How do you increase the likelihood of repeating a behavior? Well, Psychology and Operant Conditioning suggests that you must reward them. Something as simple as fun is the easiest way to change one’s behavior. Luckily, one Russian bank got the memo.
The bank’s special website will welcome you with a cat selector among 10 breeds including Siamese, tabbies, and an exotic hairless cat. A spokeswoman for the bank named Anastasia Vakhlamova told Bloomberg Businessweek that the Sberbank employees who kindly agreed to participate in the special project own some of the cats.
Some of the cats that you may loan are Lolly, Toffee, and Apricot—their names are as adorable as they look. Photos, description of the felines’ personalities and a video that shows how happy the first clients were when they received their cats are available on the web.
Image Credits: naql via Flickr
In fact, the heartwarming video has gotten over a million views. Check it out…
The good news is that the cat will be delivered to you in time for your housewarming party. Clients can take photos photos and play with the cat and generally have fun cat-related times. But, do not be too attached with it.
The only downside is that you cannot keep the feline for life. The terms that are laid out in an eight-page disclaimer on the bank’s microsite offer about two hours of interaction.
Although, the given time is enough as the cat is culturally believed to transmit good luck especially to the couples who are moving in to a new house. As the campaign promotion goes, “Order a cat for your housewarming, and bring happiness and luck to your home”.
Travelling surely is one of our biggest pleasures in life. Seeing new exotic places, tasting delicious food and meeting other cultures are truly important and enriching experiences in one’s life. No matter what style of style or accommodation one chooses – it is a wonderful feeling when one’s travel dreams become actual plans and will be fulfilled.
In order not to experience big disappointments and financial disasters, it is advisable to do extensive research before the booking. Seeing your travel dreams come true, one wouldn’t want organisational issues to come in between. Getting these out of the way will not only save your trip, but also will save you some money with cheap hotels booking.
Unplanned Trip
(Image credit: Shena Tschofen, via Flickr)
There are travellers who believe that an unplanned trip is the very best, as it is the only ‘proper’ way to experience a different culture or place. 99% of the time this is not true, as this ‘proper experience’ will most likely turn into a nightmarish hunt for hotels and will cost you extra money and won’t give you what you were looking for. Therefore, booking your hotel in advance is the foundation of a pleasurable holiday. Furthermore, this can save you some extra cash that you can use to even further enrich your travel.
Use hotels comparison site
There are different ways to research for your holiday. While tour operators and holiday booking agencies are a start, they don’t really offer you the cheapest prices. They usually add fees to the prices and therefore make it more expensive. However, they can help to get you a first indication. Finding the best deals for cheap hotels booking, one should use a hotel comparison site, such as http://hotels.moneydigest.sg. Once the destination of the travel is clear, one can start comparing hotels. Using the site above, one simply needs to select the travel days and number of guests. Use different tools to choose your price range in order to narrow down the hotel offers from you destination of choice.
Compare across thousands of travel sites for cheap hotels booking
Using a hotel comparison site will provide you with the possibility to book immediately via different travel operators. Instead of visiting Booking.com, Expedia and others, you better use this convenient one-stop platform, as you have the immediate overview over all available rooms within your selection for cheap hotels booking. In order to further save when booking a hotel room, one should be flexible with the travel dates. Sometimes a few days earlier or later can make a whole lot of a difference. Obviously it is also cheaper, if you choose to travel in the off-season. Hotels usually offer price reductions during that time. Therefore, it is highly recommended to try a few different date combinations for your travel on the hotel comparison site and opt for the best deal.
Another useful tip for saving money on hotels is to know your budget and travel plans at your destination. If you are planning on a relaxing wellness kind of holiday, you are most likely going to spend the majority of your time within the hotel premises and in their facilities. In that case it is well worth to go for a better hotel and spend perhaps a few dollars more. However, if you are for example venturing to explore a new city, then you probably will be out of the hotel for most of the time. In that case it really isn’t necessary to select a fancy hotel with various amenities, as won’t end up using them. Therefore, consider these facts when searching for a hotel with the comparison site.
Filters to suit your needs
The filters on our hotels search engine, will give you all the options you need to make an informed choice for cheap hotels booking. Furthermore, it has one of the best selections for destinations around Asia as well as the rest of the world. No matter whether you are looking for a hotel in Bangkok or in Berlin – this site got a solution for you.
Don’t spend unnecessary money on hotels, but use it to fulfil your travel dreams.
The unspoken sentiment of “Who should pay the bill?” has been a hot debate over the years. Its answer however, changes over time.
The arrival of professional women in the workforce was delayed in most countries due to being denied to universities. For instance, Cambridge University only fully embraced women students during the late 1947. Across time there was an increase of women laborers in factories (e.g., textile or machinery). The 20th century solidified women and their rights in the workforce.
The younger generations were raised to empower equality in the household. Moreover, the quality of life is getting harder as economies fail. And so, there is a great need for both men and women to work regardless of social norms.
Nowadays, it is not uncommon for women to be earning more than the men they are dating or are married with. In fact, a study by Prudential Company in 2012 showed that approximately 53% of the sample was made up of women breadwinners.
Since both sexes are relatively equals, it will be interesting to know the opinion of the population regarding who should pay the bill. A poll by Cosmopolitan investigated that. According to the poll, less than 25% of women believe that their partners should always pay for the bill. And, about 40% of women think that couples shall always split the bill.
Image Credits: TheeErin via Flickr
The results of this poll only highlight the fact that more women feel empowered to share the expenses. Although, 50% of women think splitting the bill can hurt the romance between two people.
Why would going halfsies hurt the romance between two people? Well…gender stereotypes that it may emasculate the male mate and even social norms impose against it. Furthermore, California therapist Susan Axtell says, “we’re more independent than ever but many women today still want to feel taken care of”. These irrational thoughts may hinder further verbalization of the desire to share the expense.
On the other hand, four out of five men believe that they should always pay for the bills on their dates or at least until the relationship is established.
The key to addressing this issue is to value each other’s money and to treat each other once in a while.
There are 2 reasons why all of us would be looking forward to Chinese New Year in 2015. Not only because there would be a long weekend for us to take a break from the flurry of work or school, it is also the time for us to indulge in all the festive goodies that are usually only rampant during this time of the year!
On the other hand, some would be groaning at the vast amount of work needed to prepare for the festival, such as the preparation of red packets and being laden with the overwhelming responsibility of whipping up a sumptuous meal for the entire family for the occasion. Not only do you need to feel the pinch of giving money away to the young and old, you are also expected to spend a lot of money on buying exorbitantly priced ingredients to prepare the meal. Besides having to buy ingredients in large amounts since the extended family would be present for the reunion, prices of the ingredients would have risen sky high due to the rise in demand and low in supply during this point of time.
Many dread the process, but we help you make it a little more enjoyable!
Woodlands Industrial Park
(Image credit: ST)
Many have raved about it, but just how many people really know about its hidden gems? Mainly well-known for their good bargains for food and goodies, many flock there during festive period to stock up.
Despite being an industrial area, there have been tours to Woodlands Industrial Park organised by community centres and other organisations to bring people to the popular outlets for grocery shopping. Honestly, I would admit that it is very much more convenient to travel there if you have a car as it is quite inaccessible where you can only get there via bus. But if you must, there is always bus service 964 from Admiralty MRT Station which can bring you there!
Personally, I have been patronising several distributors found there for my goodies fix such as J&C Fong’s Confectionary (they have excellent pineapple tarts and butter cakes) and Melvado’s with my family since young as my family love the good food and attractive bargains that can only be found there. Apart from the big companies like Frangrance, we can also find smaller suppliers opening booths at their stores selling items such as nian gao (traditional rice cakes) or even steamboat ingredients just for the occasion at a much lower price as compared to NTUC and the like. Customers can grab their groceries at wholesale prices and if you’re re to make a quick calculation, you actually would save a lot more from all the purchases you have made there.
Chinatown on Chinese New Year’s eve
(Image credit: bestofsingapore.sg)
Visiting Chinatown during the Chinese New Year period is mandatory, not just because one would go there to soak up the festive atmosphere, but also because that is a place to buy CNY goodies at crazily low prices. If you are one who don’t mind squeezing in the massive crowd, going to Chinatown on dates closer to the Lunar New Year would be one of the best times because that is when vendors start slashing the prices of their stocks, especially perishables like the Taiwanese Sausages, sweets and pineapple tarts in a desperate bid to get rid of them.
Johor Bahru
(Image credit: elgenahearts.blogspot.com)
If you are able to grab hold of your passport, go take a bus from Woodlands checkpoint to JB to do some shopping! Right outside the Sultan Iskandar CIQ Complex (if you are lost, I am talking about the Malaysian customs) are 2 large shopping malls just side by side, linked by a connecting bridge – City Square Mall and Komtar JBCC – where you can shop til you drop. Within City Square itself, there are various hair salons, nail parlours, massage parlours and boutiques to prepare for the occasion! Komtar JBCC has many sports outlets and beauty stores as well. Not to mention the number of restaurants and cafes in both malls that you can visit to rest your aching body from all the shopping. Definitely you would be able to find many things that you need for CNY!
Apart from these places, there are other means to purchase necessities such as going online to shop for clothes etc. because there is no change in the price. But always remember that the best way to avoid hassle is to start early!
After countless years of routinely work, most people cannot imagine a life without it. Retirement, a course that can happen either by choice or by circumstance, came as an easy decision for Lee Wachtsetter.
Lee Wachtsetter or commonly called as Mama Lee has been spending the past seven years on the luxury liner named Crystal Serenity.
Image Credits: YouTube.com
She told USA Todaythat she was always fond of cruises. In fact, she has been on more than 283 ships since 1962. She spends about $164,000 a year to live cruise-ship lifestyle, which includes a single-occupancy seventh deck stateroom, all her meals, and the cruise’s entertainment.
In order for her to afford this, she sold her five-bedroom Fort Lauderdale-area home after her husband died.
Before her husband died in 1997, he told her to never stop cruising because both of them have deeply rooted love for it…and so cruising she shall! She chose the luxury liner because of their dance programs. Aside from frequent cocktail parties, Mama Lee enjoys watching movies, interesting lectures, and other free daily entertainment such as ballroom dancing.
Image Credits: Gary Bembridge via Flickr
The sea life has brought Mama Lee nothing but joy but the hardest part of her retirement is being away from her three sons and seven grandchildren. Luckily, technology paved way for regular Skype and email conversations.
She has been on the Crystal Serenity since 2008, a period of time that is longer than most of the crew. The relationship she built with the crewmembers made her feel close to home. On an interview, she once said: “The crewmembers bend over backwards to keep me happy. Some are almost like family now. If they don’t have what I want, they get it. Even if they have to buy it off the ship or make it to my specific needs.”
A YouTube clip of their Christmas dance show proves that she can still shake it even at 86…
To retire on a luxury cruise is truly a dream of a lifetime. It makes you realize how to live in the moment like Mama Lee — Dancing, Cruising, and Enjoying Life.
Anna Agoncillo
MoneyDigest
