Friday, December 31, 2010



NARA'S NOTEPAD

VOLUME 7
JANUARY 2011
NUMBER 1

SUPPORTED BY
READERS LIKES YOU 
WISH YOU

A HAPPY NEW YEAR

MEMO FROM NARA

SPONSORSHIP

The January to March 2011 issues of NARA’S NOTEPAD are sponsored by someone who does not wish to reveal his identity.
Very good gesture!

I thank him for his good heart to lend a hand to continue
NARA’S NOTEPAD successfully.

NARA






It is a pleasure beyond measure when I think that I could do it. What I did? Yes, I could make it to the 7th volume of NARA’S NOTEPAD. Six years – 72 uninterrupted issues – month after month, I could share with thousands of people all around the world through my blog and print copies. Thanks to the internet that connect me with known and unknown persons of the world. Motivating some one is a great gift. Sharing good thoughts with everyone itself is a great pleasure beyond measure. How could I do it is something I am unable to believe. ‘It is hard work’ – some of my friends say. But I did not feel it as a hard work. I made it as a hobby that turned to be my habit. The response from the receivers and readers nurtured my thought and encouraged me enormously. In fact, sharing knowledge free is the job of a teacher. Since I was a teacher – a professor for 22 years – I used to read, collect and share my thoughts and others’ good words with all those who read NARA’S NOTEPAD for the past six years. It involves reading which is very much possible nowadays by sitting at home in front of a lap-top instead of going to a public library as in olden days. Those days have disappeared.

Information technology has brought some hard wares which are easy to buy and to install at home. Search engines, websites and blogs provide us what we need to know. Interesting facts are there, we have to select and pick them. How simple it is! But we need to read and read. Not only the net, news papers, magazines and scientific journals also provide lot of valuable viewpoints and information every day, week and month. I have subscribed a number of them which are partly my source materials to choose from. Most of you may not get time to do this time consuming activity because you may be involved in other professional activities. So my work is to provide you filtered self-help knowledge to improve your mental strength and peace of mind. It is a known fact that travel always improves our imaginations and mental health. Seeing new places, people and sceneries is always possible when we travel. I try to capture such things with my digital camera to share those beautiful photos with you. Those who read my blogs know about it but those who read the hard copy of NARA’S NOTEPAD know only the matter, not the beautiful photographs. However, I am satisfied to complete six years successfully and begin to start the seventh year of 2011. Every January, people around the world reflect on the past and look to the future. I feel proud to get connected to all readers of NARA’S NOTEPAD and I wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year - 2011



THEY SAID...


“When you are good to others, you are best to yourself.”


– Benjamin Franklin



“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.” – Thomas Kempis



“No one with a good hobby is ever lonely for long.” - Beran Wolfe



“The past cannot be changed; the future is still in your power.” - Hugh White

JUST TO LAUGH...




Which fish can’t swim?

Dead fish.


Which driver has no license to drive but still working?
Screw driver.


Computer is shameless, How? Because it has hardware and software, but no underwear!


A man goes to a medical shop with a doctor’s prescription. The shopkeeper gives him the medicines but says he does not have the last medicine mentioned in the prescription. The patient goes to another shop. The patient keeps running from one shop to another in vain. Desperately, he returns to the doctor, saying no medical shop has the medicine. The laughs on seeing the prescription and says the last ‘medicine’ is his signature.


A teacher told all students in a class to write an essay on a cricket match. All were busy writing except one boy. He wrote, “Due to rain, no match.”



LINES I LIKED


Deep-rooted corruption in the public institutions perpetuates poverty.



• Discontent and exclusion act as catalysts for mass unrest and violence.


• Get over the hurt and move forward.


• What is common, and unchanging, is the challenge of seeking a universal basis for fairness – as well as the striving to anchor emotions and faith in reason.





"Extraordinary people talk about ideas, average talk about events, and little people talk about other people. Which of these best describe you?"

Find someone you trust and tell him/her, "I'm going through a tough time right now and would like to talk with someone for a little while. I'm not looking for advice or a quick fix for the situation, just an objective listener.
Would you mind being that person?"


STEPS TO GREATNESS




Pick the field you wish to specialize in; learn all you can about it, study the lives of the persons who have had outstanding success in that field, then strive to emulate their pattern of thinking.

Each day strive to put into action one or more of the qualities or traits that you have learned from the lives of great people. Imitate these thoughts; if you need be, at first, then you will gradually begin to originate great thoughts and actions of your own.

Take specialized training to perfect your gifts and talents. Assemble facts about the work you choose; see the good and bad sides, then, if you are still interested, let no one divert you from your goal.

Let what I call Discontent motivate you in your desire to achieve perfection. Never be satisfied with your present accomplishments or progress. When you are satisfied you cease to grow. Everything in nature is in a constant state of flux, from an imperfect to a more perfect state.

Aim for the stars, even though you may not achieve them. At least such an ambitious mind will assure you of reaching some kind of high goal. The incentive for aiming high must come from within, your desire to achieve greatness.

Create a vortex of mental activity about yourself. Break the inertia which may be holding you back by doing something; almost anything is preferable to sitting back and refusing to make an effort. There is a law in nature which states, "Action and reaction," "Cause and Effect." When you set some action into motion, it must have an instantaneous reaction. There is no cause without its corresponding effect.

Never be satisfied with the limitations that life seems to have placed on you and your expression of your talents. Remember, all great people had to break the mould of negativity and limitation to achieve their dreams. The power is within your mind to rise as high as you aspire. If you lack the education, look about you for the means to improve your mind and acquire knowledge.

- Anthony Norvell.

COFFEE AND CHOCOLATE


In fact coffee is looking more and more like a health drink. Among its remarkable benefits, new research shows, coffee may reduce the risk of diabetes, heart attack, gallstones, Parkinson’s disease, kidney stones, and cirrhosis. One caveat is that black coffee may lead to thinner bones, especially in woman, but the simple solution is to add milk to your coffee.


Dark chocolate, which contains at least 70% cocoa, has sugar than white or milk chocolate and is a rich source of health promoting compounds such as polyphenols and flavanoids antioxidants (similar to those found in green tea). Studies show that even a small intake of dark chocolate may reduce the risk of the blood clots that cause heart attack or stroke and may lower blood pressure. And as many people know from experience, chocolate also can lift your mood and give you a boost of energy. Of course, chocolate is high in calories and contains saturated fat so enjoy it in moderation – no more than 2.5 oz a day.


-Dr. Mark Liponis



VIEWPOINT

 
Think of one person who may have wronged you at some time in your life, someone who abandoned or mistreated you, someone who stole from or cheated you, someone who abused you or spread ugly rumors about you. Spend one day putting all thoughts of revenge aside and instead feel forgiveness and love for all that individual.




Notice the difference in your body when you didn’t have violent thoughts.






CONCENTRATION

Concentration is a means to develop the will so that life may be lived purposely and creatively, rather than as a reaction to the flow of sensations. Because we will not flit from one thing to another, like a butterfly, we will be able to choose to focus your mind – for example on study or work projects – and will increase our skills and knowledge in these areas. More importantly, we will be able to focus more clearly on our vision of what want to achieve. The ability to concentrate is, therefore, a valuable skill which will enhance all other skills. Almost all the drills and exercises of Mind Development help develop our ability to concentrate. But are there ways to improve our concentration directly? Yes. Read NARA’S NOTEPAD every month.

Approach people positively!

Meet you next month – FEBRUARY 2011



Prof. A. Narayanan, Ph. D., FISPP

E-mail: arumugakannu@gmail.com

www.nara.tumblr.com (NARA’S DIGEST)

www.nara2007.blogspot.com (NARA’S NOTEPAD)

www.narapcard.blogspot.com (NARA’S POSTCARD)



Thursday, December 2, 2010



NARA'S NOTEPAD

VOLUME 6
DECEMBER 2010
NUMBER 12

SUPPORTED BY
READERS LIKE YOU
LIVE WITH FLEXIBILITY

MEMO FROM NARA




‘Knowing the feelings of others’ is an important aspect of everyone’s life. Most of the times we fail to understand this simple and useful aspect of life. Generally, it is the common tendency to impose our views on others and thus powerful people suppress the less powerful people. After all we are all human beings having feelings and little bit of independent thinking. Moreover, everybody can think and decide what they want and what they want to do. When someone starts advising others, they have to know the inner feelings of others. It is always better because, the one who listens to us should not be offended. Telling and boasting oneself to another person who is not in his/her life-standard is always unacceptable. But generally people do this just to show their superiority over others. Understanding others’ feelings and behaving accordingly is a sensible proposition. May be family members or friends or strangers, - we all need to remember that they all have feelings as we have. Hurting their feelings is not a cultured behavior as all of us know. Although we all know this, still at times we forget to follow it and commit gross mistakes and misunderstandings.

Again, it is known that people differ in their behavior. Even though we follow the golden principle of knowing others’ feelings – another member of the family or a friend or a stranger may not follow it. This is the diversity of behavior we come across in our day-to-day life. What to do? We have to bear it and if possible we may make them to understand the valuable principle, so that he/she may also start following. Thus, a better society with clear understanding, open mind and respect for others’ feelings can be created. Still we may find some type of persons who feel pleasure in hurting the feelings of others. They are sadists. What to do with such characters? Better avoid them and be away from them. That may be the best way not to get our feelings hurt by such mad people who may be in our family or among our friends. Filtering people and finding some who are like-minded and helpful is, in fact an art. Let us be an artist of this art.



SOME GOOD AND BAD THINGS OF OUR LIFE

MISS UNIVERSE 2010

The greatest asset - FAITH

The most worthless emotion – SELF PITY

The most beautiful Attire - SMILE

The most prized possession - INTEGRITY

The most contagious spirit – ENTHUSIASM

THEY SAID...



You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it. – Charles Buxton




Better remain silent, better not even think, if you are not prepared to act. – Annie Besant


Ninety-nine per cent of the failures come from people who have the habit of making excuses. – George Washington



The only man never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything. – Theodore Roosevelt

JUST TO LAUGH



The boss who was on the 25th floor of the building called up the clerk on the ground floor for an important file. Since it was rather urgent the boss told the clerk it was an emergency and that he should hurry with the file. After more than 30 min. the clerk appears all tired and panting for breath. The Boss asks him shy he was panting and what caused the huge delay. The clerk replies, “Boss, when I went to the lift it said ‘during an emergency please use the staircase!!!’







Customer: Waiter, do you serve pigs?
Waiter: Please sit down sir, we serve everyone.






Lady: Is this my train?
Station Master: No it belongs to the Indian Railways.
Lady: Don’t try to be funny, I mean to ask if I can take this train to New Delhi?
Station Master: No Madam, I’m afraid it’s too heavy.

GET GOING



Everything begins with a thought. What you think about, you eventually speak about, and what you speak about, you eventually act out.     "Eventually", though, can be shorter or longer depending on your determination, will, and self control. You see, it is very easy for our bodies to feel lazy or tired or want something that's easy or pleasurable over the work that must be done. It is also easy for our minds to go off into vacation mode and occupy our mental stream with many thoughts other than what we truly wish to accomplish, what must really get done. Time passes, and the goals we had stay behind with enough time for us to have accomplished those 10 times and maybe more if we were more focused. Why is this? For one, what brings us pleasure is usually more attractive than what is right, and this is where many of us fall. We choose what feels good over what actually is good, what is convenient to our personal growth.     What if we started practicing the opposite? Each time we're faced with our options of what to do, we can ask ourselves: which is more       attractive because it makes us feel good, and which is more convenient for our development? Make the correct choice.

MENTAL MUSCLE



 Play complex games such as chess, scrabble, or bridge.

 Read at a local library.

 Keep abreast of current events.

 Talk regularly with others.

 Solve crosswords puzzle.

 Learn new skills.

 Write, paint, play a musical instrument or engage in other creative hobbies.

TEACHING AND LEARNING



The ultimate objective of any teaching is effective learning by the pupil. Strategies for teaching have, therefore, to be designed on the basis of relevant phases of the internal processes of learning. The phases are:


• Getting motivated

• Apprehending (the pupil coming fact to face with the key points)

• Acquisition

• Retention (transfer from short-term to long-term memory.

• Recall

• Generalization (applying the knowledge gained to new situations)

• Performance (the pupil demonstrates through performance)

• Feedback

The mental processes are influenced by factors such as the pupil’s questioning ability, and the availability of learning resources including teacher’s guidance. A teacher is an instrument that facilitate, promotes, hastens, and influences the activities in the internal processes in the pupil during learning.

MERCHANT NAVY SHIPS




The merchant navy is distinctly different from the navy that is part of the defense forces. The commercial fleet normally transports cargo. There are passenger ships as well.


Bulk Carrier: Carries unpackaged bulk cargo, like grains, coal, ore and cement.


Container Ship: Carries containerized cargo; containers filled with cargo can be loaded directly into the ship. They can be unloaded directly.


Reefer Ship: Carries perishables like vegetables, fruits, meat, fish and dairy products. Need refrigeration for preserving the cargo.


Tanker: Carries petroleum products or other liquids like liquefied natural gas in bulk. The term oil tanker is popular. The vessel has pumps for loading and unloading by direct pumping.


Roll-on and Roll off Ship: Carries wheeled cargo such as automobiles, and trailers which are driven on and off the ship on their won wheels.


Passenger Ships: Carries passengers and some freight. Ocean liners transport people from one seaport to another according to a regular schedule.


Barge: A long large boat usually with a flat bottom. Normally it has no power of its own: it is towed by other craft. – B.S. Warrier



LINES I LIKED



 Eating good food is more expensive.



 Every country has its own great food.


 Food is an expression of the land, climate, human capabilities, imagination, culture etc.,


 Never judge a book by its cover.


 Justice delayed is justice denied, justice hurried is justice buried.

PLAY OF NUMBERS



1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321








Put your creativity, knowledge and skill to work!

Meet you next month – JANUARY 2011


Prof. A. Narayanan, Ph. D., FISPP


www.nara.tumblr.com (NARA’S DIGEST)

www.nara2007.blogspot.com (NARA’S NOTEPAD)

www.narapcard.blogspot.com (NARA’S POSTCARD)