Archive for the ‘Lifestyle’ Category
Surprise is key to extra successful gifts
Gift-giving, in its truest sense, can be, and usually is, more of a pleasant experience to the giver rather than the recipient. However, things cannot always be so heart-warming when you give gifts on certain ‘expected days’ such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. But it’s up to you to get imaginative and spice up your gift with an element of surprise thrown in.
Now that Mother’s Day is right around the corner, it’s time to get creative and choose a gift fro your mum that will make her day. Most will think of flowers and cosmetics, but there’s not much ’surprise element’ there. Then of course you have Mother’s Day Gift Baskets. Now, it may look like the most obvious thing to do, but how you fill up the basket is your trump card.
If you surf around for a little while, you’re bound to see some of the best ideas for gift baskets. The idea here is to choose one that is value-ridden, and filled with stuff she always wanted, but least expected. Does she love flowers or yearn to get pampered with fine wines and cheese? Or you could even custom-build a gift basket this Mother’s Day, and fill it with chocolates and flowers, and even throw in tickets to her favorite Opera amidst them. The choices are endless when it comes to how you fill up a gift basket, but what’s important to remember is to have fun while doing it.
Is your diet working for you?
Uh oh. Perhaps I should be asking, “Are you working for your diet?” Like most successful partnerships in life, it’s a meet-half-way process. Diets that work for you are simply mean that you’re doing something to make them work for you.
There’s no much thing like a magic diet pill that will get rid of that unwanted fab without any effort from your end. A diet is nothing but a package plan — you need to take it all. There’s also a lot of hype associated with certain kinds of brand names and diet plans, such as colon cleansers, appetite killers, fat burners, etc. However, looking at it all with a clear head, it all points to one thing — keep your calorie intake down. If you can do it — even with a ‘diet plan’ — you’ll discover a diet that really works for you!
Workout fits?
No two thoughts about it – fitness is one of the few things that never goes out of style. Everyone wants it, but how many of us actually attain the level of fitness we really aspire for for?
A very great number of people have a very great number of excuses NOT to go the gym. “It’s too far.” “I don’t have the time.” “If only I had a four-day week.”… it goes on. However, I feel it would eliminate more than 80 per cent of the excuses — or call them ‘workout fits’ — if these people had some fitness equipment in their homes.
And oh, no, no excuses on this one. A mind-bogging variety of fitness gear is available to suit every need and pocket. You will find machines to get rid of that extra flab, build muscles or whatever your goal is. And these days you’ll find you can find them at extremely competitive rates on the Web. Some companies will even istall them for you in your home.
On the other hand, you can also find used fitness equipment such as treadmills, bikes, multi-station gyms, etc., all from top brands in the industry. So if you’re low on budget, get a used fitness machine, to get started at least. There goes the last of your excuses.
The magic of the faucet
Yes, a faucet. Well, does it sound ordinary and innocuous, right? But not many realize a majestic looking kitchen faucet can actually make your kitchen come alive in cheer, and add a touch of class as well!
Then again, you do find a number of grand designs around. Are they all the same? I made the error of compromising on quality once — and I ended up with a faucet, the casting of which had a fine whole and within six months, it started throwing out fine sprays of water each time I turned the tap on. The point then is to get one that’s top quality as well as priced to meet your budget.
And that’s how I found Grohe faucets. The European manufacturer sells in more than 175 countries worldwide, and built for lasting functionality. You also get them in a number of exquisite finishes such as oil rubbed bronze, satin nickel and velour chrome.
As for the price, my experience has been quite satisfactory, because not only I didn’t have to break the bank, but they fitted well within my reasonable budget. Of course, looking for designs as well as bargains is part of the fun!
Consider the tiles first
Many tell me that there are two ways to design a bathroom — either from scratch or remodeling — you either start off with the overall look and feel and work downwards to detail, or you start with the basics, the tiniest elements and work your design upward and see what you get.
The second option might land you in a bit of surprise, getting something very unexpected, but to me, that’s what works, mainly because I get to choose my favorite details first. For instance, you could start with selecting your tiles for the wall and the floor first, and then, logically speaking, the countertop will design itself!
However, considering the number of options available in tiles, it won’t hurt to surf the Web and do some smart buying from reliable and established companies.
Plan your bodybuilding
When it comes to workouts and/or bodybuilding, many lack patience and are in a big hurry to see results. While it is a good idea to go in for bodybuilding supplements, which help expedite the muscle build-up, there must also be well-planned diet plan to help those extra proteins to work most effectively for you.
Every gym will most likely have its own set of recommendations of bodybuilding supplements, but what works best for you is something you plan with the help of your physical trainer and also, preferably with your physician.
Is it her? Or is it the gift?
Now that we’re in the middle and the thick of gift giving season, I wonder what’s going on inside most people’s minds. Let’s face it: at least here in the US, gift giving has been commercialized — just the way Jurassic Park was commercialized — a long time ago.
Taking on from there, what about those who really, extra really, have a special someone in their lives? To who, the cosmetic appeal of a gift doesn’t matter; it’s probably the love in the wrapping that’s what matters. And if you have someone so special in your life, what would you choose from some unique gifts for her or him?
I mean, what would be your yardstick in choosing a gift? Would the occasion be familial or official or friendly or football buddy? How much does it matter? Does it matter so much that it will leave a difficult-to-fill dent in your credit card account? Would you want your special person to know that it left a dent?
If so, then it would not be a gift at all. It would be something you’d want to see in the mirror each morning… at least for a couple of days.
The ‘forever new’ city
If there’s one thing that has fascinated me about Orlando Florida is that it always appears to be ‘young’ and ‘not fully explored.’ I mean, you can vacation in Orlando ten times, but you’ll still find something new to do or find in the city the eleventh time you’re in the city.
With me and my family, it’s almost always been the theme parks… that’s one thing we can’t have enough of. Of course there’s the Walt Disney world and Universal Studios to begin with, but if you aren’t out of breath, you still have about 20 more theme parks to discover. Would that mean 20 holidays? Well, why not actually… there’s a theme park to catch each and every fancy… Sea World, Discovery Cove and Aquatica, the list goes on.
On the accommodation front, Orlando hotels are quite generous almost all throughout the year. In fact, right now, there are some great deals to be found, which throw in a free day or two. The hotels are really fanciful, and sometimes, I feel I ought to take a holiday and just stay in an Orlando hotel!
The vanishing art of paperback reading
Why is paperback reading an art? It’s definitely not… but the way the Internet has gushed into our lives, we have been leaning more and more towards a paperless world – in the office, and at home, so reading a ‘real’ book does take some inclination.
So there goes your paperback, and the sensory pleasure of holding a real, solid book in your hands and the excitement of turning the pages to read what happens next. Paperbacks are a vanishing species; little can they do to fight audio books and Kindle.
However, not all is lost, because some publishers still bring out their literature only in the form of paperbacks or hardbound editions. And you could order them from Amazon books or any other well established outlet.
This holiday season, my gift-giving list wasn’t hard to make – everyone gets a real, tangible book to read and keep.