19 December 2017

The Benefits Of Moving Onto Pastures New



Humans come in two separate forms. Either they are intensely territorial or somewhat nomadic. You likely already know exactly which one you fit into. We all have our preferences for living. It might be desiring to move away to a culture completely alien to us, or moving to a city hundreds of miles away from where we are raised. Conversely, some people are born, live a full life and die in the same city or town.

While this latter option is surely not a bad or incorrect way of living life, the alternative could potentially be considered preferable for some people. We’re not here to make a judgement one way or the other, but we are here to potentially explore the benefits of moving onto pastures new. As we become adults we gain our independence, and are able to move anywhere we please. If we feel like we need a change of pace, or we need to experience something new, moving away can be a hugely positive step.

This is by no means the only positive point to moving. If you’re on the dividing line between moving and not, this article might help you make this decision:

Starting Fresh

Some people are simply looking for a new pace of life. The location where you live will always have a significant effect on this, because we are intensely connected to our environment. Our environment is part of us, in that if it wasn’t there neither would we. For that reason, it behooves you to assess if your environment is helping you or harming you. If it’s the former, then you should feel comfortable in staying there. If you find that your local environment leaves something to be desired, moving somewhere new can help you immensely. Even moving a few miles out of town introduces you to completely new people, new locations of interest, and a new pace of life.

For some people, moving somewhere no one knows them is heaven. This can help you reassess how you approach the world, and the current and present relationships you form, free from the knowledge of the interpersonal past. If life could use more novelty, and you’d prefer making your own decisions with nothing but your newly formed reputation to follow you, then this can feel like a breath of fresh air.

Of course, we’d recommend that you visit areas you plan to move to before you go. One or two extended vacations to this area can give you a taste of the local populace, and how friendly or close to your personality they feel. Sometimes you just know a place is right by the general interactions you have there. If the opposite is true, then never be afraid to cast your net elsewhere. You always have freedom of choice in your living situation.

Careers

If you find that the jobs in your local environment aren’t as great as they could be, moving away to form a better career might help you. For example, if you’re positively set on a career in the performance arts, living near theatre districts, media hubs or even moving to Los Angeles to be part of Hollywood could be part of your aim. Careers will all have their ‘golden location’ depending on how localized some jobs are. Even those careers completely online can have their own blossoming hubs, such as Silicon Valley’s investor nest.

It might be that making the move from a village to a city could grow your career prospects from dull to thriving. It’s always best to do this research online. A good measure is to search online for the average income in an area, the house price average, the employability index as well as how quickly urban development is taking place. If all of these figures look good, it could be the location of your interest offers some real opportunity, especially if you’re looking to take your career to the next level.

You Define Yourself

This is more of a personal benefit. As you move to new places, you become more able to define yourself in the world. You not only become a citizen of the village you once lived in, but you become more of a national explorer. You become more independent as a result, not tied to the small cultural identity you might have been carrying. The pace of life is dramatically different in small towns compared to cities, and so experiencing the two makes you more of a complete and rounded individual.

This takes a certain form of inner strength, and willingness to experience the unknown. It might be that a city or new town takes a few months for you to fully appreciate. You might not feel settled there until two years in. But the effort of living somewhere new will give you that ability to live almost anywhere, because you’ve already conquered living somewhere you are unfamiliar with. As you learn new habits of resting in a new environment, you become better suited to travelling, exploring, growing your courage and generally becoming a better person.

You Trust Yourself

Another personal benefit, arguably even better than defining yourself - is you begin to trust yourself. As you rely on yourself to achieve everything you must do, you begin to form a sense of complete faith in yourself.

If you move away by yourself, or you move into a flat share with random strangers, you become much more able to form friendships of necessity, and trust yourself to carry out the tasks you need to survive. It’s much less tempting for you to wait for your siblings or parents to carry out your chores. Of course, the days of living at home might be long behind you, but even living near home can lead you to bring laundry around to your childhood home and eating plenty of meals there. When you completely have yourself to rely on, you become much more comfortable in your daily responsibilities.

Resting in a comfort zone is the fastest way to stagnate, yet by trusting yourself to carry out your general tasks in a new place, you become much more able to explore outside of this. As a human, nothing could be healthier for you. After all, it’s much better to be a small fish that can grow in a big pond, than a big fish stifled in a small pond.

Variance In People

When you move to new locations, you meet a wide range of people. It could be that the best friend you will ever make in life rests behind your next move. It could be the one you become happily married to forever is the first person you’ll meet. Both of these could actually be the same person. As you meet a variety of people, you start to experience cultures and worldly perceptions face to face, no through a television show or book you’ve read. This real-life experience offers so much it’s hard to put into words. You’ll know when you experience it.

You Become Better With The Next Move

If you feel you need a new change of surroundings once more, then you will be much more able to capitalize on this if you’ve already done it once. Selling the apartment or nullifying the lease and finding one many miles away will be easy this time, as will the process of moving. You might find that you’re more shrewd in your apartment choices, or are more interested in purchasing a development property this time. If so, check out resources such as Property Guru to make the best decisions. It could be that international move for your job becomes a little less scary than it might have otherwise seemed. One thing is for sure, you’ll be more relaxed and more organized during the process.

Moving to pastures new can be scary, exhilarating, truly interesting and a great adventure. If you’re heavily considering it, we hope this article has gone some way in convincing you.

18 December 2017

Getting Ready For Christmas Parties

I do confess that I am a bit of a homebody these days.  In my late teens and well into my twenties I loved to go out dancing on the town with friends well into the wee hours.  These days, the comforts of home, a nice glass of wine (or three) and a movie and I am happy and content.

My ritual of getting ready for a night out used to be a many times replayed and rehearsed routine, ensuring that I had everything ready and in order to be able to go out and party.  I had my going out products, my favourite bags that held just enough of what I needed and jewellery that went with every outfit.

So when it comes to the Christmas party season I am a little bit out of practice.  This year I decided to get my act together and put together some things that I would need in advance.  Here is what I bought.


2.  Beverley Hills Perfect White Gold Toothpaste
4.  Collectif Lulu Hun Lou Sparkle Heart Bag
5.  Taking care of your skin - http://www.dore.sg/acne-removal/
6.  Miss Daisy Evening Handbag Brush


These of some of the items that I have bought to help me out with the Christmas season.  A stylish ring with a bit of bling (sorry about the rubbish poetry there); a new evening bag; a brush to fit inside it to tame my dancing party hair.  

My face and teeth also come into play.  All those Christmas drinks (red wine especially) can stain my teeth so I usually buy a new toothpaste to bring out a bit more sparkle.  My under eyes also get really dry when the weather turns cold so I often find that I need to redo my concealer mid way through a night out.

What do you normally buy to get ready for those Christmas parties?

17 December 2017

7 Reasons The Less Glamorous Side Of Interior Design Should Be Your Top Priority


Interior design is a necessary part of owning or renting a home. You might only ever decorate it once, but it is still something that has to be done so you're at the very least, making somewhere nice to live in. Beyond that, for many people it is all about putting a personal stamp on a space, and making it the most beautiful it can be.

When you think of interior design you likely think about buying beautiful new cushions, some new artwork, repapering the feature wall, and adding beautiful accessories to a room. There is of course a lot more to it than that.

Interior design and home renovation is actually, mostly very hands on and practical. There are various practical tasks that need to be done first, so that you can then make your home beautiful with the frills like cushions, throws and accessories. Studies show that of all home renovations, redecorating adds the least amount of value onto a property. Practical adjustments really should come first if you want the most beautiful and valuable home.

Here are 7 reasons the less glamorous side of interior design should be your top priority:  

1. Safety

The safety of a home should always be the number one priority when it comes to interior design and renovation. Safety factors like: electrics, plumbing and gas should always come first. Smaller issues like damp can also be a big safety factor as mold and mildew are known to cause all kinds of health issues including asthma and other respiratory conditions.

2. Costs Later Down The Line

Leaving issues that seem small right now, in favour of more instantly satisfying interior renovations can lead to bigger costs down the line. For example: if you invest in a new sofa instead of paying somebody to deal with overgrown trees, or ivy growing over the property, those things could cause damage to your home and garden which will cost a lot more to fix than the initial problem. Small issues dealt with there and then are inexpensive to solve, and help avoid costs later down the line.

3. An Excellent Base For Decorating

If you have broken tiles, an area of damp, turned up carpets or other more practical issues in a room, painting the room and adding cushions or accessories is not going to create a beautiful overall look. The base needs to be sound before you can make it look beautiful. You may temporarily cover the issues up but they will reveal themselves again soon enough. For example: damp can easily soak wallpaper and have it peeling off in a matter of weeks. If you want something to look good, you have to give it excellent foundations first.

4. Destruction Of Your Decoration Efforts

There's nothing like a leaky roof or crumbling plaster to destroy decoration efforts. Picture this: you've spent tons of money on a beautiful new carpet and within a week the crumbling plaster from the ceiling is deeply embedded in the threads. Or: you've just had the kitchen completely painted and freshened up, and the leak from upstairs you thought could wait has dropped a hole in the ceiling, ruining all the new paintwork and decorations. The money you have spent on your decorating could be instantly wasted because a practical issue was put off.

5. A Decrease In House Value

Recent media reports show that over-improving your home can devalue it. So adding too much 'pizazz' or personalisation is a big no no if you want to sell your property for as much as possible. Instead focus on the most practical renovations so that the property is sound, sturdy and a blank canvas for new buyers.

6. An Increase In Home Value If You Pay For The Right Improvements

The most recent studies show that energy saving improvements to the home could increase the value by nearly 40%. The same studies showed that nearly 85% of buyers would pay more for eco-friendly features. So you might be better off spending money on eco-friendly home improvements like energy saving bifold doors or solar panels, rather than new wallpaper or a new bed.

7. An Increase In 'Hygge'

Hygge (pronounced hoo gah) is the latest design trend to drastically change the way people design their homes. Rather than a focus on an object or a colour scheme, Hygge is all about happy moments. Moments that can't really be described, but they are memorable and deeply satisfying. It could be a hot chocolate by the fire, reading a book by your favourite window, or sharing a cuddle on the sofa with your partner. No blanket or paint colour will achieve this design trend. Instead, the focus should be on ensuring the home is warm, secure and letting in as much light as possible. Practical definitely counts for more with Hygge.

You know your home best and how you spend your money is of course up to you. However, it is a good idea to take some time prioritising your interior renovations so you can feel secure in the knowledge your hard earned money is being spent in the best possible way.


*Collaborative post