A lot of us, when we were young, dream of many things to achieve once we get old. We wanted to be a nurse, a doctor, a teacher, an engineer, an architect or even an astronaut. We want to be all of them when we grow up. But as we go along in life, and gain a greater understanding of it, some of the lucky ones among us gradually tunnel-visioned ourselves into that specific dream.

The decision to pursue this dream may have come out from an experience that seems to draw us to it, or the realization of what we really want out of life or how we go about living it. But somehow, somewhere, and at a certain time we will choose to be what we want to be. We will foresee our career path. And eventually this career will be our passion.

To be passionate about something means to be motivated to get better and better in this that we do. This is in preparation for us to be the best. That is one the motivations in fact. If we think that we do want to be the best then we will be motivated to do all our best to be such.

Firstly, though we must set our career goals, we should make them as specific as possible so that we can have particular plans of actions that will specifically lead us to that dream result. These goals though we should make realistic.

They should be something you can actually get to be. Actually, you can be anything you want to be but to get there. But you have to accept the reality that anything so far high in a life’s goal is not as easy as counting from 1 to 3. So take it one step at a time. Make a plan to reach that goal that is gradual and efficient. Slowly but surely as we they say.

Plan a short-term goal first. The first plan should be to get to the right job and to be at the right place. Choose a place that would open for you a lot of opportunities, especially opportunities to grow, career-wise and personally. Then you can get from there. Follow the steps to success; go from one level to the next. If you get lucky, may be you can skip some levels. This is possible as we have seen in life from time to time.

All these times though, hold on to your motivations. It may be that burning dream that you have had since you were a kid. There is nothing that could compare to the feeling of having your childhood dreams realized. So that desire is a very intense motivation.

For whom you are striving so hard for is another motivation. Usually these are family members that serve as our purpose to be the best we can be. Not only do they inspire us to provide for them financially but sometimes more importantly we want to give pride for them, for our family. Our loved ones and friends and other people and things that we care about can even be a greater motivation than what we hope for ourselves.

In the end the best motivation could be what makes us happy. What we choose to be now can lead to us being happy all our lives, or to being miserable. So we must continuously remind ourselves of these things, because they will define our career goals. And they will sustain our motivation to reach these dreams!

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In this day and age we cannot be too dismissive of terrorists threats. We must always have a boy scout mentality of always being prepared. Bad people are prowling the grounds. We must be ever vigilant much more so today than any.

Since people spend their time mostly at work due to the global economic crisis, it is just apt to discuss security procedures in the case of terrorist attacks.

Here are some of the standard operating procedures that you must know.

1. More guards should be employed during threats. Every door, entrance and exit, should be manned 24-7 without any exceptions.

2. Be sure that you contact the Government/ Police/ Bomb Squad Agencies when informed of any threats.

3. Assure that every possible procedures is followed by having regular security briefings with the guards.

4. Register and keep track of all control panels and keys / locks to ensure integrity..

5. If one person loses the master key, have all the locks in the hotel changed by hiring a specialist.

6. A map of the hotel with all the exit, entrance, and other circulation should be in the possession of security all the time.

7. All persons with temporary I.D. should always be checked on a regular basis.

8. All vehicle entering the hotel premises to be checked according to protocol.  Do not forget to check vehicles parked near / around hotel premises.

9. Exhaustive CCTV coverage on digital recording is preferred instead of time lapse VCR. Every recording should be reviewed every day and suspicious recordings to be reviewed closely.

10. Operators should have a voice recorder handy in case of bomb threats or prank calls.

11. Daily patrols should be increased in the internal parts of the hotel. Patrols should be logged and documented every step of the way.

12. Staff and crew of the hotel should be trained thoroughly in suspicious item handling.

13. Any packages and parcels should be handled and cleared according to the security measures and standards of the hotel.

14. The PA system should always be working.

15. Entry into sensitive banquets must be secured with X-ray machines and metal detectors.

16. All staff and crew should be aware and trained in any contingency plans or evacuation plans.

17. Every staff and crew should be aware of evacuation plans during fire related incidents.

There was this old cartoon called GI Joe with a public service message during every episode. One character will end up saying, “Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.” This is true in any work place, especially in this information age. Because information is ammunition.

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Climate, geography and history, these are the factors which define English cuisine. History includes relationships with other European countries and the introduction of new ingredients specifically from places like India, China and North America. Geography and climate greatly influence nature, as it provides every available resource for key ingredients. Consequently, traditional foods bear ancient origins. Some of which are bread, cheese, roasted meats, pies and fish. Customary dishes like fish and chips and bangers and mash are products which relatively speak of English tradition and ways.

As years pass, previous images of blandness or need for condiments to ensure palatability of English food began to change. The stodgy image is soon replaced by quality as many European restaurants cater to many satisfied guests. Another additional factor was the popularity of certain celebrity chefs thereby creating awareness with regards to English cuisine.

Sunday roast is considered a culinary pride. The Sunday dinner is a traditional meal which features roast potatoes, accompanying a roasted joint of meat either chicken, beef or lamb together with assorted vegetables.

Fish and chips are another popular dish. It is traditionally served with peas, having salt and malt vinegar as condiments. These are so popular that many restaurants and shops sell these to both locals and tourists.

The full English breakfast otherwise known as ‘cooked or fried breakfast’ is famous as well. Contents vary and consist of a number of foods like bacon, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, fried mushrooms, sausages, eggs and some other ingredients. Generally, these are more elaborate as compared to domestic breakfast and are served in cafes.

English sausages are made from fresh meats and are considered distinctive. They are rarely dried, smoked or strongly flavored. The most common bases are pork and beef yet gourmet varieties tend to use meat of venison or wild boar. Famous regional varieties include Lincolnshire and Cumberland. It has also been said that hundreds of sausage varieties can be found in the market.

Pies also form part of the English cuisine. Meat pies are normally made with fillings of chicken and mushroom, even steak and kidney. Pork pies are said to be eaten cold while open pies or flans are served with fillings of seasonal fruits. The Cornish pastry is a well-loved dish, and is shaped like that of a calzone. Other famous pies include Fisherman’s pie, Cottage pie and Shepherd’s.

Methods of food preservation include salting, pickling and smoking. These are very prevalent methods among Northern European countries. The Britons, in particular, are known for making hams and bacon as well as pickled vegetables while the Scottish particularly loves smoked fish like salmon.

English cooking has with it Asian influences referring to condiments like tomato sauce and Worcestershire sauce. Malt vinegar and mustard are also typical condiments used.

Ingredients utilized in English cuisine:

Grains:

Oats, wheat

Fruits:

Apples, Peaches, Oranges, Bananas, Lemons

Vegetables:

Asparagus, Cucumber, Celery, Peas, Carrot, Potato, Broccoli, Radish, Turnip, Tomato, Onion, Parsnip, Cabbage, Mushroom

Herbs and Spices:

Coriander, Rosemary, Cayenne pepper, Curry, Cinnamon, Saffron, Mace, Nutmeg

Meat:

Beef, Pork, Lamb, Mutton

Dairy:

Cheese, Butter, Cream

Seafood:

Sole, Haddock, Cod (great choice for fish and chips), Plaice, Hake, Halibut, Mullet, Herring, Mackerel, Eel, Oysters, Lobsters

It has been said that English cuisine is one controversial topic among food enthusiasts and chefs. Interestingly, this cuisine once studied, will reveal a number of enticing and wonderful dishes much to the delight of equally interesting diners. Furthermore, it only shows that to know this cuisine means having the seemingly perfect understanding for both its food and history.

Authentic English Recipes

Rhubarb and Raspberry Jam Roly-Poly with Vanilla Custard Sauce

Filling:

* 1/2 pound fresh rhubarb, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)

* 1/2 cup sugar

* 1 tablespoon water

* 1/2 cup raspberry jam

Dough:

* 2 cups all purpose flour

* 2 tablespoons sugar

* 2 teaspoons baking powder

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) frozen unsalted butter

* 2/3 cup (or more) ice water

* 1 tablespoon whipping cream beaten with 1 tablespoon sugar (for glaze)

* Vanilla Custard Sauce

Preparation

For filling:

Combine rhubarb, sugar, and 1 tablespoon water in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Cover; cook until rhubarb softens to thick pulp, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Mix in jam; cool. do ahead Can be made 1 week ahead. Cover; chill.

For dough:

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into large bowl. Using large holes on box grater, grate frozen butter into bowl; stir to blend. Cover and freeze at least 15 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep frozen.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Add 2/3 cup ice water to flour mixture, tossing until soft dough forms, adding more ice water by tablespoonfuls if dough is stiff. Transfer to lightly floured surface; knead gently 5 or 6 turns (butter should remain in firm pieces). Roll out dough to 12×9-inch rectangle. Spread 6 tablespoons filling over dough, leaving 1-inch plain border on all sides. Starting at 1 long side, roll up jelly-roll style; seal seam. Place seam side down on prepared sheet. Seal ends. Brush glaze over pastry.

Bake pastry until golden (jam may leak out), about 30 minutes. Cool pastry briefly.

Cut roly-poly crosswise into 6 to 8 rounds. Serve warm with Vanilla Custard Sauce and remaining filling.

Note: For measurement conversions visit this page.

Summer Pudding with Blueberries and Raspberries

Ingredients

* 1 unsliced rectangular loaf of brioche or good-quality firm white bread such as Pullman (1 pound), crusts discarded

* 4 cups blueberries (1 pound)

* 5 cups raspberries (18 ounces)

* 1 cup sugar

* 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

* Equipment: a deep 2 1/2-quart bowl (preferably 8 inches in diameter across top and 3 inches across bottom); a platter with a lip

* Accompaniment: lemon verbena ice cream

Preparation

Cut bread into 14 (1/2-inch-thick) slices. Cut out a 3-inch round from 1 slice and put in bottom of bowl. Line side of bowl with 10 slices, overlapping them slightly.

Bring berries, sugar, and lemon juice to a boil in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until berries collapse and release their juices, about 8 minutes. Spoon fruit into a sieve set over a bowl and let drain 15 minutes. Spoon drained fruit into bread-lined bowl (reserve juices) and cover completely with remaining bread, cutting bread to fit.

Pour juices evenly over bread, making sure all bread is saturated. Cover pudding directly with a piece of wax paper and place a 7-inch plate, upside down, on top of paper. Put a 1- to 1 1/2-pound weight (such as a large can) on plate and chill at least 8 hours.

Remove weight, plate, and wax paper and invert platter over bowl, then invert bowl onto platter. Carefully unmold.

Note: For measurement conversions visit this page.

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Image & Recipe Credit: Epicurious

Image & Recipe Credit: Epicurious

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Drinking was always dominated by men. It’s kind of a double standard where it was perfectly okay for men to drink while the women stay at home and tend to the house. Well, that was then and this is now. I’m not saying that the double standard has disappeared completely, however, women drinking is much more socially acceptable now in modern society.

The truth is, it’s still a man’s world when it comes to drinking alcoholic beverages. In the UK, Germany and France, the disparity in genders are so far apart when it comes to drinking. Germany leads with the biggest gender gap with 61% of German women drinking alcohol, compared to some 80% of German men.

This number is not so bad compared to recent decades. Just try and search for “Wine” and “Women” on Google and you will come up with 437,000,000 search results. I believe that the popularity of wine with women are for two reasons. One, is certainly the empowerment of women today. Two, is for health reasons that red wine benefits women.

Health benefits of red wine for women

1. Health of the heart – Red wine prevents bad cholesterol while facilitating the numbers of good cholesterol in the body.

2. It fights blood clots – Fibrinogen is something that wine prevents in the body. This protein when prevented will reduce blood clots in the body.

3. Healthier and longer life – Red wine is said to contain resveratrol which is researched to increase life expectancy and an overall increase in the quality of life.

4. Lowers blood pressure – Red wine is known to lower blood pressure and fight hypertension.

The flip side
Although drinking red wine can help women in a lot of ways, moderation is still a rule of thumb. There is a flip side, a caveat if you will, from drinking a lot of red wine. Unfortunately, there are studies that linked cancer and drinking of red wine. Actually, just drinking alcoholic beverages in general is linked to an increase rate in cancer.

Aside from this, the empty calories in Red Wine can cause obesity. The American Heart Association recommends one or two glasses a day for men and one drink a day for women.

If you are really looking for a healthy alternative to red wine, then most doctors would suggest that you try exercise and adding fruits and vegetables in your diet.

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