Useful tips

Before you show your home to any potential buyer be sure to go through your whole house with your Realtor to finish the Staging process. Meanwhile, here are some quick tips to help you start. Follow these general tips and your home will look better than the competition. Staged Homes sell faster and/or for more money!
INSIDE
• Clear all unnecessary objects from furniture throughout the house. Keep decorative objects on the furniture restricted to groups of 1, 3, or 5 items. In general, a sparsely decorated home helps the buyer mentally „move in‟ with their own things. • Rearrange or remove some of the furniture in your home, if necessary. Many times home owners have too much furniture in a room. When it comes to selling your home, thin out overcrowded rooms to make the rooms appear larger.
• Clear all unnecessary objects from the kitchen countertops. If it hasn‟t been used for three months…put it away! Clear refrigerator fronts of messages, magnets, pictures, etc.
• In the bathroom, remove any unnecessary items from the countertops, tub, shower stall and commode top. Keep only the most necessary cosmetics, brushes, perfumes, etc., in one small group on the counter. Coordinate towels in one or two colors only.
• Take down, reduce, or rearrange pictures and objects on walls. Patch and paint all walls, if necessary.
• Review the house interior, room by room, and:
1. Paint any room needing paint.
2. Clean carpet and draperies that need it.
3. Clean windows.
• If you need room to store extra possessions use the garage or rent a storage unit.
• Leave on certain lights during the day (your agent will show you which ones). During showings turn on ALL lights and lamps.
• Play light FM music every day in the house, for all viewings.
OUTSIDE
• Go around the perimeter of the house and move all garbage cans, discarded wood scraps, extra building materials, etc., to the garage or, if applicable, take them to the dump.
• Check gutters and roof for dry rot and moss. Make sure they are swept & cleaned.
• Look at all plants. Plants are like children…they grow so fast. Prune bushes and trees. Keep plants from blocking windows: “You can‟t sell a house if you can‟t see it!”
• Remove any dead plants, weed all planting areas and put down fresh mulching material.
• Keep your lawn freshly cut, edged and fertilized during the growing season.
• Clear patios or decks of all small items, such as little planters, flower pots, charcoal, barbeques, toys, etc.
• Check the condition of the paint on your home, especially the trim and the front door. The first impression, or „curb appeal,‟ is very important.
IN GENERAL
Try to look at your house “through a buyer‟s eyes,” as though you‟ve never seen it before. This exercise will help you see what needs to be done. Any time and money invested on these items will usually bring you the return of more money and a quicker sale.

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Halfway around the word, a friend complains in her Facebook page that she is tired of winter. Here in the Philippines, we bake in the unusual heat this time of the year. It has not rained in more than three months and the water levels in our aquifers, dams, and wells are running very low.  Summer has only just started and already the heat can be oppressively hot during mid-day.  

Worse, with the heat comes sporadic power black outs and a severe water crisis. Truth to tell, it’s not as if we’re unused to these third world discomforts. Our house sits on top of a hill and is considered the highest point in our little barangay, which in turn, also sits on high ground. This feature protected us during the wrath of Ondoy, when the rains threatened to flood the entire city. These days, however, it makes us perfect first-line victims of water scarcity, rationing or cuts. It’s a hardship we have to learn to live with.

So what to do?  In my household, I have already prepared buckets and barrels for water collection. All of our bathrooms have extra-large covered pails, dippers and basins. We have also set up Alphonse’s small poo, fill it halfway, and covered it tightly so the water lasts us about two weeks. We use this water not only as his play water (we really can’t help it that Alphonse loves water) but also as water for the toilets, for cleaning the car and garage, for washing rags, and for watering what’s left of the plants.

Still, there’s more to be done to make sure that we don’t waste a single drop of water. Below are some of the things we already do in our home. Can you think of some more?  

Kitchen  

We wash fruits and vegetables in basins of water instead of running water from the tap. We then collect and reuse dirty wash water for toilets and houseplants.

When washing dishes, we fill a large basin with water and rinse only when all of the dishes have been soaped and scrubbed. We soak pots and pans in basins, too; we don’t scrub them under running water. Again, we re-use this dirty water for flushing toilets.

Frozen food is defrosted in the refrigerator overnight instead of being thawed in water.

 Cleaning and Laundry  

We use native brooms (walis tingting), not a hose, to clean the driveway, the garage,  and sidewalks. When we must wet the driveway (to wash dog poo, for example), we use a pail and a dipper only the spot that needs washing.

We match the water level of our washing machine to the size of the laundry load and use just the right amount of soap for the water level. Too much soap uses more water in rinsing. We also collect the run-offs (soapy water, rinse water) for reuse.

Eating

I got this idea online and I think this is great — assigning one glass for drinking each day (label them) or using a personalized water bottle. At home, we already use water bottles instead of glasses for drinking to keep spills to a minimum. But it’s also a great idea to save on washing a lot of drinking glasses throughout the day.

When we have lots of ice left in our water bottles, we simply pop them back in the freezer for later use. But sometimes, we dump them in plants, especially the ones that are left over from drinking colored sodas or juices.

Bathing 

I don’t have small kids anymore but when my nephew Enzo and niece Isabelle lived next door, one of the ways their mom would save on water and time and effort would be to bathe them at the same time. Anj, their mom, would put them in a large baby tub and wash them there. The dirty water was also reused for toilets. 

The easiest way to save water is to shift from separate shampoo and conditioner to a two-in-one hair cleansing product. Even just doing this already saves water from the double rinse.

This is perhaps the most basic: don’t let the water run. When you wash your hands, brush your teeth, shave, or even bathe, don’t let the water run. Turn off the water and make sure to turn off faucets tightly after each use. If you collect water in containers, watch them so they don’t overflow.

I started doing this as a medical student while on hospital duty. Because time was a valuable commodity, bathing had to be systematic. As soon as I was wet with water, I shampooed and lathered at the same tame. With water dripping from my head, I also washed my  face and often brushed my teeth while I bathed. The habit has stuck, and though a trifle weird, it does save water.

Most Filipinos already use a bucket and a tabo (water dipper) to bathe. We added a large basin (pink, if you must know) to catch run-offs from baths and use this to flush our toilet or clean the bathroom floor. The technique is simple: either stand inside the basin or bend over the side to catch water. 

Before we started using pails of dirty water to flush our toilets, we used to put a small plastic bottle filled with sand inside the toilet tank to increase water level artificially for flushing.  

And still some other stuff that help us use water well:

Watering plants in the morning is generally recommended but since mornings in the Philippines are already quite hot, water at dusk instead to reduce evaporation.

Always check for leaks. If you see that your water consumption is high despite efforts to improve water use, check your water lines and connections for leaks.  

~0~

I pray it rains soon. I’d hate to think what a long drought and an extended dry season would do to us. For a country surrounded by water, it would be the height of irony to die of thirst. 

[Via http://okasaneko.wordpress.com]

Leighton Meester is “Electric” on the set of “Gossip Girl” as her character totes a Foley + Corinna Jet Setter Jr. Bag (in Electric Blue)

Available April 1 at Foley + Corinna Boutiques in NY and LA
Retailing at $528

And stay tuned for all new episodes of Gossip Girl to start tonight on the CW. I know I will!

[Via http://thefashionguru.wordpress.com]

I thought this was an interesting column in The New York Times about the cost of care from the physician’s point of view:

When the Patient Can’t Afford the Care.

Unfortunately, many physicians have a very minimal idea of what the cost of the healthcare that they prescribe to their patients really is. The reality is that the economics of patient healthcare is very rarely emphasized in American medical school education and training, and any significant change in that is going to take some time.

However, please don’t think it’s a hopeless situation, and you are not at the mercy of your doctor’s potential ignorance in this area. If you are concerned about the cost of your healthcare, talk to your doctor about it. If you let your doctor know about concerns and financial limitations, he or she may be able to make some suggestions for more cost-effective alternative medical treatments.

Do not be like the patient in this article and let a wound fester and get infected, when there may have been cheaper possible alternative for treatment. If your doctor doesn’t know about the issue, he or she can’t help you with it, even if it’s prioritizing the most critical conditions that need to be taken care of. Maybe the alternatives aren’t always medically optimal, but they are almost always better than leaving your doctor in the dark and ending up in a medical emergency.

For more related articles, visit us at MyHealthCafe.com,

Some Simple Ways to Cut Your Healthcare Costs

Choosing the “Right” Primary Care Doctor

Basic Tips for Saving on Your Prescription Drugs

[Via http://myhealthcafe.wordpress.com]

Here are the upcoming events. First at this week at March 19th 2010 there will be Penguin Play Awards. Penguin Play Awards is when penguins like you can decide which Plays on the stage should deserve an award.Anyways heres a sneak peak picture of all you penguins who are wondering what it looks like.

In a couple months there will be a new mission. Now I have no idea what’s it going to be about or what the main idea is. But as always its something about Herbert. Here’s a drawing of the new mission.

There’s not just what to think about what the new mission is going to be like. You could be thinking also about the award that we will get when we complete the mission. But here’s some comments that has an idea what the mission is going to be like.

Here are the upcoming events:

On Thursday March 4th underground news comes out!

On Friday March Friday March 5th New Gift Shop Catalog!

Also on March 5th Rockhopper is coming!I hope you penguins are excited.

The next hidden pin is hidden through February 26 to March 11.

That’s all the news for now.If there any updates or any reality on club penguin then I will post more news tomorrow!

Okay here are the cheats. Recently the sports catalog came out. So I would like to give you the hidden locations for the sports shop catalog first.

click on the penguin with the green baseball uniform.

There are no hidden items for the next two pages.

Click on the pitcher’s mound. Then you will see a red hat.

That is all for the sports catalog.

Alright well that’s all the cheats and news for now. Updates and cheats comes on sunday.

[Via http://cpcheatstipsnews.wordpress.com]

essential items for your apartment on wheels.

1- paper towels.
because you will spill things, you will get muddy, you will be reaching for paper towels a lot more often than you think.

2 – first aid kit. especially cold/sinus/allergy medicine, bandaids, peroxide, and a safety pin.
when you need one of these, it’s too late to go find a store and buy it. you need it now.

3 – windshield visor. like one of those foil ones that covers your whole windshield and is supposed to keep your car cooler.
it makes a world of difference in the summer. but its just as important in the winter because it keeps people from gawking at you when you’re taking a nap or changing your shirt or cooking a hot dog with your foreman grill that’s plugged into your… :

4 – DC to AC converter.
$20 device that plugs into your cigarette lighter and lets you plug normal electric plugs in it so that you can use your foreman grill and whatever else you happen to need to plug in. not quite as handy as the extension cord/power strip, but much more discrete, at the cost of running down your car battery a bit. which is why you always carry….

5 – Jumper Cables.
maybe for you. or maybe for someone else in the parking lot some morning. either way, you’ll be glad you had them.

6 – Water thermos. 1 gallon minimum.
When you find an ice machine in July you’ll wish you had one even bigger. But usually a gallon lasts between fill-ups. This is for drinking water, of course, but it’s also for cleaning/rinsing your items, pouring into your engine when it overheats, washing your hands/toothbrush, emergency face washing when you can’t find anywhere else to do it, you get the idea.

[Via http://imagineandescape.wordpress.com]

MARKETCALLS‘ VIEW ON NIFTY (INTRADAY)

We wish you To Have A Superb Profitable Trading Day Today !!!

Since last three week we were telling if nifty close above 4926  for two days then nifty will touch 5060 and 5168 very quickly. See nifty yesterday closed at 5081 now going towards next target. Today market may consolidate near current level. If nifty close above 5105 then hold long psotions, otherwise start pofit booking in your long positions.

STRICTLY TRADE WITH STOP LOSS ONLY. IN THE MARKET ONLY SL CAN SAVE YOU.

NIFTY FUTURE CHART

INTRADAY NIFTY SUPPORT 5004 AND RESISTANCE 5105

NIFTY FUTURE(5081)
Buy above 5105 Target ???? SL ????
Sell below 5042 Target ???? SL ????

For SL and Targets Levels – SUBSCRIBE Nifty Calls AT : www.marketcalls.net
and enjoy many more things….  (See Subscribe menu to subscription details)

-Always Remember, put SL in your every trade.

-How to follow our calls on Click Here
-Read Disclaimer at Click Here

Rupesh Yatesh Dalal
Head Research Team

www.marketcalls.net

[Via http://marketcalls.wordpress.com]

In yesterday’s post, I wrote about the Torn and Restored Newspaper trick.  While I mentioned several methods, and confessed my partiality to the Gene Anderson version, I glossed over Axel Hecklau’s News Flash, which could arguably be the best Torn and Restored Newspaper trick extant.

Good thing Tom Bennett, a German professional magician (Blog of an Escamoteur), dropped me the following comment and jarred me back to my senses:

For me NewsFlash is just perfect. It’s my opener and it totally baffles the audience.

But I have to admit that I long under-estimated this effect, perfeps because for us in the know it just seems too trivial how it works.

For a full review of NewsFlash look at my blog:

http://escamoteur.de/wordpress/index.php/2009/07/news-flash-the-last-word-on-the-torn-and-restored-newspaper/

Best,

Tom

I followed the link, went to Tom’s blog and read about his accurate and no-incredible-hype review of News Flash.

Not only that, a related post titled How to Make the Last Tear of News Flash Easier attracted my attention.  I followed the link to it too. It led me to a gem of an article that clears the one stumbling block that had kept me from performing News Flash before a live audience.

Here’s my reply to Tom:

Hi Tom,

Thanks for dropping by and sharing your thoughts.

I went to your blog and read about the last tear in Axel Heclau’s News Flash. This has been giving me trouble too, the reason I have not yet learned News Flash.

What I do now is cross breed Gene Anderson’s method with News Flash. Meaning, I tear the newspaper the Anderson way, but I prepare the restoration packet the Heclau way.

The strategy seems to work in practice, but I have not tested it more stringently to convince myself that it does really work. Thanks for the tip on your blog. I will have another go at learning the News Flash.

By the way, I’ll write today a fresh blog about News Flash and expand on the thoughts in your message. The article will be published today on the Home page.

Stay magical,

Leodini

For you guys who are living under the rock and have not yet seen News Flash, here’s a video of its performance by Axel himself.  You be the judges if it’s magical enough for you to take the trouble to learn it.

Stay magical,

Leodini

www.leodini.com

[Via http://innermagicclub.wordpress.com]

CACTUS: Endurance, warmth.

CAMELLIA: Gratitude, loveliness.

CAMELLIA, PINK: Longing for you.

CAMELLIA, RED: You’re a flame in my heart.

CAMELLIA, WHITE: You’re adorable.

CARNATION: Fascination, distinction, divine love, woman, yes. Also the birthflower for January.

CARNATION, PINK: A woman’s love, I’ll never forget you, mother’s love.

CARNATION, PURPLE: Capriciousness.

CARNATION, RED: Alas for my poor heart, admiration, my heart aches for you, friendship, pride, fascination.

CARNATION, STRIPED: Refusal, No, sorry I can’t be with you.

CARNATION, WHITE: Innocence, faithfulness, sweet and lovely, pure love, ardent love, good luck. These lovely flowers have lasting qualities, and are often handed out on Mother’s Day to symbolize the purity and strength of motherhood. They were handed out at the first Mother’s Day service in 1908.

CARNATION, YELLOW: Disdain, rejection, you have disappointed me.

CHRYSANTHEMUM: Cheerfulness, optimism, rest, truth, long life, joy. Considered to be a noble flower in Asian culture, mums are used as an object of meditation per a suggestion by Confucius. Also the birthflower for November.

CHRYSANTHEMUM, RED: I love.

CHRYSANTHEMUM, WHITE: Truth, loyal love.

CHRYSANTHEMUM, YELLOW: Slighted love.

CLOVES: Dignity.

CRANBERRY: Heartache cure.

CROCUS: Cheerfulness, gladness, abuse not.

CYCLAMEN: Resignation, good-bye.

[Via http://ilovegarden.wordpress.com]

NOTE: THIS POST IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. I WILL POST MORE IN A BIT.

So over the last few weeks, I’ve been debating on switching to openbox. I borked my sound the other day trying to use mpd and could only get login/logout sounds, but no videos or flash videos had sound. I decided that was a good enough reason to switch. I spent the past 2 days messing around with various settings and programs and did one last fresh install today. I’ve got most things set up pretty much the way I like it (still have to mess with the menu and add a few more programs, but overall, I’m good).

I’ll list the programs I went with, and themes/icons if you would like to use them.

The basic common codecs were installed with this command:
$ sudo pacman -S gstreamer0.10-{{bad,good,ugly,base}{,-plugins},ffmpeg} flashplugin ttf-ms-fonts jre

Note: jre is optional (well, all of it is, but I rarely use java, so that can be excluded)

My browser of choice is firefox, but a close runner up is Chromium:
$ sudo pacman -S firefox

A very basic, lightweight editor:
$ sudo pacman -S leafpad

My file manager of choice (Thunar, with optional plug-ins):
$ sudo pacman -S thunar thunar-volman thunar-thumbnailers ffmpegthumbnailer thunar-archive-plugin thunar-media-tags-plugin

Archiver of choice:
$ sudo pacman -S xarchiver

Misc system information:
$ sudo pacman -S conky

My Taskbar of choice (haven’t yet tried pypanel):
$ sudo pacman -S tint2

Wallpaper Manager (very lightweight):
$ sudo pacman -S feh

Image viewer using GTK2:
$ sudo pacman -S mirage

Screenshot Utility:
$ sudo pacman -S scrot

Office Program:
$ sudo pacman -S abiword

Torrent Program:
$ sudo pacman -S deluge

CHM viewer:
$ sudo pacman -S xchm

Terminal of Choice:
$ sudo pacman -S roxterm

IDE/Development Program – Very Lightweight:
$ sudo pacman -S geany

Openbox Menu Editor:
$ sudo pacman -S obmenu

Music Player – Lightweight and EXTREMELY fast with a decent 20k song library
$ sudo pacman -S musicmanager

Note: It’s called Goggles Music Manager, and it’s started by issuing the following command $ gmm

My favorite movie player
$ sudo pacman -S smplayer

That should give you a pretty good setup in terms of basic programs. I know not all are super lightweight, but I can’t live without some. I tried to install only the most basic programs and avoid anything with gnome/kde dependices. Some pull in a fairly large amount of dependencies (smplayer), but most are just codecs.

So now that you’ve got some functionality, here are a few programs to pretty up your icons/themes. First, start by creating 2 folders in your home directory called .icons and .themes. Notice how both have a ‘.’ in front of them. It’s important to make sure you include it in your folder name. You will be placing any themes or icon packs you find in those two folders.

I installed the following two programs lxappearance and obconf. Obconf deals with your menu and the top bar of your programs. Lxappearance deals with themes and icon packs. I’ve had mixed results with lxappearance, but if you make sure to create the two folders I mentioned earlier and optionally install gtk2. I don’t recall if I installed this on my botched openbox install, but installing it this time had lxappearance working properly.

[Via http://pickboy87.wordpress.com]