The world's 10 most amazing railway stations

1. Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Germany) Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Berlin Central Station) is one of the biggest and most beautiful railway stations in Europe.
An architectural wonder, it is Europe's largest two-level railway station with 14 platforms and 80 retail stores. It was inaugurated on May 26, 2006.

Located on the site of the historic Lehrter Bahnhof, the station is operated by DB Station & Service, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG. Classified as a Category 1 station, it is one of twenty stations in Germany and third in Berlin.

The building in Spreebogen combines striking architecture with the mobility requirements of the 21st century. Every day around 1,100 long-distance, regional and rapid transit trains call at the 14 platforms on two different levels.

2. Kuala Lumpur Railway Station (Malaysia) A historical building, the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station with Moorish architecture design was completed in 1910.
A hub for Malaysia's rail transportation system, its tall minarets and arches make it one of the most impressive railway stations in the world.

SOURCE...

5 reasons you shouldn't invest along the Yamuna Expressway

Estatelister.com

In the second part of the series on real estate investments in and around various hotspots in India we take a look at the Yamuna Expressway. Estatelister.com gives five reasons why the Yamuna Expressway will not turn out to be a multi-bagger in the next five years.

Yamuna Expressway, the flagship project launched by the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh is on the verge of completion and speculation is rife about how the response will be for the most ambitious expressway project in North India.

Built at a cost of more than Rs 10,000 crore by the Jaypee Group, Yamuna Expressway covers more than 165 km of road that connects Noida and Greater Noida to Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal.

This expressway is also an important means for reducing traffic on the busy National Highway 2.

source... 

5 ways to communicate effectively at work

Want to make the right impression at your workplace? Watch out for these five areas of communication. Illustrations by Uttam Ghosh

What is and is not appropriate behaviour at work is best defined by your immediate bosses and superiors.

In corporate culture, celebrating a birthday with balloons or streamers may be frowned upon, while in other places, opening a bottle of wine is not amiss.

One must keep a keen eye on the trends set by the upper management while still being individualistic.

1. Dress Code

There are some corporate companies that have a strict dress code and enforce long sleeved collared shirts and dark pants or long skirts for employees.

In such cases, it is relatively easy to follow the beehive trend.

Problems generally occur in workplaces that may have casual work styles where one is free to wear what one likes. The 'smart casual' look is still the benchmark to strive for.

Don't wear flip flops and t-shirts on a daily basis; your appearance counts for a lot in making a good impression. A sharp appearance shows confidence and self-esteem, and will certainly reflect well on your appraisals in future years.

Women should note that while it is fine to wear smart western clothing, in a traditional country like ours, skimpy clothing is a no-no.

Opt for tailored and well fitted clothing that looks good!

Escapism is just and necessary in short doses, especially in creative fields. Facebook and Twitter are important elements of any marketing or networking field.

In our digitally connected world with social media options on phones and computers, it is a little too easy to lose track of time and portray the wrong impression.

Playing online games is generally acceptable if they last about 5-10 mins about once in a day are a breather from intensive work.

It can build your focus and re-energise your mind. Self discipline is usually the issue in such cases; before you know it, you may be spending hours exchanging chickens on your farm at Farmville.

Just remember that counting your chickens can lead to an embarrassing situation with egg on your face!

Your tone of voice and accent is important while working.

Remember to be courteous and to say 'Please' and 'Thank you' wherever possible.

Don't use abusive language even if it is commonly used by seniors as it may be misinterpreted or taken out of context. Err on the side of caution!

When things are not going smoothly, it is all the more important to keep your cool and be calm.

If someone raises their voice at you, reply in a calm, even-toned voice. If it continues, you can politely ask them to please lower their voice and maintain a professional demeanour. The same goes for those having fun -- make sure that you do not disturb others with raucous laughter while taking a time-out.

Finally, speaking on the phone with your friends or family should be done in a quiet area away from co-workers. Chattering endlessly on the phone while at work will never reflect well on you!

BMMers should also beware; other than text-cramps in your fingers, constant messaging can cause harm to your career too!

Always write e-mails in complete words and sentences while sending an e-mail to colleagues or acquaintances, no matter how frivolous or urgent the task may be.

Senior managers need to shoot of hundreds of mails each day, requiring speed, complex processing skills and excellent communication.

Large companies even test the speed with which one can write a formal letter while hiring employees.

The same holds true for organisations that use instant messenger for communicating with each other.

Don't use shortcuts and acronyms that you may use informally with your friends; write in complete words with punctuation

According to communications expert John Borg, over 93 per cent of human communication takes place non-verbally.

Take some cues from our Neanderthal ancestors who communicated in grunts and gestures rather than words; the way you say something is far more important that the content of what is said.

Eye-movement, facial expressions, body posture and gestures play subtle but important roles in establishing trust and facilitating communication.

The best body language should show that you are smart and alert with a straight back and neck. Slouching is never a good thing, especially so when at work.

Also, ensure that you do not invade someone else's space, make defensive or aggressive gestures, and that your emotions are under control.

Understand how to interpret body language by buying a book on the subject.

Reading body language can help you understand behavioural and cues maintain personal and professional relationships

source...

IN PICS: She went from 104 kg to 60 kg in 18 months!

Abhishek Mande 

Kalli Purie was over one hundred kilos when she decided she'd had enough of being overweight. Here's how she lost it.

In her 'weightloss memoir', Confessions of a Serial Dieter Kalli Purie is quite frank about her weight -- the kilos she'd lost and more importantly the ones she'd gained.

The 295-page book is a tell-all as Purie, a working mother and the Chief Operating Officer at India Today Group Digital, takes a look at weight-related issues, at times with her tongue firmly in cheek but at most others offering practical advice -- one that she's followed herself to go from fat to fit.

That perhaps is what makes Confessions of a Serial Dieter a great book to pick over one written by a fitness trainer -- it comes from a person who's done it herself and lived to tell the tale.

In an interview, Kalli Purie talks about how she lost all those kilos, her most difficult phase and the most ridiculous diet she's ever been on.

How long did it take for you to go from 104 to 60 kg?

It took me about 18 months. The longest phase however was when I had hit a plateau. For the longest time my weight was fluctuating between 70 and 75 kgs.

That phase was one of those where although I'd lost weight, it wasn't a body change and there was no change in my body's metabolism.

I had to work really hard to get past that phase. So I changed my dietician, my workouts and finally moved to the next level.

Would you say that was the most difficult phase?

Now is the most difficult stage, if you ask me. I am 60.2 kgs today but I've been fluctuating between 58 and 60 for the longest time.

In my head I've set 58 as my target weight but I simply cannot lose those two kilos. I lose them for a few weeks and before I know they're back!

What's the ideal weight for your height?

Well, it's between 55 and 60 kgs but I'd like to be 58. I have been struggling for that for about eight months. The body is just not accepting it. It has been the same when I was struggling in the 70s bracket. I suppose I have to get down and talk to my body.

Erm... you talk to your body?

I know this sounds crazy and I felt the same when the yoga people (sic) told me this but it works!

So you talk to your body?!?

Yes but its not like 'Hey body, become thinner'.

The thing is when you're doing your meditations and surya namaskars you focus on where you want to be and how thin you want to be. Over the last few months I haven't been able to harmonise my body and mind. That was the key to moving from the 70s plateau.

And how did you do that, finally?

For the longest time I didn't know what to do because it would be a constant struggle. That was the time I started doing yoga and the people there told me to stop fretting. I was told that the body might take time to understand but sooner rather than later it would.

And it did! Before I knew it, I had started losing half a kilo every day! So much so I was 68 on the day of (my sister) Koel's wedding. My target at the time was 69 kgs.

It was a great feeling and it was because of yoga and I hadn't even thought of it.

When you speak of yoga, do you mean power yoga?

Well, it's a mix of both really. I am a practitioner of Bharat Thakur's Artistic Yoga so it means I do a round of about 50-100Surya Namaskars and then (go slow) on the asanas.

What are you not doing now that you were doing right then?

Well I don't know really. I haven't also been very focussed (on losing the last two kilos) but right now I am doing Yoga followed by a series of bodyweight training, cardio vascular and plyometric exercises.

So right now I have more definition and muscle but no weight loss.

You mention in the book that it is something of an insurance policy for you. Please explain.

The real trick about weight-loss is to be able to keep it there. I have yo-yoed all my life now and it is for the first time that I have been able to maintain it for the last three years. It hasn't moved from there. That's one of the reasons I am even confident of talking about it...

...The fear of jinxing it?

Yes. But besides that, it is also more difficult to maintain the weight you've lost. Weight loss is like chasing a hot guy -- the uncertainty the love, tears, joy, agony and ecstasy... Maintaining it is like marriage. You have to stay committed to that weight. It is an active job!

An interesting episode that figures in your book is the one about your sister's marriage. Tell us how she lost weight for her big day.

My sister (Koel Purie) was very clever about losing weight. She was always a slim girl but she wanted extra shape for wedding day. So she decided on what she would wear on the day and focussed on just the one body part that would show (her waist because she wore lehngas through the ceremonies). She dedicated the eight weeks to work on just her waist.

I on the other hand wasn't so organised. However I did have the one 'goddess dress' that I wanted to get into. It was a Gauri-Nainika design that was held by just one knot and could become as thin as its wearer. It was a great motivation because all the time I was thinking about me in the dress. Even though it wasn't as planned a workout as my sister's, it went fine.

Now I work harder and focus on what I am wearing and focus on that one body part that'll show.

You've gone through 43 diets. What has been the most stupid diet you've been on?

That would be the Master Cleanser! It basically involves lemon juice, rich maple syrup, cayenne pepper powder and water.

The philosophy is that this drink is supposed to have all the nutrients you need to survive and if you stay on it for 10 to 12 days you'd lose about eight kilos. It's the diet that people like Beyonce and Gwyneth Paltrow have been on.

How many days did you last?

One day! I simply couldn't do it. I also realised that a diet like this is fine for an actress or a model who spends the whole day focussing on looking good. If you are a real person who has other responsibilities, it isn't possible to be on this diet.

Name two other diets that you've been on but are really quite silly.

The Cabbage Soup Diet, which basically says you can have specific food items on one day of each week but you must have Cabbage soup to go with it.

It was ridiculous! Everywhere I went, I would be carrying a thermos of cabbage soup with me. By the third day the stink of the cabbage gets to you. The thermos stinks the most!

That diet put me off cabbage soup for life but I lost 3 kgs.

Then there was the dahi-papaya diet -- which basically is having dahi papaya for every meal.

Again, it was great because I like curds, my skin was glowing, almost orange, because of the papaya I was having, my system was clean and I did lose 2kgs. But it was silly! I have no idea how I survived it. I mean who has papaya smoothies?

Ok. The three best diets you've been on?

Well, I won't call it a diet but the principles of DD (Dominatrix Dietician -- one of the many nameless dieticians who appears in the book) work very well for me. The most important of it being that you don't eat after sundown because your body's metabolism goes down. That way you are hungry enough for breakfast and are free to have the big carb at lunch (according to DD, the body's metabolism is at its peak at noon) It works very well for me.

Then there's yoga. Unlike a workout in the gym or a run in the park that makes your exhausts you, yoga energises the body and the mind.

And finally there's masala chai, which I have with a natural sweetener made. When in doubt, I always, always go for a masala chai or skimmed milk cappuccino.

You also mention in the book is that it is more difficult to put on weight than it is to lose it. Please do explain.

When I started writing the book, my editor pointed out to me that though I'd written all about losing weight, there was no mention of how I had gained it. And that's when it all started coming back.

I had never thought of how I had put on more than 50 kgs in over ten years.

The reason I say putting on weight is more difficult is because you have to be doing everything wrong to put it on. I am not saying it isn't fun gaining the kilos but it is definitely difficult.

Conversely if you realise, I lost almost the same weight in 18 months. So it is easier to lose weight than it is to gain it.

next....

Top 5: Sites to visit during the Wikipedia blackout!

So the mother of all information websites has been blacked out for a good 24 hours. Here's a list of sites you can visit to cross check all your details, do your research and submit that project you've been sitting on till the last minute.

When a site like Wikipedia decides to impose a blackout on itself, you better have been prepared for it or start looking for alternative options.

The folks at Wikipedia are protesting against two bills -- the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) -- that they say will harm the free and open Internet if they are passed.

According to the website, the 'current draft of the bills (requires) for US-based sites to actively police links to purported infringing sites. These kinds of self-policing activities are non-sustainable for large, global sites -- including ones like Wikipedia'.

Having said that though life does become somewhat difficult when Wikipedia isn't around.

Here are some sites you could visit for your research during the next 24 hours.

Some of us may remember those times -- much before Wikipedia came along -- when we'd load CDs and DVDs of Encyclopaedia Britannica on our PCs and wait in anticipation as the drive whirred and opened up the world before our eyes.

The encyclopaedia's website -- britannica.com and its Indian version britannicaindia.com still does a pretty good job of throwing up updated information at the click of a button.

Even though, what you see at first will just be an abstract of a longer article, you can subscribe to their free seven-day trial and hope that Wiki doesn't go for another blackout on the eighth day.

WolframAlpha calls itself a 'computational knowledge engine' with a goal to 'make all systematic knowledge immediately computable and accessible to everyone'.

According to the website, wolframalpha.com aims 'to collect and curate all objective data; implement every known model, method, and algorithm; and make it possible to compute whatever can be computed about anything'.

So when you hit 'India' as a search query you'll get all the major statistics about the country -- from its area and population to the current inflation rate and just where it ranks in the world in the Human Development Index.

Pretty basic you may say but when you have a college deadline to meet and no Wikipedia, you really don't have a lot of options you know.

And oh, just in case you were wondering, according to WolframAlpha, India stands 95th in the world for its living standards, 103rd in health and 111th in education.

source....

45 Top Websites To Download Free EBooks

Internet is an amazing source of information. You can find anything and everything on internet.To keep our self up to date and to fed intellectual vitamins to our brain we require books and magazines to read. But in this fast paced world reading paper books is becoming difficult due to lack of time and the problem of carrying so much literature along with you. Thankfully we have option of reading books online and even download them in our devices like laptops and handsets which we always carry.

Today we have come up with a list of some really useful sites where you can find the books and magazines you have been looking for and that too free of cost. Most of the sites provide E-Books in the form of pdf but some give other options as well. So what are you thinking? Just type few words and read & carry your favorite book when ever and where ever you want to.

You might want to go through some of our previous articles on, Best Sites Download Free Fonts, Tools For Finding a Perfect Domain Name, Make a Cartoon of Yourself, and Have Fun With Pics.

Scribd

Scribd is the site where the world comes to read, discover, and share.

More Information on Scribd

Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is the place where you can download over 33,000 free ebooks to read on your PC, iPad, Kindle, Sony Reader, iPhone, Android or other portable device and too in different formats.

More Information on Project Gutenberg

Get Free e-Books

Its a free ebooks site where you can download free books totally free. The ebooks which you find within this site are collected from all over the net or either personally compiled by founder.

Advertisement

More Information on Get Free e-Books

ebookee

ebookee is a free eBooks download search engine where you can find relevent links for numerous e-books.

More Information on ebookee

ManyBooks.net

You can browse through the most popular titles, recommendations, or recent reviews from the site visitors. There are more than 29,000 free eBooks available here.

More Information on ManyBooks.net

PDFoo

Browse through the extensive list of free Business, Computer, Engineering and Trade magazines, white papers, downloads and podcasts to find the titles that best match your skills and on various topics.

More Information on PDFoo

The eBook Directory

If you are looking for top quality free ebooks, this is the right place. To access thousands of ebooks simply browse the various categories on the left or simply use the search box.

More Information on The eBook Directory

ebooks-space

Its a Free Downloadable eBooks Website Online where you can find books ranging from the tpics like Computer IT, Programming Language, Software Development, Tutorial & Database Design in PDF-CHM file format.

More Information on ebooks-space

KnowFree

You can check and also contribute e books here. It has more than 11k ebooks under various categories.

More Information on KnowFree

Download Free PDF Ebooks

Here you will find a huge collection of Ebooks on various topics like Abap, Adobe, Ajax,Java, Asp, Calculus, C++, Cisco, Dream Weaver, HTML, J2ME, MBA, Networking, Oracle, PHP, Microsoft Windows, VBA, XP etc.

More Information on Download Free PDF Ebooks

Free Book Centre

This site contains links to thousands of free online technical books. Which Include core computer science, networking, programming languages, Systems Programming books, Linux books and many more.

More Information on Free Book Centre

freebooksread

You can read as well as download ebooks here. This site use page flipping software along with other features to make your online reading a lovely experience.

More Information on freebooksread

bibliotastic

This site is Connecting authors with open-minded readers, digitally. This site provides a great platform for new and evolving authors to reach a wide audience and for readers to give them direct feedback.

More Information on bibliotastic

avidpdf

avidpdf is again a pdf search engine which provides you downloadabe links to various subject related ebooks.

More Information on avidpdf

Free Book Spot

This site has a wide variety of e-books wherein you will definately get the information you are looking for.

More Information on Free Book Spot

OnlineComputerBooks

It contains details about free computer books, free ebooks, free programming books, free online books and sample chapters related to Information and Communication Technology, Computer Science, Internet, Engineering, Business, Marketing, Maths, Electronics, Physics and Science which are provided by publishers or authors on their websites legally and free of charge.

More Information on OnlineComputerBooks

Online Free e-Books

This site consists of a compilation of public information available on the internet.

More Information on Online Free e-Books

Globusz

Globusz provides a platform to new authors to get their writing skills test by the actual readers. And readers don’t have topay anything to read or download the content.

More Information on Globusz

Diesel E-book Store

You can do Free downloads from their current collection feature many popular titles that may be free due to a publisher promotion or possibly early titles from a current author.

More Information on Diesel E-book Store

MemoWare

You can search among the title, author and description, Contributor Name, date Added, Average Rating, Category, Document Format, PDA Platform & Language options.

More Information on MemoWare

Read Easily!

This digital library has been designed to provide you an adaptive reading experience! Just click above on “set display” and select the font size, font color and background color to name a few excellent features.

More Information on Read Easily!

WitGuides

This Comprehensive free ebooks Library is the premier online source for a wide range of useful e-books that are completely free with no need to sign-up or buy anything. You can Download ebooks safely and securely from the directory.

More Information on WitGuides

Planet eBook

This site is the home of free classic literature. All novels and books here are entirely free to download and share.

More Information on Planet eBook

e-Library

This site contains huge list of free ebooks on various subjects.

More Information on e-Library

BookBooN

On BookBooN.com you can download free ebooks for students and travelers in PDF format. All the books can be downloaded without registration. These ebooks are legal and written exclusively for Bookboon

More Information on BookBooN

eBook Junkie

You can get number of free downloadable ebooks from this site. You also have the option of variuos categories to choose from.

More Information on eBook Junkie

PDF Search Engine

As the name suggests PDF Search Engine is a tool to find out free online ebooks.

More Information on PDF Search Engine

E-Books Directory

E-Books Directory is a daily growing list of freely downloadable ebooks, documents and lecture notes found all over the internet. You can submit and promote your own ebooks, add comments on already posted books or just browse through the directory below and download anything you need.

More Information on E-Books Directory

uFindBook

You can get free ebooks download more than 200,000 titles categorized in format of pdf, chm, html

More Information on uFindBook

e-books Download Free

Download Most Popular eBooks For free

More Information on e-books Download Free

PDF Geni

Again a search engine to help you find out the ebooks that interests you.

More Information on PDF Geni

Book-Bot

This site has 14571 books.You can try the search box for specific book or can also browse by author or title.

More Information on Book-Bot

bookglutton

Try BookGlutton’s social reading experience. Just sign in with Facebook and invite some friends. You can create virtual groups to meet up inside a book. Have great discussions and much more.

More Information on bookglutton

Martview

You will need to install Martview reader to view the e-books, but this site has a good collection of ebooks.

More Information on Martview

DailyLit

You can get your choosen Minutes a day of great reading in your inbox as you receive short book installments by email or RSS feed.

More Information on DailyLit

Mega-PDF

Mega-PDF is a search engine where you can enter the ebook you are searching for and get immediate downloadabe links.

More Information on Mega-PDF

e-Book Lobby

These free ebooks are divided into different categories. Categorys range from business, art, computing and education. Select the category appropriate to the e-book you’re looking for.

More Information on e-Book Lobby

PlanetPDF

Planet PDF is a comprehensive, popular and independent Web site exclusively focused on Adobe Acrobat/PDF users and uses. Check out its ebook collection.

More Information on PlanetPDF

BookYards

ookyards has a total of 17,008 books, 41,784 external web links, 4,197 news & blogs links, 384 videos, 32,963 Ebook links and access to hundreds of online libraries (800,000 Ebooks) for your reading pleasure.

More Information on BookYards

PDFee

A great site to get online e-books in pdf format.

More Information on PDFee

askSam

For downloaded eBooks, you will need the FREE askSam Viewer, or askSam, the sites ultra-free searchable, free-form database.You can choose from the catefories of Literature, Legislative, Legal & Judicial, Government Reports, Political, Resources & Other eBooks.

More Information on askSam

Snipfiles

You can get both Free Ebooks & Software from this useful site.

More Information on Snipfiles

PDF Gallery

This site has many categories and numerous ebooks where you can find the one you are looking for.

More Information on PDF Gallery

Free e-Books

Enjoy unlimited reading here at Free-eBooks.net. Discover great fiction, from romance to mystery, or non-fiction, from business information to self-improvement.

source...