Great Makeup Tutorial for Olive & Dark Skin Tones

Analyzing Conversations and Its Payoffs in the Workplace

To analyze a conversation, determine who is the first mover (the person that moves out of the initial greetings). For payoffs in the workplace, try not to be the first mover yourself and respond positively to first movers.



P.S. The magic bullet referred to in the video is the word "willing". Asking someone if they are willing to perform an action will garner a more positive response than asking someone to perform the action outright. Other positive responses are set up by giving the desired outcome as the 2nd of two options. For example, "Would you like the standard wash or premium wash?" will generate more premium washes than asking "premium or standard?". Finally, using the word "some" will produce more positive responses than using the word "any". For example, "Do you have some questions?" will get questions but asking "Do you have any questions?" will not.

Protein Versus Moisture. Which does your hair need?

Coconut oil is all the rage these days. I've used it myself and, yes, my hair felt really soft. However, I found my hair was breaking at the ends.

After reading some beauty blogs, I added other oils to my hair - first castor oil and then aragan oil. Unfortunately, my locks felt drier and unpleasant to touch.

I thought by using these oils, I was adding protein to my hair. However, I looked at the nutrition facts on my jar of coconut oil and found, much to my surprise, coconut oil has no protein in it! The coconut fruit itself has the protein but the oil does not.

As hot as coconut oil is right now, so cold is the use of sulphates in shampoo. Beauty blogs are informing their readers that sulphates strip hair of natural oils. So I tried a sulphate-free shampoo and, again, my hair felt very soft but not strong. My locks were still breaking.

I researched how to add protein to my hair and learned about surfactants from Wikipedia:

"Surfactants - approximately 97% of hair consists of a protein called keratin. The surface of keratin contains negatively charged amino acids. Hair conditioners therefore usually contain cationic surfactants, which don't wash out completely, because their hydrophilic ends strongly bind to keratin. The hydrophobic ends of the surfactant molecules then act as the new hair surface."

Examples of surfactants are alkyl esthers and ....wait for it....Sulphates! So it is advisable to include either of these 2 ingredients at the same time that you are adding protein to your hair.

The highest proteins can be found in your kitchen: Milk, eggs, and yogurt. I shampoo'd, conditioned, and treated with a mixture of all 3 - plus surfactants. Finally, my hair felt stronger.

So, I am pro sulphates and am now making sure my conditioners have an alkyl esther or sulphate. I also moisturise with just some water in a spray bottle.

To determine whether your hair needs moisture or protein. Wet a strand and pull it. If it stretches, it needs protein. If it breaks it needs moisture.

I performed this test now and the strand didn't break when pulled - which means my hair is finally healthy and strong.

Strategic Workforce Planning

How to Save Caribana

Caribana is a great parade. It brings such energy to the city.  The bright spots are the great attendance, costumes, music, and food. However, the parade has been plagued by problems: consistently late start, delays in the procession, and masqueraders being swarmed by the crowd. I deeply love this event and fear its end. Here are 13 things we need to do to save the parade.

1. Direct the masqueraders and spectators - Advise on one route to participate and one route to watch the parade.
2. Define the parade - Set space to wine to the side (image) and a lane to join in that is separate from the costumed participants.
3. Point to the destination  - Show pictures of what success will look like i.e. no jumping in
   
4. Find the feeling – Have stormers participate as masqueraders so they can see what it feels like to be swarmed.
5. Use pictures of children in costume to encourage empathy (Image).
6. Shrink the Change –  Emphasise that its only a small step to the left to wine to the side and that spectators only have to stay out of the parade for 4 hours.
7. Grow our People – Publicise messages like "The people wining to the side are doing it right", "Keep the parade", "Save the parade", "Respect the mas", "This is our identity", "Let'stand do it for each other".
8. Develop the public by showing them the "Save Toronto Carnival" campaign videos below
9. Tweak the Environment – Lock gates to latecomers; set hours for the parade and hours for the street party; post signs defining the parade areas; and use a simpler route, i.e. Yonge street or Bloor street;
10. Build Habits – Start each Caribana season with the rules; print flyers with a checklist of do's and don'ts.
11. Rally the Herd - Have CP 24 replace promo commercial with informative ad; Get Rhianna or Drake to support the cause;  and use social media to shame the stormers.
12. Re-shape the Parade - Set up stadium seating like the Molson Indy 
    

Once the parade is improved, then reinforce the successful change. Get "Way to go Toronto" trending.

Ready to cruise

Some of the boat cruise flyers I've found this summer

One of things I love most about summer in the city are the party boats. In the urban music scene, we call these boat cruises - although now that I think of it, the moniker is a bit redundant. Tickets (around $50) cost more than the cover charge at night clubs. But, I think this weeds out any potential hooligans and brings out a higher class of clientele. The vibe is just great. With the sun over head, a blue sky and the waves, the setting is perfect. Before I went on boat cruises, I thought I would feel trapped - not having the luxury of leaving when I felt like it. But with the music pumping, good friends, and nice drinks, I've always found there's a great vibe. Plus it's kinda  fun when another party boat passes and you wave to each other. Or even better - when your boat is partying harder and the other boat's passengers look longingly over at you wishing they were there.

I also love the opportunity to wear a nice summer  dress. I think that the higher ticket price and better class of people prompts guests to dress more formally than they would at a night club. At the club, women tend to wear a tighter and shorter dress but a boat cruise calls for a flowy dress that will catch in the breeze. To the right, I've displayed some of the summer dresses I've purchased  for this summer's boat cruise season. I recommend pairing the outfits with a ballet flat or a sandal since stilettos might just throw you off your game when the boat starts a rocking - literally!

Can You Solve This?