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A joyous and prosperous 2013 to one and all!

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Days pass so swiftly and now we’re on the tail end of 2012. Notepad Corner is already running on its third year come 2013 and as 2012 closes its doors to give way for a new year ahead, I would like to thank you – my readers for your continued support. Rest assured, this blog will constantly provide interesting and worthy topics and articles for you to read on.

Yuletide fever, perfect moment for family affairs

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The jubilation of Christmas is felt everywhere as most families greet the season with festive atmosphere.   The Yuletide fever as my youngest son called it, is a perfect moment for family affairs. It is the most special time of the year for unique family bonding. School break for two long weeks for the kids to enjoy best the holidays can give us more time to schedule fun activities for the whole family.   Attending family reunions, watching movies, strolling and wandering in parks and places with Christmas activities for entertainment and leisure or a week vacation such as an out of town trip to unwind and relax are just among the recreational activities families take pleasure in during this season.

Watching your budget while studying

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photo credits:  freedigitalphotos.net Living on a student budget can be stressful so it’s wise to do some financial planning prior to starting a college or university course, whether or not this will be undertaken close to home or abroad.  A financial plan does not have to be sophisticated but it does need to be honest about everyday expenditure, and it’s a good idea to build in a few ways in which income can be stretched a little more.  Here are some basic tips for watching your budget while studying. Creating a budget Begin with an honest analysis of typical monthly expenditure.  Track every single item on a spreadsheet, or in a notebook or smartphone app.  From the total available to spend, first set aside funds for the major bills – tuition fees, books, accommodation costs, meal tickets, etc.  If there are large amounts to be spent once or twice per year – for example, on travel if studying abroad – make sure to include these.  What money is left after these entries rep

Study Options For College Graduates

After students graduate from college, they must decide what to do with their lives. There are often three options: find a job, take post graduate courses or travel abroad. Depending upon your budget, the economy and your stress levels, you may choose one of these three options as the next stage in life. Let’s take a look how these options can be incorporated and integrated into our lives as learning opportunities: Enrol in Postgraduate Courses Many college graduates want to immediately enrol into postgraduate courses. Some people may choose to get their Masters in Business Administration (MBA), Masters of Science (MS) or Masters of Education (MEd) immediately after finishing a bachelor’s degree. Going to school to be a doctor is another option. To enrol in these programs, college graduates must usually show their proficiency by taking a MCAT test to prove their ability to perform at a certain level. You can find MCAT practice tests online to help you study for this important

Condominiums, the modern-day city domiciles

Gone are the days where you can see many beautiful houses in the metropolis. As the city is increasingly congested with population and limited space, condominiums and townhouses emerge as a very attractive proposition in choosing an urban contemporary home. Only private subdivisions in town are now selling the traditional house and lot. If you want to purchase a reasonably priced conventional home, start scouting for it out of town. As observed, more big houses in the city are being converted to business establishments; mostly are turned   into a specialized bistro while others set up boutiques and bazaars. Most families these days find buying a high rise home practically wise due to the following reasons: Location and Proximity. It is much comfortable to live close to a key destination such as your children’s school, place of work or office , supermarket and hospitals.

Home Organizational Tips that will Save You Money

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Cleaning and organizing the home can be a daunting task when you have a busy life and a family to take care of. Yet when you can't readily find objects in your home, it can cost you money to needlessly replace them. Taking the time to get organized will save you time and money in the long run, which is why an annual spring cleaning can be so beneficial. The following are a few ways to organize your home to make life easier, and save a few dollars in the process! Sort Mail One of the biggest sources of clutter is the mail that comes in every single day. Create a centralized area to hold your incoming mail, where it can be easily sorted each day. Use a filing system to store important documents, and recycle the rest. You can not only reduce clutter but save money by switching to online bank statements and bills, as many utility companies will give you a discount for online payments. This will also ensure that you pay all bills on time, helping you avoid late fees. Create a

Advantages Of Having A Carpeted Flooring

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Have you noticed that when you step inside a luxurious hotel or function room, flooring most of the time are carpeted? Isn’t it an indication of fabulous and expensive place? Probably it is, because by merely walking on it, you can already feel the comfort that soothes your tired and cold feet. Carpets aside from its beautifying purpose also trap 50% of dust in the air, thus, preventing it from being inhaled. However, do not just let your carpet stay on the floor without cleaning it on a regular basis. Dusts will accumulate tremendously over a week’s time and carpet could become your worst allergen. It is strongly advised to undergo regular carpet cleaning to maintain its beauty and protective property.

Things that make us merry throughout Christmas Season

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Time flies swiftly and we’ve come to the tail end of 2012. The last month of the year - December is the period when we celebrate Christmas season. It is the time of the year where every place is filled with a joyful spirit whether at home, office, school, entertainment or shopping facilities. There are a lot of things that make us merry throughout the Christmas season and these are: Happy moods created by yuletide decorations like colorful Christmas lanterns, beautifully decorated Christmas trees, Christmas lights overflowing in malls and major city streets and more.

Questions You Should Be Asking Your Wedding Planner

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photo credits: freedigitalphotos.net Planning a wedding is an overwhelming task, so it’s wise to get a helping hand. Hiring a wedding planner will mean that you can relax in the run up to your wedding day, and get the ideal amount of beauty sleep. Knowing that you have a professional on-hand can give you peace of mind; especially if this is your first time walking down the aisle. But before you rush to your nearest wedding planner and beg them to help you with your big day, it’s worthwhile to ask them the following questions to assess if they’re the right expert for you: How Do You Approach Communication With Your Clients? Your wedding planner is going to become your new pal. There’ll need to be a lot of communication between you and your nuptial professional, so find out just how you’ll be able to contact him or her. Will you work together through email, phone, or meetings? You may want to be able to get in touch with your wedding planner at all sorts of hours, es

Divorced and Looking for Financial Advice?

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Divorce is never easy or straightforward and one of the most complicated issues is often the financial arrangements that have to be made. photo credits: freedigitalphotos.net Getting divorced is likely to be a stressful and emotional time so it's important to get an expert to give you honest and independent advice. Ideally, you will be able to sort out the financial settlement without going to court, which can be expensive as well as adding to the stress of the divorce. It is also likely to lead to more acrimony.

The Evolution of an Online Store Counterpart

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As technology continues its quest to innovate things, it realizes the creation of another world called the online community. Over time, people were able to take part of it by having their social networking accounts and slowly building their online reputation. The online community now becomes a new haven for the business minded individuals. This became a new market and in order to reach as much clients as you can, you would definitely be starting to use an online store builder .

Prayers and condolences to the grieving families of Sandy Hook Elementary Tragedy

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The author of this blog - Notepad Corner, sincerely commiserates to the grieving families of the Sandy Hook Elementary Tragedy in New Town Connecticut. Being a mom, I could not imagine and describe the sheer terror when your child is caught in a place of violence, most especially in the school where you least expect harm done to your kids. It is really saddening and terrifying.   I may not be living near the place of the incident and know no-one from there but being a parent, I definitely could relate how painful it could be. Kids simply come to school to learn and what had transpired inside the school full of kids, teachers and staffs is indeed frightening and alarming.  The shooting that left 28 dead including 20 kids between five and ten years old is not a normal human act.   The violent behavior that brought lost of innocent lives and traumatic experience to the other kids who survived will definitely not be forgotten easily. To the innocent little angels, whose beau

Cleaning 101: Make washing clothes less of a chore

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Most homemakers will surely agree when I say that washing clothes and ironing are the most exhausting and back breaking house chores. Since I still do not have a house helper, I keep on finding ways on how to make my house chores light and easier, yet not compromising the cleanliness and quality of work done. I did mentioned in my previous post about Tornado Mop 360°:, my new cleaning buddy in mopping the floor. It really has helped me a lot, especially in cleaning the hard to reach areas. Lately, I saved hard to buy a Samsung 3D wobble technology washing machine to make my laundry less of a chore. As I am suffering from trigger finger (flexor tendinitis) squeezing and wringing out clothes from my conventional twin tub washing machine makes my fingers ache more.  

The Evolution of Technology

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Centuries ago people were categorized by judging the amount of land owned and worked on. Back then there were only horses and bulls available to track carriages, ensuring transport in both urban areas and farms. Ever since the industrialization period, things have changes and evolution has taken place. Machinery slowly but surely replaced the work done by humans. With regards to transport, engines started being produced and proved to be more powerful and effective than the animal’s strength. Nowadays, technology is present in every aspect of our life. Horses are no longer used to move things from one place to another on the premises of a farm. Tractors are in charge of that and when needed, trailers are attached to these machines so that various objects or maybe even livestock can be easily moved from point A to B.   Special types of trailers have been developed for the safe transportation of farm animals. Livestock trailers for pigs and sheep are produced using high resis

World’s Mega Car Factories

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Next time you jump on a site like Cars4Sale Australia , take a look at just how many car brands are becoming readily available. With so many options available on the modern car market, the sheer scale on which they are manufactured becomes apparent. Companies such as General Motors incorporate many different brands, and have had to create huge factories worldwide to cope with the global demand for new vehicles. Here are three of the world’s mega car factories, capable of production on an unimaginable scale. Ford – Valencia, Spain While not the largest factory in the world, the Valencia plant still makes over 2000 units per week, and contributes to over 8% of the economic output of Valencia. The factory still employs approximately 7000 workers, plus ancillaries, which has been a huge support for the area. This is especially important in the age of automated manufacturing, and such a high employment rate has ensured Ford’s success in Valencia. With over 9 million cars ha

Should you enroll in graduate school?

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Is it really worth enrolling in graduate school? If you are seeking to stay competitive and aiming for a higher earning potential, then getting a master’s degree is one of the best solutions. When applying for a job, most employers nowadays pay increasing attention on their applicant’s academic background and training aside from work experience as a measure for filling in position. Having a degree education is okay but when it comes to promotions, most companies often take graduate education as an important consideration. Getting into an institution for higher learning can make a big change in your career. Moreover, you can land better jobs that earn more. There are several factors you need to take into account if you want to pursue enrolling in graduate school for it entails financial and time investments.   Remember, quality education comes with a steep price. You need to evaluate and think of it over many times, the bottomline is you will spend more money for tuiti

Best Wine Regions in Australia

There are many exotic locations, all around the globe, which boast to have the premium wines regions of the world. However, the humble Australian does not need to go to the far corners of the earth to find a world class wine experience. Fabulous wineries, with rich history and culture, exist throughout this amazing continent – all that is needed is a little research and direction and you'll find a wine experience that is up with the world’s best! Margaret River Margaret River as a wine region is relatively young, only establishing its first serious vine plantation in 1967. However, the hard work and passion of the 120 local producers have put Margaret River on the world map. The Mediterranean climate of the region lends to prime conditions for producing vines, fruit and ultimately wines that dominate 20 precent of the Australia's premium wine market. When arriving for a tour of the 5500 hectares of combined vine properties, you will also find some of the best surf beaches i

Cleaning 101: My new cleaning buddy

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It has been a while since my having a house helper. Doing the house chores alone eats up most of my time during the day. At first, it was real chaos, just merely thinking of the things that needed to be done for the day made me feel tired and exhausted already. The setting up of a house chores work plan, and scheduling activities on a time table allowed me time to work on my online tasks.   Aside from my work plan I also maximized the use of electronic aids and gadgets like an electric air pot to provide us instant hot water for coffee in the morning, the use of a microwave for cooking and reheating leftover foods, the washing machine to launder clothes and more. I also taught my two boys to do easy chores such as making up their own beds upon waking up in the morning and assigned them other duties like setting up the table, washing the dishes and during weekends sweeping the backyard and cleaning up the windows.

5 of the Best Clubs in Ibiza.

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The small island of Ibiza is home to some of the most famous nightclubs in the world. The Ibiza club scene is known for its world-class music, lively atmosphere, big name DJs, fantastic locations and up to 10,000 person capacities per club. Here is a list of the top 5 clubs in Ibiza. 1. Privilege photo credits: commons.wikimedia.org Privilege is an internationally known, supersized Ibizan nightclub. It is located between Ibiza Town and San Antonio. The club has a great deal of history, hosting some of the most famous parties on the island including the world-renowned Manumission night. The club caters for a range of music tastes, with names such as DJ Tiesto, Wiz Khalifa, Jamiroquai, Snoop Dogg and the Far East Movement. Privilege is a fantastic venue, with 25 metre high ceilings, one of the largest dance floors in the world, a swimming pool and stunning views over the island. If you are on a budget but still want to visit the most famous club in Ibiza, visit Privilege m

Liveable Spaces

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It’s hard to pinpoint a time in your kid’s lives when you wouldn’t appreciate a shed out the back to deposit them in. Toddlers can make you feel as if the apocalypse is imminent. There’s few sounds more sure to shred your eardrums than the howls of a seven year old raising hell because they WILL NOT WEAR A SINGLET TO SCHOOL. And teenagers. Where to begin. Suffice it to say, teenagers are the punishment for all your former sins (possibly your future one’s, too) Luckily, you can actually stow your teen in a shed without being summoned on charges of negligent parenting. And with the kinds of liveable shed spaces on the market today, it’s likely you’ll wind up with a severe case of shed envy, not to mention a very contented teen. Liveable sheds are a cost effective solution for those needing more space, be it for teenagers, guests, or as a liveable working area.   

Points to consider in finding the Perfect Home Dining Table

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Lovely and memorable family bondings are mostly created in the home’s dining table. Choosing the perfect table can go the distance of a whole lot of meals for the family.  photo credits:  freedgitalphotos.net Here are several points to consider in finding the perfect home dining table. 

Sleep: How Important is it really?

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Sleep is absolutely critical to our physical and mental well-being. Without sufficient sleep, we may find it difficult to concentrate, struggle to perform easy tasks and become bad tempered. Sleeping is good for the immune systems, it provides our bodies with time and energy to heal and recuperate and it balances our hormones and keeps our brains functioning. photo credits:  freedigitalphotos.net Large numbers of people, however, suffer from sleep disorders. There are those who, even though they feel exhausted, find it difficult to fall off to sleep and there are those who wake up too early and are unable to go back to sleep. Due to the number of people suffering from sleep problems, there have been plenty of studies and help is at hand. Sleep problems are often linked to other illnesses and diseases such as depression and chronic fatigue syndrome. What we eat and drink before bed as well as anxiety and worry can also be a factor.  

Training Your Child To Sleep On Their Own Room

Ever since your new bundle came into your family, you used to place his crib inside your room and let him sleep there. It’s just the right thing to do during the first 3 years because at this point of time, your child still needs attention and can’t do things on their own yet without any parental help. It is also one of the ways to establish a strong bond in the family. However, time will come that your child gets bigger and he should learn to sleep on his own bed, in his own room. This can’t be implemented that fast because for quite some time he used to sleep knowing that he has some companion. Children easily get scared and would prefer to sleep with their parents. It should be in a slow and thorough process and explain to your child properly why there is a need for him to sleep on his own. You may join him in his room until he gets sleepy and bedtime stories would be of great help. Encourage your child that he isn’t getting any younger and soon he will grow up to be a bra

How to Make the Most out of Transferable Skills

As you progress through your working life you will acquire and develop several transferrable skills that would be considered useful across a number of roles and sectors. In recent years these transferrable skills have become increasingly valuable to employers who now recognise the benefits of having access to employees with a wide range of skills and experience. This paradigm shift has opened up many more employment opportunities for people seeking a change in career, as identifying your transferrable skills and highlighting them to a prospective employer can give you the competitive edge and help get you selected for interview. What Are Transferrable Skills? Any skill that you possess that can be considered useful outside the environment you gained that skill in, or that can be used in a variety of jobs can be considered transferrable. A transferrable skill does not have to originate in the workplace; it can come from your personal life such as budgeting skills honed durin

Can’t Cook Won’t Cook

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Great British Bake-Off photo courtesy:  bbc.co.uk With shows like The Great British Bake-Off inspiring teenagers and adults all over the country to break out their baking trays, home-cooking has seen an explosion of interest and popularity. Many people are intimidated by cooking shows however, believing that they will be unable to create the television’s marvelous cakes and pastries in their own kitchen. From cookbooks to podcasts, there are a number of ways people can kick-start their amateur baking – some chefs even make house calls for one-to-one tuition. Although stocking your kitchen with the latest cooking appliances and ingredients can be detrimental to your wallet, it doesn’t cost anything at all to learn the basics. Unless you’re a Michelin professional, part-time bakers bake for enjoyment, so you have to be willing to get a bit messy with your mixing if you’re going to succeed. Here are a few simple steps to get you ready and raring to go.  

Fairy Hobmother Just Visited Me Along With His Awesome Appliances

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Have you heard about the ever gracious and cool fairy of the blogosphere? Yes, I’m talking about the Fairy Hobmother! He has been hopping from one blog to another to spread joy and happiness and has been giving out awesome presents! None ever revealed yet what could these presents be but all of them were all grateful. It must be something very great! After several weeks of waiting, finally I can prove to everyone that this Fairy Hobmother really exists and now he came along with his awesome appliances and of course some exciting presents that I can’t wait to have. Since Christmas is coming up, a nice and huge free standing fridge would be more than enough to store all the chilled desserts that you will be making. The entire family would be very happy going back and forth and getting their sweet tooth satisfied while waiting for the clock to strike twelve.

How to Make Your Computer-Whiz Kid Read Books

For some kids, especially those that are incredibly computer savvy, reading is just not their cup of tea. Though many children enjoy reading on a daily basis, if you have a child who is interested in computers, it may be a bit difficult to find books that are powerful enough to pull them away from the computer screen. That being said there are some ways that you can get your computer savvy child to read, and enjoy doing it. This technique will help open up your child's mind to the wonders of reading.  It takes a specially constructed mind to be able to use and enjoy using technology, technology, though incredibly impressive, is just not for everyone. In a similar vein, non-technological elements are not for everyone either. In order to get your computer oriented kid to read books you may have to employ the use of e-books or electronic books to spark their interest. Part of the draw of paper books for many is the feel of the pages between their fingers and the look of the book

Tips to Develop Your Child’s Love and Skills For Reading

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Parents have a huge influence on how fast and quickly their children learn to read. Developing a child’s love and skill for reading is not an easy peasy job. We need to encourage and help our children to draw their attention, to fascinate them, and to make them realize the gain and benefits of reading. Here are some tips to improve and build up your child's progress in reading. Be a role model, seeing you read will inspire and motivate your children to read Start introducing books during the toddler stage; pop-up books for a start will instigate their interest to keep on looking at the book every now and then. Set time to read to your children.   Children will get enthusiastic in this activity, hearing the way how you properly pronounce words will actually help them read better themselves. As you read to each other explore for new vocabularies.

Why Carolina Herrera perfume outshine other brands

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When it comes to perfumes, there is no doubt that there are many brands, but there are those that are astounding and made of quality work than others.  Carolina Herrera perfume is not just elegant and luxurious, but flourishing as well. The seventy three year old brand owner started her journey in New York, where she was a top-notch designer of both men and women’s clothes. Carolina Herrera has secured her rank in the market over the years, by establishing both men and women accessories. Many customers define her brand as classy and stylish, the perfumes produce a breathtaking fragrant that is soothing and long lasting. You would not want to smell the same every day, which is why Carolina Herrera perfume is available in different flavors. The products have become versatile over the years as the label gains more popularity and demand from worldwide customers. Due to this fact, you can seek for your favorite perfume online shopping, where most people find it more convenient to

How Businesses Recover From Natural Calamities

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Whenever natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, hurricanes or storms strike the business sector, recovering from the tremendous losses would be the greatest challenge as most businesses face different set of shocks following a natural disaster. Some are even forced to close while others would try to get up using whatever resources that were left behind. Going back to the normal operation the soonest time possible to recover from losses is always the first wise move. Say for example you have a trucking business and there is a need to move out the vehicles to continue the operation. Instead of waiting for the muddy road to be cleared, crane mats can be utilized as temporary dry roads so that they could pass through with ease. These mats can also be used to allow the heavy vehicles to pass the thick snow during winter.  The existence of these timber mats now ensures a continued operation and can somehow help in keeping the business continue its undertakings instead of implemen

The Green Project – Planting for fresh air and greener environment

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Among my two sons, my eldest son JM has the green thumb.   He is the one helping me work with my mini-garden planting different sorts of foliage, such as herbs, ornamental plants and trees. JM and I are more interested with plants that could repel mosquitos as Dengue disease has become more rampant these days. We can save a lot if we will just surround our home with these natural anti-mosquito plants instead of using chemicals which may also harm the family’s health. We also have herbs planted in pots that I use in cooking, ornamental plants and trees that could bring luck and fruit bearing trees. Aside from giving a greener environment that soothes tired eyes, these plants gives breathable fresh air especially when the whole family sits and chat in our garden set at our backyard during weekends.  Recently, my sister gave us a cypress tree. JM transplanted it on a pot trying to make a bonsai, lol. My youngest son Yahmir is the one responsible in watering the plants t

Take Part In Saving Lives; Learn The CPR and Be Certified

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Being able to save someone’s life is one of the most fulfilling acts that a person can do. Fortunately, you don’t have to become a doctor or health care personnel to be able to do such thing. It may seem complicated to imagine but basic life support activities can be taught to anyone and can be learned. photo credits: en.wikipedia.org

Top Tips: How To Dress Ten Years Younger

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photo credits: freedigitalphotos.net You don’t have to buy your clothes from H&M to look like you are in your twenties. The key to looking young and beautiful is to choose clothes which fit you, flatter your body, and are fashionable. It’s really not as difficult as you might think to create a wardrobe that shaves years off your age without making you look like mutton dressed as lamb. Follow our tips to look flawlessly fashionable all the time: Confidence You may hoard shapeless, baggy items that hide your figure because you are still struggling with the effect the aging process has had on your body. You have a beautiful figure; you just need to show it off at its best. Although you may feel safer in these numbers, they’re actually making you look larger and older than you are, when you should be celebrating what you’ve got. Dress tactically to enhance your assets and hide your problem areas. One failsafe outfit for most women is the wrap dress.