First of all, this goes out mostly to people who live in places with 4 seasons, but also to those who live in very a warm climate. The Russian summer, for example, is very different from the Australian summer. These may seem as no brainers (I have to admit, most of them seem so to me), but I decided to write this after I noticed that really many people don’t really know what’s good for them when “things get hot”. The fast food culture has spread its long dark wings and whether we want to admit a lot, not that many of us eat healthy.

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Summer is the favorite season of most; whether this love is caused by great weather, vacation or mini skirts, one thing’s for sure: nobody wants to have a summer spoiled. A lousy summer alimentation is a top candidate at ruining your summer and also your health. Here are just a few things you should look for and look out in this wonderful season.

The DOs

Natural liquids

The first thing which summer requires from you is drinking more liquids than you would do in the rest of the year. This is caused by the heat which causes dehydration. Having enough fluids means you can work at full capacity and find pleasure in almost everything you do. In general, you should drink at least 2-3 l of liquids, but not everything works so you should really be careful what you drink. Here’s where this liquid could come from:

Natural juices;
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summer is the natural time for many fruits (cherries, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, oranges, bananas, etc), and this juice not only is great for hydration, but it’s also very healthy, containing numerous vitamins your body needs to feel good. It’s the healthiest thing you can drink and the biggest step you can make towards a better summer and a better health.

Fruits;

if you can’t or won’t make juices, there’s still something you can do, just as good: eat fruits. They also contain the same liquids and vitamins and just as the juices are, they’re really tasty. What you should do is resist the temptation of eating them really cold. It may seem good, but what you’re really doing is applying big termic variations to your body, which is not helping you at all.

Tea;
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it’s a miracle maker since the dawn of manking. Every civilisation used it, and for good reason. Mint and green tea could be helpful as they have a soothing action, but any tea is good. Also, especially in extreme heat, people used to drink warm black tea, because it prevented sweating, thus the body remained hydrated for a longer period of time.

Light food

Now more than ever is the right time to think about what you eat; you have quite a lot of alternatives and it’s time to give up the barbeques and stakes, and instead go for salads and other lighter food, especially because your appetite is mostly lower in the summer. Here’s what you could eat:

Vegetable salads;
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if you’re thinking they’re not tasty, now more than ever is the time to change your mind. Tomatoes, salad, cucumbers, potatoes, everything is at its best now; and you don’t have to use just veggies, actually it’s great to add something else. Some olive oil (no pun intented), pepper, cheese (any kind), they all do wonders both for the taste and the nutritional qualities.

Cakes;
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especially fruit cakes are a must in this time of the year. We all want something sweet once in a while, and this is the best way to suit our needs. Also, learning how to do this will almost definitely be a skill that will help you further along

The DONT’s

Now that we took a look at the good things, let’s browse the “enemies”, which can really ruin what could be a fantastic summer, and could have a big impact on your health and mood too.

So after we draw the line, it’s obvious that what we’re supposed to be eating and what we are eating are definitely not the same thing; as a matter a fact in most cases they’re not even in the same league. What you need to understand is that you have to keep a balance, meaning that even if you can’t eat all healthy all the time you really should at least avoid succumbing to unhealthy foods, as it the one you are doing harm to is yourself. So without further ado, go and have the best summer you can possibly have, you’ve probably earned it.

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We don’t need no education
We don’t need no thought control

~Pink Floyd - Another brick in the Wall~

These days I am kinda busy - you know, exams are close. I think everybody felt at least once that there are too many things to do and the time just isn’t enough, so one post about time management and good practices when studying should be useful.

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Create a good environment! If you can go to library and stay there it is very good - there you have the motivation and the atmosphere that helps you concentrate better. Of course, there are cases when you can’t use that space - for example if you have something to talk you can’t do it there. Your room can be a good solution too, but here you have more temptations (more…)

Oh lord it’s a dogs life
Oh lord it’s a dogs life dogs life
I’m feeling Kinda Irie
It’s bubbling inside me
Straight up it’s a dogs life
~Kottonmouth kings~

Dogs seem to be the perfect animals for every family so maybe it’s time to bring one to your home too! By simply following a few pieces of advice you will get a perfect companion for you and the ones you love.

A specialist can give you the best information you need about certain breeds and can help you make the best choice without being subjective as dog breeders can prove to be. You can also find out about what diseases the breed is most likely to have, and how to prevent and protect against them.

Are you or is someone else home frequently enough to feed, walk and take care of the pet? That’s not even half of it - a dog needs to feel loved and wanted, and they’re really dependent on their feelings. Also, think if the animal has enough place to run, and do all those things that if absent, make the dog unhappy.

If there are small children in your home, choose a breed that is known to be fond of children preferably not a very large one. Check for allergies, aggressivity, among others. Also, a surprise puppy can be just fantastic, the best present in the world! But if somebody is allergic, or doesn’t like puppies… wouldn’t be that much of a surprise (more…)

I need another point of view
Someplace I’ve never seen
Keepin’ my eyes wide open
Goin’ where I’ve never been
So take me to the highway
Take me far from here.
~Doobie brothers~

Most travelers discover that the money they give on food may be a lot more than they would have expected. However, these expenses can be easily reduced with a little experience and by following some simple steps.
1. Get to know your destination very well before actually taking a decision. Only in very expensive regions it worth taking food from home.
2. Bring nutritive drinks and multivitamins with you as a supplement for a poor diet. They will help you a lot, don’t take very much space and will give you more energy.
3. Bring your favorite condiments to add them on the food you buy from a store in order to make it tastier and to feel more like home. (more…)

Whoa! I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice, so nice, I got you
~James Brown~

A party at your working place might very well turn out to be really boring. However, it can also be a very good opportunity to have fun or it can be very useful - creating new relationships with coworkers is almost always a good thing. Still, be careful about having TOO much fun; you don’t want to be that drunk guy dancing on the table, nor the girl stripping by the boss! If you’re not sure what to do in order to avoid embarrassing situations, these following tips are definitely a good start:

1. Don’t drink too much!

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Alcohol will make you lose your inhibitions and will change your behavior. Even if you think it can’t affect you a glass of wine or a cocktail should be enough. Remember, perception is everything so you should not create a bad impression about yourself!

2. Be careful about interactions!

Even if a party might show you another side of your colleagues, try to ignore the new feelings as they can lead to disaster! Also try not to act provocative in order to be respected. If you’re in a … really good relationship with a coworker of the opposite sex, displaying yourself at your workplace is not something you’d want to do, especially at a party.

3. Don’t wear provocative clothes!

If you would not wear something on another occasion then don’t wear it now. Be elegant and try to attract attention only by your style and not by bad taste. Also, especially for women, provocative clothes at business parties always create an unwanted image for you. (more…)

So happy together
How is the weather
So happy together
We’re happy together
~The Turtles~

A roommate can be two things: your best friend or your worst enemy. When things go bad it’s quite easy to blame everything on him or her and their behavior. But could it be that simple?
Following a few simple rules will ensure you a good relationship with the person you are living with even if you will not become best friends.
1. Try to get in touch with your roommate before school begins even if you don’t know him or her and try to decide together what each of you should bring. It might be hard but try to adapt to your roommate’s wishes and decisions as much as you can.
2. Remember the fact that appearance might deceive you so try not to jump to a decision as soon as you see him or her!
3. Decide together about the way you would like your room to be like and try to reach an agreement about it which will be satisfying for both of you. (more…)

Everybody wants to be a showman
Yeah they all got another one
Everybody thinks they got a genius
Everybody got me on the run
~Kings of Leon~

Not everyone can be a genius like Einstein or Thomas Edison, but certainly all of us can use their methods to train our minds and to create the best plans for our future. The following 8 simple strategies will help you increase your productivity and to find better solutions to problems faster as they are similar to the ones used by geniuses in art, industry and science throughout history.

1. Try to see a problem in more than just one way!

Find new perspectives no one else thought about before. Leonardo da Vinci used this method as he thought that the first perspective is always subjective. So be original! Don’t be afraid to find new solutions and to have a different vision about something. Different is not similar to wrong!

2. Visualize!

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Einstein used diagrams to solve problems as he didn’t think words and numbers were relevant in the process of thinking. So grab a pencil or just close your eyes and use your imagination. The answer might be just there.

3. Be productive!

Thomas Edison is known to have created more than 1000 inventions most of them useless. In fact, most great inventors did the same thing; however, they were not afraid of failure or mediocrity and this helped them succeed. So why not doing the same thing? There is nothing to lose!

4. Combine ideas and solutions!

As Gregor Mendel discovered the laws of heredity by combining Maths and Biology you can also improve your work by using all your knowledge and even the most unlikely solutions!

5. Create connections!

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Da Vinci made a connection between the sound of a bell and a stone hitting the water. This way he discovered the existence of sound waves. You may not discover a groundbreaking invention, but even the smallest discoveries can bring great rewards…so why not give it a try?

6. Use opposition!

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The physician Niels Bohr would bring together mentally opposing elements and then he would cancel his reason, thus discovering new perspectives. By using this method, your mind will go to another level of understanding.

7. Think metaphorically! Aristotle thought that someone who could perceive the similarities between two separate areas of existence and bring the together is someone special. So save some time and look at the world around you with in a different way. Who knows what can come up?

8. Manage your failure! Don’t let everything disappoint you, but try to analyze the situation and to understand what went wrong in order to improve your future attempts. This will help you be successful and more mature.

The thing is you have to understand that you must become the change you want to see. So why not change the way you work and think about problems? It will make your life better, it will make you feel better, so go for it. Bring out the genius in you!

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Get ur freak on
Headbanger.. hit me, hit me, hit me, hit me

Missy Elliot ~ Get ur freak on ~

Nobody (or almost nobody) likes to study; I know I don’t. But it’s something we have to do, it’s a natural and necessary part of our development as human beings, not just for your school or carreer. But just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean it has to become a drag; no way! You can make it acceptable at least, perhaps even rewarding. Studying should become a decent activity, here’s what you should do.

1. Understand studying!

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Learning is an unpleasant activity not just because it feels like you’re wasting your time or stuff like that; in most cases, it’s a subconscious response. That’s just a clever way of saying that your brain thinks studying is bad. Why? Well because of our society; when parents punish their kids, they often make them study. Also, the feeling that it’s too hard or pointless can actually make it pointless. If you want to learn something, you have to make yourself understand that first. Once you understand that you have to finish this and you stop kidding yourself, you’re half way there.

2. Learn the right things!

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So you’ve motivated yourself, you want to do this, you’ve got the right attitude… what now? Make sure you have the right books, reference, whatever, and put them in the right order. Learning things in the correct order will actually speed things up. Sounds like a paradox? Not really. It’s just common sense; do it the wrong way and nothing will catch, and you’ll just waste a lot of time. Go back to 1. if that’s the case. Also, if you’re using the Internet, be careful, cause there’s a lot of wrong or partial information. Use the big boys (Wikipedia, Britannica, etc)for a bit more safety, but even there you’ll find some small mistakes. So be careful with the learning material.

3. Learn the right way!

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So you have the attitude, you have the learning material and still not learning? Well if the TV’s on and the dog’s barking there and that kind of stuff… it’s really understandable. You need to find that learning place, that is different for different people. Whether it’s quiet or filled with music, bright or darker, there should be no distractions (window, TV, pet, etc). Also, try to estimate your time - a realistic approach. If you don’t have enough time…

4. Turn useless time into productive time!

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Useless time can actually be… useful. Good all around tips here, but for studying, it’s a bit different. You should especially pay attention to time used for transportation and bath time. When you’re on the bus or other ways of transportation, try and do a quick recap (which by the way is really important) or read something new. When you’re taking a bath, do a light read or something; nothing too big, because this way it won’t spoil your relaxation. Also if you want to gain more time, you should know yourself. Know what’s good for you, how you can focus, things like that. It’s important that you find your own way of studying. Make notes, write down the most important ideas, listen to music, whatever gets you going. Also, it’s really important to know if your auditive memory is better than your visual memory. If it is, it’s definetly a good idea to read the stuff out loud, record it, and then listen to it. This can be a good idea even if it’s not (you can apply it on the bus).

5. Finish things up!

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Even when you feel like you’re making progress, you have to do things all the way, otherwise it’s your loss. Even if it feels like you know bits and pieces and you can put them together when needed, you shouldn’t rely on that. Also, don’t delay everything until the last moment, that won’t get you very far. Start things right, work your way to the top, and be careful at the finish. That’s what the champions do.

‘Cause we were never being boring
We had too much time to find for ourselves
And we were never being boring
We dressed up and fought, then thought: “Make amends”
Pet Shop Boys ~Being Boring~

In life, you do things you don’t want to; things you may find useless, unpleasant, or just boring. You may also waste a lot of time when you’re say, taking the bus to school or work, or when you’re cooking or just don’t have what to do at work; and you probably sometimes feel like you just don’t have enough time to finish your work and really need to relax and unwind. The thing is that you have two problems which could solve each other! Sounds really weird, but filling these ‘gaps’ in your day to day time is really important, but mostly underestimated. Here’s what you can do.

1. Take an mp3 player (ipod) or a good book with you.

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Or both! Put them in a small backpack or even in your pocket, it won’t really bother you. This way, whenever you’re don’t have anything really important to do, like cooking or just typing you can start listening to music. Whenever you’re in the bus, you can start reading, or during the lunch break after you’ve eaten. (more…)

“Yellow is the colour of my true love’s hair
In the mornin’ when we rise,
In the mornin’ when we rise,
That’s the time, that’s the time,
I love the best.
Blue’s the colour of the sky
In the mornin’ when we rise,
In the mornin’ when we rise.
in the mornin’ when we rise”
~Donovan~

Even since the Middle Age sorcerers and healers would use colours to treat all kinds of
deseases. Nowadays, modern doctors admit the fact that colours have a strong impact on
human mind, and by this a strong impact on one’s health or mood.
Some colours stimulate the body’s biological activity while others slow it down. By knowing what each colour really does it is simple to change your life in a simple and also pleasant way.
So what colour should you choose?

RED This colour is associated vith energy and power, thus having a stimulating effect. It
can cure your sadness and it can fight the negative emotions. Red can stimulate the internalorgans and the muscle activity especially the feet. This colour increases blood pressure andactivates your breathing, giving a sensation of heat.
So bring red to your life! Try to wear something red: a shirt, a scarf, anything. It is also useful to have a bright-coloured cup too. (more…)