Bracelet is a piece of jewelry that adorns your wrist. The history of the bracelet can be traced back to 5000 BC when the Egyptians wore bracelets for religious and spiritual purposes. They even wore it to show their status and wealth. They wore it for superstitious reasons and the knights thought it as a protection. Even Christianity supported bracelets with rabbit’s foot to keep away rabbit which was thought to be of witches in disguise.

But eventually these superstitions faded away but the charm of these bracelets continued to fascinate all. It became a fashion statement and famous with women like Queen Victoria owning a collection of bracelets, these became a craze among women. These bracelets are of many kinds and a number of designs flood the market. The most of all the bracelets are the charm bracelets. These charm bracelets have charms like figures objects hanging from the loops of the chain. These charms are particular to each person and you can even choose your own charm. They represent the individuality of the person and therefore make popular gifts. The famous are the Italian charm bracelets which were designed by Paulo Gensini in the late 80’s. In this design, there are individual links and the charm is displayed on the face.

These bracelets can be of leather, of simple metal and the most precious ones are even made up of diamonds and gold. However it should also be noticed that these pieces should be maintained well. If you are the proud owner of the Italian piece, then you must soak it in warm water with soap and use a dry soft cloth to wipe it. For the silver bracelets, should be wiped with the wipes that are specially designed for the sterling silver. Do not use any harsh chemicals for the charms; rather regularly use the jeweler cleaner.

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“Culling”

November 24th, 2009

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve checked in on Sons of Anarchy, primarily because I’ve run out of superlative things to say about the show. Right now, the show is riding a wave of momentum that feels almost Wire-esque, relying less on twists or turns (which would perhaps illicit more of an immediate desire to write about it) and more on a clear depiction of SAMCRO accomplishing what they want to accomplish in the form of some really compelling asskickery.

“Culling” is the first time in a few episodes where things, you could argue, go wrong, but what’s most intriguing is how uniquely situated the audience is within this story from a traditional law and order perspective. Because our point of view lies with the Sons, who are in this for vengeance over justice, we root against the ATF and become legitimately concerned when the Charming P.D. enter into the equation. The show has us cheering things that television doesn’t necessarily always condition us to cheer, and it makes for an episode that builds tension not by having things go terribly wrong but rather having the definition of justice become a debatable topic on which different characters have very different perspectives.

It’s the complicated web the show has been spinning with shocking clarity all season, and it’s making for an enormously entertaining march to the finale.

Considering that Alan Sepinwall and Zack Handlen have both covered the entire episode in detail long before I could, I won’t go into every little thing, but I want to focus on a couple of central ideas in the episode.

The first is the idea that we’re in some way upset that A.J. Weston and Ethan Zobell have been arrested and placed into custody. While The Wire was a show that played with questions of justice, it was doing so within the justice system itself: their concern was whether the target was going to go to prison for all of their crimes as opposed to just some simple drug charge, so the purpose of the Major Crimes Unit was to investigate further to be able to follow the money and build a more substantial case. However, on Sons of Anarchy, those types of cops are effectively the enemy, with Agent Stahl proving to be the personification of the opportunistic, spiteful law enforcement that the Sons have to contend with. Obviously, the ATF is the enemy of a motorcycle club who runs guns, so it’s not as if they’re going to be some sort of heroes in these scenarios, but the characterization of Stahl has taken away any sense that the organization is capable of dishing out justice. There were bad cops on The Wire, but there were also good cops, and they were our ostensible heroes.

One of the things that makes an episode like this work, though, is that Deputy Hale has not been painted with the same brush. In the first season, he was there as the Charming P.D. equivalent of Stahl, someone who wasn’t as enlightened as Unser about the Sons’ role in the community and who in his lack of understanding of the club fought against them tooth and nail. Of course, in the first season, some viewers might have related to Hale, as this isn’t exactly the easiest world to jump into and immediately empathize with the hardcore bikers running guns and obstructing justice. But by the time of the second season, we identify with the Sons (Jax especially) to the point where Hale remaining a pain in their side would turn him into another Stahl, and I’m impressed with how Sutter has given the character a real sense of purpose. Working with Jax to try to bring down Clay over what happened to Donna shows that he hasn’t entirely written off the club, and in this episode his actions are not an attack on the club so much as they are an attempt to keep the club from following through with their planned vengeance.

Hale is not out to destroy the club so much as he is out there to keep them honest. The problem with the Sons is that they both need the traditional legal system, like when they send our two-fingered friend to the station to give evidence about the Karakara fire so that they can collect the insurance money, but yet they don’t want it to follow through. Hale has no choice but to arrest Weston based on the information provided, but that isn’t what the Sons consider justice. If they had wanted justice, Gemma would have had a rape kit done and they could have arrested Weston then and there. For everything that Zobelle and Weston have done, the Sons want them dead, and yet Hale’s job is to enforce the law and send them to jail for the crimes he knows they’ve committed within Charming’s borders. When Jax claims that the brawl is none of his business, Hale is right: they’re in charming, who else’s business is it? And yet, because he works against their idea of vengeance, and because we know that long term Zobell and Weston represent too much of a threat to be warded off with some arson/drug charges, he’s standing in the way of our idea of justice. However, rather than hating him for it (which felt more natural in the first season), I find myself identifying with Hale, and feeling bad for being stuck in this position unsure of how to handle Unser’s involvement and the sheer chaos of it all.

Of course, we know how Tara handles it. Those discussions with Gemma, first about how Tara was entitled to a certain amount of worship from the croweaters because of her association with Jax and then about how God has a purpose for everyone that no one can keep them from achieving, woke up the inner Gemma inside Tara. As she takes a simple choke and turns it into a bloody attack and a threat on her hospital administrator’s life, you see the most stirring example yet of how far she’s gone. Back a while ago, when she was reading Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and pondering whether she could truly see into this life, we had seen her sex up Jax in a Karakara bathroom and be capable of showing a more purposeful side to herself. However, that was always about Tara asserting herself within SAMCRO, whereas this is Tara asserting herself in a SAMCRO-fashion within her everyday life. The scene was visceral and powerful, as Maggie Siff sold the hell out of the attack (and, to give her full credit, the administrator did a good job of selling her shock and making me glad to see her take one to the chin). And it confirms that, whether we would think the same in real life, the show has crafted a scenario where we want to see Tara take back her job with force and fear, and where that feels just (even if it goes against every sense of ethics we can imagine).

Heading into next week’s finale, we find the Sons at an impasse: they’ve played the League into a corner, and managed to foil the ATF’s plan to take out the Irish, but their overall goal of vengeance has been foiled by law enforcement (which was partially their own mistake, really). The result is that the two people they wanted to drag outside of Charming and kill aren’t going anywhere, at least for now – and while their wits got them out of a few scrapes as of late, I’m legitimately not sure how they’re going to deal with this one, and I greatly look forward to what Sutter and Co. have to offer.

Cultural Observations

• So, did SAMCRO expect Hale to follow them out to the brawl? The presence of the Chinese and the Niners would seem to indicate not, as Jax wanted to finish off Weston once and for all, and yet the “Unser moves on the cigar shop” side of things requires Hale to be away from the station (although he somehow got back in time to find them just walking in), so I’m not entirely sure what the timing was there.
• Loved the small little beat of Bobby and Clay discussing Half-sack and him losing his Prospect status in just a month. If this is leading to a ore substantial role in Season Three, wondrous. If it leads to him being killed before getting patched in, I will loudly curse out Sutter on Twitter for the world to see.
• Really enjoyed the opening sequence as we see the Sons putting everything together and getting their ducks in a row (and out of the rain) ahead of their plan coming into play.
• I’m a little disappointed that Chibbs didn’t get to take out Jimmy O while he had a chance, but the idea of Titus Welliver recurring is worth the delay of justice being served.
• I really intended this to be short, honest.

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Hello there, how are you?

Today I was browsing the Internet, acquiring some knowledge if you prefer to call it like that, and I came across a posting that had the right path of creativity, therefore, I decided to re-invent it, edit it, and change it for your delightful entertainment.  Hopefully all of us girls can identify.. By all means, if you want to add another point, be my guest, this list can only keep getting better, that way we will find PRINCE CHARMING…

My Boyfriend Application and Test

First, a little about me. I’m a 26-year-old, very  good looking and intelligent Latina, with a full time Job and  attending University. I’m tired of wasting my time, so I have formulated some mandatory criteria in part A, and part B is based on points.

Part A

1) You must be born male. I’ll need to see a birth certificate proving so.

2) You must own something to wear to a formal reception. And at least a couple formal shoes.
3) You must not own or ever wear Birkenstocks, crocs footwear or wrangler jeans. Or wear your jeans so low, that  I can see the end of your briefs.
4) All your parts need to be in good working order, further testing will need to be conducted of course.
5) I can’t accept a regular drug user. Despite CA culture, I am including weed.
6) You must own at least four collared dress shirts. You need to look presentable standing next to me.
7) Your height must be proportional to your weight using the standard AMA guidelines. (fyi, I do prefer them taller than me, so you have to be at least 6 feet) .
You must have a couple photos which were  taken in the last 2 months.
9) English must be your first language. However you need to have a pretty good understanding of Spanish and Latin culture, or at least a desire to learn.

If you meet all of the requirements above then you may continue, if not, then you are now dismissed but thank you for applying to be my boyfriend.

Now: give yourself two points for each of the following criteria you meet

Part B

1) You have (or are working on) a degree.
2) You own a car and have a valid driver’s license. Suspended for DUIs: minus 10 points.

3) If your car is better and newer than mine add 5 points
4) You’ve never worn Ed Hardy, Affliction or any other Christian Audigier affiliated brand.

5) If 80% of your shoes can be described as sneakers take minus 5 points.
6) You follow at least one professional sport.
7) You have skills in bed. Not because you think you do, because your past experiences have told you.
You are not a born again Christian, Jehovah’s Witness or any other kind of religious fanatic.
9) You have been to at least three countries outside of the US.
10) You don’t need to call a handy man if something breaks around the house.
11) You know how to cook a meal for two. (Eggs, instant noodles, sandwiches, lean cuisine do not count as a meal)

12) You actually do shores around the house, like doing dishes after I cooked, help cleaning the kitchen, bringing flowers, wine etc..
13) You like stepping out of your bubble and trying new things like different cuisine, bungee jumping, salsa dancing.
14) You can make it through a romantic comedy without complaining (don’t worry we don’t have to tell your friends).
15) You have a great sense of humor. Are people laughing with you, or at you?
16) You can plan a good date without any help or advice from me. “I don’t know, what do you want to do” isn’t an answer.
17) You work out and enjoy being physically active. I hit the gym regularly, you should too.
18) You have a job that requires more than a high school diploma.
19) You read books, or at least you read the newspaper, so we can talk about worldwide subjects.  

20) You are an educated individual. You challenge my intellectual abilities.
21) You have a 5 year goal.
22) You aren’t afraid of being yourself, even if you have a dorky, nerdy side. (that’s kinda hot).
23) You’re competitive, and I don’t mean you like to battle it out on Wii with your buddies on the weekends.
24) You know how to dance.

25) You are spontaneous and creative.

26) You are secure about yourself and us. Meaning I’m not looking for a jealous, immature, insecure chauvinistic pig. People are going to check us out. Just enjoy the ride, at the end of the night I’m going home with you.

27) Last but not least, you can acknowledge when you screw up, and say sorry;  flowers and a romantic dinner might help you get some points back.

If you have a score of 40+ then please contact me immediately. If you scored between 20-35 pts, you can contact me, but I don’t have a lot of hope for our future relationship. If you did not score high enough, then please do not contact me, but if at some time in the future you are able to improve yourself and meet the minimum requirements, then you may re-apply.

You MUST respond with your age (this is a creeper free zone, 25-36 year olds only please) and your picture.

I thank you in advance for your application, however, only successful candidates will receive a response.

fyi.. I’m not trying to be rude or insult anyone..

This blog is just for fun, and to make you laugh!

With Love

xoxoxoxo Ment@l Fashion Addict

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Turtix didn’t know what would happen when he tried casting a powerful spell without the supervision of his teacher. He lost control, and now things are even worse than he knew! He needs your help! He must find the pieces of a shattered amulet, and help save all the young turtles who were captured in the chaos. Guide Turtix through his world in this charming side-scrolling arcade adventure.

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Turtix

Author: Michael Levine
Source: articleage.com

What’s most astounding is that the vast majority of business people don’t
automatically understand the concept of charm. You’d think it would be a
reflex, a conditioned response in business to “turn on the charm” when dealing
with customers, clients, associates, employees, competitors, or potential
clients. And since the list of “potential clients” for many businesses can include
Everybody, the idea that someone in any job, anywhere,, mac key chain
, ever is not making the
maximum effort to be as charming as possible all the time is stupefying. How
to Succeed in, mac key chain
, Business Without Really Trying? Try being charming.
This is not simply one man’s opinion-it’s clear through research studies,
published articles and treatises, opinion polls, and just plain old real life that
charm is extremely well valued in our society. People can say whatever they
want about former President Bill Clinton’s policies or his personal conduct, but
no one who ever met the man has failed, mac key chain
, to comment on his personal charm.
The same can be said for Ronald Reagan. And in this country, it’s hard to get
much farther in life than to be president of the United States. President Bush,
too, can be considered charming, but in an entirely different way.
Charm is also evident in movie stars-when they want to show it. Interviews
with stars are meant to convey their charm,, mac key chain
, so the public, which buys the
tickets and ultimately pays the salaries, “ill feel that this person is “friendly” or
that one is “down to earth.” We will, mac key chain
, “like” them better, thus, mac key chain
, assuring performers
solid, loyal fan bases that will keep them working for the foreseeable future.
Charm pays.
It’s not only true, however, for those in entertainment or politics. The surly
garage owner will probably attract fewer customers than the one across the
street who is well known for his concern and easy manner. Have you ever
changed lanes at the supermarket because the 11 nice” cashier was working
nearby and the “grumpy” one was at your lane? Have you ever chosen one dry
cleaner over another? Was it, mac key chain
, because the level of cleaning was really all that
noticeable or the prices that much lower, or was it because the second cleaner
seemed “friendly?”
Charm draws customers.
By the same token, in industries that don’t deal directly with the public, it’s
often the case that charm can propel a worker to a higher level of responsibility
(and pay). Maybe the charming person who can’t do the job won’t be promoted,
but when two employees of equal competence are in line for a promotion, do
you think the one who practices charm well is going to be at a disadvantage?
Charm gets noticed.
When a customer or client contacts a firm for the first time, walks into a store
for the first time,, mac key chain
, or encounters an employee for the first time, charm–
exercised properly and sincerely–Creates an impression. If you walk into an
exclusive restaurant and the ma๎tre d’ welcomes you warmly, knows your name
from the reservation and uses it, seats you quickly and wishes you a pleasant
dinner, will you notice? Wouldn’t you notice even if the counter help at the local
McDonald’s smiled and welcomed you in some way other than to recite the
corporate-dictated slogan when you enter?
Charm creates an impression. Usually a good one.
When something in business goes wrong-the overnight package doesn’t
arrive, the copying machine breaks down, the client doesn’t receive the
proposal when it’s expected-is it better to become defensive and blame others
for what went wrong, or to apologize, explain the problem, and promise that
no such thing will ever happen, mac key chain
, again? Which %%ray is more charming? Which
way will keep the client on your roster?
Charm soothes and heals.
If you have competition (and who doesn’t?), the ability to be charming,
congenial, and considerate will help your business not only to, mac key chain
, stand out, but
also to distance itself from its competition. It can become part of your brand:
the, mac key chain
, charming bookstore, the charming insurance company, the charming
computer solutions provider.
Charm can identify.
Does all this mean that a person in business needs only to be charming in
order to succeed? Of course not. Above all, a business must deliver what it
promises, and no amount, mac key chain
, of congeniality can replace that. The most charming
man in the world (and we’ll meet him later) can run, mac key chain
, a business into the ground
if he doesn’t successfully deliver, mac key chain
, the basic needs pledged to his customers.
But it’s important to note that, quite, mac key chain
, often, business decisions are made based
on subjective criteria. If two businesses can, mac key chain
, provide a certain product, and
provide it for roughly the same price, the customer will have to choose
between the two based on other variables. These may include geographical
location, speed of delivery, or some other intangible.
The deal could very well depend on the ability of one businessperson to charm
another.
Don’t discount that idea. It’s, mac key chain
, not simply a question of being able to project an
image of friendliness, or even courtesy, something else that is severely lacking
in today’s business climate. Charm is not false, and it can’t be “put on.” It can
be learned, but it can’t be faked. When you, as a business owner, employer,
employee, or representative, meet with a potential or current customer (client),
you have two options: you can be curt, arrogant, and impatient, or you can be
charming. Even on days when it doesn’t come naturally, “charming” is the
better choice, in every case, mac key chain
, .
That’s what this book is all about. The concept of charm may seem antiquated
or anachronistic in today’s cold, bottom-line business world, but it is the polar
opposite of those things. Charm is as important to business today as a cell
phone and a briefcase, and in some businesses, more so. It is an attribute that
can truly make the difference between success and failure, and does so on a
startlingly regular basis.
Charm is often confused with courtesy, and while, mac key chain
, that is a natural mistake to
make, it is still a mistake. Courtesy is behavior dictated by certain rules, like
etiquette, and those who are, mac key chain
, courteous generally act within those rules.
Courtesy doesn’t necessarily imply creativity, nor does it mean that one is
“going the extra mile.” It means, simply,, mac key chain
, that the rules of civil behavior, in
business or otherwise, are being met, not necessarily exceeded.
Charm, on the other hand, is a concept that, mac key chain
, is the very definition of exceeding
expectations. In a civilization as coarse and crude as the one we now inhabit, it
is easy to mistake courtesy for charm, because so few people are courteous, mac key chain
, to
begin with. But the person who goes farther, who looks for ways to be
courteous beyond what the “rule book” may dictate, is on the road to being
thought of as charming. And that is very much the subject, mac key chain
, of this book.
Why Charming?
In 1961, a department store executive attended a lunchtime concert given by a
local band that hadn’t made much of a name for itself outside a radius of a few
city blocks. He listened to the half hour or so of music, wasn’t terribly
impressed, given the dreadful acoustics of the place and the band’s
lackadaisical attitude toward the gig. It wasn’t until he met the musicians
afterward that they made any kind of impression upon him.
“I was struck, mostly, by their personal charm,” Brian Epstein would later relate
in an interview. Not long after, he signed the first contract to manage the
Beatles, based on exactly that attribute.
In the world of Hollywood public relations and publicity, where I work, charm
is a constant-personality is both an attribute and a commodity in show
business-but not everyone is charming. The smart ones are, and the successful
ones often are. I’ve worked with personalities as varied as Barbra Streisand,
Michael Jackson, Vanna White, and Mary Hart, among many others. And I can
tell you from first-person experience, charm is a major attribute of everyone
who is successful in Hollywood. Does that mean that everyone in show
business behaves beautifully and courteously all the time? Absolutely not! I’ve
been privy to tantrums and meltdowns far beyond what the average
businessperson has to contend with on a daily basis. I’ve thrown a few myself,
to tell the, mac key chain
, truth. But I have taught myself how to be charming, and I believe
that, mac key chain
, those at the top of any business-not only the entertainment industry-must
do exactly that, too.
Can charm be taught? Certainly it can. I do not believe that charm is
necessarily an inborn trait. Of, mac key chain
, course some people, mac key chain
, find it more easily than
others, but that doesn’t mean we can’t teach ourselves how to find the charm
that lies within. We can study others, assess ourselves, and make the kind of
determinations all people in business must make when they are honestly trying
to reach the pinnacle of their professions.
You can, indeed, charm your way to the top. It, mac key chain
, is my belief, in fact, that
without charm you can’t make it to the top at all. You might be able to reach a
certain level of responsibility and success, but in order to be the very best in
any profession, in order to find yourself at the top of the food chain in your
industry, looking down on all others, some measure of charm is an absolute
necessity. Note, mac key chain
, that I did not, in that, mac key chain
, sentence, use the words “helpful
attribute” or “major plus.” I said, “absolute necessity” And I couldn’t possibly
stress that idea more strongly
I know show business, mac key chain
, executives who think they are above the concept of
charm. They don’t need charm, they believe, because, mac key chain
, they have ability and
contacts. So they don’t make phone calls themselves to confirm a business
meeting. They don’t send gifts or thank-you notes after a successful deal is
completed. They don’t feel it’s necessary to take a moment to compliment a
coworker, mac key chain
, or employee on a job well done.
None of these people are at the highest levels of their industries, I should
note. Not one. The ones, mac key chain
,, mac key, mac key chain
, chain
, at the top have charm, mac key chain
, . It flows from the top. Those
with Ivy League degrees and cutthroat attitudes, but absolutely, mac key chain
, no ability to be
charming, are usually stuck in the middle of the pack somewhere. Sometimes,
they don’t even make it that high.
This book isn’t designed to convince you that charm is a valuable tool to
possess in business. The fact is, if you’re striving for the heights of success,
charm, mac key chain
, is a necessity in business. This book is meant to be a guide, a road map
through the dark, winding path that is the way to success. It strives to explain
not just why charm is important, but how it is important, and more important,
how to develop the kind of charm you need to rise to the very top of your
industry.
Charm can be taught.
I am living proof. Charm does not come particularly easily to me. When I
decided I wanted to start my own Hollywood public relations firm, I realized
that I’d need as much charm as I could muster, and that posed a problem. For
someone whose first impulse is not necessarily the charming one, my being in
a field such as public relations, which depends so heavily on personality, mac key chain
, and
the ability to talk to people, was not, mac key chain
, a simple choice. It would require a good
deal of self-training and learned behavior.
So that is exactly what I managed to do. I observed other people, which is the
best possible way to assess one’s own behavior. I compared my reactions to
those I saw around me. I chose role models whom I thought exuded the kind of
charm I wished myself to have, and I analyzed what made them especially
personable. And I took special note of people I thought were unusually not
charming. What were they doing wrong? Which points did they ignore? And
how, in my opinion, could they improve their behavior and further their goals?
Today, while I hardly consider myself in the Charm Hall of Fame, I know how
to wield charm as a tool, and a weapon when necessary. I understand its power
and can exercise it when I think it’s important to do so. I know what it is to be
charming, even if I believe it does not come to me naturally
And as a result, my business has flourished. I have represented such respected
Hollywood luminaries as Sandra Bullock, Cameron Diaz, Prince, David Bowie,
Michael J. Fox, Fleetwood Mac, Charlton Heston, Linda Evans, Robert Evans,
Demi Moore, and Ozzy Osbourne, as well as corporate clients such as Pizza
Hut and others. I have never worked a day in my life for an employer who was
not myself. And my, mac key chain
, business is considered among the top publicity and public
relations firms in Los Angeles.
I don’t say that to impress you or to brag about some of my professional
accomplishments-I, mac key chain
, list these things because I want you to know that I have
learned charm. None of my success would have been possible had I not taught
myself what I believe to be the power and the use of charm in business, and it
certainly would not have happened if I hadn’t paid any attention to charm
overall. I reaped the,, mac key chain
, mac key chain
, rewards because I took the time to teach myself how to be
charming, and I believe I can do the same for you, if you meet me halfway
First,, mac key chain
, you have to have some natural ability-not to be charming,, mac key chain
, but to have a
talent that is marketable in your business. Charm will take you far, but it will
not hand you a career all by itself. There is no job description for “charming
person,” although many have tried to get by strictly on this one attribute and
nothing else. They have failed. So, you need to be doing your job the best way
you know how-with or without utilizing charm.
Next, you have to be willing to try. No one can force you to be charming, or
trick you into doing something considerate and helpful. You have to have the
desire on your own. I’m willing to bet that you do, since you’ve already picked
up this book and read this far. So, you’re already part of the way to success.
But you have work to do. You have to observe charm in others and analyze
what it does and how it is done. I will guide you through the process each step
of the way, making sure you understand and master each piece of the puzzle
before we put it all together to help you get to the pinnacle of your business,
as far as you can go.
We’ll examine some of the ways famous people-in the entertainment industry
and other fields-use charm, examine the ones who don’t and how it affects
their careers, and see if we can extend the techniques of the most charming
people in the world to your goals. As I did when I began, we will learn by
example.
Also, we, mac key chain
, can start by determining how charm has become such a precious
commodity Those things that are rarest, don’t forget, are most valuable-
nobody would care about diamonds, mac key chain
, or gold if they were easily found in
everyone’s backyard. So it is with charm-the less we, mac key chain
, see of it, the more
valuable and important it seems to become.
But we’ll have to focus on the way charm can be used in business, which is
something no one has ever examined before. Charm simply isn’t I considered
a “serious” business attribute, despite its, mac key chain
, almost central importance to most
people striving for success. So we will make sure to examine business-related
examples, and discuss charm and its importance to CEOs and company
owners. You’ll see through their stories and reactions the vital role charm plays
in business situations (chiefly meetings and negotiations, but also so much
more).
We’ll meet the Most Charming Man Ever and discover the secrets it took for
him to become that, but we will also visit with his polar opposite, in which we’ll
discover the dark side of charm-how it can destroy as well as nurture.
There will be discussions of telephone charm and charm on the Internet (if
such a thing is possible-and it is!). I’ll tell you some stories about people I’ve
worked with who both did and did not use charm successfully, and if I can
bring myself to do so, I’ll tell you stories about how I might have slipped and
done a few things that, mac key chain
, weren’t exactly Fred Astaire material myself.
Along the way, please pay attention to the habits and learned behaviors of, mac key chain
, all
the people we meet., mac key chain
, In fact, pay attention to all the people you meet during
your daily life, since they will all be role models for the “Do” and “Don’t”
categories of charm. Yes, emulate the ones you think are especially successful,
and no, definitely don’t copy the people who are regularly rude or
discourteous.
Being charming doesn’t mean you always have to behave like someone bound
by a strict code of ethics; it doesn’t mean you have to follow every rule blindly
and unthinkingly, mac key chain
, . Quite the opposite is true. The real power of charm comes
with creativity, and that is only possible when a person, mac key chain
, is free to try new things
and, overall, to be oneself. There is no point to being charming if you’re
behaving like an automaton.
The key rule is: have fun with it. Be yourself, but better. Do unto others the
way you would have them do unto you. And, while you I re doing all that:
Charm your way to the top.
Excerpted from Michael Levine’s New Book, “Charming Your Way To The Top”
Michael Levine is the founder of the prominent public relations firm Levine
Communications Office, based in Los Angeles. He is the author of Guerrilla PR,
7 Life Lessons from Noah’s Ark: How to Survive a Flood in Your Own Life.
GuerrillaPR.net is a resource for people that want to get famous in the media,
without going broke. http://GuerrillaPR.net

Ponyo (2008)
★★★★ / ★★★★

Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, “Ponyo” (also known as “Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea”) tells the story of a princess goldfish (Noah Cyrus) who truly wants to become human. After escaping from her father (Liam Neeson) whose job is to maintain balance in the natural world, she meets a five-year-old boy named Sosuke (Frankie Jonas) and instantly falls for him. Although I very much enjoyed this latest film from Miyazaki, I don’t think it’s his finest work. The story is beyond cute, the characters’ motivations are easy to understand, the world has a sense of wonder, and the situations the characters are put in have enough danger in them to make the audiences want to root for the characters to succeed. In a nutshell, it’s the perfect movie for kids and adults because it’s highly entertaining. However, I wasn’t as emotionally invested in it as I was when I saw “Spirited Away” for the first time. It must be noted that I saw the dubbed version of this animated picture in theaters so perhaps some of the dialogue was lost in translation. But I wanted a more insightful story regarding the characters. Earlier in the film, there was this tension between Sosuke’s mother (Tina Fey) and father (Matt Damon) because his father was always away at sea. There was a certain innocence and genuine comedy when the mother and father were trying to communicate in morse code by using lights. I wanted more of those situational family moments because then the film becomes that much more personal. What I really liked was that the message about the environment and how we must do our best to take care of it but it the message was never heavy-handed. Such messages were simply shown on the screen as tons of garbage were being collected from the ocean floor and ocean creatures were suffering in more ways imaginable (including the title character). Despite some of the very small negatives I mentioned, I still think this is a very strong film about a creature who tried her best to reach her dreams. “The Little Mermaid” comparisons are justified because of the premise but one shouldn’t imply that it doesn’t rise above the template. In fact, Miyazaki’s signature style of being unbound by realism was constantly at the forefront here. Therefore, every image we get (and the emotions that come with them) is very inspired and it’s very difficult to resist its charm.

What’s with this weather? What’s with my body? I’m freezing! Where are the curtains I ordered (in September)? I want my curtains so that I can shut out the weather. I want to cocoon myself in a centrally heated, thick (heavily interlined) curtained house. No, hang on. Scratch that. Actually I want to hibernate. Yes, that would be better. Why can’t humans hibernate? Avoid the cold and the damp altogether, avoid S.A.D. syndrome, avoid over-eating starch because it temporarily makes you feel better but leaves you feeling and looking like a little human butterball by the Spring.

Wake me up when it’s Spring, would you?

Photo from the Daily Mail online

What’s with this weather?  What’s with my body?  I’m freezing!   Where are the curtains I ordered (in September)?  I want my curtains so that I can shut out the weather. I want to cocoon myself in a centrally heated, thick (heavily interlined) curtained house. No, hang on.  Scratch that.  Actually I want to hibernate. Yes, that would be better. Why can’t humans hibernate?  Avoid the cold and the damp altogether, avoid S.A.D. syndrome, avoid over-eating starch because it temporarily makes you feel better but leaves you feeling and looking like a little human butterball by the Spring. 

Wake me up when it’s Spring, would you?

Photo from the Daily Mail online

On Line Charming Girl Dressup
On Line Charming Girl Dressup

On Line Charming Girl Dressup Game
Charming Girl Dressup Game Description : I can make sure that you will be much more charming and prettier with the dresses perfectly cling to your lovely figure. Also, Black, White, Red, Yellow pattern are the recommended colors to highlight your sexy body curve.
How to Play Charming Girl Dressup Game? Use mouse to interact.

Masing-masing tipe cewek punya kebiasaan yang umum. Nah, kebiasaan-kebiasaan itulah yang bisa kita pake jadi pintu masuk pada masa pedekate. Pedekate yang bagus akan membawa kesuksesan untuk mendapatkan hatinya. Yahh meskipun saya belum juga mendapatkan cewe haha.., setidaknya artikel ini dapat bermanfaat bagi pembaca sekalian.. Lanjut!

1. Jujur dan gentle
Tunjukan bahwa Anda pria jujur, sopan, sekaligus charming. Tak perlu banyak memberi alasan untuk satu kesalahan, berpakaian rapih dan bertutur kata enak didengar. Bila Anda bisa terlihat seperti itu, bisa dipastikan dia bakal ingin dekat Anda terus.

2. Tak banyak menilai
Salah satu kebiasaan buruk pria adalah menilai fisik wanita. Padahal semua orang tahu, nobody’s perfect. Buat dia merasa comfort saat berada dekat Anda. Salah satunya, dengan menerima dirinya apa adanya, tak dibanding-bandingkan dengan cewek lain, apalagi dengan mantan pacar Anda.

3. Tak mengikat
Anda boleh saja menyukainya, tak takut kehilangan dia. Tapi tak berarti Anda harus mengekang atau mengikatnya. Beri dia ruang gerak. Jangan terlampau sering “menampakkan” diri. Biarkan dia menebak-nebak, dimana, sedang apa dan bersama siapa Anda. Ketakhadiran Anda bisa menumbuhkan kerinduan dalam dirinya.

4. Willing
Tunjukkan Anda tertarik dan antusias mendengar ceritanya. Tunjukkan pula Anda bersedia mendengar keluhan kesah dan curhatnya. Jangan lupa memberi tanggapan smart bernada humor atas cerita-ceritanya. Beri alternatif solusi atas masalah yang dihadapinya, tanpa terkesan menggurui.

5. Banyak senyum
Senyum adalah salah satu senjata ampuh dalam menebar pesona. Kata ahli, senyum merupakan refleksi diri orang yang selalu berpikir positif. Nah, tak ada salahnya Anda sedikit bermuka manis padanya. Akan lebih baik bila Anda juga bisa membuatnya tersenyum. Dengan joke-joke segar, misalnya.

6. Jadi yang terbaik
Untuk menjadi yang terbaik, tak berarti Anda harus melakukan hal-hal di luar jangkauan. Be the best you can be saja. Salah satu caranya, dengan siap menemaninya dikala sedih dan senang.

7. Gak maksa
Cobalah untuk menahan keinginan untuk nyatain cinta. Anda harus agak sabar. Boleh saja Anda meneleponya, tapi jangan terlalu sering. Usahakan juga untuk tak terlalu sering menggombal. Usahakan untuk hanya membicarakan hal penting setiap kali nelpon.

8. Jual mahal sedikit
Yang ini adalah bentuk lain dari poin 7. Meski si cewek tahu betul Anda menyukainya, tapi cobalah untuk tidak melayani apa maunya. Pura-pura cuek kalau kamu sedang berada di dekatnya.

9. Biarkan dia menebak-nebak
Cewek umumnya gemar akan sesuatu yang bersifat misterius, lho. Itulah kenapa banyak cewek yang menjadi pengarang cerita-cerita berbumbu petualangan dan misteri, seperti Agatha Christie atau Enid Blyton. Bikin dia seperti itu. Caranya?

Jangan langsung membuka diri. Ceritakan sedikit-sedikit saja tentang diri Anda. Ini akan membuat dia lebih penasaran dan tak cepat bosan. Biarkan rasa ingin tahunya terus tumbuh. Dengan begitu, dia akan berusaha mengenal Anda lebih dan lebih.

10. Jangan terlalu akrab
Banyak pria yang hanya bisa menjadi sahabat cewek yang disukainya. Salah satu alasannya karena sang cewek merasa hubungan mereka sudah terlalu dekat, hingga lebih enak untuk berteman saja. Nah, bila Anda benar-benar menyukai seorang cewek, sebaiknya jangan terlalu akrab dulu.

Reference : http://tips-tipsjitu.blogspot.com

Each month author Lucy Harmer dedicates her journal entries to the theme of “transformative and inspirational living” – finding the fun, magic and laughter in everyday occurrences! She explores ideas, thoughts and quotes from her two books, Discovering Your Spirit Animal and Shamanic Astrology.

November 2009

Shamanic Astrology
Exploring the Personality of your Spirit Animal Sign

© Copyright 2009 Lucy Harmer

Last month in my journal (October 2009), I gave an overview of what Shamanic Astrology is. This month, I am going to explore the twelve spirit animal signs of the medicine wheel a little deeper, so that you can begin to discover the special qualities each sign possesses.

There are twelve astrological “signs” on the medicine wheel, which are represented by twelve different spirit animals. Shamanic Astrology teaches us that inner power derives from knowing the properties, characteristics, and qualities of each spirit animal (known as their “medicine”), and applying this in our own lives.

To get you started, here are some of the main strengths and weaknesses of each of the twelve spirit animals. It is really interesting to note that weaknesses are often just a mirror of our strengths and qualities. What we see as “weaknesses” can often be transformed into “strengths.” Take Falcon people, for example, whose “weaknesses” can be their tendency to be impulsive and headstrong. Transformed, these qualities become Falcon people’s strengths – their spontaneity and pioneering nature.

(If you are not sure which spirit animal sign you are, you can find out by looking your birthday up in the second table below – “Which animal sign are you?”)

Strengths and Weaknesses of the twelve spirit animal signs:

I always find it fascinating to look up the qualities of my friends, family and work colleagues. It is amazing how much their spirit animal sign can tell you about why they may behave in certain ways!

You can find out more about the personality of your own spirit animal and how you relate to the other signs, in my book Shamanic Astrology: Understanding Your Spirit Animal Sign. You can also discover the different spirit animal clans that you, your friends and family belong to, and your own special plant, stone, element, color and life path.

Which animal sign are you?
To find your spirit animal sign, just locate your birthday from the dates below, according to your place of birth. If you were born north of the equator (eg; USA, Canada, Europe), then look for your date of birth in the column headed “Northern Hemisphere.” If you were born south of the equator (eg; Australia, New Zealand, South Africa), then look for your date of birth in the column headed “Southern Hemisphere.”

This month, I wish you lots of fun and magic in exploring the strengths and qualities of your own spirit animal sign, and discovering those of your friends, family and work colleagues too!

Love and blessings,
Lucy

Shamanic Astrology is available for purchase directly through NorthAtlanticBooks.com, as well as major book stores and online retailers.

CLICK HERE to learn more about courses, seminars and workshops offered by Lucy Harmer.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Shamanic Astrology.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Discovering Your Spirit Animal.

‘Don’t lie or exaggerate in your personal statement, UCAS will hunt you down’

Write about yourself. Witty, Charming, Intelligent, Oh and did I mention beautiful? 47 lines of pure ego, great, perfect, now this will be fun. I’ll start with an Einstein quote, pull in my work with saving the world from AIDs then mention my 25 A* grades at GCSE and now my 5 A* predictions at A level. The universities need to know about my Great Britain appearance for netball and how my art work sold for £1 million last month. I also enjoy volunteering with orphaned puppies, I feed them out of a bottle, I’m like their mother. Apparently this slight exaggeration doesn’t wash well with the admissions officers, instead let’s link every work experience to how we’re inspired and it helped with our ‘communication’ skills.

4000 characters stands between you and the perfect university place, Cardiff, Loughborough, may as well throw in Oxford & Cambridge. The illusive personal statement that your tutors insist on ripping apart because you’ve not highlighted your skills very well, it’s not like every admissions tutor hasn’t read – ‘I’m extremely motivated due to my commitment to college football team, which inspires great communication and leadership skills, also promoting time management on my part to organise training and structure sessions productively blah blah blah’. It really doesn’t sound like you, but your being judged for your future career on that 47 lines.

People have moaned about personal statements because they don’t like ‘bigging themselves up’. I guess you’ve gathered I don’t have that problem, although the ego orientated me is done mainly as a joke, but organising my personal statement actually filled my little heart with joy. If anything to sum myself up in 47 lines was more difficult than I imagined, without appearing like an arrogant arse. You get to write about what makes you great, why people should have you representing their university and how ‘well-rounded’ you imagine yourself to be. Your allowed to make yourself look good, use it!

Well the deadlines are looming, of course time management has already finished my UCAS but it leaves you with a little worried feeling in the pit of your stomach, what happens if I get rejected? I wish my Ego got to admit me to uni..

New image in the bling bling photography contest

…
charming tree photography picture

A scene from "The Thin Man." Now that man knew how to mix a drink (and he got Myrna Loy as a result!)

Few things are more enjoyable or charming for a woman than coming home from a long, hard day at work, walking in the door, and finding you in the kitchen busily preparing her favorite drink. It conjures to mind images of 1940s glamour where every house came with a fully equipped bar and every man knew how to make his wife a good stiff drink. Now when I say ‘fix her a drink’ I don’t mean reaching into the fridge for whatever leftover beer you’ve got lying around. Any schmoe can crack open a beer, but it takes a loving husband to take the time to learn how to mix a cocktail. And no, that jungle juice crap you made in college does not count as a cocktail! A good cocktail, aside from helping your wife relax, serves the important purpose of showing your wife that you have moved on from the days when knowing how to fill a red plastic cup from a keg without too much foam was considered the height of class. Learning how to make a few simple cocktails will send a message to your wife that your sense of charm is maturing in a way that is appropriate for a married man. If your wife prefers beer to alcohol, fear not, just make sure that you buy good beer and serve it to her in a glass that you keep in the freezer, thereby ensuring the beer is nice and cold for her to enjoy. Regardless of what she prefers, the point is to make sure you serve it to her in a way that shows her that you are a sophisticated and caring guy, who just happens to know how to make a killer cocktail.

Welcome to California.

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

If all your contact with the outside world is mass media, or, say, you’re an alien from space, seeking information about earth, and your research dart on the globe hit the USA, and you began, sensibly enough, with mass media –you would surely presume the only places IN America were…

New York, and California.

Because EVERYTHING on television, in movies, etc., is located in: you guessed it. NY or CA.

Naturally, when the opportunity flung itself like a blob of goo to head west with my two daughters to the flipside of mainland America, I figured: hmm? Why not see life as the extraterrestrials – I mean, Californians – do?

I kid, I KID.

Actually, this time I DO kid, because if you happen to be reading this…

WAIT.

Don’t you just HATE when writers write: “If you happen to be reading this?”

Talk about “author intrusion,”* which, of course, I’m doing now in a MAJOR way, but for some reason, I am egomaniacal enough – or feel strongly enough about this point – to have the nerve to think I can get away with it.

Duh. Of COURSE you happen to be reading this; if you WEREN’T reading this, you wouldn’t be READING this: the author’s SENTENCE that says, so very stupidly, “if you happen to be reading this.”

Why THANK you, Captain OBVIOUS.

(How do you spell “AAUGHHH?”)

I can’t STAND it when people don’t give other people the credit for the most BASIC intelligence. Or when they refuse to exhibit the most basic intelligence of their own, and simply swallow and regurgitate clichés.

Sorry. That’s just not thinking “out of the box.”

(That’s a joke. I am SO hoping you all got that….)

::-::-::

Anyway, tirade over, now that I’ve “intruded,” my job as a writer now is to suck you so hard back into the work that you forget about me again. So: forget me, move on without me, save yourselves….

To get back to Californians: if you’ve been wondering where all the nice people in the world have gone; if you’ve lost your faith in humanity, you’ve been betrayed, you can’t seem to find a kind soul in a cold-hearted world, no matter where you look…

<can you hear the swelling orchestral strings…?>

Get your ass to northern California.

Someone, I don’t know who – Invader Zim?

…has scooped them all up in a giant net and deposited them HERE.

Of course, the New Yorker in me wants to warn you: I’ve only been here a few weeks, so they COULD be putting on an devastatingly good show (California, Hollywood, Oscar…), and I SHOULD keep checking my back for knives…

But honestly, if these folks aren’t genuinely nice, then I’ve landed where Ira Levin got his idea for The Stepford Wives, because everybody – and I do mean everybody – walks around with a light step, a friendly smile, and an open outlook.

This is either the Cosmic Galactic Nexus of Benevolence, or these folks are gobsmackingly realistic test robots for Disneyland’s newest animatronic attraction.

They’re cheerful and concerned for others in a state with a bigger unemployment problem and more housing foreclosures than New York.

And, unlike New York – and particularly unlike, say…oooh, I dunno, GEORGIA, they are warm and inviting to strangers. Even strangers who come from scary and disreputable places like New York. No one here has prejudged us at all.

Oscar Wilde

(At least not to our faces, where it counts. As far as I’m concerned, I’m with Oscar Wilde. Let people say whatever they want behind my back; I’ll worry when they STOP talking.)

These folks are even charming and positive in an area located less than – well, my guess would be, less then twelve inches from the Sun.

I can’t seem to figure it out. We aren’t any closer to the equator (although maybe we’re WAYYYY higher. As in, we’re astronauts. Californunauts.)

When they say “sunny California,” they aren’t just whistling Dixie.

(Side note: having made a side trip on the way to visit family in Rocky Plains, Georgia, I know what I’m talking about when I say “Dixie,” too.)

The sun is so strong here I carry a bottle of water around with me nearly everywhere I go, wishing I could haul a tank around, like someone on oxygen. I never realized what a deliciously humid state New York actually was.

Someone PLEASE let me know what moisturizing cream I need. I’m going to look about 45 years old in about 45 minutes. In another 45, I’ll look 90. As it is, the jar that used to last me six months is half gone.

In fact, Californians are SO friendly, that in a recent trip to a music store (I was rescuing a guitar I’d discovered that had been criminally abused) I got to joking with the owner, who began to tease me – and then somehow, things got a little weird.

Now, if you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you’ve probably caught on: I’m not someone you want to DARE.

Play chicken with me? You’re pretty much guaranteed two totaled cars.

So when I jokingly said: “Well, then, I’ll just have to get one big, fat, sloppy kiss,” never in a million years thinking he would take me up on it – for no one in their right mind in New York would take that phrase as ANYTHING but, er, symbolic, when the music store owner said something along the lines of me not having the nerve…

… Well, what could I do? Apparently, he was calling my bluff – or thought I was bluffing. I had my entire state’s reputation to defend.

It was only later, perusing my copy of The Secret, Closely-Guarded Girl Manual, that I remembered that those of us with a little too much tomboy in them have to be wary of dares and the like, and that boys will steal kisses when they can, particularly from impulsive redheads.

So I called his bluff back, and dashed over boldly right behind his workspace, again, never dreaming his own oncoming car would not swerve.

Yet swerve he did NOT, and put his arms around me, and kissed me like Bogart kissed Bergman in Casablanca.

Yipes.

Careful to keep my New York cool, I then shook his hand and said:

“How do you do? I’m Elizabeth. And your name is?”

“Larry,” he said. “Welcome to California.”

::-::-::-::-::-::

Author Intrusion (also sometimes called, literarily, “authorial intrusion” – I don’t know why they like the extra two syllables, but professors sometimes do…) is explained nicely here, at about.com:

Have you ever read a book where the author suddenly jolted you out of the storyline with a comment that just doesn’t flow with the rest of the work? That’s an authorial intrusion. Sometimes it works, but only when it’s done by a master storyteller/writer.

Authorial intrusions are of substantial length (not just a brief aside in a novel) and they are addressed to you (the reader).

Well, just a few words about a past days and weeks. The interpretations are up to you… ! So, let us see what happened.

I “reactivated” my blog and the contact with other bloggers.

I lost a remarkable amount of money, for nothing.

I heard a charming “I love you”, the first time after many years.

I have been depressive on the weekend, being all alone.

I met a person who has been on the german television.

A personal friend dissappointed me by his steady absence.

I had personal contact with a lot of different people of all age groups and genders.

Two friends I (personally) know from a forum did not contact me for two months.

I heard a musical piece that touched me very deep in my heart.

I realized some of my dreams will never come true.

I managed to resolve a lot of personal and professional differences.

All in all – that is life ! Other (and extended) texts in my Personal – Philosophy category on the right.

Look up to sky, and find out more about life !

…