hames

Monday, December 26, 2005

Leonardo Da Vinci and The Mona Lisa Story

In addition to being one of the most intelligent and inventive persons to have existed, Leonardo is said to have been a strikingly handsome man with great strength and a fine singing voice. The historian Vasari described him as a young man 'whose personal beauty could not be exaggerated, whose every movement was grace itself and whose abilities were so extraordinary that he could readily solve every difficulty.....with his right hand he could bend the clapper of a knocker or a horse-shoe as if it had been of lead...a spirit and courage invariably royal and magnanimous....could sing and improvise divinely...charming conversation won all hearts..' Unlike his fellow 15th-century Italians, he was a vegetarian and followed strict dietary rules. He loved animals so much that he would buy caged animals at the market just to set them free. He was also fond of fine clothes and practical jokes.










Above:- Self portrait in the corner of an unfinished work and a bronze of David by his teacher Verrocchio, the model is said to have been Leonardo, as is the Botticini Saint Michael.. Other theories say that the Mona Lisa is actually the face of Leonardo and also that he painted the Shroud of Turin using his own face as that of Christ. Compare the youthful portraits of Leonardo above and also the self portrait in old age below.











Leonardo da Vinci was born on 15 April, 1452 in a farmhouse in Anchiano, in the Tuscan hills near Vinci outside Florence and was christened ‘Lionardo’.. The family had lived in this area since the 13th century. His father Ser Piero, was a 25 years old public notary. His mother Catarina was either a peasant or a barmaid, but that year Ser Piero married another woman, the first of four wives, and moved to Vinci.









The four wives of Leonardo's father

Albiera di Giovanni Amadai was born in 1436 and died between 1460 and 1465. At the age of sixteen she married Ser Piero. This happened in the same year as Leonardo was born. Ser Piero and Albiera didn't have any children. Francesca di Ser Giovanni Lanfredini was the second very young wife of Ser Piero. Unfortunately she died early. Margherita daughter of Francesco di Gacopo di Guglielmo was the third very young wife of Ser Piero. She was born in 1458. They had two sons. Antonio in 1476 was the first legitimate son of Ser Piero. The second son was Giulian born in 1479. Margherita died soon after 1480. Lucrezia di Guglielmo Cortigiani was the fourth wife of Ser Piero. This marriage was blessed with a large offspring. Ser Piero and Lucrezia had seven sons and two daughters. The last was born when Ser Piero was 75 the fourth wife of Ser Piero. This marriage was blessed with seven sons and two daughters. The last was born when Ser Piero was 75

Leonardo spent his first years with Catarina in Anchiano. Catarina married some years after the birth of Leonardo a man from Vinci called Acattabriga di Piero di Luca. In all he had 17 half brothers and sisters. When he was five, Leonardo moved to his grandfather in Vinci and was at last a member of his fathers family, but he was never legitimate or close to his father. The inquisitive Leonardo learned to write, to read and to calculate. Also he was taught geometry and Latin, although he never mastered it and wrote in Italian throughout his life. Leonardo lived in Vinci until 1466.



At the age of 14 Leonardo moved to Florence where he began an apprenticeship in the workshop of Andrea del Verrocchio who was at this time the most gifted artist in Florence. He was a sculptor, painter, goldsmith, bronze caster and more. Leonardo worked with other famous artists like Botticelli, Perugino and Lorenzo di Credi. There are no works of Leonardo known between 1466 and 1472, but at this time Leonardo taught himself to paint in oils, which had been developed by Dutch artists. In June 1472 Leonardo was listed in the red book of painters from Florence and with membership in the painters guild of Florence he ended his apprenticeship. Leonardo didn't leave the workshop at the end of his apprenticeship. The first known and dated work of Leonardo da Vinci is a pen-and-ink drawing of the Arno valley. Leonardo drew it on 5. August 1473. It shows the ingenious mind of Leonardo, because he drew the landscape in a way that it could be real. Nobody else before did it in this way. There is evidence that he had his own workshop between 1476 and 1478 and that he was already involved in mechanical studies.







On 8. April 1476 an anonymous person accused Leonardo of having a homosexual affair with 17 year old Jacopo Saltarelli, who was a model/ prostitute. He was held for two months but acquitted of the charge for lack of witnesses. That year he was twice denounced for acts of sodomy. His main companion for 30 years was one of his pupils Giacomo Caprotti (left) who was given the nickname Salai (little devil). Caprotti was 'a graceful and beautiful youth with fine curly hair, in which Leonardo greatly delighted' and was ten years old when he entered da Vinci's household. He was a thief and had no talent but he remained with Leonardo from then on and received a vineyard near Milan in the old man's will. Leonardo also later took an interest in a young aristocrat and painter, Francesco Melzi, whom he adopted and to whom he left the bulk of his estate. It is generally assumed that he had sexual relations with both these devotees.









1482 Leonardo travelled to Milan ostensibly to play the lute at court but he had seen Lodovico Sforza as a better patron then the Medici's of Florence. He was full of ideas but much of his early time in Milan was spent in frivolous entertainment at court. He studied anatomy, dreamed up machines and designed towns. Sforza was captured by the French in 1499. In the last of his 18 years in Milan he produced the great works we know today. King Francis I. invited Leonardo da Vinci to spend the last span of life in Amboise at the court of France. In autumn 1516 Leonardo arrived in Amboise. In his baggage was the famous painting Mona Lisa. Leonardo lived in Amboise in the small castle Cloux which is now called Le Clos Luce. This castle is situated between the town and the king’s castle. In France Leonardo didn't paint, but he made hydrological studies. At this time Leonardo da Vinci was 67 year old. His state of health was not the best, because Leonardo had a paralysis on the right side of his body since 1517 and historian Vasari told about an illness some weeks before Leonardo died. On 23 April 1519 Leonardo wrote his last will and died on 2 May 1519 in Amboise. Originally Leonardo was buried in the heart of the king's castle in the cloister of San Fiorentino. After destruction of the church and parts of the castle the mortal remains of Leonardo da Vinci were transferred to the Chapel of St. Hubert inside the castle area in Amboise and this is the last resting place of Leonardo da Vinci.











In his time left-handedness was considered the devil's work and people were often forced to use their right hand. Leonardo was left handed and it has been suggested that this "difference" was an element of his genius, since his detachment allowed him to see beyond the ordinary. He even wrote backwards, and his writings are deciphered only with a mirror.

The Mona Lisa Story

The portrait full of mystery and secrets was painted on a 77 x 53 cm piece of poplar-wood and is the most famous work of Leonardo da Vinci. Originally the painting was larger than today, because two columns, on the left and right side have been cut, hence it is not easy to recognize that Mona Lisa is sitting on a terrace. Many details are not visible today, because parts have been damaged and painted over. It is supposed, that Francesco di Bartolommeo di Zanobi del Giocondo, one of the noblest citizen of Florence, ordered from Leonardo a portrait of his third wife Lisa di Antonio Maria di Noldo Gherardini. Leonardo started to work at this painting in 1503. At this time Mona Lisa was twenty-four year old. He worked at the portrait for the next four years. When Leonardo left Florence in 1507 he did not sell the painting but he kept it for himself. Several believe, that Leonardo did not hand over the painting, because he did not finish the work, other believe that Leonardo loved the painting to much. As mentioned above some claim it to be actually the face of Leonardo himself. He arrived with the painting in his baggage in France in the year 1516. Leonardo sold the painting to King Francis I., who bought it for the castle in Amboise. It moved to Fontainebleau, Paris, Versailles and then to the collection of Ludwig XIV. After the revolution in France the painting got a new home in the Louvre. Napoleon took it away from there and hung it in his bedroom. When Napoleon was banished Mona Lisa returned to the Louvre.

On 21 August 1911 Mona Lisa was stolen and brought to Italy, where it emerged two years later in Florence. After some exhibitions Mona Lisa returned again to Paris. Thrown acid damaged the lower half of the painting in 1956 and the restoration took several years. In the 60´s and 70´s Mona Lisa was taken to New York, Tokyo and Moscow. Today the painting is behind bullet-proof glass in the Louvre and has been moved to its own wall under special lights for better viewing.

Courtesy : tripod.com

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Strength of a man


The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders.
It's seen in the width of his arms that circle you.

The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice.
It's in the gentle words he whispers.

The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has.
It's how good a buddy he is with his kids.

The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work.
It's in how respected he is at home.

The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits.
It's in how tender he touches.

The strength of a man isn't in the hair on his chest.
It's in his Heart... that lies within his chest.

The strength of a man isn't how many women he's loved.
It's in how he can be true to one woman.

The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift.
It's in the burdens he can carry.

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

A Nice Article about Love by Swami Vivekananda

I once had a friend who grew to be very close to me.

Once when we were sitting at the edge of a swimming pool,

she filled the palm of her hand with some water and held it before me, and said this:

"You see this water carefully contained on my hand? It symbolizes Love."

This was how I saw it:

As long as you keep your hand caringly open and allow it to remain there,
it will always be there.

However, if you attempt to close your fingers round it and try to posses it,
it will spill through the first cracks it finds.

This is the greatest mistake that people do when they meet love...

they try to posses it, they demand, they expect...

and just like the water spilling out of your hand, love will retrieve from you .

For love is meant to be free, you cannot change its nature.

If there are people you love, allow them to be free beings.

Give and don't expect.

Advise, but don't order.

Ask, but never demand.

It might sound simple, but it is a lesson that may take a lifetime to truly practice.

It is the secret to true love.

To truly practice it, you must sincerely feel no expectations from those who you love,
and yet an unconditional caring."

Passing thought... Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take;
but by the moments that take our breath away.....

Life is beautiful!!! Live it !!!

Poetic Resignation

The name is good, the brand is big
But the work I do is that of a pig
The work or the brand; what is my way?
I don't know if I should stay.

To work, they have set their own way
Nobody will care to hear what I say
My will be NULL, they wont change their way
I don't know if I should stay.

The project is in a critical stage
But to do good work, this is the age
This dilemma is killing me day by day
I don't know if I should stay.

The money is good, the place is great
But the development is at a very small rate
Should I go for the work, or wait for pay
I don't know if I should stay!

The managers don't know what they talk
The team doesn't know where they walk
That's a bad situation, what say?
I don't know if I should stay.

I can go to any other place
But what if I get the same disgrace
I can't keep switching day by day
I don't know if I should stay.

The -ves are more, the +ves are less
Then why have this unnecessary mess
No more will I walk their way,
It's all done, I won't stay.

Thanks & Regards
Employee



Manager Response

Reply: What I want to say? (Manager)


The decision is good or decision is bad
Only God knows still I am glad
Keep moving in life that is what I can say

If you feel right go in the same way
May god give you the work, the challenge you want
Anyway there is always a second chance
Chances are there, grab them snatch them
That is what I can say

Keep on jumping companies to get more and more and more....
That will keep you always a fore (Even to me)
From my experience I can tell you
Being in software development is like taking hell out of you
You are frustrated since you have no quality work
And you were frustrated because you had quantity work

It's always like that previous job was better than the current one
And expects the new job will be much better than this one
But what you get is a frustration level up to sun
Than you will again send the resignation like this one
This is all what I want to say

Have you completed all the formalities?
Filled the form and got it signed from department humanities (HR)
Once done you can take all your cash
But don't refer others as they will follow you're a*s.
At last I appreciate your contribution to the company
Even though there was not any....

You will keep a copy of this with you for FYI
Don't feel shy
As I also got it some time back from my old manger say Hi....
That is all what I want to say.


Thanks and Regards,
Manager

Just What they Say

When a BOY is quiet
He has nothing to say…

When a BOY is not arguing
He is not in the mood of arguing…

When a BOY looks at U with eyes full of questions,
He is really confused…

When a BOY answers “I’m fine” after a few seconds,
He is actually fine…

When a BOY stares at you,
He is either amazed or angry…

When a BOY lays in your lap,
He is wishing for you to be his forever…

When a BOY calls you everyday,
He is spending a lot of talk time to get your attention…

When a BOY sms’s U everyday,
He is forwarding them…

When a BOY says I love you,
It’s not the first time…

When a BOY says that he can’t live without you,
He has made up his mind that you are his for at least a week




When a GIRL is quiet
Millions of things are running in her mind…

When a GIRL is not arguing
She is thinking deeply…

When a GIRL looks at U with eyes full of questions,
She is wondering how long you will be around…

When a GIRL answers “I’m fine” after a few seconds,
She is not at all fine…

When a GIRL stares at you,
She is wondering why you are lying…

When a GIRL lays on your chest,
She is wishing for you to be her forever…

When a GIRL calls you everyday,
She is seeking your attention…

When a GIRL sms’s U everyday,
She wants you to reply at least once…

When a GIRL says I love you,
She means it…

When a GIRL says that he can’t live without you,
She has made up her mind that you are her future.

When a GIRL says “I miss you”,
No one in this world can miss you more than her…..

Interesting Love Letter

My dear FAIR and LOVELY (ek chand ka tukda), after WIPRO(Applying Thought) so much,

I dare to say that You are my TVS SCOOTY (First love) and my AIWA (Pure passion).

I always BPL (Believe in the best) and you are SANSUI (Better than the best).

You are DOMINO'S PIZZA (Delivering a million smiles) for me.

This is a COLGATE ENERGY GEL (Seriously fresh ) feeling for me.

I want you to be my life partner but I think you are worried about your father who is

KAWASAKI BAJAJ CALIBER (The Unshakable) and my father who is CEAT (Born Tough)

but don't worry as I am also FORD ICON (The Josh Machine) and rest of our family members

are KELVINATORS (The Coolest ones).

If they say no, we will run away and marry and PHILIPS (Let's Make Things Better).

They will feel MIRINDA (Zor ka jhatka dhire se lage) but I believe in COCA COLA (Jo chahe ho jaye).

For our marriage SAMSUNG DIGITALL (Everyone's Invited) and after marriage we'll be

WHIRLPOOL (U and ME - The World's best homemakers) Trust in God who's always NOKIA

(Connecting people) who love each other.

And we are WILLS (Made for each other) .

Now that HYUNDAI (we are listening) the song of love,

you must know that love is DAIRY MILK (Real taste of life) ,

SATYAM ONLINE (Fun, Fast, Easy ) and PARX (Always Comfortable).

So never forget me. Ok bye! I wrote little but PEPSI (Yeh dil mange more).

A Story on Wealth, Success and Love

A woman came out of her house and saw 3 old men with long white beards sitting in her front yard. She did not recognize them.

She said "I don't think I know you, but you must be hungry. Please come in and have something to eat."

"Is the man of the house home?", they asked.

"No", she replied. "He's out."

"Then we cannot come in", they replied.

In the evening when her husband came home, she told him what had happened.

"Go tell them I am home and invite them in!"

The woman went out and invited the men in"

"We do not go into a House together," they replied.

"Why is that?" she asked.

One of the old men explained: "His name is Wealth," he said pointing to one of his friends, and said pointing to another one, "He is Success, and I am Love."

Then he added, "Now go in and discuss with your husband which one of us you want in your home."

The woman went in and told her husband what was said. Her husband was overjoyed.

"How n ice!!", he said. "Since that is the case, let us invite Wealth. Let him come and fill our home with wealth!"

His wife disagreed. "My dear, why don't we invite Success?"

Their daughter-in-law was listening from the other corner of the house.

She jumped in with her own suggestion: "Would it not be better to invite Love? Our home will then be filled with love!"

"Let us heed our daughter-in-law's advice," said the husband to his wife.

"Go out and invite Love to be our guest."

The woman went out and asked the 3 old men, "Which one of you is Love? Please come in and be our guest."

Love got up and started walking toward the house. The other 2 also got up and followed him. Surprised, the lady asked Wealth and Success: "I only invited Love, Why are you coming in?"

The old men replied together: "If you had invited Wealth or Success, the other two of us would've stayed out, but since you invited Love, wherever He goes, we go with him. Wherever there is Love, there is also Wealth and Success!!!!!!"

MY WISH FOR YOU...

-Where there is pain, I wish you peace and mercy.

-Where there is self-doubting, I wish you a renewed confidence in your ability to work through it.

-Where there is tiredness, or exhaustion, I wish you understanding, patience, and renewed strength.

-Where there is fear, I wish you love, and courage.

You have two choices right now:

1. Ignore this post.

2. Invite love by sharing this story with all the people you care about.

I hope you will choose #2. As I did.

Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Attaining Happiness in 18 steps

1. Pursue Achievable Goals



2. Keep Genuine Smiles



3. Share with Others



4. Help Thy Neighbors



5. Maintain A Youthful Spirit



6. Get Along with the Rich, the Poor, the Beautiful, &the Ugly



7. Keep Cool Under Pressure



8. Lighten the Atmosphere with Humor



9. Forgive the Annoyance of Others



10. Have a Few Pals



11. Cooperate and Reap Greater Rewards



12. Treasure Every Moment with Your Love Ones



13. Have High Confidence in Yourself



14. Respect the Disadvantaged



15. Indulge Yourself Occasionally



16. Surf the Net at Leisure



17. Take Calculated Risks



18. Understand "Money Isn't Everything

True definition of Globalization?



A very good way to define it.. Read on..

Princess Diana's death.

Question: How come?

Answer: An English princess

with an Egyptian boyfriend

crashes in a French tunnel,

driving a German car

with a Dutch engine,

driven by a Belgian who was drunk

on Scottish whisky,

followed closely by Italian Paparazzi,

on Japanese motorcycles;

treated by an American doctor,

using Brazilian medicines.

This was posted in this blogspot by Indian,

using Bill Gates's technology,

and you're probably reading this on your computer,

that use Taiwanese chips,

and a Korean monitor,

assembled by Bangladeshi workers

in a Singapore plant,

transported by Pakistan lorry-drivers,

hijacked by Indonesians,

unloaded by Sicilian longshoremen,

and trucked to you by Mexicans .....

Monday, December 05, 2005

VERY INTERESTING FACTS...

Enjoy these wonderful and amazing hard to believe facts.

1. Coca-Cola was originally green.
2. The most common name in the world is Mohammed.
3. The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with.
4. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
5. There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.
6. TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard.
7. Women blink nearly twice as much as men!!
8. You can't kill yourself by holding your breath.
9. It is impossible to lick your elbow.
10. People say "Bless you" when you sneeze because when you sneeze,your heart stops for a millisecond.
11. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.
12. The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.
13. If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib.
14. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.
15. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents great king from history :- Spades - King David,Clubs - Alexander the Great, Hearts - Charlemagne ,Diamonds - Julius Caesar.
16. 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
17. If a statue of a person in the park on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle.
18. If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a result of wounds received in battle.
19. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
20. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes,windshield wipers and laser printers all have in common? (Ans. - All invented by women.)
21. Question - This is the only food that doesn't spoil. What is it? Ans. - Honey
22. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
23. A snail can sleep for three years
.24. All polar bears are left handed.
25. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.
26. Butterflies taste with their feet.
27. Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.
28. In the last 4000 years, no new animals have been domesticated.
29. On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.
30. Shakespeare invented the word 'assassination' and 'bump'.
31. Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.
32. The ant always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.
33. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
34. The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet.
35. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over million descendants.
36. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.
37. The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
38. Most lipstick contains fish scales.
39. Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different
40. Coca-Cola can be used as car oil.
41. Mexico City sinks abut 10 inches a year.
42. Brains are more active sleeping than watching TV.
43. Blue is the favorite color of 80 percent of Americans.
44. When a person shakes their head from side to side, he is saying "yes" in Sri Lanka.
45. There are mo re chickens than people in the world.
46. It's against the law in Iceland to have a dog.
47. The thumbnail grows the slowest, and the middle nail grows the fastest.
48. The only word in the English Language with all vowels in reverse order is "s ub c ont in ent al".
49. There are more telephones than people in Washington, D.C.50. 99% of the people who read this try to lick their elbow.
50. 99% of the people who read this try to lick their elbow.