Experience A Holiday Haven At Langkawi

When it comes to Kuala Lumpur hotels, you would want to spend the least on your accommodation and devote a larger portion of your budget on exploring the city that never sleeps. The variety that one can find for hotels in KL is quite vast. Depending on your budget, you can bag a dorm bed for as little as RM 20 if you are on a backpacking trip, or you can gain access to some of the best and luxurious hotels of KL at discount prices that are located at convenient places.

Once you check yourself in, don’t waste a single minute. Get out there and start walking towards the downtown center. If you step out in the evening, you might want to head towards the Golden Triangle, which is the party hub of the city. Just south of the Kuala Lumpur City Center KLCC, is the Jalan P Ramlee which is the center clubbing area while the surrounding Jalan Pinang is also known for its lively night life. The Bukit Bintang, located close to the KLCC, is the Las Vegas of KL with neon lights accelerating the liveliness of the area.

Flow with the Rhythm of the Night

If your thirst for energy is still not satisfied, you might want to try out the Bangsar area which comes to life only when the sun goes down. The music will pump up your adrenaline and keep you going for the rest of the night. For a relatively sober night in KL, you can visit the several pubs and coffee shops in the Mont Kiara area. If your timing is right, you may also be able to catch a live performance of the local bands at some of the outlets.

After a long and tiring night out, there is nothing better than some light Malaysian food with some ‘the tarik’ (frothed tea) which will be available even after midnight at one of the street side shops which are usually operated by Indian Muslims. Some of these eat outs have kept up with the technology advancement and installed projector screens or LCD screens to display any popular sport, mainly football. Alternatively, after a night out, you can also drop in at a more posh Chinese Coffee Shop and get the best tea and coffee along with light snacks. Whenever you visit KL, keep in mind that Kuala Lumpur is the city that truly doesn’t sleep.

How to Set Self Improvement Goals

Goal setting is one of the secrets for achieving what we want in life. Without a goal we wonder aimlessly around not knowing which way we should headed to. The purpose of a goal then is to clearly define what and when we want something to happen, so that our dreams will come true. If you want a successful life, goal setting is definitely a skill that you need to master.

A self improvement goal is one of the many goals that we human set in life. It is much more satisfying to experience success when it comes to self-improvement goal setting. Success almost certainly starts with setting a goal that clearly defines. However many set the goals and then do little about them, or lack of the know how to achieve them.

Here are 3 tips on how to set self improvement goals:

1) Writing down your goals and clearly defined them

Take for example, if losing weight were what we want for example, a clearly defined goal would include the number of pounds we desire to lose or the body measurement or dress size that we aim to target. It is a clearly defined goal that allows us to tell whether or not we have achieved our goal. If we leave a goal at I want to lose weight, we would never know when we have achieved the goal because there is no way to determine success or failure. Is a loss of two pounds enough to be considered success at losing weight or did we fail because it is not noticeable that we lost weight? A clearly defined goal such as: I will lose ten pounds by Christmas Day can be measured and success or failure determined in a definite manner.

2) Set Realistic Goal

You will more likely be able to achieve your goal if you take the time to examine your goal and make it one that will be possible to achieve. An unrealistic goal, no matter how well defined is still going to be difficult to achieve.

3) Breaking down a big goal into smaller goals

There are many obstacles and challenges that a person could encounter on the way to setting a self-improvement goal including not knowing exactly what the goal is, or not knowing what it takes to achieve a goal, not being willing to focus on the goal on a daily basis, not being passionate about achieving the goal and also not being able to take the consistent action required to achieve a goal.

When setting a goal you should take all of these obstacles and challenges into consideration. Sometimes breaking down a big goal into smaller goals can help defuse some of these obstacles and challenges.

You will be more likely to success in setting goal if you understand what it is that you want to achieve. Take the above mention tips as a guide when you set your next Self-Improvement Goals.

Wish you success.

What Is Self Improvement? 8 Tips for Self Improvement

They say that there is no better way to help you than through yourself, and this leads to the question what is self improvement? Also known as self help, self improvement refers to things that you can do to make your life better. It involves knowing your weakness and trying to work on them. This can be your attitude towards life and others, physical outlook or emotional health. By improving yourself you will have an opportunity to enjoy your life to the fullest. Check out some tips which you can use to make yourself better.

Tip #1: Begin the day well

Beginning the day with a positive attitude can help you to stay positive throughout the day. You should therefore make it a rule to start your day in a positive way. Wake up early and do something constructive such as jogging or mediation before leaving for work or school. If you are a student, you can wake up early to study when the mind is still fresh. So you got your first answer to what is self improvement; have a good start!

Tip #2: Have a positive attitude

There is a saying that when you start thinking positively you will start seeing positive outcomes in your life. It is true that what we think is what we are. You should therefore try to find something positive about every situation even when it seems impossible. Instead of cursing and blaming others because we do not have a car, thank God that you have legs to walk to job. Instead of complaining that we do not live in a mansion, how about thanking our families for providing a roof over our head? Appreciating the small things in life is the key to achieving big thins.

Tip #3: Keep positive company

The company we keep plays a key role in our thoughts. If you are always in the company of people who are always complaining and criticizing you are likely to become like them. No wonder the saying 'birds of a feather flock together'. You should therefore watch your company at all times.

Tip #4: Have goals

You must know what you want to achieve in order to help yourself. We should set realistic goals especially when it comes to our financial status. Once you have your goals you will need to work hard and be disciplined in order to achieve them. In addition, you can motivate yourself by rewarding your efforts.

Tip #5: Take a break

Being a workaholic is not a bad thing, but it is good to take a short break once in a while. This will give your body time to relax so when you go back to work you will have a clear mind. You can take breaks in between working sessions and have a chat with your colleagues. Alternatively, you can go for a short holiday on a weekend.

Tip #6: Overcome your fears

The worst thing you can do to yourself is not to do something because you are afraid. It is true that overcoming your fears sets a platform for success. Once you have overcome your fears there will be no stopping you.

Tip #7: Give to others

Those who give to others always receive back. Giving does not always to be in form of money. We can be polite to our colleagues, smile at others and compliment them when they do a good job. You will be surprised at how people can change and be willing to help when you show them love.

Tip #8: Always learn from your past

There is no better answer to what is self improvement and how to achieve it than by learning from our past mistakes. A man who does not let his past experiences discourage him has a better chance of improving than one who gives up after the first trial. This is because when you do something several times you will know what to avoid and what to do next time and this creates room for improvement. We can therefore say that the best way to help ourselves is to never repeat our past mistakes.

You have to make a decision that you want to change and work towards changing your situation in order to become a better person. Now you have your answer to the question "what is self improvement?"

Growing and Caring for Rhododendrons and Azaleas

Azaleas can be either evergreen or deciduous. Deciduous Azaleas are known as Mollis or Exbury Azaleas. They bloom in the early spring with vivid orange and yellow colors. They can be grown from seed if the seeds are collected in the fall and sown on top of moist peat at about 70 degrees F. 

Evergreen Azaleas are known as broadleaf evergreens because they are do not have needles. They bloom later in the spring, and are usually propagated in the fall over bottom heat, discussed in detail at http://www.freeplants.comRhododendrons are also broadleaf evergreens and are also propagated over bottom heat in early winter. 

The best time to prune Rhododendrons and Azaleas is in the spring right after they bloom. These plants start setting next year's flower buds over the summer, so late pruning will cost you some blooms next year, so get them pruned as soon as they finish blooming. It’s also a good idea to pick off the spent blooms so the plants don’t expel a lot of energy making seeds, unless of course you’d like to grow them from seed. But keep in mind that they don’t come true from seed. 

Seeds from a red Rhododendron are likely to flower pale lavender. Cuttings ensure a duplicate of the parent plant. 

How do you prune Rhododendrons and what does pinching a Rhododendron mean? These are frequently asked questions. 

Pinching is a low impact form of pruning that is very effective for creating nice, tight full plants when you are growing small plants from seeds or cuttings. Typically a Rhododendron forms a single new bud at the tip of each branch. This new bud will develop into another new branch, another bud will form and the process will continue. If left alone this will produce a very lanky plant with a lot of space between the branches forming a very unattractive plant. 

So if you are starting with a plant that is nothing more than a rooted cutting all you have to do is pinch off this new growth bud as soon as it is about 3/8” long. Just grab it between your fingers and snap it completely off. When you do this the plant usually responds by replacing that single bud with two, three, or even four new buds in a cluster around the bud that you pinched off. Each one of these buds will develop into branches and eventually a single bud will appear at the tip of each of these branches, and of course you should come along and pinch each one of those off, forcing the plant to produce multiple buds at the end of each of these branches. 

The more often you pinch off these single buds, the more branches the plant will form, making a nice, tight, full plant. This is especially helpful with young plants such as rooted cuttings or young seedlings. 

But what about larger plants, how do I prune them? I prune mine with hedge shears!!! I just have at it and trim them like I would a Taxus or a Juniper, and guess what? The result is a very tight compact plant loaded with beautiful flowers. My Rhododendrons are so tightly branched that you can not see through them, and that is the result of vigorous pruning with hedge shears. Sure you can use hand shears, and you’ll have a nicer plant because of it, but I just use the hedge shears because that’s the tool that I happen to have in my hand as I am going by. 

Keeping Rhododendrons and Azaleas healthy and happy is a simple as understanding what they like. First of all they like to grow in a climate that suites their tastes. Many varieties of both don’t like it in the north, and to prove the point they will up and die as soon as extreme cold weather hits. Buy plants that are known to be hardy in your area. 

Here in zone 5 (northern Ohio) the following Azaleas seem to do well. Hino Crimson (red), Stewartstonia (red), Herbert (lavender), Cascade (white), Delaware Valley (white), and Rosebud (pink). Hardy Rhododendrons include Roseum Elegans (pinkish lavender), English Roseum (pinkish lavender), Nova Zembla (red), Lee’s Dark Purple, Chinoides (white), and Cunningham’s (white). 

How should you fertilize Rhododendrons and Azaleas? These broadleaf evergreens are laid back and like to take it slow and easy. Do not fertilize them with quick release nitrogen fertilizers, it could kill them. Instead give them an organic snack, like Millorganite or well rotted cow manure or compost. Millorganite is an organic fertilizer made of granulated sewage sludge. 

No it doesn’t smell any worse than other fertilizers, and plants like it because it is plant and soil friendly. It won’t burn the plants, and it actually reactivates the micro-organisms in the soil. That’s a good thing. Most full service garden centers carry Millorganite. 

A long time ago somebody let the word out that Rhododendrons are acid loving plants, and people are always asking me if I think their struggling Rhododendron needs more acid. The answer is no. Your struggling Rhododendron probably needs a great big gulp of oxygen around its root system. 

Rhododendrons do not like wet feet. They don’t even like high humidity let alone wet soil around their roots. They like to be high and dry, and like an unobstructed flow of oxygen to their roots. You can accomplish this by planting them in a bed raised at least 10” with good rich topsoil. They will be smiling from branch to branch. 

A few years back my friend Larry and I had several hundred small Rhododendrons that we were going to grow on to larger plants. We planted most of them in Larry’s backyard which is fairly good soil, but a little sticky. We didn’t have room for all of them so we planted the last 105 down the road from my house in a field we were renting. (Never heard of anybody renting a field? You should get out more.) 

This location had absolutely no water for irrigating and the soil was very dry and rocky. Other plants at that location often struggled during the dog days of summer due to the lack of water, but those Rhododendrons were as happy as pigs in mud. They outgrew the ones at Larry’s house by twice the rate and we sold them years earlier than the others. 

HEALTHY EATING SUCCESS TIPS:

Tips For Eating Healthfully! 
HEALTHY EATING SUCCESS TIPS:

1. One Day at a Time.

Are you starting each day by focusing on breakfast? Make sure the first meal you eat is a healthy one. Many diets have met their untimely end due to a poor breakfast, which turned into a poor lunch, which turned into a poor dinner, which turned into a poor week… You probably get the picture. If you did have a day that included some slip-ups, breakfast is the perfect time to get back on track. Just start over with a healthy meal. Don\'t think about the cookie you had at lunch yesterday or even the office party you have to go to tomorrow. Concentrate on today and worry about 
tomorrow, tomorrow. 

2. Two People To Support You.

Don\'t isolate yourself. Do you have two people who can be supportive and help you make sound decisions? How long has it been since you checked in with your counsellor? Is there a Nutri/Buddy out there wondering why she hasn\'t received an email from you. Use the resources you have to tell what you might think are the silliest stories: How you passed up some potato chips during lunch, that you had a perfect meal plan day, or that you weighed in and lost two pounds. 

3. Three Goals and Three Rewards

Create a goal system for yourself and write it down (if you haven\'t already). Short Term Goal - Figure out where you want to be in two weeks and write down a non-edible reward (a new CD, a movie, whatever…) If you reach your goal, make sure to give yourself the reward. If you don\'t reach your goal, and it may happen, look at the progress you made and set another goal. Medium range - Decide where you want to be in 2 months and make the reward just a bit larger. (New walking shoes, a day at the salon, a new pair of pants.) Long term - Figure out what your goal weight is and when you think you can reach it. Set up a vacation for that date or find another way to celebrate your achievement. Give yourself a little leeway here. Don\'t cancel a trip if you are 3 pounds off. The point is to look forward to something in the future.
4. Four Pieces of Fruit.

Have you been skipping that banana at breakfast and just eating the two muffins, or just having cereal and milk? The fruits will help fill you up and reduce your cravings. Fruits are especially important when just starting out.

5. Five (or more) Servings of Vegetables.

Eating all your vegetables can be especially challenging. Vegetables can be harder to get all of your servings than fruit. Generally speaking, they take more time to prepare, and we only think of them as dinner foods. One of the best ways to ensure you get all your vegetable servings is to plan ahead. Stock up on frozen veggies, in case you forget to buy fresh ones. When preparing your meal, fix the vegetables first. That way there will be no temptation to just eat your entrée and leave the veggies in the fridge

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6. Eat Six Times A Day

Oddly enough, one of the keys to losing weight is eating often. You should be eating six times a day. That\'s three small meals and a snack after each meal. The faster you can get into this eating habit the better. This will keep you from becoming hungry late at night, when you may be tired and not have as much will power.

7. Seven Days of Exercise

If you haven\'t been exercising this may sound difficult. Visions of endless jogging and hours spent in the gym. Start slow and start with what is right for you. Walking every day is a simple way to begin. Even if it is just for 10 minutes, get yourself in the habit of getting up and moving. Walk during your lunch hour or visit a co-worker instead of calling. If you can, adding a couple days of free weights will help you build muscle and ultimately keep your metabolism running at a higher level.
8. Eight Glasses of Water a Day.

It is hard to believe this can actually help you lose weight. It makes sense that eating well should help, but how does adding water help. Your body needs lots and lots of water. More than most people give it. Water keeps the body in balance. Besides, sometimes we can mistake thirst for hunger, leading to a snack instead of trusty old H2O. 
9. Nine Different Activities in Your Workout.

Don\'t let yourself get bored doing the same exercises repeatedly. Half an hour worth of sit-ups or walking the same route every day can be boring, even for the most motivated exerciser. The Nutri/System Fitness Center has good suggestions for different exercises you can build into your program. By trying different things, you will actually be working your muscles in a more productive manner. Our bodies become accustomed to exercises we do all the time and start becoming more efficient and burning fewer calories while performing them. 

10. Ten Minutes of Journal Time a Day.

Take time to reflect and write down some of the frustrations you may be having. Being aware of how you feel mentally can help you feel better physically. Your journal doesn\'t have to just be what you ate and how far you walked. How is dieting making you feel? Frustrated, confident, grumpy, or proud. All of these may cross your mind at one point or another. Writing them down may be a good way to cross them out of your mind.