Friday 19 August 2011

7 Tips to Make You More Creative


Many great things have started as an simple, creative idea. Consider donating some of your best ideas to help others. The more creative you are, the more ideas you will be able to create. You can be creative even if you don't think you are.

Being creative and thinking up world-changing ideas occurs in the same way. Everyone can be creative but they have to be willing to start. The creative process will then become more natural over time.

Try the following tips to help you on your journey to be more creative:

1.Record your ideas on whatever is comfortable and convenient at the moment. What is important is that you record your ideas. In the past, I have forgotten ideas that I thought of when I was on a walk. Now I carry a digital recorder with me on those walks. At other times I use my computer, notepad or journal. Choose what will work best for you and make sure you have a way to record your ideas at all times. You never know when an important idea will surface.

2. Don't limit yourself to ideas that seem possible. Capture all of your ideas. Even those that seem impossible to implement are important for a couple of reasons. First, what seems impossible to you may not be impossible sometime in the future or for someone else. Second, impossible ideas encourage further creative ideas that might be more likely to be implemented.

3. Change your scenery or location. A change in scenery can stimulate the creativity inside you. A change might be as simple as looking out a window. You can also visit someplace new like a park, beach, or mall. The new environment can foster new ideas.

4. Read on many topics. It is amazing how many things in a totally unrelated subject can prompt new ideas. By broadening your knowledge into more areas, you make your creativity potential grows.

5. Go for a walk. Some of the best ideas have happened when we walk. This applies to any form of moderate exercise. I have heard of others that have written articles and speeches while walking or jogging.

6. Focus in 10-15 minute increments. It does not take a significant amount of time to brainstorm some potential ideas. In fact, brainstorming works best when done for short periods of time. Concentrate for a few minutes on generate as many ideas to address a specific area or problem. Then capture anything that comes to mind throughout the rest of the day (see tip #1). You will have several ideas for consideration for little investment of time. One of those could become something tremendous for helping others.

7. Think big. What question are you asking to prompt your ideas? The larger the question, the larger the impact those ideas may have on the world. You can start by addressing smaller problems but don't limit yourself to those. You have unique experiences, knowledge and talents that should be applied to helping others on a grand scale as well.

I hope all of you will practice it wisely in your daily life. A part from that, with blessing from God you will be a successfull thinker!


Thursday 18 August 2011

Benefits of Dates Fruit for Women and Men



Dates are highly nutrient dense foods. They provide large quantities of dietary fiber, dates calcium, iron, sulfur, potassium, manganese, phosphorus, copper, and magnesium. These essential nutrients are needed for optimum health.
  •  Dates provide instant energy and boost stamina and tolerance levels.
  •  Dates work wonderfully for the GI tract. It combats the most stubborn case of constipation
  • and bowel irregularity. It reduces the transit time of stool within the colon.
  •  Beta glucan found in dates is very good· It prevents spiking and excessive oscillation of the blood sugar level.
  •  Dates check the multiplication of worms and parasites in the bowel, and promote the growth of the friendly, beneficial bacteria.
  •  Dates are used to treat anemic conditions.
  •  It manages anemic headaches, breathlessness and dizziness successfully.
  •  Dates also promote healthy heart functioning. The fruit checks a range of cardiovascular diseases. Research also says that dates contain powerful anti-oxidants that ward off cancers by fighting the free radicals
posted by Hanif

Ramadhan Kareem 1432H.

Ramadan is a time for self-examination and increased religious devotion. The fast ends when the new moon is again sighted and the month of Shawwal begins. It is followed by the Id Al-Fitr feasting and the exchange of gifts. The festive activities in the streets goes from an hour or so after sundown until early hours of the next morning. During Ramadan, Muslims continue with their prayers five times a day, but after the night prayer is performed, a special prayer called Taraweeh is performed. This is a voluntary prayer that consists of reading the Quran during the time of Ramadan. The length of this prayer is usually 2-3 times as long as the daily prayers. In many mosques the whole Quran is read during Taraweeh prayers over the month. In some mosques it is read several times.

Salam Ramadhan Kareem 1432 H...=)

Qualities of a good student


  1. Attitude: Basically, a good student possesses the ability and willingness to learn new subjects even if the subjects are not interesting.
  2. Academic skills: Acquiring academic skills is the most important quality of a good student. Ability to read comprehensively, to write effectively, to speak fluently, and to communicate clearly are the key areas in which a student must be proficient. Having a good command in all these areas will make a student to shine in the class.
  3. Ability: A good student has the ability to apply the results of his or her learning in to a creative way and achieve the goals.
  4. Perceptiveness: How well a student can interpret and perceive meanings from a conversation greatly determines the quality of a good. A good student always perceives right meaning from conversations, but an average student often misunderstands the original thoughts of a speaker or writer and derives a wrong conclusion.
  5. Self-Discipline: Discipline in managing the time is an important factor that every good student must possess. Often delaying the tasks, such as writing assignments, reading text books, etc, may negatively impact the ability of a student to achieve the goals.
  6. Understanding rather than memorizing concepts: Resolving any doubts by asking about them on the spot is always a good thing. Several surveys suggest students must understand the concepts rather than just memorize them. The memorized facts and theories will stay in student's memory until they leave school, college, or university. Once out of school, the students will totally forget the core concepts that they had learnt. Therefore, it is essential for a good student to understand the concepts.

5 Easy Ways to Reduce Stress
 

       TAIKO


In our fast paced world, stress is something we live with - day in and day out. It isn't going away. We need to learn to live with it - and get the upper hand. Or it will take its toll on our health.


Stress is defined as our reaction to the external environment as well as our inner thoughts and feelings. It isn't only what happens to us that creates stressful feelings, but it's how we feel about what happens to us. Learning to control our thoughts through meditation, yoga, and other mind quieting techniques can be very helpful in reducing stress levels. Like the Buddhists say, become the calm in the center of the storm.

No one can live without experiencing some degree of stress all the time, according to Hans Selye, M.D., the father of modern stress research. He writes in his book, The Stress of Life: "Stress is not even necessarily bad for you; it is also the spice of life, for any emotion, any activity causes stress. But, of course, your system must be prepared for it."

During times of increased stress, our body's nutrients are used more rapidly to meet these needs so we require increased amounts of many of these nutrients. The antioxidant vitamins A, E and C, the B vitamins and the mineral zinc, selenium, calcium, magnesium, iron, potassium, sulfur and molybdenum are some of the nutrients that are commonly depleted by stress.

Fortunately there are a number of ways to prepare the body for stress. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Meditate, pray, or do yoga each morning. The simple technique of quieting the mind, following the breath, and relaxing the body can put you in the right frame of mind for getting through a stressful day with a positive mental attitude. 
At Work. During the day the stress mounts, whether at home or at your place of work. This can result in tension, headaches, back pain or lack of focus and general unproductivity. A few simple ways to help reduce these stress symptoms is to: Change your position or take a quick walk around the office, drink some water, stretch, or do a yoga exercise. One great way to accomplish this is right on your computer, Reduce Stress at Your Desk on Holistic.com has 4 free different streaming video exercises designed to be done in your chair that target your neck, back, shoulders and upper back. They run from 4-6 minutes each and have proven to be effective.
    2. Exercise. Walking 20 minutes per day can change body chemistry in a way that calms the nervous system and reduces stress levels. Aerobic exercise is especially good for producing endorphins in the body - which are natural soothing hormones released during sustained exercise.

    3. Make dietary changes. Reducing sugar, carbohydrates, caffeine and alcohol in your diet can go a long way towards getting your body back into a healthful balance. It's now recognized that when we eat carbohydrates, these foods turn directly into sugar in our bodies. The more sugar we eat, the more depleted our B-vitamins become. B-vitamins are essential for a healthy nervous system.
      4. Supplement with vitamins and minerals. Taking a daily multi-vitamin, mineral supplement and B-vitamin supplement can strengthen your nervous system whether you're already depleted by stress or storing up for an onslaught of stressful circumstances. The mineral calcium is especially helpful for calming the nerves and toning up the nervous system. Athletes preparing for a race understand that extreme physical activity can be stressful and boost their bodies with nutrients beforehand. Take 3,000 mg of Vitamin C per day to help maintain a healthy nervous system while under stress.
        5. Use herbs in tincture and tea form to calm yourself:
              The Ginsengs: Both Panax ginseng (Korean ginseng) and Siberian ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus) have been shown in numerous studies to support adrenal function and enhance resistance to stress. Both Ginsengs are adaptogens, which means they restore balance, stimulating a function when it is low, subduing it when high. Both can be used to restore vitality, increase feelings of energy and well being, increase mental and physical performance and enhance the body's response to stress. Valerian: clinical studies have shown valerian's ability to relieve insomnia, decreasing time needed to fall asleep while increasing deep sleep. Kava Kava: European studies have found Kava effective in the treatment of nervous anxiety, insomnia, restlessness as well as reduce heart palpitations, chest pains, headache and gastric irritation. Enjoy a cup of herbal tea at night. Create a bedtime ritual of drinking chamomile tea to relax. Or try an herbal liquid tincture sleep formula containing chamomile. Homeopathic remedies are scientifically proven effective and side-effect free. Try one of the many sleep formulas on the market that contain chamomilla and other sleep inducing remedies.

        Tongue Twister #1

        holaaa!! let twist our tongue... practice to make our tongue smooth while speaking... hehehe... try it :)


        1
        Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.
        A peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked.
        If Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers,
        Where's the peck of pickled peppers Peter Piper picked?

        2
        I saw Susie sitting in a shoe shine shop.
        Where she sits she shines, and where she shines she sits


        3
        Something in a thirty-acre thermal thicket of thorns and thistles thumped and thundered threatening the three-D thoughts of Matthew the thug - although, theatrically, it was only the thirteen-thousand thistles and thorns through the underneath of his thigh that the thirty year old thug thought of that morning.


        4
        Can you can a can as a canner can can a can?


        5
        How many cookies could a good cook cook If a good cook could cook cookies? A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good cook who could cook cookies.


        6
        How much ground would a groundhog hog, if a groundhog could hog ground? A groundhog would hog all the ground he could hog, if a groundhog could hog ground.


        7
        How much pot, could a pot roast roast, if a pot roast could roast pot.


        8
        How much wood could Chuck Woods' woodchuck chuck, if Chuck Woods' woodchuck could and would chuck wood? If Chuck Woods' woodchuck could and would chuck wood, how much wood could and would Chuck Woods' woodchuck chuck? Chuck Woods' woodchuck would chuck, he would, as much as he could, and chuck as much wood as any woodchuck would, if a woodchuck could and would chuck wood.


        9
        She sells seashell by the seashore, but the shell that she sells is not a seashell.

        The Runner-Up

        A couple of hunters are out in the woods when one of them falls to the ground.He doesn't seem to be breathing;his eyes are rolled back in his head.
        The other guy whips out his mobile phone and calls the emergency services.he gasps to the operator :''My friend is dead! What can I do?".
        The operator, in calm soothing voice says: "Just take it easy. First,let's make sure he's dead."
        There's silence, then a shot is heard. The guy's voice comes on the line. He says :"Okay,now what?".

        120 Ways to Boost Your Brain Power

        Boost your Brain Power

        Here are 120 things you can do starting today to help you think faster, improve memory, comprehend information better and unleash your brain’s full potential.

        1. Solve puzzles and brainteasers.
        2. Cultivate ambidexterity. Use your non-dominant hand to brush your teeth, comb your hair or use the mouse. Write with both hands simultaneously. Switch hands for knife and fork.
        3. Embrace ambiguity. Learn to enjoy things like paradoxes and optical illusions.
        4. Learn mind mapping.
        5. Block one or more senses. Eat blindfolded, wear earplugs, shower with your eyes closed.
        6. Develop comparative tasting. Learn to properly taste wine, chocolate, beer, cheese or anything else.
        7. Find intersections between seemingly unrelated topics.
        8. Learn to use different keyboard layouts. Try Colemak or Dvorak for a full mind twist!
        9. Find novel uses for common objects. How many different uses can you find for a nail? 10? 100?
        10. Reverse your assumptions.
        11. Learn creativity techniques.
        12. Go beyond the first, ‘right’ answer.
        13. Transpose reality. Ask “What if?” questions.
        14. SCAMPER!
        15. Turn pictures or the desktop wallpaper upside down.
        16. Become a critical thinker. Learn to spot common fallacies.
        17. Learn logic. Solve logic puzzles.
        18. Get familiar with the scientific method.
        19. Draw. Doodle. You don’t need to be an artist.
        20. Think positive.
        21. Engage in arts — sculpt, paint, play music — or any other artistic endeavor.
        22. Learn to juggle.
        23. Eat ‘brain foods’.
        24. Be slightly hungry.
        25. Exercise!
        26. Sit up straight.
        27. Drink lots of water.
        28. Deep-breathe.
        29. Laugh!
        30. Vary activities. Get a hobby.
        31. Sleep well.
        32. Power nap.
        33. Listen to music.
        34. Conquer procrastination.
        35. Go technology-less.
        36. Look for brain resources in the web.
        37. Change clothes. Go barefoot.
        38. Master self-talk.
        39. Simplify!
        40. Play chess or other board games. Play via Internet (particularly interesting is to play an ongoing game by e-mail).
        41. Play ‘brain’ games. Sudoku, crossword puzzles or countless others.
        42. Be childish!
        43. Play video games.
        44. Be humorous! Write or create a joke.
        45. Create a List of 100.
        46. Have an Idea Quota.
        47. Capture every idea. Keep an idea bank.
        48. Incubate ideas. Let ideas percolate. Return to them at regular intervals.
        49. Engage in ‘theme observation’. Try to spot the color red as many times as possible in a day. Find cars of a particular make. Invent a theme and focus on it.
        50. Keep a journal.
        51. Learn a foreign language.
        52. Eat at different restaurants – ethnic restaurants specially.
        53. Learn how to program a computer.
        54. Spell long words backwards. !gnignellahC
        55. Change your environment. Change the placement of objects or furniture — or go somewhere else.
        56. Write! Write a story, poetry, start a blog.
        57. Learn sign language.
        58. Learn a musical instrument.
        59. Visit a museum.
        60. Study how the brain works.
        61. Learn to speed-read.
        62. Find out your learning style.
        63. Dump the calendar!
        64. Try to mentally estimate the passage of time.
        65. “Guesstimate”. Are there more leaves in the Amazon rainforest or neuron connections in your brain? (answer).
        66. Make friends with math. Fight ‘innumeracy’.
        67. Build a Memory Palace.
        68. Learn a peg system for memory.
        69. Have sex! (sorry, no links for this one! :) )
        70. Memorize people’s names.
        71. Meditate. Cultivate mindfulness and an empty mind.
        72. Watch movies from different genres.
        73. Turn off the TV.
        74. Improve your concentration.
        75. Get in touch with nature.
        76. Do mental math.
        77. Have a half-speed day.
        78. Change the speed of certain activities. Go either super-slow or super-fast deliberately.
        79. Do one thing at a time.
        80. Be aware of cognitive biases.
        81. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes. How would different people think or solve your problems? How would a fool tackle it?
        82. Adopt an attitude of contemplation.
        83. Take time for solitude and relaxation.
        84. Commit yourself to lifelong learning.
        85. Travel abroad. Learn about different lifestyles.
        86. Adopt a genius. (Leonardo is excellent company!)
        87. Have a network of supportive friends.
        88. Get competitive.
        89. Don’t stick with only like-minded people. Have people around that disagree with you.
        90. Brainstorm!
        91. Change your perspective. Short/long-term, individual/collective.
        92. Go to the root of the problems.
        93. Collect quotes.
        94. Change the media you’re working on. Use paper instead of the computer; voice recording instead of writing.
        95. Read the classics.
        96. Develop your reading skill. Reading effectively is a skill. Master it.
        97. Summarize books.
        98. Develop self-awareness.
        99. Say your problems out loud.
        100. Describe one experience in painstaking detail.
        101. Learn Braille. You can start learning the floor numbers while going up or down the elevator.
        102. Buy a piece of art that disturbs you. Stimulate your senses in thought-provoking ways.
        103. Try different perfumes and scents.
        104. Mix your senses. How much does the color pink weigh? How does lavender scent sound?
        105. Debate! Defend an argument. Try taking the opposite side, too.
        106. Use time boxing.
        107. Allocate time for brain development.
        108. Have your own mental sanctuary.
        109. Be curious!
        110. Challenge yourself.
        111. Develop your visualization skills. Use it at least 5 minutes a day.
        112. Take notes of your dreams. Keep a notebook by your bedside and record your dreams first thing in the morning or as you wake up from them.
        113. Learn to lucid dream.
        114. Keep a lexicon of interesting words. Invent your own words.
        115. Find metaphors. Connect abstract and specific concepts.
        116. Manage stress.
        117. Get random input. Write about a random word in a magazine. Read random sites using StumbleUpon or Wikipedia.
        118. Take different routes each day. Change the streets you follow to work, jog or go back home.
        119. Install a different operating system on your computer.
        120. Improve your vocabulary.