harshgoda: 2011

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Taking photographs

If you find yourself getting snap happy on a holiday or night out, this may be no bad thing. Research suggests that recalling good memories and having a positive view of the past can help boost happiness levels and health, yet according to separate research we find it more difficult to recall good memories than bad ones. If you have trouble focusing on happy memories, try compiling some photo albums of your favourite moments for an instant health and happiness boost.

Stress

While we all know about the health dangers of long-term stress, stress in short bursts can actually strengthen your immune system. In cases of acute stress, the body prepares itself for danger or threat (the fight-or-flight response) through the release of hormones including cortisol, which causes a short term boost to the immune system. So next time you find yourself getting tense before a job interview, presentation or big sports match, take consolation in the fact that you are doing your immune system a favour.

Read more on Y! Lifestyle:

Surfing the internet

Think that browsing Facebook and searching for celebrity gossip is a waste of time? Think again. Researchers at the University of California Los Angeles found that searching the web helps boost brain health in those middle-aged and older, and could even prevent some of the effects that ageing has on the brain. The study found that browsing the internet stimulated the areas of the brain that control language and memory as well as helping to improve decision-making and complex reasoning.

Crying

We all know that laughter is good for us, but the surprising news is that shedding some tears could also do wonders for your health. Researchers at the University of South Florida found that 88.8 per cent of people feel better after crying, while it has been suggested that crying helps release the chemicals that build up in our bodies during times of stress. So, next time you feel yourself welling up after a weepy movie or emotional day, give your health and mood a boost by letting the tears flow.

Getting married

Multiple research studies and statistics suggest that those who are married live longer than singletons due to the fact they experience less social isolation. Furthermore, while it’s never a standalone reason for raising kids, research suggests that if you decide to start a family you could boost your health even more. A study of over 1.5 million men and women found that having one to two children reduces your risk of numerous conditions including cancer, alcoholism and heart disease.

Housework

It may not be your favourite activity, yet keeping your home clean and tidy could help you stay fit and healthy and keep off those extra pounds. According to a poll on household chores, the average person walks more than 22 miles and burns off 50,000 calories a year while cleaning their home, making it a great alternative to the gym. Furthermore, research funded by Cancer Research UK found that doing household chores can reduce women’s risk of breast cancer by 30% in pre-menopausal women and 20% in those post-menopause.

Having a big bum

If you regularly spend hours in the gym trying to trim inches off your thighs or bum, it may be time you stopped and showed your curves a little appreciation instead. While you may despair of your curvy rear end, research shows that fat stored in this area mops up harmful fatty acids, contains an anti-inflammatory that prevents arteries from clogging, and cuts your risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke.

Dirt

With the soaring popularity of anti-bacterial hand gels, clothing and washing products, it is easy to believe that dirt is the ultimate enemy. However, while it is generally good to pay attention to hygiene, a little bit of dirt could be better for you than you think. Contrary to popular belief, being sterile doesn’t keep you healthy and in fact research suggests that exposure to friendly bacteria found in soil can actually help boost the immune system and alleviate depression.

Beer

While many of us associate beer with beer bellies, drinking this popular tipple in moderation could actually have more health benefits than red wine. Research studies have shown that moderate consumption of beer can help reduce risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and dementia. On top of this, beer is rich in many nutrients, including magnesium, selenium and B vitamins, and contains a cancer-fighting compound found in hops.

Your friends

It seems to be relatively rare that the things we love are good for us, yet in the case of our friends this is definitely the case. Research suggests that your friends can help you live longer by reducing feelings of depression, stress and risky behaviour, and encouraging you to look after your health. In fact, a study by Brigham Young University found that having a good social network boosts your survival chances by 50 per cent, while having few friends affects you longevity as much as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

boost your health

Think you know what’s healthy and what’s not? You may be surprised. While we all know the basics of healthy eating and exercise, there are many unexpectedly healthy things you may not be aware are good for you. Here are our top 10 surprising things that can make you healthier.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Redefine your image with these tips

Apart from being strong in academics, honing your manners, etiquette and body language is also important. Rummy Sharma shares a few tips on the same. Read on.

Yahoo! India Education

by Y! Campus - 30 Aug, 2011

Packaging, they say is the mantra for success these days. How you present yourself and tackle various situations goes a long way to set your image in the company of friends or in an organization. So if you are a school student entering college or a graduate taking a plunge in corporate world you, we suggest you get your soft skills right. Apart from academics, look at honing your manners, etiquette and body language, to have that extra edge over others.

In Y! Campus’s one hour chat with etiquette guru, Rummy Sharma we got some amazing tips for. Here are excerpts of the chat.

Q: Please suggest me some etiquette or way of behaving during personal interview during admission process for MBA which can impress the people on the panel. – Zohra
RS: Do these things: 1. Dress formally. 2. Check your tone of voice. 3. Watch your behavior. 4. Be aware of your visual communication. Prepare well not only with subject, but with your presentation of self.

Q: Sir, tell me the best way to shake hands while meeting anyone officially. - Arpana
RS: Hi Arpana, there are handshakes and more handshakes. One must stand straight, offer a firm hand, three pumps on a first official introduction, twice for subsequent meetings and one when leaving others. It is always the right of the lady to decide whether she wants to offer a handshake to a man or not and a very important rule is that, the host is the one who has to initiate the handshake.

Q: How loud a voice is considered etiquette for public meeting /conferences? - Jaya
RS: Hi Jaya, one doesn't need a loud voice these days to be a good public speaker. What with the audio equipment that is provided. Just speak as if you are talking to a group of six people around you. That should be fine.

Q: What kind of table manners should be followed when out for lunch with clients? – Reema
RS: Hi Reema, Dining table is the place where one can demonstrate their etiquette. Learn how to use the cutlery and crockery, their usage and a very important rule, you go to a restaurant not to eat but to show off your skill of western dining. Also ensure that you know the placement of crockery, cutlery, don't make mouth noises, practice cutting food and bringing it to the mouth. All your liquids will be on your right and solids on your left.

Q: How can I improve my impression and how can I be that kind of a person whom people like to help. What are the points I should keep in my mind? - Sanjeev
RS: Usually we say give and take respect. We believe that when we are helpful others will do the same to us. But sometimes we need to be assertive. Don't just go around doing good. You need to make it clear that you expect them to help you too and ask for it when needed.

Q: Please tell me the attitude, manners and personality traits which I should develop, which would be useful for me to face any sort of administrative/political-problems/solution or any complicated circumstances I come across in my future. N.Praveen Devaraaja
RS: Whether you will be a success or not depends on the first impressions you make on others. It just takes seven seconds time for somebody to come to form a first impression about you. So you need to be careful of how you are perceived by others. Also be natural in your presentation. To be successful, you need to analyze every situation and take a decision that is logical and serves the purpose.

Q: What is the best way to teach etiquette to the age group of 4 - 6 year old kids? - Kavita
RS: I say, kids have only eyes and no ears. They see what you do and how you practice what you preach. So teach the kids etiquette by practicing it.

Q: I’ve recently joined a MNC. I often don’t bother about what people think about me. I only concentrate on my business. Because of this my colleagues feel I have a bad attitude and they don’t interact with me as they would do with the other people. So give me some ideas that I could implement to get their attention and how to maintain the attitude, personality, manners in front of them. - Mohan C
RS: People are always observing us and come to conclusions about us by how we interact with them. If you really want to grow, you cannot do it on your own. You need to be a team player. So start smiling at them to start with and join the coffee machine conversations. Slowly, you will be accepted in to the team. Offer help and ask for help too occasionally.

Q: I wanted to know what should be my thoughts, my body language and my attitude. And how can I come out from my shyness and speak in front of a crowd. - Mohit Mudgal
RS: It is not only your problem but of millions of others. Practice talking in front of a mirror to start with. Practice with friends who would help you. Make a start.

Q: I'm from a village and have come to Mumbai. In first impression I look professional but when I start to speak with anyone they understand from my language that I’m from the village and they start to underestimate me. Then it creates problems for me to communicate in proper way. - Ram
RS: Your written communication is good. Improve your accent, and overcome your mother tongue influence. It will take time. But since you are already aware of your problem, you can overcome it.

Q: I want to know the right postures for a job interview. - Arpan
RS: Hi Arpan, sit with your back erect, arms on the armrest, hands on the lap. Do move your hands, head occasionally. Don't allow your elbows to creep on to the table in front of you. It is not yours.

Q: Is eye contact with the audience an essential factor while delivering a speech? – Nandini
RS: Hi Nandini, in the western culture which we are trying to imitate, eye contact is a must. Otherwise, people think we are not being honest. If you have a problem making constant eye contact, look between the eyes of the people. It will make you, and the other person comfortable.

Mr Rummy Sharma specializes in international business etiquette, soft skills and training for HR and non-HR professionals. He has come out with India’s first training video called ‘Manners Matter’. He has trained children as well as business etiquette to CEOs.

Financial planning

You have just crossed your 24th birthday, when you've gained the education and/or skills you need for the career you've chosen, and you're earning money and learning how to handle it. Ok, ok you are not in your twenties but are in your thirties and have started looking at financial planning. Fine, this article will be just as applicable to you — only that the time advantage of a 24 year old is not available to you.

AN EARLY START!

Remember the importance of an early start in a One-day International cricket match? Remember the heroes? An early start ensures that the middle order batsmen can play with lesser stress and strain. Similarly there's no time like your twenties to start putting your money to work for you so that you can achieve your financial goals throughout your life. Developing good spending, saving and investing habits, and learning to budget and invest during your twenties, can help.

You prevent needless debt, put away money for the things that are important to you, and take advantage of the power of compounding. In fact, compounding of earnings is so powerful that those who start saving for retirement in their twenties can amass large nest eggs with relatively little effort, as long as they invest regularly. Also remember retirement is not an age, it is a state of mind and a particular level of asset accumulation. If retiring means doing what you can rather than what you must, maybe you may want to retire at 37 instead of 55.

For an example of the power of compounding, take a 23-year-old who invests a paltry Rs.10,000 a month — he will accumulate about Rs. 15 crores for his retirement. Contrast this with a difficult Rs. 51,000 for a 35 year old to accumulate the same amount. Not bad for an early start right? And I am increasingly seeing young people starting 25 year SIPs…surely these kids will benefit by the long term compounding effect…

GOALS! The first step in planning is to identify your goals. In most financial planning exercises, this is the most difficult task to achieve for most of the people that I meet. Your short-term goals (five years or less) might include a wedding, buying furniture, a new car or a career changing higher education, doing your own business, or more lofty ones like dedicating your life to social services.

Next, think about medium-term goals, such as owning your own home and financing your kids' college educations.

Finally, list your long-term goals, such as retirement and travel.

Remember all these goals have a financial implication. All of these goals will mean some sacrifice of present consumption for a benefit in the future. You need to feel very strongly about these goals. To use a typical MBA term, you need a personal buy-in.

This article can at best motivate you into some action- but you need to be motivated enough to pick up the phone and make that call or send an email! Estimate how much money you'll need to meet each of your goals, and determine how much you need to invest each month to reach that goal within your time-frame. Planning is a word document, budgeting is putting the plan in excel. When budgeting, set aside money to go towards your short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals. Try not to sacrifice one for the other. And try to prioritize them. Understand that since we all have limited means of income and too many goals to achieve, there will be conflicts. You need to resolve them.

Too many of my clients ask me to prioritize their goals. Sorry this is your job as a client.

Is your daughter's wedding more important than your retirement goal? I do not think so. However if you do think so, so be it.

Just do it! It may be wise to invest in Savings Bank accounts, Mutual funds, etc. for your short-term goals, and unit linked policies for your medium and long-term goals. Historically, the stock market has outperformed any other type of investment over time, but it's not for the faint of heart.

Its volatility makes it a less than ideal investment for short-term funds, unless you have a very high tolerance to volatility. Remember equity or debt is never the question — it is only how much of each. You can enter the equity market or the debt market through vehicles like Mutual funds or unit linked policies. As an ad for a shoe company says, "Just do it".

It is better to implement a plan while waiting for the "best plan for the year" . With the wealth of information available on the internet, it's never been easier to learn how to be a smart investor. You just need to know how to separate the information from the noise.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Top 5 Celebrity Cheaters

We love them, we adore them and we follow them. But we forget the bottom line that they too are human beings. And as per the cliched saying goes, to err is indeed human.

It does not matter whether you're from Hollywood or Bollywood. All that matters is that You, our dear stars, cheated.

We, thus, present to you the top 5 celebrity cheaters of all time that stand for the fact that men always find it hard to be loyal.

TIGER WOODS

Tiger Woods being the person idolized by almost every golf lover shattered his squeaky clean image after cheating on his wife. He had affairs with over a dozen women which led to his divorce from his wife Elin Nordegren. He resultantly ended up in a sex rehab, which was followed by a downfall in his career wherein he lost his world number 1 rank.

RANBIR KAPOOR

Ranbir Kapoor is clearly the most popular celeb for the media when it comes to link-ups. He apparently found it too tough to stay loyal to his girlfriend of 2 years, Deepika Padukone. Deepika dropped suggestive hints during interviews that screamed infidelity on Ranbir's part. Ranbir doesn't seem to have learnt his lesson and is still quite happy hopping from one girl to another.

AKSHAY KUMAR

Akshay Kumar can be considered as the Ranbir Kapoor of 90's as he was constantly in the news for his Casanova image. He dated actresses Shilpa Shetty and Raveena Tandon apart from many others in the list with reports of him cheating on them swirling in the air almost all the time. He finally got married to Twinkle Khanna in year 2001 but that apparently didn't put a stop to his wandering ways as he allegedly had a torrid affair with Priyanka Chopra. Read more about it in Bollywood's Other Women.

SAIF ALI KHAN

Saif Ali Khan married Amrita Singh in October 1991 which was while his early days of struggle into the film industry. After a thirteen years of conjugal bliss, they ended up getting divorced in 2004 which many attributed to Saif's infidelity. Saif was constantly being linked to actresses like Riya Sen, Preity Zinta and Rosa Catalano, who he went on to date for a few years. However, Saif seems to have found his soulmate in kareena Kapoor as he doesn't seem to have eyes for anyone else anymore.

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

Arnold had a perfect married life for 25 long years before infidelity reared its ugly head again. His wife, Maria Shriver, who he married in 1986, called for separation this year prompting rumours of Arnold having strayed from his marriage. Finally, Arnold dropped the bomb with his acceptance of fathering a love child with a member of his own household staff more than a decade ago.

Fundamental resource To maximise the capabilities and encourage high performance are the basic functions of human resource (HR) management.

Managing people has become critical for the success of any business. Regardless of the size or the extent of a company, it survives, thrives and grows on the capabilities and performances of its people. To maximise the capabilities and encourage high performance are the basic functions of human resource (HR) management.

"With the increasing domestic and global competition, companies need to ensure they retain their best talent, allow them to flow and grow in their organisation and ensure that HR strategies allow for identifying and nurturing leaders. The HR field could never have been more challenging, demanding or fulfiling," explains Gurdip Anand, professor, Universal Business School, Mumbai.

For interested students, "Courses are available in two formats, firstly as subsets of MBA courses and secondly as independent postgraduate courses," says Jittu Singh, professor, XLRI.

Job opportunities in HR are available in different fields. The basic managerial function exists in any sector such as, manufacturing, banking and finance, power and energy, IT, health care and hospitality. HR management courses offer in depth understanding of various concepts, practices and equip students with people management skills.

"The theoretical and practical knowledge will help students to become effective team members, team leaders, managers and also good human beings. Students completing this course will have a variety of job opportunities with starting salary ranging from four to eight lakh per annum," says Shobana Madhavan, professor, Amrita University, Coimbatore.

For students to excel in this field, Koustab Ghosh, professor, Calcutta Business School, provides four principles. Firstly, as HR managers one should be better known as the people's manager, with excellent communication skills. Secondly, one should be voracious readers of various publications ranging from classic management literature to corporate magazines.

Thirdly, one should develop their own professional network and actively take part in the same. This gives them an opportunity to exchange positive information based on professional relationships. Lastly, one should understand the basic business processes of their organisations.