cat-right

5 Tips to Appreciate Wine Better (and look like a ...

The best way to sound like a wine expert and impress people (even though you’re new to the wonderful world of wines) is to start working on your finesse.

There are a few simple tips and tricks you can learn to start looking like a pro at dinner parties and other kinds of fancy social gatherings before you know it.

Here’s how you can get started:

1. Know where wine comes from
Most wine is made from grapes, but unlike the ones you usually see in the fruits section of the supermarket, wine grapes much smaller, have seeds, and are mostly darker in color.

Aside from the grape variety, there are also other factors that could determine the type of wine in your glass, such as climate, rainfall, and even soil texture.

“Old world” wines, those from France, Italy, and Spain, tend to focus on environmental factors, while “New World” wines from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States tend to focus more on the grape variety.

2. Think ANP: appearance, nose, palate
If there’s one thing you absolutely need to know, it’s these three that serves as the basic steps you need to savor a glass. Once you’ve poured your wine, place it against a clean, white surface to get a better idea on its color and appearance.

To get a better grasp on the wine’s aroma, give it a good swirl before sniffing, and start with a small sip to take the time to determine its flavor profile. Naturally, the taste will match the smell.

3. Don’t force yourself to speak the language
Even though knowing a little bit about the basics helps a lot, there’s no need to know all the notes and terminology. When you’re just a beginner, as long as wine smells like wine, you can start there.

It’s usually best to start with simpler terms, such as “fruity” or “spicy” when it comes to the taste, or “rich” and “light” when it comes to texture.

4. Right food, right wine
Wine preferences can be subjective since people have different tastes, but it’s still important to know the basic pairings, since having the right wine to go along with your meal can enhance your dining experience greatly.

This simple rule of thumb goes as follows: white wine goes best with light meats, like fish and chicken, while red wine goes best with red meats, such as pork and beef.

5. Check in on your friends’ preferences
And because wine tastes are subjective, it’s all the more important that you check in on what your friends prefer if you do decide to host a wine tasting or offer them any.

The best way you can go about doing this is by paying attention to their preferences the first time, but if you didn’t, you can always make an estimate based on the occasion.

5 Signs that Say You’re Shaving Wrong

While it seems that keeping your facial hair to a minimum seems simple enough, shaving is actually more complicated than it seems – and there’s a good chance that you’re doing it wrong. Here are five signs that tell you that you are:

1. You’re rushing your shave.

Shaving should take at least five minutes, and a good shave should take more than that as you make sure that every inch of your face that would sport facial hair is free. Even most professional shaves in barber shops would take between twelve and twenty-five, which includes the time for preparation, shaving, and the after-shave.

2. You’re shaving before showering.

Ideally, your skin’s pores should be opened up and yourfacial hair should already be moist before you start taking the blade to make yourface’s skin as smooth as possible. This makes shaving solutions an importantpart of your kit: they help to moisturize, lubricate, and soften your facialhair and skin. 

3. You’re using a dull blade.

Contrary to what you think, the sharper your blade is, the safer and better your shave will be. What makes dull blades dangerous to use is because of the microscopic burrs that develop on the edge of the blade – while they may be too small to be seen by the naked eye, they can make shaving all the more difficult and painful.

If your razor comes with a cap, don’t throw it away. Having caps on your razors allow the blades to last longer as they will come in contact with the elements less frequently.

4. You’re not sure whether you should shave along or against the grain.

When it comes to shaving, considering the grain is really important – hair grows in all directions, and your facial hair can grow in multiple grains. Get a feel of how your beard/mustache grows by actually taking your fingers and running them down your facial hair.

You will know when you’re going against the grain when you feel a little resistance against your fingers and it feels prickly and weird. Depending on the type of razor and the grain of your face, you may have to go against the grain for a closer shave.

You should also use short strokes when you’re shaving.Not only will this allow you to account for the multiple grains on your face,but using long strokes when shaving could result in cuts that make theexperience more painful. 

5. Your aftershave is really harsh (and it stings).

Alcohol-based aftershaves are not only painful, and you don’t even need an aftershave in the first place. What you do need to do is to keep your facial skin smooth, which a simple moisturizer is suited to quite nicely.

How to Keep Your Shoes Looking Like New All the Ti...

Your shoes can do much more than enhance your look ata party or wherever you go – much like your outward appearance, it’s aninvestment that will stick around for a long time and will keep you from havingto buy new pairs on a regular basis.

Polish leather shoes frequently.

As much as leather shoes can last you forever, they also need to be taken care of a lot. You can get them to do this by investment in a high quality shoe polish for your leather shoes.

When choosing to invest in suede shoes, be sure to invest in a spray that’s capable of resisting both sand, water, and mud. Be sure to test the spray before using it to know that you get what you’re paying for.

Remember to take brushes over sponges when cleaningyour shoes – you’ll never know what could be in them, and they might end updamaging your investment instead. As much as possible, use shoe polish thatdoesn’t use a sponge-tip applicator.

Keep your shoes dry as much as possible.

Even if your shoes are built to withstand getting wet, keeping them dry as long as possible is perhaps one of the best ways to extend their life span. One way to get them to dry as fast as possible after a hard rain is to stuff them with newspaper.

What you shouldn’t do when your shoes get wet is to place them near somewhere really hot or use a blow dryer on them, as it could cause your shoes to become cracked and brittle. This is especially true when it comes to leather.

Investing in a waterproof protector will also go a long way when it comes to keeping your shoes’ surfaces from getting wet in the rain.

Have an added layer of rubber to your shoes.

Dress shoes can benefit a lot from having an addedlayer of rubber soles on the bottom – not only will they protect the actualsole from getting worn, but they are also much cheaper to replace and give youthe extra traction you need with your footing.

Allow your boat shoes to embrace the elements.

There are some exceptions to maintaining your shoes – some types of shoes have to take on the dirt and be salt-washed and faded, such as boat shoes. Sometimes, the best way to keep your shoes in peak condition is by allowing them to embrace the elements.  

You should still avoid introducing the elements to your shoes too much as they can still be worn down. One of the many ways you can start is by not dragging your feet to avoid damaging the soles.

The Forms and Impacts of Bullying

bully-jay

Bullying is widespread even here in Singapore. There are obvious and subtle manifestations. Adults and young Singaporeans experience such but the prevalent cases are seen in the classroom and workplace. Bullying occurs when someone scares, threatens or hurts another individual on purpose. Everyone should step up to stop bullying. Bullying is clearly wrong and it should be stopped at all costs.

You should know that there are different types of bullying. It is important that you know the different types so you can distinguish the form to avoid or prevent it. Here are some types of bullying:

bullying4

  1. Verbal – Words are like sword that can pierce through the heart. It does not stop there because it will linger for a long time. Verbal bullying is in the form of name calling, teasing, making negative remarks based on one’s religion, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation and many others.
  2. Social – Social bullying is also prevalent. It includes humiliating someone publicly, excluding others from the group, blaming someone, incriminating someone and many more. It is so painful that the person will think they are not worth the company.
  3. Physical – Of all the forms, physical bullying will bear the mark. Physical bullying includes poking, coercing, stealing, hitting and other things. This is very painful that the wounds will not heal immediately. If you experience such, you can seek the help of authorities.
  4. Cyber – Cyber bullying is very common these days. The internet paved way to this new form of bullying. In this form, the person may experience intimidation or threats via text messaging and internet. In cyber bullying, someone will make fun of another person by spreading rumours and other things that can taint the person’s personality.

Bullying is not a shallow issue. In fact, it is a serious problem that should be addressed by parents, teachers and the whole community right away. Bullying makes people very unhappy, lonely and frightened. If you are a victim, you always feel uneasy and unsafe not to mention you will surely lose your self-confidence.

Everyone should know that bullying has a long term psychological and physical effects. The direst thing is withdrawal from the family and the social circle. The person will also encounter nightmares, exhaustion, shyness and panic attacks.

If bullying is not stopped, it will progress into aggression and the violence throughout adulthood. It will eventually lead to criminal behaviour and harassment. So, while it is early, it is important that you help stop bullying. You should tell your teens about the impacts of bullying to other people.

effects_of_bullying_by_biancaloves1d-d66gn1e

Dealing with a Terror Attack

Terror attacks are purely evil and horrible. This can strike anytime and anywhere so it is important that all people know how to deal with it. On November 18, the Civil Defence Force and the Police Force joined hands for the annual anti terror exercises. The exercise is named “Exercise Heartbeat”. The two forces played possible terrorist scenarios and how to deal with it. They included a vehicle blast at the Plaza Singapura, shooting riot at Biopolis and suicide bomber hit at the Land Tower.

What about the people? These exercises only prepare the forces and how they will respond. Only a few know what to do. All people should be taught to increase their chances of survival. Here are some tips that you can considering during a terrorist attack:

terror-1

1. Try to remain calm

No matter what you are going through or what has happened around you, the best thing that you can do is gather your composure, be patient and be calm. Outburst of emotion can cloud your judgment. Do not be hysterical because it cannot help.

2. Follow local officials

If local officials advised you to move or stay, you should follow them because they know what they are doing. If you do not follow them and stray in the group, you will surely be in harm’s way.

terror-2

3. Listen or watch for news

When something big has happened, you need to listen to your radio or better yet watch news for latest updates and instructions. You have to know what is happening so you will know how to proceed. Do not worry because officials will help you.

4. If you are near the site, check for injuries

If you are near the site where terrorism happened, you should check for injuries. If you are safe, look around and if you see seriously injured people, call help right away. If you are not that hurt, you can consider first aid while waiting for the medics or ambulance.

Simple Ways to Get Over Someone

Getting over someone you love and care about is hard but sometimes, you have to let go of things to welcome wonderful experiences. If it didn’t work out or if it drains you rather than energizes you, it is about time to let it go and move on. But it is easier said than done, would you agree? The good news here is that you don’t have to do crazy or complicated things to get over someone because there are simple ways that you can consider to get over him/her.

breakup

You can start by following this:

Even if it is hard, stop thinking about him/her

If the breakup is fresh, it is okay to think about him/her but if it is that long, condition yourself to stop thinking about him/her. Yes this is hard but if you are used to it, you will notice that you can manage the day without even thinking about him/her for a second. Here’s a trick- if you think about him/her, think of the bad things about him/her.

You should also get rid of all memories so you won’t remember him/her. Hide photo albums and gifts. If possible, burn it. If you are really serious about forgetting him/her, you should “un-friend” or “un-follow” him/her.

Rediscover yourself

It is time that you give yourself importance. Do the things that make you happy instead of wallowing in that dark corner. If you have hobbies and interests, pursue them. You will feel that you don’t need him/her to be happy. Take time to be with the family and friends. They will surely welcome you.

Accept it

It is important that you accept it. Don’t try to force yourself because they will only pity you. Accept the things that you cannot change and you should learn from it.