We Will Rock You: The High Earning Musical at the Dominion written by Angelina

We Will Rock You: The High Earning Musical at the Dominion written by Angelina

Angelina is a freelance writer who primarily writes reviews on films and stage plays in the UK. Much of her work appears on the Box Office website which can be found at http://www.boxoffice.co.uk/.

This article is a review on the musical, "We Will Rock You" which is based on the music of the rock band Queen. The play is currently showing at the Dominion Theater in Camden (London, England).

Thank you Angelina for you contribution to The Guest Writer Blog.

We Will Rock You: the high earning musical at the Dominion

Based on music by the band Queen, and named after one of their most popular hits, the musical We Will Rock You has become one of the Dominion Theatre’s most popular productions. Now in its eleventh year, and on its 400th show, We Will Rock You has gone on to break box office records and is now the most successful production showing in the capital. This production has become the highest earning musical at the Dominion Theatre, and during the final week of 2008 managed to bring in an audience of 20,000; making it the show with the highest attendance for the entire year.

The Dominion Theatre is the perfect venue for a powerhouse musical like We Will Rock You. For years the Dominion has played host to some of the most famous stage shows around. Some of these include: Grease, The Sound of Music, South Pacific, and Beauty and the Beast, as well as a host of others. In the beginning the Dominion Theatre had trouble maintaining a sufficient audience base until it was converted in order to play films as well. The theatre remained this way until it began showing live performances once again in the 1950s. With the production of South Pacific in 1958, and the production of The Sound of Music in the 1960s, the status of the Dominion as the premiere location for great theatre on the West End was sealed. To this day the Dominion Theatre continues to feature great shows to entice audiences to return again and again.

We Will Rock You tells the story of a future where individuality is no longer allowed. The planet's youth must all dress alike, think alike, watch the same entertainment and listen to the same music consisting of only boy bands and girl bands. Luckily on Planet Mall a resistance movement is growing. Young rebels are trying to bring back a time known as the Rhapsody, when people were able to form their own bands and write their own songs. The rebels began searching for a fabled mighty axe (guitar) that is now buried deep within rock. Legend tells them that this instrument once belonged to a great guitar god, and a new hero is needed to pull the legendary guitar from the stone. Featuring nineteen Queen classics, We Will Rock You is a journey into another world that enchants audiences and leaves them wanting more. 

The Dark Poetry of Priyanka Dey

Priyanka Dey is an introspective writer. Her thoughts come from deep inside her soul and contain a sense of darkness with a hidden touch of joy. Her words burst right off the page and gently hit hard.

-Randall Webb

A few words from Priyanka:
 I have been a scribbler since I could gather my senses. I observe a lot of things happening around me. Some with me, some with the people associated to me. All of it affects me, directly or indirectly. People who read my poems often joke about how every poem can be used for writing a novel. Well I wish I could actually sit down and pen them so. But writing Prose is so very different than writing Poetry. Poetry to me, is like that inner voice, which makes you feel Alive. Do visit my Neverland (blog), and you'll hopefully understand what I mean! :)
 http://www.priyankazneverland.blogspot.com/

1.The Curse

The taint is too daunty to the soul
To be camouflaged into an exemplary role
The holocaust is scarried not without
But deep within.

Your high pitched voice
Still echoes like a distant cry
My mind still shudders with fright,
Like there is a storm outside.

But it resides beneath the skin
A tempest,that burns inside
The curses pinch like glaring eyes
That stared at me, as I hid my self, or rather my 'malice'.

Daddy left you, i wish he didn't
I know he hit you,
And you cried
But did you see that I prayed for you
Of how my little soul slowly died?

Everytime you twisted my arm and wringed me to the ground
I scathed and pleaded
While you hit me, made me blue eyed.
People at high school called me names
Sometimes mad, gothic n maniac
And others thought I was a confused whore
They mocked at me, pinched me around
As I kept applying some more makeup
To hide the bruises, that showed.

The Curses, hurt though the cuts have gone
Tears have dried but my heart is numb
You cursed me Mommy, now look at me
A failed marriage, a heart broken me
As I await to kill another life
Abort the life that is forming inside
I failed as a daughter, you told me I would fail
But I won't let one more Amanda be born
And die a death every single day she'd live
Look what you cursed me into, Ma
I live a living death,
as I await to abort her, my baby..
She won't be cursed. No more.

2.The Murder

And I wiped off the stains

from my dress, now a pale white

Nevermind, I have done my job

Yes! I'd won the fight.

The untouched tea, a witness of my act

was flushed away, into the sink

as I washed the last traces of the vestiges

into the flow of water, it was all lost and gone.

I suddenly felt the surge of victory within

and I laughed out my pride

as I recalled the murder I'd committed,

Of the poor little Mice!

The Changing Ways of Education in the Computer Age written by Samantha Gary

The Changing Ways of Education in the Computer Age

Written by Samantha Gary

Computers have done many things for our society—there's no denying this. We could (and many have) go on and on about how revolutionary computer technology has been for the current age. Today "the computer age" means so much more than it did even 10 years ago. In just a decade, the "computer age" has become the "age of the internet". Computers and the online world too have done endless things for the betterment of our society. Education is one area that the online world and computer technology have influenced greatly. As the world of computer technology continues to play a larger role in our everyday lives, the world of online education and the online classroom have gained more attention and acceptance. Of course, with anything there are both merits and disadvantages to how the online world and computer age have influenced education.

Accessibility to Higher Ed

For some time, online education was frowned upon in the academic world. With a history of focusing on reputation, the higher education world took some time to adapt to the idea of online learning. However, today many online schools and online learning platforms are praised by academic and student alike. One merit of modern computer technology and online education is broader accessibility to higher academia. Where at one time a college degree was limited to those who had the money and flexibility to attend college for four years at a brick and mortar institution, online degree programs have opened up new avenues for the non-traditional student. More and more people are earning degrees while also maintaining fulltime jobs or raising a family with the help of online learning and computer technology.

Access to Resources

The undeniable merit of modern technology and the online world is immediate and vast access to educational resources. With tools like Wikipedia, TED, Khan Academy, and so much more, students of any age have access to endless knowledge and tools for learning. These resources help students understand topic they've explored in school, introduce them to new and exciting topics, and provide a more thorough understanding of academic issues. The web is a vast expanse of useful information and tools that students, parents, and teachers can all utilize to better experience the educational world and academic material. Online platforms have made it easier for collaborative learning across cultures and the online educational world has broadened our perspective as human beings.

Possibility of Misinformation

While vast amount of information can be an extremely positive thing, it also comes with its setbacks. Because the web offers a completely open experience, there is the ever-looming possibility of misinformation. This issue in academics often comes up when discussing online research and Wikipedia. Because anyone can make a claim and post it somewhere online, the validity of information found online should be examined. While many of the tools and resources out there work to provide useful and educational material, there is always the possibility of mistake. While this can make online research more difficult and brings a somewhat negative perspective to online learning, the web should not be discredited for its usefulness. Technology has given the educational world so much. With greater accessibility to quality learning material, there comes greater accessibility to bad learning material.

Samantha Gray is an expert in online education and a freelance writer. Pursuing an online bachelor's degree is often fraught with myths and misconceptions. Samantha shows her readers the way. She wants to hear your feedback and ideas, too, at samanthagray024@gmail.com.

How We Communicate Through Digital Devices by Rob Pell

Rob Pell is a freelance writer who works in the field of digital communications.

You can visit Rob's website @  http://www.simplifydigital.co.uk/broadband/

Thank you Rob for your contribution to The Guest Writer Blog

How We Communicate Through Digital Devices

Written by Rob Pell

The digital age has made the spread, flow and reception of information far easier, so it’s no wonder that it has also dramatically altered the ways in which we communicate with one another. Traditional factors that drove conversation in bygone ages have disappeared and been replaced with new methods of communication.

Even the dynamics of communication have changed; once upon a time we had to be where we said we were going to be at any given time, now this is not the case. The increased reliability of digital communication devices that can be used on the move has, in turn, allowed humans to become less reliable.

Whether this has made us better communicators or worse communicators is a matter of debate. What is certain though is that the ability to send a text to a friend explaining that we will be late or requesting to meet in a different location has introduced levels of insincerity into the communicative process that previously did not exist.

 

These new methods of communication have skewed the way in which we perceive ourselves as individuals and as parts of a group. The connectivity of digital devices means that we are almost never truly alone; we are almost inescapably connected to all our friends and contacts, 24/7.

This connectivity means that, while we previously had very clear perceptions of what it means to be alone or together, the lines are now blurred. We now operate a sort of ‘communication hierarchy’ where certain methods of communication are given more prestige than others.

For example dumping someone or passing on important information by text is considered a major no-no, while telephoning someone to give them a textable piece of micro-information is similarly a social faux pas.

The paraphernalia that comes with such digital communication devices has also altered the ways in which we communicate. While headphones have been available since the 1980s, the popularization of smartphones and other digital devices that double up as media players has led to a marked increase in their use.

Wearing headphones is akin to wearing a sign that says “don’t talk to me”, giving us a simple way of avoiding potentially important confrontation, discussion and communication. This form of non-communication is actually communicative in itself as it shows others how receptive we will be to interaction. , another modern communication anomaly.

Away from smartphones and portable devices – although not entirely disconnected, this is the digital age after all – are the worlds of Facebook, Twitter and other social networks that exist digitally online. These methods of communication – coupled with the rise of broadband internet –  unprecedented levels of cross-platform conversation.

Two friends might be discussing something via text; they may want to add a third friend to the conversation so they move to WhatsApp; one friend wants to share a video and does it quickly and easily on Twitter; the three friends then decide to organize something and so set up a Facebook group. This back and forwards, cross-pollination of information is something all effective digital communicators will be aware of, the ease of such complex communication in the modern age has made it a regular occurrence.

This is where the argument that modern technology is killing the art of communication falls apart; in many ways modern technology is giving communication an element of sophistication it has never enjoyed before. You could say that what we are experiencing is communication, but not as we knew it.

 

Channeling Perseverance and the Will to Never Give Up written by Nancy Parker

Channeling Perseverance and the Will to Never Give Up

written by guest author Nancy Parker 

                                Please visit Nancy's website @ http://www.enannysource.com/

Channeling Perseverance and the Will to Never Give Up

The biggest hurdle we typically have to overcome when it comes to achieving our goals is ignoring the voice in our head that tells us that we aren’t good enough, that we won’t succeed, and that we should just throw in the towel now before we get too far invested in something, only to fail. When you’re armed with a plan for success, circumventing the demoralizing voice telling you that you’ll never succeed becomes easier to achieve, and your chances at success increase exponentially. Use these five steps to help channel your inner perseverance:

1.     Make an outline – Spend time thinking about your ultimate end goal, and then outline the steps that you’ll need to take along the way. By laying out everything that needs to be done in front of you, you get a better sense of exactly what needs to be accomplished to reach your goals. It’s easier to forge on knowing exactly what you’re up against.

2.     Set small goals – Once you have an outline in place you should set small, manageable goals for yourself. Trying to tackle everything at once is overwhelming and almost always ends in failure. Chipping away at a little bit at a time makes it easier to celebrate small victories that will eventually result in conquering your ultimate goal. Don’t be afraid to celebrate the small victories either, because it is those celebrations that will continue to renew your will to succeed.

3.     Recognize excuses – It’s unlikely that you’ll ever completely rid yourself of self-doubt, however being able to recognize when you’re starting to make excuses as to why you’re going to fail is the first step in countering those excuses with results. When you can pinpoint and recognize them, you can conquer them.

4.     Don’t be afraid of failure – No matter what you’re trying to accomplish, there will always be road blocks and setbacks along the way. What makes the difference in failure and success is how you react to this. If you let one failure completely crush your will power then you will never succeed. However if you learn from that failure and use it to propel you forward then your potential is limitless.

5.     Envision success – One of the best ways to guarantee success is to envision it. Regularly see yourself accomplishing your end goal. It will give you purpose and a renewed will power to continue to reach for your goals. Before you know it you won’t be envisioning success, you’ll be living it.

The will to persevere through life’s trials isn’t something that you easily come by, and finding the will to keep pushing forward is something born out of discipline and mental fortitude. Never give up on your goals, because it’s likely that the only thing holding you back is yourself, and you have the power to counteract that.

Author Bio

Nancy Parker was a professional nanny and she loves to write about wide range of subjects like health, Parenting, Child Care, Babysitting, nanny background check tips etc. You can reach her @ nancy.parker015 @ gmail.com.

Brain Drain: The Concussion Problem in the NFL written by William W.

This is the the third full article by William W. (aka Billy w) that has been featured here on The Guest Writer Blog. Over the past year William (Billy) like his evolving blog name has shown much growth and maturing in his writing style and in the topics he chooses to write about.

With the recent suicide of football Hall of Famer, Junior Seau, this article is a timely piece on a topic which had made many headlines in sports, medical and general news around the world. Thank you Billy for sharing this with us.
 - Randall Webb

To see other articles written by William W. please visit his blog at: http://www.sportspinandstuff-billyw.blogspot.com/

Brain Drain: The Concussion Problem in the NFL   

Written by William W. 

 

February 17, 2011, April 19, 2012, May 2, 2012, are all dates that will live on forever. Why? They are all the dates of NFL player suicides. Dave Duerson, a safety for the infamous Chicago Bears defense of the 1980s commit suicide on February 17 of last year. Ray Easterling, a cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers left us on April 19th, and yesterday, legendary linebacker Junior Seau died from a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest. All of them played in the NFL, all of them were reported to suffer concussions, but that was before anyone really knew what a concussion actually was or what the terrifying repercussions may be. Now, we know that a concussion occurs when the brain itself slams into the skull, often causing severe headaches and nausea. However, when concussions go unnoticed and continue to occur, life-threatening damage can result. Players, especially at high-impact positions like corner, running back, linebacker, defensive and offensive line, and wide receiver, have complained of bodily harm after retiring since the game's conception. Football is a violent game, as we all know. However, they didn't realize that their brains were slowly being destroyed. NFL players have higher rates of suicide--six times the national average to be specific--Alzheimers, and even depression. Some have lost complete bodily function, like Eric LeGrand, a defensive lineman who, in symbolic gesture, was signed to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After suffering a debilitating spinal chord injury, many doctors said he would be forced to live off a respirator and be paralyzed for the rest of his life. This is just the beginning of an issue that is just now coming to life. 

 

Before one can fully understand the problem concussions actually are, it is necessary for a brief overview of what being concussed actually means. The simple definition mentioned above is sufficient for a non-football concussion. In the NFL, a defensive back like Duerson or Easterling can tackle a player with over 1,600lbs. of force, and a linebacker like Seau could hit even harder. Keep in mind a Smart Car weights 1,609lbs. These guys hit each other with the force of a small car, yet the NFL doesn't think concussions could cause dangerous side-effects. An insurance company pays better than the NFL. That's saying something. A concussion occurs much more often then players themselves think. Let's assume a 6'3, 250lb linebacker who runs a 4.6 forty yard dash hits a player with the force of 2,000lbs. The running back, like the linebacker, is running at full speed. A collision occurs. The both players go from full-speed to full-stop. Their helmets protect their skulls, but it only hurts their brains, as the brain continues moving even after the head stops, causing a concussion. The force necessary to cause a concussion gets progressively less as each one occurs, though the severity of the consequences increase exponentially. The linebacker walks off the field for a few plays, while the running back only feels dazed and gets back in the huddle. The running back knows his time in the league will most likely end by his thirtieth birthday, and he needs to support his family. He has to go back in the game, thus he puts his career, and his life on the line. There's clearly a problem, and only recently has the NFL decided to make a change for the better.

 

Dave Duerson was a safety and defensive back for the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants. He was an All-American at Notre Dame, and a Super Bowl champion with the Bears. He had the record for most sacks by a defensive back with seven until it was broken by the Cardinals' Adrian Wilson. As a pass-rusher along with being a defensive enforcer in the secondary, he supposedly had multiple concussions in his career, though they were, at the time, considered "getting your bell rung" and nothing more. At the time, a player would have his teammates help him up and stagger back to the huddle. Duerson was one of those players. He loved the game. He was a warrior. He got back into the huddle...a lot. After retiring in 1993, his condition quickly deteriorated. According to his son and ex-wife, he had trouble spelling words, suffered from Alzheimers, dementia, and had a terrible short-term memory. In the years leading up to his death, he was accused of many "spur of the moment" crimes, such as battery or domestic abuse, most likely because he could no longer make decisions without seriously contemplating his options for a substantial amout of time. One doctor who analyzed his brain was surprised Duerson was even capable of WALKING. In his final act, he shot himself in the chest to save his brain and left the note shown above. He knew something was wrong, and he decided to make a change for the better by donating his brain to science. Duerson's brain was shown to have a protein deficiency known as CTE caused by significant, and most importantly repeated, brain trauma. His brain was literally being destroyed bit by bit. His family has received nothing. All because the NFL refused to acknowledge football played a factor.

 

Ray Easterling, also a safety, was a player for the Atlanta Falcons. A defensive captain, he was a key player for a team that had arguably the best defensive season of all time. With a tough defense, players get competitive. There's nothing worse for a man's brain than to put him in front of millions of people and surround him with twenty-one other testosterone-fueled men. He tries to get the knockout, the highlight hit, the devastating tackle that knocks out the star offensive player. That's exactly what happened with the Falcons. After retiring, his body was destroyed. He had over twenty orthopedic surgeries, and was, like Duerson, was diagnosed with dementia. In an interview with Fox Sports Network, his wife Mary Ann, said:

 

“He had been feeling more and more pain. He felt like his brain was falling off. He was losing control. He couldn’t remember things from five minutes ago. It was frightening, especially somebody who had all the plays memorized as a player when he stepped on the field.”

     Easterling committed suicide, like Duerson, by shooting himself in the chest to preserve his brain for study. His brain was also found to contain tau, a key sign for the existence of CTE. Easterling, like Duerson, was a part of a lawsuit suing the NFL over, according to Easterling's lawyer:

"Continuously and vehemently denied that it knew, should have known or believed that there is any relationship between NFL players suffering concussions while playing . . . and long-term problems such as headaches, dizziness, dementia and/or Alzheimer's disease that many retired players have experienced."

 

  Junior Seau was a Hall of Fame linebacker for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins, and New England Patriots. He hit with a ferocity only seen in gladiatorial death matches. He was a warrior. He never went on the disabled list for a concussion, though, according to his ex-wife, he suffered many of the symptoms. He was depressed, hard to believe for such an upbeat man, and had the symptoms of CTE that afflicted Duerson and Easterling. He was accused of battery, a sign of a heightened sense of aggression that has been linked to brain damage and a possible lack of decision making ability.  He too shot himself in the chest to save his brain for testing. It doesn't do Seau justice to simply say he played with the joy of a boy but the intensity and heart of a man, it doesn't do him justice to write a few paragraphs, let alone a few sentences. It doesn't do Junior Seau justice to leave his family unpaid for something football caused. 

     Only recently has the National Football League taken a stand against concussions and overly violent play. Commissioner Roger Goodell has become one of, if not the most, controversial commissioners in all of professional sports. He made it clear in late 2010 that concussions were a problem and harsh penalties would be brought upon those who refused to follow the new, safer rules. Some have lauded this stance, while others claim this is just the beginning of a gradual shift to the NFFL, the National Flag-Football League, where nobody can tackle anyone. They fear the "Glory Days" in which the Bears could literally break the backs of their opponents and the Purple People Eaters could probably get away with actually eating their offensive victims. These people fail to realize the days of vicious defense and ruthless hits are over. The very hits we used to celebrate are now the same hits we fear may contribute to an terrible, life-threatening injury and eventually a violence-filled life after football riddled with bouts of depression, dementia, and possibly suicide. A change has to be made. Now.

I’ll Take “Zen Master in Training” for $200… written by Supermom

The Supermom Liberation Project is a blog written by a mom of 3 crazy high maintenance kids, whom she refers to as "The Munchkins". She is the life partner of one super-cool calm and collected Tattooed Guy who keeps her from losing her mind.

Supermom describes herself as being :
Confessed Chocoholic
Bold Word Addict 
Professional Daydreamer 
Lover of Salsa Dancing   (and Salsa eating)
World Traveler Wanna-be 
Blogger Extraordinaire
Rockstar of Life


With her blog she hopes to help moms around the world to liberate the fun, smart, sexy, awesome Supermom who is YOU!

you can visit The Supermom Liberation Project @ http://supermomliberationproject.com/

I’ll Take “Zen Master in Training” for $200… Written by Supermom

Why is it that no matter what you try to do, whether it be raise your kids as you see fit, live a life of generosity and kindness, try to get ahead in your career (or start a new one), or even travel down the path of self-reflection and improvement, there is always someone who has to voice their disapproval in an attempt to bring you down? I totally hate that – it’s one of my biggest pet-peeves!

Example: So I’m laying in bed last night after a busy day of launching my blog and I decide to check Facebook one last time before I fall asleep (mistake #1), only to find a snide comment under one of my posts left by a “friend”, who obviously does not approve of my new venture. As having “thick skin” is not one of my strong points, I lay there questioning why she would do such a thing, and in a public forum no less (mistake #2). At the same time, I did have a fan who shared my post and gave it a great review (which I am very appreciative of – THANK YOU!!), saying that she loved what I had written and was looking forward to reading more. Despite that, though, the pissy, bitchy little comment was all I could think about. For the next 20 minutes, I lay there in bed trying to figure out how to respond. Do I confront her? Do I type a pissy, bitchy message back for all to see? Or do I try to forget about it and not let it bother me (almost impossible).

Tattoo Guy (in case you haven’t read the “About” page, he is my calm, cool, and collected life partner) said “Don’t worry about it, Baby – who cares what she thinks. You’re trying to spread a message that is important to you, and probably to a lot of other women too. And, you know, she only has the power to upset you if you give it to her.” Excellent point…and after thinking about it, I came to the conclusion that he’s absolutely right. (Wow, my man is a total Zen Master in training!)

In the end, I just deleted it. No response, no confrontation, nothing. Why? Because, I realized that giving any attention to this petty b.s. would have given this woman even more power – and, after all, that’s what this was all about, right? Her slighting my work made her feel powerful; she tried to break my spirit, hurt my self-esteem, and make me feel bad, all because she didn’t like what I had to say. And, any type of negative response on my part would have just validated her statement.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because, this type of thing – criticism and judgment – is what we moms face EVERYDAY from friends, family members, acquaintances, and society in general.

This needs to stop!

Come on, Ladies – we are all women, we are all individuals who have our own values, beliefs, and identities, and we are all simply trying to the the best we can with what we have. With that being said, what if instead of putting each other down, we made a conscious, deliberate effort to start encouraging of each other? What if we put our own personal opinions and biases aside and started affirming one another? I, personally, think that would be pretty damn awesome!

I constantly hear people passing judgment: “Can you believe she did that? She should have done ________ instead. She’s gonna be sorry, just you wait and see”. To which I reply “Well, everyone has to live their own life. What’s right for you may not be right for her.” (though in my head I’m thinking WILL YOU FREAKIN’ STOP IT ALREADY! HOW ABOUT YOU STOP BEING A JUDGMENTAL PAIN IN THE ASS AND GIVE HER SOME GOD-DAMNED SUPPORT!!!) Maybe one day I’ll sum up the courage to say that out loud. Who knows, my inner self still a work in progress…

My point is we need to start being each others’ biggest cheerleaders! We need to start bonding together as a community of sisters and build each other up not cut each other down!! And we need to start right here, right now… TODAY!

Just imagine, if everyone did that, what an even more wonderful, amazing world this would be. And just imagine, if you had the support of your friends, family, and peer group, how much more you could achieve! In my life, I’ve found that frequently one of the biggest things that holds us back from being the very best we can be is fear of what other people will say – either to us or about us to others. Imagine if that was taken out of the equation entirely and you had nothing but support and encouragement. That’s the goal – let’s try to make support and positive validation of each other the norm instead of the exception.

Ok, my Supermom Lovelies, here is your next assignment: CHOOSE ONE MOM IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU INTERACT WITH ON A REGULAR BASIS AND FOR THE NEXT MONTH BE HER BIGGEST CHEERLEADER!

You know, give her a sincere compliment – tell her you like her outfit, tell her how well-mannered her kids are, or tell her what a great job she’s been doing in general. And, if she does something that makes you want to pass judgment, DON’T! Bite your tongue, take a deep breath, and realize that the things other people do, in the grand scheme of things, have NO effect on your life UNLESS YOU ALLOW THEM TO!

For one month practice being a supporter. You can do it… you know why? Because you’re a Supermom! You’ve got this; you’re in control of your emotions and you’re going to start spreading a little, extra positivity in the world! (Not to mention that you’ll be setting a great example for the kids to follow too. I’m working on this as a way to get the Munchkins to stop fighting with and tattling on each other all the time. Because frankly, their fighting and tattling drives me FREAKIN’ CRAZY!)

Until next time, Ladies – LIVE YOUR AWESOMENESS!

(oh, and don’t forget – BUCKETLISTS! … DO IT!)

*

What Makes You Happy?

I emailed a few of my blogger friends and asked them what makes them happy.

The following are some of the answers I got.

* * * * * * *

This first response comes from a blogger known as Perfectly Imperfect. You can visit her blog at: http://iamexactlywhereiamsupposedtobe.blogspot.in/

Q. What do you do to feel happy when you're feeling down?

Ans. Feeling down sucks, and we humans are so prone to it. Anything that does not happen according to our way, we make a fuss about it and punish ourselves by feeling down. I'm a human too, when something happens in my life which I didn't want I get pretty hyper too and spoil my mood. Here, music comes into play. Music has it's super power that can lift up your mood or make it more worse. I listen to pop/dance/electro songs  full of energy and the beats cheer me up. Also, I'm addicted to the night sky. Whenever I'm confused or simply does not feel good, I gaze up at the night sky, the stars which twinkle like diamonds and the flawless floating moon. I think about my life while gazing at it's beauty and magically everything sorts out within me.

We just need to remember that whatever happens, happens for a reason. It makes you stronger and life is never meant to be easy but if you enjoy whatever comes your way, you are the most happiest person on earth! We tend to complicate things in our mind. Cheer your mood up by doing what you like ( I listen to upbeat music) and then sit down peacefully in a silent place away from your mobile/laptop and think about the problems you are facing. You would get your answer. ;)

Q. What has happened in your life recently that made you laugh just when you needed it most? or What makes you laugh?

Ans. I have a pet dog named Scruffy. He detects my mood and when he see that I'm feeling down, he comes up to me sit down on my lap and looks at me. I think it's his way of saying that he is always with me when no one else is but whatever the reason is, it makes me smile and anyways he is too cute and adorable! :D

My friends too get to know about my mood by hearing my voice on the phone and they start getting all crazy and cracking jokes for me. Knowing someone is there for me  through thick and thin makes me smile too :)

* * * * * * *

Jamie Jordan contributed the following thoughts. You can visit Jamie's blog at: http://itsagaylife-jamiessmiles.blogspot.com/

What makes me happy when I am down are my friends and family.  It's so cliche, but I feel blessed sometimes with a unique mix of people who I can turn to for different things.  I have a strong support network, and wonderful people who genuinely care, as I care for them.  I think in the end sometimes you have to rely on other people. No man is an island.... a problem shared and all that;)

As cruel as it sounds, I laugh at people.  No, not at them, as such, but just the human bits of all of us that seem silly to others.  I laugh at my stupid friend, my brain dead friend, and they laugh at me.  My pet name for my boyfriend is "f****ng idiot", and his for me is "Dumb a**".  I think if you can laugh at yourself along with others it makes you a little more of the human experience.

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The nest entry comes from Bill Weber (aka Billy W.). It took him a little longer to respond to my question about happiness as he says High School+girlfriend=no free time.

Bill recently posted an article on his blog about the legal fallout in sports, check it out at: www.sportspinandstuff-billyw.blogspot.com

It really depends on the problem, if it's with a personal failure, such as getting below a 96 on a paper, I feel the worst, so I just bottle it up and write/listen to some hard rock. I know it's not the best suggestion, but I'm not a therapist. I have near-impossible standards for myself.  When something else happens, I usually talk to a few of my good friends, go on the coffee shop to take my mind off the current problem, or I listen to some upbeat music, or write.

I have to admit, I am downright hilarious when I want to be. I usually tell jokes and rant about the sociopathic maniac that is me. So I prefer to listen to comedy from Ron White. He fits me in the way that we're both like honeybadgers...we don't give a sh**....(Feel free to censor that mangled sentence if you want.)

hard rock is my release

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The last response I got was from a fantastic writer named Sara Lemos. It took her a while to respond as she had been traveling through the world.

You can see Sara's blog at: http://www.theninjatravels.com/

 I try and remember all the good times I've had on my travels, the new places I've experienced and the interesting people I've met. But it usually doesn't take more than just having a chat with friends and family to appreciate life. I also have a very cute picture of my nephew on my laptop which guarantees a smile every time I log on.

 Looking for work and a home in Bangkok has been pretty stressful at times, especially running around Bangkok in the heat of the day. This morning i took an air-con train to the airport to meet my mum from the UK. Her energy and excitement after a 14 hour journey made me smile and realize there is more to life than constantly stressing about the little things.

Thank you friends for reading this blog post. Your friendship makes me happy.

You're Just 5 Steps Away From Starting Your First Internet Business by Izzy Woods

You’re Just 5 Steps Away From Starting Your First Internet Business
With Examples From Financial Lead Generation

The fortunes that can be made online are alluring. Many, many people have tried and sadly failed to make money online. Many of these were simply unprepared - an online business is just as likely to fail as an offline one in the first couple of years. It’s important to go into your first online venture with a good understanding of the challenges. Once these challenges have been met you are one step on the road to success online.

1. Naming Your Business

This might seem the most trivial step involved. Perhaps you already have a ‘pretty neat’ name that you, your family and all your friends absolutely love. In the offline world this might be fine - go get your sign ordered and get cracking.

Online you’ll have to think about what domain names go well with that brand as well as whether those will be optimal for search engines. At the moment most search engines give a significant boost to domains that have your main keywords as part of the domain name. So a brand such as ‘Avertio’ would initially be harder by some amount to get near the top of the results than ‘financeadvice.com’ would be for the phrase ‘finance advice.’

This becomes a bit of a game of long versus short term. In the short term it might be easier to rank one of the two domains but in the long run ‘Avertio’ might become a household name or the search engines might start to see your site as an authority site in the niche you are targeting which negates this disadvantage.

2. Developing & Hosting Your Site

This is the most important and perhaps the most challenging step. If your business requires lots of tools, calculators (for example mortgage repayment calculators) and interactive graphics then there will be no alternative but to hire a competent developer. Luckily if you know exactly what you need there are many suitable contractors overseas (particularly India) who can complete the work for a reasonable cost. Unless you have significant backing outsourcing parts of your site development like this will be important.

The look and feel of your site is crucial and is often best conducted with a small, local design firm if you are looking to control costs and have face to face or at least regular discussions in your local language about your design and the brand you are trying to convey. Make sure you avoid anyone who seems to host a huge number of extremely homogeneous sites that clearly are the result of excessive template use. Look for someone who can do something for you that really stands out from the crowd - but is offering a service at a price you can afford. This step is important enough to spend a lot of time researching before you accept a bid for the work.

Make sure the hosting package you select is scalable as your business grows. A VPS deal from Hostgator for example allows you to simply increase the power of your package as your business requires it whilst keeping your costs extremely low to start with.

3. Developing Content Your Customers Love

This heading can stand alone as singly the most important part of your strategy as you launch an online business. Particularly if you operate in a less exciting niche such as finance, providing content that users share instead of just consume and forget will give you that extra little bit of exposure that is so important for new sites. Your first e-mail newsletter should be something people might share like “10 Predictions For House Prices In 2013” is much more likely to get forwarded to other landlords than “Yields Move From 6.74% to 6.87% In London This Year”.

Having a large number of regularly posted articles which contain a huge amount of useful information to your readers not only keeps them coming back and recommending your site to others but starts to make your site an authority in the niche. More and more long tail search terms will find their answer on your site.

4. Attracting Traffic To Your Site

In many areas this is difficult to do right off the bat. If you could only make a business out of cute cat videos (maybe you can? - have a think) then getting shares and social excitement about your site would be easy. Unfortunately you might be an expert in finance or accountancy and looking to generate leads in those areas to sell to advisers or accountants. Since there isn’t much interest online for cute accountant videos you will have to be a lot more creative.

I’d say first that by developing compelling content you will gain a lot of exposure on the search engines as time goes by. As a new business you will want to make things move a little more quickly and may look at hiring some search engine optimization firms. SEO is seen by many who are new to selling online as a bit of a dark art. Someone in India promises you ten thousand links and before you know it your site isn’t even listed on Google anymore because the spam was caught. Find a reputable digital marketing and SEO firm that talks to you about your customers, outreach to other interested sites with high quality content to obtain links, viral marketing (if your sector is appropriate) and avoid any firms that talk about guarantees, magic and number one listings in a week.

There are a lot of steps you can take yourself to increase traffic to your site. Offer to guest post on other sites in your niche - particularly if you are a known offline expert. An eye doctor might find some medical blogs are delighted to link to his surgery in exchange for some great, unique content. Becoming involved in communities is a great step. Forums, discussion boards, groups, and social networks all allow you the opportunity to communicate with people who are interested in similar products and services to the ones you are offering. Establishing yourself (without doing any aggressive promotion early on which will put people off) in these communities will have huge long term benefits as readers appreciate your input to their discussions and want to find out more about you from your site.

5. Don’t Get Ripped Off Along The Way

The Internet is a great shield of anonymity behind which many fraudsters lie. Treat every new contract, every new offer with the same skepticism as you would treat it from a stranger on the high street.

Think carefully before you believe those ‘too good to be true’ stories of easy number ones on search engines without the need for good content or any effort on your part. Don’t pick a cheap designer just because you would like to spend less money only to find your site looks pretty boring and doesn’t work very well on mobile devices.

If you’re going to be getting commission or selling leads for a share of the profit make sure you compare programs. A low converting program or partner who pays 50% might be worth way less than a high converting program that only pays 20% share to you. Make sure you keep a close eye on exactly what business you are sending and where it’s going - if something doesn’t look right to you, find out what’s going on. Never be afraid to ask questions of anyone you’re working with. You would do it in the offline world, and with nothing to hide they will have no problems putting your mind at ease.

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Izzy Woods loves nothing more than relaxing on her reclining sofa and scouring online stores for great deals. She works full time as a freelance writer and reporter, spending all her spare cash online, indulging in her love for online shops. As a writer she specializes in online marketing and branding among other related topics. 

 Reclining Sofa