Blooming Water Lily

Glad to know that our water lily is blooming again. I captured it this morning. I saw only one bloom, hope I can see another flowers next days.

Today's Flowers

Ready to Watch Movie!

There’s no special occasion, actually. This photo was captured at home a few days ago, just a while before we left home for watching movie at the cinema. We both wore football club t-shirts. I borrowed his t-shirt, hehehe. He wore Chelsea club t-shirt, and I wore Real Madrid.

The photo session made us ten minutes late. The movie has been playing for ten minutes when we entered the movie theater. The movie was Killer Elite, an action movie that starred by Robert de Niro and Jason Statham. The film is full of fighting, killing, and other action scenes but it has good and complicated story. Though it’s not so bloody, definitely not a family kind movie.

Sky Watch: The Sunset and Motorcyclist

While I captured the sunset moment, this motorcycle was passing by. I thought before that it was a fail capture. But once I saw the result, why don’t I share it here? I guess the silhouette of the motorcyclist can add an interest to this pic.

Sky Watch Friday

Old Cassettes

When I took these cassettes out from the cupboard, most of them are dusty. They are my father’s collection and haven’t been played for years. Most of them produced in 1970's. My father loved to listen classical and other instrumental music before. I don’t know why he don’t listen this kind of music lately. He prefers jazzy music now.

When I was still teenager, we (my brothers and I) often bought cassettes. I remember that we had all Queen, Beatles, Genesis, the Police albums. I wonder where the cassettes now; I didn’t see it when I visited my brother’s home in Surabaya, Indonesia a few days ago.

Nowadays, we can listen to music using many advanced gadgets; do you still collect cassettes? I myself never buy cassettes anymore for a long time. I just download my favorite songs now. Michael Jackson latest album is the cassette that I’ve bought for the last time.

Looking for Affordable but Excellent Car Rental Service?

Ladies, if you’ve already planned to travel, what have you already prepared for the trip? Wherever your destination is, making early arrangement is important, especially if your budget is limited. To get best prices, you can book tickets and accommodation in advance. But when it comes to transportation matter in your visited place; have you already known how to avoid the high transportation cost?

You won’t enjoy your journey to reach your destination if from the nearest airport you have to change public transportation vehicles many times. Paying expensive taxi ride won’t be your other alternative either. For your comfort trip, how’s about the idea of getting a cheap car rental service? Is it possible?

Happily, you can experience an affordable but excellent car rental service by taking advantages of discount car rental rates that provided by Usave.com. With their more than 30 years experience in the rental car business, you surely can trust their system and service. You can find more than 200 U-Save car rental locations around the world. Wow!

Visit the official website to make your online reservation. Simply submitting the information required such as the visited location and your schedules; you can discover the vehicles availability and check the rates. Choose a car based on its passenger capacity and your luggage.

There’s no doubt, traveling by using car rental service will give you independence and pleasure. And the fact that U-Save offers you discount car rental rates; it’s something that makes you can enjoy your travel more!

An Aviation Fuel Truck

At Juanda Airport (Surabaya, Indonesia), underground fuel pipes allow refueling without the need for tank trucks. This red truck just carry the necessary hoses and pressure apparatus, but no fuel.
Ruby Tuesday

Colorful Euphorbia

There are euphorbia plants in the front yard of my brother's home. I captured some different blooms to share here.

Today's Flowers

Choosing the Right Engagement Rings

Traditionally, when a young man proposes marriage to a young lady, he also presents an engagement ring as a symbol of his strong commitment. As you’ve already known, when it comes to an engagement ring; it’s mainly about the symbolism. Your engagement ring will symbolize how wonderful and priceless you and your loved one’s love is.

Diamond means infinity. That’s why diamond engagement rings are still chosen by lots of couples until now; since a diamond engagement ring represents a forever love. For many years, diamonds have become an important part in the design of engagement rings. Have you seen stunning designs of Engagement rings from Shenoa&Co? Their engagement rings collection offers you a wide option to select.

Giving an engagement ring to your loved one could be so demanding because you crave to present her the unforgettable moment with the right engagement ring; you don’t want to ruin the beautiful moment by choosing inappropriate ring. Before buying any ring, you need to identify first her fondness and her styles of jewelry.

The most common style of engagement rings is the classic solitaires. But if you think it’s already too general, you may consider alternative unique designs such as vintage design, exceptional diamond cut, a sapphire or emerald setting, or a colored diamond.

A huge, dazzling, and round solitaire is the conventional prong setting of engagement rings. You can attach some variation to the center stone with side stones. Not only diamonds, you can also use colored gems like emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. On three-stone engagement rings, large center stones are emphasized by smaller but similar shape stones on each side.

If there are vintage rings, there will also be modern design engagement rings. For couples who prefer to modern look, contemporary designs can become their alternatives; such as the diamond encircled by metal or the two tone (platinum and yellow gold) rings with sprinkled diamonds.

As mentioned before, traditional engagement rings are diamonds, but nowadays, current engagement rings can incorporate any gemstone. You can create and choose your own design and style that more suits you.

At the present time, you can find some men who also wear engagement rings. Though it’s already becoming more familiar, lots of men are still not responsive to the trend and they tend to reject the idea of wearing engagement rings.

For your information, men engagement rings are different from women’s. It could be non-gemstones style or diamonds and gemstones style. Most of them have simpler and minimalist design; since the rings should be convenient for work, sport, and other activities. So guys, choose engagement rings that more suits your preferences and make both of you comfortable and proud wearing it!

Holidays with Kids in Victoria

Looking for a fun family vacation? Look no further than Victoria. There are so many places to go in this southern state of Australia that you will find it hard to decide where to go first. Here we give you two options that will make for a perfect holiday for families with kids:

Ballarat
Find some Ballarat accommodation and settle in for a few days, as there is a lot to see and do here.

Ballarat is an exciting city for children and adults alike. But the best part about taking children to Ballarat is the education they will receive, without them even realising it! Take them to the fun outdoor museum Sovereign Hill and they will soon know all about the gold rush days of Australia, as well as the battle of the Eurkea Stockade. Not only that, but after exploring the huts and tents, they will understand how people lived in the 1800’s. They will even have the chance to pan for gold or use a quill themselves! With spectacular shows running throughout the holidays, the education is disguised so well in this place that the kid won’t even know they are learning.

If they don’t scare easily, take the kids on a Ghost Tour of the old mining town. This is a walking tour but because it focuses more on the stories than the walking, it will be suitable for children to walk. However, due to the scary nature of the attraction, it is advised children under 6 years old do not attend!

Take some time out to visit the botanical maze at The Tangled Maze. This 3km maze is made entirely of hedges and flowers. Planned very well in advance, there are blooms for all seasons so it will always be amazing, no matter what time of year you visit.

Port Campbell
The Great Ocean Road is a beautiful scenic drive along the coast of Victoria. But for young kids, being cooped up in a car for hours on end while the parents take in the gorgeous views may not be ideal. Port Campbell accommodation will come to the rescue in this case. Situated on the Great Ocean Road, Port Campbell is a seaside town that is settled between steep cliffs. Pristine white sand beaches are tucked into the base of these cliffs and are a delight for anyone wanting to take a dip in the ocean.

Accommodation here can be anything from caravans and camping, to hotels and private homestay options. The kids will have a blast snorkeling in the unspoiled waters or simply playing down by the foreshore while mum and dad enjoy a cappuccino at one of the many great cafes. To wear the children out before bed, climb the stairs from the beach at Port Campbell Bay up to the Discovery Walk. This gives amazing views across the town and the bay.

For the parents, the best part about stopping at Port Campbell is that you are just minutes away by car to the best sites of the Great Ocean Road. So while you may not be able to continue your journey for too long with children, you will still get to see the famous 12 Apostles and be back at the hotel in time for afternoon tea.

Crave to Know How to Get Pregnant Effective Methods?

How To Get Pregnant is always becoming the important issue for every married woman who have never succeed to get pregnant before. There are some women who can get pregnant easily and in the contrary, there are also some women who face difficulties to have a baby.

If you are included the second type of woman, of course, you crave to know How to get pregnant naturally and what the effective methods that you should follow to reach it.

Ladies, it would be better if you acknowledge yourself first. Howtogetpregnantmethods.org can become your best source of quality information that relates with pregnancy and how to get pregnant methods. If you look for information on How to get pregnant with a boy; you can find it at the website. They offer you with helpful reviews, articles and tips that you can apply. Whenever you need to know things about pregnancy, this resource website is really worth to visit.

Sky Watch : Airport Sky

I was at home again since yesterday night. We, my husband and I, took afternoon flight from Juanda Airport (Surabaya, Indonesia) to Jakarta. The weather was so bright. I captured the sky at Juanda Airport through the window's waiting room.

Sky Watch Friday

Your Personal Currency Converter

If you’re a traveler worldwide, you surely understand the importance of converting currencies. As every country has its own currency, you can’t apply your country’s currency in different part of the world. You must change your money first into the specific currency that you want.

Do you often need to exchange several currencies at once? Converting currencies can give you hard times if you don’t know the updated foreign-exchange rates and you don’t use any supportive tool such as Online Currency converter app. Various currencies only can be exchanged each other at the current rate called foreign-exchange rate; the value of one currency to another currency.

Fortunately, nowadays, there are already currency converter sites that can help you a lot. FreeCurrencyRates.com is a much recommended currency converter site as it provides a tool that makes you easier to discover the equal values of some currencies in fast and simple way. Moreover, it’s free to use! Every time you need to convert currencies online, visit the official website and use their online currency converter application. There's no need to install and download anything, you can simply submit the type of currency that you want to exchange with the definite amount and the other currencies that you need to know what their equal values are.

This online application gives you fast, accurate and reliable results since FreeCurrencyRates.com always updates the currency exchange rates hourly/daily. They provide you with wide-ranging currencies worldwide. Whatever currency that you need, you won’t be difficult to find it. This currency converter site also allows you to make your own personal and modified currency converter. What a great offer!

In current modern and borderless world, there are many people who deal with several currencies every day. These kind of people surely love to use this tool as for them, converting currencies isn’t hard job anymore.

Benches at the Airport

Waiting is never fun. We need comfy benches to sit for a while. These benches are comfortable enough to sit; but if I have to wait for hours, I'll find a sofa.
Ruby Tuesday

Lovely Orchid

It's my fifth day in Surabaya. In the front yard of my brother's home, I saw this lovely orchid. I share here for Today's Flowers

8 Great Wedding Gifts for a New Couple

When it comes to gift buying for a new couple getting married you have the advantage that they usually don't have much in the way of household items. Whether you choose to buy a smaller gift on your own or go in with a group of people and buy a larger gift, like a quality Westinghouse fridge, there are plenty of things to choose from. If you can give the new couple any words of wisdom on their big day, perhaps getting the right home and contents insurance would be the best advice, to help protect all their new belongings.

Fridge

If you want to really spoil the couple buy them a good quality fridge. If this sort of gift is way out of your budget you can always get a group of people together and all chip in to pay for it. Often this sort of group gift is a lot better than receiving a whole lot of smaller gifts that you don't necessarily need. Every household needs a fridge and the couple would really appreciate having this necessary expense bought and paid for.

Dishwasher

If the couple are moving into an older home, they may not have a dishwasher. Another group gift idea, a dishwasher is a fantastic appliance for the busy working couple. It will come in handy later if they decide to have children – let’s face it, nobody has time to be doing dishes. There are great water saving dishwashers available today, with some that retain the water from the final rinse to use for the first rinse of the next load. You can also buy dishwashers that have two separate drawers, perfect for a couple who would not fill a whole load of dishes in a day.

Towels

Towels might seem like a boring gift, but good quality towels are expensive and a household can never have too many towels. They will need a change so they have extras while others are in the wash and it is likely they will have guests staying from time to time.

Ice cream maker

Give the couple a small appliance that is a bit of fun, such as an ice cream maker. A great gift too if the couple is going to be living in a rural area a long way from shops as it is difficult to buy ice cream and get it home without it melting. Making your own ice cream is fun, you can experiment with different flavours and it won't have all the unhealthy preservatives in it.

Cash

It might seem like a boring sort of gift but a newlywed couple will definitely appreciate receiving cash as a wedding gift. Whether they choose to spend it on their honeymoon or buy something they really want for their new home, it is entirely up to them.

Gift vouchers

Gift vouchers are the same as cash really but you can choose where the couple can get their gift from. It also means that they will actually get a gift for themselves, rather than spending any cash you might give them on everyday things, like bills or the food shopping.

Art

Get the couple something really special to remember their wedding such as a piece of art work. You could buy them an original painting or a hand blown vase or even a sculpture. A piece of art is a real luxury item and every time they look at it, they can think of you.

Food

You could help the couple out by giving them a big food hamper full of items for their pantry to get them started. Buy them all the staple ingredients they will need like spices, condiments, nice tea and coffee, flour, sugar, pasta and pasta sauce and lovely items from the delicatessen like expensive cheeses and wine. 

The best gift that you can provide the couple is to book a honeymoon package for them at BookCulinaryVacations.com which provides great variety of culinary holidays for couples at affordable cost. 

Sky Watch: A Bright Morning at the Airport

Since last Wednesday, we're (my husband and I) in Surabaya city (East Java, Indonesia)- visiting my father again. We've got an early flight from Jakarta. When we reached Juanda Airport Surabaya in one hour and a half; i saw the bright blue sky welcoming us. Another busy morning at the airport.Sky Watch Friday

Family Friendly Activities in Melbourne

Ever been on holiday with the kids only to find that there are no family friendly activities? This will not happen in Melbourne! Melbourne offers an assortment of activities for the whole family including interactive art sessions, exciting amusement parks, educational demonstrations and hands-on animal experiences. Melbourne understands that with kids, they want to do things, not just see things. As such, there are an array of activities in which the whole family can take partake in.

There are some things you must do whilst visiting Melbourne, such as seeing a game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), taking a Great Ocean Road tours or browsing the thousands of trendy shops. But when holidaying with the family in Melbourne, children can be entertained in a variety of ways. When organising your Melbourne tours, ensure that it caters to the needs of your young ones. Your tour could include visiting fun parks, encountering animals, as well as educational, art and cultural experiences:

Fun Parks

· Funfields, an outdoor family fun park at Whittlesea, is just 40kms north of Melbourne. This amusement park caters for guests of all ages, including attractions such as a mini golf course, water slides, go-karts and toboggan rides.
· Melbourne’s Luna Park at St. Kilda offers a range of amusements and attractions. These include roller coasters and ghost trains, as well as less scary rides such as a ferris wheel, mirror maze and dodgem cars. It is open most weekends and school holidays, and is accessible by public transport (tram and trains).

Animal Encounters

· Melbourne’s Aquarium along the Yarra River houses thousands of water creatures such as penguins, seahorses, stingrays, turtles, and of course sharks! There are various interactive events you can sign up for if you or the kids want to get a more hands-on experience, such as fish feeding and shark dives.
· Meet farm animals at Animal Land Children’s Farm, located in Digger’s Rest. This environment supports the learning and education of children in regards to how to care for and look after farm animals. You can get up close with cows, ponies, chickens and ducks. Similarly, Collingwood’s Children Farm offers children the chance to feed the animals and have a picnic under a tree along the Yarra River.
· Melbourne Zoo, otherwise known as the Royal Melbourne Zoological Gardens, is located in Parkville, just four kilometres north of Melbourne’s CBD. The zoo is home to over 5000 animals from over 320 species, including elephants, lions, butterflies, giraffes, zebras, leopards, gorillas and seals.

Educational, Art & Cultural Experiences

· Scienceworks Museum in Spotswood is just seven kilometres south west of Melbourne’s CBD. The museum promotes science and technology education in a fun, interactive nature. Scienceworks offers displays, tours and activities that demonstrate various science principles.
· See a game at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) at Melbourne Park. Whether its cricket, soccer, AFL or rugby league, experience the atmosphere as thousands of fans get together to cheer on their team. This is the tenth largest stadium in the world and can cater for over 100,000 people.
· Artplay, near Federation Square, is an interactive art and cultural exploration. It enables creativity of children up to the 13 years of age. The supportive environment encourages curiosity and run workshops and performances. Children can work with professional artists to learn creative skills and how to apply them.
· Take part in the Aboriginal Heritage Walk in South Yarra. Experience Australia’s history by seeing traditional smoking ceremonies and demonstrations of the use of various local plants.

This list is by no means exhaustive. Melbourne provides a plethora of other activities to suit the whole family, such as ice-skating, cinemas, river cruises and snow trips. This list should act as a springboard, prompting thought about what you and your family wants to get out of your trip to one of Australia’s most beautiful cities.

5 Safety Tips for a Kids Pool Party

If you have a backyard pool, a pool party can be a great way to celebrate your child’s birthday. And while the splashes, the waves and the laughter are fantastic, it is very important to remember firstly that all kids may not be as comfortable or confident in the water as yours, and secondly, watching ten, twenty, thirty kids is much different than just watching just your own.

But don’t be deterred from putting on a great kids’ pool party – it is a fantastic part of Australian summer culture, and a great way to get the kids out of the house.

So what are the safety considerations you need to make?
1. Have a schedule
Inevitably, your party will run for more than a couple of hours. You do not want kids in the pool – or in the sun – for that period, without a break. Have a think about your party before the big day. Divide it into sections – for example, you will want to separate the eating section, from the swimming section, not only so that the kids are not full while swimming, which is a big safety issue, but also so you don’t end up with food floating in your pool. This will also help to ensure you have regulated the time in and out of the sun, so you can apply sunscreen as necessary, and reduce the risk of bad sunburn.

2. Adult supervision
Having a lot of kids to watch in the pool is much more difficult than your own kids. Enlist the help of other adults, so you always have a few people watching the pool and the kids, someone who can run around after the kids if need be, and yet more people, who can keep an eye on the food and make sure everything that needs to be done as the part progresses, is done. If adults are in short supply, head to an events hire store and get a bain marie so you can bring all aspects of the party to the poolside. Disaster can strike in seconds in the water, so having adequate supervision is vital.

3. Safety in the water
First and foremost, head to your pool supplies store to get a good pool filter and other pool accessories, to ensure your water is as clean as possible. Clean the surface area particularly, as kids have a tendency to get anything and everything caught in their mouth if it’s around, and this in turn can lodge in their throat and effect breathing. Likewise, having the area around your pool clean, means kids won’t trip over or slip and hurt themselves on the pool edge or on the items lying around. Even with things clean, make sure kids aren’t running as this can be dangerous.

4. Numbers
Despite all the adults, make sure you restrict the number of kids to a party like this. The adults supervising should be able to know how many kids there are and see them at all times. If your numbers are too high, this will become difficult and a child could struggle or drown in the water unnoticed.

5. Give the kids some responsibility
When the kids arrive, briefly talk to them about the rules and safety, so they are also partly responsible for doing the right thing and making the party safer.

/image: shutterstock.com/

Welding

Welding is a production or sculptural procedure that unites materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material (the weld pool) that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes used in conjunction with heat, or by itself, to produce the weld (source:wikipedia).

I captured it while we're doing a little home renovation several days ago.
Ruby Tuesday

Recommended Cheap Web Hosting

Most website owners have already realized about the importance of using the right web hosting service. Let’s say that you need trusted web hosting for your website but you’re in very limited budget. Perhaps you’re wondering if there’s a reliable but cheap web hosting.

Choosing the right web hosting provider can give you hard times. From lots of web hosting service in the internet, you must find one that most suits your needs. If you still don’t have enough knowledge about web hosting issues, you need to visit the resource website such as WebHostingColumns.com to read different web hosting reviews and other helpful information.

For you who crave for the trusted cheap web hosting; WebHostingColumns.com can become your helpful guidance. They provide the list of the top six recommended cheap web hosting for you; from HostMonster, WebHostingHub, iPage, BlueHost, MyHosting, to HostGator. Your job will be much easier, as your current option is only the best six left. You can find each comprehensive review, price and the offered coupon.

Always choose one web hosting that provides all features that your website’s requires, otherwise, you can’t run your website efficiently. With the guidance of resource websites such as WebHostingColumns.com, selecting the most proper web hosting for your website won’t be a hassle anymore.

So What is Wrong With a Child Using a Computer All Day Anyway?

Are you one of these parents who get annoyed because your child or children are sitting on the computer, online, all day? Do you think they could be better using their time, working, earning a living, or even doing something more beneficial with their lives? If that is the case, this article is for you. I would like you to stop and think about what you are saying, and what they are doing. Are they sitting there for 10 hours a day, staring at that screen like idiots, costing you, an arm and a leg in computer repairs, upgrades and always needing something new? Maybe, it is you, who needs a rethink? Let’s take a look at what is really going on…

· Creating A Work Ethic. 10 hours a day is not an exaggeration. Come to think of it, most adults can’t even do that at work with the intensity of your 8 year olds. Will they not be sitting at a desktop or laptop, or whatever it will be by then, and working for 10 hours a day when they are adults? You could see this as they are effortlessly doing what most adults find as a challenge on a daily basis. And, they are not even getting paid for it.

· Sitting Alone? How many people do you think they are communicating with everyday when they are sitting there alone? It is many more than you could imagine. For them, they are not sitting there alone. When you sit and watch the TV, you are sitting there alone. They are communicating, sharing, collaborating, creating and learning about so many things all day long. For them, to be taken away from the computer, is like being taken out of the playground. Then, they will certainly feel alone. Social media has changed the way we do everything on the internet. There is little we do alone anymore. Your children are connected when they are sitting there ‘alone’. They are sharing ideas, and investigating future possibilities.

· Should You Complain? Sure, kids need to be active during the day. Just like you should be. Are you kicking your staff out of their seats during the day in the office, and telling they need to get outside? Exercise is crucial for growing children. Just like their use of the computer. Managing that is what is necessary. They should have a couple of hours playing outside. But you also need to be realistic. How can a game of bat and ball compete with choice, information, sharing and options they have when they are online.

· Never Hear Parents Complain When the Money Comes. It was only late last year that a 14 year old boy, with no training, education, mentoring, or advice, on how to build a iPhone game application that went to the top of the iPhone app charts. He built it himself. At 99 cents a download (minus the 30% Apple takes), over two million downloads in the first month earnt him a tidy sum.

Your children need to use the computer more than you needed to use a pen and paper. There is no way anyone can tell them how to do it. There is no real manual for learning how to use an online computer in today’s world. The future is here and now. This is the way the world is. People don’t share like they used to. Today, we are all plugged in. You should be encouraging them. You don’t know what it will lead to. And as it happens, they are the ones giving you computer support when you have a problem. The stereotype that sitting in front of a screen all day is stupid came from your parents, when they were complaining about you watching television. That was meant be useless too. Even though you have learnt more from the Discovery Channel than you ever learnt in school.

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White Wax Begonia

Beauty in simplicity

Today's Flowers

What Your Children Should Know About Keeping Safe

From an early age it is important that you teach your children how to keep themselves safe. They need to understand what situations are dangerous and how they can go about avoiding them. They also need to learn to be wary of strangers. It is certainly not about frightening them but teaching them how to look out for their own safety. Sometimes accidents happen and unfortunately there are people who do intend on harming others. You can take steps towards protecting yourself and your family by putting in security doors and security screens in your home.

Strangers

It is important to teach your children about the potential danger that they may face from someone they don't know. They shouldn't be taught to fear everybody but they should know that they can't fully trust someone they have only just met. They should be taught to never open the front door to strangers, particularly if you are not home, and they should definitely not go with a stranger or get into the car of someone they don't know. They also need to be told not to accept anything from a stranger, such as food or drink. They should let you open the front door, unless you say it is ok, then they should still leave the security door shut and locked. A security door is useful because you can still see out and speak to the person, but with a lot of security doors they can't see in. If your children walk by themselves to and from school they need to understand that they need to be careful and always be aware of what is going on around them. They should know never to accept a lift from a stranger.

Fire

It is important for every family to have a fire safety plan and every one should know exactly what to do in case there is a fire. Children should be taught to get down low to the ground and crawl to safety. They need to know in advance where they should get out of the house and understand that the best way out might be through a window or a back door. They should know to feel the temperature of any doors before they go through it in case there is fire in the room on the other side. As a family you should work out where you will meet if anything like this happens.

Water safety

Unfortunately there are many cases of children drowning each year. Your children should be taught how to swim but also they need to learn how to keep safe when they are around water. There are many things that can go wrong at the beach or when swimming in rivers as there are a lot of unknown factors, like tides and rips at the beach and things hidden under the water in rivers, such as tree branches and rocks. Children should understand that diving into water that they don't know the depth of is extremely dangerous. It is important that they learn to swim between the flags at the beach.
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Sky Watch: New Day

Seeing beautiful sunrise is a nice way to welcome a new day. Here is one sunrise view that captured on the way to my grandfather’s house.Sky Watch Friday

How Soup Kitchens Help the Homeless

Homeless services such as soup kitchens are very important to the homeless community; in fact it is often the lifeline for these people. Over 100,000 people are homeless in Australia, and most of them need feeding. When thinking of the homeless, many people imagine the older men they see on the streets.

Beyond the Stereotype
While it is true that these men make up part of the homeless population, there are also many other people that are homeless but you may not actually see them on the streets. Only 1 in 7 people will sleep on the streets, meaning there are many people you do not see that have no place to call home. Some of them will be lucky enough to be able to stay with a family or friend, or perhaps they will secure a bed in a boarding house. Some of them will get a bed in the service system.

The sort of person who becomes homeless cannot be defined in one demographic. All types of people become homeless each year for a variety of reasons. The single largest cause of homelessness is actually domestic violence, so this means it is often women and children who are seeking shelter and food.

Homeless Children and Youth
There are over 10,000 children that are homeless right now, and one in forty children under the age of 5 will use a homeless service each year. Half of the 100,000 homeless are under 24-years old. So as you can see, the homeless community is a wide and varied one. It could be your friend, your neighbour or your family that ends up in this same position.

Services for the Homeless
A soup kitchen is a place where food is offered to the homeless for free or sometimes for a small, affordable price. Volunteers run the kitchens, often coming from church groups, by preparing and serving the meals. The food is usually provided by companies for free as charity, or at least at a reduced cost. Sometimes the volunteers will run a food drive to collect canned goods they can either serve or hand out to people and families who need them.

The kitchens are usually open daily, serving either lunch or dinner but rarely both. For the people that frequent these places, this may often be the only meal of the day for them. When soup kitchens started in the 18th Century they served just soup and bread. These days however, they serve a bigger variety of food. Casseroles, pastas and noodles are often found on the menu and even drinks such as fruit juice, tea and coffee are served. It is quite rare for fresh produce to be available at the kitchens if there is fruit being served it is usually from a tin.

There are many soup kitchens throughout Australia. Find one by contacting your local church or charity group to see if there are any near you. You may find there is one quite far away, which could mean you make a weekend or holiday out of it.
 
For example there is a soup kitchen at Inverell, so you could find Inverell accommodation and then help out in the kitchens the next day. It will make your next holiday feel more worthwhile.

Getting the Best Wordpress Web Hosting

Do you crave to have a blog or website? Whether it’s for personal blogs or business websites, why don’t you try to create a Wordpress-based website in your own server? Wordpress is a great instrument for operating various websites, as long as you choose the right wordpress web hosting that will help you much in running your website.

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Charities That Give Children a Chance

Every year in Australia, thousands of children are impacted by illness or circumstances that mean they don’t have the childhood they deserve. Fortunately, many Australians are very good at giving – both time and money – so volunteer and donation efforts go a long way to helping in situations where kids are ill, or in circumstances which are dangerous or not in the best interests of their wellbeing.

If you are thinking of volunteering or donating, that’s a great idea! Most big workplaces allow one or two volunteer days a year, but if you want to do it more frequently, there are a large number of organisations that could use your help after work or on weekends. If time is not your asset at the moment and you’d rather donate, you can feel happy in the knowledge that you will either help fight poverty, or fund vital research. Your donations are generally also a tax deduction, so you are also setting yourself up well for your next tax return. You could also donate children’s clothing or toys to help out.

So what organisations can you get on board with?

CanTeen
Cancer is a massive disease in Australia, touching every person in some way or another – whether through a family member, friend or themselves. Unfortunately, many of the sufferers are children and teenagers, meaning they never get a chance at a normal childhood or teenage years. CanTeen is an organisation that supports young people from 12-24 who are living with cancer. The organisation brings sufferers together, so they can share and relate, and also puts on leisure activities and camps so kids and their siblings can have a break from it all – and so can mum and dad.

Make a Wish
Children are afflicted by many and varied illnesses in Australia, many meaning they will not see their adulthood, and if they do, they will undertake thousands of hours of treatment and live with a lot of pain. The Make a Wish Foundation is all about granting sick kids their biggest wish. Whether it’s to go to Disneyland or become a policeman, as was the first wish granted, this foundation aims to fulfil children’s hope and dreams and put a smile on their faces.

Starlight Foundation
Again, all about the smiles, Starlight acknowledges the difficult time kids can have when fighting an illness or staying hospital for long or repeat stretches. The foundation provides a range of programs, including in hospital entertainment, to help kids smile during their stay, and if only for a moment, forget their illness.

65 Roses
Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic disease effecting thousands of Australians, causes lunch infections and digestion problems and can be fatal. 65 Roses is the front running fundraising organisation for the research into the disease. In the late 80’s, research enabled the CF gene to be identified, and further research being undertaken will work towards treating or curing the disease.

NSW Women’s Refuge
An amazing initiative aimed at helping women and their children escape domestic violence, the NSW Women’s Refuge is a key community-based initiative, and is vital to the livelihoods of many Australian women. Other states across the country also have similar community initiatives. Donations for funding will enable the refuge to assist more women, while donating time is a great way to help women get back on track. Donating women’s’, boys’ and girls’ clothing can also help break the poverty cycle that can occur when a woman escapes a bad situation with her children.
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A Fire Alarm

This fire alarm was captured on the wall on a hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia. If you see a fire and the building's smoke detectors haven't detected it yet, you can activate the building's fire alarm system.

Find a nearby pull station like this. A pull station is the red device found on the wall with instructions such as "pull down". Pull the lever on the pull station.

Depending on the pull station, perhaps you have to either lift or push in a panel or smash a piece of glass, then pull the lever.

Ruby Tuesday

Education - When is Too Young to Start

Like any parent, you want your child to do well in life. To have all the opportunities they need to truly excel and set themselves up for a comfortable life. A big part of this revolves around education.

These days, we are bombarded with infomercial after infomercial with flash cards for babies, miracle learn to read tools for young children and stories boasting amazing reading abilities in babies that should barely be beyond colours. So if you don't take an interest in the formal education if your child early, are you holding them back, are you a bad parent? Of if you do, and you push them too hard too early, are you really giving them what they need?

What is too early to start education? The only real answer is if you're only just in maternity wear, it's probably too early!

When it comes to educating your child, when to start is not as simple as your other parent tasks – selecting children’s clothes, changing nappies and reading stories -- there are pros and cons for when to start, some of these include:

Pros- people are at their most receptive to learning before the age of five. If you think about it, this is when we learn to walk, to talk, to interact, and to communicate in a variety of other ways.
- the earlier you start, the more likely learning will become a normal and accepted part of routine.
- children generally enjoy learning at young ages because they are curious and hungry to know new things.
- children are very open to a variety of learning methods. They pick things up through sight, sound, smell -- all the senses -- as well as experience -- practical learning.
- learning can become a part of play, and in doing so, a part of normal life. Use toys, images, video and other fun pieces to make learning not just a book related activity, but something fun!

Cons- starting too early, and focusing too much on learning can detract from your baby's childhood.
- too much focus on book learning can mean your child may not develop the social skills integral to all parts of life.
- if you focus too hard on learning and education, you risk damaging your relationship with your child, pushing them too hard and making them think all of their value is in the results of their learning.
- too much learning too early may turn your child off from focusing on learning later, especially as learning often comes easier at a younger age.

When it comes down to it, there are pros and cons for starting education early. The decision lies with you and what you think is best for your child.

Like anything, balance is always a great approach. Carefully thinking about the different parts of your child's young life -- play, social interaction, learning, quality family time -- and ensuring each integral part gets its share of time, is important. Of course, it is important to remember while formal learning is crucial, all these other aspects are also valuable parts of teaching your child how to become a strong, responsible and intelligent adult./image: teachingtoddlers.info/

Flower of Passion Fruit

Indonesian people call the fruit as markisa. My husband can capture the flower as my neighbor has the tree. There are white flesh and yellow flesh kinds here. My neighbor has the yellow flesh one; that it’s commonly used to make thick syrup. The flower has unique shape, right?
Today's Flowers

Sweet Saturday : Keys to a Happy Marriage #Communication

Open Communication is a key to a happy and solid marriage. I don’t hide things from my hubby or keep secrets after marriage. We try to find time to sit and talk each other on a daily basis even if it is for only half an hour.

If you feel that you can’t share with your husband anything then your marriage is in trouble. When hubby is talking, I try to be a good listener. I may have many important things to tell him but allow him to talk first.

I try not to greet him with complaints and problems every time he comes back home. Good communication can help us to build trust and strengthen our relationship. After marriage, the wife and husband are a team or partners. I won’t take any major decisions without consulting with hubby.

Non-verbal communication like hugging is also important, as it’s sending messages like: you are the most important person in my life; I have you; thanks for always supporting me; I appreciate all the things you do for me; we’ll always be together…