I don’t think that there’s anything better than the occasional siesta - especially after a long night of fiesta! Here’s a great article from Boston.com about how to nap.

It has a variety of tips and tricks on how, where and why to nap - what else could you possibly need as proof?

Check it out, then set up a bed under your desk like George Costanza!

I regularly receive newsletters from Rhonda Byrne of The Secret - called Secret Scrolls - and would love to share the great insights that she sends out. Please visit the site to learn more, or sign up here for the weekly (or more) newsletters.

A Secret Scrolls message from Rhonda Byrne - Creator of The Secret

“How do I stop my negative thoughts?” - is a question that I have been asked many times. If you have ever asked this question then you will feel such enormous relief in knowing the answer, because it is so simple. How do you stop negative thoughts? You plant good thoughts!

When you try to stop negative thoughts, you are focusing on what you don’t want - negative thoughts - and you will attract an abundance of them. They can never disappear if you are focused on them. The “stop” part is irrelevant - the negative thoughts are your focus. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to stop negative thoughts or control them or push them away, the result is the same. Your focus is on negative thoughts, and by the law of attraction you are inviting more of them to you.

The truth is always simple and it is always easy. To stop negative thoughts, just plant good thoughts! Deliberately plant good thoughts! You plant good thoughts by making it a daily practice to appreciate all the things in your day. Appreciate your health, your car, your home, your family, your job, your friends, your surroundings, your meals, your pets, and the magnificent beauty of the day. Compliment, praise, and give thanks to all things. Every time you say “Thank you” it is a good thought! As you plant more and more good thoughts, the negative thoughts will be wiped out. Why? Because your focus is on good thoughts, and what you focus on you attract.

So don’t give any attention to negative thoughts. Don’t worry about them. If any come, make light of them, shrug them off, and let them be your reminder to deliberately think more good thoughts now.

The more good thoughts you can plant in a day, the faster your life will be utterly transformed into all good. If you spend only one day speaking of good things and saying “Thank you” at every single opportunity, you will not believe your tomorrow. Deliberately thinking good thoughts is exactly like planting seeds. As you think good thoughts you are planting good seeds inside you, and the Universe will transform those seeds into a garden of paradise. How will the garden of paradise appear? As your life!

May the joy be with you,

Rhonda Byrne
The Secret… bringing joy to billions

I thought that this was really cool - it’s the lululemon athletica manifesto. Has a lot of really cool little sayings and points that we could all live by. Not only do they make great workout gear that will enhance the backside view of any girl (they have a serious following among many of my male friends), they also have some interesting thoughts and ideas.

All in all, it’s great marketing and is definitely worthy of printing out and hanging on your wall. They also sell a poster version on their site and in their stores.

Here is the text version, copied from their site:

• Drink FRESH water and as much water as you can. Water flushes unwanted toxins from your body and keeps your brain sharp.
• A daily hit of athletic-induced endorphins gives you the power to make better decisions, helps you be at peace with yourself, and offsets stress.
• Do one thing a day that scares you.
• Listen, listen, listen, and then ask strategic questions.
• Write down your short and long-term GOALS four times a year. Two personal, two business and two health goals for the next 1, 5 and 10 years. Goal setting triggers your subconscious computer.
• Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks.
• Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself.
• That which matters the most should never give way to that which matters the least.
• Stress is related to 99% of all illness.
• Jealousy works the opposite way you want it to.
• The world is changing at such a rapid rate that waiting to implement changes will leave you 2 steps behind. DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW!
• Friends are more important than money.
• Breathe deeply and appreciate the moment. Living in the moment could be the meaning of life.
• Take various vitamins. You never know what small mineral can eliminate the bottleneck to everlasting health.
• Don’t trust that an old age pension will be sufficient.
• Visualize your eventual demise. It can have an amazing effect on how you live for the moment.
• The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. Choose a positive thought.
• Live near the ocean and inhale the pure salt air that flows over the water, Vancouver will do nicely.
• Observe a plant before and after watering and relate these benefits to your body and brain.
• Practice yoga so you can remain active in physical sports as you age.
• Dance, sing, floss and travel.
• Children are the orgasm of life. Just like you did not know what an orgasm was before you had one, nature does not let you know how great children are until you have them.
• Successful people replace the words “wish”, “should” and “try” with “I will”.
• Creativity is maximized when you’re living in the moment.
• Nature wants us to be mediocre because we have a greater chance to survive and reproduce. Mediocre is as close to the bottom as it is to the top, and will give you a lousy life.
• lululemon athletica creates components for people to live longer, healthier and more fun lives. If we can produce products to keep people active and stress-free, we believe the world will become a much better place.
• Do not use cleaning chemicals on your kitchen counters. Someone will inevitably make a sandwich on your counter.
• SWEAT once a day to regenerate your skin.
• Communication is COMPLICATED. We are all raised in a different family with slightly different definitions of every word. An agreement is an agreement only if each party knows the conditions for satisfaction and a time is set for satisfaction to occur.
• What we do to the earth we do to ourselves.
• The pursuit of happiness is the source of all unhappiness.

If we could only all live by similar values!

One of the biggest challenges that I have encountered since graduating from University is trying to figure out where my all of my friends have gone. A once fairly popular socialite in school, I began to notice that as the months went on, my cell phone had begun to ring less and less, and the question “what am I going to do tonight” became more difficult to answer. After leaving school, my friends started to disappear as those who I shared residence and classes with moved on to different cities, jobs, and relationships. It’s not hard to meet guys, just about any girl can meet a whole slew of guys if she puts herself in the right place and time (or wrong place and time?) but the real question can become - how do I meet new girl friends?

Although meeting a new girl friend can seem like a scary and daunting task, it’s not as hard as it seems. Below are the top 10 ways to make a new girl friend.

1. MeetUp - there are plenty of groups out there specifically for this purpose.  I had luck joining them and going through the profiles and contacting people that I thought I might have things in common with.  That’s how I met my good friend Lillian - she is fantastic!
2. Find someone in a place with a common interest (tanning salon, gym, etc.) and start up a conversation.  My friend Krista is the friendly receptionist at the Fabutan that I go to - we started chatting and now we hang out all of the time.
3. @ Work (be careful - it can be disastrous to mix work and pleasure sometimes) - always make sure not to gossip though.
4. Join a volunteer organization - it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.
5. Ask your current friends - try going through Facebook and checking out if there are any casual friends you have that might not speak to often, but live in your area.  Or ask your good friends if they know anyone that they could introduce you to.
6. Try your alumni association - you can find people that you may not have known in school but live in your area.
7. Join up as a free agent at a local recreational sports club - it’s a great way to meet a whole bunch of new people and get some excercise too!
8. Join a club.  There are a variety of book clubs and associations that you can join, whether personal or professional.  Running clubs and group workout classes are great spots too.
9. Try the bar!  I’ve met lots of different girls in the bathroom of a bar or waiting in line to get a drink.  Start up some casual conversation, tell them you’re new to the area and are looking to meet cool girls to be friends with, and exchange numbers!  Make sure to give them a call (or send a text, it’s safer) the next day so you don’t forget who they are.
10. Keep your eyes open.  You never know when the right opportunity will arise to make a new friend!  Although it can be a little scary at times, just take a deep breath, and go for it.

Some more tips:

• Always be genuine!  There’s nothing wrong with explaining exactly what you’re doing - chances are the other girl is or has been in a similar situation as you!
• I found that initially I felt a bit awkward when asking a girl if she wanted to hang out, or what her phone number is.  A good plan would be to mention your boyfriend, or make a comment about a cute guy sitting around you.
• Be safe!  Take some time to get to know the girl on the phone before you schedule a meeting with her.  When you do, tell some people where you’re going, what you’re doing, and who you’re meeting, and when you expect to be home.
• Always meet up in a busy place such as Starbucks, the mall, or a happening restaurant when you’re first getting to know your new friend.

Good luck and happy friend finding!

So I have recently decided to change the purpose and intent of this blog. It’s been a very long time since I’ve been active on it (got a BIG promotion at work and have been very busy!) and I lost a bit of the momentum that I initially had.

I have to give props to the people who can sit down consistently and provide people with a valuable post - it’s not an easy job!

In the past week, I’ve had my ‘a-ha!’ moment (thanks Oprah!) and have truly discovered my dream. I would like to work on becoming a coach! Be it a life coach, a muse, a Tony Robbins, Stephen Covey, or a David Allen - I want to make a difference in peoples lives. Motivate, encourage, teach, support… etc.

I’m really happy with the job that I’m currently in (I’m now the Media Buy Manager for the company that I work for), and I’ve determined that the best way for me to get to where I want to be is to figure out my story, learn as much as possible, and choose my own path.

Although I’m still very interested in sharing the knowledge that I come across as a young, motivated female, the focus of this blog will be to document my life as I pursue my dream of coaching.

I’m interested to see where it will go - and right now I have no idea how it’s going to work. But the most important thing is that I am more excited than I’ve ever been about something, and I can’t wait to share it with other people!

One thing is for certain, if you want to please a man, cook him a great steak. It may sound easy – throw some meat on the barbecue and serve it with a steak knife, but in order to make your man (or yourself) really drool over your beefy cuisine, you have to do it right.

The following are a few tips on how to go from “moo” to “ooh”:

1. Choose the right cut of meat! One of the easiest ways to screw up a steak is by buying the wrong cut of meat. It’s important to choose a thick steak (at least an inch) with some marbling (the white streaks of fat – don’t worry, these melt away while cooking). Feel free to ask the kid at the meat counter what is the best cut of meat.
2. Marinate, marinate, marinate! This step is especially important if you choose a tougher cut of meat such as a round or chuck cut of meat. Take a fork, and stab it a bunch of times on each side (not the whole way through) before you cover it with the sauce - this will give the sauce a chance to get into the middle of the steak, giving it a fuller flavour. See below for a FANTASTIC marinade recipe.
3. Cook it for the right amount of time! You’ll never cook a good steak until you get your timing right. Here is a great chart that shows how long to cook steaks of varying thickness.

   

4. Only turn it once! One of the biggest mistakes that I used to make all of the time was to constantly turn your steak, over and over and over again. As long as your grill isn’t too hot and you follow the guidelines under point 3 above, you only need to turn it once!
5. Let it sit! Once you take your steak off the grill, cover it in tinfoil like a little tent. This is called tenting (duh). It’s important to do this because your steak is still cooking inside when it comes off the grill, and if you cut it open too early all of the blood and juices will pour out. If you let your steak sit in it’s tent for about 10 minutes - your steak will be JUST right.

Garlic Herb Butter Marinade (serves 4)

My boss passed this recipe on to me - and it makes the best steak marinade that I’ve ever tried!

Ingredients:

• 6 cloves of garlic (pressed)
• ¼ cup (a half stick) softened unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp minced green onions (green and white parts)
• 1 tbsp minced fresh parsley leaves
• 1 tsp minced fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp cognac
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 4 8 ounce Filet Mignon Steaks

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients until well blended in small bowl
2. Rub half of the mixture all over steaks, cover with plastic wrap, let sit for 1 hour
3. Prep a medium-hot fire in grill (or barbecue)
4. Cook steaks for 8 minutes per side (or according to the guide above)
5. Serve with a dollop of the mixture on top of the steak!

Follow the above directions and you’re sure to have your man, friends, and yourself drooling over a big hunk of meat in NO time!

As a recent graduate from University, I am brand-new to the “real world” – with its real adventures and real problems.  I left the warm and comfortable womb of University life about six months ago, and have been thrown head first into a full-time career, bills, and responsibilities, and yanked from the safety and security of Dad’s funding.

I was recruited to my dream job by a software company half way through my last year of school, which brought me new to the big city, and away from the majority of my friends.  I saw it as an incredible opportunity and grabbed the bull by the horns, finally ending a destructive relationship, and ready to make new friends.

Unfortunately, after about a month in my new position, the company decided to lay me off due to a lack of funds, and I found myself unemployed, and lonely.

I found myself back at square one, but, I eventually got myself a brand new (and better) job, began to make new friends, met an incredible new guy, and got back to loving life.

As I continue on my adventures, I am a learning new lessons and skills, and would love to share these tricks with other girls going through similar things. 

So I present to you Super Pink, a Survival Guide for 20-something women like you and me.  We’re ambitious, we’re fun, and we’re excited for what life has to offer us in this time of great opportunity and growth. 

I’m here to help walk you step-by-step through my trials and tribulations as I come across them, and save you time and energy in figuring out all the scary things, like how to find a good mechanic, get out of a gym membership, ask for a raise, and how to cook a great steak.

On that note, read, learn and explore Super Pink and make your life easier.  Together – we’ll get through this, and have a lot of fun along the way!

At one point or another most people, male or female, will need to learn how to tie a tie, whether for work, a formal event, or to help out a friend or partner in need. Although relatively simple once you get the hang of it, tying a tie can be a daunting task if you tackle it without knowing the proper way to approach it.

Below is a great video that teaches you step by step how to tie a tie quickly and easily, even if you only have a few minutes. It demonstrates the full Windsor knot, the most common type of tie.

VideoJug: How To Tie A Tie - Full Windsor Knot

Having your car break down can be annoying, frustrating, and at times, downright scary! Although it is inevitable that your car will eventually have problems, there are many ways to take preventative measures and maintain your car in the best shape that it can be. Think about it like getting your highlights retouched every three months to keep your ‘do in tip-top shape, and not looking like this. The following is a list of preventive measures that you should ALWAYS take to make sure you’re not stuck in the left hand turning lane in rush hour.

1. Get your oil changed! Every 5000 km or three months. An easy and painless task, you should be able to get this done from $25 - $100 depending on where you go and what kind of oil you use. I would suggest going with synthetic oil – it’s better for your engine and better for the environment. Also make sure to check your oil once a month – here is a step by step guide.
2. Get a yearly tune up! A tune up is standard scheduled maintenance procedure that will probably require replacing a variety of parts of your car, such as your spark plugs. This is a more expensive procedure (you’re looking at a couple of hundred dollars), and you should schedule a tune up to be done once a year.
3. Check the pressure in your tires! Your tires play a huge part in how your car drives and how it handles in poor weather conditions such as rain and snow. It’s recommended that you check your tire pressure once a month and before a really long road trip. Click here to watch a cool video that shows you exactly how to check your tires.
4. Wash your car! Making sure you regularly wash your car not only keeps it looking good but it also ensure that your car looks good for a long time. Neglecting to wash your car can equal rust spots and peeling paint.
5. Get your car inspected by a mechanic! Find yourself a reliable mechanic or take your car to you dealership regularly, probably about once a year. Most dealerships will do a full inspection of your cars from the tires all the way to the CD player for about $100 – which is well worth the investment.

Keeping your car in good shape by making sure to do the above five steps may seem tedious and expensive, but trust me – it’s worth it in the end. Neglecting to get your oil changed can cause your engine to seize which can cost thousands of dollars, and take a lot of your time.

For a few different car resources click here to read the Consumer Reports Car Maintenance Guide.

Super Pink is a blog that was created to help young women navigate through the exciting, yet confusing world of their 20’s. 

After finishing school and feeling overwhelmed while learning all of the ins and outs of career life, friendship after school, relationships, and even how to care for my car, I decided that it was time for someone to provide young women with one central source of knowledge.  My goal is to provide 20-something women with the tips, skills, and advice that I wish I had had when faced with various dilemmas. 

Many people in their 20s look to the internet as a guide and source of information when faced with a question or problem, but have difficulty finding valuable information.  But, instead of being faced with a lack of information, they find a millions of sites filled with worthless facts, bogus information, and annoying pop-ups that we can’t get rid of.

Super Pink will guide the 20-something young woman as she navigates through life, with information on everything from preventative car maintenance to asking your boss for the raise, in a fun, interesting, and funny way.