Blog Circle

Italy Perfect for Honeymooners

by admin

November 19, 2013

Weddings can be very stressful, and the last thing you’ll want to worry about is your honeymoon! Honeymoons are meant to be fun, relaxing and romantic holidays, however unless you choose the right destination, you could end up having a terrible time. Luckily, Europe is home to a variety of amazing honeymoon getaways, and one of the most popular of all is Italy. Italy is a spectacular destination, full to the brim with natural beauty. From glorious coastlines to dazzling cities, Italy is an exciting place to honeymoon, and a great choice if you’re considering it this year. Let’s take a look at some of the county’s most romantic places to visit.

Venice

No matter where you live in the world, everyone has heard of Venice. Famous for its outstanding beauty, it is the capital of romance in Italy, and a great place to honeymoon if you get the chance. With winding canals, narrow streets, amazing architecture and fairy tale gondolas to take you around the city, it will take no time at all to lose yourself in Venice. There’s also a distinct smell about Venice, and we’re not talking about the waterways. Everywhere you turn there’s a traditional restaurant, pizza house or ice cream shop, so you’re never too far away from a meal. Furthermore, the historical buildings in Venice are superb, with huge churches and cathedrals towering over the city.

Lake Como

Surrounded by beautiful villas, villages and countryside, Lake Como is another of Italy’s romantic honeymoon hotspots. It has long been a destination for the lovers, and it’s easy to see why, with such hospitable locals, and the lake overlooked by hills and mountains. Not too far from Switzerland, the view from the lake to the Alps is one of the most romantic backdrops you can imagine, so if you’re thinking of honeymooning here, make sure you snap up some amazing accommodation in Brunate.

Ten Tips On How To Enhance Content

by admin

November 19, 2013

Leave a comment

Blogging

Are you a blogger or a business owner? Do you think that it is possible to improve your blog posts? Are you able to capture the attention of the reader through your content and make him/her come back to your website? You may not have written blogs in the past and may not even think that you can write. Actually, it is not a big problem. You can always improve your writing skills. The aim of this article is to provide you with some tips as to how you can enhance your content.

Be passionate about writing your blog

If you feel bored when writing the article, then the readers are more likely to find your article boring. Make it a point to always write about things that you feel passionate about. Irrespective of what feeling it evokes in you – anger, sadness or happiness – it can work to your advantage. Jason Manford experienced anger when he read the insensitive comments posted by Internet trolls. He is not a renowned writer, but the blog he posted in response to these comments created waves on Twitter and got linked to hundreds of other websites.

Test your content on a subject who is willing

It is a good idea to make use of a soundboard for the content you generate. He/she should be a person who gives an honest opinion and not just say your work is good when it is actually not.

Never be afraid of stealing ideas

Stealing ideas does not mean that you copy a person’s writing style, the layout of a blog post, etc. Ideas come from ideas, meaning be open to other bloggers’ ideas so that you can add value to one that you create.

Interest Only Mortgages – A Roller Coaster Ride

by admin

November 16, 2013

Leave a comment

Finance

Interest-only mortgages are those mortgages in which homebuyers service only the interest on the home loan that they have taken and not the capital. A report released by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) early last year showed the existence of as many as 3.9 million interest-only mortgages. What was more worrying was that approximately 75% of the borrowers did not have a plan in place to repay the loan.

The FSA wanted to ban the interest-only mortgages, but stopped short as lenders including Royal Bank of Scotland, Coventry Building Society, Co-operative Bank and NatWest withdrew from the market. The lenders feared that such loans contributed not only to the credit bubble but also dangerously exposed borrowers.

Interest-only mortgages are considerably cheaper when compared to traditional mortgages wherein borrowers repay interest and little amount of capital as well every month. In the pre-financial crisis days, the interest-only mortgages were two-a-penny and people thought that they will be able to repay their debt because of the rise in prices of houses. However, the fall in house prices following the credit crunch has left many homeowners high and dry. Their homes are now not as much worthy as their borrowings. Further, they are barred from changing over to a new mortgage because of the stricter lending criteria being followed by lenders. Despite this scenario, some mortgage lenders are still offering interest-only mortgages.

How To Maintain Commenting Etiquette

by admin

November 9, 2013

Leave a comment

Blogging

Many not-so-nice comments are seen in blogs and sometimes online comments are so bad that they can be classified as rude behavior. This is the place where some subversive individuals come out with obnoxious comments much to the distress of everyone reading them.

It is a fact that bad comments leave a bad taste and this type of commenting etiquette is a surefire way to lose traffic to your blog. It is, therefore, essential to know the basics of good commenting practices to maintain and increase traffic flow to your website. This article aims to provide some rough guidelines to improve commenting etiquette and make more online friends.

Tip #1: Stay On Course

An unrelated comment is a give-away that the blog has not been read. It is therefore important to read the blog to understand it. It is equally important to write out a fresh comment rather than echo what others have posted. This is not welcome either.

The comment should reflect what you liked about the blog and why you like it. You can also make a mention whether the content helped you in any manner and clarified some doubts that you had on the matter. It may also be that you relate to the same experiences as the author of the blog. You may ask questions about the topic that you want clarified. Ensure that your response is short and to the point. Verbose comments do not elicit any interest in the reader.

How to Get The Most out of your Workout

by admin

November 3, 2013

Leave a comment

Health & Fitness

It is that time of year again when, feeling the effects of festive indulgence, people are contemplating their New Year’s resolutions very carefully.

The most popular resolution, if the press is to be believed, is to lose weight and get fit, so gyms are often extremely busy at this time of year and at least for the first couple of months before people run out of steam and give up. Failure is often linked to the time it takes to obtain results, so if you are one of these people, how can you get the most out of your workout?

Healthy Workouts

1. One of the benefits of a good workout regime is weight loss. If the goal is weight loss many people lose heart and give up when they plateau at a certain weight. Here are a few ideas that will help you reach your goal.

2. Keep a record of what you eat and drink each day so that you can identify problems such as overeating or emotional snacking. Also note the time of day when this happens. If you need help to address issues like this show your food diary to the fitness trainer in the gym, or the nurse at your GP surgery.

3. Don’t eat a big meal immediately before a workout, although it is recommended that you have something small to boost your energy levels. It is thought that smaller, more frequent meals are better for maintaining a healthy weight. The recommendation is four to six meals a day, consisting of protein such as chicken, fish or eggs and carbohydrates such as rice or potato.

How To Permanently Get Rid Of Writer’s Block

by admin

October 23, 2013

Leave a comment

Blogging

Every writer suffers from ‘writer’s block’, a temporary inability either to start or to continue writing. Attributed to lack of inspiration, a writer’s block can waste many hours of the writer. This article aims to list out some tips on how you can spot and overcome writer’s block. However, keep some candy, tea, snacks, a metaphorical gun, padlock and victory dance ready.

No New Ideas

When you feel drained out of ideas, the best way to keep your juices flowing is to do some writing exercises. However, be careful, to choose the right ones that will help you to remove the block and get you to writing again.

Do not Work To Be a Perfectionist

If you try to be perfect with your writing, chances are that you will fall prey to the writer’s block more often. The tip is to just hit the keyboard and not wait for the perfect words/idea to start with. Writing out one sentence after the other without looking for perfection is the key.

Oktoberfest – Munich’s Beer Festival

by admin

October 20, 2013

Leave a comment

Travel

Summer is the time for festivals, and millions of people jet off all over the world in search for their favourite outdoor get together, from food to music, Glastonbury to Grillstock. During these festivals, thousands of litres of alcohol is sold, however the festivals rarely focus on the type or year of the wine or beer unless it is being sponsored by a major alcohol company. Thankfully however, there’s a festival in Germany that celebrates the best alcoholic beverages you can buy, from big brands to small start-up breweries.

Munich’s beer festival – otherwise known as Oktoberfest – is one of the most visited beer festivals in the world, and tickets to this amazing 16-day festival sell out in minutes. If you’re looking for an alternative destination to take a short break this year, this is the place for you, and even if you don’t like beer, there are plenty of other wines and spirits you can try out. Let’s take a look at Oktober fest in a little more detail.

An Overview

If you turn up to Oktoberfest on the day it will cost around 8 euros for a ticket, however if you book in advance or purchase tickets for multiple days at once then you’ll pay a little less. In 2007, nearly 8 million litres of beer was consumed by over 6 million people at Oktoberfest, so it is clear to see the attraction of this festival. For your ticket entry, you’ll be given a huge mug or ‘mass’ to hold your beer in, and you can take this to all the different tents to try out the vast selection of beers available.

Tips On How You Can Monetize Your Blog

by admin

October 11, 2013

Leave a comment

Blogging

The cost of running a blog is very low and a number of avenues are available to you for easily making it profitable. The opportunities for generating revenues is not limited to websites alone, many bloggers convert the skills and knowledge acquired through online projects into freelancing opportunities. Here are some tips for monetizing your blog:

You Can Sell Space For Ads

If your blog frequently draws good traffic, then people may want to place ads on your space. You can demand more for advertisements, if your blog’s digital weight and traffic are higher. After building a steady level of traffic, you can approach online places and people to sell advertising spots on your site. You can quickly fill spots on your page, if you can demonstrate your readership levels.

People who want to sell their products may even approach you with offers for providing content about their wares. This is when you realize that you have developed some amount of digital authority.

You Can Transform Your Blog Into An E-commerce Shop

You can convert your blog into an affiliate site or an e-commerce site. This will help you to sell products related to the content that you are providing in your blogs. You can also produce items, for example t-shirts, so that you can advertise and market your website. This may call for some amount of investment, but you will start making profits quickly.

How to Make Cardio Less Boring

by admin

October 7, 2013

Leave a comment

Health & Fitness

It’s no secret that cardio workouts in the gym can get boring and especially if you’re a dedicated gym-goer who trains day after day. The key to a good workout is enjoyment and the list below offers a few tried and tested methods to beat the boredom factor and ensure a more enjoyable workout.

1. Put your mind elsewhere

Your body has to be in the gym but your mind can be elsewhere during your cardio workout. A lot of people take mp3 players with them nowadays and listen to music or their favourite podcasts. Some gyms have TV screens attached to the major pieces of equipment that can also effectively take your mind off the number of miles you’ve run or the number of minutes you still have to complete. It’s amazing how quickly a treadmill session can pass when you place your mind elsewhere.

2. Hide the screen with your gym towel

This follows on from the tip above because by hiding the screen on your treadmill, elliptical trainer or rowing machine you save yourself from constantly watching it. One of the most disheartening things about using indoor equipment is looking at the screen after what seems like hours to find you’re not even halfway through your workout. Refrain from looking and you’ll be pleasantly surprised when the alarm to say you’re finished goes off.

Variable Mortgages Versus Fixed Rate

by admin

October 3, 2013

Leave a comment

Finance

The best valued and most popular mortgages are those which include a special rate fixed at the starting of the mortgage (may be fixed or variable) typically for a period of two to five years. After this period has elapsed, the borrowers pay back the rest of the loan at a standard variable rate which was at one time 2 percent more than the bank rate. Nowadays, with the changed economic scenario the standard variable rates range anywhere between two and six percent above the base rate.

Professionally managed mortgage companies that provide good value to its customers allow its users to leave at a minimum cost after the closing of the initial deal. They can then attempt to secure another value-for-money deal. It is also worthwhile for the borrowers to pay back according to an SVR that is reasonable.

Many consumers stick to the same lender because of inertia; however, it is also possible to shop around for better deals and turn the system to one’s advantage. It may be worth looking out for a better fixed rate now to counter against rise in SVR in the future when the base rate increases.

Standard Variable Rate

A majority of the borrowers who do not keep track of their mortgage deals invariably pay variable rates. These rates move in the same direction as the base rate of the Bank of England though the changes need not be passed on to the customers every time by the lenders. Payments on these rates are expensive when compared to other deals in the marketplace.

Load more posts