Random Reads

In my own opinion, the best book in the world (The Bible)  has the best insight about Worry.  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you (1 Peter 5:7). As the year 2020 ends , we reflect on all that has happened from january until now.  We all started the new year hopeful and full of lots of dreams. This year started out with lots of wild fire happening in Australia. I remember people were scared cause all the ice was melting and this raised a lot of concerns in regard to global warming and the every changing climate. Then it happened that Corona virus spread in China - it went from being an epidemic to a pandemic. This affected the health care sector, market crashed and the lockdown of countries began. The most affected markets during the lockdown was hotels, resorts, cruise ships, casinos, airlines, entertainment and live events. Then we had the lockdown life - everyone panicked about the limited supply of tissue paper, PPE, hands sanitizer and food. But the ...

We usually talk about a balanced diet, what about a balanced life. The concept of work- life balance is a bit of a myth and not realistic for modern work practices - but thanks to a pandemic a lot of organisations have restructured the way we work. From remote working, to flexible work pattern and so forth a lot has changed in 2020. I used to work for a company that thought it was bizarre to work from home. Given the current state, they have been forced to build laptops for thousands of employees and offer cloud-based systems in the space of 3 months. This was a change that seemed impossible for 5 years ago. A digitally transformed organisation where employees can work remotely can support the great dream of a work-life balance, especially for women.  Accepting you cant do it all The first step is accepting you cants do everything. This means setting boundaries with yourself and others, and prioritising the most important jobs. Working from home does n...

5 Foods That Can Trigger Acne Acne  is a complex issue—there’s no single cause of breakouts, and what triggers a pimple in one person might be benign to another. With that said, if topical treatments haven’t made a difference, it may be time to change what you eat. More doctors and estheticians than ever believe in a diet-acne connection, and some common foods are now believed to be breakout triggers. Here, 7 foods that can make acne worse. (On the bright side, chocolate is not on the list.) Diary Bad news, dairy queens: milk actually doesn’t do a complexion good. Because of recent research on diet and acne, the American Academy of Dermatology now says there may be a link between milk consumption and breakouts. Blame the hormones in dairy, says Dr. Frank Lipman, an integrative and functional medicine physician and the founder of Eleven Eleven Wellness Center in New York City. “Dairy causes spikes in certain pimple-producing hormones,” he explains. “I encourage patients to have almo...

Clutter - we all have it in our homes. It could be drawer, a room, under the bed, a space or even the whole house. Did you know clutter actually cause stress? A lot of people would agree and the next question comes. Where do i start from and how can i maintain a clean space constantly. Think of brain - it is organised in such a way that you can retrieve most information if given the right clues. Your home space should be a haven of relaxation and enjoyment.  Why do you think we enjoy staying in hotels so much - or now AirBnBs . It is because the space is clean, tidy and organised. Your home can be similar to living in a hotel.  Tips to achieve a clutter free space; TIME  Dedicate at least 15 minutes a day to clean out a draw, space or corner (light cleaning). Make it fun and play some music while cleaning, makes all the difference. Dedicate about 2 hours a week to deep clean or hire a cleaner once a month.  Did you know you waste alot of precious time looki...

  Recently I applied for business access on a global platform. As it was the norm, I was waiting for an email to confirm the status - Yes, No or additional information required. After a couple of weeks, I decided to just log on and check if I had the required access and waha- access granted.  Sometimes in life, you might be waiting for that prompt, notification, signal, trigger or whatever you may call it. Don't wait for the rain to fall before you think about planting a seed. Go ahead and plant the seed and keep checking on the seed by watering, taking off the weeds and pests. When you see rain fall, that's just the cherry on top (extra) in addition to the work you have already put in. Note to self always check, check and check again. Double checking brings excellent results. If you are searching for a job and you have not heard back, call the agency, follow the organisation on linkedin, chase up as much as you can- all you need to secure an opportunity is one yes - in the mi...

Did you know that on average, an adult spends about 3 hours a day on social media platforms? To thrive in this pandemic, do something for yourself to sustain your career. Many organizations are reorganizing and restructuring their business for sustainability and so should you. No more doom scrolling and aimless research.  Set a personal improvement goal and use all the resource available. Linkedin Launched on May 5, 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking, including employers posting jobs and job seekers posting their CVs. This is a great website to spend time reviewing employment trends and connectly with other professionals. Simply put, this is the professional version of facebook.  Indeed This is a worldwide employment-related search engine for job listings launched in 2004. Recruiters love this site because they can post jobs for free. Dice A top recruitment engine for connecting the best tech talent with job opportunities around the world. For professionals in...

If you need additional income, but have limited capital to invest, MAKING MONEY's Opportunity Finder will point you in the right direction.  How to use opportunity finder Details of companies operating in the UK are listed by product group - Health, Beauty etc.  Some will appear more than once. To obtain more information about any company check the company's website or startupbusiness.net Network Marketing Paul Getty's famous philosophy - it is better to earn a small amount of money from a large number of people, than to earn a lot of money from a small number of people.  Most of the products and services are consumable by nature, there is an opportunity to build a strong and loyal consumer base. Direct Selling Some companies like Avon and Mary Kay, prefer products to be sold on a person-to-person basis. With the new restrictions due to post COVID 19 pandemic, new digital measures would need to be adapted to sustain such businesses. Party Plan This can provide an effecti...

My first experience with the police was as a teenager. I was driving in Dallas Texas on the way to the shops and got pulled over for speeding. I calmly responded to the cop, answered his questions and showed the necessary documents. He wrote me a ticket for speeding and that was it. I paid the ticket off and several more speeding tickets came later on. Everyone's first experience with the police is different. As humans we tend to react differently to people in authority. A coloured person might have a different reaction, due to the historic issue of slavery, culture, or family history.  I was part of a conference call, and the keynote speaker is a lawyer and pastor in London. It was an insightful discussion and just a few key points to remember.  Pull Over  The police can pull you over at anytime, adhere and pull over when it's safe to do so.  Stay calm and remember to keep our hands visible.  Be polite and respectful.  If you are asked for a breath test, c...

Virtual classroom  Virtual Sports Virtual date nights Virtual meetings Virtual funerals  Virtual weddings, birthday and celebrations ...the list goes on and on.  Don't limit yourself from living due to the effects of the pandemics. Embrace the new norm and adjust your routines to include the use of technology. Stay connected to families and your community using technology at its best. 

As the lock down measures has been lifted gradually, some children are back to school while some are still home schooling. It can be quite difficult to keep children inspired and not bored. Let's face it, even the best toys, best outdoor gadgets and video games gets boring after so many sessions.  Be flexible As a parent, sticking to a routine is great but including spontaneous activities can make things a bit more interesting and fun for your little ones.   Sports on TV Running out of shows to play on TV? Try watching basketball, tennis, football and lots of previous national games together and talk about the players and the sports. You might just ignite a new interest in your child. Sports will also keep them moving, my girls love watching gymnastics and ice skating.   Arts This can get very messy but lots of fun and children spend hours on it. If you find out all your play-doh has dried out, try making fondants for cake or using mud. Toddlers lo...

The lockdown measures have eased worldwide and everyone is beginning to socialize again. As we gradually move into a new phase in this weird year 2020, here are some things to remember. We are humans and we experience situations in different ways. Let's remember to be sensitive to people that may have lost a loved one, a job, a business or facing a major health crisis. It might not be physically obvious to some people, just remember that whatever this season means to you - the world has changed.  Don't wait for the pandemic to be over, start to build and do the things that you want to do. Life lessons to be learnt is that life is short. We were created and still alive for a reason, find that reason and live in it. A great book by former first lady Michelle Obama " Becoming " has been trending for weeks and i recommend this as a great read.  Welcome to the new norm, lots of online shopping, digital learning, remote working and virtual doctor visits. Whatever the case, ...

Why I up-cycle and recycle.     The new fad lifestyle is being vegetarian; I wonder what the world would look like if we all pick up a new fad of up-cycling all out old stuff?   Did you know that 8.3 billion plastics produced since the 1950s only 9% of these have been re-cycled?   The most beautiful aspect of our natural world that suffers from this mass production of plastic is the beach. The beach is therapeutic, calming, and still a source of energy for every surfer. The best holiday destinations usually come with access to the beach and I just love how far, wide and beautiful it is. Back to the recycling bit.   The biggest pollutants at the beach are cigarette butts, bottles, bottle caps, food wrappers, grocery bags, and polystyrene containers (plastic nags).   Reasons to recycle   -        Plastic kills a lot of sea animals -        Endangers human lives because we ingest micro-plastics b...

   The lockdown has been eased and we still need to stay alert. Here are some tips as mentioned on BBC about keeping yourself and others safe while shopping.   1.      Shop alone if possible, the less people in shops the better for everyone. 2.      Stay 2 meters away from people if possible, if not due to size of shop cover your face or wear facemask. 3.       Look for the new signs, arrows on the floor to help navigate the shops in a seamless way to avoid crowing an aisle. 4.       Avoid touching things you are going to buy, if not possible use a glove. 5.       In addition to your wallet, make sure facemask and gloves are part of your daily contents in your car, shopping bag and bicycle. 6.       Pay with contactless always. 7.       Exercise more patience, everyone is getting used to the new norm and checkout...

What is the first thing you notice when you see someone for the first time. Do you look into their eyes, stare at their face, or check out their body from head to toe like i do sometimes? First impression is the most important aspect of networking and meeting up with folks in a professional setting.  Did you know that first impressions are lasting? Did you know that any information about a person, from their physical appearance to their non-verbal and verbal behaviors- has been shown to last for months?. In this current digital age and dealing with the correct pandemic - our digital impression could be our voice, tone, email or chat message. All your information on the internet could even act as a first impression.  Have you googled your name recently? Research yourself and find out the kind of information the world wide web holds about you.  Hiring firms do this as part of their research for potential candidates.  Build up your linkedin, facebook, Instagram to brand...

Lessons from historic pandemics An epidemic is an infectious disease in a community at a particular while a pandemic has a P which is like for passport so it's an epidemic that has traveled across different regions mostly international. COVID-19 aka Coronavirus started in Wuhan China Dec 2019 was the first time it appeared in a human being. It has been named Covid-19 aka - coronavirus disease of 2019. This new virus spreads incredibly quickly between people and because it is a new virus , no one on earth has developed immunity to it. The WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic in March 2020 when millions of people were infected with it. Let us dive into historic pandemic that shook nations. HIV/AIDS Pandemic First appeared in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1976, the mode of transmission is mainly via blood contact. The virus has killed more than 36 million people since 1981. Thanks to the evolution in medicine and technology, people are able to live a productive life with HI...

Habits of Highly Effective Humans When I was a teen, my dad gave me this book by Stephen Covey called the 7 habits of highly effective teens .  This was an amazing book that changes me as a human.  To change your life, you need to first change your habits. First lets talk about habits. Habits run your life, if you have bad habits, you . If you have good habits, life would be awesome. There are 3 habits loop; The Cue :  this is the trigger , brain is in auto pilot can be feeling or thoughts The Routine :  behavior that happens once the trigger is present. its the action that we take when we are cued. The Reward:  Why we perform the routine- learn something new, the feeling or a physical reward. I read this book and it changed my character. I was able to recognize my inner strength and abilities . I aspired to do more and add value to myself, people and my community. Being effective is quite achievable but to be highly effective is to experience life a...

The economic Impact of a Pandemic Research indicates loads of company will go on a hiring freeze, in recreation/travel, corporate services and entertainment. Healthcare, hardware/networking and transportation sector will still be able to sustain employment. Our future income, expenditures, debts, assets/investments will probably be affected. As the pandemic continues, there is a forecast of organizations tellings their staff that they can only pay half or zero salary until things get back to normal. As i write, some firms have closed, being put on hold or stopped due to the global impact of a microscopic organism called COVID-19. Due to this experience, new businesses will also spring up as learnings from the crisis. More people will be hired on part-time basis and many businesses will be conducted online. Some business will remodel their business process to adapt to the new world. Expenditures Interestingly, expenses will be on rise! The problem here is that fixed expenses...

How can I grow my own vegetables? As a result of the pandemic, a number of people have started to look into growing some of their fruits and vegetables. I love the actress and comedian Tiffany Haddish. She has a youtube series during the lockdown giving us a tour of her garden and some helpful tips, it' called 'Mermaid in the Garden', i find it funny and inspirational and hope you do too. Lets jump right into this note- all you need to do is to start with this 4 step guide.  1. Space Space is the first thing to consider before starting to a garden. From flower pots , wooden drawers, car tires, bottles and portable green houses the list is endless. Preparing a space for your mini or big garden depends on your current habitation settings. Its best to start small and build up with time. A place with great sunlight would work well. Maintaining plants on a regular basis can become daunting and using a small space can either make or break your commitment to your garden. 2. S...

Just do something - 12 days challenge Most of the nation is on lockdown from the outside world. To help keep fit at home here is a 12 days challenge with no equipment needed. To inspire yourself from home, wear your workout clothes, put on some gym music (www.soundcloud.com) and video call a work out buddy to get your routine started. From my FabFinance Tonya - set yourself a SITA goal where you can have one accountable person hold you responsible for your exercise plan.  This is a general recommendation - speak to your doctor and personal trainer before you start your exercise plan.  Day 1 - 60 seconds Plank Day 2 - Push ups   Beginner vs. Advanced Day 3 - 60 seconds wall-sits Day 4 - 40 Squats Day 5 - Burpees Day 6 - 10,000 Steps or 5 miles walking Day 7- Mountain Climbers Day 8 - Push-ups  Day 9 - 11,000 Steps Day 10 - 10 minutes of running stairs  Day 11 - 60 seconds  Calf raises Day 12 Sta...