Must Read Files

Tips On Filling Your Vehicles

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 11:03:00 +0000

ONLY BUY OR FILL UP YOUR CAR OR BIKE EARLY IN THE MORNING WHEN THE GROUND TEMPERATURE IS STILL COLD.
Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands. So buying in the afternoon or in the evening, your litre is not exactly a litre.

In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A 1degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

WHEN YOU'RE FILLING UP, DO NOT SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER OF THE NOZZLE TO A FAST MODE.
If you look, you will see that the trigger has three stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode, you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapours that are created, while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS IS TO FILL UP WHEN YOUR TANK IS HALF FULL.
The reason for this is, the more fuel you have in your tank, the less air occupying its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.

IF THERE IS A FUEL TRUCK PUMPING INTO THE STORAGE TANKS, WHEN YOU STOP TO BUY, DO NOT FILL UP!
Most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

via : Lovebeats

Correct Postures and Exercises for Computer Users

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:40:00 +0000

Here are some correct postures which should be used while using a computer to reduce stress and other ill effects.

Adequate leg room should be available under the work surface. Materials should not be stored under the work surface. The work surface should accomodate all required materials. Items used infrequently should be stored elsewhere. The height of the work surface should be adjusted to the level of the elbows with the arms hanging by the sides.

If using an unadjustable work surface on a temporary basis:
Adjust the chair height so that the level of the elbows is approximately the same height as the keyboard.

If the feet do not rest flat on the floor or if excessive pressure is felt on the back of the legs, a footrest should be used (a phone book works well!)

Usual Zone: This area should contain only items that are used most frequently, e.g. keyboard, mouse, notepad.
Occasional Zone: This area should contain items that are used periodically, e.g. telephone, calculator, in-out tray, rolodex.
Rare Zone: This area should contain only items that are seldom used or display only, e.g. pen/pencil cup, desk plant, photos, clock.

Please take good care of your wrist while using the keyboard and mouse of your computer.
Long term repetitive action stress can lead to Carpal Tunnel. You could end up going under a surgery that looks like this :

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Manual Therapy
Exercises for relief from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

While you are receiving treatment for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, regular exercise sessions can help your rapid recovery. The following exercises may be prescribed by your healthcare provider in conjunction with Low Level Laser therapy. In the photos you will see below, the right wrist is the one being exercised. If your left wrist is affected, do the same exercises with the left hand.

When doing each of these exercises, the hand should be flexed until a sensation of stretching is felt in the arm. The position should be held for 10 to 15 seconds for each of 10 repetitions. Try to this set of exercises three times a day. Exercises 1 and 2 flex and extend the hand and stretch the wrist. Bend the hand as shown in the photos and apply moderate pressure to it with the other hand.

Exercise 1 - Wrist Flexion
Bend the hand being exercised backward (palm away from you), as shown in the photots. Wtih the fingers of the other hand, apply pressure.

Exercise 2 - Wrist Extention
Bend the hand being exercised forward (palm toward you), as shown in the photos. Wtih the fingers of the other hand, apply pressure.

Exercises 3 and 4 are similar to 1 and 2 except that an object, such as a pad provides the resistance to the hand, instead of your other hand.

Exercise 3 - Wrist Flexion against surface
With your arm held vertically, press your hand, palm down, on a firm surface, as shown in the photo.

Exercise 4 - Wrist Extension against surface
With your arm held vertically, press your hand, palm up, on a firm surface, as shown in the photo.

Exercises 5 and 6 involve the side to side range of motion of the hand.

Exercise 5 - Radial Deviation
Place your hand palm downward. Grasp the fingers of the hand to be exercised with your other hand (as shown in the photo) and twist the hand toward you. Keep the hand horizontal.

Exercise 6 - Ulnar Deviation
Place your hand palm downward. Grasp the fingers of the hand to be exercised with your other hand (as shown in the photo) and twist the hand away from you. Keep the hand horizontal.

Steps To Improve Your Memory

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:08:00 +0000

Everyone can take steps to improve their memory, and with time and practice most people can gain the ability to memorize seemingly impossible amounts of information. Scientists believe that exercising your brain can create a ‘cognitive reserve’ that will help you stay sharp as you age.

1. Convince yourself that you do have a good memory that will improve. Too many people get stuck here and convince themselves that their memory is bad, that they are just not good with names, that numbers just slip out of their minds for some reason. Erase those thoughts and vow to improve your memory. Commit yourself to the task and bask in your achievements. It’s hard to keep motivated if you beat yourself down every time you make a little bit of progress.

2. Keep your brain active. The brain is not a muscle, but regularly “exercising” the brain actually does keep it growing and spurs the development of new nerve connections that can help improve memory. By developing new mental skills, especially complex ones such as learning a new language or learning to play a new musical instrument, and challenging your brain with puzzles and games you can keep your brain active and improve its physiological functioning.

3. Exercise daily. Regular aerobic exercise improves circulation and efficiency throughout the body, including in the brain, and can help ward off the memory loss that comes with aging. Exercise also makes you more alert and relaxed, and can thereby improve your memory uptake, allowing you to take better mental “pictures.”

4. Reduce stress. Chronic stress, although it does not physically damage the brain, can make remembering much more difficult. Even temporary stresses can make it more difficult to effectively focus on concepts and observe things. Try to relax, regularly practice yoga or other stretching exercises, and see a doctor if you have severe chronic stress.

5. Eat well and eat right. There are a lot of herbal supplements on the market that claim to improve memory, but none have yet been shown to be effective in clinical tests (although small studies have shown some promising results for ginkgo biloba and phosphatidylserine). A healthy diet, however, contributes to a healthy brain, and foods containing antioxidants—broccoli, blueberries, spinach, and berries, for example—and Omega-3 fatty acids appear to promote healthy brain functioning. Feed your brain with such supplements as Thiamine, Vitamin E, Niacin and Vitamin B-6. Grazing, eating 5 or 6 small meals throughout the day instead of 3 large meals, also seems to improve mental functioning (including memory) by limiting dips in blood sugar, which may negatively affect the brain.

6. Take better pictures. Often we forget things not because our memory is bad, but rather because our observational skills need work. One common situation where this occurs (and which almost everyone can relate to) is meeting new people. Often we don’t really learn people’s names at first because we aren’t really concentrating on remembering them. You’ll find that if you make a conscious effort to remember such things, you’ll do much better. One way to train yourself to be more observant is to look at an unfamiliar photograph for a few seconds and then turn the photograph over and describe or write down as many details as you can about the photograph. Try closing your eyes and picturing the photo in your mind. Use a new photograph each time you try this exercise, and with regular practice you will find you’re able to remember more details with even shorter glimpses of the photos.

7. Give yourself time to form a memory. Memories are very fragile in the short-term, and distractions can make you quickly forget something as simple as a phone number. The key to avoid losing memories before you can even form them is to be able to focus on the thing to be remembered for a while without thinking about other things, so when you’re trying to remember something, avoid distractions and complicated tasks for a few minutes.

8. Create vivid, memorable images. You remember information more easily if you can visualize it. If you want to associate a child with a book, try not to visualize the child reading the book – that’s too simple and forgettable. Instead, come up with something more jarring, something that sticks, like the book chasing the child, or the child eating the book. It’s your mind – make the images as shocking and emotional as possible to keep the associations strong.

9. Repeat things you need to learn. The more times you hear, see, or think about something, the more surely you’ll remember it, right? It’s a no-brainer. When you want to remember something, be it your new coworker’s name or your best friend’s birthday, repeat it, either out loud or silently. Try writing it down; think about it.

10. Group things you need to remember. Random lists of things (a shopping list, for example) can be especially difficult to remember. To make it easier, try categorizing the individual things from the list. If you can remember that, among other things, you wanted to buy four different kinds of vegetables, you’ll find it easier to remember all four.

11. Organize your life. Keep items that you frequently need, such as keys and eyeglasses, in the same place every time. Use an electronic organizer or daily planner to keep track of appointments, due dates for bills, and other tasks. Keep phone numbers and addresses in an address book or enter them into your computer or cell phone. Improved organization can help free up your powers of concentration so that you can remember less routine things. Even if being organized doesn’t improve your memory, you’ll receive a lot of the same benefits (i.e. you won’t have to search for your keys anymore).

12. Try meditation. Research now suggests that people who regularly practice “mindfulness” meditation are able to focus better and may have better memories. Mindfulness (also known as awareness or insight meditation) is the type commonly practiced in Western countries and is easy to learn. Studies at Massachusetts General Hospital show that regular meditation thickens the cerebral cortex in the brain by increasing the blood flow to that region. Some researchers believe this can enhance attention span, focus, and memory.

13. Sleep well. The amount of sleep we get affects the brain’s ability to recall recently learned information. Getting a good night’s sleep – a minimum of seven hours a night – may improve your short-term memory and long-term relational memory, according to recent studies conducted at the Harvard Medical School.

14. Build your memorization arsenal. Learn pegs, memory palaces, and the Dominic System. These techniques form the foundation for mnemonic techniques, and will visibly improve your memory.

15. Venture out and learn from your mistakes. Go ahead and take a stab at memorizing the first one hundred digits of pi, or, if you’ve done that already, the first one thousand. Memorize the monarchs of England through your memory palaces, or your grocery list through visualization. Through diligent effort you will eventually master the art of memorization.

via : Lovebeats

Text Link Ads

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:31:00 +0000

Couple days ago I received my July payment from Text Link Ads, transfered directly to my PayPal account. I know it's not much, but this shows you another way to earn money online.

Have you joined Text Link Ads? If you had website or blog with rank which is not that bad (at least your Alexa is not more than million or the pagerank is not zero), you should consider to join Text Link Ads. The earning is not bad.

All you have to do is register, then submit your blog. Wait until they approve your blog. Then after that, they will put your site in their marketplace. After this point, there's nothing you can do except waiting for advertiser to buy link in your blog.

The revenue that you will get is 50% of your price. And the payment will be made via PayPal. Try your luck and sign up today!

Inspiring You

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 11:37:00 +0000

Fighting Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:29:00 +0000

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime.

3. When the person's immune system is strong, the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumours.

4. When a person has cancer, it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, enviromental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract, etc. And can cause organ damage like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damage healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10.Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.

CANCER CELLS FEED ON :

A. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small amounts.
Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in colour. Better alternative is Bragg's aminos or sea salt.

B. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soya milk, cancer cells are being starved.

C. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

D. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked food including beans.
Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells, try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degress C).

E. Avoid coffee, tea and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water best to drink purified water, or filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines become putrefied and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells, and allows the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Some supplements build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals, EFAs, etc) to enable the body's own killer cells to destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, unforgiveness and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer cells.

via : Lovebeats

First Payment from Bux.to

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:05:00 +0000

I just received my first payment from Bux.to transfered directly to my AlertPay account. The amount is not much. I purposely set my payment to minimum, cause I want to make sure that they really pay. And when the time I receive this payment, my balance had reached more than the minimum payment already. So I'm expecting another payment to my account.

At Bux.to, you get paid to click on ads and visit websites. You simply click a link and view a website for 30 seconds to earn money. You'll get paid $0.01 for each website you personally view and $0.01 for each website your referrals view.

Why don't you give them a shot? It's proven already. Join now and receive $0.05 Sign-up Bonus!

When You Divorce Me, Carry Me Out in Your Arms

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:01:00 +0000

This is a touching story. Please read it slowly...

On my wedding day, I carried my wife in my arms. The bridal car stopped in front of our one-room flat. My buddies insisted that I carry her out of the car in my arms. So I carried her into our home. She was then plump and shy. I was strong and happy bridegroom.

This was the scene ten years ago.

The following days were as simple as a cup of pure water : we had a kid ; I went into business and tried to make more money. When the assets were steadily increasing, the affection between us seemed to ebb. She was a civil servant. Every morning we left home together and got home almost at the same time. Our kid was studying in a boarding school.

Our marriage life seemed to be enviably happy. But the calm life was more likely to be affected by unpredictable changes..

Dew came into my life.

It was a sunny day. I stood on a spacious balcony. Dew hugged me from behind. My heart once again was immersed in her stream of love. This was the apartment I bought for her.

Dew said, "you are the kind of man who best draws girl's eyeballs". Her words suddenly reminded me of my wife. When we were just married, my wife said, "men like you, once successful, will be very attractive to girls".

Thinking of this, I became somewhat hesitant. I knew I had betrayed my wife. But I couldn't help doing so.

I moved Dew's hands aside and said "you go to select some furniture, ok? I've got something to do in the company." Obviously she was unhappy, because I had promised to do it together with her. At the moment, the idea of divorce became clearer in my mind although it used to be something impossible to me.

However, I found it rather difficult to tell my wife about it. No matter how mildly I mentioned it to her, she would be deepely hurt.

Honestly, she was a good wife. Every evening she was busy preparing dinner. I was sitting in front of the TV. The dinner was ready soon. Then we watched TV together. Or, I was lounging before the computer, visualizing Dew's body. This was the means of my entertainment.

One day I said to her in a slightly joking way, "suppose we divorce, what will you do?" She stared at me for a few seconds without a word. Apparently she believed that divorce was something too far away from her. I couldn't imagine how she would react once she got to know that I was serious.

When my wife went to my office, Dew had just stepped out. Almost all the staff looked at my wife with a sympathetic eye and tried to hide something while talking to her. She seemed to have got some hint. She gently smiled at my subordinates. But I read some hurt in her eyes.

Once again, Dew said to me, "He Ning, divorce her, ok? Then we live together." I nodded. I knew I could not hesitate any more.

When my wife served the last dish, I held her hand. "I've got something to tell you," I said. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. "I want a divorce." I raised the serious topic calmly.

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, "why?"
"I'm serious." I avoided her question. This so-called answer made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, "you are not a man!"

That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer, because my heart had gone to Dew.

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. I felt a pain in my heart. The woman who had been living ten years with me would become a stranger one day. But I could not take back what I had said.

Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer.

Late that night, I came back home after entertaining my clients. I saw her writing something at the table. I fall asleep fast. When I woke up, I found she was still there. I turned over and was asleep again.

She brought up her divorce conditions : she didn't want anything from me, but I was supposed to give her one month's time before divorce, and in the month's time we must live as normal life as possible. Her reason was simple : our son would finish his summer vacation a month later and she didn't want him to see our marriage was broken.

She passed me the agreement she drafted, and then asked me, "He Ning, do you still remember how I entered our bridal room on the wedding day?" This question suddenly brought back all those wonderful memories to me. I nodded and said, "I remember."
"You carried me in your arms," she continued. So, I have a requirement, that is, "you carry me out in your arms on the day when we divorce. From now to the end of this month, you must carry me out from the bedroom to the door every morning."

I accepted with a smile. I knew she missed those sweet days and wished to end her marriage romantically.

I told Dew about my wife's divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. "No matter what tricks she does, she has to face the result of divorce," she said scornfully. Her words more or less made me feel uncomfortable.

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. We even treated each other as a stranger. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, "daddy is holding mummy in his arms." His words brought me as a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly, "let us start from today, don't tell our son." I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for a bus, I drove to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. We were so close that I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this intimate woman carefully for a long time. I found she was not young any more. There were some fine wrinkles on her face.

On the third day, she whispered to me, "the outside garden is being demolished. Be careful when you pass there."

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I seemed to feel that we were still an intimate couple and I was holding my sweetheart in my arms. The visualization of Dew became vague.

On the fifth and sixth day, she kept reminding me something, such as, where she put the ironed shirts, I should be careful while cooking, etc. I nodded. The sense of intimacy was even stronger. I didn't tell Dew about this.

I felt it was easier to carry her. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger. I said to her, "It seems not difficult to carry you now." She was picking her dresses. I was waiting to carry her out. She tried quite a few but could not find a suitable one. The she sighed, "all my dresses have grown bigger.." I smiled. But I suddenly realized that it was because she was thinner that I could carry her more easily, not because I was stronger. I knew she had buried all the bitterness in her heart. Again, I felt a sense of pain. Subconsciously I reached out a hand to touch her head.

Our son came in at the moment. "Dad, it's time to carry mum out," he said. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had been an essential part of his life. She gestured our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face because I was afraid I would change my mind at the last minute. I held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly, as if we came back to our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad.

On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. She said, "actually I hope you will hold me in your arms until we are old.."

I held her tightly and said, "both you and I didn't notice that our life lacked intimacy."

I jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my decision. I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door. I said to her, "Sorry Dew, I won't divorce. I'm serious."

She looked at me, astonished. Then she touched my forehead. "You got no fever" she said. I moved her hand off my head. "Sorry Dew," I said. "I can only say sorry to you, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of life, not because we didn't love each other any more. Now I understand that since I carried her into the home, she gave birth to our child, I am supposed to hold her until I am old. So I have to say sorry to you."

Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove to the office.

When I passed the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet for my wife which was her favorite. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, "I'll carry you out every morning until we are old.."

via : Sarath

First Payment from Hits4Pay

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 09:56:00 +0000

I just received my first payment from Hits4Pay, transferred directly to my PayPal account. The amount is not much, but at least I know that they really pay.

Hits4Pay is one of very few highest paying advertising program in the industry. It is a PTR program which will pay you for reading emails. You will receive emails and web-based offers on topics that interests you and get paid for it.

If you have access to your own email account, you can get paid. Some of people download their email everyday, some of them just sometimes. But if everytime you download or access your email and get paid, why not?

Give them a shot, it's free to sign up. So you got nothing to loose. Refer others and get paid up to two levels. Signup now and receive $10 as a Free Reward!

Vitamins

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 09:42:00 +0000

Improve Your Communication Skills

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Fri, 23 May 2008 06:55:00 +0000

Here are 6 tips you can use to improve your communication skills :

1. Awareness of your own interaction with other people is the first step in improving your communication skills.
Learn to identify which types of situations make you uncomfortable and then modify your behaviour to achieve positive results is a critical step in improving your communication skills.
You can learn to become aware of behaviours in other people that prompt you to respond in negative ways and modify your own behaviour to turn the situation into a positive experience.

2. You must accept responsibility for your own behaviour and do not fear apologizing for errors in judgment or insensitive actions. Asking others for honest feedback about the way you interact with others can be very helpful. Accept the negative feedback along with the positive and make changes accordingly.

3. Your non verbal communication is equally as important as the things that you say. Positive body language is extremely important in your interactions with other people. If your words and your actions do not match, you will have a difficult time succeeding in social situations.

4. In order to learn how to improve your communication skills, you must become a great listener. You must fight the urge to respond immediately and relly listen to what the other person is trying to communicate. Offering suggestions or criticism before you are certain of the other person's intent can only lead to frustation for both parties.

5. Improving your communication skills is a process and cannot be accomplished overnight. Trying to improve or change too many things at once will be counter-productive. You will become discouraged and overwhelmed if you attempt to change your entire personality all at once. Choose one or two traits at a time and work on those over a period of time. Learn to take advantage of your personal strengths and make a positive impact on others.

6. Maximize your positive personality traits and use them in your interactions with others. Good communication and great listening skills are the most important tools you can use in improving your communication skills. You can learn how to improve your communication skills by developing excellent listening skills, learning to resolve problems and conflicts, understanding body language, and accepting responsibility for your own negative behaviour.

Determination and self awareness will make your desire to improve your communication skills a reality. You can change your life and now is the time to start.

Tips to Keep Your PC Running Smoothly

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 11:10:00 +0000

image source

A slow computer can be quite troublesome and may really affect your work. Given here are some simple tips that you can use to fix errors and speed up your PC.

Use a Registry Scanner Tool

A large bloated registry, filled with loads on unwanted, obsolete, and incorrect information, easily gets unstable and fragmented and as a result, considerably deteriorates the performance of your PC. Therefore, the first tip to keep your PC running smoothly is to maintain a compact, error-free, healthy Windows Vista registry. In order to do this, you must regularly scan and remove unwanted information from the registry.

You can easily perform this task using a reliable registry scanner tool. You can download a registry tool that meets your requirements from the Internet. Registry tools have a user-friendly GUI-interface and you can easily use their options to perform many registry maintenance tasks, such as scan and remove unwanted information from the registry, defrag the registry to make its files contiguous, and backup the registry.

Regular registry maintenance, not only helps you maintain your PC in a good working condition, but also enables you to repair and prevent several system errors, such as DLL errors, driver errors, and ActiveX errors.

Use a Disk Cleanup Tool

Over time, the hard disk of your PC gets filled up with several unwanted files. Therefore, your next step to improve the performance of your PC is to free up some disk space. You can do this with the help of the Disk Cleanup tool. You can open this tool from Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools.

Disk Cleanup is a one stop tool to compress old files, delete unwanted Internet Explorer files, empty the Recycle Bin and get rid of unwanted program setup files. You can also use this tool to free up disk space by uninstalling unwanted applications and Windows components, and also delete old System Restore snapshots.

Use a Disk Defragmenter Tool

After you have freed up disk space, you must defrag your PC. Defragging helps in making files and folders on your computer contiguous by collecting bits and pieces of a single file stored all over the hard disk, and then putting them together in adjacent data blocks on the disk. Defragging reduces a lot of load from your hard disk, makes data access a lot faster and consequently speeds up your computer.

Use Antivirus and Antispyware Tools

Any system speed up process is not complete unless you are sure that the system is free from virus and spyware infections. Viruses add several malicious files and entries in the registry and infect your applications with malicious codes to alter their normal function and generate errors. Spyware programs not only slow down your PC, but also steal your confidential data and trade it with external sources for malicious purposes.

Therefore, you need to regularly scan your PC with reliable antivirus and antispyware tools. Keep these tools updated with the latest definitions to ensure that your PC is protected against the latest malware. You must also turn on the real time protection feature included in these tools to prevent malware infiltration in the first place.

via : lovebeats

Cheap Phone Card

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:03:00 +0000

If you need to make a lot of international calls, maybe you need to keep in touch with your loved ones outside your country or just for your work purposes, you should consider yourself to get a phone card rather than using a land line. It's much cheaper. You can save your money, or at least with the same expenses, you can have longer conversation. And you will not receive the unexpected amount of phone bill.

Check out TheRichCom.com. They provide cheap prepaid phone cards to the international destinations. Ranging from Asia to the middle East and Europe. You can check out their large selection of prepaid phone cards. And buying it online is simple and easy. Simply choose the country and click 'Get Phone Card'. That's it. All phone cards and calling cards they are delivered online instantly.

So next time if you want to get yourself a prepaid phone card, just visit TheRichCom.com.

Man vs Woman from Engineer's Perspective

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 15:40:00 +0000

Born to be Obese?

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 11:25:00 +0000

The brain circuitry that controls appetite might be wired differently in some people, and that could predispose them to obesity, researchers suggest.

The study was conducted in rats, not humans, and yet it could ultimately lead to novel obesity treatments, said Philip Smith, director of the Office of Obesity Research at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

"It is not just about drugs that modify short-term appetite," he said, "there may be drugs that stimulate development of the appropriate neural pathways. So, it is an exciting, but very early, time in this field."

The study was published in the Cell Metabolism. Sebastien Bouret, an assistant professor of neuroscience at the University of Southern California, and his colleagues examined neural circuits emanating from the appetite, hunger and body-weight control center of the brain -- the so-called arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARH) -- in a series of rats bred to be either prone to, or resistant to, obesity.

The team found fewer neural connections projecting from the ARH in obesity-prone animals than in their leaner counterparts. Surprisingly, Bouret said, this deficiency developed very early in life, before the animals became obese, and appeared to extend into adulthood. "Somehow, these animals are programmed to become obese," Bouret said. "The obesity is hard-wired into the brain."

When the researchers then looked at why the brains of obese rats differed from their normal-weight counterparts, they found that the neurons from obesity-prone animals were less responsive to leptin, a hormone that controls the development of these circuits, and which also signals the body's energy status and controls metabolic rate.

"This paper presumes to say, these animals must be leptin-resistant, and that is why the pathways are not developing," said Smith. But that doesn't mean they are doomed to a life of severe obesity, said Dr. Barbara Kahn, chief of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, in Boston. How they live their lives also matters.

"It is important not to 'blame' the obese person or imply that he/she is responsible for being obese," Kahn noted. "Having said that, reasonable, healthy caloric restriction and a safe and sustainable program of physical activity can help limit weight gain and often bring about some degree of weight loss. In addition, healthy eating and regular exercise can reduce the complications of obesity such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease." At the same time, she added, not everyone can wear a size 4.

"There is a certain aspect of genetics that sets somebody in a certain range of possible body weights, and then how that person lives his or her life will determine whether they are at the bottom or top of the range," she explained.

Human obesity has both genetic and environmental roots. The rats used in this study, like most humans, developed obesity when fed a high-energy diet. On a normal diet, they were heavier than normal rats, but not yet obese. "This is quite an exciting paper," said Smith, "because it links more closely to human behavior than most rodent models we have seen."

The findings also suggest a possible therapeutic approach to combating human obesity. If drugs could be designed to influence the formation of neural circuits during development and targeted to at-risk pregnancies, Smith said, "there is a good likelihood we could have successful interventions that improve the health of the mother, and which have a major impact on disease risk for the infant, during pregnancy."

A related study from Boston University researchers in the same journal found that bulking up muscle mass can lead to a general metabolic improvement in obese individuals. "Interventions designed to increase skeletal muscle mass in at-risk human populations may prove to be critical weapons in the fight against obesity and obesity-related comorbidities, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, hypertension and cancer." an accompanying editorial stated.

by Jeffrey Perkel
via WashingtonPost

Cash Advance

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 13:21:00 +0000

There was a time when we were running out of cash before we got our next pay check. Or maybe there was unpredictable situation which we need to spend more than what we have in our saving. In short, we need cash and we need it fast. What should we do?

Just visit TrustSource.org. In this site, it has lists of websites which will help you to get cash advance, the fastest way to obtain secure, online cash advance and pay day loans. The lists are reviewed and rank by people who have used these sites to get cash fast.

These cash advance sites offer flexible payment options and discrete services that gets you the cash that you need right away. And applying for a payday loan is quick and easy. Once you're approved for the cash advance, they will electronically deposit the payday loan amount directly into your checking or saving account.

Of course there are minimum criteria in order to successfully complete the application. For more information, just visit TrustSource.org.

My Interesting Files Issue

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 14:03:00 +0000

My other site, My Interesting Files is having problems after transferring from Blogger custom domain to Wordpress selfhosted. All the post already imported to Wordpress, and in Blogger account already set up using FTP publishing, but still the individual post of My Interesting Files was viewed using old Blogger layout.

If you go to the homepage, it will be viewed using new Wordpress theme. But if you click the individual posts that I had imported from Blogger, it will be viewed using old Blogger layout. Not only that. All the link in the Blogger layout, point to the address that does not even exist anymore.

So to prevent this, I had changed the permalink without “.html”. So when the reader clicked the individual post, they will see the post using the new Wordpress theme. I don’t know yet if this going to be permanently or only temporary. Will post again in the future for sure. See the different :

old permalink : /%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%.html. eg : http://www.myinterestingfiles.com/2008/03/balance-mobile-concept.html

new permalink : /%year%/%monthnum%/%postname%. eg : http://www.myinterestingfiles.com/2008/03/balance-mobile-concept

Does anyone know how to fix this? Even the transfer department from my hosting company who did the transfer and ended up with this problem can not help me to solve this. If any of you ever faced the same problem, please share your experience by leave a comment here or contact me. I really need help.

Update :

To avoid having same content with two different URL, I’ve decided to switch back to my old permalink structure which is using “.html” in the end of the address. If you want to see the different, just go to the homepage and click one old post. You can see the different from here.

Update :

The problem is fixed already. Click here for the detail.

Choosing a Web Hosting

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 18:24:00 +0000

Do you host your own blog? Or are you planning to start hosting your own? Choosing the right hosting provider is not as easy as you think. Especially when there are thousands of hosting providers offer almost the same hosting packages.

Many things you should be aware of before choosing the right hosting company. Try to find the one with less downtime, cause you will loose your readers if your site down most of the time. Don't fall for the cheap prize they offer. The cheapest you will get, the more you have to be aware of. And the most important is choose the one with the 24/7 online support. So when you have problem, you always have someone to ask for help and your problem can be solved as soon as possible.

Browse around, you will find many websites that will give you the information about hosting company. So you could find the best web hosting company for your websites.

Inspirational Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:58:00 +0000

Anger is a condition in which the tongue works faster than the mind.

You can't change the past, but you can ruin the present
by worrying over the future.

Love...and you shall be loved.

God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.

All people smile in the same language.

A hug is a great gift... one size fits all.
It can be given for any occasion and it's easy to exchange.

Everyone needs to be loved... especially when they do not deserve it.

The real measure of a man's wealth is what he has invested in eternity.

Laughter is God's sunshine.

Everyone has beauty but not everyone sees it.

It's important for parents to live the same things they teach.

Thank God for what you have,
TRUST GOD for what you need.

If you fill your heart with regrets of yesterday and the worries of tomorrow,
you have nothing today to be thankful for.

Man looks at outward appearance but the Lord looks within.

The choice you make today will usually affect tomorrow.

Take time to laugh, for it is the music of the soul.

If anyone speaks badly of you, live so none will believe it.

Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.

Love is strengthened by working through conflicts together.

The best thing parents can do for their children is to love each other.

Harsh words break no bones but they do break hearts.

To get out of a difficulty, one usually must go through it.

We take for granted the things that we should be giving thanks for.

Love is the only thing that can be divided without being diminished.

Happiness is enhanced by others but does not depend upon others.

For every minute you are angry with someone,
you lose 60 seconds of happiness that you can never get back.

Do what you can, for who you can,
with what you have, and where you are.

source : lovebeat.org
img source : bktexas.com

Mortgage Comparison

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 14:24:00 +0000

Most people used mortgages to buy their homes. I did. In my country, there are many rules that we have to follow to get a mortgage, and we can not choose whatever to suit our needs. We were given variable rate mortgage, which gave us quite pressures cause the rate is not stable. That's why I suggest you to get the fixed rate mortgages.

With this type of mortgage, the interest rate usually fixed for a limited amount of time. This ensure that the mortgage payment will remain constant throughout this fixed period, and there will be no unpleasant or even pleasant surprises. According to the new report, the fixed rate mortgages are continuing to dominate the mortgage market despite the uncertain financial climate.

Looking for mortgage that suit for you? Check out earth.co.uk, where you can get your free mortgage quote. You can compare products and get the deal that is right for you and your circumstances. Even if you have bad credit or are self employed, they can source products that meet your requirement. To help you make a choice regarding your mortgage, they had put together simple mortgage guides covering interest rates, fixed rates mortgages, variable rate mortgages, etc.

10 Ways to Build a Good Relationship

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 06:52:00 +0000

* BE A MAN OF YOUR WORD
A successful and strong relationship is one that is built on trust and dependability. If you tell a woman that you are going to do something, she will expect you to keep that commitment. Whether it's a date you've made for dinner, a promise to water her plants while she's on vacation, or a resolution to give up smoking, keeping a pledge is crucial in developing and nurturing a solid foundation for the future. Even if it is something that seems insignificant to you in the big scheme of things (i.e., returning a library book for her on your way home from work), a succession of forgetful moments will diminish her faith in you. Accordingly, if every time you promise to do something triggers a reaction on her part to have a Plan B just in case, it is only a matter of time before she starts seeking out a new companion with a better track record for reliability. Never make a promise unless it is one that you know you can keep.

* SHOW HER RESPECT
If you want to keep a special woman in your life, you need to not only let her know that you put her on a pedestal but that you are willing to defend her honor to be there. This means that you don't engage in gossip or divulge confidences, that you don't criticize or belittle her, and that your love life isn't an open book to anyone who's nosey. If up until now your priority has been to spend all your free hours with your football buddies, you may need to start rethinking your agenda. A woman who always takes second, third or last place to other relationships in your life isn't going to stay in the picture for very long. Showing respect also means fidelity to the relationship if you've both made a commitment to monogamy. If you can't stay faithful, you owe her the respect of freeing her to meet someone who will appreciate and honor the treasure that she is.

*LEAVE YOUR BAGGAGE AT THE DOOR
The last thing a woman wants is a whiner who does nothing but bemoan the fact that all of her predecessors--and probably life in general--treated him badly. While it's one thing for her to be initially sympathetic, it's draining to listen to the same sob stories day after day. Keep in mind that the more time you spend dwelling on the past, the less energy you'll have to spend building a new future. This also goes for men who talk incessantly about past relationships that were good. Whether the split came about as the result of death or divorce, women don't like to compete with the Ghosts of Relationships Past.

* ACCEPT HER AS SHE IS
Maybe your beloved would look better if she lost a couple pounds. Maybe she should update that hairdo and go for something snazzier. Maybe she'd look better on your arm if she wore different clothes. If you find yourself keeping a list of all the things she should be doing, you may be looking for a makeover project instead of a girlfriend or future wife. What you need to ask yourself is whether your barrage of suggestions is really meant to help her or to reinvent her into someone who would better define who you think you are. Women--and men--want to know that they're loved for themselves, not for an idealistic image that may be difficult to obtain. There's a right way and a wrong way to recommend improvement. To imply that you could love her more if she didn't have quite so many flaws is definitely the wrong way.

* DON'T BE POSSESSIVE
Do you call your girlfriend every hour of the day? Do you demand a thorough accounting of what she’s doing and who she’s seeing whenever she’s not with you? Are you purposely driving a wedge between her and her family and friends so you won’t have to share her? Do you discourage her from doing activities she really loves because you resent that you’re not a part of it? If your behavior fits these descriptions, it’s not love; it’s obsession. In concert with the advice to treat your lady with proper respect, you need to allow her the freedom to have time to spend on herself. Jealousy and possessiveness are unhealthy in any relationship and communicate that you are insecure, clingy, and potentially violent if you’re not the center of attention.

* DON'T RUSH ROMANCE
If you want a strong love connection, you need to start out with an equally strong “like” connection. It’s easy to rush headlong into a permanent relationship when you’re more excited about the prospect of being half of a couple than in enjoying the journey of discovering the things you have in common. Even if you’re sure that this is truly love at first sight and you don’t want to waste any time getting her in bed or off to the altar, a partnership that is meant to last will have a better chance if the man and woman invest in the value of friendship with one another. Consider the qualities and traits you admire in the people to whom you are close and apply those same tests in picking the person with whom you want to spend the rest of your life.

* PAY ATTENTION
Being a good partner means being a conscientious listener. It means not talking about yourself so much that she can never get a word in edgewise. It means that when she hints she’d really like a certain sweater for her birthday you don’t go out and buy her a CD of your favorite R&B singer instead. It also means that you’re sensitive to her moods, that you take an interest in projects she’s doing at work or problems she’s currently having with her siblings, and that you actually notice (and take action) if you see that one of her tires is low or that she comments on a new restaurant she’d like to try. Pay attention to the calendar, too. Remembering birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions demonstrates that she’s important enough to you that you know how to plan ahead.

* TRY NEW THINGS
Show an open mind when it comes to trying out new foods, activities, or ideas. While the two of you don’t have to share the same passion for every single thing that comes along, she’s far more likely to accompany you to a monster truck rally someday if you’ve accompanied her to a performance of the ballet. The fact that you show the willingness and curiosity to see what something is about instead of flatly dismissing it as stupid will accrue huge points in the sensitivity department. Why? Men and women tend to interpret the rejection of an idea as a rejection of them personally, a condition that will only fester with the passage of time. It should also be understood between the two of you that if the new whatever isn’t a good fit, it won’t continue to linger as a bone of contention. Trying it once—and respecting the outcome— is the most that either of you can ask.

* SHARE THE WORK
In today’s society, there is no such thing as “a woman’s job” or “a man’s job.” The fact that both parties put in a full day of work shouldn’t mean that it’s always the female’s job to cook the meals, set the table, wash the dishes and do the laundry. You may not be a gourmet chef but that shouldn’t stop you from picking up and dishing out Chinese food. Your gender also shouldn’t inhibit you from running the vacuum cleaner, walking the dog, or helping put postage stamps on the wedding invitations.

* CELEBRATE THE ORDINARY
Too many couples make the mistake of only pulling out all the stops for each other on vacations and special holidays. The rest of the time, they’re taking each other for granted. While it’s easy to say, “I love you” against an exotic backdrop or go overboard buying presents on Valentine’s Day, a happy relationship is one that celebrates itself every day of the year. Buy her a card “just because.” Schedule date nights…and keep them! Give her a foot rub when she’s had a rough day. Bring her lunch in bed and a favorite DVD when she’s under the weather. Let her know on a regular basis that she’s not only the love of your life but also the best friend you could ever have. Most of all, remember that “happily ever after” isn’t a destination but a journey to be taken hand in hand and heart to heart.

source : article, image.

Celebrating One Year of My Interesting Files

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 07:13:00 +0000

Yesterday is My Interesting Files birthday. To celebrate, I'm having a giveaway of 250 EntreCard credits OR 125x125 of your banner will be displayed in My Interesting Files for 2 days. All you have to do is write a post about the site :

1 link pointing to My Interesting Files birthday post
1 link pointing to any post in My Interesting Files that you like the most

When it's done, leave your comment with the link of your post and the giveaway that you preferred. If you choose to display your banner, leave the link of your banner as well.

There are only 20 spots available. So you better hurry. First come first serve basis.

I Won Free Hosting and Domain for 1 Year

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:31:00 +0000

Yesterday morning, when I was doing my daily routine reading incoming emails and posts that I had subscribed by email, I was shocked. My email was listed in the Internet Babel's post as the winner of the first prize. That means I won One year of free hosting at ICDSoft.com, the Business Package + free Domain. The total prize value is $125. Yey..! :D

I was subscribing with the Internet Babel when I was joining his previous contest, but I didn't win for this one. So when he's having the next contest, all the previous subscribers are automatically rolled in the next contest. And this time, I won. Thank's, Nick!

I had claimed for my prize, but I haven't decided what domain that I want to use. And Nick had given me some time to think about it. Thank's again, Nick.
Any suggestion?

Drop EntreCard faster with SiteHoppin

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:11:00 +0000

Are you an EntreCard user? If you are, you should try SiteHoppin. With SiteHoppin, you can drop your card faster. With my experienced doing my daily card dropping routine, by using SiteHopping, I had dropped twice of my previous amount. It's easier, faster and much more practical. You can go from one EntreCard website to another with only one click.

SiteHoppin is a Web 2.5 social networking service that allows you to find, bookmark and share interesting sites by hopping from site to site instead of typing. It's a good use if you want to visit only selected sites.

So if you're an EntreCard user, all you have to do is change the tag to EntreCard, choose the category that you want or just choose shuffle for random blog view, then press the 'Tag Hop' button. And to jump to another site, you just press the 'Site Hoppin' button on the upper left side.

That's all. So give them a try, and happy dropping..

Spottt, Free Link Exchange

noreply@blogger.com (Dunn) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 08:59:00 +0000

Spottt is a free way to exchange link with other. All you have to do is create an account, create your spottt by uploading your 125x125 banner, after that you put their code in your site for showing their banner. This banner will link from your site to another site. And for every two times other site's banner is shown on your site, your banner will appear once on another site.

Credit earns based on your pageviews, and your credits will automatically spends to distribute your ad automatically across the net on autopilot. You can find the report in your Spottt account, daily data of how many times your Spottts were shown, how many times they got clicked, and other stats.

You can use Spottt is any webpage. So if you only have MySpace, Xanga, Friendster or any website other than blog, you still can use their services.