My Final Words For The Year 2005.

Live your life to the full, cherish your family, listen to everyone with an open mind and make a positive impact on those who come your way, and expect nothing in return.

My wish for 2006: For religious zealots to stay out of politics and a very happy and peaceful new year to everyone.

Notes From My Diary 2005

I started off the year, buying the "Paulo Coelho's Alchemy 2005 Diary." In it I've entered inspirational pieces or writings that have impacted on me positively. As I look back, here a few that stand out.

1. Happiness and success are not the result of what we have, rather of how we live.
-Jim Rohn.

2- Words have the power to destroy or heal.

3- Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.
-Albert Eindtein.

4- The true measure of a man's wealth is in the things he can afford not to buy.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

5- Rather than focusing on THINGS and TIME, focus on enhancing RELATIONSHIPS and accomplishing RESULTS.
-Steven R. Covey.

It is not that most people are incapabale of greatness, it is that they are unwilling to pay the price of success. They have the ideas, but they do not have the desire to relinquish the comforts of life. They have the dreams, but they cringe at the thought of having to endure any kind of hardship.

Take Note: Sober Virus May Hit On Jan 5, 2006.

Sober virus that has been around for seven years may hit with more venom this time, warn Computer experts.

The worm expected to be activated on Jan 5th, is to flood email boxes with pro nazi propaganda in English and German.

All major anti-virus programs can protect computers against the worm. Industry experts are advising users to instal and keep uptodate, anti-virus software.

Tech Trends To Watch in 2006

For the diehard and the enthusiastic techies, the year ahead promises more exciting products. High Definition TVs have become mainstream and a 30" Sony set will cost $700. Click Here and read about laptops geared for entertainment, capture moments through digital video, podcasting and many others that will hold your interst.

Video Games: A Big Business In India

India has a longer history, colourful traditions and a gigantic growing population than most countries that are in the forefront of the games development industry. Indiagames, a company formed in 1999 and located in Mumbai has embarked to develop Emperor Ashoka" which recreates battles from the life of a legendary Indian King who lived in the third century BC. There will be no shortage of action as Goddess Kali appears with multiple limbs and each hand weilds a different weapon.

Indiagames is also making games for the mobile phone market based on Hollywood's tested characters like Spiderman, Predator and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.While Indiagames is a leading contender many smaller companies have also come in to the creative process of developing games. India has no shortage of talent and this will be an industry that is bound to bring enviable financial returns to those who can allow their imagination to take flight and soar upto the sky. Companies that have come into this entertainment industry include Milestone Interactive Studios and Paradox Studios, both located in Mumbai and Bangalore's Dhurva Interactive are all working on original content. Dhruva has developed Pool -On-The-Net an online 3D billiards game targeted to an Indian audiance.

Shah Rukh Brings Cheers Amid Delhi's Cool.

This is a visual treat of song and dances that the bollywood king's fans can never have enough.

The Dead Come Alive Through Music

They are known as Deadheads and they are the fans of the band Grateful Dead. The band disbanded since the death of guitarist and lead singer Jerry Garcia who has always encouraged live recording and free downloading of their music shows. When the surviving band memebers halted the free downloading, all hell broke loose. The Dead heads are cool bunch gotten used to bring live recordings back from the dead. An online petition collected 5,200 signatures and a boycott of the Grateful Dead merchandise took effect. Happily for the Dead heads, free downloading was made available to them again.

Testing Times For Democracy In Egypt

A court in Egypt has sentenced an opposition leader to five years hard labor after convicting him in a forgery case. Diplomats from United States, France, Norway and the European Union observed the court proceedings. The Opposition Leader is convicted for having forged signatures to form a poltical party. Lawyers for the defence said that the trial was politically motivated.

Egypt is the US's closest ally who needs their financial support to run a country with a monopolistic rule and a broken economy that needs fixing. US and Europe have started applying pressure and it will be interesting to see how changes will come about.

Times Persons Of The Year

It is refreshing to read U2's Bono and philanthropy billionaires Bill and Melinda Gates
taking the cover of the Times as the Persons Of this year for their continued commitment in spending millions to take on global poverty.

In times past, you would think that a rock star will shine and be heard on stage and through his music. Not so any more, the world leaders in global summits such as in G8 and other meetings are now listening to them.

Software architect and Microsoft boss Bill Gates and Melinda Gates have made global leaders listen to them not only with their money but with their innovative programs to eradicate disease and lift the poor out of their plight. The human race is running against time in environmental protection and unresolved conflicts, but if there is any hope for the future, this year's cover of Times Magazine recognizing an unlikely Trio does stand out as beacon of hope that could bring happiness to the forgotten millions.

This Scientist's Head Needs To Be Examined

South Korea's Top Scientist Hwang Woo-Suk resigned in disgrace after admitting that he has fabricated the stem cell research that he earlier claimed to have successfully carried out.

How could a distinguished scientist err on such an important matter that he knew would have long lasting moral and ethical consequences for the world community. A remoreseful Hwang can be forgiven by his country and the world community but it is beyond me to understand why he took the road tha he did.

Social Entrepreneurs Bring Light To Poor Millions

This is the kind of article that will light up your spirits. "Barefoot Engineers", a program started by Indian social entrepreneur uses school dropouts and illiterate villagers to install and maintain solar energy systems that provide electricity at a rate that conventional methods could never afford to do.

We need more social entrepreneurs to come up with such innovative methods to help the poor. This is a good example the amazing power of human resourcefulness. I salute the social entrepreneurs who work on such projects and feel that the barefoot engineers have more brain power than some of the politicians who have managed to keep them poor for so long.

How about "A Change" As A New Year Resolution

With the new year fast approaching this will be a question that some people could ask of themselves, either for a change of career, business or even the way they live their life. If this subject is of any interest to you, read this article.

This is the time of the year when it is fashionable to make new year resolutions though the majority of the people will never keep them.

Change is unavoidable and it happens whether we like it or not. The best way to deal with change is to be flexible and adjust to it. Time does not wait for anyone and our life is just a fleeting moment in the bigger scheme of things. Not wanting change is unwise and therefore we all need change. The question then is, what kind of change do you want?

Do you want a new job?
Do you want to study for a degree?
Do you want to change your lifestyle?

You can decide what change you want or how you will adopt to the changes that occur around you. Make it different this time just by sticking to what you resolve.

Simplicity Is The Way Of The Future

We are not living in the era that Henry David Thoreau lived.
Thoreau himself is famously known for as the naturalist philosopher who lived a simple life near the beautiful Walden Pond for two years. He wanted to experience the simplest way to live his life and even by the standards prevailing at that time he was considered a pacifist.

Can you imagine what today's popular culture would call such living, well from crazy to lunacy would be my guess. But wait a minute. There are also simplicity movements that are beginning to pick up momemtum in this rapid fast-paced world. So Thoreau can rest with the knowledge that more people have begun to value his experience of life.

Futurists now predict that the gadgets that are so indispensable in our life are going to be less complex.
Your mobile phone, PDA or didital camera has so many functions that you may not fully understand or test them before they go to their grave. After all most people use these gadgets for their functional convenience and developers of new technology will really start to work hard not just to incorporate more functions but to make the gadgets more simple and even more user friendly for people like the "idiots" for whom a whole series of guides from birth till death is being written.

The Divided Subcontinent On Fever Pitch

It's cricket at fever pitch that has spell bound India and Pakistan for more than six weeks. For information on the current India/Sri Lanka test here's one link that you can't afford to miss.

Cricket is religiously followed by millions in India and Pakistan. Can you imagine the passions that are aroused when these two friendly rivals face each other. Such passions bring out the 'beauty and the beast' out of the fanatic fans who flock to watch their heroes in action and demand that they win.

Pakistan has just won the Pakistan/England ODI Series by 3-2. On the penultimate day of the series England won the last match salvaging some pride and flying home with their heads held high with the knowledge that a very young team has indeed done well, although this performance came a bit too late for the England fans.

There is more cricket to come for the Indians, whose team currently playing the test series against Sri Lanka also recently played against South Africa. They will very soon be playing their great rival Pakistan. Fans on both sides of this divided continent are eagerly awaiting this clash.

"Intelligent Design" Defeated in Court

Intelligent Design is not a scietific theory but a religious alternative, ruled a US District judge. But this debate is not going to go away for proponents of the theory argue that there are unexplained gaps in Darwin's evolution theory and students must be taught of the existence of unidentified intelligent causes that have contributed to the process of life.

Microsoft Under Fire For Xbox Glitch

Microsoft's rush to bring to market the Xbox 360 console, has riled enthusiastic gamers who complaining of defective designs of the product. Some have filed legal action against the software giant. Microsoft was eager to catch on the hoilday crowd and this this the result according to some industry critics.

When Microsoft is out to impose strict copyright requirements which it has a right to do, it must also make sure that it's products are not defective. Gaming has become big business and both the industry as well the consumers must play it fair and by the rules. This is the way to defeat the piracy business which is also big business .

You Are The Director Of Your Life

As I sat in the departure lounge of the Male' International Airport awaiting to board an Air Lanka flight bound for Colombo, many thoughts raced my mind. I knew I had missed a few days from posting on my blog. What would I write next. Shall I scan the net for news on cool gadgets or newsworthy social events or impending disasters? For once, my mind was not giving clear answers: So let me try something to LIVE for, POSITIVE, and VALUE driven.
How about me directing my own life and you directing your own life. Seems good, so here I go.

Life does give each one of us the opportunity to live our life. Whether we are successful or not depends not only on how we live our life but also on how we define success. To one person success was, " As long as I am above ground, I am successful." To this person, to be alive was to be successful. I am sure most other people would want more out of their life.

There are some people who believe that success is dependent on factors beyond their control. Such people are bound to suffer the disappointment and unhappiness for they see their lives taking twists and turns that they can't control. While this may be true of certain periods in the life of every person, it cannot be the norm as it deprives a person from taking personal responsibility for his actions.

Our life becomes the product of our decisions and the effort we put in to realize our dreams. Our innate potential will not be realized unless we work to achieve them. The price of our success is not dependent only on money but more on our efforts.

Pretty Woman

I fiddled with my remote control and guess who comes, a "Pretty Woman" with my favourite stars Julia Roberts amd Richard Gere. I've seen this film a few times before but decided to watch it once again although I caught the film passed midway late at night when I usually would be fast asleep.

The film is a romantic comedy that propelled Julia Roberts to megastardom. This is a classic love story with two characters at both ends of the social spectrum. Julia Roberts plays the role of a hooker but her beauty captivates the hearts of men including Richard Gere, a successful all- work-and-no-play businessmen.

You'll see some hilarious moments in this film when Julia who plays vivian, the high school drop out prostitute and has to put up with Richard in his business dealing world which Julia has never experienced before. Richard and Julia are opposites, Richard is only interested in making money while Julia loves the simple and romantic life that the 'girl next door' would. They start off liking each other despite their social difference and influence each other at a deeper emotional level.

As the film progresses you'll see a transformation in both their characters. There are great songs in the film including "Oh Prteety Woman" written by Roy Orbisson and won the 1991 Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

This is a great film, although such scripts get turned out to reality only in Hollywood, the land of dreams. Some dreams come true as was the case for Julia Roberts in this film. So keep on dreaming. You may just find the knight to come and rescue you or your country from the your plight and lift you to the stars.

Male' : Developing To A Social Disaster

Male', the capital island of the Republic Of Maldives is a community unto its own. This island had the laid back calm of a small town community untill a few decades ago.

At that time, the street lanes of coral sand lined with imposing white-walled houses with spacious gardens. Day and part of the night, the doors of these houses were left open so that neighbours can drift in and out to have a chat or gossip about the day's events.

Ironically the tranquil peace that was so refreshing to the residents as well as to the visitors has changed to what we now call a progressive lifestyle. Tourism has become the lifeline of Mladives since the early 1970s.

The tourist dollar has created an elite class that can, not only afford first class travel but are also able to own property outside the country and control businesses within the country. A community that was driven by their desire to live in harmony is now clamouring to forge a new social order. An order where the increasing gap between the rich and the poor is reduced so that the wealth of the country is equitably distributed, opportunities are available and social justice is assured and meted out to all.

The lack of a sustainable housing policy in Male' since the 1960s has seen the spacious gardens and their enclosed homes divided many times over to give rising cubicle homes to the next two generations, that has jammed Male' almost bursting at the seams. This is the inevitable result of a centralized policy to control everything from running the government to control business and commerce to communication and transportation from Male'.

Lack of adequate living space has brought about shoulder to shoulder living, crammed within the one and half square mile island of Male' creating health hazards and a social nightmare. A culture of drug abuse is prevailing among the younger generation and law enforcemnet agencies are unable to control rampant corruption. The crooks seem to be having a field day putting the law abiding citizens at their mercy.

Superficially we are rich and living a life of abundance in Male'. But this feeling is only skin deep as evident from peoples homes to hospitals to public services and to the way we are struggling to look after an aging population.

Learn From The Industreous Japanese

Japan does not have much natural resources, but it has one commodity in abundance: money. It is the world's biggest aid donor. It is one of the world's biggest foreign investors.

How did this happen to a country that was devastated after the second world war, its old military might demolished, and its citizens had struggled to get up on their feet?

The Japanese are a resilient people. After their defeat in the second world war in 1945, they shifted their focus from miltary expansion and the government and the industry was united to build the nation. The Japanese companies adopted the "best practice" methods to improve productivity and enhance performance. They imported raw materials and used them to manufacture world class products which were exported out.

Now The Land Of The Rising Sun is winning back its old colonies whose memories are fading of the past brutal occupation, purely by economic means.

Observe how Tokyo works and you begin to to realize the collosal work that has brought about this massive transformation of a country in ashes to one that is towering above the rest of the world, holding its own in economic might. Tokyo is the seat of the government, business and finance, communication and culture.

Tokyo is one the most congested cities of the world. Millions of commuters take the trains daily but their train stations are kept whistle-clean. White collar workers abuzz the city throughout the 6-day work week.

Here is what I think we can learn from the Japanese.

Japan is a small country and after their defeat in the second world war, there was bitter acrimony among the people. There was suffering and regret among its citizens. But they pulled together, geared the economy for export and worked hard.Today they have become a prosperous nation and are sharing their prosperity with other nations. Their traditions and work ethics have stood good through trying times. Community interest above individual motivation seems to have propelled Japan sky high, this time not dominating militarily but economically.