The recent troubles in Kenya are a tragic situation for it’s people; there can be no denying that. How this will affect it’s tourist market in the near future remain to be seen but it is clear customers are shopping elsewhere for their safari experience in particular. Kenya is regarded as the home of the Safari with several years of growth in it’s offering. It is time for Zambia to compete in this market so says Simon Williams of VIPvillas. “The standard of accommodation and Safari experience in Zambia cannot be beaten. The country is the heart of Africa in more ways than one and to truly experience the continent and it’s heritage you can’t go wrong here.” Zambia focuses most of it’s Safari Experience on the ‘Walking Safari’. A bit daunting for a first timer actually walking close to the animals but an experience that will not be forgotten! Really, how do you get a total understanding of the animals and their habitat while sitting in a caged four wheel drive vehicle? Simon thinks the experience of getting close to the animals provides a true replication of the early days of Safari. “Everyone has seen the film Born Free and I dare say many travellers think this is the type of experience they are going to get on Safari. Unfortunately with you in a van and the animal at a distance you don’t really experience the beauty and sheer awe of them. With very experienced guides at your side and safety of the highest standards you have the opportunity to really understand the animals and their habitat. It’s real adventure stuff; trekking on foot like David Attenborough!”

The TV presenter Michaela Strachan agrees with Simon. “Luangwa, Zambia, was the first place I went on a proper walking safari holiday. If you’re into safaris and you’ve never tried a walking one I’d highly recommend it. You really feel part of the bush and see and learn about things that would pass you by if you were in a vehicle. At Kuyenda, we slept in a thatched cottage with the most amazing sausage tree right outside. The most memorable night for me was listening to an elephant chomping away at the sausage pods whilst we lay under our mozzie net in the middle of the night. It’s always amazing falling asleep to the sounds of the African bush.”

The relationship between clutter and financial troubles boils down to simple respect. Respect your stuff which includes your money and it will respect you back. It is not much different from relationships with other people. When mutual respect exists, then relationships work much better and are much more rewarding. People can be quick to discard friends and acquaintances that are not working for them. When they fail to trash the things that are not working in their life, we call it clutter.

Learning to appreciate what we have and take care of it requires effort but it can also bring on a whole new attitude. The need to have more and more will turn into wanting less and less. That old and familiar sense of chaos starts fading like a bad dream. Once you know what you have and where to actually find it, the strain on the bank account lightens up as well.

To deny that we all want nice and new things would go against the laws of nature. It is in our DNA. The secret is to keep the balance and make smarter choices. Things have a way of giving us a certain level of comfort and a temporary high especially when stress is running at full throttle. Think twice and consider the consequences when it comes to space and affordability

Houses are not the only things that get cluttered. Our minds get pretty cluttered too when we are trying to juggle too many things at once. Financial responsibility can be tough enough for the best of us but downright monumentally challenging for the chronically distracted.

Money tends to get thrown at any given situation to fix it. Bills get forgotten and late charges accrue. No thought is given to what is unnecessarily spent on the little things that crop up on a daily basis. The value of money somehow gets lost in the shuffle.

There is a path to get onto firmer ground. It starts with cleaning out the clutter in the house. The realization that simple is better begins to make sense. The things that have real meaning and actually add to your well-being will emerge from the ashes. The mind starts to clear and things stop having the importance that they once had. Wasteful spending is yesterday’s news. When respect for your hard-earned money becomes a priority, your money will have a way of sticking around a bit longer. In the final analysis, it will be nothing short of a win-win situation for all.

Are you there somewhere? I mean in the music you compose. How can you be creative in your songwriting and leave the imprints of your heart in the music you compose?

Have you ever asked yourself what songwriting and composing really is? What is the difference between composing and copying?

It can be a very rewarding activity to write songs and you can write your songs in many ways.

The creative parts of you brain can be more or less activated or you can stimulate the more calculating parts of your intellect.

Maybe you have experienced the same things that I have. That the demands to produce a good song can be contraproductive. The pressure stops the creative flow.

Many times it is more rewarding to just sit down humming or singing with a guitar or piano without expectations.

This way you practice your voice in comfortable pitches and you can also practice the great art of comping. Yes, this songwriting activity helps you develop yourself as a musician.

Suddenly you find yourself with a wonderful melody in your lap. What to do?

Have you ever realized that you have forgotten a wonderful melody you have sung just a few minutes ago. It is a painful experience is it not?

It is better to be prepared for the wonder of finding a perfect melody. A recording device like an mp3-player or something else that will help you preserve your creative manifestations should always be handy.

Well, it could also be a piece of paper to write your lyrics and sheet music on.

It is a matter of faith. If you have faith that a creative wonder can happen you will always be prepared.

Another creativity trigging activity is to start your recording equipment and just start to play on your guitar or piano humming along.

The fact that you are recording what you do can help you do your best and if you actually create a fantastic melody it is there for you you improve upon and elaborate on.

Even if you do not create something fantastic you can sit back after having recorded this way and see if you can find something to spare for future use.

What about limitations? What is limitations and how can they help you be more creative.

Have you ever tried to write music to lyrics already written? sometimes this is easier than to start from zero.

The limitation of having lyrics already written consists of the fact that you have to write a melody that fits the lyrics and also recreate and maybe also enhance the mood of the song.

You can give yourself other limitations like deciding in which key to sing, what type of song you will compose, rock, ballad, waltz and so on.

Some people create the melody as the last crowning part of the song. They start with a rhythm, a groove, the chords, a nice bass part and so on. Suddenly it becomes easy to just put in a fitting melody on these backing tracks.

Triggering the creative parts or your personality may give results when you don’t expect it. To find yourself in the music you create is indeed a refreshing mental and emotional experience.

If you’re planning a trip to see the Northern Lights, Iceland is one of your likely destinations. Many people who visit the country come only for the wonderful spectacle of the lights, but if you do have time to explore more, there is plenty to discover. Once you’ve seen the increible phenomenon of the Northern Lights, Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, is a great place to enjoy for a couple of days.

Hallgrimskirkja Church

The tallest building in the country is the 244ft Hallgrimskirkja Church, in Reykjavik, and, as you would imagine, it offers the best views anywhere in the city from its bell tower. This famous landmark is visible from almost everywhere in the capital and, once seen, the building is never forgotten. Designed by Guojon Samuel in the 1930s, the unusual structure was created from inspiration drawn from his fascination of lava formations. Many people say that the building resembles an ice formation, which is quite fitting considering its location.

Inside the church is a beautiful organ standing 15 metres tall and weighing in at 25 tons. The organ was designed to produce powerful notes capable of filling the huge space inside the church. It can create tones that range from the dramatic to the delicate, and it has been used, since its construction in 1992, in many famous recordings.

Reykjavik 871+/-2

If you have an interest in archaeology make a beeline for the Reykjavik 871+/-2. Built around the ruins of a 10th century Viking longhouse, this museum is located in the heart of the city. Inside you’ll embark on the most incredible journey, which gives you a wonderful insight into what life was like in the country centuries ago. It is the combination of technological genius – in the form of hi-tech displays and interactive multimedia tables – and archeological artifacts that make this museum so special. Ancient artifacts include fish oil lamps, awk bones and an iron axe. The name came from the estimated date of the tephra layer, which lies beneath the present day museum. The boundary wall of the ancient longhouse is the oldest structure in Reykjavik.

Thermal Pools

For something completely different on your trip to visit the Northern Lights, Iceland offers many thermal pools – including the very famous Blue Lagoon. Reykjavik has several pools that you can visit and they are not only a fabulous source of completely natural relaxation but they are also believed to be a great tonic for the body and the mind. An important part of the country’s culture, these thermal pools allow you to both relax and re-energize.

The three city attractions above are just a taste of what this wonderful capital city has to offer. When you are on a trip to see the Northern Lights, Iceland opens its doors to offer so much more – so take advantage.

Advertising does work when it comes to gaining the attention of people and getting them to remember our products and your services but these all hinge on the kind of advertising ideas and gimmicks you have. The same goes for advertising with the use of signs. You need a good idea and a catchy sign to make your advertising work and a printed signage that is well thought out and well executed can mean a huge boost in your company’s sales or your brand’s revenues.

Printed Signage

Using printed signage for your advertising needs can work pretty well if you know how to make them and where to put them. Your first concern when you make digitally printed vinyl signage for advertising is the design. These designs have to catch your target market’s eye yet be done in a way that they are not easily forgotten or dismissed as eyesores. Where you put your printed signage is the next hurdle you have to tackle and to be able to make your advertising sign do its work, you will need to know where your signs will get the most positive results. Depending on your product and your target market, using signs for advertising can work for you.

Give Your Customer What They Need

Another factor that affects the effectiveness of your advertising signs is if it answers the questions and addresses the needs of your customers. Having a flashy and attractive printed signage can get their attention but will it click in their minds as something worth remembering? It will if it answers a need that they have or a question about what you offer. When you post a digitally printed vinyl signage at a ballpark or on a vehicle, it should at least answer a question they have about some of their needs. When you have your signage created, you will need to tell your signage maker what you need and talk about possibilities for your signs. The more apt your sign is to what your customers want and need, the more successful it will be at advertising.

Use Easy to Read Fonts

While you might love elaborate fonts and your brand may be written in an elaborate font, you might want to consider a simpler font for your message on your printed signage. Remember, not everyone can easily decipher those elaborate scripts or wavy fonts and using a simpler font will work better for you since it gets more people to understand what message you are trying to convey. You may also need to use fonts that are not too big nor too small to read, which takes care of people who may have a hard time reading smaller fonts or for those people who find big letters irritating to look at. Another tip when it comes to the fonts you use for your printed signage is to use consistent fonts, not scripts on one side then block letters on the other side. This can easily confuse a prospective customer and cause them to disregard your signage, making it ineffective and a useless expense.

If you are thinking about making the move to canvas prints, you may want to receive some key advice about what to do and what to avoid in the process. If this is you, you have come to the right place, for this article will outline some of the principal points to remember when transforming your best photos into gorgeous canvas prints.

1. Select the right size for your canvas art

This may seem obvious but it is too often forgotten. The size of your canvas prints really makes a difference, because if you are looking for something to fill a space with colour and dynamism, then an expansive panoramic canvas is probably best. On the other hand, if you are looking for something more subtle and understated as an artistic addition to the kitchen wall, you may want to choose 3 mini canvas prints to really tell a story through your photos. Ultimately, the choice is yours!

2. Choose the right effect for your canvas prints

There are so many different effects to choose from that you will not want to miss out on any at all! You could infuse your photos with a Banksy graffiti, Pop Art Warhol, Lichtenstein, or Che styles for a dramatic burst of colour. You have free rein to select the colours and patterns that feel right for you, and some photos will inevitably work better with specific methods. You may never have considered that the urban street artist Banksy and your parents’ golden wedding anniversary could come together in such a beautiful way! Be open to new ideas and see how any pictures can be given a unique touch with a special effect. Become your own designer!

3. Think about going for a photo montage

The photo montage is a brilliant way of displaying all your best photos to tell a wonderful story through the visual medium. The impact created by a wealth of colours and tones is simply spectacular and instantly gives life to any space. Use family photos, honeymoon photos, or photos from any occasion and witness the amazing results! One of the most popular montage styles is the Hockney montage, indebted to the famous artist David Hockney. This involves splitting up your photo(s) into its constituent parts and the re-arranging them slightly misaligned. This may sound counter-intuitive and frankly very odd, but the consequences of this alteration are simply breathtaking. Cutting-edge canvas prints are custom made for you and personalised with your text and effects. Beautiful gift ideas for any special event.

I LOVE THE BREEZE

Whether it is a hot desert wind, a cool autumn breeze, a cold winter zephyr, or the brush of Spring’s breath – redolent with the scent of orange blossoms, fragrant honeysuckle, and new-mown grass.

I love to see sunlight sparkle like shiny gems in motion, off the windblown leaves of trees.

Pride fills my heart when our nation’s flag furls like waves upon a deep azure lake.

Under the hot summer sun, my body welcomes the errant breeze that lifts my hair and ruffles my clothes; cooling me as it blows gently over my salt-sweated body.

Cold winds, like messengers on an errand, bring the bitter clarity of a harsh winter season, and yet I embrace it. They startle the senses when they carry the scent of crushed snow, the tangy aroma of leafy pine trees, and the beckoning scent of wood smoke.

Autumn brings with it the perfume of fresh cider, the spicy delight of pumpkin and sweet potato pies, ripened apples, and the smoky remembrance of fall that wafts from leaves afire in iron barrels.

No matter the season, there will always be the wind; the Breeze that conveys a memory, a moment in time that holds a particular significance, a forgotten place remembered, a cherished vignette – an historic chapter in the book of your life.

We should be grateful for the Breezes that gift us such precious moments. How still our world would be, how vacuous, were it not for the Breeze.

~*~ Kathy Pippig

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NATURE 2021

The day is sun-infused brilliant, with the combined warm climes of summer melding with the last eddies of Spring-cooled zephyrs. Bubbling, cottony fluff undersides of clouds are flat and darker than the billowy white tops.

The sun sprinkles liquid silver on all the shiny surfaces; babbling brooks, the slick leaves on trees and bushes, the chrome on vehicles parked along the streets and in a lot at the nearby park, over the brightly colored bikes of children pedaling along a riverside path, and on the gleaming fur of dogs on a walk with their humans.

A breeze wafts over the green lawns and the graveled path that borders the tree shaded creek; lifting Spring’s fallen blossoms in a slow moving dance. Swallows, blackbirds, and finch whisper their tales and their songs are carried on a swirling zephyr.

In the sunlight and shade, every person, young and old, experiences these magic moments that Mother Nature has created for, and shared with them. These are the joys that nature gives us; like a chapter in a book that fills the story with inspiration, peace, and perhaps, begets a spiritual awakening.

Nature is one of the voices of The Creator. And whether the message is gentle, as a summer breeze, or grand, as a brilliant sunlit day – we are touched – as The Creator, through nature, speaks to us.

~*~ Kathy Pippig

Why is sailing such a great skill to learn? We all know how much spending the day out on a water adventure like sailing is a fun and thrilling experience

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Some people take a leisure sail cruise while well trained crews run the boats and tend to their every need. Others might like to race their boats for sport or perhaps just learn the technical skills that sailing provides.

Why sailing is such a popular sport, hobby and as travel tours or trips is found deep down in our core, our very history.

Centuries ago the human race strived to find new ways to travel to distant lands and to master the oceans. Now today we have so many forms of transportation that we, as a race have since forgotten the once important skill of sailing.

Now in modern days all sorts of sailors, cruisers and seafarers are taking to the seas and waterways for sailing trips to explore their own cities or towns, for events such as corporate team building as well as longer sailing trips. Maybe island hopping the Greek Islands or around the Galapagos Islands.

There are so many reasons why you could go sailing which is exactly why sailing is a great skill to learn.

There are typically hundreds of sailing schools and tour operators in and around coastal cities so there is likely one near you.

You’ll get a great day or perhaps even a week out on the water training with a crew. Meeting new people interested in sailing as well as using your hands learning new and rewarding skills.

The first few skills you will learn on your sailing trip will be to learn the sailor jargon as well as essentials skills.

Moving on learning all the different parts of the particular vessel you’ll be learning to sail on. Although you should check out various types of sail boats on the net to see what’s out there and what you could learn on.

A tall ship for example is a completely different experience to say learning on a skiff. It really depends on what sets of skills you want to learn and what you’d like to experience.

The next part is the actual sailing which I have no doubts you will have a great time learning. Sailing is fun, exciting and most importantly spontaneous. Every time is a new experience which is why sailing is a great skill to learn.

The idea of a flying carpet captures the imaginations of people from the time they are old enough to understand the thought of flying. Long before airplanes and hang-gliding, the magic carpet represented freedom and a richness of life that has held us in thrall generation after generation.

Somehow, we all wish that we’d find a dark and undiscovered corner of our home where the previous owner had forgotten a dusty rolled carpet. A carpet that, when laid upon the floor, had a sort of life of its own, with an unspoken command which would take us soaring out the window and into the sky.

The flight is not real – the carpets are. Oriental carpets grace the floors of homes and offices worldwide, from small to large, poor to wealthy. Each one purchased or woven with a desire to be surrounded by elegant artistry. Some carefully tended, some thoughtlessly neglected. All, the recipient, at least once, of a fleeting fancy… What if this carpet really could fly?

Flights of fancy is all they will ever take, but it does not detract from the mystique and charm that surrounds oriental rugs. The imaginative serves to enhance the appeal, and does not detract a bit. Somehow it is more magical to have a carpet that flies only in the imagination, than it would be to have one that did… or worse, if all carpets flew.

Select your perfect magic carpet. Choose it carefully… a magic carpet, after all, may be only a once in a lifetime purchase, unless you are fortunate enough to be able to acquire more than one. What does the perfect magic carpet look like? Was it woven in a factory with the skills of multiple artisans, with intricate patterns and delicate symbols? Was it woven on the desert on a portable loom by a busy mother, with simple patterns and bold colors? The choices are endless, because this is YOUR magic carpet!

Bring it home and lay it upon the floor. You can’t help but enjoy the color and the feel of it beneath your feet. And sometime, when no one is looking, you can sit down upon it, cross your legs, and close your eyes… and fly!

It’s time for that annual ritual of making (and breaking) our New Year’s resolutions. There is something about the idea of being able to start over that motivates us to pause (at least briefly) and reflect on our lives as they are, as well as how we would like them to be. Yet how many times have you thought back to last year’s goals and found that many or most of them were abandoned or just forgotten after a few weeks or months into the year?

Many of us have difficulty following through on our resolutions due to factors such as choosing unrealistic goals, not making them challenging enough and/or lacking the necessary motivation to stick with them. The following tips should help put you on the right course and assist you in staying committed to your most important goals for 2006.

Start with a life vision

If you don’t know what you want your future to look like, how can you decide what areas of your life need to be worked on? Spend some quiet time TODAY reflecting on (and writing down) what is good, bad or incomplete. Then try to “see” your life if all of these areas were addressed and had become satisfactory to you.

Get organized

Clear away clutter. Go through paperwork, files, old bills and receipts, closets, drawers and storage containers. Decide what you need and will use and either throw out or give away all the rest. Put aside some time each week for this purpose. After you have cleaned out you can think about your existing systems for management and storage and see if these need reworking or just some fine-tuning. Keep ONE calendar to record all appointments, events, etc. Write down everything- don’t rely on memory.

Expand your horizons and make a commitment to learning something new.

Challenging yourself will infuse you with greater energy and sense of purpose. It will help build your self-esteem to realize you really are capable of more than you had previously believed. This new learning can also give you additional resources to assist you in your career, personal or love life.

Set challenging but realistic resolutions

Choose goals that stretch your ability muscles, yet are realistic and therefore less vulnerable to failure. Don’t respond to that negative inner voice that says; “oh, I’m not capable of that”. Instead, focus on what you truly desire for your life and relationships and let this be your guide.

Write down your resolutions

Write them down and stick them on your bathroom mirror, your fridge, your car dashboard, your desk or wherever you know will be a good place for you to see them. You can also show them to a good friend, family member, your coach or anyone who could provide support and encouragement.

Create action steps for each resolution; write them down, and keep an accounting of your progress for each.

A resolution without planned action is doomed to failure. Break each goal down into small action steps or objectives. Putting a date for completion will help ensure you follow through. Come up with an accountability system that will work for you. Make sure you check off each accomplishment as you go and be flexible and willing to make adjustments in your action steps in order to achieve your desired end results.

Take care of yourself; eat well. Exercise regularly and learn to control and eliminate unhealthy stress.

I know this is an obvious one, so why is it often ignored or overlooked when we are attempting to make important life changes? How many times have you said, “I don’t have the time” to eat right, exercise, sleep adequately, etc? Not caring for yourself will guarantee failure. So, why not make this your first and most important resolution for 2006?

Work to eliminate bad habits

Including this as a New Year’s resolution would put you on the road to good follow-through. Bad habits will sabotage your efforts and use up your limited resources of time, energy and focus. For each bad habit you decide to eliminate, have a good habit in mind to replace it with.

Set appropriate and healthy limits in all areas of your life

Knowing your limits and enforcing them with yourself and others is a prerequisite to a healthy life and relationship. Learn to say “no” and “enough” and be firm in your resolve that this is a good thing to do. Otherwise, you will also be undermining your resolution to take care of yourself.

Work to be the kind of person you want to be with

Bringing out the best qualities in yourself will help to ensure that you attract people of good quality into your life. You wouldn’t want to compromise on the standards you have set for a potential mate. Therefore, it’s important to understand that this also holds true for other people in search of relationships.

Now begin this year with the resolve to be the person you know you have the potential to be. You’ll be pleased with the wonderful changes that await you!