It's high time we all laughed more and more!

It’s high time we all laughed more and more!

What’s the feeling you get after wild laughter? I usually feel like relieved. And this is just logical. Laughter is the human gift for coping and survival. To put it simply, it can help us feel better.
Any time you burst into laughter you are unaware of the many benefits this seemingly simple act is bringing to you. Among other things, it is a natural stress reliever. It also triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers. What’s more, since it involves aerobic activity, it provides a workout for the diaphragm and increases the body’s ability to use oxygen. And last but not least, it is completely free! All in all, laughter can fill you with a sense of well-being.

Unfortunately, more than once we feel we have no reasons for laughing. But, it is precisely during difficult circumstances when we need to laugh more. Let’s just let ourselves enjoy this special feeling we get whenever we laugh. Indeed, the best memories I have are those in which something made me split my sides laughing or laugh so hard that I doubled over, fell of my chair, spit out food or wet my trousers. It feels so good! I’d say it’s one of the most pleasant things in life. Yes, definitely!

So, what are we waiting to take a daily healthy dose of laughter? Go ahead! Laughter is good medicine! You will be bound to feel better.

History takes a holiday.

History takes a holiday.

Tired of clichéd holidays? I have the solution!
Have you ever heard about Landmark trust? I have recently learnt about it and I fell in love with it!
Landmark trust was founded in 1965 by Sir John Smith and Lady Smith. It is a building preservation charity which rescues historic buildings from decay and makes them into holiday places. So, nowadays it is possible to spend your next holiday in a gothic temple, medieval castle or splendid tower. You can rent a building for a week or for a couple of days and experience an extraordinary holiday!

Trust me, the places are absolutely unbelievable! They are 200 in all throughout Britain and Italy (there are 4 in The USA). As a charity, Landmark Trust spends the letting income from holidays in the maintenance of the places and the rescue of further ones. All of them preserve their original architectural style and facade.

It just amazed me how other countries value cultural and historic things. Their peoples make efforts to keep history so alive and they enrich culture constantly. They really care about such things. Take for example Landmark Trust’s slogan: “we must ensure our past has a future”. Interesting, isn’t it?

World cup 2010

There is nobody who can claim that his life has not been affected in any way in the last days. For sure, you had to change a timetable, postpone an important appointment or leave things for later. The reason behind this is the world cup. But why is it that this sport event “paralyzes” daily life? Why is there such fervour among people? Anyway, the truth is that for the following month our lives will be different.

Let’s have a look at how a typical day in our lives can be modified. If you are keen on watching or reading the news on a regular basis, be ready to find sport news, sport news and sport news. The excessive media coverage of the competition comes second to none. And this leaves us with the strange feeling that we are living in an ideal world with no corruption, no poverty, no crimes, no misery. Next, schools allow students to be absent so as not to miss the matches, banks close earlier, shops close too, the streets become desserts for the period of two hours and people gather together in bars or at home no matter the time or day.

What’s more, the world cup has traditionally been almost the only excuse that brings the nation together. The feeling of patriotism becomes stronger than ever and the whole country seems to stop pulling in opposite directions. Amazingly, a football tournament has the power to leave aside prejudices and hostilities among the population. But, as experience has taught, after we wake up from this wonderful dream, we return to our hectic lives characterized by impatience, worries and disunion.

To sum up, the world cup has deep, temporary effects on people’s lives. In my opinion, most of them are positive. However, it is a pity that the union we are able to create during this month is abandoned after it and we return to normality and all of its implications.










Sources:

The Asian culture

It’s not much but I’d like to share what I’ve found...


The Asian family has a strong bond and this provides for growth an opportunity within the family, and also when they reach adulthood.
The Asian family has certain expectations for their children and the children know what is expected of them. Many families expect the children to use the capacity they have for learning to achieve high marks in school. They will reward the child for a perfect four point average in school. They provide after school activities that compliment the parent's beliefs.
The Asian family has a deep sense of family and respect the many generations that very often live in the same area. The result is a well rounded child with a strong identity and bright future.

Presentations

Let’s start with presentations. Those who have never tried giving one will find it hard to believe that there’s writing about it. At first glance, presentations seem just simple, but once you get to learn about it, you realise there is more to that than meets the eye. There are many point to take into account if we wish to succeed when giving a presentation. And don’t think they are too far away form real life, especially in our case. I see presentations very much connected to the teaching profession.
I hope you find interesting these pieces of information
Successful Presentation Skills
Regardless of what or where you have to present, follow this easy six-step process and create a presentation that wows:
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Decide what you want to achieve
•
Decide what form your presentation should take
•
Prepare a script
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Design and prepare your visual aids and handouts
•
Rehearse
•
Do it!

If you stick to these basic guidelines and put in the necessary time and effort, you’ll learn how to deliver successful, informative and enjoyable presentations.

Confidence matters…
Lots of people begin their presentations badly due to feelings of being ‘on the spot’. Find some friendly faces and maintain eye contact throughout the presentation – this will help to boost your overall confidence.
Another tremendous confidence builder is preparation. Prepare as fully as possible, with a tightly edited script, sufficient visual aids and plenty of rehearsal time. This will give you a sense of being in control.
.
Knowing your audience…
To stage a good presentation, it is vital that you know your audience and their basic characteristics:
Who will be attending?
How well informed are they?
What do they expect from you and your presentation?


To sum it up…
When preparing your presentation, make sure you:
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Know your audience
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Keep your presentation simple
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Keep to the point
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Have confidence in yourself and your message

Source: www.microsoft.com/.../presentation.mspx
Other 10 Tips for Successfully Presenting Content
1. Presenter is well researched 2. Presenter shows strong understanding of material 3. Presenter thoroughly covers topic 4. Presenter discusses references in bibliography throughout presentation to show that information is substantiated 5. Presenter ensures that information is free of errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation 6. Presenter ensures that information is clearly and logically organized and is easy to follow 7. Presenter does not exclude any important information but does exclude extraneous information 8. If a group project, each participant has a fair share in presenting the material 9. Presenter discusses images and graphics in the presentation 10. Presenter uses parallel speaking structure throughout the presentation
Source: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/21stcent/presenttips.html