Rated: M

Running Time: 105 mins

Director: Joel & Ethan Coen

Cast: Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Sari Lennick

Release Date: 19^th November 2009 Continue Reading

The Creativity Formula: 50 scientifically proven creativity boosters for work and for life By, Dr. Amantha Imber.

It’s always great to find a book, other than a cook book, that doesn’t require a read from cover to cover to benefit from its pages!

The Creativity Formula: 50 scientifically proven creativity boosters for work and for life is a lot of fun to dip into. You can choose chapters at random and independently, learning ways to create creativity, gaining inspiration for your next project quickly.

Great for us girls on the go!

This book is not your normal self-help or problem solving book offering endless pages of opinions but actually scientifically proven ways to improve your creativity by using your brain. Author Dr Amantha Imber an organisational psychologist draws on her experience in the field as well as international research. It is filled with unexpectedly simple, scientifically-proven ways to immediately boost creativity.

Ever heard someone say, “You’re so creative”? Well, according to the Creativity Formula we all have it in us; it’s just how we use our heads.

The book states several factors can affect our creativity and in Chapter 2 – Don’t Worry Be Happy, it shows us how “Our emotional state, in fact, has a big impact on our ability to be creative” exemplifying studies that prove people are actually more creative when they are happy.

Other chapters highlight scientifically proven studies showing us the secrets to unlocking our inner creativity, such as…

WHAT: Squeeze your left hand for a couple of minutes before undertaking a task that requires creative thought.

WHY: Activities involving the left-hand side of our bodies activate a specific part of the right hemisphere of our brains, which helps us think more creatively.

WHAT: Stare at a picture of a punk for two minutes.

WHY: When we are exposed to an image that is all about standing out and being different from the norm, this sends a message to our brain which unconsciously make us start to act in this way.

WHAT: Raise your eyebrows for several minutes while completing a task that requires creative thought.

WHY: Broadening your knowledge and experience is an effective way to increase creativity. Facial expressions associated with widening our visual perception have a positive effect on creativity.

WHAT: Have an Xbox or Playstation available to use at work.

WHY: Playing a video game increases your energy levels and makes you feel happy, leading to more creative problem-solving.

Each chapter offers tips for individuals and organizations on how to improve their creativity in life and the work place. It’s actually quite fascinating reading the science behind our creativity as individuals. All-in-all a very beneficial and easy read on a subject we can all benefit from.

The Creativity Formula: 50 scientifically proven creativity boosters for work and for life (Liminal Press, October 2009).

www.ExplorerGirls.com / Courtney Crow

Courtney is Editor at www.ExplorerGirls.com, a global networking site for women who travel for adventure and action sports.

Why do it?

It’s 8.30pm and I’m sitting in my trainer’s gym. I’m one hour into the session with two more to go and I’ve got three sets left on my deadlift.

I find myself doing what everyone who has started a health and fitness adventure does when they have a big workout ahead of them.

I’m wondering: why am I training? Continue Reading

Continue Reading

Continue Reading

Continue Reading

by Jules Clancy from stonesoup | minimalist home cooking. Continue Reading

Rated: M

Running Time: 93 mins

Director: Duncan Jones

Cast: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey (voice) Continue Reading

If there was a pill that fixed everything, would you be interested? One pill that could reduce the chance of heart disease and osteoporosis, increase metabolism, strengthen and lengthen muscles and reduce the effects of ageing.

Are you thinking how much and where do I get it from?

What if it was free and you already have it available to you at home? Continue Reading

Rated: PG

Running Time: 90 mins

Director: David Bowers

Voice Cast: Freddie Highmore, Nicolas Cage, Kristin Bell, Bill Nighy Continue Reading

Young entrepreneur Clint Salter was born and raised in Camden (Sydney’s Western Suburbs) where his relationship with the world of entrepreneurship began at an early age. At age 16 Clint opened up a dance studio where he taught after school while completing his Year 10 Certificate. Continue Reading

Professor Finlay McCrae, has successfully completed the first ever endoscopy procedures using a dual high definition, endomicroscopy endoscope at Cabrini Hospital, Melbourne. Continue Reading

Westin Heavenly Travel Blanket AUD$60

Cosy, snug and compact for napping on the go, the Westin Heavenly Travel Blanket is a lust item for any traveller. Open, it’s a full sized, soft blanket, fold and tuck into a hidden pocket and it’s a beautiful plush pillow. With a strengthening commitment to guest wellness, the Westin Heavenly Travel Blanket offers the comfort and luxury synonomous with first class travel. Continue Reading

With over 110 million hits for ‘exercise’ and ‘weight loss’ on Google every year, it’s no surprise that many are confused by the multitude of options available and cant decide what will work best for them. Do you join a big gym and sweat it out with the masses? Do you get a personal trainer? Do you buy a pushbike and go riding every day? You could even buy one of those exercise machines that are available at your local shopping centre. Continue Reading

One of the unpleasant side effects of internet dating is attracting losers. Sorry but this is the truth. Over the years I started to catagorise some of these people – the stalker, the talker, the time waster and what I affectionately call the moron.

Let’s start with the stalker. This is the person that cannot let it go. There are a couple of different types of stalkers – the one that wants desperately for you to talk to them; the one that you DO talk to then decide that was a bad idea try and break it off but they just won’t get the message; and the one whom you actually meet, decide they’re not for you but again just won’t leave you alone.

Stalker 1 – Listen… I didn’t smile, kiss, etc back at you because I’m simply not interested. I read your bio and I’m sure you mother loves you, but you’re just not my type. Just let it go. Stop smiling, kissing, etc at me and move on to the next person. Also… don’t ask me why I didn’t reply, just move on…

The second type of stalker are those that follow you around electronically. You chatted to them online… once. All I can say is “thank god for blocking mechanisms”. But they hunt you down. Wherever you go – Facebook, MSN, Twitter, they’re there! Lying in wait to pounce on your unsuspecting keyboard. “Why are you ignoring me, what have I done to deserve this?” Ooookaayy, creepy. I’ve never met you, I don’t even know you and now we have some fantasy relationship where I’m your best friend who isn’t speaking to you after knowing you for 100 years (10 mins on the internet). There’s only one thing to do with this person – block, block, and keep blocking. Whatever you do, don’t ever give them your private email address, you’ll never hear the end of it. I love hotmail. I can be whoever I want to be at the drop of a keystroke – hotlips2000; shedevil500; and tomorrow I can simply shut it down and be someone else.

And then there’s the ones you meet. This could be a whole article in itself. How do you stop them from calling. There’s only one thing for it – be honest. Simply say “Thanks, but I’m not feeling it. Have a nice life”. Whatever you do don’t say the magic words “I had a great time”. If you do you have opened the door to a whole set of questions – “Then why don’t you want to see me again”; “You said you had a good time so what’s the problem”. Just turn and walk away. If you meet them online say “Hi” but don’t overly encourage them, otherwise they think you are now soul mates, destined to be together forever. Whatever…

I once chatted to this guy online for roughly 5 minutes, he said some stuff that really made me uneasy. How he meets women in public places for a little bit of gratification, or a lot of gratification in his case, I’m not so sure about hers…. At first I was fascinated, you really do this? Do people really do this? I thought that only happened in porn movies. I soon found out I was wrong. He was an interesting character to say the least. Would I meet up with him? Ahhhh no thanks, not my style. Boy did he go nuts. How dare I lead him on, why wouldn’t I meet him, and on it went. But it didn’t stop there. Everytime I was online he was there. Stalking me. Creep. So when in doubt – block. And if this doesn’t work… I contacted one of the websites and asked them to make sure he couldn’t access me anymore. It must have worked because I never heard from him again. It was a toss up between stalker and moron, but I have to put him into the first category because I didn’t actually meet him.

More next week…

Guest contribution by Julie Allen @ www.thefullpretzel.com.au

Continue Reading

Continue Reading