Education System In India...

The education today is becoming a blessing or a curse is an open ended question being raised these days. The whole concept of education today is far apart from what it was initially devised to be.

Today, one of our main focus in our lives is to get a good education and have a sound career to lead a happy and content life. And, undoubtedly, today’s education system caters to our needs of education and career very well. But, where is the happiness and satisfaction?

Right from the childhood, it is fed into the minds of tiny tots that the only thing that they should know is that they are going to be a doctor, engineer, IAS and so on. Since beginning, they are pressurized to outperform others of their age. Once kids become old enough to enter a school, the foul play starts. They need to pass a number of tests even to get admission in nursery standard, because they are supposed to be in the best school. As soon as, he is admitted to a school, he comes under the scanner and is continuously evaluated on the basis of one parameter or the other. All that matters is your marks, your grade, your CGPA. Every parent wants to see their child at the top position. And automatically, others are receded to lower positions and suppressed. The child which is usually a stress buster and a source of happiness for everyone else in the home and surroundings, himself becomes tensed.

Even when the school is over, one ought to be in the best college. After that best college, best job offer matters. Then, again the same vicious circle of competing, excelling starts in that job surroundings to be one of the highest paid employee. Now, the evil one behind the curtains is, none other than, MONEY. The education today is more focused at earning, and not learning. The sole aim is information, not knowledge. Instead of broadening one’s mindset, it is narrowing down one’s perspective towards things. The power to withstand others is reducing and thus, splitting apart the social arena. The in-built intelligence goes in vain.

It is high time that the worth of a human being’s own capabilities is realized and given proper space for development. The agenda of life should become living and not just existing. When no two individuals in this world are made to be same, then where this whole concept of competition comes from. Let everyone maintain the individuality and uniqueness of oneself.

Love Vs Friendship..

Love and friendship is often regarded as two separate entities.But are they really that different? Love is defined as having a great affection or liking for someone and isn't that what friendship is supposed to be? Atleast it should if one removes the adjective 'great'.  You don't befriend some random person without some liking, do you?. By the way, I don't consider befriending as what people do in online chat rooms. I meant BEFRIENDING. I hope you got what I was trying to say.

So only after this initial attraction or liking, you will get to know each other. And I suppose this is what happens in Love. Till now both represent the same area in a Love-Friendship Venn diagram. Now that you got attracted, you start talking. But that alone does not grow your relationship. No opposite gender will consider you as a good friend unless there is some level of trust, affection, security and mutual sharing. But isn't these expected in Love too? Yeah, now you can scratch your heads. 

Till now both Love and friendship are just same things running parallelly. But then you don't fall in Love with all those whom are friends with. So there is something that now comes that makes you think that he/she is that perfect one  whom you want to live all the life. Now this mystical attraction could be the reason why you in the first case approached or this could be the one that can pop out of now where making you go all crazy and upside down. That would be the point where Love branches out of the friendship stream and takes its own course. Now this mystical attraction could be the one of those characteristics or a special care and Love you might have yearned for years. Or it could appear to be reasonless. But I am always biased to the latter part where in the mystical attraction comes after knowing them for a particular time. I feel that's what makes your Love built on a strong foundation, but then this is purely my belief and reasoning. Anyway anything it might be, but you could strongly feel the difference when you are in Love and when you are just a friend. 

I would like to end it with this note. I am not a strong believer in the 'Love should end in marriage' belief. Obviously, it would be nice if it did but then if it did not then that does not in any way degrade your Love. You either Love or don't Love her, there is no such thing called Loved her.

Purpose of Social Networking...

The majority of people who use the internet have no actual idea about what it really is, where it has come from or even what really makes it work. If they were given a quiz about the way the internet functions they would fail. This is the majority of users simply because most people are still learning their way around, this leaves a rather small percentage of the internet users being people who are considered a bit computer savvy. Those who are a bit computer savvy tend to realize that even web pages and websites are all software that is carefully coded to allow numerous people to access them at a single time.

However, for those who are unaware of exactly the purposes of social network community software it can seem a bit strange and even thoroughly overwhelming. Yet, with a bit of time and effort placed upon learning what you are doing, it is possible to move along and work towards finding a suitable solution that will put you firmly in control of how things work in your benefit. It is very important to understand social network community software so that you can understand what you can and what you cannot do online.

The majority of people who are aware of websites such as MySpace and Facebook realize that they were created with the purpose of allowing people to stay in contact. There are numerous other websites that are highly similar, however these two sites are amongst the biggest and most popular that are around. Finding other sites is always possible, however the user base tends to be much smaller and the number of people you can meet and connect with is decreased as well. If you are looking for a site that can give you numerous tools and solutions to help you stay in contact it is very important to look at places that are able to provide numerous methods of support, including tutorials.

Social networking community software has changed in recent years and the changes are quite good. With the software changed to add more security features, greater ease of use and even the possibility of blogging right from a profile page the average user who has no experience online can generally still use the social networking community software without feeling overwhelmed or even left out. After all, MySpace is one of the most popular places to connect regardless of age. This means that children and even older adults alike are all able to interact together; the ultimate result is that people are able to use the software to help them learn how to successfully navigate the internet much better. 

However, what happens if the software fails for some reason? Those who are computer savvy all understand and realize that it cannot work 100% of the time. There are bugs, kinks and other problems that must be worked out, and trying to find the solution to these problems is not always easy. However, research teams are generally assigned the task of correcting problems rather quickly. Yet without the social networking community software there is simply no way to communicate with the other people on the site. The software itself is the main driving force behind the website itself. 

The choice of programming language can vary greatly depending upon which site you are visiting. There are sites that are created in java, others in PHP, a few are in standard HTML and still others use some of the more advanced programming languages. The ultimate choice of programming language has little to do with affecting the way the user actually uses the site but more with how the site actually runs behind the scenes. Regardless of which programming language is used, without the social networking community software installed, created and fully functional the social networking websites that everyone has come to know and love simply would not exist.

Ensuring that the sites stay up is not something that individual users can handle, but being aware that they do on occasion go down is important. Many new computer users become very confused when a website is down, this is often because they do not realize it is actually software that is installed on a web server and accessed using an internet browser. However, just as typical software has problems and complications the web based social network community software has problems as well. The good news is that typically, the problems are very small and the sites are still one of the best places for people to start learning the internet.

Does Love Really Exist, or Is It Only a Fantasy?

Every human heart longs to find love, to live in love, and to die having felt loved. As much as we may denigrate love or deny its existence, we always seem to dream about that place where we can find it.

Man cannot live without believing in love, and our constant search for it has led us to seek evidence of its existence and to ask others to give us irrefutable evidence of its reality. Love not an illusion, nor a fleeting intestinal emotion that time knows how to finish. But unfortunately, we often search in others that which we should be nourishing within ourselves.

That’s the first big mistake: looking for love in others but not inside oneself or in one’s own conviction. We believe that it is up to others to convince us that this is not a fantasy, and only when they make this tangible do we come to the conclusion that we are not just living in some wonderful fairy tale. We often deny a very simple truth: love exists in everyone who believes in it, because that in itself a sign of its presence. Formation, guidance, and the onset of emotional maturity are needed in order to turn an exaltation of the senses and emotions into a conscious decision to seek the good of another – a decision which nothing or nobody can change in one’s heart. When you truly love, and when that love is the product of conviction, there is no human power that can make us regress into seeking only what we want for ourselves. In that sense, love cannot be conditional (“If you’ll love me, I’ll love you” or “I’ll treat you as you treat me”). Regardless of the sorrow that exists to some extent within each person, when true love blossoms, it is able to remain in spite of adversity; he who loves does not allow external factors to affect the quality of that which he offers.

But what of those who, in their desire to test the power of a love given to them, demand “evidence” of it? A few points:

1. There are no such things as tests of love, for what one can do for somebody today might not be repeatable tomorrow.

2. Any requested “test” of love is nothing more than a veiled form of manipulation.

3. “If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk.” There will always be more and more demands for shows of love. It’s never enough.

4. When the requested test is sexual in nature, women should remember that ease of her response comes at the expense of becoming an “easy girl.” The same “test of love” becomes a test of your integrity.

5. Even within the context of true love, one can say “yes or no” and not feel obliged to acquiesce to immoral or unreasonable demands. In this, sincerity and a desire for the good of the other is what counts.

To love is the vocation of every human being, and it is for love that we are created; it is our beginning, our middle, and our end, but because of that endless desire to experience love, we can fall into the trap of believing that anything is valid in order to attain it, including trampling on others. One does not build a life on the ashes of another. Whoever denies others the right to love denies himself, for love does not exist in a vacuum.

It is essential to understand that love consists of the mutual buildup of one person to another, and each becomes a means to reach the purpose of their existence (the other half is not mine; I am a medium for him). It is no longer just about not doing to others what we would not want them to do to us, but rather, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” In order to exist, love must go beyond pure sentiment and emotion; it must rise above the challenges and upsets we face each day.

Only love can give orientation to our lives, spare us from a sterile existence, fulfill our inmost being, and eternalize us in time. Whoever wishes to be must love, for he who loves becomes a reflection of God.

5 Life Lessons Written by a "90-Year-Old" Woman

People often tell Regina Brett how great she looks for her age. Turns out, she is actually 54 years old — not 90. She wrote down these life lessons the night before her 45th birthday after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Over that past decade, these lessons have gone viral on the Internet amid claims that she is 90 years old. Luckily, she finds humor in this misrepresentation, knowing how many lives she has touched.

Whatever her age might be, these universal lessons are relatable to anyone who needs a little reminder of what's important in life. 

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. Save for retirement, starting with your first paycheck.
9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
11. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
12. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
14. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
15. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
16. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
17. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
19. Burn the candles; use the nice sheets; wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
20. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
22. The most important sex organ is the brain.
23. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
25. Forgive everyone everything.
26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
27. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
29. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
30. Believe in miracles.
31. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
32. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
33. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
34. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
35. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
36. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
37. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
40. The best is yet to come.
41. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
42. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
43. If you don't ask, you don't get.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Interview Rejection – What you can learn from it?

We all learn lessons in life. Some stick, some don’t. I have always learned more from rejection and failure than from acceptance and success”– Henry Collins

Interview rejection can be a bitter pill to swallow. While some people take rejection in their stride, others take quite a few days to come out of their post-rejection depression. But is rejection such a bad thing as it’s made out to be? Is it really the end of the world? Experts believe that rejection can be used to build a better career and can be a blessing in disguise. As the popular saying (and a song by Kelly Clarkson) goes, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.

Your selection in an interview is contingent upon a lot of factors which might range from your performance in the interview to something as trivial as whether the interviewer liked your dressing sense. The beauty of an interview process is that you are never sure how the person on the other side will perceive your performance.

An interview rejection can give you numerous insights on your strengths and weaknesses. An introspection of why you were rejected would bring to light your weak areas on which you can act accordingly. Your weak areas might vary from poor communication skills, lack of technical knowledge to a lack of confidence. Whatever the reasons are, you can turn them into your strengths by acting and improving upon them so that you are ready for the next interview.

Brian Acton, the co-founder of Whatsapp, was rejected by both Facebook and Twitter. The same Brian Acton later sold Whatsapp to Facebook at an estimated $19 billion dollars. It was termed as one of the biggest hires missed. There is an anecdote about Amitabh Bachchan that when he auditioned for All India Radio, he was rejected as a news reader for both English and Hindi news due to his ‘unsuitable’ voice.

There is so much to learn from the above two examples. Failures didn’t make these people weak. In fact they came back stronger and more informed about themselves. Rejection made them realize the areas they had to work upon.

The key realizations from an interview rejection should be:

1. What are my weak areas?

2. How do I make myself better now that I know my shortcomings?

3. Whether it is really the job I want to be in?

4. Is my resume not reflecting what I want to convey?

The job market is flooded with opportunities. One rejection is not the end of the world. But not acting on your mistakes won’t make things any better. So the next time you are rejected in an interview, don’t be saddened but rather analyze your interview and work on your improvement areas. Following this mantra would surely land you a job and who knows it might be the best thing that could have happened to you.

Most of the times, one of the main reasons that your interview doesn’t go well is that you yourself were not too sure about the job or you lacked the basic skills (other than your qualifications) required for the position. Most companies do not have a prescreening process to identify the right candidates for interviewing and this leads to a lot of rejections during the interview phase.

Sucide Cliff

       "SUICIDE CLIFF"

Michael Ashby Poems
"Suicide is preventable. We ask that if you are despairing that you contact a crisis center. Many people have found that talking helps to alleviate painful suicidal thoughts and feelings.
We ask you to continue helping us making a difference in the lives of those at risk of suicide."
A message from the President Of The International Association For Suicide Prevention (IASP) Professor Ella Arensman of University College Cork on IASP’s web page.
"I am sharing my poem in support of World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) on September 10th organised by the IASP." Michael A.


Mad words, bad words
Fled, sped through brain
Talking up a mental storm
Sowing, growing again
Poking, stoking a last lightening bolt
Exploding a chamber, in an unsound colt
Raining, draining
Words, energy all around
As the skeleton smiled sweetly
At the closing ground
Faster, faster
The dancing man swirled
Twirling balletically
For the ghoulish world
Shouting, pouting
At the spinning mop top
Bloody hell! he's jumped
It's a hell of a drop
Floating above gloating
He soared as they roared
Losing a mind's pain
From an Earthling's brain
Flying with yellow beaked angels
Hang gliding into new birth
Gravity racing, sand embracing
To kiss the advances of the surf
Sun bleached bones, caressing cockles
Massaging mussels, in salty, sparkling brine
Distant dreams of becoming a fossil
An exhibit from a happier time
And the rain fell to dwell
On the bloody pulp of hell
Down, down, down on the ground
Once so perfect, once so round
Now so flat, now so still
The crowd gasped its last
As the night swallowed its beach-kill
But, there would be no fluttering police tape today
To keep the rubber necked back from the affray
No black holed, black glazed, spooky van
No undertaker's magic on an invisible man
No sunken faced lifeboat crew
No coastguard van bedecked in blue
No unemployed ambulance man
No helicopter scything sea air, with its fan
For a samaritan up on the cliff path
Had saved the dying day
A glowing lady up on the cliff path
Fleetingly smiled his way
Bringing warmth through stubble
To anchor human rubble
In safe harbour for now
No, no, no cliff top prow
Back crossing the seafront road a picture stared
Knees buckled, as his old soul was bared
Missing person - have you seen this man?
Oh, dear God, how he missed that man
Hooting, tooting, people shouting in vain
Ambulance man's arm, cranking up the merry-go-round, again