International Travel

Guest post from: Mohamed Simon

Traveling is about getting outside your comfort zone. About seeing new things and meeting new people. While Europe is a unique vacation for any individual, it still reeks of the occidental influence that pervades most of America. However, if you want a more exhilarating and refreshing experience, I would recommend a trip to Asia, in particularly the magical world of Japan.

As any brave internet adventurer knows, Japan is the hub for all things weird. While vending machines selling used undergarments are a myth, there are plenty of other bizarre places to sink your teeth into. Spend the evening in a ninja house that feeds you from the shadows. Visit a maid cafe in the heart of Akihabara's electric carnival. Walk through the hellscape that is Shibuya crossing as a thousand neon billboards light the sky with virtual incandescence. Come to the future and experience the future in Tokyo.

Yet Japan is not all about the world of tomorrow. You will find shrines and ancient temples juxtaposed with the steel skyscrapers even in downtown Kichijoji. Yet the majority of castles are found on the eastern half, near the old capital of Kyoto. I was inspired to go to the ancient city after watching a Samantha Brown special on the channels I get through direct tv promotions. From zen gardens to hot spring baths to the golden pavilion, there is no shortage of ancient and bucolic serenity, making Japan the perfect place to party up when you want to and unwind when you have to.

I'll Be Lost Without LOST

The article written by Victor Flowers

My favorite show, "LOST," has come to an end. Though I'm glad I can still watch reruns on Direct.tv, I'm going to miss the anticipation of looking forward to the next chapter in this fascinating drama.

"LOST" is a show that has reeled in viewers across a wide spectrum of ages and backgrounds. The premise is simple: a plane crashes on an island, and the survivors try to acclimate themselves to their new surroundings while attempting to figure out a way of getting rescued. But every season introduces more characters and deeper mysteries. It's a series in which it is necessary to watch every single episode.

In the first season, Dom Monaghan probably carried the most star power, especially among younger viewers, who knew him as the hobbit Merry in "Lord of the Rings". As drug-addicted rock star Charlie, he has a compelling storyline that comes to a climax in the third season. Another familiar face to many was Matthew Fox, who was in the television series "Party of Five". If any character on the show can be called central, it's Jack, the doctor he portrays.

"LOST" aired for six wonderful seasons, and though not everyone was pleased with how it ended, it still is an epic accomplishment for a fast-paced age. I hope that one day we'll see a series this good again.

Hospital Chic

Being the girly-girl my friend is, she's not one to wear a plain set of scrubs at work. She loves all of the ones with characters and designs on them. Of course when it comes to selecting them she finds that there aren't that many that she ends up liking so she'll end up buying a few sets of her favorite ones. The only thing is that she then thinks that other people think that she wears the same one more than once.

She's always on the hunt for unique scrubs and since we've gotten close again, she's been asking me to help her. I'm not as savvy as some of the people I know when it comes to searching and often wind up with something totally different but I guess if she did it herself it could be a lot worse. LOL She told me that she had tried to find wholesale hospital scrubs once and ended up finding out that she had to buy tons and tons of them. I don't think that would have worked too well if she didn't want people to think she only had one pair...

A Single Person's Paradise In The Caribbean

Guest post written by Rolf Tate

I never thought I would take a trip to the Bahamas. Getting to the Bahamas is not exactly what you would call cheap. But when I saw an ad on my bestchoicetv for a place called Breezes, which is right on the water, I couldn't resist. I immediately picked up the phone and made a reservation. Well, that's not 100% true. I had an energy drink first. I know they're not great for you, but they put me in a good mood and I seem to make better decisions when I'm in a good mood. And let me tell you - this was a good decision!

You might think it's odd for someone to go to the Bahamas by themselves, but when you're going to a resort that was rated as a Top 10 by Playboy, it's not such a bad idea. My experience at Breezes, which is an all-inclusive resort, consisted of pool volleyball, beach volleyball, going on a trapeze, playing basketball, jet skiing, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and plenty of eating and drinking. I also got to meet some very friendly people. The people were by far the best part of this vacation, but the balcony views of the Caribbean Sea from my room were a close second.

If you're ever in doubt about where to go for your next vacation and the Caribbean interests you, definitely look into Breezes, especially if you're single.

Free Concert!

I was SO excited earlier this week when I found out that one of my new favorite bands would be out here for a concert. The other day I saw a rumor that it was also a set-up for recording part of their DVD. I'm not really sure how I feel about that but I figure that there will be so many people there that my friends and I will probably be placed where we can't be seen anyway. LOL The thing I am glad about it though is that it's a 21 and over event so we won't be in the midst of a ton of screaming teeny boppers. I can't wait, there's only a few hours left before I leave!

Cyber Cash

I'm not one to ever carry cash with me. I end up finding it's more convenient to use a card all the time. The problem with that is that if something goes wrong I have to deal with two companies to figure out where it did and how to fix it. I came across this site where you can pay as you would any bill through your bank account and they provide extra protection for you as well. So why would I go there instead of doing what I have been? They have online coupons! We all know how helpful those are and in my case I need to have them. The one thing that normally stops me from shopping online is the shipping fees and if I can get free or low rates you can bet I'd rather go there.

Male Topics Made Mainstream

I love those Smilin' Bob commercials, they're so funny! It's amazed me how male enhancement has become more "mainstream" and less taboo to talk about now. I know there is still some secrecy to the matter because men aren't as open to talk about those kinds of things like women are but it's nice to see the number of advertisements about it. That tells me and the men who don't want to talk about it that they aren't alone and can do what they need to without feeling embarrassed about it at all. They still might but at least they can do something about it if they feel the need.

Fat Be Gone

There's been a lot of talk of Apidexrin. I'm thinking with my sudden onset of weight that I might try it because there's been a lot of people who have good things to say about it. The other thing is that it's not one that you would take three times each day to keep it going, you only take it twice before breakfast and lunch. That makes a lot more sense to me than taking something before dinner too. How are you supposed to sleep after that?! I found a apidexin coupon code which will really help me out in that department. time to get this fat off!

Marketing

I have a few friends who have tried out internet marketing and really enjoy being their own boss. It's hard for me to find the time to do anything lately but it helps when you have tools like free web directory submission. I know there are a lot of people doing this that have tricks that they use and it's really a matter of finding with method and tools work for you. If you're lucky, you can find them in the beginning and end up making a lot within the year. Hey, it can happen!

Yard Sales

I would much rather go to them then have one but I think we need to. If there's ever going to be a way to clear out this house that might be the only one. The problem is that we've had them before and not only did hardly anyone come, they all wanted everything for like fifty cents! How in the world is that fair I ask you. I think it's fine to try but really, it ends up being downright disrespectful when you want something that's over $20 for that much. Sometimes I wish Clean Sweep was still around so I could get them out here and help us with a sale. That might be the only time we'd get that many people. LOL

Weigh In

I just found out I did a little more damage than I had originally thought. I think I'll be onto all the best fat burners from here on out from the looks of my numbers. I really need to watch what I do because not only is it unattractive and unhealthy in the long run, my body goes through weird things when I'm too far over weight and it can be really painful. I have a very small frame so my joints and back will start hurting and all sorts of icky things. It's much better to do what I can to avoid that then have to go through it again.

Foreclosure

We just found out that after a long battle spanning years that our house has technically gone into foreclosure. It's not good but at the same time we're hoping that the things they didn't do will save us in the end. Meanwhile we are trying to figure things out just in case and are doing what we can to raise our credit scores. It won't be easy but it's a good thing we can check them for free once a year. That helps keep us on track to not over do anything that way if the worst does happen we can still rent for a while without hassles. Hopefully everything works out though and we still keep the scores we have!

Chomping Away

Lately I've found myself snacking more than usual when I'd normally do it just a little and have small meals. I've tried a few things including gum chewing and eating fat-free pretzels but I think I may need to try some appetite suppressants. I can't figure out why other than stress but it needs to stop before I end up more over weight than I already am. I know I'll be picking pilates back up soon and hopefully yoga so that should help keep things to a minimum but I'd rather not be eating all day long too. LOL

Facebook Reunion

There's this girl that decided to IM me from middle school. She's not THAT bad but she's still traumatized by all the stuff that happened to her back then and she made it clear in our THREE hour conversation. I couldn't believe she could go on that long about it! I felt really badly but I couldn't shake her so I ended up having to "black list" her when the opportunity came. I'll probably take her off soon and have another talk but for now I'm not sure I can handle hashing and re-hashing things from over 15 years ago for the time being.

Insomnia Again

I've been so busy trying to manage all sorts of things that I'm hardly tired, let alone find the time to sleep. Sometimes it's amazing that I get five to six hours each night to me. I know I don't want to end up having some dark circles around eyes or something although I know many times that can be caused by blood vessels and things. I've got to get myself back on some sort of routine before I end up looking and feeling like a total mess. LOL

Career Calling

I'm still thinking about finding a career. As much as I would like to resist the fact is that I'm still young and I need to have some sort of future planning at some point. I know I'll probably end up looking for jobs in health care industry because there really isn't anything more stable especially going through the times we have recently. I should really start looking into it soon so I can figure out where in that field I'd like to be trained. I cannot keep staying stuck like I've been, time to move on.

Eat Something

All the stress lately has been putting a toll on my appetite. I've never really been one to eat when I was upset but rather not eat. I'm hoping that my body won't think its starving and start storing anything away but I can't tell because the two scales in the house are off from each other. The battery powered one is newer but it turned out to be quite a bit off when my aunt used it to weight her suitcases. I can't remember what the difference was when she got to the airport but it was just enough and she almost didn't get her bag on the plane. I may just have to find a new scale so I can start over and watch myself, I don't want to gain anymore weight than I've got. LOL

Fried

I had the worst day today and my brain is total mush. Of course I'm trying to work and I can't get much done because I just want to go lie down and forget about today. So many things seem to be going wrong this week already that I'm thinking this may not be the best birthday I could have even though it should be. I'm hoping that nothing major happens by the end of this year but with the house about to go and my friend not knowing if he'll be dying soon I have a ton of anxiety. I wish nothing bad ever had to happen and we all could be okay with being normal and healthy.

Gaga

SO many of the people I know are wrapped up in Lady Gaga. Her unique style of dress and powerful voice have really made a name for her and everyone is just gaga for her. LOL! She cam through our area not long ago and all my friends on Facebook were talking about lady gaga concert tickets whether they had them or not. Quite a few did get to go and were more excited than a kid in a candy store. I think that would be an interesting concert to have gone to with all her costume changes. I think the only person that got as many comments on clothing was Bjork when she wore that dress that looked like a swan years ago. I'm glad that Lady Gaga's wardrobe isn't that bizarre, just unique.

Piles of Books

Quite a few of my friends are still in college because they weren't really sure what they wanted to pursue and some just took time off. It's funny because as soon as it started so many of them were complaining about the book cost. It's a good thing they had decided to sell books that they didn't think they needed last year. There is a new market for used textbooks so I'm sure there are a lot of people happy to find a way to get rid of theirs that are just collecting dust. Lucky for them many of them are recent editions so they were able to get rid of them added to that it's a great way of recycling instead of having a new book all the time. Those things can get super big!