PREPARE YOUR WALLS
If your walls have old wallpaper, remove it unless it is in perfect condition. Strippable wallpaper can be removed by lifting a corner and pulling. Unstrippable wallpaper should be sanded, wet and scraped off with a putty knife. If your walls are painted, sand rough spots and spackle wholes. If your walls are paneled, concrete block, or plaster in poor condition, use a wallpaper liner before sizing. If your walls are new drywall or plaster first apply a primer or sealer before sizing. Use a sizer such as Shieldz (R) on all walls to be wallpapered to get a smooth surface. NOTE: Paint ceiling and/or woodwork before preparing for wallpaper. Remove light and outlet switch plates.
MEASURING & CUTTING
Measure the maximum distance from the baseboard to the ceiling and add 4". Check the wallpaper pattern position by holding the wallpaper up and finding the best place for the pattern to break. Mark the top and bottom points on the roll of wallpaper. Cut the first strip with the additional 2" to top mark & 2" to bottom mark on your pasting table. Then cut your second strip after matching the pattern to the first strip. A plumb line will allow you to hang the first strip of wallpaper perfectly straight. Chose a hidden corner of the room to begin.
PASTING
For prepasted wallpaper use a tray of lukewarm water. There will be instructions enclosed with your wallpaper. For unpasted wallpaper user a roller to apply an even coat of wallpaper adhesive and make sure to get the edges. Book-fold the wallpaper before hanging.
HANGING
Unfold the top section of the first strip of wallpaper and place it on the wall, lining up the edge with the plumb line and leaving the 2" overhang. Smooth out with a smoothing brush working from the center outwards. The air pockets can be pushed out from the center, however, wrinkles can not (therefore re-hang strip). Then do the same for the bottom section. Sponge off excess paste with clean water and dry with a soft cloth. Trim excess wallpaper by using a putty knife as a guide and use a single edge razor knife. Butt the edge of subsequent wallpaper strips without overlapping. Use a steam roller to press all seams and remove any excess paste. Continue cutting and hanging strips of wallpaper until you reach the last one, which will overlap the first one. Overlap and double cut this last wallpaper strip. Outside corners can be wrapped with a full strip of wallpaper, whereas inside corners can not. Do not skip difficult areas such as windows and doors. Work straight around the room. Leave a 2" overlap on obstacles and cut a diagonal line at the corners. Trim as described above.
Article source (website) : discountdecorator.com
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HOW TO HANG WALLPAPER
How Pay Per Sale Affiliate Programs Work
Today, many are participating in affiliate marketing programs. Some even work it as a fulltime job. Not to mention, there isnt a whole lot of effort that has to be put forth as the one in this business markets other peoples products. Countless amounts of money and precious time are not lost trying to create a product since the affiliate marketer can just jump in and begin the process of gaining massive exposureeven overnight.
The way affiliate marketing works is that a person signs up under a program, and upon sign up, he is given a link to market to the public. He can choose to put it in the resource box of articles, place it in ads on ad traffic sites, market it in traffic exchanges, and much more.
When a person clicks the link and purchases the products being advertised, the affiliate is getting a commission for each sale. there is software set in place that keeps track of how many sales he makes through the use of an ID number. The link that is supplied to the affiliate marketer is attached to that ID which is useful for tracking sales so the owner of the program will be able to give him his cut. Each time a person clicks the link and purchases, that is credit given to the marketer which then converts to money in his pocket!
Countless people have profited quite well as some affiliate marketing programs provide streams of residual income. What happens is that the affiliate marketer will be given a referral link along with a replicated site in some cases, and then he will have to market his link to the public to see how many sign ups he can attain. When he actually gets someone to sign up under him, he gets a commission, and then he gets money each month thereafter as the sign up pays to continue to be a member of the program. Sign ups are tracked through an affiliate ID similar to that of the tracking of sales enabling the affiliate to get his monthly commissions.
Most people in the affiliate marketing industry just set it and forget it. What this means is that they set up some ads for their affiliate link, and then they sit back and watch the traffic role in. They also put auto responders in place to follow up with clients so they wont have to. Aside from putting up some ads here and there and answering occasional customer questions, the affiliate markets main role is to check his email for stats to see how much prophet he is bringing in. There is totally no better way to gain great profit as its done practically on autopilot!
Article Source: http://www.articlecat.com
How to read body language cues
Now what type of body language should you be looking for when you're sitting across from her at that table?
Pay attention to her eyes. One sign of attraction is when her eyes are open really wide, and her pupils are enlarged when you are talking or when she is talking to you.
Another sign of attraction is that when you are speaking, she will lean her body into you and literally be drawn in with your words. She will not get up and go to the bathroom. She will sit there and not want to miss a single second of the date:
* She will not look at her watch.
* She will not look around the room.
* She will be totally fixated on you the whole time.
* She will play with her hair and lick her lips before she moves towards you, because she is creating a sexual feeling inside her.
* She will reach her hand across the table and glance at yours.
* She will touch your shoulder or another part of you very casually.
* When she is speaking, she will touch her leg or her face, imagining it was you who was touching her.
There are many others, but these are a few good ones to get you started. Keep in mind that what she is doing and communicating with her body is on a subconscious level. She is not aware of what she is doing, and that is what makes this so powerful.
One last thing: How do you know after all of this that she wants the kiss?
She wants the kiss if, when you walk her to the car, she lingers and keeps talking and looking at you. What you do then is go in, move towards her lips, and see what she does. Then pull to the side and give her a hug. This will create tension. If she then talks more, look at her, touch her face and move in for the kiss.
Tip to Choose a Bank for your Home Business
You should thoroughly consider your business needs when selecting a financial institution or bank for your small/home business. You may want to consider the following points:
- The types of products and services that are offered.
- The bank's criteria for qualifying for a loan.
- The minimum balances for accounts, interest rates and charges for account services.
- Location and Access to ATMs
- Online Banking Services
One bank may specialize in home loans or auto loans while another may focus on commercial loans for businesses. Some banks may only offer basic deposit accounts while others have lock box services, sweep accounts, and even online banking! It's very important to evaluate your business needs before you select your banker.
Here are some of the things that your banker may be able to help you with:
- Help you with the cash management needs of your business.
- Offer investment products of varying maturities or risks.
- Provide advice regarding what it will take to qualify for the loan that best meets your needs.
- Provide special loan programs for small businesses, including SBA loan programs and other government-guaranteed or agency loans.
- Assist you with finding financial information on your industry.
So compare different banks in order to find the one that will serve your business's needs and will also provide support and assistance during the infancy stage of your business. Selecting a bank that you can work with will be especially important as your business grows.
Start shopping around by gathering information to help you make this important selection. Compare interest rates on deposit accounts and basic consumer loans (most business loans are negotiated, so the rates won't be posted at the banking center). Also, look carefully at the charges for services. Tell them about your business and the form of organization so that they can tell you what special products and services or restrictions might apply.
Before selecting a bank, be sure to have a good understanding of your own business needs, and what you need from your bank. If you know what you will need from a bank, it will be much easier to evaluate and compare between various services. Remember, it is a good idea to establish a relationship with a banker, before you need money. The right banker will be someone that understands the needs of emerging and growing businesses. They will be interested in your business dreams and will help you achieve them.
How To Improve Sales Conversions On Your Website
There are several ways to go about having some sort of sales conversions on your web site. It is not impossible.
With the use of a good copy writing agent and a terrific advertisement you can convert those visitors into actual customers. This all depends on the way you have your website set up. Is it easy to navigate through, are the products described in detail and is the checkout easy as it can possibly be?
If all the answers to those questions are yes, then your advertisement needs more key words to generate more traffic to your web site. With the use of the search engine optimization system this will help you out a great deal.
Also, dare to be different. Use different techniques than other web sites, what works for them might not be right for your products, therefore your sales conversions won't be as high. If you dare to be different, then you might just see an effective change in your sales conversion rate, because those visitors who are directed to your web site will potentially want to know more about your web site and what it has to offer.
Remember words mean everything on a web site. Pictures of products are good to have to, however if you provide a detailed description of the product you will see a difference.
Try not to compete with other web sites that offer the same products, simply be innovative and improvise, describing your products in a different exciting way.
Use key messages, and all the web site tools you can find, in order to make your web site the best it can be.
And by all means by using the search optimization system be sure to provide unique and several keywords that will generate traffic to your web site. For you realize these potential leads, could in fact be your sales conversion customers.
Be sure to target the audience that happens to your web site with things that will interest them. Don't use idle words and boring statements, or how much of a discount your products have. Instead, entice them and lure them in with a pattern of colorful wording that makes your web site, the one they will remember. The web site they may tell others about or return to themselves to purchase other products you might have on your web site.
Keep your web site current and up to date. Change it often to the point of where customers that are returning don't constantly see the same advertisement or text. However, don't change it so much that is confuses everyone and they will not stay at the web site very long.
Fishing Tips - Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods
Beyond a doubt the best fly fishing rod material is good bamboo properly selected, cured, split, glued, and correctly proportioned. It possesses strength combined with lightness, resiliency, pliancy, power and balance in greater degree than either steel or solid woods.
Formerly anglers and rod makers could draw fine distinctions between male and female Calcutta and Tonkin " canes," but under present conditions good Calcutta is very rare and the word " Calcutta " is becoming merely a trade term. Good bamboo of all kinds is more difficult to obtain and a good piece of Tonkin is better than an indifferent one of Calcutta. Male Calcutta, however, is supposed to be superior to either the female or Tonkin. The cheapest split cane is known as steel vine or African cane. It is light colored and makes up into good, inexpensive bamboo fly fishing rods.
Six Strip and 8 Strip Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods
We assume that you know that bamboo is split and then glued together in order to utilize the hard outer enamel and reduce the diameter of the pieces. Some rods are made of bamboo split into six sections (hexagonal) and some in eight (octagonal) but the six strip construction is more often used. Some makers claim that the eight strip, being more nearly a true cylinder, possesses better action but this seems to be more theoretical than practical, while the tiny tips of an eight strip rod are likely to be " soft" due to the comparative amount of glue necessary to hold the pieces together. Eight strip rods cost more than the six strip and if the angler wants a round bamboo fly fishing rod they are preferable to the six strip planed down as planing certainly must injure a rod. As a general rule a well-made six strip rod leaves little to be desired.
Special Feature Bamboo Fly Fishing Rods
A novelty in bamboo fly fishing rod making is what is known as the " double built " rods which are made of two layers of split and glued bamboo, one within the other. They are heavier and strong, and it is claimed, hold their shape better, than ordinary rods and are popular for sea and salmon fishing but unnecessary, I believe, in single hand fly rods. An English innovation is the steel center rod which consists of a fine piece of well-tempered steel running as a core through sections of regular split bamboo. The makers claim this construction gives a rod of superior casting power with only of an ounce added weight. Friends who possess rods of this kind are enthusiastic admirers of this construction for heavy fishing.
An American maker supplies a rod of " twisted bamboo " which he claims equalizes the strain and produces better action. I have never tried a rod of this type so am unable to pass on its merits, but Perry Frazer, in his " Amateur Rodmaking," speaks well of it.
Weight Loss Problem: Cure It By Watching Movies
Is it possible that you could actually lose weight while watching your favorite shows or reading your favorite books? YES, it is! Read this article to find out how...
I don’t know anything about you but if you’re anything like me then you struggle with a weight loss problem. Your weight loss problem consists of you struggling to keep your weight down, or struggling to make your weight go down.
Most people who see me wouldn’t believe that I have a weight loss problem, but I do. I’ve battled bulimia and constant gains and losses in weight, of ten pounds each time. Thats what I call a big weight loss problem.
A lot of women and men with the same or a similar weight loss problem would sympathize with me I’m sure. I want to look good (who doesn’t?) so that always motivates me to go on a diet.
But after sticking to a diet for a week and dropping the unwanted weight my love for good tasting food overpowers my need to feel attractive and the weight piles back on pound by pound.
There is always exercise to help with a weight loss problem, I remind myself as I lie lazily on the couch chomping down on one of my non-diet treats. “Sure!” I groan “I don’t feel like wearing my butt out without seeing any results for weeks at a time.”
Whenever I start a workout regimen I only stick to it for a few weeks (usually less) and then I get bored and drop it. So my weight loss problem continues.
How many other women I wondered (or men, for that matter) get bored while exercising? I thought about that for awhile then I set about to find a solution to help all those poor people (and myself too, of course) with this weight loss problem.
First I asked myself: What did I like to do? What did I find Interesting?
“Hmmmm, well” I thought “I like dancing, but long periods of it are exhausting. I like to read, to listen to music, and I really dislike being on my feet for over long periods of time.
What could possibly combine all or most of these to make my exercising interesting and help solve my weight loss problem?
The solution to my weight loss problem was amazingly simple!
I own an old stationary bike, and I do mean OLD, but the important thing is that it operates. You can do this with any form of stationary bike, whether it’s a twenty year old model or an up to date model.
It doesn’t matter whether you own the stationary bike or use a gym’s or your local YMCA’s or YWCA’s facilities.
My weight loss problem solution is this:
Find something engrossing to read. It could be a novel or your favorite magazine. Or listen to music that you enjoy, you could even use audio books or any different CD’s or things you could listen to.
I suppose if your bike was somewhere around a television or computer with a DVD player, you could even watch your favorite movie.
The next step is to mount your stationary bide and start biking while reading or doing any of the above listed activities, and not to get off for at least 45 to 60 minutes, except for an occasional rest every quarter of an hour.
I usually just keep biking away the whole time and sometimes I bike longer because I’m so engrossed in what I’m reading, and I won’t allow myself to read it once I’m off the stationary bike.
After a week of this, without change in my eating habits, or any dieting, I’m maintaining a healthy weight. Best of all I’m not putting on any new pounds, and my legs look visibly slimmer.
So I've kissed my weight loss problem goodbye, and I'm saying hello to slim jeans and size 6 dresses, and you can too.
For the first time in a long while I actually look forward to putting on a bikini.
SEO Sitemaps Give Websites a Boost
A lot of web pages will find an SEO sitemap useful in improving their performance. SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization”, the process that aims to create or revise Internet sites so that it can be better found by search engines. The objective of SEO campaigns is to have websites appear in the top listing or first results page of search engines.
Internet search engines, such as Google and A9, maintain a very large database of Web pages and available files. To do this, they devise a program called a web crawler, or spider. This software automatically and continuously surfs and hunts content in the Web. Pages that the spider finds are retrieved and indexed according to text content, giving more weight to titles and paragraph headers. Spiders never stop navigating the web from page to page, to index the relevant content of the Internet. Besides looking at the text of titles and headers, some programs are able to identify default tags and keep a library of these page keywords or key phrases in the index.
When a user connects to the Internet types a query, which is automatically interpreted as keywords, the search engine scans the saved index and creates a list of web pages that is most appropriate to what the user is searching for.
SEO will use all the combined techniques of keyword analysis, smart code, good content literature, link popularity study and website organization to place the subject web page as high as possible in the list of search results in search engines. Web pages displayed on the top of results pages are assumed to get the most attention, and therefore, opportunity for earnings for web businesses and pages with sponsor links.
Search engines usually return a list of results ranking pages according to the number of Internet sites linked to them. Results can be classified as organic, or sponsored links. Sponsored links are shown prominently because their creators or agents paid the search engine. Sponsored links are the main source of income of search engines. “Organic” search results are the lists of actual results from the engines index and are directly related to the keyword typed in the request.
One of the more effective techniques of SEO is the creation of a well-organized site map in a website. Since the site’s main page and other content are directly linked to a site map, spiders can more easily move through the website, identify the key words of the content, and index these for a search engine. This is where the SEO sitemap helps the website creator or administrator.
Site maps are usually pages filled with links. These are shown as tables or lists, although lists are generally more effective. Writing code for SEO sitemaps is very easy and simple to format and maintain. These are ideally basic HTML pages with default tags, logical titles and keywords scattered in the Meta description. Introduction areas can contain more of the keywords. The site should have a main heading for every directory.
A simple list layout helps reduce unnecessary tags that might “hide” your keywords. Some spiders give more weight to the following, than text in the normal body of the webpage: heading text, content within link elements, text nearer the top of the page and the text written for a link. Therefore, writing the keywords and links in these areas could somehow move up the web page’s ranking. This goes for SEO sitemaps as well.
Web sites should be designed consistently, so navigation models should follow the flow of the site map. Therefore, the first section in the site map should be the first link in the navigation bar.
In an SEO Sitemap, and most pages, the headings contain title attributes where more key phrases in the site map can be added. Keywords are generally well chosen and written in the body of a webpage. However, in an SEO site map with little text, key words should be added as much as possible. As much as possible, web links should follow web page titles, and must undergo SEO during coding. Care must be exercised not to cram the page with keywords and links, or the page will be interpreted as blatant spamming and not receive any traffic at all.
There is no way to guarantee that a website will be shown in the topmost ranking of "organic" search results for an extended period of time. However, smart and responsible SEO sitemap techniques can be used to place the website high up in the search position. Regular monitoring and adjustment of the SEO Sitemap and search results would ensure that a website is kept near the top ranking and receiving lots of web user traffic.
Tips on Online Marketing
Marketing in a traditional sense has always been done by putting an ad either in the newspaper, the radio and the television.
Being in the digital age, efforts done by marketing to get the message across is not that different. It has just become a little more high tech which continues to help drive sales.
Businesses that want to sell something in the market need 2 things. The first is the product to be sold which later on will be distributed. The second is marketing which is the vehicle that is used to carry that message across to the consumer so that people are aware of its existence then it is purchased.
One way of the fastest ways of doing marketing today is building a website. Should one decide to shift and decide to do this, here are some tips one needs to know to get started.
1. The first thing to do is to determine what the person wants to do. The product has to fill a need that the customers want right now. It should provide a solution of some kind that will make that will improve the quality of life either at home or at work.
2. The next is to do the proper research. If the business is done with a group of people or a single proprietorship, it is best to brainstorm for the best domain name for the business. It should be catchy and will easily be remembered by people. Given that there are probably other people who have been in the business longer and that it is possible that the domain name has already been taken, it is best to think of several names in case it can no longer be used.
There are sites in the web that have search engines to look for a specific subject and using popular keywords for ones website will easily help people find it. These sites also allow one to make a site map which can be downloaded in minutes for a small fee.
Another good example is the various email sites and by doing a tie-up with these companies, one can get exposure as well as free service since people who do not have an account can also sign up and be an active member.
3. A product of good quality should be sold at a decent price. Sometimes, the product one makes is already available in the market. To be competitive, one must figure out a way to convince people as to why this product is better than the other leading brands available. What features does it have that the competitor doesn’t? What makes it unique which is not only about the product on hand but the service that this can give as well?
4. Just like having a normal business, one must acquire the right equipment and machines for the job. These could be merchandise that is either physical or electronic and an online ordering system.
To be successful, one should be sure that the goods that a customer will order can be delivered on time. If there are any problems, a customer support staff or system should be ready to cater to that.
5. It takes money to make more money so one should be careful with what needs to be spent. By putting in tight controls in terms of expenditures and keeping track of the current balance while maintaining the same level of quality saves money which can be used for other things.
To avoid falling in this predicament, the first thing one must do is manage the expenses. It is always good to carry a notebook around to log whatever expenses have been made or have a logbook to keep track how much balance is left. That way, a person can stay within a budget on a monthly basis.
6. With everything in place, it is now time to promote the site. One can email to friends about the site and what it offers then this too will also be forwarded and advertised to others. Another is showcasing ones website in E-zines or electronic magazines to get more customer traffic.
Any business big or small must have the right resources available to get the message across to the people and building a web site or a site map takes time. One can do it alone if that person knows how to do it, get professional help or simply start from the basics and learn it from the ground up.
The Powers of a Positive Attitude
I am going to ask you to something very weird right now. First of all, I want you to listen to your thoughts. Now tell me, what thoughts fill your head? Would you label them as positive, or negative?
Now let's say you are walking down the street with these thoughts. Do you think anyone who would meet you would be able to tell you what’s on your mind?
The answer to number one is up to you. But, the answer number two can be pretty generic. Although people will not be able to tell you exactly what you think, they will more or less have an idea of how you are feeling.
Here's another question. When you enter a party filled with friends, do they all fall silent as if something terrible had happened? Or does everybody there perk up as if waiting for something exciting to happen?
You know what? The answer to all these depends on your frame of mind.
Thoughts are very powerful. They affect your general attitude. The attitude you carry reflects on your appearance, too – unless, of course, you are a great actor.
And it doesn't end there. Your attitude can also affect people around you.
The type of attitude you carry depends on you. It can be either positive or negative.
Positive thoughts have a filling effect. They are admittedly invigorating. Plus, the people around the person carrying positive thoughts are usually energized by this type of attitude.
Negative thoughts on the other hand have a sapping effect on other people. Aside from making you look gloomy and sad, negative thoughts can turn a festive gathering into a funeral wake.
A positive attitude attracts people, while a negative attitude repels them. People tend to shy away from those who carry a negative attitude.
We can also define attitude as the way of looking at the world. If you choose to focus on the negative things in the world, more or less you have a negative attitude brewing up. However, if you choose to focus on the positive things, you are more likely carry a positive attitude.
You have much to gain from a very positive attitude. For one, studies have shown that a positive attitude promotes better health. Those with this kind of attitude also have more friends. projecting a positive attitude also helps one to handle stress and problems better than those who have a negative attitude.
A positive attitude begins with a healthy self-image. If you will love the way you are and are satisfied, confident, and self-assured, you also make others are around feel the same way.
A negative attitude, on the other hand, has, of course, an opposite effect. So, carrying a negative attitude has a twofold drawback. You feel bad about yourself, and you make others feel the same way.
If you want to have a positive attitude, you have to feature healthy thoughts. This is probably very hard to do nowadays since, all around us, the media feeds us nothing but negative thoughts. A study shows that for every 14 things a parent says to his or her child, only one is positive. This is truly a saddening thought.
If you want a healthier outlook in life, you need to think happy thoughts, and you have to hear positive things as well. So, what can you do? Well, for starters, you could see a funny movie, you could play with children, spend some time telling jokes with friends. All these activities fill you with positive stimuli, which in turn promotes positive attitude.
Although it is impossible to keep ourselves from the negative things around us, you can still carry a positive attitude by focusing on the good things, the positive things in life.
And this positive attitude you now carry can be of benefit to other people. Sometimes when other people feel down, the thing people mostly do is try to give them advice. But sometimes, all they need is somebody to sit by them, and listen to them. If you have a positive attitude you may be able to cheer them up without even having to say anything.
If positive attitude is really great, why do people choose to adopt a negative attitude instead? One who carries a negative attitude may be actually sending a signal for attention. Before you get me wrong, feeling sad, angry, or gloomy is not wrong itself. But dwelling on these thoughts for far too long is not healthy either. There is a time to mourn.
As always, if you are beset by troubles, even in your darkest hour, focus on the good things in life, you will always have hope. Problems become something you can overcome.
You do not have much to lose by adopting a healthy, positive attitude. Studies show that such an attitude actually retards aging, makes you healthier, helps you develop a better stress coping mechanism, and has a very positive effect on all the people you meet every day. So, what's not to like about a positive attitude? Adopt one today.
How Make Glowing Printer Ink
Learn this easy way to make glowing printer ink. No need to buy special paper.You can print on iron-transfer paper, glossy paper,coated,etc. Work with all color jet printer.
Guide to Tipping
Take a taxi anywhere in South America, and rounding the fare up to the next dollar amount is sufficient as a tip. If you're in an African city such as Cape Town or Nairobi, however, you need to tip 10% for a cab ride.
Going to India? Taking a taxi here means there is no need for gratuity at all.
While even the savviest globetrotter might be in the know about the best places to dine and the hippest hotels to stay at, knowing what to tip and when can be downright confounding.
"Gratuity etiquette perplexes even the most experienced travelers," says Misty Ewing, director of public relations at Virtuoso, a luxury travel network that has travel consultants and ground operators in more than 70 countries. "Everyone has a different interpretation of what's expected and acceptable when showing your gratitude; too much or too little can offend."
At a luxury hotel in Japan, for example, if you try to tip anyone from the wait staff at a top restaurant to the hotel concierge, your gesture will be perceived as a rude and flagrant show of wealth. On the other hand, if you skimp on tipping at any restaurant in the United States or to a concierge who has helped fulfill multiple requests, you probably won't be welcome again.
Top Tips
While these conventions can leave travelers scratching their heads, experts say that there are a few basic rules of thumb to following about tipping.
"In most places around the world, it's better to give something than nothing--so if you're ever in doubt, tip," says Erica Duecy, editor of restaurants and hotels at Fodor's travel publications. "And in many cases, tipping customs can be broken down by area of the world, so what you're supposed to tip isn't going to vary too much from country to country in that region."
In most countries in Europe, for instance, the service charge is included in the meal; it's customary to add another 5% to 10% for gratuity, especially in high-end restaurants. If no service charge is included, add 15% to the total bill. For taxis, 10% is the right amount to tip, and for hotel porters, give the equivalent of $2 per bag.
Experts agree that when it comes to the concierge at your hotel anywhere in the world, you don't need to tip for advice such as what sights to see; but you should always acknowledge service. In Europe, $2 is enough for each simple request the concierge fulfills, such as arranging airport pickup or making restaurant reservations. If your concierge is performing special tasks, such as arranging an after-hours tour of the Louvre, it's appropriate to tip $30 or more, depending on the difficulty of your request.
Accepted in Asia
Asia is one part of the world that has slightly different tipping customs for each country.
In Japan, tipping is an insult in any situation; but in China, giving 3% is expected at restaurants, while in Hong Kong, 10% to 15% is the norm if the gratuity isn't included in the bill. For taxis, you don't need to tip in China, but in Hong Kong, you should round the fare up to the next dollar amount.
In both China and Hong Kong, you should give hotel porters $2 to $3 per bag, especially at luxury properties, while $3 to $5 is a good amount for basic requests you ask of the concierge. You should incrementally increase this amount based on the complexity of your request.
What to Do Stateside
It's not always obvious what you need to tip in the U.S. While it's standard to tip 15% at restaurants, if you're enjoying a meal at an upscale spot such as the French Laundry in Napa Valley, it's expected that you'll tip at least 20%.
For taxis in cities such as New York City or Chicago, you should tip 15%, but in smaller cities or towns, you simply need to round up the fare to the next dollar amount. When you check into a hotel, you should give the porter $1 for each of your bags, but if you're staying at an upscale property such as the Four Seasons or the Ritz-Carlton, $2 to $5 per bag is more appropriate. Give on the higher end for especially heavy bags.
When it comes to the hotel concierge, give $3 to $5 for a basic service, such as arranging airport transportation. If the concierge fulfills a more difficult request, like getting you a last-minute 8 p.m. table at a restaurant that is typically booked weeks in advance, it's not uncommon to shell out $20 and up.
Follow these rules, and chances are you'll be less likely to be tripped up while traipsing around.
Original source here
Aerobic Cross Training for Weight Loss
Do you sometimes get bored with your aerobic exercise? Do You sometimes feel like you're not getting the results you should from your aerobic exercise? If so, then aerobic cross-training is for you.
Aerobic cross-training refers to using two to three different types of aerobic exercise during an exercise session. For example, if you plan to exercise for 60 minutes, you might start with 20 minutes of walking or jogging, followed by 20 minutes of biking, and finish with 20 minutes of rowing.
Now, please don't get the impression that you have to be in great shape to do this or that it has to be 60 minutes long. You can start with something as simple as a ten minute walk followed by ten minutes with an exercise video. This is cross-training too. You can gradually build up from there.
Here are some of the exercises you can use in your cross-training program; walking, jogging, biking, rowing, stair climbing, swimming, exercise videos, etc. Any combination of aerobic exercises will do. You simply go from one to the next with very little time between them.
Aerobic cross-training is beneficial to you in several ways:
1. It provides variety which eliminates the monotony often associated with doing the same exercise for a long period of time.
2. If your exercise sessions are less monotonous and more enjoyable, you are much more likely to exercise more often and for longer periods of time.
3. You are less prone to over-use injuries that sometimes occur from doing the same exercise movements over and over again.
4. You tone more muscles because you are using more muscles. For example, walking tones mostly the lower body muscles and rowing tones upper body muscles also. Even exercises like walking and biking that both tone lower body muscles, tone them at different angles and each tones some small muscles that the other doesn't.
5. Aerobic conditioning is very specific to the muscles being worked. For example, you can walk ten miles a day and still be somewhat breathless after climbing stairs because you haven't trained the muscles for that specific movement. Aerobic cross-training allows you to develop more comprehensive aerobic training.
6. Aerobic cross-training is effective for weight loss because your are toning and training the fat-burning systems of more of your muscles. It turns more of your muscles into 24-hour fat-burning machines! You are also more likely to exercise on a regular basis and for longer periods of time. this also promotes weight loss and fitness.
Your 7 days program to Stress management
"Have One Week, Will Relax"
They say there's more than one way to skin a cat. The same goes when you start tearing your hair out with all the frustration, grief, anxiety, and yes, stress. It's a state of mental conditioning that is like taking that bitter pill down your throat, causing you to lose your sense of self, and worse your sanity. Just thinking about it can drive anyone off the edge.
And they say that the proactive ones are already living off the edge.
As one stressed-out person to another, I know how it feels, and believe me there are many variants when it comes to stress. Coping with life, and carrying the problems that may or may not belong to you can scratch away the little joy and happiness that you can carry once you head out that door. You can't blame them for being like that; they have their own reasons, so much like we have our reasons to allow stress to weigh us down. They say that stress is all in the mind, well, what's bugging you anyway?
There are several ways to manage stress, and eventually remove it out of your life one of these days. So I'll try to divide it into a seven-day course for you and I promise it's not going to be too taxing on the body, as well as on the mind.
1. Acknowledge stress is good
Make stress your friend! Based on the body's natural "fight or flight" response, that burst of energy will enhance your performance at the right moment. I've yet to see a top sportsman totally relaxed before a big competition. Use stress wisely to push yourself that little bit harder when it counts most.
2. Avoid stress sneezers
Stressed people sneeze stress germs indiscriminately and before you know it, you are infected too!
Protect yourself by recognizing stress in others and limiting your contact with them. Or if you've got the inclination, play stress doctor and teach them how to better manage themselves.
3. Learn from the best
When people around are losing their head, who keeps calm? What are they doing differently? What is their attitude? What language do they use? Are they trained and experienced?
Figure it out from afar or sit them down for a chat. Learn from the best stress managers and copy what they do.
4. Practice socially acceptable heavy breathing
This is something I've learned from a gym instructor: You can trick your body into relaxing by using heavy breathing. Breathe in slowly for a count of 7 then breathe out for a count of 11. Repeat the 7-11 breathing until your heart rate slows down, your sweaty palms dry off and things start to feel more normal.
5. Give stressy thoughts the red light
It is possible to tangle yourself up in a stress knot all by yourself. "If this happens, then that might happen and then we're all up the creek!" Most of these things never happen, so why waste all that energy worrying needlessly?
Give stress thought-trains the red light and stop them in their tracks. Okay so it might go wrong - how likely is that, and what can you do to prevent it?
6. Know your trigger points and hot spots
Presentations, interviews, meetings, giving difficult feedback, tight deadlines…. My heart rate is cranking up just writing these down!
Make your own list of stress trigger points or hot spots. Be specific. Is it only presentations to a certain audience that get you worked up? Does one project cause more stress than another? Did you drink too much coffee?
Knowing what causes you stress is powerful information, as you can take action to make it less stressful. Do you need to learn some new skills? Do you need extra resources? Do you need to switch to decaf?
7. Burn the candle at one end
Lack of sleep, poor diet and no exercise wreaks havoc on our body and mind. Kind of obvious, but worth mentioning as it's often ignored as a stress management technique. Listen to your mother and don't burn the candle at both ends!
So having stress can be a total drag, but that should not hinder us to find the inner peace of mind that we have wanted for a long time. In any case, one could always go to the Bahamas and bask under the summer sun.
