Hotel 4 You

One stormy night many years ago, an elderly man and his wife entered the lobby of a small hotel in Philadelphia. Trying to get out of the rain, the couple approached the front desk hoping to get some shelter for the night.


"Could you possibly give us a room here?" the husband asked. The clerk, a friendly man with a winning smile, looked at the couple and explained that there were three conventions in town.

"All of our rooms are taken," the clerk said. "But I can't send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o'clock in the morning. Would you perhaps be willing to sleep in my room? It's not exactly a suite, but it will be good enough to make you folks comfortable for the night."

When the couple declined, the young man pressed on. "Don't worry about me; I'll be just fine here in the office," the clerk told them. So the couple agreed.

As he paid his bill the next morning, the elderly man said to the clerk, "You are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best hotel in the United States. Maybe someday I'll build one for you."

The clerk looked at them and smiled. The three of them had a good laugh.

As they drove away, the elderly couple agreed that the helpful clerk was indeed exceptional, as finding people who are both friendly and helpful isn't easy.

Two years passed. The clerk had almost forgotten the incident when he received a letter from the old man.

It recalled that stormy night and enclosed a round-trip ticket to New York, asking the him to pay them a visit. The old man met him in New York, and led him to the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. He then pointed to a great new building there, a palace of reddish stone, with turrets and watchtowers thrusting up to the sky.

"That," said the older man, "is the hotel I have just built for you to manage."

"You must be joking," the young man said.

"I can assure you I am not," said the older man, a sly smile playing around his mouth.

The older man's name was William Waldorf Astor, and the magnificent structure was the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

The young clerk who became its first manager was George C. Boldt. This young clerk never foresaw the turn of events that would lead him to become the manager of one of the world's most glamorous hotels.

"We are not to turn our backs on those who are in need, for we might be entertaining angels".

Life is more accurately measured by the lives you touch than the things you acquire..

Market Mechanics

A cold winter!

It was autumn, and the Red Indians asked their New Chief if the winter was going to be cold or mild.

Since he was a Red Indian chief in a modern society, he couldn't tell what the weather was going to be.

Nevertheless, to be on the safe side, he replied to his Tribe that the winter was indeed going to be cold and that the members of the village should collect wood to be prepared.

But also being a practical leader, after several days he got an idea.  He went to the phone booth, called the National Weather Service and asked 'Is the coming winter going to be cold?'

'It looks like this winter is going to be quite cold indeed,' the weather man responded.

So the Chief went back to his people and told them to collect even more  wood. A week later, he called the National Weather Service again. 'Is it going to be a very cold winter?'
'Yes,' the man at National Weather Service again replied, 'It's definitely going to be a very cold winter.'

The Chief again went back to his people and ordered them to collect every scrap of wood they could find.
 
Two weeks later, he called the National Weather Service again.
'Are you absolutely sure that the winter is going to be very cold?'
'Absolutely,' The man replied. 'It's going to be one of the coldest winters ever.'

'How can you be so sure?' the Chief asked.
The weatherman replied, 'The Red Indians are collecting wood like crazy.'

This is how stock markets work!!!
 

10 commandments for Life

1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble; it is a 
"steering wheel" that directs us in the right path throughout life. 

2] Do you know why a car's WINDSHIELD is so large & the rear view mirror is so 
small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, look ahead and 
move on.  

3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years 
to write.  

4] Allthings in life are temporary.  If going well enjoy it, they will not last 
forever. If going wrong don’t worry, they can't last long either.  

5] Old friends are like Gold! New friends are Diamonds! If you get a Diamond, 
don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a base of 
Gold!  

6]  Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and 
says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!  

7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD 
doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.  

8] A blindperson asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything  worse than losing 
eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision."  

9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them; and sometimes, 
when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you. 

10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES; it takes away today’s 
PEACE.

Do you hate someone?

A kindergarten teacher decided to let her class play a game. The teacher told each child in the class to bring along a plastic bag containing a few potatoes.  Each potato will be given a name of a person that the child hates.   

So the number of potatoes that a child will put in his/her plastic bag will depend on the number of people he/she hates.   

So when the day came, each child brought some potatoes with the name of the people he/she hated. Some had 2 potatoes; some 3 while some up to 5 potatoes. The teacher then told the children to carry with them the potatoes in the plastic bag wherever they go (even to the toilet) for 1 week. Days after days passed by, and the children started to complain due to the unpleasant smell let out by the rotten potatoes. Besides, those having 5 potatoes also had to carry heavier bags. After 1 week, the children were relieved because the game had finally ended.... 

The teacher asked: "How did you feel while carrying the poatoes with you for 1 week?". The children let out their frustrations and started complaining of the trouble that they had to go through having to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes wherever they go. 

Then the teacher told them the hidden meaning behind the game. The teacher said: "This is exactly the situation when you carry your hatred for somebody inside your heart. The stench of hatred will contaminate your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go. If you cannot tolerate the smell of rotten potatoes for just 1 week, can you imagine what is it like to have the stench of hatred in your heart for your lifetime???" 

  

Moral of the story: Throw away any hatred for anyone from your heart so that you will not carry sins for a lifetime. 

Forgiving others is the best attitude to take! 

How smart can one get

An old prospector shuffled into town leading an old tired mule.  

The old man headed straight for the only saloon to clear his parched throat.  

 

He walked up and tied his old mule to the hitch rail.  As he stood there, brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gun-slinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whiskey in the other. 

The young gun-slinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, "Hey old man, have you ever danced?"  

 

The old man looked up at the gun-slinger and said, "No, I never did dance... never really wanted to." A crowd had gathered as the gun-slinger grinned and said,  "Well, you old fool, you're gonna dance now," and started shooting at the old man's feet. 

  

The old prospector -- not wanting to get a toe blown off-- started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet.  Everybody was laughing, fit to bust. When his last bullet had been fired, the young gun-slinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.

 

The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double-barrelled shotgun, and cocked both hammers. The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air. 

The crowd stopped laughing immediately.  

 

The young gun-slinger heard the sounds too, and he turned around very slowly.  The silence was almost deafening.  

 

The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the large gaping holes of those twin barrels. The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man's hands, as he quietly said, "Son, have you ever licked a mule's ass?" 

The gun-slinger swallowed hard and said, "No sir..... but... 've always wanted to....."

 

There are a few lessons for us all here:

 

Never be arrogant.

Don't waste ammunition.

Alcohol makes you think you're smarter than you are.

Always, always make sure you know who has the power.

Don't mess with old men; they didn't get old by being stupid.

Thirsty Buddha

Once Buddha was travelling with a few of his followers. While they were passing a lake, Buddha told one of his disciples, "I am thirsty. Do get me some water from the lake."

The disciple walked up to the lake. At that moment, a bullock cart started crossing through the lake. As a result, the water became very muddy and turbid. The disciple thought, "How can I give this muddy water to Buddha to drink?"

So he came back and told Buddha, "The water in there is very muddy. I don't think it is fit to drink."

After about half an hour, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back to the lake.

The disciple went back, and found that the water was still muddy. He returned and informed Buddha about the same.

After sometime, again Buddha asked the same disciple to go back.

This time, the disciple found the mud had settled down, and the water was clean and clear. So he collected some water in a pot and brought it to Buddha.

Buddha looked at the water, and then he looked up at the disciple and said," See what you did to make the water clean. You let it be, and the mud settled down on its own -- and you have clear water.

Your mind is like that too ! When it is disturbed, just let it be. Give it a little time. It will settle down on its own. You don't have to put in any effort to calm it down. It will happen. It is effortless."

Having 'Peace of Mind' is not a strenuous job; it is an effortless process!

How to identify an IT professional

1. He/She never bargains... No wonder things have become so costly!
2. When a cab/bus passes by and you see all the commuters in it are sleeping like they haven't slept for years...
3. Dilbert or Calvin is their favorite cartoon...
4. Words like issues, tracker, raising requests, buzz/ping, compile, delete [unlike erase or rub it off], onsite [n not abroad is what 'foreign land' is called] are the ones that would be used by 'default'...
5. Weekends are holy words... they are like a salvation one seeks for...
6. "Wazzzup", "Hows life?", are few obvious questions one will be greeted with which would be immediately followed by "how's work?"
7. Salaries, work etc are always better or in good shape in other companies than the one he/she is currently in...
8. They don't send or take things... they always forward them!
9. Drinking coffee is the most pleasurable thing they think they do in the entire day...
10. They seek a search engine in just almost everything they do... When I forget where I have kept my things at home the first thing that comes to my mind is "I wish there was a Google search for my room"  J
11. Mondays are always blue...
12. All of them will have a dream to do something in life and that something would never be what they are doing right now...  

Pencil & Eraser

Pencil: I'm sorry.... Eraser: For what? You didn't do anything wrong. Pencil: I'm sorry cos you get hurt bcos of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time. Eraser: That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad. :) I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational.  Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They're always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way... they get hurt, and become smaller (older, and eventually pass on). Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad. This is for all parents out there.....

And, more important, for the children to understand and gratefully remember.  

Customer Service

The 10 most important words:       “I apologize for our mistake. Let me make it right.”

The 9 most important words:         “Thank you for your business. Please come back again.”

The 8 most important words:         “I’m not sure, but I will find out.”

The 7 most important words:         “What else can I do for you?”

The 6 most important words:         “What is most convenient for you?”

The 5 most important words:         “How may I serve you?”

The 4 most important words:         “How did we do?”

The 3 most important words:         “Glad you’re here!”

The 2 most important words:         “Thank you.”

The MOST important word:            “Yes.”

The Haircut

One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, 'I cannot accept money from you, I'm doing community service this week.' The florist was pleased and left the shop. When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door. 


Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you , I'm doing community service this week.' The cop was happy and left the shop. The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door. 


Then a Member of Parliament came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I can not accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The Member of Parliament was very happy and left the shop. The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen other Members of Parliament lined up waiting for a free haircut. 


And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the politicians who run it.