Friendship

Value that is found in friendships is often the result of a friend demonstrating the following on a consistent basis:

• the tendency to desire what is best for the other
• sympathy and empathy

• honesty, perhaps in situations where it may be difficult for others to speak the truth , especially in terms of pointing out the perceived faults of one's counterpart
• mutual understanding

In a comparison of personal relationship, friendship is considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association can be thought of as spanning across the same continuum. The study of friendship is included in sociology, social psychology, anthropology,philosophy, and zoology. Various theories of friendship have been proposed, among which are social exchange theory, equity theory,relational dialectics, and attachment styles.

10 Secrets to Success

10 Secrets to Success are...

1. How You Think is Everything.

Always be positive. Think Success, not Failure. Beware of a negative environment.

This trait has to be one of the most important in the entire list. Your belief that you can accomplish your goals has to be unwavering. The moment you say to yourself “I can’t…”, then you won’t. I was always given the advice “never say I can’t” and I’d like to strike those words from the dictionary.

I’ve found that from time-to-time my attitude waivers. A mentor of mine once said “it’s ok to visit pity city, but you can’t stay and there comes a time when you need to leave”. Positive things happen to positive people.

2. Decide upon Your True Dreams and Goals: Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them.

Write down my dreams and goals? Develop a plan to reach them? You mean like a project plan? Yes, that’s exactly what this means. You may have heard the old adage: A New Years resolution that isn’t written down is just a dream, and dreams are not goals.

Goals are those concrete, measurable stepping stones of achievement that track your progress towards your dreams. My goal is to start a second career as a freelance writer – what are your goals?

3. Take Action. Goals are nothing without action.

Be like Nike and “Just do it”. I took action by reaching out and started writing. Every day I try to take some action towards my goals. It may be small, but it’s still an action. Have you taken action towards your goals?

4. Never Stop Learning: Go back to school or read books. Get training & acquire skills.

Becoming a life long learner would benefit us all and is something we should instill in our kids. It’s funny that once you’re out of school you realize how enjoyable learning can be. What have you learned today?

5. Be Persistent and Work Hard: Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up.

I think every story of success I read entails long hard hours of work. There is no getting around this and there is no free lunch. But, if you’re working towards something that you’re passionate about, something you love – then is it really work?

6. Learn to Analyze Details: Get all the facts, all the input. Learn from your mistakes.

I think you have to strike a balance between getting all the facts and making a decision with incomplete data – both are traits of successful people. Spend time gathering details, but don’t catch ‘analysis paralysis’.

7. Focus Your Time And Money: Don’t let other people or things distract you.

Remain laser focused on your goals and surround yourself with positive people that believe in you. Don’t be distracted by the naysayer’s or tasks that are not helping you achieve your goals.

8. Don’t Be Afraid To Innovate: Be different. Following the herd is a sure way to mediocrity.

Follow through on that break-out idea you have. Ask yourself “What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?”

9. Deal And Communicate With People Effectively: No person is an island. Learn to understand and motivate others.

Successful people develop and nurture a network and they only do that by treating people openly, fairly and many times firmly. There is nothing wrong about being firm – just don’t cross the a-hole line. How do you deal with people?

10. Be Honest And Dependable: Take responsibility, otherwise numbers 1 – 9 won’t matter.

Horoscopes and Astrology

my Horoscopes and Astrology today!
Thursday, April 15 2010

* You may be unable to get the support you require just now. A holding pattern until some more appropriate time in the future might be advisable. Someone may challenge you and you are not ready. Your current situation may demand some re-evaluation. You have a good attitude, however and may take the obstacles today as just another challenge to prove you know how to use your problem-solving abilities. Your keen intuition assists in negotiating and sales. Those who have resisted your ideas in the past will respond more favorably in the future. Family, home and relatives gain much of your attention this evening. You may be in the mood for deep and penetrating conversations or thoughts--a little poetry; music.

German chocolate cake

Ingredients

1 (4-oz.) package of Baker's Sweetened Chocolate

1/2 cup boiling water

1 cup butter or margarine

2 cups sugar

4 egg yolks

4 eggs whites

1 teaspoon Vanilla

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

German chocolate cake is a layered chocolate cake filled and topped with a coconut-pecan frosting.Sweet baking chocolate is traditionally used for the chocolate flavor in the actual cake, but few recipes call for it today. The filling and/or topping is a caramel made with egg yolks and evaporated milk; once the caramel is cooked, coconut and pecans are stirred in. Occasionally, a chocolate frosting is spread on the sides of the cake and piped around the circumference of the layers to hold in the filling. Maraschino cherries are an added touch.

Bread pudding

Bread pudding is a dessert popular in British cuisine, Puerto Rican cuisine, Mexican Cuisine,Argentina, Louisiana Creole and that of the Southern United States, as well as Belgian and French cuisine. The French refer to it by the English name "pudding" without the word "bread" and the Belgians call it Bodding or broodpudding, which literally translates as bread pudding. In Spanish it is also referred to as "Capirotada," "Migas" and "Pudín de Pan".It is made using stale (usually left-over) bread, suet, egg, sugar,or golden syrup, spices, and dried fruit.

The bread is soaked (often overnight), squeezed dry, and mixed with the other ingredients. The mixture is transferred into a dish and baked.

It may be served with a sweet sauce of some sort, such as whiskey sauce, rum sauce, or caramel sauce, but is typically sprinkled with sugar and eaten cold in squares or slices. In Malaysia, bread pudding is consumed with custard sauce. In Hong Kong, bread pudding is usually served with Vanilla Cream Dressing

Sugar paste

Sugar Paste icing is a very sweet edible sugar dough usually made from sugar and glucose. It is sometimes referred to as fondant or sugar gum or gum paste. It can be used to cover cake , mould features, create decorations for cakes and many other uses.

Sugar paste is sold in white and colours. The white version can be easily coloured with gel food colorings . Nearly every colour can be reached in this manner.

One of the biggest advantages of the commercial varieties is that they can usually be stored for long periods of time. Depending on how fresh the product is, it can be stored for up to a year. The disadvantages of the homemade version are that it doesn't store for as long as the commercial version and it is very difficult to make a pure white paste. In most cases one will be colouring the dough anyway so this shouldn't be a problem. The commercial version is also often easier to work with although the results achieved with the home made versions are quite adequate.

KAYAK!

A kayak is a small human-powered boat that traditionally has a covered deck, and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler who strokes a double-bladed paddle . The cockpit is covered by a spraydeck (skirt) that keeps the inside of the boat (and the paddler's lower body) dry. The spraydeck or similar waterproof covering attaches securely to the edges of the cocpit, preventing the entry of water from waves or spray, and making it possible, in some boats, to roll the kayak, capsizing and righting the boat without it filling with water or ejecting the passenger. Some modern kayaks eliminate cockpits, seating the paddler(s) on top of the boat or replace paddles with other propulsion methods.

The kayak was invented and first used by the native Ainu, Aleut and Eskimo hunters in sub-Arctic regions of northeastern Asia, North America and Greenland. In some parts of the world, such as the United Kingdom , kayaks are referred to as canoes and vice versa. Inuit/Eskimo Kayaks are a type of a generic class of boat of Canoe Shape. Continental European and British canoeing clubs and associations of the 19th Century used craft similar to kayaks, but referred to them as canoes. This explains the naming of the International and National Governing bodies of the sport of Canoeing.

CAKE MIX COOKIES

ingerdiant:

1 package of cake mix (any flavor)
1 large egg
1/4 cup of oil
1/4 cup of water
1 cup of chopped nuts, raisins, oatmeal, coconut, chocolate chips, M&M'S® etc. (anything you like in cookies)

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Method:

Combine cake mix, egg, oil, and water. Beat until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredient (s).

Drop by teaspoon about 1 inch apart onto greased cooke sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes or until done.

Makes about 4 dozen. Yummy!

ICE CREAM!!

Ice cream or ice-cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners. In some cases, artificial flavourings and colourings are used in addition to (or in replacement of) the natural ingredients. This mixture is stirred slowly while cooling to prevent large ice crystals from forming; the result is a smoothly textured ice cream.

The meaning of the term ice cream varies from one country to another. Terms like frozen custard, frozen yogurt,sorbet,gelato and others are used to distinguish different varieties and styles. In some countries, like the USA, the term ice cream applies only to a specific variety, and their governments regulate the commercial use of all these terms based on quantities of ingredients. In others, like Italy and Argentina, one word is used for all the variants. Alternatives made from soya milk, rice milk, and goat milk are available for those who are lactose intolerant or have an allergy to dairy protein, or in the case of soy and rice milk, for those who want to avoid animal products.