The Monk who Sold his Ferrari by Robin S Sharma

1. Your vision will become clearer only when you can look into your heart.When you look outside, dreams; when look inside, awakens.

2. Failure whether of the personal, professional or even spiritual kind, is essential to personal expansion. It brings inner growth and a whole host of psychic rewards. NEVER REGRET YOUR PAST. Rather, embrace it as the teacher that it is.

3. One was pouring water in already filled cup. Just like cup, we seem to be full of our own ideas. And how can any more go in... until we first empty our cup?

4. Nothing is absolute. There is no such thing like objective reality or 'the real world'. An event that appears to be tragedy to one might reveal the seed of unlimited opportunities to another. Everything is relative, what separates people who are habitually upbeat and optimistic from those who are consistently miserable is how the circumstances of life are interpreted and processed.

5. Every event has a purpose and everything happens for a reason. Every setback is a lesson.

6. It is hard to let go of the past, if you have not learned from the past. As soon as you learn and let go you improve the present.

7. It is important to experience painful situations and learn from them rather than try to distract yourself with something else.

8. Ultimately life is all about choices. Ones destiny unfolds according to choices one makes.

9. Dreamers dream are never fulfilled, they are always transcended ( go beyond the range of experience, belief.)

AMAZING FACTS-V

1. The most common name in world is Mohammed.

2. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib.

3. 9 out of 10 people believe Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. This isn't true; Joseph Swan did.

4. The lowest section of the average person's arm - between the elbow and the wrist - is exactly the same length as their feet.

5.  The total combined weight of the worlds ant population is heavier than the weight of the human population.

6. Normal Saturn day is only 10 hours and 14 minutes and 1 year on Saturn equal to almost 30 years on Earth.

7. Actually it doesn’t take 24 hours to Earth rotate on its axis. The real amount of time is 23 hours, 56 mun and 4 sec. That mean that our day is actually 4 minutes shorter that we normally think it is. And a year on our planet isn't 365 days, but actually 365.25 days. Here's the reason why we add on an extra day in February.

8. The typical lead pencil can draw a line that is thirty five miles long.

9. Black pepper is the most popular spice in the world.

10. Honey is the only food that doesn't spoil.

11. The animal that farts the most is Elephant.

12. Ants never sleeps and butterflies taste with their feet.

AMAZING FACTS IV

AMAZING FACTS III

AMAZING FACTS II

AMAZING FACTS I

RULES OF POWER

1. Never outshine the master.

2. Never put too much trust in friends, learn how to use your enemies.

3. Always say less then necessary.

4. So much depends on reputation. Guard it with your life.

5. Win through your actions, never through arguments.

6. When asking for help, appeal to people, self interest never at mercy.

7. Keep others in suspense. Cultivate an air of unpredictability.

8. Know who you are dealing with, do not offend the wrong person.

9. Use the surrender tactic, transform weakness into power.

10. Make your accomplishments seems effortless.

11. Act like a king to be treated like one.

12. Master the art of timing.

Why --> How --> What

A very thought provoking video which challenges the basic thought process.
 

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Just finished reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It has been said that every book lover has two favorites. If it is true, one is ought to be War and Peace. A book possessed by many and read by few. Having once read it, one is certain to turn it to again, to get mesmerized and to experience ever possible human emotion. The characters of this book became as real to us as people whom we have know all our lives. Every possible human emotions find its place in this magnum opus.

Here I quote few of my favorite excerpts from War and Peace

War & Peace-Book 10-Chapter VII-Para I
"A Good Chess player having lost a game is sincerely convinced that his loss resulted from a mistake he made and looks for that mistake in the opening, but forgets that at each stage of the game there were similar mistakes and none of his moves were perfect. He only notices the mistake to which he pays attention, because his opponent took advantage of it. How much more complex than this is the game of war, which occurs under certain limits of time, and where it is not one will that manipulates lifeless object, but everything result from innumerable conflicts of various wills! ".

War & Peace-Book 14-Chapter XII-Para IX
"He learned that there is no condition in which man can be happy and entirely free, so there is no condition in which he need to unhappy and lack freedom. He learned that suffering and freedom have their limits and that those limits are very near together; that the person in bed of roses with one crumpled petal suffered as keenly as, sleeping on the bare damp earth with one side growing chilled while the other was warming." 

A visit to Amber

Amber Fort is located in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. Amber fort is all built in white marble and sandstone and known for its artistic style which is blend of Hindu-Mugal architecture.

  Front view of Amber fort across Maotha Lake

As we move in we come across Diwan-i-Aam (Hall of Public Audience). Patterned after similar halls in Mughal Palaces, Diwan-i-Aam was the place where Emperor gave audience to his subjects and met his officials.

   Diwan-i-Aam (Hall of public Audience)

As we move beyond Hall of public audience, we enter into Char-Bagh or Four Gardens. Char Bagh provides access to inner and private parts of palace.

Char Bagh(Four Gardens)

Four Gardens lead us to Sukh Mandir. The Royal family used to live there during the mid days of summer season. The walls of the chamber have beautifully designed lime work in mughal architecture.

                                Sukh Mandir

Now comes the Diwan-i-Khaas (Hall of Private Audience). Diwan-i-Khaas is also called Sheesh Mahal or Glass Palace because of  beautiful mirror glass work. The emperor used to meet his special guests, like envoys from other rulers, here.

  Diwan-i-Khaas (Hall of Private Audience)