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HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2008 TO YOU

HAPPY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR 2008 TO YOU

Can you afford an education loan?

While the oil mafia tried to entice him with bribes to turn a blind eye on fuel adulteration, murdered IOC sales manager S Manjunath refused to waver in the line of duty, despite his own financial constraints.'

A poignant story printed in The Indian Express reveals that, of his modest monthly salary of Rs 25,000, Manjunath was paying Rs 10,100 as EMIs towards two education loans (of Rs 3.5 lakhs) taken to finance his studies at IIM-Lucknow. In addition, three months ago, he had availed of a car loan from his employer (EMI: Rs 1,300).

It feels odd and a little sacrilegious to read about the private details of a deceased person's life. But, in this case, the details are being published to make a point -- that Manjunath could easily have taken the bribes offered and made his life easier.

He had apparently defaulted on the previous month's EMI for the PNB loan, prompting his father to write a stern letter to the son. A letter the son did not live to read...

Till debt do us part

Today, education loans have become a way of life. And that is definitely a step in the right direction.

Without an easily available loan, an IIM education may not have been possible for a middle class student like Manjunath.

But paying back is not as simple as all the banks who say 'Hum se le lijiye (take the loan from us)' would like you to believe.

Because not every MBA graduate gets a fabulous starting salary. Not even graduates from the IIMs. And definitely not, in the case of thousands of students from hole-in-the-wall MBA institutes.

Yet, any and every B-school today is charging several lakhs in fees. The magic solution offered to middle class parents: 'Take a loan.'

Rs 4 lakhs for an MBA course and no one bats an eyelid. Because, there are some things money can't buy -- like an interview call from IIM. For everything else, there are loan schemes. Over 1.75 lakh students nationwide availed of these loans in the last financial year.

Certainly, loans are now easily and freely available. With the change in policy circa 2001, loans upto Rs 4 lakhs don't even require margin or collateral. On such loans, PSU banks charge exactly the same interest as the Prime Lending Rate. Right now, that stands at 10.5 %.

Which is good. But not as good as housing loans that are available at 8-8.5%. Or even car loans that many banks will happily offer at 8.5%. So why are student loans so pricey?

Simply because they are riskier. Historically, banks have been shy of student loans because, even back when fees were far more modest, students have defaulted. To be more specific, they've simply disappeared. And the poor bank doesn't even have an asset to attach.

The problem is more acute in case of students taking loans for study abroad. Those loans are therefore priced higher -- at 1% above the PLR -- and require collateral.

But, now, the government is considering more drastic solutions. PSU banks recently put forth a proposal asking for a bar code or Radio Frequency Identification on passports -- so that students availing such loans can be tracked.

I don't know if it's practical or technically feasible, but it is quite a novel idea!

Think before you...

The point is 'how to finance your studies' is the easy part. But, before joining a particular institute, make sure you have an idea of the kind of salary you will earn on passing out. Most banks offer a six month grace period after which the EMIs begin.

The average salary from the average B-school is about Rs 15,000-Rs 20,000 pm (gross). Ditto for engineers getting into IT jobs. Can you afford to live in Mumbai, Delhi or Bangalore on Rs 10,000 a month (rent, transport, food, bijli, et al) and repay Rs 10,000 as EMI?

Of course, you'll eventually earn more but not right away! A cousin who graduated from a B-school ranked around 25 got a 'decent' job, but found the going tough. The first six months, she was happy enough. Then, the EMI payments started and suddenly every small indulgence became a major issue.

Inevitably, she ended up defaulting on the EMI. And then, hopping jobs twice, lured by a couple of thousand rupees more. I'm not saying this would happen to everyone -- but it's a very real danger!

In the case of MBA placements, it's important to note the fine print. For example, Indiabulls hires MBAs from lesser known institutes as Selling Agents, or Selling and Relationship Agents. The pay package offered to these students is Rs 4.5 lacs pa of which only Rs.1.8 lakhs was fixed and the remaining Rs 2.7 lakhs is 'variable'. This means, it is generally based on your performance or offered as a performance incentive. If your company thinks you are not doing well, it can hold back this amount.

But the worst off would be medical students. Given that they earn paltry sums until they complete their MDs, it makes sense to take a loan only if your dad owns a nursing home or is willing to shoulder your EMI burden for several years to come!

The abroad story

In case of loans for studies abroad, you can borrow upto Rs 15 lakhs (more from private banks). But will you be able to earn in dollars or pounds after finishing the degree -- at least to recover your tuition costs?

If not, are your parents wealthy enough to start forking out the rather large EMIs that will follow?

So be a 'loan ranger' but make doubly sure the country you choose to study in has work permit possibilities. Eligibility for jobs is also linked to what course you are doing.

For example, it may be next to impossible to get work in Australia if you're a media graduate. If you are an accountant, IT professional or secondary school teacher -- professions classified under 'skills shortage' -- chances are much better.

Is going to study accounting in Australia, therefore, a good idea? I would say only if you are turned on by accounting in the first place. But there are folks who think otherwise.

The future

Student loans have long been a fact of life for college goers in the US. Interest rates (linked to their PLR) are lower than in India, but the sheer number of people who take loans (practically every college-goer!) means the overall student loan market is huge.

The happy news for them however is that interest rates on federal student loans have dropped to an all-time low -- at 4.06% in July 2005. And loan payback periods are far longer than the 5-7 years offered to Indian students.

As more and more Indians turn to education loans, I expect we will see better rates and more options. Assuming most of the current loanees pay up and don't spoil the party for future generations!

Choose wisely

So, what am I saying? That loans are a burden to pay off -- so don't bother getting an education? Not at all.

I'm just saying that you should make your choices wisely. The best education adds long-term value -- and you have to be willing to pay the price.

The problem is, not all degrees, diplomas and quasi-degrees/ diplomas are really a value-add. But we live in a culture where people think an 'additional qualification' is definitely an asset. At least it looks good on paper...

But, sometimes it's better to keep that kaagaz kora -- save on those EMIs and write your own destiny!

Secondly, even if you've joined an institute of some repute, be prepared for some amount of struggle in the initial years. And never, ever go overboard on those credit cards banks will queue up to offer you now that you are 'earning'.

Paying off a student loan is painful but unavoidable. Paying 24% interest for things you could do without but bought on credit anyway is just plain stupid. And maybe you do deserve to burn in repayment hell!

 

Planning for your child's education? Here's help

I remember paying Rs 4,000 per annum when I did my engineering. However, when I took admission for MMS, and heard the fees was Rs 25,000 per annum, I could barely keep myself from fainting.

I mean Rs 16,000 for 4 years and Rs 50,000 for two years.

Then came another shocker when the juniors at my engineering college told me that the annual fees were hiked to Rs 32,000. Ouch!

By the time we moved into the third semester of MMS, our next batch had to cough up close to Rs 50,000 per annum for two years of management course.

Circa 2007. Just last week I visited a management institute whose director told me that the fees were Rs 1.25 lakh per annum.

Outrageous, isn't it? But real, too, at the same time.

Just imagine the cost of educating your child when s/ he grows up. If the thought scares you then, perhaps, this is the right time to start educating your child about how important money is and will become when s/ he grows up.

It is exactly for such situations that I have devised a financial plan. In this plan, I am taking a 12 per cent annual rise in cost of education for making financial plans, whereas in four years the cost has gone up five times, implying an annual growth of -- hold your breath -- close to 50 per cent.

If our kids have to shoulder the responsibility of financing their own education then shouldn't our schools start including financial education in our syllabus?

But as long as that does not happen, we have two options: Either to pass the legacy of funding their own education, so that even they end up being in as good (or as bad) a financial position as we are today, when they grow up, OR, educate them about money matters today, so that they are better off financially when they start their careers.

Imagine if they are taught the impact of the formula which they learn in Class VIII for a four-mark mathematics problem.

Consider this formula: A = P (1+r) n

Now let us apply this formula to a routine mathematical problem.

Yash, a standard VIII student got Rs 100 from his grandmother on his birthday. Instead of spending it, his parents taught him how to deposit the money in the bank. Yash deposited the Rs 100 in the bank for 10 years at an interest rate of 8 per cent. How much money will Yash have after 10 years, on his18th birthday?

If we substitute the values from the above question in the given formula, then we get,

P = Rs 100

n = 10 years

r = 8 per cent

Therefore, A = 100 * (1 + 8 per cent)10  = Rs 215.89.

In simple words, the money doubles up in a mere 10 years. Isn't that wonderful? Just replace the Rs 100 amount by Rs 10 lakhs and then perhaps you may find it wonderful.

Of course, the rate of return of 8 per cent taken here for calculations is a very conservative figure. Assume that this money is invested in safe instrument like say a fixed deposit in a government bank.

After all, this money is meant to provide for your child's education and you may not like to play around with it.

However, if you are financially savvy, this money can easily be invested in stocks, mutual funds, insurance schemes that may give you higher returns for a horizon of ten years.

Imagine what wonders could be achieved if your child starts investing Rs 5 every week, right from her/ his Class I (Age: 7 years), till the time s/ he appears for SSC. For the record, a weekly investment of Rs 5 @ 4 per cent per annum will give you Rs 2,944.92 against a total investment of Rs 2,400. These numbers might not sound very impressive, but the underlying concept is definitely very strong.

Financial planners emphasise about the importance of starting early -- if you start the day your child is born, s/ he will have an additional 21 years; tinker around slightly with the investment/ week and the rate of interest -- and you will see the difference!

Neither were we as children taught about how to save money nor are we as adults doing anything to teach the next generation about money. Isn't it time we rectified our mistakes?

For starters, let your child know what are the fees that you are paying for her/ his education, and also let her / him know what the fee was when you were a kid. Ask her/ him to do the math and calculate how much is the percent rise (keep a handy cam ready to shoot her expressions!).

Then ask her/ him to calculate the number of years before s/ he completes her/ his graduation.

Tell her/ him the fees, which you paid for graduation, and hence tell her/ him to calculate the fees, which s/ he will have to pay once s/ he approaches graduation, using the rate of growth, which s/ he has, calculated.

Now ask her/ him how much money should be invested every month and at what rate of interest so that the amount is reached -- and then tell her/ him to start doing it. All this exercise, after all, is meant to teach her/ him and make her/ him implement what s/ he is otherwise learning to score four marks in the exams.

The problem here is our ethos and thinking: Why should our children know how much fees we are paying? We love our children and we will do anything to fund their education -- how financially incorrect.

You were never told about inflation and the time value of money, so today you are under a Himalayan load of loans.

But do you want your children also to be in the same situation?

Nobody's questioning your love for your children, but what's the harm in teaching some money gyan, which will be useful to them in the long run.

While expenses continue to soar, competition is taking its toll. Not everybody makes it to the top of the pyramid, so forget high salaries, and hence a reduction in standard of living.

I wouldn't want my child to lead a life full of financial compromises. Would you?

 

Going for an education loan? Read this

Do you dream of joining a US or UK university to pursue your studies abroad? Or are you the one who thinks that Indian university courses are at par with their peers abroad?

In any case, you will require substantial amount of money to pay for your term fees, tuition fees etc. The cost of education in India as well as in reputed universities abroad has gone up substantially in recent times. Even if you have the talent and the determination to make it big in the academic world lack of financing sometimes hamper your ambitions.

Worry no more. To solve the problems of funding your education a number of Indian banks have come up with innovative loan products that help you in pursuing your dream academic course.

However, as a student you may be confused as to how you go about applying for a student loan, what are the points that you must remember while applying for a student loan.

To begin with, interest rate is one of the most important deciding factors when students approach a bank for an education loan. The interest rate also determines the overall cost of your loan.

Here are a few points that students should remember while approaching a bank for a student loan:

1. Interest rates vary significantly from bank to bank, and will also depend on the amount of the loan. 

2. Most PSU banks have an option to allow you to defer the payment of interest and principal till the completion of the course so that you can start repaying both the interest and principal from your earnings.

However, you always have an option of paying the interest portion of the loan immediately from the month following the disbursal of the loan, and keep paying it during the tenure of the course. The interest is normally payable on a quarterly reducing basis.

3. Some banks charge interest on a daily or monthly reducing balance as well. 

4. The interest rates can be fixed or variable. Under a fixed rate option, the rate of interest for the entire tenure of the loan will remain the same. Under the variable option, the rate is tied to the Prime Lending Rate (PLR) set by the concerned bank, and keeps changing half-yearly or yearly.  

5. Usually, nationalised banks offer variable interest rates, while private and foreign banks offer fixed interest rates. Some banks, like SBI, also give you a choice between fixed and floating interest rates. 

Processing fees

Processing fees vary from bank to bank. For example, PSU banks do not charge any processing fee, while some private banks charge 2.25 per cent of the loan amount as the processing fee.

Margin

The margin is the amount you need to pay from your own funds, while the rest is paid by the bank.

If you need, say, a loan of Rs 100,000 and the bank is ready to finance 80 per cent (Rs 80,000) of the loan amount then you will have to make arrangements for the remaining 20 per cent (Rs 20,000). In this case, Rs 20,000 is the margin amount.

Many banks have a margin for loans, which means that they will provide between 75 per cent and 90 per cent of the total cost of the course; you will have to pay the balance.

The scholarship amount, processing fee (if any) and insurance premium on the Life Insurance Policy (paid by the bank) can be included in the total loan amount for the purpose of calculating the margin.

The margin requirements on education loans are not very rigid. The industry norm is generally 5 per cent for studying in India and 15 per cent for studies abroad, for amounts exceeding Rs 4 lakhs. These, however, are indicative figures, and vary from bank to bank.

The margin money is calculated from time to time on the outstanding balance of the loan. You will be required to bring in this margin money on a year-to-year basis, as and when the disbursements are made on a pro-rata basis.

 

Romantic Messages

You Are Everything I Love
Sweet as a rose & bright as a star, cute as a kitten thats what u are, bundles of joy, sunshine n fun, u are everything i luv all rolled into one.

 

Sail away 4eva
Like a fallen star u fell into my life, u made me smile wen thingz werent rite. If hugz were water id send u the sea n sail away 4eva jus u n me.

 

1000 Ways
1000 words 1 could say, 1000 wishes i could pray, 1000 miles legs could walk, 1000 sounds a mouth could talk, 1000 times ill b true, 1000 ways 2 say i luv u!

 

When u say nothing at all !
Theres a smile on ur face tht lets me knw tht u need me, truth in ur eyes sayin u'll never leave me, da touch of ur hand says u'll catch me whenever i fall, u say it best..when u say nothing at all!

 

 

FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE

Love starts with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a tear.    

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Don't cry over anyone who won't cry over you.

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Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget.

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You can only go as far as you push.

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Actions speak louder than words.

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The hardest thing to do is watch the one you love, love somebody else.

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Don't let the past hold you back; you're missing the good stuff.

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Life's short. If you don't look around once in a while, you might miss it.

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A best friend is like a four leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have.

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If you think that the world means nothing, think again. You might mean the world to someone else.

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When it hurts to look back, and you're scared to look ahead, you can look beside you and your best friend will be there

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True friendship never ends.

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Friends are forever.

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Good friends are like stars....You don't always see them, but you know they are always there.

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Don't frown. You never know who is falling in love with your smile.

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What do you do when the only person who can make you stop crying is the person who made you cry?

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NOBODY IS PERFECT UNTIL YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH THEM. (Isn't that the truth?)

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Everything is okay in the end. If it's not okay, then it's not the end.

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Most people walk in and out of you life. But only True friends leave footprints in your heart.


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The Fine Art of Receiving

Do you feel the Love? Do you feel the Joy? Do you feel the warmth and hugs of the Angels on your shoulder? Take a deep breath and relax. You are LOVED. Oh, so incredibly LOVED. Every human soul that arrives on this planet arrives with it's own personal entourage of Angels. Many times for purposes of the lessons we have chosen to learn, we hide this knowledge from ourselves. We hide the doorway that allows us to access their knowledge, their beauty and their laughter from our lives.

 They are our family and they have the utmost love and respect for us. If you have ever had a pet and known the unconditional love given to you by such a gentle soul, you have already experienced a small percentage of the total unconditional love that your Angels have for you. It is not that our pets love us because they do not see all of our "bad" qualities. The truth is they see all of us. Their All-Knowing souls take in every quality we have and love us regardless because they do not judge our humanness as we do. To them, all our qualities are important and necessary qualities, never to be judged.

 Our Angels wait with profound patience to be acknowledged. The joy they feel when you ponder their existence or acknowledge their presence is immense. While they are capable of immense LOVE, they relish the energy of loving exchange and are nourished by our sending Love to them. Most of us walking the Earth right now are members of the Angelic legions of Archangel Michael. I was first introduced to A. Michael during a channel by Ronna Herman at the Kryon Family Summer Reunion two summers ago. Up to that point I had read some channelings of His but it wasn't until sitting in the live channel that I understood the joy of being in the presence of this powerful entity. What I have come to understand is that each of us, yes, you reading these words and all that call themselves Lightworkers are part of this energy called Michael. Michael is not separate from us. He is US and WE are HIM. In our dream time, many of us travel to others and assist them at different levels just as they assist us. If you are ever in peril, call upon the energy of the Michael entity and you will know and feel in an instant, the powerful energy of LOVE as it wraps itself around you in the form of Angelic Wings. The Earth and all of her inhabitants are linked by this very powerful energy and it is always available to us to be called upon. The saying "Do not take God's name in vain" means to me, literally that you can never take God's name in vain for as soon as you take it, the assistance you have requested is available to you.

 Open your hearts and beings, dear Brothers and Sisters and feel the LOVE pour forth into you from the celestial and Angelic realms. Give your Guides and Angels permission to show you they are working in your life. That is their only task. To assist you in ANY way you ask them to. Take a small leap of faith and ask to be given something as a sign. Then watch for it, for you will not be disappointed. I have yet to hear of a person who has not received the sign they asked for. Then dare to ask for something a little more tangible, more physical. Keep it small at first. Allow yourself to get used to the energy of receiving these small gifts. The idea is not to try to make it impossible to receive the gift but to allow them to give it to you within the range of your belief system. If you ordered furniture but kept your gate closed, the delivery truck will never be able to get through. If you ask for a $1 bill for example be prepared to receive it from a friend lending you an extra dollar, finding it in jacket at the back of your closet or under you car seat. If you ask for $1000 dollars but do not believe you will receive it, then you have fulfilled your own belief as you have kept the gate closed.

 If you are trying to meet a partner or change jobs, allow yourself to receive small tokens around these desires first. Ask to have more people offer you a smile. Or request you be informed of or invited to social events where you might meet other fun people but not necessarily "The One". You might allow yourself to be notified of openings in the area of your job interest. Not so much for you to apply for them, but for you to know that they exist. You might ask to meet other people who have made similar job changes to yours. Allow your vibration to adapt to the new frequencies of that which you would like in your life. Your Angels can help bring those energies into your life and prepare you to receive them.

Prepare to be immensely LOVED, prepare to receive immense JOY and prepare to dance with your Angels.

Offered in Love and Light. Many Blessings...

 

Girl with 4 Boyfriends

(This is really worth reading)


Once upon a time there was this girl who had four boyfriends.
 
 She loved the 4th boyfriend the most and adorned him with rich robes and treated him to the finest of delicacies. She gave him nothing but the best.
 

She also loved the 3rd boyfriend very much and was always showing him off to neighboring kingdoms.  However, she feared that one day he would leave her for another.

 She also loved her 2nd boyfriend. He was her confidant and was always kind, considerate and patient with her.  Whenever this girl faced a problem, she could confide in him, and he would help her get through the difficult times.

The girls 1st boyfriend was a very loyal partner and had made great contributions in maintaining her wealth and kingdom. However, she did not love the first boyfriend. Although he loved her deeply, she hardly took notice of him.

 One day, the girl fell ill and she knew her time was short. She thought of her luxurious life and wondered, I now have four boyfriends with me, but when I die, I'll be all alone.
 
 Thus, she asked the 4th boyfriend, I loved you the most, endowed you with the finest clothing and showered great care over you. Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'

'No way!', replied the 4th boyfriend, and he walked away without another word.

 His answer cut like a sharp knife right into her heart.

 The sad girl then asked the 3rd boyfriend, 'I loved you all my life.  Now that I'm dying, will you follow me and keep me company?'

 'No!', replied the 3rd boyfriend. 'Life is too good! When you die, I'm going to marry someone else!'

 Her heart sank and turned cold.
 
 She then asked the 2nd boyfriend, 'I have always turned to you for help and you've always been there for me.  When I die, will you follow me and keep me company?'
 
'I'm sorry, I can't help you out this time!', replied the 2nd boyfriend. 'At the very most, I can only walk with you to your grave.'
 
His answer struck her like a bolt of lightning, and the girl was devastated.
 
Then a voice called out: 'I'll go with you. I'll follow you no matter where you go.'
 
The girl looked up, and there was her first boyfriend.  He was very skinny as he suffered from malnutrition and neglect.  

 

Greatly grieved, the girl said, 'I should have taken much better care of you when I had the chance!'
 
In truth, you have 4 boyfriends in your lives:
 
Your 4th boyfriend is your body. No matter how much time and effort you lavish in making it look good, it will leave you when you die.
 
Your 3rd boyfriend is your possessions, status and wealth. When you die, it will all go to others.
 
Your 2nd boyfriend is your family and friends. No matter how much they have been there for you, the furthest they can stay by you is up to the grave.
 
And your 1st boyfriend is your Soul, often neglected in pursuit of wealth, power and pleasures of the world.  However, your Soul is the only thing that will follow you where ever you go. Cultivate,
strengthen and cherish it now, for it is the only part of you that will follow you to the throne of God and continue with you throughout Eternity.
 
Thought for the day: Remember, when the world pushes you to your knees, you're in the perfect position to pray.
 
Pass this on to someone you care about - I just did.

True love

This is what True Love is all about:

It was a busy morning, approximately 8:30 a.m., when an elderly gentleman in his 80's, arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He stated that he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am.
 
I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him look at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound.

On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, we began to engage in conversation.  I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife.

I then inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of
Alzheimer' s Disease .

As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.

I was surprised, and asked him, "
And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are? "

He smiled as he patted my hand and said, "
She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is."  I had to hold back tears as he left, I had goose bumps on my arm, and thought, "That is the kind of love I want in my life."

True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be.  

With all the jokes and fun that are in e-mails, sometimes there are some that come along that have an important message, and this is one of those kind. Just had to share it with you all.


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All dreams come true..

All dreams come true.  Someday.

 

@>=,==='====  In youth, I sheathed all my uncertain romantic feelings in the idea that I needed my own home and my own money before I could ever hope to have a woman to call my own.

 

I found the first two.  And I found myself wrong.

      

@>=,==='====  Today I believe that by experiencing genuine, nurturing and reciprocating friendships with women; I will be able to shed my soulfleece and discover with my naked heart the enigmatic woman that I long to be with whenever I feel alone.   A woman who will bloom the best in me.  A woman whom I can please, nurture, and pleasure with all that is intimate within me.

 

Someday. 

@>=,==='====  Despite past disappointment, I know that I can never deny nor forget the precious smiling memories of falling into love...that still cling to the reefs of my heart and mind--to surface as childish glee upon new and uncertain meeting.   And I think to myself, how could I never imagine burying these treasures alone with myself upon some desserted isle.  Never to set sail upon the current wrought waters of Amour.

 

All dreams come true.     

 

@>=,==='====  I cannot help but be attracted to very affectionate, empathically honest and kind woman that possess an alluring feminine voice, clever and witty conversation, and a softly proportionate presense that is sensual to behold.

 

Someday.  

 

@> =,==='====  I am always interested in artistic expression and astrology, relationships and psychology, cooking and recently baking (that I have added to my creative repetoir--perhaps out of hope that it may make the differenc to her...).

Someday. 

@>=,==='====  I have always been a caregiver in career and especially in my friendships.   The most relevent and meaningful work I ever found was when I worked with children as a T.A. and a recreational programmer for a non-profit childrens organization.   I would like very much to do that again once more.

 @>=,==='====  Someday. All dreams come true.

love u

I still love you......... ...

Why do you hurt me
W hen u know how muc h I love u
Why do u leave me alone
W hen u know h ow much I need you
Why do I wait for you
W hen I know t he wait is gonna be so long
W hy do I expect happiness around you
W hen I know t his can never happen
Why do I ever hurt you
W hen I know th is would bring me pain
W hy do I expect so much
W hen I h ave nothing to return
If love meant to be tears and sorrow
Why do we feel happy in love
W hy do we still cheris h every moment
That we have spent in love.
I still love u no matter w hatever pain it has caused
Will always do the same, no matter w h at you have done . . .

with love

Dont be Af raid t o Tell Some one Y o u Love them...


















lovers call

I love you,

I really love you.

I love you till it hurts.

I know I love you,

I'm sure I love you.

That love grows stronger everyday

Yes, I'm positive this is love.

But what is love?

Now… I THINK I love you.

If this is not love, then what is?

Please love me, so I know this is love.

I know I want to love you,

So I'm thinking that I love you.

Hey…do I love you?

Love you…love you not.

Love you…love you not.

Love you…love you not.

Love you. So, I do love you then.

It's not as hurt as before, is this love?

Even tough it is not, I still want to love you

Coz when nobody loves you, that precious you,

Who else in this world deserved to be loved?

Error! Filename not specified.So I do, really do love you!

Love Quotes for Scrapbooking

No love, no friendship can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever.

Francois Muriac

In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities.
Janos Arany, The greatest Hungarian epic poet, 1817- 1882

 

Where there is love there is life.
Indira Gandhi, Indian politician and prime minister. 1917-1984

 

Life is the flower for which love is the honey.
Victor Hugo, French romantic poet, novelist and dramatist, 1802-1885

 

Love, and you shall be loved
Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet, lecturer and essayist, 1803-1882

 

Love is a fruit in season at all times, and in reach of every hand.
Mother Teresa of Calcutta,Albanian born Indian missionary and founder of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity. Nobel Prize for Peace in 1979. 1910-1997

 

When I saw you, I was afraid to meet you... When I met you, I was afraid to kiss you... When I kissed you, I was afraid to love you... Now that I love you, I'm afraid to lose you.

 

We are shaped and fashioned by what we love.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German playwright, poet, novelist and dramatist. 1749-1832

 

Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.
Robert Frost,American poet, 1874-1963

 

If music be the food of love, play on.
William Shakespeare,English dramatist, playwright and poet, 1564-1616

 

Love is when you take away the feeling, the passion, the romance and  you find out you still care for that person

The best proof of love is trust.
Dr. Joyce Brothers, American psychologist, columnist and author, b.1928

 

In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.
Eva Burrows

 

Deep down even the most hardened criminal is starving for the same thing that motivates the innocent baby: Love and acceptance
Lily Fairchilde

When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor, best known for his Meditations on Stoic philosophy, AD 121-180

To say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days.
William Shakespeare, English dramatist, playwright and poet, 1564-1616

Love truth, but pardon error
Voltaire, French philosopher and writer. One of the greatest of all French authors, 1694-1778

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "SOMEBODY YOU LOVE" & SOMEBODY YOU LIKE"

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "SOMEBODY YOU LOVE" & SOMEBODY YOU LIKE"
 
In front of the person you love, your heart beats faster.

But in front of the person you like, you get happy.

In front of the person you love, winter seems like spring.

But in front of the person you like, winter is just beautiful winter.

if you look into the eyes of the one you love, you blush.

But if you look into the eyes of the one you like, you smile.

In front of the person you love, you can't say everything on your mind.

But in front of the person you like, you can.

In front of the person you love, you tend to get shy.

But in front of the person you like, you can show your own self.

you can't look straight into the eyes of the one you love.

But you can always smile into the eyes of the one you like.

When the one you love is crying, you cry with them.

But when the one you like is crying, you end up comforting.

The feeling of love starts from the eye.

But the feeling of like starts from the ear.

So if you stop liking a person you used to like, all you need to do is cover your ears.
But

If you try to close your eyes, love turns into a drop of tear and remains in your heart forever.

9 Words women use & if MAN IS not alert,will pay heavily in Emotions

9 Words women use & if  MAN IS not alert,will pay heavily in Emotions
9words
1.) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and
you need to shut up.

2.) Five Minutes : If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour.
Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to     --- watch the game before helping around the house.

3.) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you
should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with 'nothing' usually end in 'fine.'

4.) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don't Do It!

5.) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often
misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and
wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about
nothing. (Refer back to #3
for the meaning of 'nothing.')

6.) That's okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can  make to a man.
'That's okay' means she wants to think long and hard before
deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.


7.) Thanks : A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say
"You're welcome."

8.) Whatever: Is a woman's way of saying F@!K YOU!

9.) Don't worry about it, I got it:
Another dangerous statement, meaning this is  --- something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it  herself.
This will later result in a man asking "What's wrong?"
For the woman's     ----- response refer to #3.

Send this to the men you know, to warn them about arguments they can avoid breaking up with their girlfriend ---if they remember the terminology.

Send this to all the women you know to give them a good laugh, 'cause they --know it's true.

 

Most Romantic one liners

RHYME WITH THE MOST ROMANTIC FIRST LINE, BUT THE LEAST ROMANTIC SECOND LINE... *

*My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife:
Marrying you screwed up my whole life.*


*I see your face when I am dreaming.
That's why I always wake up screaming.*


*Kind, intelligent, loving and hot;
This describes everything you are not.*


*Love may be beautiful, love may be bliss,
But I only slept with you because I was pissed. *


*I thought that I could love no other --
That is until I met your brother.*


*Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.
But the Roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the sugar bowl's empty and
so is your head.  *


*I want to feel your sweet embrace;
But don't take that paper bag off your face. *


*I love your smile, your face, and your eyes --
Damn, I'm good at telling lies!*


*My love, you take my breath away..
What have you stepped in to smell this way?*


Ultimate Love Story.....

Ultimate Love Story.....


It was a lovely December morning in the hottest city in the world. All right, so that was a little unfair. Chennai is not the hottest city in the world. But it certainly is the city with the most uncomfortable weather among the cities that I have lived in. And I've been around. But I digress.

I was in the company bus on my way to work, as usual trying to catch up with my sleep. On this particular day, a girl got on the bus, came to my seat and sat down. "Good Morning," she said. I looked back at her through half closed eyes, replied "Good Night," and then proceeded to return to my half hour nap before the bus reached the office. Unfortunately, I was
woken up by a punch in the arm.

"Wake up, bozo!" She was looking at me with a big smile on her face. "I'm not sitting next to you to listen to you snore."

Half-heartedly, I opened my eyes and turned to her. "What's up?" I asked.

Preeti Mehra was tall, good-looking and slightly tomboyish. She was also my best buddy. "Come on," she said. "Don't look so disappointed. You'd rather sleep than talk to me?"

"I talk to you everyday, Preeti."

"You also sleep everyday."

"It's not enough."

"So you've had enough of talking to me, eh?"

You can't argue with a statement like that, so I had to give up. I grinned and said, "OK, sweetheart. What's on your mind?"

"I wanted to tell you what happened yesterday. Can you guess?"

"Anurag called you last night."

"How did you know?" She was stunned.

"Oh, he asked me for your number yesterday."

"And you gave it to him?"

"What else could I do? And stop complaining. You've been drooling over him for weeks now. He must have thought he had a chance."

Preeti was the kind of girl who would openly ogle at every other guy she saw. And yet, she would not respond to any advances of a romantic nature.
She'd happily join a group of boys to go to a cricket match, but if asked out to a movie, dinner, or even coffee, she'd never say yes. She defined 'Hard-To-Get'.

"You like putting me in these situations, don't you?" she said.

"No. That's not true. I love putting you in these situations!"

That invited another punch in the arm.

I had known Preeti for a year. We'd tell each other about our joys and our sorrows, our victories and our defeats. I'd tell her about all my crushes and she'd scold me for being silly. She'd drag me to classical music concerts and I'd add them to the list of things she 'owed me' for. And though I never let it show, I must say that she punched pretty hard.

~*~
It was 12:00 am and my phone was ringing. "Hello," I said, as I picked it up.

"Happy Birthday!" It was she.

"You're supposed to throw me a surprise party, sweetheart. Not just call to say Happy Birthday."

"Well then open your door, dumbo!"

So I did and found her, cell-phone in hand, at my doorstep -- with what seemed like half the population of my company. My roommates were supposed to be working late that night. Now I knew why. I blew a lot of candles (seemed like much more than 25), cut my cake, got kicked in the behind, and got painted with the cake's icing. If Preeti had had her way, she'd probably have preferred to use a paintbrush and a can of paint. But I bribed her with a copy of the book "Lord of the Rings".
She'd borrowed it from me three times already. I thought it was about time I gave her a copy for herself.

We chatted for an hour after everyone had gone. "I think it's time I left," she said finally, trying to stifle a yawn. I nodded. I dropped her home in my roommate's car. As she was getting out of the car, I stopped her.

"Hey, Preeti."

"What?"

"Thanks."

"Hey, don't get senti on me now!" she smiled. "Are you trying to worm out of that gift you promised me?"

"You know, it's interesting how I'm getting you a gift on my birthday."

"That's just because you're stupid," she grinned. "And you better get me that book, or I won't return your copy."

"Hey, that copy was a gift to me from my dear friend Preeti Mehra. I can't let you keep that."

She wasn't falling for that. "Your dear friend? And what about me? Am I not dear to you?"

"Very smart. That won't work with me. I'm not one of your Love Crazy suitors. Why do you need the book anyway? You've read it umpteen times already."

"That is besides the point. You are getting me the book. We both know that." She smiled that wide confident smile of hers. "Good night." And she got out of the car.

I sat there for some time, just thinking. Our conversations were always like this - a little joking, a little teasing and a lot of demanding. But somehow, I felt that something had changed since the moment she had turned up at my door that night. I was still in my reverie when a paper ball landed on the windshield. I craned my neck out of the window and looked up. She was standing in her balcony.

"What are you still doing there?" she whispered loudly.

"Waiting for you to start a paper-ball fight," I whispered back.

"We can do that tomorrow. Go home now. It's way past your bedtime!"

"Ok, mommy," I grinned back. "I'm going home now!"

~*~
I'm an extravagant gift-giver, and it is definitely going to be my downfall some day. I made her wait for it, but finally bought her the book. That, and half-a-dozen other omnibus collections of various authors, including a copy each of `The Complete Works of Shakespeare' and `The Complete Short Stories of Charles Dickens'. All I got for it was an "I told you so."

I started spending a lot of time at her place after that. Mostly because I wanted to read all those books, and she wouldn't lend them to me.

"I'm not as stupid as you, ape-man. I'm not falling into the same trap I laid for you. Plus, you dog-ear your books. You're not doing that to these masterpieces. So if you want to read them, you read them here. And if you want to mark your place, use a bookmark."

So that's what I did. She'd even make me wash my hands before I touched the books. It was as if they were sacred.

"Need I remind you that it was me that bought you the books in the first place? For my birthday!"

"So? They're mine now."

"Well, then. I've been meaning to ask you this for a long time. Where exactly is my birthday gift?"

"It was in your tummy at one point of time. It's probably been washed into the sea by now."

"Huh?"

"Remember the cake I baked you on your birthday?"

"You what? You can't bake cakes!" That was a mistake. She looked hurt.

"You baked me a cake?" She didn't say a word. She just shrugged.

I was stunned. "But you never told me."

"You didn't ask." That was typical of her.

"It was fantastic! And you wasted most of the icing on me!"

"The cake was for you, dumbo."

"How long did it take you to make the whole thing?" It had been a two-layered vanilla-chocolate cake with three flavors of very creamy icing. She had done all that!

"Well, the chocolate cake took an hour and fifteen minutes, and so did the vanilla. Then cutting them up and putting them together took another 15 minutes. Each flavor of icing took 20 minutes for preparation, and then putting it on the cake took another half hour. Cleaning up the mess took an hour."

She seldom claimed the credit for anything, but once she started bragging, there was no stopping her. However, I wasn't thinking about that right then.

"You spent over five hours on that cake?"

"A little over four hours preparing it, and an hour cleaning up. Yes."

I was speechless. I didn't know how to react. She hated cooking.

"I forgot to mention," she continued, "the hours I spent the week before that, practicing. Even the birds wouldn't touch the first three cakes!"

I couldn't help but ask. "Why?"

"Because the first one got burnt, the second one was only half cooked, and in the third one, I forgot to add sugar."

It was just like her, to try to divert the conversation. "I mean why did you spend so much time on baking me a cake?"

She looked at me like I'd asked her why the sun rises in the east. "For your birthday, stupid. Of course, I also wanted to beat every gift you've ever got me. Try beating this one." She was grinning like she'd won the world championship.

As far as I was concerned, she had. I'd never spent a week making her anything. I'd never even spent an hour making her anything. Getting her a gift normally involved me taking her to the store, letting her choose and use my credit card. Suddenly, I felt cheap. "Thanks," was the only thing I could say. "Thanks a lot."

"Hey. Are you getting senti on me again?"

I was.

~*~

I was still mulling over my feelings for Preeti the next day at work when my boss asked to speak to me.

I went over to his cabin and he started with the usual greetings, asking how work was going and whether I was comfortable. He then told me that the company wanted to send me to New York for a couple of years. Normally, this wouldn't have made much of a difference to me. I could work anywhere and didn't have too much love for visiting places foreign. But right then, the first thought that came to me was that I'd be away from Preeti for two whole years. Twenty-four hours before, I'd have been disappointed to lose her company. But right then, I was devastated. That was when I knew I was in love with her. I'd had crushes before. Lots of them. But this was different.

"Do you have any problem in going?" my boss asked, since I hadn't responded.

"Not really," I replied. What else could I say? That I was in love, and couldn't bear the separation?

"When do I have to leave?"

I had a month.

~*~

"Wow! New York! Great! I've heard it's a fantastic city! Did you know it snows there in winter?" Preeti was obviously very excited about my going.

She didn't seem to share my disappointment on what I now saw as 'separation'.

I had not decided then if I was going to tell her how I felt. We'd known each other for a little over a year, and we were very close, but beyond some mild flirting, the relationship had never got even close to romantic. That was, of course, until I found out she had spent a week baking me a cake. It's funny how small things seem to make such a big difference.

"What happened?" she asked. "You don't seem very happy."

"Oh," I replied, "it's just that it's so sudden, that's all. And you know I was never all that interested in going to America."

"What an idiot. Go see the place. I've heard the women there are amazingly beautiful." She had a sly smile on her face. I wanted to tell her I didn't care if I laid my eyes on another woman again, if she wasn't with me. But I didn't.

I realized that I only had another month with her. She'd rejected every guy who'd asked her out ever since I'd known her. I didn't want the same to happen to me, and I didn't want to make it awkward between us. I didn't want to risk that month. I wanted it to be the best time I had ever spent with her. After I came back from the US, I might not even get to meet her

again. Two years was a long time.

We ate out almost every night. We visited some of the best restaurants in the city. She also helped me shop for warm clothes, formalwear, shoes, toothpaste and a million things I'd never have thought of on my own.

"You need to buy a nail-cutter." My roommates and I shared one.

"I've prepared a list of must-have medicines that you should carry."

"Your iron won't work in the US. No point buying one here as you need one that works at a hundred and ten volts and has flat pins. You can buy one at a K-Mart or Wal-Mart as soon as you get there."

"You need at least two pairs of formal shoes and at least ten pairs of dark socks. The East Coast has a formal dress code. And you won't do your laundry more than once a week or two."

"How many ties do you have? And which trousers do your blazers go with?"

"Better get a haircut before you leave from here. Knowing you, you'll postpone the first haircut for too long."

She'd call me up at one in the morning to tell me to add 'one more item' to my list.

And with every passing day, I was falling more deeply in love with her.

The month swept by quickly. The day I was supposed to leave, I asked her to come with me to the airport. "Of course, dumbo. You think I'd let you go just like that, or what?"

After packing my bags for me and checking the lists for the hundredth time, she finally pronounced me "Good to go."

We reached the airport four hours early to beat the rush, because it was an international flight. She got a visitor's pass to sit in the waiting area while I went ahead and checked-in my bags. Preeti had got a spring balance from somewhere and so we knew my bags were well within the weight limit. I finished the formalities and came to sit with her. We had only a few hours before I had to go for my security-check. We decided to get something to eat at the food court. And all the time, the one thing that was going through my head was that, after this, I wouldn't see her for at least another two years.

"Hey, Champ. Why so glum?" She saved 'Champ' for special days. Normally, it was just 'dumbo', 'bozo', 'ape-man', 'matchstick man', 'weirdo', or if she was very irritated with me, 'nutcase'.

"I don't want to go," I said.

"I don't want you to go either."

"No, you don't understand." I couldn't hold it in any longer. "I can't stand the thought of living without you by my side."

She stared at me. There was a strange look in her eyes. I couldn't read it.

"I am madly in love with you, Preeti."

At this, a sound escaped her lips that sounded like a cross between a sob and a laugh. "Well, dumbo, you've picked an absolutely fabulous time to tell me about it!"

A tear escaped her eyes. It was all I could do to stop myself from wiping it off her cheeks.

"How long have you felt this way?" She seemed amused, though she was definitely crying. I didn't know what to make of it.

"From the day I found out you had baked me a cake."

She laughed. "That's all it took? Well, bozo, I guess a way to a man's heart is certainly through his stomach! Hold it. A month? You waited a month? You were the one who kept saying that if you really liked a girl you wouldn't waste a day in telling her!" She was smiling widely now. It looked funny, with her eyes all wet.

"Well, I was confused. How did I know how you'd react? In fact, I still don't understand your reaction. I thought it would change things between us. You've rejected every guy who ever proposed to you!"

"That's because I'm in love with you, you overgrown idiot!"

"What?" Somehow, I'd never expected her to say that. She was in love with me? "How long have you been in love with me?"

"Ever since the day you offered to carry my suitcase for me."

"But that was the first day I met you!"

"I guess I was always a sucker for chivalry."

"All this time you've been in love with me and you never said anything! Then you go and complain that I waited a month!"

"You guys are so bad at reading a girl's mind."

"You women are so good at keeping your thoughts a secret! Even Einstein couldn't figure you out."

"Einstein was a nerd. Casanova, on the other hand, understood us very well."

"I love you."

"I know."

That moment, my dear friends, was magic. I looked into her eyes and took her hands in mine. Physical contact for us had been limited, until then, to a punch in the arm, a slap on the back of the head, or giving each other a 'high five'.

"You realize, don't you," she said, "that this is our first date?" Leave it to her to notice the little things.

"I really don't want to go." I'd always maintained that love is a bucketful of emotions. I wasn't exactly delighted to be proved right.

"Don't worry. I'm coming there in a couple of months."

"How? On a dependent visa?"

She laughed. "For that, I'll have to wait, won't I? I've got a project in New Jersey."

I couldn't believe my ears. "What? When did that happen? You never even told me!"

"Well, I wasn't sure you'd propose before you left. And I couldn't exactly sacrifice you to those New York women, could I? I had to watch out for myself. So I went on a project-hunting spree. There is an opportunity coming up for a project in about two months. Someone is coming back to India, so I'll be taking his place. They want me there for a little less than two years." She was beaming. "I realized I had struck gold!"

"And if I'd not told you how I felt? When were you planning on telling me about it?"

"Around a month before I reached there. I had to make it look natural. Or you'd think I was desperate."

"Well, you are desperate!" This was incredible. All I'd done in the past month had been to mope around, listen to sad songs and write her letters that I never intended her to read. "You've been scheming all this while! How come you didn't lay a trap for me a year ago?"

"I tried giving you hints, dumbo, but you just wouldn't pay attention!"

 She was laughing. "You're the only guy I ever spent any time with. Wasn't that a big enough hint?"

That was true. She would happily join a group of boys to go to a cricket match, but I now realized, only if I was one of them.

"What if I had rejected you?" I was extremely flattered that she'd been crazy about me for a year. My ego was swelling.

"You must be kidding!" she was clearly amused. "I get proposed to every few days. You are the one who's been rejected more times in the last year than I can count on two pairs of hands!"

She really knew how to burst my bubble.

"Hey," she said softly, "don't look so dejected. I said 'Yes', didn't I?"

I grinned. "Yes, you did. And you've made me a very happy man. But you know what would make me even happier?"

"What?"

"If you learn to cook as good as you bake cakes."


So she punched me in the arm again. 

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