Room Color and How it Affects your Mood

When selecting color for a room, keep in mind that each color has a psychological value. Think about how those colors make you feel. The main color of your room can have an effect on your mood. These colors can make you feel anything from tranquil to rage. So when trying to create peace and harmony in your home choose your colors wisely. Some colors in large amounts will have just the opposite affect on you and your loved ones’ moods.

What mood do you want to create? Which colors will help you achieve that mood?

Find clear answers to these questions. If you find this task quite difficult try to look at magazines, decorating books, blogs and websites for ideas, or let your fabric be your guide. In fact, this is a good approach to take even if you’re starting from scratch. Fabric, carpeting, furniture and tile are available in a more limited range of colors than is paint, so choose them first and then decide on your paint color. Once you’ve found what you where searching for limit the number of colors in a room to no more than three or four. Too many colors can make a room look busy or cluttered.

Paint is a fairly inexpensive and transforms a room more quickly than anything else you can do so you can afford to experiment a little.

Room Colors

Understand that colors behave in three basic ways : active, passive, and neutral , and you can easily match every room’s colors to your personal desires and taste and to the room’s purpose. Light colors are expansive and airy, they make rooms seem larger and brighter. Dark colors are sophisticated and warm; they give large rooms a more intimate appearance.

Now let’s find more about some colors.

Red raises a room’s energy level. It’s a good choice when you want to stir up excitement, particularly at night. In the living room or dining room, red draws people together and stimulates conversation. In an entryway, it creates a strong first impression. Red has been shown to raise blood pressure, speed respiration and heart rate. It is usually considered too stimulating for bedrooms, but if you’re only in the room after dark, you’ll be seeing it mostly by lamplight, when the color will appear muted, rich, and elegant. Red, the most intense, pumps the adrenaline like no other hue.

Crimson can make some people feel irritable. With red invoking feels of rage and hostility is a color that should be avoided as the main color of a room. Sitting for long periods of time in a room this color will likely breakdown any peace and harmony you are striving to create in your home. Ancient cultures used the color red to stimulate the body and mind and to increase circulation.
Yellow captures the joy of sunshine and communicates happiness. It’s perfect for kitchens, dining rooms, and bathrooms, where happy color is energizing and uplifting. In halls, entries, and small spaces, yellow can feel expansive and welcoming.Yellow although is a cheery color is not a good choice in main color schemes of a room. People are more likely to lose their tempers in a yellow room. Babies also seem to cry more in a yellow room. This color tends to create feeling of
frustration and anger in people. This color is the most fatiguing on the eyes.In chromotherapy yellow was believed to stimulate the nerves and purify the body.

Blue brings down blood pressure and slows respiration and heart rate. That’s why it’s considered calming, relaxing, and serene, and is often recommended for bedrooms and bathrooms. Be careful, however: A pastel blue that looks pretty on the paint chip can come across as unpleasantly chilly when it’s on the walls and furnishings, especially in a room that receives little natural light. If you opt for a light blue as the primary color in a room, balance it with warm hues in the furnishings
and fabrics.

To encourage relaxation in the rooms where people gather family rooms, living rooms, large kitchens consider warmer blues, such as periwinkle, or bright blues, such as cerulean or turquoise. Blue is known to have a calming effect when used as the main color of a room. When going with blue go for softer shades of blue. Dark blue has the opposite effect. Dark blue evokes feels of sadness. So refrain from using darker blues in your main color scheme. Stay with the lighter shades of blue to give you and your loved ones a calm effect.

Green is considered the most restful color for the eye. Combining the refreshing quality of blue and the cheerfulness of yellow, green is suited to almost any room in the house. In a kitchen, a sage or medium green cools things down; in a family room or living room, it encourages unwinding but has enough warmth to promote comfort and togetherness. In a bedroom, it’s relaxing and pleasant.Green also has a calming effect when used as a main color for decorating. It is believed to relieve stress by helping people relax. Also believed to help with fertility this is a great choice for the bedroom.

Purple in its darkest values (eggplant, for example) is rich, dramatic, and sophisticated. It’s associated with luxury as well as creativity, and as an accent or secondary color, it gives a scheme depth. Lighter versions of purple, such as lavender and lilac, bring the same restful quality to bedrooms as blue does, but without the risk of feeling chilly.

Orange evokes excitement, enthusiasm and is an energetic color. While not a good idea for a living room or for bedrooms this color is great for an exercise room. It will bring all the emotions out that you need when jumping into your fitness routine.In ancient cultures orange was used to heal the lungs and increase energy levels.

Neutrals (black, gray, white, and brown) are basic to the decorator’s tool kit. All-neutral schemes fall in and out of fashion, but their virtue lies in their flexibility: Add color to liven things up; subtract it to calm things down. Black is best used in small doses as an accent , indeed, some experts maintain that every room needs a touch of black to ground the color scheme and give it depth.

To make the job easier, you can rely on the interior designer’s most important color tool: the color wheel.

Something about Ceiling and Walls

The ceiling represents one-sixth of the space in a room, but too often it gets nothing more than a coat of white paint. In fact, for decades, white has been considered not only the safest but also the best choice for ceilings. As a general rule, ceilings that are lighter than the walls feel higher, while those that are darker feel lower. Lower” need not mean claustrophobic: Visually lowered ceilings can evoke cozy intimacy.

Dark walls make a room seem smaller, and light walls make a room seem larger.

Conclusion

These general guidelines are a good starting point in your search for a paint color. But remember that color choice is a very personal matter. You’re the one who has to live with your new paint color, so choose a hue that suits you, your family and your lifestyle. And after investing time to select just the right color, make sure it continues to look that way long-term by investing in a top quality paint.

Color Psychology

Do different colors affect your mood?

by David Johnson

Like death and taxes, there is no escaping color. It is ubiquitous. Yet what does it all mean? Why are people more relaxed in green rooms? Why do weightlifters do their best in blue gyms?

Colors often have different meanings in various cultures. And even in Western societies, the meanings of various colors have changed over the years. But today in the U.S., researchers have generally found the following to be accurate.

Black

Black is the color of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner. It is also stylish and timeless. Black also implies submission. Priests wear black to signify submission to God. Some fashion experts say a woman wearing black implies submission to men. Black outfits can also be overpowering, or make the wearer seem aloof or evil. Villains, such as Dracula, often wear black.

White

Brides wear white to symbolize innocence and purity. White reflects light and is considered a summer color. White is popular in decorating and in fashion because it is light, neutral, and goes with everything. However, white shows dirt and is therefore more difficult to keep clean than other colors. Doctors and nurses wear white to imply sterility.

Red

The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It is also the color of love. Red clothing gets noticed and makes the wearer appear heavier. Since it is an extreme color, red clothing might not help people in negotiations or confrontations. Red cars are popular targets for thieves. In decorating, red is usually used as an accent. Decorators say that red furniture should be perfect since it will attract attention.

The most romantic color, pink, is more tranquilizing. Sports teams sometimes paint the locker rooms used by opposing teams bright pink so their opponents will lose energy.

Blue

The color of the sky and the ocean, blue is one of the most popular colors. It causes the opposite reaction as red. Peaceful, tranquil blue causes the body to produce calming chemicals, so it is often used in bedrooms. Blue can also be cold and depressing. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty. People are more productive in blue rooms. Studies show weightlifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms.

Green

Currently the most popular decorating color, green symbolizes nature. It is the easiest color on the eye and can improve vision. It is a calming, refreshing color. People waiting to appear on TV sit in “green rooms” to relax. Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth. However, seamstresses often refuse to use green thread on the eve of a fashion show for fear it will bring bad luck.

Yellow

Cheerful sunny yellow is an attention getter. While it is considered an optimistic color, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms, and babies will cry more. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in, so it can be overpowering if overused. Yellow enhances concentration, hence its use for legal pads. It also speeds metabolism.

Purple

The color of royalty, purple connotes luxury, wealth, and sophistication. It is also feminine and romantic. However, because it is rare in nature, purple can appear artificial.

Brown

Solid, reliable brown is the color of earth and is abundant in nature. Light brown implies genuineness while dark brown is similar to wood or leather. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors.

Logo Halal

Logo halal bermaksud logo yang dikeluarkan oleh JAKIM/ JAIN/ MAIN dan mengandungi:

Logo Halal Malaysia:
a) bintang berbucu lapan di tengah-tengah bulatan;
b) perkataan Arab – “حلآل” di tengah bintang;
c) diikuti tulisan rumi “HALAL”;
d) bulatan logo tertulis perkataan “Malaysia” dalam tulisan Rumi dan ماليزيا   dalam perkataan Arab;
e) dua bintang kecil berbucu lima diletakkan bagi memisahkan tulisan rumi dan perkataan Arab tersebut.

Botulinum Toxin: BOTOX

The commercial name for Botulinum toxin, Botox has become a household name. Everyone’s heard about it and most of knows know at least someone that has tried this fairly simple cosmetic procedure.

Originally used to treat involuntary muscle spasms or clinical conditions like strabismus due to its ability to block neuromuscular transmission. Also applied in cases of hyperhidrosis to control excessive underarm sweating and studies are being conducted for other problems like asthma and obesity.

However, these are not the reasons why Botox is so well known in today’s society. With but a localized injection without having to recur to surgery, it manages to erase moderate to sever lines and wrinkles such as crow’s feet and frown lines, as long as there isn’t any permanent scarring in those areas. This effect is not permanent and wears off from six weeks to six months, depending on the area and how much has been applied.

Although we’re talking about a toxin, controlled application of Botox has a very low degree of toxicity. But what about the side effects? Less careful administrations will cause bruising, there is a chance for an allergic reaction and in less fortunate incidences you might wind up with an uneven smile, lose the ability to close your eye or a drooping eyelid.

Nevertheless, it is the number one cosmetic operation performed in the United States of America, it’s relatively inexpensive when compared to the cost of cosmetic surgery and is able to produce instant results giving more self-esteem to the patient and all the added comfort of cosmetic surgery during a lunch break that “lifts” the spirits. A physician has also claimed that by taking away frown lines (and therefore the ability to frown) his patients have grown happier and lost the ability to feel saddened and depressed.

Botox is widely hyped in the media, Wilhelmina Slater (Vanessa Williams) on Ugly Betty is seen having it administered to her on more than one episode by her assistant Marc St. James (Michael Urie) and giving him the leftover which he happily accepts.

Too much Botox may result in the loss of facial expression and all the particularities that make a face (and the person) unique and like everything in life, you can have too much of a good thing. The truth is that Botox is out there, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to disappear anytime soon.

Sepanjang hidupku aku hanya memilih 8 kalimah dari pusaka para nabi yang lalu iaitu’:

dari Luqman Hakim…
1) apabila engkau sedang solat kepada Allah maka jagalah baik-baik fikiranmu.

2) apabila engkau berada dirumah orang lain, maka peliharalah pandanganmu.

3) apabila engkau berada ditengah-tengah majlis maka jagalah lidahmu.

4) apabila engkau hadir di jamuan makan maka jagalah perangaimu.

5) Ingatlah kepada Allah.

6) lupakan baik budimu kepada org lain.

7) lupakan segala kesalahan org lain terhadap dirimu.

8) ingat kepada mati.

33 Rules to Boost Your Productivity

Here are creative rules:

1. Nuke it! The most efficient way to get through a task is to delete it.  If it doesn’t need to be done, get it off your to do list.
2. Daily goals. Without a clear focus, it’s too easy to succumb to distractions.  Set targets for each day in advance.  Decide what you’ll do; then do it.
3. Worst first. To defeat procrastination learn to tackle your most unpleasant task first thing in the morning instead of delaying it until later in the day.  This small victory will set the tone for a very productive day.
4. Peak times. Identify your peak cycles of productivity, and schedule your most important tasks for those times.  Work on minor tasks during your non-peak times.
5. No-comm zones. Allocate uninterruptible blocks of time for solo work where you must concentrate.  Schedule light, interruptible tasks for your open-comm periods and more challenging projects for your no-comm periods.
6. Mini-milestones. When you begin a task, identify the target you must reach before you can stop working.  For example, when working on a book, you could decide not to get up until you’ve written at least 1000 words.  Hit your target no matter what.
7. Timeboxing. Give yourself a fixed time period, like 30 minutes, to make a dent in a task.  Don’t worry about how far you get.  Just put in the time.
8. Batching. Batch similar tasks like phone calls or errands into a single chunk, and knock them off in a single session.
9. Early bird. Get up early in the morning, like at 5am, and go straight to work on your most important task.  You can often get more done before 8am than most people do in a day.
10. Cone of silence. Take a laptop with no network or WiFi access, and go to a place where you can work flat out without distractions, such as a library, park, coffee house, or your own backyard.  Leave your comm gadgets behind.
11. Tempo. Deliberately pick up the pace, and try to move a little faster than usual.  Speak faster.  Walk faster.  Type faster.  Read faster.  Go home sooner.
12. Relaxify. Reduce stress by cultivating a relaxing, clutter-free workspace. 
    
13. Agendas. Provide clear written agendas to meeting participants in advance.  This greatly improves meeting focus and efficiency.  You can use it for phone calls too.
14. Pareto. The Pareto principle is the 80-20 rule, which states that 80% of the value of a task comes from 20% of the effort.  Focus your energy on that critical 20%, and don’t overengineer the non-critical 80%.
15. Ready-fire-aim. Bust procrastination by taking action immediately after setting a goal, even if the action isn’t perfectly planned.  You can always adjust course along the way.
16. Minuteman. Once you have the information you need to make a decision, start a timer and give yourself just 60 seconds to make the actual decision.  Take a whole minute to vacillate and second-guess yourself all you want, but come out the other end with a clear choice.  Once your decision is made, take some kind of action to set it in motion.
17. Deadline. Set a deadline for task completion, and use it as a focal point to stay on track.
18. Promise. Tell others of your commitments, since they’ll help hold you accountable.
19. Punctuality. Whatever it takes, show up on time.  Arrive early.
20. Gap reading. Use reading to fill in those odd periods like waiting for an appointment, standing in line, or while the coffee is brewing.  If you’re a male, you can even read an article while shaving (preferably with an electric razor).  That’s 365 articles a year.
21. Resonance. Visualize your goal as already accomplished.  Put yourself into a state of actually being there.  Make it real in your mind, and you’ll soon see it in your reality.
22. Glittering prizes. Give yourself frequent rewards for achievement.  See a movie, book a professional massage, or spend a day at an amusement park.
23. Quad 2. Separate the truly important tasks from the merely urgent.  Allocate blocks of time to work on the critical Quadrant 2 tasks, those which are important but rarely urgent, such as physical exercise, writing a book, and finding a relationship partner.
24. Continuum. At the end of your workday, identify the first task you’ll work on the next day, and set out the materials in advance.  The next day begin working on that task immediately.
25. Slice and dice. Break complex projects into smaller, well-defined tasks.  Focus on completing just one of those tasks.
26. Single-handling. Once you begin a task, stick with it until it’s 100% complete.  Don’t switch tasks in the middle.  When distractions come up, jot them down to be dealt with later.
27. Randomize. Pick a totally random piece of a larger project, and complete it.  Pay one random bill.  Make one phone call.  Write page 42 of your book.
28. Insanely bad. Defeat perfectionism by completing your task in an intentionally terrible fashion, knowing you need never share the results with anyone.  Write a blog post about the taste of salt, design a hideously dysfunctional web site, or create a business plan that guarantees a first-year bankruptcy.  With a truly horrendous first draft, there’s nowhere to go but up.
29. 30 days. Identify a new habit you’d like to form, and commit to sticking with it for just 30 days.  A temporary commitment is much easier to keep than a permanent one.
30. Delegate. Convince someone else to do it for you.
31. Cross-pollination. Sign up for martial arts, start a blog, or join an improv group.  You’ll often encounter ideas in one field that can boost your performance in another.
32. Intuition. Go with your gut instinct.  It’s probably right.
33. Optimization. Identify the processes you use most often, and write them down step-by-step.  Refactor them on paper for greater efficiency.  Then implement and test your improved processes.  Sometimes we just can’t see what’s right in front of us until we examine it under a microscope.

Exercises to strengthen your eye muscles and improve your vision

1.Blinking

Blinking is an often overlooked yet simple way to keep your eyes fresh and being able to focus longer. Computer users and television watchers tend to blink less, especially when they are intently focused on something. Try it just now as a simple exercise. For the next two minutes blink every 3 – 4 seconds. After you have done this for two minutes, mentally take note of how your eyes feel, are they strained, relaxed, tired. Now try and not blink for 30 seconds at a time for two minutes. Do you feel any difference?

Whenever you blink your eyes are going into a brief period of darkness which helps to keep your eyes fresh and discharges previous information ready for new information, this helps to reduce eye strain.

Your blink rate can also help with your communication skills. Think about someone who looked at you intently and you possibly felt threatened by them. What you may have missed is the fact that they had stopped blinking. When someone stops blinking and stares at you when you are talking it’s a sign of aggression. However whenever you are talking to someone and they are blinking at a 3 -4 second interval it’s a sign of a relaxed and friendly listener. Check out people’s blink rates the next time you are talking. Check out this article for more info Dramatically improve your eye contact skills

2.Palming

This is done to relieve stress around the eyes and as a way to relax your eyes whilst taking a computer break.

Instructions for palming

1. Take a few deep breathes before you begin.

2. Make yourself comfortable whilst leaning forward on a desk or with your elbows resting on your knees. Close your eyes.

3. Place your two hands over your eyes with the cup of your palm covering your eyes, your fingers on your forehead and the heel of your hand will rest on your cheekbone. Make sure you can blink freely and you are not putting too much pressure on your eyes.

That’s it. Palming gives you the opportunity to rest your mind and your eyes for a few minutes at a time. It may not sound much of an exercise but it can make a big difference in your working day if you stop for a few minutes and do this exercise.

3.Figure of eight

This is to exercise your eye muscles and increase their flexibility. This is quite a simple exercise but a good one.

Imagine a giant figure of eight in front of you about 10 feet in front of you. Now turn the 8 on it’s side. Now trace the figure of eight with your eyes, slowly. Do it one way for a few minutes and then do it the other way for a few minutes. It may seem very alien at first but it’s worth persevering with it.

4.Near and far focussing

This is one of my favourite exercises as you can do it almost anywhere, I say almost as I couldn’t imagine doing it on the underground without getting strange looks from those around me.

Instructions for Near and far focussing.

1. Sit in a comfortable position, or stand, this will only take 2-3 minutes at a time.
2. Put your thumb about 10 inches in front of you and focus on it.
3. Now focus on something else about 10 – 20 feet in front of you.
4. On each deep breath switch between focussing on your thumb and the 10-20 feet object in front of you.

This will strengthen the muscles in your eyes over time and improve your vision overall.

5.Zooming

This is another one of my favourites as it is very easy and quick to do.

Instructions for zooming

1. Sit in a comfortable position
2. Stretch out your arm with your thumb in the hitchhike position
3. Focus on your thumb as your arm is outstretched.
4. Now bring your thumb closer to you, focussing all the time, until your thumb is about 3 inches in front of your face.
5. Now move your thumb away again until your arm is fully outstretched.
6. Do this for a few minutes at a time throughout the day.

This exercise will strengthen your focussing skills and your eye muscles in general.

Teaming – How to Build a Team

By Philip Lye

Team building takes work but the results are worth it. The essential ingredient is time and patience. If you really want to build a team that will achieve outstanding results you can.

The Hype

Over the years team work has been the flavor of the day with many businesses spending considerable money in trying to achieve a positive and harmonious team structure. Some have found the results they looked for but many have not.

Why is this so?

Team building has a number of foundation building blocks that are essential for a team to function.

Commitment of the Manager or Owner

Some managers and owners get excited about team possibilities only to weary over time where the pressures of business and day to day life grind them down.

Your commitment by way of your action and time are critical to your team’s success.

Time

It takes time to build teams. Trust and respect need to be earnt and there are no short cuts. Make a decision to pay the cost and demonstrate your commitment.

Patience

Life sometimes throws us a curve ball and not all of our plans go according to the script.

Make a commitment to be patient and as long as you see incremental progress realize progress is progress.

Celebrate Success and do not condemn failures

Learn to celebrate your successes as a team as you go along and learn from failure. Failure is a fantastic teacher if you look at it that way. If you own the business or are a manager realize that you are particularly under scrutiny of your team more so when failure occurs.

Your reaction to change and failure will ultimately determine the amount of buy in you achieve from your team.

Learn to Delegate

As business owners we are sometimes afraid to delegate. Start with small things and as your team gets confidence and does the right thing increase the responsibility.

Be quick to learn

Be quick to learn from each other. The most unlikely team member may be sitting on the very edge you have been looking for in your business.

Listen

Many managers and employees are terrible listeners. Learn to hear what people are really saying and don’t devalue their contributions.

Encouragement

It has been reported that children need 7 compliments to counteract 1 negative statement.

The Top 5 Teamwork Tips

Here are five teamwork tips that have given me positive experiences.

1. Leadership:

For a team to work well together there needs to be a person in the leadership position. Someone who will motivate, inspire, and make sure everyone is moving in the right direction.

2. Clarity:

There should be a clear understanding of the purpose of the group. What are the team’s goals? What is the team’s purpose? What are we striving to accomplish? The clearer this is the easier for people to stay on track.

3. Responsibility:

Each member needs to have a clear understanding of what they are responsible for doing. Everyone should know what their job is, when it will be expected, and what the parameters are to work with.

4. Feedback:

This is very important as people begin to share their ideas in the group setting. It should be supportive and whenever possible positive. This will help to create a comfortable environment where the team will take chances and be more creative. Learn how to give and receive negative feedback and criticism in a professional and respectful way. It is amazing what people can accomplish when they believe in themselves and are confident in the group.

5. Diversity:

This is the most important one, it is what makes a team great. Support the differing strengths of your teammates and allow each person to bring their unique qualities to the project. There can be some incredible surprises when we are open to doing things in new and different ways.

Leadership Skills

What does it take to become a Leader?

• Ability to listen • Ability to express ideas clearly in writing

• Ability to understand and interpret ideas clearly – received in both verbally and in writing

• Good teamwork skills •

Has a good interpersonal style to steer team members

• Selects the best course of action by identifying all the alternatives and then makes a logical assumption.

• Efficient use of resources • Having influence to motivate team members to achieve beyond goals

• Innovative and Creative Problem Solving skills

• Identifies and collects information relevant to the problem.

• Uses brainstorming techniques to create a variety of choices. Core personal skills and qualities of a leader

• Good communication skills

• Ability to expresses oneself effectively Ability to communicate in a way that encourages involvement.

Key Interpersonal Skills

• Treats others with respect

• Is considerate of the needs of others Values and encourages contributions of others Ability to Manage Client Relationships

• Develops good relationships with both internal and external customers.