Bullet-Points Tips: March 2012

Monday 12 March 2012

How To Avoid Wasting Foods?

It is surprising to note that around 1.3 Billion tons of Food, about one third of global food production, are lost or wasted annually. Even at the consumption stage, large quanitities of food are wasted and tons of food are wasted at social gatherings worldwide. Do not waste any type of food. Some important & basic steps you can take to avoid wastage of food at home / hotels / functions:-

Before you go to grocery shop, take a thorough inventory of items you already have at home. You might not remember a lot of items that might expire soon and which you do not need to buy again.
First of all, when you fill your cart at Grocery Store, be realistic. Do not buy whatever attract you at Grocery Store. Don't not buy items which are not in your list of groceries.
Check the quantities of the items & its expiry dates. Be sure, you will fully utilise it before the expiry date. Do not buy unless you are going to use in time.
Shop at different places if you need small quantity of any item. You can easily get at discounted price and will not waste the items.
Try to avoid taking your children shopping with you. Your children will buy things and will waste most.
Storage of your food items is most important. Store all items properly, especially in a easily visible containers.
Put things in clear containers in fridge so that you can easily see them and recall whenever you open the fridge.
Buy bottled water only if your tap water is not equally good.
Always serve food in smaller portions on the plates to your family members and guests.
Do not waste balance foods. Either have it the same day or you can give to your maid servants. If not possible, give to beggers. Or you can feed animals.
Put back the food into the fridge only if you will definitely eat it again.
Know how to prepare new food from leftovers.
Don't wash pulses repeatedly. After cutting or peeling do not wash fruits as it might lead to loss of vitamins.
Do not use baking soda too much as it will destroy vitamins B & C.
When you order for food at Hotels/Restaurants, order for only that much quantity which you will be able to have. This not only avoids wastage of food, but also saves your money.
If you do not require any item, give the food back before start eating instead of wasting in plates.
If you have any leftovers after having your food at restaurant, get it packed and give it to someone who needs it.
Do not waste food at social and religious functions.
When you tie up with caterers for arrangment of food for your functions, make them clear, balance foods should not be wasted and should be donated to any Charity / NGOs /Non-profit Organisations / Orphanage.

How To Stop Smoking?

Quitting smoking may be challenging journey for some, but virually all who have completed it are delighted and thankful. People get addicted to smoking more easily than on almost any of other additions. In spite of the struggle required for smokers to free themselves, people do quit. Here are simple ways to quit smoking:-

Make an agreement with yourself to quit smoking.
Reduce quantity of cigarette consumption per day.
Discard lighter and start using match-box.
Write on small piece of paper, the most important reasons for quitting and look at it several times to remind yourself of why you want to quit.
Put away all smoking related objects like astray which motivates you to smoke.
Spend as much time as possible with non-smoking people.
Drink plenty of water and other fluids which are good for your health.
At the initial stage of quitting, politely ask smoking people not to smoke in front of you.
Start or increase your regular physical exercise.
Keep reminding yourself that temporary discomfort (by not smoking) is much better than going through painful diseases and surgeries (by smoking).
Practice deep breathing or relaxation techniques.
Save the money you used to waste on cigarettes and buy something nice for you or for your parents or for your wife or for your children.
Be more alert during usual / unusual / stressful situations like office-breaks, weddings, holidays, vacations, relationships, financial or non-financial situations after you quit.
If you have gained weight since you have quit, start going for walks or start an exercise program.

ISO

ISO (International Oraganization for Standardization) is a non-profit organisation which establishes compulsory 'Quality Standards for commercial and industrial companies. Some basic and important information about ISO:-

ISO is made up of 163 member countries.
ISO Standards started gaining popularity since 1947.
More than 1 million Manufacturing & Service industries have obtained ISO Certification.
ISO involves improved documentation and manufacturing practices.
ISO issues certificate to Manufacturing or Service Industries for its Quality Management Process. ISI (Indian Standards Institute) Certification is issued for products.
Organisation complies with international standards for its operation, improved credibility & customer satisfaction for its products.
ISO brings in awareness among all staff about quality of the processes, products & services.
ISO helps companies around the world, follow Standards to achieve competitive advantage in efficiency, marketing, profitability and international business relations.
ISO Standards help in implementation of more efficient and cost-effective production processes by reducing wastes.
ISO Certification helps International Business Partners to seek opportunities in global markets to market their ISO certified products.
Don't try put down others or bring up past mistakes or unpleasant occurrences.
Requirement of ISO Certifications depends upon the nature of industry like Agriculture, Food Technology, Oil and Natural Gas.
The best way for any company to obtain ISO Certification is to begin with development of their own ISO Team and Internal Audit to continuously make sure that requirements for ISO standards are being met.

Handling Relationships in Holidays

Holiday season is a hectic time for anybody due to the preparations, for getting ready to travel enjoy holidays and family get together.But enjoying this much awaited time of the year is definitely a challenge for those who are not able to get along well with others as nobody is perfect.

Diverse personalities, family circumstances, values and lifestyles are mentally & emotionally disturbing factors for some people to interact even with extended family members. Given below are some basic tips for you to overcome relationship problems:-

Self-care is the first step to keep your internal stress low.
Eat healthy foods, and have adequate sleep before your departure. Allow plenty of time to feel relaxed.
Remind yourself that family get together during holidays is a brief departure from your normal life. Remind yourself that you are mentally prepared to handle gracefully with anyone.
Bring in to your mind to feel pity over unhappy family members rather than anger and sadistic towards them. Unhappy family members are those who might be pessimists, jealous, resistant to change, self-pitied and criticizing others destructively.
Persons who have the character of excessive self-love, non-stop talker or chronic complainer will never change. It is easy to get out of them, if you are in large group of members or spend very little time to keep your stress level low.
To keep yourself in good mood, invite a good friend along for mental support or stick with any easy going relative during the event.
Show common courtesy to everyone regardless of how you feel about them.
If you cannot manage any more politeness towards a particular person, find a reason to excuse yourself and move on.
Use humor to defuse tension but do not make jokes at anyone's expense.
Most Important. Be sensitive to relative's situations & family circumstances. For example, do not make an abnormal display of enthusiasm about expensive items you possess to your family members who might be financially unsound.
Don't try put down others or bring up past mistakes or unpleasant occurrences.
Engage Your relatives by inquiring about something meaningful to them like about their children, work or hobby.
Breathe deeply if you feel stressed. It it does not work out, head to the washroom or step outside for some fresh air to feel free.
In spite of your above efforts, if you feel uncomfortable, as a last resort, you can cut-short your visit citing another commitments.

Pros & Cons of Video Games

In this digitally connected and information driven world, the technology of Video Games Video Games has been around for almost a quarter of a century and it has become major and most importance of entertainment for children and adults. Playing Video Games favourite past time for kids and adults. What are the positive and negative impacts of Video Games?

Positive Impacts of Video Games:-

Develops incredible hand, eye and brain co-ordination while playing video games.
It increases children's self-confidence.
Helps in decision-making ability.
They might become even addicted and lazy as there is no physical movement.
Video Games with Interactive Learning Feature is useful for children.
Some video games require analytical thinking & good co-ordination, providing exercise to kids' eys and brain.
Video games require skills remembering, memorizing, problem solving, recognizing patterns and mapping.
Solving or breaking codes benefits children in real life (if not misused).
Playing video games limited will decrease verbal and physical aggression.
It improves logical and critical reasoning.
Most video games improve spatial visulization and visual attention.

Negative Impacts of Video Games:-

But playing violent games continuously will make any child aggressive and will lead to physical and emotional disorders.
video games have caused most kids to lost interest in other aspects of life leading to eating irregularities & sleep disturbances.
Violent computer games have negative impact on the development of children towards aggressive behavior.
Violent games can make the children not sensitive and make them think that violence is an effective way of settling disputes.
It causes them to be mistrustful later in life.
Violent video games have negative impact on society's behavior. This even leads to fighting among children during free time at schools.
Violent media leads to aggressive thoughts and feelings, especially in children.
Play Video Games definitely leads to violent behavior, if addicted to.

Tips for Women Before Travel

Important Tips for Women Before Undertaking Travel:-

Remember to stop newspaper / magazines and milk at your door. Inform your vendors to stop them from a specific date/day.
To have less stress while walking at the airport, use comfortable footwear.
Ask your doctor your destination specific medicines.
Even warm weather condition may turn cold unpredictable at your arrival place. Pack clothes that can be layered easily to provide you extra warmth.
Leave your duplicate key with your trusted family member, neighbor or your friend. While you are on tour, you might need them to go inside your house and check on something.
Have your Passports / Visas / Health Certificates / Air-tickets / Debit / Credit Cards photocopied and keep them separately. Memorise pin numbers and do not note them anywhere.If stolen, you can immediately notify your Banker to take immediately action.
Till your travel is complete, to reduce attention from strange men, wear wedding ring and carry your husband's/children's photographs.
To feel better or normal, place your request for your preferable food or pack your own.
Make sure you do not pack more than you can carry comfortably for long distances.
If you take out anything from your shoulder bag, do not forget to close its zips.
If you are on official tour, bring along some small presents like key-chains, diaries or pens for those who provide you with hospitality or assistance.
Prepare a check list of valuables when you pack. This will help you deal with an insurance company, if your luggage are stolen or lost in transit.

Overcoming Communication Barriers

'Communication is an exchange of ideas, facts and opinions. Common mistake most of us do is that we focus on the delivery of our information rather than how it is received by the others. How to overcome communication barriers?

Communication is an inter-personal process. Its development is based on mutual respects, trust and confidence.
Keep yourself in other man's place before conveying your message.
Choose right method of communication and right words for maximum output/impact.
Irrespective of your communication's receiver's background, always use simple language.
Language (Semantic) barrier can be overcome by using most specific and accurate word your audience will understand.
Communication overflow is one of the big barriers while communicating with others.
Make sure, your communication is short, simple and easy to understand.
To convey your message effectively, timing is more important. Know when to covey your message and at which place?
Make effective and correct use of body language while communicating. Your Body Language (How you stand, Use of Arms, Hands & Legs, Body Posture & Facial Expressions) play important roles in conveying your message effectively.
Apply right body language and tone of voice to suit your verbal communication.
Avoid too many intermediaries in receiving information, at the same time, try to keep more than one communication channel.
Repeat your message, if your audience could not understand your message or ask to repeat as receiver of the communication.
As receiver of the communication, good and active listening is important. Be attentive and listen carefully.
Get feedback to ensure that messages conveyed by you have been understand to have mutual understanding.
You can get feedback by asking simple questions like How you feel about my Statement? What is your opinion about my suggestion? What do you think about this?

Bharatanatyam - India Classical Dance

Some basic, important and interesting facts about 'Bharatanatyam':-

Bharatanatyam is the most popular classical & traditional Indian Dance, evolved in 18th/19th Century.
The Bharatanatyam dance was performed by maids of God, who served the temple deity, in the ancient temples.
Bharatanatyam represents the dancer as 'Goddess'.
Though Bharatanatyam is predominantly preformed by women, men are also known to engage in it.
It demands unconditional and complete dedication from the dancer performer.
A good Bharatanatyam Dancer should have essential qualities like Mental Alertness, Steady, Hard Work, Intelligence, Devoted with Singing Ability.
Bharatanatyam dance-forms are strcutured around some emotions like Happiness, Sorrow, Anger, Compassion, Fear, Courage, Calm and Smile.
Non-carpeted or Wooden Floor with loose fitting salwar kameez dress is ideal to practice Bharatanatyam.
Steps are based upon a balanced distribution of body weight and needs elaborate neck and eye movements.
The position of the feet keeps changing and the knees bent most of the times.
Prefection in body postures & steps are pre-requisites in Bharatanatyam. The dancer should know when to dance and when to stop.
Knowledge about carnatic music is essential to learn Bharatanatyam.
Regular practice and dedication will improve the dance performance.

Qualities for a Still Photographer

A good Still Photographer should be able:-

view subject, set and plan composition, camera position and camerca angle to produce desired output.
Estimate or measure light level, using light meter or create artificial lighting with flash unis, lights and lighting equipment.
Adjust len's opening to limit the amount of light that can enter and shutter speed based on lighting, depth of field, subject motion and film speed.
Decide subject-to-lens distance, using tape measure, range finder, ground glass, or reflex viewing system to adjust focus.
Design, build, arranage, or secure properties and settings to be used as background for subject material.
Specialize in particular type of photography, such as illustrative, fashion, architectural, or portrait.
Mix chemicals, process flm and photographic paper, and make contact and enlarged prints.
Spot and re-touch prints and negatives.

Success Formulae of a Great Boss

Simple successful formulae of Great Boss:-

A Great Boss hires only top notch & excellent people.
He places right people with suitable job.
Clearly directs the subordinates what tasks are to be completed.
He lets his subordinates know why such tasks need to be completed.
He imparts training to all his subordinates.
He leaves the job up to the people you have chosen to do it.
He carefully listens to all.
Tries to remove frustration and barriers that block his subordinates from performing well.
He periodically inspects and monitors the progress made by his subordinates.
Always says "Thank You" publicly and privately.