A standing desk, also called a stand-up desk, is a desk that allows you to stand up comfortably while working.

Many modern versions are adjustable so that you can change the height of the desk, alternate between sitting and standing which is essential for both your comfort and your health, it is also referred to as; height-adjustable desks, or sit-stand desks.

Why Standing Desk?

Sitting for long hours every day increases the risk of having diabetes and heart disease which could lead to early death, and this is common among office workers. Studies have linked long hours of sitting to weight gain and obesity.

The idea of standing while staring at a computer screen rather than sitting all day is good, but it takes more effort and extra calories to remain upright rather than sit, over the days or weeks, those extra calories would add up to something significant, and in addition to that, sitting the entire workday puts up to 90% more pressure on the back than when standing causing back and neck pain.

If it is necessary to switch between sitting and standing, a sit-to-stand desk might be the best option. This desk is easily adjustable from a seated to a standing position. While many of these desks are manual, some brands offer electric adjustments that memorize the necessary heights for both seated and standing positions. If deciding to use a sit-to-stand desk, ensure that posture while both sitting and standing is proper.

If you often suffer from back or neck pain, worry about your overall health, or feel yourself growing tired after lunch, consider a standing desk as a solution to your problems. Not only will a standing desk assist in your health concerns, but it is also a great talking point and an interesting modern furniture piece to add to your office space though it may cost you a bit.

According to the report on 'Daily Post'; that The cleric said that the 5G is making a lot of people sick and that it is what the new world order wants to use to achieve its aim of connecting the entire world with the mark of the beast, and that these plots are part of the antichrist’s plan for a new world order which includes: one-world government, one world religion, and one world economy.

The cleric is said to back his claim with Revelation Chapter 13 and took his time to analyze it according to a product of his research in a viral video.

But The UK’s national medical director for NHS England, Stephen Powis, has a contrary opinion, he condemned vandals in the country who attacked new 5G mobile phone network masts, after discredited claims it helped spread the coronavirus.

Powis called the 5G and coronavirus theory “absolute and utter rubbish” and said he was “absolutely outraged (and) disgusted”

that vital infrastructure in the United Kingdom had been targeted during a national emergency.

Where did the conspiracy come from?

Many of these arguments trace back to the discussions that pop up every few years about the potential health impact of using cellphones at all.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization web sites, ongoing studies have yet to provide any clear link between what’s called non-ionizing radiation that all forms of radio signals generate –everything from cellphones to TV transmissions to traditional radio signals – and human health.

(FYI, non-ionizing radiation is a form that doesn’t have the potential to cause atomic-level changes to cells as, for example, X-rays or other more serious forms of radiation can if you are exposed to them for long periods.)

To be fair, these health organizations also don’t completely rule out the possibility of non-ionizing radiation having some impact on human health, saying simply that more science still needs to be done on long-term exposure to it. However, virtually all of their caution relates to the possibility of causing cancer after years (or even decades) of usage – not just one month.

What does the science say?

In the latest scientific study from the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection — an organization that the WHO specifically refers to on its website concerning overall RF frequency-related health matters — they concluded that health-related concerns for 5G overall are not a threat.

Specifically, they pointed out that if the signal levels being generated remain below their suggested settings, which all current devices and networks do, that public health impacts are not a concern. Tests have shown that some networks in the UK function at less than 1% of the organization’s recommended levels.

Interestingly, there were absolutely no concerns mentioned for sub-6 GHz 5G signals in the ICNIRP report.

The only additions that were made in the 2020 version of the report over the original 1998 version were comments about exposure to frequencies above 6 GHz, including millimeter-wave. Even here, however, the revisions merely suggest limiting long-term exposure to high-strength signals in these upper frequencies.

How 5G waves work

As luck would have it, the physics of millimeter-wave signals inherently limits the distance they can travel before they dissipate into “nothingness” (for more on the details of how 5G works see “5G could change everything. Here’s what you need to know before you buy into the tech”).

That’s why, for example, the coverage maps for millimeter-wave-based 5G service, that carriers like Verizon have, are so limited. Instead of a single cell tower providing miles and miles of signal coverage as you can with sub-6 GHz signals, mmWave requires small cell towers roughly every block and, oh yeah, those signals can’t pass through walls into buildings.

The bottom line is, short of swallowing or embedding a 5G mmWave transmitter into your body and letting it run for a long time, you’re safe.

The Redmi executive adds that Qualcomm's flagship 800-series processors consume 20% more juice than an upper mid-range Snapdragon 700-series chipset. So when taken together, this means a 5G flagship will consume significantly more power compared to a mid-range 4G phone, which means battery capacity and optimizations are key for high-end 5G phones.

Earlier this month, an analyst said Apple's first Mac notebooks with Arm-based processors will be launch in the fourth quarter of 2020 or the first quarter of 2021.

ASMedia Technology is expected to become the exclusive supplier of USB controllers for Arm-based Macs, adding that the Taiwanese integrated circuit designer will benefit from Macs gaining support for USB4 in 2022.

USB4 converges the Thunderbolt and USB protocols as part of Intel's goal to make Thunderbolt available on a royalty-free basis, which should result in wider and cheaper availability of Thunderbolt accessories like docks and eGPUs.

As USB4 is based on Thunderbolt 3, it offers data transfer speeds up to 40 Gbps, which is twice as fast as the bandwidth of the latest USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 specification. USB4's underlying Thunderbolt 3 protocol also means the specification supports up to two 4K displays or one 5K display over a single cable.

The simplest way to view USB4 is as Thunderbolt 3, but royalty-free for manufacturers. Intel will continue to offer Thunderbolt 3 on a standalone basis with a few advantages over USB4, including more support with reference designs and technical issues for manufacturers.

The new USB4 specification was published in September 2019, giving Apple plenty of time to implement it in time for 2022 Macs.

Innovation is not solely represented by new devices, ideas or methods, but also by the process of uncovering new ways to do things. It can also pertain to modifying business models and adapting to changes to achieve better products and services. Here are a few recommendations for businesses that want to gain a competitive advantage in the wake of this fourth industrial revolution:

§. Rely on Data: According to W. Edwards Deming; “Without data, you're just another person with an opinion" Leveraging on customer information offer solutions in diverse ways to improve products and services. There are considerable software options out there that could help you better track and organize customer behaviors and perceptions.

§. Invest in your workforce:

§. Be Customer-Centric:

§. Integrate Technology into Processes and already existing products:

§. Create an Innovation Friendly Environment:

Why Innovation Is Important

Innovation grows your business. Business growth means, ultimately, increasing your profits. Successful innovation allows you to add value to your business so that you can increase your profits—if you don’t innovate well, your business will plateau. Innovation helps you stay ahead of the competition.

With globalization and a rapidly changing market, there are more competing businesses than ever before. Innovative thinking can help you predict the market and keep up with customer needs. If your business doesn’t innovate, you’ll watch innovative companies bring new ideas to the marketplace, and you’ll have to scramble to keep up.

Innovation helps you take advantage of new technologies. Technology (and especially artificial intelligence) is evolving faster than ever before, which means that there may be new, more efficient technologies to make better products, to offer your services, to market your business, or to track your performance with analytics. By taking advantage of these new technologies for process innovation, you’ll be able to optimize your business and gain a competitive advantage over your competitors.

Happiness has many roots but none is more important than security, how much do the safety and peace of your loved ones worth?

According to BOSS Magazine, Fort Knox, the bullion depository for the United States, located to the south of Louisville, Kentucky is the safest building in the world, this is the place where the U.S. reserve most of their gold, these precious metal sits behind a 22-ton door, the vault door locks using a combination entered by at least ten different staff members and no member knows more than their part of the code, it is practically an impregnable fortress. However, it’s unlikely that anyone could get close to the inside of the building in the first place with the apache helicopters, tanks, fences, guards, concrete-lined granite walls, and alarms all surrounding the facilities.

It’s easy to see why Fort Knox was the primary storage option during World War II for the gold reserves of various European nations, the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom, and the U.S. Constitution but as an individual, do you need an apache helicopter, tanks, fences, guards, concrete-lined granite walls, and alarms to secure your home or office? No! Technology has made it easy, affordable and very effective for us to secure our living environment without necessarily engaging the service of artillery, I believe this information is not new to you, maybe you have not decided or just been stingy.

Every year, millions of homes experience robberies, burglaries, invasions, and even kidnapping/assassination as the case may be in Nigeria. Sadly, some of these criminals get away with their acts.

The best way to avoid the possibility of a crime taking place in your home is by being prepared. Fortunately, there are many different security systems that you can opt for these days. Today, there is a wide range of security systems that you can easily install in your home. If you are unsure or not exactly a technical person, then you can engage the service professionals like our company Technology House Limited, we make recommendations, install, and train our clients on how to maintain their security systems at a very affordable cost.

These are some of the benefits of having a home security system:

Protects and Secure Your Home from criminals

Fire Protection

Manage Electricity

Lower Home Owner's Insurance Premiums

Protects your family from odorless poisonous gases

Remotely monitor activities in your home

Promote home automation

Have an archive of activities in your home

Emergency alert to the relevant authority

Add value to your home especially when it comes to selling it

Securing your home with home security systems should be your number one priority today.

Contact us for the best recommendations, installation, maintenance of home security system.

Contacts: Technology House Limited, #17, 61 Road,

6th Avenue, Gwarimpa, Abuja, Nigeria.

Mobile: +2348038044869, +2348056155039

WhatsApp: +2349050004646

Innovation in modern medicine is helping in providing patients with the best possible care to live a healthier and longer life. Imagine what a single potable device “Smartphone” can do; take pictures, record/transmit live audio/video, play audio/video, make/receive calls, measure distance, use as a remote control, as VPS (Visual Positioning System replacing GPS), send text messages, for safety, scan QR codes, search photos by category, diagnose a Car troubles, start a Car, play favorite show on your TV, measure blood alcohol content, monitor heart rate, etc.

Technology provides individuals and organizations with better resources to enhance their learning. Today, a lot of schools and organizations throughout the world are equipped with technology in their classrooms and training centers to help in their teaching/training. One of such technological invention is the SmartBoard. Before the advent of SmartBoard, schools and corporate institutions had long green boards that teachers, presenters, trainers, etc. used to write on using chalk, known as chalkboards, now with the SmartBoards, teachers, presenters, trainers, etc, can write on them with special pens, they also have features similar to a regular computer; they can pull up websites or videos to show. Presently, our company; Technology House Limited has a new advance product call; Smartpro Multimedia Interactive System. A new state-of-the-art robust projector with Inbuilt Computer, Interactive Board, and High Definition display system, Audio Speakers, Stylus Pen, and Document Camera.

This innovative teaching-aid and presentation equipment is ideal for institutions of learning (primary, secondary, tertiary, research centers and offices); in-lecture halls, conference halls, and classrooms, office environment, etc. This innovative product is guaranteed to enhance the way lectures/teachings are conducted, presentations & seminars are delivered. It is the world’s first interactive projector that comes with an inbuilt computer, document camera, motion presenter, PAS, stylus pen and much more.

FEATURES:

Advanced Projection

• Ultra-Short Focal Length (short Throw) Projection Technology to Prevent Projection Image Blocked by the Presenter

• Built-in interactive optical-electronic whiteboard can be projected on any white wall or curtain without the need for any additional electronic devices.

Highly Integrated (All in one Design)

• HD short focal length projector

• Microsoft windows PC, Intel Core i3, 4gb, 500gb HDD

• Interactive optical whiteboard with no need for a whiteboard. It comes with a stylus pen for writing.

• High wattage stereo amplifying system (20wx2)

• 3 megapixels document camera with rotatable folding support to provide easy camera direction and height adjustment (for desktop model only)

• Document Camera – presentation can be done using printed documents

• Smooth handwriting and high precision, better than marker/chalk.

• Display size up to 300” HD

• Inbuilt Public Addressing System

Other Important Design

• Heat Radiation Duct Design

• Dust-proof Design

Flexible Connectivity

• Proprietary wireless remote streaming software allows up to 253 users to seamlessly switch between presenters (Optical)

• Keyboard / Mouse can be connected via USB port or wirelessly

• A laptop or other video source can be connected via HDMI Port to project HD video and audio with a single cable.

In the age that we all are living, technology and knowledge are advancing at an astronomical rate. However, it would be unwise for one to decide to limit his exposure to technological advancement because it will be the difference that one makes towards a better tomorrow.

Taking everything into account, innovation has influenced our lives profoundly, without it; our lives would have been difficult to live, isolated, and primitive. ]]> Mon, 17 Feb 2020 14:18:47 +0000 https://technologyhouse.com.ng/index.php/blog/Quick_smart/ .blog_image { height: 20%; width: 30%; }

Your smartphone makes you quick, not smart.

Every time you pick your Smartphone, you stop inventing and begin transacting instead.

The flow of information and style of interaction on our smartphones rewards our eagerness of getting things done quickly. It helps you make decisions in the moment. Which route to drive? Which restaurant to go to? Which email to respond to?

Have you ever been in a bar and observed how many people sit there on their phone texting someone who’s not there? Hmmmmmm, that sounds like a really fun night out! That must be some interesting conversation going on at your table. So many people are completely consumed and obsessed with their phone.  Hello! You are sitting with real human beings. Talk to them, not the virtual humans on your phone.

Do you ever notice the people walking on the walk-way who are constantly checking their phones and answering emails while they walk? They are oblivious to the moving vehicles and careless about their safety. The question is, is your email, video game, facebook, twitter, instagram and snapchat so important that you need to be checking it 24/7? Even at the detriment of your safety?

We have really become an addicted society though. As I sat at the bus-stop recently I couldn’t help but notice people texting, emailing on their smartphones, and some even watching the European champions league matches on their smartphones. A man so engrossed on his phone bumped into a girl selling peanuts securely placed on her head and the whole thing fell off …………….that got me “smiling” , don’t ask me how it all went but I’m sure he paid for it.

Come on folks, what happened to the art of conversation between two people? Do we constantly need to be stimulated by our Smartphone? It’s ridiculous!

What happens when we over-indulge in using smartphones?

We can’t remember phone numbers: The ability to remember eleven-digit number. Because the number we call regularly are stored in our phone, there is no need to actually dial the number, and thus we never look at it again after we enter it in our contacts.

While does this matter? Well, it doesn’t really………until you lose your phone, or the battery goes down, and you need to make an important call and you can’t remember the number and there are no phone books and even if there were, the number wouldn’t be listed because it, too, is a mobile number.

Also, memorizing phone numbers is also probably good mental exercise………….we now do not get.

We can’t spell: People these days say they don’t need to know how to spell because they’ll always have spell-check or autocorrect. True? Probably, yes. But that doesn’t mean we don’t unknowing make mistakes as humans. Written language is one of the things that defines humanity and has allowed us to transmit knowledge. Now we just let the machines do it for us…………because it’s easier.

We don’t pay attention to the world around us: If evolution teaches animals one thing. It’s keep your head up or you’ll be dinner.

Well, thanks to smartphones, humans don’t do that anymore. Instead, we’re walking into fountains, walking into manhole or smashing cars into light poles like a bunch of idiots.

We can’t get anywhere without GPS: Before the advent of smartphones we would have to look at the map and study it a bit to get our bearings in a new and unfamiliar terrain. They gave us a certain kind of environmental intelligence.

Now? We just use our phone, quick and easy……….ahhhhhh! No thinking or remembering required. Just do what the phone says.

We shorten our words: Now we have smileys, emoticons and our vocabulary is reduced to a handful of little yellow faces. And when texting, we don’t type long meaningful words like “unbelievable!” We type things like “whoa!” because they are easier.

We lose sleep: Almost all of us are guilty of this. We all do it-check our email, texts, facebook, sports scores just one more time, when we get up to go to the bathroom. And, before you know it, its morning.

How much sleep are we losing, and how dumb is it making us.

We share too much information: Before smartphones, almost everyone had a dairy and guard them jealously so that no one gets to read it contents, it never occurred to us that it would be a great idea to tell every single person you have ever met about your personal issues like relationship, medical problems, what you had for dinner etc.

Now we share everything with everyone, when we really should not.

Smartphones are lovely, quick and handy but are they really making us smart?

My take on this is;

Smartphones should be used in moderation. We should not let smartphones replace the human in us.

One of my favorite slogan is that of the NIKE designer…… Just Do It. That’s what next, just do it, there’s never going to be a perfect time, you have to take the time and make it perfect. Start with what you have, don’t wait for what you don’t have. A wealthy business tycoon in Lagos, Nigeria said, if you have an idea that will take five million naira to start up, and you have just fifty thousand naira. You don’t know what tomorrow holds but you have got today to yourself and what you do today determines what you get tomorrow. Your destiny is simply a destination which is determined by the directions you take today, which is a product of the decisions you make now.

The clothing market in Africa is a booming multimillion dollar business with high profit yielding potential. One can attribute this to the fashion conscious mentality of its young adults

Ever since the exchange rate went up, shopping has become something that some people now take time to save for. I remember when the exchange rate for a dollar was one hundred and fifty naira! That was when people would shop without a care in the world. I was a student then and I remember how I used to end up buying things that I didn’t even need because the rates were unbelievably low.

Back then, one could afford to buy several designer dresses without being afraid of their account statement at the end of the month! Some people even travelled out of Naija because of shopping.

I remember a pregnant friend of mine who said she would only shop from “yankee” for her baby. Of course it was very affordable then,

Parents would take the kids out almost every weekend on an impromptu shopping spree. Spouses would surprise their partners with shopping vouchers. Heck, some even shut down the mall for their better half.

Those were the good ol’ days o!

Now, with one dollar going at three hundred and sixty naira, people have learnt to “manage” what they have. There are less cases of surprise shopping spree; nobody is shutting down the mall for anyone (lol). Some people de even check account balance before them go pay make dem no go end up with minimum balance before month go end.

Everybody don simply remain for their corner.

Thrifting has now become a trend. It has become a business that is yielding great profit. Its all over the social media. Nowadays, one doesn’t even have to be physically present in the market to get a good looking thrift item. People that have delved into the business have taken it to a new level through social media and online shopping! There are several social media handles that deal with thrift sales and one would be amazed at the number of followers these instagram and facebook accounts have.

Even the rich now buy okrika thrift clothing. Some people now prefer to buy thrift than brand new clothing or household items because honestly, some of these items are never used and are very durable and half the time one can barely tell if it’s a used item or brand new.

Recently, on instagram, there was a trending topic on thrifting. People were asked if they would ever consider buying second hand items and I was pleasantly surprised at the responses that I saw. Even celebrities came out to admit that they indeed buy and use second hand items. 

Thrifting is the new way to look good with a budget. It has helped people with lower income to be able to buy and dress themselves or their family fairly well without having to break the bank. There are a number of factors that has made the thrifting business profitable and these include its affordability, quality, variety, durability among others.

Thrifting is one of the few businesses you do not need an advert for and it requires little capital.

Even though it’s an illegal trade, it is one that has taken the market by storm and it is a trade that has definitely come to stay.

First of all, whatever type of party it is, you want it go with a swing and for your guests to go home saying what a wonderful time they had.

Unfortunately, these things don’t just happen; organising a party is a lot of hard work and, if you choose to do it yourself, there will undoubtedly be times along the way when you wish you hadn’t! There’s a lot to think about and very often the big day arrives and you suddenly realise you have forgotten something.

So, to help you out, make sure you don’t forget anything, give you some ideas and enable you to organise a party to remember we’ve put together this Guide to help you. The aim is to provide you with some guidelines on the key areas to consider, together with useful links, so you can use your own inspiration to plan a party that everyone will remember.

It’s putting all the ingredients together and making them into a coherent whole that is the ultimate test for you as a party host. If you think about your guests and do everything with them in mind, you will have a very special party – one that people will talk about (for the right reasons) for a long time.

What Type of Party?

Almost everyone enjoys a good party – but what sort are you going to provide? The list of possibilities when organising a party is (almost) endless, but you need to decide at the outset what sort of party you are going to have. Here are some ideas for you, but you will be able to think of some more of your own, so get your imagination working!

 Birthday party

Marriage anniversary party

Bring a bottle party

Engagement party

Themed – The Great Gatsby or James Bond, for example. If it's for someone (a retirement party, for example) have a theme that reflects one of their hobbies or interests. The Black Panther was recently released, I haven’t watched it yet but the I am certain a Black Panther Themed party will excite a lot of Nigerian and African fans.

Garden party

Boat ride party

Progressive party – sometimes called a Safari party, in which you move from house to house

Bring a cocktail

This is your life party

Fancy dress party

Treasure Hunt party

Fun Casino Party

80s party – bring a photograph of how you looked in the 80s

Pool party

Party in your favourite restaurant

Theatre or cinema followed by a meal

Trip to a sporting event followed by a meal

Surprise party

And the list goes on….

Something in that list should appeal to you – or at least set your mind working so that you can come up with your own, even better, idea!

The type of party might well determine (or be determined by) the time of day you have it. Lunch time or afternoon parties can be great – but remember that it might be difficult persuading people to leave if you don’t want them there in the evening, too!

Your options are limited only by your own imagination. Get it out, polish it up and give them a party they’ll remember. Whatever you choose, make sure that both you and your guests have a great time.

And make sure your party invitation reflects the great time you want them to have.

Budget

Until you know how much you are prepared to spend on the party, there are very few concrete decisions you can make. It may determine whether you have it at home or elsewhere and will probably be the dominant factor in deciding the overall nature of the party, as well as how many nice little extras you can throw in. It may even determine whether you are going to ask people to bring a bottle or a plate.

So think carefully about how much you are going to spend and then, as you go through the rest of the planning, make sure you cost each element.

Venue

Once you have fixed your budget, you can then decide on the venue. If you’re going to do the work yourself (rather than go somewhere such as the theatre followed by a meal, say) it’s undoubtedly easier to organise your party at home, so that everything is at hand and you can’t forget to take anything to the venue.

However, before you decide to organise a party at home you must make sure that home is suitable. The first question is: Is it big enough for all the guests?

Guests

Your guest list is, of course, all-important. In a sense, everything else is dependent on how many people you are going to invite. So, decide whom you are going to invite in conjunction with the other elements of organising the party, always bearing in mind who and how many you are going to invite. Of course, if you have a particular type of party in mind right from the start, then the guest list will have to be appropriate to that. If it means that you can’t invite all your friends, consider how you can avoid upsetting those who miss out!

You might like to have a reserve list in case some people can’t come, but this will depend on how many friends you have and whether you want to invite them all right from the start. However, once you have decided on your primary guest list, don’t alter the numbers too much because it could affect all your other plans.

Invitations

Don't forget to spend some time on the party invitation. It's the first thing your guests will see connected with the party and it can help to create the right mood and anticipation even before they arrive. Most people love receiving invitations so it's worth doing.

Imagine you’re inviting people to a ‘James Bond’ themed party. Get into the swing of it straight away and wet their appetites!

Tell them in the invitation that they have been selected for an interview for MI6. Their first assignment is to attend a party dressed as one of the characters in a James Bond film. Then have an envelope inside the outer one marked ‘Top Secret’ with all the details in.

So you can have some fun with invitations if you wish – dust off your imagination again! Put any information on them that you feel necessary, whilst making them fun. They’re the start of the party! For example, you will obviously include:

Date

Time

Venue

A request to RSVP

You might wish to include:

Theme

Eating and drinking details, e.g. if you want them to bring a bottle or a plate

If presents are not required

Details of local B&Bs and hotels if you think people might want to stay the night

Think how you want your invitations to look. You can obviously buy them in all sorts of different designs or you can produce them yourself on the computer. Do you want them to be formal or funny and informal? The feel of the invitation will give people an idea of the style of the party you’re going to host. Invitations are your chance to really ’sell’ the party and make everyone look forward to it. If they come thinking they will enjoy it, they will!

Food

When you are organising a party, food is arguably the most important element. If you ask people how they enjoyed a party the first response is nearly always, ‘Lovely, the food was excellent.’ (Or not, as the case may be!) But should it be hot, cold, sit down, stand around or any combination of those? The possibilities are endless and providing food can be a minefield.

You need to think carefully about feeding people vis a vis the numbers (what will be relatively easy to provide for that number of people, if you are doing it yourself), the weather and the cost!

A barbeque almost always goes down well and there is never any shortage of (male) volunteers to cook it for you. There are a number of barbeque recipe books that you can use so that you can make your barbeque a bit different form the norm. 

How many courses are you going to have? If you want more courses, cheese and biscuits are a good option in that they are easy to do and always popular. Some people prefer a starter and others are dessert people, so think carefully about first courses and sweets if you want a number of courses. And, whatever you do, don’t forget the vegetarian option!

If you are buying food for a number of people, see if any of your friends has a card for a cash and carry, such as Macro or Costco. Buying party food from that sort of outlet can be cheaper and also easier in that they will do ready-made sweets and so on that you might find more than acceptable.

Talking of friends, it can be a good idea to get children or grandchildren of friends (or your own, come to that!) to act as waiters and waitresses. You will almost certainly get enthusiasm from your waiting staff and it’s a way of including them if it’s the type of party to which they are invited.

Having Caterers

The easier, but more expensive, way of providing food is to have someone do it for you. It takes a lot of the hassle out of organising a party. Professional caterers will discuss your menu with you, agree what to provide and give you a price. Have a look at our Things to do and Venues page to get the websites for some professionals.

Drink

When you’re organising a party, drink is as important as food! Think about your guests (that same message again) and then decide on what drinks to provide. For example, you may have a friend who drinks nothing but ginger beer at a party, so try to think about people’s preferences. You don’t want anyone to feel forgotten because you haven’t catered for his or her requirements.

A cocktail theme is something a bit different. People rarely drink cocktails these days and so it can make a nice change to provide them for your guests. Of course, most cocktails are quite expensive to produce, with their spirit base, so remember your budget.

Remember that some of your guests will be driving, so get in soft drinks and water (or provide water from the tap, of course!).

Making it Go with a Swing!

Parties should ‘go with a swing’. This means that there’s a buzz about the place and everyone is engaged in the party. That doesn’t mean organising a party out of existence! You might want to organise a party that is completely freewheeling and unstructured. For many occasions this will be fine and probably what your guests want. However, for some special occasions it may be that you want to include various elements into the function. These may include:

An icebreaker, for people to get to know each other. A good one is to give everyone a famous name pinned on their back and guests have to find their partner – Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, for example.

Games. You need to think carefully whether your guests are the kind of people who like games and, if so, what sort. You need to be sure that people will prefer having games organised for them rather than doing their own thing before you start organising them. They can be a lot of fun but be careful.

Speeches. You may well have a very good reason for wanting one or two speeches. You may want to formally thank your guests for coming, for example. If it’s an anniversary, you may want to say something about your partner as you may if it’s your partner’s birthday. Speeches are ideally made just after people have finished eating, but make sure that everyone has something with which to drink a toast.

Presents. You may be organising your party for someone else – it could even be a surprise party. If that’s the case, it may well be that you wish to ask them to bring a present for the person/people for whom you are organising it. On the other hand, you may want to make a point of telling people not to bring a present. This may be particularly appropriate if you are organising a party for your own Anniversary, say, and you don’t want people to feel they have to bring a gift for you. You may have seen this before, but saying, ‘No presents, please, just your presence’, is a nice way to put it.

If you want any or all of these elements or some form of entertainment, which is covered below, you need to think about when you will have them and for how long they should last. You need a good balance to the party so that no one element dominates.

Entertainment

The basic question is whether to have entertainment at all. Many celebrations are a great success without it and people are quite happy just to chat. However, if you wish to have some entertainment you could consider the following:

Disco

Karaoke

Jazz band

'Pop' band

Casino

Extras

There are a whole host of extras that might help your celebration go with a swing. You might want to decorate the venue to make it look more festive, you might like party poppers or you might feel that candles will give it more atmosphere.

Fireworks always add that something extra. A short display after people have eaten always goes down well.

Theme

If you think that having a theme will enhance things, you can decorate your venue appropriately. It also means fancy dress, of course, so don’t forget to tell your guests the theme on the invitation.

Again, think about your guests before you do this. Not everyone likes fancy dress, so if you think that a number of your guests would be uncomfortable with it, then perhaps you should steer clear of it. On the other hand, it’s great fun! Choose a theme, if you have one, that’s reasonably simple to dress up to.

You may want to organise a party that is completely different. If you don’t want a ‘conventional’ party at home or some alternative venue, there are a number of alternatives. So, just be creative!

I have come up with a simple strategy to make plans for a year and stick to the plans. Like seriously, you don’t have to go about announcing the New Year and new me thing. The first step is to pick a single word to define how you want your year to be. Focus on your thoughts, ideas and goals for the year, that way you can pick a word for your year.

Pick a word that touches every area of your life you need to work on and use that word as your guide throughout the year. Whenever you feel you are drifting away from your plans, that single word should put you back on track and keep you going.

Your word for the year could be IMPROVE. Your goal for the year could be to:

Improve your business: This could entail that new business you want to start, or that area of your already existing business that needs more touch. Also getting more ideas on how to expand your business and take it to the next level.

Improve your career: You could go after that better Job you have been longing for. Send applications, pray and remain hopeful to achieve what you desire.

Improve your relationship: This could be your relationship with God, your family, colleagues, business partners or even neighbors.

Improve your personal life: You might have a desire to improve some certain areas of your life that are not listed above. Probably to improve your eating habit, the way you spend and save, your dress sense or anything else.

Improve your social live: You might also decide to improve your social life, example, the way you relate with people, the kind of friends you keep, the kind of places you go to, the things you do and even your activity on social media.

From the little breakdown above, you can touch several areas of your life with just the word improve. So whenever you start going away from the plan just think of the word improve and you are back on track. For example, you have the urge to eat a certain food that goes against your diet plan, just think of the word improve, you have a goal to improve your eating habit and you will do all to improve it. You can even go as far as writing the word on a piece of paper and pasting it somewhere you can easily see it and get reminded of your plans.

I will not tell you my word for the year, pick your own, sorry, lol.

This strategy works for every year, so even with several years to come, this strategy has got you covered.

All you need to do is to pick a word for that particular year based on the things you want to achieve, stick to the word throughout the year and watch yourself succeed.

It’s yummy…. soooooo yummy.  

Asides the yummy taste, there’s more to this snack. I will be giving you details on the ingredients needed to make a good banana bread, how to prepare it, the best time of the day to eat it, what to combine it with and the nutritional benefits of it, thank me later.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE BANANA BREAD

For a medium loaf of banana bread, you need:

• ¼ cup of sugar
• 125g of butter
• 1 tin of Evaporated Milk (preferably peak milk because its creamy)
• 4 fresh eggs (room temperature eggs)
• ½ teaspoon of yeast
• 2 over ripe bananas (use very ripe but firm bananas)
• 1 cup (150g) of plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt

Tools needed:

• Egg Whisk.
• An oven ( preferably the one with a top and down heating capability)
• Spatulas
• Sieve
• Bread pan
• Measuring cups or kitchen scale
• Bowls

HOW TO PREPARE BANANA BREAD

• Pour the Milk in a cup and warm it up for about 30 seconds in the microwave oven.
• Add the yeast to the milk, stir and set the mixture aside.
• Mix the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a dry bowl  
• Melt the butter.
• Mash the banana either with a fork or a potato masher till as smooth as possible.
• Whisk the eggs.
• Add the mashed bananas, the butter and the milk and yeast mixture, then stir.   
• Pour into a bread pan.
• Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degree Celsius (350F) for 1 hour.
• The banana bread is done when a wooden skewer inserted into the bread comes out clean. The bread also springs back when you press it down.
• Place it on a rack for about 5 minutes then bring it out of the pan.
• Then lay on the rack till it has cooled down to a comfortable temperature
• Slice and enjoy!

THE BEST TIME OF THE DAY TO EAT BANANA BREAD/WHAT TO COMBINE IT WITH

Banana bread can be best enjoyed with a hot chocolate drink, chilled fruit juice, chilled yoghurt or a cup of coffee. This banana bread is the perfect solution to a healthy breakfast treat with that cup of coffee or chocolate, or even a lunch snack. It is also the perfect thing to bake on a rainy day with a hot cup of beverage. When you have a taste of this bread, you will know why I love it so much. You can store it by slicing it up, and wrapping in individual slices to store in your fridge.

NUTRITIONAL BENEFITS OF BANANA BREAD

Of course it contains cholesterol, but it also contains very healthy nutrients like protein, vitamin A, calcium, vitaminB6, vitamin C, Iron, vitamin B12, potassium and calcium. The banana in the bread also serves as a dietary fiber. Even a lame man knows that fruits are healthy. Hmmm…come to think of it, I think I know why I am not robust yet, it’s because I don’t just love food, I always try to eat healthy foods like my delicious banana bread. Eat this and enjoy not just the yummy taste, but also get healthy nutrients from it, like I said earlier, thank me later!