Christmas present

There is a story many years ago of an elementary teacher. Her name is Mrs.Thompson. And as she stood in front of her fifth grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.

Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant.
It got to the point where Mrs.Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise. Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners...he is a joy to be around." His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle." His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken." Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote,"Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's.
His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was. She put it on and dabbed some of the perfume on her wrist.

Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day,she quit teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.

Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "pets."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he stayed in school, had stuck with it,and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer. The letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of course,Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together.

They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs.Thompson's ear, "Thank you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

My Birthday

Today is my birthday ...adipoli

Merry Christmas :)

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright.
Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child.
Holy infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight.
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ the Savior is born!
Christ the Savior is born.

Silent night, holy night!
Son of God love's pure light.
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With dawn of redeeming grace,
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.
Jesus Lord, at Thy birth.

This beautiful song was written by a pirest in Austira ,(Fr. Joseph Mohr), and composed by the choir director of his church(Franz Xaver Gruber). it was 180 years ago. and actually it ws in german.. but now its translated into hundreds of languges world wide.

i like this song very much ...realy a silent song...which can be sung near the newborn jeusus sleeping peacefully in the manger.

oooopss ....am feeling nostalgic about my xams back home :( ..i miss my family very much

Biggest Flag in the world

The world Biggest flag was unfolded yesterday in Bahrain. it was Bahrains national flag. a huge one... it was made as a part of natioanl day clelebration. it measured 160 meters long and 100 meters wide, and its the largest of its kind in the world and found a place in the Guinness Book of World Records. :) it weighed 4,000 kg... representative from guniess book was there to measure it . .. and now the officaly declared it as the biggest one . and i heard the flag was sponsored by Vodafone .. am not sure about that ..anyway it was a good marketing tactic too.

National day

3 days holiday from 16th to 18th ..National Day :) ..

Bahrain actually is a collection of island. and it was called Bahrain(menaing two seas) in the early Islamic era, when the name was used for the entire region stretching from Basra (Iraq) in the north to oman in the south. By the early 1500's, the portuguese saw bahrain as a key point to protect their trade routes between India, Africa and Europe.

They invaded the island and set up military base at the bahrain Fort. The fort, which ironically had been used by the people of Bahrain to defend themselves against the Portuguese, was strengthened and new stone towers erected. Right up until today, the Bahrain fort is also known as the portuguese Fort.

The portuguese were however unable to protect the islands, which fell to the persians in 1603. Then came a long period of turmoil, with Bahrain changing hands between the warring Persians and arabs until it was finally conquered in 1783 by Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa. better known as Ahmed bin Mohamed Al Fateh, the conqueror, he was to usher in a start of a new and important era.

((if u visit bahrain u should visit Al Fatheh Grand mosque too.. its a beautiful mosque. ))

and later bahrain came under the influence of Britian also.. but Bahrain Declared independece in the year 1971

Here u can read the speech by HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa on on the occasion of the National Day of Bahrain

There is week-long celebrations which includes a carnival, fireworks on three nights, a vintage car and photographic exhibitions, music festival ..etc etc

can i do it ?

its becoming a real problem now ...am not getting enough time to blog.... theres a big gap now ....

back to blog after long time

so am back to scribble something after long time ....was busy ...still busy!!! ....

but i think i should write something ...

actualy when there was a sudden change in the climate i thought i should write about it yesterday itself.. but didnt got free time..

now am little bit free... and its cold outside...cold winds ...its something which i dont like at all... reason is simple..it will cause my sinusitis to become more severe. and i will be having severe headache whole the day. anway now i dont have headache...

i remember the day i arrived here . i was amazed to see everyone in sweater. it was in january 2001. i never expected that it wil be this much cold. that was something very new to me ...and i will never forget that january.. for the first two days i didnt felt much cold ...later i felt as if i was in a fridge. i began to wear sweater, socks, and even gloves ... it happend to me only for the first winter. after that every winter was ok for me ... sometimes i didnt even wear sweater or jacket. ..

hope this time the winter will be normal only . its not easy to wake up at 6:30 on winter season. i like to sleep under the wooly bedsheep i have . its very nice.

so am expecting the winter.........welcome

busy busy busy ....


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busy busy busy .....


shoooooooooooooooooo


busy busy busy ...

Day After tomorrow and its consequences

Global warming is going to be a big problem in future(or today itself!!) ..I think that's the message the film "day after tomorrow" gives... although the movie has exaggerated everything ,its worth thinking why should we give importance to global warming.

I remember when I first heard the term global warming. it was from a science magazine ...and actually I was very much interested when I read about it. the one thing which attracted me was that they mentioned that glaciers in the poles of earth will began to melt and will move to oceans ..and they said these big glaciers will wander around the sea without completely melting...I remember imagining a glacier moving around the Arabian sea ...near kochi .....that would have been something very interesting....

anyway I also read that effect of global warming wont happen very soon or suddenly ...but its something which we have to take care about for the better future of our next generation.

Sunday

Today is sunday .... i will try to go to church today , but not sure ..... here we alwyas attend church on fridays.. we have malayalam mass at 7:00 pm at church... its a nice feeling to attend the mass ..when its in malayalam..a realy good feeling..

Veerappan

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Gods Must Be Crazy

I rented the movie "god must be crazy" yesterday .... a hilarious comedy...i rember that when i was a kid i have seen that..i have seen the second part also...a realy good entertainer. i would say movies should be like that only.

the story is somewhat like this ...in the deeps of kalahari desert in africa lives bush men... a very much tribal people ..they are some what like primitve hunters... they live in small groups..hunt for the day..have a simple social life... eat - drink - mate - sleep ..so simple ...they dont have any law..religion ....they are not binded by anything related to a society.. one day the "hero" of this movie ...?? or main charachter ?? ..saw a strange thing coming from sky...(actualy a bottle ..a pilot flying above the kalahari desert throwed a bottle down through his planes window. ). he took to to his family. they began to use as a tool for several purpose ...from playaing music to grinding seeds.. but as it was the only one avalibe in that community, argument and fighting for the bottle begins .....so our hero plans to go to the end of the earth so that he can through it down..and he starts the journey..........from there story begins ....

if anyone get a chance to see the movie...dont miss it.....

u can read a review from here http://www.imdb.com/Title?0080801

DVD NTSC Problem

Bad news for me .......

i went to the SONY dealer and told them that am having the B/W problem with my DVD when am playing some hollywood movies.....the reply was not good. they said some of the DVD's are coming in a particluar format (NTSC 3.5 ..or above).. ..most of the hollywood movies are in that format..only new TV's support that color system. ..mine is an old tv.... it doesnt support that...so its time to buy a new TV ...no no..am not going to buy so soon ....i dont want to change my TV just becasue my TV doesnt support a particular color system....anyway be happy with what u have...

Five finger prayer

Today i got an intersting article...an article which will help us to better our way of praying....

its below

1. Your thumb is nearest you, so begin praying forthose closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. C. S. Lewis once said praying for our lovedonces is "a sweet duty".

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It remindsus of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders inbusiness, industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprisingto many is the fact that this is our weakest finger,as any piano teacher will testify. It should remindus to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or inpain. They need your prayers day and night. Youcannot pray too much for them.

5. Lasly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all. This is where we should place ourselves in relation
to God and others. As the Biblesays, " the least shall be the greatest among you." Your pinky should remind you to pray for yourself.

Praying for the other four groups first will put your own needs into proper perspective and eable you to pray for yourselv more effectively!

realy nice right :)

Ramadan started

The holy month of Ramdan (from the Arabic root word ramida, meaning intense heat and dryness) started yesterday. all muslims will be fasting from dawn to desk , except children and sick people ...and there will be "iftar" paties at evening. .according to islamic belief ramadan is the month during which the first verses of the Quran, was revealed by God through the Archangel Gabriel to the Prophet Mohammed in 610 A.D. the ramadan fasting is for around 29 - 30 days ..its based on lunar calender(hijra calender). the end of ramadan is called Eid al-Fitr, literally, "the Festival of Breaking the Fast." Homes are adorned with lights and decorations, treats are given to children, and visits with friends and family mark this time....

my duty time also changed. now its from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm without lunch break. i like this new timing..u can go home early . thats something very good.

too bad too sad

DVD still not working .. i will have to contact these people again.

DVD collected from store

i went to ASHRAFS store and collected the DVD ... played some movies...ooops the DVD movie is appearing balck and white..no idea what happend ?? will the dvd will be faulty ?? ...hope its something else which can be rectified my myslef ...will try that again tommorw.

holiday

friday... went to church at morning..am a member of hospitality ministry so i usually go for 9:00 am mass everyfiriday to help people. its a very good experience. although i have to walk around 30 minutes to reach church it gives me intense happiness when i help people.

as usual , we ordered the traditional kerala oonu(meal) from sangeetha restaurant. my uncle loves traditional kerala food. so nowadays we order kerala food on fridays.

didnt went to church at evening... had some works to do....

bought a Sony DVD player

Purchased a sony DVD player from ASHRAFS. a good one i believe. can play MP3 , DVD, VCD, etc etc ... so i think it will be worth its price(BD 37.000, which is $100) . alhtough i pruchsed it i didnt got the product in my hand. its out of stock. they have asked me to come on saturday to collect it..mmmm anyway as the showroom is near my flat its ok for me. i can collect it from their store on saturday.

not feeling well ..still went for a party

Yesterday i wasnt feeling well at all . cold and mild fever. took a tablet and got some relief. i know how i got cold . last friday when i was attending the malayalam mass there was this guy sitting next to me and sneezing all the time ...that too without covering his nose with handkerchief. several times i felt to leave the church ..yeah it was that much horrible . everybody was looking at him . but he was cool. once he gave a look at me and i could understand what he meant by that strange look "i have cold, and i will sneeze, any problem ?" that was like mind reading ..mmmmmm anyway i didnt left the seat ..i coudnt find any other seat ,the church was too crowded. so i had bear it...and now i have cold!.

a thought came to my mind ...what that person had done is right or wrong ?? what i did was right or wrong ..i should have moved from there.. right ???. but why that person came to church although he had svere cold ? ..may be he have lot of problems and he just wanted to tell that to his lord?? ..

Biju arranged a party yesterday ...he got his visa stamped ..he was waiting for that for long time .. i could see the happiness in his face :) ..we gathered at a restaurant nearby to church. i forgot the name of the restauarnat.. an indian one..good one . had an awsome dinner ..murgi mugalai, ginger chicken, fish masala, prawn masala, mutton mugalai ..we cracked jokes..it was realy fun... enjoyed the evening.

that was a good day ..after a days hectic work. i got some relief..but at night after my prayers i began to think about my brother and his interview at infosys..will he get a job there ?? ..

First

mmmmmm at last i too have a blog on this cyber world :) ..will it be something which i use to post regulalry ?? ..no idea ...wait and seee...