My French Class

I have started attending French Classes from Monday (28-July-08). I'm attending it for my own self interest. The classes are conducted in my company (CARC) by professor Shobana Varma from Alliance Francaise.

For the Past one week I have learned:
* Greetings in French (Bonjour, Au revoir, a demaine, Je vous en prie)
* Days of the Weeks
* Months of the Year
* Number (0-69)

There are few French phrases we often use without knowing its French Origin. Here is the List:

* Tete-a-tete
* L'oeuf (in tennis - love-all, it means egg)
* RSVP (Repondez s'il vous plait)

I like learning French.

Knowledge Portfolio

Your Knowledge Portfolio is very important to your career, so keep updating it. In this hot industry, the only thing that is not changing is 'Change'. Change is everywhere in IT industry, so it should be one of our goal to be up-to-date with the change.

Here are some of the tips from the Book, The Pragmatic Programmer:

=> Learn at least one new language every year. Different languages solve the same problems in different ways. By learning several different approaches, you can help broaden your thinking and avoid getting stuck in a rut. Additionally, learning many languages is far easier now, thanks to the wealth of freely available software on the Internet. (You can start by learning Haskell/Lisp/Prolog)

=> Read a technical book each quarter. Bookstores are full of technical books on interesting topics related to your current project. Once you're in the habit, read a book a month. After you've mastered the technologies you're currently using, branch out and study some that don't relate to your project. (Stalin, this is not for you)

=> Read nontechnical books, too. It is important to remember that computers are used by people—people whose needs you are trying to satisfy. Don't forget the human side of the equation. (You can start by reading GEB, Infinity and Mind, Books by Roger Penrose, Richard Meyers, Steven Pinker) (Stalin, this also is not for you)

=> Take classes. Look for interesting courses at your local community college or university, or perhaps at the next trade show that comes to town.

=> Participate in local user groups. Don't just go and listen, but actively participate. Isolation can be deadly to your career; find out what people are working on outside of your company.

=> Experiment with different environments. If you've worked only in Windows, play with Unix at home (the freely available Linux is perfect for this). If you've used only makefiles and an editor, try an IDE, and vice versa.

=> Stay current. Subscribe to trade magazines and other journals. Choose some that cover technology different from that of your current project.

=> Get wired. Want to know the ins and outs of a new language or other technology? Newsgroups are a great way to find out what experiences other people are having with it, the particular jargon they use, and so on. Surf the Web for papers, commercial sites, and any other sources of information you can find.

40 Tips for Better Living

1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
   
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day..
   
3. Sleep for 7 hours.
   
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
   
5. Play more games.
   
6. Read more books than you did in 2007.
   
7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
   
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
   
9. Dream more while you are awake.
   
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
    
11. Drink plenty of water.
    
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
    
13. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
    
14. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
    
15. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
    
16. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but, the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
    
17. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
    
18. Smile and laugh more.
    
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
    
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
    
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
    
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
    
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don't compare your partner with others.
    
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
    
25. Forgive everyone for everything.
    
26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
    
27. GOD heals everything.
    
28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
    
29. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
    
30. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
    
31. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
    
32. The best is yet to come.
    
33. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
    
34. Do the right thing!
    
35. Call your family often.
    
36. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
    
37. Each day give something good to others.
    
38. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
    
39. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
    
40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about
    

I'm publishing this post using XP Word. Try it out, its cool.

Meditate Online

Meditation is for me is:

The Path of enlightenment
Cannot be charted or measured:
Highest of the high,
Vast beyond limit,
Deepest of the deep,
Profound beyond fathoming,
Big enough to contain
Heaven and earth,
Small enough to enter
An infinitesimal point,
Thus it is called the Path

- Records of the Lanka

I usually Meditate in the office for 5 to 10 minutes mostly after lunch(I don't have heavy lunch these days). I sit in my chair and play Tibetan Bells Music and open the Online Meditation Link. This has a good effect on me. Try it if you have time.

Last week, I have completed reading Sabriel by Grath Nix. I like that book, I have also some of my already read book into Shelfari(bookshelf plug-in in the left).

Anger and Love (No Limits...)

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked stone & scratched lines on the side of the car.

In anger, the man took the child's hand & hit it many times, not realizing he was using a wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures. When the child say his father.... with painful eyes he asked "Dad when will my fingers grow back?"

Man was so hurt and speechless. He went back to car and kicked it a lot of times. Devastated by his own actions...... sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches, child had written "LOVE YOU DAD".

The next day that man committed suicide...

Anger and Love has no limits, so let the river of life flow in Limits so that this fresh water stream is never scattered.

Thanks to Srini.