How to Improve Your Charisma

Charisma is a person’s ability to draw and influence others around him/her. A charismatic person appears confident in communication while keeping humble and selfless. Here, then, are some ways for you to develop your charisma. Who knows, you might be the next prime minister of Singapore.

Pay full attention
Having incredible charisma doesn’t always mean you always have to do the talking. It all starts when you listen attentively and pay full attention to others who are speaking to you. This is a good start because paying attention to what others are saying sends a message that you are present in that conversation and not just showing off.

Practice eye contact
Constantly shifting your gaze and not looking others in the eye simply shows that you’re nervous or uninterested. Maintaining eye contact is crucial in communicating your confidence and charisma. One way to practice holding eye contact is to simply talk and look at yourself in the mirror. This may seem awkward but it serves as good practice. When your speaking to someone, you can also try to focus on the color of their eyes as practice.

Use body language
Body language can help a good speaker but also betray a bad one. If you have a voice that’s loud and clear but your stiff and move your body in a reserved way, you might confuse others and end up becoming boring. A charismatic person will use body language to effectively emphasize the message and influence how the listeners feel.

Tell stories
Stories, if timed right and used effectively, can be utilized to attract attention and stir emotion. When you tell a story, you’re giving the people something that they will typically be able to relate to. If you have a story that fits the occasion perfectly, go ahead and share it. Just remember to not go overboard and hog all the attention. Also, make sure it’s not a made-up story, this will do you more harm than good.

Stay positive
Obviously, other people want to stay around those who are entertaining and easy to be around. Additionally, staying positive keeps you in a good mood even at trying times. Others will notice this easily and will turn to you for positivity. Simply remembering to smile is a great way to start. Smiling makes you look kind and more approachable.

Learn from others
You already have your own opinions, perspectives, your own knowledge. And those will not teach you much anymore because you already know them. But there will always be people who know something that you don’t. Accordingly, be open to others’ opinions and perspectives. You’ll be able to learn a lot by simply being open-minded and not staying on a pedestal above everybody else.

How to Cope with Burnout

Burnout is a case of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion brought about by too much stress. Burnout causes you to lose motivation and interest, and also drains your energy and productivity at work. Burnout can affect your life negatively in a lot of ways, so here are some tips for you to fight burnout.

Reach out to your loved ones
One way to relieve a little bit of your pressure is to talk to those closest to you and tell them about your problems. Chances are, they will be more than willing to listen and possibly even be a shoulder to cry on. You will find that having someone to help you carry your burdens will definitely make you feel better. Also, spending time with your loved ones can help you take your mind off work and put you in a more positive mood.

Take breaks
You can take 10-minute breaks, take a short nap or a walk outside of the office for a while, maybe even take a 1-week vacation if possible. Having time to relax is very important when trying to fight burnout. Even if it’s just small breaks throughout the day, it can surely help you release some of that built-up stress. Plus, a change of scenery will refresh your mind and possibly help you strike a balance at work.

Choose your company wisely
Don’t spend your time with negative people who always complain. This will only add to your stress and drag your mood down. Try to go with people who stay optimistic and stimulate positive responses. When you enjoy your time with people, you’re more likely to feel relaxed and happy. You can also just enjoy some time on your own if you want to. This can be a valuable time for you to reflect and take your mind off the stress.

Find a way to relieve stress
Take a hike at the Southern Ridges, cycle around Singapore, have a food trip at different hawker centres, find some activities that you will enjoy. You can also play sports like boxing to get rid of the stress through the punching bag. Having hobbies and activities that you love doing can help you get around stress and easily enable you to get through burnout.

Try to get enough sleep
Many people, when they get home from work late, still reach for the TV remote, surf the internet, or scroll through their phones. Some do this because they want a little bit of time to unwind from work, but they end up losing hours of sleep. Sleeping for only a few hours is a big contributor to burnout. It can negatively affect your productivity and motivation and even increase fatigue. Getting enough sleep allows your mind and body enough time to restore energy and rest.

Home Repair, Your Toolbox, and You: A Quick Guide to Tools

Problems can come up at home when you least expect them. But when you can’t afford to pay a contractor to fix them for you, your next best option is to do your home repair by yourself.

While you might take it for granted at first, having a complete all-purpose toolbox is essential for fixing all kinds of emergencies in your home in Singapore, from your electrical circuit to your plumbing.

What’s In Your Toolbox?
You can actually take on most minor jobs on your own, and all you need are the right tools to handle them properly. A complete toolbox should have the following basic items for any home construction and repair:

Tape measure
Screwdrivers/ hex keys
Utility knife
Adjustable wrench
Putty Knife
Other essentials (WD-40, electrical tape, gaffer tape)

While these tools don’t seem like much at first, they can spell the difference between doing a job properly and not being able to do it at all.

This includes having a proper tape measure to get accurate measurements, a Phillip screwdriver or a flat one depending on the screws needed, or even an adjustable wrench to open things that you can’t with your and alone.
You can easily find them at your nearest hardware store, and even cheap ones are likely to last for a long time when given proper care. You can also choose to buy more specific tools that make repairs easier, but keep in mind that these will be more expensive.

You should also make sure to add safety gear and equipment to your toolbox to avoid any potential injuries:
Work lamp/flashlight
Work gloves
Safety goggles
Ear muffs

Taking Care of Your Tools
Your toolbox offers great protection and storage for your tools, but there’s more to maintaining your tools than simply storing them in the right place after use. Here’s how you can take better care of them to make them last longer:

• Keep them dry. When it comes to taking care of your metal tools, water and moisture can be your biggest enemy.

• Store power tools in original cases. If you have any power tools, such as hand drills or circular saws, don’t throw away the cases they come in! They are specially designed to protect these tools.

• Use silica gel. Those gel packets you find in shoes aren’t there for no reason – take them and stuff them in your toolbox to keep them moisture-free!

• Clean tools after use. Wipe your tools down with a clean cloth to get rid of any dust, debris, or even grime or water that could stick to them

How to Take Care of Your DSLR Camera in 5 Easy Steps

The most important thing you can do with your camera is to make it last as long as you can. It may be easy to learn how to start taking amazing pictures, but not everyone can keep their camera working through proper care and maintenance.

To get the most out of your DSLR camera – and to keep it working for a long time – be sure to follow these steps:

1. Turn it off before doing anything to it.
Whether you want to swap lenses, change memory cards, or even attach or disconnect cables, switch off your camera first!

Not only is it useful for conserving batteries, but it also minimizes the risk of you accidentally ruining its circuits and lenses when you open it up.

So while it seems simple enough, it’s easy to forget when you’re really busy or accidentally stumble onto a perfect scene that you need to capture. Getting into the habit of turning your camera off will help you remember early on.

2. Invest in a cleaning kit!
DSLR cameras are expensive, but what’s more expensive is having to buy another camera because you didn’t take care of the first one properly. You can avoid this by investing in a quality cleaning kit that includes microfiber clothes, liquid solutions, and brushes.

You should also be especially careful around the LCD screen and camera lens when cleaning, since you want to avoid scratching them at all costs.

3. Don’t keep the batteries in for too long.
Old camera batteries used to leak acid. Today, this is no longer the case, but can still be corrosive to your DSLR’s circuits especially when they’re empty.

To avoid this when you plan on shelving your camera for a long time, it’s best to take out the batteries when you’re not using them. This minimizes acid leaks and keeps your batteries’ shelf life for longer.

4. Camera bags are essential.
Most people tend to stuff cameras in backpacks, suitcases, and fanny packs, but these actually make them more prone to damage since they bounce around a lot.

Cameras also scratch easily and are magnets for dust and lint, which is why there are special bags for them that address these problems. When you’re not using your DSLR, it’s best to keep it in the camera bag.

5. Take care of your memory card.
Your memory card is just as important as your camera – without them, you won’t be able to enjoy taking great photos and capturing beautiful memories.

Not only should you keep it dust-free at all times by placing it in a protective case, but you should also only remove them indoors and store them in cool places away from any magnets and electronics such as speakers and monitors.

Tips for a Better Shopping Experience in the Busy Markets of Asia

From India to Singapore to Brunei, the many open markets in Asia are buzzing with life and frantic activities. Even if there’s nothing you need to buy, the market offers a lot you can enjoy while you’re in there.

However, these tourist-targeted markets are places often teeming with fake and overpriced products. Plus, the noise of haggling customers and the number of unfamiliar items can be overwhelming. But there is no better place to experience the authenticity of a country than these open markets. As long as you know the tricks, you’ll surely score great finds and unforgettable experiences in these avenues

1. Arrive Early
By arriving early, not only will you have fewer people to compete with, the early vendors will also have better mood and more patience, giving you more chances to do a good haggle. Also, you have the opportunity to take a pick from the newer and fresher items, too.

2. Learn to Haggle
While this can be an uncomfortable thing for Westerners, haggling has been a big part in the day-to-day lives of people in most Asian countries. Approach haggling as if it’s a fun game, rather than an embarrassment. Anyway, most items in open markets are priced in a way that allows room for good haggling, so might as well take advantage of it. There’s no reason to feel bad. A vendor will not agree on a price if it causes them to lose money.

3. Beware of Fake Items
In these places you will find replicas and cheap knock offs of branded items. Sometimes, these are impeccable copies that you cannot even distinguish from the original, while other times, you’ll find “abibas” shoes or “Oaokley” sunglasses. But don’t be surprised if that cheap iPhone you got breaks after a week or the Rolex logo comes off from your watch. If the price seems too good to be true, then it probably is, especially when it is something digital.

4. Keep Your Things Attended
Busy markets also attract people who may see tourists as targets. Be mindful with your wallet, purchases and your bag (if possible, don’t wear backpacks) to ensure you don’t become potential prey for pickpockets. Beggars and street children frequent in these markets to target tourists, so be watchful of them.

5. Don’t Expect Clean Toilets
…if you’re lucky enough to find one. If there is, it will likely be a filthy squat toilet. When you feel like you need to pee, allow plenty of time to find one. And once you find one, you will likely have to pay a few coins to use them.

Shopping at Asian night markets surely is a lot of fun, so go ahead and dive head first into the chaos—and keep these tips in mind.

5 Beauty Products You’re Wasting Your Money On

Nowadays, we come across new beauty products almost every day, but not all of them are worth spending your money on. You worked hard for every dollar you have, and you deserve something that will give you the most benefits.
To help save your money and use them on more useful and effective products, here are some beauty items to avoid and forget about.

1. Expensive Facial Wash and Cleansers
Cleansers stay on your skin for a short time, so they rarely have much beautifying effects other than removing makeup, dirt and oil—something that any cheap cleanser can do. A more useful investment: an electronic cleansing brush. This battery-operated device has rotating brush heads to provide gentle, yet deeper skin cleansing, getting rid of dirt and oil from seated deep down the pores.

2. Facial Toner
We’ve all heard from beauty gurus to use facial toner to truly cleanse the face. However, according to dermatologists, this is quite unnecessary. That’s because the facial cleanser you washed your face with is especially formulated to not leave any product residue on your facial skin. As a result, buying a toner is something you can completely forget about.

3. Foot Mask
A mask for your feet is another unnecessary beauty expense. There is no reason why your feet would need to be masked. To keep them soft and smooth, all you need to do is to remove dead skin cells by using a scrub and regularly applying any foot cream you can find in the drugstore. Other than that, buying foot masks, especially the expensive ones, is just a waste of money

4. Body-Firming Lotion
How many times have you heard of products promising you to get firmer skin and reduce the appearance of cellulite? The sad truth is, these products will not provide you that magical solution. Even if they contain ingredients that help hydrate the skin and improves its elasticity, they will only provide temporary and minimal results. Save your money from these items and enroll for a gym membership instead.

5. Pore-Shrinking Products
Many product brands and manufacturers honestly advertise what they can do for your face—that is to temporarily minimize the appearance of pores. However, there are also some that go overboard and claim to actually reduce the size of your pores. If you hear this, do not buy it! the size of the pores depends on the genes of an individual, and nothing can change that permanently. While retinoids and AHA are dermatologist-recommended products to unclog and thoroughly cleanse the pores, they cannot shrink them nor make your skin look like that of a newborn.

Are any of these products part of your everyday beauty regimen? If so, try to gauge whether the effects justify the amount of money you’ve spent to buy them. If it tells you otherwise, you might want to save your dollars and spend them on more effective beauty items instead.