A Temporal Bliss of Attraction Is Not Love

We come across people who are physically, emotionally or intellectually attractive. Their immense self-confidence sometimes degrades us. But then again we keep on chasing them for no special reason. We try to copy their style so that we will get some kind of appreciation from them. Their attitude may kill you at times but still they have something that you don’t. There is a twinkle behind their eyes that speaks to us. It seems like they know some secrets that we don’t. They have this groundedness and stability. They are at ease in ways we wish were. You don’t find them good enough to spend your life with them, but at the same time you find no special reason not to spend your time with them. I don’t know whether they really know some secrets or they are good at lying about it. But the way they move through time and space is impeccable. The way they cover their imperfection is beyond our imagination.

We try to find faults in them only for our inner satisfaction. We tell ourselves that they are not someone they pretend to be. We try to chase people connected to those special ones. They may not be sexually attractive and it may be just an amicability, you may be just wanted to be their friends. At times when you are alert, aware and awake to some deeper truth of life, you taste the sliver of that self-confidence. You feel like you have reached their level of perfection. But that self-confidence is not stable, you still collapse back into your doubts and critical inner uncertainty.

On the other hand, when you get tired of thinking about them, you pray to get rid of these thoughts. You beg God to detach you from the scenarios that are never going to happen. But again, even when you manage to go out of their sight, they are never out of your mind. You push yourself again and again to that corner for your satisfaction. You always find them well enough in your imaginations. You do good things just to stay in their good books. Then at some point, their presence in your thoughts becomes a necessary part. You whole thinking process revolves around their personality aspects.

But then the time comes, when you come to know that these thoughts are just fraudulent ideas resulting in soul sickness and self-demoralization. Then you manage to reframe your thinking process and try to get rid of this shit. But when these scars leave you, they take some part of you with them. But again, these temporary attractions are part of human nature.

How To Make Your Boyfriend Obsessed With You! Here Is How to Develop Massive Amounts of Attraction!

Do you feel that your boyfriend isn’t giving you the attention you need? Do you feel that he isn’t attracted to you? Do you want to make him completely obsessed with you? If so, read on. I’m about to reveal to you the exact psychological tricks you can use to make your boyfriend feel intensely attracted to you. You will have him chasing you…

Here are the ultra effective psychological tricks to make your boyfriend obsessed with you…

Be desirable – Attraction to men is mainly visual. Men tend to be attracted based on looks more than women. But it doesn’t determine the course of a relationship. If you dress yourself well and make yourself look good, he is going to like and love you.

Become the desirable woman you were earlier. Work on your looks. It will help get his attention. Getting a makeover will work wonders for you. Get a nice sexy hair cut. Expose your legs on your dates. This will get him to notice you.

Change your behavior – One of the main reasons why men tend to ignore their girlfriends after dating for a while is because women tend to become clingy. If your man’s ignoring you, your behavior could be the one that’s causing it. A clingy attitude is good enough to make him lose all his attraction towards you. Be independent.

Ignore him – All humans pursue the things that retreat from them. If you want to have your man chasing you, you must ignore him. The law works extremely well in this case. Retreat from your man and within no time, you will find him coming after you for your love and affection. Ignore him by not talking to him for a while and by not answering his calls.

Crack jokes – Men are extremely tensed beings. If you want to make him connect in your conversations, you’ve got to lighten up the tension by cracking a few jokes. Crack a few jokes. Tease him playfully. Do everything you can do to make the moment fun.

Appear not to hear him – One way to really change a man’s attitude towards you is by acting as though he doesn’t exist. When he’s talking to you, act as though he isn’t there and you don’t even hear him. This will make him feel like shit which will eventually make him realize his mistake. Do that and look at the things that happen from there.

The Art Of Darkness – Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket

"War is hell," the cliché proclaims, but it seems to be entertaining hell. Along with other ghastly subjects such as murder and vampirism, war ranks among the most popular and commonly used subject matter of filmed entertainment, and no war has yielded more or better films than the one in Vietnam between 1955 and 1975. Whether detailing the effects of the war by studying its aftermath or getting right into the heart of the battles, the Vietnam War has proven to be a source of boundless interest for filmmakers and moviegoers alike. Perhaps it is the moral ambiguity of Vietnam that makes it the most interesting war for film adaptations, and no films illustrate this ambiguity better than Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now (1979) and Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket (1987).

Apocalypse Now was the first and still, arguably, the best film to take place in the midst of the war itself, shot shortly after its ending in the mid-'70s and released on the brink of the Reagan era in 1979. Inspired by Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella Heart of Darkness , Coppola and screenwriter John Milius supplant the metaphorical journey of its central character from 1890s Africa to the Southeast Asian jungle of the 1960s. Intimately tied to this shift in viewpoint is that, while Heart of Darkness 's narrator, Charlie Marlowe, begins as a sane and stable man who faces madness and the inherent evil of mankind in the form of Mister Kurtz, Apocalypse Now ' s narrator, Benjamin Willard (Martin Sheen), has already been driven at least to the verge of madness by his previous Vietnam experience before the beginning of the film. This change of perspective suggests that morality and sanity had become much more tentative and ambiguous in the time of the Vietnam War.

At the 1979 Cannes Film Festival premiere of the film, Coppola stated that "My film is not about Vietnam; my film is Vietnam." We are thrust into a world of madness with no moral center, an apt vision of conditions in the Vietnam War. This intention is evidenced not only by the chaotic and violent nature of the entire film, but also in the decision to make the story's narrator a madman, thus depriving the viewer of a more traditionally relatable gateway into the film's story.

Just as the film itself "is Vietnam" in macrocosm, three of its central characters also are Vietnam in microcosm: Willard, Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) and Captain Kilgore (Robert Duvall). Willard has been in the jungle so much it has become who he is; in the film, he says of Vietnam: "When I was here I wanted to be there. When I was there, all I could think of was getting back into the jungle." Kurtz and Kilgore are two sides of the same coin, the soldier gone mad from the madness of war. Kilgore is the joyful madman who revels in battle ("I love the smell of napalm in the morning," he says in one of the film's most famous scenes. "Smells like victory") and has managed to keep a tenable position in the military Despite randomly decimating entire villages, to the tune of Richard Wagner's "Flight of the Valkyries," for the sole purpose of clearing a proximity beach so that he and his men can go surfing. Critic Michael Wood, in his article "Bangs and Whispers" from the October 1979 New York Review of Books , asserts that Kilgore should have been the Kurtz figure of the film, a man so flamboyantly insane that he provides a clear counterpoint to Sheen's Willard, but the closer similarities between Willard and Brando's Kurtz hint at a metaphorical journey of Willard into himself, into the darkest reaches of his own soul, that echoes his literal journey downriver to Kurtz's lair. When he completes his assignment by killing Kurtz, he has perhaps silenced the encroaching darkness in his own heart.

Apocalypse Now 's overall vision of madness – from Willard to Kilgore to Kurtz, along with fascinating side characters such as Sam Bottoms's LSD-abusing surfer / soldier and Dennis Hopper's fanatical photojournalist – paints a disturbing picture not only of the Vietnam experience, but of all humanity in a world that made the atrocities of Vietnam possible. As Coppola himself says about the making of the film in Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper and Eleanor Coppola's 1991 documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse , "We were out there with too much equipment, too much money and too much time … and we all went a little insane, "which can be seen as an astute criticism of America's position in the war itself. Ultimately, Apocalypse Now is more than merely a war film, which may be why many critics consider it the best war film ever made, and perhaps even the greatest American film of any kind.

Full Metal Jacket has also been "acclaimed by critics around the world as the best war movie ever made," according to Warner Home Video Inc.'s 1990 video release of the film. Though it could be argued that Apocalypse Now is a greater cinematic achievement, it is less tenable to say that it is more true-to-life. Apocalypse Now is highly stylized and subjective, while Full Metal Jacket has a distinct documentary feel, despite its often stunning cinematography and use of stylistic devices such as slow-motion. These approaches reflect the background of each director: Kubrick began with documentaries like "Flying Padre" (1951), while Coppola got his start at B-movie producer Roger Corman's American-International Pictures.

Full Metal Jacket 's more objective, realistic perspective also reflects the point-of-view of its protagonist and narrator, Private Joker (Matthew Modine), who goes through Marine training to become a field reporter in Vietnam. Though Joker is a much more sane and rational character than Willard, he too is deeply corrupted by his experience, as he becomes more and more cynical throughout the film. As Joker says at one point in the film, in the persona of John Wayne, "A day without blood is like a day without sunshine." This cynical loss of innocence is a cohesive underlying theme in the film, which, like Apocalypse Now , is a journey into the heart of darkness. This is established in the opening sequence, which shows its various characters having their heads shaved, set to the tune of Johnny Wright's "Hello Vietnam." Full Metal Jacket is, essentially, a coming-of-age story – albeit a very brutal one – that is divided into two self-contained, but connected, stories within the film.

The first story thrusts the viewer into the rigid, violent life of Marine training camp and, though Joker is established as the protagonist from the start, the central character of this first story is actually Leonard Lawrence (Vincent D'Onofrio). Leonard, dubbed "Gomer Pyle" by sadistic drill instructor Sgt. Hartman (R. Lee Ermey), is a classic schoolyard bully's victim: overweight, slow-witted to the point of mild retardation, highly vulnerable and prone to crying under duress. Hartman, as a drill instructor, has made a career of being a bully, and the two immediately fall into this dynamic, with Hartman repeatedly choking, slapping and humiliating Leonard throughout the film. This story arc is easily broken into three acts: Leonard's humiliation, Leonard's education, and Leonard's revenge. Ironically, the completion of Leonard's education is the point at which he goes mad from the humiliation and abuse he has suffered at the hands of Hartman as well as the other recruits. Leonard finally snaps when Joker shows his first sign of corruption: after befriending Leonard and helping to educate him, Joker ultimately takes part in a ritualistic beating of Leonard after he and the other recruits are punished for Leonard's transgressions. At this point, the story moves into its third act, in which Leonard takes revenge on the bullying sgt. Hartman, whose last words are more unrepentant bullying: "What is your major malfunction? Did your Mommy and Daddy not give you enough love when you were young?" Ultimately, though, Leonard forgives Joker and spares his life before taking his own.

The title of the film comes from this first half, in a soliloquy Leonard gives for his rifle, which represents to him a measure of cleanliness and order in the "world of shit" in which he exists. This basically sums up the theme of the film, which is also indicated in its two-part structure: no matter how disciplined and structured a warrior's training and weapons may be, the war itself is still chaos. This chaos runs rampant in the second half of the film, in which Joker finds himself in the midst of combat, at first as an outside observer reporting what he sees, but ultimately having no choice but to participate in the violence all around him. Like Apocalypse Now 's Willard, Joker is somewhat on the fringes of combat, but still deeply effected and corrupted by it; While Willard is a hired killer working outside the main conflict of the Vietnam War, Joker is in the midst of this conflict but, in the beginning at least, does not participate in any killing.

Both films touch on a subject that is mostly avoided or neglected in war films: that of sexuality in wartime. Between Apocalypse Now 's aborted Playboy Bunny visit early on in the film and Full Metal Jacket ' s Vietnamese prostitutes in the second half, both films eloquently illustrate the assertion so eloquently voiced in Chris Hedges's 2002 memoir of wartime journalism, War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning , that "there is in wartime a nearly universal preoccupation with sexual liaisons." The undercurrent of rape and coercion present in both cases points toward the moral ambiguity of this type of sexuality, which, by extension, shows the questionable morality of war itself.

This ambiguity is also seen in the journeys undertaken by the central characters of each film. In Full Metal Jacket 's second story, Joker is given a mission by his commanding officer, Lt. Lockhart (John Terry), which leads him into the heart of darkness, where he faces the ultimate corruption of his own heart (a microcosm for humanity as a whole) when he kills a young female sniper (Ngoc Le) at the end of the film. Like Willard's assassination of Kurtz in Apocalypse Now , this killing is an act of obligation, but both occupy the morally uneasy ground of vengeance; Kurtz's assassination is a cold, detached act of military revenge, while Joker's platoon collectively kills the sniper in a more heated, personal retaliation for her murder of their fellow soldiers. These differing perspectives are reflected in the tone of each film: Full Metal Jacket is a more visceral and real experience than the highly stylized Apocalypse Now .

Full Metal Jacket ends as it begins, with Kubrick's impeccably appropriate musical cues. The diegetic singing of the "Mickey Mouse Club Theme" by the platoon in the film's final shot brings the coming-of-age full circle, and the Rolling Stones's "Paint It Black" over the end credits perfectly mirrors Joker's closing narration: "I am in a world of shit, but I am alive, and I am not afraid. " He has clearly reached the heart of darkness; the only remaining ambiguity is whether his lack of fear is a result of his succumbing to the madness of war.

To this day, wars continue to inspire films of varying quality. As long as the world continues to be colored in shades of gray, rather than black and white, the most successful art will always reflect this with a degree of moral ambiguity. Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket have paved the way, and it is to be hoped that future artists will find it, though it is doubtful that any can surpass the artistry of these two great films.

How to Avoid Being Labeled a "Shady" Personal Trainer

I was recently asked to write an article on a subject that bugs the heck out of me that I see everywhere I look. Now, it’s not just in the fitness industry-anywhere you find business of any sort you find this nonsense, and have since the beginning of commercial society-but it seems to be even MORE prevalent in our industry than in most others.

I’m talking about being that snake-oil salesman that everyone hates. The girl or guy who makes impossible promises (develop Jay Cutler’s abs in 35 seconds by shaking a phallus-shaped plastic toy around), uses fake, shared or altered testimonials, peddles some crappy supplement/service that does nothing for a client but waste their time and money… you know the type.

The fitness industry has a steep learning curve because it’s so difficult for the layperson to develop an understanding of fitness and nutrition. This is similar to the automotive and financial industries-which also tend to attract a lot of sleazy, salesy types. This isn’t a coincidence-there’s a big opportunity for unscrupulous business people to take advantage of the ignorant masses because of this learning curve.

However, it’s important to remember that although our prospects and clients might be FOOLISH, and might initially fall for lies due to their ignorance, they aren’t STUPID. If a we promise them something and don’t come anywhere near to meeting those promises, or if we use the same testimonials as 15 other bootcamp owners use, or if we buy an ionic detoxification foot bath to “help” our clients “cleanse their bodies through their feet” then eventually these people are going to wise up and call us out on our bullshit.

With Yelp, Google Places, Citysearch and the plethora of other review sites all over the internet, along with the ever-increasing relevance of social media networks like Facebook and Twitter, a client’s bad experience caused by shady business tactics can spread like wild fire. If a trainer gets a couple (or a buttload) of these complaints, it will probably spell the end of their business, and rightfully so.

You also need to keep in mind, that many of these shady tactics can be downright dangerous. This is particularly true of the various nutritional scams out there, such as all the tainted supplements and masked pro-hormones and all the other crap… stuff that’s on the market today, and banned tomorrow. While you may think you’ll be able to sneakily disassociate yourself from the product once shit hits the fan, the fact is people are going to remember that you were pushing it and now you’ve just lost a lot of credibility in their eyes. Resist the urge to promote something without doing ample research on it first, or it can come back to bite you.

It’s our obligation, duty and life purpose as personal trainers to HELP people. That’s the reason I got into this industry, and I know that’s why you did too. We have a powerful position as the experts in the field of health and wellness within our respective communities… don’t abuse that position, because it won’t just affect you, it will affect everyone. More and more people will become suspicious of personal trainers and might close themselves off to a potentially life-saving (and certainly a life-improving) decision. Can you imagine what our industry would be like if everyone thought of trainers the way that they think of used car salesmen?

The truth is, even if you consciously detest these shady business tactics, it’s pretty easy to get caught up in it all yourself without even realizing it till someone calls you out on it. There are so many multilevel marketing “opportunities” that come knocking on our door every day and other people in the field of health and wellness who are already hard at work being as full of shit as possible, that it’s surprisingly easy to become desensitized to the nonsense or even start subconsciously buying into it. To ensure that you don’t suddenly find yourself being the very business person you despise, my advice is to always ask yourself, “Would I appreciate this as a client?” before making any major business decisions.

If you’re feeling uneasy about moving forward, then you should probably look for an alternative strategy that is more in line with your values and ethics as a health professional.

One of the most important things I’ve learned in life is that if you put out good energy, it will return to you, period. Karma, baby. Choosing to be ethical and honest in your business practices even if it means missing out on opportunities to temporarily cash in at the expense of your clients is going to ensure your legitimacy, longevity, and ultimately your true success in this industry.

Besides all that, it makes life a lot more enjoyable if we can look ourselves in the mirror and honestly say that we provide substantial benefit to those around us.

AIDS 101 – Billy’s Story – A Surfer Living With AIDS / HIV

How am I gonna live my life if I’m positive? Is it gonna be a negative?

Like many others his age, Billy grew up with little knowledge about AIDS. For years the media kept pointing to particular groups – mainly homosexuals and drug addicts- as the only people affected by the disease. But as more and more is learned, AIDS cases in heterosexual teens and young adults have jumped to great proportions.

“Had I known what I know now about the disease, say, five or ten years ago, all my choices about relationships and sex would have changed. Back then, and even today, it’s a male thing to sleep with as many girls as possible – kind of like bragging rights. To look back on it now – trying to be cool will actually kill me.”

Billy, a blond, 23-year-old native Californian, fits the typical surfer/boarder stereotype, except one thing distinguishes Billy from others – he’s HIV positive. He is one of the growing numbers of teens and young adults who have been caught off-guard by this once-unknown disease. It is estimated that between the ages of thirteen to 24 years old, one in every 300 is infected with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), the virus that leads to AIDS.

I think about life and immorality what’s the first thing I do if I’m HIV

At a local coffee house, Billy and I talk about what he’s gone through. Sipping on a mocha, he remembers the fateful day he found out about his circumstances.

“I remember all the details – going in to get a normal physical at the hospital and having blood taken from me. Everything seemed okay, and even the doctor mentioned I appeared in good health. About two weeks later, ten days away from my birthday, a nurse calls from the hospital to ask that I come back in – no explanation, nothing.”

They took my blood with an anonymous number two weeks waitin wonderin

Billy thought he was stricken with cancer, like several members of his family before him. “I was so scared to go see the doctor,” he says. “I told no one – not even my parents or girlfriend. The thought of them having to worry about me frightened the shit out of me.” Billy pauses to reflect, then continues, “Something about the office and the doctor looming over me felt like I was at the gates of heaven waiting to meet my fate.” Then, BAM – like hitting a brick wall – the doctor told Billy his blood test came back HIV positive.

I shoulda done this a long time ago a lot of excuses why I couldn’t go I know these things and these things I must know, cause it’s better to know than to not know!

“AIDS?” Billy responded. “Isn’t that some kind of homosexual or drug-pusher thing?” As he toys with his mocha, Billy remembers thinking, “There’s no f-king way I could get something like that. Must have been some big mix-up. Then I thought, Oh shit, I must’ve used the same toilet seat or touched a door knob that some infected person used. But the doctor went on to say there was no way of getting HIV from that, and then asked if I’d ever had unprotected sex – without a condom.” Billy had engaged in unprotected sex.

“Yeah, a couple of times,” he says, “cause they’re uncomfortable or I didn’t have one in the heat of the moment. I figured if the girl was on the pill, who needed to wear a condom?

Was it really all that magic? the times I didn’ t use a prophylactic

“(I) believe it was a girl I dated back in college about four or five years ago, “Billy thinks back. According to the Center for Disease Control, AIDS cases in females have increased from seventeen percent to 39 percent in the past four years. AIDS has risen to become the United States sixth leading cause of death among fifteen to 24 year olds.

I’m readin’ about how it’s transmitted some behavior I must admit it. who I slept with, who they slept with who they, who they, who they slept with.

Since learning about his diagnosis, one of toughest things Billy’s had to deal with is telling past girlfriends he had sex with about the virus. “As I sat down making a list of who I slept with,” Billy says, “it started to scare me how many there were.” Billy doesn’t say this to be perceived as a so-called “stud,” but as part of understanding his high-risk behavior and its role in his contracting HIV.

“As I started calling them one by one,” Billy recalls, “I was faced with explaining what had happened and telling each of them they should get tested. “Billy realizes he didn’t have to do this, but would’ve felt guilty not doing so. He goes on to say that some of the girls were mad because they felt Billy had “killed” them, as one girl put it. Others were sympathetic and asked how they could help.

Get on the phone and call my past lovers I never thought about infectin “anotha all the times that I said “Hmmm? Don’t bother.

Each day, like the other estimated one-million Americans who are HIV-positive, Billy lives life to its fullest. “At times I’ll get real depressed,” he admits, “but I make it through and try to enjoy some of the simpler pleasures.” Billy sees life a little differently than probably you and I, and while he talks about different experiences he encounters each day, or about his dreams of surfing in Tavarua that he hopes to fulfill, Billy knows that now, unlike before, he must be wary of what his body will have in store in the future.

Would my whole life have to change? or would my life remain the same? sometimes it makes me want to shout! all these things too hard to think about.

His coffee cold, Billy brings up his growing frustration about what has been happening around him. He’s afraid to tell friends because of their lack of knowledge about HIV/AIDS. “I know once I tell them,” Billy says, “I ll become an instant leper – an outcast.” He claims it’s not his friends faults, but society’s failure to educate his peers about AIDS.

“Young adults need to see an alternative, not be preached to, but educated about prevention,” Billy explains. “Too many groups are fighting over whether to teach safe sex, abstinence, or give out condoms in the public schools – they don’t realize as they’re squabbling more of us are dying because we re ignorant to the facts.”

How am I gonna live my life if I’m positive? is it gonna be a negative?

As afternoon comes to a close, Billy rushes to get a quick surf session before dark. I look toward the water: Billy is charging in full force down the line. A few hours later, he comes paddling back, bragging about every cutback he made and asking if we all saw it. At times he amazes me with his energy and love for life, but now I understand how he perceives things. The disease that has taken so many has in no way slowed down Billy and his dreams. Billy may be different from others because of it. He’s still my friend.

a day to laugh, a day to cry a day to live and a day to die ’til I find out, I may wonder but I’m not gonna live my life six feet under.

*lyrics written by Michael Franti, Charlie Hunter, performed by Spearhead, “Positive” appears on Spearhead’s Home CD and Red, Hot and Cool CD.

How To Choose The Best Coffee Mugs To Suit Your Taste And Personality

I am sure everyone will agree to the statement that the best coffee mugs do at least two most important things – I) It keeps your coffee hot and tasty all throughout and ii) it offers you a personal style that you have always craved for! So, when it’s a personal choice, how to select and choose the best ones among the hoards of designs and shapes that are available wildly across every store – online as well as offline?

Think about your utility pattern:

Any coffee lover will vouch on the fact that coffee tastes best when it’s fresh and warm. You may add some random condiments to savor your coffee with mocha or some other nice flavored creamer, though. But it is essential for the coffee to stay warm for a considerable amount of time in order to be savored by its lovers. If you are a regular drinker, you may choose your coffee mugs with insulated body in order to retain the temperature. If you sip your coffee in a jiffy, you may choose any of the stylish designs that is available in the market.

The size of the mugs:

It depends on your consumption level, what size of coffee mugs you want for yourself. If you keep on sipping coffee throughout the day, you may check out for mugs of larger size with temperature holding capacity. If you like to take coffee in frequent intervals, you may choose one with smaller size and wider mouth.

Height of the mugs as compared to its width:

It’s science that the more exposed is the mug to the air, the less time it remains hot. So, if you want your coffee to stay warm all throughout, you may choose a mug that is taller than its width. However, if you prefer cold coffee of less warm coffee, you may choose your mugs appropriately with a wider base.

If you prefer to take your coffee on the move:

If you are a coffee lover, who prefers to have a few sips on move, choose a sturdy one. A tall mug with lid will also save you from spilling your coffee while you carry it in your car or moving on stairs. A stronger handle will also save your mug from accidental bumps. A lidded one will help you to get rid of undesired embarrassment by saving you from spilling coffee on others.

Personalized design and style statement:

The market of the coffee mug is vast and you can find many suppliers offering customized Coffee Mugs with all advanced features. You can order a customized coffee mug from any such supplier with your favorite quotation. Your own original words with an inspiring graphics can also be printed on your coffee mug to flaunt your style and personality.

Shop smart:

When selecting the Coffee Mugs with a personalized style statement, choose to go online. You will find a number of coffee mug suppliers offering custom-printed mugs with all facilities like insulation, resilient handlebars, lids and some even with self-heating elements (plug-n-warm with USB ports). Select the best one as per your personality and choice and flaunt your style with pride!

Dating And Sexual Confidence Series Pt 7 – Is Sexiness A Part Of Some People’s DNA?

Is sexiness a part of some people’s DNA? No, seriously is it?

Extensive evidence says that both men and women form a schema of “sexy” according to media and fashion stereotypes about sexiness. They first look for men/women who fit media and fashion model stereotypes, because that’s what we’ve been told sexiness is; then start realizing that’s not where the sexiness is.

So where is the sexiness? But before we get to that, where isn’t the sexiness?

Not in good looks – It’s true that some people are born better looking than others and that mere fact makes them more noticeable compared to those of us not born with great looks. But study after study shows that sexy people are not any more good looking or better dressed than the average looking person. Sexiness goes beyond conventional good looks and certainly beyond prada and amani. Some good looking, well dressed people can be lookers, but hardly “sexy”.

Not in trying too hard – Sexiness is something that you either have or you don’t. Any trying too hard to be sexy can be the unsexiest thing there is, especially if it’s uselessly and needlessly out-there. If it looks like you spent hours on it or if you are working it too hard, it can seem like a flat detail on a painting — precisely done for no added value. It is the sheer effortless and easy nonchalance with which genuinely sexy people achieve their sexiness that makes them sexy. They never try to be sexy, they just are sexy.

Not in second guessing – Regardless of whether you have good looks or not, if you do not believe deep down inside that you’re “sexy” – you are not. You can pretend for the real or imagined “cameras” (hey, look at me, I’m trying to do sexy, but I feel like shit) but if you are posing just to appear sexy, it’s not sexy.

Not in age – They say beauty wears thin but sexiness increases with age. As you will see below, a lot of what constitutes sexy is really how we communicate our inner confidence and inner youthfulness to others. You can fool some people some of the time but you can’t fool all people all of the time. The attempt to fool people into believing you’re younger than you are just makes you appear less confident about your inner beauty – which is your inner youthfulness.

If sexiness is not in any of the usual suspects, what is it about some people that we can’t help but be drawn to their magic, even if only in small doses?

Let’s look at just ten feral qualities that these people have in common, qualities that intrigue us, that seem to calls us by name, and taunt us with fantasies …

1. The look of mischief – a look that has laughter and delight in the eyes. They have a touch of untamed naughtiness under their omniscient gaze – a window to the soul.

2. Sophisticated mysteriousness -elegant yet edgy, rugged but still polished, friendly yet reserved. They posses a sort of “captivating unknown” or “dissonance” that keeps our “want to know” minds on edge.

3. Relaxed vulnerability – a kind of carefree childlike fearlessness. They put themselves out there partly because they feel secure enough to just be themselves.

4. Self-assured confidence – fundamental ease in their own skin. They stride into a room with poised surety that their aura compels us to notice them.

5. Wit and Humour – wise, funny and generous with their time and their presence. They can cheer up mundane situations and experiences.

6. Lavish sensuousness – a peculiar mingling of voluptuous pleasure and vibrant soulfulness. They are in every bit immersed in the depth and richness of their beingness.

7. Health and abundance – physical fitness, resources, abilities. Whatever they have, they are content and that makes it look like they have it in plenty

8. Heartfelt sincerity – genuineness, simplicity, openness. They show strong and authentic emotions and affection.

9. Exuberant vitality – passion, intensity, drive, bounce – that reveals both the fire and desire within. They are positively overflowing with genuine appetite for life – and for living.

10. Human warmth – kindness, compassion, approachability. They are interested in others and are interesting themselves.

The good news is that, these are all qualities that we all have within – some in smaller amounts than others. The REALLY good news is that it’s not that hard at all to develop these qualities to fully blossoming levels. All we have to do is remove the mental, emotional, social and spiritual blocks obscuring what is our innate radiance. Innate radiance? Hmm, in this sense we can say sexiness is in everybody’s DNA.

Once you start embodying one quality, it will cause another one to follow suit, then another and another. I’ve seen men and women literally transform into wholesomely sexy people (without any plastic surgery) that I am like “You Sexy Thing! Where Did You Come From?”

Diversifying Essentials of Event Planning

Celebration of events either on religious grounds or social; are something to cheer for all of us. It is an opportunity which is driven by the precise deficiency of joy and gets togetherness. The biggest event which we all are looking forward to participate is Christmas and this is the event where we all wish to hang around. In true sense of enjoyment for any person, attending Christmas party is like oxygen. Therefore, if you are planning to bring together all your friends and family members on this Christmas, then throwing a party is the most appropriate and desired way. This is the platform where everyone will ultimately acknowledge your efforts and keep remember it for longer period of time. Before starting planning, most important step that should be followed on first priority is determining purpose. You have to determine in your party for which purpose you are going to arrange.

What event needs to be organized?

It is considerable to understand that events come in our lives in all forms and sizes. As a result, every event is required to be planned systematically in order to successfully organize. There are certainly other events which we might have seen around like; a sports day in a school, featuring a pop festival or wedding event. Hence I can say every event equally required proper planning if you wish to enjoy it. The people around you are very busy and they don’t have much time to come and enjoy every event. They have their own goals and there comes the importance of event planning. Solid event planning is very significant for a successful event.

What are essentials for successful event planning?

Here are some basic essentials which you must keep in your pocket while planning an event;

Budgeting

What budget do you have and can arrange because a car can only run for certain miles if it has desire gasoline.

Establishing dates and alternate dates

Your schedule is most important because you must take care of timing and date, enabling all to come and enjoy.

Selection and reservation of event place

Where you wish to see your loves one to be with you while enjoying party? You are the only one who can answer this question. It can be your lawn or roof top as well as expensive hotel or picnic point.

Acquiring permits

If it is place beyond everyone’s thinking, then it is a good idea to surprise everyone. But you must need to take permission from relevant authorities or owners.

Coordinating transportation and parking

If your selected place is away from city or home then arranging special kind of transport can be clicking idea. Well, for me, basic idea is to help them forgetting everything else.

Food and Drinks

Parties without drinks, is just like million dollars in bank account and you have no check book. Arrange as much as drinks as you can. Let them wet with drinks. Other role is food, and food must be very delicious. Empty stomach always calls for mouth watering food and then you present them they will kiss you and hugs you. Such moments can be life lasting moments and everyone will remember it till the last of their lives.

Is there any other mean to make event bombastic?

There are some other essentials which you must not forget while planning event like Christmas or birthday or wedding. These are discussed below;

Developing a theme

Help your visitors in dressing by adopting any theme of party. Girls usually get confused about selecting party dress. I have heard some men do calls their friends asking what do wear. Therefore, it is time to make their life easier by selecting party theme. You can go for jungle theme as well as planet of unknown theme. Wild ideas, right?

Decoration arrangements

Decorate hall, roof or room and place with theme. Decoration plays an important role and helps everyone to get into theme. I personally love jungle theme as it gives me sense of freedom. Place trees and plants with grass and very dim light.

Music System and DJ

Don’t forget to bring music system and obviously DJ. It is time to burn the place with music and dance.

Secure Environment

Try to give them secure environment where they can travel to space. Remember, there are no laws in space.

Catering services

It is a good idea to hire some catering company to make arrangements. You cannot be king of every art therefore, leave the burden and enjoy.

Portable toilets

Don’t forget to arrange portable toilets if you are arranging party in remote areas. Life without toilets cannot exist.

Emergency Services

Life is very uncertain and parties usually get ruin when any mishap occurred. Take maximum care of such events by providing Emergency services like medical help or kit and some other basic tools.

As I said earlier, you cannot be king of all arts. Therefore acquired help from some expert event planner or professionals should not be beyond thinking. They know how to manage and they are expert in this field. Let them manage on your behalf but it required lot of money to throw. Money is petrol and it burns all obstacles which can come between you and a successful event. Use your brave heart in that matter instead of mind. Remember my golden words, sometimes trusting someone can take you out of shit.

Nasal Spray-Heroin For the Common Man

Before an intervention is called, I will go ahead and openly admit that I have a problem. I am addicted to over the counter nasal spray. Not because I have a killer sinus problem but because every time I fall off the wagon, the congestion returns with vengeance, blocking my nasal passages, stifling my sleep, and overall, decreasing my quality of life.

Summarizing from last weeks Grey’s Anatomy, the medical term of my condition is Rhinitis Medicamentosa. This is quite different from Allergic Rhinitis for the onset of the condition is the continuous usage of OTC nasal sprays, as opposed to AR, which is a blockage of the nasal passage due to a common allergen. Most of OTC nasal sprays come in one of two different flavors; Oxymetazoline and Phenylepherine. Oxymetazoline is the most common active ingredient (as found in Afrin) while Phenylepherine comes in second (as found in 4-Way Nasal Spray).

My troubles started back in early May. I had begun an intensive weight training program and had been making good progress towards eliminating body fat while gaining muscle and strength. But coupled with my intense workouts, a tight schedule at work, a flurry of “oh shit” home repairs, and ignoring my blood pressure medicine, I quickly found my head feeling like it was going to explode, and I was hospitalized soon thereafter.

Slowly through the usage of a combination of drugs, my blood pressure came back down. But I started to realize another issue; I was still receiving headaches. Not the same headache that I had experienced earlier (frequent blood pressure checks confirmed this), but more of a sinus pressured pain. The intensity would originate from the top of the nose to around the eye-brow and would work its way throughout the top of my head. It was as if someone squeezing the top of my forehead.

The pain always intensified after nasal spray usage, and would weaken as the day progressed. Usually the pain would wear off after a period of 12-13 hours. The congestion always persisted even after the headaches died down. This lead me to believe that the headaches were induced by the nasal spray.

I finally broke down and purchased the Rhinostat titration system. The premise behind a titration system is that you utilize the substance as needed, and when the liquid reaches a certain point in the bottle, you add a dilutent to reduce the contents of the active ingredient. The Rhinostat system appeared to work fairly well in the beginning. The bottle is a peculiar design and didn’t seem to penetrate my nasal passages the way a conventional nasal spray bottle did. The dosage of the decongestant is quite small, so if you find yourself frequently using your nasal spray, the Rhinostat system is going to become diluted quite quickly. Unfortunately the dilution of the system outpaced the withdrawal of my symptoms. In the end, I was left with a fully diluted solution and still a stuffy nose. In order to sleep, I relapsed.

I have tried several decongestant products since the Rhinostat system, and all have failed to clear my passageways. Here are the products I’ve tried in attempt to alleviate congestion (all of the products do not contain Oxymetazoline or Phenylepherine)

  • Sinusbuster
  • SnoreStop NasoSpray
  • Colloidal Silver Nasal Spray by Source Naturals
  • Sinus and Allergy Relief Nasal Spray by bioAllers

My Own Titration System

Since I was unsuccessful in finding a solution that allowed me to sleep in peace, I decided to create my own titration system that I could control the dosages.

Start with a full bottle of nasal spray and every time the fluid level reaches half, fill in the rest of the fluid level with Saline nose spray. BUT, not just any saline nasal spray. Don’t go the cheap route on this; make sure that saline solution does not contain benzalkonium chloride (e.g. [http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=301459&navAction=jump&navCount=1&id=prod1068924] ). Benzalkonium chloride has been shown to further increase the rebound effect.

The Conclusion

So far, I still get somewhat congested and I can feel my sinuses swell up from time to time, but I think the intensity is slowing diminishing. I’ve heard that it takes 4-7 days to withdrawal cold-turkey, so utilizing a titration system I can reasonably expect double that time-frame before I can draw any real conclusions.

I see an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat specialist) tomorrow. While I am skeptical that he’ll have any real insight besides the standard “stop using the stuff!”, I’ll be sure to follow-up if he has any better solutions.

Update (9/4/06 10:11pm)

After further research, I’ve discovered that some individuals have had success with a relatively new antihistamine called Astelin that doesn’t contain any steroids, Oxymetazoline or Phenylepherine. My ear, nose and throat doctor was able to provide me a months sample.

A word of warning, Astelin is extremely bitter and even with a big gulf of mouthwash, don’t be surprised when the aftertaste remains. The substance has a sedative effect, and after a liberal dose, definitely made me sleepy. As a decongestant, it was mildly effective. My nasal passages opened up a bit, but by the time I had awakened in the morning, my stuffy nose had returned. Over usage of the medication only seemed to worsen my congestive issues. 3-4 pumps appeared to be the optimal dosage for effectiveness.

What Is Email Validation or Scrubbing? (Part 1)

What is email Validation or Scrubbing?

There are basically 2 main steps to truly cleaning your email lists.

The First is email Validation or Scrubbing (or sometimes cleaning? There are many names for it) but essentially what you do here is remove as much KNOWN crap as possible. Verification is much costlier part of your overall data hygiene process, so email validation removes as much as possible before you need to verify, which saves you time and money. I’ll get into verification in my next posting.

When I say ‘Known’ crap I mean your suppression list (this is a list of known dead emails, spam traps, honey pots, complainers etc.) and you basically ‘scrub’ your list against the suppression list and remove any of the bad emails you have on your list.

There are many steps in email validation (removing) your list of harmful bad emails that you DO NOT want to mail to!

Some of the email scrubbing actions should be:

De-duping – or removing duplicates

Role Accounts – removing emails like “info @”, “sales @”,” webmaster @”, etc.

Note: Some people might want to email to these address as they are contacting B2B and these emails address might be who they want contact, but typically you don’t want to mail to this data.

Key Words & Profane – removing an email address with specific words like: spam, www, shit, admin etc. However note, that this removes any part of the email address so if you had an email address like spam at domain.com, it would removed but if you also had email like joelovespam at hotmail.com, then this email validation too would be removed. So be careful l with this filter if you’re using it.

Bad Domains – like it says, there are known bad domains out there that are associated with spam traps or honey pots, so you would want to scrub against this list and remove any emails you have with these domains.

Domain Extensions – removing emails like .org, .mil, .ru, UK. etc. Basically any email address extension like. ru, .UK if you don’t want to mail to Russia or the UK then you remove these or. mil, emails to the military. These are not necessarily ‘Bad’ but if you’re looking to ONLY Mail to say US customers, then a.UK would be a waste of time.

Numerical emails – emails that start with ONLY numbers is typically a bad email and for the most part, most only numerical domains as well. Example, <a href=”mailto:1234@domain.com”>1234@domain.com</a> or 1234 at 1234.com or joe at 232.com, typically you would not want to mail to these.

Length of email – sometimes you’ll get an email like <a href=”mailto:234lkd23jj3j2l34234l2lk3j4jl2k3j4l23kj4lk24j3@yahoo.com”>234lkd23jj3j2l34234l2lk3j4jl2k3j4l23kj4lk24j3@yahoo.com</a> or something ridiculous like this, typically most email address are fairly short, on average not much more than say 15-25 characters in total. Ex:

ireallylikecheese at yahoo.com (this email is 28 characters in total) and very long or longer than on average so when I scrub a list I typically choose up to say 40 characters long max, anything longer is deleted.

Now understand the whole idea of email scrubbing your list is to remove as many bad known emails as possible, but it’s very possible you’ll end up removing some good ones! But if you really want to be safe then losing 1%-2% of your good emails is worth not hitting a spam trap or losing your server.

On that same note, its a known fact that AOL for example puts out upwards of 500,000 honey pots a day from abandoned email accounts so its impossible for ANYONE to remove 100% spam traps or honey pots as there are way to many daily being added and impossible for us know that. The large ISP’s do not advertise not pass around this information obviously and if someone claims they can remove 100% of all spam traps and honeypots, don’t trust them any further than you can throw them!!

Last thing, typically if your scraping list or buying lists and have no idea where they are coming from, then you’ll probably see all of these examples. If you have your own opt in list or they are generally business lists, then you won’t see half of these things in your list, but it’s better to be safe than sorry and email validation is the way to go!

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