Thought for the day!
Dreams can come true, if you courageously to pursue them.
Keep Your Dream

I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidoro. He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for youth at risk programs.

The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, “I want to tell you why I let Jack use my horse. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy’s high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.

“That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200-acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.

“He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, `See me after class.’

“The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, `Why did I receive an F?’

“The teacher said, `This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you’ll have to pay large stud fees. There’s no way you could ever do it.’ Then the teacher added, `If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.’

“The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, `Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.’ “Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all.

He stated, “You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”

Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, “I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000-square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace.” He added, “The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week.” When the teacher was leaving, he said, “Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours.”

In your life you would come across any number of ‘wet blankets’ like the teacher in the story. But remember, all big achievers were people who had courage to dream big and determination to pursue their dreams. Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. One who has no dreams to achieve is as good as dead.

“Hitch your wagon to a star, keep your seat, and there you are!” -Anonimous
“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”
– Walt Disney

Take up an idea, make that idea your life. Think of it; dream of it; live on it. – Vivekananda

“I was thinking about old age and decided that it is ‘when you still have something on the ball, but you are just too tired to bounce it’.”
Sandra was out driving her car and while stopped at a red light, the car
just died. It was a busy intersection, and the traffic behind her starting growing.
The guy in the car directly behind her started honking his horn continuously as Sandra continued to try getting the car to start up again.
Finally Sandra got out of her car and approached the guy in the car behind her.
“I can’t seem to get my car started,” Sandra said, smiling. “Would you be a sweetheart and go and see if you can get it started for me. I’ll stay here in your car and lean on your dam horn for you.”

Well! My dear friends, Last night, when shutting down the computer, it said something about “force shutdown.” To my knowledge no file or program was open. This morning I had great trouble getting it started. Oh! Boy! Am I tired!
So you have got to be contented with just one joke. Hope you get the day started without hitches.

Power of Examples

When I was little, Dibby’s cousin had a dog, just a mutt, and the dog was pregnant. I don’t know how long dogs are pregnant, but she was due to have her puppies in about a week. She was out in the yard one day and got in the way of the lawn mower, and her two hind legs got cut off. They rushed her to the vet and he said, “I can sew her up, or you can put her to sleep if you want, but the puppies are okay. She’ll be able to deliver the puppies.”

Dibby’s cousin said, “Keep her alive.”

So the vet sewed up her backside and over the next week the dog learned to walk. She didn’t spend any time worrying, she just learned to walk by taking two steps in the front and flipping up her backside, and then taking two steps and flipping up her backside again.

She gave birth to six little puppies, all in perfect health. She nursed them and then weaned them. And when they learned to walk, they all walked like her.

I always thought the story was a little exaggerated, yet I believe, it has a strong lesson to impart – the tremendous influence parental examples, both good and bad, have on their children. How awesome!

Some one in the congregation sent a note to the pulpit. The note read, “Bill Jones having gone to sea, his wife desires the prayers of the congregation for his safety.” The preacher was somewhat nearsighted and he did not observe the punctuation. He read the notice this way. “Bill Jones having gone to see his wife, desires the prayers of the congregation for his safety.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

A little boy was overheard praying: 

“Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it. I’m having a real good time like I am.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 WHISKEY

In 1952, Armon M. Sweat, Jr., a  member of the Texas House of Representatives, was asked  about his position on whiskey. What follows is his exact  answer (taken from the Political Archives of  Texas):

“If you mean whiskey, the  devil’s brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster that  defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home,  creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread  from the mouths of little children; if you mean that evil  drink that topples Christian men and women from the  pinnacles of righteous and gracious living into the  bottomless pit of degradation, shame, despair,  helplessness, and hopelessness, then, my friend, I am  opposed to it with every fiber of my  being.

However, if by whiskey you mean  the lubricant of conversation, the philosophic juice,  the elixir of life, the liquid that is consumed when  good fellows get together, that puts a song in their  hearts and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if  you mean Christmas cheer, the stimulating sip that puts a  little spring in the step of an elderly gentleman on a  frosty morning; if you mean that drink that enables man to  magnify his joy, and to forget life’s great tragedies and  heartbreaks and sorrow; if you mean that drink the sale of  which pours into Texas treasuries untold millions of  dollars each year, that provides tender care for our  little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb,  our pitifully aged and infirm, to build the finest  highways, hospitals, universities, and community colleges  in this nation, then my friend, I am absolutely,  unequivocally in favor of it.

This is my position,  and as always, I refuse to compromise on matters of  principle.”

Have a Nice Day!

                                      Have a Great Day!

                                      Fr. Jose.

അഷ്‌ഫോഡ് മലയാളി അസോസിയേഷനിലെ കുട്ടികള്‍ അവതരിപ്പിച്ച ബോളിവുഡ് ഡാന്‍സരില്‍ എമില്‍ മരിയ ജോണ്‍സന്‍, റ്റാനിയ പ്രവിന്‍, ജസിന്ത കുരിയാക്കോസ്, ഐറിന്‍ പ്രിന്‍സ്, നേഹ എബി, അലിന സുനില്‍ എന്നിവര്‍ ചുവടുവച്ചു. അടിപൊളി തമിഴ്ഗാനത്തിന് നൃത്തച്ചുവടുകളുമായി എത്തിയ അഞ്ചു ഷിജോ, അന്ന ഷിജോ, ലിനിക്‌സ് ബോസ് എന്നിവര്‍ കാണികളുടെ കൈയടി വാങ്ങി. കുട്ടികളുടെ നൃത്ത അവതരണത്തിന് നേതൃത്വം നല്‍കിയ ശ്രീമതി സോജ മധുസൂദനന്‍, ശ്രീമതി റീന എബി എന്നിവര്‍ക്ക് അഷ്‌ഫോഡ് മലയാളി അസോസിയേഷനും അഷ്‌ഫോഡ് കൗന്‍ഡി കൗണ്‍സിലും പ്രത്യേകം നന്ദി അറിയിച്ചു

Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur’s youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, if after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death.

The question?….What do women really want? Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, and to young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, he accepted the monarch’s proposition to have an answer by the year’s end.

He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: the princess, the priests, the wise men and even the court jester. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. Many people advised him to consult the old witch, for only she would have the answer. But the price would be high; as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.

The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk to the witch She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree to her price first. The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, the most noble of the Knights of the Round Table and Arthur’s closest friend! Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunchbacked and hideous, had only one tooth, smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc. He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life.

He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden; but Lancelot, learning of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur’s life and the preservation of the Round Table.

Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered Arthur’s question thus: What a woman really wants, she answered….is to be in charge of her own life! Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth and that Arthur’s life would be spared. And so it was, the neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom and Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding.

The honeymoon hour approached and Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened

The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, she would henceforth, be her horrible deformed self only half the time and the beautiful maiden the other half. Which would he prefer? Beautiful during the day…or night?

Lancelot pondered the predicament. During the day, a beautiful woman to show off to his friends, but at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch? Or, would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day, but by night, a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous intimate moments?

Noble Lancelot said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself. Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time because he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.

How wonderful our lives would be if we were as altruistic as Lancelot in our family, community and social relationships?

An artist of repute, testifying in a case, was asked to identify himself in a court. “I am one of the greatest  artists in the world.” He told the Court.

One of his friends chided him the next day. “Don’t you think you boast a little too much?’

“Usually I avoid self-praise,” said the artist, “but this time they had me under oath.”

The Lion Tamer

The woman lion tamer had her beasts under perfect control. At her summons, the fiercest lion came meekly to her and took a piece of sugar out of her mouth. The crowd cheered, all except one man. “Anybody could do that,” he yelled from the audience.

“Would you?” retorted the ringmaster scornfully.

“Certainly,” replied the man. “I can do it as well as the lion can.”

On-the-spot Demonstration

A burley man approached the bartender and said. “I see by the sign on your window that you are looking for a bouncer. Has the post been filled?”

“Not yet.” Said the bartender. “Have you had any experience?”

“No,” the man replied. “But watch this!” He walked to aloud mouthed drunkard at the back of the room, lifted him off his feet and threw him sprawling into the street. Having returned to the bar he asked, “How’s that?”

“Great” admitted the bartender. “But you will have to ask the boss about the job. I only work here.”

“Fine” said the burley man. “Where is he?”

“Just coming back through the front door with his bruises.”

                                                                             FR. Jose.

Avira also offers a payed version of this program. This version includes the web and e-mail scanning facility – Which is missing in the free version. This is not a real disadvantage, as the Avira will not pre-warn when an infected email arrives, but will fire up as soon as you try to open it.

You can download Avira Antivirus free edition by clicking here

I use to wonder why people still pay for antivirus programs – is it because they feel more safer by paying for it or is it the subconscious feeling that free product is an inferior product. But from my experience, free antivirus are not at all inferior to the payed ones, infact a few free programs out performs the payed ones . I’ve been using free antivirus on my home systems for the last 10 years and never came across any serious issues, though being a heavy internet user.  I believe it’s the internet browsing habit that has to be changed to stay away from infections rather than paying heavily for antivirus programs.

In this series of article, we will be going through the features of  all the best free antivirus programs available for free download.  This series also aims to show you how each programs should be installed and used to achieve the best results.