Restful Airports

It is amazing that there is such a term-“Airport Sleepers”. This term is referred to people whom sleep at the airports in other countries or also in their own country (I presume). For airport sleepers, they have comments on different countries’ airports.

www.sleepinginairports.net is a site which gathers reports from travellers and ranks the world’s airports according to the comfort of their public lounges.

According to www.sleepinginairports.net, airport sleepers in India report “unacceptable seating, foul odours, filth, fleas and general hassles.”

The best airport-and no, I am not bragging or lying. But it is the Fact. Cause it is from my country-Singapore’s Changi airport! Even though I got this information from Reader’s Digest 2004, I have just went to the above website and saw that Singapore’s Changi airport is still the best airport in 2010! Yay! *hugs and kisses to my hometown* :X Opps. Ok. I know, I’m getting too high and over the moon. My apologies.

Now, back to topic.

Based on the site, it says that, *Jermain starts swooning* Singapore’s Changi airport is “the reigning mother of all airports that airport sleepers simply must visit”.

Runners up include airports in Hong Kong, Auckland and Brisbane.

The worst places to get a snooze include airports in India, Boston, Cairo and Bali.

Now, based on what has been posted, you guys most probably know I am proud of my hometown. However, I am not that crazy about my hometown until I talk about it 24/7. I am just proud that even though, Singapore is such a small state, such that it has a nickname-the little red dot-, and few people know where is Singapore, I am so proud that it is known for something (: Singapore also was known for hosting the Youth’s Olympics Games. This again, made me proud. Singapore may be small, but we are working hard as a nation. (:

And with this, I end my last post for Reader’s Digest January 2004. I finally finished you! :D

Throughout this whole process of reading and typing it out, at times, it was tiring, however, it was fun too (:

Geez, it’s like..2.59 a.m. in the morning. I have to get my beauty sleep. Nights people! :D

P.s. Have you guys residing in Singapore realize that it has been getting hotter in Singapore after the past few weeks (or was it the previous week only?) where it rained almost every day in different times of the day?

Tips for Perfect Wildlife Photos

If you are very keen in photography or are a photographer, then you must know who Pete Oxford is and am interested in the tricks/tips from him on how to take beautiful wildlife photos. For those whom do not know him, here is a small bibliography on who he is.

Pete Oxford is an award-winning photographer. He grew up in Brandon, Vermont on a family farm. For those interested to read more about him, here is the web.

Back to the main point, below are the tricks/tips he gives for taking good pictures of wildlife.

1) It is a must to have long lenses. To avoid blurring, do not use shutter speed less than the focal length unless you have a tripod.

2) Sand and dust are your enemy. Wrap the camera in a cloth and use an aerosol blower at each film change.

3) Extreme cold reduces the life of batteries. Carry spares and keep your camera warm.

4) In the tropics, keep silica gel crystals with your gear to dry it out.

5) At sea, wipe salt water spray off the camera at once. Sea motion on boats can make composition tough. Take your shot at the top of a rising swell, at the split-second of stillness.

6) Wind can make it hard to snap flowers. Carry a cloth and stakes to make a wind break.

Source

BBC Wildlife Supplement

Need a map to find out where you are headed for? Check the net!

When we do not know a specific thing, the first thought that will come to most of our minds is to google it to find out more about it. The internet has been advancing so rapidly that now, you can find basically anything online. This includes maps.

If you are headed somewhere and need a map but you do not wish to spend money to buy them or, you could not find any area nearby you now that sells map, so long as you have internet connection, try out these webs below:

1) www.streetdirectory.com

It has maps of Singapore that can be searched by street, postal code, landmark or building. It also has excellent maps of Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta and Taiwan.

2) Maporama(www.maporama.com)

This website is useful for people heading for the United Kingdom(UK) or elsewhere in Europe.

3) The Perry-Castaneda Library Map Collection at the University of Texas (www.lib.utexas.edu/maps)

This is the most impressive map site on the Internet. It is a free site that offers detailed road and geologic maps of areas around the world, as well as charts of remote areas and rare historical maps.

Also, speaking of google and stuffs like how internet has become such a conenience for us all, here is a cute video that i would like to share with you all. :) Enjoy~

Go Google It

The beauty of science in how he buys and how she shops

Research in the UK has confirmed that, in terms of shopping, men do not have the same stamina as women.

The average guy’s breaking point is seventy-two minutes, after which they will turn grisly at the shopping centre; whereas for women they can still browse happily for a further 28 minutes. This timing has/can been/be quantified all thanks to Tim Denison, a retail psychologist at Exeter University in Devon.

In the same study, it has also been found that women tend to be better bargain hunters, saving an average of ten per cent more than men, and the process itself is fun and thrilling for them. Most women are also excited by their finds for an average of 15 minutes after purchasing, whereas men’s satisfaction peaks once they find what they’re looking for.

Now we know why men are from mars and women are from venus. J

Or, why men are yin and women are yang. Or the other way round. J

How to make more confident calls

It has been seen that nearly 80 percent of workers prefer e-mail to the phone. They dread calls as they find it scary or, says Richard Weylman-business consultant and author of Opening Closed Doors, People dread calls as they feel like they’re on the spot. However, people tend to get more attention than in an email.

Thus, in the article “Making More Confident Calls” by Sharon Liao, below are some effective phone manners to make one look forward to dialing:

1) Stand up

a. Standing up leads one’s voice to sound more energetic. Believe it or not, but there are organizations, like Bloomberg financial media, whom encourages salesmen to get off their backsides before calling.

2) Don’t cradle the receiver

a. Instead, hold it eight centimetres away from you mouth, says Weylman. That way, you’ll sound less muffled and more like you’re there in person.

3) Just talk

a. Don’t use phone time to open mail or type. Do not multitask. Just focus on talking to the person on the phone. One study found that multitasking reduces one’s ability to listen. More ever, if you are distracted with other task or stuffs, it will be very obvious to the other person.

4) Take a pause

a. If you get flustered, just stop talking and collect yourself, says business communications coach Judith McManus. “Silence is better than ums and ahs because if projects thoughtfulness, not confusion.”

Source

Liao, S.(2004) Making More Confident Calls. Reader’s Digest 2004, 137

How to raise well-behaved kids

Now, before I start, I would like to say to parents that this may not work for some kids of yours (If you have more than one that is). This is because, different children have different personalities and thus, the way of coaching them differs too.

Below are what Shelwyn Tay, a clinical psychologist at Singapore’s Centre for Effective Living, says on how to raise well-behaved kids.

Give clear appropriate rules that are consistently enforced. This will help your child learn which is acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. Consistency is also important not only over time, but also among people whom are involved with your child. These includes; extended family members, nannies and others whom care for your child.

It is very important that parents themselves discuss and agree on rules which they would like to set. It is also vital to include extended family members, nannies and others whom care for your child when discussing on the rules and consequences.

An example might be, how many warnings should a child receive before being punished.

When doing the decision, it should be done in private where the child is not informed of it. Parents should NEVER discipline in anger as this often leads to over-reaction and guilt. Also, knowing that you have thought through the situation and that you have your spouse’s support will reduce the temptation to give in when your child pleads for “one more chance.”

Disciplining and controlling your child by force are NOT the same thing.
Disciplining is more on teaching, guiding and correcting. While controlling is just, from the dictionary, dominating and curbing one’s actions.

Rules should also be stated in a positive manner. E.g. “Hang up your towel after you shower,” rather than, “Don’t leave your towel lying around.” Specifying what is required is more likely to lead to the learning of the desired behavior than an arbitrary punishment after the deed has been done.

Many parents dislike the idea of using rewards to encourage their child to follow rules. They find that it is a form of bribery and they do not wish for their child to be born with the mindset that one should only do things if they got something back in return. However, rewards need not always be in the form of money, toys etc. It need not be anything in material form that will lead the child to become materialistic. Affection, praise, recognition and creating a sense of achievement all work extremely well as forms of rewards. When your child does her homework or chores properly, tell her how proud you are of her or give her a hug.

3-minute home fitness test

Want to find out how fit you are without spending big bucks on hiring your own fitness instructor?

Dr Garry Egger, adjunct professor of health sciences at Australia’s Deakin University, has devised a simple test which anyone can do in the privacy of their own home.

Note: If you have trouble with this exercise or find it hard, stop immediately. If you are concerned about the results, visit your doctor for more information.

The key to fitness, Egger says, is not isolated and vigorous activity. But, simply moving more during your daily life.

Equipment needed

1. A 40-centimetre step, such as a solid box. Check its stability before attempting any climbing.

2. A watch with a second hand.

You also need to be able to take your own pulse(Using the fingers-but not the thumb- of one hand, press firmly on the wrist of the other hand about two centimetres down from the base of the thumb. Practice finding your pulse before you start the test.

Method

1. Stand in front of the 40-centimetre step.

2. Starting with the left foot, step up. Step dwon with the right foot. Continue this at a reasonable pace for one-and-a-half minutes.

3. Without stopping, change legs so you step up with the right foot. Complete the three minutes.

4. After completing the three minutes, sit down and find your pulse. Count how many times your heart beats in 15 seconds.

5. Multiply it by 4, this is to give your pulse rate per minute.

6. Check your results below.

Rating	Very Good	Good	Ok	Poor	Very Poor
Men	<110	110-124	125-140	141-155	>155
Women	<116	116-130	131-146	147-160	>160
Boys	<120	120-130	131-150	151-160	>160
Girls	<124	124-134	135-154	155-164	>165