Fashions of Toronto

For anyone who has ever stepped foot inside the Lawrence Square Mall, the images below will bid a most familiar welcome. Surprisingly however, the same can be said about a complete newbie. Conclusion, if any? We can safely (and honestly) admit that if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. And that would be all about life’s little lessons for now. Switching back to the actual topic of today’s post, here I am wandering through the differently named versions of the same type of store, with the same type of merchandise on display. The only thing that will slightly differ (for the sake of variation) is the price list: from outrageous to quite affordable, every once in a blue moon a truly tempting single digit popping up from the anxious crowd. What about the display? you will ask. Well, as much as I hate to be a party pooper, I will let the images speak for themselves for a while:

Had enough already? There’s plenty more to come…
On the bright side, the rich displays of disco-80’s colours and Marilyn-50’s dresses compete ferociously against the sweet flower-power-70’s patterns of loose skirts and blouses, while the smart-casual office wear sits quietly next to a screaming electric blue and yellow beach party dress (which, by the way, my granny would simply disqualify with a comment along the lines of “it looks like the poor girl forgot to put on her skirt”)…
To top it all, the over-creative window display leaves no room for imagination; quite right, why exhaust ourselves with those useless thoughts, ay?

But this, my fellow Torontonians, is pure injustice, I admit. Take it as nothing more than the spirit of the hungry fox, who, looking at the tall vine, exclaims: “the grapes were probably sour anyway!”, and join me in, possibly, hopefully, finding sweeter ones the next time around.

Worst First-Time Homebuyer Mistakes

Finally the day has come to buy your first home. Excited and a little scared? A thousand emotions in a span of minutes! Read this before you start the transition from Renter to Homeowner to avoid costly mistakes.

Not Knowing your Affordability
What the Bank says you can afford and what you know you can afford or are comfortable with paying are not necessarily the same. If you don’t already have a budget, make a list of all your monthly expenses (excluding rent), including vehicle costs( lease or owned), student loan payments, credit card payments, groceries and entertainment and retirement savings. Don’t forget annual expenses like insurance premiums or vacations. Subtract this total from your take-home pay and you’ll know how much you can spend on your new home each month.

If you end up looking at homes that are outside your price range, you’ll end up lusting after something you can’t afford, which can put you in the dangerous position of trying to stretch beyond your means financially or cause you to feel unsatisfied with what you actually can afford. You may even learn that you can’t afford the type or size of home that you desire and that you need to work on reducing your monthly expenses and/or increasing your income before you even start looking.

Skipping Pre approval
What you think you can afford and what the bank is willing to lend you may not match up, especially if you have poor credit or unstable income, so make sure to get pre approved for a loan before placing an offer on a home. If you don’t, you’re setting yourself up for a situation where you might not get the home of your dreams other than the fact that you would be wasting the seller’s time, the seller’s agent’s time, and your agent’s time if you sign and then discover later that the bank won’t lend you what you need, or that it’s only willing to give you a mortgage that you find unacceptable.

Be aware that even if you have been pre-approved for a mortgage, your loan can fall through at the last minute if you do something to alter your credit score, like finance a car purchase. If you cause the deal to fall through, you may lose the initial deposit you had put down while making the offer on the house.

Failing to Look for Additional Expenses
Once you’re a Homeowner, you’ll have additional expenses on top of your monthly payment. Unlike when you were renting, you’ll be paying property taxes, home insurance, and, if it’s a condo you are buying, you’ll be paying a monthly condo fee.

Stuck on What You HAVE to have
Making a wish list is a great place to start when looking for a home, but don’t be inflexible. First-time homebuyers often have to compromise because their funds are limited. You may have to live on a busier street than you hoped, make some repairs to the home, or deal with a smaller backyard. Of course, you can always choose to continue renting until you can afford everything on your list – you’ll just have to decide how important it is for you to become a homeowner now rather than in a couple of years.

Not Seeing the Bigger Picture
Even if the decor and colours on the walls are not to your taste but the “bones” of the house are good don’t remove it from your shortlisted homes. It might be worth it to live with the ugliness, if the home otherwise meets your needs in terms of the things that are difficult to change, such as location and size. Don’t let cosmetic imperfections put you off.

Penny Wise Pound Foolish
If you’re on a budget, look for homes whose full potential has yet to be realized. Doing home upgrades yourself is often cheaper than paying the increased home value for an upgraded home. Minor upgrades like premium appliances, backsplashes and designer wall colours play on your emotions and elicit a much higher price tag. Sellers may pay $2,000 – $5,000 for upgrades that a Buyer may end up paying $40,000 for.

Not Choosing to Hire a Buyer’s Agent or Using the Listing Agent
Once you’re seriously in the market for a home; don’t walk into an open house without having a Realtor (or at least being prepared to throw out a name of someone you’re supposedly working with). Realtors are held to the ethical rule that they must act in the best interests of the party they represent. You can see how that might not work in your best interest if you start dealing with a Listing Realtor before contacting one of your own.

Not thinking Investment
It’s impossible to perfectly predict the future of your chosen neighbourhood, but paying attention to the information that is available to you now can help you avoid unpleasant surprises down the road.

Some questions you should ask about your prospective property include:
• Ask your Realtor to show comparative sale prices that are as recent as possible
• Have home values in the neighbourhood been declining?
• What are rental prospects in the neighbourhood?
• What kind of development plans are in the works for your neighbourhood in the future?
• Is your street likely to become a major street or a popular rush-hour shortcut?
• Will a highway be built in your backyard in five years?
• If there is a lot of undeveloped land? What is likely to get built there?

If you’re happy with the answers to the questions, then your house can be viewed as a long term investment.

Buying a first home can seem overwhelming but it need not be.

Home Staging is the art of decorating a house to sell quickly and for top dollar. The following tips can have you on your way to get your home ‘show’ ready and are low-cost and quick to implement.

Is every surface of your kitchen counter cluttered with small appliances? Is your pantry filled with canned food from 2008? Is your closet bursting with unwanted clothes? It seems like too much work to get into them and de-clutter? Pick one area at a time so the task isn’t as daunting. Look at every item with a very critical eye and ask yourself why you’re keeping it. Better yet, ask a few friends to come over and have a de-clutter party. Rule of thumb: if you have not worn it or used it in six months, it needs to go!

Walk along each hallway and into every room and check where your eye is drawn (better yet, ask a critical friend or family member). Scuff marks on the wall or dirty hand stains (easily solvable with a magic eraser) or chipped white paint on the door frame (take some “white out” or putty and fill it in). If it’s old nail holes in the wall, see if you can hang a picture to cover them. You won’t cover the problem entirely, but you will draw the attention away from the problem and onto something more visually pleasing to focus on.

On one of my showings with potential Buyers recently, we walked into a house which had a door that stuck. That put off my Buyers immediately. Small oversights can be the critical difference between a desirable Home and not. Buyers can be very unforgiving.
Ensure cupboards open and shut and that no taps are dripping. Look in all rooms for things you never got around to fixing and decide which ones might be distracting to potential buyers. No, it’s not OK for door handles to fall off, even if you have learned to ignore it!

A clean home is probably the biggest boost you can give to the sale of your house. This helps put Buyers at ease— especially a first-time Buyer who may be worried about the responsibilities of owning a house. Keeping the house spotless and show-ready can also be one of the more stressful aspects of having your home on the market. You could hire a cleaning service to come in and deep clean everything, and then take 20-30 minutes each day to maintain it.
Appliances should sparkle, counter tops, taps, sinks and bathtubs should be shiny and free of water stains. Dust shelves and vacuum the floors. All beds should be made. Clean windows let in more light and look newer. If all this attention to detail seems over the top, remember that a very clean home leaves the impression that the house is well cared for.

Open some windows for at least 10 minutes each day. There is nothing worse than walking into a stuffy house or one that smells of smoke and pet odours. Use Bounce (any dryer sheets do as well) sheets in closets to keep them smelling fresh. Use plug-in air fresheners in washrooms. Have a Vanilla or Cinnamon scent in the Kitchen. Pleasant smells are very inviting to people walking into a house. It gives a great first impression.

You might be hiding a messy back yard or a garbage dump behind your home or trying to create mood lighting, but if you’re trying to sell your home, keep it bright! To hide the unseemly scenery behind your home, use translucent curtains which allow for the light to come into the room but keep the visual out! Dimly-lit rooms tend to look small and dingy— especially during the day. If you have a particularly dark room, invest in a couple of lamps and keep them on even during the day.

If you have extremely dark colours on every wall of your house consider repainting. Use a white or a subtle pastel. Lighter colours make a space look bigger and appeal to a larger audience. Buy a small can of paint, one shade lighter than your existing wall color, mix it with glaze and rub it onto the wall. You could even paint three walls with a lighter color and leave on the dark colour as an accent wall. It will reflect light and give the room a more open feeling. This approach saves much of the preparation and clean up involved in repainting.

Flesh flowers and plants do wonders for a room. They are like a breath of fresh air in a room. You don’t need to spend a fortune to have fresh flowers throughout your home or make your home look like a green house. Place small plants on window sills in the Kitchen and a small potted plant in the Bathroom. Make sure the pots are the same colour family as the walls so they do not stand out. Don’t use plastic or silk flowers, even though they seem like the practical choice to add colour to a room!

Landscaping is nice, but can get very expensive but the good news is you don’t have to spend thousands of dollars to have good curb appeal. Keep the lawns mowed, de-weed regularly, leaves raked, or snow shoveled. Consider a plant or two at the entrance. Sweep the porch, deck and all walk ways and ensure garbage bins are tucked neatly away from the front of the house. Scrub your front door, porch, outside railings and steps. Once the outside entrance is clean, decide if the paint really needs a touch up.

Does all this seem to daunting? Rome was not built in a day and all this does not have to happen overnight. Call in an expert and let them walk through your house and tell you what all needs immediate attention. Focus on what is critical first!

About Author: Pooja Kaushal

Pooja is a Realtor with Sutton Group – Quantum Realty Inc.
Her honest opinions have earned her a reputation of a ‘Says it as it is’ Realtor and a loyal client base.
Pooja is well informed and has a pulse on the market conditions helping her clients make informed choices in buying or selling their homes.
Pooja’s niche areas are Mississauga and Oakville. Her mission statement is “Personal Solutions Professional Results !”

HG Wells opined I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.

That is exactly how I felt when I started enjoying Tulsi (Holy Basil) planted in my backyard. I tried my Tulsi tea, the flavor was so refreshing that it became my morning ritual. I became accustomed to respect Tulsi by bowing my head to its natural bounty and then tending it daily. The herb enriched my life and this is explained in a dreamy sequin below:

I was laying in my backyard with a warm mug of tea beside me, my ideal start to a day. Glancing around the backyard greens, a diamond shaped herb caught my eye, stopping over to smell it, I knew that it was familiar. Confirming from my better half, it was holy Basil or Tulsi. I just dropped a couple of washed leaves in my warm tea and the experience changed. The ordinary cup of tea seemed filled with sweet, fresh nature. I felt swept by glowing sun rays, humming fire flies similar to the types in the movie, Avatar. The cup seemed brewing the scents of the best in nature and it seemed to bring a warm embrace to my heart, giving a great start to my day.

Researching its health properties, my heartful emotional appreciation met with a rational checkmate. The ‘tulsi’ plant or Indian basil is an important symbol in the Hindu religious tradition. The name ‘tulsi‘ connotes “the incomparable one”. Tulsi is a venerated plant and Hindus worship it in the morning and evening. The tulsi plant is even known to purify or de-pollute the atmosphere and also works as a repellent to mosquitoes, flies and other harmful insects. Tulsi used to be a universal remedy in cases of malarial fever.

Here’re top fifteen medicinal uses of tulsi:
1. Healing Power: The tulsi plant has many medicinal properties. The leaves are a nerve tonic and also sharpen memory. They promote the removal of the catarrhal matter and phlegm from the bronchial tube. The leaves strengthen the stomach and induce copious perspiration. The seed of the plant are mucilaginous.
2. Fever & Common Cold: The leaves of basil are specific for many fevers. During the rainy season, when malaria and dengue fever are widely prevalent, tender leaves, boiled with tea, act as preventive against theses diseases. In case of acute fevers, a decoction of the leaves boiled with powdered cardamom in half a liter of water and mixed with sugar and milk brings down the temperature. The juice of tulsi leaves can be used to bring down fever. Extract of tulsi leaves in fresh water should be given every 2 to 3 hours. In between one can keep giving sips of cold water. In children, it is every effective in bringing down the temperature.
3. Coughs: Tulsi is an important constituent of many Ayurvedic cough syrups and expectorants. It helps to mobilize mucus in bronchitis and asthma. Chewing tulsi leaves relieves cold and flu.
4. Sore Throat: Water boiled with basil leaves can be taken as drink in case of sore throat. This water can also be used as a gargle.
5. Respiratory Disorder: The herb is useful in the treatment of respiratory system disorder. A decoction of the leaves, with honey and ginger is an effective remedy for bronchitis, asthma, influenza, cough and cold. A decoction of the leaves, cloves and common salt also gives immediate relief in case of influenza. They should be boiled in half a litre of water till only half the water is left and add then taken.
6. Kidney Stone: Basil has strengthening effect on the kidney. In case of renal stone the juice of basil leaves and honey, if taken regularly for 6 months it will expel them via the urinary tract.
7. Heart Disorder: Basil has a beneficial effect in cardiac disease and the weakness resulting from them. It reduces the level of blood cholesterol.
8. Children’s Ailments: Common pediatric problems like cough cold, fever, diarrhea and vomiting respond favorably to the juice of basil leaves. If pustules of chicken pox delay their appearance, basil leaves taken with saffron will hasten them.
9. Stress: Basil leaves are regarded as an ‘adaptogen’ or anti-stress agent. Recent studies have shown that the leaves afford significant protection against stress. Even healthy persons can chew 12 leaves of basil, twice a day, to prevent stress. It purifies blood and helps prevent several common elements.
10. Mouth Infections: The leaves are quit effective for the ulcer and infections in the mouth. A few leaves chewed will cure these conditions.
11. Insect Bites: The herb is a prophylactic or preventive and curative for insect stings or bites. A teaspoonful of the juice of the leaves is taken and is repeated after a few hours. Fresh juice must also be applied to the affected parts. A paste of fresh roots is also effective in case of bites of insects and leeches.
12. Skin Disorders: Applied locally, basil juice is beneficial in the treatment of ringworm and other skin diseases. It has also been tried successfully by some naturopaths in the treatment of leucoderma.
13. Teeth Disorder: The herb is useful in teeth disorders. Its leaves, dried in the sun and powdered, can be used for brushing teeth. It can also be mixed with mustered oil to make a paste and used as toothpaste. This is very good for maintaining dental health, counteracting bad breath and for massaging the gums. It is also useful in pyorrhea and other teeth disorders.
14. Headaches: Basil makes a good medicine for headache. A decoction of the leaves can be given for this disorder. Pounded leaves mixed with sandalwood paste can also be applied on the forehead for getting relief from heat, headache, and for providing coolness in general.
15. Eye Disorders: Basil juice is an effective remedy for sore eyes and night-blindness, which is generally caused by deficiency of vitamin A. Two drops of black basil juice are put into the eyes daily at bedtime.

Planting Tulsi Seeds in the Ground
• Step 1
Dig a ¼-inch-deep furrow in your garden soil with the edge of a garden hoe. The tulsi plants should be 12 inches apart when they’re mature, so the length of the furrow will depend on how many plants you plan to grow.
• Step 2
Drop two seeds per inch into the furrow. Cover with garden soil. Keep the furrow moist, watering at least twice daily, until sprouting occurs.
• Step 3
Thin the plants after they sprout so that there’s 12 inches between each one. Cut the seedlings off at ground level—do not disturb the soil by pulling them out.

I like the idea by Tennessee Williams : The goal of life is living in agreement with nature. as there is so much we get from nature, the interdependence is obvious. So it makes absolute sense that we spend time connecting with it and then caring for it with heart and mind.

We feasted our eyes on the girly dresses so tastefully displayed in the store windows. To do justice to the warm perky summer weather, the fashions were speaking to us – to get off the computer and head over to the beach.The fashion seemed to look backwards towards the 80’s, the fashions extolled by Madonna’s short skirts and belly showing tops, bright vibrant colors and then varied by earthy conservative styles.

One cannot be sure if the designs were inspired by designers like Chanel, Giovanni, Gianni Versace, but they seemed to be art forms, offering unusual styles to the fashion hungry. They seemed to emerge out of the artists canvas to create real life dramas when the girls dress themselves in them. These imaginative creations will assume real life stories that could lead to a file of happily ever afters…
Today’s fashion is probably likely to become old as we are posting this blog post and that is the sweet bitter reality about phenomenon called fashion.

Fashion myths busted

MYTH # 1: No minis on women over 35.

TRUTH: All it takes is a peek at Gwyneth Paltrow’s legs in her Preen dress to dispel this fallacy. If you’ve got the gams, go for it! Just stick to understated silhouettes and, as super-stylist Rachel Zoe says, opt for “simple hair and makeup.”

MYTH # 2: Save the sequins for after dark.

TRUTH: The shimmery fabric is eye-catching for day when layered with plain basics. Rachel Bilson dressed down a sparkling mini with an oxford shirt, both from designer Jenni Kayne. “I think sequins are my favorite fabric because they are glamorous, but I think they also work for day,” says Kayne. The designer recommends keeping “the silhouettes simple and easy.”

MYTH # 3: Showing skin isn’t sophisticated.

TRUTH: On the right dress, a well-placed peekaboo is a sly surprise. Joy Bryant looked ladylike in a Matthew Williamson with a daring cutout at the waist and an otherwise conservative cut. Her best accessory? Plenty of confidence. “A dress shouldn’t own you. It shouldn’t overpower you,” Bryant has said. “You should own it.”

MYTH # 4: Long dresses aren’t for short women.

TRUTH: Petites need not fear the maxidress trend—Eva Longoria, Jessica Simpson and Kristen Bell have all mastered the summery style. Just choose a dress in a light fabric, like Bell’s sheer silk gown from Jenni Kayne, to avoid adding bulk, and wear with comfortable, height-adding wedges.

MYTH # 5: Long dresses aren’t for short women.

TRUTH: Petites need not fear the maxidress trend—Eva Longoria, Jessica Simpson and Kristen Bell have all mastered the summery style. Just choose a dress in a light fabric, like Bell’s sheer silk gown from Jenni Kayne, to avoid adding bulk, and wear with comfortable, height-adding wedges.

MYTH # 6: Never wear denim with denim.

TRUTH: You can sport a jean jacket with jeans as long as you vary the wash of the two pieces. Rihanna gave a sophisticated twist to double denim, wearing skinny white jeans with a light-wash belted jacket.

MYTH # 7: Don’t wear light shoes with dark stockings.

TRUTH: Black tights get extra chic when worn with a pair of eye-popping pumps. Sarah Jessica Parker gave her minidress a downtown spin with opaque tights and pale pink heels. Keep the Sex and the City star’s immaculate shoes in mind when picking your kicks—all eyes will be drawn downward so be wary of scuffs.

MYTH # 8: Leather dresses are only for biker chicks.

TRUTH: You don’t have to be a Whitesnake fan to rock a leather frock. Sienna Miller looked downright demure in her Alexander McQueen dress paired with a vintage bolero. Just choose a knee-length dress or skirt and add a tailored jacket or shirt for an urbane twist.

MYTH # 9: No white after Labor Day.

TRUTH: Don’t bother checking the calendar when you comb your closet. Diane Kruger wore a white Balmain minidress in the height of winter. Her secret? Seasonally appropriate close-toed shoes and a beaded dress with some heft.

MYTH # 10: Belts and baby bumps don’t mix.

TRUTH: A waist-cincher can turn a tent-like frock into a flattering Empire-waist dress. During her high-style pregnancy, Alba belted a flowing Lanvin gown to show off her extra-feminine figure.

Disney, a wonderful world of color, an unbelievable land of animated characters, a recreation of forgotten classics like Alice in the wonderland; princess and frog, tooth fairy, etc
A part of child’s entertainment, their adventurous fantascape. Disney, a reincarnation of the dream world, a fantasy world encouraging the young minds to dream and dream big as they do come true. How many of you agree with this basic idea. Do you think it is naïve to dream as they vanish the moment we open our eyes, it is like a bubble that bursts faced with reality. Is it an antidote to reality, a mark of unrealism.

But in my view, this belief is true: the free flowing dreams which flutter in our minds eyes like colorful butterflies form the first step to our future destiny. Some of these dreams may make you achieve physical excellence. Or you may dream to win awards and a year’s time you may be in the midst of Aruba islands sipping pina colada from one hand and holding the achievers award in the other. Or you may be like a poor Cinderella before she becomes a princess waiting to be swept off her feet by prince charming and a year hence like a rabbit from a magicians hat this is what happens. Be it one or several, it is true that the dreams that begin to be spun through fictional, unrealism of disneys fake animated characters roll on to become a magical reality which can seem unbelievable enough to make to pinch yourself over and over again only to reveal that they have become the reality nothing but stark reality urging you to dream on so you can reach higher to realize your beautiful destiny.

Some useful tips to keep in mind before taking a trip to this magical world of Disney:
1. You can go by car or plane (if going from Toronto)
2. You should stay at a Disney resort if you only want to cover parks, stay in close proximity outside the Disney world if want to have more than the parks from the trip
3. Avoid spring break time for your trip, try to go in May or September to avoid line ups and jam packed crowds
4. If you do plan a trip at such a time, go for fast pass option.
5. Make plans before hand, for instance make a plan like the one given below before going to Magic Kingdom

• Be at magic kingdom bus stop at 7:30 am and say that you are going to a character breakfast
• Arrive at magic kingdom at 7:45 am
• Walk to train station holding area and stand in front of one of the two tunnel that will take you to the main street.
• Go to adventureand entrance
• Go directly to pirates of Caribbean – ride11
• Go to big thunder mountain railroad-ride14
• Go to haunted mansion – ride 19
• Walk through fantasy land to space mountain-ride 40
• While waiting to ride space mountain, or finish riding, go over to tomorrowland transit authority-ride 42
• Then over to carousel of progress-ride43

Rides-
Ride36- walt Disney world railroad
Ride20- it’s a small world
Ride18- liberty square riverboat (half mile tour)
Ride17- hall of presidents (20 minutes long)
Ride15- Tom Sawyer island
Ride13- splash mountain
Ride10- jungle cruise
Ride9: the enchanted tiki room
Ride 7-Swiss family treehouse
A dream come true parade at 3 pm
Spectromagic ( light upparade) at 9 pm and 11 pm
Disney wishes (fireworks) at 10 pm

6. Price of the park for the 5 day trip is $ 350 per person, after which each consequent day costs only 3 additional dollars per person, so try to make a seven day trip to have the maximum from the trip.
7. Park food is very ordinary, so for fine dining venture outside the park
8. Spectromagic parades and fire works happen every night so save your energy till 10 pm
9. Water parks are open in summer time only, include that in your itinery
10. Don’t go by height requirements for rides, small children may not like the roller coaster rides (like Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster), space mission or Everest rides. So stray them clear from those.

I went home for holidays, wow what an experience. Now I am back, but can you really leave the memories behind. I think I have carried my experiences back with me, the memories of laughter and fun shared together. It is true that home is not where you live but where they understand you. No wonder that the trip to India even if it costed more than double than any other trip was worth every penny. Visiting your family is any day more precious than taking a trip to an exotic place as the love, affection and joy you receive from your family is unparalleled and is there a joy more than true sharing and caring? You feel at peace with your family, like this is where you really belong and you are cherished for what you are.

The long sit-downs with the cousins, sharing funny stories, moments of triumph and despair and many many mugs of chocolate mocha’s and cocktails in endless parties. The beautiful trip to the pink city of Jaipur, known for its ghumar dance and wonderful cuisine. The graceful camel and elephant rides in Chauki Dani complete with sumptuous meal of bajara roti and saag and mouth watering halwas. There was no dearth of tappy ghumar dances and one could step into the shoes of Rajputs to relax on the manjis (the beds used in villages of Jaipur) and live the life of a Rajput by wearing the dresses they wore, dancing like them and eating and relaxing like them. The warm hospitality by the entire family close as well as distant relatives was sweet to the heart and mind. They basically looked after us entirely with a affectionate balm that still is exuding its fragrance to our souls. It indeed felt like home where we could shed all our fatigue and relax and enjoy life without any inhibitions.

So this holiday season I went home, the place I really love and though my feet has left home but not my heart as it is still savoring the wonderful taste of having visited home. It is a wonder now that I took this place for granted and longed to step out of its loving boundaries to explore the unseen as the grass looked greener on the other side till you are there and find the same challenges and limitations follow you there.
Now I keep longing to go back. Yes this was the place that taught me to face the hurdles and life’s challenges with the weapons of values and morality. But is the learning enough or do I continue to need more hand holding and refresher course, I realise that there is a lot more to learn. So every time I visit home it is a novel experience as it continues to teach me new life’s lessons and bring a new fervor onto my life.

So already I am feeling home sick but have learned beautiful lessons that you can build your home anywhere when the foundations consist of love and friendship lit and warmed with an affectionate heart. This is a home that no other home even with a better wallpaper or dishwasher can hold a candle to. Can I give a price to a feeling that I have just been to a place where one can communicate freely with full confiding hearts without the fear of ridicule or dread of misunderstanding.

How do you view money? Balance of greed and god, a good question for CEOs . The first principle they teach in business school is that purpose of business is to improve shareholder value, that is where we are wrong. We owe to society to make this planet a better place. First thing the consumers need to know is not to use their unearned money to spend on things they don’t need to impress the people they don’t like.

The basis of faith is giving, I pray to God and money will start flowing in that is not faith that is greed. It is a hard time for a lot of people and we must have compassion, Wall Street is paying its karmic hell. We call ourselves consumers, we are a conference of compassions, so focus on giving and love will flow in enriching our lives.

People who run Churches, people are beaten down and we need to help them so that they don’t get discouraged and not get sucked in to damage their prospects. The word prosper is to give a good life, good job, good relations, God has put gifts and talents in everyone to architect their lives. The love of money is the root of evil, where are your motives,to pay your unpaid bills, the belief that God is going to help you to reach there. What should our values be in regards to money, It is not to live in debt, live at the top of barrel. Be practical but hopeful. Don’t live to please everyone and be slave to money instead let money work for you.

And YouTube is out with its list of the top videos of the year. Number one by a wide margin is Susan Boyle. The Scottish singer’s star-making turn on a British talent show has been seen on You Tube more than 120 million times this year — more than videos 2, 3 and 4 combined. Boyle’s video was followed by “David After Dentist” (37 million views), “JK Wedding Entrance Dance” (33 million views), “New Moon Movie Trailer” (31 million views), and “Evian Roller Babies” (27 million views).