Valentine One Radar Detector

What’s a road trip if you can’t burn rubber and go foot-to-the-pedal fast? But to protect you from Boss Hogg’s police speed radar, you might want to invest in a Valentine One Radar Locator that, unlike most sensors, has front and rear antennae to locate every radar threat. Results are sent to an onboard computer that analyzes the precise location of the police in the area, allowing you to drive accordingly.

The 2006 DUXIANA Travel Pillow

Get comfy: Driver and passengers should invest in a 2006 Duxiana Travel Pillow from the luxury Swedish bed makers. The 16×20-inch pillow is made from the finest soft white goose down and covered in a white sateen pillow case. It comes in a waterproof carrier that can be folded to a third of its size, making it easy to transport. It offers great comfort and neck support in a car—headrests get sticky—but is even better on the bed of that roadside motel where the pillows are made of bricks.

GPS System: Garmin nüvi 350

Originally developed by the Department of Defense for use on military maneuvers, GPS is now used by millions of ordinary motorists just to help them get home at night. An essential tool on any road trip, there are dozens of systems to choose from, but the portable, pocket-sized Garmin nüvi 350 is among the best. Functional straight out of the box, it’s preloaded with street maps and a database of hotels, bars, restaurants and ATMs of foreign cities. Key in your destination and it will direct you with 2-D or 3-D maps and turn-by-turn voice direction as well as notify you about traffic jams or road construction ahead. Fun extras include an MP3 player, audio book player, JPEG picture viewer and currency converters. All-in-all the ideal personal travel assistant.

CarMD

The nifty hand-held “Car Doctor” helps avoid you from breaking down, or at least tells you what the problem is when you do. Winner of the 2007 Consumer Electronics Association “Innovation Award,” it’s a portable diagnostic tool that you plug into your car’s internal computer (it only works for vehicles made after 1996) and it tells you what certain flashing lights mean or what’s ailing your vehicle. It can give second opinions after a check-up and, after you download the results onto www.CarMD.com, suggest likely repairs and estimated costs—all for $89.99. You may never need a mechanic again.

Spy Camera Sunglasses with MP4

Ever felt shy about taking a picture of a Tuareg warrior as you motor through the Sahara, or the cute girl in the MG convertible you pass cruising through Provence? Now, like an undercover agent, you can film unnoticed with these Spy Camera Sunglasses created by Hong Kong company Deke. A hidden camera with a 92-degree field of vision is built into the bridge frame of the shades and connected by a small wire to an MP4 in your shirt or jacket pocket. It produces super-crisp digital video recordings which you can then download to your computer via a USB port. The future’s bright—and a bit Bond.

Globalstar Handheld Satellite Phone

We’re assuming you already have a cellphone, but for the parts of your trip when you’re without a signal—out of petrol in the Yukon Delta or lost in prairie Kansas, perhaps—you’d be wise to have a satellite phone with you. A Globalstar Hand Held has advantages over other sat phones in that it’s not much larger than a regular cellphone and operates on a standard U.S. dialing system. It also functions while on the move, so you can call for help while running away from a grizzly bear. It works virtually anywhere outside of cellular range and still operates when local telephone infrastructure is interrupted.

Sony’s Handycam Digital Video Camera

Even though your travel buddies are bound to have standard digital cameras with them, and you can already record film with your Spy Camera Sunglasses, there’s something unique about filming the road as you drive, and for this we recommend Sony’s DCR-DVD108 Handycam Camcorder. Equipped with Super SteadyShot Image Stabilization that controls shake and vibration, you can place the camera on your car dashboard as you drive and it will still produce smooth, clear footage. It also has a Super NightShot Infrared System that captures natural-looking video in low light up to 20 feet away. Best of all, the simple operating system records directly onto DVD, allowing you to immediately share the footage when you transfer discs to your laptop or hotel room’s DVD system.

Avalanche Picnic Cooler on Wheels

California-based company Picnic Time have been manufacturing high-quality picnic baskets since 1982, and this mobile rolling cooler with a 36-can capacity food section, waterproof lining, and thermoguard insulation to keep drinks cold is the best of the lot. It holds four eating plates, stainless-steel cutlery, cutting boards, corkscrew, cheese knife, and salt and pepper shakers. Plus, the wheels and telescopic handle make it easy to pack and carry as a suitcase. If short of space, pack this thing instead of a suitcase.

Panasonic Toughbook CF52 laptop computer

With its magnesium alloy casing, flexible internal connectors and shock-mounted hard drives and LCDs, the latest Panasonic Toughbook is so durable, you can throw it in the back of a pick-up truck and off-road over the Rockies, and it’ll still work fine. A spill-resistant keyboard also means that it’s OK when your kid accidentally drips her soda on it. The main attraction however is that it’s engineered for 3G (third-generation) wireless, so you can stay online in all the areas that the major cellphone networks cover. Opt for the improved video and Vista performance model that includes a faster CPU, 512MB dedicated VRAM, and a larger 120GB hard drive.

Dr Joseph Mulvehill, MD, a New York-based physician who specializes in travel medicine, notes that “people often transpose their own healthcare template onto that of the country they’re visiting.” In fundamental nature travelers assume things will be quick and easy — this is rarely the case. No one wants to waste precious time seeking out a suitable doctor, followed by hours holed up in a waiting room, just for the sake of an impromptu examination or prescription. “Travelers from comparatively clean countries like the US are far more likely to fall ill,” says Dr Mulvehill. “We live in a relatively germ-free world, so when we travel our bodies react far quicker to the different bacteria.”

Don’t Adjust Your Watch for Short Trips

It takes four to five days for East Coasters to adjust to West Coast time and vice versa. “Jet lag is the biggest travel health pitfall elite athletes’ face. When they head across time zones for just a couple of days, they don’t even try to adjust,” says Dr. Wroble. Changing routine for short trips can equal exhaustion in both directions. If your stay is brief—and only two or three time zones’ difference—schedule activities on your own time zone (lest an 8 a.m. breakfast meeting actually feel like five in the morning).

Don’t Test Your Meds on the Road

With your body as a testing ground for a fistful of unfamiliar medication the moment you board the plane is a recipe for disaster. “In the past one possible side effect of malaria prophylaxis was that it caused terrible nightmares. They were very vivid and sometimes quite horrific nightmares. People couldn’t tolerate them so they stop taking it,” says Dr. Mulvehill. Start taking your meds before you leave so you can seek alternatives if you suffer side effects.

Don’t Vaccinate Too Late

“Only about 30 to 40 percent of people who should be immunized actually are, ” states Dr. Coward. Also, don’t forget that many vaccines like hepatitis and yellow fever aren’t active for two weeks or more so don’t ask the doctor for a jab the morning of your flight. “What people need to realize is that most of the basic vaccinations, once you’ve had them, cover you for many years of future travel—yellow fever lasts ten years,” explains Dr. Mulvehill.

Coast residents swapping a surfboard for a snowboard should beware of vigorous sports after changing altitude. “No one listens,” says Dr. Wroble. “They say, ‘What are you telling me: not to ski?’ If you go from L.A. to Colorado your blood is not used to higher altitude and won’t be able to carry as much oxygen. Particular if you’re older or not in good health, you should take it easy for the first couple of days.”

Don’t Ignore Your Mother

At 40,000 feet above the earth you’re sharing recirculated air with 450 fellow passengers (even if, in theory, fresh air from outside can be brought in and reheated, in practice the cost of doing so means you can assume the cabin air isn’t the freshest). Says Dr. Jana, “It’s simply a numbers game—you’re more likely to catch cold. Of the 50 people before you who used that moving sidewalk in the airport, twelve probably blew their nose and didn’t wash the hands. For adults that means don’t touch it—and for kids, don’t touch or lick it. Wash your hands frequently to avoid transferring infection.

Don’t Get Dehydrated

“The most overlooked health pitfall while travelling is dehydration,” says Dr. Mulvehill. “In August most New Yorkers only go outside when they have to but tourists walk about all day in the heat. Make sure you drink bottled water, especially if you’re in direct sun like on safari or standing in long lines,” he says, adding that it’s important to crack the seal in suspect countries to make sure the bottle hasn’t just been filled with tap water.

Be Careful of Fruits And Vegetables

“After receiving vaccinations, people often make the mistake of feeling bullet-proof,” warns Dr. Coward. “I tell people that 20 percent of staying healthy is getting the vaccination and 80 percent is following good food handing techniques.” That means, for travelers heading to at-risk destinations, don’t swallow shower water, don’t brush in tap water, be wary of ice in drinks and (according to Dr. Mulvehill) whatever you do, watch out for fruits and vegetables, especially if you’ve bough it from a street vendor. “If you peel it yourself it’s probably clean. If it’s all cut up in a bowl it might easily have been contaminated by dirty knives and cutting board. No one considers fruit salad a danger, but it is.”

Don’t Forget a Doctor’s Note

By all means decant your meds into a SMTWTFS pillbox but don’t forget a note from your doctor describing exactly what differentiates the blue from the red ones. “If you’re taking Vicodin you had better be ready to answer why you have it. If possible, carry the pills in the bottle that has the prescription taped to it along with your physician’s number and address,” recommends Dr. Wroble

Never Mind Malaria, Avoid Dengue Fever

“I probably spend more time convincing people that they don’t need anti-malaria medication than convincing them that they do. For many travelers taking malaria tablets is almost a Rudyard Kipling-style rite of passage. In reality people are almost five times more likely to contract dengue fever,” says Dr. Coward, adding, “By far the most likely thing to injure a tourist overseas—and we’re talking 60-70 percent of all injuries and ailments—is a motor vehicle accident. Be very careful of traffic and make sure you’re adequately insured.”

When 27-year old Sarathbabu graduated from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, he created quite a stir by refusing a job that offered him a huge salary. He preferred to start his own enterprise — Foodking Catering Service — in Ahmedabad.

He was inspired by his mother who once sold idlis on the pavements of Chennai, to educate him and his siblings. It was a dream come true, when Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy lit the traditional lamp and inaugurated Sarathbabu’s enterprise.

Sarathbabu was in Chennai, his hometown, a few days ago, to explore the possibility of starting a Foodking unit in the city and also to distribute the Ullas Trust Scholarships instituted by the IT firm Polaris to 2,000 poor students in corporation schools.

Sarathbabu describes his rise from a Chennai slum to his journey to the nation’s premier management institute to becoming a successful entrepreneur. This is his story, in his own words.
Childhood in a slum

I was born and brought up in a slum in Madipakkam in Chennai. I have two elder sisters and two younger brothers and my mother was the sole breadwinner of the family. It was really tough for her to bring up five kids on her meagre salary.

As she had studied till the tenth standard, she got a job under the mid-day meal scheme of the Tamil Nadu government in a school at a salary of Rs 30 a month. She made just one rupee a day for six people.

So, she sold idlis in the mornings. She would then work for the mid-day meal at the school during daytime. In the evenings, she taught at the adult education programme of the Indian government.

She, thus, did three different jobs to bring us up and educate us. Although she didn’t say explicitly that we should study well, we knew she was struggling hard to send us to school. I was determined that her hard work should not go in vain.

I was a topper throughout my school days. In the mornings, we went out to sell idlis because people in slums did not come out of their homes to buy idlis. For kids living in a slum, idlis for breakfast is something very special.

My mother was not aware of institutions like the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, or the Indian Institutes of Technology. She only wanted to educate us so that we got a good job. I didn’t know what I wanted to do at that time because in my friend-circle, nobody talked about higher education or preparing for the IIT-JEE.

When you constantly worry about the next square meal, you do not dream of becoming a doctor or an engineer. The only thing that was on my mind was to get a good job because my mother was struggling a lot.

I got very good marks in the 10th standard exam. It was the most critical moment of my life. Till the 10th, there was no special fee but for the 11th and the 12th, the fees were Rs 2,000-3,000.

I did book-binding work during the summer vacation and accumulated money for my school fees. When I got plenty of work, I employed 20 other children and all of us did the work together. That was my first real job as an entrepreneur. Once I saw the opportunity, I continued with the work.
Life at BITS, Pilani

A classmate of mine told me about BITS, Pilani. He was confident that I would get admission, as I was the topper. He also told me that on completion (of studies at Pilani), I will definitely get a job.

When I got the admission, I had mixed feelings. On one hand I was excited that for the first time I was going out of Chennai, but there was also a sense of uncertainty.

The fees alone were around Rs 28,000, and I had to get around Rs 42,000. It was huge, huge money for us. And there was no one to help us. Just my mother and sisters. One of my sisters — they were all married by then — pawned her jewellery and that’s how I paid for the first semester.

My mother then found out about an Indian government scholarship scheme. She sent me the application forms, I applied for the scholarship, and I was successful. So, after the first semester, it was the scholarship that helped me through.

It also helped me to pay my debt (to the sister who had pawned her jewellery). I then borrowed money from my other sister and repaid her when the next scholarship came.

The scholarship, however, covered only the tuition fees. What about the hostel fees and food? Even small things like a washing soap or a toothbrush or a tube of toothpaste was a burden. So, I borrowed more at high rates of interest. The debt grew to a substantial amount by the time I reached the fourth year.
First year at BITS, Pilani

To put it mildly, I was absolutely shocked. Till then, I had moved only with students from poor families. At Pilani, all the students were from the upper class or upper middle class families. Their lifestyle was totally different from mine. The topics they discussed were alien to me. They would talk about the good times they had in school.

On the other hand, my school years were a big struggle. There was this communication problem also as I was not conversant in English then.

I just kept quiet and observed them. I concentrated only on my studies because back home so many people had sacrificed for me. And, it took a really long time — till the end of the first year — to make friends.
The second year

I became a little more confident and started opening up. I had worked really hard for the engineering exhibition during the first year. I did a lot of labour-intensive work like welding and cutting, though my subject was chemical engineering. My seniors appreciated me.

In my second year also, I worked really hard for the engineering exhibition. This time, my juniors appreciated me, and they became my close friends, so close that they would be at my beck and call.

In the third year, when there was an election for the post of the co-ordinator for the exhibition, my juniors wanted me to contest. Thanks to their efforts I was unanimously elected. That was my first experience of being in the limelight. It was also quite an experience to handle around 100 students.

Seeing my work, slowly my batch mates also came to the fold. All of them said I lead the team very well.

They also told me that I could be a good manager and asked me to do MBA. That was the first time I heard about something called MBA. I asked them about the best institution in India. They said, the Indian Institutes of Management. Then, I decided if I was going to study MBA, it should be at one of the IIMs, and nowhere else.
Inspiration to be an entrepreneur

It was while preparing for the Common Admission Test that I read in the papers that 30 per cent of India’s population does not get two meals a day. I know how it feels to be hungry. What should be done to help them, I wondered.

I also read about Infosys and Narayana Murthy, Reliance and Ambani. Reliance employed 20,000-25,000 people at that time, and Infosys, around 15,000. When a single entrepreneur like Ambani employed 25,000 people, he was supporting the family, of four or five, of each employee. So he was taking care of 100,000 people indirectly. I felt I, too, should become an entrepreneur.

But, my mother was waiting for her engineer son to get a job, pay all the debts, build a pucca house and take care of her. And here I was dreaming about starting my own enterprise. I decided to go for a campus interview, and got a job with Polaris. I also sat for CAT but I failed to clear it in my first attempt.

I worked for 30 months at Polaris. By then, I could pay off all the debts but I hadn’t built a proper house for my mother. But I decided to pursue my dream. When I took CAT for the third time, I cleared it and got calls from all the six IIMs. I got admission at IIM, Ahmedabad.
Life at IIM, Ahmedabad

My college helped me get a scholarship for the two years that I was at IIM. Unlike in BITS, I was more confident and life at IIM was fantastic. I took up a lot of responsibilities in the college. I was in the mess committee in the first year and in the second year; I was elected the mess secretary.
Becoming an entrepreneur

By the end of the second year, there were many lucrative job offers coming our way, but in my mind I was determined to start something on my own. But back home, I didn’t have a house. It was a difficult decision to say ‘no’ to offers that gave you Rs 800,000 a year. But I was clear in my mind even while I knew the hard realities back home.

Yes, my mother had been an entrepreneur, and subconsciously, she must have inspired me. My inspirations were also (Dhirubhai) Ambani and Narayana Murthy. I knew I was not aiming at something unachievable. I got the courage from them to start my own enterprise.

Nobody at my institute discouraged me. In fact, at least 30-40 students at the IIM wanted to be entrepreneurs. And we used to discuss about ideas all the time. My last option was to take up a job.
Foodking Catering Services Pvt Ltd

My mother is my first inspiration to start a food business. Remember I started my life selling idlis in my slum. Then of course, my experience as the mess secretary at IIM-A was the second inspiration. I must have handled at least a thousand complaints and a thousand suggestions at that time. Every time I solved a problem, they thanked me.

I also felt there is a good opportunity in the food business. If you notice, a lot of people who work in the food business come from the weaker sections of the society.

My friends helped me with registering the company with a capital of Rs 100,000. Because of the IIM brand and also because of the media attention, I could take a loan from the bank without any problem.

I set up an office and employed three persons. The first order was from a software company in Ahmedabad. They wanted us to supply tea, coffee and snacks. We transported the items in an auto.

When I got the order from IIM, Ahmedabad, I took a loan of Rs 11 lakhs (Rs 1.1 million) and started a kitchen. So, my initial capital was Rs 11.75 lakhs (Rs 1.17 million).

Three months have passed, and now we have forty employees and four clients — IIM Ahmedabad, Darpana Academy, Gujarat Energy Research Management Institute and System Plus.

In the first month of our operation, we earned around Rs 35,000. Now, the turnover is around Rs 250,000. The Chennai operations will start in another three months’ time.
Ambition

I want to employ as many people as I can, and improve their quality of life. In the first year, I want to employ around 200-500 people. In the next five years, I hope to increase it by 15,000. I am sure it is possible.

I want to cover all the major cities in India, and later, I want to go around the world too.

I have seen people from all walks of life — from the slums to the elite in the country. That is why luxuries like a car or a bungalow do not matter to me. Even money doesn’t matter to me. I feel bad if I have to have food in a five star hotel. I feel guilty.

Personally, I have no ambition but I want to give a house and a car to my mother.
Appreciation

I did not expect this kind of exposure by the media for my venture or appreciation from people like my director at the IIM or Narayana Murthy. I was just doing what I wanted to do. But the exposure really helped me get orders, finance, everything.

The best compliments I received were from Narayana Murthy and my director at IIM, Ahmedabad. When I told him (IIM-A director) about my decision to start a company, he hugged me and wished me luck. They have seen life, they have seen thousands and thousands of students and if they say it is a good decision, I am sure it is a good decision.

This blog has been dedicated to all the lovely, wonderful (I know all moms are wonderful ) mothers of the world!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Mothers Day

A Mother loves right from the start.

She holds her baby close to her heart.

The bond that grows will never falter.

Her love is so strong it will never alter.

A Mother gives never ending Love.

She never feels that she has given enough.

For you she will always do her best.

Constantly working, there’s no time to rest.

A Mother is there when things go wrong.

A hug and a kiss to help us along.

Always there when we need her near.

Gently wipes our eyes when we shed a tear.

So on this day shower your Mother with Love.

Gifts and presents are nice but that is not enough.

Give your Mother a day to have some peace of mind.

Be gentle, be good, be helpful, be kind.

Happy Mothers Day.

~~ Carol Matthews

The cutest poem for Mother’s Day

If I were granted any wish,

I’ll tell you what I’d do,…

I’d wish my kids were small again,

for just a month or two.

To hear their squeals of laughter,

to watch them while they play.

And when they ask me to join in,

I’d NOT say “Not today.”

To hug again their chubby frame,

to kiss away their tears,

and cherish childhood innocence’s

that’s washed away the years.

Then when it’s story time again,

I’d stay a little longer,

to answer questions, sing the songs,

so memories would be stronger.

But time is callous, wishes, myth,

yet God in all his wisdom,

has given me another chance

before I join his kingdom.

The face may not be just the same,

the name is changed, ’tis true,

but yet the smile that radiates,

reminds me so of you.

God must have known that Grandma

would need a chance or two.

For many little happy things

she hadn’t time to do.

So God gave love to Grandmas

to equal that before,

that, in effect embraces

those little lives she bore.

~~ Author Unknown

Mother…

Mother, what to say about her,

She is a friend?

A sister?

Or is she everything to us?

Mom, a loving soul,

Working night and day

Leading us away from foul,

About her, what to say,

She is like the moon,

Cowering from the limelight,

She is like the moon,

Shying away from the light.

She wears specs gilded,

Over often flashing eyes dreaded,

But she lets us have our way,

In spite of much cry and sway.

She does her work quietly,

Like a breeze,

Never does she speak complainingly,

Leading our family without a crease.

A lamp, she is, true and old,

With a heart truly of gold,

Never will her heart waver,

More than the dying soldiers, braver.

A lamp, whose light will never dim,

Even if the sun and the moon perish,

Even if we become dim,

She turns us bright in a flourish.

Love you, O mighty soul,

Who will protect us even from a ghoul,

Carrying on her work,

Without the slightest jerk.

~~ Ayshwarya.R.Vikram

Mother’ Day Poem

Another Mother’s Day is here,

Bringing joy and pleasures new,

On this special day, Mother dear,

I want to remember you

I cannot give you costly gifts,

And I’ve told you this before,

No matter what I give to you,

You give back much, much more

I’m giving you a pure, sweet rose,

Gathered in the early morn,

This rose you planted in my heart,

The day that I was born

In kindly, loving thoughts of you,

And with the faith you still impart,

The rose I give to you today,

Is the love that’s in my heart

~~ Author Unknown

Mother’s Day

Mothers Day Mothers day comes once a year

So I am writing this poem to bring you cheer

My wish for you is happiness and glee

I only wish in return what you have given to me

Thank you so much for all the time that you have spent

Never expecting anything in return from all that you have lent

You’ve done so much for me in my life

You’ve been a great mother and a very devoted wife.

Sometimes we all made you mad

Sometimes we all made you sad

But now that were older we just want to make you glad

Looking back and remembering all the good times we had

On your anniversary cooking all that wonderful food

Setting the table and setting the mood…

Your a mother to many because you’ve been there for them through and through

I thank you and I’m sure if they were here they would thank you too

You’re great mom, I love you and I hope you enjoy this day

I hope you enjoy this poem in the very mounth of may

I love you mom and I have just one more thing to say

I hope you have a great Mothers day!!

~~ Cheryl Whitehurst

Mother’s Love

Her love is like

an island in life’s ocean,

vast and wide

A peaceful, quiet shelter

From the wind, the rain, the tide.

‘Tis bound on the north by Hope,

By Patience on the West,

By tender Counsel on the South

And on the East by Rest.

Above it like a beacon light

Shine Faith, and Truth, and Prayer;

And thro’ the changing scenes of life

I find a haven there.

~~Author Unknown

Hey… here are the most amazing pics…

May you rest in peace….

Ever enjoyed such a holiday?

Strongest Shelter….

Crazy Cat….

It’s the time to rest….