Kenya has many attractions and one of them is the rich history of its colonizers. On all these stories of the life and times of these henchmen one story is worth telling and retelling as many times as possible. It’s the Happy Valley escapade in Aberdare region. Its talk of the Happy valley Set. The Happy Valley set were a group of privileged British colonials living in Wanjohi Valley, near the Aberdare mountain range, in the colonial of Kenya. They were the ones dedicating the economic policies in Kenya and most of the time in their own favor. But what makes this people of happy valley famous is their notorious way of life with drug use and promiscuous sexual encounters.

The group activities of the Happy Valley set have been highlighted in books and films all over the world. They include; ‘White Mischief; ‘Earl of Enroll’, ‘Child of Happy Valley’, ‘Sallyport Papers’ The Wanjohi Valley, the heart of the happy valley set, is near Aberdare National Park, east of the Great Rift Valley. One of the prominent land mark of that set is the Delamere Estates, originally owned by the peculiar Lord Delamere, It the farm that almost gulp down the Naivasha Town. Some members of the Happy Valley set lived in Gilgil region just some kilometers away from Naivasha town.

Happy Valley History

In the early 1900s the Kinangop Plateau (after the building of the railway) served as the Headquarters of “Happy Valley”; a settler community that included many titled aristocrats who were cast away from their native, England, and came to settle in the colony of Kenya. They were given loans to buy land at very easy terms. They built stone brick houses in the plateau and kept sheep and cattle on their vast farms, as they frolicked and fornicated. Parties were held in rotation from house to house. Particularly at “Clouds”; immortalized in numerous books and even a Hollywood film.

Happy Valley Tour

Visitors to Kenya are welcomed to take a tour to this happy region. The tour takes you to the Kinangop Plateau on The Happy Valley. They circumnavigate around Kipipiri visiting the houses of Happy Valley Residents. The tour begins at a restaurant in Nairobi, The Lord Enroll Restaurant, with morning tea, after which they are taken with a bus and drive to the first house. The Guide will lead with an eccentric account of the Happy Valle set lives. Notably the houses of Alice De Janze, which is now a local school: Happy Valley School. You will also see Patricia Bowle’s house that now belongs to the Catholic Church. You will drive along the Aberdare Forest and into the Elephant corridor to Kipipiri; you will enjoy superb views all around. The tour skirts around Kipipiri to end at Clouds where the Murder of Lord Errol is discussed over a drink in the dining hall after a visit to Idina’s infamous bathroom. The tour guide leads into all the current conspiracy theories on who killed Lord Errol, the history of the Delamere family and the involvement of the 3rd Baron in Happy Valley.

The Guide also talk about other historical facts and stories on Karen’ Blixen’s meetings in Happy Valley, the Muthaiga Club and history of the English in Kenya as well as what is currently happening in and around the Kinangop Plateau. After the tour the visitor proceeds back to Naivasha for a sumptuous three-course lunch and a free time around the lake and river. After the visitors came back to Nairobi arriving in the late afternoon.

Anybody interested with the History of Kenya and maybe anybody who have read or seen the above books and movies will demonstrate the need to have a visit to this eminent “Happy Valley”

It feels pleasant to receive flowers especially if it came from people who have an unusual place in your heart. Flowers give a special feeling of relaxation and make your day beautiful.

Sending a lovely bouquet of Vancouver flowers are wonderful for those who are still starting a relationship as well as for those who are experiencing cold shoulders in their relationship, and those who would like to strengthen their relationship. Flowers play a important role to make any relationship stronger. Flowers give us a way to express our feelings above those ones whom we normally feel shy or don’t find time to express.

In a relationship, it is inevitable to have arguments and hurt each other’s feelings but still love each other. However, it can be very hard to admit your mistakes or even ask for forgiveness to her especially if you are guilty for hurting her feelings. The best way to feel sorry is that you can send a bouquet of fresh Vancouver Canada flowers and make feel the presence of your care. These floral plants will soothe her and relax her feelings so that the tension connecting the two of you will be lessened. Once that happens, you can send her a bunch of red roses with an attached note telling her that you love her.

In fact, flowers can convey different messages. Each type has its own special meaning and purpose. The florist can help you choose the right type of flower to give if you are going to buy it from a local floral shop; however, if you are to buy from an online shop, you can also check out suggestions from the website where you will be placing your order. There are numerous ways on how to send lovely arrangements to your special someone. You can either prefer the traditional local floral shop or the advanced online websites offering order and delivery of Canada flowers which can be conveniently done even if you are at work.

Online flowers websites are available in 24 hours a day, so that you can order them according to your free time and interest. It is convenient, simple, and easy. If you are working late, you can send a beautiful bouquet as a present for your special someone’s birthday. You can do it conveniently through your computer, so even if you are full of activity at the office, you can still send a lovely gift to your special someone.

On the other hand, you can also have these flowers sent at the office of your special someone to surprise her. She will truly love your surprise and appreciate your efforts of making her happy. Surprising her with a beautiful bouquet of roses would be a great way to make her happy and feel special.

If you are working from a faraway place and your special someone is left in Canada, you can take advantage of the online flowers Vancouver delivery services and cheer her up while you are away.

The holiday season is supposed to be a time of joy and festivity: a season of family bliss, goodwill, exuberance and wonder. For children, let us hope this is true. But for many adults the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years, feel more like a test in endurance and a competition in survivor skills than an opportunity to “deck the halls” and “join the chorus.”

So, is there a natural way to experience the spirit of the season without the stress? The answer is yes and it starts with allowing just 20 minutes a day to be all about you. With awareness, commitment, and practice you can learn to manage your stress by relaxing your body and quieting your mind.

Really? Can you really relax your body and affect the tension in your muscles simply by bringing your awareness there?

ABSOLUTELY! Relaxing the muscles is actually quite simple. Being mindfully aware of the need to relax the muscles is actually quite challenging.

Where to start? Like all skills, consistent practice when the mind and body are relatively tranquil will facilitate the ability to implement muscle relaxing techniques when stressed and in pain.

When teaching yoga or meditation, I methodically guide students through the process of mindfully relaxing the muscles in their face, neck and shoulders. As we journey through the class, I periodically remind everyone to take notice of the physical sensation in these muscles and to consciously release and relax any tightness that has crept back into these sensitive areas. I have found that whatever we feel in and around our face and neck is usually a pretty good reflection of what is going on in our minds and bodies. Releasing and relaxing these muscles can initiate a chain reaction easing some of the physical soreness that so frequently plagues us.

The first time you try to mentally scan your face, neck and shoulders, it is important to be in a completely comfortable and relaxed position and not constrained by time. If you are not opposed to possibly surrendering to a mini nap, I suggest lying down. However, if you prefer, sitting comfortably in a supportive chair is also a good choice so opt for the one that works best for you.

If you choose to lie down, it is helpful to place a lightly weighted eye pillow over your eyes. In addition to blocking out light, soft pressure can help relax the muscles in and around the eyes and cheeks. The pressure should be gentle so as not to be distracting. Aromatherapy scents can also enhance the ability to reduce stress. Not all eye pillows are created equal. The right combination for you will enrich your experience throughout this practice as well as during savasana, the final yoga resting pose. You will also find eye pillows useful as a natural aid to help combat insomnia and support a drug free sleep.

Once you are comfortable, with or without your eye pillow, start to bring your awareness to the eyes. If you find it hard to evaluate if these muscles are tight or not, try to squeeze your eyes tightly shut, silently count to three and then release. Feel the upper lids resting softly on the lower lids and notice the muscles behind and around the eyes encouraging them to relax. Now, allow the tongue to rest softly between the teeth and then mindfully turn all of your senses inward, feeling, seeing and experiencing the releasing of any straining around the cheeks, chin and especially the jaw. Once again, if you’re not sure if you are releasing these muscles, clench your jaw and count to three, noticing the effect on the eyes, temples, cheeks, teeth, jaw, neck, shoulders, and surrounding tissues. What does it feel like? Do words like rigid, stiff, taut, or strained jump to mind?

Continue to shift your awareness from one part of the face and neck to another, pausing for several or more breaths as your mind tells your muscles to relax. Let your breath remain calm and even as you scan and observe the gradual releasing of any tensing that returns. Notice if the softening in your face, especially around the eyes and jaw, prompts the noise in your mind to quiet.

The next challenge is to discipline yourself to employ these skills periodically throughout your day especially when you recognize you are feeling stressed, worried or anxious.

Remember, our bodies and minds are inextricably connected. When left on their own, each will insist on taking the other on a mindless, chaotic excursion to all sorts of dark, scary places, inflicting a diabolical array of physical and emotional torment on the other.

Consider beginning this holiday season with a gift to yourself. Start your practice now and find some welcome relief from the deep pain that uncontrolled tension inflicts on our bodies and minds.

I hope this simple practice will help you reduce stress and reclaim the spirit of this holiday season.

Consider continuing these techniques and adding yoga and/or meditation to your New Year’s Resolutions. Your body and mind will thank you.

Here is a list generating system that will help you focus on what you care about most and make you feel like an eagle soaring rather than a caged bird banging your tiny head against the bars.

If you are dealing with the loss of a loved one, grief, anger, unhappiness, stress, my corporate job, my boss, my coworkers, this will help. Learn how to handle being fired, get over a broken heart, clearing and changing limiting beliefs. A list keeps you focused to accomplish whatever you want.

1. Know the purpose of your list. Whatever ends up on your list, being clear about its purpose will help prevent you from losing sight of why you are pursuing your goals in the first place. And sometimes some of the steps to achieve your list are not always enjoyable. Remembering your goal can help you stay motivated when you are working overtime so you can be on a beach in Fiji in 6 months.

2. Consider what already makes you happy. List making can stem from anxiety, but when you are able to consider what is already working for you, you will have an easier time coming up with a focused, short list that reflects where you want to go next. Focus on who you are when you are at your absolute best, then build on that.

3. Be sure your goals are things you are pursuing for yourself. When the items on your list are motivated and mesh with your values, instead of being something you think you should do, you will feel much more liberated.

4. Concentrate on doing, not having. Studies show over and over again, that money and material objects are not a guarantee for happiness. Happiness is about the quality of the moments in life. People matter more than things. When you follow that, the money automatically comes.

5. Include goals that require fun to obtain them. Let us say your aim is to exercise more so you can feel healthier and look toned. You know the stair master will get you fit faster than a round of golf, but you despise cardiovascular machines. So choose golf. You’ll be happier at the ninth hole than climbing to nowhere.

6. Phrase your list in a way that elates and excites you. People are less apt to succeed when they try to avoid something as opposed to pursuing something. For example, instead of saying you will quit dating jerks, say you will make a point of dating only kind men.

7. Break down your goals. Head off panic by focusing first on what you can do to achieve your dream in the short term. Tackle the long term later.

8. Reread your list and notice how it makes you feel. If any item brings up a sense of dread, rewrite it until it sounds enticing. If you can not, drop it off your list.

9. Be prepared to ball up your list and flush it. The items on your list should be flexible so you can respond to various life circumstances as they unfold. Think of your list as a guide, not a hard and fast contract.

Dancing is an excellent stress-buster, especially after an exhausting day and Bangalore houses some of the grooviest party destinations. Apart from just being a hub of IT professionals, the bustling city hosts the best dance floors for you to groove on.

Vivacious Nightlife @ Bangalore

After the sundown till a little past midnight, Bangalore is sure to leave you spellbound with its vivacious nightlife. From live karaokes to underground watering holes, umpteen microbreweries and posh nightclubs, you have multiple places to enjoy and make ad-hoc plans with your friends.

One thing that I have learnt after coming to Bangalore is that with so many pubs and discotheques across the city, you will never run out of options and can just soak up yourself in your favourite place, get happy-high and dance the night away with your friends. There are unduly high number of dance clubs and dedicated dance floors that serve all kinds of alcohol and scrumptious food.

From Big Brewsky to Pebble, XU, Skyye Lounge, Ice, High Ultra Lounge, No Limits Lounge, The Warehouse, Vapour, Siam Trading Company and many more; I have tried quite a lot of options on my list. But Gilly’s Redefined has been something different.

Gilly’s Redefined

Gilly’s Redefined is a wonderful place to hangout with friends and if you have weekend plans, nothing can beat this place. They have three dedicated floors “Fandom at Gilly’s Redefined”, “The Terrace at Gilly’s Redefined” and “My Bar”. They serve amazing food, they have quick service, the call and bill order button is really facilitating and is definitely worth for money. “Fandom at Gilly’s Redefined” are known for hosting some of the best events, be it Holi, Dandiya, Kannada Rajyotsva and even sensational live performances by different bands. They have a huge standing capacity and the place is fully equipped with a grand stage and a robust sound and lightning system.

As far as I know, the English Craft Brewing Company has tied up with Gilly’s and they serve four different varieties of fresh brews, available on tap. Chelsea Wit (Belgian Wheat beer) and SOHO Triple (crossover between Belgian wheat and IPA) are two of my favourites. They serve London Lager and Granny Smith’s Apple Cider, as well.

The brewed beers, scrumptious food, live music and live sports screening is not just it. They have amazing ambience, a full bar, smoking area, private dining area and extended seating capacity too. They play live music from national and international bands and also have happy hour offers.

Living a good life comes from happiness and contentment, as the two often go hand in hand. However, we are sometimes looking for happiness from the wrong things and in the wrong places that we end up being frustrated and disappointed.

We may differ in what is a life that is good but there are some important things, big and small, that contributes a lot in what we call living a good life. Here are some tips and ideas that you might find useful in finding ways to have that life that is good we all want to have.

– Find a career that you are happy and you feel you can make use of your talents and abilities. Having a career that you love doing is indeed one great source of happiness, but if you don’t want to change career, or somehow other aspects of work are making you unhappy, change the way you deal with things and simply choose to be happy.

– Give quality time to your family. Even some simple bonding activities together can help a lot in keeping the love alive in the family and of course, to love and be loved is one part of living a good life, so treasure your relationships and exert some effort to make it work.

– Learn to share. We all have something in us to share to others. Whether it is a part of your wealth, food, your talents and skills, your abilities and even your time can be a great source of. If you want to live a life that is good and great, don’t stop giving and sharing. It is in these little things that real happiness is felt and with that, living a good life starts from giving.

– Be with positive people and be a positive person. Being positive is contagious, thus being with positive people can help a lot in living a good life and free from too many complaining and whining.

– Enjoy the things you love doing and explore other interests as well. Don’t get stuck at one phase of your life. Enjoy the things you like but also explore other interests as well.

– Be thankful. Count your blessings instead of focusing on what you lack or what you don’t have.

– Keep yourself in good health. A good live always starts from a healthy body. Of course, you can’t be truly happy if you are feeling pain or discomfort in your body, so start now, and maintain your aerobic exercises.

– Appreciate and enjoy nature. Nature is one thing that can help you boost a tired body and mind and also a great way to get rid of stress. If you want to live a great life, then you must learn how to lose extra weight to enjoy life a little more.

– Give love, and value the relationships you have. Relationships make us feel loved and this feeling is an essential part of living a good life.

– Have enough rest. For sure, your life will always be not good if you are always tired and you always have no good rest.

If you have been moving so fast with your life that you seem to forget how to live a great life, take time to do simple things like reconnecting with nature and helping people who are in need, and this will surely bring you increased happiness and in turn will bring you good.

Keep cichlids in your aquarium is not a difficult task at all, provided you know what to do! If you are thinking of keeping cichlids, you will need to pay attention to the following points:

Do Not Mix Fishes/Cichlids From Different Geographic Regions!

Naturally, there are exceptions to the above statement as some cichlids can co-exist with certain cichlids. However, there are literally thousands of different species of cichlids out there and there is no way I can tell you which species can or cannot be mixed.

The main rationale here is that different regions have different water requirements. Thus, it is highly unlikely for them to be perfectly compatible with each other. Another good reason is that you want to avoid the issue of cross-breeding, where two different species from the same genus breed. Hence, it is best to play it safe and not mix them around, especially if you are new to keeping cichlids.

Make Your Aquarium As Complex As Possible!

Cichlids are notorious for being territorial fishes. Thus, you are asking for trouble if you put them (together with other fishes) in a tank with very little objects. An empty tank will create A LOT of fighting as there are no objects to define the boundaries. Cichlids, like most animals, use surrounding objects to mark their territory.

Hence, you need to ensure that you tank is as complex as possible. It doesn’t need to be a big tank, the key point here is COMPLEX. A small 20 gallon tank with lots of wood, plastic plants, rock features, caves, and empty shells can house a dozen cichlids without any problems! Of course I do not recommend that you keep that many fishes in a small tank, but you get the general idea!

In this trumpet lesson you will learn to play the melody to the song Happy Birthday To You without sheet music. It is a melody that is well worth learning by heart for special occasions!

The most common trumpet is a transposing instrument pitched in Bb. That is the instrument you probably are playing. This means that when you play a melody in C-major on your trumpet it will actually sound as if played in Bb-major.

In this trumpet lesson you will find the lyrics to the song Happy Birthday To You line by line in F-major with the chord symbols written in Eb-major for guitar or piano or some other chord instrument. The chord symbols are placed before the syllable where you are to play it.

Below the lyrics you will find the notes to play on your trumpet. In this lesson we will use the note names supposing that you know how to play the notes on your trumpet. You will also find a system for showing the length of the notes.

In case you need to refresh the notes and how they are played on your trumpet you will find a fingering chart here for the notes we will use:

C4=000, D=101, E=110, F=100, G=000, A=110, Bb=100, C5=000 (1 indicates pressed and 0 not pressed valves)

We shall now start this lesson by learning the melody to the first line of lyrics:

Happy (Eb)birthday to (Bb7)you

C4 C D C F E

The first note has the number 4 after the note name indicating that it is to be played in the lowest octave on your trumpet. The number four indicates that this is the fourth octave on an traditional piano keyboard.

I guess that you can play the rhythm of the melody by heart but we will also use a system for showing you the time value of the notes. The shortest notes are indicated with the number 1. In traditional sheet music notation this would be an eight note.

The number two means that a note has twice the value of the length 1. The value 4 means that the note has four times the value of number 1. Here comes the corresponding rhythms for the previous melody:

1 1 2 2 2 4

Let’s continue with the melody and from now on I notate the rhythms below the notes:

happy (Bb7)birthday to (Eb)you

C C D C G F

1 1 2 2 2 4

Happy (Eb) birthday dear (Ab)…

C C C5 A4 F E D

1 1 2 2 2 2 2

The note C5 is the C note in the next octave. After this note you have the note A4 which indicates that you will go back to the lowest octave again playing the following notes the same way.

Happy birthday to you

Bb Bb A F G F

1 1 2 2 2 4

Now you have played the complete melody. I suggest that you learn the melody by heart line by line on your trumpet. You will never know when you have a reason to play the melody for someone!

If you are struggling with child disciplining issues, there’s a strong chance that the happy child guide can help you. An essential thing to remember, before we even begin, is that it would be best for you to keep an open mind. We’re not here to judge you in any way. Parenting is the toughest job in the universe, bar none! And you are the only one who can truly decide if you need some additional help.

I’m sure you have an incredibly busy life with all your ample, huge responsibilities. This is part of what makes parenting so tough, not to mention how rough things are economically.

All that aside, let us get down to what we’re here for. We will talk about three important child disciplining issues, and how the happy child guide will rectify each situation.

Let’s begin with something you won’t even believe is causing some of your issues, and that is the use of punishments and rewards. Would you even believe that this is causing you problems?

I’m sure you figured this was one of the things you could do that would be a help, not a hindrance. Actually, because these techniques are used so often, it is perhaps the biggest parenting mistake of them all!

When you use punishments and rewards, you will cause your child extra stress, and this causes many, many problems that we will speak of soon. I’m sure, when you think about it, you will see that if something is causing fear and stress, it is not a good thing!

Another incredibly important thing to consider that will improve your child disciplining issues, has to do with how busy you probably are. Well, that’s part of it. You probably work full time, in addition to running the household. All in all, you don’t have a lot of time to spend with your children.

As a result of this, you probably don’t ensure your children get enough exercise. Dr. Blaise Ryan, who is the co-author of The Happy Child Guide, speaks of how important getting exercise is. It will, no doubt, help your child’s concentration abilities, thought processes, and will improve their overall mood, behavior, and health. You should make sure that your children get ample exercise. In addition, Dr. Ryan has given a report about super foods that can help charge a child’s brain and even help with ADD, ADHD, and ODD. Do you think that proper exercise and nutrition are important?

The last thing we will mention here, and there are many, many more things, is again, related to causing our children fear and stress. We all know how busy and fast paced life is. As the everyday pressures of family life rise, and children act out from time to time, parents often get into habits of using harsh parenting as means of child disciplining. When you scream, yell, or lecture at, or diminish your children to get them to behave, you cause their fear and stress levels to rise.

As we spoke of in the beginning, this is not good at all. The reason is that cortisol is made by the adrenal glands, then sent to the brain. The end result is that they get dis-oriented and usually act out more, and get yelled at more. However, it gets way worse. The long-term effects are high blood pressure, low bone density (osteoporosis), reduced memory and ability to learn, and lowered immune system.

Recently I carried out some work with a client’s telemarketing team. They set the agenda and our session centered around objection handling. We discussed the following;

“We’re never ever going to change supplier”

– Aim to ask just one more question. The more you can engage them in conversation the more opportunities you may open up.

This might be…… “ok, can I keep in touch?” followed by “when would be the best time to call you next?” OR

“And generally speaking is it product A or service B you have most interest in?”

– Maintain your efforts to get e-mail addresses. Worth checking ones you already have too sometimes. I find it amazing how often they change.

“We’ve just carried out a review of suppliers, so we’re committed for the next xx years”

Again my tip is don’t be put off, see if you can engage them in a bit more conversation.

“OK, that’s a shame. I’m sorry we’re missed out on this occasion, but is it OK if I keep in touch?” followed by “If I was to call you again then in a year’s time, would that be about right?”

We talked about the fact that ‘nothing is for ever’ so even with accounts where it seems like you have no opportunities at all, it is still worth building a relationship or rapport with the other person. We discussed reasons why this is true;

o Decision-makers move or change. Often the new person wants to stir things up and change suppliers. It’s their way of demonstrating that they’re making a difference.

o Alternatively, it could be that the contact at your competitor’s company changes. Consequently the relationship is weakened.

o The terms of trade may change. The favourable terms the customer used to get may change and they may not be so keen on the new ones!

o You have nothing to lose! So work to build the relationship anyway.

o It is always worth pushing the “quotation for cost comparisons angle.” Again you have nothing to lose by offering this.

o Service levels may change with their existing supplier.

o The market changes. There is much consolidation and change at the moment. My client mentioned many examples in their market sector, I bet you can think of many in yours too.

How to challenge someone who is happy with their current supplier

We then went on to discuss the fact that the team is not confident about challenging someone who is happy with their current supplier.

I suggested “Ok, that’s interesting, what is it about ABC Limited that you like?” Some of the team gave the impression that they wouldn’t feel comfortable with this line, so we discussed others.

“For the purposes of research…. “

“For my records….”

“Do you ever go out for competitive quotes?”

“OK, that’s interesting…”

“I’m interested in learning about what’s important to you…”

“Would you be interested in a visit or more information?”

“Is that because you’ve always found them competitive?”

“When was the last time you went out to the market?”

There are many ways of asking extra questions without seeming disrespectful, that might, just might, make your prospect stop and think a little.

Remember my adage in selling that “if you can’t be number 1, aim to be number 2.” Because one day the favoured supplier will slip and let the customer down. Or as often happens one of the individuals in the relationship moves on. Either way if the customer is then going to pick up the phone, who are they going to call – the number 2 company of course – You!!

In the next session with this client we went on to discuss selling benefits so I’ll add an article on this soon.