Perfect Date!

A Date (I know it will take sometime to read this post but I bet you will love to read it again)

I received this mail from one of my best friends.

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said I love you but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you. The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my MOTHER, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie. "What's wrong, are you well," she asked? My mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news. "I thought that it would be pleasant to be with you," I responded. "Just the two of us" She thought about it for a moment, and then said, "I would like that very much."

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous.
When I arrived at her house, I noticed t hat she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary. She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's.

"I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed, "she said, as she got into the car. "They can't wait to hear about our meeting". We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady. After we sat down,

I had to read the menu. Half way through the entries, I lifted my eyes and saw Mom sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips.” It was I who used to have to read the menu when you were small," she said. "Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor," I responded.

During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation - nothing extraordinary, but catching up on recent events of each other's life. We talked so much that we missed the movie. As we arrived at her house later, she said, "I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you." I agreed.

"How was your dinner date?" asked my wife when I got home. "Very nice Much more so than I could have imagined," I answered. A few days later, my mother died of a massive heart attack. It happened so suddenly that I did to do anything for her.

Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place mother and I had dined.An attached note said: "I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there; but nevertheless,I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son."

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: "I LOVE YOU!" and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till "some other time."

Pass this along to everyone with an aging parent, to a child, to an adult, to anyone with a parent. Here's hoping today is better than yesterday and tomorrow.

The Missing Rib!

For all the guys out there, let's ponder & reflect about the message below, and for the ladies you can share this with your love ones...

A girl in love asked her boyfriend..
Girl (g): Tell me... who do you love most in this world?

Boy (b): You, of course!

(g): In your heart, what am I to you?

(b): The boy thought for a moment and looked intently in her eyes and said, "You are my rib. In the Bible, it was said that God saw that Adam was lonely, during his sleep; God took one of Adam's rib and created Eve. Every man has been searching for his missing rib, only when you Find the woman of your life; you'll no longer feel the lingering ache in your heart."
After their wedding, the couple had a sweet and happy life for a while. However, the youthful couple began to drift apart due to the busy schedule of life and the never-ending worries of daily problems....their life became mundane....
All the challenges posed by the harsh realities of life began to gnaw away their dreams and love for each other...
The couple began to have more quarrels and each quarrel became more heated..

One day, after the quarrel, the girl ran out of the house.... At the opposite side of the road, she shouted, "You don't love me!"

The boy hated her childishness and out of impulse, retorted, "Maybe, it was a mistake for us to be together! You were never my missing rib!"

Suddenly, she turned quiet and stood there for a long while.... He regretted what he said but words spoken are like thrown away water, You can never take it back. With tears, she went home to pack her things and Was determined in breaking-up.
Before she left the house, "If I'm really not your missing rib, please let me go..... She continued, "It is less painful this way... let us go on our separate ways and search for our own partners..."

Five years went by....

He never remarried but he had tried to find out about her life indirectly...... She had left the country and back.... She had married a foreigner and divorced..... He felt anguished that she never waited for him.

In the dark and lonely night, he lit his cigarette and felt the lingering ache in his heart. He couldn't bring himself to admit that He was missing her. One day, they finally met at the airport, a place where there were many reunions and good-byes.He was going away on a business trip.

She was standing there alone, with just the security door separating them. She smiled at him gently.

(b): How are you?

(g): I'm fine. How about you... Have you found your missing rib?

(b): No.

(g): I'll be flying to New York in the next flight.

(b): I'll be back in 2 weeks time. Give me a call when you are back...You know my number... Nothing has changed.
With a smile, she turned around and waved good-bye..
Good-bye.....

One week later, he heard of her death. She had perished in New York.
In the event that shocked the world. Midnight..... Once again, he lit his cigarette..... And like before, he felt the lingering ache in his heart..... He finally knew, she was the missing rib that he had carelessly broken....
Sometimes, people say things out of moments of fury..... Most often than not, the outcome could be disastrous and detrimental....

We vent our frustrations 99% at our loved ones. And even though we know that we ought to "think twice and act wisely", it's often easier said than done. Things happen each day, many of which are beyond our control.... Let us treasure every moment and everyone in our lives.... Tomorrow may never come; give and accept what you have today.

"The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."

What a wonderful world!!!

This song is from one of the legends of music in the world. No weddign is complete without this song at all. This song is by Louis Armstrong.

I See trees of green........ red roses too
I see em bloom..... for me and for you
And I think to myself.... what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue..... clouds of white
Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.

The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are also on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do
Theyre really sayin......i love you.

I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
Theyll learn much more.....than Ill never know
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world

(instrumental break)

The colors of a rainbow.....so pretty ..in the sky
Are there on the faces.....of people ..going by
I see friends shaking hands.....sayin.. how do you do
Theyre really sayin...*spoken*(I ....love....you).

I hear babies cry...... I watch them grow
*spoken*(you know their gonna learn
A whole lot more than Ill never know)
And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world
Yes I think to myself .......what a wonderful world

About Louis Armstrong


Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Armstrong defined what it was to play Jazz. His amazing technical abilities, the joy and spontaneity, and amazingly quick, inventive musical mind still dominate Jazz to this day. Only Charlie Parker comes close to having as much influence on the history of Jazz as Louis Armstrong did. Like almost all early Jazz musicians, Louis was from New Orleans. He was from a very poor family and was sent to reform school when he was twelve after firing a gun in the air on New Year's Eve. At the school he learned to play cornet. After being released at age fourteen, he worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal from a cart. He didn't own an instrument at this time, but continued to listen to bands at clubs like the Funky Butt Hall. Joe "King" Oliver was his favorite and the older man acted as a father to Louis, even giving him his first real cornet, and instructing him on the instrument. By 1917 he played in an Oliver inspired group at dive bars in New Orleans' Storyville section. In 1919 he left New Orleans for the first time to join Fate Marable's band in St. Louis. Marable led a band that played on the Strekfus Mississsippi river boat lines. When the boats left from New Orleans Armstrong also played regular gigs in Kid Ory's band. Louis stayed with Marable until 1921 when he returned to New Orleans and played in Zutty Singleton's. He also played in parades with the Allen Brass Band, and on the bandstand with Papa Celestin's Tuxedo Orchestra , and the Silver Leaf Band. When King Oliver left the city in 1919 to go to Chicago, Louis took his place in Kid Ory's band from time to time. In 1922 Louis received a telegram from his mentor Joe Oliver, asking him to join his Creole Jazz Band at Lincoln Gardens (459 East 31st Street) in Chicago. This was a dream come true for Armstrong and his amazing playing in the band soon made him a sensation among other musicians in Chicago. The New Orleans style of music took the town by storm and soon many other bands from down south made their way north to Chicago. While playing in Oliver's Creole Jazz Band, Armstrong met Lillian Hardin, a piano player and arranger for the band. In February of 1924 they were married. Lil was a very intelligent and ambitious woman who felt that Louis was wasting himself playing in Oliver's band. By the end of 1924 she pressured Armstrong to reluctantly leave his mentor's band. He briefly worked with Ollie Powers' Harmony Syncopators before he moved to New York to play in Fletcher Henderson's Orchestra for 13 months. During that time he also did dozens of recording sessions with numerous Blues singers, including Bessie Smith's 1925 classic recording of "St. Louis Blues". He also recorded with Clarence Williams and the Red Onion Jazz Babies. In 1925 Armstrong moved back to Chicago and joined his wife's band at the Dreamland Cafe (3520 South State Street). He also played in Erskine Tate's Vendome Orchestra and then with Carrol Dickenson's Orchestra at the Sunset Cafe (313-17 East 35th Street at the corner of Calmet Street). Armstrong recorded his first Hot Five records that same year. This was the first time that Armstrong had made records under his own name. The records made by Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven are considered to be absolute jazz classics and speak of Armstrong's creative powers. The band never played live, but continued recording until 1928. While working at the Sunset, Louis met his future manager, Joe Glaser. Glaser managed the Sunset at that time. Armstrong continued to play in Carrol Dickenson's Orchestra until 1929. He also led his own band on the same venue under the name of Louis Armstrong and his Stompers. For the next two years Armstrong played with Carroll Dickerson's Savoy Orchestra and with Clarence Jones' Orchestra in Chicago. By 1929 Louis was becoming a very big star. He toured with the show "Hot Chocolates" and appeared occasionally with the Luis Russell Orchestra, with Dave Peyton, and with Fletcher Henderson. Armstrong moved to Los Angeles in 1930 where he fronted a band called Louis Armstrong and his Sebastian New Cotton Club Orchestra. In 1931 he returned to Chicago and assembled his own band for touring purposes. In June of that year he returned to New Orleans for the first time since he left in 1922 to join King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band. Armstrong was greeted as a hero, but racism marred his return when a White radio announcer refused to mention Armstrong on the air and a free concert that Louis was going to give to the cities' African-American population was cancelled at the last minute. Louis and Lil also separated in 1931. In 1932 he returned to California, before leaving for England where he was a great success. For the next three years Armstrong was almost always on the road. He crisscrossed the U.S. dozens of times and returned to Europe playing in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Holland and England. In 1935 he returned to the U.S. and hired Joe Glaser to be his manager. He had known Glaser when he was the manager of the Sunset Cafe in Chicago in the 1920s. Glaser was allegedly connected to the Al Capone mob, but proved to be a great manager and friend for Louis. Glaser remained Armstrong's manager until his death in 1969. Glaser took care of the business end of things, leaving Armstrong free to concentrate on his music. He also hired the Luis Russell Orchestra as Louis' backup band with Russell as the musical director. This was like going home for Armstrong, because Russell's Orchestra was made up of predominantly New Orleans musicians, many of whom had also played with King Oliver. The band was renamed Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra and was one of the most popular acts of the Swing era. Glaser put the band to work and they toured constantly for the next ten years. During this period Armstrong became one of the most famous men in America. In 1938 Lil and Louis finally got a divorce. Louis then married Alpha, his third wife. The endless touring was hard on their marriage and they were divorced four years later, but Armstrong quickly remarried Lucille and they remained married for the rest of his life. For the next nine years the Louis Armstrong Orchestra continued to tour and release records, but as the 1940s drew to a close the public's taste in Jazz began to shift away from the commercial sounds of the Swing era and big band Jazz. The so-called Dixieland Jazz revival was just beginning and Be Bop was also starting to challenge the status quo in the Jazz world. The Louis Armstrong Orchestra was beginning to look tired and concert and record sales were declining. Critics complained that Armstrong was becoming too commercial. So, in 1947 Glaser fired the orchestra and replaced them with a small group that became one of the greatest and most popular bands in Jazz history. The group was called the Louis Armstrong Allstars and over the years featured exceptional musicians like Barney Bigard, Jack Teagarden, Sidney ‘Big Sid’ Catlett , vocalist Vilma Middleton, and Earl Hines. The band went through a number of personnel changes over the years but remained extremely popular worldwide. They toured extensively travelling to Africa, Asia, Europe and South America for the next twenty years until Louis' failing health caused them to disband. Armstrong became known as America's Ambassador. In 1963 Armstrong scored a huge international hit with his version of "Hello Dolly". This number one single even knocked the Beatles off the top of the charts. In 1968 he recorded another number one hit with the touchingly optimistic "What A Wonderful World". Armstrong's health began to fail him and he was hospitalized several times over the remaining three years of his life, but he continued playing and recording. On July 6th 1971 the world's greatest Jazz musician died in his sleep at his home in Queens, New York.

Sarva Sambhavam

After the long weekend of 3 days I came to office this morning to office and i felt like a school child until i saw my best pals at work. To my surprise my best friend Mr,Lanka Deepak presented me a book. This book is "Sarva Sambhavam" written by Sri P V R K Prasad I.A.S. This book is presented by Lanka Deepak's father Sri Lanka Nagaraju Garu to me on the ocassion of Diwali. I am very grateful to him for presenting me with such a wonderful gift and for giving me thsi opportunity to learnb about a great personality Sri P V R K Prasad and the Thirumala. This is simply very interesting...amazing...superb.. what not... I have been following columns of Sri P V R K Prasad I.A.S. in a telugu magazine "Swathi" with the same name "Sarva Sambhavam". The day I received this book I was unable to control my hunger to read it. Here are few of my feelings which i could pen down. Hope you will also have a wonderful time reading it.

‘Venkatesa Samodevo Nabhuto Nabhavishyati’

Lord Venkateswara is defined, ‘Piliche variki palike Daivam’ who ever calls him, He answers his call. If we ask any devotee of Lord Venkateswara his experiences with the God, especially his trip to Tirumala, he has definitely not one, but more than one to share with us. When ordinary people like us have so many experiences to share, don’t you think the executive officer (E.O.) of Lord Balaji has to share many more miraculous incidents with us? Any E.O. is the first devotee of God and the E.O. who devotes himself to God wholeheartedly is bound to experience unbelievable, strange but true experiences.

Sri P.V.R.K. Prasad I.A.S narrated his services as E.O. in Tirumala during the period 1978-82. He is behind some of the facilities we see today in Tirumala - the Vaikhuntam queue complex, the slanting wooden plank in the temple, Large sized Lord Hanuma to protect the pilgrims who climb up the mountains on foot, the new ‘Dwaja Stambam’ etc. How these things materialized and what problems he faced in the course of action and how he felt God’s grace behind these efforts were beautifully penned down in Telugu. Each episode is graphic description with ardent faith in God in flowery language. Tears roll down our cheeks unknowingly as we go through the episodes.

The ‘dwaja stambam’ episode is the highlight of the book. If I mention that in a nutshell, I will be spoiling the beauty of it.

Please order a copy for yourself and read it. Kill Piracy and read the original. I am sure you will have wonderdul reading it.

Sarva Sambhavam
Author Sri P V R K Prasad I.A.S
Published by EMESCO Books
Eluru Road Vijayawada – 2
Phones 0866 – 2577498 & 0866 – 2575281
Masab Tank Hyderabad Phone : 040-23373103
Price : Rs 90.00