Treating a Heart Ailment

Many times, I have tried to update this blog with my personal activities in the past weeks.  No matter how much effort I gave though, my mind was empty and couldn’t afford to write a word.  Today is slightly better (I hope), so trying now to give you some personal updates.

Many of you are aware that I’ve been through a lot, healthwise, that is.  I was too focused on safeguarding myself from big C recurrence.  By God’s blessing, I'd like to think I was successful in that aspect. Then I concentrated on my lung ailment treatment after a Thoracentesis procedure.  All the while, I was unaware that my heart is crying out for significant attention.   Didn’t know my heart is in trouble.  Currently, I am supposed to be on a complete bed rest as per the advice of my cardiologist and taking lots of prescription drugs.  I would be lying if I’d say I don’t worry much about this new health crisis that is getting the better of me.  But having gone through the worst of my time, I believe I’d get beyond this one as well.  As always, I am entrusting everything to the Lord.

Leading Men: A Handful of Humorous Quotes by Actors

We've watched them on our television screens and seen them in films. They generally have to recite lines that other people have told them to say, but once you strip away the scripts and ask celebrity men a few questions, chances are they're going to come out with a few humor quotes that will tickle your funny bone. Let's check out a few of the top quotes from some of the world's leading men.

 

"Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first." - Ronald Reagan

Before he got into the world of politics and rose to become President of the United States, Ronald Reagan was an actor. This put him in good stead for being put on the spot with questions. He always knew what to say, and here is one such instance of when it paid off.

 

"First the doctor told me the good news: I was going to have a disease named after me." - Steve Martin

He doesn't look like leading man material, but lifelong comic Steve Martin has starred in a number of leading man roles. He is best known for his roles in The Jerk, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Fatherhood and Father of the Bride. He also knows how to put an audience in stitches when he delivers little one-liners like this.

 

"People who read the tabloids deserve to be lied to." - Jerry Seinfeld

Comedian turned sitcom star Jerry Seinfeld is another leading man who doesn't look like a chiseled lothario, but he still managed to get his own TV show on the back of his stand up. While this quote isn't bursting with Seinfeld's usual razor sharp wit, he raises a good point about the state of the tabloid industry.

 

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." - Jack Nicholson

You can almost see Jack Nicholson's devilish grin coming through as he delivers this quote—white teeth, deep smile lines and a little chuckle to finish. He must have made this face at his mother at least once, particularly for her to deliver a barb like "son of a bitch" to her own flesh and blood.

 

"Bisexuality immediately doubles your chances for a date on Saturday night." - Rodney Dangerfield

Rodney Dangerfield is yet another comedian who managed to become a leading man in his own television show because he was funny, and like other comedians, a little funny looking. The king of "I can't get no respect" seems to have the right idea about the dating scene here—if only he could tell that to the Ok Cupid generation!

 

"My children love my mother, and I tell my children - 'That is NOT the same woman I grew up with. That is an old woman trying to get into heaven now." - Bill Cosby

Bill Cosby (aka Bill Huxtable of The Cosby Show) is also the author of books on growing up and starting a family. He has a point about his mother—when mothers turn into grandmothers, they start to lay on the sweetness! Top actors and comedians are always good for a laugh, as this list shows. Imagine what these guys could do in a room together? If walls could talk, they'd laugh!

 

About the author:

N/A

Is it safe to travel to Egypt?

Marking the first year anniversary of Mohamed Mursi's presidency, there has been violent demonstrations across several Egyptian cities from Alexandria to Cairo. Occasionally during these protests,  deaths, injuries and extensive property damage has occurred. 

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)has recently advised against all but essential travel to Egypt, except for resorts in the Red Sea region. How advisable really is this though? Is everyone over-exaggerating and is it truly safe to travel to any part of Egypt?

Currently the German and French governments have advised against all travel to Egypt, and all the holidays have been cancelled there. Naturally this is not going to make the British tourist very confident about going on holiday to a red-sea resort, with many tourists wanting to cancel their holidays and get their money back for fear of their own safety. Some tourists may even pay high administration charges to change their destination to a safer place; however is this really fair if other countries have already stopped their tourists from travelling to Egypt?

Holiday adventure companies such as Explore! And Exodus have cancelled all of their tours and holidays until October in awake of the violent situation that is rippling around the country. 

The violence across Egypt has caused effects for the whole of the travel industry. Thomson and First Choice have cancelled all outbound flights to Luxor, trips to the cities, cruise stop-offs and Nile river cruises have also been cancelled in the area.

However, the UK Foreign Office has reassured travellers that they can still go on holiday to the Red Sea Resorts such as Sharm el Sheikh and Hurghada as these are considered very separate from the rest of Egypt.

Tourists are advised to stay within the hotel complex, and therefore cannot see any of the world famous Egyptian sights. Arguably it isn’t fair at all that people are still paying full prices for holidays in Egypt, merely to be confined to a hotel complex for a week or two.

The trouble free areas of Egypt include the entire region of Sharm el Sheikh, Taba, Nuweiba and Dahab, as well as St. Catherine’s Monastery World Heritage Site, the roads between the resorts and the airports of Taba and Sharm el Sheikh.Sharm lies a considerable distance away from the trouble in Cairo- approximately an eight hour drive.  

The Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) opposes to the advice from the Foreign Office and hopes it to change its advice about not travelling to the country unless it’s essential.

So, if you are planning on travelling to Egypt, some of the precautions that you should be aware of include:

        1.       Making sure that you have well covered travel insurance

           2.       Your travel company should be registered with ABTA or Atol

           3.       Keep up to date with the news and check the Foreign Office regularly for updates: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/egypt

However, as the FCO say it is safe to travel to certain Egypt destinations, then there is no way you can get your money back if you decide not to travel. If things do get worse and the FCO advises against travel to anywhere in Egypt, then if you have booked a package holiday you may be able to get an alternative holiday or your money back.

 

Hello

Sorry, my head is empty.   That's all I can do for now.  Greet you "Good Morning!" and to thank you as well for your time to visit this blog. Will give updates as soon as I feel well.  Please bear with me.

4 Tips for Getting Married in Las Vegas

Las Vegas is known for many things – luxury hotel casinos, world class entertainment and of course, the quickie wedding. The great thing about getting married in Vegas is all the great honeymoon options including the ones at http://thingstodo.expedia.com/las-vegas-nevada-activities/.However, you can’t have a honeymoon without a wedding. The following tips from Vegas.com will help you make the most of your Las Vegas wedding experience

1.       Get your marriage license pre-application online. While Las Vegas may be the world capital of spur-of-the moment weddings, reality is that you still need a marriage license to make your union legal and binding. However, the Marriage Bureau in Las Vegas is conveniently open from 8am to midnight, 365 days a year. You can also complete a marriage license pre-application online and take it with you to the express window at the Marriage Bureau.

2.       Choose your date carefully. Quickie weddings may be romantic but planning ahead of time does have its benefits. Many hotels and wedding chapels give discounts during their off season, so be sure to call ahead to find out when the lowest rates are offered. Avoid holidays as they tend to be quite popular and more expensive. It’s also a good idea to avoid a summer wedding as the temperatures soar well into the triple digits during the day and aren’t always much cooler at night.

3.       Consider a hotel chapel wedding. If you have guests coming in from out of town, a hotel will often offer room rate discounts to couples using their wedding chapel. Another advantage of getting married in a hotel chapel is that hotels usually offer wedding packages (complete with a wedding coordinator) and are staffed with every vendor you could possibly need from flowers, cake and music to dresses, tuxes and even rings. Most hotels also have a full range of salon and spa services so you’ll look and feel your best on your special day. 

4.       Take advantage of a buffet. Don’t want to use a caterer? Feed your guests with a buffet. Las Vegas is famous for its buffets and for good reason. There’s a wide variety of great food at extremely reasonable prices. Most hotel buffets provide private rooms for wedding parties and only charge for the number of guests who attend, which means you don’t get stuck paying for no-shows.

Most importantly, be creative. Anything goes in Las Vegas so if you want to be married among mobsters or have your ceremony performed by Elvis, your wish is granted!

7 Beginners' Tips for Finding Cheap Flights

Traveling is an overwhelming task to plan. From flights, to hotels, to car rentals, to daily activities, you might feel like you need to take a vacation from planning your vacation. If you're a beginner, first take a deep breath, then follow these beginner's tips to finding cheap flights.

 

Choose Your Travel Days Wisely

Image via Flickr Grant Wickes

Typically flights are more expensive on Fridays and Sundays because those are the most common travel days for weekend travelers. Try to find a Saturday morning flight, or Thursday to Tuesday flights. The Guardian suggests Wednesday are the best days to find almost-free deals. When you're shopping for flights, sales generally start late Monday or early Tuesday.

Compare Flights Prices

Always use comparison search sites and find any coupons you can, like the ones from groupon getaways. Beginner travelers must realize that flight prices change sporadically, so be sure to consistently check prices everyday if you haven't bought your ticket yet. You might think prices are going up and you need to buy your ticket right away, but waiting until weekday sales could offer you unthinkable deals. 

 

Travel During Off-Peak Season

When you travel during unpopular, off-peak seasons, your savings will surprise you; if possible always opt for this vacation time. Other unpopular travel times are overnight flights and red-eye flights. Sacrificing a little sleep could save you a lot of money. It is an option that you can weigh yourself, and see if it's worth loosing some sleep.

 

Don't Make Assumptions about No-Frills

Many airlines that market themselves as no-frills often carry heavy fees with the price of their tickets. So, not only are you getting gypped on food during a five-hour flight, you're also not getting the cheap price of the ticket you originally bargained for.

 

Search for Different Airports

If there are several airports within a few hours of each other, look into flights departing or arriving from them. Often these airports may have cheaper flights than your originally chosen airport. New York City for example, has several airports surrounding it like Newark International Airport, LaGuardia Airport, and John F. Kennedy International Airport. Depending on what time of the week you shop and the travel season, some of these airports are cheaper than others at different times of the week.

 

Look into Package Deals

Many travel sites offer package deals for hotel and flight prices. Be sure to compare prices with other sites that offer similar packages. Some packages are customizable and can even include other travel plans like car rentals as well.

 

Be Wary of Hidden Fees

Besides bag fees, which are becoming increasingly expensive depending on the airline, many flights have hidden fees for snacks, or even carry-on bags. Some fees may not provide a description, so if you find flights that seem cheap, but have "fees" attached to them, do some more research to find out exactly what those fees are for.
Even some seasoned travelers aren't aware of the optimal flight purchase days. Noting airline trends will help you find the best deals. What tip did you not know about?