Take a moment to reflect on your romantic history. How many times have you said, “This is it. I’ve finally found my one true love”? And how many times has the reality turned out differently? Paperback romances and fairy tales promote an ideal of a first and only love, but few of us can claim to have had such uncomplicated good fortune. For most people, the process of finding the perfect partner is one of trial and error: breakups, makeups, missed opportunities, and misunderstandings. Human love is a fragile creation, and sometimes the smallest thing—the wrong choice of words or a single clumsy gesture—can make love shatter, stall, or fade away. 


Think of the last three people you have loved in your life, and write down the reasons each of those relationships ended (or failed to begin). Try to be as specific as possible in giving the reasons. For example, in a case of unrequited love, state whether it didn’t work out because the other person didn’t notice your signals or just wasn’t interested, or whether it was because you lacked the courage to say how you felt. In completing this exercise, avoid vague, noncommittal statements like “It just wasn’t meant to be,” “It wasn’t really anybody’s fault,” or “We were both a little bit at fault.” Take as long as you need to answer, but assign the blame to one side or the other in each case. 

 
Source: Kokology - The Game of Self-Discovery

Who’s To Blame

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Good real estate brokers understand that whether it’s a one-room studio apartment or a three-bedroom Cape Cod with a yard, their clients are looking for more than four walls and a door. They’re looking for a place to call home. Model showrooms are designed with that in mind. The interior design and furniture are carefully selected to create a feeling in potential home buyers: “This is where I want to be. This is where I belong.” 

You have recently been to see a model home and are now mulling over whether or not to sign the lease. The tour was unhurried, and you had the chance to ask the questions you had prepared, but there’s one part of the home that you still want to spend a little more time looking over before you can feel comfortable in making your final decision. Which area do you want to examine again? (click a picture to see the result)

The bathroom.
The bedroom.
The dining room/kitchen.
The veranda/garden.

  Source: Kokology - The Game of Self-Discovery

Some Room for Improvement

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Thanks to modern transport people can now travel a lot more easily than in the past. However, modern-day travel also has its problems.

The price of holidays can fluctuate a great deal throughout the year so try to be flexible with your travel dates and avoid peak holiday times. It can also be cheaper if you book well in advance.

Before your departure, make sure you do as much research about your destination as you can. Find out if you require any special visas or permits to travel there.

Think about currency as well. Will you be able to access your own money easily enough or will you need to take cash with you? Think about eating larger lunches and smaller evening meals to help make your spending money go further, as lunch is generally cheaper. 

Make sure that you keep sufficient identification with you at all times. It may also help to email a copy of your passport details to yourself in case it is lost or stolen.

Airports can be very crowded and there are often long queues of people waiting to collect their luggage. Label your suitcases clearly so that they can be easily identified as yours. One way to make this journey easier is to tie a colorful ribbon around each of your suitcases so they are easier to spot on the conveyor belt. It can be useful to store a copy of your itinerary in a prominent place in your suitcase so that the airline will know where to find you if your luggage gets lost.

If you are going away on a short trip of only a few days then you may be able to limit yourself to hand luggage and save even more time. For longer trips, make sure you take plenty of snacks and drinks, especially if you are traveling with small children. Be sure to pack any medication or other essential items in your hand luggage. If your flight is delayed or your luggage is lost these can be difficult to obtain in an airport or foreign country.

Travel advice

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Watching a trained horse and rider, you can easily get the impression that the two have somehow been fused into one. Learning to ride a horse is not an easy thing to do, but for those who have mastered the equestrian art, the experience is its own reward. There’s a thrill in having a powerful steed respond instantly to your every command, and the finest riders admit that when they’re in the saddle it’s almost as if the horse has become an extension of their own bodies. If you were a rider in a horse show and could select your mount, what kind of horse would you choose to be seen on?


 A graceful steed with muscles rippling beneath its shining coat.
 A thoroughbred of unquestionable lineage.
 A lovable companion with a sensitive, knowing gleam in its eye.
 A one-in-a-million horse that’s not only intelligent, but beautiful as well.


Source: Kokology - The Game of Self-Discovery

A little horse sense

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Fountains add a touch of magic to any public space. The fine mist carried onto the breeze, the gentle sounds of water falling into water, the sparkle of light as it plays on the rippling surface: it’s enough to transform a humdrum little park into a fantasy setting. Perhaps that’s why the local fountain is such a popular meeting place for romantic assignations and getting together with friends. Close your eyes and imagine a park with a fountain. You have arranged to meet some friends there before a night out on the town. What kind of fountain do you see? (click a picture to see the result)

A single jet of water blasting straight up in the air like a geyser.
A number of medium-size fountains in a sparkling array, their spray dissolving into droplets of mist.
A smallish, burbling fountain.
An intricately engineered and complex water sculpture.

  Source: Kokology - The Game of Self-Discovery

Dancing waters

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One night a man came home to his 14-year-old son and sat him down. He said, “The most incredible thing happened to me today. I was in my office and one of the junior executives came in and he told me that he admired me and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius. The blue ribbon that says ‘Who I am makes a difference’. Then he gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else special to honor. As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about whom I would honor with this ribbon and I thought about you. I want to honor you. 

My days are really hectic, and when I come home, I don’t pay a lot of attention to you. Sometimes I scream at you for not getting enough good grades in school and for your bedroom being a mess, but somehow tonight, I just wanted to sit here and, well, just let you know that you do make a difference to me. Beside your mother, you are the most important person in my life. You’re a great kid and I love you!” 

The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he couldn’t stop crying. His whole body shook. He looked up at his father and said, through his broken tears, “I was planning on committing suicide tomorrow, Dad, because I didn’t think you loved me. Now I don’t need to do that.”

- Helice Bridges


Love cures people – both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.

- Karl Menninger 

Who you are makes a difference

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President Abraham Lincoln often visited hospitals to talk with wounded soldiers during the Civil War. Once, doctors pointed out a young soldier who was near death and Lincoln went over to his bedside. 

“Is there anything I can do for you now?” asked the president. 

The soldier obviously didn’t recognize Lincoln, and with some effort he was able to whisper, “Would you please write a letter to my mother?” 

A pen and paper were provided and the president carefully began to write down what the young man was able to say: “My dearest mother, I was badly hurt while doing my duty. I’m afraid I’m not going to recover. Don’t grieve too much for me, please. Kiss Mary and John for me. May God bless you and father.” 

The soldier was too weak to continue, so Lincoln signed the letter for him and added, “Written for your son by Abraham Lincoln.”  The young man asked to see the note and was astonished when he discovered who had written it. 

“Are you really the president?” he asked. 

“Yes, I am,” Lincoln replied quietly. Then he asked if there was anything else he could do. 

“Would you please hold my hand?” the soldier asked. “It will help to see me through to the end.” 

In the hushed room, the tall gaunt president took the soldier’s hand in his and spoke warm words of encouragement until death came.

- The Best of Bits

An act of kindness

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Do this test tonight when you go to bed. Put a plate on the floor next to your bed. Lie down with one hand hanging over the bed holding a spoon above the plate. When you fall asleep, the spoon will fall on the plate and should wake you up. If you don't wake up until the next day, it probably means you are 'sleep deprived'.
We live in a world of tired, sleep deprived people. We all know the importance of having a healthy diet and doing exercise, but we don't worry enough about sleeping the hours we need. We might live longer and happier lives if we took our beds as seriously as our running shoes.

Sleepy people - the dangers of sleep deprivation

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For decades, doctors have warned us about the dangers of stress and have given us advice about how to cut down our stress levels. Everyone agrees that long-term stress, for example having to look after someone who has a chronic illness, or stressful situations where there is nothing we can do, for example being stuck in a traffic jam, is bad for our health and should be avoided whenever possible. However, some medical experts now believe that certain kinds of stress may actually be good for us.

'Good stress' is beneficial to our health and may, in fact, help us stay young and attractive and even live longer. 'Good stress' can strengthen our natural defenses which protect us from illnesses common among older people, such as Alzheimer's, arthritis, and heart problems. He believes that 'good stress' can increase the production of the proteins that help to repair the body's cells, including brain cells.


Get stressed, stay young

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A Why do we need to drink water?

We all know that our bodies need water. Water cleans our body, controls our temperature, and helps to keep us healthy. About 70% of our body is water.

B How much water do we need to drink a day?

We often read that we need to drink at least eight glasses of water a day (about two litres). The idea probably came from mineral water companies! In fact, how much water we need depends on the weather and on what we're doing. When we are hot, of if we do sport or exercise, we need to drink more. Some experts say that, in normal conditions, we only really need about on litre a day.

Water - facts and myths

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In Okinawa people live a very long time. They are hardly ever ill. Many people live to be 100 - more people than in other parts of the world. Why? What is their secret?

1 A healthy diet

The Okinawans eat vegetables, fruit, fish, soya, and rice. They usually have seven portions of fruit and vegetables a day. People don't usually drink much alcohol or smoke. They don't eat much meat or fast food.

2 Exercise

Physical activity is very important for the people of Okinawa. Martial arts, walking, traditional dancing, and gardening are very popular with people of all ages.

The mystery of Okinawa

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