To Live Life to the Fullest

           How do older people spend their time nowadays? It has been observed that more and more older people would like to spend their time alone rather than having so many people around them. If we try to look at the reality of life, it seems that those who can be considered as loner people especially the older ones are much inclined to live by themselves than staying with others. However, the risk of this kind of set up is when he tends to succumb to life's pressures while being alone thus allowing oneself to be drawn to the world and reality of depression. 

          Apparently this kind of scenery could have been avoided if they stay with someone who can regularly check their disposition and health conditions. It could have been to their advantage if they seek comfort in the presence of other people. On the other hand, what could be an advantage here is when introverted and older people though think critically and creatively when left on their lonesome.  Somehow, they feel uncomfortable and intimidated with the presence of others thus they rather stay just by themselves than being with others.

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   And in many cases, they emerge as productive members of the society through their contributions since even though they are living alone but their works using their minds such as analysis to life situations, skilful interpretations to various life and other phases could matter most, not just to them but to the whole of society.

          Thus, every person, either young or old, has his own preference of living on this world whether with others or just by himself and what counts most is his positive contributions to the society and to himself. 

Contributing writer: Myra Flor Jugan


                                        

Sharing Our Blessings to the Needy

¹ "(But) take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father. 

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When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites ² do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward. 

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But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, 

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so that your almsgiving may be secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you. (Source)

           What I personally like with this biblical point from St. Matthew is that it subjectively tells us how to do the right thing when we share our gifts to the needy.  Basically there are two kinds of giver on this world: the authentic ones and the bent arrow helpers. 

          As what has been laid out above, the real sense of giving is one that is given without expecting something in return. I salute all those people who have shared their resources like money, time, effort, possessions etc. with others especially in those moments of calamity. As St. Matthew was reminding us above, let us always be careful in making deeds of generosity for we don't know that we are performing them not out of our hearts' generosity but out of a desire that is self serving.

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          On the other hand, although many are helped also by those donors and donations with self bested interests most notably coming from people in politics and other forms of service but in so many instances, it is disheartening to realise that the poor are make poorer by this wronged act. Moreover, others do the act in such a way that its attributes are just to boost one's ego and popularity. And sometimes, what makes it worse is when the needy are sort of being taken advantage of their misery. 

          Thus, when we have the desire to assist others to free them from their sufferings, let us do it with a pure intention and in a way that will help them get up then continue with their life. After all, life is such a special gift that ought to be shared with others.

                                 

How Can You Find Blessings through Life's Struggles and Adversities?

imagecredit: Ingrid Alferez/ Mikel Magdadaro

          Life journey.....where are you in your present life journey? Can you trace back the paths that you have chosen so far? To each his own..do you believe in that saying? Somehow that's what makes life more interesting to live on. Having in mind the formation of a web, life is so full of complexities that at times, you arrive in a crossroad and it gives you an impression what pathway will become your personal choice? Is it the one leading to the left of the other way around?

          Somehow, along this web comes the reality that life is a very colourful and exciting journey especially those moment of struggles and adversities. What is your attitude when confronted with such stages? Are you confrontative or one who distances himself and rather stay on the sideline?  That's how paradoxes at times play in a  very significant way in life that even struggles and adversities become sources of blessings instead of them becoming reasons of one's downfall. 

          How on this earth can you consider them as such? Perhaps at this time upon reading these queries, plenty of things pop up in your mind and one of them states that a person's attitude towards those two (struggles and adversities) will either make or break him. Negative as they could be, they could initially result to stresses, desolations, disappointments, etc. however when one could lift up his head and stay strong on his faith and on his self esteem, he will soon or later comes out as triumphant over them. 

          Consequently, these struggles and adversities could lead him to live in a firmer foundation- one that could face squarely life's varying chapters and colours. Hence, consistently stay firm and focus so as to be able to emerge victorious over those negative events thus receiving further more blessings in life. 

                                        

The Triumph of Good Over Evil

          Just last night, I watched a film entitled " A Lonely Place To Die" and I enjoyed the film from the very beginning until the end. Sharing with you a short summary of the movie, it tells about a group of climbers who made a climb in a mountain somewhere in Scottish Highlands. While on their journey, they uncovered a buried girl who was kidnapped by the bad guys. 

          Anyway the movie tells us the struggle between good over evil. While the story continued to develop, there is always that element of surprises when it comes to the tug of war between these two opposing elements. Although some scenes of the movie can be considered "surprising" like when the main character Allison was hit by a rock on the face and fell hard to the ground, I was expecting her to be gravely wounded or immobilised due to the extreme height plus her being a woman however, there you can find her standing, swimming and running as if nothing serious happened to her. 

imagecredit: Loliet Mata

          Anyway, I leave that to the critical eyes of the other viewers of the film and somehow, I will focus on the triumph of good over evil. Yes it is very true that these two are constantly present in our world and even in ourselves. What holds us to be stronger in the face of life's evils is the faith that we have in ourselves and in others. On the other hand, I believe that it is innate in us to be good. Devoid of any excuses, yes it is true that we could never be perfect everyday and we continue to succumb to the demands of our flesh and of our wants but somehow due to our higher capacity most notably our intelligence, we are able then to triumph over the sins and evils of this world. 

          May we continue then to allow ourselves to be bringers of "good" to others. Let our light shine on ourselves and on others.

                                       

Today's Modern Age: Is it a Help in Self- Growth or Not?

          As I witness everyday's unfolding, the more that I come to think about life as becoming more complicated nowadays. And aside from that, this also tends to become more damaging to human relationships as others would think of. 

          However as I reflect on my own environment, I could sense that it's either positive or negative and it relies much on each person on how then he/she welcomes all these latest developments. Like for example, the various forms of social media networks that come out nowadays first and foremost the worldwide popular facebook. Consequently, the world tends to become a global village. The problem before of loved ones being far from one another is now answered by these social plaforms. 

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http://www.toasto.com/free-photos/nature-and-scenic/sky-and-clouds/sunset-storm-clouds-over-the-bay/

          On the other hand, the risk of being over exposed to these modern social media platforms is also very alarming. If one will not be careful in dealing with them, the risk of losing human touch connections with the other loved ones nearby would be sacrificed. I would say that people need to mutually help one another so as to grow in self fulfilment and learn to avoid the negative complications  that could possibly come out in the use of these modern age networks. 

                                       

Be Constantly Alive

          As we end another week, we come in contact with wonderful memories and people that allow us to know deeper ourselves. And as I proceed with my own life cruise, it constantly made me amaze and awed to realise how great and wonderful life is. 

          With this inspiration in mind, allow me to share with you these two idioms that I borrowed from one blog. 

"Happiness is like a butterfly: the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit comfortably on your shoulder.
But why bother with Happiness in the first place" -


"It is better to lead a worthy life with tears than a happy one lacking meaning."- 

Source: http://anotherotherblog.wordpress.com/2012/05/11/quotes-and-idioms/

          Through these two idioms mentioned beforehand focus on life and how to live it to the fullest. No matter how complicated at times life could be yet at the end of the day, it unceasingly unfolds itself as a very cherished gift from Somebody up there. 

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                                             Sarah Klockars-Clauser for openphoto.net

          On the other hand, as human as we are, we tend to resort to submission when we encounter trials and conflicts however, when we also succeed in hurdling them, we shout in triumph and declare how lucky we are to "get up" from such falling. Just like the rainbow after each rain, our life is coloured and shaped by all daily events thus we are unrelentingly invited to share our gift of life to our neighbours, strangers, unknown personalities and all those whom we have journeyed hand in hand everyday.

          That being so, let us all declare to the world, " We are so fortunate enough to be alive and being able to live each moment enabling us to fully unearth our potentials and giftedness."



                                                      

Punishment: Positive or Negative?

          Punishment is a form of penalty for a person who commits any crime. There are many ways of punishing a person who commits a particular offence ranging from one year, twenty years or even more in jail. For certain grievous crimes, much severe penalties like death or lifetime penalties are imposed. However some people contend that fixed punishment should be implemented for each type of crime while there are those who disagree for implementing such grave penalties.  

          In some countries, death penalty is accorded to anyone who commits serious crimes such as rape and murder.  Moreover, it is such an idea from the government to discourage perpetrators of those heinous offences.However, in certain countries also where pro- life people are very much active, they tend to discourage such kind of grave punishments.

imagecredit: waterfalls/ http://www.toasto.com/

          In every incident of any heinous crime, it is constantly the cry of those victims and their loved ones to seek justice. At times, the pain especially the psychological one  penetrates even the deepest part of the person. Thus, they strongly support that those doers of serious crimes such as rape and murder should face either death penalty or life imprisonment.  And as long as these culprits undergo extensive trials in the court and will  eventually be proven guilty without any reasonable doubt then they deserve any of those grave penalties.  

          Therefore the best way to prevent major crimes should be the fixed punishments otherwise more and more people will still keep on committing major offences. 

co-author: Myra Jugan


                                                 

Are You Fond of Fast Food Outlets?

          In every corner of any village nowadays, restaurants are very popular as a place to eat. However certain issues have been brought by doctors claiming that going to fast-food shops is an unhealthy hobby. Perhaps today's population have increased to become more dependent on fast foods. There are several reasons why some people cannot resist from it and there are solutions as well.

          Furthermore, the food industry has become competitive where food is available at cheaper prices. One of the classic examples is Mc Donalds that produces plenty of choices which are unacceptable to people's health. But somehow, it is continually expanding without any hesitation since it receives good profit from the market. 

          Another factor is the sedentary life that people choose. They tend to loathe from cooking food for themselves and prefer to buy outside. Once they are home, watching tv, playing digital games and other inactive activities become their priorities; thus, they tend to forget to prepare healthy foods. Others might be further interested needing to rest after the long day work and avoid doing household chores especially food preparation.

imagecredit: http://deathtothestockphoto.com

          These underlying issues will be prevented if any government imposes an extra tax on foods available on fast food joints. Most probably, this will result to an increase in the price and people will tend not to buy anymore these foods regularly hence be forced to make food on their own. 

         Overall, fast foods do not achieve positive outcome for everyone's health and I do agree what those doctors have studied since the market today for fast foods are growing tremendously. And it takes one's determination to change his/her mindset so as to avoid such unproductive foods.

Co- author: Myra Jugan

                                              

Stress: How Do You Cope with Them?

          I just read a book authored by Bernard Seal entitled " Academic Encounters Human Behavior" and in one of his articles in this book, he made mention about the presence of stress in our life. He defines stress as " stimuli or events in our environment that make physical and emotional demands on us and sometimes it applies to our physical and emotional reactions to such stimuli." 

          If we keep our focus on our environment, certain events can  become stressful to us such as the traffic, financial deprivation, crisis in the family, loss of a loved one and many more. So many that these stresses evolve in simple yet at times complicated forms yet personally, I believe that what counts most for us in any stressful situation is how do we indeed cope with the situation. 

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          We have different kinds of coping and it even differs according to each event that happens in our life. Basically it is innate in us that we refrain from allowing ourselves to be harmed and to be left out. Self- preservation is a very essential factor for all of us hence in any stressful event, we also have our own means of coming out positively in spite of the odds at hand. Live a happy life and avoid stress.

                              

3 Top Tips for Keeping Your Carpet Looking Great

Author: Isabell Austin

Quality carpeting is a major investment which requires taking care of in order to keep your carpet looking good and lasting for years. If you wish to save on costs of having to replace your carpet after only a few years, read on for 3 top tips to keeping your carpet looking great.

1: Vacuum Regularly.

Even if your carpet looks clean, dirt and debris will be deposited into the fibers of your carpeting. Over time this dirt and debris will become engrained deep within the fibers of the carpet, making the dirt particles harder to remove. To prevent dirt and debris from being embedded into the carpet, make sure that you schedule regular vacuuming of the carpet, even if the carpet does not look dirty. Also make sure to move furniture in order to give the carpet a thorough vacuuming. If you notice any depressions in the carpet from the furniture place upon it, use an ice cube over the depression in a fluffing motion in order to raise the carpeting up. Always place the furniture slightly back from the original depressions, in order for the depressed area to recover fully.

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 http://pixabay.com/en/fall-foliage-lake-colorful-187779/

2: Keep it Clean

Even with regular vacuuming; your carpet will retain some dirt. In order to resolve this, make sure to have your carpet professionally cleaned at least a couple of times a year. Professional cleaning will not only make your carpet look good, it will increase the lifespan of the carpet. Professional cleaning companies will be well trained and experienced in carpets of various materials and colors, and can work out the best cleaning method to bring your carpet back to looking new. Carpet cleaning services can also deal with upholstery cleaning at the same time, if you should require it. You could of course always choose to deep clean your carpet yourself, but keep in mind that any incorrect use of solutions or techniques could lead to your carpet being damaged.

3: Treat Stains Immediately.

Stains and spills should be removed right away in order to prevent them from becoming more difficult to remove later on. Stains which are left on a carpet for a long time may end up resulting in a permanently damaged and stained area. Treat the spill or stain with a stain removal product suitable for the stain and your carpet, and consider using gentler methods instead, such as baking soda or soapy water. Consider having products and solutions on hand for typical stains and spills, so that if an accident does occur, you will know how to take care of it quickly and efficiently.


Note: In order to reduce dirt, debris and staining in the first place, consider asking your family and your visitors to remove their shoes before entering your home. You could always have slippers on hand for visitors instead. In this way you will cut down on the amount of dirt that enters your home. If you have any pets, make sure to clean their paws each time they have been out, as this will also help cut down on the amount of dirt that enters your home and onto your carpeting.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/accessories-articles/3-top-tips-for-keeping-your-carpet-looking-great-6968205.html

About the Author
Your home carpet is an expensive furnishing item that needs proper care and professional carpet cleaning to keep it looking like new. Hire a professional cleaner that provides reliable carpet cleaning services in San Diego. Browse this website to find a carpet cleaner near your home or office.



                       
                                     

Happy Life Can Be Guaranteed! Astrologers in Action For Marriages Compatibility

Happy life can be guaranteed – astrologers in action for Marriage compatibility
Author: astrovalley

          Marriage compatibility is all about right match between the wedding partners by all means. Right from the height and weight of the personalities getting engaged to the most other complex issues that are foreseen here are actually secretive and less revealed openly by the astrologers. Marriage compatibility by the astrologers will say yes or no as the result, but there are intricate facts that they come to know when they look for the compatibility check with the two horoscopes.

          Marriages are given due respect in some parts of the world while there is no meaning for wed-locks in some other parts of the world. The reason for this particularly the failure of those wedded couples that are not together as of today. There are millions of divorced cases all over the world. The amount of love, fire and everything that they had seen in the eyes of their partner once upon a time are not one and the same always. It leads to breaking in relationships. It is why you need to choose your partners to be wedded based upon a number of criteria rather than just go according to your likes and wants of the minor kind.

          

imagecredit: www.dreamstime.com

          Staying together for lifelong in a happy wedded life is something rare as of today. Under these circumstances what we could do is to seek the help of the astrologers of the famous kind to advise us the best feasible solutions. They can advise us precisely on what type of partners can be a fitting choice to your particular characteristics. Marriage compatibility is all about uniting two people that are made for each other.

          If there is no compatibility then there is no relationship according to the expert astrologers in the business. It is why they like to see the horoscope of the bride and the groom to be wedded. They will ascertain the facts easily by looking into the astral projections. If the match is not good then ideally they will express the opinion about the non-compatibility.

One of the interesting facts here to be noted keenly is that there are also solutions to see to that you can marry the same person you like, by doing some rituals or formalities ahead of your marriage or even after your marriage. The astrologers are best known about these vital facts and they can advise you accordingly to increase the Marriage compatibility.

          The predictions are most of the time accurate and are actually based upon a lot of vital aspects such as the position of stars, birth star, and so on. If the experts are furnished with the information of the most sensitive kind such as the birth star or the time of birth of an individual then the astrologers can be tell very well about the attributes of the individual pretty easily. There are scientific basis for these predictions made as well. Marriage compatibility done in that way can actually lead one to a prosperous wedded life for years together.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/marriage-articles/happy-life-can-be-guaranteed-astrologers-in-action-for-marriage-compatibility-6939670.html

About the Author: 

Astrovalley is a member of www.articles.com. He has written other articles aside from this one. You can find his other works at http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/astrovalley/1476852

http://www.articlesbase.com/marriage-articles/happy-life-can-be-guaranteed-astrologers-in-action-for-marriage-compatibility-6939670.html

Find marriage compatibility using indian astrology.These days relationship is exceptionally unreliable.Love is completely unique in relation to what was it ages before.

                                       

Guest Post: What is More Important? Advancement or Man's Basic Needs?

          Few people believe that space programmes would give benefit to any particular country. This is when the government supports it by allocating a budget on space exploration. However, many argued that cutting the budget from public funds for space research is not ideal. 

          Although scientists believe that these studies would help the country in the long run but in my opinion, there are factors that need to be considered first. These factors are economic needs and education needs which are fundamental priorities by the government than space research.

imagecredit: 
http://www.freeimageslive.com/galleries/nature/objects/pics/leaf3143.jpg

          The economic needs simplify the needs of the society especially the individuals. There is a basic part of necessity which the people need to get. That is to gain the support from the government by providing them their food, shelter, health medications and good facilities for sports. This is one of the two important reasons why I believe that the government should inculcate on its mind the priority of the people.

          Moreover, education is a vital part in the success of a person's life. To become successful, one must earn a degree. For some students, it is a problem to go to university and this is a good opportunity for the government to help those less fortunate ones in gaining degree. 

          Thus, the government's money spending on the economic as well as education needs is more practical. I reiterate my stand that funds should be spent wisely by the government on dealing with problems on this earth instead of using them first on space research. 

Author: Myra Flor M. Jugan



                               

EVeryday Graces

          January is almost over and just like any other month, we indeed have lots of reasons to be thankful to all events we have on the course of this month. They become instruments for all of us to know deeper ourselves. What a wonderful feeling is it when we come to terms with ourselves.

          Self- realization is such a long and lifetime process. Since the moment when we were born up to the stage that we are now, it is undoubtedly the most wonderful part when we discover who we are. Consequently, our basic relationships are positively affected by this self discovery. Life's stages becomes overwhelming events and they add colors to our everyday living. 

imagecredit:
http://www.freeimages.co.uk/galleries/nature/underwater/slides/leather_corals_2534a.htm

          However let us also constantly look back on those turning points in our life. Some of those events were challenging indeed that they have caused us so much pain and tribulations. However, when we courageously hurdled them and emerged triumphant, we then feel that we have outgrown those baggages and leave them behind.

          Hence, let us free ourselves from the prone to reliance, instead, we take all our everyday graces to the top and with them, we will become free and victorious.