1. The Taj Mahal

India's most popular tourist attraction is actually a tomb, created for emperor Shah Jahan's wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died while giving birth to their 14th child in 1631. Heartbroken, the Shah commanded 20,000 workmen to spend 22 years building this marble-and-jewel-studded effigy. As if that weren't enough blood, sweat and tears spent, rumour has it that upon its completion, the Shah ordered that the right hand of the chief mason get chopped off so the building could remain truly one of a kind. Let's just say that when an emperor's in pain, his subjects feel it, and how.

2. Richard Burton's Rock for Elizabeth Taylor

Sure their relationship was a roller-coaster—they married and divorced each other twice—but wouldn't you be somewhat forgiving of a guy who liked to shower you with expensive jewellery like, say, a 69.42-carat diamond? Burton bid on this Harry Winston wonder at an auction in 1969, but lost out to business tycoon Robert Kenmore, who coughed up just over a million dollars for the beauty. Burton didn't take the auctioneer's hammer for an answer, though, and after some heated haggling on the phone, Kenmore sold the gem to Burton for an undisclosed sum. The Taylor-Burton diamond, as it's called, ended up being a gift that kept on giving: After the couple parted ways, Liz sold the gem in 1979 for a whopping $5 million.

3. Posh Spice's Scent for Beckham

What do you get for a toned, tanned, highly-swooned-over metrosexual millionaire who has everything? If you are Posh Spice, you get your husband,football superstar David Beckham - the world's most exclusive fragrence. The one-of-a-kind, $50,000 bottle of Clive Christian No. 1 fragrance took six months to produce, and came encased in a crystal bottle shaped like—what else?—a football boot.

4. DiMaggio's Flowers for Marilyn

Marilyn Monroe may have dated some pretty powerful guys, but no man showed her more TLC than her husband of nine months, baseball player Joe DiMaggio. After Marilyn's death in 1962, Joe placed a 20-year standing order with a local flower shop to have long-stemmed roses placed on her grave three times a week. Talk about touching.

5. O. Henry's Gift of the Maggi

This author crafted what many consider to be the most generous—albeit cheapest—romantic gesture ever. In this short story, a poor-in-pocket but rich-in-love couple secretly makes huge sacrifices in order to buy each other Christmas presents: He sells his grandfather's gold watch to buy his wife a set of tortoise-shell combs for her beautiful hair; she cuts off that beautiful hair and sells it to a wig-maker to buy her hubby a platinum chain for his watch. When they realise what's happened, they're wise enough to just be thankful that they have each other.

6. Eric Clapton's Song Layla

Talk about annoying neighbors: When guitarist Eric Clapton moved into best friend George Harrison's neighborhood, he fell in love with Harrison's wife, fashion model Pattie Boyd. Clapton pleaded for her to leave her Beatle, but Pattie tuned down his requests. Despondent, he began recording a song, fueled by the words of the ancient Persian love poem, The Story of Layla and Majnun. The resulting tune, Layla—which included the lyric "Please don't say, we'll never find a way, and tell me all my love's in vain"—was a hit in more ways than one. Pattie soon left her husband and got hitched to Clapton. Even though they divorced nine years later, the popularity of "their song" will probably last forever.

7. Ben's Sweet Toilet Seat for J. Lo

During their much-publicised courtship, Ben Affleck took it upon himself to pamper J. Lo's most prized attribute: Her butt. That's right, he bought her a $105,000 gem-encrusted toilet seat. "Jennifer is my princess and she deserves only the best—even when it comes to toilets," was Ben's explanation. And J. Lo's reaction? "I never thought I'd say this about a toilet seat, but it's beautiful—almost like a piece of art," she said. Sitting on a john bedazzled with rubies, sapphires, and diamonds might not sound comfortable, but don't worry, Ben thought of everything. Explained an anonymous pal, "The stones are set inside plastic, so Jennifer's behind won't get scratched."

8. Wagner's Symphony to his Wife

Some lovers bring their ladies breakfast in bed; others, like Richard Wagner, bring them symphonies. To celebrate his wife Cosima's 33rd birthday, the famed composer had written Siegfried Idyll for her—and, to boot, hired a fifteen-piece orchestra to play the tune on their staircase as he conducted them. Recalled Cosima in her diary: "When I woke up I heard a sound. What music!" Wagner kept this intimate ditty private until 1877, when financial strains forced him to publish. Their loss, our gain.

9. Carole Lombard's Car for Clark Gable

Hollywood hunk Clark Gable loved fancy cars, and screen siren Carole Lombard could afford to buy him the best. Ain't it quaint, then, that on their first official date in 1936, she bought him a beat-up Model T Ford for just fifteen dollars? Quainter still that she had it painted white with red hearts all over it, delivered with a note saying, "You're driving me crazy"? Thoroughly swept off his feet, Gable got to return the favour to his future wife that evening when he picked her up in his newest set of wheels to go dancing at the legendary Trocadero Ballroom.

10. The Rubbish Disposal

Architect and inventor John Hammes wanted to bestow a nice birthday gift on his wife—who, we imagine, had a sink full of dirty dishes and a disinclination to scrape the leftovers into the rubbish bin. Thus was born the world's first rubbish disposal in 1927. Called the In-Sink-Erator, it soon swept households across the country. Might not sound as romantic as a dozen roses, but what says "I love you" better than an invention that cuts down on crappy housework?

Dan Bova is deputy editor at Stuff magazine. The best gift his wife has ever given him is their son, Henry.

references:
written by Ifty uk for globalindia.com/

....a Friend does most or all of these...

well as we all know that "Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say." so that is what is friendship.......here sharing thoughts which

....a Friend does most or all of these...

(A)ccepts you as you are
(B)elieves in "you"
(C)alls you just to say "HI"
(D)oesn't give up ! ! on you


(E)nvisions the whole of you (even the unfinished parts)
(F)orgives your mistakes
(G)ives unconditionally
(H)elps you
(I)nvites you over


(J)ust "be" with you
(K)eeps you close at heart
(L)oves you for who you are
(M)akes a difference in your life



(N)ever Judges
(O)ffer support
(P)icks you up
(Q)uiets your fears
(R)aises your spirits



(S)ays nice things about you
(T)ells you the truth when you need to hear it
(U)nderstands you
(V)alues you



(W)alks beside you
(X)-plains thing you don't understand
(Y)ells when you won't listen and
(Z)aps you back to reality

regards & love
sukh

It's tough to say if there are more songs, poems and movies written about the ecstasy of falling in love… or the suffering of breaking up. No one relishes nursing a broken heart back to health, but it's something everyone who's ever loved will have to do at some point. And while I can't say it gets any easier, there are a few measures you can take to help make the process of moving on move along.




Time (but not too much time)


First of all, acknowledge that what you are going through is hard. When you're in love, your body develops a chemical addiction to the other person, and the withdrawal is both painful and necessary. Give yourself permission to grieve. However, if you allow yourself to dwell on the difficulty of the break-up, you just replace one addiction with another, this one much less enjoyable. Make a serious effort to involve yourself in projects and activities, and immerse yourself in other people. Talk to your friends about the break-up, but talk to them about other things, too. Even if you don't want to, forcing yourself to get out and concentrate on other things will get you on the right track to feeling like yourself again.




Letting go



You will never get over him if you let yourself daydream about getting back together. Delete him from your cell phone, and don't even think about clicking on his myspace profile. It's a good idea to get rid of everything that reminds you of him to help yourself realize that that phase in your life is over. Depending on the length and closeness of the relationship, some people find that moving helps them make a clean break and a new start. If that isn't an option, rearrange the furniture, redecorate your walls -- anything you can do to symbolize moving on will help you make the transition. It's time to start a new era, with new memories and new possibilities.




Getting it out



Relationships leave trails of unresolved issues, questions and feelings their wake. But it isn't always possible to talk to achieve closure with the other person. Nonetheless, it's important that you express what you think and feel; working through those questions is a big part of leaving them behind you. Put them on paper. It doesn't matter if it's in a journal or a letter, but sometimes addressing your thoughts to your ex can help you achieve more cathartic value. After you've spent all of your anger, confusion or guilt, look at what you've written. If after you've exhausted your pen or keyboard you still feel like it's something you still really need him to know, consider sending it. First, edit any accusations or sections that are too emotionally charged -- you don't want to send anything you'll regret later -- and make sure it reads as an honest letter that isn't asking for a response. Once you've sent your thoughts, frustrations and explanations, you can feel certain that you've said what you needed to say and move on.




Friendship can wait



No calls. No sightings. No friendship. You need at least three months with absolutely no contact before you can even think about starting a friendship, and it often takes much longer. There's no such thing as "staying friends." You were not friends when you were dating, and if you were friends before, it ended the moment you became intimately involved. If you want to start a friendship now, realize that it will be an entirely new relationship that must be built from the ground up. You'll share a different kind of bond, have different kinds of conversations and play different roles in each other's lives. It may be true that once we love someone, we love them forever, but it cannot be in the same way if you hope to have an honest friendship and an honest chance at moving on.

The story relating to the different stages and landmarks in the evolution of our national flag is indeed inspiring:

The historic dates and landmarks are:

1906: Three colours: Saffron with eight stars across, white with Vande Mataram and green with moon to right and sun to left. This flag was proposed by some Indians in England and France who thought of an 'Indian National Flag'. Not recognised in India.

1916: Two colours: Red and green, with five red and four green stripes. Emblem of Great Bear. Union Jack at top left. In vogue during 'Home rule days'.

1921: Three colours: White, green and red, with Charkha across all colours. Sponsored by Mahatma Gandhi at the Bezwada Session of the Indian National Congress (this flag was informally used at all sessions of the Congress till 1931, though not officially accepted/adopted by the Congress).

March, 1931: One colour: Saffron with Charkha at top left. This flag was proposed by a committee appointed by Working Committee after Karachi Congress. This flag was not approved by Working Committee.

August, 1931:Three colours: Saffron, white and green, Charkha in blue colour in middle across white strip. Length and breadth in proportion of 3:2. Proposed by Congress Working Committee. Form of Flag suggested by Mahatma Gandhi retained with slight changes in order of colours and position of Chakra. Accepted by AICC officially in Bombay in August 1931.

August 15, 1947: The present tricolour National Flag was adopted.

Thanks :-)

Planning for a career change, looking for a new job or just entering the workforce, can be an overwhelming experience. The following is a list of tips to help you get through the process of sending out resumes and cover letters, to preparing for the interview.

The first thing you should do is get a calendar and a note book. This will help you remember when you sent your resume and to whom. You will also use this to jot down any follow-up calls and research that you do on the company you are applying with.

The second thing you should do is compile a list of companies that interest you, begin to research those companies and write down the information you gather. This information should include things like the type of company, their purpose and general information. Is it a manufacturing company? If so, what does it manufacture? Is this a marketing company? If so, what types of marketing does it consist of?

Most companies have a website where you can obtain a lot of your core information on the company. You should be looking over this information and preparing yourself before you send out the actual resume. If you haven’t researched the company prior to sending your resume, you should do this immediately in case they call you for an interview sooner than you expect.
Your resume and cover letter should be focused, not canned or generic. The average resume is only glanced at for about 10 seconds, so yours needs to have an immediate impact and be eye-catching.

1. Use sentence fragments or bullets to provide focus.
2. The most important information should be at the beginning and the end.
3. Your objective should cover three points: job title, industry and two or three key skills you are likely to use.
4. Build examples that show accomplishments.
5. Create uniqueness.

Your cover letter should be one page in length and printed on good quality paper like your resume. The font style and size should be identical to your resume and envelope. They should be easy to read, attractive and action-oriented. Do not be cute, humorous or over-confident. It should also be tailored with content for each situation. Each company should receive a cover letter that is specific for the company.

If you are using your own computer, it’s a good idea to create individual folders for each company that you will be applying with and save the cover letters in those folders.

You have your research done and organized in your notebook, the next thing you should do is prepare for some questions that may be asked in the interview. It’s always a good idea to be prepared for this step in advance. You never know when they will call and want an immediate interview.

Some typical interview questions are:
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Tell me about a challenge you faced and how you dealt with it.
3. What are your strengths?
4. What are your weaknesses?
5. Why do you want this job?
6. How do you handle pressure?
7. Where do you see yourself in five years?
8. Tell me about a difficult problem and how you solved it.

You should consider all of these questions plus many more that may pop up. Most of these are general questions and can be answered in many different interviews. You should also focus on some specific questions that may be asked for the industry that you are interviewing for.

Another key thing is to sound positive. If you are asked the question, “What are your weaknesses?” you will want this to be positive as well. You would not answer this question with a statement about how lazy or unorganized you are. You may want to consider something like, “I sometimes take the job home with me instead of leaving it at work.” Turn a weakness into strength.

You should also prepare questions of your own to ask an interviewer. Many of these can be general and some will be industry specific. Some good questions that you may want to ask are:

1. Is this a new position?
2. Why is this position open?
3. Who would be my direct supervisor?
4. What is the initial focus of the job?
5. How often do you give performance evaluations?
6. What factors do you consider when evaluating a person/position?
7. How long do you expect the decision process to take?
8. Do you have incentive programs for advancing in the company?

There are many websites, articles and books devoted to job hunting. You can find and use many resources to fit your individual needs. The best tip is to do your homework and be prepared.

Interviews often make us feel as we’re on trial, but remember, you are also interviewing the company you want to work with...

When you miss someone sooo much what do you do? How you control yourself and your heart? Share your heart with your friends as someone has aptly said the more you share the more you have to share.......When I Miss You........ *** When I miss you, I don't have to go far I just have to look inside my heart because that's where I'll find you.... *** The heart is the place where we live our passions. It is frail and easily broken, but wonderfully resilient. There is no point in trying to deceive the heart. It depends upon our honesty for its survival.....when i miss you i remember all the moments of love and trust we have shared........... *** The most wonderful of all things in life is the discovery of another human being with whom one's relationship has a growing depth, beauty and joy as the years increase. This inner progressiveness of love between two human beings is a most marvellous thing; it cannot be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is a sort of divine accident, and the most wonderful of all things in life.....I remember the incident again and again and these wonderful words ........... *** Love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person. Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love............what a great love....and respect we have shared......endless memories are part of my life when i miss you.... *** "When you feel cold and warm at the same time, when you read over the same line for the tenth time, when your heart and thoughts somehow appear to rhyme, and when a simple name conquers your whole mind, then you are missing the one you love the most.....

Just about everyone wants to know how they can make their relationship better. They want to know how they can deepen the commitment and love between each partner. Unfortunately relationships are not something you can provide a "to do" sheet for and all will be solved, but with these five key secrets you can certainly improve your chances for getting all you desire out of your relationship.

Do things unexpectedly.
One key secret to a successful relationship is compromise. Meeting halfway on things shows your partner that you really do care about their viewpoint and you are willing to work on making each other happy. Every so often make it a point to do something that you normally would not agree to or feel like doing. When you keep your partner constantly surprised by your actions, you regenerate that "new love" feeling time and time again. So, when your partner asks if you want to try that new restaurant…say yes! If they ask if you want to try a new hobby…say yes!

Show your loyalty.
Nothing strengthens a relationship quite like watching your partner go to bat for you, especially against close friends or family members. It shows that you consider your relationship a team. If you harass one member of a team, you harass them all. When you side with other people against your partner you make them feel alienated and the seeds of hidden resentment become planted. You can show loyalty positively as well by bragging about your partner's recent accomplishments to friends and family.

Be supportive.
Challenges and opportunities are always going to occur. You can't stop them from happening. Hopefully for both of you the changes in your lives are positive ones. The secret key here is having a supporting and understanding mate in your corner to help you through your ups and downs. If you lose your job, it's quite a bit easier to bounce back when you have someone who's willing to support your choices and any new directions you might want to branch out to. If you want a career or lifestyle change, imagine the difference having someone who will carefully consider and support those changes? When your partner is presenting you with a challenge or an opportunity, treat them the way you'd want to be treated.

Maintain a healthy dose of individuality.
Personal time and space are essential to growing individually. Everyone one needs private time to do the things they want to do. It helps refocus attention to the priorities. Sometimes you or your partner may just need time to release emotions from a bad day, instead of bringing it home with them. Learning to respect and notice when your partner needs some individual time shows that you are committed to not only your relationship, but their long-term happiness as well.

Love your partner.
Love is obviously a crucial element in a successful long-term relationship. But having love isn't enough. You need to be in love. The phrase "love is a verb, not a noun" certainly applies here. Don't hesitate to write that quick love note, give that deep kiss, sit next to each other at a restaurant or hold hands in public. The little things go a long way towards establishing a deep, intimate connection with your partner. As simple as it sounds, this action is probably the most commonly overlooked and ignored.

love & regards
sukh sandhu

Hi everyone.....I know it's difficult to describe what is romantic thing for someone but atleast we can try...and in this try i come up with some most romantic things..........according to my understanding........do u do any of these with your lover?...........or if not what is the most romantic thing you have done with your lover.....well have a look for most romantic things first....

1. Watch the sunset together.

2. Whisper to each other.

3. Cook for each other.

4. Walk in the rain.

5. Hold hands

6. Buy gifts for each other.

7. Roses.

8. Find out their favorite cologne/perfume and wear it every time you're together.

9. Go for a long walk down the beach at midnight.

10. Write poetry for each other.

11. Hugs are the universal medicine.

12. Say only when you mean it and make sure they know you mean it.

13. Give random gifts of flowers/candy/poetry etc.

14. Tell her that she's the only girl you ever want. Don't lie!

15. Spend every second possible together.

16. Look into each other's eyes.

17. Very lightly push up her chin, look into her eyes, tell her you love her, and kiss her lightly.
18. When in public, only flirt with each other.

19. Put love notes in their pockets when they aren't looking.

20. Buy her a ring.

21. Sing to each other.

22. Always hold her around her hips/sides.

23. Take her to dinner and do the dinner for two deal.

24. Spaghetti? (Ever see Lady and the Tramp?)

25. Hold her hand, stare into her eyes, kiss her hand and then put it over your heart.

26. Dance together.

27. I love the way a girl looks right after she's fallen asleep with her head in my lap.

28. Do cute things like write I love you in a note so that they have to look in a mirror to read it.

29. Make excuses to call them every 5 minutes

30. Even if you are really busy doing something, go out of your way to calland say I love you.

31. Call from your vacation spot to tell them you were thinking about them.

32. Remember your dreams and tell her about them.

34. Tell each other your most sacred secrets/fears.

35. Be Prince Charming to her parents.

36. Brush her hair out of her face for her.

37. Hang out with his/her friends.

38. Go to church/pray/worship together.

39. Take her to see a romantic movie and remember the parts she liked.

40. Learn from each other and don't make the same mistake twice.

41. Describe the joy you feel just to be with him/her.

42. Make sacrifices for each other.

43. Really love each other, or don't stay together.

44. Let there never be a second during any given day that you aren't thinking about them, and make sure they know it.

45. Love yourself before you love anyone else.

46. Learn to say sweet things in foreign languages.

47. Dedicate songs to them on the radio.

48. Fall asleep on the phone with each other.

49. Stand up for them when someone talks trash.

50. Never forget the kiss goodnight and always remember to say, "Sweet dreams."

take care :-)
regards and love u always
sukh sandhu

Some call by jaanu.....some call by jaan.....some by Sweetie or some by Sweetheart ......well how you call your lover?

a list of 101 of the most common fun, romantic pet names that you can use to flirt with your lover during those private times. Just choose carefully, and keep in mind that I say “private times” for a reason; bust out some of these sappy nicknames at the wrong time in public and you just might end up getting cold water tossed on you!


1. Sweetie
2. Sweetheart
3. My love
4. Lover
5. Pumpkin
6. Baby
7. Darling
8. Sweetie Pie
9. Baby Doll
10. My Little Cabbage (French)
11. Love of my Life
12. Angel
13. Beloved
14. Dear
15. Dearest
16. Dear one
17. Deary
18. Flame
19. Heart’s Desire
20. Honey Bun
21. Poubelle
22. Honeybunch
23. Lamb
24. Jewel
25. Loveling
26. Pearl
27. Pet
28. Precious
29. Princess
30. Prince
31. My Sweet
32. Sugar
33. Treasure
34. True Love
35. Beautiful
36. Beauty
37. Gem
38. Saint
39. Light of my Life
40. Object of my Affection
41. Angel Face
42. Babe
43. Buttercup
44. Button
45. Cherub
46. Chica
47. Dumpling
48. Little Angel
49. Little Darling
50. Little Doll
51. Number One
52. Prize
53. Tootsie
54. Doll Face
55. My Idol
56. My Everything
57. My Life
58. Object of My Affection
59. True Love
60. One and Only
61. Inamorata
62. Inamorato
63. My Passion
64. Valentine
65. Dove
66. Honey Bunny
67. Smoochy
68. Babycake
69. Dream Girl
70. Dream Guy
71. Woman of my Dreams
72. Man of my Dreams
73. Dreamboat
74. Heartthrob
75. Lovebird
76. Lady Love
77. Main Man
78. Main Woman
79. Paramour
80. Patootie
81. Sweet Potato
82. Squeeze
83. Steady
84. Stud Muffin
85. Sugar Daddy
86. Sugar Momma
87. Shnookums
88. Beautiful Flower
89. Sugar Lips
90. Hot Stuff
91. Hottie
92. Casanova
93. Don Juan
94. Lothario
95. Beau
96. Belle
97. Sugar Plum
98. Hero
99. Venus
100.Goddess
101. My Enchantment

You call your love with any of these names or you have a different lovely pet name for your lover?

From the very beginning, girl's family objected
strongly on her dating this guy, saying that it has
got to do with family background, & that the girl will
have to suffer for the rest of her life if she were to
be with him.

Due to family's pressure, the couple quarreled very
often. Though the girl loved the guy deeply, she
always asked him: "How deep is your love for me?"

As the guy is not good with his words, this often
caused the girl to be very upset. With that & the
family's pressure, the gal often vents her anger on
him. As for him.. he only endured it in silence.

After a couple of years, the guy finally graduated &
decided to further his studies overseas. Before
leaving, he proposed to the gal: "I'm not very good
with words. But all I know is that I love you. If you
allow me, I will take care of you for the rest of my
life. As for your family, I'll try my best to talk
them round. Will you marry me?"

The girl agreed, & with the guy's determination, the
family finally gave in & agreed to let them get
married. So before he left, they got engaged.

The gal went out to the working society, whereas the
guy was overseas, continuing his studies. They sent
their love through emails & phone calls. Though it was
hard, but both never thought of giving up.

One day, while the gal was on her way to work, she
was knocked down by a car that lost control. When she
woke up, she saw her parents beside her bed. She
realized that she was badly injured. Seeing her mum
cry, she wanted to comfort her. But she realized that
all that could come out of her mouth was just a sigh.
She had lost her voice....

The doctor says that the impact on her brain has
caused her to lose her voice. Listening to her
parents' comfort, but with nothing coming out from
her, she broke down. During the stay in hospital,
besides silent cry. it's still just silent cry that
accompanied her. Upon reaching home, everything seems
to be the same. Except for the ringing tone of the
phone which pierced into her heart every time it rang.
She does not wish to let the guy know & not wanting to
be a burden to him, she wrote a letter to him saying
that she does not wish to wait any longer.

With that, she sent the ring back to him. In return,
the guy sent millions & millions of reply and
countless phone calls. all the gal could do besides
crying is still crying.... The parents decided to move
away, hoping that she could eventually forget
everything & be happy.

With a new environment, the gal learnt sign language
& started a new life.

Telling herself everyday that she must forget the
guy. One day, her friend came & told her that he's
back. She asked her friend not to let him know what
happened to her. Since then, there wasn't anymore news
of him.

A year has passed & her friend came with an envelope,
containing an invitation card for the guy's wedding.
The gal was shattered. When she opened the letter, she
saw her name on it instead. When she was about to ask
her friend what was going on, she saw the guy standing
in front of her....

He used sign language to tell her, "I've spent a year
to learn sign language. Just to let you know that I've
not forgotten our promise. Let me have the chance to
be your voice. I Love You." With that, he slipped the
ring back into her finger. The gal finally

smiled......









Treat every relationship as if it's the last one,
then you'll know how to Give.

Treat every moment as if it's the last day, then
you'll know how to Treasure.

Treasure what you have right now, or else you may
regret one day...








Wishing u all a life filled with love
and thank you for your time...

Sukh Sandhu :-)