Siblings Love!

This post is dedicated to a cute YouTube channel I stumbled upon. It's called Nash Grier and it often features Nash and his 4-year-old sister interviewing one another.

Those are two of my favourite videos of them :)

 

Cheer Yourself Up! The Sunscreen Song

Hello!

It's late today, so I will not write a long post. Here is something worth sharing - The Sunscreen Song.
The lyrics along with the video made by the Pickupdance - How To Dance At A Club! channel on YouTube can make you smile in 3 minutes :)

Enjoy and get inspired!

Why Sitting Is So Bad for You (Day 7)

In today's day 7, I'd like to discuss an issue I've been reading and watching a lot abut lately! It is the subject of sitting and how harmful it is to us. Different surveys show different results, but it seems that on average, we spend around 12 hours a day sitting. Research shows that rigorous exercise is not enough to erase the side effects of sitting for that long. So we need to do something about it!

Where do we sit?

- at home
- when travelling
- in the office/at school/at University
- at cafeterias/restaurants
- at the theatre/cinema
In other words, everywhere!

Why is it bad for us?

- it distorts our spines
- it makes us sleepy and lazy
- it can limit the amount of air coming into our lungs (incorrect posture presses our lungs!)

What can we do about it?

- stand up every half an hour to one hour for a few minutes
- stretch, do simple excersises
- when possible, do our work whilst standing
- rock on our chairs backwards and forwards

There are some highly innovative solutions related to sitting they've already invented:

Photo from: www.dudeiwantthat.com

Photo from: www.districtadministration.com

Photo from: www.joycreationblog.com

Photo from: librarygeekwoes.blogspot.com

Hopefully, the nice designs will help attract more attention to the issue!


Finally, this little cartoon is quite informative.

What is your way of battling the sitting 'epidemic'?

5 Life-changing Books

Good morning my dear readers!

I've been doing a lot of reading lately (mainly self-help and personal development). So here are five top picks:

1. Who Moved My Cheese

It is a book about change and how we all secretly fear it.

Photo from: Amazon.com

2. The Willpower Instinct

What stands on your way of high achievements and how to train willpower like a muscle.

Photo from: Amazon.com

3. The Four Hour Working Week

How to turn yourselves into a prioritising super machine and to travel while working.

Photo from: Amazon.com

4. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living

The book is almost 70 years old (thanks for the correction Willie!), yet the lessons will never die.

Photo from: Amazon.com

5. The Power of a Positive No

Saying no is not only okay, but it is in fact essential for your self-esteem and low stress levels!

Photo from: Amazon.com

 What are your favourite self-help inspiring books?

5 Incredible Time lapses (Day 5)

Good morning my dear readers!

In today's Day 5 of my 30 Days writing challenge, I've decided to share with you some BEAUTIFUL time lapses.

No need for explanation. Simply enjoy :)

Which one is your favourite?

5 Inspiring TED Talk Videos (Day 4)

Good evening everyone!

Today is my day 4 of the 30 days writing challenges. I've decided to dedicate it on inspiring TED Talk videos. Everyone who knows me is aware that I'm a a huge TED supporter so my choice isn't a huge surprise!

So here we go (in no particular order):

1. Kelly McGonigal: How to make stress your friend

Ask yourself a question: "How much stress have I experienced in the last year?" You're probably thinking that stress is inherently bad for you. Well, Kelly McGonigal Proves just the opposite! Stress isn't necessarily bad. The perception of it, however, predetermines stress's effect on us.

2. Sir Ken Robinson: Do schools kill creativity?

This is one of the most watched TED videos of all times. Sir Ken Robinson's brave public shaming of the classic educational system will make you appreciate the importance of dance in education.

 3. Jill Bolte Taylor's stroke of insight

That incredible brain researcher experienced something not many brain researchers get to see first-hand - a stroke! And she manages to recreate all these sensations nine years after her recovery.

4. Amy Cuddy: Your body language shapes who you are

Amy Cuddy's research found that two minutes of implementing some "power poses" when you're before an important event can make you seem much more confident than you feel! So those secret rituals can open many doors for you.

5. Cameron Russell: Looks aren't everything. Believe me, I'm a model.

There you go - the one person that you'd almost expect to think that looks are the most important thing (she makes money out of her looks after all), admits that this isn't the case!

Tim Ferriss - The Four Hour Working Week (Day 3)

Hi everyone!

Today is Day 3 of my 30 day challenge to write a blog every day.

So I've decided to dedicated it to Tim Ferriss and his lifestyle approach in particular.


His book The Four Hour Working Week  for me was one of the those books that when you read you feel like you agree with the author and know that something is going to change if you push yourself to the given direction even more. Tim's lifestyle and his unstoppable attempts to develop himself, to learn new skills and to travel all the time made me love the book. The author himself has become a role model. Here are is why.

10 lessons from the book/the author himself:

1. Being busy is different from being efficient

You can spend hours and hours doing stuff that don't need doing! Tim is a fan of choosing the most important things that need doing and only if you ave time, to do other things. I personally love a book called Eat That From by Brian Tracy. The author suggests that you should start the day by listing all things that you need to do, separate them into three groups by importance - A, B and C - and circle the most important of all A-s, that being the ugly from. Then you need to "eat", i.e. complete that frog and you are sorted for the day!

Photo from: www.gauraw.com

2. Travelling around the world is eye-opening and achievable

Photo from: healthfitnessrevolution.com

When you travel around the world, you learn so much about other cultures, you get unexpected adventures on your way and you thoroughly enjoy yourself! And in fact, a lot of other principles from the book show that travelling is achievable even when you supposedl have to work 5 times a week...

3. Learning languages is beneficial...

Photo from: www.returnofkings.com

even if you're a native English speaker! It trains your memory, concentration, and it makes you more connected to different nationalities.

4. Outsourcing the most of your work

Photo from: biz30.timedoctor.com

This is one of my favourite principles that I hope to be able to do when I get the chance. There are websites where people can find virtual assistants from countries where payment per hour is cheaper. They are hard-working and they save a lot of time!

5. Applying the 80/20 rule

Photo from: crowdfunduk.org

The picture says it all!

6. "You are the average of the five people you associate with most"...

Photo from: magerempowerment.com

"...so do not underestimate the effects of your pessimistic, unambitious, or disorganized friends. If someone isn't making you stronger, they're making you weaker.”

Those positive, inspiring people around you can make a huge change to your personality. Same as moaning and self-diminishing who transfer their negativity onto others. So get yourself a bunch of happy, funny, high-achieving friends!

7. You can become excellent even if you are a beginner now

Photo from: quantifiedself.com

That is Tim Ferriss on the picture who swore he could never learn how to dance. Look at him now - a tango champion!

8. Don't check your emails all the time

Photo from: lifehacker.com

Emails are distracting!

9. Ask some of the best for advice

Photo from: castlepersonaltraining.com

Because they know the way.

10. Negotiate to work from distance

Photo from: www.essentialtravel.co.uk

 As long as you can do your work from distance, there is no reason why you can't ask your boss to do so!

Finally, here are a couple of videos featuring Tim Ferriss that I find quite inspiring:

1. Tim at TED




2. An interview with Arnie


 

Thanks for reading!

5 Things to Do After Submitting Your Dissertation (Day 2)

I know that the name of this blog is Business Stalker, which implies talking about different companies/businesses, but it was created to get a University student to write about all things in life!

So as a blog post number 2 from my 30 day writing challenge , I've decided to write about something amazing that happened to me recently - I submitted my undergrad dissertation! After 10,000 words and 6.5 months of writing (well, not constantly), I've lifted the weight off my shoulders!

So what are those 5 things you can do after submitting the dissertation?

1. Relax in the backyard

Photo from: clearwritingsolutions.com

 So much green and peacefulness! I've started to adore my backyard :) f you don't have one, just use any park and go to place with less people ho-ho!

2. Read some kids books

Photo from: collider.com

Astrid Lindgren is one of my favourite children authors. Pipi Longstocking, The Brothers Lionheart or Ronia the Robber's Daughter are examples of her great work. They all bring me back to my childhood memories and make me forget all those journal articles!

3. Learn German 

Photo from: www.myeducationadvices.com

Or any other foreign language you've been meaning to learn. Spanish is another one on my to-do-list. At least, I studied German when I was younger! There are so many websites, movies in foreign languages, free books on The Gutenberg Project for example, YouTube videos...

4. Tidy up your room

Photo from: www.robots.ox.ac.uk

Get rid of annoying old clothes, hoover your floor, put some fun stuff on the wall, donate or sell books. And most importantly, throw away all dissertation notes. It's such a relief!

5. Meet friends

Photo from: hub.endsleigh.co.uk

See all these people you've been meaning to. You all miss each other for sure. And we all tend to get a bit anti social around dissertation time!


What are your tips for relaxing after the diss is done. Share below in the comments!

Top 10 Ways to Use Art in Your Room (Day 1)

Right. I've decided to make an experiment.


I am going to write one blog a month and see if by promoting it using Facebook and Twitter only I can increase my almost-non-existent readers!

If you are one of them, thank you dearly, and I hope that you are enjoying your reading :)

So...

Making an Experiment: Post Number 1 

Top 10 Ways to Use Art in Your Room

Let me base my first blog post on art, and more specifically, on how to make your room arty and enjoyable to be in.

1. Put printed photos on the wall

Photo from: www.hotstudio.com

This option for a home-made art is the cheapest and simplest! You don't even have to order them (although they are £0.10-0.30 from most e-stores for photo printing) - just use a printer!
You can put your favourite memories, your dreams or your goals on the walls and make your room look awesome at the same time :)

2. Cut out some photos or images from magazines

Photo from: shellchicd.com

Just get a free magazine from any store like ASDA, Tesco, or a catalogue from IKEA. You can frame them to make them look nicer, but you don't have to. Just use a double-sided tabe, blue tack or normal sellotape and you'll get yourself a nice colourful wall! 

3. Use a jewellery stand

Photo from: http://www.polyvore.com/

If you are a girl of course! The ones that are metal are surprisingly cheap and durable! You can get a meta jewellery stand for around £10-15 from eBay or Amazon. So stylish and convenient to avoid that jewellery mess!

4. Get yourself a flower pot

Photo from: www.dreamstime.com

A piece of nature is always nice to have! Those beautiful flowers from the image are called Froget-Me-Not, isn't that sweet? And they are around £5-10.

5. Put on colourful bed sheets 

Photo from: www.aliexpress.com

I absolutely loved that picture! It's so colourful and mood-stimulating :) And judging by the webstie source aliexpress.com, those bed sheets should be quite cheap. Nice and arty, from China with love!

6. Get a paper lamp

Photo from: www.pinterest.com

A dim light will make your room a very relaxing place to be in! Paper lamps are a cheap, arty solution for plain ceilings! And they can be found for under £5 from eBay or Amazon!

7. Get some quotes

Photo from: indulgy.com

I am all about self motivation and inspiration! Quotes are a fast (and cheap) way to brighten up your spirit and to add some colour on your wall :)

8. Use a cork board with multi-coloured sticky notes 

Photo from: www.cnbhomes.com

Cork boards have three major powers: they are easy to use - no need to glue anything together; they are open to interpretation - you can put virtually anything on the plane cork board; you can change your mind often - just pin something else :) And of course, they are cheap!

9. Make it minimalist (aka get rid of useless/ugly stuff)

Minimalism can be a genre in design, but also a movement that characterises people who simply like to throw away stuff! Afer watching an inspiring TEDx talk, I got extremely inspired to get rid of anything that I don't use or that annoys me! Simple: no clutter in your room = no clutter in your mind.

10. Put a Hawaiian necklace on the wall

Photo from: www.thepartyworks.com

You may have had a Freshers Fair at the beginning of Uni where they were giving those for free, or you have some leftovers from a party long time ago! If not, get yourself one for £0.78  from Amazon!


Hope that you have enjoyed that article. What is your idea for using art in your room? Leave your commend below :)

Robin Williams

It is very sad that powerful actors such as Robin Williams, who are known to bring happiness and laughter to the world, are not always as happy as they appear to be. 
Robin Williams, at age 63 was found dead in his house, most probably due to suicide. The actor was claimed to have been struggling with depression fighting alcohol and drugs.

However, he left some strong and inspiring adverts to the world, which along with his sweet  movies will make us remember him as a jolly, wise, fantastic actor!



Source:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-28749702

http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/1307459/remembering-robin-williams-ads/

Game of Thrones - a Tube Map?!

Even for a GOT geek like me, that idea seemed hilarious. 
Someone actually took the time to construct an Underground Map of the popular show.
Tyznik, the designer, must have taken long hours to represent King's Landing, Westeros, Riverrun, The Eyrie, etc.

More details about his clever project, here.

Terrible Businesses Run By Children

Nasty Lemonade, rock-hard cookies and many more surprising things supported by Junior Achievement.
One of my favourite blogs 1000 Awesome Things listed some funny 'businesses' managed by children.

Get more Engagement on Twitter!

The facts below may help you reach a greater amount of people:

Brand engagement is bigger on weekends.
Tweeting later on the day is likely to get you many followers, but don't do it during dinner times, people are engaged then for obvious reasons!
If you put a picture on your tweet, chances are that you will have a much greater response.
The shorter the tweet, the getter response.
Twitter is most popular among people in the age 55 to 64.
Add a hashtag and you'll get two times more engagement than if you don't.
66% of tweets that mention brands come from mobile devices.

Read more here.

Cards Against Humanity's Black Friday Response

As Reuters wrote, the Cards retailer Cards Against Humanity which doesn't normally spent much on marketing or advertising decided to make fun of Black Friday. Instead of making zero sales, it actually boosted its sales more than ever. By incqreasing its prices on Amazon on that day! Click on Reuters's website to read more.
It is a pretty cool brand. They allow you to download their cards for free as long as you don't sell them. Otherwise you'll regret it.

Please do not steal our name or we will smash you

 http://cardsagainsthumanity.com/

What Am I Good at?

After completing Oprah's test for finding out what I'm good at, here are the results that popped up:

Striving to Be Spontaneous
You are an adventurer: Action-oriented, curious, outgoing, and often technically gifted, you live for new experiences. You are drawn to risk-taking and aren’t afraid to fail. Generally restless, you tend to job-hop or choose a field that offers constant novelty. If you had to name your favorite place, it might be the center of attention—you’re a born entertainer, and can easily adapt to any audience. While you collect many acquaintances, you’re less likely to develop deep, committed relationships.
What to watch out for: When you can’t satisfy your thirst for variety and excitement, you may see yourself as trapped, which can lead to impulsive and self-destructive behavior—drinking, drugs, breaking off relationships, ditching financial responsibilities. Try to find value in some traditions; if you learn to appreciate repetitive experiences, you won’t always feel the urge to bust free. And when a new opportunity thrills you, keep in mind that just because it sounds exciting, that doesn’t mean it’s good for you.
Looking ahead: Life will have meaning for you as long as you feel stimulated. That might mean chasing twisters, exploring the polar ice caps, getting a degree in dance therapy, or becoming an astronaut. It might also mean reading new books, attending workshops, or letting yourself get swept up in an intoxicating romance. As a risk-lover with a lot of energy, you’re a natural entrepreneur. You’ll be happiest if you change jobs every so often and travel extensively. Movement is what keeps you going.

I couldn't agree more.
Now I realise why in the last few weeks I've been feeling a bit down, feeling dissatisfied with what I'm doing and overeating. Because food gives me the variety that I NEED so desperately.


So..


big action plan: go back to being adventurous, full of ideas and so on by:


1. Meeting new friends (since my work takes 8 hours form my life every day, (yeah placement years i uni turn you into an... adult), and another 2+ in travelling, and 1-2 in working out + taking care of my body/hygiene, 7-8 hours of sleeping, there is what is left:
around 6 hours to do something awesome :)
So.. need to find new people to chill out with
Be more persistent with my old friends (I know that they all have deadlines/new ventures/part-time jobs etc but they still must have some hours of the day left to see others, like me :P


2. Become good at photography


3. Continue with the meaningful books/movies


4. Read more about successful people and businesses


5. Take up new sports, like classes in a gym or swimming for example.

Wish me luck!

And by the way, here is the test itself. You can do it too :)

The Gym group history/startegy

I fell in love with The Gym - the fact that it is open 24/7, so whenever I need to burn some calories, I can always rely on it, even if it is 1 am. Also, the atmosphere is very nice, it's all blue, gray and black (and very clean). So I became increasingly interested in its strategy. I read that it was established in 2008 by a former English squash player and today it is one of the fastest growing companies in the UK. Of course, it relies heavily on its investors (otherwise I don't know how it would've afforded to buy its equipment - one treadmill is several thousand pounds and there are loooads of machines of many kinds. 

So I imagine that one of their ways to cut down on costs is by employing freelancer personal trainers, but I wonder whether they have any base salary... I see them every day - not only training people, but also distributing flyers and cleaning the equipment...

More about the history - here

Food Saving Challenge

Day 13 (3/06/13)

LIDL:

Loose pears 0.64

Iceberg lettuce 0.95

Grapefruit loose 0.39

Cherry vine tomatoes 1.39

Cuccumber 0.59

Cherry plum tomatoes x3 2.07

Greenland prawns 3.99

Rainbow trout 2.49

Octopus 3.49

Salmon 1.99

Mozzarella x2 0.88

Cottage cheese x5 2.20

Eggs 2.67

Plastic bag 0.03

Toothpaste 0.99

TOTAL: 24.67

Day 14 (4/06/13)
Whey Proetin powder 14.93

Day 15 (5/06/13)
Food (ASDA) 11.80
Food (TESCO) 3.15
Total: 21.85

Day 16 (6/06/13)
Total: 0.00

Day 17 (7/06/13)
Total: 0.00

Day 18 (8/06/13)
Bus: 10.00
Total: 10.00

Top 25 Jobs for Geeks

Here we go:

1. Game Tester 
2. Web or Graphic Designer 
3. IT Guy 
4. Sales person at the Sharper Image
5. Editor 
6. CNet Product Reviewer
7. Watch Maker 
8. History Channel Re-enactment Actor 
9. Bladesmith
10. Comic Book Illustrator or Cartoonist
11. Software Engineer 
12. Tornado Chaser 
13. NASA
14. Auditor 
15. Laboratory Assistant 
16. Sound Engineer 
17. Starbucks Barista
18. Quality Control 
19. Band Conductor 
20. Optometrist 
21. Orchestra Conductor
22. Best Buy Geek Squad Geek
23. Librarian 
24. Thespian
25. Science Teacher

And here is the original article with proper explanations!

Back to my Money Saving Challenge

Day 11 (1 June)

TESCO

Blackberry (reduced) 0.40

Milk 1.29

Porridge oats 0.75

Brazil nuts 2.50

Total in TESCO: 4.94

Chain swing carousel (fun times!) 2.90

Total: 7.84

Day 12 (2 June)

Skipping rope from eBay 0.99

Total: 0.99

Lush's History

What a lovely story! Lush's cosmetics were invented in a spare room in Poole (Dorset, UK) and they originally suppled The Bodyshop!
Here is the full story - click

Some update of my Money Saving Challenge:
Day 7 (28 May)
Bus Ticket single - 1.90
Reduced fruits and veg 1.56 (Long's)
LIDL:
Wild rocket 0.65
Wild salmon frozen 1.99
Cottage cheese x2 0.88
Cottage cheese light 0.44
10 caged Eggs 0.89
Almonds 1.49
Plastic bag 0.06
Total in LIDL: 6.40
Total: 9.89

Day 8 (29 May)
Total: 0.00

Day 9 (30 May)
Mixed Peppers 1.50
Cottage cheese x2 0.88
Wild salmon (frozen) 1.99
Olive Oil 2.19
Soft Dates 1.09
Total (LIDl) = 8.53 (love this place!)
Bus Ticket Single - 1.90
Cherry Tomatoes 0.64
Strawberries 1.29
Total (Long's) 1.93
Bake paper - 1.00 (Wilkinson)
Total: 13.36
Day 10 (31 May)
Total: 0.00

The Great Luck of Reduced Items

Kings prawns raw  0.55
Salmon fillets cooked 0.60

Total: 1.15!

Instead of 7.50 :)  Am I not lucky!

Zero spending today :)