Archive for the ‘Teenagers’ Category

Aug-28-08

Expeditions and Trekking

posted by Monkey

Adventure Trips:

If you are the adventurous type that can never get enough sitting indoors and doing your daily chores, then you must make efforts to try and get closer to nature. While traveling and sight seeing are equally good alternatives, nothing beats trekking and mountaineering. Last month me and some of my friends had gone on a trip to a coastal area nearby and it was a wonderful and refreshing experience. In spite of some of the difficulties involved in travel, the trip was worth the trouble and we felt rejuvenated.

Difficulties in planning:

So we planned another trip this month. When we were making travel plans, we found out that it was extremely difficult to find information about many things such as:

  • Mode of travel.
  • Accommodation.
  • Food arrangements.
  • Other information such as expected weather, known local risks…etc

Unless you have already been to the place in question or happen to know someone, it is very difficult to find the information you want. Even then, things might have changed from the last time you or the other person went there.

Answers:

Generally, me and my friends take the following approach when we plan out trips and so far, it has always been successful.

  1. First we make plans as to where we want to go and what we plan to do there
  2. That is followed by preliminary information collection such as how far this place is, what are the modes of transport available, how long it will take to go and come back…etc
  3. This is followed by secondary information collection such as availability of accommodation nearby, cost of accommodation, etc. Also we find out the places of interest in and around the place by scouting other people’s blogs and other websites which are dedicated to this.
  4. Now that we have a fair idea as to what we want to do and how we are going to do it, we make a budget allowing for all expenses and also some emergency fund.
  5. In case the travel involves going abroad, then we need to make sure that we have the necessary documents such as Passports and Visas in hand and hence we need to apply for them before hand.
  6. This is followed by making reservations for travel tickets and also hotels. When it comes to hotels and comparing hotel prices, it can be a challenge. Which is why, using a tool like Hotels Combined makes the whole process much easier. You can find hotels in major Indian cities like Bangalore, Delhi, Goa, Jaipur and Mumbai. It’s basically a comparison website which searches for hotel reservations all over the world. They also offer the lowest prices. Transactions with them are also safe.
  7. Then we make the trip and make minor changes to plans we had already made taking into account the local conditions. This is done on the fly and your plan needs to be flexible to make room for changes.

Although, you might not always visit a major city, facilities are mostly not available in smaller places. This necessitates that you camp at a city in some hotel and then finish the travel in the nearby areas before moving to the next city.

Bon voyage.

Tags:
Aug-27-08

My First Two Times

posted by Monkey

First Time:

While I may be a little late on the scene what with me being 21 and all, there’s always a first time. However, the first time is scary isn’t it ? You have never done it before. You are always scared you are going to screw up, that you will cause irreparable damage. So, then it’s not surprising that I was a little apprehensive. I had to get into gear slowly and make sure I picked up pace only gradually. After a while, I decided it was enough for one night. I had learned some valuable lessons that just cannot be taught. They have to be learnt and mastered. But I was jumping with joy like a kid by the end of it.

Second Time:

After having done it once, I was increasingly confident and was looking forward to proving that I was getting better at it. This time over, I had little trouble. All the mistakes I had made during my first time, I seemed to have learnt from. The entire ride was smoother. I picked up pace, made a few surprise moves. I even tried reverse. By, now I was enjoying it. I am still scared of doing it in crowded places though. That takes some practice.

What am I talking about ? Well, I did get more obvious towards the end, didn’t I. Car driving man!! Read the post again. :) It so happens that coincidentally, I went driving at night. I need to get a driving license soon. I am still not very confident of driving on congested roads. I just hope I get my LLR soon so that I can go driving on crowded roads.

Tags:
Aug-18-08

Blogging is Addictive

posted by Monkey

Blogging has become pretty addicive for me these days. Well, for some people, it’s just a part of their life and it goes on. I like writing, myself and thanks to WordPress, I have been doing so for the past few months. Normally I don’t write unless I feel like writing, (Now, who does ? People actually do.) but having a say on every topic, simply takes too much time. And I am already crawling along at snail’s pace (and I am pretty sure the snail is going to win )on the project front and that’s a real concern.

So for the next few days, Project (and Saarang. Darn, I am torn between wanting to attend this and finally getting down to some work on my project.) will take centre stage. (Atleast Saarang will ;) ) Having said that, I don’t know how long it will be before I write my next post. I hope it’s not tomorrow. Kinda, defeats the purpose of this post.

ORK-03 is coming up soon and its going to be meaner this time. (Muahahaha….) So stay tuned for that….

Tags:

Have you taught your child Street Smarts
Have you taught your kids to really pay attention?
Are you really sure they listened to you?
We have all heard stories about kids going to college and something happened. The news tells us everyday. We worry about them knowing how to take care of themselves.

My father was great for giving us what he called (what if). What if you were walking down the street and you thought someone one was following you what would you do? Having six kids he would sit at the dinner table and say what if the house was burning and I was at the bottom of the stairs, you could not see me, would you jump if I told you to? He was always aware of what he needed to work on with each one of his kids, trust, street smarts. This was from the time we could talk.

My father has since died; his legend still lives on in our family. Say (what if) to each other and most important to you kids. You know if your child is aware of what is going on around them. Book smart is something you can learn anytime. Street smart is something you have to know and practice everyday.

Print this out for your kids. Play (what if) while you are driving in the car, watching TV, while your child is young enough. This is a parent’s job. When its time to go off to college, you feel you have taught them street smarts. You will sleep a little better.

? THINK Mom & Dad told you to use Common Sense. Now is the time to really listen.

? PAY ATTENTION to everything around you. Give yourself a test walk past someone see if you could give a description of him or her if something happened. Color hair, eyes, what they were wearing and the color of a jacket or hat. It is funny how much you really don’t remember. Another test is a license plate number and the make and model of the car if your friend is with you will be surprised at the difference in the two answers. It’s a great game to play anytime walking in a bar.

? Take a Self Defense Class You know you have to have a gym class so why not self Defense. This class will always help you. It may be the most important class you ever take

? Consider purchasing a personal Alarm they are affordable and a comfort to have most of the time. You don’t know that until you need it.

? Do Not Go To ATM At Night Plan on going when other people are around.

? Do not hesitate to call the Police when you see something that does not seam right.

? Walk like you know where you are going even if you don’t. People in NY are told this all the time. Walk with your head up, Look around, Notice everything.

? Make copies of Important papers Credit cards, health ID cards. Place them in a safe place (give them to your friend do not keep them in your room, also give a copy to Mom if your credit cards are stolen and your friend is away you can call mom and she can give you the information.

? Engrave your Valuables Invisible Markers are great for your stereo, computers, even cell phones. The best part when the cops find your stuff they will know who to give it back to, and who did it

? Call Mom & Dad once a Week Let them know what your plans are for the week. Any dates or parties, dinner with friends and always let someone else know where you are going.

Tags : Alarms, College Students, Pepperspray, Personal Alarms, Personal Safety, Personal Safety Alarms, Street Smarts, Teenagers

Tags:
Jan-25-08

Great Stag Party Ideas

posted by Monkey

The concept of stag party has changed over the period of time as the interests of men have gone through a tremendous change so far. There has been a lot of change in the stag weekend activities just to provide the maximum level of satisfaction and pleasure.

Planning a stag party fro your friend who needs to be pampered before committing to the circle of marriage? Well, there are so ways you can make your friend really special and welcomed. In this article, we’ll talk about many tips and techniques that can help you to plan great stag weekends for your pal.

When it comes to arranging anything men are notoriously known for leaving it till the last minute. If that sounds just like you and your best friend has given you the task of arranging his stag night then read below for some pointers to help you get organized.

Consider Following Important Tips:
Try to plan ahead of eth scheduled program.
Gather all the information about people who can make it into the party.
Estimate an expected a budget.
Fix a date and time.
Make your reservation prior to the D-Day.

Organizing a successful stag event can be complex even if you have never have done such things in the past. Timing everything correctly will ensure that everything runs smoothly on the night. Men are usually better at time keeping in comparison to women so this will be an extra added bonus.

You can plan for drinks in local pub or bar. If you have a group of people attending the stag party then hiring a transportation idea would be quite practical. Hire a vehicle something like Hummer that consist flat TV screen, sound system, DVD player, and other luxuries so that you can have the time of your life. After that, you can go for a meal and can enjoy the delicious meals.

Stag party can be the most exciting time of a man’s life and it needs to be planned carefully with a thoughtful process.

Tags : Corporate Events, Event Advisor, Hen Nights, Hen Party, Hen Weekend, Hen Weekend In UK, Stag Night, Stag Parties, Stag Party, Stag Party In Uk, Stag Weekends, Team Building, Teenagers, UK Weekend

Tags:

Entire growth of children whether physical as well as mental depends completely on their eating habits. Everybody knows well that children are supposed to eat healthy and nutritional foods. We always try to ensure healthy eating for children. However, you it is sometime difficult to screen your children with lots of enticing, unhealthy and tastier options in the market. Hence for this it is important to provide them with nutritional food which can nourish them even if they take something unhealthy in your absence. If they have healthy options at home they are likely to become healthy eater in future also, as they grow up to become adults.

For making your children habitual of healthy eating it is important to inculcate these habits right from their birth. Once it becomes habit then it becomes easy to follow it. You can do it just be putting good examples before them and by telling them about the benefits of healthy eating for children. However, if your child is negating to eat healthily again and again then better is to try gradually. Stop giving sweets and snack rather replace it with fruits. Try to steer children for healthy eating by giving them variety of fruits so that they could change their taste. Do not try to impose things on children as if you do this then they will become rebellious. So for a while you can allow them to eat what they want while incorporating the healthier options also in their regular diet.

The best way to promote healthy eating for children is to involve them in shopping. Ask them to choose fruits they like when you go to buy fruits or vegetables in the supermarket. If your children have selected something then he will show interest in eating it. Drinking plenty of water is also very important for children. Mostly children ignore it so you should encourage them to drink water frequently. Low fat milk and fruit juice should also be included in the plan and remove sodas from routine. Prefer giving your children fish instead of meat as fish contain Omega 3 fatty acids. As much as possible you should try to give fresh fruits and full grain bread to children.

Apart from it all, the most viable step that you can take to involve the whole family in this process. You can’t go on following unhealthy habits while asking the children to do otherwise. Become an example by eating healthy and choosing healthier options.

Eat healthy and eat together and your children will slowly follow you and most probably with stick to it for life!

Tags :  Healthy Eating For Children, Healthy Eating For Children Advice, Healthy Eating For Children Guide, Healthy Eating For Children Information, Teenagers

Tags:
Jan-14-08

Budget Hen Parties to Pamper the Bride

posted by Monkey

If you are about to get married in few days, you would better consider two main factors while throwing the ultimate hen weekend to cherish a lovely time for a long period of time.

Hen Party Costs
Deciding the costs in advance help a party organizer to make proper arrangements for everything in a considerable time period. Above all, you will be able to entertain your guests fully and earn praises.

Fixing a Schedule for Hen Nights
This won’t be too difficult to get right if you plan well in advance. Scheduling helps a person to look for the proper venue, cost incurred and other intricacies so that as a bride you feel pampered and loved.

Plan your celebration on a weekend or on holidays so that people do not have to juggle their planner to make into your party. Just remember to give plenty of warning regarding your event so make sure you get them well in advance before they make a comment to attend another party!

Things to do on Hen Nights
Activities have to be decided entirely upon the budget. Because of budget constraints enjoying at a foreign location is probably out of the question. Above all, expensive restaurants and activities need to be avoided. In this case, you need to apply your mind and add your creativity to make your event rocking and happening.

You can take a cottage in a small town or countryside on rent to get the utmost happiness. It is an economical way to gather all your friends and have unlimited fun and pleasure to the maximum.

You can ask your guests to bring their own beauty treatments and you all can pool up things and share among yourselves to enjoy the closeness and affinity with each other. Listen to all time favorite music and shake legs and break the glasses.

Tags : Corporate Events, Event Advisor, Hen Nights, Hen Party, Hen Weekend, Hen Weekend In UK, Stag Night, Stag Parties, Stag Party, Stag Party In Uk, Stag Weekends, Team Building, Teenagers, UK Weekend

Tags:
Jan-9-08

Prepare a Man for Tomorrow

posted by Monkey

We must accept that this child has been given by God to us and it is the best gift from His side. We, the parents have been nominated by God to prepare this child to become a man or a woman of tomorrow. We are given this work and God desires that the parents should function as God for the child and they must take care of the child to the full. It is the duty of the parents to look after the child. They shall be bringing up the child, they shall be giving him all traditions, they shall be giving him the religion to which this child belong, they shall give to the child the caste to which this child belong and at the same time the parents shall have to see that the child is given proper discipline of the family, of the society to which he belongs and they shall give him proper education, proper training and they shall bee that he is adjusted at a work from which he shall be drawing proper income with which the man of tomorrow shall be running the family administration. They must be cautious that the child is being trained for the work in which he shall be adjusted after completing the training and he shall not be in those lists where there are a number of people sitting idle and waiting for employment. The man is having a short life, therefore, the waiting period should be less and it could be done only if t he parents know which are the professions, trades, callings and employments where there are surplus people and which are the lines in which workers are in short supply. If need be, the parents should provide vocational guidance to the child.
The parents should limit their children so that they could see that the children are given proper help. If the income of the parents is on lower side, they should utilize family planning rules and must see that they have got limited number of children. The cost of preparing a child is on the higher side and therefore, each family must have a limited number of children. If they fail in raising this child in a proper manner, then they shall be repenting in old age because these children of today shall be bringing for them bad news and the people shall start criticizing the parents who had provided to the society such bad children. We do not need drunkards, drug addicts, criminals, people who commit sins and misconducts. We need people who are serving the people and are not creating any problems for the family and the people around them. Therefore, the duty of the parents is hard and they must be cautious at all the times till they are alive. The people who give proper people to the society around them are happy in old age, but the people who created criminals, drug addicts, opium eaters, drunkards for the society shall not feel peace and they shall be getting adverse remarks from the people around them.
In countries like India, the parents are not in a position to provide all these facilities to their children and even the state has got no resources to look after these children. That is the reason, we note that most of the youths are idle and are not getting proper jobs. They are fit for general vacancies which are short in number and that is the reason most of them turn drug addicts, criminals, drunkards, opium eaters, could be engaged as terrorists and could be deployed in riots. The parents in India have failed. The government of India has failed. That is the reason, there are unemployed people, there are beggars, there are people who have turned terrorists, there are people who are ready to indulge in riots, who could be deployed to kill people against money. When we are talking that we shall be in line with the developed countries by 2020 A.D., we do not know what shall be the methods with which we shall be able to root out all these problems attached with the youths of today. The parents and the state must join together and concentrate on the children of today so that we could be able to construct a good social life and a good society within the next twenty five years. If we go with the present speed, we should not reach any target.
——————————–

Tags :  a Man, for, Prepare, Teenagers, Tomorrow

Tags:

Obviously, there are some pretty big differences in the danger factors between teen drivers and adults — not the least of which are inexperience, risk taking, immaturity and greater risk exposure.

The good news is if we are paying attention, we can help kids stay more focused on safety as they navigate the teen driving years (and possibly reduce our own risks as fellow drivers).

The Facts:

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the crash rate per miles driven is four times higher for 15 to 20 year olds than for drivers over age 20. The National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration reports that motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death for younger drivers, and that distracted driving is a factor in one out of every four crashes.

What’s Behind It?

A recent policy statement “The Teen Driver” from the American Academy of Pediatrics cites these reasons teens are at greater risk:
*Lack of driver experience
*Young age at licensure
*Failure to use safety belts
*Inadequate hazard-perception skills
*Distraction (cellular phone, food, drink, music)
*Transporting teenaged passengers
*Nighttime driving
*Speeding and reckless driving
*Fatigue
*Unsafe vehicle choice
*Alcohol use
*Drug or medication use
*Inadequate parental limit setting
*Unlicensed or revoked license
*ADHD

The Distractor Factor!

The study also reports a direct correlation between the chances of being in a car crash to the number of teen passengers. 16- to 17-year olds have a 40 percent higher risk of crashing when they have one friend in the car, 50 percent higher with two friends, and four times higher with three or more teen passengers!

The IIHS & NHTSA recommend the following for parents:
*Don’t rely solely on drivers’ education – it may be convenient but typically it doesn’t do as good a job as a parent can at focusing on safety attitudes and decision making.
*Know the law – Restrictions on beginning drivers vary by state.
*Restrict night driving – it requires more skill and is generally more recreational – creating distraction and more risk taking.
*Restrict passengers – especially multiple teens. Nights are worse than days but passengers are always distractions for a beginning driver.
*Supervise practice driving – spread it over six months, continue even after full licensure and include night driving and a variety of other driving situations.
*Remember that you are a role model – practice safe driving yourself to increase the odds your child will drive safely.
*Require safety belt use – don’t assume, but insist that your child wear a safety belt at all times.
*Prohibit drinking – adopt a no-tolerance policy. Even a small amount of alcohol is an impairment to a teen.
*Choose vehicles for safety, not image – select cars with the best protection in a crash and avoid cars that encourage speeding.
*Make sure your child has emergency contact information with him or her at all times — especially in the car.

Some parents use a written driving agreement to outline their expectations, set penalties and establish graduated driving privileges in advance. The elements of a driving agreement can include obeying laws, practicing safe behaviors and even maintaining the car.

Tags : Family Safety, Holiday Safety, Safe Driving, Teenagers

Tags:
Dec-29-07

Coping With Troubled Teens

posted by Monkey

Does your home appear like a battlefield every morning? Is your teen giving you sleepless nights? Parenting troubled teens is like doing overtime without being paid. Parents generally rule the house instead of teens, but nowadays the scene can be just the opposite. Often parents find it very hard to tackle their teenagers and sometimes this difficulty turns a child anti-social and it can affect their schooling. Parents have to play a dual role, a role of an understanding friend as well as mentor.

Teenagers generally lack motivation and can get depressed over the slightest issue, yet they are often unwilling to open up with their parents. If this is the case they should be taken for counselling. An out of control teen should not be pestered to speak up as it is natural for him or her to get annoyed. You should be patient with them, advising them instead of being too stern. Teenagers generally love to rebel, so you should handle them carefully.

Parents are not perfectionists and sometimes do lack parenting skills, hence don’t ever try to discipline your teens using anger as it triggers them off. Be patient with them and try and be a friend. We as parents should set some rules and values in our house and also follow it so that teens learn and follow too. Examine their behavior and then try to understand the reason. Teenagers often test authority, so be considerate with them and allow them to express themselves, but make it clear through example and explanation that there are boundaries.

If your teen is facing problems at school and has falling grades or is on the verge of getting expelled, then obviously the first thing would be to find the cause of it and identify measures to handle the issue. If you consider severe measures such as boarding school, boot camps or troubled teen programs, try and understand the situation well before adopting these drastic measures. Your child may be at fault or they may be the victim of bullying but feel unable to talk about it.

Teen depression needs to be treated quickly to avoid it leading to serious issues. It is essential that parents recognize the symptoms early because treatment is more successful with early involvement. Typical depression signs shown by teenagers are low energy levels, irritable nature, suicidal tendencies, indecisive nature, drop in social activities or sudden change in peer group. You should also be on the look-out for any sign of substance abuse. Talk to your family physician if you are concerned.

The article is for information only and the author accepts no liability for any action taken. All health problems should be discussed with your physician.

Tags : Boot Camps, Depressed Teen, Help For A Troubled Teen, Teenagers, Troubled Teens

Tags: