New is the year, new are the hopes and aspirations, new is the resolution, new are the spirits…..

May the day-break of this new year be the beginning of many beautiful moments….. that gives us endless reason to smile always. Happy New Year to all!

HAPPY 2009!!

2008 is on its way to dissolve into the past; nonetheless, the events that occurred during this year will surely be remembered in the future. In terms of music, it is somehow more special. And this year, 2008, has given us a brilliant array of Brit-pop albums. Some of these albums must need to be mentioned.
Spirit (Leona Lewis):
British pop star Leona Lewis has broken Billboard records in the United States to become the first female British pop star to reach a number one spot on the music charts in over 20 years and became the third solo British artist ever to reach the top charts. Spirit is the debut album by British singer, Leona Lewis, released by Syco Music in November 2007 in the British Isles and worldwide during early 2008. The release of the album marks Lewis as the first winner of a major television talent show in both the UK and USA to be given a major global launch with a debut album. Lewis has made history by becoming the first female Brit to top the US charts in two decades, and denied speculation about the state of her voice. Lewis made the number one spot with her new hit single Bleeding Love. On December 3, 2008 it was announced that the album had been nominated for Best Pop Album at the Grammy Awards.

Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (Coldplay):
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (also simply known as Viva la Vida) is the fourth studio album by English alternative rock band Coldplay. It was released on 12 June 2008 in the United Kingdom and on 17 June 2008 in North America. “Viva la Vida” was the band’s first song to reach number one in the United States and the United Kingdom. After their successful songs like Clocks, Speed of Sound or Yellow, Viva la Vida and Violet Hill seemed really promising from this album.

Rockferry (Duffy):
Rockferry is the debut studio album by Welsh Soul singer Duffy, first released on March 3, 2008 by Mercury Records in the US and Polydor Records in the UK. Prior to releasing the album, Duffy appeared twice on Jools Holland’s music show, performing the tracks “Mercy”, “Warwick Avenue” and her version of “The First Cut Is the Deepest”. Rockferry sold 3,758,000 copies worldwide.

Ode to J. Smith (Travis):
Ode to J. Smith is the sixth studio album by Scottish alternative rock band Travis, released on 29 September 2008 in the United Kingdom and received generally positive reviews. Ode to J. Smith entered the UK Album Chart at #20, lower than many people’s expectations, who expected the album to make the top 10. The following week, probably due to a continued lack of promotion, the album fell 23 places to #43. By week 3, the album had dropped to #87 and by week 4, Ode to J Smith had left the top #100. Quite disappointing!

Dig Out Your Soul (Oasis):
Some may argue whether their genre should be included into the Brit-pop culture, however, Oasis brought out this half-Rock ‘n’ Roll, half-Psychedelic album under Brit-pop banner. This is their seventh studio album which has been released on 6 October, 2008. In the UK, the album sold 90,000 copies on its first day of release, making it the second fastest selling album of 2008, behind Coldplay’s Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.

Perfect Symmetry (Keane):
Perfect Symmetry is the third studio album by English piano rock band Keane, released on 13 October 2008 in the United Kingdom. The album’s title was released on 31 July 2008. Coldplay aren’t the only dreamy British pop-rock band with an experimental streak. On album three, Keane trick out their pretty piano melodies with tasty synths (”The Lovers Are Losing”), booming rap beats (”Spiralling”), and fuzzy new-wave guitars (”You Haven’t Told Me Anything”). The band had completely transformed their look and their new album was said to be also very unexpected! Keane performed the song live to an audience for the first time at the 2008 GQ Awards on September 2, 2008. The song won Best Track at the Q Awards on 6 October 2008, with the members of the band present at the ceremony to accept the award.

Potato bean and tomato salad

Ingredients:
2 kg small potatoes, peeled and diced
500g green beans, sliced diagonally
2 red capsicums, sliced
6 egg tomatoes, sliced thickly
Mustard dressing:
½ cup (125 ml) virgin olive oil
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp mustard
1 tsp crushed sugar
Salt and black pepper to taste

Method:
Boil potatoes until tender and then drain. Meanwhile, combine all ingredients of the mustard dressing in a bowl and mix well.
Boil or steam beans. Let the vegetables cool. Now arrange potatoes, beans, capsicum and tomatoes, and mix well with the mustard dressing. Serve cold.

Spicy Thai beef salad

Ingredients:
700g rump steak, trimmed
Chilli lime Dressing:
½ cup limejuice
1 tbsp fish sauce
3-4 Thai red chillies, sliced thinly
2/3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander root
? cup firmly packed coriander leaves
½ cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves
4 small onions, thinly sliced
2 tbsp white sugar or to taste
Salt to taste
1 tbsp oil

Method:
Boil the rump steak with salt and pepper. After it is done and cooled, then slice up the beef thinly.
Now take all the ingredients of the chilli lime dressing and mix well. Mix with beef and serve cold.

Grilled Portuguese chicken

Ingredients:
1 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red chilli powder
2 tsp dried oregano leaves (optional)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp green or red chilli, seeded and chopped finely
2 clove garlic, crushed
1 whole chicken (approx. 1 kg)

Method:
Combine the juice, oil, chilli powder, oreganos, salt, garlic and chicken in a large bowl. Mix well. Preferably marinate the chicken overnight. Cook chicken in medium heat in the oven till browned on both sides and cooked thoroughly. Serve it with some homemade tomato chutney.

Mutton devil fry

Ingredients:
½ kg mutton
12 flakes of garlic
5cm piece ginger
5cm piece cinnamon
2 cloves
2 cardamoms
3 large tomatoes, chopped
4 tsp plums or aloo bukhara
2 tbsp ghee (clarified butter)
3 onions chopped
2 tbsp vinegar
Salt to taste
3 cups of water

Method:
Blend garlic, ginger, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, tomatoes and plums to a paste. Heat ghee and fry onions till brown. Add mutton, vinegar and salt to taste. Mix well in medium heat for 5-7 minutes. Add water. Cook on low heat till meat is done. Gravy will be thick.

(Collected from The Daily Star)

Save water.
Shower with your girl friend.

——————————————–

The wise never marry.
And when they marry they become Otherwise.

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I was born intelligent.
Education ruined me.

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A bus station is where a bus stops.
A train station is where train stops.
On my desk, I have a Work station….
what more can I say….

——————————————–

If it’s true that we are here to help others, then,
what exactly are the others here for?

——————————————–

Since light travels faster than sound, people appear bright until you hear them speak.

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Money is not everything.
There’s Visa and Mastercard.

——————————————–

One should love animals.
They are so tasty.

——————————————–

Love your neighbor.
But don’t get caught.

——————————————–

Success is a relative term.
It brings so many relatives.

——————————————–

Love is photogenic. It needs darkness to develop.

——————————————–

Children in backseats cause accidents,
Accidents in backseats cause children.

——————————————–

“Hard work never killed anybody”,
But why take the risk!

——————————————–

“Work fascinates me”,
I can look at it for hours…..

It is very necessary to know the exact reason for the hair loss, for treating the problem as well as to make sure that there is no serious illness of which it is a symptom. Hair loss is a problem that affects people all around the globe, be it males or females, young or aged. The reasons for hair loss are many, like hormonal imbalance, ageing, hereditary factors, diseases, stress, improper diet, injury, ingestion of contaminated products, etc. For treating the problem, you need to know the specific cause and then diagnose it. Most of the people concentrate on what to do when losing hair. In this article, we have tried to go on the less-treaded path and tried to explore common mistakes people do when losing hair.

What Not To Do When Losing Your Hair

· Take Stress
Stress is one of the main reasons of hair loss. If you are already losing hair, please don’t speed up the process it by taking more tension. Rather, try your hands at meditation. It might help slow down the hair loss and will also help keep your blood pressure under check.

· Brush Too Much & Too Vigorously
Brushing your hair, too much and too vigorously, leads to breakage of hair and thus, only contributes to your hair loss. It is better to avoid frequent and forceful brushing of your hair. At the same time, make use of a wide-toothed comb. It leads to less breakage of hair.

· Using Hair Dryer Frequently
Using hair dryer, curling iron or electric rollers not only damage your hair, but also make them very brittle and dry. If you are already losing too much of your hair, such products will only worsen the situation. It is better to minimize the use of such products. In case you have to use them, keep them on low heat.

· Use Chemical-based Products
Hair products such as dyes, colors, styling gels, mousse, etc contain chemicals that are harmful for your hair. If you are already suffering from hair loss, avoid these products altogether. If this is not possible, atleast keep their use to a minimum.

Till now, we believed psychological disturbances to be the main reason behind depression. At the same time, food items, at least some of them, were considered to be one of the tools that help fight depression. However, it is now being noticed that certain types of food, if consumed in excess, can create the feeling of depression in an individual. The reason for this is the fact that certain type of foods are low in cholesterol, sugars and fat, at the same time being high in protein. This combination leads to low production of serotonin, ‘the happy-maker’, and in turn, makes you feel depressed. In the following lines, we have provided a list of foods responsible for causing depression. Try to consume these food items in moderation and compensate the loss with other foods.

Foods that Cause Depression

· Almond

· Apple

· Avocado

· Brazil Nut

· Beef, Muscles Only

· Bread Rolls

· Cheddar Cheese

· Coconut

· Chicken Breast

· Corn Flakes

· Cow’s Milk

· Crisp Bread

· Goose

· Green Peas, Canned

· Horsemeat

· Lamb, Muscles Only

· Lamb’s Lettuce

· Lentil

· Lobster

· Mackerel

· Mandarins

· Oyster

· Pasta, made with Eggs

· Peanut

· Quark, Fresh Cheese

· Rolled Oats

· Rice

· Rye Bread

· Salmon

· Shredded Wheat Bread

· Soya Bean

· Sunflower Seed

· Sweet Corn

· Tuna

· Turkey, Young

· Walnut

· White Beans

· White Bread

· Yogurt

Researchers have finally found a magic drink that can help pounds melt like butter on a hot bagel.

It’s called water. Hey! True. Plain ol’ tap water — preferably run through a charcoal filter. Downing an extra 33 ounces a day — about 1 quart more than you’re already drinking — could help you shed an additional 2.5 pounds over the course of a year-long diet.

True, that’s not going to put you in a new pants size, but it might reduce the little muffin top that’s rolling over your waistbands. At least that’s how it worked in a study of women on various popular diets. Those who either upped their water intake or replaced sweet drinks with water lost about an extra 2.5 pounds. But it had to be water: Switching to or adding diet drinks didn’t do a thing.

Why does H2O give dieters an edge? It may help reduce calorie intake — if you’re putting it in your mouth, you’re not putting a cookie there. Or it may alter your metabolism in some helpful way. But, sorry, drinking water by itself — without cutting out the curly fries — doesn’t melt pounds. The women who benefited from the extra H2O were all on reduced-calorie eating plans.

The cheapest way to get quality water is to pour it through a charcoal filter (the type in refillable pitchers) or attach one to your tap. It knocks out chemicals such as chlorine, lead, and mercury. Just keep the filter clean: Dirty ones leach the bad stuff right back into your glass.

1. If time doesn’t wait for you, don’t worry! Just remove the damn battery from the clock and
Enjoy life!

2. Expecting the world to treat you fairly coz u r a good person is like expecting the lion not to attack u coz
u r a vegetarian.

Think about it.

3. Beauty isn’t measured by outer appearance &
what clothes we wear, but what we’re inside.

So, try going out naked tomorrow & see the admiration!

4. Don’t walk as if you rule the world,
walk as if you don’t care who rules the world!

This is called attitude… keep on rocking!

5. Every lady hopes that her daughter’ll marry a better man than she did & is convinced that her son will never find a wife as good as his father did!!

6. He was a good man. He never smoked, drank, had no affair. When he died, the insurance company refused the claim.
They said:

“He who never lived, cannot die!”

7. A man threw his wife in a pond of crocodiles?
He’s now being harrassed by the Animal Rights Activists for being cruel to the crocodiles!

8. So many options for suicide: Poison, sleeping pills, hanging,
jumping from a building, lying on the train tracks.

but we choose Marriage, slow sure!

9. All desirable things in life are either illegal, banned, expensive or married to someone else!

10. Laziness is our biggest enemy.
We should learn to love our enemies!

As we age, we tend to lose the ability to learn new things quickly and our thought processes slow down.

But research by the Harvard Medical School claims DIY strategies can sharpen our minds and boost our ability to recall things as we get older. Try these tips:

Organisation is key. Use shopping lists, file folders, address books and calendars to keep routine information accessible. Have a designated place for items in frequent use – keys and wallet – to economise brain use.

Break it down. It’s easier to recall smaller chunks of information, so break down long lists, such as phone numbers, passwords or names of a group of people you’ve just met.

When learning something new, switch on all of your senses, because the more elements of your brain that are activated, the more likely you are to retain the memory. Scent is renowned for its ability to conjure up and trigger memories.

Repeating a phrase or reading it aloud, drawing a picture or writing down what you’ve just learnt helps widen the brain regions involved in learning. This makes it easier to understand and remember the new subject or a new name.

Test and challenge yourself with activities that require you to concentrate and work your memory muscles. This could be solving puzzles, discussing books, learning new recipes or taking up hobbies that require you to put into action unfamiliar skills.

Get a good night’s sleep because this not only boosts your overall health but is essential for memory consolidation. Try to maintain a sleep routine – don’t nap during the day or exercise too close to bedtime.

Have you started finding yourself crossing a room and forgetting where you were going or why, misplacing your keys or forgetting important dates? Then just give it a try.

When it comes to the weight loss topic, there is no shortage of advice. Thousands of websites are there. Check any magazine rack or bookstore, search internet and you are bound to discover that latest and greatest cure for being overweight.

Some even work — for a while. Unfortunately, people often find diets hard to sustain, in part because they tire of avoiding certain foods, loading up on others, or feeling deprived and hungry. And their diet is often temporary, something to endure for a while before returning to former ways. As a result, any lost pounds come right back once the diet stops.

Here is a summary of six common weight-loss strategies, and the questions to ask yourself to determine if any of them will help you make the lifestyle changes required to maintain a healthy weight.

Low-fat diets

Cutting down on high-fat foods can help you cut down on your daily calories and thus help you lose weight. So why do not low-fat diets always work? Even a low-fat diet can lead to weight gain when people ignore the total amount of calories they are eating and regularly exceed their daily calorie goals. Too many calories from any source, low-fat foods included, can add pounds.

Low-carb diets

Followers of these eating plans believe that a decrease in carbs results in lower insulin levels, which causes the body to burn stored fat for energy. Initially, when you follow a low-carb diet you may lose more weight than if you followed a low-fat, low-calorie diet. However, this advantage slowly decreases after the first six months. After one year, the amount of weight loss is about the same between the two diets.

A low-carb diet does not appear to be any easier to maintain than are other diets. Studies comparing low-carb diets and low-fat diets have found that after a year, people drop out of both diets at similar rates. This suggests that the low-carb diet, like so many diets, is no easier to stick to long term. Well-known low-carb diets include the Atkins diet, Zone diet and Protein Power.

Glycemic-index diets

The glycemic index ranks carbohydrate-containing foods based on their effects on blood sugar. Similar to the theory behind low-carb diets, most low-glycemic-index diets claim that lowering blood sugar levels leads to weight loss. You may have difficulty following a diet that emphasises only foods with a low-glycemic-index ranking. Many factors other than food influence your blood sugar level, including your age and weight, the type of food preparation, and the portion size. The South Beach diet is an example of a low-glycemic-index diet.

Meal replacements

Some meals provide less calories, but are nutritionally complete. You replace one or two meals a day, such as breakfast and lunch, with a low-calorie shake or meal bar. Then you eat a healthy third meal, between 600 and 700 calories, of your own choosing. Meal replacements — if used as directed — can be as effective as other weight-loss diets.

Meal providers

Some people have a difficult time knowing what they are supposed to eat. Busy schedules leave little time for meal preparation. In such cases, relying on ready-made meals eaten at home may deserve consideration. These services can be expensive.

Group approaches

You do not have to lose weight alone. Group programmes can support your efforts, giving you eating plans, exercise recommendations and support from others on the same dietary path. After joining, expect regular weigh-ins, group meetings and activity sessions.

Does the plan fit your needs?

How do you know if a weight-loss plan fits your needs and lifestyle? Ask yourself these questions. Does the programme:

* Include various foods from the major food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains (particularly whole grains), low-fat dairy products, lean protein sources (meat, poultry, fish, beans and other legumes), nuts and seeds?

* Include foods you like and that you would enjoy eating for a lifetime — not just for several weeks or months?

* Feature foods you can easily find in your local grocery store?

* Allow you to eat your favorite foods, or better yet, all foods?

* Fit your lifestyle and budget?

* Include proper amounts of nutrients and calories to help you lose weight safely and effectively?

* Encourage regular physical activity?

If you answer no to any of these questions, the weight-loss programme is not right for you, as you probably will not stay with it. Successful weight loss requires permanent changes to your eating and physical activity habits. This means you need to find a weight-loss strategy that you can embrace for life. The key is to search for a path that gives you offers an opening to finding comfort in life.