December 01, 2018

How To Simplify Your Relationship With Your Smartphone

by , in
Ah, smartphones. They give us a lot, don’t they? We’re carrying out all the knowledge that’s ever been recorded, in a tiny little piece of technology that fits in our pocket. Yet while there are, of course, plenty of advantages to these smart devices, they’re not perfect. There’s a growing number of people who are becoming uncomfortable with the amount of time they spend staring at a screen, and some are even addicted. It’s important to remember that our phones are a tool, however, and it’s how we use that tool that’s important, not the tool itself. Below, we take a look at how you simplify and improve your relationship with your phone. 

people using smartphones, smartphones
Image Source: Pexels.com

Limit How Much You Open It 


Have you ever reached for your phone, unlocked it, and then stared dumbly for a minute, before realizing that you hadn’t even planned at looking at the device, yet for some reason did? The number of times people unlock their device can be shockingly high, and they’re doing it almost as a reflex. Once the device is open, however, it can be easy to lose forty-five minutes or more. So look at limiting how much you open your device. If you’re more conscious about it, you’ll find that you’re spending less time on it. 


Delete The Apps 


Of course, it would be much easier to spend less time on the device if there wasn’t all that much to keep us occupied installed on there. So why not go through your list of apps, and see if it’s really necessary to have all of them installed on your phone? If all of the apps you have are constantly sending you notifications, it’ll be a wonder if you ever get a minute for yourself. Delete them - you can always reinstall if you feel inclined to, but chances are you won’t. 


Change Your Plan 


There’s no getting around the fact that smartphones are expensive. And it’s not just the device itself - the plans we need to stay connected can be expensive too! And that means that we can feel compelled to use them. After all, we’re paying a lot of money for the privilege. But what if you weren’t paying all that much? Net10 plans are much cheaper, and if you opt for a pay as you go tariff, then you’ll only use your device when you consciously want to. No-one’s going to leave a device that they’re paying $70+ to use each month just sitting in a drawer, but they might if it’s not costing them anything. 

Cut Off Hours 


A little bit of discipline goes a long way when it comes to controlling your time. If you set a cut-off point for your smartphone use, you’ll know that once that time has arrived, you have to do other things. If you’re just saying “I’m going to read a book and not look at my phone,” then you’ll fail. Set a hard and fast rule, and you’ll most likely succeed. Give it a try!
November 07, 2018

Driving Tips for Senior Drivers

by , in
senior drivers, veteran vehicle, retirees

Whether you have elderly parents or are getting up there in age yourself, it’s vital that senior drivers evaluate their habits behind the wheel, as well as their health, for the safety of everyone on the road. Driving tips designed specifically with elderly motorists in mind go a long way in providing peace of mind and making elderly individuals feel confident in their ability to keep driving.

Work With a Physician


Aging motorists who are still able to drive themselves to their doctor’s appointments should ask if they have any health concerns or complications that may make it hard for them to operate a motor vehicle. Joint pain can make it hard to maneuver a steering wheel and use mirrors while behind the wheel. Motorists who don’t have as much energy as they used to may be better off limiting themselves to short trips, and the stress of traffic and certain driving conditions can make existing health conditions worse.

Acknowledge and Respect Limitations


Senior drivers and those who plan to get a car before retirement have to acknowledge the fact that they aren’t as young and physically capable as they once were. There comes a point where reaction times start to slow, vision starts to go bad and driving becomes a hassle. For that reason, elderly motorists who notice they don’t drive as well as they used to should increase their braking distance, brake earlier when approaching red lights and stop signs, and avoid driving in high-traffic areas even more than they did when they were younger.

Have Your Hearing and Vision Regularly Checked    


Speaking of limitations, senior motorists should keep up with their vision and hearing tests to determine whether they still have the eyesight and hearing capabilities necessary to be safe drivers. Those who have already been diagnosed with vision or hearing complications should be sure they always have their contacts, glasses, hearing aids and the like with them when they drive. Those with poor hearing should keep noise, music, and conversation inside the car to a minimum so they can hear emergency vehicles, other automobiles and car horns.

Read Medication Labels


Senior citizens who are on medication and also drive should give their labels a thorough read through to ensure they can operate a motor vehicle while taking their prescription. Taking this a step further, even if the label doesn’t specifically mention any restrictions on driving, elderly individuals should closely monitor their condition while behind the wheel and alert their physicians if they feel the medication could be compromising their ability to drive.


Consider Taking a Senior Driving Course


After driving for several decades, one can start to neglect some of the basics of good driving. It’s a great idea for elderly motorists to enroll in a senior driving course for a refresher, and so they can have someone evaluate their driving ability to let them know if they can keep driving. Just as there are new distractions for drivers, there may be new driving rules or trends that older motorists aren’t aware of but need to be if they’re going to keep driving.

There are more alternatives than ever for those who don’t own a car, can’t drive or shouldn’t drive. Even if they can still operate a vehicle now, senior drivers should start looking into transportation alternatives to make a smooth transition from driver to passenger and pedestrian. 
October 22, 2018

Learning Kentico: Scheduled Tasks

by , in
I was supposed to blog this last Friday but I ran out of time. Spent trying to resolve the issues I encounted and was only able to fix it just at the nick of time (before the office closes at 6pm). Whew!

There were quite a few errors I encountered when working with the exercise including the practice example and below are some them:

a. When trying to follow his example about importing products, I couldn't seem to resolve the ERPProductHelper does not exist in the current context issue. I used all the namespace he used but still the same. I couldn't find ERPProductHelper in the Kentico Documentation and tried other solutions but still no luck :(

ERP Product Helper does not exist in the current context
So I just skipped this and didn't include in the project. But if you know how to solve this, feel free to comment below. 

b. The No Definition found for Set Doctors issue. Remember I skipped the 2nd exercise of Kentico API because I got confused with it? In here, I have really no choice but to do it. 

No Set Doctor Method
And I learned that I don't need to modify the previous code generated in the DoctorInfoProvider class which I did in Custom Module exercise and that I only need to add a new public method Set Doctors. And it resolved the no definition issue. :)

c. The next one was File does not exist issue (when I ran the Import Doctor scheduled task)

File does not exist

I couldn't really understand why the file is not found. I've placed it in the App Data folder, created my own folder and placed the Doctor List.csv.

I rechecked all my steps for creating scheduled tasks:

1. Create a new class implementing the CMS.Scheduler.ITask interface - done
2. Add the RegisterCustomClass assembly attribute above the class declaration. - done

 [assembly: RegisterCustomClass("ImportDoctor", typeof(ImportDoctor))]
Import Doctor not found

At first I didn't wrap it in namespace and then tried wrapping it to see if it's fixed the issue because when I reset the executions I got this error above) 

3. Implementation of scheduled task - register it in the Scheduled tasks app and configure the settings (execution interval etc) - done

register scheduled task


I have also asked myself it it has something to do with the Task provider name because mine is only showing custom classes but in his example video, it is showing the name he specified. But nahhh..it's not. 

And you know the culprit? It's because I didn't specify the task data property. Noticed in the above screenshot, the task data field is emptyJaaahhh...he didn't show this on the video. Huhu. Perhaps that part, he didn't just capture it. But at least, I know now. :) Hehe. 

Task Data location

Now import successful! 

scheduled task, import


Till next time! And for reference about Scheduled Task properties. check-out this link
October 18, 2018

7 Causes of Poor Personal Finances in Our Modern World

by , in
There are several reasons why someone might struggle financially in our modern world. The primary culprit is the fact that the cost of living is higher in many parts of the world than at any other time in recent memory. Many individuals don't have family in a position to help them get started on the road to financial independence, and the result is an inability to get ahead. 

accounting, managing finance

Here are some of the other reasons why you might struggle to maintain your personal finances: 

Reason 1: Too Much Debt 


Today, if you want to have an education to find a good job, then you will probably have student loans that are a significant portion of your monthly salary. For many individuals, the student loan payment is more than their monthly rent on a tiny apartment. This definitely makes life financially difficult, and it is often impossible to have this monthly debt reduced. 

Reason 2: An Expensive Addiction 


When you have financial difficulties, you might try to overcome the stress by drinking too much alcohol or taking drugs. Unfortunately, an addiction will make things worse for you because you will want to use more of a drug or drink more alcohol, often at the expense of paying your bills and saving money. Most insurance plans will cover treatment at a center for alcohol detox or drug addiction recovery, so those with coverage ought to seriously consider getting help before their substance abuse problem lands them in bankruptcy, followed by an early grave. 

Reason 3: Cost of Transportation 


Most people don't live where there is public transportation such as commuter trains, subway cars or public buses. This means that they must have a vehicle, leading to a monthly payment for the item along with the cost of insurance and an occasional repair. In many geographic regions, an employer won't hire you unless you have a vehicle available to get to work.

Reason 4: Having an Apartment 


Most adults can't live with their parents, and they may not have other relatives to live with either. This means that they need an apartment. Unfortunately, the average cost of rent is skyrocketing in most cities. A landlord will want a deposit before a renter moves in, and you must pay rent in addition to utilities such as water, electricity, and natural gas each month.

Reason 5: Paying for Phone Service 


While you might be okay with only having an inexpensive minute telephone for minimal communication with others, an employer may expect you to have a smartphone with all of the extras on it so that he can communicate with you at any time. Smartphones can become expensive when an employer expects you to have extra features. 


Reason 6: Identity Theft 


If you have your identity stolen, then it can become a financial nightmare as your credit score becomes lower. An identity thief can apply for numerous credit cards or hack into your bank accounts, leading to financial devastation. While you can report these problems to the local police department and the credit bureaus, it can take years to resolve the situation. 


Reason 7: Wanting to Have Everything Now 


When you aren't satisfied with wearing clothing from garage sales or buying furniture at a charity store, you will buy everything new. It is expensive to shop for the necessities for an apartment, including basic appliances, dishes, and cookware. This can lead to applying for charge cards and overspending for the best or trendiest items can lead to a financial overload. 

Seek Professional Help 


If you are having financial problems, then seek help from professional counselors before you begin to make more bad choices. For example, those like Kevin Canterbury Redstone Capital Management will be able to give you some sound financial advice, leading you in the right direction if you are willing to listen. There are professionals out there who want to help, but you’ve got to let them.
October 11, 2018

5 Ways To Cultivate The Perfect Company Image

by , in
When you’re trying to market your business, the product is obviously important. But consumers often make their purchasing decisions based on other things. That’s why your company’s image is so important. Consumers want to deal with responsible companies that give something back to the local community. They’re also sometimes reluctant to buy products from smaller companies that might not have that much experience. That’s why it’s important that you give the impression that you’re a large, well established company and you cultivate an image of responsibility. If you’re worried about your company image, here are some simple ways to improve it. 

Website Landing Page 


man using the computer

The first thing a potential customer will do if they want to get to know your company a bit better is go to your website. The landing page on your site is your chance to make a good first impression on them and encourage them to browse your products. If you’ve got a cheap website that looks like it was made in the 90’s, people are going to assume that the quality of your products and services matches the website. That’s why it’s important to make sure that you’re investing a decent amount of money in web design. It’s always good to make a landing page that’s a little bit different so it leaves a lasting impression, but remember that functionality is always key. If people land on your website and they can’t work out where to go next, it’s going to put them off. Always have clear menus and search functions on the front page, otherwise, you’ll look like you don’t know what you’re doing. 

Now that you’ve got a good landing page which screams professionalism, you need to start attracting more visitors to the website. There’s no point investing money on a great website if nobody is seeing it in the first place so make sure your social media marketing strategy is in good shape. 


Charity Partnerships 


Companies that put something back into the local community always do well. When customers buy your products, they get the sense that they’re part of something positive rather than just giving their money to a big company and lining somebody’s pockets. That’s why local charity partnerships are a great way to boost your image. Check out realbusiness.co.uk to see just how beneficial charity partnerships can be. Reach out to local charities in the surrounding area and see whether you can start some initiatives together. 

Virtual Mailboxes 


mail boxes

Trying to give the impression that you’re a large, well-established company is hard if you’re running the business from home or out of a tiny office building. When people see your address, they’ll immediately be put off because they’ll think that you don’t have much experience. There is a simple way around that problem though. Visit www.yourvirtualofficelondon.co.uk to find out about virtual office services. You’ll be able to get an address in a large office building and have all of your mail sent there. Then it’ll be forwarded on to you so you can operate from a smaller premises while still giving the impression that you’ve got the money to hire a big office building. 

Positive Working Culture 


People love to moan about their jobs and now that social media is a thing, that moaning is broadcast to the entire world. That means if you don’t treat your employees right, they’ll tell their friends and family, and the rest of the world, how much they hate working for your company. Nobody wants to buy products from a company that doesn’t treat their employees well. That is, of course, not the only reason you should treat your employees properly. Employees that are happy will be more productive, the positive image it conveys is just an added bonus. 

Useful Content 


keyboard, typing

When you’re posting things on social media, you need to be careful that you aren’t bombarding people with marketing materials. It’s important that you post information about your products and any deals and offers you’ve got, but if that’s all you post, people are quickly going to get bored. What you need to do is establish yourself as an industry leader and a trusted source of information. Make sure that you’re posting useful articles that are valuable to your customers without shoving marketing materials down their throat all of the time. 

You should always let your products speak for themselves and invest money in marketing but it’s important that you cultivate the right image as well. Even if they love the product, they might not buy it if they don’t think that your company is right for them.


Featured Links/Sites
learn german for beginners in Jaipur from our German tutor Jaipur
October 09, 2018

Learning Kentico: Global Events

by , in
I'm so happy today! I just finished the Global Events exercise and the took the test with only 1 mistake. :) Yay! (No retakes! Hehe)

For the exercise, it didn't take me that much time compared to the previous ones : Custom Modules and Kentico API . (For Kentico API, I still owe the 2nd exercise. I skipped it because I'm stucked or quite confused. Will get back to it soon.)

For Global Events, here are some of things that I've learned: 

1. It is used to extend the Kentico built-in functionalities and lets you execute custom code based on specific actions (like sending emails to admin when a setting is updated)

2. Learned this important syntax: 

creating handler and events

- where event classes are containers of events and there are sooo many different categories of event classes available (like Object Events, Workflow events etc)

- the event action could be Insert, Update, Delete (more specific ones can be found here as well as their respective event types and handler parameters. :) 

3. Global Events should be created in a custom class and must be placed in the App code. 
- when I was following the sample exercise I was doing it on a separate project so I encountered a lot of assembly or name reference errors. So it really needs to be placed in the App code. 

What else? 

For the actual exercise, I got a bit confused (again) with the name of the Global events that I'm working (so I renamed the folder) and I also forgot to add the email engine reference (but no worries, they are minor issues). 

global events, kentico global events


So tested it by creating a new appointment and the email is already found in the Email Queue. Yay! Still have a long way to go! But I'm just really happy with this progress (though little but still a progress hehehe)

Kentico email queue, global events
October 08, 2018

The Complete Guide To Fleet Management

by , in
If you are in charge of managing a fleet at your business, it is of huge importance that you are able to do so efficiently. You need to be efficient in every sense of the word - from the amount of petrol you use to the costs associated with running your fleet. With that being said, read on to discover more about the most critical elements. 

Reducing your extensive vehicle emissions 


Reducing the emissions that your vehicle gives off is pivotal for everybody who drives. Nevertheless, it takes on greater importance when associated with businesses. After all, a lot of companies use heavy-duty vehicles and are driving regularly on a daily basis. Therefore, reducing CO2 emissions is pivotal. As a business owner, you need to do your bit to protect the land, keep your consumers happy, and showcase that you are a credible and a deservedly well-respected company. 

cars, city cars, traffic, road

There are many ways you can do your part in order to reduce your vehicle emissions as much as possible. This ranges from simple efficiency ideas – such as being mindful regarding where you park, to more elaborate suggestions – such as implementing an effective vehicle tracking system. 

Let’s deal with the former first; parking. Every 10 minutes it is believed that five pounds of CO2 are emitted because people are spending their time dawdling around looking for the cheapest and best-situated parking space. As a business, you don’t have time to waste, fuel to burn, or money to spend – make sure your employees are clued up on efficient driving and parking. 

In addition to this, if your fleet is dropping off products to customers who have ordered goods, then make sure that your employees actually turn off their engine. A monumental number of workers arrive at the destination, hop out the car, get the parcel, wait at the front door while the individual answers and signs for the package, all the while their engine is running and unnecessary CO2 is being emitted into the air. 

Using a vehicle tracking system is highly recommended. This can provide you with all of the information needed in order to reduce vehicle emissions across the board. The system will be able to flag up drivers who are speed, take the long route to get somewhere, and so on and so forth. This information is pivotal because these are all incidents whereby excess CO2 is being released into the air. Therefore, you can ensure that you keep on top of all this and that you are being as environmentally friendly as you possibly can. Moreover, a fleet management system will be able to provide you with emission-reducing methods that you wouldn’t have even thought were possible if trying to seek them yourself. 

You can also be efficient in other areas of your transportation operation which will then have the knock-on effects of making sure that you are not emitting too much CO2. For example, by taking five minutes of every day to determine where you need to go and what is the best way to get there, you can reduce CO2 emissions monumentally. You will be able to map out the most effective routes of going to these places without having to go back on yourself. This will reduce journey time, reduce costs, and reduce emissions. You should also make the most of truck hire to supplement busy periods, rather than running more vehicles than required, as this will cost more money and have a greater impact on the environment too. 

Underestimating the need to be as efficient as possible with fuel consumption would be vastly inadvisable. You need to ensure you are operating effectively, efficiently, and environmentally friendly, and the methods in this article will help you to do so. 

The ins and outs of commercial vehicle tracking 


Commercial vehicle tracking systems are flourishing at the moment. A vast number of businesses around the world are choosing to implement one of the many fleet management systems available, and they are certainly reaping the rewards. If you are yet to have selected a vehicle tracking system, then what are you waiting for? Read on to discover all of the essential information you need to know before proceeding to unlock a key service that is guaranteed to see your business efficiency boom significantly. 

Vehicle tracking offers more than a simple tracking feature 

A lot of people hear the term “vehicle tracking” and they assume that this simply means a software that can tell you where all of your fleet is. Of course, that is a feature entailed, but fleet tracking systems provide a lot more than that. You will be able to unearth the most efficient routes, determine fuel efficiency levels, monitor CO2 emissions, decipher heavy traffic areas, and so and so forth. All of these aspects combine together in order to guarantee that you can operate your transportation links to the most efficient level possible; keeping your customers happy, your costs low, and your service effective. 

highway, trucks, cars, road

The proof is in the numbers 

Whilst vehicle tracking has soared in popularity over the last few years or so in particular, it has still been implemented for more than long enough to deduce key statistics and data. With regards to cost efficiency, it has been revealed that there are several areas whereby vehicle tracking can lead to the lowering of outgoings. Surveys and data collections showcase that cost efficiencies occur within fuel usage, communications overheads, and overtime claims. Moreover, most businesses that utilise vehicle tracking report of positive knock-on effects that they have experienced as a result. When buying any product or service, or when it comes to making a business decision as a whole, it is essential that you evaluate all areas. You need to be certain that you are going for something that has a good reputation amongst those who have used it already. This gives you the confidence and assurance needed to proceed. Vehicle tracking certainly has that. 

And finally, a little word regarding the law... 

As a business owner or a fleet manager it can be very tempting to install commercial vehicle tracking systems without giving any knowledge to your drivers. After all, surely this is the most effective way in order to determine whether they are working as they should be or not, right? Wrong! You need to make sure that all of your drivers know that their vehicles are being tracked; this is something that is highly important. Therefore, when it comes to installing your tracking software, it is crucial that you tell your drivers about the software used and its capacity. You may actually find that your workers reach optimum productivity levels simply by knowing that they are being monitored. 

Finding the best fleet van insurance deals 


You will also need to have a good insurance policy in place as a fleet manager.The first thing that you obviously need to factor in is the price of the insurance policy. Every individual and every business has their own unique financial situation. Therefore this is something which can only be decided by you. Nevertheless, it is advisable to sit down and analyse your finances in order to determine how much you can afford to pay on insurance on a monthly or yearly basis. Make sure that you stick to this budget! 

A lot of people tend to pick fleet insurance because it is a lot cheaper. However remember, it is still beneficial to search around as this can help you to find the very best deals. You may also find it helpful to utilise the service of an online price comparison website in order to view all the policies you are considering on one page. 

Aside from price you obviously need to think about what sort of cover you require from your policy. This is something which goes hand in hand with the price because in general, the more aspects covered – the higher the policy payments. You should sit down and think about what you truly need and what on the other hand you could do without. 

In addition to this, you also need to make sure that you take out your insurance policy from a top quality insurance company. You should search the name of the company that you are considering online in order to discover whether they have a good reputation or not. You will be able to tell this by seeing what previous customers have said about their experience and whether they thought that the policy they took out was a good one or not. 

So there you have it: everything you need to know about fleet management and what you can do to boost the efficiency of your fleet.
October 05, 2018

Loans: Know the Difference Before Borrowing!

by , in

loans, money, dollars

A loan is a small to large amount of money that you can borrow from a financial institution. Once you've borrowed the money, you can choose to pay the money back at once or over a period of time. With loans, you will usually need to pay the money that you borrowed back with interest. The loan amount and interest rate typically depends on your credit, debt, and annual salary. It is important to know how does one loan differ from another. 

Before borrowing money from any institution, you should know that there are many different types of loans. It is important that you know your loan options before committing to a loan. Knowing your options will help you feel more confident when choosing a loan for yourself. 

Secured Loans 

Secured loans are loans that require assets for collateral. If you do not pay the loan back, your possessions will be taken to cover the loan cost. Interest rates are typically lower with secured loans than unsecured loans. Secured loans are often used for lower credit scores and larger loan amounts. 

Unsecured Loans 

Unsecured loans do not require any assets as collateral insurance. Typically, unsecured loans have higher interest rates, partly due to the absence of collateral. Some unsecured loans, particularly those through a bank, will require an almost immaculate credit score. Other unsecured loans, such as an easy personal loan through an online lender, can be gotten without good credit so long as the borrower is over 18, shows proof of income, and has an active checking account.  

Open-ended Loans 

Open-ended loans are loans that you can borrow from over and over again. Typically, these loans come from credit cards. Even though you can borrow from these loans over and over again, you will have a credit limit. The predetermined credit limit will allow you to know the maximum amount of money you can borrow. Each time you make a purchase, the amount of credit you have will decrease. As you continue to make payments, your available credit will increase.

Closed-ended Loans 

A closed-ended loan are one-time loans. You will not be able to borrow from the loan again, even once it is repaid. As you continue to make payments to the loan, the amount you owe will decrease. Once you are done paying for the loan, you will have to reapply for another loan, if needed. Mortgage loans, student loans, and auto loans are common types of closed-ended loans.

Conventional Loans 

Conventional loans are loans that are not insured or funded by the government. Conventional loans are most often used as mortgage loans and are typically fixed in terms of its terms and rates. Conventional loans typically also have less hefty down payments requirements. 

Loans to Avoid 

Try avoiding payday loans at all costs. Payday loans are short-term loans that are paid back to the company using your next paycheck. Payday loans are known to the public as predatory loans. Payday loan institutions are typically placed in impoverished communities. In addition, these loans typically have extraordinarily high interest rates. These interest rates can make the loan become difficult to repay. Even if you are in a financial bind, please seek other alternatives.

The Bottom Line 

It doesn't matter if you're looking for a student, mortgage, or auto loan. Before committing to any loan, please be sure to choose the best option for you. In addition, please be sure to research the company and interest rates before choosing the loan. There are various types of loans, remember to pick the right one for your personal needs.
October 02, 2018

Learning Kentico: Creating Simple New Info Object and Store Data using InfoProvider (Kentico API)

by , in
Whoah! I'm finally in the exercises section. After a looooonnnngg time!

I've been reading and trying to understand all the topics & subtopics under the Kentico API section (not to mention Object Query, Document Query, Caching etc - nosebleed!) but TODAY I decided to just let it go (No More Excuses! Just Do It!).

And I was able to do it. Finished the first exercise. Weeee..

So, how was it? 

The one that confused me was how can I connect the previous exercises that I did to this? (Create a Doctor Info using Kentico API) because in his example, he was using the built in Kentico user membership module and added a new field and set values to it.

For this exercise, I need to define a DoctorInfo object and populate it with sample firstname, lastname, email etc.

So I created it with the below but got these two errors: Namespace not found & DoctorInfoProvider does not exist in current context. 

namespace reference

I know I have to put something in there at the top as he was using CMS.Membership, but I wasn't sure what to put in there that time. Good thing, that there's a Quick Actions that you can follow. So I use the namespace reference using MDDoctorsAppointment;  but  I got 5 more errors (see below)

no method

That's when I realized that I was just creating my own fields names. It should be the same fieldnames that I use for MDDoctorsAppointment module. Whew!

table field names


Then I added new line to insert the Doctor's info and everything is working now! Yey!
 // Insert doctor
        DoctorInfoProvider.SetDoctorInfo(doctor);


simple Kentico API implementation
September 17, 2018

Sources of Inspiration When Planning a Wedding

by , in

wedding rings

Planning a wedding is by no means a small feat. There are all sorts of things that you need to plan, purchases that you need to make, and arrangements that need to be kept to. Sometimes it can become easy to feel a little lost in the whole affair. Perhaps the hardest part of planning a wedding is knowing what you actually want and how you want things to pan out. Some people have planned their wedding since they were a child, so they can simply start bringing their plans to life. But the vast majority of us probably haven’t thought all too much about our big day until we’re actually engaged and the pressure is on to start pulling things together. But not to worry. Sometimes you just need to gather a little inspiration to start coming up with ideas in regards to forming expectations for your big day. Here are just a few sources of inspiration that could help to give you a push in the right direction! 

Celebrity Weddings 


Celebrity engagements are always splashed across the media. In fact, different publications will often battle it out to get exclusive coverage of particular celebs’ special day. Now, the majority of us won’t have the budget to completely replicate celeb weddings, but you can draw a lot of inspiration from them. Keep an eye out for different colour schemes, themes, and show stopping entertainment that appeal to you and try to recreate them within your budget. If you see a celebrity have a huge fireworks display amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars on the eve of their big day, you could recreate this with a more humble array of fireworks. There are also plenty of features in celeb weddings that don’t actually cost all too much, such as chocolate fondues, table decorations, or seat sashes, so you could implement the exact same steps into your day too. 

Pinterest 


Pinterest is a world of inspiration. This website allows you to search for pretty much anything, then provides you with a seemingly endless series of aesthetically pleasing images of whatever it may be that you searched for. You can then “pin” these images onto your personal boards, allowing you to check back on them for reference later down the line. Alternatively, you can browse other people’s boards. Just find someone who seems to have similar taste to you and you can find ready made boards with hundreds of ideas in a matter of moments. You can take a look at some of the most popular wedding boards on the site here

These are just a couple of sources of inspiration that you could lean back on when it comes to planning your own wedding. Sure, you’ll probably want to put your personal touch on things once you’ve got your ideas together. But the ideas that you draw from celeb weddings or Pinterest boards really can serve as brilliant starting blocks!
September 14, 2018

Keep Your Brand Consistent At All Times

by , in
Anyone involved in setting up their own business needs to make sure that they are well aware of branding - how to build a brand that makes sense, how to make sure it works, and so on. But if you have never had to do this before, you are likely to run into more than a few problems early on into the process. One of the most common problems here is that if trying to keep the brand consistent at all times. Achieving proper brand consistency can take a great deal of time, and effort, and understanding which you might not already have by proxy. In this article, we will look into some of the things you can do to ensure that your brand is kept truly consistent at all times. 

design, brands

Keep Everyone In The Loop 

Firstly, you need to make sure that you are doing whatever you can to keep everyone who has anything to do with the branding in the loop. That means having regular meetings with them, posting memos whenever there is a change, even a small or seemingly insignificant change, and generally ensuring that nobody is left in the dark as to what is trying to be achieved with the branding. The most common failure here stems from a lack of understanding about who you actually need to inform and keep up to date. You might be surprised at just how many people need to know about the branding, and how far down the chain it goes. Prepare yourself for that, and you are going to find yourself in a much stronger position. 

Use DAM 

One of the most powerful ways to ensure that there are none of those missteps with regard to your brand consistency is to use DAM. If you are wondering: What is DAM? You are not alone, as many people have barely even heard of this highly useful way of dealing with branding. Short for Digital Asset Management, it actually stems far beyond mere branding, but this is still one of its most common and likely uses for most businesses. Using a DAM system, you can easily upload, share, and create content for your brand. This is done in such a way that it keeps it consistent basically automatically, and it ensures that there are not likely to be many errors of consistency based on human error. 

design, brands, consistency

Keep It Simple 

Remember too that it is much easier to keep a brand consistent if it is as simple as possible. Not only that, but simplicity is also a much better way of ensuring that the brand is actually going to have a truly powerful effect, as it is much more likely to stick in people's minds anyway. So if you manage to keep it simple, you are actually going to do yourself a number of favours in one go. If you struggle to keep it simple, just put some time and effort into paring it down a little. You should be able to find that you can relatively easily strip it down to its essentials this way.
September 10, 2018

3 Reasons You Shouldn't Drive A Car In A Busy City

by , in
Driving is one of life's best conveniences. There’s no need to depend on anyone else if you need to get from A to B - and maybe even to C after that - then having a car is more than useful. 

Having said that, there are definitely times where you may regret getting in your car for a drive. One of the most common examples is driving in a busy city. I don’t think they’re fit for cars, and here’s why: 

traffic, road, city traffic

Much Harder To Get Around 


I think the main disadvantage of driving in the city is that it's just generally harder to get around. A lot of major cities are aiming to reduce the number of cars on their roads as it causes way too much congestion. This basically means you’ll be stuck in traffic for ages trying to get around. Instead, most cities are now trying to build public transport systems that make it so easy to navigate a city that there’s almost no point in owning a car. As it says here https://www.lifehack.org/517515/getting-around-big-city-the-dos-and-donts, subways are usually a very cheap and easy way of getting around. If the city you’re in has one, then it makes sense to use it as it’ll get you from A to B a lot faster than driving. 

September 07, 2018

7 Special Occasions That Won't Be Complete Without Delicious Cakes

by , in
When it comes to celebrating special occasions, a delicious cake has to be part of it. Without a delicious cake, any celebration is dull and boring. So, if you want to uplift the spirit of your every special celebration do not forget to indulge in a delicious cake. Yes, cakes are something that can bind everyone together under one roof, foster your relations with your loved ones, and make your moments special. That's why cakes have become an inevitable part of every special occasion. Although any occasion is incomplete without cakes, this article presents you a list of seven such special occasions that won't be complete without cakes: 

Birthdays 


birthdays, cake, celebration


Needless to say that cakes are synonymous with birthdays. People have been following the tradition of cake cutting on birthdays since time memorial. Therefore, you cannot even imagine a birthday without a delicious cream or fondant cake. 

Valentine’s Day 


valentines day, cake, celebration


Valentine’s Day is one such day of the year when cakes are sold the most along with flowers. On this day, couples infuse love into their lives by celebrating Valentine’s Day with a delicious cake. People who are in a long-distance relationship also send cakes along with flowers for their lovers via online cake or gift portals. 


Anniversaries 


anniversaries, cake, celebration


An anniversary is a special day because it reminds you of all the special moments that you’ve spent with your partner since your wedding. And, this day becomes even more special and romantic for a married couple with a delicious designer cake. There are a wide variety of two-tier or multi-tier designer cakes online that you can order on your anniversary too. 

Weddings 


weddings, cake, celebration

A wedding is one of the most important days in everyone’s life. This special occasion calls for a grand celebration with friends, family, and loved ones. Other than the presence of loved ones, a cake happens to be an important part of a wedding too. It is because cakes are sweet in taste and sweets are considered auspicious for any big day. That’s why people cut designer cakes for their wedding.

Christmas 


Christmas, cake, celebration

Christmas marks the birthday of Jesus Christ who always preached for peace and humanity till he was alive. Since Christmas is a birthday celebration of the Lord Jesus, it cannot be complete without a delicious cake. People usually gorge on plum cakes during Christmas as it helps them keep warm during the chilling Holiday season. 

Baby Shower 

baby shower, cake, celebration


A Baby shower is a very special occasion for all the mom-to-be women. A Baby shower ceremony welcomes the newborn child to your family. This ceremony is organized by the mom-to-be’s sisters or friends. Everyone welcome the new baby in the house by cutting a delicious cake. 

New Year 


New Year, cake, celebration


New Year is another occasion which is incomplete without a cake. As the name suggests, New Year marks the beginning of another year. Therefore, people cut cakes on New Year and celebrate it with their family and friends in a grand manner. 

These seven occasions are just incomplete without cakes. So, keep celebrating these special occasions in your life by cutting a delicious cake.
August 17, 2018

The Periphery Earnings That Can Help A Small Business Grow

by , in


Small businesses are often in the act of establishing their working base, and generating enough profit to potentially grow or at least break even. This means that often, most things are on the table in order to secure an extra income provided they are through competent means. For this reason, you may consider branching out a little and taking in more business through various means open to you as an organization.

The tips for doing so are laid out in the following headings: 


Renting Equipment 

If you desire, you can rent your equipment out to those who may need it when you aren’t. You may find that old or unused equipment should contribute to your business in some way instead of storing space, and sometimes this can help you build goodwill with other businesses, or perhaps introduce people to your main business functions. It might be that your business is in possession of a type of product that is only found via organizations in your industry, allowing you to serve as the hotspot for this. 

For example, if you run a nightclub and have recently undergone an upgrade, it could be that you rent your old in-house DJ CDJ mixers out to hobbyists for a nominal fee. This might help you generate long-term income, perhaps much more than simply selling it. This is a highly specific example but you can see how with a little creative thinking, assets you’re still in possession of could help serve you as a surrounding income offering. 

Freelance Work 

A little freelance work as your business can help you capitalize outside the scope of your usual enterprises. For example, if you’re a screen and print store but you have some artistic ability, it might be worth flaunting your skills online and designing graphics for companies, or perhaps even something as specific as a tattoo design. A little freelance contract here and there can help tide you over in the quiet periods, especially if your work is somewhat seasonal. 


Investing 

Investing, especially when using an algo trading platform, can be an excellent method of slowly building your portfolio and increasing your understanding of the trading world. With apps like this, the robo advisors use the best information available dedicated to finding the hottest tips and best predictions, you could truly learn something and use some of your working profit to diversify your investments. 

It can also pay to invest in assets that may not have immediate value to your firm in terms of operation, but simply grow in value. For example, new property developments in growing areas, or perhaps in purchasing a large volume of necessary stock ahead of time can help you enjoy some real benefit later on. For example, Facebook was known to invest in VR technology long before the actual specific silicon chips were on the market with full recognition for the scope of today’s technology. A little forethought can go a long way. 

With these periphery earnings, your small business could potentially become aided in its growth.
August 16, 2018

Don’t Let Car Repair Bills Drive You Into Debt

by , in
car repairs, car mechanice

Car repairs often aren’t cheap – if you’re tired of having to borrow money to pay for vehicle repairs, why not try some of these methods to help you spend less. 

Shop around for repairs 


Whilst some car repair centres offer loyalty rates, you should always shop around for quotes from other repair centres just in case. If you know the fault, many technicians will be able to give a quote over the phone. There are also sites that can allow you to compare repair centre costs in your area.

Buy your own parts 


If you need a part replaced, it’s possible you may be able to save money by sourcing this part yourself online. Car repair centres often aim to make a profit on any parts they order in. Try to use reputable parts sites and be careful of partially worn used parts – in the case of tires or brake pads you could only get a couple months out of them before having to replace them again. 

August 13, 2018

Can Your Business Be Better?

by , in

macbook, business, laptop

When it comes to running a business for the first time there will always be things that we don’t know and that we can improve on throughout the years. If you have recently opened up your own business and got used to the way it works you might have also started to see things which you might be able to do better. Here are some of the questions you can ask yourself this year to determine whether or not your business can be better than it was before. 

How’s your online presence? 

Online presence is a crucial part of running a business and you must make sure that you keep a great presence online all year long. You will need to have a clean and clear website which is full of SEO friendly content, social media accounts which are updated every single day and a dedicated team of people who make sure that you are seen and heard online amongst the sea of businesses in your niche. 

Are your prices competitive? 

When we look at the most basic function of a business, it is to seek products or services to your customers. The question you might be avoiding asking yourself is whether or not the prices you offer are competitive in the market. We all wish we could charge the highest price for products and services to make more profit, but often this isn’t how a good business works. If you want to be successful and sell more products to your audience you need to offer a price they can’t refuse. Take a look at your biggest competitors and see if you are able to price match or go lower than them to pull people in. 

Are you in the best place? 

One of the things you might not consider at first when running your empire is location. If you have a store in the city, is it in the best possible place to bring as much footfall as it can? If not, you might want to consider moving to a new location which is higher in traffic. You can move with the help of a larger truck, a great portable bring rental, and your employees during the working week. If you can get set up in a new spot in a thriving area, you will notice a huge hike in success. 

Are your staff loyal and happy? 

The most important part of your business aside from what you are selling is your workforce. If you want to have a great business which thrives and grows exponentially through the years, you need to have a workforce who are happy to go the extra mile to make it happen. Keeping your workers happy and offering them great benefits will benefit your business, so make sure to always invest in your workers. If you do this, you will notice that they are more loyal, they will work harder and you will grow and expand as a business as a result of this.
August 09, 2018

Killing Time At Work In The Best Way

by , in
work, working

While you should always focus on the task at hand, sometimes we may find ourselves in a circumstance of having little to do. When you work hard and perhaps your workload often comes in fits and starts, you may find yourself with plenty of free time. For example, working as a security guard on the night shift can often leave you alone for hours at a time, and patrolling a certain area and conducting inspections may only be something you need to partake in a couple of times an hour. Of course this is a super specific example, but the point remains. While many jobs require your full intellectual and mental capabilities, often we can be left with dead space that we may need to fill, quite allowed by our employers as long as our presence is still felt. 

But how should you kill this free time at work? Could you fill it in a productive manner? Absolutely. Consider the following: 

Read Challenging Articles 


Reading challenging articles can help enlighten you to the state of the world, consider another perspective, and introduce you to stories in industries or environments that you may not usually be concerned with. One moment you may be reading a challenging analysis on the difficulties of farmers in South Africa, the next about current workers rights in the Philippines. Time spent informing yourself about the lives of people around the world is often time not wasted, and trying to contend with high-level journalism like this can surely be a challenging affair - helping your literacy and reading skills develop over time. You never know, with such a varied intake of new information via a range of important publications, you may read something that sparks your curiosity, leading you to research more about a particular topic, perhaps having it become something to orbit your life around.

August 02, 2018

Alternative Ways To Study A Degree

by , in


Higher education is now more accessible than ever before. There are all kinds of ways to study a degree that could offer added experience or simply allow more flexibility. Here are just a few examples of alternative ways to study for those that don’t want to take the traditional route. 

Study abroad 


Studying abroad can be a great opportunity to travel and gain an education. It’s popular for those learning another language to study abroad so that they can immerse themselves in the foreign culture. That said, there are many English-speaking degrees abroad such as these computer science courses in India that could be great for those wanting access to top-quality education whilst getting the opportunity to experience life in another country. Some courses abroad can even be cheaper even with travel expenses added on top. 

Study online 


There are many online courses such as this public safety degree that could allow you to study from home. Such courses can be worked around other commitments as you can study them in your free time. Online courses can also save money if you don’t want the fees of living on campus. 

Post Top Ad