Ever since the iPhone introduced the app store, the demand for smart phone applications has gone through the roof. Each new smart phone that is now released is expected to have the extensibility support for apps, and that is no different for the current players such as the BlackBerry.

BlackBerry apps have become more popular over the recent months with the growing functionality of the iPhone pushing its rivals to go the extra mile. But with so many iPhone and BlackBerry apps available, which is the best?

Below are the top 5 free BlackBerry apps for 2010.

1. BlackBerry App World – The BlackBerry App World application personalises your smart phone with social networking, games and much more. Although quite an obvious choice, the App World application allows you to download new apps straight from your smart phone. Much like the iPhone App Store, this application exists to make it much easier for people to download apps without the need to hunt around the web to find them. A must have.

2. Qik – This app has been around a while, but Qik really is an excellent app to have. With video streaming becoming increasingly popular in 2010, Qik allows you to stream video straight to the web for your friends and family to see while in action. You are able to stream or download the videos from the Qik website, and it has complete social networking integration for websites such as Twitter and YouTube.

3. Foursquare – If you haven’t heard of Foursquare then you must have been living under a Internet shaped rock for the past few months. The basic premise of Foursquare is that it is a social networking website with a difference. Users access Foursquare from different places using the BlackBerry app, and it uses GPS to identify your current location. With each check in you earn points, and more points are awarded for being advantageous (ie: exploring lots of places in one day). This is one of those games that you have to experience for yourself – and it is definitely worth it.

4. Flixster Movies – If you are a big movie fan then this app should be perfect for you. Movies by Flixster is an app that allows you to watch high quality movie trailers, get details of the latest movies, read reviews and much more. The app is very user friendly and contains details relevant to the UK, Canada and the United States.

5. Pandora – Similar to Last.fm, Pandora is a personalised radio app that allows you to play all of your favourite artists and also related songs and albums. You are able to select your favourite artists in Pandora, and relevant recommended songs will be provided to you. As the BlackBerry website says: “Get the Pandora application… and be prepared to fall in love with music all over again”

So there you have it – the top 5 free BlackBerry apps for 2010. There are many applications available for the BlackBerry is it continues to show the world that it can compete with the iPhone – but some are obviously better than others.

In a world where one trillion is a household world, the stresses of just surviving life can become an overwhelming endeavor. More than ever, couples need to know how to stay connected through the trials coming their way.

I work with couples every week who are in complete survival mode. It’s like they are on a treadmill playing a game of ping pong. That plastic ball keeps coming at them from who knows what direction. They bat it away but it comes back. All the while they are trying to stay upright and running on the moving platform beneath them. Sounds like quite a tricky situation, no? OK, now picture two people doing this same action staying connected and communicating.

What I described is your typical young family in today’s culture. Somewhere in the mix of taking care of the things at hand, the marriage becomes disconnected, overwhelmed and shut down.

“Stop the world, I want to get off,” becomes the frequent cry for help. Amazingly enough, stopping is the first step to pushing back this ominous cloud of frantic activity. Here are some steps that might help your marriage reconnect.

1). Be intentional. Nothing ever happens unless you purposely schedule it. You have everything else on your daily task list… everything from taking out the garbage to putting food in the parakeet’s cage is on your list of things to do… why not put your marriage on the list too? Decide together that you are going to “meet” each other ten minutes a day to re-connect. This “meeting” has to be uninterrupted, so make it when the kids are in bed or before they get up. This might mean getting up 10 minutes earlier in the morning or going to bed 10 minutes later at night. Either way, this time is some of the most valuable time of the day so make the sacrifice.

2). Have eye contact. Sit quietly. Take 10 deep breaths. Look each other in the eyes. Do you remember when you first met how you probably sat and stared at each other longingly? This is the same concept except on an abbreviated basis. Eye contact is a very important component of communication. Don’t let that person at work be the only one who looks into your partners’ eyes.

3). Do you know that the average couple talks meaningfully only 20 minutes a week? Imagine if you spent 10 minutes a day gazing into each other’s eyes and having heart to heart communication. You would be three times more connected than the average couple in America! So during these 10 minutes of connection you talk about “heart subjects.” Here are some examples of “heart subjects.”

“How are you doing today? Are you feeling scared, overwhelmed, angry?”

“Where is your heart today? Can you tell me what you are feeling?”

“Help me understand how you are doing today. Tell me about where you are in your heart.”

4). Rules of the game as you can see above means you will explore how your partner feels. This “heart subject” connection means talking about “f-things”…feelings! You are not allowed to argue, try to settle past arguments, solve a problem or especially talk about finances! You are only allowed to look into your partner’s eyes and find out what is going on in their heart. Are they feeling alone, scared, overwhelmed?

Does this sound too hoakie or simple or just plain corny? Don’t knock it until you try it. I challenge you and your spouse to sit down and intentionally connect for ten minutes every day. You will not believe the difference it will make in helping you survive the insane ping pong treadmill of life.

WHAT IS THE SECRET TO LIFE? Most people would have to admit if pressed, that divining the mystery of life and discovering what they were here for, would be the most prized (and elusive) thing, simply because it seems unattainable. I recall a television program called “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and the answer to the “Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything” was simply 42-of course, then they had to find out what the “Ultimate Question” was!! Nothing’s ever easy when trying to work out the meaning of life.

Ask most people and there will be varied responses for the meaning of life-what we’re actually “here” for. Some will say, ‘to have a good time’, others might say, ‘to live and learn’, and still others, ‘to make money and enjoy spending it’. Ask me, and my answer is relatively clear: “I’m here to grow in wisdom.” I want to grow in my seven virtues: live the way of diligence and prudence; seek to create and sustain shalom and balance; live in a way that nurtures trust and upholds respect, and finally, settle for nothing less than wisdom.

Wisdom: There’s no goal quite like it. The ancients held her up as the jewel of the crown of life-she is to be esteemed beyond any earthly treasure. Why is it there are so many over the course of time in history who’ve fallen in love with her? Let’s explore.

The main point here is the “effect” of wisdom. What does wisdom really achieve for us? Because I have found wisdom of intense interest, I commenced my search some time ago. A bit like happiness, wisdom appears relatively elusive, but there are rewards for those who search for her.

Amongst the research I have done, I’ve found that wisdom provides three salient things in abundance-as a general rule. Test this out. See if it applies in the lives of whom you see as wise. First, wisdom promises long life. This is longevity of life, and it is also quality of life through the years. Have you ever noticed how some people age quite quickly and by the time they enter their sixties or seventies they’re a spent force, while others push through these barriers seemingly at ease and are spritely at 90? The latter people are probably the ones who lived wisely, looking after their bodies and minds, achieving balance in life, living diligently and prudently, not foolishly. They lived at peace with their peers and weren’t swallowed up by worry and cancer from the so-called stresses of living and dysfunctional relationships all around them.

Secondly, wisdom promises prosperity. This is shalom, the Jewish Hebrew word. It is everything truly good for us; wellbeing, wholeness, wealth (the right kind of wealth from the right way of living), peace, wellness, and an absence of agitation and discord. It is the feeling that you’ve cracked the code of life: you’ve achieved what you’ve been sent to do. Mission accomplished… that sort of thing. How many people actually sit back at 70, reflecting in their lives, and say “My whole life I’ve felt like that”? Not many I would suggest; yet, that’s exactly what our goal should be-to have not wasted our lives by simply living, but to make it count in some way, by working on leaving a legacy, having a purpose. It’s about seeking the right things in life. The effect is prosperity. It’s about teaching your children those same right things and guiding them day by day, and seeing them ‘crack the code’. What better outcome could there be than this sort of prosperity?

The third and final promise of wisdom is honor! I love something I read recently, again from theologian, Paul Koptak, “Nothing earns honor more than working for goals higher than praise.” We all seek praise and honor in life. Yet, Wisdom turns this on its head and simply says, Forget about seeking honor itself and seek ME first and I will give you the honor at the right time-what’s more, I will give it in ways and in amounts that you will feel completely grateful for-but don’t work for honor alone. Work to attain ME instead.

Nothing satisfies quite like a good name-a good reputation. Don’t work for praise and honor alone, just do the right, just, and fair things and honorable things will come to you by themselves. Forget about competing with and comparing with others. Focus on doing the right thing.

Of course, to attain wisdom really means to attain God-to be at peace with him. As God is love, so God is wisdom.

Seek wisdom; get wisdom; clamber for it, search for it, and never give up. You will never regret it as you achieve the true treasure of life: long life, prosperity, and honor. Not only will you achieve the treasure, you will also come much closer to knowing with faithful certainty, the true meaning of life.

© 2007 Steve Wickham.

LG GW520 is one of the best mobile phones in its range with multiple names viz. LG Cookie 3G, LG GW525, LG GW520 InTouch Plus & LG Calisto.

Enchanting Looks

This slider opening handset is sleek in appearance and it can be bought in blue on black, red on black, silver & pearl white colored outfits. The casing of the gadget measures 106.5 x 53 x 15.9 mm and weighs 125.5 grams. There is a pleasurable 2.8 inches TFT resistive touchscreen that has been made powerful with 240 x 400 pixels resolution and 256K colors. Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate and side out QWERTY keyboard facilities can be counted few specialties of LG handset.

Specs List

LG GW520’s SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, IM, Push Email services are quite worthy for solving the problem of communication of the users.This fashionable gizmo is embedded with various internet connectivity and data exchanging options such as 3G HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, GPRS Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 – 48 kbps, EDGE Class 10, 236.8 kbps, Bluetooth and USB. More than that, WAP 2.0 browser is there that supports xHTML and HTML web content.

Users would be pleased to know that 40 MB is its integral memory while up to 16 GB (verified) is the external support due to microSD card slot.Document viewer is the mobile phone major attraction supportive of DOC, XLS, PPT, PDF format documents. Furthermore, few other additional features include Organizer, Photo/video editor, Voice memo and T9 dictionary.

Users would be able to click the objects as crystal clear photographs up to 2048×1536 pixels resolution or as moving video footages by taking the assistance of 3.15 megapixel camera. Moving ahead, another attraction is its entertainment segment that brings along Stereo FM radio, audio player and video player. And users are allowed listening to MP3/WAV/eAAC+ audio and watching MP4/H.263 video format files on LG mobile.

Besides musical treat, you can also have good time by playing built-in and downloadable games on this lovely mobile phone. Standard Li-Ion 950 mAh battery makes the handset capable to render 500 hours on standby mode and lets the users talk up to 5 hours continuously.

In our busy and fast-paced world, summer is commonly the time when kids are off from school, people travel, weddings and graduations occur, and family reunions take place. It’s a time when the frantic pace of work slows down a bit, simply because the people who are typically driving are taking a break. This puts you in the driver’s seat! This gives you a chance to take advantage of the downtime and better position yourself so that you can play full out when the pace picks back up in the fall.

To assist you, I want to give you five strategies on how to maximize this “season” when you or others (clients, co-workers, vendors, etc.) are away so that you are prepared to “charge” for the rest of the year!

1. Rest. The concept of periodicity means that you allow your body a time to rest, re-engage, and recharge (or train) so that you achieve maximum energy and the results that you want during the periods that require you to push harder. If you continue at 150 mph 24 hours per day/7 days per week, you will burn out. More importantly, you will not get the results you want. So, plan time each summer for a period of rest. (For you workaholics out there, rest means no voicemail, no email, no clients, no “work mode”, and no initiatives that are not wholly enjoyable.) Turn off work 100% while on vacation! If you do, your ability to run full out when you return will be twice as great.

2. Clean up. The days before you leave on vacation are a great time to make a game plan for yourself when you return. Your departure date is a deadline that’s not likely to move. Start by challenging yourself to sort the emails, do all of the follow-ups, and close the open loops before you leave. As you do this, make a list for when you return of what you will do next. If you want to be most productive, schedule what you will do when, so you can resume your working habits quickly when you return.

3. Schedule “catch up” time. If you are able, allow a “phase in” plan that provides you with personal time in the office to go through email, mail, and other things that have accumulated while you were gone. Often, people come back to a full schedule with no time to “re-settle” which is why they work on vacation. Resist the urge to work while away. Instead, plan for the inevitable chaos that will be there when you return: block off part of a day when you first return to catch up.

4. Create a project plan. This season, if you will not be traveling and are left at the office while others are away, you may find yourself in the “summer lulls”. Before this slower season even hits, have a plan for what you want to accomplish during the down time. This is your “off season.” Use this time to do the projects that are important, but not urgent: this is the time for the projects that you just never seem to get to, such as updating your website, reading, taking personal development classes, etc. Know in advance how you will use this time so that you are prepared to dive into these projects once the slower season rolls in.

5. Take “time off” at home. Take a week off at home. Put aside all of those long term projects, household chores, and yard work. Spend a full week clearing up all of the tolerations that keep you frustrated and discouraged, such as fixing the printer that always prints crookedly, organizing your pots and pans, buying a calendar to organize your family, or moving the chair that you stub your toe on each morning. Plan one week where your focus is on streamlining, simplifying, and organizing your home and personal life so that during the rest of the year, you can charge forward!

Remember to allow yourself a true rest, clear up the clutter before you go and have a plan for how you will handle coming back, productively use the slower season in the office, and tidy up loose ends at home. When you are active and intentional during this slower season, employing the strategies that we’ve discussed here today, you too will have a winning, successful year!

St Lucia Honeymoons are extremely popular judging from the fact that we have won the coveted “World Leading Honeymoon Destination” from the World Travel Awards 9 times in the last 14 years. In fact St we’ve won this award every year over the last 5 years!

So what makes St Lucia honeymoons so special? Well let’s start with our spectacular natural beauty plus the fact that getting here is a bit more difficult and expensive than going to Mexico, or even some of the more northerly Caribbean islands. As a result we are considered a very exotic destination and hence the perfect location for a honeymoon.

Then add to this the fact that Sandals Resorts has 3 all inclusive properties on here and that Sandals is a resort for couples only. So with more couples seeking out a St Lucia honeymoon the votes that push us over the top just keep racking up.

In addition to this lots of couples elope to Sandals for St Lucia weddings as their wedding can be had for free once they stay at the resort over a set number of days. And with so much to do while here choosing to stay for a few extra days is always very appealing.

With so many weddings and honeymoons happening down here destination wedding and honeymoon photography has become quite popular and with the advent of digital photography it is easier than ever to get and share your great island photos. Some hotels offer on site photography and in addition there are quite a number of competent professional destination wedding and honeymoon photographers available to you.

While it can be convenient to go with the hotel’s photography be sure to seek out independent reviews of both your hotel’s photography as well as the photography of any of the professional photographers whose services you may consider. That way you will be well informed and thus able to make the best choice, which is most important as you will have to live with your pictures, whether good or bad, for the rest of your life.

And with so many St Lucia honeymoons and weddings “Trash The Dress” photography is gaining popularity. This is a really exciting, high energy twist to the time old tradition of wedding photography. And the nice thing about it is that because a trash the dress photo shoot comes after the wedding there’s no need to be formal and careful, but instead you are free to let your hair down…

To be a healthy and progressing kiteboarder, you have to think and train like an athlete. You can’t just show up to kiteboard on Sunday morning when the wind is blowing and hope to stay out all day and injury free. Or be able to fully enjoy your kiteboarding vacation. When we are learning to kiteboard on a kiteboarding holiday or already know how to kitesurf, most of us would like to be able to squeeze every last minute out of the wind. But all too often I see people on the beach during their kitesurfing holiday with the look in their eye of wanting to kiteboard more, but they are physically too tired. For this reason, it is important to incorporate some other physical exercise and strength training into your lifestyle to increase your kitesurfing endurance. The goal of this article is not to turn you into athletic machines and to take the fun out of the sport, but to increase your time on the water and reduce the chance of injuries.

As stated, there are several reasons why you want to start training as a kitesurfing athlete. The main reason is that you can increase the amount of time you are on the water riding. No longer will you have to go back to the beach and recover after only one hour of kiteboarding during or after your kiteboarding holiday. Imagine being the envy of your friends because you stayed out for the full 5 hours of wind that blew that day in your local spot. In addition, throughout the day the crowds usually ebb and flow, so now you can have that whole flat section or set of waves to yourself. No more sitting on the beach watching that perfect set because you were too tired.

The other reason you want to increase your level of fitness is to reduce injuries while kiteboarding. As we continue to push ourselves to develop, we go for bigger air, more twists and riskier moves. But the higher we progress up the trick ladder, the bigger the strain we put on our bodies. There is no greater chance of getting injured as going into a trick than when your legs and arms are tired; you will have reduced control thought out the trick and a lesser chance of landing correctly. Though kite equipment has gotten much safer over the years, you still need to have a solid level of fitness as a kitesurfer to pull off tricks.

Yes it is blunt, but if you reduce your body weight, not only will you be more agile, but you will also be able to ride in lighter wind. Quit spending more money on larger kites and the latest and greatest lightweight boards; loose some pounds and save money. And think of all that extra money for your kiteboarding holiday.

Thus if you are serious about your kiting and want to keep improving, I suggest two things. Start an endurance sport and start some strength training. The sport could be something like swimming, cycling, running, rowing, aerobics or anything along those lines. The strength training could be a simple whole body routine. There is no need to go join a gym and all that hoopla.

A simple and highly effective routine that I suggest is this: Three or four days a week go for a 20-30 minute jog. Upon finishing take a few minute break and then do some basic strength training. This can include push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups and basic lunges to build some leg strength. The key to all of this is to start easy and gradually build up your pace and number of strength exercises over time. If you rush things, you run the risk of injury. Take it slow is the key.

And last but not least, to stay on the water for your target amount of time, you have to have stay to train to stay on the water kiteboarding for that long. Each week during your riding sessions, try adding 10 to 15 minutes to your session. Gradually you will build up your endurance.

The Kite Life wishes you happy kiting during your weekend or kitesurfing holidays…

I was never the person to diet. Sure, I did not eat certain foods, but that was because I never enjoyed them growing up. I also felt that many of the foods I disliked had nothing to do with being health conscious. That was until I started having health issue, and I decided to change how I eat. Not only did I start eating foods that would help me maintain a healthy weight, but I started eating more alkaline foods which are better for the body.

Fruits In The Morning:

Waking up to a slice of watermelon is one of the best ways to start your morning. Eating fruit for breakfast will not only help you think clearer, it will help you lose weight and stimulate the digestive tract to energize the body. Eating a clean and light breakfast in the morning is a great way to transition the body from a fasting state to an eating state.

Several Reasons Why You Should Start Eating Fruit For Breakfast:

1. Enhances The Detoxification Phase

Between 7 and 11am, the body is going through the heaviest phase of detoxification. Eating fruit will help contribute healing energy to this detoxification process

2. Stimulates the Digestive Tract

Eating fruit for breakfast infuses the body with beneficial enzymes, fiber and probiotics that help stimulate digestive juices in the stomach and, push out old waste matter from the day before. Fruit fiber cleans the colon like a broom, leaving you feeling light and refreshed.

3. Wakes Up The Body

Natural fruit sugars are just the thing the body needs upon waking up. Instead of reaching for your coffee, try making a coffee replacement smoothie that will help keep the brain sharp and energized. Remember, the brain runs off glucose so if you want to stay focused throughout the day, eat a nice big water-dense fruit meal for breakfast!

4. Lose Weight

Fruit provides the body with quality nutrition and, also help release excess toxins by pushing out old waste matter from the intestines. Eating plenty of fruit in the morning (and throughout the rest of the day) gets rid of excess toxicity and waste storage. This in turn helps with your body’s natural weight loss process. You can lose weight naturally by eating the right foods that will jump start the process.

5. Creates An Alkaline Environment For The Body

The first thing people think when they eat fruit is that it is too acidic which is not true. Lemons are actually one of the most alkaline fruits on the planet. They may be acidic in form but, once they reach the stomach the minerals (like potassium and sodium) disassociate to make it alkaline (via a variety of metabolic processes). All fruit is alkaline, so make sure you eat plenty of fruit in the morning if you normally eat a standardized diet.

There are numerous diet plans out there. The key to weight management is adopting a healthy diet that accommodates your dietary needs. Losing weight naturally is always the best way to go. You just have to find out which natural diet works for you.

Vision therapy recommend more than 200 different eye exercises and often administer them with simple aids: glasses with different-coloured lenses, eye patches, bull’s-eye targets and beaded strings. What follows are simple vision therapy exercises that anyone can do at home.

1. Call The Ball

Write letters or numbers of various sizes on a softball, kickball or soccer ball. Hang it from the ceiling on a string and give it a push in any direction. As it swings, call out the letters or numbers you see. The Optometric Extension Program Foundation markets dozens of visual exercise items, from low-tech flashcards aimed at day care children to sophisticated computer systems for behavioural optometrists who specialize in athletic eye/hand coordination. If you like to delve deeper into vision improvement, contact the OEP for a catalog or a referral to a behavioural optometrist near you.

2. Follow Your Thumb

Several times each day, hold your thumbs out at arm’s length and move it in slow circles, crosses, Xs and in-and-out motions. Without moving your head, follow it with your eyes. Keep it – and the rest of the room – in focus as much as possible.

3. Palming

This helps relax tired eyes. Briskly rub your hands together for 15 seconds or so until they feel warm. Close your eyes and cup your warm palms over them. Make sure your palms are cupped enough so that they do not touch your eyelids. Your fingers should overlap and rest on your forehead. Holding this position, breathe deeply and regularly for a few minutes.

4. Bead And String

Thread three coloured beads along a piece of string or yarn about six feet long. Fasten one end to a wall at eye height and hold the other to the tip of your nose. Slide one bead close to the wall, the second about four feet from your nose and the third about a foot away from you. Look at the farthest bead. You should see two strings forming a V with the bead at its point. Next focus on the middle bead. You should see two strings forming an X with the bead at its cross point. Then look at the nearest bead. You should also see an X. if your eyes work as a team, as they should, you will always see two strings crossing when you focus on a bead. If not, you may see only one string, suggesting that your brain is suppressing information from your weaker eye. If you see only one string, consult a behavioural optometrist.

5. Look Away

If you do close-focus work – reading, sewing, wiring, or computer work – tack the front page of a newspaper to a wall about eight feet away. Every ten minutes or so, take a short break from your work and look at it, scanning the large headline type, the smaller subheads and the fine print. This helps maintain your focusing ability and minimizes the blurred vision many close-focus workers experience at the end of the day.

As for Chinese fashion elements, they have been largely attached to the modern fashion clothing, such as Chinese coloring, painting and printing, embroidery technique, blue and white porcelain, paper cutting style, etc. More and more world-class fashion designers start to apply Chinese traditional elements to the modern fashion designs. In 2011, clothes with Chinese style will inevitably become a very important fashion element.

Today, whether in Paris, Milan or New York, clothes designed with Chinese style are greatly loved by people, particularly those fashion designers, international celebrities and super stars. During the 57th Cannes Film Festival in 2004, Gong Li, a Chinese superstar, wore the white Cheongsam that was designed by Tom Ford. Particularly, the back adopts embroidery technique that reveals a kind of magnificent Chinese characteristics. Designer Tom Ford made Gong Li embody both oriental women’s taste and western women’s elegance at that film festival. Besides, Fan Bingbing wearing blue and white porcelain, Gao Yuanyuan wearing Peking embroidery dress, Zhang Jingchu wearing Dunhuang fresco dress.

In 2011, with the launch of the China Promotional Video in Times Square in New York City, many of Chinese beauty wearing dresses with Chinese style will certainly push eastern fashion elements into the world.

Chinese fashion elements are now arriving and eager to further themselves into the world’s cutting-edge fashion. Applying Chinese embroidery, binding, knotted button, silk spinning into the designs of clothes will become a new fashion trend in 2011. Traditional Chinese folk art of classical subtle spirit, traditional classic patterns and colors will be combined with modern clothing styles, revealing a strong layering sense of eastern and western culture under the new aesthetic conflict.