Travel and Leisure

The island of Fuerteventura is one of the seven Canary Islands just waiting to be discovered. Not nearly as built up or commercialised as its sister islands of Lanzarote, Gran Canaria or Tenerife, Fuerteventura still provides lots to see and do and being only a 4 hour flight from most European destinations is a convenient holiday destination for a week or two.

Boasting some of the best beaches in the Canaries, and over 150 of them to choose from, Fuerteventura really is a beach lovers paradise. Water sports are also popular and some amazing dive sites can be found in a number of locations. Wind surfing is also popular and the island holds the annual wind surfing championships in the South every year.

For the Brits there are two main holiday resorts. Corralejo is the busier of the two and is located in the North of the island. Corralejo boasts its own Water Park (Baku) along with a host of other activities to keep children amused. There is also a wide variety of bars and restaurants and if you fancy a day out to Lanzarote then the ferry can be caught from Corralejo harbour.

The quieter of the two resorts, Caleta de Fuste, can be found on the East coast, conveniently only a 10 minute drive from the airport. Although not as busy as Corralejo, Caleta de Fuste still offers a wide range of bars, restaurants and nightclubs and being developed with children in mind provides lots of activities for the kids (and adults'!) to enjoy.

The beach in Caleta de Fuste is also man-made and makes a great place for kids to swim whilst mum and dad relax on the beach. Boat trips and water sports are available at the local harbour and the chance to feed the fish is available at the famous 'Floating Shop'.

Hiring a car for a day or two is essential to really appreciate how beautiful the island really is. Many of the 150 beaches are secluded so a car will be necessary and a drive up the mountains to enjoy the spectacular views should not be missed.

Accommodation on the island is mainly self catering apartments and villas however more and more hotels are being built to meet the ever increasing demand from visitors to the island.

With two Golf Courses, Water Park, Zoo and many more tourist attractions, Fuerteventura really is a great place to holiday.

Commercial electrical griddles are cooking kitchen appliances which are used to prepare diverse food things in large quantities. They are popularly used in bakeries, hotels and restaurants among other commercial food businesses. Besides preparing food stuff in large quantity, griddles are preferred for quicker cooking. This permits Chefs to avoid undesirable delays when cooking various foods. It is therefore important to note that they are essential equipment in commercial food marketplace.

There are unique types of electric griddles used in various food industries. As mentioned previously, these cooking gadgets are used where food is ready for commercial purpose. Some can be used in baking different stuffs. On the other hand, there are others that are made for specific food stuff. Choice in between the two appliances depends on buyer's needs. If an individual specializes in Providing baked breads, he or she may opt for specific griddle for this purpose only.

Some of the common commercial electric griddles include Cecilware, Star, Toastmaster, Wells and Magikitch'n among others. All these products are electric griddles for commercial cooking. However, they differ in several aspects such as size, design, ability and voltage level among other features. To ensure that all commercial cooking needs are catered for, they are manufactured in various fashions. This will allow buyers to choose the griddle that best suits his business. One is able to find the appliance that accommodates his business production ability.

Electric griddles are considered as hugely powerful cooking devices. They are suitable in fast cooking atmosphere. This is where elements of speed and accuracy matters a lot in sector productivity. These kitchen appliances have controllable thermostat. This permits customers to set the temperature to desired level thus controlling the cooking pace. The gadget also heats the cooking surface quickly and has no cold zones. It also heats the whole surface thus enabling the appliance to cook evenly.

Since the gadget has controllable thermostat, top quality cooking is therefore enhanced. This is simply because you are able to prepare your stuff at appealing rate. It also stops over heating of food stuff under preparation thus no wastage. Fast heating system of surface also enables the production rate to be high. This is essential aspect in commercial ventures. This enables one to meet the demands for the products and to satisfy market expectation in terms of excellent.

Most of electrical griddles are manufactured using quality supplies and advanced design. thick and smooth polished steel is used in making the griddle dishes. They are also fitted with stainless steel stands. This prevents the appliance from rust when it happens in get in touch with water. Splash guards and counter tops are also fitted effectively in the griddle. This prevents entry of contaminants into the cooking surface of this device.

To acquire suitable devices, it is important to consider several components. These include size of the appliance, voltage level, resources used and cost implication among other aspects. Size is decided by the production level and future expectation. Voltage of device has implication on energy consumption and energyfulness. It is advisable also to compare rates from various suppliers to get the most suitable commercial electrical griddle at reasonable cost.

Does anyone need Coaching? Personal Development and Life Coaching go hand-in-hand.

Goal setting is part of the process of personal Development and growth. Behind all of those methods, names and roads there is one Meta-goal - the search for meaning.

It is as if, we are climbing a huge mountain wanting to rich the top. When you get to the top or find the treasure you were looking for, or achieve your goal, the good feeling of accomplishment stays with you only for a short time. Then you are looking for another mountain to climb, another treasure to find, higher, bigger, more challenger... What gives the climbing the meaning is the experience on the way up.

On this uphill climb one meets himself and meets his God. He gets to know himself, his powers, fears, weakness, beliefs, spirits, and the spirit of God through the nature around him. He changes. All his experiences become integrated into his being. He does not stay the same person that he was at the beginning. That is to say, Self Development.

Like a story I've heard some years ago, about a man who built a new house. He took a famous architect that made him stunning house with amazing interior decoration. After the house was completed, he entered, looking around he thought: "This house is really more than I dreamt it would be". Standing in his new living room, he thought that something missing on the Bar. If I put a big Vase here, the house would be perfect. He had a mental picture of the Vase, and he decided that this Vase would be the only thing he would need to be complete and happy is his new home.

So, he began his journey to find the 'Perfect Vase'. He started at the Flee Market in his town - Nothing. Next, he visited a flee Market in another town. He saw many beautiful things, but he did not find 'his Vase'. He took a flight to India. "There I must find my Vase," he thought. He traveled across India for 6 months, meeting interesting people, being introduced to different tastes, smells, and sounds. But no Vase! He decided to leave India for China. Going through primitive villages, big town shops and Flee Markets - Nothing like the Vase, he had in his mind.

A year passed by, but he is not going to quite. He is obsessed to find 'his vase'. He kept going. After a year and a half, he got to the market of Marrakech. Enjoying the market atmosphere, making new friends, seating in coffee shops and smoking nargila, he almost forgot about the Vase, until one day, he saw in a corner stand, the exact vase as in his vision. He was so happy. He thought that he could now return home and his life would be perfect. He bought the vase, rapped it very carefully, and held it tight through the flight home. On his return, he ran inside, holding his breath - he placed this beauty on the empty place on the bar...

Then he took 3 steps back to absorb the sight - but it was so disappointing!!! He did not like it at all, it did not fit.

You see, going around the world, experiencing different cultures, tastes, smells, colors - he had changed. He was no longer the same person who left in the search for the Vase. He was changed.

Personal Growth is the result of one's pursues for his Dreams, passions and goals. From this perspective you can't fail!

Dreams, passions and goals are the means and the compass to one's unique road of experience, the road that will eventually lead to a sense of fulfillment and happiness.

What were meaningful few decades ago is not always relevant today. We have grown, the world has become a larger playground and the varieties of roads for people to find their meaning, are endless. That is why there is a room for so many consultants, coaches, mentors and trainers. Not only does a person need to choose the road, he also needs help to stay in focus. He needs to be educated on how to get to the place that he believes will ultimately ' give' him the meaning to his life.

To find your unique road, to stay on course, to overcome roadblocks, to be clear and focused in this Fuzzy world, with so many junctions and cross- roads, it is no wander that most people need a coach or/and a mentor! This is probably why coaching become so popular today.

In past days People had much less possibilities to choose from, life expectancy was much shorter and much less leisure time. Social expectations and norms were clear, the elders were the mentors, fathers coached their sons and teachers were respected as good consultants. Today, the traditional 'life guides' need guidance themselves!

That is why we all need some kind of a life coach. What do you think? Does anyone need a coach?

It's a Choice to Live With Intention

Living with intention is all about choice. It's about embracing that we are the supreme authorities over our lives and all our experiences. It's a tall order, so be gentle on yourself as you mull this idea over in your mind. Not many of us are willing to embrace the concept that all we have right now has been a product of all the thoughts we have had over our lifetime. Life is not about blame. Life's not about finding fault in our past behaviors or in the behaviors of others. Life is about living every experience you want to live and doing so in any way in which you choose to live it.

So how do we live on purpose and with intention?

We must decide to take full accountability for our lives and readily accept that the Law of Attraction is a Universal principle, scientifically proven and is always at work in our experiences. The Universe wants us to live our best life and is always unfolding and orchestrating all that needs to happen to bring about your desires.

It's up to you to identify these desires. You do this through the thoughts you think and the feelings you feel. Which one comes first-thoughts or feelings? Which comes first is less important to understand because the only thing you have complete control over is your own thoughts. Thoughts, subconscious or conscious, create the feeling, or vibrations, that attract the Universe's response. Be choosing thoughts that most serve you, you will also be creating the vibrations that attract all that serves you.

Three Step Formula for Living With Intention

1. Identify your desire.

2. Give your desire your attention and focus as often as possible throughout your day.

3. Allow your desire to manifest in your life.

What do you Desire?

Discovering what you truly desire takes a bit of intentional thought and effort. We all have many dreams--some which come into our thoughts but often quickly go, and others that we can feel in the very core of our beings. When we think of our desires, we feel good. When we focus on what we want-and if it's what we truly desire-we will feel the goodness of that desire reverberating in our souls. Be precise about what you want and when you want it. Be as specific as possible about your desires. If you want more abundance in your life, how much do you want? If you want to create a healthier and more fit body, how much weight do you want to lose-and by when? If you desire an intimate and loving relationship, describe all the attributes you would like to have in that person-and when would you life to meet him or her?

Give Attention to Your Desire.

Take time every day; take the time to do this multiple times each day or whenever possible and give positive focus to your desire. The Universe only responds to what we give focus to. By being clear about what you want, you can give it the proper attention that will vibrationally align with you having it in your experience.

"The Law of Attraction responds to whatever vibration you are sending by giving you more of it, whether it's positive or negative. It simply responds to your vibration." Michael Losier

Allow it.

So often we confuse the Universe by all our demands about what we "want." By not deliberately thinking thoughts that serve you, thoughts that may be a detriment will invade your mind. It has been suggested that we experience more than 2,000 thoughts each minute with 80% of them being the same thoughts (or slight variations of those thoughts) as we had yesterday. Unfortunately, 90% of our thoughts have a negative vibration-allowing us to think about all the things we don't want, rather than what we do. By curbing the negative thinking and intentionally thinking thoughts that serve your higher good, you will create new neuro pathways in your brain that will allow positive thoughts to travel more consistently. Allow the good to flow from your positive thoughts-be aware when something good happens in your life, whether it be large or small. Gratitude is the attitude of abundance and by being grateful you will be vibrationally aligned.

Often before we can truly understand what we want, we must first know what we don't want. Knowing this is sometimes an easier place to start for people who want to live intentionally-we habitually speak of the things we don't want-and of course, the Universe responds to our point of focus and brings to us exactly that: all that we DON'T want. There is clarity through contrast.

Exercise: Understanding What You Desire.

Take out a large piece of paper, preferably a legal sized piece and a pen. On the top of the page, write the title:

Living With Intention: Understanding ALL the things you DON'T want in your life.

Then, find yourself a place where you will be uninterrupted for a minimum of 15 minutes. Set a timer if you need to because you want to sit for at least 15 minutes for this exercise. Number your page all the way to the bottom. Write the numbers 1-50 along the left side of the paper, making two columns if needed.

Now, with no filters-just a free flow of consciousness, write ALL the things you don't want in your life as it pertains to your area of desire. If you find you have run out of "don't wants" before the 15 minutes is up, stay in thought until something else comes up or until your time is finished.

Examples of things you don't want: (Desire is to have more money.)

1. Don't want to pay my bills late.

2. Don't want to receive calls from creditors

3. Don't want to see an empty savings account

4. Don't want to answer calls from creditors

5. Don't want to watch what I spend

6. Don't want to say no to my kids

7. Don't want to only eat in cheaper restaurants

8. Don't want to budget my grocery list

9. Don't want to pay late fees

10. Don't want to feel broke

11. Don't want to order meals on price alone

12. Don't want to work overtime to pay my bills

You get the point. Keep writing about all the things you don't want in your life. When you think you have written down ALL the "don't wants", flip the paper over to Side B.

Side B: Things I do want in my life.

To fill out this side you have to be very clear on what it is you do want. As you write your list in the same, free flowing style you did for Side A, write for the entire 15 minutes.

Once you have finished Side B, go back to the first part of the exercise and begin crossing off the contrasting statements. For example: If on Side B you wrote: "I want to feel wealthy" you would cross off #10 on Side A: "I don't want to feel broke."

Once you have crossed off as many as you can, review your list on Side A to see what still remains. Turn over to Side B and write-for that particular "don't want" from Side A that wasn't crossed off-a sentence about what you DO want. For example: If you notice that # 11 on Side A remains not crossed out, then on Side B, writes something like: "I dine at the finest restaurants and always order exactly what I want."

When you have finished this exercise, revisit my blog site for the next step in your journey of Living On Purpose and with Intention. In the upcoming article, I will discuss how you will write your ideal Desire Statement.

Until next time, be aware of what you are including in your vibrational bubble and if it does not serve your highest good, choose a different thought by verbalizing a statement that will serve you.

"You are a creator; you create with your every thought. You often create by default, for you are getting what you are giving your attention to wanted or unwanted but you know by how it feels if what you are getting is what you are wanting or if it is not what you are wanting." -Abraham Hicks

To work with me in one of my various opportunities, please send me an email to my gmail account: influenceyourrealitynow or click on any of the links below to take you to my individual sites which will better help you understand how you, too, can begin to live abundantly and create the life of your dreams.

Best Wishes for all your successes,

Jessica Smith

Among the many benefits of a vehicle tracking system is its ability to track any vehicles or assets important to a company. Since you have spent a lot of money not only on your business, but also on your vehicles. Thus, you surely want to know they are well protected and wellbeing used for your business all the time. And to track all this you need a tracker that can monitor all your vehicles in real-time and provide you up to date information all the time.

A vehicle tracking system will provide all the information regarding your vehicles' current location, speed, etc which can be essential for efficient asset management. Let us find out how a tracking system or tracker can help you prevent the misuse of your valuable company assets.

1. Bad driving behavior - Many drivers have bad driving habits such as hard braking, rapid acceleration, and high-speed that can risk your vehicles as well as the drivers' life. Either of this could be painful for a company. Bad driving behavior can also lead to high fuel consumption that can affect your overall company budget. But, you can prevent all this by monitoring driving behavior with the help of tracker and take the desired actions as and when required.

2. Fuel consumption - If your company issues some kind of cards, mostly credit cards, to drivers to purchase fuel, then make sure your drivers are purchasing fuels only for your own company vehicles. To keep track of this, you can integrate your card with the vehicle tracking system. Thus, you will be updated about the use of card and its purpose and location from where the fuel was purchased.

3. PTO events - PTO monitoring can help you improve your service. If your vehicles are being used in non-working hours or when it is not required, you receive an alert message. You can also see red flags if your workers are not doing their jobs properly on site. This is most important if you are managing a large number of vehicles and you don't have much time in finding who is doing what.

4. Time management - While purchasing vehicle tracking system, your prime goal is to provide better service to your customers which can only be possible if you have proper time management. If you have accurate estimates of arrival and departure times of your vehicles, you will know when a vehicle should reach a destination and make commitments accordingly to your customers. This is important to gain trust of your customers and make more profits in business. A tracker can help you make most accurate estimates of a vehicle leaving the source, distance to travel, and the time required to reach the destination.

Australia is a big country and it boasts of many sights for those seeking great adventure tours. However, if you are planning to experience the best of the country, then you ought to consider going to Whitsundays especially during the holidays.

Australian holidays are usually celebrated by going to memorial sites or embarking on an adventure travel. What makes Whitsundays a perfect place is that it has great sunny weather all year round. This is the reason why a lot of people visit the place during the winter holidays to escape the cold weather.

There are lots of things to do in Whitsundays. Fortunately, there are lots of tour operators in the region that offer different kinds of adventure tour packages to various types of tourists. Moreover, if you love the beach, then visiting Whitsunday is definitely for you.

The drop off point of Whitsunday is Airlie Beach. This beach is a wide expanse of white sand that stretches for several kilometers. The beach also offers the best view to the many small islands that dot along its coasts.

While in Airlie Beach, you can arrange your accommodation from high class beach hotel resorts to backpackers' inns and head off to the beach to do some swimming, sightseeing or sunbathing.

To enjoy your Australian holidays further, you can also participate in the many water activities offered in Airlie Beach. Whitsunday is popular for its sailing trip so you need to try it out if you want to fully experience your Whitsunday travel adventure. Aside from sailing, you can also take on other water activities such as kayaking, snorkeling, island hopping and scuba diving. What makes Whitsunday great is that it serves as the jump off point to those who want to get a glimpse of the majestic Great Barrier Reef.

Now if you are now such a beach lover than most people, then there are also other things that you can do to enjoy your holiday vacation in Whitsunday. Aside from the rich seascape, Whitsunday also has lush forest vegetation so you can go on a hiking trip and visit some important memorial sites in the region.

There are simply a lot of things to do in order for you to enjoy your Whitsunday adventure holiday. Fortunately, there are lots of tour operators in the region that can help arrange the most unforgettable vacation that you will have in your lifetime.

If you are planning to travel in Myanmar, there are certain things you need to know in order to have a safe and fun-filled trip. Like any other countries in the Southeast Asian region, this particular destination is home to historical and significant tourist spots and wonderful things to do.

Myanmar: A Short Info

Myanmar is also known as Burma. This country is bordered by China, Bangladesh, India, Thailand, and Laos. Covering an area of 678,500 square kilometers, it is considered as the second largest country in the Southeast Asian region. Myanmar is home to various ethnic groups which include Chinese, Mon, Indian, Karen, Bamar, and Rakhine. In terms of climate, the country has three primary seasons that include rainy season, cold season, and hot season. From March to May, the local people and travelers experience hot season while during June to October, rainy season is evident. On the other hand, cold season is experienced during November to February.

Travel in Myanmar - Where to Go

Mandalay - Do not miss your chance to visit one of the most visited places in the country. Mandalay is the second largest metropolitan of Myanmar. In this city, you can visit the second largest pilgrimage site in the country, known as Maha Myat Muni Paya. This Buddha statue is a 4 meter high landmark which is made of gold and precious jewels. Aside from this, you may also visit the beautiful Sandamuni Paya. This particular tourist spot is situated at the foot of Mandalay Hill. Another famous landmark in the city is the Mandalay Hill. This particular hill measures 230 meters and it is where you can find various temples and monasteries.

Bagan - Another city which you should visit is the city of Bagan. This particular city is home to various pagodas, monasteries, and Buddhist temples. Notable cultural places in Bagan are Ananda Temple, Bupaya Pagoda, Dhammayangyi Temple, Gawdawpalin Temple, Htilominlo Temple, Mahabodhi Temple, Mingalazedi Pagoda, and Myazedi inscription.

Yangon - This city will not disappoint you if you are looking for various landmarks to visit. Visit the famous Shwedagon Pagoda, Botataung Pagoda, and Sule Pagoda. If you are looking for museums, pay a visit to the National Museum, Myanmar Gems Museum, and The Planetarium.

Travel Tips: Important Things You Should Know

When you travel in Myanmar, you can visit various tourist spots which show the rich culture of the country itself. Since the country has a conservative Buddhist culture, make sure you dress properly when you visit temples and other religious tourist spots in the country. Miniskirts and other revealing clothing can be offensive.

Myanmar is home to various cultural and religious festivals. Ananda Pagoda Festival, Kachin Manaw Festival, Naga New Year's Festival, and Mahamuni Pagoda Festival are just a few of the festivals that are held annually in Myanmar. In this connection, you will have a more fun-filled travel experience if you are knowledgeable about the calendar of festivals in Myanmar.

If you are thinking of a comfortable accommodation in Myanmar, you don't need to worry at all. Various hotels are found in the country which range from the luxurious type to the most affordable option.

The various marketing channels a business uses to draw new customers differ from company to company. Target demographic, products and services offered, and physical location all play a part in determining which types of marketing will be the most successful. There are many traditional and modern channels to choose from, the success of which depends on the individual needs of a company.

Traditional

For some businesses, tried-and-true traditional advertising methods are the best. Print ads and direct mail are two useful venues for businesses with known reputations and prominent locations. Small ads in local newspapers are perfect for small businesses looking to attract new customers while larger businesses may be able to afford multiple-page inserts announcing weekly specials.

In-store events are another surefire way to attract customers to a brick-and-mortar location. Limited-time deals associated with holidays or grand openings draw people into the store and entice them to make purchases they may have putt off before due to budget concerns.

Web-Based

By now, most businesses recognize the importance of having an online presence. The most basic Internet marketing channel is a business website. In addition to including location and contact information in a prominent place on every page, a website should offer high-quality content that interests customers and draws the attention of search engines to improve visibility in organic search results.

Social media remains a hot marketing venue as well. Potential customers are always on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social sites, sharing information and seeking out new products. Establishing a solid social media presence allows businesses to reach beyond the limits of print advertising and tap into a vast group of diverse customers all over the world.

Growing Trends

The use of mobile devices continues to grow as new Smartphone and tablet models flood the market. This has made mobile marketing a viable channel for many businesses. Customers no longer make purchases solely from home-based PCs. Instead, they're using their devices to help make buying decisions while they're out and about. Offering accessible, secure mobile sites to this growing group means being able to sell more products in the modern market.

Location-based marketing helps attract customers who are already in the area. Restaurants, cafes and other businesses that rely on foot traffic can reach out to people who are traveling nearby and offer discounts, coupons and promotions through mobile apps such as Foursquare.

Choosing the right marketing channels involves research into potential customer bases as well as trial and error. Businesses should look at market trends, competitors' methods, and customer behavior before choosing the type of marketing to invest in. Finding a few tried and true channels and sticking with them will help build a loyal customer base over time.

For many families, taking vacations is not something that happens too often. If you are raising your family on a tight budget, getting away from home is likely to be a luxury that no one is expecting. Your next family vacation can be fun for everyone and can be as worry free as possible, if you plan accordingly.

Your hope is that all of your loved ones will enjoy themselves when you are away from home. You want the trip to the destination you select to appeal to everyone. You want rest, relaxation, fun and a smooth travel experience.

You know how much money you have to work with for the getaway, right? If you do not, that is the first thing you must do in planning a family vacation. Devise a budget plan that is tailored to the specific needs that you have. Whether you decide to go camping, rent a cottage by the beach, go visit in-laws, or go skiing, you need a plan for your money.

Write up a detailed plan for the financial aspects of your journey. Figure in all aspects of your trip. You need to think about your mode of transportation, your accommodations, food, and entertainment. Once you have written up a plan and you have fine-tuned it to include everything you need, put it into action. Make sure that you stick to it while on the family vacation. It is no good to spend time creating a budget if you do not follow it.

Advance preparation is very important when planning a getaway for your household. Figure out how much you can realistically afford to spend on a trip and who will be going. You then need to decide when you would like to travel and where you would like your travels to take you. Also, give your kids a budget for themselves that they should aim for. They can save a percentage of their allowance to prepare for the family vacation. This will help them to develop responsibility and play a role in the trip preparations. This will boost their spirits and get them excited about the upcoming voyage.

Take a coffee can, a jar, or some other container and use that to save your loose change for your trip. You may wish to give your children a separate container so that they can save their fun money on their own. This will make them proud of the efforts they are making in contributing to the family excursion. You may be surprised how fast you are able to accumulate savings for your journey.

Use the Internet to help you to look for bargains and deals, on everything from airfare to car rentals to hotels to special packages. Packaged trips, such as those that are all-inclusive, can be easier on the family budget because they merge the cost of everything- lodging, entertainment, and food.

Many countries engage in some form of internet censorship, whether it is in the form of banning an online community or a full-blown censoring of popular websites such as YouTube or Wikipedia. Internet censorship is defined as "control or suppression of the publishing or accessing of information on the Internet." Countries vary in how strict or lax the control is over the Internet, but even the most lax countries still target certain websites such as religion-related sites or social networking sites, and ban them accordingly. The censoring of the Internet has brought about different resources for accessing restricted sites, mainly in the form of circumventors, such as anonymous proxy servers.

In 2006, Reporters without Borders published a list of 13 Enemies of the Internet including: Belarus, Burma, China, Cuba, Egypt, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. These countries practice the most extreme form of Internet censorship and often retaliate against citizens who violate censorship laws. The OpenNet Initiative (ONI) also uses a classification system and categorizes countries as pervasive, substantial, nominal, and watchlist. Pervasive includes countries that practice the most extreme cases of censorship, especially banning websites with political content. Many of the Internet users can be certain to face imprisonment for even visiting these websites. A partial list of nations in this category includes: Iran, Burma, and China. Substantial includes countries such as: South Korea, Yemen, and Saudi Arabia. Nominal countries include: Australia, Canada, and India. Watchlist countries include: Morocco, Norway and Russia.

Another method for classification is based on what content is blocked by certain countries. Websites classified as "political" include content that strays from the political view of the government. This category also includes human rights, religion, or other social causes that restrictive governments attempt to control. "Social" sites are related to sexuality, gambling, drugs and other subjects that could be deemed as "offensive" by a nation. The "conflict/security" category focuses on sites that relate to wars/skirmishes, dissent, or other types of conflicts. The "internet tools" classification includes websites used to circumvent censorship, anonymous proxy surfing, language translation websites, or sites that promote the use of Instant Messaging or E-mail services. Countries may block some or all of these types of websites, depending on the content and the strictness of the regime.

Aside from restrictive governments, many companies censor and monitor the Internet in their offices. Most websites are blocked that are considered leisure, and not related to the employees' working environment. IT departments may block certain domains or track the Internet usage because employees have no reason to be using certain websites during office hours. Again, circumventors and other such software can be used to gain access to blocked websites, but IT departments are quick to act so that they can stop the more popular proxy sites from being used.

Internet censoring also comes in other forms such as portal censorship or online community moderation. Portal censoring is basically when a portal, such as of Google, excludes websites that would, under normal circumstances, be included in a search. The portals may censor sites for a number of different reasons, particularly when required by law. The censored sites are basically hidden and made invisible to an average user. The other from of censorship comes from moderators or administrators of online communities blocking content that they feel should not be posted in their forums, or that do not follow the forum's rules and guidelines.

While governments and businesses are restricting the way people use the Internet, new methods are always being created to circumvent restrictions and gain access to censored websites. With many restrictive governments using imprisonment as a method to implement censorship, it is becoming more important to be able to circumvent the censors. A popular method for circumventing blocks is The Onion Router, also known as TOR. This service allows users to stay invisible against traffic analysis by bouncing the network connection over various gateways around the world. Users do not have direct access to the site they visit, instead they are sent through a series of connections, called relays. The relays are individually encrypted and sent along to the next gateway until it reaches the exit node and the user can then see the website that was requested. A third method for circumventing blocks is Java Anon Proxy, commonly referred to as JAP, which allows users to choose which network, run by independent organizations, to surf through. Once chosen, the data stream is scrambled and mixed with other users' data streams so that anyone trying to steal or restrict the data flow is confused by the muddled stream they see. Psiphon software was directly created to circumvent the tight Internet censorship of countries such as China and Cuba. The traffic between clients and servers is encrypted as the data is being transferred. Users in countries with tight censorship can log in and send a request to a server located in another country to gain access to blocked websites. Another method called sneakernets allows people to transfer electronic data, such as computer files, by manually carrying them on portable storage devices, such as USB drives or CDs. This method could also be used in conjunction with other methods, since the encrypted data can be sent as usual but the encryption keys could be delivered by sneakernet. Regardless of government restrictions and censorship, this data can be moved freely since it does not travel over a network at all. One of the most popular methods to access censored content is by using anonymous proxy servers. These are usually the easiest to find and use, since they can be found in abundance by doing a simple Google or Yahoo search. Anonymous surfing software and websites allow a user to hide their IP address and surf freely. A good proxy will also encrypt your connection so that anyone trying to spy on the flow of data will not be able to see what is being sent and received.

Internet censorship varies in seriousness depending on the country or business, but ultimately a user's privacy rights are being taken away by tight controls over Internet usage. Many different services are available to help a user take back their privacy and avoid being censored or spied on by restrictive agencies. A user should always be familiar with their surroundings and know how extreme or lax the Internet usage policies are before implementing any of the anonymous surfing services. Policies will be different and range dramatically depending on location so knowing the environment is important to staying protected while surfing the Internet.

Before going deeper into the origins of the Cuban hotel trade, we have to mention certain aspects of the Cuban history that characterized the opening of the first hotels in Cuba.

It was not until 1762, when Havana was taken by the English that the free trade with other countries started. The English left the island around the second half of 1763 in an exchange of lands with the Spaniards, who possessed Florida, but things would not change much for the rich Cuban people in the sense of trading with other nations. From that period on, Havana became a more prosperous city than ever and in 1818 it was already a free port.

It can be supposed that the flow of visitors to Cuba increased a lot as compared with the past and the lodging capacities were not enough. There were only some inns and boarding houses that were not suitable in the sense of accommodation and services for the traveler.

It was then that the first true hotels in Havana appeared. They were no longer mere lodgings and started to offer services that made the guests' stay more pleasant. New concepts were put into practice, for instance: to offer to the guests the new technical advances that the city enjoyed already.

As an example of this, we can mention the Telegrafo (Telegraph) Hotel founded in 1860 which is considered the oldest extant hotel in Cuba at present. This hotel, although in a different place from today, was located in one of the most popular corners of the city at that moment, Prado and Neptuno. In time, the Telegrafo Hotel would offer an excellent communication service with phones in every room and its own telegraphic service.

Next to the Telegrafo there was the Inglaterra (England) Hotel, also one of the oldest in Cuba. This hotel offered, for the first time, the service "a la carte". Before that, even though there was a restaurant and even the choice of trying good Spanish wines, clients had not had the opportunity to choose what they ate.

Among the firsts hotels built in Cuba is the Santa Isabel, founded in 1867 by an American man. He established it next to the Templete (Shrine) at The Arms Square, in the heart of the old city and afterwards he enlarged it to the former palace of the Santovenia Count where it still offers its fineness to the tourists visiting Havana.

The Santa Isabel was considered the best hotel of the city. It had big airy rooms, restaurant service, etc. The additional advantage of this hotel was the fact that the ladies were assisted by a staff of their same sex, that is to say, the hotel had maid service, something still unknown in Cuba. Besides that, the knowledge of the English language was introduced among the employees, a fact that increased its prestige within the emerging hotel business rivalry.

Another hotel that called the attention because of the exclusivity of its services during the last decades of the 19th century was the Miramar hotel, which no longer exists in our days. It was located just at the exit of the Havana bay in Malecon and Prado. This hotel was the first to establish that the waiters had to wear tuxedo and the employees were not allowed to have moustaches.

With the end of the Spanish rule over the island in 1898 and the establishment of the Republic, the hotel trade horizons widened considerably. The growth of the city and its increased urban assessment that intended to open to the modern world, as well as the increase of the Cuban bourgeoisie economic welfare, made possible the construction of new hotel facilities. But sometimes they did not fit the aspirations of certain guests and it was necessary to have a hotel that would please them, it was built then...the first luxury hotel.

The first hotel that had the requirements demanded at that time to be considered luxurious was the Sevilla hotel, founded in 1908. This hotel and the disappeared Almendares Hotel were the only luxurious hotels in Havana until 1930, when the National Hotel was built. We have already talked about this last one in our blog.

At the same time that the world interest on knowing the beauty of the island was growing, attracting a lot of visitors every year, there were other historical events that contributed to the hotel construction in Cuba to a great extent.

One of them was the approval by President Mario Garcia Menocal in 1919 of a law that legalized gambling for tourism purposes. The other one was the establishment in the United States of "The Prohibition" for almost 20 years. By that time, rum, the roulette, gambling and horse racing bets, the Jai Alai and cock fights, made the tourists' stay in Cuba very pleasant. As a result, on that period many hotels were built in Havana. We can mention among them the Palace and the Presidente (The President) in Vedado, and the Ambos Mundos (Both Worlds) and the Florida in the oldest part of the city.

But none of the prosperous periods in the island lasted long. The hotel infrastructure was left behind and there are records by the end of the 40's of last century that evidence it. There were a lot of lodging facilities in the capital and hardly any in the rest of the country. As an interesting fact to understand the above, we may say that the lodging capacity in Cuba at that time was about 5 800 rooms, of which 4000 were in the capital. In Matanzas province, including the afterwards famous beach resort of Varadero, there are records of only 504 rooms. Besides, most of them were old fashioned and inadequate as reported in a Presidential Bill of May, 1948. The building of new facilities was stagnant, in spite of the fact that the number of tourists increased considerably each year. A new turning point on the situation was the arrival to power of Fulgencio Batista in 1952.

At the beginning of the 50's, Cuba was more open to The Mafia interests who had taken control of gambling in the United States. It was the second time that gambling and the hotel trade coincided. If in the 20's it was intended to convert Cuba in the Montecarlo of America, now the reference was closer. The Mafia had plans to turn Havana into Las Vegas, the American city that had become a giant casino.

In 1959 the Cuban Hotel Directory registered the existence of 125 hotels with a total capacity of 7 728 rooms. Among them the St John's opened in March 1957, the Riviera opened in December of the same year, the current Habana Libre in March 1958 and the Deauville hotel that started to function in July 1958. Besides those, the National Hotel, the Comodoro and the Plaza were renovated. It would be good to point out that the foreign investment internevened only in the construction of the Varadero International hotel ,the Riviera and the Deauville. The others were built entirely with Cuban capital even though their management was given afterwards to American entities.

The Mafia had so many plans in Cuba and in Havana that they included the building of hotels, casinos and entertainment centers all along the Malecon ( sea wall ), so that avenue would be like an inner street between two hotel lines. Fortunately the project to combine gambling with the development of the hotel trade in Cuba, as it is known, could not be carried out because of the triumph of the Revolution in January 1st, 1959 . Nevertheless , at that moment, arriving at its one hundred anniversary, the city hotel trade counted with more than 50 hotels, four of them luxury hotels.

With the revolutionary process in power, and because it depended mostly on the American visitors, tourism decayed considerable and the leisure industry in Cuba went into a crisis. During the 90,s the tourist sphere in Cuba started to recover because the Cuban state recognized undeniable values of exploiting the international tourism as a way to support a country's inner economy. During those years started then the last stage ( still in course ) of the hotel trade in the largest of the Antilles, impulsing the building of modern competitive hotels all along the country. Nowadays, hotels are built wherever there were natural resources that could became a tourist attraction whether it is near or far from Havana. Thanks to the increase of the hotel facilities after the 90's, Cuba is again among the favorite world destinations when one thinks of spending his holidays

Shanghai is among the most popular and preferred destination by tourists in China. This city has a modern look due to the many developmental projects that have been designed and realized in Shanghai during the past few years. Tourists who visit Shanghai will not be disappointed, as there are modern hotels, high-rise buildings and highways in this part of the country. Despite of this, the city has not lost its unique culture, which makes this place even more attractive for visitors, who would like to feel Chinese culture during their vacation.

Tourists who would like to opt for the Shanghai tours arranged by travel agents should necessarily include a few places of a special importance, without which their tours will be considered incomplete. One of these special places is the Yu Yuan Gardens, which is located in the so called Old Town. Also known as a Garden of Peace and Comfort, this place is able to provide you with the required peace away from the busy life. For those who still want to meet locals and buy souvenirs, 30 pavilions are located there to meet their needs. Just a little distance from there is located an ancient temple called the Grand Rockery that is another major attraction that should be seen.

Another attractive sight in Shanghai is the famous Jin Mao Towers that can offer a stunning panorama of the whole city. Those who would like to rest can take advantage of the bar located on the last floor and those who still have not found accommodation for the night, may stay in this tower.

One of the most popular tourist places to visit in Shanghai is a place called the Bund, which is waterfront district. It dates from the 1800's and was formerly a commercial city center. Here tourists will find truly amazing colonial structures and impressive architecture, which reveal the city appearance in the past centuries.

Those who would like to find some great place to eat and enjoy traditional Chinese food can go to the Xin Tian Di district that has a lot to offer. Many popular restaurants and various activities can be found here. This place is divided into two parts, north and south, and the south region is more contemporary.

People's Square is another attraction tourists must visit during their Shanghai tour. This beautiful place is like a park for relaxing with a large green area surrounded by large trees.

It is impossible to imagine a tour in Shanghai without visiting some local temples and monasteries. Such place is Jade Buddha Temple where visitors can see inside the Jade Buddha. Tourists can also visit the beautiful fountain that plays music. Those who want to buy birds, fish or plants can do that in a Bird and Flower Market.

There are a lot of things to do and to see in this interesting and even inscrutable city. Various Shanghai tour packages are available for tourists who come here for the first time or who decide to revisit this beautiful place.

Social Networking websites as we all know are viral, Facebook, twitter and many others play an important role in connecting us with people today. Our lives are so affected by these websites, and people who are connected through this almost spend about half hour a day on their desired networking website. These websites influence us in many ways such as lifestyle, we see many people from all over the world, and learn the way they live, they travel, they party and many other things, through their profiles, pictures. This influence is not only limited to lifestyle but other things such as music taste, preference of educational institutions, and many other things relating to our daily life.

Social Networking websites have turned out to be a great media to connect with people, may it be person to person or from a person to mass of people, and just like any other media such as T.V, Newspaper has turned out to be a great channel for commercial advertising so did these websites. Social Networking websites are a great way to advertise, turning out to be a great component in an internet marketing strategy, it is easy to access, and it's easy to spread content through it. Now, this has turned out to be such a useful media that companies rather than pitching for their products online give more importance to maintaining their pages and groups on Facebook. Groups owned by the companies are a way to connect them to their followers, just for an example, if Puma has a group of them on Facebook, people who like puma as their brand would join that group. This practice helps brands in the way that if there would be people who don't follow puma, but by seeing that brand appear in an attractive way on their friend's profile, would persuade them to try it out for once at least. This is how the brand following increases, but this is just a single way of advertising; there are many other ways of advertising suitable for companies of any size or budgets, and most of them don't even require costs, just a bit of time.

Majorly your popularity on a social media depends upon the quality and quantity of content you provide. On social media the advertising is not in the way it is done on other media, there is no sales pitch over here, don't sell, and just interact. If you want to achieve great popularity easily, you can take help of an SEO reseller. They can also provide you quality content for your social media; this is just like any other media, except the content has to be more personalized.

Social media endures a grave importance in any internet marketing strategy, its cost effective, provides you a great audience, and is the most used platform for any sort of interaction.

Have you ever given thought to the question 'Who are you?' Clearly if someone asked me this question at a party I may retort that I am 'state my name'. My tendency may be in letting them know where I am from, the work that I do, and the things I am involved with. All of the typical responses that I may reply with would not even scratch the surface of who I am. My counterpart would most likely receive plenty of information on what occupies my time.

In leisurely discussions, this type of response is customary, its generally accepted and expected, and it can make for interesting conversation. In posing the question here, I am asking something much deeper. I am asking you to consider who you are regardless of what you do. I am asking you to look beneath the skin, to examine your soul and find out what fills your life with joy and excitement. To uncover what it is that makes you tick. This article discusses the importance of discovering who you are, and offers a simple tool for bringing your qualities and values to the forefront of your attention.

Why is this an important question?

There are millions of people around the world that don't take the time to consciously consider the question 'who am I'. In the 21st century, the average person has become busier and busier with work, household chores, driving the children to and from soccer practice, traveling, going to school, filling every minute not only because our life demands it, but also because we feel genuinely bored when we do not have activity packed into every moment of the day. If you've other read articles on this website in the past you've undoubtedly heard me say that we've shifted our lives from being to doing.

Now, many function just fine in this paradigm. However, in many cases people experience an unfortunate lack of depth and meaning as they passively accept what life hands out rather than actively creating a life in alignment with who they are. Collectively our level of fulfillment is inadequate. Knowing the answer to the question 'Who am I' is the foundation from which meaning in life sprouts. Determining this may give the spark to make fundamental changes in the structure of your life, or it may simply be the catalyst to view the actions you take in a different light.

Essential to our nature is leading a life that is congruent with who we are. This is where our passions lie, this is where our excitement is, and this is the life that will provide us with the greatest amount of success (most often personally and financially). The following tool can help you learn more about who you are on the inside.

Tool: Determining who you are on the inside

Step 1 - the 5 questions

Sit in a quiet place free of distractions. Have a pen and clean sheet of paper available. Ask yourself each of the following questions and write out a detailed response to each. Give yourself adequate time to respond - if the answers do not come quickly, take the time to consider the question and dig deep. This is meaningful work and these are big steps. If the timing is not right, take a break and do it at another time.

• What brings me to tears because something touched my heart? (or maybe it was when you felt compelled to cry but you held back). Write down at least 5 examples of such situations.
• What do I find exciting and fun? Again, write down 5 examples of the things you love to do.
• Who inspires me to do my best at what I am doing? Write down 5 or more examples. What qualities do they bring out in me?
• What do I appreciate the most in others? Write down 5 or more things that you truly admire.
• What do I want to be remembered for when my days have been passed? Spend a few moments and reflect upon the perfect eulogy. Write down at least 5 key points.

Now that you've answered the questions above, step outside of the deep soul searching and let yourself take a light breath of fresh air. You've taken a big step in uncovering who you are and now you are ready to have some fun with this.

Imagine that you are an employer looking for a new hire based on 'Who they are'. You have received a resume for an eligible candidate and you have been handed the sheet of paper that you have just created. Your job is to create a summary sheet for your co-workers listing all of the qualities you see on this resume. Remember, you have not met the applicant yet.

Go through each of the questions and answers above and list out the qualities you observe or can infer from what has been written on paper without giving the reasons why you've identified that quality. It may look something like this:

Qualities for the applicant (me):

• caring
• dedicated
• reliable
• values family
• loving
• capable
• action oriented
• humorous
• tolerant
• etc etc etc.

As the hiring manager you have created a long list of qualities you feel this employee most likely has based on the resume provided. You are not certain of the qualities, but you are fairly confident your list is accurate. The president of the company decides that he'd personally like to oversee the process and has asked for a summary of each of the applicants. He tells you to go back and create a list of no more than 8 qualities for each employee such that he can review all the applicants quickly himself.

You know this wont be easy, but your job is to narrow the list. You can do this by combining similar values into one, or by creating a new value that best describes the grouping you've established.

There's one other thing you can do at this point, you can call the applicant, let them know what you've been doing, and ask them which best represents them. Together, the hiring manager and your true self can come up with the ideal list.

Completing the Process

The final list you develop is a blueprint of who you are on the inside. You've asked yourself difficult questions, you've called upon your inner guides to help bring clarity to the process, and you have established a short list of the qualities that hold the most meaning and value to you. Throughout this process you have not looked at what you do, you've been looking at who you are.

Become familiar with this list. Read it daily for a month. Use it as your guide, as a framework from which to make decisions. Use it as your map to align the actions you take with the person that you are.

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It's difficult not to fall in love with the tropics - sunny beaches, pearly white sands, refreshing breeze, relaxing ambiance, and those cool structures called Bali huts. Who would look forward to saying goodbye to all these things? If there's a way to take them all with you when you go back to the city, you will perhaps not hesitate to do so.

It may be wishful thinking to pack that sandy beach and those palm trees, but you can take delight in knowing that you can have one tropical hut right in your own backyard. Bali huts will best remind you of what it's like to be in a paradise island. You can even get more creative and add more fixtures that will give you the same comfortable and relaxing feeling that you had when you went to that memorable island vacation with your family.

Placing a hammock in your Bali hut will be a great idea. It will make an ideal place to lie down with a good book or a glass of a cold and refreshing drink. If you want to get more comfortable, a bed made of native materials will be perfect to complement your thatch hut. This way, you and the rest of the family can sleep the afternoon away.

A regular "night out" in the garden can be a good bonding time for the family especially when you have a Bali hut that can accommodate a dining table and a few chairs. The outdoor ambiance can set the right mood for each family member to catch up on the latest news about each other or share some stories. Instead of cooking in the kitchen, have some grilled foods and barbecue to keep everyone busy for an outdoor dinner. These are typical beach activities that you can do right in your own garden.

Now if you are in the habit of inviting friends over for a small get-together party, you can place a bar inside your Bali hut and turn it into an ideal place to socialize and entertain visitors. If you're not into social drinking, turning your hut into an extended living area would be a good idea as well. Decorate the place and add useful furniture, fans, radio, and even a television. Your imagination is the limit. Accessorize with related items like shells and pictures of starfish to get constant reminder of the pristine beaches you have visited.

Having a Bali hut in your garden or backyard need not be difficult to achieve. You can easily find huts that have been pre-assembled and pre-built, ready for shipment any time if you wish to order. However, these units can be more expensive so be sure to check your budget if you plan on getting this type of hut.

Another option, which is the more cost-efficient alternative, is to build the hut via DIY kits. They come with assembly instructions so there is no complex measuring or cutting procedures that will be required of you aside from putting all the parts together.

Bali huts will always be able to remind you of those beautiful island holidays. Now there's no need to travel very far to get the same feeling of comfort and relaxation because you can always have one of these lovely huts in your garden.

Small businesses could target doubling sales with effective use of useful business apps for Android, iPhone and other Smart Phones. They can do marketing and selling through mobile apps, which would help them reach an ever-increasing population of internet visitors looking for exactly what the business has to offer. The fact that people are becoming highly attached to their Smartphones signifies an opportunity of connecting with them through their mobile phones. Every person you see has his or her phone with him or her almost all the time. Hence, communicating with them is much faster when you do it through mobile media.

The use of mobile phones is further enhanced with the presence of powerful business apps. Many functions which could only be traditionally done using a desktop personal computer, are now possible with apps installed on mobile phones. Sending an email, for example, which was only possible using a computer before, is now possible with smart cell phones. As long as you are connected to the Internet, you can do a lot more than the basic functions with your phone. You can update your customers with your latest products or services through email. With your small business apps, you can directly send a notification containing information about your latest promotional offers.

Apps, in reality, are becoming very applicable for the development of small businesses. They are among those tools that are very convenient and effective to use without worrying about the costs involved in acquiring them. Though some might not be free, you will be guaranteed with prices that are friendly to your budget.

Ten of the Most Popular Small Business Apps

Here are the top ten small business apps that every entrepreneur must consider using:

1. Evernote - this is an app that can be better than a secretary. Instead of having someone to write down all your important notes, you can run the app to have your text, photos, videos, notes and other things recorded and organized. You can take note of the ideas that you want to keep and have the capability to review them when necessary.


2. Google Drive - this lets you edit documents from your computer onto your Smartphone or tablet. Hence, you can manage files on the go.


3. FormMobi - this app allows users to collect and distribute data from and to any mobile device. Some of its features enable users to capture pictures, record audio, create sketches and collect signatures.


4. Bump - this makes it possible for small business owners to create virtual business cards. Users can share their contact information as well as their photos and other files by bumping two mobiles together.


5. Tripit - this app is most useful for business travelers. It provides weather updates and accurate directions. It also enables users to keep track of their trip arrangements.


6. LocalVox - this app is best for marketing. It helps distribute information very quickly into different social media networks, websites and other online channels.


7. Expensfy - this is a great partner when taking a trip. This app will help you keep track of your expenses.


8. Asana - this app enables proper management of work and personal projects as well as events.


9. InDinero - this app can help entrepreneurs in terms of monitoring the business cash flow and managing day-to-day expenses.


10. Square - this lets your Smartphone accept credit card payments.

All of these small business apps will certainly transform your Smartphone from being just a device to being a useful business accessory.

Just like a great wardrobe, accessories can pull together a look - or leave the admirer wanting. Interior design is both an innate talent and a skill, requiring a keen eye for beauty and symmetry. Lighting and other accessories are key elements when making any room work. The right lighting can set a mood, highlight that new white upholstery sofa or make a study more conducive to work.

Decorative accessories are like the perfect set of earrings, creating a streamlined look that accentuates your favorite feature like new home furnishings. When shopping around for the best interior designer for you, look carefully at their portfolio, read testimonials and make sure they're listening to what you really want. Once you've found the perfect match, it's time to get started. Here are five key ways accessories complement fine furnishings and interior design.

1. A Little Mood Lighting

Ambient lighting spreads light throughout a room, equally providing just enough light to appreciate the home décor, but also providing an intimate vibe. Up-lights illuminate the upper walls and ceiling and can include wall sconces and torch-inspired pieces. Down-lighting illuminates the lower half of a room and is often available as track lights. Multiple-use lighting that features both up and down illumination are most commonly seen in table lamps.

2. Accent Lighting

Like the name suggests, accent lighting is used to showcase a special piece. You can choose accent lighting to show off custom furniture or contemporary artwork. A good rule of thumb is to use an accent light that's no brighter than three times the power of surrounding light and make sure it doesn't interfere with an admirer's line of sight.

3. Mirrors Add Space

Do you want to instantly make your space bigger and brighter? Simply add mirrors, a favorite trick of many interior designers. A gorgeous mirrored entryway does more than make a big statement-it also makes any space appear grander and multiplies the impact of your favorite pieces, such as those custom window coverings. The rules of mirror use include using them in small rooms, utilizing their ability to be a focal point, and optimizing the possibilities of mirrored furniture such as a mirrored table.

4. Panels and Folding Screens

A beloved secret weapon in every designer's arsenal, panels and folding screens are one of the most powerful pieces in many homes. They can instantly add glamour, especially when luscious fabrics are used. They can also be decorative camouflage, hiding the barrage of toys that new parents so often collect or an extra clothing rack in the home. Panels can even separate space in open-floor plans gracefully.

5. Get Personal

No matter which accessories you choose, the overarching theme in 2013 is to get personal and reflect your hobbies, character and passions in your accents. According to a report by the American Society of Interior Designers, personalization is a trend that's here to stick. Whether you prefer to display your travel souvenirs on an "upcycled" bookcase or your seashell collection in a bowl on an accent table, putting you back into your home is always a winning move.

Interior design consultants who also offer quality furniture is one stop shopping at its finest. Get the guidance you need from a professional who will work with you and within your budget to create your dream home.

The southern part of India is blessed with a state rich in natural beauty and cultural heritage called Kerala. Listed as one of the ten paradises of the world by the National Geographic Magazine, Kerala being bordered by the lovely Blue mountain ranges in the East, and Arabian Sea to the west, Kerala has a lot of forests and a famous beautiful 600 miles of sea shore that gives a beautiful contrast of beautiful terrains.

Kerala, belonging to the tropical region, the climate is humid throughout the year. Monsoon in this region lasts for about 8 months, and one can expect rain any day. This typical climate is the reason why the forests in Kerala are tropical wet evergreen in nature. There are also deciduous highland forests in the mountainous regions of the Nilgiris.

The forests of Kerala act as host to thousands of species of trees and plants. Rosewood, Teak, Mahagony, Cassia, large varieties of Bamboo, Cardamom, Pepper etc are seen in abundance in the forests. There is a Teak museum in Nilambur, Malappuram district. Marayur in Idukki district is famous for Sandalwood.

The major trees in Kerala are Teak, Rosewood, Mahagony, Bamboo, Cassia and plants like Cardamom, Pepper are also prominently found in the forests of Kerala. Marayur in Idukki is a famous Sandalwood forest. Rare and endangered animals like Nilgiri Tahr (Eravikulam), Tiger, Spotted Leopard, Elephants, Lion tailed Macaque, Indian Sloath bear, Bison and Grey Langur are found in Kerala forestsThe major reptiles seen in the forests in Kerala are viper (Anali) king cobra (Rajavembala), python, cobra, ghariyal, Indian Alligator, many rare species of tortoises and turtles etc.

The forests in Kerala are sometimes compared with the Amazon due to its rich biodiversity. Because of this reason, there are six National parks, two biosphere reserves and fifteen wildlife sanctuaries in this state.

The National Parks in Kerala are Eravikulam, Periyar, ANamudi, Mathikettan Shola, Silent Valley, and Parambikulam Shola. The two biospheres in this small state are Nilgiri and Agasthyamalai. Periyar, Neyyar, Parambikulam, Wayanad, Peechi-Vazhani, Idukki, Chimminey, Peppara, Chinnar, Shendurai, Mangalavanam, Aaralam, Mangalavanam, Culannur, and Kurinjimala ara a few of the wildlife sanctuatries. Thattekad bird sanctuary, which was a favourite destination of Dr, Salim Ali is the only bird sanctuary in Kerala.

Many hotels and resorts all over Kerala provide lodging and accommodation to tourists. Tourists can select tour packages of their choice and visit the beauty of the Nature of Kerala.

Located close to the Arusha Game Reserve, the Ngorongoro Conservancy Park is a spectacular game reserve and geographically unique site. The Ngorongoro crater is the remains of an ancient imploded volcano and lies within the area designated as a UNESCO world heritage site of nearly 9000 sq km of mixed habitat of both humans and wildlife. The region is contiguous with the Serengeti plains in the north-west and the crater lies towards the south. The south is also adjoining the Great Rift Valley and because of this, animal migration from this area is almost non-existent. The Great Migration of wildebeest and other ungulates through the Ngorongoro region is in December and June and hence, there is a big population of lions and cheetahs in the plains area of Ngorongoro.

This natural enclosure formed by the collapse of a volcanic mountain that rivalled Kilimanjaro in height, is one of the most amazing regions for a safari in terms of sheer beauty and size. The floor of the crater is a rich carpet of dense vegetation and a perennial lake and has often been referred to as the Garden of Eden. In fact, the metaphor is not far from the truth, since remains of the earliest humans have been discovered in the Olduvai Gorge within the plains and this is one of the most important pre-historic sites in the world. Famous paleontologists like Louis Leakey have worked here.

The crater region is the perfect choice for a Big Five viewing safari. Apart from these magnificent creatures, visitors can also see black rhinos and some of the hugest specimens of African elephant, Cape Buffalo, zebra and wildebeest. The crater is home to thousands of gazelles, serval cats, cheetahs and jackals and more than 400 species of local and migratory birds. The lake is the favorite habitat of a massive population of flamingos. Bats, reptiles, butterflies and myriad insects and grubs form part of this rich eco-system. Ngorongoro is unique in that it is a self-sustaining and self-contained safari destination and also very safe to traverse. The rolling treeless grasslands are also easier to monitor and protect endangered species like the cheetah and black rhinos.

With such a wealth of flora and fauna, this is one of the most popular safari destinations and it can get quite crowded! However, since the area is so huge, it's possible to find a quiet and peaceful trail. Apart from safaris, there's not much else to do here. Walking and picnics are permitted in the park and you can also visit the Masai settlements in the area and make a trip to the Olduvai Gorge. The crater rim has several good lodges and camp-sites and a few world-class luxury hotels and resorts. Smaller coffee-plantation home-stays and guest-house accommodation are also available.

Depending on your budget and time constraints, you can combine a Serengeti safari with a couple of days at Ngorongoro for that unforgettable game-viewing experience in the heart of Africa.

There is so much more to Poland than its image of being a cheap stag and hen night destination. It's the cradle of famous figures like Chopin and Copernicus after all!

Cities

People often underestimate the sheer size of Poland and the number of cities within. In fact, there are many more to discover than just Krakow and Warsaw.

Gdansk, on the shores of the Baltic Sea is becoming an increasingly popular destination. As an ancient port city, its historic riches are still very visible in the architecture of the Old Town and surrounding areas. Attractions worth discovering include the Maritime Museum, St Mary's Street, and the Golden Gate.

Wroclaw is a sprawling city in western Poland, boasting gorgeous colourful houses and lively city centre squares. Landmarks include Wroclaw Palace, Centennial Hall, the Old Jewish Cemetery and the Museum of Architecture.

Krakow, Poland's second largest city is a student heaven. Its quaint Old Town streets are lined with exciting bars and clubs, as well as excellent restaurants. Visitors could simply spend days on end wandering around the city, admiring its darling architecture.

Warsaw isn't the prettiest of cities but once you learn more of its sad history, you'll learn to see it in a different light. Due to its history, there are many attractions to see that cause most visitors to get quite emotional. These include Warsaw Rising Museum and Powazki Cemetery.

Cafe culture is booming in Poland's cities. Make sure to spend at least one afternoon sitting back with a coffee or beer, watching the world go by.

Nature

The Tatra mountains in the south can be enjoyed all year round, whether you're a fan of hiking or snow sports. Zakopane is the area's key town with all the amenities tourists could wish for.

Beautiful valleys stretch far and wide, and the hills are dotted with pine trees, among which wildlife lives happily.

The Masurian Lake District in the north of Poland has been nominated to become one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature. It's a stunning area of over 2,000 lakes set in 52,000 square kilometres.

Visitors can indulge in an array of water sports from the more traditional ones like rowing and angling to kite surfing. Hotels and guest houses are scattered around the region with the tourist hub being the town of Augustow.

Cuisine

Polish cuisine is traditionally quite heavy with lots of carbohydrates. Most traditional dishes contain meat in some form or other, from smoked ham to chicken breasts. The use of winter vegetables such as cabbage is also widespread.

Favourite dishes include the cabbage-based stew, Bigos, stuffed dumplings or Pierogi, and sauerkraut with ham or mushrooms.

A traditional Polish cheese is Oscypek, whish is smoked and, as such, has a very distinct flavour and texture.

General Tips

Poland is yet to join the Eurozone. The currency used locally is the Zlot. This is readily available in banks and bureaux de change throughout the UK.

Due to the large Polish community in the UK, language classes are easy to find. Why not attend one to learn the basics of Polish? It's always nice to be able to gree and thank people in their native language.

To be able to quickly and easily sort out accommodation, travel and tours, arrange for a cheap calls to Poland service.

If you regularly dine out in New York, Paris, or Barcelona, well... you're lucky. But for simple local cuisine, Costa Rican food is unbelievably delicious and friendly priced.

Let's start with breakfast! A centerpiece of Costa Rican dining is gallo pinto: a rice and beans dish cooked with various spices and finely diced vegetables. Gallo pinto is almost always served at breakfast and is usually paired with eggs or meat, plantains, and fresh coffee. The coffee in Costa Rica is renowned for its strong flavor and its role throughout the country's history. Coffee remains a major export alongside bananas. Plantains are similar to bananas, and are served with meals usually in fried form, but draw less interest abroad.

The most common lunch in Costa Rica is a casado. Similar to most Costa Rican food, the dish is made up of servings of rice, black beans, salad, plantains, and often a small serving of meat. Casado translates directly to 'married man,' earning its name because wives traditionally serve their husbands this combination of food for lunch. If the meat has a specific preparation, in a stew or with specific seasoning, it will have a specific name, such as carne en salsa, but will be paired with the same sides.

A really great dish that can be found on most menus is 'chifrijos' - a layered treat with rice on the bottom, then beans, fried pork, and pico de gallo on top. Traditionally, it is paired with tortilla chips on the side. The mixing of flavors is exquisite, and many chefs or restaurants have a few tricks up their sleeves and boast that theirs is the best around.

Contrary to what many expect, Costa Ricans are not known for spicy food. Most Costa Rican food is prepared very mild and is served with a sweet sauce called Lizano. Hot sauce can be easily found though, so there's no need to worry if you like your rice and beans with a kick! Vegetables come with nearly every dish, usually roasted or steamed and served as a side. Popular vegetables include onions, sweet peppers, potatoes, squash, zucchini, and more!

If fruit is nature's dessert, consider Costa Rica the best confectionary in the world!

Tons of fresh fruit grows locally, in abundance and flavor! Some of the popular fruits are pineapples, watermelons, and mangos, as well as more exotic fruits like rambutan. Rambutan is the 'hairy fruit,' known locally as mamones, which is Spanish for sucker. Ticos and ticas, Costa Rican locals, eat fruit at various times of the day for snacks. At hotels and other commercialized areas geared towards tourism, fruit is mainly served with breakfast.

Buying imported food in Costa Rica can be very pricy, so when possible, it is best to shop for local brands. Whether it be snacks, meats, or cheese, comparable items can be bought, though they may take some getting used to. Because of the accommodating climate, many people have their own vegetable gardens, which harvest amazing products and quickly ripen, ready to be tossed into any popular Costa Rican food!

There is nothing like a vacation to put your stressed life on a refreshing treat. It brings you to an imparting vitality and energy, and gives the ho-hum life a ravishing touch. I have long been so keen to this activity that even if I don't have schedule I plan it and leave home, with bags on shoulders, without taking care of external affairs. I don't know why but I start feeling need of a vacation every month or so. Although I just opt for a weekend trip so often, it gives me the pleasures which stay long in my memorabilia.

When it comes to packing, I believe in 'one jean fits all' approach. I pack quite light and carry only what are just mine: mine camera, mobile, towel, and my comfortable shoes. However, weather is what I care of the most when packing my clothes, especially after my mountain holiday two years ago. I was amidst snowy Himalayan peaks, and my teeth were chattering in cold. Neither the beauty of Himalaya nor the feel of a vacation could heat me up, and I decided to restrained myself to the hotel room along with my laptop and phone.

I like a bit of spontaneity, when planning the vacation is the matter of concern. But as an experienced traveller, I don't apply it for long-lasting trips, even for a week-long or so. Instead, an excel sheet is prepared well beforehand comprising the dates, times, important places to visit and activities to do. Every day is pre-planned and is passed that it's supposed to be with. The time spend at each attraction depends on how it ranks on my preference and on the photographic scale. Here, I would like to tell you that photography is my new interest and I just love it. Along with varied poses of major sites, I love to capture something unusual in my reel.

Vacations, I believe, are a great opportunity to fill your life with colors. It pampers your body and brain, and gives you much needed relax far from mundane life. I often think of relaxing in a luxurious resort, wandering around natural treasures and doing some adventurous stuff, when I feel perplexed. And trust me even thinking of that heals me a lot. Secondly, travelling opens up your mind - letting you find solutions by your own, giving you new ideas and making you aware of outside world. You explore new places, meet new interesting people and find opportunity to fun & frolic with your dear ones. Also, this is simply a way to enter the world of wisdom.

Well, holiday planning is no so tricky now. Travel companies give perfect idea about how a vacation could be at a particular place. They even offer deals to put travellers on ease. Right from flight tickets to accommodation and itinerary planning to easy transfers, all required assistance is provide in a customized manners. So you can easy plan a vacation with family or friends.

We always wanted to go to the Warbirds over Wanaka Airshow and this year the chance came. We had talked to a few people and they told us to expect accommodation shortages, long traffic queues, lack of food stalls but a great aerial spectacle.

We brought our 3 day passes at $140 (a saving of $20 if you went all 3 days) well in advance and started looking for accommodation.

We found out that most accommodation providers in Wanaka had hiked their prices up for the weekend some double the normal price. This is just rude and unethical, can the local café double the price of a coffee for the weekend, NO! This has to be something the consumer's institute (New Zealand's consumer watchdog) should look into.

We did find an apartment for two called the Beaconridge Apartment a couple of minutes drive from the main street at $180 per night $100 cheaper than the next cheapest. We booked in.

The time came quickly for our trip. We drove down on the Thursday past the event and noticed signs saying "Car Parking, $40 Adults and $10 Children" I then questioned my partner about the cost of car parking. She said "I think it may be the admission cost for Friday, because not many children would be driving cars", "good point, I said". A bit confusing, does that mean if you don't need to park a car you can get in for free? Is it just a way to avoid any bylaws with respect to charging people to get into a public airport? Only the organisers know.

We got to our accommodation which was fantastic with great views over the lake, had some dinner and went to bed.

The next day we set sail about 10.30 approached the Air show and hit the queue of traffic, but the wait was only 15 minutes which was good. When we left the show at about 2.00 there was no one waiting.

We parked the car and walked 4 minutes to the gate which was also fine for an event of this size. The earlier you get there the closer you get to the gate. People in Motorhomes must have been there very early, if not stayed overnight. Maui Motorhomes had a separate area right in the middle of all the action.

We walked around all the stalls and took photos of all the displays at a leisurely pace watched the planes practice for the next day official show. It was good because we could buy all our souvenirs ($25 tee shirt and $25 cap, normal prices) with not to many people around. We took a bag with food and drink's in, but found a great variety of food stalls, from the good old hot dog to venison burgers, escargot (snails) and whitebait. We left having a nice relaxing day.

The next day we joined the traffic line at 10am and it took about 30 minutes to get in. They close the whole road off on the Saturday and Sunday so when they direct you into the right lane stay in that lane because you get in a lot quicker, but you park on the other side of the road so an extra 2 minutes of walking.

We took in a small bag of extra clothes, food and drinks with a couple of chairs. We set up camp near the runway on a little hill with a good view of everything. The place had people everywhere including many families but not too many people to be annoying. Everyone had plenty of room.

First toilet stop of the day and the toilets were a couple of minutes away and as usual there was no line at the men's but a 20 person line at the woman's. They obviously don't have a lady organising toilets for the event.

Back to the Airshow, this is where the event is great. You are right in the action everyone was having a great time, then when the F1-11 Royal Australian Air Force bomber flew past you felt your whole body shake and the sound was brilliant. We saw a couple of parents who had ear muffs on their children. Those poor kids, missing out on one of the main components of an airshow, the sounds. From the sounds of the slow moving WW1 fighters to the great sound of the P51 Mustang up to that F1-11.

Time went fast and before we knew it 6 hours of airshow was over it left us wanting more, more planes, more action. We walked back to the car, it took only 10 minutes to get back to the open road.

We questioned the 3 day pass option but in hindsight thought it a good idea, Friday for shopping, photos and getting a feel for the event. Then Saturday or Sunday for the show (they run the same show on both days, weather permitting) There are less people there on Sunday. But if you plan just to go Sunday it may be an awful weather day so things could be cancelled. That's why if you get a good day on Saturday, go and leave Sunday as a back up day.

The Gold 3 day pass was a bit more expensive at $365 which gave you a cap, badge, food voucher, access to your own lounge and a seat in the grandstand right in front of all the action. If you were traveling a long way maybe go with this, but if you can bring in chairs, tables and tents we suggest you just buy the 3 day pass.

There were motorhomes parked high on a ridge behind the airport that got a free show, but it is not like being right next to those planes as they buzz the runway. If you are in Wanaka pay the daily admission ($60 Adults $10 School Children) and go into the show.

The military, car and fire engine displays were good and gave you something else to look at. I was looking for somewhere I could get a photo in the cockpit of one of those fighters, but not at this airshow. The stage show with girls singing old war songs was also entertaining.

The crowd was a good family crowd with no trouble and kids having good clean fun. One family beside us had to go home because their child was a bit bored, dad looked disappointed, maybe a better children's area with bouncy castles and some other kids stuff may have been missing.
The stalls were OK but it was a cross between an airshow and a Sunday market. We would have liked to see either only airshow related stalls or more stalls with everything; it was a bit of both. Loved the model plane, plane, car, army, navy and air force related stalls and attractions.

Summary

If you are from overseas get the Gold Pass and enjoy the grandstand seating. If you are from New Zealand a 3 day pass is fine (or do it day by day) bring in your own chairs and other needs.

Get in early for the best spots but if you don't, there are no bad places.

The traffic is not as bad as you may have heard.

The accommodation is inflated by up to double for the weekend so book early to get the accommodation providers who have ethics.

Use Friday to shop and take photos of the static displays.

Plan to go Saturday and use Sunday as a back up day if the weather is bad.

Take the family, the crowds are good with no trouble.

The Warbirds over Wanaka was a great show, the sounds, smells and sights were worth the money and we will be back.

Recently there has been an increased use of the word Vendor-Sourcing Tool and many people are not aware of what this is so I will try to clarify it in this article.

Most people in business are aware of business directories. These have been around for a long time and Yell or yellow pages, are a good example. Before the advent of the Internet, businesses and customers used them to find businesses for a required service. They were sometimes very thick hard copy books that were delivered door to door and businesses would pay to be included into the business directory.

When the Internet took off, business directories moved online and the basic principle did not change. They were lists of companies separated by categories. The big problem with Business directories is that the categories tend to be extremely broad so if you were looking for a company who sold cable glands for instance, you would search for companies under the category "Electrical Suppliers". The electrical suppliers category would have hundreds of companies listed under them but they wouldn't necessarily all sell cable glands. So you may end up contacting a lot of companies who can't actually supply what you are looking for. And this is where Vendor-Sourcing Tools take over.

The main differential between a Business directory and a Vendor-Sourcing Tool is that Business directories work on the principle that people are looking for a business, while Vendor-Sourcing Tools believe that people are looking for products or services. Sure they will need a company who provide those goods and services but the company is not the prime factor in their search.

The concept of a vendor-sourcing tool was first seen in 2009 when it was used for the Oil & Gas and Petrochemical industries. These industries are extremely lucrative industries with projects having procurement budgets of many billions of dollars. Not only was the size of the projects and the amount of materials required a problem, but also more often than not the projects were being executed in remote locations. These factors made it extremely difficult for buyers.

In order to source vendors, Buyers relied on:

• Previous Project Vendor Lists
• Company Vendor databases
• Peer experience
• Google
• Businesses Directories

Then main problems with these were that much of the information was out of date or inaccurate. In addition Company Vendor Databases for example were costly to maintain and almost impossible to keep up to date; Previous Project Vendor Lists only contained companies relevant for that specific project and not a total view so may not include all potential vendors. Google is a broad search tool and meant that searches were not always contextual or were restricted by IP location.

All of these issues made it extremely difficult for buyers to source vendors and similarly for vendors to let buyers know they existed and were able to assist with the supply for these projects.

The advancement in technology and global reach of the Internet opened the way for more efficient and practical solutions. Vendor-Sourcing Tools being one of those solutions. Based along the lines of many travel websites, the first Vendor-Sourcing tool for the Oil and Gas and Petrochemical industries was seen in 2010.

I believe self worth is at the heart of good time management, you must treat yourself like a star performer. You must maintain your self esteem and be prepared at times to admit, "Well actually, I did not read the latest report on blah blah blah.... perhaps you could fill me in..."

Aristotle said, "Thinking requires leisure time," and if you are always chasing something then there is not a lot of thinking going on. I pride myself in not being aware of all things, besides, it allows for me to shine the limelight on someone else and for them to appear more knowledgeable. "Please bring me up to speed." I counter. Why don't you consider adopting this stance? It certainly works for me.

Begin at the end:
When do you finish work? Set an hour to leave work and follow it blindly. This departure time in non-negotiable. If you normally work till 18.00 then move your leaving time to 17.00 and stick to it religiously. If you normally take work home then stop it! Your sanity and happiness depends upon it. Create a 90-day plan to cut back and put in place this now work plan.

Paper surfing:
Read through all the documents on your desk with the three categories in your mind. You are seeking to create three piles according to their importance.

Priority Items, Delegation Items, Reading Items:
The priority category is for three tasks only. Identify the three key documents that require your personal attention.
The next category is for the less important items. As you sort apply the Pareto Rule of 80:20. It will most likely evolve that 20% of this paperwork is best handled by you. The remaining 80% can be delegated to others or with shared responsibility.

The final reading category can be a black hole for many in terms of managing time efficiently. It consists of magazine, journals, newspapers, reports and memos. Only work on this area when all the others are completed and perhaps allocate to travelling time. Trains and plans are ideal locations for clearing this group.

Delete and shred:
I had a call from a client who had just come back from a week's holiday to an full inbox and in-tray. Mike groaned, "What should I do? There are 41 emails from one association alone." My response? "What would happen if you delete them?" "Could I?" he asked in disbelief. "Well if you don't tremble, feel physically sick and short of breath why not?" I retorted - the power of the delete button! "What is the worst thing that can happen if you delete them all?" Treat your in-tray in similar fashion and throw out the bulk of it. And make the shredder your new best friend? Consider outsourcing your shredding if you are an SMS.

Out to lunch?
Think hard about accepting offers to lunch and networking events. Be very selective. Participate only in those things that will give a positive return on your valuable time. Suggest meetings take place take at your office and serve filtered water as opposed to tea or coffee. Keep things on a business footing if you wish to get more done. Water is the healthy option too.

Meetings:
Having spent four years in public office as an elected member, I have had my fair share of meetings to attend. Many of them were poorly run and although I enjoyed meeting my colleagues and being sociable I often left feeling I had just wasted valuable time.

Have you felt this way about meetings too? I am sure you have.
Here The Confidence Coach meeting guidelines:
1. Start of time -as soon as you have a few people there then get started - latecomers will soon get the message.
2. As you start, set a finishing time and do not overrun by more than a couple of minutes.
3. Go over the agenda with everyone. List the most important items and deal with them first. Resist the temptation to deal with the easiest ones to get the agenda cleared.
4. Delegate items that may drag on a bit, to two or three individuals. They can then resolve and come back with a concise report.
5. Establish a two hour deadline: People can only concentrate for so long and two hours depletes even the most stout hearted and seasoned meeting goers.
6. Meeting reports must be short. No PowerPoint. Never turn out the lights! Snoring will follow!
7. Meetings should not be interrupted. Draw up your own strict guidelines.
8. Transform as many meetings as possible into:

A Telephone call
A Meeting in the hall
A Meeting at the copier
A Telephone call
A Fax resume

9. Telephone calls: Again create your own rules.
10. Think tank:
Schedule time for you to think. Stay at home perhaps? Allow regular time to float ideas in your mind.

Power snooze:
Allow time to take a power nap. While small children typically take naps in the afternoon, many western cultures frown upon mid-day sleep; unless of course you are Spanish and take a siesta. Many people experience a natural increase in drowsiness in the afternoon; usually about eight hours after waking. Research shows that you can make yourself more alert, reduce stress and improve cognitive functioning with a nap. Midday or power-napping means more patience, better reaction time, increased learning, more efficiency and better health.
Famous converts to the power nap - Winston Churchill, Bill Clinton and Lance Armstrong.

And both my father and Aristotle would approve...

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