週二(1/24)1.如何做節慶預算?2.樂透好不好?/中獎者悲慘命運!

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1/26 為農曆年前 最後聚會
2/2 為年後開張 聚會日
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如何做節慶預算?

How to Create a Holiday Budget        By Jacqueline Curtis

Determine How Much You Need to Spend

Since the holidays can be expensive, it’s important to break down your spending and allocate funds for everything from cookies to clothing. Here are several of the categories you may need to budget for:

    Family gifts (an amount per person may work well)

    Work gifts or treats

    Food (include baked goods as well as special meals you may be hosting or contributing to)

    Clothing for holiday parties and events

    Gasoline or airline tickets if you’ll be traveling

    New decorations for your home

    Charitable offerings

   

Saving Strategies for the Holidays

1. Start Shopping Early

Starting your shopping early can help save major money – this is because retailers heavily discount merchandise several weeks before the official kick-off for the holiday shopping season.

There’s another reason shopping early can pay off though: Without a designated “shopping day,” you could spend less overall. The spending atmosphere over the holidays is especially designed to get you to pull out your credit card: The holiday music playing over the loudspeakers; the cinnamon-spice air freshener used in stores; the mob mentality of shopping with a large group. When you shop early, you can avoid all that and simply focus on staying within your budget.

2. Sell Some Stuff

Selling unwanted stuff is a great way to build up savings for the holidays – and as an added bonus, it helps you clear clutter. There are a number of ways you can sell old toys, clothes, electronics, movies, home goods, and other items:

    Have a garage sale

    Sell online using eBay or Craigslist

     

3. Give Up an Indulgence

When you’re saving money for the holidays, little regular indulgences can add up. By committing to give up an indulgence and swapping it for a lower-cost alternative, you can take the money saved and add it directly to your holiday account.

Consider these swaps to save money in the months before the holidays:

    Brew coffee at home, rather than stopping at the coffee shop every day

    Instead of going to the movie theater, rent a DVD from Redbox

    Shop at a thrift store instead of a department store

    Forgo eating out at a restaurant each weekend and cook dinner at home instead

    Cut your satellite or cable for a few months – Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime can keep you entertained instead

    Skip the monthly gym payment and exercise at home

Making these sacrifices during the holidays can have positive long-term effects on your budget, as you may permanently curb some of your daily spending habits.

Q:

How to create a holiday budget?      

How much you need to spend for the coming Chinese new year?

Do you plan to make new decorations for your home?

What are your own saving strategies?

“The holiday music playing over; the cinnamon-spice air freshener used in stores”

The ideas from this subject implied that we may spending more money, so what are your opinion about this?

“Give up an indulgence” is it a good idea that sacrifices during the holidays?

What's the best way to get rid of your old stuff?

樂透好不好?/中獎者悲慘命運!

Lottery Winners Who Lost It All      Businessinsider

Jeffrey Dampier: $20 million in Illinois Lottery

Dampier and his wife won the $20 million prize back in 1996 and used the winnings to help his family out by buying them houses and the like. He also started a gourmet popcorn store in Tampa, Florida which performed quite well and provided jobs for his family.

But in July of 2005, Dampier went to visit his sister-in-law and her boyfriend when she claimed she had car troubles. Her boyfriend pulled a pistol on Dampier and the two kidnapped him and killed him. They were ultimately convicted in 2006 and 2006 and received life sentences for their crimes.

William Post: $16.2 million in Pennsylvania Lottery

In 1988, William "Bud" Post won a $16.2 million jackpot in the Pennsylvania state lottery. That was the start of his problems.

An ex-girlfriend sued him for a share of winnings and won, his brother hired a hit man to try to kill him hoping to inherit some winnings, and other relatives bugged him constantly for money. Within one year, Post was $1 million in debt and filed for bankruptcy. He now lives on food stamps and a $450 month stipend.

Is a lottery a good idea?

 Lotteries are beneficial to state economy

    Lotteries have been used around the world for centuries. They create large pools of money from many small lottery ticket buyers. Unlike commercial gambling, state run lotteries provide funding for everything from education to health care and offer the general public an opportunity to win millions from a very small investment. Of course winners pay taxes, making lotteries a good idea for all.

   

Lottery is a bad idea

    In my opinion, lottery is a bad idea because people can get addicted to it believe it or not. Like others have said and because it is just plain common sense, you waste money on buying lotto tickets. You could be spending that money on more important things.

    Why is there even such thing as Lottery? People around the world are starving to death, dying from diseases because they cant afford medicine. I know what kind of replies I'm going to get. Like "There are people who have are poor and are playing the lottery so they can have the funds to survive" I get it but, its a 1 in a million chance. So those who are less fortunate people play the lotto with the small amount of money they have, are just making things worse for themselves.

Q:

What are your opinion about that lottery winners who lost it all?

What do you think that the lottery winner’s brother hired a hit man and try to kill him?

What would you do if you won the lottery?

Do you think lottery is kind of gambling and make people can get addicted to it?

Is a lottery a good idea?

Debating:

Lottery is a good idea / Lottery Is a bad idea

  

Read More 看完整內容

周六(1/21) 1.用聲音創造好印象2.如何過有意義的生活? 下午 4:00pm--6:00pm

板橋區文化路一段421巷11弄1號 (陽光甜味咖啡館)

新埔捷運站1號出口 旁邊7-11巷子進入20公尺 看到夏朵美髮

左轉       聚會時間下午4:00pm--6:00pm

用聲音創造好印象

How to use your voice to make a good impression    BY WILMA DEN HARTIGH

How to Talk, Act and Dress Your Way to Success, says good communication is a powerful sales tool and one of the most important factors that can influence business success.

Rissen-Harrisberg advises that people stay away from fake accents and an unnatural or forceful voice. "Use your voice pitch, which is how high or low the frequency of your voice is when you speak, to come across as sincere and confident", she says.

"The more serious you are, the more slowly you need to speak"

She adds that people who speak with a rich, resonant voice in the lower frequencies, are generally perceived to be more credible and sincere.

What can I do right now to improve my voice?

1. Practice breathing consciously. This means to breathe deeply. In this way your voice will come like a balloon from the stomach and will be projected out in a resounding way.

2. What if I mumble all the time? Open your mouth and project your voice. What often stops the sound is your teeth and lips. Practice opening your mouth by saying the word ‘ouch’.

3. Slow down. Speaking too quickly makes it difficult for other people to grasp what you are saying. Giving your speech meaning comes from using the correct pace. The more serious you are, the more slowly you need to speak (but within reason). This gives the listener time to pick up everything you say and understand that it is important.

4. Pause. While talking you would naturally pause to breathe. But pausing is also a powerful tool that adds colour and variety to speech. It gives listeners time to think about what you have just said and creates a bit of suspense.

5. Let down your barriers. Vulnerability and authenticity are two of the most captivating characteristics in a public speaker.

6. Don't over prepare. Know what you will be talking about, but over preparation can create separation from your audience. Sometimes the most memorable presentation is one where people can sense that you are present and say what comes to you in the moment.

7. Seek professional help. Voice training can help you develop a more flexible vocal tone using proper breathing techniques and vocal exercises to achieve a more flexible and varied tone.

Q:

How to use your voice to make a good impression?

How to make a speech more attractive?

How to make a good impression?

How to sharpen your communication skills?

How to talk in a sincere and confident voice?

How to make the listener fully understand everything you say?

如何過有意義的生活?

Ways to Live a More Meaningful Life      David Loker   lifehack

Know What’s Important

Know what’s important for you. Write down your top 5 things that you believe are the essence of how you want to live life. This can include things like “family time,” or “sing every day.” It could also include more complex ideas, like “honesty” and “simplicity.”

Discover Your Life’s Purpose

If you had to give yourself a reason to live, what would it be? What would you stand for? What principles do you hold highest? Is your life’s purpose to help others? Is it to inspire others with great works of art, or you words? Finding your life’s purpose is a daunting task, and when I first heard the idea, I had no idea where to start. For methods on discovering your life’s purpose, I recommend Steve Pavlina’s blog entries on the subject. I also recommend reading the article What Makes Life Worth Living.

Be Self-Aware

Be aware of yourself and your actions. Remain mindful of what you do at all times, and make sure you are living life according to your principles, your life’s purpose, and what you are passionate about. Review your actions each day, taking stock of those that strayed from your path. Work towards correcting any incidents in the future. Meditation is a great tool for accomplishing this task. It helps us increase our self-awareness throughout the day.

Focus

Rather than chasing 3 or 4 goals and making very little progress on them, place all of your energy on one thing. Focus. Not only will you alleviate some of the stress associated with trying to juggle so many tasks, you will be much more successful. Try and align your goal with something you are passionate about, so that there will be an intrinsic drive to work hard and do well.

People More Than Things

Often, we are faced with wanting to buy material goods. I recommend you consider carefully what you purchase, and think more about spending your money on experiences with friends and family. Not only will this give deeper meaning to your life by focusing on your relationships rather than material wealth, but you will be a happier person as a result.

Find a Way to Give Back

Do something that both honors your beliefs and passions, while giving something back to the world. By giving something back, we inevitably find purpose in the act. By cultivating more of these activities, you will find your life has more meaning and purpose behind it.

Set Daily Goals

In the morning, before you start your day, create a list of 3 goals that you find fulfilling and meaningful. Make sure they adhere to your set of principles and beliefs. Tackle the hardest things first! Don’t make this list too long. By placing too many things on the list, you’ll feel the urge to multi-task, which is not good, or you’ll feel overwhelmed, which isn’t good either. By trying to do less, you’ll end up doing more.

Q:

How to live a more meaningful life?

Do you know that what’s important to you?

Sharing your top 3 things that you believe are the essence of how you want to live life?

How to discover your life’s purpose?

How to be focus?

What are your opinion about this saying “life by focusing on your relationships rather than material wealth”?

How to find a way to give back?

Read More 看完整內容

週四 (1/19)1. 不必回頭看咒駡你的人是誰2.年終獎金不該用的是--

板橋區文化路段421巷11弄1號 (陽光甜味咖啡館)
新埔捷運站1號出口 旁邊7-11巷子進入20公尺 看到夏朵美髮院  左轉     PM7:00--9:30


不必回頭看咒駡你的人是誰

Billy 覺得這句話很棒!

“如果有一條瘋狗咬你一口，難道你也要趴下去反咬它一口嗎”

How to React when Insulted or Teased   wikihow

  

 Determine if the teasing is a violation of the law.

    Sometimes teasing or insults are a direct violation of state or federal law. For example, if you have a co-worker who is sexually harassing you at work by commenting on your body, this is a violation of the law and must be reported immediately.

 Prepare for the situation.

    If you must spend time with a person who repeatedly insults or teases you, come up with a plan for how you will address the situation. Thinking through ways you can respond and role-playing can help you handle the situation.

        If your boss is insulting you in a belittling way, come up with a plan. Try saying, “Bob, your teasing is unprofessional, hurtful, and is hindering my productivity. I will report it to human resources if it continues.”

   Stay calm.

    It’s important to stay calm when you are being teased or insulted, even if your instinct is to get angry or cry. People who tease and insult others are often looking for a reaction. Keep your cool and stay grounded.

        When someone insults you, try taking several deep breaths before responding to them.

 Ignore the insult.

    Sometimes the best response to an insult is to ignore it. You can pretend you didn’t hear it at all or change the subject to something completely off topic. Ignoring your aggressor’s teasing or insults instead of reacting will prevent fuel being added to the fire.

  React with humor.

    Using humor to react to being teased or insulted is an effective response. Humor can diffuse a tense situation, disarm the aggressor, and even undermine the insult. Try making a joke when someone insults or teases you.

       

  Have a conversation with your aggressor.

    For example, if you are being repeatedly insulted by a parent or family member it might be time to sit down and have a conversation about the abuse. Be direct about how the teasing makes you feel and how such harassment affects your life.

        If your mother continually insults your appearance, try saying, “Mom, I feel hurt when you comment on my clothing, hair, or makeup. It hurts my feelings. From now on, please stop making these comments.”

        Even if the teasing is non-malicious, you can still say something to the person if it bothers you, such as "I love hanging out with you and it's fun teasing each other sometimes, but the following topics hurt my feelings and those are off limits now: looks, clothes, boyfriends, etc…”

Q:

How to react when insulted or teased? 

What to do when someone is sexually harassing you at work?

What to do if your boss is insulting you?

How to stay calm when you feel being treated unfairly?

Do you think that the best response to an insult is to ignore it?

Do you think that using humor to react to being teased or insulted is an effective response?

How to have a conversation with your aggressor?

年終獎金不該用的是----

5 Things NOT to Do With Your Year-End Bonus    Time.com  Cameron Huddleston

Good Idea: Investing in yourself

Investing in yourself is a smart way to spend your year-end bonus. Use the cash to create money-making opportunities down the road and build your wealth.

Maybe there’s an online course you have been wanting to take or a professional group you have been wanting to join.

Bad Idea: Splurge on a New Wardrobe

You might see your bonus as a way to upgrade your wardrobe with some designer threads or shoes. As the saying goes, the clothes make the man -- or woman. So, this sort of splurge could be justified, right?

“People seem to think more is better, and this area is no different. Keep your wardrobe simple, and don’t give in to the urge to buy the latest sneaker or trendy pair of jeans.”

If you want to look better, consider spending the money on a gym membership and personal trainer. Not only will you improve your appearance, but your health could benefit -- and being healthy can save you money.

Good Idea: Spend It on an Experience

If you meet your savings goals, and you don’t have high-interest debt to pay off, consider using your bonus to pay for a fun excursion with your spouse, family or friends.

Plus, using cash to pay for a vacation is a better option than racking up credit card debt to cover the cost of a getaway. It could take you months to pay off what you owe, and those monthly bills might make you regret your trip.

Bad Idea: Buy a Car

Your year-end bonus might seem like your ticket to buying a new car. Although it can help you make a down payment, ask yourself whether you can afford to pay monthly loan payments going forward.

“Thinking you can afford a car payment just because you have more cash than normal is the wrong way to think,” said Hayes. “Make sure to start back with your monthly spending plan to assure your payment fits into your cash flow scenario.”

Good Idea: Donate Your Bonus

One of the best things you can do with a bonus this year is give it away, said Pomeroy. You’ll help others in need and lower your tax bill in the process. That’s because you can claim a tax deduction on your donation.

If you’re not sure which organization you want to give to, consider opening a donor-advised fund. You can invest money in one of these funds and receive an immediate tax benefit, said Pomeroy. Then, choose the organization that receives your donation at a later time.

Bad Idea: Gamble It

“Sometimes when people receive an unexpected lump sum of money, they have a burning desire to try and turn it into even more money,” said Schulte. “Since they didn’t plan on having it in the first place, it’s easier to justify throwing it on red at the local casino or investing all of it in a trendy growth stock.”

However, the bigger risk is losing all of the money. Don’t gamble away the bonus you worked hard to earn, said Schulte. “

Q:

What are things not to do with your year-end bonus?

How to spend your year-end bonus?

How to investing in yourself?

Is it okay to splurge on yourself with your year-end bonus?

Do you like spending money on improving your appearance?

“Chinese new year is around the corner” so what do you think about gambling?

Do you think that donate your bonus is a good idea?

Read More 看完整內容

週二(1/17)1.清桃說家暴/家暴類型 2.改變或不改變

板橋區文化路段421巷11弄1號 (陽光甜味咖啡館)
新埔捷運站1號出口 旁邊7-11巷子進入20公尺 看到夏朵美髮院  左轉     PM7:00--9:30

清桃說家暴/家暴類型

Helen Thanh Dao accuses her husband of long-term domestic violence and control    Taiwan news

Entertainer Helen Thanh Dao on Wednesday accused her husband of domestic violence and filed for an order of protection days after her “true” personal background was revealed. 

Thanh Dao, who has been often referred to as “Vietnamese Lin Chi-ling” for her attractive physical appearance, posted on her Facebook on Jan 8 morning that she has been married for 18 years. In the afternoon she appeared with her husband, Dai Fa-kuei, at a press conference, and acknowledged her marital status.

Types of Domestic Violence      family.findlaw

Physical Abuse

Physical abuse is the most recognizable form of domestic violence. It involves the use of force against the victim, causing injury (e.g. a punch or a kick, stabbing, shooting, choking, slapping, forcing you to use drugs, etc.). Remember that the injury doesn't need to be a major one. Consider, for example, that your abuser slaps you a few times, causing only minor injuries that don't require a visit to the hospital. Is that domestic violence? Yes. The slapping would still be considered domestic violence.

Emotional Abuse

Emotional abuse involves the destruction of the victim's self-worth, and is brought about by persistent insult, humiliation, or criticism. Emotional abuse can be a difficult type of domestic violence for many people to understand, since, on the surface, it appears to be quite common in unhealthy relationships. As a victim, you should know that in most states, emotional abuse is not enough on its own to bring a domestic violence action unless the abuse is so persistent and so significant that the relationship can be labeled extremely coercive. Most commonly, evidence of emotional abuse is combined with other abuse (physical, financial, sexual, or psychological) to bring a domestic violence action.

Financial Abuse

Of the types of domestic violence, financial abuse is perhaps the least obvious. Financial abuse may take on many forms, such as a husband preventing his wife from obtaining an education or a job outside the home. Financial abuse is extremely common, particularly when families have pooled their money into joint accounts (with one partner controlling) and where there's little or no family support system to help. Financial abuse is simply another form of control, even though it is usually less obvious than physical or sexual abuse.

Psychological abuse is basically a catchall term for intimidating, threatening, or fear-causing behavior. This behavior must be persistent and significant. A one-time event generally won't be enough to bring a domestic violence action.

Q:

What do you think of the entertainer Helen accused her husband of domestic violence?

Do you know how to file for an order of protection?

Is it OK for a married person concealed marital status?

What are your opinion about domestic violence?

How to handle with verbal abuse (ex: humiliating /nasty criticism)

How to deal with financial abuse?

How to deal with psychological abuse?

 

改變或不改變

Billy 聽到電視影集裡

一句鼓勵的句子—

“當你自己不改變 什麼都不會改變”

It Only Takes Steps to Change Your Life  John C. Maxwell

When you change your beliefs, you change your expectations.

Belief is the knowledge that we can do something. It is the inner feeling that what we undertake, we can accomplish. For the most part, all of us have the ability to look at something and know whether we can do it. So in belief there is power… our eyes are opened, our opportunities become plain, our visions become realities. Our beliefs control everything we do. If we believe we can or we believe we cannot, we are correct.

When you change your expectations, you change your attitude.

Your expectations are going to determine your attitude. Most people get used to average; they get used to second best. Nelson Boswell said, “The first and most important step toward success is the expectation that we can succeed.”

When you change your attitude, you change your behavior.

When our attitude begins to change, when we become involved with something, our behavior begins to change. The reason that we have to make personal changes is that we cannot take our people on a trip that we have not made.

When you change your behavior, you change your performance.

Most people would rather live with old problems than new solutions. We would rather be comfortable than correct; we would rather stay in a routine than make changes. Even when we know that the changes are going to be better for us, we often don’t make them because we feel uncomfortable or awkward about making that kind of a change. Until we get courage and get used to living with something that is not comfortable, we cannot get any better.

When you change your performance, you change your life.

It is easier to turn failure into success than an excuse into a possibility. A person can fail, turn around and understand their failure to make it a success. But I want to tell you, a person who makes excuses for everything will never truly succeed. Don’t you know some people who just have an excuse for everything? Why they could not, should not, did not, would not, have not, will not. I promise you, when you excuse what you are doing and excuse where you are, and you allow the exceptions, you fail to reach your potential. It is impossible to turn excuses into possibilities.

Q:

What are the steps to change your life?  

Do you believe the saying that “our beliefs control everything we do”?

Do you think that your expectations are going to determine your attitude?

How to change your attitude and your behavior?

Why do most people would rather live with old problems than new solutions?

How to reach your potential?

Are you living a life of endless excuses?

Read More 看完整內容

周六(1/14) 1.破壞家庭的第三者2.愛喜劇電影 下午 3:30pm--6:00pm

板橋區文化路一段421巷11弄1號 (陽光甜味咖啡館)

新埔捷運站1號出口 旁邊7-11巷子進入20公尺 看到夏朵美髮

左轉       聚會時間下午3:30pm--6:00pm

Read More 看完整內容