Tuesday, July 7, 2015

50 Books Every Child Should Read by Age 16


1. Charlie and The Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
2. Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
3. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – CS Lewis
4. Winnie The Pooh – AA Milne
5. Black Beauty – Anna Sewell
6. James and The Giant Peach – Roald Dahl
7. The BFG – Roald Dahl
8. A Bear Called Paddington – Michael Bond
9. Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
10. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn – Mark Twain
11. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone – J.K. Rowling
12. Matilda – Roald Dahl
13. The Railway Children – E Nesbit
14. Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
15. Five on a Treasure Island – Enid Blyton
16. The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
17. The Very Hungry Caterpillar – Eric Carle
18. The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
19. Charlotte's Web – EB White
20. The Tale of Peter Rabbit – Beatrix Potter
21. Watership Down – Richard Adams
22. The Hobbit – JRR Tolken
23. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – JK Rowling
24. Lord of the Flies – William Golding
25. The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 ¾ – Sue Townsend
26. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
27. The Cat in the Hat – Dr Seuss
28. The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson–Burnett
29. The Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank
30. The Twits – Roald Dahl
31. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – L Frank Baum
32. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – John Boyne
33. Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
34. The Tiger Who Came to Tea – Judith Kerr
35. Green Eggs and Ham – Dr Seuss
36. The Day of the Triffids – John Wyndham
37. Bambi – Felix Selten
38. Tom's Midnight Garden – Phillipa Pearce
39. Little House on the Prairie – Laura Ingalls Wilder
40. Funny Bones – Janet and Allan Ahlberg
41. Where The Wild Things Are – Maurice Sendak
42. Carrie's War – Nina Bawden
43. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
44. The Magician's Nephew – CS Lewis
45. Northern Lights – Philip Pullman
46. The Story of Doctor Dolittle – Hugh Lofting
47. The Story of Tracy Beaker – Jacqueline Wilson
48. The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins
49. Curious George – HA Ray
50. Each Peach Pear Plum – Janet and Allan Ahlberg

Friday, June 5, 2015

Financial Apocalypse


Now is the time to prepare. If you wait until things totally fall apart it will be far too late. 

The following are 12 simple things that you can start doing right now to prepare for the coming financial apocalypse….


#1 Become Less Dependent On Your Job 
Many people define a job as the state of being “just over broke”. The truth is that it is incredibly difficult to become financially independent working for someone else. Now, the truth is that most Americans would not be able to survive without a job, but what would you do if someday you suddenly lost your job during a financial apocalypse? Now is the time to start investigating alternate sources of income and different ways to build wealth. Today it takes the average unemployed American over 33 weeks to find a job. You may not always be able to count on being able to get a good job, and the economy is only going to get worse over the long-term. All of us should be operating under the assumption that any jobs we now have will someday be taken away.





#2 Get Out Of Debt 

Some people disagree with this, but unless society degenerates into complete chaos or we experience Weimar Republic-type hyperinflation, the truth is that your debts are going to continue to hang over you wherever you go. Getting out of debt can be completely and totally liberating. It will give you much more freedom and will make you far less dependent on your job. In fact, it looks like a lot of Americans are already moving in this direction. It was recently announced that 8 million Americans have stopped using their credit cards over the past year. Why not join them? When things start really falling apart and it is incredibly difficult for anyone to get a job, the last thing you want is a huge amount of debt hanging over your head.


#3 Reduce Expenses 

For decades, most Americans have been living far beyond their means. In the future, times are going to be really tough and we are all going to have to learn to tighten our belts. Do you and your family waste money right now? If you can eliminate that, you can live on a smaller income and you will have more money to invest in the things that are really going to matter.


#4 Purchase Land 

Real estate is still priced too high in most areas of the United States, but the truth is that you don’t want to wait forever to get your hands on a piece of land. If a “financial apocalypse” does happen, you don’t want to be stuck in a big city with no place to go. You always want to have somewhere that you can “bug out” to. The U.S. real estate market is continuing to struggle right now, so hopefully prices will come down even more and there will be some really great deals available over the next couple of years.


#5 Learn To Grow Food 


Another reason why you want to purchase some land is so that you will have 

somewhere to grow food if
you need to. 100 years ago almost all Americans knew how to grow their own food, and most of them also knew how to raise farm animals. Today, relatively few Americans have those skills. A great way to begin is by starting your own “survival garden”. If you are not already doing this, then why not start this upcoming year?


#6 Find A Reliable Source Of Water 


Water is going to become a very, very valuable resource in the years to come. It will be absolutely key for you and your family to have a dependable source of clean drinking water. If you do not have water you will not be able to survive for long. In the event of an economic meltdown, basic services such as power and water may not be there. So be certain that you and your family have an alternate source of water to depend upon.


#7 Explore Alternative Energy Sources 

This point is similar to the one above. Do you think that if a financial apocalypse happens that you will always be able to depend on the power company? The truth is that there is a good reason why so many Americans have been trying to go “off the grid”. Without power, life gets really difficult very quickly. But if you are generating your own power then you won’t have to worry about that.


#8 Store Supplies 

In the event of a major disaster or emergency, store shelves are going to empty really fast. If supplies are disrupted on a permanent basis, you may have to get by on what you already have in your home. So do you and your family have enough warm clothes, personal hygiene products and medical supplies to last for an extended period of time? Hopefully your local stores will always be able to supply what you need, but we need to prepare as if that is not guaranteed.



#9 Protect Your Assets With Gold And Silver 


The way that the Federal Reserve is abusing the U.S. dollar, it is only a matter of time before rampant inflation sets in. Even now, the U.S. dollar has already been seriously declining and precious metals like gold and silver have been shooting into the stratosphere. In the future, your paper money may not buy much for you at all, but if you have some gold or silver coins you can always exchange them for the things that you are going to need.


#10 Learn Self-Defense 

Did you see what happened at stores from coast to coast the last Black Friday? Americans were literally trampling one another just to get their hands on some cheap foreign-made plastic crap. So what do you think is going to happen once these people have been without food for two or three days? Now is the time to think about how you will defend your home and your family from crazed looters. It is not a fun thing to think about, but unfortunately we are heading for times that will not always be pretty.


#11 Keep Yourself Fit 

As Americans, we live such “cushy” lives. But when times get hard things will not be so cushy. In fact, the years ahead are likely to demand quite a bit of physical activity. So keep yourself in good physical condition right now. In the future you will be very glad that you did.



#12 Make Friends 


It is really, really hard to “survive” by yourself. Those who will thrive the most in the future are those who will have a community that they can depend on. Americans are always at their best when they work together. Don’t be afraid to reach out to your family and friends. In the times ahead the world will be a very cold place, and a little love and compassion will go a long way.

By Michael Snyder , 
End Of The American Dream

Friday, May 15, 2015

Organize Your Life




Life can be so hectic these days, so hectic that everything feels messy and it’s like everything’s happening all at once. But that’s just not the case.
It’s time we all admit that we need help in organizing our lives. It’s going to be a chore to do all this, but staying organized makes life easier in the long run. Just think about how easy it’ll be to find stuff you need and avoid last minute hassles. Here are few tips that’ll show you how to organize your life at home, work and everything in between.

1. Write Everything Down And Don’t Rely On Your Memory

We can all agree most of us have a tough time remembering things. If you want to remember things, put it in writing, or in a digital notebook like Evernote or Google keep
Keeping your to-do, lists and other information written somewhere allows you to look back at it anytime, even when you’ve hit your head and forgotten your own name.

2. Make Back-Ups of Everything

Back up your computer files and have duplicates made for your car and home keys. Scan your IDs, passports and bank details, too then put it all in a secured folder in your computer. Keep the original and photocopies of your financial records, birth certificates, land titles and insurance in one folder, preferably tucked away in a safe.

3. Practice Mise En Place (Putting In Place)


Chefs are extremely organized people, in and out of the kitchen. Their secret? They have a place for everything. They sort out their clothes, wrapping paper, crafts, cleaning materials, basically everything, and keep them in labeled containers or closets at home. In the kitchen, they’re trained to organize their work space well so that their every moved is conserved and they know exactly where all the ingredients are.
Doing this will take time, but after a while you’ll see how easy it is to find what you need when everything in your place has a home.

4. Scan and Back-up Your Photos

Worried about losing the last copy of your childhood photos? Tired of all the bulky picture books in your coffee table? Have the pictures scanned to save space and make sure you don’t lose these precious memories. You can even have them scanned at a local printing shop.

5. Clean Up Regularly

The best way to remain organized is to allot certain hours of day the decluttering and cleaning up. It doesn’t have to be a large chunk of time either, as 15 to 30 minutes a day is enough.

6. Keep The Hotspots Clean


Every house and office has a hotspot for clutter. Usual suspects are the sink, dining table, cubicle, night stand, and bedroom drawers. Take note of these places and tidy them up daily.

7. Get a Money Management App

One downside of being unorganized is overspending your money and relying on credit cards until pay day.
You can easily avoid this by getting a money management app like Quicken or Mint.
Use these apps to record your monthly bills and document your spending.  This way, you can get reminders sent to you before your bill is due so you can deposit money to your account. You can also see how much money you’ve already spent so you’ll know exactly where your money goes and how you can cut back.

8. Recycle And Donate to charity

Is your closet full of unopened bags and clothes that still have their tags on? Is your book shelf full of unread books?
Chances are if you haven’t read, worn, or used whatever it is, then you’re probably not going to use it at all. Donate them to a charity or sell them on ebay.

9. Donate or Throw One Thing Before Buying Something

Try this experiment: before buying one thing, throw out something old or something you don’t use. Or, if you’re a really terrible pack rat, just throw out 1 old thing a day until you can’t find any more items to throw. Do that for a month and I guarantee you’ll have less clutter in your life.

10. Check The Expiration Dates Of Canned Goods And Medicine You’ve Stocked

Expired food, spices, and medicines won’t just taste bad, it’s also bad for your health. Dispose of it immediately to minimize the clutter in your cabinets, and make room for new supplies.

11. Create A Centralized Family or Work Information Center

To keep up with schedules and tasks, you need to coordinate with your family and co-workers.
Use a synchronized calendar app, where every member of your team or family can enter new updates, schedules and tasks that every member can see. Doing this avoids conflicting schedules and keeps everyone informed of each other’s activities and whereabouts. You can also do this using big whiteboards.

12. Create A List Of Your Passwords In A Safe App Or Offline File

Passwords are very important in keeping your privacy and security. Unfortunately, using the same password for everything is bad, while having a lot of different passwords is secure but difficult to remember.
Centralize your passwords and sensitive data using an app that allows you to create one password to secure all your other passwords, like LastPass.

13. Unsubscribe From Unread Email Newsletters, Magazines And Other Subscriptions


If you subscribe to a number of newsletters, blogs and other online publications, but haven’t read a single email from them in 3 months, just unsubscribe. You probably won’t read any of their content, anyway. While you’re at it, unsubscribe from unread magazines, catalogues and junk mail. It’s just a waste of money and space, especially if you don’t read them.

14. Create An Inventory And Don’t Over Stock Supplies

Make an inventory of home cleaning and toiletry supplies, so you don’t run out and don’t overstock either. You might think overstocking is good, but if you don’t have enough storage then all those extra supplies are just wasting your precious space.
The same tip is applicable for office supplies, canned goods and toiletries.

15. Create Daily, Weekly And Monthly Schedules for Cleaning

Organize your cleaning schedule. It’s extremely exhausting to have a “cleaning day” where you clean everything all at once. Distribute tasks evenly, so for example, dish washing could be done daily; while vacuuming could be scheduled weekly and cleaning the windows done monthly.

16. Create a Weekend Bucket List

Keep a list of activities that you want to do, so you can consult this list on boring weekends instead of wasting your time figuring out what to do—or just giving up and watching reruns at home.

Whichever of these tasks you decide to do, remember that you can’t completely organize your life in one go. It’s a long, never-ending process so be patient. Just decide to get organized now then take baby steps until you see some semblance of order in your life. Soon enough, you will be making a habit out of it all.

16. Relax


Find some time every day for prayer say 20min , for self-reflection may be 10min in bed, thinking how was the day, how everything went well and thank for the all the good things  and also little time for our own hobbies (could be a book / song you wished to hear for long)

Monday, May 11, 2015

How to store food properly?





















































Freezer
Let’s start with the obvious stuff: Freezers are for storing frozen things (duh!). Your ice goes in the freezer, as do frozen fruits, veggies, meat, stock, and other items. You can also store a surprising number of other foods in the freezer for later use, such as tortillas, pasta sauce, and even eggs. (Note: You can freeze bread for up to three months, but don’t store it in the fridge or it’ll dry out.) The trick with freezers is to pack foods tightly in their containers and keep things well organized, since this optimizes storage and also saves energy (and moolah on that energy bill). Rather than using glass jars, which can break, freeze foods in stackable plastic containers or in plastic freezer bags laid flat.

Doors
Doors are the warmest part of the fridge and should be reserved for foods that are most resistant to spoiling. Keep condiments, juices, and other foods that can stand up to temperature fluctuations here. (And remember that even condiments have a shelf life). Since fridge doors can get warm (particularly when they're opened often), eggs and dairy shouldn’t go here, even if you guzzle milk straight from the carton all the live-long day. (Although if that’s how you roll, you have bigger bacteria to worry about.)

Upper Shelves
The upper shelves of the fridge have the most consistent temperatures, while the lower shelves are coldest. One pro strategy from restaurant kitchens is to place foods that don’t need to be cooked near the top of the fridge. This includes leftovers, drinks, and ready-to-eat foods like tortillas, hummus, and deli meats. Herbs can be kept fresh by placing them upright in a vase or jar with water and loosely covering it with a plastic bag. You’ll also want to keep berries up here for easy access (see the crisper section for more berry info).

Lower Shelves
The lower shelves are your best bet for raw meat, eggs, seafood, and other dairy to be stored at the coldest temperatures. To prevent raw meat’s bacteria from spreading to other areas, assign a particular section of the fridge as your meat locker. Keep meat in its original packaging, and place it on a plate or in and improvised bin that’s cleaned regularly.

Overall: Don’t crowd your shelves too much. Unlike the freezer, the fridge shouldn’t be totally packed. Cold air needs to flow here, and if it can’t, you’ll get inconsistent temps with pockets of heat and warmth. (Lukewarm yogurt, anyone? Didn’t think so.) Leaving a little wiggle room between your leftovers will also help keep down your energy bill.

Crisper Drawers
The purpose of crisper drawers is to maintain moist conditions that help preserve fruits and vegetables. But don’t make the mistake of jumbling all your produce together in a fruit and veg free-for-all. Many fruits, including apples, peaches, plums, pears, and cantaloupes, produce ethylene, a chemical that helps them to ripen. Unfortunately the ethylene produced can also promote ripening in other plants, causing vegetables to go yellow, limp, or even sprout. For this reason, keep veggies in one drawer and fruits in another.


Fruits and veggies should be washed before eating, but too much moisture can cause foods to flip from ripe to rotten before you can get your antioxidants on. The goal is to wash fruits and veggies when it’s convenient, but not so far in advance that they are likely to spoil before you eat them. When washing fruits, remove extra moisture by draining in a colander, blotting with paper towel, or using a salad spinner. Berries are particularly fragile, so handle with care and gobble them within a day or two of washing. (Storing them on the top shelf of the fridge will help with that.) Once washed, put greens and herbs in a plastic bag or container with a square of paper towel to soak up excess moisture and everything else in clean (and preferably clear) containers. Put the containers back in the crisper for longer-term storage or on the top shelf where you’re more likely to see them and eat them up quickly.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

What-are-the-top-three-things-you-do-to-keep-your-life-on-track?


1. I've learned to let go.

Of the past, because I can't change it.
Of a grudge that I was carrying around that was weighing me down.
Of regretting decisions I've made. 
Of judging myself so harshly.
Of worrying about what other people think of me.
Of always doubting myself.

This list could go on and on, but I think I've finally grown up and can accept myself just the way I am.

2. I've stopped comparing myself to other people.

I finally found out that if I wanted to suffer, the best way to do that was to compare myself to other people. I convinced myself "they" had more than I did, were more than I was, looked prettier than I did, were thinner than I was and that their lives were made up of only happiness and joy.
And the best place to compare yourself is Facebook, from what you eat, your relationships,what your house size, what you earn, and finally what snickers brand ? 



3. I choose to be happy instead of angry and bitter.

How is that possible you ask? Life isn't like that. It has ups and downs and it's very hard to be happy when you're in "the down's."

I agree, but instead of being angry at someone, I remembered that when I point my finger at them for their mistakes, there are three pointing back at me.

I always felt stressed. Everyone told me to get more exercise. I did and it worked. I still feel stressed at times, but the feeling is appropriate for the situation. 

I keep myself on track because I remember these five words: 

I let go of the past.

And finally call to action to you viewers .......





Self Respect