky little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like, That’s a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position? In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not, say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.

Stay away from a specific job. You cannot win. If you say the job you are contending for is it, you strain credibility. If you say another job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with this position if hired. The best is to stay genetic and say something like: A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and can’t wait to get to work.

Do you think you are overqualified for this position?

Regardless of your qualifications, state that you are very well qualified for the position.

How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience?

First, if you have experience that the interviewer does not know about, bring that up: Then, point out (if true) that you are a hard working quick learner.

What qualities do you look for in a Manager?

Be generic and positive. Safe qualities are knowledgeable, a sense of humor, fair, loyal to subordinates and holder of high standards. All bosses think they have these traits.

Tell me about a time when you helped resolve a dispute between coworkers.

Pick a specific incident. Concentrate on your problem solving technique and not the dispute you settled.

Describe your work ethic.

Emphasize benefits to the company and the hiring manager. Things like, determination to get the job done and work hard but enjoy your work are good.

Resume Killers Exposed

2010-02-23T10:16:00.000-08:00

Your resume is a crucial career document that markets your credentials to a prospective employer. A necessary tool that introduces you to your prospective employer, it is vital to ensure that your resume records only facts about you and reveals information that will induce the reader to call you for an interview. Here are some fundamental rules that you can follow to make sure that your resume gets you the interview that you've always hoped for.

Leave-out the self-centered objective
Considered the practical heading for a resume not so long ago, the objective statement is now not really the best way to begin a resume, unless it clearly specifies the way in which you think you can add value to an organisation. Over the years objective statements have only included an individual's aims and career aspirations. However no employer in reality wants to know what a jobseeker aspires for, since they are more concerned about what you as a jobseeker have to offer and what difference you bring to the table, rather than your dreams. So cut the seemingly selfish objective to include a great profile summary that consists of information about your skills and how it can eventually benefit the company you work for, thereby positioning you as a must-hire candidate.

Skip the Pronouns
A common mistake that jobseekers make is referring to themselves and their accomplishments in first person. Words like "I' and "me" are considered improper in a resume. A resume should contain only short sentences that include action words. Always ensure your resume does not have sentences that begin with "I was instrumental..." etc. The better alternative would be to directly begin the sentence with "Instrumental in ..."

Nix the personal information
Don't waste precious space including personal interests and hobbies. Anything that is not related to your work and employment definitely do not belong on a resume.

Don't include family
Your marital status and size of your family are not really needed in a resume. You'll anyway be asked about it during your interview, so save that information for then.

Don't make your resume your biography
Always ensure that discriminatory information is not mentioned in your resume. most often people forget that resumes are skimmed-through initially not to select but to eliminate the inappropriate candidates. So make sure your resume does not include details that could induce a reader to eliminate you. A resume should contain only those details that would make it easier for recruiters to gauge your skills and experience. Do not reveal any personal information or even your age since sometimes even that can go against you, though as a rule candidates are supposed to be short-listed based on credentials.

Never state your reasons for leaving in writing
A resume is supposed to be a written account of your accomplishments not your platform for giving explanations. If you left an organisation in difficult conditions or had problems with any of your past employers, don't include that in your resume.

Add more substance not art
Fundamentally a resume should be a written account of what value you can add. Never make it a graphical representation with artwork and multiple variations in fonts and font sizes, since it will only make you seem like an amateur who cannot be taken seriously.

It is a fact that no resume can be absolutely perfect and flawless. However what you can achieve with a great resume is a chance to open more doors to opportunities. A professional and effective summary of your skills and accomplishments always creates a better impression instantly making it easier for you to land an interview. The first step to finding a great job is to be able to get yourself called to be interviewed for that position, which makes it vital for you to get a resume that works. Certainly a difficult task but not impossible, a great resume just has to include certain key elements that make it searchable in a database of equally talented jobseekers. Hence if you're hoping to increase the number of interviews you get called for, it is important that you make sure you get yourself a resume that has fewer flaws and only includes those details that can set you apart from the rest of the pack.

5 Must-haves of a Resume

2010-02-23T10:15:00.001-08:00

Writing your own resume can be a difficult task, especially if you are not familiar with the style and format that is being used today. As it is often an employer's first introduction to you, think of it as a marketing document and make sure that it effectively reflects your qualifications and credentials.

Given below are five standard details that every resume should provide if it has to make the right impression.

Resume Checklist

Contact Information:
1. This should be in a prominent place so that an employer will be able to reach you for an interview.
2. Your name should appear on the top of each page.
3. Your email id can create an impression about you; so do not give frivolous ones like this- I_love_madhuri@yahoo.com.
4. Create email ids with your complete name - arun_gupta@gmail.com

Education Details:
1. Always give complete details about your educational qualifications - Course Name, Subject, College Name, University, time period
2. Do not mention your marks or percentage if it is lesser than 60%.
3. Do not use acronyms for your college names. Mention the complete name of the institution.

Experience:
1. Work experience should always be listed in the 'reverse chronology'.
2. Always mention the time period for each work experience that you state in your resume.
3. Mention your designation, name of the company and the city as well.

Special Certifications / Training:
1. If you have received special certifications / training, you can mention these after your work experience details.
2. Mention the full name of the certification / training program, institution name and the period of training

Project Details:
1. If you are a fresher then the closest work experience that you would have is your project, so make sure to mention it as elaborately as possible.
2. Always mention the name of the project, Company Name (if it was done in external premises), time period and most importantly your role in the project.

The rules for writing a good resume are endless, but you can always get a perfect and convincing career document by just letting a professional craft it for you.

Happy Resume Writing!

49 Common Interview Questions and Answers

2010-02-17T06:09:00.000-08:00

Tell me about yourself.
The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short statement prepared in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise. Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest back and work up to the present.

Do you consider yourself successful?
You should always answer yes and briefly explain why. A good explanation is that you have set goals, and you have met some and are on tract to achieve the others.

Why did you leave your last job?
Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers, or the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special, or other forward-looking reasons. Prepare Interview

What experience do you have in this field?
Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.

What do you know about this organization?
This question is one reason to do some research on the organization before the interview. Find out where they have been, and where they are going. What are the current issues, and who are the major players?

What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year?
Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones handy to mention.

Are you applying for other jobs?
Be honest but do not spend a lot of time in this area. Keep the focus on this job and what you can do for this organization. Anything else is a distraction.

What do co-workers say about you?
Be prepared with a quote or two from co-workers. Either a specific statement or a paraphrase will work. "Jill Clark, a co-worker at Smith Company, always said I was the hardest worker she had ever known." It is as powerful as Jill having said it at the interview herself.

Why do you want to work for this organization?
This may take some thought and certainly should be based on the research you have done on the organization, Sincerity is extremely important here, and will easily be sensed. Relate it to your long-term career goals.

Do you know anyone who works for us?
Be aware of the policy on relatives working for the organization. This can affect your answer even though they asked about friends not relatives. Be careful to mention a friend only if they are will thought of.

What kind of salary do you need?
A loaded question. A nasty little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like, "That's a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position?" In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not, say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.

Are you a team player?
You are, of course, a team player, Be sure to have examples ready. Specifics that show you often perform for the good of the team rather than for yourself are good evidence of your team attitude. Do not brag, just say it in a matter-of-fact tone. This is a key point.

How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
Specifics here are not good. Something like this should work: "I'd like it to be a long time." Or "As long as we both feel I'm doing a good job."

Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that?
This is serious. Do not make light of it or in any way seem like you like to fire people. At the same time, you will do it when it is the right thing to do. When it comes to the organization versus the individual who has created a harmful situation, you will protect the organization. Remember firing is not the same as layoff or reduction in force.

What is your philosophy towards work?
The interviewer is not looking for a long or flowery dissertation here. Do you have strong feelings that the job gets done? Yes. That's the type of answer that works best here. Short and positive, showing a benefit to the organization.

If you had enough money to retire right now, would you?
Answer yes if you would, But since you need to work, this is the type of work you prefer. Do not say yes if you do not mean it.

Have you ever been asked to leave a position?
If you have not, say no. If you have, be honest, brief, and avoid saying negative things about the people or organization involved.

Explain how you would be an asset to this organization.
You should be anxious for this question. It gives you a chance to highlight your best points as they relate to the position being discussed. Give a little advance thought to this relationship.

Why should we hire your?
Point out how your assets meet what the organization needs. Do not mention any other candidates to make a comparison.

Tell me about a suggestion you have made.
Have a good one ready. Be sure and use a suggestion that was accepted and was then considered successful. One related to the type of work applied for is a real plus.

What irritates you about co-workers?
This a trap question. Think "real hard" but fail to come up with anything that irritates you. A short statement that you seem to get along with folks is great.

What are your greatest weaknesses?
Assure the interviewer that you can think of nothing that would stand in the way of your performing in this position with excellence. Then, quickly review you strongest qualifications.
Example: "Nobody's perfect, but based on what you've told me about this position, I believe I' d make an outstanding match. I know that when I hire people, I look for two things most of all. Do they have the qualifications to do the job well, and the motivation to do it well? Everything in my background shows I have both the qualifications and a strong desire to achieve excellence in whatever I take on. So I can say in all honesty that I see nothing that would cause you even a small concern about my ability or my strong desire to perform this job with excellence."

Alternate strategy (if you don't yet know enough about the position to talk about such a perfect fit): Instead of confessing a weakness, describe what you like most and like least, making sure that what you like most matches up with the most important qualification for success in the position, and what you like least is not essential.

Example: Let's say you're applying for a teaching position. "If given a choice, I like to spend as much time as possible in front of my prospects selling, as opposed to shuffling paperwork back at the office. Of course, I long ago learned the importance of filing paperwork properly, and I do it conscientiously. But what I really love to do is sell (if your interviewer were a sales manager, this should be music to his ears.)

What is your greatest strength?
Numerous answers are good, just stay positive. A few good examples: your ability to prioritize.
You know that your key strategy is to first uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs before you answer questions.

Prior to any interview, you should have a list mentally prepared of your greatest strengths. You should also have, a specific example or two, which illustrates each strength, an example chosen from your most recent and most impressive achievements.

As a general guideline, the 10 most desirable traits that all employers love to see in their employees are:
· Your problem-solving skills.
· Your ability to work under pressure.
· Your ability to focus on projects.
· Your professional expertise.
· Your leadership skills.
· Your positive attitude.
· Tell me about your dream job.
· Definiteness of purpose...clear goals.
· Enthusiasm...high level of motivation.
· Likeability...positive attitude...sense of humor.

Stay away from a specific job. You cannot win. If you say the job you are contending for is it, you strain credibility. If you say another job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with this position if hired. The best bet is to stay generic and say something like: "A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute, and can't wait to get to work."

Why do you think you would do well at this job?
Give several reasons and include skills, experience, and interest.

What are you looking for in a job?
Stay away from a specific job. You cannot win. If you say the job you are contending for is it, you strain credibility. If you say another job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with this position if hired. The best bet is to stay generic and say something like: "A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute, and can't wait to get to work."

What kind of person would you refuse to work with?
Do not be trivial, It would take disloyalty to the organization, violence or lawbreaking to get you to object. Minor objections will label you as a whiner.

What is more important to you: the money or the work?
Money is always important, but the work is the most important. There is not better answer.

What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is?
· Loyalty
· Energy
· Positive attitude
· Leadership
· Team Player
· Expertise
· Initiative
· Patience
· Hard Work
· Creativity
· Problem solver
· Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor.
Biggest trap of all. This is a test to see if you will speak ill of your boss. If you fall for it and tell about a problem with a former boss, you may well blow the interview right there. Stay positive and develop a poor memory about any trouble with a superior.

What has disappointed you about a job?
# Don't get trivial or negative. Safe areas are few but can include. Not enough of a challenge.
# You were laid off in a reduction.
# Company did not win a contract, which would have given you more responsibility.

Tell me about your ability to work under pressure.
You may say that you thrive under certain types of pressure. Give an example that relates to the type of position applied for.

Do your skills match this job or another job more closely?
Probably this one. Do not give fuel to the suspicion that you may want another job more than this one.

What motivates you to do your best on the job?
# This is a personal trait that only you can say, but good examples are: Challenge
# Achievement
# Recognition

How would you know you were successful on this job?
Several ways are good measures:
Ø You Set high standards for yourself and meet them.
Ø Your outcomes are a success.
Ø Your boss tells you that you are successful.

Would you be willing to relocate if required?
You should be clear on this with your family prior to the interview if you think there is a chance it may come up. Do not say yes just to get the job if the real answer is no. This can create a lot of problems later on in your career. Be honest at this point and save yourself future grief.

Describe your management style.
Try to avoid labels. Some of the more common labels, like "progressive", "Salesman" or "Consensus", can have several meanings or descriptions depending on which management expert you listen to. The "situational" style is safe, because it says you will manage according to the situation, instead of "one size fits all."

Do you have any blind spots?
Trick question, if you know about blind spots, they are no longer blind spots. Do not reveal any personal areas of concern here. Let them do their own discovery on your bad points. Do not hand it to them.

How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience?
First, if you have experience that the interviewer does not know about, bring that up. Then, point out (if true) that you are a hard working quick learner.

What qualities do you look for in a boss?
Be generic and positive, safe qualities are knowledgeable, a sense of humor, fair, loyal to subordinates, and holder of high standards. All bosses think they have these traits.

Describe a bad decision you made.
The major pitfall that interviewee's often exhibit with this question is that they make the "bad decision" something they did when they were ten years old. The idea here is not to avoid the question. Pick something from the relevant past. We all make mistakes and a hallmark of honesty is admitting that and a hallmark of self-awareness is being able to recognize when we made those mistakes.
Do not put your mistake so far back in the past that you are obviously picking something that is "harmless" but if you feel the need to do this, you might say something like, "Well, I have more current answers but I have one from my past that really stuck with me." If you go that route, then explain why that decision "stuck with you" and, more importantly, how it is has guided your actions in other areas so as to not make that kind of bad decision again. The real point here, for the candidate, is to turn this into a "lesson learned" answer. State your bad decision, make it clear why you perceive this was a bad decision, and then talk about what you learned from that.

Describe your work ethic.
Emphasize benefits to the organization. Things like, "determination to get the job done" and "work hard but enjoy your work" are good.

Do you have any questions for me?
Always have some questions prepared. Questions involving areas where you will be an asset to the organization are good. "How soon will I be able to be productive?" and "What type of projects will I be able to assist on?" are examples.

PRECAUTIONS TO TAKE-UP BEFORE YOU ENTER THE INTERVIEW ROOM

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For your first few interviews your background is important - your school, the medium and the place you studied in, all serve to give the interviewer an idea about you. Carry a copy of the bio-data that you have already sent, and the interview letter. Keep the extra copy with you, just in case. Show the interview letter to the receptionist/interviewer to establish your credentials, but keep this letter with you. This gives you, for your future reference, a time and date record of your interview, gives the official address of the company for further correspondence and clarifications, and may give you the name and designation of the person you are to report to.

Carry everything you need for the interview in a neat folder - do not have loose papers cascading to the floor because you are desperately hunting for the degree certificate, while the interviewers drum their fingers impatiently. And don't carry your papers in a plastic or cloth shopping bag either: invest in a good folder, plastic or even leather.

Incidentally, don't feel shy or hesitant about calling up the office and getting details about location, landmarks/bus routes/other information to help you reach the venue of the interview. Again, if it is not a "mass" interview, where lots of people are being interviewed on the same day, and you do have a genuine difficulty about reaching on the scheduled day/time, many employers will re-schedule if you ask them nicely enough. The reverse is also true: a good impression is created if you take the trouble to inform the interviewer that you can/will not attend the interview. If you are in the same town go and "case the joint" - see where the office/interview centre is, and how long it will take you to get there.

Always arrive at least fifteen minutes before your scheduled time - that gives you time to catch your breath in case you climbed the stairs too fast, allows you to compose yourself and not be too nervous, and to check out the competition. If the interview is in the offices of the company itself, this also allows you to get a "feel" of the company. See how comfortable you feel, how efficient the interview process is. Says a lot about what the rest of the company is.

Dressing Right for The Interview

2010-02-05T06:03:00.000-08:00

If you have not peeked into your wardrobe yet, it's time to take a real hard look now. Your application's fate depends not just on how well you answer the interview questions, but also on how well you project yourself physically. The first impression your interviewer makes about you is based on the way you look, and you know what they say about first impressions. According to Joe Hodowanes, J.M. Wanes and Associates career strategy advisor, "The way a person dresses is the single biggest non-verbal communication you make about yourself." The right dressing is a measure of the seriousness that you place on the position, as a person normally spends time on his looks if he considers an event important enough.

"Although proper dressing by itself will not get you the job, a poor dress sense may exclude you from further consideration," warns Gerry Ditching, managing partner of Filgifts.com. Besides, given two equally good applicants, the company may choose to hire the person who is dressed more professionally. Here are some tips to give you a headstart.

MEN

Long-sleeved shirt and dark slacks. White is still the safest and the best color for shirts. The colour is also appropriate for our tropical weather. Also acceptable: pale shades such as beige, blue, and other pastels.

Tuck in the shirt and do not roll up the sleeves. Never wear a short-sleeved shirt to an interview or any business purpose. Wearing a short-sleeved shirt will destroy your executive image.

Ties. Optional. But if you do wear one, choose a conservative pattern. Solids, small polka dots, diagonal stripes, small repeating shapes, subtle plaids and paisleys are all acceptable.

Belts. Belts should match your shoes. Those with smaller buckles with squared lines look more professional.

Socks. Black socks are the best, followed by blue or gray, depending on your attire. Never wear white socks! Check your sock length, too--no skin should show when you sit down or cross your legs. Shoes. Black or burgundy leather shoes with laces on them, because tassel loafers are very casual. Other suitable colors are brown, cordovan and navy.

Hair. Keep neat, short and preferably parted on the side. And shave off all those facial hair.

Jewellery. Wear no or little jewellery. The watch and wedding ring are the only acceptable pieces of jewellery to go with the male attire. Thin gold or leather-strapped watches look professional but not digital watches. Also, avoid political or religious insignias, necklaces or bracelets. Definitely no pierced body parts, and cover up your tattoos!

Accessories. As much as possible, use leather briefcases or folders to hold copies of your resume. Use narrow briefcases and avoid plastic folders and plastic ball pens as they are out of place.

WOMEN

Three-piece business suits, blouse and skirt or slacks, and cardigan twin-sets. Sleeveless shirts should be rejected. Short-sleeved blouses are okay when they are tailor-cut or have features such as a sports collar or double breast design to create a business-like look. Skirts can either be long provided it does not create a Cinderella or barn-dance look or short where it falls no shorter than two inches from the knee. Nothing too revealing, please!

Shoes. Closed shoes or pumps with at least 1½-inch heels suggest a more professional look. Dark colors are best.

Hair. Hair longer than shoulder length should be worn up or pulled back. Don't let it fall in front of your face and don't keep trying to fix it during the interview. Avoid large hair ornaments and trendy hairstyles.

Make-up. Be subtle; natural is the key word. Light shades of lip coloring and nail polish are recommended.

Jewellery. Be conservative. Studs of gold, silver or pearls are best. Do away with gaudy fashion jewelers, and those that clank and make noise when one moves.

Accessories. Folders and bags should blend well with the total professional look. Women should match their purse with their shoe colour

Interview Basics

2010-02-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

The word “interview” itself makes a person tense and nervous who needs to appear in the interview. It is normal human behaviour to become confused or get tensed but such things can be overcome with practice, learning from seniors and elders, thru own experience. These days Internet is a rich source of information.

In this preppareinterview.com, you will find questions also along with answers which are frequently asked and questions pertaining to your requirement. Have a walk through in this site. It will improve you performance remarkably and infuse a high level of confidence in you. It will make you more frank and it will develope diplomatic qualities in you too. Overall, it will give an impetus to you personality development.

In addition to doing research and practicing your answers to common interview questions, you should be aware of general interview etiquette. Remember the following points when preparing for an interview:

Review your resume, and make sure that you can explain everything on it. Arrive at the interview ten minutes early to give yourself an opportunity to collect your thoughts and relax. Be aware that many employers will have their receptionists record the time you came in. If you rush in at the last minute, an employer may have serious concerns about your ability to arrive on time for a normal day at work.

Get a good night's sleep before your interview. You will think more effectively in the interview if you are rested. Also, yawning will not impress anyone. Eat something before the interview. If you are worried about your stomach growling, you will not be able to concentrate on the questions.

Dress appropriately for the position that you are applying to. Try to dress like the people who work there would dress if they were representing their organization at some function. If you are unsure about what to wear, always err on the side of being too dressed up.

Make sure that you are clean, neat, and well-groomed. Interviewers do notice your appearance, and first impressions are critical in an interview situation.

Take a copy of your resume, transcript, references and perhaps a portfolio or work samples with you. Also take a pen and paper, as you may wan to record some important information.

Keys to successful phone interviewing.

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Here are the keys to successful phone interviewing. Follow these simple rules and you should achieve success in this important phase of job-hunting.

* Do give accurate and detailed contact information in your cover letter so your interviewers can easily connect with you.

* When in job-hunting mode, don't have a disproportionately silly or long greeting on your answering machine or voicemail.

* Do ensure that household members understand the importance of phone messages in your job search.

* Do know what job you are interviewing for.

* Do practice, if possible. Have a friend call you to do a mock phone interview so you get the feel of being interviewed over the phone.

* When being interviewed by phone, do make sure you are in a place where you can read notes, take notes, and concentrate.

* If you cannot devote enough time to a phone interview, do suggest a specific alternate time to the recruiter. It's often best to be the one who calls back so you can be mentally prepared.

* Do consider using a phone interview log.

* Do consider keeping some notecards or an outline in front of you to remind yourself of key points you want to cover with the interviewer. You don't want your responses to sound scripted, but you don't want to fumble for important points either. Do also have your resume in front of you so you can remember highlights of your experience and accomplishments.

* Do ensure that you can hear and are being clearly heard.

* Do consider standing when being interviewed on the phone. Some experts say you'll sound more professional than if you're slouching in an easy chair.

* Do consider dressing nicely for the phone interview. It may sound silly since the interviewer can't see you, but you really will project a more professional image if you're dressed for the part instead of wearing, for example, a ratty bathrobe.

* Don't feel you have to fill in the silences. If you've completed a response, but the interviewer hasn't asked his or her next question, don't start babbling just to fill in airtime. Instead, ask a question of your own related to your last response.

* Do create a strong finish to your phone interview with thoughtful questions.

* Don't panic if you have special needs. If you are hearing-impaired, for example, phone interviews are still possible.

* Don't snuffle, sneeze or cough. If you can't avoid these behaviors, say “excuse me.”

* Don't chew gum or food, or drink anything noisy.

Interview DOs and DON'Ts

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Interview DOs

* Dress appropriately for the industry; err on the side of being conservative to show you take the interview seriously. Your personal grooming and cleanliness should be impeccable.
* Know the exact time and location of your interview; know how long it takes to get there, park, find a rest room to freshen up, etc.
* Arrive early; 10 minutes prior to the interview start time.
* Treat other people you encounter with courtesy and respect. Their opinions of you might be solicited during hiring decisions.
* Offer a firm handshake, make eye contact, and have a friendly expression when you are greeted by your interviewer.
* Listen to be sure you understand your interviewer's name and the correct pronunciation.
* Even when your interviewer gives you a first and last name, address your interviewer by title (Ms., Mr., Dr.) and last name, until invited to do otherwise.
* Maintain good eye contact during the interview.
* Sit still in your seat; avoid fidgeting and slouching.
* Respond to questions and back up your statements about yourself with specific examples whenever possible.
* Ask for clarification if you don't understand a question.
* Be thorough in your responses, while being concise in your wording.
* Be honest and be yourself. Dishonesty gets discovered and is grounds for withdrawing job offers and for firing. You want a good match between yourself and your employer. If you get hired by acting like someone other than yourself, you and your employer will both be unhappy.
* Treat the interview seriously and as though you are truly interested in the employer and the opportunity presented.
* Exhibit a positive attitude. The interviewer is evaluating you as a potential co-worker. Behave like someone you would want to work with.
* Have intelligent questions prepared to ask the interviewer. Having done your research about the employer in advance, ask questions which you did not find answered in your research.
* Evaluate the interviewer and the organization s/he represents. An interview is a two-way street. Conduct yourself cordially and respectfully, while thinking critically about the way you are treated and the values and priorities of the organization.
* Do expect to be treated appropriately. If you believe you were treated inappropriately or asked questions that were inappropriate or made you uncomfortable, discuss this with a Career Services advisor or the director.
* Make sure you understand the employer's next step in the hiring process; know when and from whom you should expect to hear next. Know what action you are expected to take next, if any.
* When the interviewer concludes the interview, offer a firm handshake and make eye contact. Depart gracefully.
* After the interview, make notes right away so you don't forget critical details.
* Write a thank-you letter to your interviewer promptly.

Interview DON'Ts

* Don't make excuses. Take responsibility for your decisions and your actions.
* Don't make negative comments about previous employers or professors (or others).
* Don't falsify application materials or answers to interview questions.
* Don't treat the interview casually, as if you are just shopping around or doing the interview for practice. This is an insult to the interviewer and to the organization.
* Don't give the impression that you are only interested in an organization because of its geographic location.
* Don't give the impression you are only interested in salary; don't ask about salary and benefits issues until the subject is brought up by your interviewer.
* Don't act as though you would take any job or are desperate for employment.
* Don't make the interviewer guess what type of work you are interested in; it is not the interviewer's job to act as a career advisor to you.
* Don't be unprepared for typical interview questions. You may not be asked all of them in every interview, but being unprepared looks foolish.
* A job search can be hard work and involve frustrations; don't exhibit frustrations or a negative attitude in an interview.
* Don't go to extremes with your posture; don't slouch, and don't sit rigidly on the edge of your chair.
* Don't assume that a female interviewer is "Mrs." or "Miss." Address her as "Ms." unless told otherwise. Her marital status is irrelevant to the purpose of the interview.
* Don't chew gum or smell like smoke.
* Don't allow your cell phone to sound during the interview. (If it does, apologize quickly and ignore it.) Don't take a cell phone call.
* Don't take your parents, your pet (an assistance animal is not a pet in this circumstance), spouse, fiance, friends or enemies to an interview. If you are not grown up and independent enough to attend an interview alone, you're insufficiently grown up and independent for a job. (They can certainly visit your new city, at their own expense, but cannot attend your interview.)

The Interview

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Interview is an opportunity for both the employer and the applicant to gather information. The employer wants to know if you, the applicant, have the skills, knowledge, self-confidence, and motivation necessary for the job. At this point you can be confident that the employer saw something of interest in your resume. He or she also wants to determine whether or not you will fit in with the organization's current employees and philosophy. Similarly, you will want to evaluate the position and the organization, and determine if they will fit into your career plans. The interview is a two-way exchange of information. It is an opportunity for both parties to market themselves. The employer is selling the organization to you, and you are marketing your skills, knowledge, and personality to the employer.

Interview Preparation
Research is a critical part of preparing for an interview. If you haven't done your homework, it is going to be obvious. Spend time researching and thinking about yourself, the occupation, the organization, and questions you might ask at the end of the interview.

Step 1: Know Yourself
The first step in preparing for an interview is to do a thorough self-assessment so that you will know what you have to offer an employer. It is very important to develop a complete inventory of skills, experience, and personal attributes that you can use to market yourself to employers at any time during the interview process. In developing this inventory, it is easiest to start with experience. Once you have a detailed list of activities that you have done (past jobs, extra-curricular involvements, volunteer work, school projects, etc.), it is fairly easy to identify your skills.

Simply go through the list, and for each item ask yourself "What could I have learned by doing this?" "What skills did I develop?" "What issues/circumstances have I learned to deal with?" Keep in mind that skills fall into two categories - technical and generic. Technical skills are the skills required to do a specific job. For a laboratory assistant, technical skills might include knowledge of sterilization procedures, slide preparation, and scientific report writing. For an outreach worker, technical skills might include counselling skills, case management skills, or program design and evaluation skills

Generic skills are those which are transferable to many work settings. Following is a list of the ten most marketable skills. You will notice that they are all generic.

* Analytical/Problem Solving
* Flexibility/Versatility
* Interpersonal
* Oral/Written Communication
* Organization/Planning
* Time Management
* Motivation
* Leadership
* Self-Starter/Initiative
* Team Player

Often when people think of skills, they tend to think of those they have developed in the workplace. However, skills are developed in a variety of settings. If you have ever researched and written a paper for a course, you probably have written communication skills. Team sports or group projects are a good way to develop the skills required of a team player and leader. Don't overlook any abilities you may have.

When doing the research on yourself, identifying your experience and skills is important, but it is not all that you need to know. Consider the answers to other questions such as:

* How have I demonstrated the skills required in this position?
* What are my strong points and weak points?
* What are my short term and long term goals?
* What can I offer this particular employer?
* What kind of environment do I like? (i.e. How do I like to be supervised? Do I like a fast pace?)
* What do I like doing?
* Apart from my skills and experience, what can I bring to this job?

Step 2: Know the Occupation

The second step in preparing for an interview is to research the occupation. This is necessary because in order to present a convincing argument that you have the experience and skills required for that occupation, you must first know what those requirements and duties are. With this information uncovered, you can then match the skills you have (using the complete skills/experience inventory you have just prepared) with the skills you know people in that occupational field need. The resulting "shortlist" will be the one that you need to emphasize during the interview.

It is also in your best interest to identify the approximate starting salary for that position, or those similar. There are several ways to find out about an occupation:

* Acquire a copy of the job description from the employer (Human Resources/Personnel) or check with Student Employment Services. If you are responding to an advertisement, this may also supply some details.

Step 3: Know the Organization

The more you know about an organization, the better prepared you will be to discuss how you can meet its needs. Some of the characteristics that you should know about an organization are:

* Where is it located?
* How big is it?
* What are its products and who does it serve?
* How is the organization structured?
* What is its history?
* Have there been any recent changes, new developments?

There are a number of ways in which you can access this information. Most medium- to large-sized organizations publish information about themselves. You can access this a number of ways:

* On campus at the Student Employment Services (company literature and business directories) or at the Drake Centre Library
* The Winnipeg Centennial Library has a business microfiche with information on over 5000 Canadian companies and business directories
* Many companies have internet home pages which you can locate by searching by industry and company name
* Finally, you can visit or phone the organization and request some information on their products, services or areas of research

If the organization is fairly small, or fairly new, there may not be much information published. In this case, it will be necessary to do an information interview. Contact someone within the organization, introduce yourself, explain that you are considering moving into the field, and ask if it would be possible to meet with him/her to inquire about the company/organization and about what exactly the position would involve.

Step 4: Prepare Questions

Having completed your background research, you are now ready to prepare questions to ask the interviewer(s). Try to think of questions for which the answer was not readily available in company literature. Intelligent well thought-out questions will demonstrate your genuine interest in the position. Be careful how many questions you ask, however, as too many can imply you feel the interview was not successfully run. Pick your questions with care - this is your chance to gather information, so ask about what you really want to know. Avoid sounding critical by mentioning negative information you may have discovered. This is one of the most effective ways to compare different employers, so for issues of particular importance to you (for example, whether they support staff upgrading), you should ask the same questions of each employer. Some sample questions are:

* What are the most significant factors affecting your business today? How have changes in technology most affected your business today?
* How has your business/industry been affected by the recession?
* How has your company grown or changed in the last couple of years?
* What future direction do you see the company taking?
* Where is the greatest demand for your services or product?
* Where is most of the pressure from increased business felt in this company?
* Which department feels it the most?
* How do you differ from your competitors?
* How much responsibility will I be given in this position?
* What do you like about working with this organization?
* Can you tell me more about the training program?
* Have any new product lines been introduced recently?
* How much travel is normally expected?
* What criteria will be used to evaluate my performance?
* Will I work independently or as part of a team?
* How did you advance to your position?
* What are the career paths available in this organization?
* When can I expect to hear from you regarding this position?

It is very important to ask the last question because employers want to hire individuals who are interested in the position - and asking this question definitely helps to demonstrate interest on your part. Exercise judgement when asking questions to an employer. When being interviewed by a large company that has a high profile, one would not ask the question "What is the history of your company and how was your company started?" You can find the answer to this question in the company's annual report or articles in magazines/newspapers. However, small- and medium-sized companies do not always produce publicly available annual reports and it may be difficult to access information on the company and its role in the industry. This question is appropriate if you have exercised all other ways to find out the answer.

Interview Questions

2010-02-05T05:30:00.001-08:00

Interviewers use five different types of questions - directive, non-directive, hypothetical, behavior descriptive, and stress. Being aware of the different types can help you in the preparation stage as you build your skills inventory. It may also help you focus in on exactly what is being asked and what the employer is looking for in specific questions.

Directive Questions
The interviewer determines the focus of your answer. The information that the interviewer wants is very clear. If you have completed the research on yourself, this type of question should be easy to answer.
Example: "What skills do you have that relate to this position?"
"I have very good communication and interpersonal skills that I have refined through several summer and part-time jobs working with the public. In addition, I am fluent in both English and French."

Non-Directive Questions
You determine the focus of your answer. The interviewer asks a general question and does not ask for specific information. The most common non-directive question is
"Tell me about yourself."
When answering the question, keep in mind that the employer is interested in knowing how your background and personality qualify you for the job. In your answer, you should cover four areas: your education, related experience, skills and abilities, and personal attributes. As you talk about these areas, relate them to the job you are seeking. Decide what your response will be before starting to speak, this helps to keep responses concise.

Example:" Tell me about yourself."
"I have a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology, and have recently completed the course in Volunteer Management through the Volunteer Center of Winnipeg. These have given me a strong background in many of the principles of human behavior and the recruitment, training, and supervision of volunteers. I have experience in working with young adults in a helping capacity, both through my position as a Peer Advisor at the University of Manitoba, and as a camp counselor at a camp for behaviorally troubled adolescents. Both of these positions involved individual counseling, facilitating discussion groups, and teaching young people about health issues - all of which relate directly to the services which I would be training volunteers to provide within your organization. In addition, I thoroughly enjoy working with young people, and can establish rapport with them easily."

Hypothetical or Scenario Questions
When asking a hypothetical question, the interviewer describes a situation, which you may encounter in the position and asks how you would react in a similar situation. This is a good way to test problem-solving abilities. When answering this type of question, try applying a simple problem solving model to it - gather information, evaluate the information, priories the information, seek advice, weigh the alternatives, make a decision, communicate the decision, monitor the results and modify if necessary.

Example: "Suppose you are working your first day in our laboratory, and a fire at a nearby work station breaks out. What would you do?"
"Before I start working in any laboratory, I always locate the emergency equipment, such as eye washes, fire blankets and alarms. I would also review the safety protocols. So in this situation, I would be aware of these. As soon as I noticed the fire, I would shut down my experiment and if the fire is significant, I would pull the firm alarm and help to evacuate the lab. In the case of very small flame, I would ask the staff member at the station what I could do to help, Which would vary with the type of substances involved."

Behavior Descriptive or Behavioral Questions
This type of question is becoming increasingly popular in interview situations. It asks what you did in a particular situation rather than what you would do. Situations chosen usually follow the job description fairly closely. Some employers feel that examples of past performance will help them to predict future performance in similar situations. There is no right or wrong answer to this type of question, but keep in mind that you should relate the answer to the position. If you are interviewing for a research position, talk about a research project you completed.
Example: "Give me an example of a work situation in which you were proud of your performance."
"While working as a sales representative for XYZ Company for the summer, I called on Prospective clients and persuaded them of the ecological and economic benefits of Recycling. I also followed up on clients to ensure that they were satisfied with the service They received. This involved both telephone and in-person contacts. I increased sales 34% over the same period in the previous year."

When preparing for this type of questioning, it is crucial that you review the skills and qualities that the position would require and identify specific examples from your past which demonstrated those traits.

Stress Questions
Some questions will surprise you and possibly make you feel uncomfortable during an interview.
Example:" Which do you prefer, fruits or vegetables?" There are many reasons why an interviewer might ask such questions. They may want to see how you react in difficult situations, or they may simply be trying to test your sense of humor. Such questions may directly challenge an opinion that you have just stated or say something negative about you or a reference. Sometimes they ask seemingly irrelevant questions such as,
"If you were an animal, what type of animal would you be?"
The best way to deal with this type of question is to recognize what is happening. The interviewer is trying to elicit a reaction from you. Stay calm, and do not become defensive. If humour comes naturally to you, you might try using it in your response, but it is important to respond to the question. What you say is not nearly as important as maintaining your composure.

Example: "Which do you like better, Lions or Tigers?"
"Oh, lions definitely. They appear so majestic and are very sociable. To be honest, I think that seeing The Lion King four times has probably contributed to this!"

Interview Tips

2010-02-05T05:25:00.000-08:00

1. Enter into a state of relaxed concentration. This is the state from which great basketball players or Olympic skaters operate. You'll need to quiet the negative self chatter in your head through meditation or visualization prior to sitting down in the meeting. You'll focus on the present moment and will be less apt to experience lapses in concentration, nervousness, self-doubt and self-condemnation.

2. Act spontaneous, but be well prepared. Be your authentic self, professional yet real. Engage in true conversation with your interviewer, resting on the preparation you did prior to coming to the meeting. Conduct several trial runs with another person simulating the interview before it actually occurs. It's the same as anticipating the questions you'll be asked on a final exam.

3. Set goals for the interview. It is your job to leave the meeting feeling secure that the interviewer knows as much as he or she possibly can about your skills, abilities, experience and achievements. If you sense there are misconceptions, clear them up before leaving. If the interviewer doesn't get around to asking you important questions, pose them yourself (diplomatically) and answer them. Don't leave the meeting without getting your own questions answered so that you have a clear idea of what you would be getting yourself into. If possible, try to get further interviews, especially with other key players.

4. Know the question behind the question. Ultimately, every question boils down to, "Why should we hire you?" Be sure you answer that completely. If there is a question about your meeting deadlines, consider whether the interviewer is probing delicately about your personal life, careful not to ask you whether your family responsibilities will interfere with your work. Find away to address fears if you sense they are present.

5. Follow up with an effective "thank you" letter. Don't write this letter lightly. It is another opportunity to market yourself. Find some areas discussed in the meeting and expand upon them in your letter. Writing a letter after a meeting is a very minimum. Standing out among the other candidates will occur if you thoughtfully consider this follow up letter as an additional interview in which you get to do all the talking. Propose useful ideas that demonstrate your added value to the team.

6. Consider the interviewer's agenda. Much is on the shoulders of the interviewer. He or she has the responsibility of hiring the right candidate. Your ability to do the job will need to be justified. "Are there additional pluses here?" "Will this person fit the culture of this organization?" These as well as other questions will be heavily on the interviewer's mind. Find ways to demonstrate your qualities above and beyond just doing the job.

7. Expect to answer the question, "Tell me about yourself." This is a pet question of prepared and even unprepared interviewers. Everything you include should answer the question, "Why should we hire you?" Carefully prepare your answer to include examples of achievements from your work life that closely match the elements of the job before you. Obviously, you'll want to know as much about the job description as you can before you respond to the question.

8. Watch those nonverbal clues. Experts estimate that words express only 30% to 35% of what people actually communicate; facial expressions and body movements and actions convey the rest. Make and keep eye contact. Walk and sit with a confident air. Lean toward an interviewer to show interest and enthusiasm. Speak with a well-modulated voice that supports appropriate excitement for the opportunity before you.

9. Be smart about money questions. Don't fall into the trap of telling the interviewer your financial expectations. You may be asking for too little or too much money and in each case ruin your chances of being offered the job. Instead, ask what salary range the job falls in. Attempt to postpone a money discussion until you have a better understanding of the scope of responsibilities of the job.

10. Don't hang out your dirty laundry. Be careful not to bare your soul and tell tales that are inappropriate or beyond the scope of the interview. State your previous experience in the most positive terms. Even if you disagreed with a former employer, express your enthusiasm for earlier situations as much as you can. Whenever you speak negatively about another person or situation in which you were directly involved, you run the risk (early in the relationship) of appearing like a troubled person who may have difficulty working with others.

What is the Height Of...

2010-02-05T00:09:00.000-08:00

1. What is height of Fashion?
Dhoti with a zip
OR
A new born baby asking for low waist diapers...

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2. What is height of Secrecy?
offering blank visiting cards.

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3. What is height of Active-laziness?
Asking for a lift to house while on a morning walk.

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4. What is height of Laziness?
Adopting a child.

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5. What is height of Craziness?
Getting a blank paper Xeroxed.

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6. What is height of Forgetfulness?
Seeing the mirror and trying to recollect when you saw him / her last.

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7. What is height of Stupidity?
A man looking through a keyhole of a glass door.

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8. What is height of Honesty?
A pregnant woman taking one and a half ticket.

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9. What is height of Suicide?
A dwarf jumping from the footpath on the road.

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10. What is height of De-hydration?
A cow giving milk powder.

Avoid the Top 10 Resume Mistakes

2010-02-04T09:23:00.000-08:00

It's deceptively easy to make mistakes on your resume and exceptionally difficult to repair the damage once an employer gets it. So prevention is critical, especially if you've never written one before. Here are the most common pitfalls and how you can avoid them.

1. Typos and Grammatical Errors

Your resume needs to be grammatically perfect. If it isn't, employers will read between the lines and draw not-so-flattering conclusions about you, like: "This person can't write," or "This person obviously doesn't care."

2. Lack of Specifics

Employers need to understand what you've done and accomplished. For example:

A. Worked with employees in a restaurant setting.
B. Recruited, hired, trained and supervised more than 20 employees in a restaurant with $2 million in annual sales.

Both of these phrases could describe the same person, but the details and specifics in example B will more likely grab an employer's attention.

3. Attempting One Size Fits All

Whenever you try to develop a one-size-fits-all resume to send to all employers, you almost always end up with something employers will toss in the recycle bin. Employers want you to write a resume specifically for them. They expect you to clearly show how and why you fit the position in a specific organization.

4. Highlighting Duties Instead of Accomplishments

It's easy to slip into a mode where you simply start listing job duties on your resume. For example:

Attended group meetings and recorded minutes.
Worked with children in a day-care setting.
Updated departmental files.

Employers, however, don't care so much about what you've done as what you've accomplished in your various activities. They're looking for statements more like these:

Used laptop computer to record weekly meeting minutes and compiled them in a Microsoft Word-based file for future organizational reference.
Developed three daily activities for preschool-age children and prepared them for a 10-minute holiday program performance.
Reorganized 10 years worth of unwieldy files, making them easily accessible to department members.

5. Going on Too Long or Cutting Things Too Short

Despite what you may read or hear, there are no real rules governing the length of your resume. Why? Because human beings, who have different preferences and expectations where resumes are concerned, will be reading it.

That doesn't mean you should start sending out five-page resumes, of course. Generally speaking, you usually need to limit yourself to a maximum of two pages. But don't feel you have to use two pages if one will do. Conversely, don't cut the meat out of your resume simply to make it conform to an arbitrary one-page standard.

6. A Bad Objective

Employers do read your resume's objective statement, but too often they plow through vague pufferies like, "Seeking a challenging position that offers professional growth." Give employers something specific and, more importantly, something that focuses on their needs as well as your own. Example: "A challenging entry-level marketing position that allows me to contribute my skills and experience in fund-raising for nonprofits."

7. No Action Verbs

Avoid using phrases like "responsible for." Instead, use action verbs: "Resolved user questions as part of an IT help desk serving 4,000 students and staff."

8. Leaving Off Important Information

You may be tempted, for example, to eliminate mention of the jobs you've taken to earn extra money for school. Typically, however, the soft skills you've gained from these experiences (e.g., work ethic, time management) are more important to employers than you might think.

9. Visually Too Busy

If your resume is wall-to-wall text featuring five different fonts, it will most likely give the employer a headache. So show your resume to several other people before sending it out. Do they find it visually attractive? If what you have is hard on the eyes, revise.

10. Incorrect Contact Information

I once worked with a student whose resume seemed incredibly strong, but he wasn't getting any bites from employers. So one day, I jokingly asked him if the phone number he'd listed on his resume was correct. It wasn't. Once he changed it, he started getting the calls he'd been expecting. Moral of the story: Double-check even the most minute, taken-for-granted details -- sooner rather than later.

How to Record OnScreen Activites Online

2010-02-01T01:39:00.000-08:00

When making a computer based tutorial/presentation youâ€™re required to get specialized software that will capture both your voice and your movements onscreen. Some of these software cost hundreds of dollars are bulky to install and are espcially confusing to setup.Â For example when choosing which video and audio format to use to save your actions in.

ScreenJelly enters the fray to not only provide the service of `screencastsâ€™ in an easy manner for both the creator of the screencast and the user but theyâ€™re doing it using only your web browser and its for free.

You just need to allow a Java applet to load after which you will be given a large Red button. As soon as you click the button you have 3 minutes to record your actions along with any audio info you want (through your mic). When youâ€™re done youâ€™ll be given the option to either email, tweet or use some of the other supported social networks to share your screencast with others.

There is not software to install all you need is your browser, mic and a little (or lot) of imagination! Within minutes others will be viewing your visual take on whatever it is you wanted to show.

Create Awesome Sketched Images from your Photographs

2010-02-01T01:37:00.000-08:00

Yet an another awesome photoshop only effect finally makes it way to us, and yet again its just a powerful as photoshops said effect yet its absolutely free to use.

Say hello to Fotosketcher. This freeware application allows you to create awesome sketched images from your photographs! Now you have a way to impress your close friends and relatives by giving them an image that looks professionally hand sketched – and all you have to do is fire up the software, load an image choose a sketch style and you’re on your way to becoming a pro artist!

Of course there are other uses of the software apart from boasting! For example they make a great gift accessory, imagine giving someone a Birthday card (or perhaps a get well soon card) with their sketched picture on the front! You could do the same by placing the image on other seasonal greeting stationary – heck why stop there, you can even turn the gift accessory into a full blow gift! Just make a portrait or any suitably large sized sketch and then print the newly `sketched’ photo to hang on the wall as a work of art.

As mentioned before Fotosketcher has different styles available to you, these include : pencil sketch, pen and ink drawing, various painting renderings. You can also improve your original photo with simple tools such as enhance contrast, sharpen, simplify image, increase luminosity, color saturation etc.

As usual the suprising bit is why is something like this free, what’s the catch? Once again one can’t find any other reason except that the developer was a nice guy.
FotoSketcher is completely free and claims to be free of any adware, spyware or virus. It currently runs on any version of Microsoft Windows, and if I were you I’d get it asap.

Dry clean your USB drives with USB Drive Fresher

2010-02-01T01:36:00.001-08:00

If you have been using your USB drive for a while, you'll soon notice that there are quite a few "junk" folders and files created. In fact this is true for most of the folders on your system.

One solution is to manually sit and clean all the files. Another alternative is to use a software designed for this purpose.

USBDriveFresher will keep your USB drive clean by removing unwanted files automatically and according to rules you specify. You can start off by downloading the software and installing it. The download is a bit big weighing in at ~7.4MB. You'll need to install the software on your computer and start it up.

Choose any of the three options below. I chose to run the Custom Cleanup on a brand new 500GB drive that I picked up a few days back and have used only once.

It still managed to find and clean up 97 files and recover about 1.3MB of space.

Thanks to the custom cleanup option you can run this on all your drives and let it clean properly. You can also set USBDriveFresher to work silently in the background cleaning up all your USB drives when you plug them in.

The software also allows you to define your own custom delete rules to clean up other types of files.

Overall this is a decent tool that takes away the hassle of keeping your drives clean.

Download USBDriveFresher

Software, Utilities

How To Easily Merge Multiple MPEG Videos

2010-02-01T01:32:00.000-08:00

There are times when a number of small video clips are created when one uses the video function in one's phone or perhaps you'd like to join together a set of mpg clips created by your digital camcorder. If your camcorder or clips are in the MPEG format, you're in luck – a simple command line will append and merge the clips into a single large clip allowing you uninterrupted viewing pleasure. This is done by using the COPY command and without the need for any external utility.

This method will work for MPG files for sure, but rarely for AVI or WMV files.

1. Open a command prompt window – click START > RUN… Type in cmd
2. Navigate to the folder where the multiple mpg clips are stored, ( If they're in C:\Vids, type in "cd\Vids")
3. Say you want ALL the clips to be merged into one file, so type this in:

copy /b *.mpg FullMovie.mpg

Using COPY to merge multiple video clips

ALL your clips will now be merged into the large FullMovie.mpg

TIP: name your files in the order you want them to be merged:

clip001.mpg
clip002.mpg
clip003.mpg
|
|
|
clip015.mpg etc.

That's it! If you'd rather customise the order, use the format:

copy /b FILE1.mpg + File314.mpg + File256.mpg OutputFile.mpg

The above example will merge File1, File314 and File 256 one after another into OutputFile.mpg

CSSdrive Provides an Easy way to Extract Colors Online

2010-02-01T01:29:00.001-08:00

There are a lot of occasions when one need to extract colors from different pictures. For example, while setting up your Adsense on a blog you need to blend the colors with the theme so that they look more attractive to your visitors. There may be various programs to get the job done but if you are on the go and need to get the job done then you need to check out Colors Pallete Generator.

If you are a graphics designer, or in any field that requires interactions with colors, Colors Pallete Generator can prove to be an amazingly simple, and immensely useful tool.

The main function of this application is to extract all colors from a given picture, and then present all the colors which are included in the picture.

Let us use this picture:

The trained eye can see that in this picture exists an entire array of various colors which cannot be extracted easily.

Now, we proceed to upload this image to CSS Drive. You can upload an image even if it is not store on your own PC; in that case, you need to provide the URL of the image, and CSS Drive will upload it.

Within a second, CSS Drive extracts all the beautiful colors from the image, no matter how complex it is, and displays the color palette, classifying them as light, medium, and dark. At the bottom, you can see the complete color palette. Colors can be selected and the 8 selected colors are shown in a horizontal list to the right, which is visible in the screenshot above.

As your mouse pointer hover over a color, its hexadecimal color code is shown by CSS Drive, so you choose the same color in some other application you are running.

At the bottom of the webpage a user can see the following two options:

Therefore, the option of saving the colors in CSS or ACO formats is also available.

CSS Drive is a powerful, yet small and free utility which make life easier for a lot of graphic designers.

How to Detect the Spyware and MalwareHow to Detect the Spyware and Malware Spywares and malwares are considered to be a greater threat than computer

2010-02-01T01:23:00.000-08:00

How to Detect the Spyware and Malware

Spywares and malwares are considered to be a greater threat than computer viruses. This is because the detection of a spyware or a malware in the computer is very tough and you cannot be sure that a spyware or a malware is present in the PC, until the time you notice the loss of data or the popping up of unwanted advertisements. This is the reason why it becomes highly imperative as a computer user to know how to detect as well as cure a spyware or malware attack. Although spywares and malwares do not possess the ability to self replicate (as computer viruses can do), they are as much a threat to the computer as well as the computer user, as are computer viruses.

Spywares are the programs which are really harmful as they possess the ability to capture as well as transport important information stored on the computer of a user. These programs come bundled up with other software applications downloaded from the internet, and are often also disguised as software which prevent spywares. These spywares can be of various forms, and range from screen capturing applications to keyboard loggers. There are various different ways in which the presence of these spywares can be detected. The following are just a few symptoms.

1. The appearance of never seen before toolbars as well as buttons on your computer screens. There may also be abruptly popping out advertisements as well as windows on your screen, which you have never been seen before.
2. Crashing off of the internet browser of your computer without any prior intimation or reason.
3. Gradual as well as mysterious slowing down of the computer during the execution of various programs and applications booting up.
4. The home page on the browser of your computer gets changed without your prior knowledge.
5. There appears to have been occurred some kind of a security breach on your system.
6. The appearance of bandwidth usage, even when no internet usage or data transfer is underway from the computer.
Once you are sure about the existence of spywares or malware in your computer, you should not be neglecting the curing of the problem, as it can cost you quite dearly. The very first step is to do away with the possibility of a virus threat to the computer. In order to do so, you can run an active virus scan throughout the system. After that, a suitable anti spyware software can also be executed in the system. Many anti spyware as well as anti malware software are available over the internet, for free of cost download as well as installation. You can install the software on the hard disk and can execute it from there. Some of the most commonly found free of cost anti spyware and anti – malware software are Windows Defender (Beta 2), Spybot – Search and Destroy, Ad-Aware SE Personal from Lavasoft in Google Pack, Ewido anti-spyware and anti-malware and many more.

Turn Your Photos Into 3D ScreenSavers and Wallpaper Collages

2010-02-01T01:19:00.000-08:00

The default screensaver in Windows which shows the user pictures on the PC is downright boring. That screensaver is no different than a slightly fancy slideshow. If you want to really have some quality fun with the photographs on your PC, you need to stop relying on built-in Windows programs. Today we will explore an amazing freeware

that lets you use your pictures in wonderful ways to liven your computer experience.

The freeware we will be exploring is PhotoJoy.

On the program’s first run, it asks you about the folder you store your pictures in. After indexing them, you are given three options like this:

You can make a collage, go to PhotoToys, or create a screensaver. We will explore at each option separately.

Collage:

Choosing Collage, you are presented with various 3D collage formats from which you can choose any:

By default, you are presented with the most popular collage formats but you can look for specific type by entering the appropriate category in the left plane. To get a better idea of how it will look, you can click on any format to preview it. The collage you choose randomly selects your photo each time and alternates between different photographs each time. You can then set up these wonderful 3D collages as your desktop wallpaper.

PhotoToys:

Selecting PhotoToys present you with 3D wallpapers which you can place on your desktop. These wallpapers dynamically alter themselves by changing the photographs being displayed. Here is how my desktop looked like after PhotoToys generated my wallpaper:

Screensavers:

Selecting screensavers present with options of screensaver animations according to which brilliant 3D screen savers area created:

Apart from including amazing formats for Collages, PhotoToys, and Screensavers, the user can download additional formats. This way PhotoJoy keeps providing users with newer ways to have fun with their pictures and the program never gets boring.

PhotJoy is a fantastic utility to get the most fun out of your photographs.

Things you should know before buying a laptop...

2010-02-01T01:15:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure most of the people who visit this site have at some point or the other had to make a decision about what laptop to buy.

More often than not we buy our laptops and are very happy with them for the first month and then things begin to change. Of course, having spent all this money we're not going to let anyone know that we're unhappy now, are we? But soon the screen falls off and the touch pad gets a mind of it's own and the keys begin to behave independently. (OK… this is over dramatizing it, but I'm sure at least some of us have regretted buying the laptop's we bought. Right?)

Here are a few things to keep in mind when buying your laptop. A little bit of knowledge in these matters goes a long way.

One of the first questions you gotta ask yourself is "Why?". The motive / reason for buying your laptop will really help you narrow down a seemingly endless list to a handful that you can easily pick out of.
Some people buy laptops for work, some for leisure and some just to show off. Thankfully for all of us, there exists a laptop perfect for each one of us. (All hail capitalism!)

If you're a journalist who's constantly on the go but needs to write all the time, something light and small would be ideal. You don't really have the time to enjoy a big pretty laptop with tonnes of features. Basic connectivity and the ability to publish are what you really need. You are a 'Netbook' person. On the other hand, an author who writes most of the time but would also like to enjoy watching movies would prefer a laptop with some kind of media capabilities. And of course, at the other extreme you have someone who just wants to replace their lumbering desktop with a cool looking laptop that performs just as well as a desktop. You would need a mainstream laptop with the processing power of NASA!

A few other things to know:

Weight Matters! And every extra feature adds weight. Right from the obvious, large screens, down to the not so obvious extra USB ports. I mean that's taking it a bit far, but in the long run all these little extra features do add up to a considerable amount of extra LBS that you're lugging around pointlessly.
Processing Power, Memory and additional Graphic support are a big deal! As mentioned before, if the reason to get your laptop is to accomplish one and only one goal, then it's not so much of an issue. However if you want to use your laptop for many things, right from official work to playing games or watching movies in your spare time, you want a laptop with some juice in it and of course a nice graphics card so you can play Call Of Duty without feeling like someone's trying to yank your eyeballs out of their sockets. Most Core 2 Duo laptops with at least 2 gigs of RAM and any of the mid ranged graphic cards
should be just fine. (Having a slightly bigger screen here helps enhance the awesome COD experience.)
Battery Life! This is not so much of an issue for those who don't travel too much. However travel junkies or criminals, business men and hedge fun managers, etc… who move a lot would like some semblance of a battery life on their laptop. In my experience, the less features you have on your laptop, the longer the battery lasts. But this isn't always true.
Connectivity! Most laptops, even the lower end one's come with some sort of wireless feature these days. So this isn't much of an issue. But you must check to make sure your laptop can connect to the net in some way, shape or form.
"Free your mind. The Brand isn't there..!". Yes, that's right. Brands are an awesome way to show off but if you know what you're getting in to, they should not matter. I would suggest going with the best after sales Warranty deal that you get. Most brands get their parts manufactured from the same guys so it really doesn't matter which brand, unless of course you're getting an excellent deal.
Size does matter! This is linked very closely to the weight issue, but size does matter. Not only in terms of weight, but also in terms of features and how comfortable you will be working on it. Someone with very big hands might find it difficult to work with smaller laptops. Also being size conscious means you may have to let go of a few goodies that you might otherwise get.
Burn Baby Burn! Not all laptops and notebooks come with DVD writers. Most of them do, but that is one thing you must be sure of when you buy your laptop. If you ever feel that you're going to need to share media, especially in the format of DVDs and CDs, then this is something you need to think about. Though honestly, if you have a thumb drive or an external harddisk and are not obliged to burn CDs (at least in this day and age), you don't really have to worry.

That pretty much covers my advice to you. If there's something you'd like to ad, do let us know.

Create Your Own Animated Videos Online With Memoov

2010-02-01T01:13:00.000-08:00

It’s always fun to watch animations. Whether the message is serious or humorous, animations in their comic manner are successful in conveying it. While making detailed cartoon animation might require extensive training, you can still create simple (yet visually amazing) ones using various online tools and services. One such online service is Memoov.

Memoov is a website that helps you create simple animations. These animations let you choose the scene, the objects that will go in the scene, and the characters. You can even add your own music and your own audio files for the characters to say.

The first step you take in order to take advantage of Memoov’s services is register for a free account. Then you log in with the username you assigned yourself and click on the ‘Create Animated Video’ button:

Select from an array of scenes your animation will begin from (in our example I chose the swimming pool scene):

Then proceed to select a character to add in your scene:

If a character’s picture says ‘edit’ on it then you will be taken to a screen to further customize your selected character. For instance I chose the Bigfoot and I proceeded to change the color of its body parts and even his entire physique:

When you’re done, click on the ‘Add’ button which you’ll find below the character customization panel; consequently you will be taken to your selected scene with your customized character added to it. You can position him with your mouse:

You can see that besides your character you have various options available. ‘Expression’ lets you choose what expression your character has. In the following picture, I chose grumpy and Bigfoot’s face instantly reflected my choice:

‘Speak’ lets you record your voice which will then be said by your character. The recording is also done within the browser. Click on ‘Speak’ to start recording and then on the green play button to hear what you just recorded:

The ‘Walk’ button lets you move your character around, specifying the course he will be walking:

Other tools located to the left of the panel provide additional functionality. The first button lets you add more characters. The second button lets you add objects:

Using the third button, you can add text in your scene:

The last two buttons let you change the camera positioning, add effects, and select what audio/music should be playing. You can either select from the list of available songs or upload your own:

The right side of your animation panel can be used to take down notes on what each scene is about. Once you’re done with a scene, add a new scene using the bar on top of your panel.

Once you’re done with your animation, click on ‘Save & Produce’ to name your project. Use the same button if at any stage you would like to save your project:

If you choose to finalize your video, it will be processed by Memoov and then uploaded on their Youtube channel. You will be notified by email once this is done:

Animations can serve multiple purposes; you can create them for entertainment or to give your presentation

a unique touch. Whatever purpose you make them for, with Memoov you no longer need to be an animations expert to get the desired result.

Whats the difference??!!!

2010-01-23T03:21:00.001-08:00

Man discovered COLORS and invented PAINT;
woman discovered PAINT and invented MAKEUP.

Man discovered the WORD and invented CONVERSATION;
woman discovered CONVERSATION and invented GOSSIP.

Man discovered AGRICULTURE and invented FOOD;
woman discovered FOOD and invented DIET.

Man discovered FRIENDSHIP and invented LOVE;
woman discovered LOVE and invented LOVE TRIANGLES.

Man discovered TRADING and invented MONEY;
woman discovered MONEY and invented SHOPPING.

Thats it!!!

Thereafter man has discovered and invented a lot of things... While women are still STUCK with shopping.... .......... . !!!

From PM to HR

2010-01-23T03:20:00.001-08:00

Dear Manager (HR),

Vivek, my assistant programmer, can always be found
hard at work in his cubicle. Vivek works independently, without
wasting company time talking to colleagues. Vivek never
thinks twice about assisting fellow employees, and he always
finishes given assignments on time. Often Vivek takes extended
measures to complete his work, sometimes skipping coffee
breaks. Vivek is a dedicated individual who has absolutely no
vanity in spite of his high accomplishments and profound
knowledge in his field. I firmly believe that Vivek can be
classed as a high-calibre employee, the type which cannot be
dispensed with. Consequently, I duly recommend that Vivek be
promoted to executive management, and a proposal will be
sent away as soon as possible.

Signed - Project Leader

NB: That stupid idiot was reading over my shoulder when I wrote the report
sent to you earlier today. Kindly read only the odd lines (1, 3, 5, 7, 9,11, 13)
for my true assessment of him.

I knew a blonde that was so stupid that

2010-01-23T03:17:00.001-08:00

I knew a blonde that was so stupid that.......

* she called me to get my phone number.

* she spent 20 minutes looking at the orange juice box because it said "concentrate."

* she put lipstick on her forehead because she wanted to make up her mind.

*she tried to put M&M's in alphabetical order.

*she sent me a fax with a stamp on it.

*she tried to drown a fish.

*she thought a quarterback was a refund.

*she got locked in a grocery store and starved to death.

*she tripped over a cordless phone.

*she took a ruler to bed to see how long she slept.

*she asked for a price check at the Dollar Store.

*she studied for a blood test.

*she thought Meow Mix was a CD for cats.

*when she heard that 90% of all crimes occur around the home, she moved.

*when she missed the 44 bus, she took the 22 bus twice instead.

*when she took you to the airport and saw a sign that said "Airport Left" she turned around and went home

Women are extremely determined

2010-01-23T03:15:00.001-08:00

The FBI had an opening for an assassin. After all the background checks,

interviews and testing were done, there were 3 finalists; two men and a

woman. For the final test, the FBI agents took one of the men to a large

metal door and handed him a gun. "We must know that you will follow our

instructions no matter what the circumstances. Inside the room you will

find your wife sitting in a chair . . . Kill her!!"

The man said, "You can't be serious. I could never shoot my wife." The

agent said, "Then you're not the right man for this job. Take your wife

and go home."

The second man was given the same instructions. He took the gun and went

into the room. All was quiet for about 5 minutes. The man came out with

tears in his eyes, "I tried, but I can't kill my wife." The agent said,

"You don't have what it takes. Take your wife home."

Finally, it was the woman's turn. She was given the same instructions, to

kill her husband. She took the gun and went into the room. Shots were

heard, one after another. They heard screaming, crashing, banging on the

walls. After a few minutes, all was quiet. The door opened slowly and

there stood the woman, wiping the sweat from her brow. "This gun was

loaded with false bullets" she said. "I had to beat him to death with the

chair!!"

MORAL: Women are extremely determined.. Don't mess with them?

Krishnajanma

2010-01-23T03:12:00.001-08:00

In some remote village of India, one masterji is teaching the Mahabharat katha to class 6 students. He is at the 'krishnajanma' part of it.
Masterji: "Kansa heard the akashwani that his sister's 8th child is going to kill him. He was furious. He ordered to put vasudev n devki behind the bars.

First son is born, and kansa kills him by poisoning... Second one is born n kansa throws him off the mountain peak. Third one is born..."

Now Ramu, who is smartest of the lot, puts up his hand. Masterji, I have a doubt (sounding nervous n confused)

Masterji: "Ramu bete, whole India does not have doubt in mahabharata then how come u have one?"

Ramu : Masterji, if Kansa knew that Devaki's 8th child was going to Kill him,

WHY THE HELL DID HE PUT VASUDEV AND DEVAKI IN THE SAME CELL ?

Masterji fainted.........................

Best Divorce Letter!!

2010-01-23T03:06:00.000-08:00

Dear hubby,

I’m writing you this letter to tell you that I’m leaving you forever.. I’ve
been a good woman to you for 7 years & I have nothing to show for it.

These last 2 weeks have been hell..

Your boss called to tell me that you quit your job today & that was the
last straw. Last week, you came home & didn’t even notice I had a new haircut,
had cooked your favorite meal & even wore a brand new pair of silk dress.
You ate in 2 minutes, & went straight to sleep after watching all of your
games. You don’t tell me you love me anymore; you don’t want anything
that connects us as husband & wife. Either you are cheating on me or you
don’t love me anymore; whatever the case, I’m gone.

Your EX-Wife
P.S. Don’t try to find me. Your BROTHER & I are moving away to West
Virginia together! Have a great life!
_________________________________________

FOLLOWING IS THE RESPONSE FROM THE HUSBAND

Dear Ex-Wife

Nothing has made my day more than receiving your letter.

It’s true you & I have been married for 7 years, although a good woman is a
far cry from what you’ve been. I watch my games so much because they drown
out your constant whining & gripe Too bad that doesn’t work. I DID notice
when you got a hair cut last week, but the 1st thing that came to mind was
‘You look just like a boy!’ Since my mother raised me not to say anything
if you can’t say something nice, I didn’t comment. And when you cooked my
favorite meal, you must have gotten me confused with MY BROTHER, because I
stopped eating pork 7 years ago.. About those new silk dress: I turned away
from you because the $49.99 price tag was still on them, & I prayed it was
a coincidence that my brother had just borrowed $50 from
me that morning.

After all of this, I still loved you & felt we could work it out.. So when I
hit the lotto for 10 million dollars, I quit my job & bought us 2 tickets
to Jamaica But when I got home you were gone. Everything happens for a
reason, I guess.

I hope you have the fulfilling life you always wanted. My lawyer said that
the letter you wrote ensures you won’t get a dime from me.

So take care.

Signed,
Your Ex-Husband, Rich As Hell & Free!

P.S. I don’t know if I ever told you this, but my brother Carl was born as
Carla(woman) ……… .I hope that’s not a problem

Creating a ‘difference’ in portraits

2010-01-10T04:56:00.000-08:00

I was reading a magazine where each article had the photo of the author besides it, but in a unique way: looking like something like on the right.

How to get this effect yourself? I will show you today.

In addition to Photoshop you need Microsoft Photo Editor to get this effect. You may have this already on your system, if you have MS Office or you may not - it has been discontinued by Microsoft. If you do not, you can download it from here or here: http://www.brothersoft.com/microsoft-photo-editor-128651.html.

First, open the photo in Microsoft Photo Editor, and then go to File->Properties. In the ‘Type’ field select Monochrome (1 bit) from the drop-down, and press Ok. Save the image.

Microsoft Photo Editor

Second, open the original photo in Photoshop (or any other photo editing tool like GIMP). Also open the photo modified through the photo editor. Drag the modified photo over the original, as to form a new layer on top.

Third, (for the modified image layer) bring up the Selective Color panel, by clicking on Image->Adjust->Selective Color. For ‘Colors’, select ‘Black’ from the drop-down - and choose suitable values for the sliders (or as shown below in the screenshot).

Photoshop

Fourth, select a suitable blending type from the layers window, and suitable Opacity which suits. For this image, we used ‘Overlay’ and 55%.

Blending

Save the image - flatten it before saving if you want, and you are done. If there is a way to do this without using Microsoft Photo Editor, please post comments.

There are variations possible, if you prefer. One is to ‘Invert’ the original image in Photoshop before submitting it to the MS Photo Editor (by going into Image->Adjust->Invert) and then proceeding as described.

The other is to use only the unicolor image produced by the MS Photo Editor, without blending it with the original. You could use a plain single color layer as the lower one, and do the selective color on the other.

Variation I

Variation II

Photo by Hamed Saber

Making Letter Portraits...

2010-01-10T04:50:00.000-08:00

Having been impressed by letter portraits (see right), I wanted to figure out how to do them myself. In addition, I have shown you a lot of my own photos on this blog, without making the readers any wiser on how to do stuff. Better late than never, they say - so lets get started.

Choose a photo that you want to convert. Not every photo is a good candidate: the photo should be simple, not having a lot of detail. A bigger size say 640 x 480 should be available, and should have some contrast. For the purpose of this tutorial we will use this tree:

The result may not look very good because the photo does not have a unique recognisable shape, but will work fine for this tutorial. You may want to try yourself with this better photo of Indian PM Manmohan Singh:

Step 1 is to open a word editor and type (or copy!) some text into it. It looks best if the text is related to the person whose photo portrait you are making. Times new roman font is preferable, Size 14, Bold. Set the zoom to 70% for good results. Take a screen print using Alt-Print Screen key on your keyboard, and bring into Photoshop. The result looks something like this:

Now crop to retain the text, and copy-paste multiple times to achieve the size you need.

Moving over to the main photo (the tree), go to Window->Show Channels. Click on each channel one by one, and see which one has the highest contrast. Retain that one, and delete the others:

Now click on Image->Mode->Grayscale and then on Image->Mode->RGB.

Finally, when your two photos are exactly the same size, drag the text over the main photo - or copy paste as a new layer. The photo with the text should be on top and the other below.

Now go back to Window->Layers, and from the blending mode (upper left corner where it says Normal), select Screen. Things should look like this:

Flatten the image by going to Layer->Flatten Image.

What you want to do after this is up to you. You may want to do Image->Adjust->Threshold for complete B&W look. For, as for example with the PM photo above, you may need to do some cleanup using the Eraser tool for a ‘clean’ look.

If all this is too much work, being a lazy person like me - try this website: http://lunatic.no/img2aschtml.php.
Upload a photo, and it creates a colored text portrait. Its beautiful and you can choose the characters. Take a screenshot (using Alt-Print Screen) of the result and crop in Photoshop, to save as an image.

If something is hard to follow, please post in comments and I will simplify. The Manmohan Singh photo is by ‘ahinsajain’.

Happy New Year 2010

2009-12-31T09:02:00.000-08:00

Another year, another chance
To start our lives anew;
This time we’ll leap old barriers
To have a real breakthrough.We’ll take one little step
And then we’ll take one more,
Our unlimited potential
We’ll totally explore.We’ll show off all our talents
Everyone will be inspired;
(Whew! While I’m writing this,
I’m getting very tired.)We’ll give up all bad habits;

We’ll read and learn a lot,
All our goals will be accomplished,
Sigh...or maybe not.

"May each day of the coming year be vibrant and new bringing along many reasons for celebrations"

Happy New Year 2010

A Girls Sad Love Story...

2009-12-31T08:37:00.000-08:00

I once heard a story straight from the heart
About a girl and how her world began to fall apart

It all started when she met the boy that made her life complete
Just thinking of him made her heart skip a beat

They were the couple everyone wanted to be
There were no imperfections as either one could see

As the weeks passed they fell more in love and were less aware
Of how often life turns out to be unfair

Until one day she finally gave in
She realized there was no way she could win
She said I'm sorry but i have to let you go

As he reached for her hand she pulled away whispering no
When she turned around a tear slid down her cheek

He just stood there speechless, forgetting how to speak
The next few days were the hardest at home

She truly felt she was all alone
Her mom pushed in her face how she had won
Her dad said "i knew he was just another one"

Her sister said "come on you'll be ok"
And her brother just tried to stay away

At school it was like her friends weren't even there
None of them seemed to really care

Her life had no more color, just black and white
Even getting out of bed turned into a fight

Despite their tries things just weren't like before
Then he decided "i don't wanna try anymore"

At that she tried to cut him out
But the more she ignored him the more her feelings began to shout

When she saw him that day she could no longer just walk by
And before she knew it her mouth opened up and out came "hi"

He looked up and said "so now we're talking?"
She just smiled and join his walking

Everyday they talked a little more
And everyday she began to like him a little less then before

As the months passed by she became more and more aware
About how its ok life's unfair
Because eventually everything becomes your past

But your memories will always last
And with that i hope you see
Not all love is meant to be
But hold on and don't give in

""Stand tall, hold up your chin
And believe me when i say
The right one will come one day
He'll open your eyes to things you couldn't ever see""

How To Be Happy...

2009-12-31T00:23:00.000-08:00

Step 1:
Smile. Smile even if life isn’t good, smile because life can be good. Smile because of the possibilities and everything that’s going to be.

Step 2:
Find a way to destroy whatever (not whoever) destroys you. No matter how long it takes. No matter how hard it is. Make it go away.

Step 3:
Get yourself a passion. Something (not someone), a hobby you can live for.

Step 4:
Love yourself. I know it’s hard, but you have to find a way, or you will never know how good life can be.

Step 5:
Stop thinking. What others think is not relevant, if it makes you unhappy. Enjoy. Concentrate on what you’re doing. Decide by feeling: If you feel like something’s the right thing to do, just do it.

So Be Happy Alwaz
n
Keep Smiling...

How to play .swf files on your Desktop ?

2009-12-12T23:27:00.000-08:00

Many a times you may get Flash files(with file extension .swf) from friends as e-mail forwards or you may have downloaded it off from websites online. But how do you play the .swf files in your desktop?

Here's how you can do it. Well, you have two options to play flash files off your desktop.

* Open the file within your web-browser. Simple - Drag and drop the .swf file into Internet Explorer or Firefox and it'll play.

* The other way is to play your flash files using the Adobe Standalone Flash Player.
For this you will first need to Download the Windows Flash Player 9 Projector content debugger from the Adobe Site [Freeware].
There is NO installation needed. Just open the downloaded .exe and open your .swf from within the Projector.
In order to associate all .swf files to open using the Projector, right click the .swf file and "Open with" option. Once there, choose the location of your Projector.exe and you are done.

Hope this information was useful.

The 9 Rules of Resume Design

2009-12-07T01:05:00.001-08:00

Compose your resume on a blank piece of paper and then use the template as a guide to replicate the overall layout.

Follow these 9 free resume design rules

1. Keep it to a maximum of two pages.

2. Use one inch margins all the way around the page

3. Always use left justification

4. Font and size should remain consistent

5. Use the basic bullet point indicators like circles and squares.

6. If you want to you can use all caps in your headlines otherwise all text to remain with default formatting

7. Do not underline any information as this implies an active web link when uploaded to search engine web sites

8. Use a maximum of 14 point font size for headings and 12 point for normal text.

9. Make use of the tab key when creating spaces between the text.

To double check, email it to friends and family asking them to report anything outside of the ordinary. Make a point of printing it out on paper to see that all the margins are correctly set and your content is not crowded.

Once you are happy with with it, proof it one more time for typos, misspellings and errors before submitting it. Now take a breather and stay within arms reach of your phone...

Al D best...

Top 10 tips for producing a better CV

2009-12-07T01:04:00.000-08:00

Think of your CV as your shop window - it must effectively display your experience, skills and qualities in a very short period of time. The following tips will help you produce a CV that does just that.

1. Keep it short and clear

Before you start, choose the right structure for your CV. The most important information, such as your key skills and recent experience, needs to be near the top, where it can be seen straightaway. Sections you usually need to include are your Profile, Achievements, Experience, Special Skills (languages / computers), Education, Training, and (if you wish) Interests. Your CV should normally be two pages in length (unless you have a very long career or you are a contractor or the recruiter asks for a longer CV). If you haven't caught the recruiter's interest by page two then they probably won't read any further pages anyway.

2. Make it look good

Clear, attractive presentation is also important if your CV is to stand out. Ensure that it's uncluttered, with key points easy to spot. Use bullet points and keep the sentences relatively short. Plenty of 'white space' around the borders and between each section keeps the document easier on the eye.

3. Most recent first

Put your employment history in date order, starting with the most recent first. Avoid leaving any gaps, so if you've had time out for some reason, do mention this. Don't go into detail about positions you held over 10 years ago. Include details of holiday or temporary work only if it's relevant to the job you're applying for.

4. Include many facts

List your job duties beneath each position. List your achievements, responsibilities and results. Talk about results - what difference did your presence make? Use numbers for achievements wherever possible, e.g. "Boosted sales by 20% in first year". And always write in a slightly formal manner and never use the word "I" - e.g. "Supervised the team" rather than "I supervised the team". Use the past tense for previous jobs and the present tense for your current job.

5. Not too many lists

Include specific skills, such as languages, administrative or computing skills, in a separate section in your CV. Don't relist them for every job you've used them in. This is particularly so for IT work - lists of tools and packages make dull reading and won't make you stand out from other people with the same abilities.

6. Breath some life into it

Remember the employer wants a sense of the kind of person you are, as well as what you can do. Are you punctual, conscientious, or motivated? Do you rise to a challenge? With each point you write, ask yourself "What does this say about me?"

7. Be accurate

Always check for errors. Run a spelling and grammar check and ask someone else to read it for you. Read it aloud to the dog. The employer isn't going to believe you're a good communicator if your CV is full of mistakes.

8. Adapt it

You don't have to use the same CV every time. You can have two or three versions, each for a different kind of job. Or you can tailor your CV to suit the job you're applying for. It isn't a case of one size fits all.

9. Send a covering letter

Unless the advert tells you not to, always send a covering letter. This should highlight the two or three areas of experience from your CV that are most relevant to the advertised job. Never send your CV out on its own.

10. Be truthful

Although you obviously want to present yourself well, don't go too far and embellish the truth. It can easily backfire on you.

Ten Things to Leave out of your CV

2009-12-07T01:03:00.001-08:00

1. Photos

The only people who need to include photos in their CVs are models and performers.

2. Any sort of failure

This covers exams, marriages, businesses, etc.

3. Every vacation and Saturday job you've ever had

Some of these may be relevant while you're looking for your first job, but after that they're meaningless. This doesn't apply to solid work experience breaks.

4. The words 'I', 'he' or 'she'

Your CV should normally be written in the first person ('I'), but you never actually need to write 'I' in a CV. Some people used to write their CV in the third person ('he' or 'she'). Again, you don't need to include the 'he' or 'she'.

5. References

These needn't be mentioned in your CV. Don't include names, addresses, emails and phone numbers. The phrase "References are available upon request" should be left out too.

6. Reasons for leaving each job

These are often negative points and leave you open to being misunderstood.

7. List of all your schools

This isn't necessary or of any interest to the employer. But do include your most recent educational establishment.

8. Salary information

This can only be used to reject your application. If an advertisement specifically requests this information, you can always include it in your cover letter.

9. Patterns, borders and graphics

These give your CV a cluttered appearance. Besides, what you think is tasteful may not be to the liking of the employer.

10. Binders and folders

These will often be discarded straight away, as your CV will be photocopied, scanned, faxed, etc.

Ten more things to leave out of your CV

2009-12-07T01:02:00.001-08:00

1. Lists of publications

If you're a scientist or academic, include these only if they are asked for. However, significant publications may be included as achievements.

2. Very personal information

Don't include your age (although your date of birth is OK), weight, height, health, sex, race or marital status. It's irrelevant and some facts could be used in a discriminatory way.

3. Jargon and abbreviations

Avoid using any information that won't be understood by someone outside your job or organisation. The exceptions to this are abbreviations recognised industry-wide.

4. Poor photocopies

Always use good original laser prints. Poor quality copies suggest you're sending the CV out to lots of companies because you're desperate.

5. Mistakes and typos

Always check your CV for incorrect spellings and factual errors. Then check it again. Then ask someone else to check it. Errors make you look careless and disorganised.

6. Excessive wordiness

This is a working document, so keep it factual and don't go over the top with conversational descriptions.

7. Negatives

Don't be apologetic over what you believe may be missing from your CV. Focus on your positive attributes.

8. Irrelevancies

Don't include your gap year travel history, previous managers' names, the middle name that you never use, etc.

9. Cheap paper

If you post a printed copy of your CV or you take a copy of your CV to an interview make sure your CV is printed on good quality paper. This will make your application stand out and it costs very little to buy quality paper.

10. Exaggerations

Stick to the truth. You never know when misleading statements might backfire.

How to write a winning resume ???

2009-12-05T07:49:00.000-08:00

Where to start? Winning resume strategies vary dramatically depending on the job seeker’s background, career level, goals, even geographic location. It would be impossible to give the recipe for a winning resume and wrap it in a pretty bow. But I like a challenge, so I decided to break it up into a list of do’s and don’ts. So here goes…

Do’s

• Do state your career goal. Your objective should be clear from the very beginning of your resume. You can incorporate your goal into a bold headline, or weave it into your Qualifications Summary. Thinking about using a “one-size-fits-all-jobs” resume? You could be in for a long job search.

• Do include a Qualifications Summary. If you’re diving right in to your work history without a brief introduction, you’re missing the opportunity to spoon-feed your strongest credentials or “value proposition” to the resume reviewer — right at the top of your resume.

• Do include your important skills. Hiring managers are looking for specific skills when filling a job opening. So create a bulleted list of your industry-related skills. Relevant job-related skills (such as “vendor negotiations”) hold more weight than general skills (like “communication skills,” which everyone claims to have).

• Do include accomplishments. Most resumes are heavily focused on job duties, but employers want to see how well you’ve done your job. Include specific examples of the main ways you contributed to your employers, and hiring managers will see the value that you bring to the table. Use quantifiable accomplishments whenever possible.

• Do pick the right length. If you’re a new grad with minimal experience, chances are you need one page. If you are an experienced professional with lots of experience, two pages should do the trick. If you’re a top-level executive with an extensive track record or a techie with many relevant projects, you might need three pages. Professionals who require a longer resume are in academia and need a CV, not a resume. A resume is a brief “snapshot” of your qualifications — you want to have something to discuss in an interview.

• Do create an attractive design. Your resume needs to stand out from the pack of resumes, and a distinctive (yet conservative) design can help your resume get noticed. Make use of your word processing program’s formatting features, like font size, bold, italics, etc. But don’t overdo it –- it’s a careful balancing act to make sure your resume looks nice, and not like a three-ring circus!

• Do give kudos to team accomplishments. Did your department generate $2.5 million last year? Then give credit to the team instead of claiming the accomplishment as your own, unless you want to look like a braggart who likes to steal the limelight.

• Do use a readable font size. I’ve been seeing more and more resumes with teeny tiny fonts — apparently people are trying to squeeze in as much information on a page to avoid starting a new page. Not good. Your font should be easily readable on-screen. It’s better to go to a new page or edit some of the content and use a font that doesn’t make your reader squint (or just delete your resume to avoid a migraine headache). Along the same lines, make sure you have plenty of white space to make your resume reader-friendly.

• Do include related hobbies. The emphasis is on related. If your hobby shows some aspect of your personality that would be desirable or an interesting talking point with the interviewer, include it. Avoid including anything that is kind of “out there” or would reveal something about you that you wouldn’t want your next employer to know.

• Do proofread. Your resume should be error-free. Sending a resume with typos is the equivalent of showing up to a job interview with food stains on your shirt.

• Do keep your resume updated. A resume that’s frequently updated and revised is more effective than one that is out-of-date and neglected. Make a point to update your resume when you have a new accomplishment, and take a good look at the document at least every few months.

Don’ts

• Don’t use a functional format. It’s almost never the right answer, and only raises red flags and doubts about your work history. Plus, if you’re trying to hide dates, a functional resume may do the opposite and draw attention to dates. A “combination” resume (a reverse chronological resume that leads with a Qualifications Summary) works for almost all professionals.

• Don’t be a copycat. Don’t use a resume template (unless you want to blend in with the crowd) and don’t copy your friend’s resume. You can use resume samples to inspire you, but don’t copy!

• Don’t lose sight of your career goal. When writing your work descriptions, always keep your career goal in mind. Highlight the accomplishments that are related to your next career move, and downplay unrelated career information. Remember, you can’t include everything you’ve ever done, so you might as well include the skills and accomplishments that will grab your reader’s attention.

• Don’t overuse bullets. Professional resume writers refer to this type of resume as a “polka-dot resume.” If you bullet everything, no one point stands out and you dilute the impact of the bullets. Instead, strategically use bullets to draw attention to the key points that you want to emphasize.

• Don’t go way back. If your work history spans more than fifteen years, keep in mind that employers are most interested in what you did recently. So dedicate the most space to your recent experience. You can include earlier work history if you want, but consider summing up the highlights in an “Early Career” section.

• Don’t use a funky font. Most resumes are being emailed and opened on computers, so it’s important that your font selection translates properly on the receiver’s end. If not, the receiver’s system will convert to a different font, and there goes all of your perfect formatting.

• Don’t write “References Available Upon Request.” This is not the 80s, folks!

• Don’t include personal information. Marital status, date of birth, salary data, and other personal information shouldn’t be included on most resumes. There are a few exceptions, like resumes going to foreign countries and entertainer resumes in which personal information is relevant to the job. Federal applications also require personal information such as salary history. Other than that, omit personal information.

• Don’t use personal pronouns (“I,” “me,” or “my”). The reader knows you are writing about you. Use an “implied” first-person voice, like “Developed reports…” instead of “I developed reports.”

• Don’t use bad resume lingo. If you’re a “results-proven leader with excellent communication skills looking for a growth-oriented position with a forward-thinking company,” please delete the bad resume lingo right now! This post has more detail on offensive, over-used cliches that should be eliminated from your resume.

• Don’t lie. Whatever you are trying to cover up isn’t as bad as you think it is, and a dishonest approach can get you into all kinds of trouble (even long after you’re hired). And yes, omitting significant jobs is lying. “Honesty is the best policy” — didn’t we learn this lesson in kindergarten?

To your success!

Thanx
All D Best...

Seven First-Time Resume Concerns

2009-12-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

When you're a college student or recent grad and trying to write a resume, especially your first one, you'll face questions you typically won't find addressed in the current blizzard of resume books. That doesn't mean your questions aren't valid; it simply means the resume experts often overlook them, because they generally target mid-career audiences.

The following resume-related questions. It's time for some answers.

1. Should My Resume Be One Page or Two?
If you read enough books or talk to enough people who "know" about resumes, you'll come across a rule stating your resume should be only one page long. It's time to let this myth go, along with the resume handcuffing it spawns.
It's great if you can do this. But if you end up leaving out so much good material that you destroy your interview chances, what good have you done?
Remember: A human will read your resume. Some readers demand your resume be one page. Others will read a two-pager without hesitation. You don't know who's who, but the point still remains –- a one-page rule simply doesn't exist.

2. Should the Education Section Go First or Last?
In most cases, it makes sense to put the Education section at the beginning of your resume, since you're a college student or recent grad. But if you've got a lot of great internship, co-op or work experience closely related to your chosen field, position your Experience section ahead of Education.
Here's another resume area where there's no rule: Put it where it makes the most sense for you and your particular skills and experiences.

3. Should I Include My GPA on My Resume?
Yes -- if it's above a 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale). If not, try to make it look better by highlighting your major GPA instead of your cumulative one or calculating your GPA for the last three or four semesters, for example.

4. Should I List My School Address, Permanent Address or Both?
If in doubt, list both -- as long as you can actually be reached at both. If not, use the address where an employer will actually be able to reach you for the next few months.

5. What Can I Put on My Resume If I Don't Have Much Experience?
For starters, don't overlook or ignore the skills you've gained from jobs you've taken simply to get through school. You've also gained valuable experience from:
• Your foreign-language study.
• Alternative learning experiences, like studying abroad or conducting research.
• Your computer and Internet use.
• Extracurricular activities.

6. Should My Resume Include Only Paid Experience?
Employers are interested in your skills, not whether or not you've been paid to learn them. So don't hesitate to highlight nonpaying work and volunteer experiences if they've given you bragging rights.

7. Should I Include Precollege Information on My Resume?
Generally, no -- employers aren't likely to care about it much. There are exceptions, of course. Suppose you won a national award in high school, or you accomplished something extraordinary. Then you should highlight it, especially if it's connected to your chosen field.

Remember: Resume writing is much more art than science, so just as you would with an art project, express yourself the way that works best for you and the information you're trying to portray.

What's Your Objective?

2009-12-05T07:47:00.000-08:00

The first step to creating a high-impact resume is determining what you're trying to accomplish. With a clearly defined career objective, you can write a resume that conveys the experience, skills and training that best serve your overall professional aspirations.

Hiring managers are busy folks who can't afford to waste any time trying to figure out what your career goals are. They won't take the time to do this; they'll just move on to the next resume.

Do You Need an Objective Section?
While it's important for your resume to include a clear career goal, you don't have to convey it through an Objective section. The majority of job seekers may incorporate their career goals into a Qualifications Summary instead.
For example, a candidate led her qualifications summary as follows:
Talented and dependable secretary, skilled in all aspects of office management within nonprofit environments.

Her summary continued to relay her key qualifications for an administrative position, but her introductory line enabled hiring managers to immediately recognize her goal. If you are on a steady career track, incorporating your objective into a summary sends the message "this is who I am," rather than "this is who I'd like to be when I grow up."

When you build your resume on Monster, you can use the Objective field to present your qualifications summary.

When Is a Formal Objective Required?
Career changers and entry-level workers should consider incorporating their objectives into their resumes, because their goals may not be clearly defined by their work history alone. If you're targeting a particular position, add a formal objective statement and reference the job opening. The hiring manager will see you took time to customize your resume and that the opportunity is important to you.

Sample Objectives
For Career Changers: Accomplished administrator seeking to leverage extensive background in personnel management, recruitment, employee relations and benefits administration in an entry-level human resources position. Extremely motivated for career change goal and eager to contribute to a company's HR division.

Entry-Level Workers: Dedicated CIS graduate pursuing a helpdesk-support position.
When Targeting a Specific Position: Elementary teacher for ABC School District.

Tips for Writing Your Own Objective Statement
• Focus on how you would benefit the employer, not on how the employer would benefit you. Stay away from objectives that state your working preferences, such as "seeking a team-oriented environment that fosters professional development."
• Don't be vague. Steer clear from statements that say nothing substantial about your career goal (e.g., "seeking a challenging position with potential for growth and advancement").
• Keep it concise and targeted. Hiring managers often sort through hundreds to thousands of resumes to fill one job opening. Make it easy on them by keeping your objective short and to the point. The best objectives contain a desired job title or target.

Thanx
All D Best

Customize Your Resume for Best Results

2009-12-05T07:12:00.002-08:00

You have a resume, but it's not working as well as you'd like it to. What can you do to increase the number of calls you receive for job interviews?

Customize your resume.

Submitting the same resume for every position can't possibly meet each employer's individual requirements. If you want to grab hiring managers' attention, you need to give them what they want. You must take the time to tailor your resume to each employer and its goals to strengthen your chance of getting noticed.

Before responding to a job posting, review the job description to see what credentials are important. If you're submitting your resume to an employer that doesn't have an advertised opening, research the company and find out how it would benefit from bringing you on board. Once you determine your top-selling qualifications, you will be ready to customize your resume to meet the employer's needs.

The most efficient way to create customized resumes is to develop one general resume and then tweak it for each particular job opportunity. Follow these steps:

Duplicate Your Monster Resume

Before you apply for your next job on Monster, log into your My Monster account. Go to My Resumes, and find the resume you'd like to copy. Click on Duplicate below the resume's title. A copy of your resume will appear at the bottom of the resume listings, ready to customize specifically for the job you're applying for.

Title

Your Monster resume title should state your career goal, along with one or two of your top credentials. These credentials should be tailored to the employer's needs. For example: "Sous Chef - Culinary Degree & 5 Years' Fine Dining Experience."

Objective

The purpose of this section is to show that you're perfectly suited for the open position. Opt for a concise, targeted statement instead of a general objective that could be for any employer or job. An Objective like, "To become a software engineer for 123 Company's Web services group," makes the hiring manager's job much easier and brings you closer to getting called for the interview.

Qualifications Summary

Once you've researched the employer's requirements, use the summary section to match these requirements with your qualifications, thereby proving you are the perfect candidate for the position. Modify the Qualifications Summary in your duplicate resume as follows: omit statements that aren't important for the position's specific goals, reorder the summary so statements relevant to the position are listed first and add information about your credentials that's uniquely applicable to the position and employer.

Job Descriptions

Many employers go directly to the Employment History section to assess your qualifications. Review your job descriptions and modify your duties and accomplishments to pertain to the opening. Present an honest account of your employment history, but describe your experience to highlight your work tasks and achievements that relate to the job you're applying for. Place these pertinent qualifications at the top of the description, or use bullets surrounded by white space to make them stand out.

Skills

You've already reviewed the job posting and determined what skills the employer wants in an ideal candidate. Emphasize your matching skills in your Monster resume's Skills section. Begin your list with the skills that would be of most interest to the employer.

Thanx
All D best

Whatz Ur Rashee...

2009-12-05T07:12:00.001-08:00

Call centre executive Nisha Singh recently dumped her boyfriend because of a book she read.

We do not know how her now former boyfriend feels about that book, but Singh swears by it. Though she does admit that she did hope, when she first met the man who was to become her (now former) boyfriend, that the book was wrong.

"I am a Gemini and he was a Taurean," says Singh. "I'd read that these two zodiac signs are incompatible, but I hoped it was wrong. Well, it wasn't. We just didn't get along. So next time I think I'll trust the book, not my instincts." The book Singh is referring to is Linda Goodman's Love Signs. "I knew we weren't compatible signs after I read the book," says Singh.

"But I didn't see any harm in giving the relationship a try. And we just couldn't get along. He thought I was too frivolous and I felt he was too stubborn. We called it quits after dating each other for a year."

Take a look -

Like Singh, there are a lot of people who believe that zodiac signs have a lot of relevance to their loves and lives.

So what is it with these signs and why do they fascinate people so much? It's hard to explain, says astrologer Rishikant Menon. But the answer lies in the question itself - it's a strange sort of fascination. "After all, isn't it uncanny that people born under the same sign generally show similar traits?" he asks.

"That is what makes these signs so interesting. While it isn't true that two people born under a particular sign are clones of each other, there generally are similarities between them."

This is something that has been and will be debated endlessly, but for a lot of people, zodiac signs are things to be taken at least semi-seriously.

While some of us at least begin our assessment of other people on the grounds that their zodiac sign indicates their possible personality, others read their daily and / or weekly horoscopes for one purpose only: to try and learn what is likely to happen to them today / this week.

"I hope to know what's in store for me on a daily basis, which is why I read my horoscope in the papers," says lawyer Arpit Mehra. "I got hooked because often, the predictions do come true. But that's about it. I don't really base my relationships with people on their zodiac signs."

- Written in the skies

It's true that predictions do hold a lot of importance for people who would scorn 'this sort of superstition' in myriad other ways.

But the belief that zodiac signs hold at least some clues to personality is quite strong in many people's minds. Which is when interpersonal relationships can get a bit fraught.

"Capricorns and Aquarians are people I wouldn't want to hang out with," announces accessory designer Vishal Mehta.

"I don't say all of them are bad, but personally I have never ever come across a single person from these two signs who I have been comfortable with. Though I don't begin my acquaintanceship by asking people their signs, I have realised that all the people I have had differences with, with very few exceptions, have been from either of these two signs.

So now I stay away from them unless I have to do otherwise. But I get along well with Cancerians, Geminis and Librans. I like being with them." Once again, it's not easy to explain why such an attitude exists, but for most people, thinking in stereotypes makes life much easier to cope with on a day-to-day basis.

"We read a lot of these things and believe in them if even one of five factors holds true," says psychologist Arvind Thakur. "It is human nature. Cynics dismiss a lot of things as mere coincidences - which they probably are - but most of us will believe in them.

Also, if we do not like a particular trait, the human mind tends to associate that trait with a particular kind of person or character. In this case, the associations happen with zodiac signs. So when we do or do not like a particular personality type, we categorise the person according to his or her zodiac sign, and react accordingly."

See no evil but it doesn't get more serious than that. Or at least, it shouldn't. Most people who read their horoscopes, or try and figure out personalities according to sign signs, claim they only do it for fun. "I loved reading Linda Goodman's Sun Signs and Love Signs in college," says journalist Parul Tiwari.

"We would check out our compatibility quotients with the boys we had crushes on. It was great fun, plus we got a broad idea of what the person would - or should - be like, and behaved accordingly." But that's no more than a starting point, adds Tiwari. In a committed relationship, zodiac signs matter not at all.

"I am a Gemini married to a Scorpion," she says. "Going by the sun signs, we shouldn't get along at all. But we gel brilliantly. We dated for a long time, married, and remain great friends. So though I read the weekly sun sign predictions for both of us, I don't take them too seriously." Which is how it should be, says psychiatrist Dr Anurag Khanna.

"It's okay to know about zodiac signs, but to make decisions based on them is a bit much. Every person has a distinct personality, and for any long term alliance, clicking with that personality is what matters."

Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 20) You're lively, energetic and daring, and a fighter too. You crave adventure, and love to travel the world. You're a pioneer, and have the ability to lead.

Taurus (Apr 21 - May 21) Cautious, practical and purposeful. Once your mind is made up, you have amazing persistence and follow through, plus tons of energy.

Gemini (May 22 - June 21) Gemini is about intelligence and communication. So you have a talent for and a love of using your mind.

Cancer (June 22 - July 23) Cancer is a water sign, which signifies your highly emotional nature. But it also makes you caring, generous and intuitive.

Leo (July 24 - Aug 23) You are warm, bright and self-motivated, and you want to make an impression everywhere. But you also have a need for one-upmanship.

Virgo (Aug 24 - Sep 23) You are known for your perfectionism and highly analytical mind. You are extremely fastidious and also critical of the world.

Libra (Sep 24 - Oct 23) Your love of communication makes you an excellent mediator and negotiator. But you also want to please people, which makes you unreliable.

Scorpio (Oct 24 - Nov 22) Magnetic, elusive, sexy and determined, that's you! You're an emotional being, and you take it to the limit. You can also be vengeful at times.

Sagittarius (Nov 23 - Dec 22) You are jovial and confident in whatever you do. Fortune seems to favour you. But you need to learn there are limits to what you're capable of.

Capricorn (Dec 23 - Jan 20) Few people are as practical and ambitious as you. Caution is your second name. You are sometimes shy and lack self-confidence and self-esteem.

Aquarius (Jan 21-Feb 19) You are forward thinking and self-directed. You're a born revolutionary and don't want to be like others and take pride in the fact that you're so unique.

Pisces (Feb 20 - March 20) You are a truly compassionate and loving person. You have a universal approach to the way you live and this is seen in most of your actions.

What's Your Rashee?

Whatz Ur Rashee...Part 1

2009-12-05T07:11:00.003-08:00

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