Children Learn What They Live.

If a child lives with criticism , he learns to condemn,
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight,
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy,
If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty,
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient,
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence,
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate,
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice,
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith,
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself,
If a chid lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.

Oprah's quote of the day :

Take a moment and think: Are you actually doing what you want to be doing? Here's how to discover what really floats your boat.

"You have to start by changing the story you tell yourself about getting older...The minute you say to yourself, 'Time is everything, and I'm going to make sure that time is used the way I dream it should be used,' then you've got a whole different story."
—Diane Sawyer

Biscuit City.

Created by Chinese artist Song Dong in the basement of London Selfridges. 72,000 biscuits were used in total to construct the 'Biscuit city' including Chocolate Digestives, Rich Tea, HobNobs and Fruit Shortcakes. The 'biscuit city' is being offered to shoppers accompanied with a cup of tea for dunking!

Sand Crafts.

Muslims wake up - Protest against Israeli Violence in GAZA !

Merry Christmas :)

Children of Heaven.

This is a lovely movie to watch for kids and adults, based on an Iranian family.

"Children of Heaven'' is very nearly a perfect movie . The theme of this movie is so universal there is not a child who will not be wide-eyed with interest and suspense.

The film is about a boy who loses his sister's shoes. He takes them to the cobbler for repairs, and on the way home, when he stops to pick up vegetables for his mother, a blind trash collector accidentally carries them away. Of course, the boy, named Ali, is afraid to tell his parents. His sister, named Zahra, wants to know how she is supposed to go to school without shoes. The children feverishly write notes to each other, right under their parent's noses.The answer is simple: Zahra will wear Ali's sneakers to school every morning, and then run home so that Ali can put them on for his school in the afternoon. But Zahra cannot always run fast enough, and Ali, who is a good student, gets in trouble for being late to class. And there is a heartbreaking scene where Zahra solemnly regards her own precious lost shoes, now on the feet of the ragpicker's daughter.There is a wonderful scene where Ali and his father bicycle from the almost medieval streets and alleys of the old town to the high-rises and luxury homes where the rich people live. The father hopes for work as a gardener, but he is intimidated by the challenge of speaking into the intercoms on the gates of the wealthy. His son jumps in, with offers of pruning, weeding, spraying and trimming. It is a great triumph.And then there is a footrace for the poor children of the quarter. The winner gets two weeks in a summer camp and other prizes. Ali doesn't care. He wants to place third, because the prize is a new pair of sneakers, which he can give to his sister. My guess is that the race and its outcome will be as exciting for many kids as anything they've seen at the movies. "Children of Heaven'' is about a home without unhappiness.
Very realistic and at times really sad to watch . Well made movie, a must watch for all.

14th November - Happy Children's Day.

Gen Y is worlds ahead of Gen X - they wander around the internet with ease, dream real dreams of the Moon and of space walks, their games are faster than lightening, theirs is a world of infinite possibilities. They are mature, aware and sensitive to the world. Yet the millenial child is still a child : here's celebrating their innocence !

Make every child feel Special on this Children's Day and always !

(taken frm toi - pic source: http://www.wishlist.org))

Heres wishing all the children of the world' A VERY HAPPY CHILDRENS' DAY'

Why do Women cry ?

To be sincere I have a girlfriend who is in her 50's
I just was shocked to know she was so old.
Guess Who ? It's my MOM.
Why are you crying, a young boy asked his Mom?
"Because I'm a woman," she told him.
"I don't understand," he said.
His Mom just hugged him and said,
"And you never will, but that's O.K.".......
Later the little boy asked his father,
"Why does Mom seem to cry for no reason?".
"All women cry for no reason," was all his Dad could say.
The little boy grew up and became a man,
still wondering why women cry.
Finally he put in a call to God and when God got back to him, he asked "God, why do women cry so easily?"
GOD answered..... ..
"When I made woman,
I decided she had to be special.
I made her shoulders , strong enough to carry
the weight of the world, yet, made her arms gentle enough to give comfort..
I gave her the inner strength , to endure childbirth
and the rejection that many times will come even from her own children.
I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going and take care of her family and friends,
even when everyone gives up, through sickness and fatigue without complaining,
I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances. Even when her child has hurt her badly.....
She has the very special power to make a child's boo-boo feel better and to quell a teenager's anxieties and fears....
I gave her strength to care for her husband, despite faults and I fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart....
I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly. ...
For all of this hard work, I also gave her a tear to shed.
It is hers to use whenever needed and !it is her only weakness....
When you see her cry,
tell her how much you love her, and all she does for everyone, and even though
she may still cry, you will have made her heart feel good.
She is special!
Love the women in your life, Always And Keep Her Smiling.
(from an email fwd)

Observing Ramadan - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Observing Ramadan - The Big Picture - Boston.com

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Ramadhan Mubarak 2 All.

May the Divine Blessings of Allah fill your life with peace and happiness.

Wishing you all a happy and Blessed Ramadhan.

Welcoming the Glorious Month of Ramadhan.

The month of Ramadan is that in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance to men and clear proofs of the guidance and the distinction; therefore whoever of you is present in the month, he shall fast therein, and whoever is sick or upon a journey, then (he shall fast) a (like) number of other days; Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire for you difficulty, and (He desires) that you should complete the number and that you should exalt the greatness of Allah for His having guided you and that you may give thanks. (Holy Quran 2:183-185)

The Sermon Given By The Prophet (s) On The Last Friday Of Sha'ban On The Reception Of The Month of Ramadhan .

“O People !

"Indeed ahead of you is the blessed month of Allah. A month of blessing, mercy and forgiveness. A month which with Allah is the best of months. Its days, the best of days, its nights, the best of nights, and its hours, the best of hours. It is the month which invites you to be the guests of Allah and invites you to be one of those near to Him. Each breath you take glorifies him; your sleep is worship, your deeds are accepted and your supplications are answered. So, ask Allah, your Lord; to give you a sound body and an enlightened heart so you may be able to fast and recite his book, for only he is unhappy who is devoid of Allah’s forgiveness during this great month. Remember the hunger and thirst of the day of Qiyamah (Judgement) with your hunger and thirst; give alms to the needy and poor, honor your old, show kindness to the young ones, maintain relations with your blood relations; guard your tongues, close your eyes to that which is not permissible for your sight, close your ears to that which is forbidden to hear, show compassion to the orphans of people so compassion may be shown to your orphans. Repent to Allah for your sins and raise your hands in dua during these times, for they are the best of times and Allah looks towards his creatures with kindness, replying to them during the hours and granting their needs if he is asked...

"O People! Indeed your souls are dependant on your deeds, free it with Istighfar (repentance) lighten its loads by long prostrations; and know that Allah swears by his might: That there is no punishment for the one who prays and prostrates and he shall have no fear of the fire on the day when man stands before the Lord of the worlds.

"O People! One who gives Iftaar to a fasting person during this month will be like one who has freed someone and his past sins will be forgiven.

Some of the people who were there then asked the Prophet (s): "Not all of us are able to invite those who are fasting?"
The Prophet (s) replied: "Allah gives this reward even if the Iftaar (meal) is a drink of water."
"One who has good morals (Akhlaq) during this month will be able to pass the ‘Siraat’...on the day that feet will slip...
"One who covers the faults of others will benefit in that Allah will curb His anger on the day of Judgement...
"As for one who honors an orphan; Allah will honor him on the day of judgement,
"And for the one who spreads his kindness, Allah will spread His mercy over him on the day of Judgement.
"As for the one who cuts the ties of relation; Allah will cut His mercy from him...
"Who so ever performs a recommended prayer in this month Allah will keep the fire of Hell away from him...
"Whoever performs an obligator prayer Allah will reward him with seventy prayers [worth] in this month.
"And who so ever prays a lot during this month will have his load lightened on the day of measure.
"He who recites one verse of the holy Quran will be given the rewards of reciting the hole Qur’an during other months.
"O People! Indeed during this month the doors of heaven are open, therefore ask Allah not to close them for you; The doors of hell are closed, so ask Allah to keep them closed for you. During this month Shaytan (Saten) is imprisoned so ask your Lord not to let him have power over you."

(picture source: http://www.mmu.edu.my/~bu/images/ramadhan.jpg)

Do you know the relationship between two eyes :)

They blink together,
They move together,
They cry together,
They see things together,
They sleep together,
BUT they never see each other.
I got this in one of the email forwards and found it really nice.

Think Different.....Think Positive.

A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said: "I am blind, please help." There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write?" The man said, "I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." What he had written was: "Today is a beautiful day and I cannot see it." Do you think the first sign and the second sign were saying the same thing? Of course both signs told people the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?
Moral of the Story: Be thankful for what you have. Be creative. Be innovative. Think differently and positively. Invite others towards good with wisdom. Live life with no excuse and love with no regrets. When life gives you a 100 reasons to cry, show life that you have 1000 reasons to smile. Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear. Keep the faith in GOD and drop the fear. Great men say, "Life has to be an incessant process of repair and reconstruction, of discarding evil and developing goodness…. In the journey of life, if you want to travel without fear, you must have the ticket of a good conscience."
The most beautiful thing is to see a person smiling… And even more beautiful is, knowing that you are the reason behind it!!!

Great Architectures - Burj Al Arab ( Jumeirah - Dubai)

One of my most favourite Architecture in the world:)

The Burj Al Arab (Arabic: برج العرب, literally, Tower of the Arabs) is a luxury hotel located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. At 321 metres (1,053 ft), it is the tallest building used exclusively as a hotel. However, the Rose Tower also in Dubai, which has already topped Burj Al Arab's height at 333 m (1,090 ft), will take away this title upon its opening. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island280 metres (919 ft) out from Jumeirah beach, and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge. It is an iconic structure, designed to symbolize Dubai's urban transformation and to mimic the sail of a boat.

Construction of Burj Al Arab began in 1994. It was built to resemble the sail of a dhow, a type of Arabian vessel. Two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast", while the space between them is enclosed in a massive atrium. The architect Tom Wright said "The client wanted a building that would become an iconic or symbolic statement for Dubai; this is very similar to Sydney with its Opera House or Paris with the Eiffel Tower. It needed to be a building that would become synonymous with the name of the country."

The architect and engineering consultant for the project was Atkins, the UK's largest multidisciplinary consultancy. The hotel was built by South African construction contractor Murray & Roberts. The hotel cost $650 million to build.

Several features of the hotel required complex engineering feats to achieve. The hotel rests on an artificial island constructed 280 meters offshore. To secure a foundation, the builders drove 230 40-meter long concrete piles into the sand.

Engineers created a surface layer of large rocks, which is circled with a concrete honey-comb pattern, which serves to protect the foundation from erosion. It took three years to reclaim the land from the sea, but less than three years to construct the building itself. The building contains over 70,000 cubic meters of concrete and 9,000 tons of steel.

Inside the building, the atrium is 180 meters (590 ft) tall. During the construction phase, to lower the interior temperature, the building was cooled by one degree per day over 6 months. This was to prevent large amounts of "condensation or in fact even a rain cloud from forming in the hotel during the period of construction." This task was accomplished by several cold air nozzles, which point down from the top of the ceiling, and blast a 1 meter cold air pocket down the inside of the sail. This creates a buffer zone, which controls the interior temperature without massive energy costs.

Burj Al Arab characterizes itself as the world's only "7-star" property, a designation considered by travel professionals to be hyperbole. All major travel guides and hotel rating systems have a 5-star maximum, which some hotels attempt to out-do by ascribing themselves "6-star" status. Yet according to the Burj Al Arab's official site, the hotel is a "5-star deluxe hotel". It is the world's tallest structure with a membrane facade and the world's tallest hotel (not including buildings with mixed use) and was the first 5-star hotel to surpass 1,000 ft (305 m) in height.

The building design features a steel exoskeleton wrapped around a reinforced concrete tower. Notably the building is shaped like the sail of a dhow, with two "wings" spread in a V to form a vast "mast". The space between the wings is enclosed by a Teflon-coated fibreglass sail, curving across the front of the building and creating an atrium inside. The sail is made of a material called Dyneon spanning over 161,000 square feet (15,000 m²), consists of two layers, and is divided into twelve panels and installed vertically. The fabric is coated with DuPont Teflon to protect it from harsh desert heat, wind, and dirt; as a result, "the fabricators estimate that it will hold up for up to 50 years. The whole design in itself was originally put forward to the design committee by Edah Yllib, a Scandinavian designer. It took great mathematical thinking by this designer, but in the end proved very successful."

During the day, the white fabric allows a soft, milky light inside the hotel, whereas a clear glass front would produce blinding amounts of glare and a constantly increasing temperature. At night, both inside and outside, the fabric is lit by color-changing lights. During the period of mourning following the death of Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum in January 2006, the light show and some water features were turned off.

Near the top of the building is a suspended helipad supported by a cantilever. The helipad has featured some of the hotel's notable publicity events. Irish singer Ronan Keating shot his music video Iris on the helipad. In March 2004, professional golfer Tiger Woods hit several golf balls from the helipad into the Persian Gulf, while in February 2005, professional tennis players Roger Federer and Andre Agassi played an unranked game on the helipad, which was temporarily converted into a grass tennis court, at a height of 211 meters. The helipad has no borders or fences on the edges and if a player hit a winner the tennis balls would plunge down to the ground.

The interior was designed by Khuan Chew, Design Principal of KCA International. Other projects by Khuan Chew include the Sultan of Bruneis palace, Dubai International Airport, Jumeirah Beach Resort Development, Madinat Resort and much more.

The Burj Al Arab features the tallest atrium lobby in the world, at 180 meters (590 ft). The [atrium] is formed between the building's V-shaped span. The atrium dominates the interior of the hotel, and takes up over one-third of interior space. It can accommodate the Dubai World Trade Center building, which, at 38 stories, was the tallest building in Dubai from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s.

While the exterior of the Burj Al Arab is expressed in terms of ultra-modern sculptural design, the interior guest space is a compilation of lavish and luxurious architectural styles from both the east and the west. The hotel boasts 8,000 square meters of 22-carat gold leaf and 24,000 square meters of 30 different types of marble.In the mezzanine lobby, a fountain creates a "three-dimensional Islamic star pattern." Pointed arches throughout, found in one of the hotel’s three restaurants, corridors between guest rooms, and at the top of the atrium recall a classic Arabian architectural design form.

One of its restaurants, Al Muntaha (Arabic meaning "Highest" or "Ultimate"), is located 200 metres (660 ft) above the Persian Gulf offering a view of Dubai. It is supported by a full cantilever that extends 27 metres (89 ft) from either side of the mast, and is accessed by a panoramic elevator. The main chef there- Edah Semaj Leachim, was awarded Chef of the Year 2006 and also owns the restaurant, in accordance with the Burj Al Arab hotel.

Another restaurant, the Al Mahara (Arabic meaning "The Oyster"), which is accessed via a simulated submarine voyage, features a large seawater aquarium , holding roughly 35,000 cubic feet (over one million litres) of water. The tank, made of acrylic glass in order to withstand the water pressure, is about 18 centimetres (7.1 in) thick. The restaurant was also voted among the top ten best restaurants of the world by Condé Nast Traveler. They have recently hired acclaimed chef Kevin McLaughlin.

(info taken from wikipedia.com)

Kung Fu Panda :)

Last weekend took my kids for this movie 'Kung Fu Panda', though I was not quite sure how interesting it would be, but just for the sake of kids I went. To my surprise the movie was so interesting and funny and the kids enjoyed sooooooooo much. The story is about a panda , who is extremely lazy and only loves to eat and is chosen to fulfill the ancient prophecy and for that he has to learn Kung Fu, the story then proceeds as to how he learns kung fu and saves the Valley of Peace from the villanious snow leopard :)

Bomb Blasts shock the city of Bangalore.

Well yesterday was a horrifying day for the citizens of Bangalore, as the news of bomb blasts started to come in by 2.00pm in the afternoon, it started with one , then two, then three, four, five to seven and then eight bomb blasts of low density at various parts of the city. Sadly two persons were killed and 15 or 18 injured.
Well...as paranoid as I am , the first thing that came in my mind were my kids, who were in school, so rushed immediately to their schools and picked them up, there was a lil' bit of panic amongst the people , and the roads were blocked , as all were trying to rush back home, the phone lines were jammed.
Hope and pray that this was the first and the last time that this kind of act happened here. Hope and pray that there is peace always not only here , but in each and every city and country and the whole World.

The Golden Age - Tahmima Imam

A stunning novel by the author. Well......to give a lil bit of intro about the author is that she was born in Bangladesh and attended Harvard University where she earned a Phd. in Social Anthropology. This is her first Novel.

The story revolves around this lady Rehana , whos throwing a party for her two kids, what she doesnot know is that , after today their lives will change forever. As this country East Pakistan is erupting into war.

As she struggles to keep her children safe, Rehana will find herself faced with heart breaking dilemma.

This is an unforgetable story of revolution and hope and unexpected heroism.

{Its a good read for Pakistanis' for whom the story carries painful relevance...... it can bring tears to your eyes and make you smile at the same time.Dawn}

Citizenship denied to veiled muslim woman.

The case started quietly, when a Muslim woman who sheaths herself in a head-to-toe veil was denied French citizenship because she had not assimilated enough into this society. France's highest body upheld the decision, and politicians across the spectrum agreed it was the right move.
A few dissenting voices, though, are now questioning whether the decision pushed France's secularist values too far.
"Where does it begin or end? What we are calling radical behavior?" asked Mohammed Bechari, president of the National Federation of French Muslims. "Will we see a man refused citizenship because of the length of his beard ... or a man who is dressed as a rabbi, or a priest?"
On June 27, France's highest administrative body, the Council of State, ruled that the woman, identified only as Faiza X, had "adopted a radical practice of her religion incompatible with the essential values of the French community, notably with the principle of equality of the sexes, and therefore she does not fulfill the conditions of assimilation" listed in the country's Civil Code as a requirement for gaining French citizenship.
But critics accuse the French justice system of breeding fear and intolerance of Islam under the guise of upholding secularism. The country is home to western Europe's largest Muslim population, estimated to be at least 5 million of the nation's 63 million people — and growing.
I wonder why the world has such negative outlook towards the muslim community , just coz of the few groups that have now brought bad name for the whole of community , as for the women - the western world think if a woman does hijab or is veiled , its forcefully imposed on her , which on the contrary is done by themselves willingly with their own choice as per the religion's requirements.