Cultivating a Decision-Making Method
Posted by Editor in Lifestyle Hacks on Aug 13th, 2016 | 0 comments
You have a good job that lets you pay everything and allows you buy things. That is an ideal job for many Singaporeans but why do you feel that there is something missing. You need to decide whether you will stay or not. However you are torn and what do you do when you are faced with this dilemma?
Not knowing what to do is frustrating. There are times that you are too tired to think of the best solution that you just cut the decision making process and hope that everything will eventually sort out. This will make things worse at the end of the day. It is time that you know some tips on making a good decision.
When you encounter a problem, you apply methods. It is not an exact science but it can help big time. There are decision making methods that you can consider if you are torn about something. Here are some methods that you need to know:
The Fast Forward Method
When you are torn, the best thing that you can do is to think of the future. Fast forward one year or two years later and whatever you see yourself in those years is your answer. If you are thinking about quitting your good job and pursue your passion, picture yourself a year or two years after.
If you follow passion, there should be no moment of doubt or hesitation. By espousing a future perspective, you let yourself be removed from present and the more you fast forward your life, it will get clearer as the days go by.
The Ideal Vision Method
Now this is another worthwhile perspective. You have to adopt a different frame of mind this time – the mind of someone who already achieved your ideals. This method is helpful since it can let you create your career’s ideal vision. But this method is discouraging you to tell some friends about it because it might divert your attention from realizing your dreams.
The Heart Method
The heart method speaks about listening to your intuition or gut. All you need is a moment’s silence and finally meditate on the things that you want and give up. If you meditate all the time, you can do so. You just need to listen to your heart and do whatever that makes you happy.
At the end of the day, you will realize that everything will depend on your state of mind. You have to remember that adage “what the mind conceives, the body will achieve”.
The Most Counterfeited Goods on the Market
Posted by Editor in Lifestyle Hacks on Aug 9th, 2016 | 0 comments
When you hear counterfeits, you just think of the fake money. It does not stop there. You should know that counterfeit is common even here in Singapore that is why the government is doing its best to eliminate it. Counterfeit refers to any item made in exact imitation of something important or valuable with the aim to defraud or deceive.
Many items are counterfeited these days. Knowing this, customers need to be careful. There is a wide variety of counterfeited goods in the market these days. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released a list of the most common counterfeited items in the world. OECD based the list on the number of seizures by industry. Here is the list:
- Footwear: The number one most counterfeited items in the world is footwear with 27,119 seizures.
- Clothing: The next good is clothing specifically knitted ones with 17,995 seizures.
- Leather: Leather is akin to high fashion and that includes shoes and bags. It is the third most counterfeited good with 17,960 seizures.
- Electrical machinery: When you hear electrical machinery, it usually refers to generators (or other things that can convert electricity to mechanical power) with 15,907 seizures.
- Watches: Another good that is counterfeited most of the time is watches with 6,927 seizures.
- Medical instruments: Even medical instruments are counterfeited these days with 5,722 seizures. This is disturbing because it can create health complications at the end of the day.
- Clothing: For non-knitted clothing, there were 5,601 seizures noted.
- Perfumery and cosmetics: Now this is patronized by girls. Perfumes and cosmetics appeal to women than men. There were 4,857 seizures noted.
- Toys: Toys are also a common counterfeit good with 3,499 seizures noted.
- Pharmaceuticals: Just like the counterfeited medical instruments, knowing that there are many pharmaceuticals counterfeits make everything more disturbing. There were 2,444 seizures noted.
- Jewellery: This is not a surprise since you can see jewelleries being sold online and at times in the streets. There were 2,415 seizures noted.
Knowing this, you have to be careful especially if it has something to do with consuming it. Actually there are more things being counterfeited these days and it is becoming widespread. If you want to make sure of the quality of the product that you will buy, you need to purchase it in authorized stores or sellers.
This is not so hard. Once it is sold in a shady place or online, you have to be more wary. Always look for the label and notice if it is fake or not. It can save your life at the end of the day.
Save and Splurge: The Rules on Spending on Home Décor
Posted by Editor in Lifestyle Hacks on Apr 1st, 2016 | 0 commentsDecorating our home is more of a personal process, since we’re creating a perfect place where we can escape, live, and make memories. That said, the process of decorating one’s home can be overwhelming at times. With all the beautiful things sold on furniture shops, how will we able to nail down what items are important and what’s not? How will we know where to save and where to spend? Well, the answer to this is prioritizing. But since everyone’s priorities differ slightly, we’ve prepared some guidelines for a smart home décor spending.
Items worth Splurging On
- Investment Pieces
Certain items need to be made to last since they’re going to get lots of use. Furniture – where you spend most of your time – will get more use, and will endure more wear and tear compared with other furniture pieces in your home. If you spend most of your time in the kitchen, it’s important to have lovely and quality bar stools for when you have guests coming over. You probably have a reading nook where you spend most of your time in the evening.
The spaces where we spend most of our time are the places where we want our purchases to last. But we all agree that our bed, sofa and upholstered furniture get lots of use and are worth investing in. Here’s what it really comes down to for these items: Don’t skimp on quality if you’re going to keep it for a long time, so invest your dollars in these pieces.
- Statement Pieces
There are lots of pieces that can make a statement, there’s no question about that. But how will you know if a statement piece is worth spending on? Sometimes we’ve settled on a vision of our room, and then we find a piece with an absolute wow factor. All of a sudden, our room won’t be the same without that piece. If you find a statement piece that you think completes your room, then it’s okay to cave in. It’ll be worth it – but if you don’t believe me, then check out the headboard of Carrie Bradshaw Lied.
- Anchor Pieces
Just like statement pieces, anchor pieces are also worth spending on as these pieces aid in further beautifying our home. If you have a specific design in mind that requires a few key pieces to set its tone, then don’t be afraid to purchase those pieces. These pieces is what keeps our design consistent and helps it stay grounded. Perhaps you’ve been dying to purchase a Barcelona chair to give your space some modern vibe, or some sleek Wisteria bar stools to set an earthy tone on your home. Just remember to create your design around the key items that you want as you start building your space.
Items worth Saving On
- Accents
As a general rule, avoid spending a lot on accents. Instead, spruce up your space by doing little changes like swapping out bright-coloured pillows for patterned ones, or adding a textured rug on your doorstep. Why spend so much on accent pillows if you’ll swap them out after a couple of months? So save those bucks and invest them on your dream sofa instead.
- Trendy Pieces
Avoid going overboard on using trendy pieces as your home décor. You may love pink, but you don’t every piece in your home to be kissed with it. As much as possible, save on pieces that you think are fun or trendy but aren’t sure how long they’ll last as your décor. Remember that any item that’s raging in popularity will likely fall into ‘dated’ category sooner or later. You definitely wouldn’t want to regret spending so much on items that’ll soon lose its popularity.
- All the Rest
While this may slightly differ from person to person, interior designers in Singapore suggest saving on anything non-specific whether it’s necessary or adds to the space. Storage pieces, extra seating, TV cabinets, and non-central table are some of the pieces you can save on.
Just like in grocery shopping, being smart with your home décor purchases really pays off. So keep these splurge-on and save-on items in mind to both save some bucks, and to decorate your space more efficiently.
Survival Guide for Travelling to a New Country for the First Time
Posted by Editor in Go and Explore, Lifestyle Hacks on Feb 21st, 2016 | 0 comments
Everyone loves a good and fun travel adventures from time to time. May it be a simple or fancy get away from a tiring life you used to have – people do enjoy travel. It is there escape to the reality – a getaway to some fantasy to create peace in their mind and rejuvenate the lost energy.
Usually, people loves to go around and spend their vacation like they never had one before. But they usually forget that when traveling for the first time in a new city, there are things that must be kept in mind. To help you get on track and always be ready for your first visit, here are 5 survival guides for traveling first time in a new country;
- Learn their basic language – and survive!
Communication is everything. It is a number one rule in travelling to always be acquainted with the language of the place you’re visiting in especially if they do have different language from the place you came from. You don’t necessarily have to be a linguist or a master of all language before you can travel, just get yourself acquainted with the basic words that you will surely come in handy when travelling.
Try to practice the words that you can use in asking direction, or asking where the nearest food store is. Words like that will be very useful from time to time. It is also important that you know how to speak the languages that is most common in most countries like English and Mandarin. Example, you want to travel to Singapore, you must keep in mind that Singaporeans speak more than one language, they speak English, Mandarin, Malay and even Tamil.
- Familiarize yourself with the laws
Ignorance of the law excuses no one. And by no one, I mean everyone is not exempted – even if you are a tourist, a high profile person, a government leader, a member of a monarch or a plain citizen- everyone must adhere to the laws that every country has. Before going on a trip, educate yourself with the basic laws that this country has.
Find out what laws they have that you find peculiar so that you might not end up regretting about your trip. Googling the basic laws in that country can save you from a lot of possible disasters along the way because you might not know it that you already committed something against their law and might end up in jail. Nobody wants that right? Just like in Singapore, you pay a fine if you failed to flush the public toilet or for even chewing a gum! So better be informed than sorry.
- Embrace the culture – know the do’s and don’ts
Culture is a very interesting part of your travel. There are certain variation of cultures from one country to the other, and that is absolutely normal. But to save yourself from any harm, be acquainted with the country’s basic traditions – the way they live and deal with things. In Singapore, you should know that pointing with one finger alone is construed to be rude, thus they point with their whole hand. Even handing out an item must be done with both hands for handing it with one hand is found disrespectful and off-hand. Thus, to enjoy your stay more, get to know the basic do’s and don’ts of the place that you are planning to visit.
- Just accept the norms of the society
Society plays a very vital role in the community, and we are all aware of that. For first time travels in a new place, be more knowledgeable about the lifestyle and trend of the society you are about to visit. Have yourself informed of the norms that this community practiced so you will not feel “out-of-place” in the area. In Singapore, you can encounter different races coming from different parts of Asia and even Westerners are also seen in the country. This proves that the society in Singapore can be much of a multicultural society since its citizen is composed of varied races.
- Know your geography – get a map!
It is always better to be safe than sorry. When travelling in a new destination, always get yourself a map of the place you are about to travel. Having a map in your bag gives the feeling of assurance and security that you can never get lost in the city since you have the whole place figured out in your map. It will also give you easy access to landmark and city spots that you wish to visit by yourself.
Common Misconceptions about Drinking
Posted by Editor in Lifestyle Hacks on Jan 18th, 2016 | 0 comments
Festive drinking is inevitable here in Singapore come holidays. With this, we are constantly reminded not to drink too much and if it can’t be helped, we are certainly advised not to drive as it can lead to traffic accidents. Drinking is fun but the after effects are not that pleasant.
This article will discuss about the common misconceptions about drinking so we are not ignorant about it. Here are some misconceptions about drinking together with its actual facts:
- Beer is less intoxicating: There are many alcoholic beverages and among them all, it is said that beer is less intoxicating. This is one of the most common misconceptions. You have to remember that whether it is one twelve-ounce can of beer or four-ounce glass of wine, it is equally intoxicating.
- Mixing alcoholic beverage will make you drunker: Many people believe that mixing alcoholic beverage will make it worse. You have to know that mixing alcoholic beverage will not make you drunker – it will only upset your stomach.
- Cold showers or hot coffee can sober up: After getting drunk, the next challenge is how to sober up. You believe that cold showers or hot coffee can sober you up because you heard a friend claim it. This is not true. There is no other way to remove the alcohol from your system except for time.
- Eating before drinking will sober you up: Another common misconception is that eating a meal before the drink will keep you sober. This is not true. Eating will only delay the body’s absorption of alcohol not prevent it.
Now that we are more educated about drinking, we will know how to deal with it.
