Super fast Egg Omelet:: what else do you want!

One food that I just cannot get enough of is egg. I invariably like any preparation that has eggs in it as major ingredient. So, it goes without saying that omelets are my all time favorites. They are not only

easy to prepare but also has varied mix and match recipes catering to your taste buds and kitchen ingredients.

It would be interesting to trace the origin and metamorphoses, however, today I will stick to only one omelet recipe that makes me a complete person even amidst the surrounding incompleteness. And if you forget the rhetoric, egg makes contribution to a healthy diet as well.


Ingredients

3 eggs, separated

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

Freshly chopped green coriander leaves, onions, chilies (optional)

Tomatoes, capsicum cubed (optional)

1 tablespoon butter/ white oil

1/4 cup shredded cheese (optional)

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, salt, pepper, and other ingredients.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Gently blend the whites into the yolk mixture.

Add the chopped coriander leaves and onion cubes.

Melt the butter/oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the egg mixture and cook, without stirring, until the eggs begin to set but are still slightly runny in the center.

Sprinkle the cheese. (optional)

Fold the omelet over, forming a half-moon slowly. Cook until set.

Serve hot.

What to ask Your Doctor before Coronary Angiogram?

Coronary angiogram is a complex yet arty procedure where the cardiologist dexterously inserts a narrow tube called catheter through the femoral/ radial artery with plastic introducer sheath. The catheter is guided through the artery into the heart and then dye is injected into the artery. The dye flows through the artery to the heart and stops or goes slow at the clogs in the heart arteries. The percentage of block is asserted by the cardiologists. This whole process is monitored through a highly defined x-ray machine managed by specialized technicians. As much as it sounds easy, coronary angiogram has immense risks attached if not performed by specialized team.

This article will give you insight into the urgency of the procedure or if at all you require it or if you will benefit from it or not

How important or necessary is this test for diagnosis?

Angiography is an important procedure that confirms the ailment. It's just an invasive diagnostic that help the doctors decide on the treatment thereafter. The urgency and the immediate need of the procedure can only be decided by the consultants, who will be knowing the degree and the importance of the procedure.

When is it done?

Doctors recommend angiography when you are symptomatic of pain in your chest, jaw, neck or arm (that can't be explained by other tests), unstable angina, a heart defect you were born with, a heart valve problem that requires surgery.

What to keep in mind before angiogram?

If you:

Are allergic to iodine dye used in the test

Have ever had a serious allergic reaction

Have asthma

Are allergic to any medicines

Have any bleeding problems or are taking blood-thinning medicines

Have a history of kidney problems or chronic diabetes

What will happen during the procedure?

During a coronary angiogram, a type of dye that's visible by X-ray machine is injected into the blood vessels of your heart. The x-ray machine rapidly takes a series of images (angiograms), giving a detailed look at the inside of your blood vessels and the heart.

What are the risks?

Most of the times, major complications are rare. However, potential risks and complications include: heart attack, stroke, injury to the catheterized artery, irregular heart rhythms, allergic reactions to the dye or medications used during the procedure, kidney damage, excessive bleeding, infection, blood clots, radiation exposure from the X-rays

What does it reveal?

An angiogram show doctors what's wrong with your blood vessels. It can:

Show how many of your coronary arteries are blocked or narrowed

Locate the blockages in your blood vessels

Show how much blood flow is blocked through your blood vessels

Check the results of previous coronary bypass surgery or stenting

Check the blood flow through your heart and blood vessels

Check the size and movement of the heart valves

Based on the results, your cardiologist decides on the treatment from which you would be optimally benefited. For instance, that you would benefit from having coronary angioplasty, bypass surgery, valve replacement or just medical management.

OSAMA BIN LADEN DEAD: Some important questions to ponder upon

After decade long search for the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Centers in New York City, Osama Bin Laden is dead. US National Security Team discovered a lead on bin Laden’s whereabouts in August 2010.

Several months of investigations to follow-up on these leads finally led to ‘actionable’ evidence that bin Laden was living in a Pakistani mansion just outside of Islamabad in a city called Abbottabad. It is located in the northeast part of the country, just 75 or so miles from the seat of government in Islamabad.

A strike was authorized by President Obama on April 29, 2011. Reports state that bin Laden was shot at least once in the head. It is believed the operation was carried out by The Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). JSOC is a component command of the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and is charged to study special operations requirements and techniques to ensure interoperability and equipment standardization, plan and conduct special operations exercises and training, and develop Joint Special Operations Tactics.

It is also known that the leaders of the Pakistani government were not informed about this mission until after the attack. The President Obama gave an order without informing the Pakistan about his intention. This was due to a suspected informant or informants inside of the Pakistani government leaking information to bin Laden.

Senior White House Officials said that Bin Laden was hiding in a custom compound built in 2005 located on a secure land, 12-18 foot barbed wire walls, and two security gates. The total property value is 1 million dollars. Osama was living there with a few family members and his youngest wife. It was actually a mansion compared to the expected hiding in a cave similar to the finding of Saddam Hussein. It is also believed that bin Laden had no phone or Internet running into the house to secure the best hiding possible.

Three adult males were also killed in Sunday’s raid, including one of bin Laden’s sons, whom officials did not name. One of bin Laden’s sons, Hamza, is a senior member of al-Qaida.

Source:intel-central

Now, Osama's death shoots up a few queries:

1) How to cudgel the al Qaida legacy? The battle is won but not the war. How will be the demolition of Al qaida possible?

2) How will now Pakistan stand clean? How come Pakistan did not know about the whereabouts of Osama when it was right in the heart of the military residences, right under the nose of the urban Pakistan?

3) What will be the strategic political development between US and Pakistan? Reportedly, US was suspecting informant or informants inside of the Pakistani government leaking information to bin Laden and did not keep them in confidence.

4) How safe are really we are?

You can actually earn money from your YouTube account!

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The much deserved french toast: Eat it guilt free!

Today was one of those days when you do not plan things, things are planned for you. A very long day in the hospital with patients pouring in just from everywhere. All of them want to barge in at the same time little realizing that there is a 'taking prior appointment' thing. Later in the evening, when you manage to sneak into your inbox, you get the message (delivered in the morn) that your sister has been hospitalized, and you realize that your day has just gone from bad to worse.

You come back home winding up just about, spending hours on the semi-empty road plastered in political festoons which hammer, non vocal, yet again, that tomorrow is the D-day. A change is bound to happen this time after 35 years of communist rule. That's for destiny to decide, you need not bother.

You enter home to mom's grim face who gets the news of my sister. She was not supposed to until the OT was over. Anyway, the phone rings to some good news after all. Sister is in the recovery, still awaiting relief from the anesthetic numbness. What a relief! All of a sudden you realize that you have not eaten and you are dog hungry!

Handing over the phone from BIL to mom, you rush in to the kitchen. The pangs of hunger make you slouch now. You see some bread slices, butter, honey, condensed milk. Without even reconsidering you toy with the ingredients. And voila! You just make yourself some delicious, glutenous and devouring french toast which you deserve. Now, it's time you ate it guilt free!

Five brown eggs and Happy Easter

Five Brown Eggs

Five brown eggs in a nest of hay,
One yellow chick popped out to play.
Four brown eggs in a nest of hay,
Another yellow chick cheep-cheeped Good day.
Three brown eggs in a nest of hay,
Crack went another one, Hip hooray.
Two brown eggs in a nest of hay,
One more chick pecked his shell away.
One brown egg in a nest of hay,
The last yellow chick popped out to say,
Happy Easter!


Poem (C): .nurseryrhymes4u
Photo (C): MouD

How to keep your germs to yourself

Pathogenic germs are there everywhere, all around us, in the environment. The so called filthy, dirty places are the hub of germs and deadly infectious diseases – this we all know but it’s the clean and supposedly germ free places that should be our concern. For instance your dinner plate can have millions of germs thriving on it. Or the sparkling clean floors, walls, your kitchen? All could be the thriving place for tiny warmongers. You never know!

There are various ways by which you can keep yourself germs free – both preventive and curative. Beside, vaccinations and inoculation, which are the popular ways, antibiotics impede the growth of germs by killing their growth and spreading all over the organs. Our personal hygiene and the consciousness of a cleaner environment add to the germs free and disease free life. It’s also important that you know the priority of keeping the germs to yourself. Here is how:

How to keep your germs to yourself

Cover your nose and mouth while sneezing, coughing, blowing nose.

Discard used tissues in the trash immediately. Cover the trash bin.

Wash your hands after sneezing, blowing your nose or coughing.

Use warm water and soap or alcohol base gel, sanitizers, disposable wipes to wash your hands.

Try to stay at home since that not only helps you recover fast but also helps the environment from spreading the contagious germs.

See a doctor and abide by his prescription. Take rest.

If asked, use face mask.

This doesn’t take much, does it? So, make sure you do your best to keep your environment germs free and the people safe. Happy living safe and healthy!

Self Medication: How safe is it?

Popping pills without prescription: How safe is it?

Self medication is the practice of talking medicines, mostly for generalized symptoms, for oneself without consulting the specialist. In India we are privileged with the right to buy medicines over-the-counter (OTC). However, many forget where to draw the line, and go ahead buying medicines for illnesses that might get them to trouble later in life.

OTC drugs have certainly made life easier for average Indians. However, the same could lead us to irreversible health damages. It’s a common practice to buy anti-fungal creams, analgesics, sunscreens, anti-dandruff shampoos, which are also considered as OTC drugs. We all do that. These are common dermatologically proven health products that hardly get us into reverse medical conditions.

Some even go over the board buying Aspirin, Paracetamols, Vitamin tablets, expectorant and non-expectorant syrups. Buying these does not harm us as much as taking the wrong dosage does. We do not have the medical expertise to decide for the correct dosage. There are so many factors associated with the taking in of the medicines. The prevalent medical conditions of a patient should be taken into account first and foremost. Some people increase the dose without consulting; assuming that two pills would make them feel better than one and so on. They go onto share these tips with family members and friends and influence them as well. Lack of knowledge could be fatal and what seems like a harmless thing could easily lead to disaster.

Self medication is the practice of talking medicines, mostly for generalized symptoms, for oneself without consulting the specialist. In India we are privileged with the right to buy medicines over-the-counter (OTC). However, many forget where to draw the line, and go ahead buying medicines for illnesses that might get them to trouble later in life.

OTC drugs have certainly made life easier for average Indians. However, the same could lead us to irreversible health damages. It’s a common practice to buy anti-fungal creams, analgesics, sunscreens, antidandruff shampoos, which are also considered as OTC drugs. We all do that. These are common dermatologically proven health products that hardly get us into reverse medical conditions.

How safe are Vitamins?

Self medication even while taking vitamins is a big NO. Millions of people who are popping in vitamins are risking their lives to various ailments. Malignant melanoma is now proven to be one of them. Even the water soluble vitamins could lead to dire medical conditions like kidney stone, liver damage, muscle cramps, diarrhoea.

Some do’s and donot’s

Consult your doctor before taking self medication, if you are not sure

Read the warnings and instructions to avoid the possible cross reactions

Get you closet clean of expired medicines

Take the medicines when prescribed

Never share or decide medicines for others

Do your bit of research and know what you are taking

Be a smart citizen, know your life

It is always better to take the natural food supplements like farm fresh vegetables, fruits, cereals, milk, hand made bread, dry fruits. Going back to nature and going back to minimalism makes living safer and healthier.

Homeschooling in India

When Pali came back from the US, deserted and heart broken, she had only solace in her eight year son Ved. Pali was fighting her battle with the family for a few years and finally terminated her relation with Rishi’s father for life. It wasn’t easy for her but what became more difficult is to ensure a good future for her child. India has grown since she had left after her marriage. People are more open, more accepting and more vocal. It seemed, it wouldn’t be difficult for Pali to live single in the small flat that she had inherited from her parents. The challenge came when she had to look for the schools for her son. No school was readily accepting the child who came in between the session. A countable few who did wanted a huge donation. After days of pleading every possible school she knew of, Pali decided to take it no more.

Homeschooling is a common concept in the US. With so many resources, and community support you are never alone if you are homeschooling your child. In India, it might sound a new concept but who can forget the likes of Rabindranath Tagore and Shri Aurobindo who were homeschooled and propagated the true concept of homeschooling!

Pali decided to homeschool her son. She had had a Montessori training after she got her degree in Major. Even though, that would mean nothing, but she decided to pull up her socks to go about the bestpossible ways to educate her son with the best kind of resources while still at home. She had a few basics to be answered before that though.

How it works in India?

There is no separate syllabus for homeschooling children. The parents solely decide on that. Some follow regular board syllabus and others design their own curriculum by referring to syllabi of different boards.

In 2009, a new education law was passed that mandated compulsory school attendance. This law (Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009 – RTE) did not address home education options, or alternative forms of education. The RTE was designed to assure that the poor children would not be deprived of an education. But at the same time it did not intent to force school attendance when parents want to homeschool their children.

Can a homeschooler join regular classes ever?

On reaching Class 10, or whenever the parents feel their children are ready, can take the board exam privately by registering with the National Institute of Open Schooling or International General Certificate of Secondary Education. The degree is acceptable all over the world.

What about the expenses?

The cost of homeschooling varies on what and how the child learns. At times it may exceed the expense of regular schools. Apart from routine requirements like books, CDs, learning and fun kits, one also needs to pay for extra classes as and when required.

After getting into it, Pali had only one area of concern – Rishi’s social networking skills. So, she decided to join the homeschoolers community both online and offline. She also got her son enrolled for the guitar classes, something he had great interest in. She decided to work harder and worked on the possible flaws of the board curriculum that crammed the children. She went for her own that was more stretchable, practical oriented and fun to learn.

And, Pali never looked back after that.

A Tribute to Bob Dylan

Not a day goes by without hearing or remembering at least one of his songs. Bob Dylan, one of the most successful artist and songwriter of the century, has had an overwhelming presence on me. Innumerable hits over the past forty years and his songs are still so relevant and popular.

Bob Dylan's lyrics can't be beaten. The phrasings are subtly beautiful and still pertinent today. It isn't just the songs and the performance – he is clearly somebody who has a real sense of purpose and conviction. He stood up for the cause he believed in and this got him turned into the "voice of a generation".

As I got older I became more interested in Dylan's mythology. Dylan's magnaminous mythology is a matter of perspective that changes over the years, as you grow, as you become wiser. You get to discover this fascinating human every day in a new way. He is an endless mystery.

How else would you explain the phrasing of 'Blowing' in the wind..."!!


How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
Yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
Yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How many years can a mountain exist
Before it's washed to the sea?
Yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
Before they're allowed to be free?
Yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
Pretending he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

(C) Bob Dylan

Photo Credit: DG

Bunions and Heel Spur: Two painful feet conditions

The two terrible feet conditions that people often suffer from are heel spur and bunions. Both are inexpressibly painful and are persistent so much so that it becomes hard to get rid of them. 

Calcaneal spur, commonly known as heel spur, is the in-growth of the calcaneal (heel bone) mostly due to deposit of calcium. Bunion is a foot condition where the big toe bends towards the second toe forming a sharp bony prominence. Pains, from mild to severe, are caused by the inflammation and the bone pressing against the shoe.  Bunions are more common in women and are caused by a number of reasons, including wearing shoes that are too tight, years of abnormal motion, poor foot mechanics, bone deformities, flat feet and arthritis. However, common to both feet conditions are our body weight. Obese people are more prone and it’s generally reported that being overweight is an aggravating factor.

 Symptoms of heel spur:

Excessive continuing pain on putting your heel flat

On slow and less walking it decreases temporarily

On fast walking, jumping, carrying weights the pain increases

Treatment:

Stretching exercises

Losing body weight

Wearing shoes that have cushions, heel cradle and heel cup all over and absorb shocks

R.I.C.E therapy

Symptoms of bunions:

Moderate to severe pain on walking

Bony growth of the big toe

Big toe bent towards the other toes

Both feet usually affected

Treatment:

Choose shoes with roomy toe box, cushioned cradle and padding all over to accommodate the bony prominence.

Losing body weight

R.I.C.E therapy

Surgery is an option when conservative treatment fails and you have chronic pains.

What is  RICE-(M)?

R – Relative Rest

I – Ice

C – Compression

E – Elevation

M – Motion

When you goof up with your words

Jack, my friend in another forum, had written about foot-in-the-mouth disease where people, as a matter of fact all of us, goof up with words. However, it isn't a headline when I mess up with words. But when famous people do they certainly cannot undo it! It gets written in the pages of history. Here are some infamous quotes from famous people:

"Smoking kills. If you're killed, you've lost a very important part of your life." -- Brooke Shields, during an interview to become spokesperson for a federal anti-smoking campaign.

"I've never had major knee surgery on any other part of my body," -- Winston Bennett, University of Kentucky basketball forward.

This one is senseless:

"It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our air & water that are doing it." -- Al Gore, Vice President

And this one, very gross:

"We don't necessarily discriminate. We simply exclude certain types of people." -- Colonel Gerald Wellman, ROTC Instructor.

Why I Admire Sachin Tendulkar

We all are aware of the legendary feat of Sachin Tendulkar. He has enthralled his fans all over the world with many great cricketing moments for 15 long years. The superlative innings are carved in the history of cricket. Having said this, I look up to the man for many other reasons that make him a person of great human values.


His untainted career and personal life

This is something hard to believe! He has always been in the limelight but for all the right reasons on earth. Never, can I remember that he is in the news for anything wrong or anything not so cricket. It certainly takes a lot of discipline and dedication to do that.

Modesty, humility, being down to earth, deeply rooted

I have always had this on my mind while watching him play and grow. Be it on field or off field, he has been an exemplary persona right from his building years. Never have I come across as an angry or seething Tendulkar who is puking words or snapping at the fellow players. Does that mean that he hasn’t been criticised ever? We all know how raw and bitter the game of cricket can be. So, Sachin too had his days when he was met scathing criticism for not being in performing form. But the great man of composure that he is, he has never lost his cool. He has dealt with the life’s untoward hassles with grace and maturity.

Carrying the legacy of Tendulkar family


He is a complete family person. In order to shine out in professional life the role of family is very important. Tendulkar family is one of the few families of India that still lives and thinks the same way as it used to, before and the after the birth of the master blaster on field. The values and morality that have been instilled in young Sachin is the legacy of the Tendulkar family, and I am sure he is passing that on to his children as well. I salute the whole family (the members of which are good names in their respective fields) for having being such a support all through his career.


Discipline, dedication, self-restraint

Discipline is something that makes or breaks a man, and Sachin has been an epitome of discipline. This has been reflected in the way he has carried himself all these years. His sense of time and punctually is something worth cultivating.  I am deeply moved by his self-control, restraint, and ascetic discipline.

Non-publicized charity

Sachin Tendulkar has an income more than many of us put together and the amount of charity he does is a matter of mere speculation since he loves to stay away from publicizing it. This makes him even greater human.

Intrinsic strength

Sachin has dealt with the hurdles and the life’s odds with composure and poise. He too had his days when he was heavily critiqued for his bad patch and also, more recently, in an incident recently when a major political party in Maharashtra wanted him to blabber its words. Sachin, on the contrary, resolved the matter with an off field communicating excellence that’s hard to beat.

Kudos to this man who is my favourite cricketer not merely due to his cricketing ability but also for being a man of stupendous stature as a person.



Image: cricketclub

Few Tips for the Newbies Earn from the Internet

Earning on the internet involves a lot on activity. You need to do a lot of networking, sharing, interacting in a way that benefits each other. A major earning logarithm works on down line building and gathering referrals, while others require you to write proactively, consistently and voraciously. Having spent days researching on the right kind of approach on right kind of sites and to earn from them, I have learned a few basic things on which the virtual world works on. I would like to share those with you here.

How to start off

Don’t expect to become rich overnight. Online earnings happen slowly and take a lot of time and effort.

A few cents from several sites add up to a decent amount. So, invest in lot of genuine sites instead of just one or two. Your effort and time would build up a network that’s very important in converting the cents to dollars.

Your profile speaks volumes about you and your work. Invest time to build an enhancing profile. Be honest and modest. It pays off.

Stay away from scam sites. Most of the sites which ask you to pay first invariably are scam sites. The best opportunities are free sites unless you know someone who has got paid from the sites requiring upfront payment. If you are not sure, ask questions in the forums or amongst online friends.

Spend some time learning while you earn. Join forums which talk about your interests and your skills. There is always an opportunity out there with your specific skill set and interests.

Start with a few activities and gradually expand as time permits you. Be prepared to devote your time and effort.

Open a Paypal account, if you do not have one already. Some sites pay you directly by cheque, while most use payment gateways like Paypal. Another important account that you must have is Google Adsense. It helps you earn from your blog or other sites.

The importance of Networking

A lot of online earning opportunities involve networking. The more successful you are in online networking the more you likely to succeed in your earning endeavour.

If you are already part of a social networking site, make as many new friends who are active online as you can. Visit their blogs/sites/articles, leave comments and votes.

When you join a particular site which involves interaction with other members, make as many friends you can and comment/rate their articles.

There are sites which are ideal for promotion or drawing traffic to your articles/content. I strongly recommend Twitter which gets traffic to your websites. You can also consider sites like Digg, Mixx, stumbleupon, Youtube and Facebook.

Lastly, do not lose heart if you are not successful. Keep trying. It took me almost ten years to earn a modest amount from the internet. Perseverance does pay off.

Good luck!

From Dawn to Dusk

The two most beautiful moments in life are the dawn and the dusk. Both are similar, with the same kind of mellowness, but they bring in different kind of feelings. One the beginning and another the end. Both have mesmerizing beauty and an overwhelming presence. Both are precious and magical yet so different, unique and individualistic!


“Don’t look so sad, it’s not so bad, you know.
It’s just another night. That’s all it is.”

Aloo Gobi with Garam Masala (Indian style)

India has an interesting mix of people eating vegetarian and non-vegetarian food. It's hard to tell the proportion but at the end of it we do come up with excellent variations on both veg and non-veg dishes. Two days back, when I posted one article on the good old 'garam masala', my friend from US was inquisitive about the recipes that should go well with the spice blend. Today, I will explore one of the age old, traditional recipes that's been a hit with our family since many generations now.

Read the article on Garam Masala by clicking here.

Aloo Gobi Curry


Aloo gobi is cooked in an Indian curry sauce. It's old but never outdated. Aloo means potato and gobi means cauliflower.

Ingredients


* oil/ ghee (clarified butter)
* cauliflower, broken into small florets
* potatoes, peeled and cubed
* cumin seeds
* turmeric powder
* coriander, cumin paste (the whole seeds are soaked and ground)
* red chili paste
* ginger paste
* garam masala (whole)
* bayleaf
* Salt to taste

Note: you can also use chopped onions.

Heat the oil mixed with ghee in a wok. Toss the cumin seeds, whole garam masala, bay leaf in the oil for a few seconds till they get a shade darker. Add the rest of the ginger, cumin, coriander, red chili paste and saute till the mix dries up. Add sugar (a pinch, for colour), salt and turmeric powder. Add the previously fried cauliflower florets and the fried potato cubes. Mix the vegetables with the curry paste. Allow it to cook till the potato gets tender and the cauliflower beautifully absorbs the spices. Add little amount of water, cover the wok till the ingredients absorb the remaining water. Season with garam masala powder, one tea spoon of ghee and garnish with freshly chopped coriander leaves.

The vegetables should absorb all the flavour of the spices maintaining their individual integrity. And if you could strike a balance with the right amount of spices, water and the cooking - you are a great cook!

Accompaniment: freshly cooked white rice, fresh lime, whole green chili.

Chuck the High Heels now

High heels make you look sassy and elegant and make you feel fantastically beautiful. Having to wear, balance and walk comfortably in high heels, is an art in itself. Wearing them is at the discretion of the individuals, and being aware is another thing. The effects of wearing habitual high heels are slow but could be severe at some point and it varies from individual to individual.

1. Back, feet, legs ache: constant wearing could lead to chronic lower back pain and muscle sprains which could lead to severe injuries and bone shortening, ligament and cartilage tearing and knee injury.

2. Spine stress and posture defect: Wearing high heels regularly could deform the spine and affect the posture by dis-balancing body movements.

3. Bunions and severe feet condition: High heels lead to unhealthy feet and legs leading to conditions like bunions, in growing toe nails and other severe conditions that might require surgical intervention.

4. Restricted blood circulation: In some cases they may lead to constricted blood circulation leading to unhealthy nervous system.

6. Mental imbalance: In rare cases, it's been found that the mental health has been impaired to certain extent.

Downline building, getting referrals and mutually helping each other

Earning on the internet involves a lot of activity. We need to do a lot of tasking - networking, sharing, interacting in a way that benefits each other mutually. The major earning structure on the internet works on solid downline building and gathering referrals, as many as one can manage. More the better.

I receive numerous signup requests, as a downline, under various users who I have either known directly or indirectly. Some have become good friends and we have developed a beautiful understanding by now. Friends or just acquaintances, I try to sign up under their referral links. I feel, the mutual exchanges make the internet special. I have, so far, signed up in innumerable websites as a downline. Even though, haven’t been active in many, my signing up helped others to grow their network and business

When I started a discussion on downline building on a forum, some time back, most said that they would rather sign up as an independent user. Many, confessed that they get to the resources and go to the primary link and sign up, ignoring the referral link. One user, I remember, even frowned over being discovering that she is a downline.

I have a different viewpoint altogether. I would never mind being a downline, if I feel I should sign up with the website. I have a few friends who do that as well. What is there not to support each other in real or in virtual life!

Websites that really pay: My Top 5 pick of 2010

A Guide to Online Earning

Making money from your website: Too much work, little pay

2010 has been a year full of challenges, discoveries and learning. In an endeavor to launch my website and earn from it, I learned so many things. Now, I know the basics of online earning, even though, I am actually not earning from it. Not yet, so far. I need to gear up with some more tools and then may be I will capitalize on the resources. I have found that there are several sites that really pay and are NOT scams.

My top rated picks of the paying sites with referral links are as follows:

MyLot

SharedReviews

Neobux

Wordlinx

Paid2YouTube

Chili Fish: Mom's style to spice up the day!

Today was one of those days when you get an unexpected off from work and like to spend me-time to the fullest. The holiday season is on and what could be a better day to celebrate it. With the rains still drizzling and the sky accentuated with the sun and cloud, lazing around was the only and unanimous option.

Mom sneaked into my room early in the morn as she usually do and waited for the nod over the menu she decided instantly when she came to know about the holiday. Chili fish and sparkling white rice - that was what she decided on. Anything Chinese and soya sauce is my favorite. She has her own recipe that takes her only 15 minutes at the most. It's the easiest, healthiest and the tastiest recipe on earth! I just added more to acidity and she poured heaveful teaspoon of chili flakes. Father out of station, just the two of us and our simple recipe to spice up the day. Have a look for yourself and decide!

You can envy me now!

Google Adsense: The best marketing tool!

Internet marketeers know how important it is to retain the Google Adsense account for once you lose it, you will have nothing more to regret. Even though, there are several other money making marketing tools available, the Yahoo publisher, Bidvetiser, Chikita, Adbrite to name a few, Google offers most authentic mode of earning and payment. Google Adsense has been, particularly, austere with their accounts these days, especially with the Asian countries. Several accounts been banned stating reasons like invalid clicks or impressions. Nothing could be more disheartening than that. However, having said this, the key lies in our hands and we can actually safeguard our accounts by adopting simple measures.

First and foremost: NO CLICKS from your IP address. False clicks to increase your earning will be caught immediately. Do not encourage others to click from your computer also. Adsense would not understand your alibi.

Plagiarism or duplicating from other sources is a cyber crime and recently Adsense is terminating accounts that consistently post plagiarized stuffs. Be original and be creative.

Generate more traffic. Content is the king so try to write good stuffs and promote your articles and write in installments so that the readers are bound to come back to visit your page. Showcase your visitors and commentators and keep reading their blogs as well. Cross traffic exchanges generate more traffic to your site - it's proven.

Things to keep in mind

Keep a note of your Adsense publisher ID. In case, google terminates your account, you will need it to fill in the request form.


Do not place more than 3 ads on your blog or website
Do not click randomly or encourage clicks on your website
Be creative, original
Read the rules and FAQs often
Do not lose hope. Keep trying with honest information.


Want to open a new account? Click here.

Had an account but now banned? Click here to appeal.

Before having one, read the terms and conditions thoroughly here.

Gmail does not recognize dots (.)!!

A few days back, I received one email from an unknown sender, which did not sound like a spam. It was from some investing company, where probably, the addressed has invested and the email confirmed that and had an attached contract note. The addressed shares the same name as mine but has an address very different. The mail details showed that the addressed has similar email ID as me, except for a DOT in between the user words.

Thinking that it was very important, I wrote one email to the supposed receiver and told her about the goof up. After a while when I checked back, I found that the mail has come back to me! I found it strange and tried to log into my google account with the same user name but with a DOT in between. I entered the same password and guess what! It worked! The inbox opened right in front of me!

I tried signing up with the same user name that I have but with a DOT in between and I was told that the user name was already taken. This increased my curiosity and after a little research I found that the DOTS in between the words are not recognised by google. You can see this if you try to sign in with your user name, but adding or removing a DOT from it. You'll still go to your account!


Google states that:

There are three common reasons why Gmail users think they're receiving someone else's mail. Please select the description that matches your situation below.

Your address is similar but has more or fewer dots (.) or different capitalization.

Sometimes you may receive a message sent to an address that looks like yours but has a different number or arrangement of periods. While we know it might be unnerving if you think someone else's mail is being routed to your account, don't worry: both of these addresses are yours.

Gmail doesn't recognize dots as characters within usernames, you can add or remove the dots from a Gmail address without changing the actual destination address; they'll all go to your inbox, and only yours. In short:

o homerjsimpson@gmail.com = hom.er.j.sim.ps.on@gmail.com
o homerjsimpson@gmail.com = HOMERJSIMPSON@gmail.com
o homerjsimpson@gmail.com = Homer.J.Simpson@gmail.com

All these addresses belong to the same person. You can see this if you try to sign in with your username, but adding or removing a dot from it. You'll still go to your account.

If you get mail that seems to be intended for someone else, it's likely that the sender entered the wrong address, just like if you've ever dialed a wrong phone number for someone. In these cases, we suggest contacting the original sender or website when possible to alert them to the mistake.

One last thing: Google Apps does recognize dots. If you'd like to have a dot in your username, please ask your domain administrator to add your preferred username as a nickname.


That was quite a revelation!

I have enough reasons to drink tea!

Being a tea drinker, I love trying newer varieties of tea. I love the Darjeeling leave tea, which is essentially the flavor tea. Having said that, different occasions and different time of the day would

decide on the type of tea I would drink at that point in time. My father is also a tea drinker- that makes two of us in the family. My sisters drink tea occasionally, ceremoniously and at times as medicinal dosage. I love the way they prepare themselves to actually sip in the hot, energy beverage!

The antioxidants that tea, both black and green, contains, reduces the harmful effects of the fats and oils consumed. It lowers cholesterol levels and helps maintain normal blood pressure levels. It raises the levels of good cholesterol over bad cholesterol.

Green tea has cancer preventive properties that work against the development of cancerous cells.

It helps prevent tooth decay, gum diseases and various other dental disorders. It also helps maintain good dental health. It prevents bad breath, insomnia, fatigue and helps maintain vitality and vigor.

It increases mental awareness and prevents cognitive disorders. It helps eliminate stress and promotes overall relaxation. It promotes a healthy skin and hair and slows down the process of aging.

So, I have enough good reasons to endorse tea. You cannot blame me! Happy drinking tea!!

Doing things that recharge you

Today is Saturday. Another week has passed by without me doing anything new except for some achievements in 'Shared Reviews". I am at no.2 there which is pretty impressive for someone belonging to non US country. SR has a great community that never fails to boost your motivation. I am so thankful!

Only thing, I have to write more which I am failing at recently. My target was 1 review/ article every day but I am far behind and struggling. And since that's not happening right now, I have stopped making goals. I am writing whenever I am feeling like. I have a lot of catching up to do tomorrow. Beside the cleaning and the chores, I have a project to finish, a few pending edits to clean up the old articles, some paid tasks and then I am hoping to write one fresh article - something I haven't since long. It feels drained out when I do not for a long time.

Nothing like penning down your thoughts. However weird it may appear, it feels much energized and recharged. So, are you doing your mind? Are you doing stuffs that recharge you? If not just do it - today!

Wish you luck! Wish me luck!

Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Taken: A Haiku

It was most futile
The river ne'er stops flowing
And I found myself


However hard we try we cannot change the person who doesn't want to. We are left with only two choices. Either we flow with the river or we be passive bystanders, aloof and watch it flow and take its own course. Letting go of our individuality would be something that I rather not see myself doing. I can only be a wise watcher and learn from it. And from the time I started doing it, I found myself. I found myself after long years of living others lives.

This is a tribute to all those fighter people who are just themselves and who have not given up even in the face of adversaries. Kudos...

Photo credit: NG

So what your job sucks!!

Hope you all are doing fine. There has been a lot of festivities in the last few weeks and please accept my belated greetings for the season. I hope you all had a good time.

Now, what next? It's time to rewind and get going however drab it may seem. We just cannot be eternally disillusioned and disgusted with our job profiles, can we? It doesn't make sense to curse the job, the bosses and the intertwined politics. At the end of the day we have to live with it. So, why not take a different stand on something that has been sucking. First and foremost, we have to understand that we cannot change the system overnight. We have to realize and consider the loopholes and the negative aspects in order to love the job we are into.


I have found that organizing always helps. Piling up jobs to the point that we lose the inside outs not only aggravates the hassle but also creates a sense of insufficiency and incompleteness. We can do better than that, don't we? So, before going on holidays, I keep myself updated with my job so much so that the day when I rejoin, I am recharged, refreshed with NO hangover from the older backlogs.


Again, delegating the duties timely helps enormously as well. Some people just cannot delegate duties hoping that they will lose out on the credit of the outcome or just because they do not have faith in others. But once we start to do that, things will be more fun and fast.


We should also realize that we will get to no where by being cursing and venomous. The amount of energy we would spend to do this actually would help us in our individual growth if we could dechannelize. My experience tells me that our job starts to suck when we are trying to accentuate on the flip sides that the job comes with. No job on earth would be a perfect platter and sooner we realize this, it's better for us.


We should also start by liking and developing tolerant skills that would help us learn more about the job. Knowing and understanding the intricacies of our jobs help us better our performances and gradually this lead us to the point from where looking back at the journey makes it all the more fun and worthy.


Another important thing I have learned is that, we should be able to laugh at ourselves and take it in the right spirit when anyone else does.That eases us the viciousness and helps us remain unaffected at the never ending office politics.


So, declutter, reorganize, delegate, love the job and have fun at ourselves make things definitely easier. Try out and let me know. Till then happy trying.

A guide to online earning

When I started off my activities on the internet ten years back, it was more of fun and time pass and an endeavor to catch up with the fast changing world. The virtual world was an avenue that gave me an opportunity to let go and do my mind. I was proactively participating on various networking sites when I got to learn about another aspect that the virtual world has to offer. It was an avenue that opened my eyes. I never believed that we could actually earn online until I got paid for micro blogging. It was a few cents but overpowering.

A B Cs of online earning

Soon, I realised that we get to earn here through multiple tasks, micro blogging, writing articles, networking and through clicking on the adverts, some of which I liked immensely and some I didn't quite enjoy. I prioritized on the kind of tasks I would be doing here on internet. I guess, people have different priorities and different fascinations and getting to know them and sticking to those help them excel here. It worked great for me.

A B Cs of online earning

So, I decided to set up a websitethat would hopefully answer the queries of newbies and for people who want to earn online. This website is essentially for the aspirants who want to earn online in their free time. I will guide you through the websites and the dos and donots of online addiction.

A B Cs of online earning

Here, have a look and feel free to ask me anything that you want to know. Thanks for your readership.

Mimpidreams is shifting

Mimpidreams is shifting

You must be wondering about the reduced activity in MD and why I was not showing up and talking it out. I apologise to all of you for being so annoyingly dormant. However, you have been always on my mind and as some of you must be knowing, I was working on the new Ning pricing and features that they have rolled out on 4th of May. They have put forth a couple of options namely Ning Mini and Ning plus. Ning MINI has very few features and not quite MD compatible. How on earth MD will survive without the groups, events! And Ning Plus (19.95$/ month) is something I cannot keep up with right now. I have been undecided and really upset. Some of you have been really sweet to have come forward with their assurances of helping this site going on - something I appreciate but monetary help is something I would not be consider ever.

All said and done, I feel that the show must go on no matter what. We have tried our best to make this place ultra special and how could I let it go?

The good news

MD is phasing out of Ning and we are now, moving onto a different site with webs. I stumbled across this after hundreds of trials and thought this would be the best way to create something like our original MD. I thank you for your patience and understanding while I go about the process of moving out and moving in to a new home we call ‘Dreams Shattered’. Hey, don’t freak out! I still could retain the same name! It’s mimpidreams in a new virtual address.

I am trying to update the new site with all the good old stuffs. Do let me know how did you like the make over, the face lift and I will work on your suggestions. Eagerly awaiting your feedback and active participation. I am the same mimpi and its our same old mimpidreams in a new place and in a new look.

http://mimpidreams.webs.com/

*Cheers*
mimpi

Truth has only one face

I have seen many people who would never tell the truth. Some lie outright and some are just so scared to tell the fact! They fumble, hide, make up fake stories and become hated in the whole process. Eventually they fall in the groove and they become habitual liars. The other day, as I was coming down from the ICU, I heard one doctor speaking on phone, quite loudly, telling the person on the other side that he was on the overbridge and would be right there in 5 mins! now the overbridge is at least 30 minutes from the hospital!

I really hate this and never quite get to the point where I have to lie. White lies are fine sometimes and I have been there as well but making up stories and cheating is just so gross. And there is but one truth. No burden, no guilt- only sometimes we have to be careful the way we deliver it because truth is not always taken in the right spirit and may hurt people who should not be punished.

Some people resort to lie because they know that the truth wouldn't be accepted. They fear the consequences. But, I feel, truth should be spoken, no matter how and when its delivered, it should be. And, we can forget about it and do not have to worry about the short term memory that we are suffer from. *Laughs*

Share your experiences.

We create our pains, we create our happiness..

With every hurt, every pain every teardrop we are to blame ourselves only. We are the creator of our sadness and hurts. No one can create those for us. A stable mind does not cry, nor does it blame others or allow the darkness to affect him. There could be, there are several stimuli but it's us who create our own pains. Not all cry while watching a sad movie. Some even laugh it off. No one asks us to shed our tears, so no one should be responsible. It's us who decides for ourselves. So, the stimulus as in the sad scene does not really gulp all! So, how can we blame others for creating our pains. We must stay stable, peaceful and try to change ourselves instead of judging others. For it's our life and we are in charge and we must change, grow for the better.

Life is beautiful and happiness is just a choice that we have to make because we are happy creatures. I have been trying to be poise and beautiful. It's not an easy task but trust me we can bring about our happiness by making right kind of choices.

Anne Frank would never die, nor would Miep Gies

Miep Gies, the last survivor among Anne Frank’s protectors and the woman who preserved the diary that endures as a testament to the human spirit in the face of unfathomable evil, died Monday night, the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam said. She was 100.

“I am not a hero,” Mrs. Gies wrote in her memoir, “Anne Frank Remembered,” published in 1987. “I stand at the end of the long, long line of good Dutch people who did what I did and more — much more — during those dark and terrible times years ago, but always like yesterday in the heart of those of us who bear witness.”

Gies remained largely anonymous until an American writer, Alison Leslie Gold, persuaded her to tell her story and worked with her on “Anne Frank Remembered.”

Every Aug. 4, the anniversary of the raid on the annex, Miep and Jan Gies remained at their Amsterdam home. They withdrew from the world and reflected on the lost.

In her diary entry on May 8, 1944, Anne Frank wrote how “we are never far from Miep’s thoughts.”

In her memoir, Mrs. Gies told of her emotions when she finally read the diary.

She wrote: “The emptiness in my heart was eased. So much had been lost, but now Anne’s voice would never be lost. My young friend had left a remarkable legacy to the world.

“But always, every day of my life, I’ve wished that things had been different. That even had Anne’s diary been lost to the world, Anne and the others might somehow have been saved.

“Not a day goes by that I do not grieve for them.”

source: nytimes