Reggie

This is our pet rat Reggie. Yes, he is a rat and no, he is not like the rats that you see in films running around sewers and spreading disease, lol. He is a domestic rat, which means that he is tame and does not carry any diseases. Rats have been domesticated since the late 19th century and make great pets. Rats are sociable, intelligent animals and can be trained to use a litter box, come when called, and perform a variety of tricks..(this is according to Wikipedia.org)

I got the idea of buying a rat after moving into our apartment. Unfortunately our landlord wouldn’t allow us to have dogs or cats, which I can understand. But I’ve always had pets, mainly dogs, since the day I was born so found that I missed having them around. I remembered seeing a programme about pet rats on a TV show called “The Late Late Show” on RTE1 and thought they were cute, so set my heart on buying one as a pet. Originally, I had bought one rat who was just five weeks old and who I called Roland (after Roland the rat, this was a puppet from a 1980’s morning show on BBC) hehe...Anyway, he wasn’t on his own for long and two weeks later I bought one of his brothers and called him Smurf (there are only so many popular rat names so ran out of names after Roland!)lol, but I thought Smurf sounded cute so that was the name I chose. Anyway, after about 6 months both Roland and Smurf accidentally got poisoned. We had used an air freshener in our room, not realising that some of it had got on their food and poisoned them! It was very sad, but after waiting another couple of months, I decided to buy a new one and named him after his pet food!haha...

I have to say, he is a great pet. We spent a lot more time with Reggie so he can come when he’s called and loves to snuggle up with me on the sofa. He’s also very mischievous and when we let him out of his cage and turn our back on him he usually disappears behind the sofa or runs into the kitchen to look for crumbs!!:) He’s great fun though and because he eats everything he comes in handy when it comes to getting rid of leftovers.

People have a lot of misconceptions about domestic rats and just assume that they are like wild rats, but they’re really not. They never bite or become vicious like wild rats and love having their bellies and ears scratched!!
The downside of course is the fact that they generally only live for about two years..very short I know, but this is due to the fact that a lot of their ancestors were used in labs and were given cancer and other forms of disease. Even so, if you really look after your pet rat and get them checked up regularly there is no reason why they can’t live longer. There have been some rats that have lived to 7 and onwards so it is possible.

Our little Reggie should hopefully have a new companion soon. He’s been on his own for a few months now and we feel it’s only fair that he has some Company when we’re not here. If he had his choice we would be getting a Mrs Reggie but unfortunately, it’s very expensive to get female rats spayed and it also can cause complications which can lead to death so we’ll be looking for another male.
Well, I hope this changes some misconceptions about rats, and I would definitely recommend them as a pet, just look at how cute Reggie is!!;)

My Top 10 Useful & Interesting Websites!

My Top 10 Useful & Interesting Websites

1. www.bitoffun.com
The description is in the name. A fun site with video clips, pictures, things to do, brainteasers and cool links to other related sites.


2. www.spypig.com
This is a site which allows you to find out if and when an e-mail has been received and read. It’s free to sign up and strictly private so the reader of your e-mail won’t know!

3. www.jump2mail.com
This is a great site! Allows you to check multiple e-mail accounts from one account. For example you can check your gmail, yahoo and hotmail account for e-mails all at the same time.

4. www.offsurf.com
Not able to view certain websites in work or in college?Go to offsurf.com, enter in the website that you wish to view and bingo!

5. www.meebo
If you want to chat online but don’t want to install messenger etc. to your computer. Go to meebo.com, log in with your details and chat! Another one of my favourites!

6. www.deezer.com
Listen to thousands of songs online from all different countries. Unfortunately you can not download the songs but is great for coming across bands/singers that you have never heard of before.


7. www.flickr.com
Just signed up with flickr on Wednesday and think it’s great!You can upload photos to your account and use these to create slideshows etc to place on your own website/blog. Worth having a look at.

8. www.bored.com
Haha, love this site! Used to use it a lot in my last job when I worked night shifts. This site has a whole list of different things to keep you occupied, from playing games, trivia, strange stories/facts, quizzes etc. If you are ever bored have a look at this site!

9. www.bidvertiser.com
Do you have your own blog or webpage and want to make some earnings? Place some of bidvertiser’s ads on your site and every time somebody clicks on their ads you earn money. It’s that simple.

10. www.slightlyinteresting.com
This is a good one that I came across today. Has some interesting links and information about a wide range of things.

Online Shopping -v- Store Shopping

ONLINE SHOPPING -V- STORE SHOPPING

I have to admit that I’m addicted to both, but recently I started to think, which is better. Is it better to shop from the comfort of your own home/office as opposed to the physical act of getting up, taking money out of the A.T.M (or bringing the laser/credit card along!) and going into the shops. In this article, I’m going to discuss the pros and cons of internet shopping and store shopping.

Why Online Shopping?

I first came across the idea of buying things online about 3 years ago. I had heard of online shopping before but always thought, “what’s the point in shopping online and paying postage & packaging costs when you can just go out and buy something yourself?”. I had a friend’s 21st party coming up, and after going into town and going to my usual clothes shops, such as Miss Selfridge, A-Wear and Dorothy Perkins; I could not seem to find anything to appeal to me. I left my search for that day but thought, I have to get something before the weekend so decided to come back again on Thursday (late night shopping). Anyway, I perused the shops again and still couldn’t find anything that I liked. I was starting to panic now and if any men are reading this I know they’ll be thinking, “well why didn’t you just wear something that you had already?”, but us women know that we usually hate wearing the same outfit twice! I love clothes and shopping and wanted to get myself something new! Anyway to make this short, I was online on my Pigsback.com account and just happened to click on the “Shop and earn” link, which brought up a list of online stores from which you can buy and earn piggy points at the same time. I browsed through and came across a clothes site called “Asos.com”, so thought “hmmm..let’s have a look at this!” I came across a great green and silver cami top and a lovely pair of light denim jeans. When I checked how much the total order came to along with p&p, it only came to €57, so it wasn’t that expensive either.

I have never had any bad experiences as such from shopping online, apart from receiving an item that I didn’t order (that happened once) and receiving items of clothing or shoes that didn’t fit. However, one big drawback of shopping online is the delay in receiving your item, especially if you are relying on it for a special occasion or whatever the case may be, time delays can and will happen some times. Also, credit cards are needed for most online shopping sites too and if you’re like me, this can be dangerous. I’ve got caught up in the excitement and comfort of shopping online and only realise how much by the time my credit card statement arrives. So if you are in anyway, bad with credit card payments or already have a large enough sum to pay off, I would strongly recommend THAT YOU DO NOT USE YOUR CREDIT CARD!

My rating for shopping online is: 8/10

Why Store Shopping?

Well store shopping has its very own obvious advantages, namely we get to see exactly what we might be buying. We can feel the material, check the fitting and try on many different items. I personally hate trying on clothes while out shopping, so even when I do end up buying something and realise that it’s not the right fit etc. it’s just a matter of walking back to the shop and changing it for something else. Unlike with online shopping, you have to post the item back (and pay p&p) and also wait a couple of days for a refund or for a new item to be received.

Store shopping is also fun. You can’t really call your friends over to your place to shop online with each other, but when store shopping you can tag some of your friends along, get their opinions and all the while catching up on some chit chat. Maybe some people do this while shopping online, but even if they do, it’s not quite the same. You can’t go home that same day and look at the items you’ve bought, instead you have to wait to receive them to see if you really like them.

Personally, I think store shopping has a lot more advantages than online shopping. It gets us out and about, we get to see a wider range of items and can have any item that we purchase in our hands within a couple of minutes!Simple!

My rating for store shopping is: 10/10

WHAT IS THE SCARIEST FILM YOU HAVE EVER SEEN?

Living and Studying in Ireland

Ireland has been ranked as the 8th most expensive city out of a total of 71 that have been reviewed according to UBS.

The minimum wage in Ireland is currently €8.65, below I have converted this amount into a few different currencies to get an idea of how it compares to your own:

$13.78 (USD)
$13.91 (CAD)
13.75 (CHF)
96.38 (CNY)
£6.97 (GBP)
63.61 (INR)

Tourist Destination Cost Surveys -Ireland is in second place to Norway in a cost survey of 12 holiday destinations. However from our own experience, a tourist in Dublin is likely to pay less for a comparable lunch than in central Paris. A half litre of beer such as Carlsberg in a typical Paris brassiere can cost up to €9 ($11), compared with €4.70 in Dublin. On the food side, the pub lunch in Dublin is much better value than the typical lunch in Paris. An espresso coffee typically costs about 15% more in Paris.

A meal for 2-two courses plus coffee and a bottle of wine in a typical Dublin restaurant costs in the range €60-€80 (£40-£54; $72-$96 USD). A bottle of house wine costs about €20 but some restaurants provide low quality house wines- i.e. below the quality of an €8 bottle in a supermarket. This is according to http://www.finfacts.ie/bestbuys.htm

Studying in Ireland

According to http://www.learning.ie/living_in_ireland/cost_of_living_in_ireland.html, the average amount of money required for studying and living in Ireland per every 9 months amounts to €10,500 and €12,500 and this is minus tuition fees.

Below I have provided addresses for some of the most popular and best places to study in Ireland:

Trinity College: www.tcd.ie
UCD: www.ucd.ie
DCU: www.dcu.ie
Shannon College: www.shannoncollege.com
DIT: www.dit.ie
Dublin Business School: www.dbs.ie
National University of Ireland: www.nui.ie/www.nuim.ie

For more information on studying in Ireland, I have provided a few more helpful links below:

http://www.educationireland.ie/
http://www.studyinireland.ie/
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/categories/travel-and-recreation/travel-to-ireland/visas-for-travel-to-ireland/student_visas
http://www.iscdublin.com/iscdublin/Main/Home.htm

I hope this is of some help. But if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to contact us. Our e-mail address is bloggersgallerio@gmail.com

What Would You Like To See On Our Blog?

Ok, so we've set up our blog page and have added a few posts but would like to receive some feedback from you and to find out "what would you like to see on our blog?"

Being honest, until last week, I never knew it was so easy to set up a blog page!I had heard of blogs and come across a few blogs while browsing on the net but never actually got the idea of setting one up myself until my boyfriend told me about it. We talked about it and then one day he told me that he'd set up a page and after I had seen it and seen how easy it actually was to add content and to manage, I was hooked!hehe..It's a great time pass and if we get enough people to come by and invest some time in our blog I'm sure that we can make it into something interesting and fun. So that's why I'm publishing this post...I NEED YOUR HELP!lol...Mainly I would like for you to tell me any comments that you have about this blog, how we can improve and any content that you would like for us to add. It can be anything at all (within reason!), but please feel free to pass your comments on.

Oh and for any of our foreign viewers, we have added a translator at the top of our page which will allow you to translate our blog into your own language. This nifty little gadget is thanks to Google Gadgets which I came across at home last night. Has so many quirky and fun things that you can add to your site such as calenders, games (it has Sonic the hedgehog and Mario!!)quotes and loads more. It's also really easy to add these to your own site so take a look at the website, it's called http://www.google.com/ig/directory?synd=open.

Ok, I'll leave this here for now, but we're expecting to see some comments very soon, so please if you're bored and have nothing else to do, pass on any comments that you might have!:o)

Cheers
The Bloggers!

Buying Cosmetics

I recently came across a great site, again via Pigsback.com which sells cosmetics at a much cheaper retail price. The site is called Buycosmetics.com and they deliver to both Ireland and the UK.

They have a "top savings" section, "3 for 2" section and a "buy one get one free"section. Recently I purchased Elizabeth Arden's Fifth Avenue perfume for just €18.70 and the RRP is €38.70 so that was a saving of 50%!! So, if you're interested in saving some money, have a look at BuyCosmetics.com and let me know what you think:o)

I Want To Shop Online!

ASOS

Every girl loves to shop and the latest trend nowadays is to order items online which can be delivered to the comfort of your own home and or office. I've been doing this for about a year now through a site called Asos.com. I came across Asos.com through another site that I use which is called Pigsback.com. On Pigsback.com you can shop and earn which means that if you buy items through pigsback for a partner site, you can earn what are called piggy points, which can then be used to purchase "rewards" from the pigsback.com site. (I'll write more about that later), but after seeing the items that Asos.com had, I decided to place my first order...it was for a green sequined cami style top, and from that day on I've been hooked!hehe...Must have spent a fortune by now, but check it out if you're interested in purchasing high quality clothes at reasonable prices. So far I've introduced my sister, friends and a girl that I work with to this site and they all love it! So go on, have a look and treat yourself to something nice;o)


They deliver to the following countries:
(GB refers to England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales)(Holland refers to The Netherlands)

A Andorra Australia Austria
B Belgium Brazil
C Canada Canary Islands China (including Hong Kong) Corsica Cyprus
D Denmark
F Finland France
G Germany Greece
H Holland
I India Ireland Italy
J Japan
L Luxembourg
M Malta Mexico Monaco
N Netherlands New Zealand Norway
P Portugal
S San Marino Singapore South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland
T Taiwan
U UK USA

Exam tips for all!

Here are some exams tips & guidelines I got in Trinity College:-

Guidelines for sitting exams

Read all the questions carefully. As the saying goes RTFQ (Read the f***ing question!!)

Manage your time well and also decide which question you will answer first.

Underline all the important word(s) that will tell you what to do for each question.

Choose an pattern appropriate for each key word and plan your answers on rough work paper or in the margins. Rough work is very important.

Write your answers as quickly and as legibly as you can; do not take the time to recopy.

Begin each answer with one or two sentences which summarizes your answer. If possible, phrase the statement so that it rephrases the question's essential terms into a statement. VERY IMPORTANT.

Support your answers & summary with specific references to the relevant material you have studied.

Read your answer and correct errors in spelling and technicality.

Answer your best question first. This will settle you down and give you confidence.

Stick to the time you have budgeted. You will get more marks for four partially answered questions than you will for two fully answered questions and two questions not attempted.

Circle the important words in the question which tell you what to do with the topic. Ensure you fully know what the question is asking for and can rephrase it in your own words.

Always revise your answers for main body, spelling and grammar. Write down any extra ideas you forgot to include.

Never panic yourself

It is not uncommon to panic in an exam if your mind goes blank. Try to overcome this feeling of anxiety.

Take a complete break for a minute or two.

Close your eyes.

Breathe deeply.

Let your shoulders drop.

Eat a snack.

Return to your paper and re-read the question or re-read your answer if you have started writing.

You do not need to aim for perfection, just present a clear argument with evidence which answers the question.

The Study Plan…

1. Have a set place to study away from distractions - your favourite desk in library, or at home. Have all essential materials.



2. Consider now the demand for library books. Borrow now/photocopy. Make sure you have complete set of lecture notes.



3. Divide your subject into topics. Look at past papers. Decide what you are going to concentrate on and make a study plan.



4. Time yourself - don't be unrealistic - you can't do a four-hour stretch. Factor in short breaks.



5. Keep a study timetable - mix it up - subject you don't like, followed by a course that you like.



6. Revise in the morning, what you did the previous day - even for only ten minutes. Memory is a building process.

Exam Health (Why sleep is good…)

Stay healthy - eat well, sleep well and stay off the caffeine. Some people make changes such as drinking more coffee or Red Bull or other stimulants - don't!! The only way to maintain alertness and concentration are through getting enough sleep and through studying consistently, little and often.

Do something active when you take a break from study: perhaps go to the gym or take a walk. Get plenty of fresh air and light. It is best not to meet friends for study breaks, until you have done plenty of work - it can be distracting.

I hope all these tips will help you score well in your exams, if you have any other ideas or good tips please feel free to comment. Thanks!

Live Healthy!

These days we are living longer than any other time in history! Our life's primary goal should be to stay healthy and look after ourselves in a way so that we can live longer and healthier and be happier! We have a lot of medicines to cure ailments and other drugs to help us through diesease and illness! But as the saying goes "Prevention is Better than cure", we should follow a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise, healthy eating habits etc.

Our daily (or for really busy people atleast weekly) routine should include some sort of exercise, be it a morning walk or going to gym or playing a sport of our choice. I would recommend a little walk to be the least of exercise for our body on a daily basis. It helps us get fresh air in the morning, which gives us plenty of oxygen so that our body can function as it was designed to. It not only gives us a huge supply of fresh air but also works out our muscles. Talking about sport, I think swimming is the best way to stay healthy and enjoy ourselves at the same time! It is the only sport or exercise that works out every muscle in your body.

So go out there get going and keep yourself fit to live a happy and healthy life! Here are some vital and very useful foods which are very beneficial to our body and its well being :-

Apricots: rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C and fiber

Bananas: high in magnesium and potassium; both help the circulatory system

Beans: rich in protein and complex carbohydrates as well as a low-fat source of B vitamins, iron, folic acid, potassium and magnesium

Broccoli: contains vitamins A and C, beta-carotene and fiber

Carrots: Studies show what two carrots every other day reduce the risk of stroke by half for men with symptoms of heart disease.

Chili peppers: work as an antioxidant and also have blood-thinning properties, helping to lower cholesterol, reduce the risk of strokes and stimulate the release of endorphins

Citrus fruits: contain bioflavonoids and vitamin C, which boost the immune system and reduce the risk of cancer

Cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil: has anti-inflammatory properties which can lower the risk of heart disease, colon cancer and Alzheimer’s disease

Dark chocolate: contains antioxidants and blood-thinning properties which boost the production of nitric acid in blood vessels, helping to protect against stroke and heart disease

Garlic: thought to lower cholesterol and blood pressure

Green tea: contains polyphenols, which help prevent heart disease, cancer and stroke

Mangoes: contain bioflavonoids, which aid the immune system

Mushrooms: contain beta-glucon, which stimulates the immune system

Oats: lower cholesterol and blood pressure. Containing both soluble and insoluble fiber, they are also thought to reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Pumpkins: contain phytochemicals, which keep your skin looking young and protects it from sun damage

Salmon: contains omega-3 fatty acids, which help fight heart disease. It is also rich in calcium, magnesium, protein and B vitamins.

Soybeans and tofu: lower LDL cholesterol levels in blood, helping protect against heart disease

Spices: almost all spices have ‘super’ properties. Cinnamon has insulin-like effects that might help prevent type-II diabetes and lower cholesterol

Spinach: contains vitamins A and C, folic acid and magnesium, which help reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke, as well as block free radicals

Strawberries: can help prevent cancer

Tomatoes: high in antioxidants, boosting immunity and protecting against degenerative diseases

Walnuts: lower the risk of cardiovascular disease with healthy fats

Yogurt: boosts the immune system

ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT NO MATTER HOW HEALTHY YOU EAT OR LIVE, YOUR MIND SHOULD BE HEALTHY TO KEEP YOU FEELING CONTENT AND HAPPY, SO DONT GIVE YOUR MIND UNDUE STRESS, LOOK AFTER IT AND YOUR BODY AND THEY WILL LOOK AFTER YOU!

Tibet

There are crisis in the world everywhere you see these days. But the Tibet crisis has lasted decades and still hasn't been resolved. China, as others would believe, believes that treaties signed under international law are binding on those countries signing them, unless the country is not coerced into signing them by threat or by force. After the invasion of Tibet by China, when the small Tibetan army was defeated, the People's Republic of China imposed a treaty on Tibetan Government under which Tibet was declared a part of China. Now in theory China claims that this treaty was entered entirely voluntarily by the Tibetans & their government. Also that Dalai Lama & his people welcomed the move & the treaty. The facts are however different, the so called 17 point agreement was never validly concluded and the Tibetans rejected it.

"It was absurd to refer to the terms of the Seventeen-Point Agreement. Our people did not accept the agreement and the Chinese themselves had repeatedly broken the terms of it. Their army was still in occupation of eastern Tibet; the area had not been returned to the government of Tibet, as it should have been. [My Land and My People, Dalai Lama, New York, Fourth Edition, 1992, p.95]"

After which started the long course of suffering and torture for the poor Tibetans. It is a fact that the Tibetans tried to negotiate amicably with the Chinese but to no avail, all of their proposals were rejected and the ones suggested by the Chinese were imposed forcefully which led to a lot of blood shed which is still prevalent.

I dont understand why the Chinese Government cant act humane after all these decades and all the cruelties and atrocities they have committed on these peace loving relegious people. Here are some links to recent developments in Tibet and the world:-

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gknD9pf1jJxdndPjMuDTKP2Mekww

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jJS5lqgNRlGJvtVP1uBHRp4XRUbg

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/IOC_jittery_over_Tibet_crisis_boycott_threat/articleshow/2933688.cms

About time!

I have been thinking to create my own website or a blog for the last year or so. So I thought it is about time that I put my words to action! Even though I have final year college exams starting in the next 3 weeks! So that aside I want to talk to other people about a lot of things, like general knowledge, current affairs, relationship & career advice and even food recipies! I will be making changes here & there on this blog within the next few weeks so bear with me to give this blog page a good image! I am new to all this so it will take some time for me to start writing things and building on them!! Enjoy blogging!!