Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Inventing Faith!!



A group of people at the Oregon state university headed by Bobby Henderson invented a new deity called " Flying Spaghetti Monster" ( also known as Spaghedeity) as a measure of protest against Kansas state board of education's decision to teach intelligent design as an alternate to biological evolution. Flying Spaghetti Mosnter (FSM) which resembles spaghetti and meatballs is believed to be the super natural creator of the universe,




Due to its recent popularity and media exposure, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is used by atheist, agnostics (known by Pastafarians as "spagnostics"), and others as a modern version of Russell's teapot ( a contemporary belief !! that there is no god) atlast there is onething the atheist do believe!!


May be if Henderson would have visited India he would have believed Spaghetti monster really exists and it rules or may be Spaghetti would have become the new superstar in Indian movies ;) with fans poring milk ( should they try pasta sauce!!) on him








Sunday, September 16, 2007

Reading between lines

Really Nice…..

* There are some things that money can’t buy. For everything else, my salary isn’t sufficient!!
* I try to go the extra mile at work, but my boss always finds me and brings me back.
* They can’t fire me, slaves have to be sold.
* Home is where the television is.
* Before borrowing money from a friend, decide which you need more.
* Death is hereditary.
* Many things can be preserved in alcohol. Dignity is not one of them.
* Never argue with a fool. People might not know the difference.
* When you’re right, no one remembers. When you’re wrong, no one forgets.
* Experience is what a comb gives you after you lose your hair.
* Well done is better than well said.
* Everyone makes mistakes. The trick is to make them when nobody is looking.
* Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won’t expect it back.
* You’re not drunk if you can lie on the floor without holding on.
* I like work. It fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.
* If you can’t see the bright side of life, polish the dull side.
* Pessimist: A person that looks both ways when crossing a one way street.
* The light at the end of the tunnel is the headlamp of an approaching train.
* Where there’s a will there are five hundred relatives.
* I have a drinking problem - I can’t afford it.
* Everyone should have a spouse, because there are a number of things that goWrong that one can’t blame on the government.
* There are three sides to every argument: your side, my side and the right side.
* An expert is someone who takes a subject you understand and makes it soundConfusing.

And finally

* Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.

Courtesy (Copied from) : Analysis, Enjoy Life, Humor, Information, Life, Quotations, Random Thoughts

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Mortgage Basics

1. Introduction

Buying a home is the biggest financial investment most of us will ever make. As with any large project or goal, it requires dealing with a variety of complex issues. The best approach is to divide the process into manageable tasks. The following deals with the first steps of gathering your records, determining what you can afford, and understanding mortgage options.
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2. Put Your Own Financial House in Order
Before you go looking for a home, you should determine how much home you can afford. Most lenders will prequalify you to borrow up to a certain amount. Prequalification allows you to focus in on a realistic price range and makes you a more attractive buyer. Whether or not you want to prequalify, eventually you'll need to complete a loan application and it may take some time to gather and assemble the required information.

It's also a good idea to review your credit report. Contact local lenders to determine which credit bureaus they use. Then contact the credit bureaus and request a copy of your credit report (in most states, credit bureaus are required to provide individuals with a free copy of their report). Review your report to ensure that all information is correct. If you have past credit problems, don't lose hope. Be prepared to present a rationale for each slipup, and demonstrate an improvement in your ability to pay bills on time.
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3. How Much Mortgage Can You Afford?
The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) is a government-sponsored organization that purchases mortgages from lenders and sells them to investors. Two income-to-debt ratios established by Fannie Mae are standard requirements for conventional mortgages. The first requirement is that monthly mortgage principal and interest payments (P&I), plus insurance and property taxes, cannot exceed 28% of the buyer's gross monthly income (some exceptions may apply to increase this limit to 33%). The second requirement limits total monthly debt payments (housing, credit cards, car payments, etc.) to 36% of gross monthly income. In addition to these requirements, you may have to pay 10% to 20% down on the total purchase price to qualify for a conventional mortgage.

Mortgage Rates and Minimum Incomes Needed to Qualify

Interest Rate Monthly Payment Minimum Annual Income
4% $454 $21,770
5% $510 $24,479
6% $570 $27,340
7% $632 $30,338
8% $697 $33,460
9% $764 $36,691
10% $834 $40,017
11% $905 $43,426
12% $977 $46,905

Mortgage companies use ratios to analyze your mortgage payment. The above example shows the monthly payments of principal and interest, and income needed to qualify for a $95,000 mortgage at various interest rates, amortized on a 30-year schedule, assuming a payment ratio of 25%.
Source: National Association of Home Builders, Economics Division.




4. Types of Mortgages
How much house you can buy also depends on your mortgage's term and interest rate. The term is the length of time (usually 15 or 30 years) over which payments will be paid. The rate can be fixed (meaning it doesn't change over the loan's term) or adjustable (it fluctuates with market conditions). Thirty-year fixed-rate mortgages remain the most popular. The longer term lowers the monthly payment, while the fixed rate provides stability over the life of the loan. Given relatively low interest rates, these mortgages are attractive to buyers planning to stay at least six or seven years in their new home. The drawbacks are low principal payments in the early years, and the risk that market rates will decline over the term. However, if your credit history is sound and you have sufficient income, you can usually refinance your mortgage when rates decline.

A 15-year term lowers the interest rate, reduces total interest payments, and increases principal payments. But it also increases monthly payments. If you can't afford the higher payments now, you might opt for a 30-year mortgage. If there are no prepayment penalties, you can make additional principal payments as your income increases. Making just one extra monthly payment a year will pay off a 30-year mortgage in less than 22 years and can save tens of thousands of dollars in interest costs. If you plan to stay in a home no more than three years, you might want an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM). ARMs offer initial rates that are lower than fixed mortgages. At some point, usually after the first year, rates are tied to market conditions and are subject to potential rate increases. Most ARMs include a cap on rate increases in any given year, as well as over the life of the loan. Some ARMs offer initial rates at least 2% below fixed rates and limit increases to 1% annually and 5% to 6% over the life of the loan. Many home buyers are attracted by the affordability of an ARM during the initial period. However, you should be confident that your future income will be sufficient if both interest rates and your monthly payments increase.

Another popular mortgage involves a balloon payment. A balloon is a lump-sum payment that pays off the loan in full after a fixed period of time. Generally the rates on balloon mortgages are 1/4% to 3/4% less than on 30-year fixed mortgages, but during an initial period of between 3 and 15 years, payments are similar. After this period, the remaining outstanding principal balance is either due in full or subject to refinancing. This is a good option for home buyers who plan to sell before the final payment is due. But because property values fluctuate, you may not be able to sell when you want. You may also face higher payments if you are forced to refinance at a higher rate, and there is also a risk that you may not be in a position to refinance when the balloon becomes due.

Three Steps to Finding the Right Mortgage


Estimate how long you expect to live in the house. If the answer is less than three to five years, consider an Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM), which typically starts out with a lower rate. If you plan to live in your new home longer than five years, a fixed-rate mortgage offers protection against rising interest rates.
Shop around for mortgage rates. Banks, credit unions, and mortgage companies all offer mortgages. Compare at least six lenders in your area.
Add up all the costs for each lender. Include fees, points, closing costs, etc., to arrive at the total mortgage cost for each lender.



5. Interest Rate Points
Points are interest paid in advance to reduce the rate on a loan. One point is equal to 1% of the mortgage amount. The general rule is that 1 point is worth 1/8 of 1% off the loan rate. The decision to pay points for a lower rate is based on how much the seller is willing to contribute to points, how long you plan to stay in the house, and how important lower payments are compared to higher closing costs. You will need to calculate the long-term value of points based on these factors, keeping in mind that points are generally tax deductible in the year paid.

6. Other Alternatives
If you cannot afford a conventional mortgage, there are a variety of alternatives. An anxious seller will sometimes offer owner financing. Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans offer down payments as low as 3%, but may require the buyer to purchase mortgage insurance. (The FHA is a government agency responsible for insuring affordable housing mortgages.) The Veterans Administration (VA) offers no-money-down mortgages to qualified veterans of the U.S. military. Finally, there are local affordable housing advocates that offer low-cost, low down-payment loan alternatives. For further information, contact the FHA, VA, Fannie Mae, or your local mortgage lender or real estate broker.


Summary
The first step in acquiring a home mortgage is to gather the information you'll need to include in a mortgage application.
Review your credit report by ordering a copy from the credit bureaus used by local mortgage lenders.
Prequalifying for a mortgage lets you know how much you can afford and makes you a more attractive buyer.
Conventional mortgages limit housing costs to 28% of gross income and total debt payments to 36% of gross income.
Mortgage terms are usually 15 or 30 years. The longer the term, the lower your monthly payment, but the higher your overall interest costs.
Thirty-year loans often permit additional principal payments. One additional monthly payment per year will reduce a 30-year loan to 22 years.
Interest rates are fixed or variable over the term of the loan. Variable rates may be best for buyers who plan to sell within three years.
Generally speaking, one point is worth 1/8 of 1% off the loan rate.
A balloon payment is a lump sum payable at the end of a specified term.
Points and interest on mortgages or home equity debt are usually tax deductible.
Checklist
When your credit reports arrive, review them for accuracy. Correct any mistakes immediately.
Get prequalified for a loan. Paying off debts ahead of time might qualify you for a better mortgage.
If you're a veteran, contact the U.S. Veterans Administration to find out whether you're eligible for a no-money-down mortgage.


Tips:
If you are wanting to buy a home, stop , think, study. Owning a home is costs more than just the P and I. Even a new home will require major expenses in 5 - 10 years. Painting, A/C system, hot water heater, etc. Save up the 20% or more down payment. Buy a little less house than you can afford. Then when those expenses come around you can pay for them. Avoid ARM and low or no down payments, your payment will be higher. By saving the down payment you are proving to yourself that you had the disiplan to own a home. Can't wait, then stay in a rental. Otherwise you may wake up and be bankrupt some day.

Coutesy : yahoo finance : http://finance.yahoo.com/how-to-guide/loans/12822

Thursday, May 31, 2007

ha ha ha ha ha .....

Thursday, April 5, 2007

7 Steps for motivation

Daily Motivation: 7 Methods by StevenG

Isn't a lack of daily motivation one of the biggest problems we face when trying to better ourselves? We often know what to do, or at least the first few steps. But we hesitate, something else catches our attention, or we just don't feel like doing what we need to do.Want some help?

Here are seven ways to get motivated - ways that have worked for others. If you find only one or two here that work for you, you'll be on your way.

Seven Methods For Daily Motivation

1. Create desire. See the rewards of your effort clearly. This motivates many to sign up for get-rich-quick plans. A good salesman can have you living in your imagined dream home in minutes, and you'll feel motivated to do anything to make it real. Learn to be your own salesman.

2. Create pain. In Neuro-Linguistic Programming they teach you to link pain with not acting. An imaginary scene of your wife walking out the door with another man, as you sit there silently - that might motivate you to have that talk you've been avoiding.

3. Talk about your plans. By the time I tell my wife about the newsletter I'm going to write, I'm out of my slump and back at the keyboard.

4. Have a true interest. No interest at all might mean you need to do something else, but if it's just a task you dislike, relate it clearly in your mind to the greater goal. I don't like to drive, but when I remember those mountains I'm going to, I get motivated to drive.

5. Have energy. Caffeine will substitute for health for a while, but one way or another, you need some energy to have daily motivation. Exercise, sleep well, and watch out for sugary foods - the "sugar blues" will kill your motivation.

6. Create the proper mental state. It's hard to be depressed and motivated. Resolve some of your negative feelings, or at least do your important work when you are in a better mood.

7. Take a small step. Commit to raking up one bag of leaves, and soon you'll want to finish the yard. Any small step towards your goals feeds your daily motivation.

Now you have seven ways to self-motivation, but you have to actually use them. How do you get motivated to do that? Oh the irony! You'll have to figure that one out yourself.
By the way, here's a bonus motivation method: Humor. Laughter often breaks up the feeling of being overwhelmed that sucks away motivation.Steve Gillman writes on many self help topics including boosting brainpower, losing weight, meditation, habits of mind, creative problem solving, learning gratitude, generating luck and anything related to self improvement. You'll find more at http://www.selfimprovementnow.com/

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Nice story to think about

A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?" The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," He pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother, "he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me." Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. "Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy! push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.
It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: "Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!" God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
He sends you flowers every spring.
He sends you a sunrise every morning Face it, friend - He is crazy about you!


God didn't promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow,sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Radical measures - Remarkable results

Life is like cooking, if you put the normal ingedients and cook it is just the normal example if you cook dosa, if you just cook the normal way u get the normal dosa only if you add something ( like onion ) it increases its value
similarly, if we do the normal things like work same 8 hrs , save some money , get married have children get a house, get ur kids educated ...get retired, chant manthra and die , of course even to do this in this fashion requires lot of hard work and planning but in the last ...but we miss something called life , what is life?..life is not all this regular chores, is the world changed a little bit after you, atleast the world which is known to you ...has anybody benefited from your life in a good way

if you can make your parents life better ...you become a good son
if you can make your kids life better ...you become a good father
if you can make your village prosper ...you become a leader
if you can make your nation prosper .....you become mahathma


but how many people take a break and think out of the box ...everybody is caught in the routine and you dont live for urself nor you live for any purpose!!

Sunday, January 28, 2007

skeleton

Friday, January 19, 2007

Yoga in busy life

Below is the extract taken from Rajini's interview to Ananda Vikatan at the end of Rajini's Travelogue to Himalayas (2005) which got published in Ananda Vikatan that year.He talks about Dhyanam here.

It is a simple and neat explanation of how to start dhyanamJust go ahead...Question:

யோகாசனம், தியானம் பழகின பிறகு உங்களுக்குள் என்னென்ன மாற்றங்கள் நிகழ்ந்தன... அதுபத்திக் கொஞ்சம் சொல்லுங்க?

Answer: நிறைய! அது வந்து... நேரடியா எக்ஸ்பீரியன்ஸ் பண்ணணும். அப்போதான் அந்த சக்தி... பவர் புரியும். சும்மா யோகா, தியானம்னு பேச ஆரம்பிச்சா, அட போப்பா!ன்னுட்டுப் போயிடுவாங்க. யோகா உடம்புக்கு... தியானம் மனசுக்கு!எல்லோருக்கும் டென்ஷன், பிரச்னை, அவஸ்தை, தலைவலி இருக்கு. காலைல வெளியே கிளம்பறப்போ,இன்னிக்குப் புதுசா பிறந்தோம்டா!னு நினைச்சுக்கிட்டு கிளம்புங்க. ஈவினிங் வீட்டுக்கு வந்ததும் அப்பிடியே உட்காருங்க... சும்மா ஒரு அஞ்சு நிமிஷம் கண்ணு மூடி உட்காருங்க. இன்னிக்குக் காலையிலிருந்து சாயந்திரம் வீடு திரும்பற வரை என்னவெல்லாம் நடந்துதுனு நெனச்சுப் பாருங்க.ஜஸ்ட் திங் அபௌட் இட்! நீங்க யாரையோ காயப்படுத்தி இருக்கலாம். உங்களை யாரோ சந்தோஷப்படுத்தி இருக்கலாம். ஒரு வேலை நல்லபடியா முடிஞ்சிருக்கும். செய்ய நினைச்ச எதையோ மறந்துபோயிருப்பீங்க. அது எல்லாத்தையும் மனசுக்குள் ஒரு ரீப்ளே பண்ணிப் பாருங்க.முதல் நாள் இது நாலஞ்சு நிமிஷத்தில் முடிஞ்சுபோயிடும். அப்புறம், அதுவே இன்னும் டைம் கூடும். எங்கியோ ஒரு மொமண்ட்ல தடக்குனு நீங்க உங்களை மறந்து ஒரு சூன்யத்துக்குள் போய் வருவீங்க. அந்த அனுபவம் தனி எனர்ஜி தரும். கிரியா யோகாவை முறையா கத்துத் தர நல்ல மாஸ்டர்ஸ் இருக்காங்க. யோகுடா சத்சங்கில் போய்ப் பாருங்க. கத்துக்கிட்டா இன்னும் நல்லா இருப்பீங்க... இது என் எக்ஸ்பீரியன்ஸ்!

so simple and so good !!

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Hi All

This is my first blog ...had this thought for along time ..but today I spent my time to create a blog , 'spent my time' ..seems quite odd.. yea this is the whole theme of this blog . As per me, Life in itself is kind of barter system, for everything in this world there is a "price tag" so you always spend ups osmething to get something , taking this thought let us start ...