The Awakening
(Author unknown)

A time comes in your life when you finally get…when, in the midst of all your fears and insanity, you stop dead in your tracks and somewhere the voice inside your head cries out…ENOUGH! Enough fighting and crying and blaming and struggling to hold on. Then, like a child quieting down after a tantrum, you blink back your tears and begin to look at the world through new eyes.

This is your awakening.

You realize it’s time to stop hoping and waiting for something to change, or for happiness, safety and security to magically appear over the next horizon.

You realize that in the real world there aren’t always fairy tale endings, and that any guarantee of “happily ever after” must begin with you…and in the process a sense of serenity is born of acceptance.

You awaken to the fact that you are not perfect and that not everyone will always love, appreciate or approve of who or what you are…and that’s OK. They are entitled to their own views and opinions.

You learn the importance of loving and championing yourself…and in the process a sense of new found confidence is born of self-approval.

Your stop complaining and blaming other people for the things they did to you – or didn’t do for you – and you learn that the only thing you can really count on is the unexpected.

You learn that people don’t always say what they mean or mean what they say and that not everyone will always be there for you and everything isn’t always about you.

So, you learn to stand on your own and to take care of yourself…and in the process a sense of safety and security is born of self-reliance.

You stop judging and pointing fingers and you begin to accept people as they are and to overlook their shortcomings and human frailties…and in the process a sense of peace and contentment is born of forgiveness.

You learn to open up to new worlds and different points of view. You begin reassessing and redefining who you are and what you really stand for.

You learn the difference between wanting and needing and you begin to discard the doctrines and values you’ve outgrown, or should never have bought into to begin with.

You learn that there is power and glory in creating and contributing and you stop maneuvering through life merely as a “consumer” looking for you next fix.

You learn that principles such as honesty and integrity are not the outdated ideals of a bygone era, but the mortar that holds together the foundation upon which you must build a life.

You learn that you don’t know everything, it’s not you job to save the world and that you can’t teach a pig to sing. You learn the only cross to bear is the one you choose to carry and that martyrs get burned at the stake.

Then you learn about love. You learn to look at relationships as they really are and not as you would have them be. You learn that alone does not mean lonely.

You stop trying to control people, situations and outcomes. You learn to distinguish between guilt and responsibility and the importance of setting boundaries and learning to say NO.

You also stop working so hard at putting your feelings aside, smoothing things over and ignoring your needs.

You learn that your body really is your temple. You begin to care for it and treat it with respect. You begin to eat a balanced diet, drinking more water, and take more time to exercise.

You learn that being tired fuels doubt, fear, and uncertainty and so you take more time to rest. And, just food fuels the body, laughter fuels our soul. So you take more time to laugh and to play.

You learn that, for the most part, you get in life what you deserve, and that much of life truly is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

You learn that anything worth achieving is worth working for and that wishing for something to happen is different than working toward making it happen.

More importantly, you learn that in order to achieve success you need direction, discipline and perseverance. You learn that no one can do it all alone, and that it’s OK to risk asking for help.

You learn the only thing you must truly fear is fear itself. You learn to step right into and through your fears because you know that whatever happens you can handle it and to give in to fear is to give away the right to live life on your own terms.

You learn to fight for your life and not to squander it living under a cloud of impending doom.

You learn that life isn’t always fair, you don’t always get what you think you deserve and that sometimes bad things happen to unsuspecting, good people…and you lean not to always take it personally.

You learn that nobody’s punishing you and everything isn’t always somebody’s fault. It’s just life happening. You learn to admit when you are wrong and to build bridges instead of walls.

You lean that negative feelings such as anger, envy and resentment must be understood and redirected or they will suffocate the life out of you and poison the universe that surrounds you.

You learn to be thankful and to take comfort in many of the simple things we take for granted, things that millions of people upon the earth can only dream about: a full refrigerator, clean running water, a soft warm bed, a long hot shower.

Then, you begin to take responsibility for yourself by yourself and you make yourself a promise to never betray yourself and to never, ever settle for less than you heart’s desire.

You make it a point to keep smiling, to keep trusting, and to stay open to every wonderful possibility.

You hang a wind chime outside your window so you can listen to the wind.

Finally, with courage in you heart, you take a stand, you take a deep breath, and you begin to design the life you want to live as best as you can.

• Start Running. You’ll continue to burn fat after your jog: People who run for at least four hours a week melt more calories than non-runners, even when they’re not running, a Yale University School of Medicine study reports.

• Crank it up early. Working out harder during the first half of your workout and taking it easier during the second burns up to 23 percent more fat than doing the opposite, according to a study from The College of New Jersey.

• Do it with your heart. Staying at 80 percent of your max heart rate for 40 minutes can amp your metabolism for 19 hours afterward, research published in Obesity notes. And doing a shorter workout at 75 percent of your max aerobic capacity will give you a greater metabolic boost than sweating longer at 50 percent, a Colorado State University reveals.

• Lift dumbbells. More muscle equals mega metabolism boost. Strength training can help you trim major fat, research reveals — and doing super-slow (versus normal speed) reps increases strength by 50 percent.

Plus, using dumbbells activates more muscle fibers than using machines, explains Gregory Haff, Ph.D., an associate professor in the exercise physiology department at West Virginia University.

• Speed up, slow down. Alternating bouts of high-intensity and low-intensity cardio has been shown to torch pounds.

• Put on weight. Wearing a weighted vest (about 10 percent of your body weight) while walking can boost your calorie burn by 8 percent.

• Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and others could also help. Listening to up-tempo songs actually makes you run faster and harder than listening to slower-paced music, British scientists say.

• Let kettlebells ring. Not only does working out with kettlebells build muscle, but doing it for 20 minutes burns as many calories as running at a 6-minute-mile pace for the same amount of time.

• Keep it up. As few as 80 minutes a week of aerobic or weight training helps keep you from regaining belly fat after losing weight, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

• Use poles. Use Nordic poles while you walk, and you’ll burn 20 percent more calories, says research from The Cooper Institute in Dallas.

• Lift first. Doing strength training before cardio can torch more fat than cardio alone. And if you do one move after another without pausing, “you’ll see more gains in strength and muscle mass,” says Dr. Pierre Manfroy, M.D., consultant for the book “100 Ways to Supercharge Your Metabolism.”

• Heavier means sexier. Lift heavier weights for fewer reps to make your workout more intense — and burn more fat — Manfroy says

• Aromatheraphy. Exercisers who inhaled strawberry and buttered-popcorn scents torched more calories than those who sniffed neutral odors, according to research from the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago.

• Box yourself in. Wii boxing knocks out nearly twice as many calories as some other games, like Wii golf.

• Kick it. Playing soccer not only torches more fat and builds more muscle than jogging, but it feels less tiring, Danish research reveals.

• Stay in shape. Fit people have more fat-burning metabolites in their blood than couch potatoes do, scientists say.

Also, foods are one of the biggest threats and also can be a big help with your fat burning activity.

• Get more protein. Eating a protein-packed breakfast and lunch helps you burn more post-meal fat than if you eat lower-protein meals, according to Australian research.

• Guzzle green tea or coffee. Downing five 5-ounce cups of green tea a day boosts metabolism, says Lyssie Lakatos, R.D., author of “Fire Up Your Metabolism.” Two cups of coffee will also do the trick, one study shows.

• Omelet. Eating two eggs for breakfast while dieting will help you trim more weight and body fat than if you ate the same amount of calories noshing on a bagel, scientists say.

• Don’t go lower that 1,200 calories. “The average person’s body goes into starvation mode if she eats fewer than 1,200 calories a day,” says Eric Berg, author of “The 7 Principles of Fat Burning.” “That’s stress, and stress creates more belly fat.”

• Cut calories gradually. If you diet, don’t trim more than 250 calories a day. Cutting calories

• Torch fat with these. Almonds, cherries, yogurt, grapefruit, whole grains, and spicy foods have all been shown to torch fat.

• Right fuel. Eating a low-glycemic-index breakfast (such as muesli and peaches) will help you burn more fat during a subsequent workout than eating a high-glycemic-index meal (like waffles), researchers from the University of Nottingham reveal.

• Drinking matters. Sipping as few as 90 calories’ worth of vodka can slow your metabolism by 73 percent, one study shows.

• Graze. Women who go without eating for long periods are more likely to have higher body-fat percentages than women who nosh more regularly, one study notes.

• Greek way. Eating a diet rich in monounsaturated fat (think olive oil, avocados) can help trim both weight and fat, research published in the British Journal of Nutrition shows.

• Stop gorging. Your body can only handle so much food at a time, so stick to 600 calories or less per meal to maximize fat-burning, says Leslie Cooper, co-author of “Flip the Switch: Proven Strategies to Fuel Your Metabolism and Burn Fat 24 Hours a Day.”

• No juice. Reaching for an apple instead of apple juice is not only better calorie-wise, but it’ll also do a better job of boosting your metabolism, Dr. Manfroy explains.

For maximized effect, get your life into the business.

• Get vitamin C and D. Vitamin C can help you burn more fat, and D may help you lose fat, research notes. Aim for 400 to 500 mg of C and 800 mg of D a day.

• Wear casual clothes. Researchers found that fitness-friendly offices (think treadmill desks, mobile headsets) helped people trim pounds and fat, as did wearing jeans to work, since dressing casual encourages you to move more. Wear comfy clothes when you can, pace while on the phone, and stand while chatting with co-workers.

• Fish oil + work out. Taking 6 grams of fish oil per day and hitting the gym three times a week can help nix body fat, an Australian study reveals.

• Day shift is better. Keeping nontraditional hours lowers levels of hormones that trigger satiety, increases blood glucose and insulin levels, and raises levels of the stress hormone cortisol (which can drive you to eat more), scientists say.

• Nix the boob tube. Cut your TV time in half, and you’ll burn more calories each day, research from the University of Vermont suggests.

• Go mental. People who visualized themselves training a specific muscle boosted the strength in that muscle group, researchers found.

• Less dinner. Your body may not digest food — and burn fat — as efficiently if you down a huge meal right before bedtime, especially because your metabolism is slower while you sleep, Dr. Manfroy says.

• Jump-start your morning. Wake up your metabolism — and get fat-burning started — by doing some sort of exercise within the first few hours of being awake, Cooper suggests.

• Get enough sleep. Sleep for a solid 81D 2 hours instead of 51D 2, according to research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, and you’ll lose more fat. Sweet dreams!

See more on Health Magazine

I think this is just a joke. It’s the same agency that printed an article about Hillary Clinton adopting an alien baby, and the informations are so vaguely written, they never mention the time/date of the press conference. And IF Facebook will end, Mark Zuckerberg will announce it on Facebook.

I’m not associated with Facebook, so I won’t know when will Facebook end. The end will be announced on Facebook.com first and not on any other website.

Anyway, theres always on thing that is true when it comes to Social Network, when one comes outdated another one will come up. So keep on striking whilst the iron is hot.

“The song comes from the heart and I hope and pray that my fans can use it to ‘escape’ from all the pressures of life. I can’t wait for everyone to take this journey with me.”

Later that day, the 13-year-old singer stopped by “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” to perform his new single live for the very first time.

When Chance first came out, people drew comparison between him and another teen pop idol Justin Bieber. But, “Waiting Outside the Lines” proves he is different from the Canadian singer. While Bieber tends to make bubble gum pop tracks, Chance goes to a pretty grown-up song with thos inspirational lyrics. He hopes “this song will be a place where we all can escape and be free.”

Right now, I think that Greyson Chance is my favorite kid artist out there right now. His music has soul and is think he will succeed in the mission he set for himself, “to bring back the art and create a new sound.”

The single is expected to appear in Greyson Chance’s upcoming debut album which is yet to be titled. However, he is going to drop a mini album before moving on to a full-length set. The effort is scheduled to be released under Ellen DeGeneres’ label ElevenEleven/Interscope Records.

Greyson Chance – Waiting Outside the Lines” Lyrics

You’ll never enjoy your life,
living inside the box
You’re so afraid of taking chances,
how you gonna reach the top?

Rules and regulations,
force you to play it safe
Get rid of all the hesitation,
it’s time for you to seize the day

Instead of just sitting around
and looking down on tomorrow
You gotta let your feet off the ground,
the time is now…

I’m waiting…waiting…just waiting…
I’m waiting…waiting outside the lines
Waiting outside the lines
Waiting outside the lines

Try to have no regrets
even if it’s just tonight
How you gonna walk ahead
if you keep living behind?

Stuck in my same position,
you deserve so much more
There’s a whole world around us,
just waiting to be explored

Instead of just sitting around
and looking down on tomorrow
You gotta let your feet off the ground,
the time is now, just let it go

The world will force you to smile
I’m here to help you notice the rainbow
Cause I know,
What’s in you is out there

I’m waiting…waiting…just waiting…
I’m waiting…waiting outside the lines
Waiting outside the lines
Waiting outside the lines

I’m trying to be patient (I’m trying to be patient)
the first step is the hardest (the hardest)
I know you can make it,
go ahead and take it

I’m Waiting…waiting…just waiting…I’m waiting
I’m waiting…waiting…just waiting
I’m waiting…waiting outside the lines
Waiting outside the lines
Waiting outside the lines

You’ll never enjoy your life
Living inside the box
You’re so afraid of taking chances,
How you gonna reach the top?

Official Music Video:

The song was originally intended to be sent to mainstream and rhythmic airplay on May 25, 2010. However, after clips from Perry’s new album were leaked online, her label released the song to radio on to May 7, 2010 and also began to stream it on her website.

During a Rolling Stone photo shoot in April 2010, Perry revealed details about the song, allegedly a response to Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind”, she stated:

“It’s so great that “Empire State of Mind” is huge and that everyone has the New York song, but what the fuck? What about LA? What about California?. It’s been a minute since we had a California song and especially from a girl’s perspective. We took the references of Prince, which is always a great reference, and some of the ’90s, almost house music references”.

Initially the song was titled “California Girls” but Perry changed the spelling of “Girls” to “Gurls” at the request of her manager in tribute to Big Star which had recently lost one of it’s members. “. After the song was leaked online, Capitol Records decided to release it early, and it was posted on Perry’s newly revamped site due to the song, and the radio release date was moved up from May 25, 2010 to May 7, 2010.The artwork was also released, featuring Perry laying out on the beach sand with a bejeweled bikini.

Click here to listen.

I live in the Philippines and never been to California. This song made me want to take some visit and meet some California Gurls.

Katy Perry featuring Snoop Dogg – California Gurls Lyrics

[Snoop Dogg]
Greetings loved ones
Lets take a journey

[Katy Perry]
I know a place
Where the grass is really greener
Warm, wet and wild
There must be something in the water
Sippin’ gin and juice
Laying underneath the palm trees
The boys
Break their necks
Try’na to creep a little sneak peek
(at us)

You could travel the world
But nothing comes close
to the golden coast
Once you party with us
You’ll be falling in love
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

California girls
We’re unforgettable
Daisy Dukes
Bikinis on top
Sun-kissed skin
So hot
will melt your popsicle
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

California girls
We’re undeniable
Fine, fresh, fierce
We got it on lock
West coast represent
Now put your hands up
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

Sex on a beach
We get sand in our stilletos
We freak
And we’re cheap
So play the songs on the stereo

You could travel the world
But nothing comes close
to the golden coast
Once you party with us
You’ll be falling in love
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

California girls
We’re unforgettable
Daisy Dukes
Bikinis on top
Sun-kissed skin
So hot
will melt your popsicle
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

California girls
We’re undeniable
Fine, fresh, fierce
We got it on lock
West coast represent
Now put your hands up
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

[Snoop Dogg]
Tone Tan
Fit and ready
Turn it up cause its gettin’ heavy
Wild wild west coast
These are the girls I love the most
I mean the ones
I mean like shes the one
Kiss her
Touch her
Squeeze her

The girls a freak
She drives a jeep
The men on the beach
I’m okay
I wont play
I love the bait
Just like I love LA
Venice beach
and Palm Springs
Summer time is everything

Come on boys
Hanging out
All that a-s
hanging out
Bikinis, tankinis, martinis
No weenies
Just to get
in betweeny
Katy my lady
(yeah)
You looking here baby
(uh huh)
Im all up on you
Cause you representing California
(ohhh yeahh)

[Katy Perry]
California girls
We’re unforgettable
Daisy Dukes
Bikinis on top
Sun-kissed skin
So hot
will melt your popsicle
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

California girls
We’re undeniable
Fine, fresh, fierce
We got it on lock
West coast represent
(West coast, west coast)
Now put your hands up
Oooooh Oh Oooooh

[Snoop Dogg]
(Californiaaa, Californiaaa)
California girls man
I wish they all could be
California girls
(Californiaaa)
I really wish
You all could be
California girls
(Californiaaa, yeah)

In our very first step inside their boutique, we are greeted by their security guard with his soft and sweet tone. Why am I surprised? because we’re in our simplest clothes! We started looking for a speaker, and after a few seconds, a staff walk in to us and ask what we’re looking for. “Speaker” we told. She shown us their displays and gave us our moment to decide which unit to buy. Unlike other boutiques, they keep on following and asking you as if you’re going to steal some thing. We asked for their best speaker, and she gave us their 3995 php speaker. We’re surprised. We asked for other speaker and they (yes, the staff and the guard) gave us th 1,700 php speaker. The guard told us that it is perfect for small budget customer. Okay.. We’re not into that budget. We’re around the 3000php budget.

We ended up buying the 4000 – 5 php speaker. They tested it, told us about the warranty, and how to use it. We paid through the cashier the packed it. Everyone is smiling. You can say that it’s because they sold something, but it really felt great to see everybody wearing their smile.

As we get out the boutique we heard them saying “thank you”. I recommend electroworld in SM Bicutan, for their nice staffs and guard, but not for the prices.

IMO, if you don’t want to be treated like how Cinderella’s stepsisters did to her, you must be very very nice (as in for real), take a look back on what you did in the past, disregard first you own opinions, how many times you’ve said sorry to those people – and are you sincere with it?

In order to be a really good person, you shouldn’t be a selfish person. They are not aware on how other people feel, they can’t understand other people’s situation – the one who knows nothing understand nothing — so I counted those selfish people as idiots. You don’t want to be an idiot, don’t you?

I said earlier in this article. “…They can judge your personality through your article, the content, and how you write it…” You judge me, I don’t give a damn. I didn’t just express my emotion; I tried to make this article so informational.

This blog is open for everyone to read, that’s why I know the aftermath, and I won’t warn anyone if you tell this blog to your friend/s (if you have any. JK)

• What is the domain name of your blog?
• How old is your domain name?
• What is the URL of your article?
• What is the title of your blog?
• What is the title of your article?
• What is the purpose of your blog?
• What is the main topic of your article?

We just need those answers later. In order for people to view your site they must know it’s URL, we can just tell them the URL then they will type it on the address bar and hit ENTER, OR they might discover a link to your site then they will just have to click it. Now which is more convenient? Of course, we prefer the second one, and I have to tell you it is more effective for generating traffic to your site.

So what should I do?

• Believe it or not you should make your first post least noticeable
  • Post at least 5 high quality content posts
  • Just first and don’t make an effort to promote it

If people visited your blog and it contains one article, do you think they will go back? Don’t make an effort to promote it nor to demote it, just leave it hanging there.

• Make your blog rank top in Google or other search engine
  • Do some SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Don’t panic if your blog is not included in search engine’s result especially if the domain name is new. If not, your URL is just lacked of exposure. Sometimes, the domain name can affect the result of search engines, if you use Domain name that is the same with your title, it can increase the possibility of getting your page to top of Google’s result.

• Use your online popularity, use social networking accounts
  • Share a link to your blog page with your Facebook, MySpace, etc.
  • Tweet your link.

The fun way of exposing the URL is through social networking. Twitter is one of the surefire ways to get readers; if your followers love reading your tweets they might also try reading your blogs.

• Join forums which are related to your blog.
  • First things first, get acquainted

Moderators or other members might suspect you as a spammer if you’re just new to the forum and all you do is endorsing you site.

• Once you knew some members, and members knew you as well, ask them to read and rate your blog

Actually you just want them to read your blog, but asking them to rate it as well will lessen the suspicion of you being a spammer.

• Final rule about forums, contribute and don’t spam

Some forum sites allow you to put a signature for every post, use this as an advantage and create a link to your blog.

• Get it bookmarked, Social Bookmarking
  • Use your social bookmarking account and submit the URL of your blog.
  • Ask your friends to bookmark it also.

Actually, we’re done answering the main question “How Can I Get People Read My Blog?” we get some people read our blog and that’s for sure. The next thing you might want to know is “How to increase traffic to my site?” and “How to make viewers return to my site?”

Why Bother Blog?

Blogging is one of the most powerful tool to inform everyone on the internet these days.

• The main reason that I started to post a blog is because I really want to share what’s on my mind then receive feedback from those who read my blog.
• Improve my English. In order to let everyone read my blogs I wrote it in English so that language barrier won’t be an issue.
• Popularity. I’m not really into fame thing but think the more popular you became the more readers will visit your blog. I don’t want to just post a blog then no one will read your blog. Popularity affects the main factor why I post blog — share information.
• Money. Blogging can also be a money making machine. Through advertisements that will be display on your blog, you can get paid by those companies that your blog has an advertisement of. Though most people is in dire need of money including me, money is not the thing here. Money should be the last thing we should take care of. Advertise only those products/services that you want to advertise. Don’t just advertise for money.

What Topics to Blog?

Most blogger suffer at thinking what to blog. Blogging is not always been so easy. You can come up with a topic but will the readers be interested with that topic? Since I’m new to blogging I can suggest only few things.

• Come up with a topic that you think will trend. It’s always better to post a blog about it before it become more popular, if you post blog while the topic is at the peak of it’s popularity, your blog will be just added to millions of blog about the same topic. Blogging is almost like a race in terms of getting a topic.
• Take a tight grip of a certain topic. Your subscribers will be interested with your early blogs then after a sudden you switch your topic into something that is far (or not) related to your previous blogs, your subscribers might be annoyed then unsubscribe to your blog.
• Pick a niche that is more likely you. If you start blogging with a topic that is most likely to be in your field of interest then in the future blogs you won’t run out of topic to discuss. It can somewhat affect on Take a tight grip of a certain topic, one’s you’re armed with a topic that is most likely you, you won’t give-up the topic so easily and had so many more things to blog about.
• Be unique. In contrary to the Come up with a topic that you think will trend. Uniqueness of a topic really helps, the more unique the topic is the more attention it will get. and besides, there will be no competition.
• Timeless topic. Pick a topic that won’t fade after a weeks, months, or years. Timeless topics will make your readers go back to your blog after (let’s just say) a week.
• Choose a topic that will help your advertisements. Or vice versa. Ads won’t just make you earn money, it can also help your blog to gain popularity. For instance, your niche is about photography, an advertisement about paperclip won’t work. If you had an advertisement about camera, you helped the product by gaining popularity of your blog then suggesting the product to your readers, once the product was purchased the reader might go back to your blog and learn more (or again) about photography.

Popularity

Some people like me don’t want to be famous, but the thing to consider is how will I make more people read my blog if I won’t make my blog so popular. Okay, since I’m not into popularity thing I can only suggest few things (as few as one). Make some noise. You had to spread the URL to your friends, then let them spread it. You can also share the link to other blogs or social networking sites.

Maintenance

If you got to this part then, good job. You got the right topic, you gain popularity. Now the thing is you need to keep it from fading.

• Maintain Topic. As what I always said, keeping on the same track is also keeping readers go back to your blog.
• Maintain Popularity. Readers read what they want to read, so if your blog contains harsh words.
• Maintain the Information Sharing. If you can’t keep your blog updated then make sure to reply on their comments. Readers don’t want to be ignored, and so as bloggers.

Readers’ Role

Blogger are meant to blog, Reader are meant to read. But reader can be as powerful as (or more powerful than) the blogger.

• Read.
• Comment.
• Share the link to friends.

those three can help the blogger, and can also ruin the blog. If they do those three in a positive way, they can help the blogger (and of course the blog). But if they put bad comments, share the link to those people who won’t like what’s written on the blog, then they’re destroying the blog.

I’m a newbie blogger. I haven’t try those things above, so please let me know if they’re not effective. So that I could remove or edit them. Have fun Blogging.