Best Practices In Naming And Managing Files

Word documents, Excel documents, images files, presentation files ... the list goes on.
Have you ever had the feeling that you have spent too much time searching for what you wanted? Did you search for a file you just worked on last week, for far too long than you would have imagined?

Depending on your profession, managing files on a daily basis can be quite a hazard. Specially, if you don't have an organized way of storing files.

I recently exchanged my computer for a better one. I had to copy all files I needed from the old machine to the new. The transfer felt more like a house cleaning project! I am ashamed to say that there were many files with names such as test,temp,test1 etc. Needless to say that I had to open each of these files to find out the content.

So, I made a resolution to better organize the files/folders, in my computer hard drive. After all, if paper filing systems were kept efficiently in the yester years, the new age filing cabinet couldn't be so difficult. I figured it would require a little bit of organizing and self-discipline!

With that in mind, I made a list and I am sharing it with you. I hope you would benefit from it too. I've been practicing this list for the past 2 days and found it to be practical and efficient.

#1. Use abbreviations
I use abbreviations to group certain files. For example, If I write a post to for Enhance Life, I would save the document as "BLOG_". Likewise, I use an abbreviation that I recognize (and remember!) to group related documents.

#2. Use descriptive name
Yes, Obviously! Something I can read once, and relate to!

#3. Specify the date
There are a loads of documents that I come across which don't have a version. Rather than checking the date specifically I prefer an "at a glance view" of which document is latest. Also, keep a note that following a consistent date format is important too.

#4. Combine with underscore
Well, It doesn't really matter whether its a underscore or dash. Something to distinguish the abbreviations, name and the
date would do. Underscore works for me.

#5. Keep one copy only
When there are multiple files with the same name in different directories it can be a major hassle to figure out "which is what". Thus, I do my best to keep one copy of the file.

#6. Save temparary files on the desktop
This way I won't forget to delete the files, when the temporary lifespan is over!

#7. Use Sender name for email documents
There may be documents which are sent over the net for verification and modification. I choose to keep the sender name associated with the file.

Do these work for you? What are your current conventions for naming files?
Please leave a comment and let me know more tips.

Singer's ambiguity on vivisection is damaging to animals

The BBC programme Monkeys, Rats and Me: Animal Testing, shown on 27 November 2006, does not, as one could have easily predicted, fulfill any of the promises declared in its press releases.

It does not “attempt to determine if these experiments are effective”: it actually rather takes their effectiveness for granted, blindly accepting the words of experimenters without any search for independent evidence.

And it, or its presenter, does not “have a ring-side seat at the heart of the conflict”, especially it does not have a balanced, unbiased position giving equal weight to both sides of the “debate”.

Throughout the programme we heard only one voice arguing the case for the animals, that of animal rights activist Mel Broughton.

Other than that, and the occasional shouting of demonstrators, the show consisted in a long succession of pro-vivisection voices.

Among the latter, unfortunately, one has to list that of Peter Singer.

It was not entirely a surprise, knowing Singer’s utilitarian position that, to put it simply, “the end justifies the means”, that is, if an experiment can demonstrably save more lives of higher value by sacrificing fewer lives of lower value (and the calculation of suffering is similarly in favour of the experiment being performed), then it should be carried out.

The rights’ view in ethics is certainly superior to the utilitarian one, in my opinion.

So, Singer has made statements that have resulted in headlines like “Animal guru gives tests his blessing” in The Observer of November 26, 2006, which says:

“Monkey research has benefits, equal rights philosopher admits.

“One of the most important figures in the animal rights movement has publicly backed the use of living creatures in medical experiments. The endorsement - by the philosopher Peter Singer, who coined the phrase Animal Liberation and whose Seventies book on the subject led to the creation of the animal rights movement - has surprised observers.

“Singer, professor of bioethics at Princeton, is renowned for insisting animals should have equal rights with humans but is quoted, on camera, backing research in which experiments on monkeys are carried out to develop surgery for Parkinson's and other patients.

“'It is clear at least some animal research does have benefits,' Singer admits on Monkeys, Rats and Me: Animal Testing, which will be screened on BBC2 tomorrow. 'I would certainly not say that no animal research could be justified and the case you have given sounds like one that is justified.'

“The admission has delighted scientists, including the Oxford surgeon Tipu Aziz, the doctor involved in this work. 'It is a very encouraging sign,' he said.”

The Tipu Aziz in question, the programme forgets to mention but we’d better remind people, is the same man who, in an interview with The Guardian on March 4, 2006, defended cosmetics tests on animals:

“In an interview with the Guardian, Tipu Aziz said: "People talk about cosmetics being the ultimate evil. But beautifying oneself has been going on since we were cavemen. If it's proven to reduce suffering through animals tests, it's not wrong to use them. To say cosmetics is an absolute evil is absurd."”

Obviously for Aziz, the only ethical question about cosmetics testing on animals seems to be the Islamic problem with women’s wearing make up and similar ways of “beautifying oneself”. The moral issue of the treatment of animals is so far away from his frame of mind as Islamabad is from London. He is so remote from this type of problem that he has totally misunderstood it, and believes that the battle to fight is against people who think that “cosmetics is an absolute evil”.

So, when he started one of his many utterances during yesterday’s programme with “I don’t think there’s an issue”, I knew exactly what he meant. Animal welfare is not an issue for him.

And this is the kind of man whose words Singer took at their face value, without a challenge, when he said something to this effect: “You are the expert, so you will know whether your experiments are useful and justified”.

It took Singer two minutes to make up his mind on the matter. Wow! What a philosopher! What about saying “You are presumably an expert, but you are also the person with powerful vested interests in the continuation of your experiments”?

As for the other two most recurrent pro-vivisection voices in the show, one, Laurie Pycroft, is a school drop-out. The other, Colin Blakemore, is notorious for having carried out “experiments” in which he blinded kittens by sewing their eyes shut from birth: needless to say, those experiments never led to any “medical breakthrough”.

An in-depth study of his vision research on animals concludes:

“we found no evidence that our understanding amblyopia's causes or treatments have improved as a consequence of this research”.

I just hope that Singer’s views were misrepresented by selective quoting, a well-known journalistic and propagandistic tool. He may have added something which in fact he has written many times, ie that Aziz should not perform on non-human primates experiments that he would not be prepared to perform on humans of equal or inferior intellect and/or sentience, perhaps orphaned infants. That at least would avoid the speciesist bias.

Either way, Singer’s opinions are easily misreprented in this way, and he’s giving the media and the vivisection lobby powerful weapons.

Peter Singer’s ambiguity on the issue of vivisection is extremely damaging to the animals’ case.

The fact that Singer was given a voice on this programme, but none of the many people who have strong medical arguments to oppose vivisection were heard, makes one think who is tame and who is a powerful enemy of the vivisection lobby.

3 Simple WaysTto Foster An Attitude Of Gratitude

#1. Acknowledge Your Blessings
It is a human tendency to want more. In the search for "more", we forget to be thankful for things, that we take for granted. As I mentioned in 6 Ways To Make You Feel Good, there are others, who are in a much worse position than you or me. So, make list of all the things that you are thankful for. Count them, one by one! Make a note to regularly revisit that list.

#2. Appreciate Others
A colleague of mine, left our company recently. It is a company norm that we give a card/gift, host a farewell and bid goodbye. Imagine my surprise, when she gave me a card that read something like this
"…I have come to admire you professionally and as a person, and it has been a privilege that you extended your friendship to me…"

Reading this, I was speechless. In a way I felt glad that I had touched someone's life. (Even though I couldn't pin point what I had done to deserve such kind words!)
The truth is that, if she didn't tell me, I wouldn't have known that I made a positive impact in her life.

#3. Practice 'Thank you'
Ok. Anyone can say it. It doesn't cost a thing now does it?.
Warning: If you are not someone who is usually used to saying 'thank you', you might find this a bit difficult at first. People around you might give wired looks too! Eventually they will realize that you are genuine about your 'Thank you's and that you don't have a hidden agenda that follows with it.

Book Review : The Essential Drucker

What I like about the book:
* The book is a collection of Drucker's writings that span his sixty years of managerial reflections. It seemed like an MBA in a nutshell.

What I dislike about the book:
* The book sometimes was a bit too theoretical.

My favorite excerpt:
Management is about human beings. Its task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their strengths effective and their weaknesses irrelevant. This is what organization is all about, and it is the reason that management is the critical, determining factor. These days, practically all of us work for a managed institution, large or small, business or nonbusiness. We depend on management for our livelihoods. And our ability to contribute to society also depends as much on the management of the organization for which we work as it does on our own skills, dedication, and effort.

Must-Have Things That Should be on Your Blog's Side Bar

In my previous post Change-The Only Constant In Life, I did mention that I have done a major layout and structure change. You surely must have noticed the
three column layout with two sidebars on either side!. I knew I needed to put more information, but was unsure about what I should include.

That's when I came across 10 Must-Have Things That Should be on Your Blog's Side Bar at SEO For Bloggers . Out of these ten, I only have nine. Can you guess which one I left out?

#1. RSS Buttons
I am not a RSS fan. I have added a few RSS buttons though.

#2 Your Other Projects/Blogs
To be honest, I don't have any other projects or blogs. However, I do have a few articles, which have been published in magazines. I made a section titled "features" and added the links to the articles.

#3 Short About Section
I didn't have this one before. I took a fragment of my very first post, Welcome to Enhance Life and placed it in the about section.

#4. Contact Info
I didn't think that contact information was that important. SEO For Bloggers convinced me otherwise. Now my email is located in the side bar, top right corner. You can write to me directly!

#5. Most Popular Posts
I analyzed a few reports from sitemeter and google analytics and figured out the most popular posts.

#6. Blog Categories
I wanted to categorize my posts from the day I started blogging. However, blogger's workaround way of categorizing seemed a bit too much of a hassle for me. Now that I have switched to
blogger beta, I try to make good use of the labels.

#7. Recent Comments
Blogger beta has a widget, to add recent comments. However, it can't be done directly with the classic template. No, I don't want to switch to their customized template. So, I had to restrict to showing just the user and the date. If any of you know how to add recent comments (more descriptive than I have here) to blogger beta, please let me know.

#8. Blogroll
This is nothing new to me. I have had the blogroll since the day I started the blog.

#9. Archives
Blogger gives the archives as default. No worries here.

#10. Site Search
I thought the search should have been given more prominence. Why is it the 10th?

If I were to write my list of 10 Must-Have Things That Should be on Your Blog's Side Bar I would have also included Email subscription. I have a moderate amount of users that have subscribed to Enhance life. (Then again, it won't be 10 things! )

All of the above mentioned side bar content, mainly depends on the blog. Or rather the blog type. For example, if I were to keep a personal blog, all 10 of these may not be "Must have" side bar features.
Hopefully this post helped shed a little light on how you can customize your sidebar, to improve your blog's usability and gain you more readers.

Post hoc, propter hoc - a common fallacy of vivisection apologists

The reason why so many claims made by defenders of vivisection are unfounded or plainly false is, I think, the following.
They make the mistake of thinking that "post hoc, propter hoc" (after that, therefore because of that).

For example, they may say that a certain cure or drug has been found "because" of animal experimentation, when in fact it could be that it was simply found "after" (unfortunately) time and money was devoted to animal experimentation.
The example of effective rehydration for diarrhea (mentioned some time ago in a letter to Peter Singer in The New York Book Review) seems a good one.

Bruce Max Feldmann says in answer to the letter to Singer:
"Rothman claims that oral fluid rehydration of Third World diarrheas is a treatment ‘based on many years of animal experimentation.’ To the contrary, in the three seminal papers on oral fluid rehydration for severe human diarrhea there is not a single reference to oral fluid rehydration experiments in laboratory animals with diarrhea. What really happened was that some more-creative-than-average health professionals said to themselves: ’Hey, wait a minute. Third World people are dying right and left from diarrheas. And intravenous fluids and fluid administration equipment necessary to save their lives are not affordable. So why not at least try oral fluids, even though we've been taught that they aren't much use in severe diarrhea. Maybe they'll help.’

"Well, oral fluids did help—a lot; tens of thousands of lives have been saved as a result. So Rothman's example to argue the importance of animal research illustrates precisely the opposite point — Singer's point: more of the world's limited medical resources should be allocated to immediate human life-saving efforts and to non-sentient animal research; less resources should be expended on animal research of questionable ethics and dubious value."

Here's a good example of how probably someone had jumped to the conclusion that a treatment had been found due to animal experimentation, because maybe there had been considerable resources devoted to animal experiments, but the actual solution was found in another way.
So a link which did not exist was established.

I suspect many cases will be of the same kind.
Post hoc, propter hoc is a very common fallacy.
We tend to assume that, if a fact follows another fact, the second was caused by the first.
See, for example, the idea that psychotherapy "cures" only because people after some time feel better: they probably would anyway (spontaneous remission).

The way vivisection apologists talk about animal experiments sometimes is a bit like this.
Suppose that someone, a traveller, has taken a long and tortuous route to get somewhere, not knowing that there was in fact a simpler, direct, shorter one.
He may then say that it was only thanks to that long route that he got to his destination.
Well, it's true. But the fact that he actually got to his destination through that route says nothing about alternative routes he might have taken which could have been more effective.

In the case of animal experimentation, furthermore, in many cases the link between the route taken and the results achieved is not so obvious but is on the contrary highly speculative.
When alternative methods are looked for, they are often found: I said “often”, but I would say “always”.

A well known example. Years ago the campaigner Henry Spira tackled Revlon over their use of rabbits to test cosmetics for potential eye damage, and exerted enough pressure to persuade the company to put $750,000 into the search for alternatives. Having seen the public relations disaster that Revlon had narrowly averted, Avon, Bristol-Myers and other major American cosmetics corporations soon followed suit. Though it took ten years for the research to yield the desired results, they did find what they were looking for: alternative methods. And so many cosmetics corporations can now truthfully state that their products are not tested on animals.

Health Watch: Posture Matters!

I sit in front of a computer nearly 16 hours a day…. some days. So I couldn't ignore the slight neck pain that occurs from time to time. I was wondering whether the birth of the pain had anything to do with my new office chair.

This led me to read a bit on sitting posture and I ended up finding some helpful and informative articles on posture. I hope you find them useful as well.

"What if someone told you there was a way to add height to your frame, trim some flab from around your middle, and look more vibrant -- instantly, and without spending a cent? You'd sign up, right away, of course."
Tempting introduction huh? That was an excerpt from Your guide to better posture at WebMD

Posture at work by Spine-Health features an article on the correct Posture for standing, sitting in office chairs or driving.

If you were just focusing on sitting in front of a computer, then How To Keep Good Posture When In Front Of A Computer is a definite read.

Change - The Only Constant In Life

My regular readers will notice a major layout revamp. Apart from changing my original blog template, I also moved to blogger beta. All in the process of enhancing my blog!
What do you think of the new layout and structure?

I have been making a few changes in my life lately. (The visible change for you, would be my blog!) So, I thought it would be appropriate to pen a few thoughts on Change.

It is a common belief that people hate change. However, on a regular basis people do change. They change cloths, technology, hairstyles, jobs ..... and even spouses! Change, has become a part of our lives, we cant live without.

What makes change, so difficult?
#1. Fear factor
Moving from known, to unknown. Leaving the comfort sort. I am sure there are enough examples from your life, which could be added here.

#2. Accepting change originating from someone else.
When someone else suggests an idea (a change!), we sometimes tend to resist it.
We despise the suggestion even if we feel its the logical thing to do.

Change may not be a necessity always. Depending on circumstances, we have the option of staying where we are or say come what may. Sometimes, we tend to look at change from all negative angles, whilst ignoring the positive effects the change would bring.

From life experiences, I know that in order to change, the magic action is re-adjust. Re-adjust our viewpoint, re-adjust our mindset. Ernest Holmes couldnt have said it better.

Think Tank:"Change your thinking . . . change your life" ~ Ernest Holmes

We Have Today

A friend of mine forwarded this poem to me. Generally, I read and then delete. This one though, I thought of sharing with you. It is a bit long, but please take the time to read the full length!.
(Sorry, I don't know who the author is.)

Sometimes I think when I'm alone how life can change so fast,
We realize so many times that nothing ever lasts.
When we are young it seems as if the world will never change,
The world just keeps on spinning and our lives don't rearrange.

When I was just a teenager my whole life was ahead,
Having fun and living life with nothing yet to dread.
Yes, I had some problems but I never dwelt on sorrow,
I knew then that everything would work out by tomorrow.

Then I reached my twenties and I felt that I was grown,
I could handle anything in my direction thrown.
I had my life ahead of me and nothing in my way,
I was so enjoying life in work and also play.

Then I reached my thirties and my outlook changed again
Now the world was not so carefree as it once had been.
New responsibilities became a part of life,
Caring for a family now my children and my wife.

Then a new horizon loomed as I reached middle age,
I then paid more attention to the headlines on the page.
I was so much more aware of worldly news events,
Middle age awakened me to such a broader sense.

The carefree life I knew was gone of being worry free,
Suddenly it seems that all events affected me.
Worry of a world gone mad and worries of myself,
Worries of a stable life and worries of my health.

Worries of the future and just what it all will be,
Worries of the ones I love that mean so much to me.
Worry will not help a thing it only hinders health,
But it seems as I get older I can't help myself.

So as I sit and watch the world that has raced by so fast,
I crave to have that carefree youth that I had in my past.
As the years pile up on me they stop me in my tracks,
Making me just realize what this old world still lacks.

It lacks the love of life we had when we were young and free,
It lacks the human kindness that we once knew it to be.
So in this world of chaos as we struggle to maintain,
With so many worries it could drive us all insane.

Stop to smell the flowers and don't dwell on negative,
Take each day as it comes by and don't forget to live.
For if we live in fear and worry thinking of the sorrow,
We will miss the day we have by thinking of tomorrow.

Book Review : Live in the moment

Live in the moment By Julie Clark Robinson

What I like about the book:
* Julie speaks from the heart. She gives advice by highlighting examples of her life.
* The book was short and sweet.

What I dislike about the book:
* The advice given is more suited for women.
* The book didn’t have any psychology theory foundation.

My favorite excerpt:
During one particularly unhealthy romantic relationship years and years ago, I felt like a dog waiting for a pat on the head. I could actually feel myself revving up with excitement as my “master” came through the door. I would then put myself through the human version of running circles around his legs and shaking my tail so hard that my hips had no choice but to follow.
While much of that time is pretty much a blur to me now, I do remember a persistent and disturbing image that formed in my mind at the time: of myself as a dog that lies with his jaws flat on the floor, eyes following the object of his love in hopes of any sign of affection. I never want to feel that way again.

The good thing which came out of this experience was that one day I work up and realized that the only person I could count to make me feel good was me. I can’t tell you how liberating that revelation was to me-to this very day. I feel sort of like a Swiss army knife-everything I need is tucked away, ready to putt out when needed. Of course I need my family and friends to complete my happiness, but I will never ache from emptiness again, because I have learned how to comfort myself.

Are we blogging for attention ?

Yesterday, a colleague of mine implied that people blog for attention.
The line of reasoning was some make up stories to grab attention; some neglect their families to blog; some dont have anything better to do, so they blog etc

Excuse me, If I may interject my opinion here.....

All of those reasons could be affiliated to online-chatting, e-mail and many other things as well right? In every aspect of our world, we come across the genuine and the deceitful. Blogging world isn't any different.

In a previous post 7 reasons-Why I started blogging , one reason I stated was- "The simple fact that I am reaching a global audience". True, I feel good, when I look at the site meter summary, and realize that the average number of page visits have increased. I feel good, when people write comments and contribute to the post. ....

Does that stereotype me as Blogging for attention?. My answer is partially yes, and partially no. If you are a blogger, I would like to hear your point of view. Do you agree with me?

As for me and my blog being genuine... I write, you decide!

10 Types of Bosses You Need to Avoid

The american inventor spot has a creative article along with some funny pictures on 10 Types of Bosses You Need to Avoid!

#1. Avoid the Boss That Will Eat You Alive
#2. Avoid the Boss That Constantly Flirts!
#3. Avoid the Boss That's Always on the Go
#4. Avoid the Boss That's All Talk
#5. Avoid the Boss That Is Always Competing With You
#6. Avoid the Boss That Constantly Blows His Own Horn
#7. Avoid the Boss That Struggles to Stay Afloat
#8. Avoid the Boss That Constantly Clowns Around
#9. Avoid the Boss That Wants to Piss All Over You
#10. Avoid the Boss That Has No Personal Life.

In the real world though, one can't quite avoid the boss without having any repercusions. Can you ?

6 Ways to make you feel good (when the going gets tough)

Our journey to the lost destination is never a smooth ride to say the least. It could be a bad day at work, an argument with a friend, relationship problems ... the list goes on.
Life smacks us hard when we least expect it. How well equipped are we to handle such incidents?

While we have friends and family to get us through these periods, it requires a fair amount of effort on our part as well. So what can you do ?

#1. Pamper yourself
Have you ever noticed that pampering your self goes a long way towards making you feel good? For some people, its going shopping, working on the car, playing the guitar, taking a long bubble bath, exercising, eating ice cream .....
What makes you feel comforted?

#2. Remember good times
When we go through a rough patch, it is the bad memories that keep hunting us. Take a stroll down memory lane (use a photo album if you have to!) and remember the good old days when life was less weary.

#3. There is no point in asking yourself 'Why'
Have you been running round in circles in your mind, wondering why. Why Me, why , oh why. True, it's hard not to.

I think only God has the answers to all why questions. In the meantime, you can ask a different question. 'What did I learn?'

#4. Help someone
Happiness is a by product of an effort to make someone else happy.

Helping someone will make you feel needed. I'm sure whoever it is, will be appreciative of your effort. It will also help, to keep you occupied.

#5. Remember the less fortunate
A few months ago, I used to visit a neurology ward twice a day, everyday for nearly three weeks. Walking through the beds on either side made me feel very lucky. Mainly because, I was the visitor not the patient! Most of the patients warded, couldn't walk and/or talk. Additionally, some even had eyesight problems.

Anyway, that was a couple of months back when my father underwent brain surgery. I still think about some patients, which I came to know within that time. I wonder what their fate at the moment is.

Every time I feel down, I do my best to recall my time at the ward. It reminds me, there are others, who are in a lot worse position, than I am.

#6 Tough times don't last, but tough people do
'Time heals all wounds' is a popular advice. Have you ever felt like slapping anyone
who gave this advice? I am sure they all mean well. Somehow, when we have sunk real deep, its difficult to come to terms, that one day it will be alright. Even though at the time you dont admit it or even consider the possibility, from life experiences I can say that it is true. I bet if you were to recap your past, you can too! One day at a time, takes us to happy land, eventually.

Do you have anything more to add ? Feel free to leave comments.

14 YEAR-OLD VOICES UNITED NATION’S HUMAN RIGHTS DECLARATION AT THE COOLIDGE CORNER THEATRE

You could hear the proverbial pin drop while 14-year old Chris Luis performed a song based upon the United Nation’s Declaration of Human Rights last Tuesday at the unveiling the UN human rights being put to video form in a film-screening at the historic Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline.

“The song was based upon the United Nation’s Human Right article 18 which is Freedom of Thought,” said Luis, a Brockton High School singer and performer. “I believe that my newfound knowledge of these human rights will allow me and other youth to make a more positive difference in the world.”

The event was a film screening, hosted by Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) New England chapter, whose mission is to encourage young people to learn and champion human rights. Youth for Human Rights International was founded by former school principal and educator Mary Shuttleworth and is now sponsored by the Church of Scientology. In attendance were musicians, artists and dignitaries from nations such as Ethiopia and Venezuela.

“Chris’ performance of the song “I have the Right” was spectacular,” said Kelly Riley, local coordinator for YHRI, “as the words surrounding Freedom of Thought were vital considering the persecution of people throughout the world due to their thoughts and beliefs.”

Chris who attends Brockton High School, is a talented young singer and performer. He is currently working, on scholarship, with vocal coach Jennifer Truesdale at Jeannie Deva Voice Studios in Boston. “I never cease to be amazed and awed by this young man,” said Jennifer. “It isn’t just his talent, which is undeniable – it’s his dedication and work ethic that I find most inspiring.” Truesdale, who also represents Chris through her management company, feels strongly that he will have a successful career. Added Jennifer, “I see such confidence in Chris, confidence that I know will take him as far as he wants to go.”


For more information on Youth for Human Rights, please visit www.youthforhumanrights.org. For more information about Chris Luis, please contact Jennifer Truesdale at Jeannie Deva Voice Studios (www.DevaStudiosBoston.com), jennifer@DevaStudiosBoston.com or 617-536-4553.

Songs to ponder

There are so many songs out there. Some you can sing in the shower, some you can dance to and a few with rhyme and rhythm. Have you ever heard a song and wondered whether they took the lyrics out of your life? Have you ever heard a song that changed the way you think? If not, here are a few.

#1. Happiness Is An Option (Pet Shop Boys)
It is not easy
But dont give up now
(so dont give up)
It is not easy
Happiness is an option

Its a strong statement and one I whole-heartedly subscribe to.

Happiness is an option, Lets see.
My day began with rain. I can be happy that the grass is getting watered for free or I can grumble because irrespective of the umbrella I was drenched.
That was a straightforward and trivial example in my script of life. If only all life matters were that simple!

#2 Do You Have A Little Time (Dido)

Do you have a little time
If you're feeling low and lost today
You're probably doing too much again
You spend all your hours just rushing around
Do you have a little time
Do you have a little time for me?

We all live in a mad rush. Have you considered asking God for an extension to 24 hours?
Daily demands make it difficult (if not impossible!) to make time for others. But sometimes, thats the best gift possible.

#3 Stupid Mistake (Gareth Gates)

It can happen to...
Anyone of us, anyone you think of
Anyone can fall
Anyone can hurt someone they love
Hearts will break
'Cause I made a stupid mistake

heart break, loneliness, anger, hate -oh the stupid mistake
Temptation the only thing you cant resist huh ?

#4 If I Let You Go (Westlife)

But if I let you go
I will never know
what my life would be
holding you close to me
will I ever see
you smiling back at me
oh yeah
how will I know
If I let you go

Should you try a bit more? Is it the right time to let go? Oh the questions of the heart.

#5 Too Much Love Will Kill You (Queen)

Too much love will kill you
Just as sure as none at all
It'll drain the power that's in you
Make you plead and scream and crawl
And the pain will make you crazy
You're the victim of your crime
Too much love will kill you
Every time

Hm..........

#6 Until I Find You Again (Richard Marx)

How many dreams will end?
How long can I pretend?
How many times will love pass me by,
Until I find you again?

Don't listen to this song if you want to uplift your spirits!

#7 I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)

I will survive
As long as I know how to love
I know I will stay alive
I've got all my life to live
I've got all my love to give
And I'll survive

Life provides enough built in roadblocks. Yet the journey continues. I will survive! So will you!

Do you have a collection of songs like this?