Sparrow story cycle 3 continues

Dec 20, 2011

Today morning, in the new sparrow box with the round entry, the sparrow couple inspected and planning to start next nesting cycle. I dont know whether they had started building nest inside, as till today evening, no signs of spillage of twigs. But I could observe one thing:- The nest box hole should be round, as only after making the hole from square to round, the sparrows showing atleast some interest to occupy it. Some snaps from my mobile camera.

sparrow nesting 3rd cycle

18th Dec 2011-  Begining of Sparrow nesting season - 3rd cycle.

In my sparrow nest, after a lull period of around 15days I could see some activity; for the past two days some sparrows comes and inspecting the site!!! Infact there was a fight between two male sparrow, may be for occupying the nest space.

Today ie 18th Dec 2011, Sunday.

Since morning a male and female sparrow, occupied the old sparrow house. Ofcourse, the old house was not cleaned, but I could see some activity of new twigs and tweets. The renovation of the nest is going on. The sparrows themselves, cleaning the old nest for their next nesting cycle.

Also I could see the female sparrow, exploring the possibilities of occupying the new sparrow box developed by me using card board. As an experimental measure I made the entry hole in square shapped. But so far no sparrow ventured into it. Today for the first time, the sparrow tried to enter into it. So I modified the entry point from square to semi round, as I could make a perfect round.

You can see the modified semi round hole. I hope sparrow will occupy the new nest box in future..

second cycle of sparrows

After clearing the pigeon debris, the sparrows again started the second nesting cycle.

It appears that the sparrows are undaunted by the disturbances caused by the pigeons and perhaps layed its eggs in the nest box. The second nesting cycle started around October end.

on November 10th, our maid servant shown a small still born chick in the balcony. how it came out and when it was thrown out, nobody knowns.

By then, we could see the chirping sound from the sparrow box.

From november 12th onwards, the parent sparrows start continous feeding. we should learn a thing or other from them, as it tirelessly caring for its young ones. I could see continous shuttling of both father and mother sparrows to feed the young. I could say per hour atleast 15 trips, this stars from morning 6.00am to evening 6.00pm. Some times, if I put the balcony light, the mother sparrow used to come out and pick from the feeder and feed to the young ones.

Around November 18th could see the young one peeping out of the hole to receive the feedings. Wonder.. this time, two healthy baby birds inside...

Around Nov 25th.. both the young birds compete each other to poke their beaks and face outside to receive the feeds!!! And some times almost the full body outside the hole.. and the mother bird finds itself in a precarious position, as it did not find a place to balance for feeding!!!

Over the past three week, I could enjoy the chirping sound of the sparrows, from morning to night continous chirping, it becomes a habit and felt like nice vibration and some life or movement in the home..

I was looking for good opportunity to click those pictures of mother feeding the young birds.. On monday i.e 28th Nov.. I was gearing to take an ideal shot as; by then both the chicks are grown... but alas... before clicking both the young birds taken its maiden flight and never to return...

yes ofcourse, the parent sparrows, comes to feeder.. but now the sparrow nest is empty...

but.. now i could feel some thing missing, those nice chirping sound of the young ones.. awaiting for the third cycle...

pigeon surprise!!!

10th Nov 2011,

Pigeon laid eggs even without nest in the waterhole !!!!

I had arranged waterhole for birds, particularly pigeons in the balcony of our home.

During summer months many pigeons used to frequent this to quench their thirst. Some pigeons even used to  have small shower in the waterhole.

I used to refill the mud vessel for every alternate days or once in two days. But for the past two days, i did not refill the vessel as this is start of the winter,  and to my surprise, I found a pigeon sitting in the vessel in the evening.

I went near and checked the pot.. oh.. my God, to my surprise, I found.....!!!!

oh.. A beautiful white egg in it!!!  Another egg was broken and laid nearby. I was surprised because, how come the pegions lay their eggs without any nest?  I was under dilemma whether to allow the pigeon to continue its nesting or not?  I could observe that pigeons lays their eggs even without building the nests, if they could find convenient place to hatch. The next day, after laying the eggs, i could see the mother & father pigeons brought some twigs and feathers to make a temporary nest?

Anyhow this was quite strange, Isn't?

waterhole for birds

I had arranged to place a waterhole ( a mud vessel with water capacity of 5 lts) in the compound wall. It is frequented by sparrows, pigeons, and myynahs. Yesterday, at around 8.50am while starting from home to company, a pair of mynahs using that for not only drinking water, but also for a "relaxed" bath!!!! a pic

sparrow nest & pigeon shelter

Nov 2nd 2011.

As the young pigeons grown and started flying independently, got a sense of relief, as there is an end to the nuisance of pigeons droppings.

But the worst thing you may not aware, pigeons are worst infringers!!! There was terrific fight for the nest, to occupy the nesting place for new pigeons, in the commotion the whole place around the nest becomes even dirty because of spillage of the twigs, tweets and the feathers.

Atlast, I thought to putting an end to this non-sense. I dismantled the whole pigeon nest and cleared the entire area. It took more than two hours for me to clean the mess. The pigeons for quite some time came back and forth, and now it realised it must look for some other place for shelter.

On Oct 30th, Sunday... refurnished the Sparrow nest box by adding one more new sparrow shelter made of card board. Also cleaned and refilled the sparrow food, brought 500 gms of half cut rice and 500gms of bajira ( millet). A pic.. but as on date the new sparrow shelter was not occupied by any sparrows... waiting..

The baby pigeons started moving here and there, and it appears they are impatient and wants to take it wings. Yesterday 20th Oct 2011, one of the pigeon took a dangerous manoeuver for its first flight and in the process stumbled upon the shoe rack in the balcony and it settled itself for the whole night as it could not flight upto the nest and the next day early morning, with the support of its parents could get back to its nest. ( I also not tried to put-it back in the nest as I heard that if humans touches the young birds, then its parents and the bird community will not accept the contaminated bird ( may be identified by the smell???)  and the little one would be perished till its end or needs to be survived by its own strength ( if, my memory is correct, in Malayalam, this kind of outcast is called " BRIST"). A happy reunion picture...

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Today is 17th Oct 2011, after one month of my previous photo. The pigeon had two little baby bird, which are now sturdy and ready to take its wings.
I could observe the sacrifice of the mother bird. The mother bird during hatching period did not moved anywhere, I wounder when it is moving out for eating? I don't know, whether it is having any food during the hatching period.. After around 15 days, I could hear the chirping sound of young ones. Then a cycle of tireless feeding. Oh.. after a gap of one month, both the eggs hatched and two healthy baby birds are out to start their life. But, giving pigeons in the balcony is not advisable, as unlike sparrows, makes the surrounds ugly by its droppings...I had to bear the brunt of housemaid and my family members for allowing the pigeon nest to continue...because of its droppings.

The Sparrow is ready for its next cycle.. it is still bringing fine feathers to the old nest inside the sparrow box.. but I don't think the next cycle of hatching started... a pic taken today.ie 17th Oct 2011.

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The second cycle of the sparrow nesting started last week ie on 17th Sep 2011 in my home. Both the mother and father sparrow cleaning the nest and start remodelling the house. One more funny thing is that in the upper floor, a pigeon also started nesting. The inbetween Bata box sparrow house is already booked!!! by some sparrow and start visiting. I don't know whether nesting takes places, as the entry point for that Bata box sparrow nest is by the right side entry. This shows the birds, sparrows and pigeons are compatible and would love to live by live and lets live!!!! a pic

I need to refill the bird feeder, as the food got fungal growth due to wet and damp monsoon weather. Anyhow the Sparrow box and bird feeder gives a sense of satisfaction and good time pass, and it is pleasant to hear the chirpings of sparrows in the morning and all the day long activities by the parent sparrows is a treat to watch.

to ponder... achieving peace of mind

PEACE OF MIND

Once when Buddha was walking from one town to another with a few of his followers, they happened to pass a lake.They stopped there and Buddha said to one of his disciples, I am thirsty. Go and get me some water from that lake there.

The disciple walked up to the lake. When he reached it, he noticed that some people were washing clothes in the water,and right at that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy,very turbid. The disciple thought, How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink! So he came back and said to Buddha, The water in the lake is very muddy. I don't think it is fit to drink.

After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake and get him some water to drink. The disciple obediently went back to the lake. This time he found that the lake had absolutely clear water in it. The mud had settled down and the water above it looked fit to be had. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.

Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said, See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be, and the mud settled down on its own and then you got clear water.

Your mind is also like that! When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don't have to put in any effort to calm it down.

IT WILL HAPPEN. IT IS EFFORTLESS

some random snaps

South west monsoon transforms the parched land mass into green canopy with buss of life. The mesmerising effect of monsoon rains cannot be explained but only could be experienced. The above are some snaps of the myraid colours offered by the great Indian South West Monsoon!!!!

that's monsoon...

Yesterday after evening showers, thick dark clouds moving from SW, and suddently the sun peeps out.. a magical moment... some pics. just enjoy the nature in its true colours...

some monsoon magic

monsoon magic, freshness in the air... on Twitpic

monsoon magic, freshness in the air... on Twitpic

for better life

Three things to respect-

Old Age, religion and law.

Three things to love-

Purity, Honesty and hard work.

Three things to cultivate -

Courage, cheerfulness and Contentment.

Three things to control -

Tongue, Temper and Temptation.

Three things to watch-

Speech, behavior and action.

Three things to prevent -

Laziness, falsehood and Slander.

small things

A little boy selling magazines for school walked up to a house that people rarely visited. The house was very old and run down and the owner hardly ever came out. When he did come out he would not say hello to neighbors or passers by but simply just glare at them.

The boy knocked on the door and waited, sweating from fear of the old man. The boy's parents told him to stay away from the house, a lot of the other neighborhood children were told the same from their parents.
As he was ready to walk away, the door slowly opened. " What do you want?" the old man said. The little boy was very afraid but he had a quota to meet for school with selling the magazines.

"Uh, sir, I uh am selling these magazines and uh I was wondering if you would like to buy one." The old man just stared at the boy. The boy could see inside the old man's house and saw that he had dog figurines on the fireplace mantle. "Do you collect dogs?" the little boy asked. "Yes, I have many collectibles in my house, they are my family here, they are all I have." The boy then felt sorry for the man, as it seemed that he was a very lonely soul. "Well, I do have a magazine here for collectors, it is perfect for you, I also have one about dogs since you like dogs so much." The old man was ready to close the door on the boy and said, "No boy, I don't need any magazines of any kind, now goodbye."

The little boy was sad that he was not going to make his quota with the sale. He was also sad for the old man being so alone in the big house that he owned. The boy went home and then had an idea. He had a little dog figure that he got some years ago from an aunt. The figurine did not mean nearly as much to him since he had a real live dog and a large family. The boy headed back down to the old man's house with the figurine. He knocked on the door again and this time the old man came right to the door. "Boy, I thought I told you no magazines."

"No, sir I know that, I wanted to bring you a gift." The boy handed him the figurine and the old man's face lit up. "It is a Golden Retriever, I have one at home, this one is for you." The old man was simply stunned; no one had ever given him such a gift and shown him so much kindness. "Boy, you have a big heart, why are you doing this?" The boy smiled at the man and said, "Because you like dogs."
From that day on the old man started coming out of the house and acknowledging people. He and the boy became friends; the boy even brought his dog to see the man weekly.

This simple gesture changed both of their lives forever.

NICE MORAL STORY

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island.
He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he scanned the horizon
for help, but none seemed forthcoming.


Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after
scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, 'God! How could you do this to me?'


Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island! It had come to rescue him! 'How did you know I was here?' asked the weary man of his rescuers. 'We saw your smoke signal,' they replied.


The Moral of This Story:
It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God.

good song...

PRAYING GOD NICE STORY

The Power of Prayer...

There is a story of about a sea captain who in his retirement skippered a boat taking day-trippers to Shetland Islands. On one trip, the boat was full of young people.

They laughed at the old captain when they saw him say a prayer before sailing out, because the day was fine and the sea was calm.

However they weren't long at sea when a storm suddenly blew up and the boat began to pitch violently. The terrified passengers came to the captain and asked him to join them in prayer.

But he replied, "I say my prayers when it's calm. When it's rough I attend to my ship."

Here is a lesson for us:

If we cannot and will not seek God in quiet moments of our lives; we are not likely to find Him when trouble strikes. We are more likely to panic. But if we have learnt to seek Him and trust Him in quiet moments, then most certainly we will find Him when the going gets rough.

be happy

think simply.. nice story with a moral

One of the most memorable case studies on Japanese management was the case of the empty soap box, which happened in one of Japan's biggest cosmetics companies. The company received a complaint that a consumer had bought a soap box that was empty.

Immediately the authorities isolated the problem to the assembly line, which transported all the packaged boxes of soap to the delivery department. For some reason, one soap box went through the assembly line empty.

Management asked its engineers to solve the problem. Post-haste, the engineers worked hard to devise an X-ray machine with high- resolution monitors manned by two people to watch all the soap boxes that passed through the line to make sure they were not empty.

No doubt, they worked hard and they worked fast but they spent whoopee amount to do so. But when a workman was posed with the same problem, did not get into complications of X-rays, etc but instead came out with another solution.

He bought a strong industrial electric fan and pointed it at the assembly line. He switched the fan on, and as each soap box passed the fan, it simply blew the empty boxes out of the line.

moral: Always look for simple solutions. Devise the simplest possible solution that solves the problem. So, learn to focus on solutions not on problems. "If you look at what you do not have in life, you don't have anything; if you look at what you have in life, you have everything.

nice moral

AKBAR'S GOLD COINS

The wisdom of Birbal was unparalleled during the reign of Emperor Akbar. But Akbar's brother in law was extremely jealous of him. He asked the Emperor to dispense with Birbal's services and appoint him in his place. He gave ample assurance that he would prove to be more efficient and capable than Birbal. Before Akbar could take a decision on this matter, this news reached Birbal.

Birbal resigned and left. Akbar's brother in law was made the minister in place of Birbal. Akbar decided to test the new minister. He gave three hundred gold coins to him and said, Spend these gold coins such that, I get a hundred gold coins here in this life; a hundred gold coins in the other world and another hundred gold coins neither here nor there.

The minister found the entire situation to be a maze of confusion and hopelessness. He spent sleepless nights worrying over how he would get himself out of this mess. Thinking in circles was making him go crazy. Eventually, on the advice of his wife he sought Birbal's help. Birbal said, Just give me the gold cons. I shall handle the rest.

Birbal walked the streets of the city holding the bag of gold coins in his hand. He noticed a rich merchant celebrating his son's wedding. Birbal gave a hundred gold coins to him and bowed courteously saying, “The Emperor Akbar sends you his good wishes and blessings for the wedding of your son. Please accept the gift he has sent. The merchant felt honoured that the king had sent a special messenger with such a precious gift. He honoured Birbal and gave him a large number of expensive gifts and a bag of gold coins as a return gift for the king.

Next, Birbal went to the area of the city were the poor people lived. There he bought food and clothing in exchange for a hundred gold coins and distributed them in the name of the Emperor.

When he came back to town he organized a concert of music and dance. He spent a hundred gold coins on it.

The next day Birbal entered Akbar's darbar and announced that he had done all that the king had asked his brother-in-law to do. The Emperor waited to know how he had done it. Birbal repeated the sequences of all the events and then said, The money I gave to the merchant for the wedding of his son – you have got back while on this earth. The money I spent on buying food and clothing for the poor " you will get it in the other world". The money I spent on the musical concert " you will get neither here nor there."

This is true even today.

The money you spend on friends is returned or reciprocated in some form or the other.

Money spent on charity gets converted into blessings from God which becomes your eternal property.

Money spent on pleasures is just frittered away!

So when you spend money, think a little, if not a lot!

3 wishes of Alexander the great

Alexander, after conquering many kingdoms, was returning home. On the way, he fell ill and it took him to his death bed. With death staring him in his face, Alexander realized how his conquests, his great army, his sharp sword and all his wealth were of no consequence. He now longed to reach home to see his mother's face and bid her his last adieu. But, he had to accept the fact that his sinking health would not permit him to reach his distant homeland. So, the mighty conqueror lay prostrate and pale, helplessly waiting to breathe his last.

He called his generals and said " I will depart from this world soon, I have three wishes, please carry them out without fail."

With tears flowing down their cheeks, the generals agreed to abide by their king's last wishes.

"My first desire is that My physicians alone must" carry my coffin",

After a pause, he continued " Secondly, I desire that when my coffin is being carried to the grave, the path leading to the graveyard be strewn with gold, silver and precious stones which I have collected in my treasury".

The king felt exhausted after saying this. He took a minute's rest and continued "My third and last wish is that both my hands be kept dangling out of my coffin".

The people who had gathered there wondered at the king's strange wishes. But no one dared bring the question to their lips..

Alexander's favorite general kissed his hand and pressed them to his heart and asked " O king, we assure you that all your wishes will be fulfilled. But tell us why do you make such strange wishes?"

At this Alexander took a deep breath and said:

"I would like the world to know of the three lessons I have just learnt.I want my physicians to carry my coffin because people should realize that no doctor on this earth can really cure any body. They are powerless. And cannot save a person from the clutches of death. So let not people take life for granted.

The second wish of strewing gold, silver and other riches on the path to the graveyard is to tell People that not even a fraction of gold will come with me. I spent all my life Greed of Power, earning riches but cannot take anything with me.Let people realize that it is a sheer waste of time to chase wealth.

And about my third wish of having my hands dangling out of the coffin, I wish people to know that I came empty handed into this world And empty handed I go out of this world".

With these words, the king closed his eyes. Soon he let death conquer him and breathed his last. . . .

3 Wonderful Lessons to be learnt from this special story is that

1.Remember, your Health is in your own hands, look after it.

2.Wealth is only meaningful if you can share it with the poor and the needy you are still alive & healthy.

3. What you do for yourself, dies with you, But what you do for others will live for ever.

Worth emulating - the universal truth...

enjoy reading this

1. Once abig stone obstructed Rajani's way.
He kicked high in sky and now it is so called
.
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.The MOON

2. Once when shooting on a beach in Tamil Nadu, Rajanikantkicked a stone..
Now that stone is known as
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SRI LANKA


3. Rajinikant participated in 100 meter race and obviouslyhe came first...
But Einstein died after watching that...
bcoz..
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LIGHT came second...


4.Once Rajinikant participated in Moto gp Bike race......
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Don't even try to guess wat happened
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Rajinikant won d race on neutral gear!


5. Rajinikanth doesnt breathe. Air hides in his lungs forprotection.


6. Once Rajinikant went to Bhopal for shooting and had astomach upset.....and the result was..
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BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY...


7. 1 day Rajinikant got angry on his sweeper boy., he kickedhim so hard that he went flying in the sky with is broom...
2day that boy is famous as "HARRY POTTER"...


8. Before tom cruise,rajnikant was approached for
the movie "mission impossible"
but he refused
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as he found the title insulting


9. Once Rajnikanth was asked how he felt about the jokesmade on him which were spreading through sms and internet.
To everyones surprise he started laughing and replied-EnnadaDo you really think they are jokes?


10. Rajni once taught a child how to play

counter strike and that guy is now
called..............
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"OSAMA BIN LADEN"

thats rajini mindit


11. Once Dinosaurs borrowed money from Rajnikanth andrefused to payhim back... .
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.......
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That was the last time anyone saw Dinosaurs


12. Rajinikanth once kicked a horse in the chin. Itsdescendants are today called giraffes.



13. An e-mail was sent from Pune to Mumbai
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Rajnikant stopped it in Lonavla ... : D

14. as a kid Rajnikant maintained a diary of day to dayactivities,
today that diary called as.
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Guinness Book Of World Records

15. once Rajnikan taught a kid how to enter a house withoutringing the doorbell....
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today that kid is known as inspector Daya.


16. Once a boy inserted A CD named rajnikanth
into his PC...
Guess wot...

.
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.His PC started Rotating around the CD rom



17. Intel's new tag line for its processors ...
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"Rajnikanth Inside"

18. Rajnikant's school time homework is now known as
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wikipedia

19. Rajnikant was caught on d highway forspeeding................
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While walking

20. Rajnikanth and Superman once had arm wrestled and theloser had to wear his Underwear over his pants..
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We all know who won



21. Rajnikanth knows that Bingo Mad Angles is tasty from .
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which angle.

22. Once Rajnikant taught a boy how to kiss. Now that boy isknown as '.
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Emran Hashmi'

23. Rajnikant can make two parallel lines.
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. Intersect each other.





24. When Rajinikant croses the Road, the cars have to look
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left and right before moving.

25. After release of Robot, Rajnikanth gave Times of India 3stars.



26. Rajnikanth calls VOLDEMORT by his name and Voldemortcalls him as "u know who"


27. Rajnikanth goes to court and sentences the judge...


28. Rajnikanth kills harry potter in the 8th book.

29. Rajnikanth can kill Spiderman with BAYGON!!!


30. Time and tide, wait for Rajnikanth.....


31. Rajnikanth knows ...
:
:
Who let the dogs out !!! :D


32. Rajnikanth was practicing for a spelling test... Therough sheet he used is known as ...
:
:
OXFORD DICTIONARY !! :D

33. Rajnikanth has seen the face of the fat lady who ownsthe house in ...
:
:
TOM and JERRY !! :D

34. If Rajnikant was born 100 years back, Britishers wouldhave fought to get independence from India !! :)


35. The ultimate RAJNI fact :

Even GHAJINI remebers RAJNI !!!!!

Rajni Rox !!! :)

36. People who set CAT paper will have to pass RAT paperfrom this year onwards.

Yes RAT paper....
:
:
Rajnikant Aptitude Test !!! :)


37. Rajinikanth once had a heart attack...
His heart lost..:-p

wisdom

1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in
trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs towards the right
path!

2] Do you know why a Car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the Rearview
Mirror is so small?
Because our PAST is not as important as your FUTURE. Look
Ahead and Move on

3] Relationship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn,
but it takes years to write

4] All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it,
they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't
last long either.

5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a
Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always
need a Base of Gold!

6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles
from above and says,
"Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!

7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS
abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your
abilities.

8] A blind person asked Swami Vivekanand: "Can there be anything
worse than losing eye sight?"
He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"

9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrows' TROUBLES, it takes away
today's PEACE.