Fill up your gas tank on the way home, not in the morning when you’re in a hurry

Everyone feels overwhelmed sometimes. Those feelings are completely valid, but sometimes you need a little reality check.

David Cain, author of Raptitude, shares 6 reminders for anyone who is feeling overwhelmed:

6 Reminders For Anyone Feeling Overwhelmed

One maddening tendency of any small electronic device is that whenever the battery is low, it wastes most of its remaining power beeping and flashing to tell you that battery is low.

Similarly, the human body comes with many self-defeating features. For example, whenever you’re low on oxygen, say while trying to recover your electronic device from the bottom of a public pool, the body goes into panic mode, raises the heart rate and burns away what little oxygen you have to work with.

Source: Lifehack / Brian Lee

Spicy Perfumes

Good read by Catherin Helbig Beauty Expert in About.com Style:

Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what these perfumes smell like. Raiding the spice rack for fragrance notes such as cloves, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and pepper, spicy fragrances are alluring in old-fashioned ways.

Coco Perfume for Women by Chanel

Launched in 1984, at a time when in-your-face orientals such as Calvin Klein’s Obsession ruled the fragrance aisles, Coco won an instant following for its sophisticated, spicy scent. Chanel’s complex cocktail of spices and florals is a brilliant blend of sweet and savory notes, including rose, coriander, orange blossom and cloves, over a deeper, mysterious base of woods and vanilla. Wear it with your favorite little black dress, or to lunch with that handsome officemate who you wouldn’t mind sharing breakfast pastries with.

Vetyver Cologne by Jo Malone

Here’s a great example of a successful unisex perfume. Jo Malone designed Vetyver to be worn by women and men, and its clean, warm fragrance truly does have universal appeal. Spicy-fresh and green, with top notes of tarragon and nutmeg, the scent is reminiscent of both the outdoors and hot, fresh towels. Call it a day trip to the spa in a bottle.

Cinnabar Perfume for Women Estee Lauder

Spice up your next evening out with this decadent designer perfume. Cinnabar opens in a warm rush of incense and spices, and deepens into a rich, almost over-ripe floral scent. Sensual and not for the faint of heart, this fragrance is also immensely long-lasting – expect it to go dawn-to-dusk. Mist your hair lightly for day with the eau de parfum, and leave a gorgeous trail. For evening, dab the perfume directly onto pulse points – remembering that a little goes a long way.

Source: About.com Style

Available at Scentarina, gift valet and personal shopper services. Email scentarina@gmail.com for inquiries.

Oriental Perfumes

Good read by Catherin Helbig, Beauty Expert in About.com Style:

Here, we list the best oriental perfumes on the fragrance market today.

Think of oriental perfumes as the fragrance equivalent of cleavage and a killer pair of stilettos. Exotic and distinctly feminine, these sensual blends feature an earthy, animalistic base scent such as musk or ambergris, often combined with warm top notes such as amber or vanilla. When combined with florals, these scents are called “florientals”.

Poison Perfume for Women by Christian Dior

Inside a vicious-looking bottle that resembles a poisoned fruit straight out of a fairy tale, comes Dior’s storied elixir of seduction. A fragrance legend since it launched in the mid-1980s, this astoundingly sexy scent features a unique blend of spicy, fruity and woody notes. The effect is a bold, frankly sexual perfume that makes a big entrance, tosses back a few martinis, and leaves with phone numbers in her pocket.

Opium Perfume for Women by Yves Saint Laurent

Opium has enslaved many a woman with its hypnotic charms. Its alluring oriental cocktail of fragrance notes includes peppery plum, carnation, jasmine, patchouli, cedar, vetiver, incense, musk and myrrh. Exotic and seductive, this complex and expensive-smelling scent is ideally suited for night time and romance.

Black Pearls Perfume for Women by Elizabeth Taylor

Just like its namesake, this perfume is mature and boasts amazing longevity – dab on a drop at daybreak and expect the scent to linger into the late afternoon and evening. It opens with a dramatic bouquet of flowers and spices, deepening with wear into a smooth, rich amber-and-sandalwood accord. Cozy and warmly feminine, as opposed to blatantly sexy, it’s a great pick for a mellow evening curled on the couch with your special someone.

Organza Perfume for Women by Givenchy

Organza is a fresh and spicy fragrance that is a textbook example of a perfectly-blended floriental. A heart of white florals is complemented by mossy woods undertones and a nutmeg, cedarwood and vanilla base. The overall effect is luxurious and very sensual. Wear this one when you want to beguile and seduce, whether it’s a third date or just a rare night out without the kids.

Source: About.com Style

Check out these Oriental perfumes at Scentarina: Gift Valet & Personal Shopper Services or email scentarina@gmail.com

Oceanic Perfumes

Good read by Catherin Helbig, Beauty Expert in About.com Style:

Fragrances in the Oceanic Category

Oceanic perfumes are a modern invention. These scents use a blend of synthetic compounds to evoke natural aromas such as mountain air, ocean spray, or clean linen.

L’Eau par Kenzo by Kenzo for Women

This fresh and cheerful fragrance is like a pair of perfect-fitting jeans. That is, it goes with everything you own, and you’ll smile every time you put it on. Top notes of reed stems and wild mint mingle with freshwater florals and peach, creating a scent that’s bright, feminine and clean. Wear it with confidence from the office to brunch with your friends.

Giorgio Beverly Hills Ocean Dream for Women

Giorgio’s Ocean Dream is a feminine take on the oceanic category. Evoking romance at the beach, with its blend of water plants and floral notes over a warm base of vanilla and musk, this is a sensual and feminine perfume that’s great for a daytime.  Refreshing and youthfully sweet, this oceanic-floral combines top notes of ozone and water lily with tropical fruits and berries. The effect is sparkling and young. The water-drop shaped bottle is pretty, too.

Sunflowers by Elizabeth Arden for Women

While sunflowers could be classified as a fruity-floral, its signature watery scent makes it an oceanic as well. Bright and happy, this is a fabulous mood-boosting fragrance to spritz on first thing in the morning.

Source: About.com Style

The Top Selling Green Perfumes on the Market

Good read by Beauty Expert Catherine Helbig in About.com Style:

Top-Selling Perfumes in the Green Category of Fragrances

Smelling of fresh leaves and newly-mown grass, the green fragrances are a natural and energetic group. These scents are well-suited for daytime, when their sporty, modern appeal makes them a great fit for any casual or outdoor gathering.

No. 19 Perfume for Women by Chanel

First launched in 1971, No. 19 derives its name from Coco Chanel’s birthday. Sold exclusively through Chanel since its reincarnation in 2000, this fragrance is boldly unique, right down to its signature greenish tint. It successfully blends green and floral notes over a base of moss and woods, evoking a rain-soaked forest. Not girlish or obvious in the least, this is a chic, grown-up scent for a woman who is confident in her femininity.

Miss Dior Perfume for Women by Dior

Miss Dior was the first scent from the legendary designer Christian Dior, and its timeless appeal has made it a top-seller for six decades. A visionary in fragrance as well as fashion, Dior’s take on what his elegant clients wanted to smell like was stunningly modern. The perfume opens with crisp green sage, with floral notes and a sexy base of leather and patchouli adding complexity. You could wear this to cheer on your favourite local sports team, and to the bar afterward to flirt with the players.

mark Earth by Avon

Fresh and somewhat unisex in its appeal, this perfume from Avon’s popular beauty brand aimed at younger consumers was created “with the global goddess in mind.” We’re not sure what that means, but we’d buy it anyway for its pleasant, dewy blend of green leaves and bark. This is a nice fragrance for those of any age who prefer fresh – rather than fruity or floral – scents.

Safari Perfume for Women by Ralph Lauren

Ralph Lauren was inspired to create the warm and feminine Safari by his travels to the African plains. Its pervasive mossy-green aroma is warmed by rich vanilla and floral notes, giving it a girl-next-door-lets-her-hair-down charm. Wear this one to give your golf instructor ideas.

Sung Alfred Sung

Another green-floral blend, Alfred Sung’s classic perfume for women evokes the scents of a wedding bouquet. Bright green notes combine with fresh white flowers, with a vanilla-woods base supplying warmth and depth. Very feminine and beautifully balanced in its composition, it’s elegant for the office, or for wearing to brunch with your girlfriends.

Source: About.com Style

5 Best Fruity Perfumes: A Collection of Favorite Fragrances in the Fruity Category

Good article from About.com Style by Beauty Expert Catherin Helbig:

Fruity scents please the nose with the bright and familiar smells of apple, peach, berry, mango and other juicy fruits. They are often blended with florals.

Apple Splash by Marc Jacobs

Marc Jacobs designed his Splash collection of limited-edition scents to appeal to the palate, as much as the nose. His Apple Splash is a yummy green apple concoction that’s almost unisex in its appeal. Apple  zest and citrus notes blend with herbs and spices, creating an aromatic and energetic scent.

Liz Claiborne Perfume for Women by Liz Claiborne

This elegant signature scent from the design house of Liz Claiborne is a classic fruity-floral. Top notes of peach and pineapple mingle with bergamot, lily and rose over a woodsy base, to create a fresh and feminine fragrance. Wear this refined scent to a job interview, or with your favorite little black dress.

Harajuku Lovers Lil’ Angel Perfume for Women by Harajuku Lovers

Leave it to rock icon Gwen Stefani to bring a quirky sex appeal to the fruity perfume category. Lil’ Angel features a delicious blend of raspberry, cranberry, blackberry and sweet pineapple, layered over a warm  and sensual amber base. Sweet and a little offbeat, this is a playful perfume that casts a flirtatious spell. The Harajuku doll bottle will look adorable on your vanity, too.

Ralph Wild Perfume for Women by Ralph Lauren

Meant to inspire a feeling of freedom, Ralph Wild evokes the sensuality of summertime. Juicy red fruit notes of wild strawberry and watermelon mix with cherry blossom and rose, creating a scrumptious aroma that gets sexier the longer you wear it, thanks to base notes of musk and sandalwood. It’s a great perfume to wear on a movie-and-dinner first date.

Very Sexy Now Perfume for Women by Victoria’s Secret

Very Sexy Now is a fruity-floral perfume that delivers on its name. A sexy cocktail of tropical fruits, flowers, spices and vanilla, this is a sensual and inviting fragrance that’s ideally suited for summertime wear. Just apply sparingly – a little goes a long way.

Source: About.com Style http://beauty.about.com/od/fragranc1/tp/best-fruity-perfumes.htm

6 Best Floral Perfumes

Good article from About .com Style:

Sweet and romantic, these floral scents are the “good girls” of the fragrance aisle. Floral perfumes are sometimes single note, but generally combine the scents of various flowers to create a classic feminine appeal.

No. 5 by Chanel for Women

In 1921, Coco Chanel asked perfumer Ernest Beaux to create something that “smells like woman.” The resulting elixir would become the world’s most iconic fragrance, beloved by legions of women including Marilyn Monroe, who famously stated she wore nothing else to bed. A blend of luxurious florals and warm base notes, including ylang-ylang, rose, iris, neroli and vanilla, No. 5 is an elegant, womanly scent that transitions well from day to nighttime wear.

Chloe by Karl Lagerfield for Women

Chloe was created by Karl Lagerfeld when he helmed the fashion house of Chloe (now run by Stella McCartney). Like Lagerfeld’s clientele, which included Maria Callas andJaqueline Kennedy-Onassis, this fragrance is rich, romantic and powerful. Jasmine and honeysuckle are layered over spices and woods, to create a fragrance that is boldly feminine.

Tresor by Lancome for Women

Tresor is a deeply romantic fragrance. Lush and unabashedly floral, with pretty top notes of lilac and apricot, this is an intensely feminine perfume that charms more than it seduces. Wear it with confidence on a first date, or to a special dinner with your long-term love.

Flight of Fancy by Anna Sui

Like the name suggests, this is a whimsical fragrance that doesn’t demand to be taken too seriously. A quirky cocktail of floral and fruity aromas, the perfume appeals with notes of litchi, magnolia, rose and freesia. It’s fresh and fun, right down to its peacock-adorned bottle.

Curve by Liz Claiborne for Women

Another fruity floral, Curve blends soft floral notes of lily and rose with yummy peach, citrus and berry aromas. This is a crisp, clean perfume that’s best-suited to daytime wear.

Acqua Di Gio for Women by Giorgio Armani

This aquatic floral is a fresh take on the category. Acqua Di Gio for Women combines fresh floral scents with marine and fruity notes, over a musky base. Wear this clean, feminine fragrance when you need a mood-booster.

Source: About Style http://beauty.about.com/od/fragranc1/tp/floral-perfumes.htm

Types of Perfume: 8 Major Fragrance Categories and How to Wear Them

Good article from About.com Style by Beauty Expert Catherine Helbig:

Once upon a time, a woman was expected to have a signature scent. Nowadays, we are more likely to treat fragrance as an accessory, changing our perfume daily – or even more often – to suit our busy lives and shifting moods.

But sometimes, too much choice can lead to confusion. If you’re like most women, you have multiple perfume bottles cluttering your vanity table. They taunt you every morning as you get dressed, with the simple yet silent demand, “Who do you want to be today?”

To help you cut through the clutter, we’ve created this brief guide to the major fragrance categories, with suggestions for where to wear each one.

Citrus

Infused with the tangy essence of citrus fruits, these perfumes are lively and energetic. They are best enjoyed as a daytime delight, just the thing to wake you up in the morning before you’ve had that second coffee. Wear a citrus perfume to meet your girlfriends for brunch, brighten a baby shower, or ride your bicycle to the organic market.

See full list of citrus fragrances including Clinique Happy, Burberry Weekend for Women, Cartier Eau de Cartier for Women, Jo Malone Grapefruit, Calvin Klein CK One, The Gap Close.

Floral

Sweet and romantic, these scents are the “good girls” of the fragrance aisle. Florals are sometimes single note, but generally combine the scents of various flowers to create a classic feminine appeal. Spritz on a floral when you want to show off (or fake) your sweet-and-girly side — when meeting your boyfriend’s parents comes to mind. These scents are also appropriate at church, the ballet, or your best friend’s wedding, especially if you’ve got your eye on an eligible groomsman. See full list of floral fragrances including Chanel No 5, Karl Lagerfeld Chloe, Lancome Tresor and Anna Sui.

Fruity

Like a cheerleader with a wicked side, fruity perfumes are fresh and spicy. These fragrances please the nose with the bright and familiar smells of apple, peach, berry, mango and other juicy fruits, often blended with florals to create a compelling aroma. Pretty without being overwhelming, these perfumes are ideal for a movie-and-dinner first date. Just apply sparingly.

See full list of fruity fragrances including Liz Claiborne by Liz Claiborne, Avon Fire Me Up, Harajuku Lovers Lil’ Angel, Ralph Lauren Ralph Wild, Marc Jacobs Splash: Apple 2010, Victoria’s Secret Very Sexy Now 2010.

Green

Smelling of fresh leaves and newly-mown grass, the green fragrances are a natural and energetic group. These scents tend toward the unisex, so are best left on the shelf when you’re dressing to impress a hot date. Save them for daytime instead, when their sporty, modern appeal makes them a great fit for any casual or outdoor gathering. Wear one to cheer on your favorite football team, at the golfing range, or on a flea market amble with friends.

See full list of green fragrances including Chanel No. 19, Ralph Lauren Safari, Escada Sport Country Weekend, Sung Alfred Sung, Escada Magnetism, Adidas Adrenaline Woman.

Oceanic

Oceanic perfumes are a modern invention, first appearing with Christian Dior’s Dune in 1991. These scents use a blend of synthetic compounds to evoke natural aromas such as mountain air, ocean spray or clean linen. Crisp and fresh, they are an ideal choice for job interviews, when you want your perfume to say, “I’m clean, efficient and won’t stink up the joint if hired.”

See full list of oceanic fragrances including Christian Dior Dune, Elizabeth Arden Sunflowers, Davidoff Cool Water Woman, Giorgio Beverly Hills Ocean Dream.

Oriental

Think of oriental perfumes as the fragrance equivalent of cleavage and a killer pair of stilettos. Exotic and distinctly feminine, these sensual blends feature an earthy, animalistic base scent such as musk or ambergris, often combined with warm notes such as amber. (When combined with florals, these scents are called “florientals”). The effect is a bold yet mysterious perfume that makes a big entrance, tosses back a few martinis, and leaves with phone numbers in her pocket. Wear one when you want to seduce, whether it’s a third date or just a rare night out without the kids.

See  full list of oriental fragrances including Elizabeth Taylor Black Pearls, Yves Saint Laurent Opuim, Guerlain Shalimar, Givenchy Organza, Yves Saint Laurent Opium, Versace Crystal Noir.

Spicy

Sugar and spice and everything nice, that’s what these perfumes smell like. Uncap one and be transported to your mom’s kitchen – if your mom was the type who baked cinnamon rolls and gingerbread from scratch. With notes of cloves, ginger, cinnamon, cardamon and pepper, spicy perfumes are comforting and alluring in an old-fashioned way. Wear one to your next parent-teacher meeting, or at lunch with that handsome officemate who you wouldn’t mind sharing pastry with.

See full list of spicy fragrances including Chanel Coco, Jo Malone Vetyver, BCBG Girls, Givenchy Ysatis, Estee Lauder Cinnabar.

Woody (Chypre)

Woody scents are built on base notes of bark and moss, conjuring winding forest paths. While more unisex than other fragrance categories, that’s not to say these scents are masculine. They evoke a particular brand of no-nonsense femininity. Think Marion in Raiders of the Lost Ark, or Katharine Hepburn in any movie. This strong and classic appeal translates well to the corporate office, too. Wear one to your next performance review.

See full list of woodsy fragrances including Estee Lauder Knowing, Chanel No. 19, Britney Spears Believe, Ralph Lauren Romance, Gucci Envy Me.

Source: About.com Style http://beauty.about.com/od/fragranc1/a/different-types-of-perfume.htm

Review of Shalimar Perfume by Guerlain

Review by Beauty Expert Catherin Helbig in About.com Style:

With a name that literally means “temple of love” in Sanskrit, Shalimar is the amber-oriental perfume that spawned a host of successful imitators. Here’s our review of this iconic fragrance.

Guerlain’s fragrance takes its name from the Indian Gardens of Shalimar, where emperor Shah Jahan met the woman who inspired him to build the Taj Mahal. A runaway success since its birth in 1925, Shalimar’s irresistable blend of fragrance notes has given it pride of place on the vanities of glamorpusses from Rita Hayworth to Kate Moss.

What It Smells Like

Shalimar’s recognizable scent has captivated women and their admirers for almost a century now. The iconic love potion was created by blending lemony top notes and fragrant florals over a rich base of vanilla, patchouli, amber and musk. The result is an exotic scent cocktail that deepens into a powerfully sensual weapon, over hours of wear.

The Sincerest Form of Flattery

Based on a heady dose of amber, vanilla, patchouli and musk, Shalimar is the original amber-oriental perfume that spawned a flock of imitators. In the 1980s, Calvin Klein based his Obsession Perfume on a similar vanilla-patchouli base with a citrus top. But perhaps the most direct homage to Shalimar – and a wildly successful scent in its own right – is Thierry Mugler’s Angel Perfume, which adds mouth-watering notes of honey, chocolate and caramel to the vanilla-patchouli-sandalwood accord.

The Legend Gets a Face-Lift

One might assume that a fragrance that’s still selling after 85 years needs no improvement, but sometimes a little nip and tuck is in order.

In 2010, to celebrate Shalimar’s 85th anniversary, Guerlain partnered with Jade Jagger (a jewelry designer, and herself the daughter of two icons, Rolling Stone Mick Jagger and fashion icon Bianca Jagger) to create a new bottle for Shalimar Eau de Parfum. The new bottle is curvy and sensual, with a gem-like stopper befitting this exotic jewel of a perfume.

Where and When to Wear It

Wear Shalimar when you want to bring out your inner sexpot – but save it for evening wear, if you want to play it safe. With its take-no-prisoners-sexy aroma and rich, full-bodied base notes, this perfume can smell overpowering for day, particularly in the warmer months.

Source: About.com Style

The Story of Creation

Happy New Year 2015! Here’s one of my favorite stories to put you in good mood for the new year…

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and healthy lives.

Then using God’s great gifts, Satan created Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts.

And Satan said, “You want chocolate with that?”

And Man said, “Yes!” and Woman said, “and as long as you’re at it, add some sprinkles.”

And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful Yogurt that Woman might keep the figure that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.

So God said, “Try my fresh green salad.” And Satan presented Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, “I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil in which to cook them.” And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof.

God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it “Angel Food Cake” and said, “It is good.” Satan then created chocolate cake and named it “Devil’s Food.”

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose those extra pounds. And Satan gave Cable TV with a Remote Control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald’s and its 99-cent Double Cheeseburger. Then said, “You want fries with that?” And Man replied, “Yes! And super size them!” And Satan said, “It is good.” And Man went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery. Then Satan created provincial health care plans.

Moral of this story, if there’s any…

Brain cells come and brain cells go. Fat cells are here to stay 🙂

Check this out…

There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today than on Alzheimer’s research. This means that by 2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

An Aussie Ghost Story

According an Aussie friend, this story happened a while ago in Brisbane, Australia. Even though it sounds like an Alfred Hitchcock tale, it’s true…

John Bradford, a Sydney University student, was on the side of the road hitchhiking on a very dark night and in the midst of a storm. The night was rolling on and no car went by. The storm was so strong he could hardly see a few feet ahead of him. Suddenly he saw a car slowly coming towards him and stopped.

John, desperate for shelter and without thinking about it, got in the car and closed the door, just to realize there was nobody behind the wheel and the engine wasn’t on! The car started moving slowly. John looked at the road and saw a curve approaching. Scared, he started to pray, begging for his life. Then, just before he hit the curve, a hand appeared through the window and turned the wheel.

John, paralyzed with terror, watched how the hand appeared every time they came to a curve. John saw the lights of a pub down the road so, gathering strength, jumped out of the car and ran to it. Wet and out of breath, he rushed inside and asked for two shots of tequila. He then started telling everybody about the horrible experience he went through.

A silence enveloped everybody when they realized he was crying and wasn’t drunk.

About 15 minutes later, two guys walked into the same pub. They were also wet and out of breath. Looking around and seeing John Bradford sobbing at the bar, one said to the other, “Look, Bruce, it’s the bloody idiot that got in the car while we were pushing it.”

* * *

Hahaha bet you didn’t see that coming, aye???

Intelligent people?

George Bush meets with the Queen of England.

He asks her, “Your Majesty, how do you run such an efficient government? Are there any tips you can give to me?”

“Well,” says the Queen, “the most important thing is to surround yourself with intelligent people.”

Bush frowns. “But how do I know the people around me are really intelligent?”

The Queen takes a sip of tea. “Oh, that’s easy. You just ask them to answer an intelligent riddle.”

The Queen pushes a button on her intercom. “Please send Tony Blair in here, would you?”

Tony Blair walks into the room. “Yes, my Queen?”

The Queen smiles, “Answer me this, please, Tony. Your mother and father have a child. It is not your brother and it is not your sister. Who is it?”

Without pausing for a moment, Tony Blair answers, “Well, your Majesty, that would be me.”

Bush goes back home to ask Dick Cheney, his Vice President, the same question. “Dick, answer this for me. Your mother and your father have a child. It’s not your brother and it’s not your sister. Who is it?”

“I’m not sure,” says Cheney, “let me get back to you on that one.”

Cheney goes to his Advisors and asks every one, but none can give him an answer. Finally, he ends up in the men’s room and recognizes Colin Powell’s shoes in the next stall. Cheney shouts, “Colin! Can you answer this for me? Your mother and father have a child and it’s not your brother or your sister. Who is it?”

Colin Powell yells back, “That’s easy. It’s me!”

Cheney smiles, and says, “Thanks!”

Then, Cheney goes back to speak with Bush. “Say, I did some research and I have the answer to that riddle. It’s Colin Powell.”

Bush gets up, stomps over to Cheney and angrily yells into his face, “No, you idiot! It’s Tony Blair!”

10 STEPS TOWARDS A BETTER, MORE PRODUCTIVE YOU IN 2015

WILL YOU SIMPLY GO THROUGH 2015, OR WILL YOU GROW AS A PERSON AND A LEADER IN THE NEW YEAR?

BY SHAWN PARR

If you don’t have your dreams and goals mapped out, you’ll never achieve them. And while the act of writing them down doesn’t guarantee that they’ll happen, it helps you to stay laser focused on the things that matter and prevents you from drifting from year-to-year hoping that things might change.

Here are 10 “uncommon sense” principles for the year ahead that I hope inspire you to think about how you’ll grow throughout 2015.

1. START STRONG, FINISH STRONG

Start your new year by designing a meaningful event to kick it off both at home and at work. Celebrate the beginning of this exciting new chapter that you can fill with opportunities, new experiences, and people who will add richly to your life. Start the year off with renewed energy, passion, and intentionality.

2. BUILD YOUR OWN ADVISORY BOARD

Who do you go to for candid feedback and advice? Who are you accountable to? It’s time to form your own board of advisors and let them hold you accountable. Identify three or four people who you respect in different facets of your life and invite them onto your board. Set expectations and let them know you need them on your journey through the year.

3. CREATE A PERFORMANCE SURVEY

You grow through life when you live it consciously and are aware of the impact you have on others around you. A great way to know how to grow is to know where to focus. Create a performance survey and ask two or three people in different aspects of your life to evaluate you, helping you to become consciously aware of your most important relationships.

4. MAKE A STOP AND START LIST

Seeking simplicity in life is one way to create the margin of time, but daily life seems to get more complex every year, and time can slip through our hands like sand. One simple exercise is to list the things that you need to stop doing in the year ahead. List the distractions, the time-wasters, and the headache-inducers with the reasons why you need to stop them. Then list all of the things you need to do that you’re not that will help you drive towards your goals.

5. FIND THE MEANING IN EVERYTHING

Designing your actions with purpose and intentionality is an opportunity to inject more satisfaction into your days (and nights). If you can answer the questions “Why am I here?” and “Why am I spending my time doing this?” you’ll waste less of your valuable time in the year ahead. Design your days with intentionality.

6. MAKE SMALL GESTURES

It’s the everyday, run-of-the-mill, important but sometimes mundane acts that show you understand other people’s needs and that you care about what they need from you. Make a point of asking and understanding what’s really important to the people you live with and work with.

7. SHUT UP AND LISTEN

As human beings we waste so much time talking about meaningless crap, because we’re not really engaged in a two-way conversation or more, we’re in our own monologue and think that being heard is more important than listening. Try being the quiet one in the room and listening a whole lot more than you talk. Ask more pointed questions and see what reactions you get and the impact that approach has on your own productivity.

8. BE BOLD

Define and cement your purpose and what you want to get done in 2015 by mapping a clear and bold strategy for the most important initiatives you’ll embark upon. Communicate successes, failures, rockstar moments, and misses. Do this often, celebrate the small wins, and share the losses. Remember, actions speak louder than words.

9. ADORE YOUR PEOPLE

Make sure to put people at the center of everything you do. It’s not about you, it’s not about profits, and it’s not about products. Passionate, engaged people move mountains. Enough said. Understand them. Know them. Thank them. Communicate with them and involve them often.

10. PAY IT FORWARD

They say it’s easier to smile than to frown and easier to be kind than mean-spirited. My friend Bob Goff wrote a bestselling book entitled Love Does that’s filled with stories of spontaneous love and laughter. Be deliberate about designing acts of kindness for the people you care about. Buy a stranger a cup of coffee in the line at Starbucks. Say thank you more often. Give love a go.

About the Writer:

Shawn Parr is the Guvner & CEO of Bulldog Drummond, an innovation and design consultancy headquartered in San Diego whose clients and partners have included Starbucks, Diageo, Jack in the Box, Taco Bell, Adidas, MTV, Nestle, Pinkberry, American Eagle Outfitters, Ideo, Sony, Virgin, Disney, Nike, Mattel, Heineken, Annie’s Homegrown, Kashi, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, The Honest Kitchen, and World Vision. Follow the conversation at @BULLDOGDRUMMOND.

Source:

Fast Company: http://www.fastcompany.com/3038926/10-steps-towards-a-better-more-productive-you-in-2015

[Little girl holding fireworks: Kuttelvaserova Stuchelova via Shutterstock]

The “swimmer’s body illusion”

Sharing something I learned today, written by Belle Beth Cooper:

In Rolf Dobelli’s book, The Art of Thinking Clearly, he explains how our ideas about talent and extensive training are well off-track:  Professional swimmers don’t have perfect bodies because they train extensively. Rather, they are good swimmers because of their physiques. How their bodies are designed is a factor for selection and not the result of their activities.

The “swimmer’s body illusion” occurs when we confuse selection factors with results. Another good example is top-performing universities: Are they actually the best schools, or do they choose the best students, who do well regardless of the school’s influence? Our mind often plays tricks on us, and that is one of the key ones to be aware of.

What really jumped out at me when researching this section was this particular line from Dobelli’s book:

Without this illusion, half of advertising campaigns would not work.

It makes perfect sense, when you think about it. If we believed that we were predisposed to be good at certain things (or not), we wouldn’t buy into ad campaigns that promised to improve our skills in areas where it’s unlikely we’ll ever excel.

This is similar to the skill of learning to say no, or how our creativity actually works: Both diverge strongly from what we think is true, versus what actions will actually help us get the result we want.

About the writer:

Belle Beth Cooper is a co-founder of Exist, a personal analytics platform to help you track and understand your life. She’s also a freelance writer. Follow her on Twitter at @BelleBCooper

Source:

Fast Company: http://www.fastcompany.com/3019903/work-smart/8-subconscious-mistakes-our-brains-make-every-day-and-how-to-avoid-them?utm_source=facebook

Nenek 81 Tahun Selamba Buat Terjun Udara di Australia

Seorang nenek yang berusia 81 tahun (lahir pada tahun 1933) secara rasmi dianggap lebih “cool” daripada anda semua selepas beliau mengambil bahagian dalam satu aktiviti terjunan udara semasa beliau melawat anaknya di Australia.

Min Deyu yang berasal dari Shiyan City, Central China di Wilayah Hubei melakukan aktiviti tersebut bersama seorang pembantu profesional tanpa ada perasaan takut sedikit pun.

Ketika Min Deyu, nenek tersebut mendarat dengan selamat, orang ramai yang berkumpul untuk menonton aktiviti beliau turut berasa teruja dan gembira dengan keadaan beliau yang stabil dan tetap “cool” dan selamba.

Akhbar China melaporkan, nenek tersebut sudah mulai jatuh cinta dengan sukan terjun itu.

Bagaimanapun, Min Deyu bukanlah peserta tertua dalam acara terjun udara ini kerana Aida Mendes, seorang nenek yang berusia 103 tahun dari Brazil telah melakukan perkara sama pada bulan April 2013.

Penghargaan kepada sumber berita:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/11289336/Chinese-grandmother-81-becomes-Internet-hit-after-skydiving-in-Australia.html

http://online.thatsmags.com/post/photos-bad-ass-hubei-grandma-goes-skydiving

http://kezoom.blogspot.com/2014/12/4-gambar-nenek-81-tahun-selamba-buat.html#.VI2DtSuUeH4