1. That the only state in India having two official state languages is Goa with Konkani and Marathi.

2. That Goa is the smallest state of India having a national highway road span of only 120 km N to S and around 80 km’s E to W.
… 
3. That Goa ’s official language Konkani is the only Indian language that is written in two scripts, Devnagri and Roman English script.

4. That Goa is the only state where the state road transport is named after an old age dynasty called Kadamba.

5. That Goa is the second state after Orissa where the world famous Olive Ridley Turtles come to lay their eggs on Morjim beach.

6. That Goa is the state having the whole non-decomposing miraculous remains of St Francis Xavier at old Goa .

7. That Goa is the only Indian state with an active and enforced uniform Civil Code implemented by the Portuguese.

8. That if you are a Goan you can avail of Portuguese Nationality Passport.

9. That the first printing press of Asia was installed in Goa at St Paul ’s college in 1556.

10. That the first medical school of India was established in Goa set up in 1842 at Panaji, demolished in 2004.

11. That Goa is exporting 60% of India ’s Mineral Ore to Japan  and every politician gets share of the loot.

12. That Goa is the first state in India to permanently host the international film festival.

13. That Goa is the only place where one can hire a two wheeler taxi called “pilots”.

14. That Goa ’s only airport is military airport of the Navy.

15. That the one and only one Naval Aviation Museum of Asia is located at Vasco in Goa .

16. That India has only two temples dedicated to the Brahma of the Hindu Trinity. One is in Rajasthan and other in Goa . 17.7 km from Valpoi in the village of Carambolim Brahma temple.

17. That Mumbai owes its daily bread to Goa more precisely, to migrant bakers from Saligao and Siolim who brought with them the blessed Pao to Mumbai.

18. That Goa, even though the smallest state in India has the highest bank saving deposit.

19. That Asia’s only floating casino is launched in Goa ’s coastal waters at Panaji harbour known as “Caravela”.

20. The only state where 52.6% of land is owed by comunidades, 14.8% by religious institutions.
21. That Goa is the only state of India having the highest forest destiny cover of 33% of total land mass.

22. That the first English medium high school in Goa was established in 1896 at St. Joseph ’s high school, Arpora.

23. Goa is the only state which has been rated with high per capital income for the last 16 years.

PROUD TO BE GOAN!! …. ARE U ……. !!

Today, most Goan couples have switched to elaborate three-day wedding ceremonies. And though money isn’t necessarily splurged, the list of specifications is often very long. Wedding planners have to be prepared for anything from a beach wedding to pre-wedding sangeet ceremonies, previously unknown to Goans.

Wedding planner Lester Melo says, “A lot of Hindus ask to have weddings Punjabi-style. They want a mehendi, sangeet, night party and the wedding ceremony the next day. Couples even want the mehendi ceremony at a venue rather than at home. On the wedding day they want a big, elaborate buffet.”

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Goa/Of-white-mandaps-and-three-day-celebrations/articleshow/4179370.cms

I would like to specify that it goes without saying that planning your Wedding is the first enduring task a couple may have together which will then follow by making a great marriage. Which means you need to work on it and ensure that every aspect goes as per how you have always dreamed it would be.

Planning your wedding together will test all the love and compassion that you share for each other. There will be differences in opinion, raised tempers and everything good and bad that life could throw at you. So being prepared and organised is something that will help you make planning your Wedding Fun, which is what it should be.

Several of the responsibilities that I gave last time for the Bride are common to the Groom, and a lot needs to be done together and some independently.

The Groom’s Responsibilities
Choose a Best Man
Choose Ushers
Wedding Day and Time
Hire a Wedding Planner
Select Ceremony and reception locations
Photograph
Caterer
Select Music for your Ceremony / Reception (Band / DJ)
Draft up a guest list
Book attire and Grooms Men outfits
Shop for rings
Work on post marital living arrangements
Marriage Licence
Write a speech
Write a toast to the brides family
Pick gifts for the Bride and groomsmen
Manage the tickets for the Honeymoon

The list above is only a fraction what the Bride and Groom will have to ‘do’. There will be engagement parties, bridal shower and stag parties amongst other things.

My next Blog will be on a check list for the Best Man.

To stay posted with all my Blogs so that you do not miss anything, you may click the RSS Feed or subscribe button on the page.

Watch out for the roles of the Maid of Honour and I also have check lists for the Brides Mother and Grooms Mother, but will only post it if I get some comments from you that you would like to know more.

Until next time… Remember enjoy the experience of planning your Wedding !

Lester Melo

http://eventsandweddingsingoa.blogspot.com/2009/07/bridal-entourage-roll-part-ii-groom.html

Back in 2000 itself, Goa had become a hot wedding destination internationally. The sand, sea, swaying palms and the quaint churches and lifestyle are ideal lure for couples wanting to say ‘I do’. But the state hasn’t really capitalised on it. Wedding tourism currently constitutes less than 5 per cent of the revenue earned from tourism, says Lester Melo of Weddings and Dreams, one of the many ‘planners’ that have mushroomed.

While foreigners—many go with the Hindu ceremony—decide to get hitched here because they “fell in love with the place”, Goans living abroad have a more practical reason. Goa is the only state in the country with a uniform civil code (mandating compulsory registration) that entitles both partners to equal rights. “People feel this law is to their benefit,” says D’Souza, chairman of the adhoc committee on laws set up by the state assembly. But the domicile rule, which he is recommending be dropped, is a hitch. He says Goans abroad would most likely lose their jobs if they were to wait the mandatory one month.

Advocate Linus Emmanuel says in the fourth edition of Getting Married in Goa, The Complete Wedding Guide that now a couple has to declare their initial consent before the competent civil registrar by presenting birth certificates and the relevant residence certificate. The registrar then draws up a notice inviting objections within 10 days. The whole registration procedure takes about a month.

Former state registrar Prabhakar Sardessai says the situation now is to the advantage of “touts and middlemen who arrange doctored documents”. A famous case was actor Sanjay Dutt’s marriage to Manyata on February 7 last year, solemnised on the basis of a fake residential document. Following the media stinkers, the Dutts withdrew their marriage declaration three weeks later. An official in the Salcette registrar’s office was suspended for accepting invalid documents.

Sardessai argues that “there is no need to testify to domicile status because the marriage declaration is before the court”. Wedding planner Melo suggests that the state instead raise the documentation fee from the current Rs 100 to Rs 1,000 to augment government coffers. “Nobody is saying lay out the red carpet, just make the red tape less so that Goa does not lose out to other sought after destinations like Seychelles, Greece or Sri Lanka.”

“Now, more than ever, there is a need to relax rules because the recession has led to a drop in corporate clients coming to Goa to hold conferences,” says Melo. Happily, Indians based in the metros are coming by the planeloads. Planners lay out the works—exotic flowers, mehndi, elephants, horses etc—and any theme (recently, the sets of Jodhaa Akbar were recreated for a wedding). A single marriage party can cost anywhere between Rs 25,000 to Rs 10 lakh, depending on the frills. Five-star hotels benefit too. For instance, The Lalit Goa Resort earns about 25 per cent of its revenues from weddings, says GM Shrikant Wakharkar. It’s a win-win situation, the father of the bride pares down guests from 1,500 to 500, it’s still cheaper despite the extravaganzas and the couple gets a wedding to remember and relatives a bonus holiday. D’Souza has the last word on the celebrations. “Goa’s image should be of a family destination rather than a drug or gambling hub,” he says. Amen to that

http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?250472

Although, the dream wedding concept seems to be a promising buzzword for the Goan tourism industry, the existing Civil Law and the long list of formalities prevent it from being so.

N Suryanarayana, Director of Tourism says the theme of dream wedding has been put forth by several tour operators from across the country, which seems appropriate for Goa where the foreign and domestic tourist arrival is highest compared with other tourist destination in India.

The tourism department has received large number of requests from places like Britain to allow conducting civil registration in Goa.

At present, as per the law, any couple intending to get married in Goa has to be a resident of the state for a period no less than 30 days. As foreign tourists visiting Goa on a package tour for a period of three to fourteen days, it becomes impossible for them to have their dream wedding in Goa.

To overcome this hurdle the tourism department has proposed for an amendment in the existing marriage law particularly for the foreign tourists, said Suryanarayana.

The dream wedding theme seems to be a big business in countries like Sri Lanka where around 50-75 weddings take place during every tourist season – most couples coming from UK and other European destinations, said Lester Melo, Director of Melo Tours and Travels.

Suryanarayana says the concept of dream wedding will become the new Unique Selling Point for Goa.

According to Arjun Sharma, Managing Director of Select Hotels, the concept of dream wedding is a possible product expansion as many destinations across the globe like Sri Lanka, Singapore and Maldives, have carved niche in promoting such weddings.

The concept is simple and it comes from the fact that in the West, a growing number of young couples prefer to get married outside their countries and take along with them a small group of friends and relatives rather than having a big bash in their home country which might be expensive and less memorable.

Various tourist places have amended their laws to make such weddings legal and conducive but Goa still has the old marriage laws. The old law is a reflection of the Portuguese marriage laws called the Portuguese Civil Code. This prevents foreign as well as domestic tourists from registering a legal marriage in Goa.

These legal hang-ups seems to be killing the tourism business and an amendment in the existing marriage law is all the more necessary as tourists who come to get married at any destination normally belong to the up-market class and are heavy spenders than any other tourists, said Sharma.

Meanwhile, Goa seems to have opened its floodgates of honeymooning from across the globe, offering a true golden trinity of sun, sea and sand.

So check this out!

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/39084297.cms

Knock, knock, and we now have a new breed of entrepreneurs—the Wedding Planner. Of course there’ll be Goans making money only by hiring out motorbikes, or subletting their premises for huge sums. But the more enterprising will go a step further and cash in on their existing skills.
Yes, that’s Lester Melo (32), who’s been in the travel business for 11 years (Melo Tours) and when one of his friends asked him to plan his wedding, he thought why not. Now it looks like he may move from being a tour operator to being a wedding planner full time. Most wedding planners, he admits, are either women or gays. “I’m neither,” he says proudly. What’s more, he has a fiancee. Wonder who’ll plan his wedding, surely he can’t do that, or who knows?
Born in East Africa (his father helped set up Air Tanzania) and schooled in Muscat, Lester did his college in Goa (St. Xavier’s and Dempos). His commerce degree has surely helped but at barely 19 he helped run his father’s restaurant in Calangute. From then on it has been work, work and more work, but he kept breaking new ground. Like he was the first to take groups to the Dudhsagar waterfalls. With Melo Tours (started in 1994) as base, Lester has continued to experiment with ancillary businesses.
He was inspired no doubt by the film The Wedding Planner that featured Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Lopez. “My first wedding was on October 23, 2001, Elizabeth and Atilla,” he recalls near nostalgically. It was semi-Christian, registered in Mapuca and the reception was at Resorte de Lagoa Azul, says Lester showing pictures and the comments (he has a file of them). “Thank you for organising everything for us, we never knew you could do it`85 it went on (edited). May be Lester didn’t at the time. But by now he’s an expert with a staff of more than 20 (his suppliers run into over 200) and had only one free day this March.
“An Indian wedding is a three-day affair, sangeet, mehndi, pheras and reception and will cost Rs 6 to 10 lakh,” he adds knowledgeably, but he does everything. In fact, if the party is in Mumbai they have to come to Goa only twice. Once, to tell him what they want, and the next time, for the wedding. Being in the travel line he has good contacts with hotels and transport companies. A Goan wedding would cost Rs 2 to 4 lakh, and here he refers to upper-middle class Goans who will not cut corners.
On his laptop, Lester has photos of different weddings. His friend Vinay Anand, a Jet Airways pilot, married Jayasheel Rodrigues, an IT professional from Bangalore, on February 21 this year. It was an inter-religious wedding and he planned it two weeks in advance. The decor was in lilac and white, his favourite combination.
Are there others in the line, you ask him, and he nods. There’s one he knows in Margao and may be others but enquiries elsewhere gave an indication that he was the leading one. Ask for any location, on the beach, in an exclusive place in the five-star hotels and Lester is said to manage it.
“I got an elephant for an Indian wedding at the Marriotts,” he says. The couple were from the United Kingdom. He got a helicopter to drop leaflets for another. He speaks of an Aggarwal wedding, where he booked 230 rooms at the Park Hyatt. They also booked the Caravela (casino) for the night and a triple-decker cruise Paradise boat for non-gamblers. This year’s Valentine Day, he doubled the tariff as prices soar on that day, he points out.
Lester also supervises other wedding planners. So it’s all smooth sailing, it seems. What next, you ask him, and he comes up with this: “My life’s ambition is to be a wedding planner for Goan weddings. There surely is a need for one,” he says with a tinge of pride and poses the rider: “Why shouldn’t Goans do things in style?” May be he has a point.

http://blogs.myspace.com/augustoarmstrong

We read it all the time in the papers and sometimes dont even give it a second thought of somebody being robbed, where we might even think poor fool. Well i am one of those until last weekend.

I got duped for this “Your Money has fallen” racket, and although i gained Rs. 40 in Ten Ruppee notes, I lost my lap top bag with the soul of all my work – My Apple Mac Book Pro. I was more gutted about how i got conned into something so stupid, and yes it will be a great inconvenience that i have to re-track all my work and buy a new lap top but being the optomist that i am – “Its not the end of the world” At least the Car was not stolen.

The Police have been of very little help and have the un-spoken attitude that i am never going to see that Lap Top again. And i know that they probabily deal with this every day, but i still dont think that it is acceptable as this racket has been going on for some time now, and beleive it or not – this incident took place right infront of the market, which is 2 lanes from the Police HQ. They say that they have informed the Computer dealers, and did send some constables in the market and the bus stand to look out for some guy carrying my lap top bag just after robbing it – As if ?

I guess watching CSI on TV has spoilt me – If a finger print was taken from my Car door, they could have checked this with existing criminals on records. But i guess catching the Bad guys is only fiction on TV.

My point of this Blog to all the readers out there is to be aware of this as the Rs. 10/- thieves are back and No one is looking after us.

Lester

I do hope that you enjoy reading this as much as i did and that you could look at using this in your own small business.

Lester Melo

Brad Sugars: Startup Basics

5 Ways to Grow Your Profits

A simple formula to help you maximize profit margins

For years I’ve taught a simple, “secret” formula to massively grow profits in any business.
Interestingly, those starting businesses seem to embrace this formula far more easily than owners who have been in business for a long time.

I’m sure there are a number of reasons for this. But the ignorance and stubbornness of other business owners can prove to be very profitable for you–especially as many of those “experienced” business owners continue to focus solely on revenues and expenses, which in turn drive profits.

When you are comfortable with the numbers and can readily work with all the factors in the formula, you’ll start seeing more bottom-line growth than your competitors.

How?

You’ll have more factors to work with than “expert” owners who love cut expenses to boost their profits.

So what is this simple growth and profit-focused formula? The “5 Ways,” and it is a strategy that pinpoints the five key factors that exist in every business–factors that can be multiplied to deliver stellar bottom-line profits.

These are the five simple factors:

1. Leads: The total number of people who have contacted or who have been contacted by the business–over the course of a year.
2. Conversion rate: The percentage of people who actually make a purchase. For example, if 10 people walk through a store and three people buy something, that store’s conversion rate is three out of 10, or 30 percent, for that day.
3. Average dollar sale: The average dollar amount per sale, estimated over the course of a year. The average can range from $5 or $10 (say, for a discount retailer) up to tens of thousands of dollars (for a business such as a car dealership).
4. Average number of transactions: The number of purchases the average customer will make over the course of a year. Again, it can be an estimate. This number will probably be larger in a retail setting than in companies that operate in a professional services industry.
5. Profit margin:The profit percentage of each and every sale. Simply put, if a business sells something for $100, and profit was $25, the profit margin is 25 percent.So how does this all relate to top-line revenue and bottom-line profit? Let’s see.

Your Company
In your sample company, we use a very simple formula to multiply the factors we’ve just discussed. Remember, this formula multiplies factors instead of just adding them, so the cumulative impact is massive.

The “5 Ways” formula looks like this:
Leads x Conversion Rate = Customers
Customers x Avg. Value/Dollar Sale x Number of Transactions = Revenue
Revenue x Profit Margins = Profit

In your company, let’s say you have either estimated or fully determined the following numbers:
4,000 x 25% = 1000 Customers
1000 x $100 x 2 = $200,000 Revenue
$200,000 x 25% = $50,000 Profit

What does all of this mean?
Simply put, you are running a business that converts one out of four prospects into paying customers. Those customers average two purchases at $100 per purchase each year and your company enjoys a 25 percent profit margin on revenues of $200,000.

It also means your total profit for the year is $50,000.

So what would happen if, over the course of the next year, you increased these results by just 10 percent in each of the five areas?

Let’s do it, and then let’s take a look at what happens to your bottom line:
4,400 x 27.5% = 1210 Customers
1210 x $110 x 2.2 = $292,820 Revenue
$292,820 x 27.5% = $80,525.50 Profit

Examine the numbers closely and you’ll see the 10 percent increase is incremental, which means you could easily nudge numbers up by that amount over a period of months–or even weeks.

The bottom line is that the new bottom line looks very interesting, doesn’t it?

Even though we’ve increased each factor by just 10 percent (including top-line revenue), we were able to boost bottom-line profit by 61 percent–or a total of $30,525.50.

What could you do with an extra $30,000 in your business this year?

Think 10 percent is impressive? Do some math on your own and see what the numbers look like if you increase each factor by 30 percent, 50 percent or even 100 percent down the line.

The key is that we are multiplying factors–not adding–which has a massive impact on profit. The “5 Ways” isn’t a complicated numbers game. It’s simply looking at your business in a different way and working with a set of numbers that exist in every company.

While your competitors will be in an endless cycle, trying to increase top-line revenue and cutting expenses to generate more profit, you’ll have at least five other factors with which to work. And there are literally hundreds of strategies you can use to boost those numbers immediately and over time.

We’ll look at some of those strategies in the future.

For now, work with your numbers and brainstorm ways to increase leads, get more customers coming back, increase the amount they buy, and raise your profit margins–and you’ll be miles ahead of the majority of owners successfully operating businesses today.

Better yet, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy all of this is to do–and you’ll be more than happy with your ultimate results.

7 Habits to Financial Independence

Are you always running short of your funds? Do you still have to borrow money sometimes to at least live comfortably? Do you get to pay your bills on time?

If you answered mostly yes, then you are in danger of being financially unstable. You cannot afford the things you want and sometimes, even the things you need. Don’t go sulking out there! You better move your body. If such is the case, better tell yourself that you cannot afford to be that way always. You have to be financially independent.

What is financial independence? Financial independence is the capability to determine and support yourself through your own endeavors. There are 7 ways or habits for you to follow to gain financial independence. With the right attitude and the proper goal in mind, you might just find yourself beaming with pride because of your achievement.

1. Keep a focused vision
Start with a vision. What is your vision for your life? Where are you definitely heading? You want financial independence. You want to be able to stand on your own and have a more stable and secured life, for yourself and for your family.

Keep that vision in mind. Hold on to it as you start to realize that vision. The choices and decisions you will make in the future will have to head to the direction of your goal. Return to that vision when things get doubtful or tough.

2. Invest your money wisely

Generate income. Your income will be the financial foundation of your vision. This will basically come from your job’s income, but don’t settle with that.

Aim to increase your income. Invest your time, money and effort into a beneficial enterprise. Start a business that you feel passionately about and make sure it will work. Think carefully of every detail in your enterprise and work on it. Do not settle with good enough results. Aim for excellence, quality and integrity to succeed.

3. Save up

Start a fund for your future. Allot a percentage of your present income to savings. Do this at the start of each month, before you go ahead. This will avoid the enticement to buy, buy, buy. It will also teach you how to properly budget your money for necessary expenses.

Money in the bank could also earn interest. Although it is not considerable compared to a good investment, it is still a good way to keep money for your future. Just make sure you maintain the money in your savings account. Avoid touching it unless it is really necessary.

Give value also to your coins. Every single cent matters. All of those scattered coins you have there could comprise a few dollars. Even if it is considerably small amount, it will still find some use for that.

4. Spend wisely

Don’t spend all your earnings. As they say, don’t earn to spend. Buy only things that you really need. Tighten those belts for now as you bank for a more secured future. Choose to live simply.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Forget the need to show off on other people that you can afford. If you want achieve financial independence, you must hold on to your money as much as possible.

Avoid incurring debts as much as possible. Take control of your finances as much as possible. Credit cards for example could hold you locked in a desperate state. You could be getting what you want now through that credit card, but imagine yourself giving the bulk of your income for interest payments! Make ends meet in the meantime for later on in life, you will surely afford to be leisurely.

5. Keep contingency plans

You must plan ahead for events in the future. Have contingencies. Make certain that your financial assets are secured. At this phase, it is a good option to get an insurance policy. Insure your life, health and property, even your loved ones.

Protect your interests whenever you enter into any engagement. Make sure that your endeavor is legal, that you are financially capable, and that it is feasible within your means. This way, you will have optimal performance and desirable results. You could prevent harmful losses in the long run.

6. Take care of yourself

Health is wealth. The only way for you to achieve your dreams and be able to stand on your own is when you are physically and psychologically able to do so. Have regular check ups with your physician. Have a healthy diet. Exercise Regularly. Health will be your asset to achieve financial independence. Only a good physical standing would allow you to enjoy the fruits of your toils today.

7. Be Unstoppable

You must keep yourself focused to achieve the goal of being financially independent. Do not let yourself be distracted by whimsical desires. Do not spray. Do not procrastinate. Every cent and every minute counts as what you do today will have a lot to say on what you will have in the future. Take advantage of every opportunity that will come your way. Keep yourself confident.

Tell yourself, you will not be a loser in this game. You have to make it!

source: http://www.indiamoneycontrol.com/index.php/7-habits-to-financial-independence/

Lester Melo

Weddings and Dreams GOA

Image by bill barber (very sporadic) via Flickr

My Mother and Brother were chatting about how Saturday Mass in Church was fairly empty and that a lady announced that the people in the back move to the front seats.
Now, my family have been going to this Mass on a regular basis and you know the feeling of how we all have our special seats – whether when we were in a class room, or at our favorite Restaurant – Church being no exception, both my brother and mother who were sat separately moved a row or two in front but not too far from their area of “Zen” as my brother put it. To the astonishment of most in the back rows, the fans were all put off in the rear end of the church leaving all those back seaters hot and flie infested for the rest of the Mass.
I completely understand the intention of the announcer to bring people closer, but we are not living in an autocratic society or religion. During a time where the biggest loser of followers around the world is the Catholic Religion we should be welcoming our flock not letting them heat up because they do not want to move to the front rows. Church goers today are so few – An empty church that needs the front rows filled , now wasn’t that a clue enough for that announcer?

On a different note – I was at mass on Sunday in Don Bosco’s, Panjim and although am not trying

Image by Oldtasty via Flickr

to make this Blog sound like i am preaching but I was taken a back by the Sermon. It got me thinking and I felt that this was something I would like to share.
The gist of it was that Prophets over time and even our lord Jesus Christ were never really accepted in their own home town by their own people. They had large followings and were honored in other places, but rarely in their own home town.
It felt so true, as we are often taken for granted by people that we have known our whole lives and yet get revered by those who don’t or hardly know us.

I guess, the difference is that people close to us judge us for what we were and our admirers judge us for what we have become. Think about that ..

Let me know what you think about this – your feedback is most appreciated, so please leave a comment.

Lester Melo