Notepad Corner

Whether young and fresh out of your parents’ home, or older divorced and single again, when living on their own, plenty of singles find themselves faced with a harsh reality. They don’t know how to do simple repairs. Since being single often means a lower income, hiring someone to do the job isn’t always an option. Here are some simple repairs everyone should know how to do for themselves. Image credits to: Serge Bertasius Photography at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Change a Flat Tire Check your owner's manual for the location of the jack and spare tire for your car. The jack is often in a panel under the trunk, or under a seat. The spare will usually be in the trunk as well. There should be instructions on the jack, or near where it is kept that explain how to assemble it. On most newer cars, there will be grooves in the frame which the jack hooks into. Set the parking brake. Fit the jack into the groove on the frame. Raise the car so the tire is off the ground. Use

Early retirement is an ambitious and worthwhile goal – and despite the doom and gloom in and around financial markets since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), early retirement is possible. All you need is a well thought out plan and some clearly defined action steps to set you on the road – and then it’s just a matter of following your course and staying focused until your goals are reached. Below are five steps to planning your early retirement – why not get started today? image source: pixabay.com Be Clear About Your Goals Take some time to get very, very clear about what you want to do in your retirement. And how early is ‘early’? Are you thinking of travelling? Starting a business? Just doing up your home, or alternatively upsizing or downsizing at all? Think carefully about these questions, as your answers will inform your plan and how you go about executing your roadmap to early retirement. Once you know where you’re going, you can work out the best way to get there.

If you love entertaining and you are looking for some ideas for your next party then you have come to the right place. When we decorate and furnish our homes, the impression it makes on our friends and guests is foremost in our minds. We look in trendy magazines and websites for ideas. Everything from lighting, wallpaper, storage and flooring needs to be considered. There are times when we wish the clean up after a party wasn’t quite so devastating. The carpet always picks up a new stain, and the walls seem to have interesting spatter decorations in places we didn’t expect anyone to be! Undoubtedly something ornamental gets broken, and the glassware casualties are too numerous to count. Image courtesy of Fiberon on Flickr - https://flic.kr/p/6X1oKC Moving the party to the garden can help restrict some of these breakage occurrences in the house. The neighbors may need to be invited though to keep everyone happy with the additional noise from the yard. If you do have s

Mobile homes are fast becoming a choice for people from all walks of life. Buying this kind of investment can draw in a few critical notions about the pros and cons of living in such a house. Considering the current value of homes with yards and the potential mortgage you have to pay every month, the flexibility of living in mobile homes has become very appealing for many. With a mobile house, you have lesser worries on the repairs and upkeep compared with having a brick and mortar house that you still have to pay for its mortgage. Photo by Muffingg – Wikimedia Commons Retirees are looking at living a mobile home lifestyle so that they can move from place to place in comfort. Others prefer a home set in a good park because of the amenities and security it also offers. For small families with one or two kids, setting up a mobile home within a school bus route is ideal especially with school-age kids. One of the biggest attractions offered by mobile or manufactured home liv

This year’s Emmy Awards saw the return of crowd favourites, such as Modern Family, Game of Thrones and the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad. Though the end of Breaking Bad will leave a hole in our hearts, the latest TV newcomer, True Detective, showed it could be the next big hit, taking home five Emmy wins after its first season. If you haven’t already jumped on the bandwagon of these four brilliant shows, here’s a recap of what you’re missing out on. Modern Family Comedy series Modern Family once again proved itself to be two steps ahead of the rest after its fifth win for Outstanding Comedy Series. The story follows Jay Pritchett, the head of a big and unconventional family, which includes Jay’s second wife Gloria, his two adult children (Claire and Mitchell) and their respective families. This year’s Emmy Awards saw Modern Family win Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series awarded to Ty Burrell. Breaking Bad 2013

There are many hundreds of driving offences on the statute books, but only a relative few are regularly broken by drivers to the extent that courts must deal with them time and time again. Worst of all, these commonoffences tend to be at the higher end of the punishment scale, attracting stiffer penalties and fines. If you find yourself regularly stopped by police for these offences, it might be time to seek professional legal advice from a firm like GC Traffic Lawyers  or perhaps even consider taking a driver refresher course. Of course, the best way to avoid trouble with the police is to not commit offences in the first place. Here are a few of the most common, and serious, driving offences to avoid if you want to hold on to your licence. Drink driving It’s been more than 30 years since governments identified drink-driving as a major killer on the road and began campaigns to stop the offence through a combination of demonization and an appeal to common sense. While the num

To be a proud possessor of your own home has its great advantages. You can plan freely your favourite activities, without taking into consideration the plans of other people or, in two words, you can organize your schedule depending on your personal preferences. If you are communicative and open minded type of person you will certainly want to welcome guests in your place of living. Whether it comes to relatives or to more closer friends, guests are always a good reason to think about the comfort and cosiness of the living premises. Especially when it comes to sleepover guests you need to prepare more things that you could imagine. Despite the fact that these may be your sister or brother and you may think that sleepover party is a child's play there are many things that you need to plan if you are soon expecting your sleepover guests. We will introduce to your attention some of the basic things that you need to take into account before you decide to welcome your g

For many years, someone who really loved their food was just that: a hearty eater. In recent times, however, more and more emphasis has been placed on the idea of food addiction. Is enjoying your Kraft or McDonalds just that, something to be enjoyed? Or is it something more? Let’s take a closer look and explore what can be quite a contentious issue. Is food addiction legitimate? The general consensus in 2014 seems to be that yes, food addiction is a genuine condition. There are legitimate food addiction anonymous bodies currently in operation , and thousands of people have attested to feeling out of control with regards to their eating habits. A number of different symptoms are associated with the debilitating condition, including: Food cravings straight after eating If you continually feel a craving to eat despite having just done so, then the desire is coming from somewhere other than the body's natural need to eat when hungry. Rather than focusing

It's hard to know what you need to do to trim the fat from life, it's something a lot of people seem to be determined to do, but no one seems to know how. It's amazing how much difference going to that little extra effort to get rid of the most stagnant things can make in your life. Here are three of the important things you need to get rid of if you're going to make a serious go of out with the old and in with the new.  "go out with the old and in with the new" image courtesy of stockimages - freedigitalphotos.net Old Acquaintances There are a lot of people that once were friends but the ties of time and experience makes gaps between people that, if you don't work at it, can erode the friendship entirely.. Once this happens there really isn't any point to the pretense of being friends any more. If you have nothing in common and you don't spend time together there isn't really a friendship to keep up. Think about these old people,

This guide is dedicated to helping you become one of the many climbers that reaches the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro successfully. We have plenty of important information that you can really use, to help fully prepare you for the challenging but exciting trip ahead. Here are your tips for success: image author: Pius Mahimbi on Flickr Before The Climb Make Sure You're Equipped Before you begin the climb you need to make sure that you’re well equipped. You should have with you all of your travel documents, essential items like your sleeping bag, a ski pole, water bottles, high altitude gear, first aid supplies, and optional items like cameras. While making sure you have everything you need, you should also try to travel as light as possible. Prepare Yourself Physically To prepare your body for climbing this mountain, a suitable training program is required. A regular gym program to stimulate muscle development, along with some practice hikes and walks

2014 is the Year of the Yang Wood Horse (Jia Wu). In preparation for the start of Chinese New Year, Chinese lanterns and other decorations have been popping up and displayed in most Chinese countries and Chinese community areas around the globe to herald the new year. Chinese New Year is known as the Lunar New Year or the Spring Festival which usually lasts 15 days. This year, the date of the Chinese New Year 2014 is on Jan. 30, 2014 (Chinese New Year's Eve) to February 13, 2014 (Lantern Festival). As a tradition, weeks before the New Year celebration, enormous preparations has been made as the Chinese people consider Spring Festival accompanied by good fortune.

Many people have difficult times in their lives and could benefit from going to counselling therapy. However, to go down this route feels too official and a little too prescriptive for some people, so they end up not confronting or dealing with the challenges they are facing. One alternative to counselling that can be very helpful for analysing your particular circumstances and issues is to have a reading with a psychic or clairvoyant. In psychic or clairvoyant readings at TheCircle.com, you can discuss any subject area that you want to, and looking at different problems or dilemmas you are facing with the help of an independent and objective listener can be really beneficial. If you were to talk to a friend or relative, they might find it impossible not to try and sway you with their own view of your situation. A clairvoyant will not do this – they are not involved in your life and remain objective. 

The festive season is here which means the return of several traditions and one that’s enjoyed a surge in popularity over the last few years comes in the form of the traditional Christmas Jumper. With the high streets now littered with knitwear containing images of Rudolph, snowflakes and other festive imagery you would be well within your right to think the jumper has no where else to go. But it does! The company behind the phenomenon Morphsuits has created the first ever range of digital Christmas jumpers! The Morphsuits Christmas Jumpers , which work with the help of your smart phone, bring to life a crackling fireplace, a snow globe and even a festive cat (!) all of which are guaranteed to cause a stir wherever you decide to wear them!

Australia has become obsessed with food and many people are looking for the latest and greatest dining experience. We are looking for more than just a meal; we want the atmosphere, a holistic experience. So if you are looking for places with ambiance, here is a list of five casual diners with excellent design. Max Brenners Photo via Flickr Popular chocolate shop and restaurant, Max Brenners’ offers a holistic chocolate experience. Although there are many different franchises around Australia, they all share a similar internal decor. The overall atmosphere is one of warmth. It uses a dark pallet of materials, mostly dark wood, to create a cosy feeling, which compliments the warm beverages offered. The stores have a sense of quirkiness about them, and some stores have big chocolate melting vats that supply chocolate through pipes to the bar. The chocolate shop displays all its products in a well-designed fashion.

I have never been fond of watching musicals. I would like to believe that I am a picky viewer when it comes to such. While some may consider watching such as a way to feed their hunger for the arts, I consider it a luxury that should only be done when there’s a strong reason behind it. Nevertheless, I must admit that I would gladly spend my hard-earned money on  Jersey Boys jukebox musical. To be able to get discounts on buying 4 tickets, I will   compare price of Jersey Boys tickets at Big Ticket Shop UK   just  so my husband and I together with our two sons would never pass up the opportunity to watch them. The story revolves mainly around the formation, success, and eventual break-up of The Four Seasons and its front man Frankie Valli. If you are not familiar with the group, perhaps because you were born long after the group disbanded, they were a rock and roll group that was quite successful and popular during the 1960s. They shot to fame and went over the top, literally and fig

One of the most exciting activities that families look forward to during the holiday season is shopping for treats. Department stores teem with festive decors and accents which create a surreal wonderland for the little ones and the big ones as well. It definitely makes Christmas the happiest time for them and for parents too! This is the best time for you to take advantage of and use your Marks and Spencer voucher codes to save on your long list of purchases! Shopping for gifts and treats should start a bit early if you intend to bring kids and little ones along with you to avoid the influx of shoppers who seem to enjoy rushing around boutiques and shops. There are also concept stores that you can visit which have some of the most exciting Christmas treats to choose from. Kids will surely enjoy picking up delicious looking treats and sweets from Marks and Spencer while you and your husband try out top of the line clothing and accessories on big sale! 

Moroccan oil is very common and prevalent to Morocco as the Moroccan people have been using it for centuries. Scientists were able to discover its true value and claims are proven to be true through research and studies.

There are many yearly events that generate the opportunity to doll up in fancy dress costumes such as cosplays, themed book launchings or releases, Mardi Gras, sporting events, corporate fish activities, amongst others. Fancydress ball offers ladies costumes for all occasions covering a wide range of styles, sizes that could fit everyone’s budget. The site is a retailer that is run by fancy dressers who can help to make you stand-out among the crowd in the fancy dress party you’ll be attending. You can pick out from a variety of amazing and brightly colored ladies outfits perfect for a specific theme that is ideal to wear for a memorable event.

When deciding on your next family car there are many factors to consider and it may seem like a daunting task to many parents. But there is help out there; the first thing you have to do is consider the nature of your family, how big it is, what you do in the car – just the school run? A commute? Or a big out door family cycling weekend. Whatever your needs, make a list and choose a car that ticks all your boxes. The biggest factor when deciding on a family car is always safety, whether it’s two parents and a baby, or aunties, uncles, cousins and two Labradors, safety is always an issue. Even the most basic of safety packages should cover anti-lock brakes (ABS), electronic stability control (ESC) and air bags for every seat in the car, perhaps even side-curtain airbags. Safety features such as this should come as standard with any new model of car claiming to be for the family. But for the more pocket conscious buying a used car may be more of a realistic scenario, and

Are you looking for a place to indulge your late night food cravings on a Wednesday night? Or you can’t wait until the weekend to visit your favorite late night food markets? Then Midnight Mercato, Metro Manila’s premiere late night weekend food market, will be open on Wednesday nights starting February 29 to answer your foodie call! Indulge in the Midnight Mercato experience and enjoy an extensive selection of foodie favorites - steamed cheeseburgers, crunchy pork belly, wagyu steak on a sticks, deep dish pizzas, authentic Vigan empanadas, ice-cream filled mochi balls, specialty milk teas, dark lager beer cheesecakes – straight from the kitchens of home-based and specialty chefs, while enjoying live acoustic performances and free wi-fi. Wednesday Midnight Mercato is perfect way to celebrate the middle of the week! Midnght Mercato is open from 10:00pm to 3:00am every Friday, Saturday and Wednesday (starting February 29) and Mercato Centrale is open every Sat