After my research through the web on numerous different sites, Spring-Summer collections will just leave an "WOW" sound behind because the trends come from different perspectives and can satisfy even the most demanding client.
I concluded that soft, pall and sorbet colors are going to be a must during the coming season. Prepare for pants, shirts, skirts and tanks in shades of lemon, tanquerine, aqua and mint. These colors will bring a sense of sweateness in our wardrobe.
Take a look at the pics to get just a hint on one of the coming season's trends but more is yet to come as for instance Prada is influenced and inspired from Japanese Kimonos that leave the faces of the fashion crowd astonished and amazed!
Tourism has always been big business for Greece because it has so much to offer and, as a result, one fifth of employment is based in the industry. In June of 2012, expectations of the nation's annual tourism revenue were low because of the way Greece was being viewed by the world and the problems it was suffering. The summer of 2012 was never expected to be good for Greek tourism given the problems the country was facing and initial forecasts predicted that there would be a significant drop in revenue of 15%. There was a dramatic decline in bookings at the peak of the season due growing uncertainty over the Euro. With so many national issues to deal with, many tourism officials and workers were certain that this would be a disastrous season for the country.
A new forecast has since been issued by Andreas Andreadis – the head of a leading tourism association – that suggests that the season has not been nearly as bad as people expected and the drop in revenue will be just 5%, from 10.5 billion Euros to just over 10 billion. The main reason for this improvement is that the fears potential visitors had over the state of the nation were unfounded – the social disorder and strikes were not seen on the level expected, the financial situation was softened by the renewal of talks over bailout plans and, most importantly, the questionable election was won by the pro-EU candidate Antonis Samaras. There were other factors that helped Greece overcome the obstacles it faced and improve its tourism revenue for the rest of the season. It has been suggested that the desperate act of slashing prices – a choice made by many airlines and hoteliers – actually encouraged people away from other, more costly destinations and may have easily tempted those holiday makers that were looking for a cheap alternative to the African nations with bigger problems. Social media is also highlighted as a positive influence because of the way it portrayed the true state of the country.
Things are surprisingly looking up and there are high hopes for the 2013 season. As I heard in the news about 17 millions of tourists have already made their bookings for summer 2013 in the greek islands. Thanks to the quick advertising of the Minister of tourism, Mrs. Kefalogiannis, the response is huge, with the majority of tourists coming from Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom.
Now that the country is much more politically and economically stable, visitors during 2013 period are about to get advantage of the unique magical destinations and thesaurus of beautiful Greece!
Here are some tips in order to succeed in your professional and personal life in the year 2013. They are simple and easy to follow. Be yourself and quickly fix your confidence by following these steps:
1. SMILE!
It makes you feel and look better and it instantly lifts your mood. It will make the people around you respond in a more positive way and at the end, it gives a great lasting impression.
2. FACE THE WORLD WITH CONFIDENCE.
It is important to show a confident face to the world, even at times when you are feeling less confident inside. Positive thinking and positive attitude are the first step to the right direction! Tip: Repeat from the inside: I am the greatest!!
3. A BIT OF SHOPPING THERAPY NEVER DID ANY HARM!
Treat yourself to some lovely relaxing clothes of your choice and sense of style that suits your personality.
4. GIVE YOURSELF A GOAL.
To set shorterm and longterm goals and make sure you achieve them, it will make you feel successful and valuable.
5. BOUNCE BACK.
Bad things can happen in our life but we have to learn to cope with them and do something about it: Grow some resilience and never give up!
6. EAT HEALTHY.
Avoid that bloated feeling after a junk food binge and take care of yourself with a balanced diet. By doing so, you are sending a message to you that you like yourself!
7.COMPLIMENT OTHERS.
Tell friends how good they look beacause all this helps build inner confidence.
8. LIVE A LITTLE.
Doing something daring can help you become more fearless and remind you that you are more than other people think you are.
9. MAKE YOURSELF A GOOD SPEAKER AS WELL AS A GOOD LISTENER.
Go to places with the intention of speaking and joining in. In this way you are forced to come out of your shell.
10. LOVE YOURSELF.
Look at the mirror, admire yourself, and think about the positives.
11. FIND YOUR CONFIDENCE CORE.
This is about bringing your focus to the inside of your body. Sit or stand up straighter to allow the core to stretch to full size.
12. QUIT BEING YOUR OWN CRITIC.
If you don't like the way you look or certain parts of your body, stop staring at them. Learn to love yourself, even your faults. Once you can do that, confidence will come more naturally.
13. KEEP IN CONTACT WITH FRIENDS. We all know we feel better after spending time with the people closest to us. So try to make sure you do it! You can phone one friend every day.
14. ENJOY IT!
You really don't need to take yourself too seriously in life , so don't! Remind yourself on a regular basis 'its fun!'.
15. CHEER YOURSELF UP!
Ok so your colleagues might think you have gone mad, but talking to yourself to cheer yourself up can improve confidence levels! 16. TRUST YOURSELF. Don’t give up on what you believe in, and trust on what you know you can do and achieve.
17. ACT FEARLESS.
Push yourself further than your fears. This means joining in at karaoke, taking a chance and talking to a stranger, or reaching for that dream job…it could do your confidence the world of good.
18. BE KIND.
Acts of kindness and appreciation can improve self-esteem.
When we plan a trip, we should keep in mind what is the best time to visit the place in order to gain a holistic experience and enjoy it at the most. As we run January, the month opens with a bang for much of the world and the excitement of New Year helps soften the fact that much of the nothern hemisphere is shrouded in cold, damp cloud. New Year’s resolutions can be started by ski trips to Europe or North America. While southern’s Europe temperate climate is also ideal for tennis or a few rounds of golf. The natural world is also sensitive to the seasons, whether cold as in the forests of Poland or warm as in the waters around Indonesia.
Below you will find the best destinations during the month of January for inspiration:
FOR FESTIVALS AND CULTURE:
1. LALIBELA, ETHIOPIA, AFRICA:
Highlights: Amazing churches hewn directly into solid rock.
See the wonders of the man-made castles of Gondar, the natural beauty of the Simien Mts, and the spiritual faith that build the rock-cut churches.
2. BANGKOK, THAILAND, ASIA:
Highlights: Busy city dotted with beautiful temples. Marvel at the huge, golden buddhas, bustling colorful floating market, and the splendid Grand Palace-Wat Phra Keow.
3. ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIAN FEDERATION, EUROPE:
Highlights: Imperial city of the Tsars filled with great art and architecture. The city is set on a network of pretty canals and it is one of the world’s most cultured cities. It is also home to the peerless Hermitage Museum.
4. SHETLAND ISLES, SCOTLAND, EUROPE.
Highlights: Up Helly Aa is a fiery and spectacular extravaganza. Midwinter at Lerwick sees torch-lit processions and a Viking ship being burned in this lively festival in the usually peaceful Scottish isles.
5. MONTE CARLO, MONACO, EUROPE.
Highlights: See the famous car rally or try your luck at the casino. Elegant riviera destination with a year -round mild climate. If you are not a petrolhead, enjoy the opera, ballet, or simply go to the roulette.
FOR UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEYS:
1. PATAGONIAN CRUISE, ARGENTINA, SOUTH AMERICA:
Highlights: Take a voyage of discovery “at the end of the world”. Follow legendary seafarers through the Magellan Strait and Beagle Channel to see whales, elephant seals, icebergs and mighty glaciers.
2. AVIEMORE, SCOTLAND, EUROPE.
Highlights: Not quite the Iditarod, but it is the place to dogsled in the UK. The UK dog-sled rally lasts a week and you can intersperse the dog fun with some wild trekking highland dancing for Burn’s night.
3. SIWA OASIS, EGYPT, AFRICA.
Highlights: Camels, dates and mirages on a tour of western oases. Take the historical journey through the heart of the north African desert, amid sand dunes and plateaus, home to Bedouin tribes.
4. THE GHAN RAILWAY, AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALASIA.
Highlights: From the top of the country to the bottom by rail. Crossing the continent as large as Australia is not to be taken lightly. The Ghan is the ultimate railway journey from Darwin to Adeilaide.
FOR NATURAL WONDERS:
COSTA RICA, CENTRAL AMERICA:
Highlights: An exquisite pocket of natural beauty and coastal rainforest. Manuel Antonio National Park combines palm- fringed beaches with mangrove swamps and a forest ecosystem full of wildlife.
FOR LUXURY AND ROMANCE:
1. MALDIVES, INDIAN OCEAN:
Highlights: Over a thousand sunny islands lapped by turquoise waters. Cruise the quiet atolls in a luxury sailboat, snorkel through crystal waters over sparkling coral reefs and wind down at a relaxing spa.
2. JAMAICA, CARIBBEAN:
Highlights: There is more than just parties! Try snorkeling, or hiking in the Blue Mountains before soaking up the sun in a fabulous beach.
What are the best destinations during the month of February?
Keep on following to learn more…
Sushi is one of my favorite dishes!
Check out the following recipe of sushi which is delicious!!
I prepared it on the previous Saturday and my friends were delighted!!
Makes 2 to 4 servings:
Ingredients:
For the Creamy Filling:
1 medium avocado
1/4 cup cubed carrots
1 clove minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce (preferably Nama Shoyu), 2 packets of Nu Naturals stevia or 5 drops liquid stevia.
For the Vegetable Filling:
1 medium carrot, julienned 1 medium cucumber, julienned
1 red bell pepper, julienned
snow pea shoots (if available at your local gourmet market or farm stand).
For the Sushi Rice:
1 medium parsnip
chopped and pulsed in a food processor until it forms rice-like pieces
6 sheets nori (seaweed).
Directions:
Blend the ingredients for the cream filling in a food processor until smooth.
Place a sheet of nori on a wooden cutting board so that the indented lines on the nori run horizontally.
Place a thin layer of the cream filling on the lower third of the nori.
Evenly disperse 2 tablespoons of the sushi rice on top of the cream filling, covering it completely. Place the carrots, the cucumbers, the bell peppers, and the snow pea shoots horizontally on top of the cream filling.
Begin to roll the sheet of nori from the bottom, over the vegetables, and then continue rolling until you have created a long tube.
Cut the tube into 4 to 6 pieces of equal length. In a small mixing bowl, mix the stevia with the soy sauce or the Nama Shoyu and use this for dipping.
Good luck!!
For those who tried it, please share your comments!
The following juice is best taken on an empty stomach so it can bypass the digestive process and go right to the cellular level with all its life force ad enzymatic superpower!
Ingredients: (one serving)
1 HEAD ROMAINE LETTUCE OR CELERY
5 TO 6 STALKS KALE (ANY TYPE)
1 TO 2 PACKETS OF STEVIA OR LIQUID NU NATURAL STEVIA DROPS (AS NEEDED FOR SWEETNESS)
1 WHOLE ORGANIC LEMON (YOU DON'T HAVE TO PEEL IT)
1 TO 2 TABLESPOONS FRESH GINGER
Directions:
Process the vegetables through the juicer by adding one vegetable at at a time through the mouth of a juicer. The fiber will shoot out of the juicer into one container, while te spout will eject the fresh juice into another container. Poor into a large glass and drink!
Notice how the lemon really cuts out the "green" taste that most people try to avoid.
Department store Selfridges in London is about to introduce a silent shopping experience in its Oxford Street store with its No Noise concept in January. From January 7 to the end of February, Selfridges is launching its new store-wide concept, No Noise, which invites shoppers to “celebrate the power of quiet”. It will be located in the store’s Ultralounge and will aim to help customers find balance in this fast-paced world.
Designed by architect Alex Cochrane, the minimalistic ‘Silence Room’ will ask customers to leave their shoes and mobile phone at the door, so they can fully enjoy the relaxing area, which will offer in-store meditation sessions. There will also be a Quiet Shop, selling an exclusive collection of de-branded products from fashion to stationery, to promote considered shopping, and Selfridges will be de-branding its own yellow bag for the first time. The department store is also planning a series of in-store events from the world’s largest meditation to silent orchestras, and will also be showcasing specially commissioned art installations in their windows and staging performances to nurture the imagination.
According to analysts and forecasting experts, China is to become the world's largest retail market in the next three years. Global advisory company Price Waterhouse Coopers, this week stated the Chinese market is expected to grow 10 percent per annum through 2016, and will take over the United States as the world's biggest market.
The economic downturn in the European union has not affected China's demand for consumer goods and according to figures released by PwC China's gross domestic product grew 7.4 percent from July-September, slowing from the 9.1 percent during the same period a year earlier. However, global retailers will continue to bank on China to drive growth, PwC said. "Retailers operating in China are no longer just focusing on the bigger first and second-tier cities. They're now expanding in third and fourth-tier cities as disposal incomes in these untapped markets increase," said Carrie Yu, PwC's retail and consumer leader for China and the Asia Pacific.
The phenomenon in China is very promising and day by day new retailers all over the world enter the market. It is also expected that Chinese consumers will continue to drive global luxury market growth in 2013 and onwards. China's online retailing will enjoy exponential growth, accounting for a 23.4 percent share of global business-to-consumer e-commerce sales in 2016, up from 9.9 percent in 2012.
There is more yet to come...
