Top 10 Meeting Ice Breakers
Getting people comfortable in a group setting before a team meeting can be the best investment of ten to 15 minutes of time that you can make. Ice breakers get creative juices flowing, can increase the exchange of ideas, establish team identity, and create a sense of community. All of these items are important in forging top productive teams. But how do you get people to participate and not feel uncomfortable with an ice breaker?
For meetings in a business setting in which participants are professionals, ice breakers that require actions not normally associated with day-to-day behaviors in the office generally make people uncomfortable. Successful ice breakers for these type of groups generally consist of having attendees share memorable information with each other, create innovative ways to get people to introduce themselves to each other, or have group members collectively work on a problem where everyone has to contribute.
We’ve selected our top ten team meeting ice breakers that are sure to get your meeting participants relaxed and ready to focus on your agenda as well as to connect with others in the group.
1. Brainstorm!:Break the meeting into teams of four or five. Give each team a topic. Pick topics that are fun and simple like, “What would you take on a trip to the desert?” or “List things that are purple”. Give your teams two minutes, no more, and tell them “This is a contest and the team with the most items on their list wins.” Encourage the teams to write down as many things as they can and not to discuss anything, just list things as quickly as possible. At the end of two minutes, the team with the most items on their list wins! This helps people to share ideas without fearing what other people will think.
2. Same or Different:
Divide the meeting into teams of three or four and give each team a large sheet of paper and then give each person a different colored marker. Have each person draw a large oval such that each oval overlaps with the other ovals in the center of the piece of paper. Give the group or groups, a theme that pertains to your meeting objectives. Ask the participants to write down at least five or more entries in the non-overlapping and mutually overlapping areas of their ovals. Give them five minutes, no more than that, to talk about their similarities and differences and write them in their own ovals on the paper. If there is more than one group, compare results and identify common themes in both parts of the diagrams and what light these similarities and differences shed on the purpose of the meeting. This helps team members develop an understanding of shared objectives and in a non-confrontational way learn how their views differ from others in the group.
3. Fact or Fiction:
Have everyone write down three surprising things about themselves, two of which are true, and one of which is made up. Each person, in turn, reads their list and then the rest of the group votes on which “fact” they feel is the “false” one. If the group does not correctly pick a person’s made up “fact”, then that person wins. A group can have more than one winner. At the end, the whole group votes on which of the “winners” of the final round, had the most deceiving “fact”. This helps people get to know and remember their colleagues.
4. Free Association:
The object of this ice breaker is to have small groups generate as many words or phrases as they can that are related to a particular topic that focuses on the objective of your meeting. Give the group or groups a key word you want them to associate with and then give them two minutes to list, as quickly as possible, as many words or thoughts that pop into their heads. For example, if your company is trying to decide on whether to reduce travel and increase the use of teleconferencing, you might use the word “teleconferencing” and have people list as many words or phrases they can that they associate with the key word. For example they might say: “saves money”, “saves time”, “impersonal”, “need to see other people”, “get distracted”, “sound quality”…. This reveals what people are thinking, similarities in viewpoints, and possibly even problem areas or topics that need addressing or further discussion.
5. Nametags:
Prepare nametags for each person and put them in a box. As people walk into the room, each person picks a nametag (not their own). When everyone is present, participants are told to find the person whose nametag they drew and introduce and say a few interesting things about themselves. When everyone has their own nametag, each person in the group will introduce the person whose nametag they were initially given and mention something of interest about that person. This helps participants get to know and remember each other.
6. Desert Island:
Group people in teams of five or six and tell them they will be marooned on a desert island. Give them 30 seconds to list all the things they think they should take and each person has to contribute at least three items. At the end of 30 seconds, tell the teams they can only take three things. Have the person who suggested each item on the list tell why they suggested it and defend why their item should be one of the chosen three. This helps the team learn about how each of them thinks, get to know each other’s values, and how they solve problems.
7. Commonality Plus:
Group your meeting participants at tables. At each table ask the group to list ten ways that everyone in that group is similar. Let them know that they cannot list body parts or clothing and that what they select cannot have anything to do with work. One person at the table should be tasked to make their list. At the end of your time limit have the group share their list with all meeting members. This is a great opportunity for your meeting attendees to learn about each other’s hobbies, families, and common interests.
8. Line Up:
As people enter your meeting hand each one a piece of paper with a different number written on it. Ask the group to arrange themselves in numeric order without using their voices, hands, or showing their number. This helps the team to think of other ways to communicate with each other and to work together to achieve a common goal.
9. Meet and Greet Shoe Pile:
This works great in large groups and is a variation of the name tag ice breaker. Have everyone take off one of their shoes and throw it into a pile. Have each group member pick up a shoe and walk around the meeting room greeting other people as they try to match their selected shoe to the one another team member is wearing. This is a great way for new people to meet several members in a group.
10. First or Worst:
Have each member tell the group their first or worst job in turn. This easy to use ice breaker works great with teleconferences too and allows team members to spark conversation with each other and to have some fun commenting on the jobs that they have each done. Many of our top ten ice breakers can be used for on-site meetings and teleconferences alike. The nature of ice breakers is to get the group to talk, to share, and to get to know each other in a casual exchange. The best and most successful teams start with a little bit of fun; learning how to value what each member brings into the group. Ice breakers can help facilitate this exchange of information and comfort in doing so at the very start of the team forging process.
Cebu City, Philippines – The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
A tourist visiting Cebu City for the first time may well be turned off by some of the city sites. The city has several world class resorts, hotels, beaches and dive sites. It also has some areas of the world’s most devastating poverty. Cebu City is the capital city of the Cebu Province and it is the second largest city in the Philippines following Manila. I always feel at home in the city and lived in the city before building my home in the rural Cebu Province of Camotes Islands. Cebu City is a mix of the old and new, rich and poor, good and bad and pretty and ugly. There is also the mix of clean and really dirty or filthy. The rule for anyone going to Cebu for the first time is to not make a snap judgment.
My first trip to Cebu City was in February 2004. I went to the Philippines to meet a girl (Judith) now my wife. I flew into the Cebu-Mactan Airport and was met by Judith and one of here sisters. My flight started in Florida and the last leg of the flight was from Hong Kong. The Cebu International airport is just a little outdated, but very functional. Once outside of the airport doors I saw waves of people waiting to meet people coming off of the flight from Hong Kong. The airport was not all that busy when I arrived and I think my plane was the only arriving flight at the time. As people from my flight walk outside of the airport door they were bombarded with shuttle, taxi and V-hire greeters, all trying to get a fare. I met Judith just outside the airport doors. She, her sister and I all jumped into an old Kia Taxi and we were off to my hotel.
The taxi was old and not very well maintained. The Air conditioner didn’t work and the window wouldn’t go down. Of course that didn’t matter as I couldn’t close the door because the door latch was broken. So, I got lots of air. The hotel was about a 30 minute drive from the airport. As we traveled the city streets I saw crowded sidewalks made even more crowded by the many sidewalk vendors and street vendors. Some of the roads we traveled were moderately maintained while others were in very poor condition. The roads were crowded with many types of cars, but mostly Kia’s and Hyundais. There were also a lot of Jeepneys, a Philippine traditional method of travel. A jeepney looks like a stretched army jeep with a hardtop and a large cargo area used for two benches for passenger seating. Jeepneys are normally painted with several different colors and lots of chrome. Many of the jeepneys are poorly maintained and most have bald tires and the braking systems may be questionable. Also, there were lots of small motorcycles.
After traveling just a few minutes I decided that the most dangerous vehicle in Cebu was the Jeepney, the Taxi and finally the motorcycle. The jeepney drivers tend to rule the road and stop on either side of the road to pick up or drop off passengers. I saw many jeepneys cut both lanes of traffic off just to drop off people and then saw others swerve quickly to the side of the road cutting off traffic so the driver could jump out of the jeepney to urinate along the side of the road. Taxis are no better, but pose a slightly smaller threat because the vehicles are smaller than a jeepney Motorcycles seem to be a danger only to the motorcycle driver and passengers and anyone walking along side the road or on the sidewalk. Motorcycles make their own traffic lanes on whatever little shoulder the road may have to offer or sometimes drive on the painted divider line as a narrow roadway to make an extra traffic lane for themselves. At other times I saw motorcycles throttle down sidewalks weaving around pedestrians. Yet, the pedestrians seemed little concerned of the carelessness and just continued on their way.
As we continued on our way to the hotel we drove through many different areas of the city. Some areas were very old and the buildings looked as though they were ready for demolition years ago. Many buildings and store fronts are concrete with plywood or corrugated steel sheets added to broken windows and steel bars cover the window or plywood. I can’t imagine what would be worth the cost of the steel bars as the buildings were so poor. I was sure the contents within were no better. I noticed several small store fronts with one big open widow covered with chicken wire. These little stores are about the size of a small closet and there are dozen of these little stores on every street. They are called sari-sari stores and sell just a very few items such as canned fish, rice, snacks, cigarettes and so on. Most of these little stores are attached to the front of private houses and are crudely constructed of unpainted plywood and tin roofs. Most of the Sari-sari stores block the sidewalk, forcing people to walk on the road to get around the protruding plywood box. Other Sari-sari stores have a small table or tables along the narrow sidewalks for their rum buying customers and a karaoke machine assist in blocking the sidewalks.
In many of the old areas the sidewalks are filled with vendor’s shacks, tents or some other type of hurried shelter to sell goods. The sidewalks belong to the vendors and the pedestrian is left to find his own way around the ugly obstructions. These small vendor shacks on the sidewalks block the store buildings behind and I still wonder why the store owners allow the vendors to block their stores. The old neighborhood streets and sidewalks in most areas are filthy. Trash is all over the streets, chickens are tied to utility poles or street signs as well as dogs. Many of the old homes along the city’s commercial streets may or may not have running water and a sewer system. Many people use the streets and sidewalks as their bathroom and even bath on the sidewalks. The infrastructure of the old neighborhoods is almost non-existent. There is poor drainage, poor sewer systems, and electric lines hang low to the ground with hundreds of wires attached carelessly to a single wimpy pole. I often wonder how trucks make it under these wires without hitting the wire. In many cases the bigger trucks do indeed hit the wires and knock out power to large section of the city.
The one thing that stood out for me as we past by all these areas in the taxi was the people all seemed happy. Despite, what I saw as great poverty and terrible living conditions, these people, or least many people were happy. Although, most of the people I saw were rushing down the sidewalks going about their daily routine. I thought these people are doing the same thing as other people do in any major city around the world. Yet, my first visit in Cebu City opened my eyes to the fact that at the very least, the city was poverty stricken or had a large population that lived in poverty.
After about 30 minutes riding in the taxi we came into a much nicer area of the city and there like an oasis in the middle of all the poverty was this beautiful Hotel and a large modern shopping mall next to it, as well as several large modern well maintain high rise buildings. The scene was a stark difference to the old areas of the city. This area could be found in any modern US city and looked very much like a commercial area of a US city. The area is called the Ayala Business Park and the Ayala Mall. This is modern Cebu City and it is everything you would find in any modern city.
Once at the Hotel, the Marriott, I checked into a very nice room and we all went to the dinning room for a pleasant lunch. Soon after that it was just Judith and I as her sister went home. Judith then took me across the park to the Ayala Mall, just a five minute walk and once inside the mall I was amazed. The stores were the same as in the US, Ace Hardware, Levi, MacDonald’s and so on. Plus, several Philippine Department stores and many different types of restaurants and coffee shops. All the store clerks and sale people spoke English and most all the Filipinos walking through the stores were speaking English. Others used a mix of English and their native Cebuano. All the store signs are written in English and the restaurant menus are written in English. In many ways I felt as if I just traveled 20 plus hours from Florida to be in a US city.
Although there were many other foreigners in the mall many Filipinos walking by asked where I was from and in general everyone was very friendly to me. While at the mall I bought a few souvenir type things to take home and Judith and I just did a lot of window shopping. I was happy to see the prices of most things in the stores were very cheap compared to the US. At that time one US dollar bought 56.00 pesos. Today it’s one dollar to about 44.00 Pesos. Still a good deal, but today I’m careful in my spending. By the middle of the afternoon I was ready for some sleep after my long flight to Cebu. Judith went home and I retired to my hotel room.
The next morning Judith was at the hotel bright and early and we had breakfast at the hotel and then off to see the city and some of the beach resorts. Cebu has wonderful and beautiful resorts and all very affordable. The resorts are all well maintained and modern. The biggest population of customers at the resorts are foreigners and the staff Filipino. I quickly change my opinion of the city from a poverty stricken third world to a modern commercial and tourist city with a few old areas that needed a lot of help.
During my trip to Cebu we went into the old area of Colon. Colon is the oldest street in the country and has several landmarks. However, Colon is a dirty area of very old and poorly maintained buildings. Prostitution is a major problem in the Colon area as is street crime. There are some wonderful markets and great bargains to be found in Colon, but not an area for the new tourist to wander alone. Hotels can be had for a really cheap price in Colon. Some just $20.00 a night, but these hotels cater to those picking up street girls and both the girls and the rooms are really dirty. Last year Judith and I stayed at two different Colon Hotels. We went into the city for our monthly shopping trip from Camotes Islands. We decided to try the hotels as they are cheap and close to many of the outside markets. I would never stay at either of these hotels again. The best words to describe them is old, filthy, rat infested and full of prostitutes. Both of these hotels seem to cater to single foreign men and any girls the men may find at the Colon bars or on the streets. The area has several little Bikini type bars with Bar Girls (Prostitutes) also called GRO’s. Unless you are looking for a prostitute there is little reason to go to Colon after dark and even then one needs to be very careful. This is not intended to say that all of Colon is bad. There are some nice stores and restaurants in Colon. I enjoy shopping in the Colon area, but one needs to use caution in Colon.
During my first visit I saw most all the areas of Cebu City and felt safe at all times. Of course we didn’t go into the old parts of the city after dark. Rather we were at the resorts or around Ayala Park and these are all very safe and enjoyable areas.I would recommend Cebu City to anyone that wants to go to a great resort and spend time on a beautiful beach, go diving, take a boat tour of the outer islands and not spend a lot of money. There is just so much to do in Cebu City and so many great things to see. Staying at any of the resorts is very affordable just about $60.00 per night and some as high as $250.00. Dinner at restaurants is also very cheap. Meals at nice restaurants can cost just $10.00 to $20.00 for two people, I had a wonderful time during my first visit. However, I had Judith as my tour guide and as my girlfriend. I’m not sure I would have liked Cebu City as much as I did if Judith wasn’t with me during the first trip.
Soon after my first visit to Cebu City I moved from Florida to Cebu City in 2004. By this time Judith and I were engaged to marry and I wanted to live in Camotes Islands. However, we decided to live in the city while looking for land to build a house in Camotes. Camotes Islands are a rural province of Cebu and just two hours from the city by boat. We rented a brand new two bedroom house in the Lahug area of Cebu City. The monthly rent was just $125.00 plus our TV cable for about $15.00 a month. The house was located on a hillside overlooking the city and close to everything we needed. Lahug is a very nice area and now there are many new housing sub-divisions built in the area. Our monthly budget while living in Lahug was approximately $700.00 and that included the rent, utilities, food, taxi cabs and even lots of dinners at restaurants and entertainment. I assume if we still lived in Lahug the budget would be just a few more dollars a month.
Within just a couple of weeks after moving into the Lahug house I felt as if Cebu was my city and I really enjoyed the city life. The city has many things to offer the foreigner and the city is always trying to attract more foreign retirees. It truly is a foreign (expat) friendly city. The largest group of foreigners in Cebu is Korean then Americans, Australians, British and Japanese. There are no racial tensions or problems in the city that I am aware of and the city is very safe. However, like any major world city there is crime, but using common safeguards and precautions one can have a happy life in Cebu City. Driving in the city is something I have never attempted and I don’t think I ever will drive in the city. The taxi cabs can get you almost anywhere in the city for $1.00 to $2.00 and that’s fine for me.
Shopping in the city is great and there are products from all over the world in Filipino stores. Many food stores stock western brands so you will never get homesick for your favorite foods from home. The outside markets, located all over the city offer great bargains and it’s always fun to negotiate prices with the vendors. Cable TV is available in the city and it offers many American shows and news programs. You can go to the movie cinemas and see a new release movie for about $1.00 and the popcorn is just a few pennies. The city has grown since I moved to the Philippines. There are many new gated housing Sub-Divisions that cater to foreign buyers, new high rise condo buildings and the resorts all continue to attract foreigners. The two major malls in the city, Ayala and SM are both expanding. Many of the roads have been upgraded as well as the infrastructure in many areas. The city is a major draw for tourism and is always attempting to bring in more tourist and more foreign retirees.
Any expat on a monthly pension of about $1,000.00 can live like a king in Cebu City. You can live on less than $1,000.00 but I think $1,000.00 is the right figure if you include saving a little each month for emergencies, trips back home and medical needs. The city has very good hospitals and medical cost are much less in the Philippines. Good dental care at very reasonable rates is also available in the Philippines. Many people go to Cebu for medical or dental vacations. Just remember, if you think you want to move to Cebu City do your homework. Do you want to live in a new country? do you want to be separated from your family and grandchildren?, if you are married how does your wife feel about living in Cebu? If you have young children do you want them to live in a new country and what about their education? Do you have the patience and understanding to learn and live in a new culture? Do you have the money to live a good life in Cebu without the need to find work? Do you have enough money to cover any type of emergency that may require five to ten thousand dollars? Finally, what is your reason for wanting to live in a new country? If you can be honest with yourself and have a positive answer for the above questions, then maybe Cebu City is for you?
Remember too, The Philippine economy is struggling. Filipinos with four and six year college degrees are driving taxi cabs or working as store clerks. Unemployment in the country is through the roof. Poverty is a major issue in the country. For all the beauty of the Philippines Poverty continues to destroy many Filipinos and their futures and creates an ugly face to an otherwise beautiful country. Just this week on November 8, 2007 an 11 year old girl in Manila living with her mother, father and little brother in a shanty town hung herself. The reason left in a note from the little girl was because of the poverty she and her family lived. The father not able to find work for months and the mother working for just $1.00 a day. The little girl had just the night before asked her father for P200.00 for a school project. The father did not have the money, just under $4.00. All the girl wanted was to finish school and buy a new bike. A simple dream complicated by severe poverty in a country struggling to overcome political corruption and theft. Please remember, what you may spend in just one day in the Philippines is what a Filipino may have to live on for a month. Poverty does indeed take lives.
I truly love my lifestyle in the Philippines, but it took some time, patience, understanding and a few sacrifices to live in the Philippines. I made several mistakes before coming here and a few since living here. I didn’t have enough money when I came here in 2004. I’ve made a few trips back to Florida to do some contract work and then returned to my beloved Camotes Islands. I’m currently away from home on a teaching contract. However, for me, it’s worth the price to have just a few months a year in my paradise called Camotes Islands, Cebu, Philippines. I think anyone looking for a great vacation will enjoy Cebu City. Those looking to retire on a modest pension can live well here, but just be sure living in a new country is right for you. Before making a decision to move here it’s wise to come on a vacation first and see the city for yourself. Then you can decide if this is the life you want. Once again, for me this is paradise.
Nelson Mandela
The location of the Pretoria Hilton is unique. On one side you have the interminable plains of the southern Savannah, on the other the majestic range of the Transvaal and all around it, the luscious valley irrigated by the Olifants and the Krosolbal rivers. The hotel is indeed one of the finest in South Africa.The exquisite furnishings and appointments are matched by an excellent cuisine and impeccable service. Herr Aleck Van Michelsen runs a tight ship.
There was a knock at the door of my suite on the 25th floor. Without waiting for me to invite whoever was at the door to come in, the door opened and in walked someone I did not expect to see:
“Jesus, Mandela” I exclaimed.
“No, no, Nelson. Nelson Mandela” he replied and laughed.
It had been a few years since Mandela and I had shared a cell in a place that, I was sure, we were both trying to forget. I got up and we embraced, while his Biri Biri body guards stood outside by the door.
“What happened to your beard” he asked while he looked at me with affection. I returned the look and asked:
“What happened to your black curls? You are as gray haired as Richard Gere!”
He proceeded to tell me about his problems with the various coalitions, the new labor laws and the pressures from the white separatists. But he referred to them in a very objective way but not devoid of passion. At the end he said:
“I heard you were in Pretoria and I knew I would have to come and see you in spite of the crazy schedule my people keep me under. I want you to come with me for lunch at the Pretoria Lawn Tennis and Country Club. You know, that club used to be a milk white facility. He sort of rubbed that one in. He knew I had been a member. What he did not know was that at the time I was madly in love with two of the member’s wives, and the club with its manicured forests, gentle hills and its discreet and inviting guest suites was a perfect place for illicit love affairs.
“I’ll be delighted.” I replied while I pulled out the miniature Phillips recorder from my attaché case and set it on the coffee table. He looked at it and with some resignation and observed:
“I see you still pushing a pencil. What happened to book number 6?”
He was referring to the book I worked on when I was in jail.
“Book number 6 came and went. You remember it was all about the situation in South Africa in the seventies. A French publisher picked it up and it did well, judging by the checks I get once in a while. But, I am not going to ask what you been up to. You Nobel prize winners are all the same. You run up to Stockholm, fill up with smorsgarbord and acquavit, get your medal pinned on your new suit, verify the numbers on the check and hightail it to warmer climates. “
He laughed and produced some Callard and Bowser Mint toffees from his pocket. I took a couple and we toasted each other as we removed the familiar green wrapper. It had been a ritual in jail.
“You got to keep things in perspective” he observed in a sober tone.
“It took the human race several million years to learn how to walk on two feet. And it has taken less than twenty years to recognize the rights that some people have in their own land. We are happy about our accomplishments in South Africa “
I added: ” Nelson, it is only the beginning. We all have much to learn still. Especially about tolerance. Incidentally, where did you get the mint toffees? I can’t seem to find them anywhere in Pretoria”
“Our Ambassador in London sends them by diplomatic pouch. I call it getting even for all those years without them! Now, let us go to the Club”
We took the elevator down to the lobby. His bodyguards led us to the front door of the hotel.
“Gee, this is a nice bus” I said. It was a 450 hp Mercedez Benz equipped in Italy with air conditioning, bar, lavatories and reclining seats.
“Where do I sit” I asked Mandela.
He turned to one of his lieutenants and listened for an instant. Then he turned to me and said:
“This time you sit in the back of the bus!”
10 Best Fiji Resorts
Characterized by swaying palm trees, white sandy beaches and bright blue waters, the Fiji Islands offer some of the most relaxing, extravagant accommodations in the world. However, if you’re one of the lucky to indulge in a truly divine Asia Pacific travel holiday, you only want the best. Below, we’ve outlined the top ten resorts the islands have to offer.
1) Navini Island Resort – This small, private island resort offers guests a true Fiji experience. Because there are no day trippers allowed on the island, the beach is virtually crowd free, allowing the few guests to enjoy a quiet, non-touristy atmosphere. For those who enjoy snorkeling, the island is surrounded by a popular coral reef filled with vibrant sea life.
2) Likuliku Lagoon Resort- To truly enjoy Fiji travel you need to stay at a resort where the island‘s culture and architecture really shine through. At Likuliku Lagoon Resort you’ll traditional, Fiji-village inspired accommodations and activities.
3) Vomo Island Resort - Made up of extravagant villas, this island resort is a favorite amongst celebrities and is known for providing a relaxing and rejuvenating atmosphere. Those who desire a spa-like Fiji travel experience should stay at this resort.
4) Matamanoa Island Resort – This intimate boutique Fiji island resort does not permit children under the age of 12, making it the perfect escape for adults. Guests of this resort need not worry about activities, as the resort offers an abundance of things to do, see, eat and drink.
5) Malolo Island Resort – This relaxing resort offers Fiji travel at its best. Known for it’s friendly, local staff, the resort offers plantation style duplex accommodations with 49 different rooms, though you’re more likely to nap in a hammock between palm trees then in your bed!
6) Lomani Resort – The perfect setting for an Asia Pacific travel romantic getaway, this opulent resort is filled with coconut palm trees and is host to only 12 rooms, so you’re sure to enjoy a private vacation.
7) Fiji Beach Resort & Spa – One of the island‘s larger resorts, the Fiji Beach Resort & Spa offers golf, fine dining, a spa and various activities. Ideal for family vacations or a couple’s getaway, the resort encompasses everything about Fiji travel.
Castaway Island – This resort is known as one of Fiji’s most popular and provides visitors with a naturalistic atmosphere complete with palm trees, lush vegetation, coral reefs and vibrant flowers.
9) Beachcomber Island - Ideal for younger crowds, this Fiji travel resort is known as the “party island” and offers non-stop nightlife, hours of fun in the sun and great cruises throughout the day.
10) Treasure Island Resort - Modern amenities and old-world charm combine at this island resort, which encompasses everything traditional about Asia Pacific travel. Taking up the entire island, the resort offers pools, beaches, fine dining and great sea activities.
Hawaiian Decorating – Make Your Home An Island Retreat
Tropical beaches, clear blue ocean, sunny sand filled beaches, palm trees, these are all things that typically come to mind when someone says Hawaiian. If you would like to create a Hawaiian style in your home, you want to think breezy and open. This would be the typical feel to a home or room in Hawaii.
To begin with, it you’re painting the walls, you will want a white or other bright and open color. The earthy tones that you might find elsewhere will not be found here. For Hawaii, we want to think of openness and white walls will help create that feel. If they are painted a color at all, make sure that color is bright without reaching into the neon categories. A soft, bright yellow or green may also create the open feel you’re trying to achieve. Doorways and moldings should be a rich brown such as an oak or cherry. These will contrast nicely with the painted walls while keeping the open feeling in the room.
Decorative touches should include some sort of large green plant. If you can do a palm inside this would be perfect. Another nicely large and green plant would be the elephant plant. This has large broad leaves and can grow several feet tall. This will further add to the tropical feel that you’ve already created through the use of paint on the walls. Other accessories may include shells that could have easily come from the beach, light, airy curtains that can sway in a breeze with an open window, and pineapple shaped glasses in the kitchen or other pineapple shaped kitchen appliances or utensils.
This style of home should be furnished with a heavy use of bamboo, wicker, and/or rattan. The use of this type of furniture will encourage the light, airy feel you’re trying to achieve. This tropical atmosphere will be completed with the use of this type of furniture. The furniture can be painted white or it can be in its natural state of wood. Either way, this addition will help to complete the Hawaiian look.
Fans and in the ceiling whose blades are shaped like palms are a nice touch when creating the Hawaiian feel. You can find them in stores like Home Depot, Lowes, or any retail hardware store that carries ceiling fans. These fans can be used indoors in a kitchen or dining room as well as outside under a canopy. This type of fan would make a great finishing touch.
The Hawaiian feel is one of relaxation and enjoyment. In order to create this feel in your home short of moving to Hawaii, use the above tips. You’ll feel like you’re on the beaches soaking up the sun in no time.
The Favorite Small Boutique Hotels In Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Which Small Boutique Hotel is your favorite in Playa del Carmen, Mexico?
For a relaxing, quaint, or even romantic beach vacation, try one of the Small Boutique Hotels in Playa del Carmen listed below. Each hotel is unique in its own way, but all of them do have one thing in common… they are geared to those who seek rest and relaxation.
If you would like to get away from the stress of the city, one of these hotels would be your very best bet for accommodations for a wonderful and relaxing beach vacation. Even though these hotels are small and quaint, they are still very conveniently located in the heart of Playa del Carmen….on or around Fifth Avenida! Location, location, location!
Playa del Carmen, Mexico offers vacationers a wide variety of activities for the whole family! From the ocean and beach, snorkeling and diving, deep sea fishing, the Mayan ruins, to shopping on Fifth Avenida.
Plan your next vacation on the Mayan Riviera. Start with a Small Boutique Hotel in Playa del Carmen…
For more information regarding Favorite Small Boutique Hotels in Playa del Carmen, go to Mayan Riviera Family Vacations.com
Acanto Hotel – Creates a Unique, Blissful Elegance and Ambiance. Feel the Energy of the Mayan Riviera! Acanto Hotel & Suites offers concierge service, 24 hour security, private chef, swimming pool, luxurious gardens, roof-top sun deck with barbecue facilities, and a spectacular sunrise-sunset vista of the Caribbean. Those who are looking for quality, privacy and style – from singles to newlyweds, family reunions to business getaways and even celebrities – have enjoyed a safe, exotic, environmentally friendly, refined haven with them. They have 7 very private and charming suites. Whether you choose a private suite at Acanto Hotel & Suites or a room at one of their other properties in town, they offer a full complement of guest services, including internet access, secretarial services, daily maid attention, linen service and currency exchange.
Blue Parrot Hotels – Synonymous with the Playa del Carmen Beach Experience for hundreds of thousands of guests from around the world! Today, Blue Parrot is the gateway to the best of Playa del Carmen. The three boutique hotel properties, two restaurants and world class clubing has been lovingly designed with its own unique flavor–enabling them to offer a flexible range of options to fit your personal style and budget. American-owned and operated, the Blue Parrot is staffed with a highly experienced international team committed to making your stay pleasant, carefree and memorable. Join them once and you’ll understand why the Blue Parrot has been a favorite choice for discriminating visitors to Playa del Carmen for 23 years.
Blue Pearl Suites – Enter a Relaxed and Authentique Atmosphere. Each Suite is Unique and will Delight you with its Personality and Intimate Ambiance…. In the heart of “Playa”, a few steps from the beach, the Blue Pearl Suites are the key to your dreamed vacations. Follow your senses…Enter a relaxed and authentique atmosphere. Find yourself on endless beaches and turquoise seas…or rest in your private jacuzzi, indulging the view. Free yourself from the stress of big hotels, enjoy the food you like sharing wonderful moments with the ones you love. Here’s a brief account of what they have for you in these 8 suites with private jacuzzis…Each suite is unique and will delight you with its personality and intimate ambiance, as it becomes the starting point to many expeditions throughout the Mayan Riviera.
Playa Maya Hotel – “Of the beach hotels in downtown Playa, this one would be my first choice”. “One thing that really strikes my fancy is that you enter this hotel from the beach…it just sets the mood of the place”. “The design and location make it a quiet hotel, too”. Frommer’s Review. Playa Maya, a cozy hotel that first opened its doors in the summer of 2002, is located right on the beach in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, the capital of the Mayan Riviera. A tranquil site located quite close to 5th Avenue, the heart of activity in Playa, they offer you a perfect base from which to explore all the wonders of the Mexican Caribbean, including the wealth of scuba diving, snorkeling and deep sea fishing activities on offer, the archaeological ruins of the ancient Maya at Tulum, Cobá and Chichén Itzá, eco-parks such as Xcaret and Xel-Há, and the attractions and facilities of Cancun and the island of Cozumel, less than an hour away by car and by ferry, respectively.
Hotel Posada Mariposa – Here Life Slows to a Peace as Gentle as the Caribbean Breeze… Hotel Mariposa is a little cozy hotel in Playa del Carmen, where you can find the vacation you are looking for. It is located on the famous 5th avenue only a few steps from the beach. It is building in three levels with 23 comfortable rooms. Here, life slows to a peace as gentle as the Caribbean breeze. Delight the turquoise waters and unique charms of a once sleepy fishing village that has become a favorite destination of visitors from all over the world. Welcome to enjoy their little town, Playa del Carmen is the perfect place to set up your trip to Mexico.
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Mayan Riviera Family Vacations.com
10 Tips For Tourist On How To Stay Safe In Rome, Italy!
Your safety is the thing of primary importance, when you travel out to top travel destinations, where you are often vulnerable to misadventures. Rome is one of the most romantic, fantastic, and highly exotic destinations of the world. Thus, you must take care of a few things to keep yourself safe from misadventures. Here are 10 tips for traveling safe in Rome, Italy!
Generally, Rome is a secure place, but as in any big city, it’s safer if you don’t look like a visitor: don’t expose your dear cameras, camcorders, gadgets, laptops and their brands to all. Your expensive cameras dangling round your necks/shoulders or lying in vehicles or hotel rooms are often lures to thieves. If you often travel out carrying these expensive things, you should consider using camera/laptop security bags.
Termini, the main railway station, Esquilino, and bus line 64 (Termini to San Pietro) are not safe places, so extra care is needed in these areas. Gangs of thieves and pickpockets are pretty active in these areas. The best way to avoid pickpocketing is to wear a money belt. If you fall prey to any of such gangs, don’t fight these, as often these people have weapons with them. Shout for help, but do not try to go after your assaulter.
Stay safe from after dark scams. One of the most common tricks that you may come across during nights, when people are getting out the bars/clubs is that somebody will come up to you asking for a cigarette, then he/she will start doing some sort of a funny dance. Just then a person will come about from behind and run off with your purse, or wallet.
Beware of con-men who may approach you at visitor sights like Circus Maximus or the Colosseum for example, a car may stop beside you, and the person asks you for ways to the Vatican. He will start talking to you as he sits in his car, and tells you that he’s from some company and then, he will tell you he likes you, or he would like to give you a gift. As you get into his car to take the gift hamper, he will ask you for some money for petrol or gas. When you say no, he starts shouting and demands money from you; any money, any currency! So, don’t fall prey to such confidence-tricks – especially when something sounds too good to be true.
Rome is a busy place, and has more traffic all the time. So you must know the traffic rules and signals of Rome, especially when you are driving your own vehicle. Be cautious at night, especially on public transport and in busy areas, and avoid being on your own or walking in quiet places.
Avoid drinking too much. You are far more vulnerable and less capable of protecting yourself, under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Hitch-hiking may be normal in Rome, but it is awfully inadvisable. Going in a car with a drunk driver is too risky. Never hang-up on your own and debar making long journeys or entering somebody’s home you don’t know by yourself.
Do not take more money than you ought to. Don’t carry all the money in one place: spread it about your person (in a money-belt, in your bag, or any where else you thing it safe), so that if anything lost, you have adequate money to get home. You don’t always require taking all your debit/credit cards out. Leave some somewhere secure in order that if your wallet is stolen you still have access to funds.
It is better to stay at safe costlier hotel than cheap charming little out of the way hotel. You must choose the hotel room offering maximum safety and security to you & your belongings. The rooms between the 4 and 6th floors are often better for security point of view. Avoid taking ground floor rooms that have doors and windows opening to the outside. The hotels with interior hallways tend to be generally safer. For security in motels, avoid ground floor rooms off the parking lots.
Lock your hotel room well when your go out for sightseeing, or out to enjoy bars or swimming pools, and even when you go to sleep, or to hotel washrooms. The theft of items from hotel rooms is serious problem at the popular hotels of the popular tourist destinations, like Rome.
Last but not least, do buy travel insurance, travel health insurance or travel medical insurance. You travel insurance offers you a great insurance protection cover in the foreign countries. You must buy your travel insurance from reliable and reputed travel insurance companies.
How To Make A Profit In Business
We all going into business to make money and keep what we make. How do we go from making money to making a profit? How do we stay competitive, increase our cash flow and become better at what we do? Here are some ideas for making a profit in your business venture.
1) Be great at what you do, by becoming the best in your business
As an entrepreneur the more you know the better. What you know can help you make a profit. You have to have book sense, business sense and common sense working together to make and keep your profits in business. Book sense incorporates knowing everything there is to know about what you are selling, whether it is a product like web site design, food or gifts, or a service like hair styling, investing or moving company. The more you know about the service or product the more comfortable your investors will feel about giving you money. Your customers will trust and have confidence in you and prefer your service over another.
Business sense will keep you in business and protect you from getting ripped off. It requires you to know the true cost of your supplies, so that you do not pay more than you have to. This is about you knowing where shop, what licenses you need so that you are legal and how to do things the right way. Common sense- you may be in situations where you are the youngest person in the room and may feel intimated, do not let your fear or intimidation stop you. If your common sense is telling you something is not right, it probably is not right and you need to trust what you know and make a decision to wait before making a move.
Business education no longer requires costly, lengthy college courses. Many entrepreneurs who have been successful in their fields are writing books on how to start similar businesses. They are great sources of information. You can obtain information and training from a variety of sources such as: experts in the field, competitors, entrepreneurs training centers, seminars, conferences, and books. With the increase in entrepreneurship ventures access to training is readily available and affordable
2) Know who your customers are and fight to keep them
Why so many businesses fighting for the attention and patronage of your customer? Take the time to investigate your potential and current customers. Once you think you have found them, test the market and see if they buy the product. If they are not buying your product or making a sale is extremely difficult you wan to re-evaluate and go back to the drawing board and investigate some more. This will help you determine if your target is off or your strategy of reaching them is off. If you want to sell to the affluent your style, appearance, use of language will be much different from selling to middle class families. You must in these cases be able to relate to them and meet their concerns. Can a person on a shoestring budget reach the affluent and wealthy? Yes, if they are capable of finding a common ground in which they can use to build a relationship from and are able to meet the unique needs of that segment of the market. You can sell the same medicine to the wealthy and middle class, but your packaging and presentation will be entirely different.
Some businesses think that once they have their customers, the work is done. Not so, this is just the beginning. You will find that some other entrepreneur is coming up right behind and is hungrier than you are, and ready to offer more for less. Your customers are never safe, which means you want to build and keep the relationships current and purposeful. This may mean sending your customers updates about how your company is doing, new product or service offerings. If there is nothing new going on in your business (which should not be) then you can send birthday cards and other items to let the customer know that you are thinking of them. Profitable businesses specialize in personalization.
3) Have a constant stream or method for recruiting new customers
Have you ever seen a brook or river run dry? It is a sad sight, no longer is that brook good for giving water, oxygen or even a pleasing sight to on lookers. It becomes a hole in the ground collecting dirt and debris. Your business should never face the same fate, to avoid this you must keep the source full. Your source is the how you get new customers. As entrepreneurs we are so busy maintaining the business and running straight ahead that we do not focus the priorities. Never take your eyes off where your customers are coming from. Nurture and maintain your source for recruiting new customers. For example if your source is the relationships with vendors, stores, or magazines then maintain those relationships buy paying on time, responding to emergencies and meeting needs. If your source is referrals, then reward those who are referring customers to you.
4) Manage your income streams so that they do not run out
Profitable businesses make sure that what they are putting out financially is being replenished by what is being brought in. Keep the rule of earning at least five dollars before you spend one. Two dollars are for paying expenses, one for replenishing supplies, one for advertising and the other for maintaining the payroll or the entrepreneur. There are so many needs for a small business and new business, from supplies to inventory. The needs seem to outweigh the provisions at times, yet we still need to be able to operate and function without breaking the bank. This is when you want to create your wish list, and your shopping list. As an entrepreneur we can live in the office supply stores and be roped in by vendors into buying equipment that takes classes and several months to master. To get overhead low you must manage you income streams making a budget for all your expense and needs. This can be achieved by dividing the money coming into your business to make it pay for the preset priorities. Determine your bills, expenses and business equipment or operations needs. Give a date to purchase each items by and do not buy anything until you have collected the necessary money for it. If you are going to lease equipment have a stream of income that will support this new expense so that your payments are on time and your credit is being built up. To often home businesses and store fronts are both guilt of spending what they have not made and drying up the income streams. Anything not being replenished at the same rate it is being used is in danger of drying up quickly.
5) Charge what the service is worth
It is important to the profitability of your business that you charge what your service or product is worth. Then it will take a shorter time to see profits. If you undercharge then making a profit takes a lot longer and much more effort. Price right the first time so that you are meeting your expenses and have money for savings or reinvesting. Charging the right price will set your business in motion and head on the right path.
Antigua Weather – Best and Worst Months to Go
Antigua has 365 beaches — one for every day of the year — and plenty of good weather to go with each one. But the island has its share of bad weather months, too.
Besides the beaches, Antigua and its companion island of Barbuda are known for good shopping, historical sites and plenty of hotels, resorts and restaurants.
The island has little variation in temperatures throughout the year, but strong peaks and valleys with rain.
Tourists will experience an average high monthly temperature of 85 degrees Fahrenheit, the World Weather Organization says. The average monthly low temperature is 75 degrees.
Antigua weather in June through October reaches average high temperatures of about 87 degrees Fahrenheit. They reach a low of 83 degrees in December, January and February.
Rainfall averages 3.6 inches per month. It reaches a high of 5.5 inches in September, with almost as much rain in October and November. These months have the most storm and hurricane activity of the Caribbean’s annual hurricane season, which officially runs from July 1 to November 30. The islands also see higher rainfall in May, although not as much as the fall months.
Antigua weather in February sees rainfall reach a low of 1.5 inches, followed closely by March, January and April, respectively. February through April average about eight rain days per month, while August, October, November and December average 13 days a month.
The best time to visit Antigua is March and April, while the worst time to visit Antigua is September and October, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization.
A combination of warm temperatures and light rainfall make February through April along with June the least risky months for a vacation there. Likewise, Antigua weather in August through November along with May have the highest risk of rain.
69 Places For Passion – Lusty Locations to Make Love
When looking to spice up your love life, many couples look for adventurous or novel places to make love. There are certain locations that enable sensual love making while others demand quicker acts of passion. A bedroom is a comfortable place to make love but there are so many exciting and lusty locations to have passionate sex. Whether spontaneous and urgent or planned for fun, sex in new locations can be extremely thrilling.
Creative lovers are always on the look out for opportunities to get wild and frisky. With the right inspiration, every day sex can be transformed into an unforgettable experience. You may have seen other lovemaking location lists but let’s push the envelope and go for at least 69 — always a good number for sex ideas. Remember that for some locations, there are pleasurable sex activities other than intercourse. Oral and manual stimulation can be just as satisfying and more practical in some situations.
Fooling around as passengers in a moving car (back seat while a friend drives, discreetly in a taxi, in a limousine with a privacy screen).
In a parked car during a romantic or exciting event (watching fireworks, admiring a sunrise/sunset, sheltering from a thunderous rain storm).
In a honeymoon suite but not during your Honeymoon. Elegant and fancy or themed for fun, recreate your honeymoon or practice what it would be like.
In a seedy motel. Arrive separately and roleplay an office coworker affair or a prostitute fantasy.
In a high class hotel suite with a panoramic window view — keep the curtains open if you dare.
In a room with at least one hundred candles casting a soft glowing light over your naked bodies while you enjoy sensual pleasuring.
Frosty fornication in a snow fort or igloo you made together is great fun. You can even fashion a special mound to mount on.
On a boat in the open air (not below deck). Consider a canoe, row boat or rubber raft if you don’t have access to a yacht, sail or speed boat with a large deck.
Slick with massage oil wresting on a plastic sheet or in a blowup pool.
In the shower enjoying the sensual, slippery suds and a hand held water massager. Intimate bathing and bonding or hot steamy sex — what ever suits your mood.
In an English garden surrounded by fragrant blossoms. Make it more fun by dressing elegantly and indulge in a sense of aristocratic debauchery.
In a gazebo under the stars, moonlight or noon day sun. Semi outdoor sex as secluded as you dare.
On a king size water bed fitted with satin sheets and lots of fluffy pillows.
In a cool, fast moving stream or small creek. A swirling pool under a water fall is an amazing location if you can find one.
On a swing strong enough for two. Actually swinging together with penetration is tricky, however there are many other fun activities you can do involving a swing.
In a hammock between two palm trees on a secluded ocean front beach.
In a lookout tower or observatory. Finding one that provides a scenic view and opportune privacy will be its own adventure.
Rear entry on a bridge while overlooking the depth below. Even more intense on a swaying rope bridge for added adrenaline rush.
In the stairwell of an apartment or office building — better exercise than taking the elevator. (or on the stairs in you own house)
On the top of a large hill or small mountain under the stars or full moon. Take in the view with a bottle of wine then enjoy each other.
On a train. Either in a rare, vacant car or a private cabin, “playing on the tracks” is a temptation to be tried.
In a van, the back of a pickup truck or on the hood of a sports car.
While skinny dipping at night in a pool, river, lake or ocean. Note that cool water tends to make some bits firmer while others shrink.
In a bath, hot tub or spa. Soak, soothe and sensually stroking each other or stimulate wet and wild sex with invigorating water jets.
On a roof. Outside on the flat top of tall building or (carefully) on a low, slightly sloped roof can be thrilling.
In a field of tall grass or flowers. A secluded, lush green meadow next to a small stream is ideal.
Under a cherry, apple or other fruit tree in full bloom. Enjoy the sensual sights, sounds and smells of Spring whenever you can.
On a pile of pillows. An assortment of shapes, sizes, colors and textures all piled for pleasure. Have a playful pillow fight. Try new positions.
In a barn. A horse stable may bring out the animal in you. The hayloft (on soft straw) can be extremely fun. Roleplay cowboy, stable hand or farmer’s daughter.
Deep in a forest up against a large tree. Agile couples can even try various positions in the tree if the branches are just right.
Outside in the refreshing, cool rain during a hot day or night. Thunder and lightning add to the thrill.
Safely under a sheet metal roof during a hail storm or torrential down pour.
Anywhere under the hot sun with an ice dildo. Make one by freezing a plastic water/pop bottle filled with water and cutting the plastic off.
In a sleeping bag in the open air under a clear sky bright with stars. Go as far away from city lights as possible. Aurora lights will make it even more special.
On a tiny island. Revel in quiet seclusion or spice it up with roleplay. Pretend to be castaways or, for a historic setting, a scout meeting a native first time.
On a beach on the hot, dry sand or right on the shore with the waves lapping up around you. Anywhere you can see and hear huge crashing waves.
In the middle of a sports field or stadium (golf course, soccer, football, rugby, race track, etc.). Most likely best during off season or at night.
In a cave, tunnel or under a bridge. The echoes of your ecstasy or the sounds of traffic overhead can be exciting.
On a trampoline or blowup bouncer. Standing intercourse while jumping may be tricky. An exercise ball will give a similar bouncy feeling for other positions.
In a small clothes or coat closet with the doors closed so it is completely dark. Will someone open it and catch you in the act? Fun at parties.
On a billiard table as a forfeit for losing a few games of Dirty Pool or Six Nine Ball.
On a fur rug/coat in front of a warm, glowing fireplace at night.
In every room of your home and your lover’s home if you live separately.
Creatively on or using stable pieces of furniture. On the kitchen counter, dining table, sofa, foot stool, etc. On the floor and up against the wall too.
In front of a mirror or beneath one attached to the ceiling. Get a revealing new perspective of your love making from new angles.
In front of a tripod mounted video camera or webcam. Record for later, view live or stream to an internet audience if you are an exhibitionist.
In a small log cabin, thatch hut, mud hut or teepee. Include the possibility when planning vacations.
In a garage, boat house or storage shed. Surreptitiously meet while others are outside unaware of your naughty behavior.
In a tree house or fort (either a chance discovery, your own or a neighbors). Pretend you are teenagers fooling around for the first time.
Next to an open fire while camping. A roaring fire stimulates passion while softly glowing embers at night instill romance and intimacy.
On or against a clothes washing machine especially during the spin cycle.
At a sex club or fetish party in a private cubicle or on display for others to see.
On exercise equipment at a private gym. You will definitely enjoy your workout.
In a dark corner of a dance club with a pulsing, pounding beat to grind to. A skirt and no panties/underwear makes this a much easier to perform.
In a parking lot between parked cars/vans. Try underground and above ground parking lots but take care for security systems and surveillance cameras.
Snuggling together in a sleeping bag in a small tent. Weather conditions, wilderness sounds or scary stories can set the mood.
On a designated border line between two countries, states or provinces — one person in each territory engaging in diplomatic relations.
In or near a cemetery at midnight during a full moon if you dare. Standing sex will have both your legs shaking with the thrill.
In a public restroom, change room or even a friends bathroom. Novelty and the risk of getting caught coming out together make this exciting.
On a plush lawn at night or early morning while it is still wet with dew.
In a theatre during an arousing show or to make it more interesting. Remember to bring some wet wipes to clean your fingers.
In a pile of fallen leaves or freshly cut grass.
In a bed covered with rose petals or lots of money.
On a private patio, porch or deck (poolside even better). A sturdy lawn chair or table, air mattress or a few seat cushions may come in handy.
In an elevator (late at night on a weekday might be a good time and dress for a quickie).
At a costume party. Dress the part for a sexy roleplaying scenario. Flirt and play act until you can secretly meet to fulfill your fantasy.
Out on a high rise apartment balcony or next to a large window near the top floor. Try standing rear entry while looking down below.
In a private adult playroom stocked with a wide variety of pleasuring implements. Bondage devices, costumes, toys and other playthings will whet your desire.
Inside a walk in vault (it has happened but tends to require an employee or owner to facilitate). A walk in fridge or supply room is a quick alternative.
Some lovemaking locations may actually be a little tricky, costly, too exotic or even slightly dangerous depending upon your circumstances. However, if an idea intrigues you, you can always setup a scenario and roleplay a situation in a pretend location. With a little imagination and a few props, you can create a fantasy setting to fulfill your desires. You can even recreate historical, fanciful or alien space settings.