Yamaha R15 in India

Shocked? Yes. Yamaha is going to launch its superbike Yamaha R15 in India on June 14. When the company announced its idea of releasing R15 in India, bike lovers were overjoyed and some people even booked for it without even knowing its price and specifications. But now yamaha has announced the release date as June 14. But it hasn't revealed the engine power of the bike. Some of the info's says that it might be 20-22 bhp but not sure about it. Yamaha R15 has some great features like aerodynamic design, rear disc brake, fuel injection system, oil cooled engine etc. With all these great features available, the rate of yamaha R15 might hit Rs.1 lakh. But still youngsters are looking forward for it. With the release of R15 around the corner, the other competitiors like Bajaj's Pulsar and TVS' Apache are planning to release new models to cope up with the competition from Yamaha. Can they do it? Have to wait and watch.

Interview Question - What are your outside interests?

This question can also be put in this fashion "what are your hobbies?". This might seem a piece of cake for everyone, would you believe if i say that my friend din't get recruited because of this question?. He has mentioned some hobbies in his resume and when the interviewer asked about his hobbies, he said someother thing which led to his downfall. And an interviewer can use this question to look into your inner qualities.

TRAPS: You want to be a well-rounded, not a drone. But your potential employer would be even more turned off if he suspects that your heavy extracurricular load will interfere with your commitment to your work duties.

BEST ANSWERS: Try to gauge how this company’s culture would look upon your favorite outside activities and be guided accordingly.

You can also use this question to shatter any stereotypes that could limit your chances. If you’re over 50, for example, describe your activities that demonstrate physical stamina. If you’re young, mention an activity that connotes wisdom and institutional trust, such as serving on the board of a popular charity.

But above all, remember that your employer is hiring your for what you can do for him, not your family, yourself or outside organizations, no matter how admirable those activities may be.

Check out more interview questions in the blog

Check out how to answer "Why have you been out of work so long?"

Loose your body weight

I have already posted "tips to reduce body weight" and "burn your fat". Here is some more tips to shed those extra pounds.

The main thing in loosing your body weight is to eat right. Here are some tips on what to have inorder to reduce your body weight.

Ice cold water

Iced water when drunk helps in burning the calories when it gets heated to body temperature. So, have atleast 2 litres of ice cold water a day. Hunger pangs that arise frequently are thirst pangs and so drinking a lot of water makes you eat less. Adding lemon to iced water helps in cleansing your liver and also water makes kidneys flush out wastes quicker.

Green tea

Having around 5 cups of green tea increase burning your calories as high as 8 calories a day.

Chilli sauce and mustard

These increase calorie burning about 5 to 10 percent because they contain capsaicin which speeds metabolism.

Low fat diary foods

As said in my earlier post, always have low fat diary foods. They increase metabolism in abdominal area.

Fibres

Eating fibre foods makes your bowel work properly and makes you feel full. Have atleast 25gms of fiber rich foods each day such as strawberries, apples, brown rice, chick peas, potatoes (with skins).

Cooled salads

Eating cooled salads helps you in preventing extra inches and helps you stay fresh.

Do you love chocolates?

If so, then do you know how much medicinal value it has? Here are some reasons why you should have a bit of chocolate in your daily diet.

• Cocoa, the main composition of chocolate restores vitality, promote virility and longevity. The cocoa butter coats the teeth and prevents plaque. The anti bacterial agents in cocoa prevents pot belly.

• Cocoa has large amounts of Polyphenol, which dilates the blood vessels when nitric oxide is produced in arteries and relaxed them. Thus it makes arteries open up and bring the pressure under control.

• Dark chocolates has a drastic effect on cholesterol. Though chocolate is known for its large cholesterol content, stearic acid in it control from having any adverse effect on cholesterol level. This property of dark chocolate has helped it to be named as one of the heart healthiest foods along with wine, fish, fruits, vegetables, garlic and almonds.

• Chocolate increases insulin sensitivity in an individual especially with the aged.

• Here comes the most interesting part. If you are in love, chocolate helps you a lot. Phenyl ethylamine in chocolate is a mild mood elevator. So, whenever you give your partner some chocolates, be prepared for anything!!! lol...jus kidding.

The Indian Soup - Rasam

Rasam is one of the most sought after dishes in south india. It is an excellent appetiser and can be prepared in less than 15 minutes. It can be mixed with rice or served in a bowl as like other soups.

Rasam is nothing but a juice made from either tamarind or tomato with pepper and spices. And it can be prepared in various flavors like tomato, tamarind, garlic, lime and even in pineapple. It is very easy to prepare and here is a recipe to prepare rasam at your home.

Soak some tomatoes and tamarind in water and smash them to make a puree. Grind pepper, Bengal gram, red chillies, curry leaves, dhania and garlic. Add this powder to the puree. Heat oil in a pan and fry mustard seeds in it. Pour the tomato puree into it and add salt to taste and a pinch of tamarind powder. Garnish with coriander. Wait till it bubbles and there you go, your Rasam is ready to be served.

Medicinal values of this dish are Garlic helps in easy digestion, pepper rasam is good for cold, turmeric acts as antiseptic.

If you try the rasam at your home, try to have it with rice and potatofry. It would be the delicious combination one could get.

Useful Google tips - 1

Blogsearch

If you wanna search blogs not just google owned blogger sites, but also other blogs, use this link

Remove dead sites

If you find some sites outdated or dead, you can very well remove it from google's search by reporting it to google. The link used for this is www.google.com/webmasters/tools/removals

Print Calendars to PDF

If you have been using google calendar, you can very well print it into a pdf by clicking the "print" link at the top of calendar. Once the formatting is set for the first time, a pdf is generated every month for automatically which can be printed, emailed etc.

Auto update of spreadsheet data

Google docs' spreadsheets can automatically update the datas in its cells such as population count, stock tips etc using goole lookup fuction. To learn more about this,check the functions category in this link.

Convert pdf into editable text

Send the pdf you wish to convert to your gmail. Sign in your gmail id and then open the sent attachement by clicking the "View as HTML" option. Copy paste the opened text in a word processor and there you go, your pdf is now editable.

Search a single site

Using this option, you can search for things in a single site say for rapdishare use this

software site:rapidshare.com

Exact search words

If you donot want any result containg a particular word, use the hyphen ( - ) to mention the word that you donot want to include in your search. Eg. graphics card-ati

hmmm....i feel bored to type the remaining google tips. so, will post those tips later in here. If you want Gmail tips, check it out here.

Your kinda homepage - iGoogle

All the local information right on your homepage so that whenever you start your browser you get the latest of information everytime. Doesn't this sound cool? Yes, it is and here is google providing us such a facility and it has named it iGoogle. Though, google has started its concept of "Personalized homepage" late than some other websites, its still a great concept for those who love google. Google provides a lots and lots of gadgets or widgets one would like to have. You can get updates from your favorite websites and add games to your homepage.

Despite these great features, there are also some negatives in iGoogle. As you go on add ing gadgets, it makes you to scroll down to view those gadgets. With tons of gadgets available, it is had to find d gadget one looking for. Google's themes are not great when compared to its rivals such as MyYahoo, Netvibes, Pageflakes etc. There is no option for changing the background of the homepage.

With all the masterminds available with google, if it could compensate these cons, iGoogle would really be a great option for its users.

First aid for Heat exhaustion

I was off for a summer vacation so that i could stay away from the extreme heat in the city of Chennai. But when i returned back, it has got worse. The was sultry even in the early morning at 6. And when i reached home, i was already exhausted. But fortunately i had my tea ready at home and sipping the tea i read the newspaper. At a certain page, i found this topic " First aid for Heat Exhaution" and so i thought of putting it in my blog for others to know this. Here they are...

• Firstly, if a person gets exhausted by heat, he should be taken to a cool place for example an air-conditioned room.
• Then remove all sorts of accessories or excessive clothing so that he gets air.
• Make the person lie down with his feet elevated.
• Provide the person with lots of air probably by manual airing or cold sponging him.
• Give the person a cool drink or water - only if the person is alert.
• If a heat stroke is suspected, admit him/her to the hospital as soon as possible.

As usual with the old saying " prevention is better than cure", it is advisable to stay away from heat. For more tips on avoiding heat disorders, follow my blog post "Beat the Heat"

Interview question - Why have you been out of work so long?

This is a very very embarrassing question for those who have been in searching for jobs for a long time especially for the persons who missed their opportunity in their placements. Here are some tips on how to answer this question.

TRAPS: You don’t want to seem like damaged goods.

BEST ANSWER: You want to emphasize factors which have prolonged your job search by your own choice.

Example: “After my job was terminated, I made a conscious decision not to jump on the first opportunities to come along. In my life, I’ve found out that you can always turn a negative into a positive IF you try hard enough. This is what I determined to do. I decided to take whatever time I needed to think through what I do best, what I most want to do, where I’d like to do it…and then identify those companies that could offer such an opportunity.”

“Also, in all honesty, you have to factor in the recession (consolidation, stabilization, etc.) in the (banking, financial services, manufacturing, advertising, etc.) industry.”

“So between my being selective and the companies in our industry downsizing, the process has taken time. But in the end, I’m convinced that when I do find the right match, all that careful evaluation from both sides of the desk will have been well worthwhile for both the company that hires me and myself.

Check out more interview questions in the blog

Check out how to answer "Why do you want to work in our company?"

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Manicure at home

I have been off for a vacation and hasn't posted for the past 4 days. But am back in the city and the blogging continues and this time it is with another beauty procedure to do at home. Its about doing manicure at home.

Manicure is all about keeping your hands in a nice look. For that first you have to have a great nails and here starts the first step of your manicure.

• Shape or file your nails.
• Next step is to scratch off any dry or dead skins from your hand. To do this, soften your hand skins by soaking your hands in a bowl of soapy water.
• Then apply soap and salt or sugar to scratch off any scales or skin and then rinse your hands. Then dry your hands with a soft towel.
• Push back the cuticle of each nail with the help of a cuticle pusher or orangewood stick.
• Massage your hand and its skin by applying a good amount of hand lotion.
• Remove excess lotion from the hand and nails by wiping it off by a soft towel.
• Apply the first coat of nail polish to your nails and let it dry. After it gets dried, apply the second coat.

Interview Question - Why do you want to work in our company?

this is a sure question in any interview. Though this may sound a bit easy, it gives the opportunity for the interviewer to know how well you know the company.

TRAPS: This question tests whether you’ve done any homework about the firm. If you haven’t, you lose. If you have, you win big.

BEST ANSWER: This question is your opportunity to hit the ball out of the park, thanks to the in-depth research you should do before any interview.

Best sources for researching your target company: annual reports, the corporate newsletter, contacts you know at the company or its suppliers, advertisements, articles about the company in the trade press, company's website etc

Check out more interview questions in the blog

Check out how to answer " whats your ideal company?"

Install FIREFOX 2 addons in FIREFOX 3 RC1

I was very bored at home and thought of trying something different in my computer. So, i installed windows xp in VMWare workstation and started to work on it. For browsing the internet, i installed Firefox 3 RC1 and wanted to install one of my favourite addon. But wat i found was " add on incompatible" notification from firefox. So, i searched for ways to install add ons in firefox 3 and this is wat i could find.

• Type about:config into Firefox's address bar and click the "I'll be careful, I promise!" button.
• Right-click anywhere. Choose New>Boolean. Make the name of your new config value extensions.checkCompatibility and set it to false.
• Make another new boolean pair called extensions.checkUpdateSecurity and set the value to false.
• Restart Firefox.

But still, the addons page dint show me the option of " add to firefox". So, i sorted out another way to install the addons. After making the above changes to your firefox,do the following

• go to the addons page in internet explorer or any other browser and then download the required firefox addon. You will download a .xpi file.
• Now open Firefox 3 and go to Tools > Add ons. And then drag and drop the downloaded .xpi file into the Addon window and your addon should now get installed.

P.S : The firefox add on window will show you a notification to enable the addon compatability checking. do not enable it else you may not be able to install the addon.

If you are in linux, try to download the addon with some other browser.

Beat the heat

Its the time of mid summer in chennai and the temperatures have already crossed 100 degrees. Its very very hot and people stay inside home and offices and find a high time to beat the heat. Here are some tips on how to take care of yourselves in this summer.

• Strenuous activities should be reduced, eliminated or rescheduled to the coolest time of the day. Individuals at risk should stay in the coolest available places.
• Wear suitable dresses for the summer. Lightweight, lightcolored clothing reflects heat and sunlight and helps your body maintain its temperature.
• Foods like proteins that increase metabolic heat production should be reduced.
• drink plenty of water or other non alcoholic beverage. You may probably go for natural fluids such as fruit juices, coconut, buttermilk etc. Donot take salt tablets unless directed by a physician.
• Stay more time in air conditioned places. If u cant afford air conditioner, spending some time each day in an air conditioned environment affords some protection.
• Avoid too much sun. Sun burn makes the job of heat dissipation that much more difficult. So, please avoid sun.
• If u had to go out in the sun, then always take a cap and a bottle of water with you to maintain your body fluids.

Choose your lipstick

Every ladies handbag has this item and always in many numbers. But the girls doesn't know how to select a suitable lipsticks for themselves. Here are few tips to select a suitable lipstick for yourself.

Before buying a lipstick, try out different shades of lipsticks at a beauty shop and find out what suits your color. Choose a color tat complements your color.

Plums, wines and deep reds flatter a dark skin tone while light - brown beiges with pink or orange undertones complement a lighter tone. Olive skin looks good with brownish reds, light browns and raisin shades of lipstick.

For women with large lips, muted colors such as purples, browns and bronzes are the best choices while women with thinner lips can go for light colors.

Make sure you wear lighter colors for the daytime and darker colors for the night. Matte and cream finish offer a subtle look for the day time and for evening outing , a high gloss finish is suitable that adds glamour for the evening. A sheer, natural looking color with a little shine will work well for the day time.

If you love experimenting, create your own shade by combining colors. The best way to do this is by applying a color to your lip with a lip brush and then blend the brush on your lips. Opt for a lip liner that is a shade darker than your lipstick and in the same color family.

A clear lip balm is the best thing for everyday use while sheer application of a colored lip gloss on lips, cheeks and eyes looks quite subtle and sexy. Glitter lipsticks and lip glosses are for special events and funky night parties that highlight your lips immensely.

Beauty tip - How to remove make-up?

Here are some important tips to keep in mind while removing make up.

Start by removing your eye make up, mascara specially the waterproof one, can be very difficult to remove as it is designed for staying power. An excellent solution for this is baby shampoo. Apply it to a cotton ball or to your finger tips, close your eyes and carefully rub downward on the lashes. Repeat for few times but do not stretch the delicate skin around the eye. You could also use wet wipes for the same but never use regular makeup remover on the eyes.

Use a good face cleanser for the rest of your face. Avoid using soap unless unless it is specially designed for the face.

Another option to remove facial make up is by using baby oil. A majority of cosmetics are oil - soluble and this makes baby oil an excellent solution to get rid of traces of eye make up, blush and foundation. simply apply a little bit of baby oil to a tissue and gently wipe all over the face until the makeup is gone. You dont even need to use soaps after this, just rinse your face with cool water.

However, if you have used make up remover, rinse your face with lukewarm water to remove all traces of the cleanser. Rinse your face a number of times and dry it off with towel.

Toning of skin is a very important step. Lavishly use oil free astringents, ones appropriate for you skin type. Apply it with a cotton ball and wipe till clean. Toners are very important as they remove traces of make up, oil and dirt that cleansers may have missed. Toners also work to reduce pores, eliminate oil and refine skin.

Now that you have successfully removed all your make up, make sure you follow up this procedure with moisturising your skin. This step is just as important as the rest of the procedure.

Interview question - Whats your ideal company?

This question can also be put forward in this fashion " whats your dream company? ". This question may be tricky, but can be very easily tackled.

TRAPS: This is often asked by an experienced interviewer who thinks you may be overqualified, but knows better than to show his hand by posing his objection directly. So he’ll use this question instead, which often gets a candidate to reveal that, indeed, he or she is looking for something other than the position at hand.

BEST ANSWER: The only right answer is to describe what this company is offering, being sure to make your answer believable with specific reasons, stated with sincerity, why each quality represented by this opportunity is attractive to you.

Remember that if you’re coming from a company that’s the leader in its field or from a glamorous or much admired company, industry, city or position, your interviewer and his company may well have an “Avis” complex. That is, they may feel a bit defensive about being “second best” to the place you’re coming from, worried that you may consider them bush league.

This anxiety could well be there even though you’ve done nothing to inspire it. You must go out of your way to assuage such anxiety, even if it’s not expressed, by putting their virtues high on the list of exactly what you’re looking for, providing credible reason for wanting these qualities.

If you do not express genuine enthusiasm for the firm, its culture, location, industry, etc., you may fail to answer this “Avis” complex objection and, as a result, leave the interviewer suspecting that a hot shot like you, coming from a Fortune 500 company in New York, just wouldn’t be happy at an unknown manufacturer based in Topeka, Kansas.

Check out more interview questions in the blog

Check out how to answer " Where do you see 5 years from now?"

Top 4 Gadgets for your car

Car freaks doesnt go mad for driving their cars at top speed but also to give their car a head on the latest gadgets available. With a lots and lots of goodies available for the cars, the most popular gadgets that every car freak would like to have are very few. These goodies may sound common to people in foreign countries, but in India these are add ons that one would like to have in their car. If you are from outside India, you could very well forget this post.

4.Power Windows
After all who wishes to work out their biceps inside the car by rolling the window crankers up and down. Motorised windows are now almost standard, in most mainstream production cars with only the cheapest city cars and budget runarounds having wind up windows these days.

3.Parking Sensors
We still remember laughing our heads off at new learners, elderly aunties and the hopeless cases that made use of parking sensors. But using a beeper to reverse without craning the neck a bit was too good a tech to miss. Squeezing into tiny gaps and snaking through curvy bylanes ws never easier. These sensors are not found in Indian cars.

2.Music Player
Who doesn't like to ride with a heart bumping bass on a highway? With the state of the art music players with replete speaker sets, car freaks like to keep entertained on the move.

1.Satellite Navigation
In India, GPS hasn't been widely implemented as in other foreign countries. For those as yet uninitiated in car terminology, this locator device takes a fix on the car's position, speed and direction of travel from satellite and directs you to the destination road by road. More advanced versions use 3D on a large display screen.

Well, if you own a car, and any of these top gadgets are missing, think of giving yourself one.

How to select your walking shoes?

Are you a person who go for a walk regulary? Well, in that case here are some tips to select your walking shoes.

• Look for a low, supportive heel that rounds or curves in.

• A walker's foot hits heel first and then rolls gradually from heel-to-toe. so, you will need a flexible sole, which twists and bends the toe area.

• Be sure your foot has enough room in the toe box. There should be a thumb nails width (about 1/2 inch) between your toes and the end of the shoe.

• The heel shouldn't slip and the shoe shouldn't pinch or bind, espceially across the arch or ball of the foot.

• Go shoe shopping at the end of the day or after your walk when your feet may be slightly swollen so that you get a good fit. Also be sure to wear the same socks you will be wearing during your walks.

• Try on both shoes. Your feet may not be the same size.

• Keep track of how many miles you have put on your shoes, and replace them every 300-600 miles.
  

So, select a suitable shoe for yourself and have a walk in the park.

Interview question - where do you see yourself five years from now?

This question is often asked in an interview. Probably everyone would say their plan of higher studies ( students like me ) but once you say this you are out of the interview. So, just check out how to answer this question.

TRAPS: One reason interviewers ask this question is to see if you’re settling for this position, using it merely as a stopover until something better comes along. Or they could be trying to gauge your level of ambition.

If you’re too specific, i.e., naming the promotions you someday hope to win, you’ll sound presumptuous. If you’re too vague, you’ll seem rudderless.

BEST ANSWER: Reassure your interviewer that you’re looking to make a long-term commitment…that this position entails exactly what you’re looking to do and what you do extremely well. As for your future, you believe that if you perform each job at hand with excellence, future opportunities will take care of themselves.

Example: “I am definitely interested in making a long-term commitment to my next position. Judging by what you’ve told me about this position, it’s exactly what I’m looking for and what I am very well qualified to do. In terms of my future career path, I’m confident that if I do my work with excellence, opportunities will inevitable open up for me. It’s always been that way in my career, and I’m confident I’ll have similar opportunities here.”

For more interview questions, check this blog

Check out how to answer "Aren't you over qualified?"

Burn your fat

Few days back i have posted some tips to reduce body weight. Well, here are more tips on burning that extra fat.

Exercise
Starting your day with exercise helps a lot in burning fat. After 6 hours of sleep all carbohydrates are used up by the body and in the early morning when you exercise, then the body burn up fat for energy thus helping in reducing the fat.

Never forget to have your breakfast
The morning meal initiates the metabolism. So always have a low fat breakfast.

Low fat breakfast
What do i mean by low fat breakfast? Go for herbs and lime instead of mayo salad dressings. Grilling, steaming and microwaving are better than deep or shallow frying.

What not before bedtime?
Avoid sugar and highly processed items at bedtime. These include bread, candies, snacks etc. Eating these foods immediately before sleeping will result in increased fat accumulating in the body and slows down the fat burning process.

Never starve
Never avoid your food for the reason of getting slimmer. Have small amounts of food before you get hungry thereby allowing you to eat less. Smaller meals at regular intervals helps in burning calories.

Walk
Walk for atleast 10 minutes after each meal or 30 minutes in the evening

Stay active
To burn more fat avoid technologies. I mean use stairs instead of elevator, have a walk if you wanna go for a store instead of using a vehicle etc.

Useful Gmail Tips

Gmail is one of the most widely used email services around the globe. Though, widely used most of its features are unknown to everyone. Here are some of the tips for better gmailing. :)

If you have any pdf or word documents in your attachments it can be immediately viewed in google docs rather than downloading and opening with the specific application

If u wanna open emails in new window, just click "new window" found at the top right corner.

The mail composition box can be easily resized for gmail using this firefox addon.

Gmail has colored labels so you can better organize your email. Just click on the color swatch beside each label to assign a color. Colored labels only works with the latest version of Gmail and is currently available for Internet Explorer 7 and Firefox 2.

If gmail is banned at any place it can still be accessed using any of these links
http://mail.google.com, https://mail.google.com, http://www.gmail.com, https://www.gmail.com, http://gmail.com, https://gmail.com, or http://googlemail.com
or the work place email client can be easily configured to access gmail. Check this link for configuring the email client.
or you can use google desktop to access gmail

If you wish to compose new emails in new windows then hold on "shift" key while you click on "compose mail" button. Care should be taken that the popping out window is not blocked by the browser.

To delete mails quickly select the emails to be deleted and press " shift + 3" and the selected mails would be moved to trash. The same could be done while reading a particular mail.

Access upto five different email accounts using MAIL FETCHER in gmail. For more inputs about mail fetcher check out this link.

Get email alerts on your cellphone. For this your cell phone must support some basic requirements. Check here on how to set up this facility.

Google sync calendar can be used to sync gmail calendar with Microsoft outlook calendar. Know about it more in here.

Hair care in Summer

Summer is here and so does other concerns. And for girls, its most likely they are much worried about their hair and skin. So, a few tips to take care of your hair during summer. Besides skin sweating, the scalp too sweats giving room for many germs to prosper in it. This ultimately damages the scalp and results in hair fall. For those who hangout in sun face the problem of hair drying. For all these problems, here are some tips.

• Shampoo your hair on regular basis say 3-4 times a week.

• Use mild shampoo and shampoos with UV protection are preferable.

• Use conditioners to moisten, nourish and soften your hair. It helps in preventing hair breakage. A preferable option would be to use leave on type of conditioners rather than washable type conditioners.

• A better way is to use natural ingredients like henna, egg, curd etc to apply on scalp.

• Avoid using hair dryers in summer cos this may lead to further damage of hairs.

• Avoid all sorts of fancy stuffs in your hair like curling etc.

• Prefer for clips rather than bands or fringes cos they make you to touch your hair and result in dandruff etc.

Narnia Prince Caspian - Movie review

Cast : Ben Barnes, Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Anna Popplewell
Director : Andrew Adamson

The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which was released few years back was a massive hit and here comes the part two of the movie. The kids return to the wonderland via a London tube. When they get into the wonderland, 1300 years have passed by and as usual the baddies have taken on the kingdom. Azlan, the lion has disappeared and King Miraz has forced the legitimate ruler Prince Caspian to flee into the forests. With his magical horn, he manages to call the Pevensies who pick up their swords, don their kingly grab and get down to some adult business. At the same time Lucy goes in search of Azlan while the other kids engage in the fierce battle with the King Miraz's troops. The Prince Caspian's troop was helped by the magical creatures such as talking beaver, rats, dwarfs etc. Finally they defeat the King's troops and return back the kingdom to the prince.

With cutting edge graphics technology available in today no wonder the kingdom looks astonishingly real. With a mix of teen romance, the movie does has the thrills that make us sit on the seat edge. But it has just a fleeting glimpse of the wicked white witch. But still, its summer time and you need a reason to chill out and Narnia gives you the reason. A nice treat for kids this summer.

Interview Question - Aren't you over qualified?

My friend was asked to rate himself in his programming skills and he rated himself 10 out of 10 with his over confidence. The moment he rated himself 10 he had been rejected. Such things happens in interview where the interviewer plays with your self confidence. One such question is " Aren't you overqualified for this position?"

TRAPS: The employer may be concerned that you’ll grow dissatisfied and leave.
BEST ANSWER: As with any objection, don’t view this as a sign of imminent defeat. It’s an invitation to teach the interviewer a new way to think about this situation, seeing advantages instead of drawbacks.


Example: “I recognize the job market for what it is – a marketplace. Like any marketplace, it’s subject to the laws of supply and demand. So ‘overqualified’ can be a relative term, depending on how tight the job market is. And right now, it’s very tight. I understand and accept that.”


“I also believe that there could be very positive benefits for both of us in this match.”


“Because of my unusually strong experience in ________________ , I could start to contribute right away, perhaps much faster than someone who’d have to be brought along more slowly.”


“There’s also the value of all the training and years of experience that other companies have invested tens of thousands of dollars to give me. You’d be getting all the value of that without having to pay an extra dime for it. With someone who has yet to acquire that experience, he’d have to gain it on your nickel.”


“I could also help you in many things they don’t teach at the Harvard Business School. For example…(how to hire, train, motivate, etc.) When it comes to knowing how to work well with people and getting the most out of them, there’s just no substitute for what you learn over many years of front-line experience. You company would gain all this, too.”
“From my side, there are strong benefits, as well. Right now, I am unemployed. I want to work, very much, and the position you have here is exactly what I love to do and am best at. I’ll be happy doing this work and that’s what matters most to me, a lot more that money or title.”


“Most important, I’m looking to make a long term commitment in my career now. I’ve had enough of job-hunting and want a permanent spot at this point in my career. I also know that if I perform this job with excellence, other opportunities cannot help but open up for me right here. In time, I’ll find many other ways to help this company and in so doing, help myself. I really am looking to make a long-term commitment.”


NOTE: The main concern behind the “overqualified” question is that you will leave your new employer as soon as something better comes your way. Anything you can say to demonstrate the sincerity of your commitment to the employer and reassure him that you’re looking to stay for the long-term will help you overcome this objection.

For more interview questions, check out the blog

Check out how to answer " The Silent Treatment"

Alternate fuel vehicles

In chennai, one litre petrol costs almost rupees 50 and yet there is a great demand for petrol which make us think that in few years petrol might go costlier than gold. Though most of the nations are trying to figure out to meet the demands of fuel, a few techies have made vehicles tat use alternate energy resources. Of which, i like few of them.

Venturi Fetish
This limited edition convertible was the first electric sports car to reach production. Though it wasnt meant for mass production, it took designing of alternate fuel vehicles a step ahead. It became popular because of its high performance. Coming from renowned sports car makers, it is a very interesting machine.

Tesla Roadster
This is a revolutionary car because it not only worries the fellow car makers but also the oil companies. It was built in England by Lotus. It has a very good chassis and amazingly spruced up stuff under its hood. It is not cheap, 'cos of its cutting edge technology and very great things found in it.Twike
The Twike doesn't look like a normal car. Running on 3 wheels, its a great choice in those cities where the pollution level is very high. Powered by an electric motor, it has low carbon emission standards and the best thing about this car is that it is easy to control. The controls are by means of a joystick with fingertip access to acceleration, steering, brakes, turn indicators etc.

With these type of technologies rapidly evolving, the future demand for petrols could be met easliy, i think. Anyway lets hope for science to lead us to a great future.

Madonna - Hard Candy - Review

I have been watching the ad of Madonna's latest album "hard candy" in the tv while watching the ipl. That song really sounded nice and so i just wanted to know how the album is. while i was thinking to buy the album, i got to read the review of the album in the newspaper and here it is.

"The famous singer had lost the plot in her 11th album. She does start off right roping in hitmakers The neptunes, timbaland, nate 'danja' hills, justin... But after two standout tracks - synth infused dance track candy shop and futuristic funky duet 4 minutes with justin - it all starts to sound the same. Give it to me, the next single slated for media blitzkrieg, is an uptempo pop parade while the ballad incredible suffers from sound overkill. By the time kanye west - starrer Beat goes on comes on you have lost interest cos of dejavu... "

so, do i have to buy the album or wat?? Though it costs Rs. 395 here in India, i think i should give it a try atleast for the name "Madonna" !!!

Planning for summer hangout?

Its the time of the year where most of us gets disinterested in our job and think of going on a vacation for relaxing ourselves from the hectic life and also to stay away from the heat. So, when you plan for an vacation make sure you do the following to make your vacation or a picnic ,enjoyable.

• First choose your venue. Choose a venue that make you and your family relaxing and for kids make it an enjoyable one.
• Once you planned your venue, then make all the arrangements regarding the day of picnic, mode of transportation for the spot etc.
• Once your venue and the time is fixed its time to get ready. Make sure you are equipped with all necessary things such as dresses, camera, mats, paper sheets etc. If you plan to go to a beach, then take an umbrella and caps without fail.
• Donot forget to equip youself with plenty of hand towels, paper napkins and dont forget to carry a garbage bag to carry away disposables.
• Plan a menu based on number of picnic party members. Make sure you take ample amount of eatables and water.
• If you are going for a beach, take extra clothings incase if your attire gets wet.
  

I know these tips doesn't guide for an entire picnic. But these are the things to be noted if you plan for your picnic. So, plan your picnic well and have a nice time.

Interview Question - The Silent treatment

When you are in an interview donot expect that you would always be questioned. There are times where the interviewer might maintain a silence after your answer. This is a very tricky situation which puts almost every one of the candidate to panic. Under such circumstances you should do as said below

TRAPS: Beware – if you are unprepared for this question, you will probably not handle it right and possibly blow the interview. Thank goodness most interviewers don’t employ it. It’s normally used by those determined to see how you respond under stress. Here’s how it works:

You answer an interviewer’s question and then, instead of asking another, he just stares at you in a deafening silence.

You wait, growing a bit uneasy, and there he sits, silent as Mt. Rushmore, as if he doesn’t believe what you’ve just said, or perhaps making you feel that you’ve unwittingly violated some cardinal rule of interview etiquette.

When you get this silent treatment after answering a particularly difficult question , such as “tell me about your weaknesses”, its intimidating effect can be most disquieting, even to polished job hunters.

Most unprepared candidates rush in to fill the void of silence, viewing prolonged, uncomfortable silences as an invitation to clear up the previous answer which has obviously caused some problem. And that’s what they do – ramble on, sputtering more and more information, sometimes irrelevant and often damaging, because they are suddenly playing the role of someone who’s goofed and is now trying to recoup. But since the candidate doesn’t know where or how he goofed, he just keeps talking, showing how flustered and confused he is by the interviewer’s unmovable silence.

BEST ANSWER: Like a primitive tribal mask, the Silent Treatment loses all it power to frighten you once you refuse to be intimidated. If your interviewer pulls it, keep quiet yourself for a while and then ask, with sincere politeness and not a trace of sarcasm, “Is there anything else I can fill in on that point?” That’s all there is to it.

Whatever you do, don’t let the Silent Treatment intimidate you into talking a blue streak, because you could easily talk yourself out of the position.

For more interview questions check the blog

Check out how to answer " why should i hire you? "

Tips to reduce your body weight

well, i have seen many people who go on mad on seeing food and then worry a lot when they put on extra fat. So, here are some things to reduce those extra fat that gets accumulated in your body.

• To loose body fat you must eat foods with lower calories than your body burns off. So eat less but do not starve yourself.
• Eat in small amounts and frequently like 5 to 6 meals per day with suitable time gaps
• Avoid eating fatty foods. Increase your protein intake. Protein helps to build up new muscle and increase metabolism i.e burn up fats.
• Increase burning of your fat by having hot and spicy foods
• Drink as much water as you can
• Exercise regularly to burn your fat

Instinct - will it compete with Apple's iPhone??

So, with nearly a year after the launch of Apple's iPhone, Samsung and Sprint have decided to deliver a competition, the Instinct. The Instinct is bigger in size when compared with iPhone both in height and thickness and uses a resistive display ( iPhone uses capacitive display ). The Instinct provides much more options than iPhone such as mobile broadband, GPS, support for third party applications such as java etc. These may sound interesting but we can only judge how far the Instinct outwits the iPhone only after its launch. So, lets wait for the Instinct.

Interview Question - Why should I hire you ???

so we are back to our interview questions. next question we are going to see is " why should i hire you?? " Its a very tricky question and here is how you answer it.

TRAPS: Believe it or not, this is a killer question because so many candidates are unprepared for it. If you stammer or adlib you’ve blown it.

BEST ANSWER: By now you can see how critical it is to apply the overall strategy of uncovering the employer’s needs before you answer questions. If you know the employer’s greatest needs and desires, this question will give you a big leg up over other candidates because you will give him better reasons for hiring you than anyone else is likely to…reasons tied directly to his needs.

Whether your interviewer asks you this question explicitly or not, this is the most important question of your interview because he must answer this question favorably in is own mind before you will be hired. So help him out! Walk through each of the position’s requirements as you understand them, and follow each with a reason why you meet that requirement so well.

Example: “As I understand your needs, you are first and foremost looking for someone who can manage the sales and marketing of your book publishing division. As you’ve said you need someone with a strong background in trade book sales. This is where I’ve spent almost all of my career, so I’ve chalked up 18 years of experience exactly in this area. I believe that I know the right contacts, methods, principles, and successful management techniques as well as any person can in our industry.”

“You also need someone who can expand your book distribution channels. In my prior post, my innovative promotional ideas doubled, then tripled, the number of outlets selling our books. I’m confident I can do the same for you.”

“You need someone to give a new shot in the arm to your mail order sales, someone who knows how to sell in space and direct mail media. Here, too, I believe I have exactly the experience you need. In the last five years, I’ve increased our mail order book sales from $600,000 to $2,800,000, and now we’re the country’s second leading marketer of scientific and medical books by mail.” Etc., etc., etc.,

Every one of these selling “couplets” (his need matched by your qualifications) is a touchdown that runs up your score. IT is your best opportunity to outsell your

Find more interview questions in the blog.

Find how to answer "What are your weaknesses?"

Upgrading your computer

Everyone of us might have undergone the feeling that after few months of buying a new computer, we would feel unsatisfied with its performance and so wanna upgrade in a short time after buying a new computer. And the scenario gets more worse if you like to switch to Vista from XP. With Microsoft announcing that it would stop providing support for XP in few months, every PC user is forced to use Vista. But buying a new Vista compatible CPU is too costly and the better option is to upgrade your old PC. So, here are the things you should do for upgrading.

Back up your data : First of all, if you plan for an upgrade back up all your important data onto an DVD or external harddisk.

Choose your hardware : Then, choose your hardware for your requirements such as a tv tuner card if you wish to watch tv in your computer etc. You aren't going to buy things for your computer frequently, so do thorough analysis of your requirements and select the suitable hardware

DVD Drive : If you are upgrading to vista, you need an DVD drive for sure because vista comes in dvd only. So get a good dvd drive for your system. Upto my knowledge, the better dvd writers are liteon, sony and asus.

RAM : Vista needs a mininum of 1GB RAM to perform to a satisfactory level. So a RAM of 1GB or more is required for Vista.

Drivers : When you buy any hardware, do check whether the drivers for the same are available for vista. If you donot have driver for the hardware, the chances of your hardware not working are high.

New BIOS : If you are planning to upgrade your Motherboard, then check out for the Motherboard with latest bios. A crash free bios would be good.

Graphics Card : Are you mad about gaming? Then you really need a good graphics card for the latest games to be played. Choose a latest graphic card with a suitable memory and according to your budget. The power requirements for your graphic card also should be met. So, choose a graphic card that suits your motherboard and power supply. And do go for a graphic card that supports DirectX 10.

IDE to SATA : If you are going to upgrade your harddisk, optical drive etc, then go for SATA drives because they are much faster than IDE.

Software Compatability : Be sure that you have your softwares updated or upgraded to make them work in your new environment. If you donot find any upgrades for your softwares, then run the software in compatibility mode.

USB Upgrade : If you have been using USB 1.1 in your old system, upgrade them to USB 2 as they provide a much more faster data transfer.

Above all, if you plan to run vista in your system, then run the vista upgrade advisor to get a rough idea about the hardware requirements for your PC.