A Birds Nest

Travelling tales

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 08:33:02 +0000

I went travelling last year with my corporate magician friend, and we had a really great time, although I did have to save him from a desperate money situation as he had not prepared well before going away. We went on a tour of South America for 3 months, and it really was an amazing experience, but his troubles did highlight to me how important it is to do your research on things, before going away on such a trip. Luckily for him, I did my research!

I have a prepaid debit card, which I have been using for a while now, and I decided to put all of my money for the trip into this account, and draw money out from ATM’s whilst away. My friend decided that he would take a large wad of cash with him, and keep a few hundred dollars for emergencies in his normal account. As luck would have it he got mugged after just 2 weeks of being away, and he lost almost all of his money. To make matters worse, when he tried to use his bank card to draw money out, nobody would accept his card.

Luckily for him, I came up with the idea of doing a direct deposit to my prepaid card account. This meant that someone from his family could arrange the deposit from their normal bank account. Also luckily for him, he had a very generous family who agreed to do this. From there on in, I simply drew out as much cash as he and I needed on a daily basis to ensure that we were never carrying too much cash at any one time.

I did a lot of research before choosing a card, and looked at loads of companies to make sure I was getting what I wanted from it. One of the main features I was looking for was the direct deposit to ensure that if I was ever in need, someone would be able to get some money to me. I knew that the cards were accepted all over the world, and that this would therefore be the easiest way of getting money out to me wherever I was. I also got a second card, so that if I lost one, I would have a spare in my main luggage. All in all, it was well worth doing the research, as it helped my friend out of a tight spot; and that could just as easily have been me as well.

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Different Kinds Of Mothers

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:10:22 +0000

While mulling over some really boring human resources software that my boss was on about us buying (that I couldn’t care less about, obviously) the other day, I fell into the addictive trap of typing weird things in to Google and seeing what came up. Now, I’m not on about typing naughty things in to Google of course (you can only do that once the boss has left, as you’re probably aware) I’m on about weird random things such as finding out what happened to the baby who starred as Oscar (I think) in the hit 80s film Labyrinth (he went on to do some acting and was forever quizzed about if he had nightmares for many years after the filming as he was in close proximity to lots of goblins at nearly all times) and other stuff like that. And that got me thinking: is that legal? I mean think about it seriously now: if Jim Henson, God rest his soul, knocked on your door and said “say, I have this really great idea for a goblin film…Lots of dancing and singing goblins and David Bowie in leotards, actually…and it needs a baby, fancy lending me mine?” would you say “Yes!”. What mother really WOULD say yes, come to think of it? Anyone who has witnessed the disturbing nature of that film will agree with me: it would be a very bad thing to let your baby in for and you’d have to be pretty desperate for the money in any case…

But then again…Think of the money. Jim Henson did well for himself, so he probably would have paid well…So it would have been tempting. Anyway, all this is what you think about when you are forced to learn HTML. It does your head in, basically, so it’s good to have various things to think about which can divert your attention from such things.

Freelance Advise And It’s Free: Yes, FREE!

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:09:07 +0000

Many moons ago – or it certainly feels like that now I have reached the age I have and feel too much like an adult for my liking – I used to love getting argos discount vouchers for Christmas. This was back when I honestly, truly believed that Argos was operated by a race of super-dwarves that raced around getting all the products. To this day I don’t know how Argos works, amongst a number of other unexplainable things. One of these things is how you get successful doing freelance anything. Freelance really is strange. Why? Well, because one day you might be inundated with work, so much you feel saturated like your head is going to explode, and the next the emails go dead quiet and you feel like the whole world has forgotten you. With this in mind I will attempt to now give my advice to those starting out. Here is what to and what not to expect.

1) Don’t expect work to come to you, well, at least not until you are reasonably established. To begin with it’s just good old hard work and first come first served. So don’t just sit there, get emailing!

2) You will get rejection: it hurts. You might think you are used to it, but you never fully are. Still, you get harder over time, and eventually you won’t cry, you’ll just move on and see what happens next.

3) The money will come, but you may also have to chase people up. For reasons as yet unexplained to anyone (as far as I can tell), customers think that freelance workers live in a kind of different dimension where rent doesn’t have to be paid on time and things are paid for by magic. I am serious. So get used to emailing people and asking them for money, because if you don’t then you are setting yourself up for a fall.

4) You guessed it, folks: at least you can get down the pub early on Friday. Yeah!

Meet Me: I Am Shazzer And I Will Teach People A Lesson!

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 05:08:54 +0000

People don’t know. They THINK they know, they know how to use Google to get information, and they think that qualifies them as KNOWING! Well, my name is Shazzer and I am here to tell you that this is not the case, actually, far from it. For example, upon seeing the aforementioned name “Shazzer” you may well think that this must mean I was born “Sharon”. Well here’s one for the grandkids: I wasn’t! I was born something else, so there (and I shall leave it at that, just to further punish everyone I am getting at with this article, ha!)

The point is this: I can be a bit old-fashioned. I like the old Argos discount codes that I used to know and love, and I like the way Opal Fruits (as opposed to Starburst) tasted. I like, also, the words we used to use regularly, and I like to employ them where necessary, even at my peril. Like “handsome”. Now, years ago you could say that a woman looked handsome, and you would not get a funny look, but now you can’t, no. Now it’s changed. Nowadays if you call a woman handsome then they say “but that’s how you describe a man, idiot”. And this is not limited to just this example, of course. There are millions of ways that the modern age has distorted or changed things from how they used to be, into ways which aren’t necessarily any better. In some cases as I have proven, they are just wrong, so there.

What to do about it? I don’t know. I am but one person in this world of billions of living things. I guess my hope is that YOU might read this and feel the same. Who knows, maybe a revolution is in order?

Simple things: what is it about the simple?

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:52:10 +0000

Ah, hermes bags …simple, uncomplicated, stylish. Three words which flood my brain pretty much any time I walk down a high-street. Honestly, I don’t know how my boyfriend copes with me…

But anyway, thinking once again about how I love hand bags made me wonder: what is it about special and uncomplicated things that is so attractive? It’s odd, don’t you think? The more complex something is, the better it is supposed to be, for example. There are a few other anomalies, such as follows…

1) If a girl has a plain face then it’s not really a good thing. Yet I adore plain hand bags. Why is this?

2) Simple people are considered dumb, while every single one of Apple’s products are plain and minimal.

3) Speaking of things minimal, the world is full of minimal design that is much loved. Yet when I used to wear my Dunlop trainers at school, which are exceedingly simple, everyone laughed at me!

This means that you get all the familiarity of a product but with the knowledge that each and every one is entirely unique…

My new theory is this: simple things – especially luxury hand bags that boyfriends really ought to buy girlfriends at Christmas, ahem – are the best because they make us feel less threatened. This is a good thing, and so we gravitate towards them in our droves. If only it was the same for simple people…I’d have been much more popular at school, I’m sure…

Another thing I love about simple things is that there really isn’t too much to go wrong. That alone makes one feel content, and makes one want to shop and buy a new hand bag! Who can resist when the price has been lowered to a very simple and crisp £158? Exactly, I do believe I have proved my point!

But by far the greatest thing about simple things is the variety…take the aforementioned hand bags for example – they come in all kinds of colours and are all slightly different. This means that you get all the familiarity of a product but with the knowledge that each and every one is entirely unique. Now that is something to celebrate, I think.

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Fats In Bodybuilding

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 17:34:55 +0000

Now I lift weights on a regular basis and one of the many things I know is that protein is certainly a crucial nutrient for bodybuilders to build muscles. That being said too many bodybuilders tend to believe that it is all they need. It is important to realize that fat is also significant in the diet of bodybuilders. For the body to absorb vitamins and release hormones that have to do with muscle building and energy synthesis, fat must be present. The key here is to consume the right type and amount of dietary fat.

Healthy fats are the best choice for bodybuilders and these include polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. The inclusion of these fats to the diet of bodybuilders can lead to favorable outcomes. Fat gives an enhanced nitrogen retention and anabolic effect in the muscles to boost muscle gains. Consumption of these fats can yield a good energy source for the body especially during intense workout sessions.

According to the Mayo Clinic, around 20 to 35 percent of daily calories from fats are consumed by most people. Many bodybuilding websites suggest 30 percent of total daily calorie intake. There is not set figure carved in stone so the bodybuilder will have to be smart and base his decision on his particular needs. So it’s like buying Chess sets uk, trial and error, for example, bodybuilders who take in 3000 calories every day should target obtaining about 900 calories from fat. Since every gram of fat has 9 calories, this is equal to 100 grams of healthy fats every day.

Monounsaturated fats can be had from avocados, olive oil, chicken and nuts while polyunsaturated fat can be gotten from seeds, nuts, vegetable oil and cold-water fish.

Fats are a very important part of bodybuilding nutrition and must not be excluded nor limited too much.

Getting a web-page done

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 13:03:44 +0000

Very often I’ll be talking to someone about designing a web page and they’ll say they know someone who needs one doing and can I help? I usually say no. Not because I wouldn’t like to – I love that stuff, I can be a right dork – but because I simply don’t have the time. This is often the way. Web design is a growing industry and to be honest 99% of the time I have enough to do without taking on extra-curricular work!

What I can do, however, since I feel like writing today, is to blog about how you can hire a graphic designer and how to get the best out of them. It goes something like this:

you are paying for this, so don’t accept second best! If you do accept second best then chances are you’ll regret it at a later date

Hunt one down. This could be on Gumtree or another kind of forum where graphic designers regularly peruse. Look for someone who knows about what you need done. There’s no point hiring someone to work on the job, after all, and you are not a charity case.
Tell them what you need and be specific: if you need a site for a wedding suit business, for example, be sure to include everything that is essential. Remember that they may know a lot about web-pages but they will probably know nothing about the business you are in. For this reason, you need to instruct them. Also, never assume anything because as far as a designer knows, they are starting from a totally blank canvas.
Feel free to snail-mail drawings to them, or email designs you have done. No good designer will be offended. In fact they will be impressed, as 90% of people just leave it up to them and then complain afterwards.
Don’t be annoyed if it takes a few weeks. These kinds of things don’t happen overnight and so require your patience. Also, it may take a few tries to get right.
This point should, really, have been made earlier, but never-mind: always agree on a price from the outset, rather than an open budget. Unless the window of opening is specified. Otherwise you could be in for an expensive shock come the day of delivery.
Speak your mind: you are paying for this, so don’t accept second best! If you do accept second best then chances are you’ll regret it at a later date. This is a terrible idea and it’ll effectively make you feel like you wasted all that money the first time around…never a good thing!

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Freelancing is great and here is how to do it

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:46:23 +0000

Freelancing is magnificent. And I don’t use that word for everything, I can tell you. I do not bandy it around! So what’s good about being a freelancer? Well, everything, in short. But for a lengthier description of the pros and cons, please read on.

1) The good stuff: you get to be your own boss, and you can be a nice boss at that. You wake up when you say you wake up, and you crawl into bed whenever you wish to…

1) The good stuff: you get to be your own boss, and you can be a nice boss at that. You wake up when you say you wake up, and you crawl into bed whenever you wish to. In between that you get to decide when work needs to be done, how much work you wish to do, and how long to spend having a social life and combining that with work. In short, everything is up to you. Now, that means you get to set your own holidays as well, and take that much deserved day off when you want to. You don’t have to ask anyone!

2) The bad stuff: because it’s all up to you…you’re going to find that sometimes things get on top of you. And I mean very much on top of you. I mean the kind where you’re stressed, running around not knowing what to do, and nobody can help you out. It can be a nightmare at times…

3) Another big issue with freelancing – it doesn’t matter if you’re writing for laser hair removal bournemouth or graphic designing for the local newsletter – is that sometimes there is no work. I mean none. A week might go by when you have no emails coming in, and everyone you phone about work says they don’t want to use you. How do you get through the dark days? You just…have to is all. I wish there was an easier way to say it than that, but there really truly isn’t!

4) The in-between times: there are times, more often than not, when your days will be a mixture of both good and bad. You’ll have a great morning and a slow afternoon. It’s at times like this when you’ll really start to wonder what the hell is going on…and whether or not you’re truly cut out for this kind of a life. The answer? Only you really know the answer. But one thing is for sure…everyone has these times. There isn’t a freelancer on the planet who wakes up to an easy day, five days a week. Even when you’re busy it can be very tough indeed, because then you’re too busy to check your emails!

But I still think: I love freelancing. I wouldn’t change my life for the world.

How do you get through the dark days? You just…have to is all.

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Broadband and Taxes

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:33:11 +0000

One of the things that many freelancers forget is how much they rely on the internet. If my connection were to go down suddenly I would be quite literally up the creek without a paddle. Having fast, effective and – most importantly – reliable broadband is an essential for any freelancer. If I didn’t have the ability to access the internet then I wouldn’t be able to function. Think about it, email, Google, social networking, general research, chat, and video…without a good connection you can kiss potential success as a freelancer goodbye.

Good broadband will make you more reliable to your clients.

When I first decided to go freelance, it was quite terrifying. I didn’t know how to organise myself at all and had to get a lot of help and advice from friends and family who had gone through similar experiences. The best piece of advice I received though was from my friend Paula who before I had even opened my mouth to ask a question, shoved a search list of results on the best broadband providers in my area. She knew before I did that for me to really have a chance of being successful; I would have to have fast access to the internet. She also knew that as I would be on the move a lot then there was a good chance I would need a provider who could do both roaming and site specific broadband work. I now use abroadband. They give me fast broadband access both at home on my laptop and roaming access when I’m travelling around a lot. I haven’t had any issues with them and it has become very cost effective for my work. Next I had to understand what my status was.

Another thing you will need to look into if you decide to start freelancing is hiring yourself a good accountant. At the start you may not be earning enough money for HMRC to even concern themselves with you, but if you keep plugging away over the months and the money starts to role in on a more regular basis then you will need to register yourself with HMRC and complete a self assessment form once a year. There is a great article on the BBC website on how to do this. Everything must be transparent to the tax office and failure to comply with the law could result in a severe penalty and even prison time. I’m making it sound scarier then it is, but it is important to understand the rules you have to follow so you can fully enjoy the benefits of working for yourself. You can do your accounts yourself, but it can take time; time which could be better spent working with your clients and trying to attract new clients. Having an accountant whilst costing you a portion of your earnings, could save you an absolute fortune at the end of the year as they will know what expenses is tax deductable.

Freelancing is challenging, but it is ultimately rewarding. It makes you a more responsible person whilst simultaneously allowing you the freedom to work with who you want to work with…most of the time!

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How to draw circles

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 10:05:14 +0000

Hands up everyone: how much do you hate drawing a circle by hand? Answer: a lot I should think. Ever since I was young I have noticed how difficult some people find it to draw cirecles by hand. But you know what the really weird thing is? For me it’s always been really easy. I don’t mean to boast, it’s just like that. Want to know my secret? Great! You’ve come to the right place my friend, now here we go…

Drawing a circle by hand is all about keeping your arm steady, but loose enough in the wrist that you can make a flowing motion

I won’t lie to you. I won’t say that I have always found drawing with a circle really easy. In fact, I vividly remember being about 5 and really struggling. It was all plain sailing after that, however.

But no, seriously, I know I am a bit of a freak. I know that most people find it really tricky. Well don’t worry anymore because here are my secrets unravelled for the whole world to see. After this you should only need a few goes and things will be so much easier.

1) No cheating! I’ve included a video for those who want to draw a circle the really easy way. For everyone else follow me now…

2) One of the main reasons why people find circles so hard is simple: not enough practice. Do you think I got where I am today by just staring at a blank sheet of paper? Exactly. I had to work at it. Now, when I am drawing a circle it is usually so I can put a logo in it, something for a pop up display stands company or whatever. It doesn’t matter what, the key is to learn to draw circles big. That way the small ones will be nothing by comparison.

3) Speed is the key. Don’t draw circles slowly to begin with. It’ll mess you up! Start by keeping your hand and wrist loose and swooping round as fast as you are able. It also helps to hold the pen in such a way that it can swivel on its own in your fingers. Stiffness is the enemy!

4) Start again and again, but makes sure you complete the circle, even if it is a total failure. Completing it means you are learning. You can’t learn how to draw the perfect circle if you don’t do a few terrible circles in between, can you?

5) Use a soft pencil. This will allow the nib to glide round. You’ll be amazed at how much easier it is if you’ve been using something like a 2H all this time!