Who would not want to lose weight instantly? There are thousands of ways to lose those discouraging fats that just accumulated without you knowing it. You start to blame your job and the sedentary lifestyle that goes along with it, or perhaps that sadness that eats you up. Somehow those sad facts are true. However, you have all the will power to take control on what you should and should not. Unfortunately, food is just too tempting.

There is no shortcut in losing weight, not even those pills that promise extraordinary results. Exercise plus a well-planned diet is always the way to go. But, there are also ways to make the process faster and easier:

1. Drink water. The recommended amount is eight glasses a day. Most people drink less than that. They mostly prefer coffee and other drinks. Basing on this fact, you should be able to separate your self from the rest. How? Drink water before, during and after eating. Drink at least one glass. So counting that, you get 3 glasses each meal. That’s a total of 9 glasses, not to mention you also need to drink when you are having a snack.

1. Avoid eating food that is fried. Go easy on those fast foods and everything else that is deep-fried. Take note that oil equals fat. Instead, you can eat something that is grilled or steamed. Steaming food is even more preferable. It always retains the nutrients plus the real flavor. All you got to do is put some salt and pepper as well as other spices and herbs.

1. Sleep enough or sleep more. If you have enough sleep, you will have lesser chance to crave for food. Stress from lack of sleep definitely triggers you to eat more to compensate for that time you lose to work.

1. Let go of the bad habit. You should cut down or stop smoking and drinking. There are people who say that smoking keeps them from gaining weight. That’s because it alters the normal body activities. You should not succumb to that belief, because smoking has more downsides than keeping fats from getting into your skin. Drinking, on the other hand, encourage you to eat. Beer belly is actually a combination of too much beer and too much something to eat.

Some people have the gift to stay fit or thin. Some even have the ability to lose weight fast. However, there are others who are forever struggling with their weight. What should they do? They need to figure out what kinds of food make them gain weight. Or, when do they tend to get fat. For instance, are they emotionally down that they need food to make things better?

Losing weight is a matter of personal choice. If you don’t decide, you could never overcome your weight problem. Remember that no machine, exercise, pill or diet could help you if you don’t make up your mind. It’s always going to be your self that has the only say on your body.

Posted on May 7th, 2008 by Catarina
Filed under: health, trends and lifestyles | No Comments »

Most likely we buy the fragrance that is the cheapest but smell as good as the concentrated. Generally, we think that cologne is the lesser version of the perfume. It usually means cologne equals splashing every hour, and perfume re-spraying after three to four hours or until the smell fades off. Cologne relates to freshness, while perfume represents elegance. So where are we drawing the line when we wear a fragrance? Of course, it is a matter of personal preference.

Do you want to buy a cologne or a perfume? Is a perfume the same as Eau de Parfum? Or, Is cologne short for Eau de Cologne? What about Eau de Toilette? Why is there an “eau de”? Somehow we don’t really care because it’s how it smells that matters.

Perfume comes from the Latin word “per fumum” or through smoke. Ironically, perfume is water-based so perhaps it’s all about the lasting smell like how the smoke stick on clothes. That’s why the “eau de” is added, which is a French term for “water of.” Basically, Eau de Parfum means water becoming smoke (?). It’s much clearer if the whole idea is represented by a spraying process. A spray somehow looks like a smoke.

Eau de Cologne or just Cologne. Although known to have the least composition with only 2-5% aromatic compounds or perfume oil, cologne – as popularly known – has a trademark smell, which is weak and very citrus, or at least that’s how it is originally known in Cologne, Germany. However, a lot of people will argue with that fact since there are several variety on the shelves.

Eau de Toilette. It has 5-20% aromatic compounds. It is the middle smell of between Eau de Perfum and Eau de Cologne, although there is only a slight difference with Eau de Perfum. Literally, this means that Eau de Toilette is water of toilet (?), which is not a very encouraging smell. But for the perfume makers, this mixture of scents is not too weak and not too strong. For everybody else, it’s not too expensive or too cheap.

Eau de Parfum. The most concentrated among the three types fragrance mixtures, with 15-30% of aromatic compounds. It’s highly concentrated and it lasts longer. It’s also more expensive and strong. However, it is lesser concentrated than Perfume itself, which really has that heavy nice smell.

Every house of perfumes has its own levels of concentration as well as mixtures of aromatic compounds. There are occasions that what may be Eau de Toilette in one product name could be Eau de Perfum on the other brand.

The important thing about buying perfume goes beyond choices. The fragrance has to blend in with the body chemistry. What smells good on one person may not smell that great on another, especially if it’s used for a longer period of time. That is why fragrance should be changed every six months, because eventually that glorious scent will adapt to the body and become just an ordinary smell. Worse yet, it will smell bad rather than nice.

Posted on May 1st, 2008 by Catarina
Filed under: tips and advices | No Comments »

Posted on April 14th, 2008 by lifestylescribe
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Facing the reality with this generation, there are now more single, divorced, widowed women then there married ones. Perhaps you have been dating a man who seems to have a good outlook, a hot outfits and a great personality. You keep on wondering & wanting to seek relationship advice. “Is he really the right man for me?” it’s a question that woman have been asking for ages. So here are few guidelines that might help you.

1. Is he responsible when handling conflicts?

Communication plays an important role to a successful relationship. Showing signs of withdrawing, pouting, or becomes angry when a conflict arises is a major sign of emotional immaturity. Blaming is NOT an essential also to a successful relationship; both partners need to address their problems by sharing their emotions and opinions.

2. Is your man dependable?

A man should be considerate. You should be able to know that he stands by his word & you can trust him to be there when he says he is.

3. He should know what is valuable.

If you are with a man who doesn’t cherish your love, and is only concerned with his own happiness, you should be worried! He should be willing to go beyond his own self interests. A successful relationship is maintained by both the partners by respecting & honoring their love by committing to each other’s best interests.

Posted on April 9th, 2008 by lifestylescribe
Filed under: tips and advices | No Comments »

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so they say and how very true are those words that are spoken. People see beauty in different ways, and that is just as well as we would all be fighting over the same man or woman let alone dress the same and every home be duplicated in décor. It can have so many meanings and representations. Yes we all love the idea of looking beautiful twenty four hours a day but in some unfortunate cases where you have the busy mother or people who are committed to other things that take up so much of their time. So they may find it a struggle to look their best at all times. So here are some tips to stay pretty:

Drink Water. The more you keep your body hydrated the longer your skin stays elastic and supple. Your inside will be happy and pretty as well. Be less likely to hold on to water weight due to “water feminine” just like your body adjusts and slows down your metabolism for “calorie famine” when you severely cut back on eating.

Stay Physically Active. You don’t have to go to the gym more to stay fit, you just need to keep moving and participate in activities that involve movement like dancing, kayaking, or dog walking. As we get older, we tend to sit more thus minimizing opportunities to burn calories and keep the muscles active. Joining activities that involve groups of people can also help you make new friends or make you feel like you belong to a group which leads to better overall happiness.

Avoid sun. Do travel but bathing in the sun for hours and days will only increase the rate at which your skin wrinkles, shows spots, and mature faster than your actual age.

Practice a healthy life style. Eat a proper, well-balanced diet. Food that’s good for your body helps your internal organs function properly and shows on the outside as well. The trick is to read the labels carefully and eat healthy foods with minimal preservatives. Good nutrition is the key to your outward appearance.

Reduce stress. Become aware of the facial expressions you often make when stressed-out. If you raise your eyebrows often, you could very well end up with permanent wrinkles on your forehead. If you squint because you don’t understand something, lines between your brows may become evident. Don’t expect to live without facial expressions, they’re part of you. What you can do is be aware of those expressions you make when nobody is looking. Replace those with something else, such as fidgeting and ease up on your face.

Wear Make-ups naturally. If you wish to wear makeup, choose only the best cosmetics brushes and beauty tools to enhance your finest features and cover flaws. This allows you to apply only the amount that is needed while blending in any excess color. Apply a tinted moisturizer or sheer foundation with a damp sponge. Either one will allow your natural skin tone to show through while covering minor imperfections. Cream or liquid blush blends more naturally than powder. Apply to the apple of your cheeks, outwards, into your hairline to prevent makeup lines. Don’t want to overdo your eyes? You can now enhance your own eyelashes without adding clumps or colors. New, clear mascara is available to separate your lashes and give them luster and shine.

Have enough sleep. The human body is in a constant state of renewal, both inside and outside. That renewal, and repair, goes on 24 hours a day, but while you are asleep there are no distractions of activity, and no exhausting demands. Your immune system is able to work unhindered while you are asleep, keeping you at the peak of health. If you are at the peak of health, your natural beauty lasts longer. You really do need your beauty sleep; that is one of the wisest and most accurate sayings of all time. People’s needs vary, but 7 or 8 hours uninterrupted sleep is probably what you need for peek health.

Eat Healthy. Our bodies don’t need the high-calorie foods we ate in our youth. Metabolism slows down as years pass, so it’s time to eat healthy and keep indulgences to a minimum. Your skin, hair and nails will not only look healthier, you’ll feel healthier as well. In the process you’ll probably shed some unwanted pounds and be able to wear clothes you couldn’t imagine wearing before.

Hairstyles. Today’s society isn’t near as uptight. Thanks to fine actresses and models, we’re not stuck in a scenario of how we should look at any age. Long or short, you can color your hair and wear it in whatever style you like. Trendy hairstyles can look good on just about anyone as long as it flatters their face. Since hair tends to get darker with age, add some highlights to frame your face. Updos, ponytails and French braids are youthful styles to try, but they may show some gray hair you’d rather not reveal. To remedy this you can wear these styles after a fresh new application of hair color, use instant color, or learn to live with it. It may not be as noticeable as you think.

Posted on April 4th, 2008 by lifestylescribe
Filed under: tips and advices | No Comments »

I usually walk on a narrow and dark street near our house (that’s the only way home!). I always speak though there is no one, just guts that there is someone following me! Almost every time! I continue walking and walking and walking and since I’m from my school, tired and dumped, I didn’t care about my feelings. When I was on my halfway home, someone jumped over me and then I shouted over my voice, “wooooaahh!” that was my brother, just fooling me. I told mom about that and she scolded my fool young brother.

Washing my self and sleepy, I was suddenly shocked by a rat that was thrown by my younger brother in the water that I am using. I yelled on him and told him that he’s really stubborn. “I hate you” that phrase comes out in my mouth every time I’m with him.

It was morning, 4:30AM, when I woke up. I cleaned myself, had breakfast, fixed my school things and say goodbye to my granny and mom. It was 5:15 in the morning when I’m on my way school and it was still dark outside. As always, I’m walking again on that narrow street where my brother always fools me. I sang my favorite song and smile to brighten my day. Again, I can feel someone following me, I stopped, looked and listened but no one is in there. I just said “hmfp!” to make me feel up. After several steps, I can feel that someone is near me. I counted “1-2-3” in my mind and look at my back and spanked him as hard as I can, he fell down.

Looking down, I was shocked when I saw that it was my teacher who wanted to go with me for he’s new with the place. I felt sorry about it, telling him that he shouldn’t be like a cat which walks endlessly without any noise. He smiled at me and said that I should be a boxer and I will be great.

At school, I kept on saying sorry. We had a quiz asking what is boxing; he is a Physical Education teacher, then he told me I should answer my name. That was it and it’s embarrassing!

Posted on April 2nd, 2008 by lifestylescribe
Filed under: news and oddities | No Comments »

“The world scenarios are very dramatic and painful”, that’s the absolute answer that you will be telling God if He asks you. I heard a lot about the end of the world. I have also read different articles, books, journals and others, all warning mankind that if they will not be careful, the world will come to an end one way or the other. Religious sects and organizations freely ask the Bible about this unsure world phenomenon. Way back in Jesus’ day, the disciples were anxious to know about the end of the world. So it says that they came to Jesus and called Him aside privately and asked Him this question. Matthew 24:3 states: “…Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”

Some people think that you are weird if you are talking about these stuffs. But let us face the reality; the term “end of the world” came from the lips of Jesus Christ.

And here are some of the signs that state that the end of the world is nearly coming:

1. The wide or global spread of the Good News. “The Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in the entire world as a witness unto all nations; and then the end shall come” (Mt. 24:14). Jesus Christ foretold that all nations will have the opportunity to believe in Him.

2. Massive weakening of the faith. Close to the end of the world, people will become very pessimistic about heavenly revealed truths and absolute moral values. They will only listen to what sounds interesting or pleasing and this attitude will promote.

3. The doctrine or showing of too many false prophets and false messiahs. These falsely teachers will encourage people to join all kinds of sects and religious groups catering to the low moral standards of the crowd. The Lord warns us about this, saying: “Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Do not follow them. For false Christ and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand” (Mt. 24:5, 24; Mark. 13:6).

4. The turning to Christ of the Jewish people. The prediction of apostle Paul; The mass will be falling away from Christianity of many nations will coincide with the conversion of Jews to Christ: “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that hardening in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel
will be saved, as it is written:`..Zion , And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob’ … Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways paths beyond tracking out!” (Romans 11:25-33).

5. Evil doings and lost of justice will badly increase. As Jesus predicted: “Because iniquity will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Mt. 24:12). The weakening of faith will lead to further moral decline and in turn, it will weaken faith even more.

So while the end is not yet here, take a quick break, do some reflection and analyze what kind of life you are living. Therefore, make some adjustments, getting yourself ready when the end comes.

Posted on March 30th, 2008 by lifestylescribe
Filed under: news and oddities | 7 Comments »

Around this time of the year, presidency candidates typically hold a campaign, and citizens of the United States are induced by the candidates to vote them and let them lead the country.

The main question in every candidate is: What does it take to be the next U.S. President?

Even us, citizens, we never outgrow the question: What does it takes to lead a large country with a productive population?

Candidates are asked: “what, or who is a president?” almost daily but never: “What does it takes?”

Absolutely thinking, you are familiar with the technical definitions and qualifications that suggest an answer with the question: “what, or who is a president?”

Technical Definition

President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, trade unions, universities, and countries. Etymologically, a “president” is one who presides, who sits in leadership (from Latin prae- “before” + sedere “to sit”; giving the term praeses). Originally, the term referred to the presiding officer of a ceremony or meeting (i.e. chairman); but today it most commonly refers to an official with executive powers.

Among other things, president today is a common title for the head of state of most republics, whether popularly elected, chosen by the legislature or a special electoral college. It is also often adopted by dictators.

Qualifications

1. Foreign Policy experience. After all, constitutionally speaking, a president’s main function is foreign policy.

2. Military experience. I admit this looks good on a resume, but I’m not sure how jumping in and out of fox holes while firing a machine gun lends itself to being a good President. Perhaps this should be restated as “military officer experience in a time of war.” Now that is impressive. One with this type of background has probably made life and death decisions that effected people other than himself.

3. Executive experience. Has the candidate actually run anything - a city? A state? A business? But more importantly, were he able to do it effectively?

The problem with this question is that they do not adequately answer the question: “What does it takes?”I guess the answer can be summarized in three words:

Acquire. It takes specialized leadership, political or management experience and education. A president needs to acquire experience and knowledge and be committed to a life long learning and experiencing process; possess far more managing and political knowledge than what is needed to pass existing series of problems of a country.

Voters should consider developing their own style of choosing who should be the one before voting and saying yes and/or serve in the country.

Apply. It takes the ability, capacity, willingness, and autonomy to apply the acquired political and management experience in presidency responsibility.

This is where rallies and protests came from. There are numbers of candidates who have knowledge, leadership, political experience and management experience but who are prohibited from doing so.

Advance. It takes a commitment to advance and apply the acquired presidency practices and procedures. In a real sense, presidents should look upon their work as a public service, never parlaying their position of trust for personal profit. A president has to be willing to advance their interests- not just the citizens of the country – to apply their acquired specialized knowledge regardless of form or amount of compensation.

What does it take to be a president? It takes a person who is well-educated, experienced, and well traveled. It should be someone who can apply their specialized knowledge, not to be burdened by regularly structure, committed to rising to the top of their profession and mastering the management of a country.

Posted on March 25th, 2008 by lifestylescribe
Filed under: tips and advices | 2 Comments »

Try to think over the past seconds, minutes, days, weeks, month and even a year! Which women really made your underwear fall? Many women continue to make our hearts skip a beat, year after year.

With absolutely so many beautiful women in this world, only a selected few have something special that make them stand and rise above the rest. It’s often magical and fantastic and that you can always have a tongue out of your mouth.

Over the past month, I have been looking on the internet for the most luxurious and priceless faces from far off places of the world (i didn’t have to look very far).

I based my rankings largely on the tremendous amount of searched faces, searchers, and opinions and comments from all.

Some of my selections will receive a whole-hearted compliance, others may come as a surprise, but no doubt you’ll enjoy knowing them as much as I enjoyed putting it together.

Top 10 – Cindy Crawford

She never goes out of style, after all these years she still remains a sex symbol for the fashion world.

Top 9 – Elizabeth Hurley

The ultimate forgiving girlfriend is also the ultimate woman. Her sex appeal and charisma is what sets her apart.

Top 8 – Maria Grazia Cucinotta

Representing everything that is good about Italia, Maria makes us want to be a better man.

Top 7 – Angie Everhart

She is the best looking redhead to come along since Rita Hayworth. How could Sly Stallone dump such a beauty?

Top 6 – Elsa Benitez

Can she make a more beautiful girlfriend, or what? She epitomizes sophistication as much as a woman can.

Top 5 – Catherine Zeta-Jones

Catherine, more than any other actress in a long time, has entrapped what it means to be a glamorous movie star.

Top 4 – Heidi Klum

We are always at a loss of words when coming to the topic of Heidi Klum. What can we possibly say that you don’t know already? That she likes German sausages?

Top 3 – Elle McPherson

The Australian beauty more than any other, captures the essence of being a super model. We know we can look, but we can never touch…

Top 2 – Pamela Anderson Lee

Aside from the bombardment of e-mails from fans, no one can deny that Miss Pamela is as deserving of such a high honor as anybody, being one of the most downloaded women ever.

Top 1 – Laetitia Casta

Why? Really, do we have to answer? Just look at the picture, it speaks a thousand words. Laetitia is like a gift from God, someone that we should praise for capturing the hearts of so many men.

RELATED LINKS:

- 10 Tips to Stay Pretty

- 4 Quick Roads to Weight Loss

Posted on March 25th, 2008 by lifestylescribe
Filed under: celebrities and people | 4 Comments »

As American Idol glitters into its seventh season, the cultural craze just gets more complex. With the Hollywood writers’ strike wiping out scripted prime-time programming, the reality series may be an even greater ratings juggernaut than in the past seasons. On the other side, the idols are showing how famous and talented they are. Considering their talent, idols still have weird and odd secrets that were revealed. Here are some!

Amanda Overmyer

American Idol, Amanda Overmyer revealed that the worst thing that happened in her life was when she was pleaded guilty to DUI back in October 2006 near her hometown of Mulberry, In. She received a suspended sentence of 60 days and was placed on 180 days probation, which ended in August 2007.

Brooke White

Brooke White told and revealed to us that her most embarrassing moment was when she was in the church and she hugged the wrong person! “That was really embarrassing! I thought he was my dad! But he wasn’t! All I’m doing was pleading and telling him to go home because I was hungry and when he looked back, he wasn’t my dad! Haha, too embarrassing.”

Carly Smithson

When we asked Carly about her secrets of winning, she just simply told us, “Try to be a good person to others, to be well-traveled and educated, and make Ireland proud”.

Chikezie Eze

Chikezie told us that he had a favorite comfort room in high school, but he only found out it was a women’s comfort room when one day the door was closed! His secret in winning is he totally stole his entire performance from Elliott Yamin.

David Archuleta

David told us about his feelings in American Idol and here it is! “I’ve definitely feel like there are things that can happen this year. And the show just opened so many doors for me and even if it’s not winning American Idol, you know that’s what I’m hoping for, but even more just hoping that I will be able to make a career.”

David Cook

“I guess I should not say my secret!” said David, but we pleaded him to say his secret and he told us that word “Nerd!”

David Hernandez

His secret: “in the 80s, I spent a bit of time as Mary Lou Retton.”

Jason Castro

According to him, his recipe of winning is he hates doing interviews, basically anything that is not music stuff.

Kristy Lee Cook

Surprising us and probably you too! Kristy told us that her horse saved her life twice!

Michael Johns

Michael told us that his secret of winning is he’s a bit of a jock. Sometimes just to take his mind off everything he play a sport. His sport is killing hobos.

Ramiele Malubay

“If I don’t become the next American Idol, I don’t think I’m going to get all discouraged or anything like, “Oh no, I’m never going to sing again.” I mean like, of course it’s a big experience, you learn all this until the point you get taken off and you just take what you’ve learned and learn from it. I’m probably going to go back to school for nursing ’cause I had to stop.”

Syesha Mercado

One of the secrets that Syesha is keeping is when she was in high school and she was overcoming a house fire! This story makes her cry every time she is telling it.