Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa (Louvre, Paris), also known as La Gioconda, is a portrait of the wife of Francesco del Giocondo, painted by Leonardo between 1503 and 1505.

Leonardo da Vinci began painting the Mona Lisa in 1503 (during the Italian Renaissance) and, according to Vasari, "after he had lingered over it four years, left it unfinished....". He is thought to have continued to work on it for three years after he moved to France and to have finished it shortly before he died in 1519.Leonardo took the painting from Italy to France in 1516 when King François I invited the painter to work at the Clos Lucé near the king's castle in Amboise. Most likely through the heirs of Leonardo's assistant Salai,the king bought the painting for 4,000 écus and kept it at Fontainebleau, where it remained until given to Louis XIV. Louis XIV moved the painting to the Palace of Versailles. After the French Revolution, it was moved to the Louvre. Napoleon I had it moved to his bedroom in the Tuileries Palace; later it was returned to the Louvre. During the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) it was moved from the Louvre to a hiding place elsewhere in France.

Mona Lisa was not well known until the mid-19th century when artists of the emerging Symbolist movement began to appreciate it, and associated it with their ideas about feminine mystique. Critic Walter Pater, in his 1867 essay on Leonardo, expressed this view by describing the figure in the painting as a kind of mythic embodiment of eternal femininity, who is "older than the rocks among which she sits" and who "has been dead many times and learned the secrets of the grave."

A to Z

Well I found this one Interesting so thought of sharing this with you all .


The countless negativities the world brings about, how to keep motivated? Try on the tips

-Sunder.

A - Achieve your dreams. Avoid negative people, things and places.Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."

B - Believe in your self, and in what you can do.

C - Consider things on every angle and aspect. Motivation comes from determination. To be able to understand life, you should feel the sun from both sides.

D - Don't give up and don't give in. Thomas Edison failed once,twice, more than thrice before he came up with his invention and perfected the incandescent light bulb. Make motivation as your steering wheel.

E - Enjoy. Work as if you don't need money. Dance as if nobody's watching. Love as if you never cried. Learn as if you'll live forever. Motivation takes place when people are happy.

F - Family and Friends - are life's greatest 'F' treasures. Don't loose sight of them.

G - Give more than what is enough. Where does motivation and self improvement take place at work? At home? At school? When you exert extra effort in doing things.

H - Hang on to your dreams. They may dangle in there for a moment,but these little stars will be your driving force.

I - Ignore those who try to destroy you. Don't let other people to get the best of you. Stay out of toxic people - the kind of friends who hates to hear about your success.

J - Just be yourself. The key to success is to be yourself. And the key to failure is to try to please everyone.

K - keep trying no matter how hard life may seem. When a person is motivated, eventually he sees a harsh life finally clearing out, paving the way to self improvement.

L - Learn to love your self. Now isn't that easy?

M - Make things happen. Motivation is when your dreams are put into work clothes.

N - Never lie, cheat or steal. Always play a fair game.

O - Open your eyes. People should learn the horse attitude and horse sense. They see things in 2 ways - how they want things to be, and how they should be.

P - Practice makes perfect. Practice is about motivation. It lets us learn repertoire and ways on how can we recover from our mistakes.

Q - Quitters never win. And winners never quit. So, choose your fate .

Are you going to be a quitter? Or a winner?

R - Ready yourself. Motivation is also about preparation. We must hear the little voice within us telling us to get started before others will get on their feet and try to push us around. Remember, it wasn't raining when Noah build the ark.

S - Stop procrastinating.

T - Take control of your life. Discipline or self control jives synonymously with motivation. Both are key factors in self improvement.

U - Understand others. If you know very well how to talk, you should also learn how to listen. Yearn to understand first, and to be understood the second.

V - Visualize it. Motivation without vision is like a boat on a dry land.

W - Want it more than anything. Dreaming means believing. And to believe is something that is rooted out from the roots of motivation and self improvement.

X - X Factor is what will make you different from the others. When you are motivated, you tend to put on "extras" on your life like extra time for family, extra help at work, extra care for friends, and so on.

Y - You are unique. No one in this world looks, acts, or talks like you. Value your life and existence, because you're just going to spend it once.

Z - Zero in on your dreams and go for it!!!

Just for today

Just for today...

Just for today I will try to live through this day only, and not tackle my whole life problem at once. I can do something for twelve hours that would appal me if I felt that I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

Just for today I will be happy. Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.

Just for today I will adjust myself to what is, and not try to adjust everything to my own desires. I will take my ‘luck’ as it comes, and fit myself to it.

Just for today I will try to strengthen my mind. I will study. I will learn something useful. I will not be a mental loafer. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration.

Just for today I will exercise my soul in three ways: I will do somebody a good turn, and not get found out; if anybody knows of it, it will not count. I will do at least two things I don’t want to do —just for exercise. I will not show anyone that my feelings are hurt; they may be hurt, but today I will not show it.

Just for today I will be agreeable. I will look as well as I can, dress becomingly, talk low, act courteously, criticise not one bit, not find fault with anything and not try to improve or regulate anybody except myself.

Just for today I will have a programme. I may not follow it exactly, but I will have it. I will save myself from two pests: hurry and indecision.

Just for today I will have a quiet half hour all by myself, and relax. During this half hour, sometime, I will try to get a better perspective of my life.

I will be unafraid. Especially I will not be afraid to enjoy what is beautiful, and to believe that as I give to the world, so the world will give to me.

Alcohol Withdrawels

Withdrawals Can Be Mild, Moderate or Severe

Alcohol withdrawal refers to a group of symptoms that may occur from suddenly stopping the use of alcohol after chronic or prolonged ingestion.

Not everyone who stops drinking experiences withdrawal symptoms, but most people who have been drinking for a long period of time, or drinking frequently, or drink heavily when they do drink, will experience some form of withdrawal symptoms if they stop drinking suddenly.

There is no way to predict how any individual will respond to quitting. If you plan to stop drinking and you have been drinking for years, or if you drink heavily when you do drink, or even if you drink moderately but frequently, you should consult a medical professional before going "cold turkey."

Withdrawal Symptoms:

Mild to moderate psychological symptoms:

• Feeling of jumpiness or nervousness
• Feeling of shakiness
• Anxiety
• Irritability or easily excited
• Emotional volatility, rapid emotional changes
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Difficulty with thinking clearly
• Bad dreams

Mild to moderate physical symptoms:

• Headache - general, pulsating
• Sweating, especially the palms of the hands or the face
• Nausea/Vomiting
• Loss of appetite
• Insomnia, sleeping difficulty
• Paleness/ Tremor of the hands
• Rapid heart rate (palpitations)
• Eyes, pupils different size (enlarged, dilated pupils)
• Skin, clammy
• Abnormal movementsInvoluntary, abnormal movements of the eyelids /


Severe symptoms:

• A state of confusion and hallucinations (visual) -- known as delirium tremens
• Agitation
• Fever
• Convulsions
• "Black outs" -- when the person forgets what happened during the drinking episode.

Heavy Drinking Dangers

I have faced enormous problems during my drinking days.These includes accidents of various forms.
Studies Reveal More Problems Facing Alcoholics...

Two more research studies have emphasized the serious health effects of long-term heavy drinking, from an increased risk for having accidents to developing liver cancer.

Heavy drinking has long be associated with other liver problems, such as cirrhosis, and now a new Italian study links heavy drinking to the development of liver cancer.

Researchers found that drinking more than 60 grams of alcohol a day, equivalent to four to five glasses of wine, was associated with an elevated risk of developing liver cancer for both men and women.

They also found that the risk of developing liver cancer was even greater for patients who had been diagnosed with either hepatitis C or hepatitis B.

Increased Injury Risks

The second study conducted by the Boston University Schools of Medicine and Public Health, revealed that recovering alcoholics are much more prone to injury than recovering users of cocaine, heroin and other illicit drugs.

The researchers found at the start of a detoxification program, alcoholics were about twice as likely to have suffered a serious injury in the previous six months as compared to illicit drug users.

The significant finding of the study was the surprising revelation that higher injury rates to alcoholics continued for the following two years of detoxification; alcoholics continued to be more accident prone than drug users even after they quit drinking.

Jeffrey H. Samet, the study's senior author, said, "Our hypothesis was simply that when it comes to substance abuse, the consequences vary for each substance and for the group of users. What the substance is may be an important factor in the outcomes of the user."

The Art of 'Zen' Living

The 'Zen' is the art of productive and peaceful living.The 'Zen' has no theory,it is an inner knowing for which there is no clearly stated 'Dogma'.'Zen' deemphasizes the power of the intellect and extols that of intuitive action.It's ultimate aim is to free the individual from anger,illusion and false passion.
'Enlightenment' simply means recognising the inherent harmony of ordinary life.'Zen' teaches that life must be seized at the moment.By living in the present,you are in full contact with yourself and your environment.It is when doing something,you are doing it at the fullest.Those who are patient in trivial things in life and control themselves will one day have the same mastery in great and important things.
You will never learn anything new unless you are ready to accept yourself with your limitations.You must accept the fact that you are capable,in some directions and limited in others, and you must develop your capabilities.Instead of trying to do well in everything,do things perfectly of which you are capable of.One can learn much about 'Zen' from any activity one is engaged in by being aware of one's inner reactions.The key is a constant exercise of awareness,vigilance of the mind and relaxation of the body.Applying 'Zen', free an individual from concern,tension and anxiety about winning or losing.Past is just an illusion.'Vanity' is the only obstacle to life.It is better to strengthen your own line or knowledge than to try and cut your opponents' line.

Taj Mahal

Recently the 'Taj Mahal' was voted as one of the 'Seven Wonders of the World'.I have personally visited the 'Taj' thrice and can confidently say that it is one of the most beautiful man made structures on Earth.
The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned it as a mausoleum for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 and was completed in approximately 1648. A team of designers and craftsmen were responsible for the design, with Ustad Ahmad Lahauri being the principal designer.The grave of Shah Jahan was added to it later. The queen’s real name was Arjumand Banu. In the tradition of the Mughals, important ladies of the royal family were given another name at their marriage or at some other significant event in their lives, and that new name was commonly used by the public. Shah Jahan's real name was Shahab-ud-din, and he was known as Prince Khurram before ascending to the throne in 1628.Taj Mahal was constructed over a period of twenty-two years, employing twenty thousand workers. It was completed in 1648 at a cost of 32 Million Rupees.

The Taj Mahal is generally considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements of Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar part of the monument, the Taj Mahal is actually an integrated complex of structures with a beautiful persian garden besides the river Yamuna.