London Olympics 2012

OPENING CEREMONY

The 2012 Olympics commenced with style on 27th July with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth as the chief guest. It really was amazing scene. Lets check some photos of the event.

Fireworks illuminating the evening. London looks wonderful.

Some English countrywomen.

Celebrations going on and on.

Her Majesty, the queen and Prince Philip.

Usain Bolt, the fastest man on earth, carrying the flag for Jamaica.

The Brazilian team entering.

Chinese : ahead on list after the day 01.

 Sri Lankan team headed by Niluka entering the ground.

We with you guys all the best. The opening ceremony shows that this Olympics is going to be not like ever before. Let's have a sporty season guys.

How to behave properly in public - 01 ***DINNER ETIQUETTE***

Hello dear friends,

A lot of people are confused about the way they behave or what they do at formal events are proper or not. As I very well know, there are many who would like to know what-to-do and what-not-to-do at such an event. For example,

• How to respond at interview
• How to behave at dinner table
• What gestures to be followed when meeting important people
• Proper greeting
• How to say proper goodbye......................

So as to start a series of posts on the subject, let us know about "The Dinner Table Etiquette" today.

When you attend a formal dinner party, it usually contains three main courses.

1. A starter - Soup,a small portion of appetizer or a light salad. 
2. A main course - this is a large portion of meet, fish or poultry or a vegetarian option, usually served with vegetables
3. A dessert - this may be some cheese, ice cream or some fruit but it is usually a sweet dish.

OK, let's see how the table should be arranged for such an event at the first place.

As you can see, begin with FARTHEST from the plate. First, soup shall be served in a soup bowl with under plate. The soup spoon should be placed on the under plate when you finished with it.

Usually a table is set for a right handed person. So the knife will be held in right hand. But if you a re left handed, you can always change sides or ask the serving person to change it for you. That is completely ok rather than making huge noises like having a battle on your dinner plate. :D

Second course is the main meal. You should always make sure you do not disturb others on the table. So it's better to keep your elbows as close as to your body. (But make sure you are comfortable enough to eat) And DO NOT keep elbows on table during meal. (This is informal gesture. Should be avoided at any occasion like interview, meeting, etc.)

Hold the fork and knife from the edge. Don't make it like you are going to war with knife. Index finger is pressing the knife.

Now let's see how fork and knife are kept during and after finishing the meal. Two main practices are followed; Continental style and American style.

01. Continental Style

02. American Style

Note the different fork facing side in both ways. It is generally accepted that you follow a single style thus not mixing up both.

Last course is the dessert. The utensils for the dessert are kept on above the plate. In dessert, the fork is handled by left and the spoon by right. 

Few things to remember................

1.       Once seated, unfold your napkin and use it for occasionally wiping your lips or fingers. At the end of dinner, leave the napkin tidily on the place setting.

2.       It is good dinner table etiquette to serve the lady sitting to the right of the host first, then the other ladies in a clockwise direction, and lastly the gentlemen.

3.       Hold the knife and fork with the handles in the palm of the hand, forefinger on top, and thumb underneath.

4.       Whilst eating, you may if you wish rest the knife and fork on either side of the plate between mouthfuls. When you have finished eating, place them side by side in the centre of the plate.

5.       If the food presented to you is not to your liking, it is polite to at least make some attempt to eat a small amount of it. Or at the very least, cut it up a little, and move it around the plate!

6.       It is quite acceptable to leave some food to one side of your plate if you feel as though you have eaten enough. On the other hand, don't attempt to leave your plate so clean that it looks as though you haven't eaten in days!

7.       Desserts may be eaten with both a spoon and fork, or alternatively a fork alone if it is a cake or pastry style sweet.

8.       Should a lady wish to be excused for the bathroom, it is polite for the gentlemen to stand up as she leaves the table, sit down again, and then stand once more when she returns.

9.       Always make a point of thanking the host and hostess for their hospitality before leaving.

10.  It is good dinner table etiquette to send a personal thank you note to the host and hostess shortly afterwards.

Here I will end up the post today. I hope you read few interesting and important things. Please note that I also checked these things in internet and summarized here so my it would be some support to you. 

Have a nice day...............................

Thinking power to change your life

Hi Guys,

Life is a hard work and it's full time job. Lot of people have confusions what to do and how to do to be what they want to be in their life. And lot more people do not realize what they want to be in their lives. Well, that's the hard thing. Who you want to be.  If you can answer that question, you can start making your way towards it. Let me put some points I have seen for me.

• Identify who you are. 
• Prepare your goals to where you want to be
• Love your life, dont make it hard to live
• See the beauty of world and see something good in everything you see.
• Identify your people (friends and enemies)
• Come out of the comfort zone.

These are few things I thought would be important. Today I received a mail about being POSITIVE. I believe sharing that would be a good thing.

Harness your positive power
A negative outlook usually leads to negative experiences, but taking an optimistic approach to life, and everything it throws your way, can reap dividends and lead to positive experiences.
Some evidence even suggests that being positive makes us happier, and happier people generally live longer!

Be in control of yourself
The biggest difference between people is their attitudes. We can be positive or negative, and this is reflected in our enthusiasm for doing things, or our response to certain situations. Although you cant necessarily control the things that happen to you, you can control how you react to them. For example, if an accident holds you up on your way to work, you are likely to be late and quite possibly very angry — but getting angry is wasted energy. Have a coping mechanism or strategy — just accept you are going to be late and deal with it.

Dwell on the past
What is gone is gone, and how you deal with the aftermath is the most important thing. There is no point apportioning blame, either on yourself or others. You have the power to change a situation and move on. It is so easy to say ‘I should have done things differently with the benefit of hindsight. However, if bad things have happened, look at tomorrow at exactly what it is a new day in which good things can happen, if you let them.

Get off to the right start
On waking, take some time to lie there and think about the day ahead and your feelings about it. Think about your attitude to each aspect of the day and consider if there is any part that you feel particularly negative about. If so, think about the best way to deal with the event in this situation, but more importantly, where possible, think about how you will manage in the future — is there a way of not putting yourself in this situation again in the future?

Enlist help
If there is any particular task that you really cant face alone, then enlist some help.There is nothing like getting someone else on board to help out to make you feel more positive about tackling a job be it at home or at work.You could even try enlisting the help of your family be a martyr and end up feeling miserable about your chores and responsibilities.

Be pro-active
If there are things in your day that you are truly going to struggle to be positive about, try and work out what is it about them that makes you feel that way. Is there anything you could do that could change your attitude towards it? If you regularly dread your commute to work, then perhaps you could consider a different mode of transport. If it is your job that is the problem, then is it perhaps time to start looking for work elsewhere.

Carry happy memories
If you are ever feeling negative, nothing quite perks you up like a happy thought. Think of the positive times in your life and when you were at your happiest. You might be able to prompt your memory and happy feelings by carrying a cherished item or photograph, or even by listening to a favourite song with positive associations.

Tomorrow is another day
Aside from famously being the last line in Gone with the Wind, this truism should be used in your daily approach. However bad your previous day may have been (and you might be feeling your previous optimism didn't pay off), it is worth persisting rather than letting yourself turn towards your dark side.

Thinking positively is about making a commitment to yourself to get the most out of your day. It is about being enthusiastic, keeping your mind focused on important things and developing Strategies for dealing with problems. The best advice is to do your best each day and try not to look back at things that happen to you along the way just reflect on them in a positive learning way.

Of a person's mood, Abraham Lincoln once said, 'Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be'. It's up to you as to how you feel, and how you act. In turn, this will affect the way in which others react towards you. Remember, if you always do what you've always done, then you'll always have what you've always had.

Manage Your Life

Hello again, We are meeting at the end of another day.

Today  I'm going to tell you a bit about myself. Working in a office from 8 to 6 is not any easy thing. Sitting in the same place, doing the same old thing. A guy like me can hardly bear it. Sometimes I think how I'm going to survive this long journey. Because it's just started. "There's a long path sonny", tells my mind, "Keep up your spirit".
But that is the biggest problem. How to keep spirit up? I was thinking with myself a little and figured what my problems are.

• Work is BORING. how to make it interesting?
• Time management is a huge issue.
• I'm getting fat with sitting all day.
• How to be happy with the remaining time
• What happens to my social life? 
• How can I keep interest in my hobbies?

   

These are problems faced by lot of people in the society today. If we cant manage our life, then we fall into stress. Everything falls down: from your family to work efficiency. We are living in an era where everything has become a race and we are all running towards money. But we don't understand, at the end of this race, we are lost. 

Yesterday I was reading a book; WHO WILL CRY WHEN YOU DIE by ROBIN SHARMA. There I came upon one chapter which I feel is valuable. 

"The golden thread of a highly successful and meaningful life is self – discipline. Discipline allows you to do all those things you know in your heart you should do but never feel like doing. Without self – discipline, you will not set clear goals, manage your time effectively, treat people well, persist through the tough times,care for your health or think positive thoughts. 


I call the habit of self – discipline “Tough Love” because getting tough with yourself is actually a very loving gesture. By being stricter with yourself, you will begin to live life more deliberately, on your own terms rather than simply reacting to life the way a leaf floating in a stream drifts according to the flow of the current on a particular day. As I teach in one of my seminars, the tougher you are on yourself, the easier life will be on you. The quality of your life ultimately is shaped by the quality of your choices and decisions, ones that range from the career you choose to pursue to the books you read, the time that you wake up every morning and the thoughts you think during the hours of your days, when you consistently flex your willpower by making those choices that you know are the right ones (rather than the easy ones), you take back control of your life. Effective, fulfilled people do not spend their time doing what is most convenient and comfortable. They have the courage to listen to their hearts and to do the wise thing. This habit is what makes them great.


“The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do,” remarked essayist and thinker E.M. Gray. “They don’t like doing them either, necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.” The nineteenth – century English writer Thomas Henry Huxley arrived at a similar conclusion, noting: “Perhaps the most valuable result of all education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you like it or not.” And Aristotle made this point of wisdom in yet another way: “Whatever we learn to do, we learn by actually doing it: men come to be builders, for instance, by building, and harp players, by playing the harp. In the same way, by doing just acts we come to be just; by doing self – controlled acts, we come to be self – controlled; and by doing brave acts, we come to be brave.”

Even though this is a short passage, there are lot of things to think about. We should TAKE CONTROL BACK of our lives. We should DO what is RIGHT even though it's not easy. Take time to think. Life is not a race. Life is to Live. Enjoy your life. 

TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR LAPTOP

Hi guys, so you are here. That means taking care of laptop and battery is a problem for you also. ;) Obviously it's a big problem for me. How do we increase the battery life? Charging and discharging. Cleaning exterior and screen. How to keep laptop while working. Ventilation. Lot of stuff coming to scene. So before we proceed, lets categorize main situations we face.

•  Battery span is very less. Can't run without battery?
• Why we can't keep "lap"top on "lap"?
• my laptop gains boiling temperature when using. :(
• How to clean dust without damaging?
• proper way to use a laptop.

Let's see what-to-do and what-not-to-do with your laptop.

01. Ventilation is a big and important issue.

A laptop is a machine. Taking electricity and doing your hardwork. So how does it remove energy? HEAT. When processor is working, lot of heat is produced inside this small structure. But some people dont understand why there are FAN GRILLS in the side. Lot of people block it. (so did I and replaced a damaged fan last month.)

DO NOT KEEP LAPTOP ON YOUR BED. It will cover the vents and damage the internal parts. (I saw some article one guy was dead because of Carbon Monoxide formed due to lack of ventilation.)

What can we do?

• Always try to keep on a hard, flat surface (like a table)
• Use cooling pad (its not costly. 10 $ will do the trick)
• Make sure vents are not covered.

02. Cleaning surface and LCD.

Clean your laptop with a soft cloth regularly. Dust is not a healthy substance (definitely not healthy) If possible, use a small vacuum pump to clean inside the key board. 

DONT press hardly or clean thoroughly at the LCD screen. It is a very delicate thing and damage easily. There are special cleaning fluids and soft clothes. (Guys, this part is very expensive.)

03. Keeping "lap"top on "lap".

 We are talking about lot of heat guys. Heat and radiation. First thing, you might block the vents and disturb cooling process. Other thing, why risking with your important body parts. ;) i'm totally serious. Heat radiation can damage your manhood. It's not good for your laptop and your self. Try to keep on a flat surface again.

04. Drinks and Snacks.

AVOID drinks and snacks when you are using laptop as much as possible. I have spilled my drinks on the keyboard. This happens despite how careful we are. Why take chances. 
If you are eating at your keyboard, you are inviting ants to feed inside your mother board. (they destroyed my playstation completely)

05. Carrying it around.

This is a tricky part. you are advised not to carry it around keeping it ON. If you want to move it, make sure the system is properly turned off. This can damage the hard drive.

06. BIGGEST issue : Battery

Is your battery also discharging very fast? Your laptop also doesn't work without power cable? Then you also have the same problem like I do. This is what my battery says. :P

You guys who are still having not this bad situation also should give attention to this. Laptop battery is what makes it standing out from a PC. 

The main factors affecting the lifespan of the battery are temperature and charging. So again make sure enough ventilation is there. Lot of people are having confusions whether they should allow the battery to be discharged or it should be kept in power all the time.

• Keep the laptop running on power whenever possible. A laptop battery comes with a manufacturer specified number of life cycles to charge and discharge. So more frequent you discharge, sooner your battery will end.
• Are you confused what happens to the battery when it is fully charged? After fully charged, the battery is not connected to the circuit. Laptop draws power only from wall socket. So nothing to worry about that.
• Discharge battery once a few days. But NOT completely. Fully discharging the battery can damage its cells.
• Avoid 100% charging. some people might think its insane. But this also is like fully discharging. But is it possible? yes, there are some apps like that. In my samsung, I had one app to charge only upto 90%.
• Do not leave your laptop inside car if outside is too hot. 

Here we are guys. These may not be all my personal ideas. But some important things I thought worth sharing with you also. Off we go then. Take care of your laptop well. See ya in next post soon. 

LATEST SMART PHONES OF THE DAY....

Hi guys, 
How Ya All Doing? Things are going cool around here. And I thought to address some issues I faced myself few months back. WHAT ARE THE LATEST + HOTTEST SMART PHONES FOR THE DAY. Yup. So I thought why dont I share something I found with you guys.

The mobile market is rocking these days. And changing nonetheless. Every month a hot shot is coming out and "goldies" become "oldies". (like poor S 2)  So which phone you should go for? What do you look in a phone? precisely speaking in a SMART PHONE.  These are some of the stuff we all like to check in a phone.

• first and best : LOOKS 
• processor
• ram
• camera
• video (1080p@30fps)
• wifi (hotspot) / GPS / HDMI
• thick or thin ( I love ma Motorola RAZR for this)
• good touch

oki, there are lots of hot stuff hanging around the market and some big names dominating the titles. Lets check which are crowned titles each brand is keeping upto date. (this will change in couple of months, lets keep upto date guys.)

01. SAMSUNG GALAXY S3
Size           : 4.8 inch (Corning Gorilla Glass 2)
Storage     : 16/32/64 GB
Ram          : 1 GB
Camera     : 8 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / 1.9 mp front
Processor  : Quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9

OS            : Android OS, v4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich)

Battery      : Li-Ion 2100 mAh
Price         : 98,000 (Sri Lankan rupees) / 2500 (Qatar riyal)


check full specs here (by courtesy : gsmarena)

But this does not have lot of improvements from S2. people were expecting much from Samsung. They have worked well on the LOOKS (which derives from apple) and the touch. But I expected at least 1.2 gb ram. Because S2 was a very stable phone. Even the arrival of Iphone 4S didnot make much threat to that. Most people believe Samsung could have done better than this.

02. SONY XPERIA S
Size           : 4.3 inch ( Scratch-resistant glass )
Storage     : 32 GB (No card Slot)
Ram          : 1 GB
Camera     : 12 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / 1.3 mp front
Processor  : Dual-core 1.5 GHz

OS            : Android OS, v2.3 (Gingerbread), upgradable to v4.x

Battery      : Li-Ion 1750 mAh
Price         : 75,000 (Sri Lankan rupees) / 2300 (Qatar riyal)


check full specs here (by courtesy : gsmarena)

Sony is another big name came to mobile market gradually with android OS. I remember those good old days when nokia was dominant, Sony Erricsson also was hanging there. But now the SONY BRAVIA engine, lot of people are talking about this. The sleek mobile looks quite hot. and 12mp camera with sony technology speaks a lot.

03. APPLE IPHONE 4S
Size           : 3.5 inch (  Corning Gorilla Glass, oleophobic coating )
Storage     :  16/32/64 GB storage  (No card Slot)
Ram          : 512 MB
Camera     : 8 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / vga front
Processor  : Dual-core 1 GHz Cortex-A9

OS            : iOS 5, upgradable to iOS 5.1

Battery      : Li-Po 1432 mAh
Price         : 90000 (Sri Lankan rupees) / 2500 (Qatar riyal)

check full specs here (By courtesy : gsmarena)

The long awaited hot shot from Steve Jobbs. Lot of people are mad about this. But I personally not apple guy. However, Apple hardware has its own secret. with obvious differences of specs with other high end phones, iphone 4S has fast performance, superb touch, camera speed, etc. This phone feels solid.(dont drop it guys. it is SOLID) As apple comes, no battery removing, no fingering with OS. very restricted but still rocking. 

04. HTC ONE X
Size           : 4.7 inch (Corning Gorilla Glass)
Storage     :  32 GB storage  (No card Slot)
Ram          : 1 GB
Camera     : 8 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / 1.3 mp front
Processor  : Quad-core 1.5 GHz

OS            : Android OS, v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)

Battery      : Li-Po 1800 mAh
Price         : 86,000 (Sri Lankan rupees) / 2500 (Qatar riyal)


check full specs here (By courtesy : gsmarena)

The next big guy from Taiwan. With bigger screen One looks good. HTC also coming out very fast with the growing android market. With slightly lesser price than Galaxy s3 and iphone 4s, HTC looks ready for a long journey.  

05. MOTOROLA RAZR MAXX
Size           : 4.3 inch (Corning Gorilla Glass)
Storage     :  16GB storage  
Ram          : 1 GB
Camera     : 8 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / 1.3 mp front
Processor  : Dual-core 1.2 GHz

OS            : Android OS, v2.3.6 (Gingerbread), upgradable to v4.0

Battery      : Li-Ion 3300 mAh
Price         : ----- (Sri Lankan rupees) / 2300 (Qatar riyal)


check full specs here (By courtesy : gsmarena)

Another issue like Samsung. This guy also doesnt have much bigger stuff than RAZR XT910. But check the huge battery. Remember the droid with excellent battery capacity? Motorola has its own cutting edge tech at a lesser cost. But not much looks right? 

06. NOKIA N 9 
Size           : 3.9 inch (Corning Gorilla Glass)
Storage     :  16/64 GB storage  
Ram          : 1 GB
Camera     : 8 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / 1.3 mp front
Processor  : 1 GHz Cortex A8

OS            : MeeGo OS, v1.2 Harmattan

Battery      : Li-Ion 1450 mAh (BV-5JW)
Price         : 60,000 (Sri Lankan rupees) / 1700 (Qatar riyal)


check full specs here (By courtesy : gsmarena)

My dear Nokia, facing huge problems these days. Arrival of Android attacked the symbian market badly. Nokia is trying to keep up with hardware battle. N 9 is a nice phone but not android. :( I still remember those good old days with N73. How we could play catch with those phones. Recently Nokia introduced pureview 808 with 41 mp camera. But still they are left behind.


07. BLACKBERRY 9900 
Size           : 2.8 inch touch with qwerty keypad  
Storage     :  8 GB storage  
Ram          : 768 MB
Camera     : 5 mp ( video 1080p@30fps) / NO front camera
Processor  : 1.2 GHz QC 8655

OS            : BlackBerry OS 7.0

Battery      : Li-Ion 1230 mAh
Price         : ----- (Sri Lankan rupees) / 2200 (Qatar riyal)
check full specs here (By courtesy : gsmarena)

The Business class phone with on-the-go internet. As Blackberry comes, nice and easy with the full qwerty keypad and optical trackpad. The phone is solid and feels easy on the go. But for geeks, this is no match. BB 9900 comes with the new OS 7.0. And BB network has its own advantages. But in my opinion, its hanging around because of the billing packages provided by all the network providers. ;)

So there we are. These are the big things  in market at the moment. Not much news in samsung regarding the next galaxy. There were some rumors about a Nexus coming. Apple is awaiting for the transparent iphone 5. we will wait. It wont take much time. This is a hugely dynamic market. May the best one win.


Lets see what you got to say.............

Think to Change

A thought for a day.................

Yesterday I was thinking where I am in life. And where I want to be. Then I realized if I want to be where I want to be, it's high time to kick for it. We don't want to where we are always. But if we wanna go high, we have to let go of the branch.

• Don't wait till life give you a chance.
• Look straight and grab it.
• You will be what you want to be. 

Have a great time............... Keep in touch......