Although massage is generally enormously beneficial and certainly a great pleasure when done well, there are occasions when you should not have it. What are those occasions? 

You should certainly not have massage when you have:
any serious medical condition. It’s best to ask your doctor(s) if they allow it.
a high temperature
an infection or contagious disease
swelling, acute inflammation, bruising
an open wound, recent scar tissue, skin infection, weeping skin condition, broken skin, and also rash
acute back pain, especially if the pain shoots down the arms or legs when you’re massaging the back or neck
undiagnosed lumps
varicose veins, swelling of the veins, proneness to blood clots. Thrombosis can be difficult to recognise because symptoms vary from person to person. Therefore show caution if you feel a vague ache in one leg and go see a doctor.
When you’re in such a rush that you know you wouldn’t be able to enjoy a massage. Quality takes time.
If you have allergies and the masseuse doesn’t ask you whether you have any because she’s lousy or something else in disguise of a masseuse, tell her what you have allergies to. This is important, as she should avoid essential oils that could trigger the allergies.

Other things that may interest you
And if you stumbled across this article and can have massage but don’t know what type of it would be good for you, this article will be handy. I’m qualified in all 8 types described in it.

Why are the benefits of massage far better than artificial sex with strangers who care only about your cash?

And what are the 4 much less obvious benefits of massage?

Also, is it better for you to go to an independent masseuse or a massage clinic or parlour?

Would you like to ask something else? Let’s talk about it.

Have you ever noticed that some people have your immediate respect while others do not? And have you observed that some people have great ideas but nothing happens with them? Do you know people who say they will do something but never do it? Do you say that you’ll do something while you have no intention of doing it? Or do you often say that you’ll do things out of politeness, but know that you never will do them?

When we say that we’ll do something,
we create an expectation in our listeners. If I tell you that I’ll call you at a certain time, I’m setting you up to expect my call. If I say that I’ll call and have no intention to call while saying it, I’m false or too cowardly to tell things straight. I mean well, of course – I want to be polite because I can’t bring myself to tell you that I don’t want to call you…

But if I have no intention of calling, would I not be more polite and respectful if I didn’t say anything if I couldn’t bring myself to say that I wouldn’t call? If I tell you that I’ll call and don’t, I project the image that I’m not trustworthy. You cannot count on my word in future. I’m downgrading the weight of my word and placing myself in the crowd of sheeple who do the same thing. This may seem harsh, but if it describes your familiar habit, this article helps you to see its consequences. I used the example of calling you. Of course, this principle applies no matter what the action be.

What can you do to gain respect?
If you want to be credible and respected, only say that you will do something if you will really do it. Hold your breath and count to 10 before speaking out impulse-driven sentences that others will take as your word of commitment. Make this a rule and follow it. If you have to miss a deadline, communicate a new deadline as soon as possible. This will earn you a lot of respect and trust from everyone.

Details and the big picture
Successful people identify where to place the attention. People often get lost in the details when making decisions and lose sight of the larger stakes. In our context the larger stakes are that if you don’t do what you say you’ll do, you lose respect, trust, credibility.

Options and procedures
When people focus on options, alternatives, and possibilities, they struggle to complete commitments. These folks tend to be very creative, but often do not follow through what they say they will do. If someone prefers a step by step process when he does things, that person is more likely to follow through commitments. Language such as “the next step, then, after that, process, how to get to the end goal” will highly likely indicate that the person is committed to doing what he said he would do. If you want to improve your ability to really do what you say, adopt a procedural mode. An easy way is to schedule in your calendar when you will call someone. And use the calendar to guide you.

Delegate: If you still suck at doing what you said you would do, hire someone and give them the task. Obviously, if your commitment was to call or make love to your partner, delegating this might lead to undesirable consequences. Lol.

The power of commitment contributes to respect
When you say that you’ll do something, you have power! Others trust and respect you. Because when you say it, others don’t yet know whether you will do it. But you get the things you want from life because you did what you said you would. Say only what you’ll do, do it, and achieve what you want every time. Or say that you won’t do something if you don’t want to do it. People will respect and admire your courage to say things straight. We all admire and appreciate honesty and directness from others. That’s a trait of strong characters. Do you want to be one?

If you do, why not start today?

Change of habits is not merely a matter of knowledge or skill. If that was true, then all information campaigns on how to improve your health would have made behaviour-related illnesses a thing of the past. We would all be slim and rich and teenage girls would not get pregnant. Sadly, many people fail to create lasting changes in their behaviours and repeat their failures again and again…

Have you ever tried to break bad habits?
The key to creating and maintaining behavioral change is in getting and staying motivated. Some people start lifestyle changes that last a few weeks at best. The attendance figures at health clubs in January and February show you the people who began very motivated and lost their passion. Other people wish they could do something, but never work up the motivation to begin. The title of comedian Totie Fields’ book I Think I’ll Start on Monday: The official 8 1/2oz Mashed Potato Diet sums it up. She also said: “I’ve been on a diet for two weeks and all I’ve lost is two weeks”.

Can crisis motivate change?
Conventional social work theory suggests that the highest potential for change is in crisis. This seems logical, since during a crisis nothing is normal and there is the opportunity to make important decisions about the future. Organizations often try to make radical shifts when they face financial or other disasters. But if crisis really is the highest potential time for change, then why do 90% of coronary bypass patients not make long-term changes to their behaviour after surgery?

Because breaking habits requires both short-term and long-term motivation strategies. 
When a crisis triggers someone to want to do something differently, it can be effective for the short term. This is motivation away from something, because the person is motivated to move away from a situation they do not want. An example: a person doesn’t like himself in the mirror, so decides to get slim. Motivation away from can get you started. The problem is that it loses power once you are on the way. How can you stay on track after the away from motivation has waned? In 2 ways: 1. to constantly remind yourself that you don’t want to be unhealthy or whatever. This takes a lot of work and the effects of maintaining a state of fear or disgust are unhealthy. 2. to add motivation towards something good.

Also bear in mind that…
Since motivation away from the bad is effective for short periods and most changes to behaviours and habits take longer, you need a mechanism to maintain motivation. You can do this when you have a goal that you strongly want to achieve to replace the problem you want to avoid. This goal representsmotivation toward something good. The motivation away from something bad can get you started and gives you a push. The motivation toward something good draws you closer to what you want.

This way you get the benefit of the push and the pull. The problem with having only motivation toward something good is that if you are beginning far from your goal, starting is demotivating. If your goal is to run a marathon and you get out of breath running for a bus, it is easier to put off running. If you only have motivation toward something good with nothing to kick you into action, you may procrastinate.

Reinforcement: habits are like water running downhill. 
Motivation away from x and toward y are not always enough. Habits are hard to kill. They are like water running downhill – it takes no effort to maintain a habit. Habits are rituals that you perform without thinking and are psychologically committed to. Sometimes they are formulas of stimulus-response. Sit in front of the TV – feel hungry – get food… A good system is easier to follow than not to follow. If you want something to become a habit, insert it into an existing procedure. To remember to take vitamins put them in front of the coffee pot instead of hiding them in the cupboard. Inserting the new behaviour into an existing procedure builds your new commitment into what you already do. When the new behaviour is part of a procedure that you effortlessly follow, it will reinforce and gradually become like water running downhill.

What you see is what you get. 
From research on quitting smoking researchers found that people were more successful at becoming nonsmokers if they could see the state they wanted to move away from and the state they wanted to move toward. Verbal affirmations are rarely compelling enough to trigger and maintain your motivation. But when you can see both what you want and what you don’t want, it becomes more real than merely telling yourself something. Imagine the idea of being at the right weight or level of fitness. It’s easier to imagine when you can see yourself in your favorite outfit or running 3 miles effortlessly.

Beliefs, values, and who you are contribute a great deal.
If you don’t believe that it’s possible to change bad habits, none of the motivational strategies will work. Look for an example where you have made a significant change. Notice that all the motivational strategies were present. If you could do that, why could you not do this? There is only one way to find out – how important the change is to you If it’s not frequently on your radar, perhaps you don’t care enough to make the shift. Why is changing this habit important to you? And why is that important? What kind of person believes that the change you want is worth pursuing? Is this the kind of person you want to be? How are you already like this?

When you have identified the beliefs, values, and identity that will enable you to imagine that this change is really possible, hold them in your heart and allow them to and spread throughout your physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual self. Repeat this daily as part of your daily rituals until it feels natural.

Miracle cures are not motivation. 
Real change of behaviour is possible when you have the strategies to start and maintain motivation, when you can see what you want, have inserted the new behaviour into a ritual you do, believe it’s possible, value the new behaviour, and think of yourself as a person who does that. There’s no wonder why miracle cures don’t last!

This will help you break old and build new habits
Do you have a project for a change of behaviour that is important to you? Check by filling in the blanks whether you have all the motivation triggers in place.

Away from: I do not want ____________________________________.

Toward: what I want instead is ________________________________.

Negative consequences: if I don’t succeed, what will happen that I don’t want? _____________________________________________________.

Positive consequences: when I succeed, what will happen that I want?

_____________________________________________________

I can see/imagine an example of each of the above.

I have inserted this new habit into this procedure that I already do naturally.

_____________________________________________________

And I am regularly accountable to _______________ for completing my goal.

I believe that it is possible to do this because ______________________________________.

I have succeeded at something like this when I ___________________________.

This is important to me because ________________________________.

The kind of person who does this is ______________________________.

I am that kind of person because ________________________________.

And if you feel that sharing your experiences will help you,
I’m not a men’s coach for nothing! I’m always here to support you.

Valentine’s Day was established by papal decree in 496AD as a day to celebrate our intimate relationships with those we love most deeply. At that time it wasn’t connected with romantic love. In the high Middle Ages during the time of development of courtly love as a tradition Geoffrey Chaucer changed that. Since that time we see Valentine’s Day as a shorthand for what an intimate relationship or marriage should look like. Starry-eyed, blissful, sweet, easy, sexual, and everloving might describe our expectations of intimate relationships. But like most things in life, when we truly take a look, we see much more complexity…

This article will give you the opportunity
to examine and learn to improve the critical moods that make or break your intimate relationships. And you will be able to apply the learning to your relationships with lovers, companions, courtesans, etc. In every marriage and intimate relationship there are moods that serve building the relationship and those that have a deleterious effect. Moods are not inherently good or bad, but they either serve or restrict us in a particular situation. Here are some that we can distinguish more clearly in intimate relationships:

Compassion vs. pity
Compassion means being with another person in their pain. To pity is to see another person as needing us to pull them up to our level of understanding. In compassion we place ourselves on the same human level as our partner, while in pity we tend to look down on them and their plight. How many times have you opted for pity rather than compassion in your relationships? How often have you been tempted to believe that it was your job to fix your partner or their situation rather than simply stand with them and trust them to navigate life for themselves?

Service vs. sacrifice
Many of us grow up with the admonishment to help others. Some of us learn that the right way to be a partner is to take care of the other’s every wish and need. What we aren’t often taught is to pay attention to the point where those activities shift from service to sacrifice. In service we attend to others’ needs, but also to our own. In sacrifice we drain ourselves, sometimes to the point of illness. Sacrifice isn’t bad. Many heroic acts require sacrifice of all that we have, even life. Continual sacrifice in intimate relationships is not sustainable.

Acceptance vs. tolerance
An interesting thing happens in many intimate relationships. We fall in love with exactly who the other person is. And over time we discover that there are aspects of them we would like to change. That moment defines the shift from acceptance to tolerance. Acceptance is seeing and understanding another person as they are. It does not mean that we like or agree with all we see, but we do not try to change them. Tolerance is that we will put up with the way they are until we see the light. Seeing the light usually means seeing the world the way we see it. Tolerance may be a more helpful mood than intolerance, but it won’t be helpful if we interchange or confuse it with acceptance.

Courage vs. denial
Courage is required to act when we’re afraid. When we realize that we need to make a request or have a conversation that may produce temporary upset in the relationship, we’ll either pluck up the courage for the conversation or deny that it is necessary. Maybe it will go away. Most of us intuitively realize that the conversation won’t go away, but our naïve hope may move us in that direction.

Tenderness vs. meanness
I don’t know anyone who would describe themselves as mean. Yet the capacity lives in us all. When we are frustrated, tired, hungry, angry, we can bring it out. What makes tenderness so valuable in intimate relationships is that it brings safety. Safety allows conversations which would otherwise be impossible. Safety allows intimacy. Will you choose tenderness or meanness in a moment of strain?

Curiosity vs. righteousness
Curiosity = I acknowledge that there may be something of value for me in this area. In conversation with your partner you may believe that you understand their motivations and choices. But are you willing to get curious to check and deepen your understanding? Do you assume that you know and stay attached to what you think you know? Or do you become flexible to listen and inquire?

Joy vs. excitement
Our contemporary view of intimate relationships has a strong basis in excitement. Excitement comes from Latin meaning “to set in motion outside of ourselves”. Excitement pulls us to ever-increasing high points. Our nervous systems crave going just a little higher. By contrast, joy is a steady sense of wellbeing that is satisfying in itself. Excitement in a relationship is elemental, but a relationship based on excitement will not sustain itself.

Commitment vs. expectation
Commitments are promises that we make explicitly. And we demonstrate commitment through action. Expectation comes from Latin meaning “await or hope”. Many of us live with the illusion that if our partner has made some commitments to us, then whatever we expect will come to pass. An interesting exercise is to ask yourself what specifically you and your partner have promised in the relationship. Everything beyond that is your expectation, your story of what your partner will do or what will happen in your relationship. This exercise will make you realize the degree to which you live in expectation. And often the degree to which you want to hold your partner accountable for your expectations rather than for the promises that you made.

Work and play
The question of these moods is one of balance. Work is activity with attachment to an outcome. Play is activity without the attachment. Play doesn’t intend to produce anything except fun. An excess or deficit of either in your relationship can create either gravity and profound seriousness or triviality. Consider the balance.

If all these moods show up in our intimate relationships,
it is obvious that the models we’ve had in contemporary music, greeting cards, and movies don’t begin to address the depth of the emotional field. There is no wonder that we meet, date, engage, marry, and then are disappointed that the moods of the relationship aren’t eternally sunny and light. That has been set up as an expectation, but it was never a promise. The word relationship comes from a root meaning to bring back, to reconnect, to retell. In this light revisiting the moods of your intimate relationships provides fertile ground for much higher satisfaction in a key area of your life.

Not all people can do it alone. Many people, especially men, need a helping hand. Do you? Let’s start a conversation.

Why do high end companions have a reputation for being greedy? And how do their clients feed the greed? 

High end companions inflate their worth
Is any football / hockey player worth several thousands of currency per week? Are high end female companions, courtesans, mistresses worth thousands per hour? Human life is irreplaceable and timeincreases in value. But I still believe that the answer is no. Yet many men with more [corporate?] money than common sense don’t care about how much they throw at high end female companions as long as these men get what they desire.

Good living, hankering for ever more excitement, and the need for ego massage happen on spontaneous impulses. And spontaneous impulses exclude thinking about consequences of actions done during them. If men comply with these women’s claims for high end gifts, that is precisely how men encourage those women’s greed. Is there any wonder why those women are so greedy? Or why men complain about how much high end companions charge?

How do high end female companions claim the right to claim gifts
in addition to the fees for their company? I’ve seen high end companions dedicate pages of their websites to gifts. And many even link to the websites that stock the gifts to make their purchases more convenient for their clients! How do they claim the right? Based on the fact that someone once gifted them and that created inspiration for them to claim gifts thereafter? Or based on the fact that they got away with it once or a few times and came to take it for granted instead of being eternally grateful every time? Perhaps based on a colleague of theirs having told them that she got away with it and advised that they tried it?

Is it a marketing technique?
Or do these greedy high end companions dedicate pages of their websites to claiming gifts as a marketing device to make their image and status look more credible? Even if that were true, these women’s disrespect for their clients won’t change no matter how we look at it. A gift should always be a gift, not a product of dictation. So if they market gifting by dictation, they market their manipulative characters. And also the image of treating men as objects via which to achieve their ends. But then these women shouldn’t cry when their clients get the message and start treating them as millionaires’ bimbo pendants, because gift for act = tit for tat. If you invite to manipulate, you equally invite to be manipulated!

Gentlemen, don’t feed high end companions’ greed!
I see this practice as totally unethical and disrespectful to the clients of high end companions! The principle of giving is identical to that of tipping. Tipping should be at the client’s discretion, not at the service provider’s dictation. If a client wishes to tip for good service or give a gift on his initiative as a token of appreciation, the best and most respectful thing that high end companions can do is to gracefully accept it with sincere thanks. But not with the attachment of starting to take this for granted and expecting it to become the norm!

The societies to which this forceful gift-claiming practice applies have lost the plot on this. Yet they’re usually the very ones which talk about materialism and greed being bad things! Just look at restaurants. Not only do they inform you on the bill that an x per cent service charge has been added to the bill, but waiters still give you dirty looks if you don’t tip them! Outrageous!

Besides, who can tell me why on earth waiting, hairdressing, taxi driving, and hotel portering professionals should be singled out for tipping? Why would you never tip your accountant, lawyer, or drycleaner for excellent service? Does this not fly in the face of all calls for equality? Waiters, hairdressers, taxi drivers, hotel porters choose their careers and accept the employment with the wages, warts and all. So there’s no excuse for tipping any of them versus others unless the service really has been exceptional. But that is very rarely the case.

There’s a science
[albeit not rocket science] behind this phenomenon. This practice is one that should honestly be stopped! If men want to give a woman a gift, that’s fine. But if you’re a man reading this, do it only if you want to, not based on a high end companion’s dictation. Remember that you’re voting with your money every time you spend it and you’re voting with your energy every time you take action. So vote wisely. Don’t encourage these greedy practices with your vote! Don’t vote for these greedy companions to stay in operation!

And if you feel too weak to say no, or if you would feel guilty or mean, then let’s look at how you could change your perspective!

Welcome to Sparkles escorts. We are one of the most reliable and trustworthy escort service provider in Essex and surrounding areas. We have the best collection of young, sexy and exotic escort girls who are always ready to entertain you. You can book Sparkles escorts for overnight service in your hotel or apartment. For advance booking you may visit our website.

How are we redefining giving in our prosperous world? What’s making us rethink our forms of giving when we’re having it so good in life? And why do so many successful men leave giving to themselves till who knows when?

Giving thanks
Despite many affairs of the world going downhill and an economy that could be even better many people in many countries are thankful. Unexpected layoffs, financial setbacks, or a desire to spend more time with the near and dear have served as a reality check. A wakeup call for people to rethink their idea of wealth and prosperity. People focus more on satisfaction by the quality of life than on satisfaction by consumption. The big shift is in people questioning whether the ways in which they spend time bring them higher satisfaction than things that need to be done on autopilot. More moneydoesn’t necessarily lead to more happiness. So many people are getting off the hedonistic treadmill and looking for ways to realign with family and other values that matter to them.

Different things to different people
For some people that means starting a business that allows more flexibility even if it means less money. The learning is that money is here today gone tomorrow, but life experiences stay with us. I’ve seen friendships end because people’s coaches said “that’s not the right circle to be in”. Although many people have received similar advice focused on building wealth, they want none of it now. Albeit there will always be people who will focus on accumulating wealth, the focus of more and more people isn’t on pursuing financial wealth, but wealth of experiences.

For others redefining wealth and prosperity may mean downshifting their careers. After almost losing their children and spouses many people trade their high-flying professional careers for simpler jobs. The most ambitious types admit that they’re happy with their decisions, but still sometimes struggle to maintain balance. Their personalities are very driven and to stop working and put the families first is a constant effort. Working as x doesn’t pay as much as did the previous job, but people appreciate more time and holidays with their loved ones. Although these high-flying pros’ former jobs meant frequent travels to nice hotels, they never allowed time to enjoy them.

Giving
In addition to rethinking their careers some people have also scaled back on holiday gifts. Their children get one gift from the parents, one from Santa, and a few from other family members. These people see their friends go crazy with gifts for the kids and believe that this approach just feeds materialism and entitlement. These parents hope to model generosity and selflessness to their kids. So they put money into good causes for their communities instead of buying gifts that would likely gather dust.

While some givers choose donations in lieu of presents, others buy experiential gifts. This option has grown in popularity. Taking a family member out for lunch, treating a friend to a movie, or calling me to give a massage to a spouse or relative are good examples. People give more time-based gifts and make gifts. From the viewpoint of time this is one of the best gifts that someone can give, because it shows that the giver cares about the receiver.

A friend in London made me this series of (pictured) gifts by hand from wood over 30 hours a piece over several years. Would this gentleman go to this extent if he didn’t care about me? Many other friends have given me gifts of experiences: a lunch, dinner, weekend away, show, etc. Others gave me gifts of food, jewellery, and many other things. Artistic friends even gave me cards with poems or verses which they wrote. The poems and verses were symbolic of my personality or connected to my life, etc.

Giving to yourself is important too!
Giving to ourselves reminds us of why we work and that we’re here to enjoy life. It motivates us and brings sparkles into life. It gives us things to look forward to. And that’s important. So once you’ve sorted gifts out for everyone else, how about treating yourself for hard work, being a good citizen, or whatever you achieved? Would a gift to yourself of a few hours of inspiring, entertaining, and caring company hit the spot? Or perhaps even an aromatherapeutic relaxing massage treatment to perk you up? Or even good coaching on a demon that has hampered you for years? If yes, I invite you to be my guest!

Does it pay to be honest with and about money? If it does, does it pay more than it would if one weren’t honest? Is it stupid to be honest in situations which give the option not to be honest with money? Will the last 2 paragraphs give you a valuable insight? What would you do in a situation like the one described here?

One day 
I was depositing cash into an ATM. Nobody was around. I put the money in a depositing envelope, sealed the envelope, and held it ready for depositing. Then I inserted my card and waited for the prompt for a PIN. The prompt did not come and the ATM returned the card. The intuition instantly told me that something was strange, because the ATM was in service. The next question was why the ATM returned the card.

When inserting the card I didn’t look past the card slot, because I needed to look at the slot. But then I looked down – and there was the answer. The cash dispensing slot was flashing. Then I noticed that it was open and had cash in it. I grabbed the cash and counted CAD$100 in 5 20-dollar bills. I folded the money and held it in my hand. The ATM returned to operation and I proceeded with the deposit.

Should I be honest with the money?
I pondered what to do with the 100 dollars. Take it and celebrate? But that wouldn’t be right – and what if someone would see and challenge me? Give it to the bank clerk at the pavilion to which the ATM was adjacent? He’d most probably thank me with a smile and put it in his pocket as soon as I’d get out of sight. Either way, this cash would never get to whoever forgot it there. Or what else? Was there another option?

All this was going through my mind while I was depositing my money. When I finished depositing, I slowly turned around to leave. A woman who stood behind me proceeded to the ATM and started doing her banking. I observed her for a while, but it became clear that she wouldn’t be the one who had forgotten the money in the ATM slot. So I stood there and looked around for another while secretly wishing that something would happen…

…and at that moment
a woman appeared from an unknown direction and asked me: “Hi, I know this is a silly question, but have you seen some cash here?” She looked like an average honest citizen who was slightly distressed, yet had 90% given up on the idea of seeing the 100 dollars again. I had the option to tell her I hadn’t seen it. But the intuition told me to be honest and I said: “How much was it?” She told me the correct sum and I said “Yes! I have it in my hand!” I opened my palm and showed her the money.

Her face lit up and she exclaimed: “YOU are the MOST HONEST person in the world!” I stood there and thought ‘well, thanks for the compliment, but let’s see whether you are the most honest person in the world!’. I asked her whether she wouldn’t mind going to the bank clerk at the pavilion and confirm that she was the owner of the money. She agreed, the clerk confirmed her ownership, and I gave her the money with a smile. She took 20 dollars and offered them to me. I was so shocked that my immediate reaction was: “Are you kidding me?” She replied: “Come on! I asked you and you told me! I really appreciate it! Of course I’m not kidding. Take it!”.

The woman seemed to be so happy that the 20 dollars really wouldn’t have bothered her. So I took them, thanked her very much, and she was on the way, shouting from an escalator to the supermarket ‘You’re very welcome, honestly!”.

Be honest or have more money?
One situation which certainly gives the option not to be honest with and about money are travelexpenses of high end companions. if a high end companion charges travel expenses, she can tell any sum to the man who agrees to pay them when he hires her, After all, how many high end companions give you the option to see a receipt for their journeys to you? They all tell you a higher sum and put the difference between the told and the paid in their pocket.

I will always strongly advocate against greed and profiteering from the good souls who work hard to keep families and friendships with me! After all, these few select souls helped me to get where I am now. And I wouldn’t be where I am without their support and mainly trust. Trust is earned, not given, and he who gives it gives it at his peril. I’d rather be honest than have more money by being dishonest. What would you do? Tell me. 

What are the differences between living in Toronto and London UK? How does a high end companion who has bases in Toronto and London UK compare life in them? If you’re travel curious, here’s a limited account. Reading this tale of two cities will be much lighter than Dickens!

I divide my time equally between Toronto and London UK
Nowadays I always add UK after London, because there’s a London about 2 hours’ drive from Toronto and more Londons elsewhere in the world. Hence adding UK to London prevents confusion. Since there’re also 4 Torontos in the USA and one Toronto in England, I should also be adding Canada after Toronto. Yet somehow people don’t seem to be as confused about Toronto as they are about London, so I add Canada after Toronto only when I feel that the situation calls for doing so. What’s better about life in Toronto than life in London UK? Many people ask me this question. There’s better and there’s worse in each country. So I reframe this common question to what’s different about living in Toronto from living in London UK.

The first difference
is condo living. If you live downtown anywhere in north America, you’re bound to live in a condo or in close proximity to those who live in condos. Condo [short for condominium] high-rise buildings remind somewhat of hotels with their long twisted corridors [that could at times do with convex mirrors to enable one to see round corners] and many doors with suite numbers. The hotel resemblance is complete with a lobby with a reception desk where a concierge [also called a security guard] oversees the comings and goings of visitors and variously assists the residents and staff of the building.

The terms condo and apartment are not interchangeable as are the terms flat and apartment in the UK. The term flat is not used in Canada at all, while the term apartment in the Canadian sense denotes a suite in a building which does not have facilities such as a gym, swimming pool, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi or hot tub, party room with tables, chairs, and a bar that residents can rent, and guest suites. Condo buildings have these facilities in various combinations. Another useful difference as a result is that living in a condo is more expensive. Maintenance of the facilities is reflected in the condo fees [or service charge in the UK].

The second difference
is that if you live in a condo, not everyone will know your name and suite number. High rise buildings have hundreds of suites, hence it’s impossible to know everyone even if you live in the building all your life. If you plan to entertain guests in your suite, you may tell the concierge that you’re expecting someone called [name] at a certain time. And you may not. The choice is yours. But it’s still easy to be discreet if one has the brains…

If your guests will come by car, you or they will have to request a visitor’s parking pass from the concierge to park in the lot under the building free of charge. Everything is on camera. If your guests give the concierge the wrong name for your suite, the concierge will call the suite owner and ask whether s/he is expecting a guest called X – if the concierge does his/her job efficiently. So there is certainly no room for pseudonyms! But the concierge is there to protect the residents. And that indirectly keeps the value of properties high and easily sellable.

The third difference
are the facilities in the recreation centres of condo buildings. If you’re reading this in a country where people pay memberships for attending the gym, sauna, jacuzzi, or hot tub, you’ll know how awesomely you’d feel if all you had to do was take the elevator / lift to the top or ground floor and have it all there from 6a.m. till 11p.m. for your mostly sole use 7 days a week!

These facilities are ones I [and my guests] generously help myself to in Toronto, and greatly miss in London. The costs and traveling time make attending health and fitness facilities a less attractive in London UK. It is striking how many Torontonians take these facilities so much for granted that they don’t use them!

And the fourth difference
which I’ll cover in this article is in traveling. Any person who has been to or lived in London UK will be glad to learn that s/he can get from any side of Toronto to the airport for the price of a single ticket if taking the public transit! That difference will certainly be notable! Just imagine how much it would cost to get from anywhere in London to the Heathrow or Gatwick airport! I’m sure I needn’t labor the point. Toronto’s public transit is run the same way as are public transits in many European cities. Transfer tickets exist. And all forms of transit are run by one company rather than each means of transport being run by a different private company. That is the case in London UK.

Toronto – London – anywhere…
Traveling broadens the mind. And even more so with a companion. Would you like to take one?

How can animal owners use aromatherapy to ward off everyday unpleasant aftermaths of the animal world? Here are four tips: 

Aromatherapy for animal owners starts with odours
The essential oils of geranium and lemongrass are great for dispersing animal odours. A traditional oil burner may mask the odours quite well, but at times you need to get down to their level to tackle the problem at source – on the floor. Add about 10 drops of your preferred essential oil to a half filled bucket of hot water along with your regular cleaning detergent and mop the areas where the odours are the strongest. If most of these areas have carpets, tear off the corner of a newspaper or tissue, put 2 drops of geranium essential oil on it, lay it on the floor, and introduce it to the business end of the vacuum cleaner. While sucking up the dirt from the carpets the vacuum cleaner will disperse the fresh scent of the oil. This simple trick works a treat every time!

Troubled by invading ants?
Draw a line of defense with peppermint oil across the point of entrance to where they’re infiltrating. They’ll certainly beat a hasty retreat! Most insects don’t like the smell of peppermint, so this method often also works for spiders and other creapy crawlies. Take care not to splash essential oil on paintwork or uPVC surfaces.

Bugs bugging you?
You can use essential oils around the home to keep flies, spiders, and mosquitos away. The oils will also create a lovely refreshing atmosphere. The most effective insect repellents are basil, Atlas cedar, citronella, eucalyptus citriodora, lemongrass, patchouli, and peppermint. They’re all widely available from health shops, pharmacies, drug stores, and online. Put them into burners or a few drops on cotton wool pads or balls around the rooms.

Cats and plants
You can effectively use the essential oil of citronella to keep your cats away from plant tubs. And this oil indeed features in some commercial preparations sold for this purpose in garden stores. You’ll need to reapply it every 3 – 4 days, but it will effectively keep animals away from small areas of soil.

…and aromatherapy for animal owners is only one realm.
I’ve also written these tips on using aromatherapy at home.