The first job fair I ever went to was awful. It was embarrassing (someone literally looked down my shirt and told me to ‘keep that coming!’… creepy.), it was awkward, and at the end of the day, I was depressed because of my lack of networking prowess. But to be honest, I didn’t take it very seriously, and it was a school event which meant that 40 of my classmates were in attendance–it was far more tempting to talk to them than to schmooze with the unknowns.

Last week I had the opportunity to attend a recruiting fair for work in Australia (because if you didn’t know, I’m moving there!), and decided to put aside my humility and be the shining star I knew I could be with potential employers. It may not have paid off as much as I’d wanted (I had high expectations), but I walked away feeling accomplished and like I took the reins. And honestly, that’s all I can ask.The thing about job fairs, especially recruiting fairs, is that you’re not just a resume in a pile. You’ve got a chance to make an interview-worthy impression without having to get the call-back first. Even better, your interest in the company and your attitude can make up for any holes in your resume that might cause you to be overlooked had you just applied online. So in light of my most recent experience, here are my top 3 career fair tips for success for the next time you find yourself feeling uncomfortable, afraid, or just generally clueless when it comes to booth-hopping 101.

Bring an up-to-date-resume- I’m not just talking about your standard, plain-text resume. Remember that there may be hundreds of other very personable candidates in attendance. Find something that can be your distinguishing factor with your resume (for me, it’s accent colours of red for titles and section separators), something that’s not too over-the-top or overdone. That way, when the recruiter asks for your CV, it’s memorable and they’ll look at it later and think “ah, I remember this red CV! That was Erica Wodzak, she was a very friendly and intelligent lady”. A+ for standing out.

Go alone- when you attend career fairs with people you know, it’s too easy to stick together and fall into the crowd. I’m not fully comfortable myself being ‘professional Erica’ in front of my friends, so I keep the two personae separate for now. I find it easier to talk to new people when I’m alone, so if you must go with a friend, agree to rendezvous after 30 minutes of mingling. This gives you an opportunity to share knowledge with each other, but to keep out of each others’ peripherals while you’re networking.

Speak up- be polite, but do your best to make your way to the front of the booth if it’s busy. Have your questions ready, or listen into other conversations and develop questions from what you hear. Make sure to smile and be friendly, and never open with “here is my resume”. My general tip is not to offer your CV, but wait for them to ask for it. This way it makes them want it, and all the more likely to look at it (and remember you) later. Do your best to be intelligent and inquisitive, and remember to thank them for their time when you leave.

It’s not always possible to prepare ahead of time for career fairs, as the company attendance list isn’t always available (which was the case for me last week). In this case, try to develop general questions that still sound prepared–mine was “I was wondering if you were looking to take on any recent graduates in the near future”. When in doubt, grab a brochure and develop a question from there. You’ve got absolutely nothing to lose, and for every new employer booth there is it’s another opportunity to try, try again. Most importantly, be yourself, because you’re kind of really amazing at it!

Among all other home appliances, ceiling fans are most probably the easiest to clean. It needs cleaning every once in a while. Cleaning your fans at a regular interval keeps you away from health problems. The dirt and dust accumulated on the blades will spread all across the room leaving the floor and furniture unclean. Thankfully, it is not a robot science to clean up your ceiling fan and we have covered it all in this article.

Protect Your Floor from a Muddle
Before you even start, cover the surrounding furniture and floor area slightly more than the radius of the fan. This way you will save your other furniture from the unwanted dust coating.

Solution
You may have been doing the chore using plain dusters. Use a cleaner for an effective result. Either buy a mild solution for cleaning the blades or prepare a homemade cleaner. Add 2 tablespoon of white vinegar in 200 ml water, shake it and it is ready to use. Pour the solution in a sprayer and spray it well on the duster.

If the blades have accumulated sticky dirt, in that case, add baking soda which will clean the dirt from the fan blades.

Duster
Yu can get some handy microfiber dusters which are good to use. There are varieties of dusters you can buy, it can be in the form of gloves or sticks. Alternatively, you can use an old, torn, ragged piece of cloth. Using a pillow cover or a plastic bag can be a good idea. But if you are going to reuse the pillow cover you have to wash it. Our suggestion is you can use a used and old pillow cover, because the dirt may leave stains on it in some cases.

Vacuum Cleaner
For existing vacuum cleaner users, the job can be much easier. If it comes with a dusting attachment for cleaning the fan blades is good; you can also buy one as well. If you want to buy an attachment, go for something that covers the maximum surface and is flat. Vacuum cleaners save you the extra trouble from scattering the dust all over the room.

Ladder
If your vacuum cleaner or the dusting mop cannot reach the blade, you have to take help from a ladder. Place it safely, it should be sturdy to stand alone. We recommend that you ask someone to be present to hold the ladder for you. Now, balance and climb up. Reach the step when you are comfortable to do the business. You must avoid if you have joint problems or balance problems.

Cover Yourself
By now everything is in place and you have determined how you are going to clean up the ceiling fan. It is time for your own protection. Wear a cap or cover your head with a cotton scarf. Wear gloves in your hands, cover your mouth, nose. To protect your eyes you may wear clear spectacles.

Steps for Cleaning Fan Blades

• Spread the ladder on the floor and climb up to reach the fan.
• As you reach a comfortable position, hold the fan and gently wipe the blades with the wet duster or vacuum cleaner.
• Be careful as you take it off the blade, you should not drop the dust below.
• Carefully come down and take the wiper/mop outside the room for cleaning.
• Wash your face, hands, and eyes to avoid contamination.

Replace the old ceiling fans, check this blog to find guide and information.

For more on cleaning, consider:

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Earlier when I was thinking of where to get breakfast, I thought about how to get there as well. That kind of thought hasnt come up with me for awhile and perhaps it’s just my body asking for it to be my priority from time to time. Every morning me and oftentimes with the wife and kid would go the bakery or the local grocery. We do this as soon as all of us are awake. This morning I woke up a few ticks before 5:30 am and realizing the rest of the family members are still at least half an hour away from waking up, I decided to jog the 200 meters of distance from our house to where we buy the pastries for breakfast. Normally we would take a ride on the bike so it would only take about a minute to get there.

Making that decision earlier made me realize how I’ve so much strayed away from physical activities and how much my body needs it. The simple jog alone for a measly 200 meters did nothing but highlight how much I failed my own body and how weak I’ve become because of this. Upon getting back home after spending a few minutes of some needed run I felt my breathing cleared right away. I’ve forgotten how before I was able to sleep that I was having some trouble breathing. Last night, I kept sneezing for a good hour before I was able to take my rest. The morning jog earlier, no matter how insignificant it might seem, forced my respiratory system to get rid of some mucus that’s blocking my breathing. I have definitely felt the relief brought by that 200 meters jog.

Getting back to my computer for work after breakfast, I opened another tab and typed the phrase “run Santa run”. I have heard that on the coming months before Christmas, there would be running events named after Santa. The results I found are about online games which are so much popular nowadays. It’s a fun game made of flash, I can’t help but to mess around it for a few minutes. It’s not surprising that games like these are not only popular on web browsers but it’s already gaining ground as a mobile app as well. The game was about Santa dodging many hazards so he could get back to his job delivering presents to kids which he somehow has forgotten and that is why he is on such a hurried pace on the game (Fun intended I know).

After playing with that game for a few minutes, I finally found the page where it says that there would indeed be a 5k/10k running event which will not be held for another month. I would just have to take note of that. For now, one thing is for sure, every morning I’ll jog starting tomorrow. I know I’m not alone at this scenario wherein as our careers progress it becomes harder for us to find time for ourselves. After reading this, I hope you; my reader would find that patch of time for yourself as well because no matter how insignificant it might be, a 200 meter jog made a believer out of me.

Once in a while every single parent needs it!

I’m a single mom and my days are packed. My weekdays go a bit like this:

Wake up at dawn to prepare a healthy breakfast and lunchboxes. An hour later, all is prepared, packed and ready for the day’s activities. I go to gently stir my five-year-old daughter, who sweetly smiles and snuggles a few moments more.

After the morning ritual of dressing, eating breakfast and brushing teeth we head off to preschool. Here we greet friends, admire climbing technique, trip over blocks, discuss details with teachers and make clay sculptures or drawings. Once we have said our goodbyes, I head towards the door, where I am usually stopped by another child who wishes to share the intimate details of their latest drawing or booboo or plushy. I clear the maze eventually and head off to work.

I work at the barn in the mornings, which I love. It is a pleasure to be out in the fresh air surrounded by nature and my favorite horses. There is plenty to do around the farm and work never ends; it merely moves with the seasons.
My morning can include any number of tasks from training horses, teaching, moving heavy loads, gardening, feeding, caring, meeting vets or whatever the day requires.

Just after noon, I head back off to pick up my daughter from preschool. By the time I arrive to get her, she is usually hungry being a pretty active little one. Thanks to my morning ritual I have an arsenal of healthy snacks prepared! She is pleased and ready for action after the nutritious treats and

I work on a freelance basis from home, which involves hours in front of my computer.d off to the next adventure. Today it was active play and swimming which left her happy, hungry and exhausted! Mommy, carry me! While I don’t have to carry her far, she is getting heavier by the day, and the heavy lifting is a strain on my back.

Once we arrive home, she is off like a bullet to her toys, giving me some time to prepare dinner. With full tummies, we head off for bath time and bed time. A bedtime story or three is standard procedure followed by a discussion of things we are grateful for today and what we learned.

When she finally drifts off to sleep I have time to clean up, get the laundry done and get to my desk. Yup, once the lights are out my work begins anew. I spend nights doing freelance writing and editing. After my long day, the desk time is a killer for my back. Perhaps it is time for an inversion table[Inspirational Bodies]. The thought of being suspended by my ankles upside down and decompressing my spine sound like heaven at this stage… time to just hang so to speak.

When I wake in the morning, I will do it all again with a smile. What a precious opportunity we have, to sow the seeds for the future. I am so grateful and will continue to do my best joyfully.

It’s been a busy few weeks! We’ve seen the windows go in, the walls of the swim spa enclosure go up, 35 cubic metres of mushroom compost plus all the floorboards get delivered, an 800 metre trench get dug to lay the phone cable and, in between for light relief, a few trucks getting stuck in mud (if they’d just stick to the roadway or have decent tyres all would be well…sigh..).

We pulled one out with Ken’s twin cab, a neighbour hauled the truck delivering the floorboards all the way up to the house with his tractor (although it was dry and the road is good, the truck had bald tyres and couldn’t make it up the hill…). But the weirdest of all was watching Stephen Lebner from Little Dirt Works pulling a huge truck and trailer back onto the road with his single cab Ute. It looked a bit like an airport apron tug pulling a jumbo onto the runway.

Between the compost truck and Telstra’s contractor laying the phone line, the entrance to the driveway got pretty churned up and the drainage pipe which was already starting to go at the edges, gave up the ghost. No trucks could get in so Stephen and James Lebner spent the weekend replacing the pipe, widening the gateway and resurfacing the entrance way.

While Stephen and James worked on the entrance way, Jarydd got stuck into the ditch draining into the main dam to clear it out and make sure that water could drain into the dam without getting dammed up.

It looks like it worked (with some help from a fair bit of rain the past week and even some snow) and both dams are full to overflowing which makes us very happy. We’ll pump water up to the irrigation tanks before the end of the winter rains to make sure we have as much water as possible stored before the summer begins.

The swim spa enclosure is nearly ready for its roof now too. Swimming pools are unbelievably pricy here (everything is come to think of it…) so we thought this would be a great compromise – a combination jacuzzi / swimming pool about 3×6 metres.

Powerful jets at the end create a current you swim against. You get the strength of the jet just right for your swimming speed. Too weak and you’ll swim into the wall. Too strong and you’ll find yourself shot backwards. Wonder how fast it could propel you? Could be quite fun…

The swim spa is already in place (protected by a cover under the blue tarpaulin and wooden pallets) and the enclosure is being built around it. Should be lovely on a cold wintery day sitting and bubbling away in the pool, looking out at the wonderful views through the windows!

When I think of farms I think of miles and miles of flat, boring corn fields. At least that was my impression growing up in the midwest. So I was slightly surprised when I visited Matt’s farm for the first time. The farm is run by Matt and his dad and has been in the family for some generations.

First of all, it’s a dairy farm

that’s surrounded by mountains to the east

and the ocean to the west.

It is as pretty as it looks and you can never really tire of the views. That’s not saying that life on a farm is romantic, relaxing, or beachy. It’s probably quite the opposite. The list of chores is endless: cows to be moved (between paddocks), fences to be fixed, and cows to be milked (twice a day: first at 5 am and again around 3:30 pm)

It is definitely hard work…..for Matt. But let’s be honest here. I have my own job and I don’t spend time on the farm doing these things. That’s Matt’s area. I’ll just provide the moral support and a good dinner after a long day and leave the dirty work to Matt.

Here’s the thing. I did Education Work for some of the leading edge companies, and for some of the true innovators in the Industry. I loved it. Hanging out with these people and simply absorbing every bit of technical information that I could. You see, I don’t really consider myself very artistic, but I understand anything mechanical. So I set out to learn Hair Cutting from the purely mechanical side .The fact of the matter is that beyond the perceptual vision of the finished product, Hair Cutting can be reduced to a purely mechanical activity.

I’m a realist, and I knew early on in my career that I was probably not going to be a Paul Mitchell, or Irvine Rusk, or Brian Drumm. You know, the kind of Hair Cutters that alter Trends in Hair Fashion. I don’t really have that sort of visionary artistry, but let me see it once up close, and ask a few questions to make sure that I understand concepts totally, and I can reproduce the work. I found that it was more important for me to learn the techniques necessary to duplicate rather than create the trends.

So I went on a mission to learn everything I could, from everyone I could, and after a few years people started asking me to show them some of this stuff. I started doing little seminars in friend’s Salons, and for Product Distributors, and then I was asked to get involved with the local Affiliate of the N.C.A. I went to every little event that they put on at a local Holiday Inn. After being seen several times, and getting to know a few people, I was approached to fill an open position on the Board. I got involved and started doing Educational work with them, and a year later I was voted in as Vice President, and Educational Director. I was now responsible for setting up the monthly shows, and classes. One day while asking for Ideas for Show Topics at a Board Meeting, this guy who worked for the local Paul Mitchell Distributor, Don Oulette (who, by the way, went on to become the top Paul Mitchell Sales Person – World Wide!) tells me about this customer of his who owns a Salon in a neighboring town. He told me that this guy was really fresh and totally crazy. His name is Albie Mulcahy. I’m sure that you have probably heard of him. Anyway, Don brings Albie to a meeting where he tells me of this tremendous event he wants to do for us with music and dancing and smoke and lights and all this production. I asked him if he could simply do 3 or 4 Hair Cuts and explain them as he went. He looked at me funny and said “I guess so”. Albie and I went on to do a bunch of stuff together. Life was good!

Albie and Don and I all ended up being involved with Paul Mitchell Systems, and had a blast for several years. It was truly a time of wonder. The Industry was changing once again due to the influence of Paul Mitchell, and the Visionaries he cared to surround himself with. Through the experience with Paul, I met an unbelievable array of the very best talent in the business. Innovators, Inventors, Developers, Chemists, Scientists, and mostly, the very best Hair Dressers alive at the time. It was a whirlwind of learning and experience. I shall never forget Paul and the opportunities that he afforded not just me, but everyone who came in contact with him, and I shall never stop touting his genius. I knew Paul for just a brief moment, it seems now looking back. I can not imagine the impact that he must have had on people who knew him well over a long period of time, or who worked closely with him in the early days.

Shortly after Paul’s demise, I left the Company rather abruptly. After being away from the company for a while I began to realize two things. First was that for almost 10 years I had taken my direction from an Icon who headed a huge company, and now I was having to find my own direction. And secondly, it was the man not the products that I was looking to for direction. I decided to take a step back and really look at what I was going to do next. My Salons had been exclusively P.M.S. Retail for a long time, and I was a little out of touch with what else was really out there. I started using everything my friends were telling me that they were using, and quite frankly, I could not find a Product Line from which I liked all of the products. I would like this stuff but not that, or that stuff but not this. I’m not naturally a big fan of mixing and matching products from different lines, or having several thousands of dollars of products sitting on shelves waiting for some one to buy them. I much prefer the Idea of having a commitment to one or two lines and selling them aggressively. This way I have a limited amount of investment in a quickly revolving Retail Stock.

This began the new adventure. I simply could not find a Product Line that I was in love with, or even liked for my own use. I know that this might sound crazy with everything that is out there, but still this was my position. Everything out there seemed more or less the same to me and I became frustrated. In talking to a friend (who is not in the Hair Industry) and describing my situation and feelings and frustration, he asked a question that stopped me in my tracks. He asked, “If you are this frustrated and concerned about products to use and sell because they are all more or less the same, is there a company that will private label some stuff for you with your name and logo, I mean if it is all the same?” I had not thought about that possibility, but of course I had heard about Private Label Companies, so I investigated the Idea, with no luck. I was simply unsatisfied with what there was out there and I really began to think about what I would do differently than all the other product manufacturers if I had the opportunity to actually design my own products. What could I learn that these mega-companies didn’t know. What was it about these products that I just didn’t like?

I began to research every aspect of product development. I had some background in Chemistry, and working with a couple of product companies doing product analysis and testing. I also researched the actual Chemistry of hair. How it is produced by the body, and with what ingredients. I began to have a whole different understanding of what it is I have been cutting all these years. This Keritinized fibrous material turned out to be a bit more complicated than – This stuff growing out of our heads. Just as I was becoming what I thought was an expert in the science of hair, it dawned on me. Why is there so much oil in Hair Care Preparations? If in fact, most problems that people complain about with there hair was lack of moisture related, and oil repels water in Nature, why would we want all of these oils in our Hair Care Regimen?

Soon after coming to this oil and water epiphany, I was introduced to a renowned Hair and Skin Care Chemist at a wedding. We spoke for an hour about the Chemistry of it all. I was trying to sponge some knowledge and information from him. After speaking for some time he informed me that he has a company that custom designs Hair and Skin Care Preparations for a few special people, and he was impressed with my knowledge and told me then that if I was serious about doing a line he would like to work with me on it. Now this guy doesn’t have the kind of Private Label Company that has a stock line of products that you choose from and label with your name. No, you design the product, then he formulates and makes some of it. You test it and comment,and he tweeks it till you love it. The first three products we did together took over four years to get right. The rest is history, or will be.

Last week I posted the first part of my 2016 resolutions. Yes, there are three different parts and that may seem overwhelming, but they’re such small things that are so easily forgotten in my day-to-day.

I find many of these resolutions to be easy to improve upon, and super attainable even in the short term. And since this year I’ve not only made an actual written list of my goals, but I uploaded them to the internet for everyone to see, that’s definitely helping to keep me accountable. We’re two weeks into the new year, and already I’ve been upping my veggie intake, been to a few yoga classes, and increased my tea consumption (from zero… ha): Success! And because I’m a classic overachiever, I just have to add to my lists when they’re anything but unbearably full. So without further ado, here we go: round two of what’s up for 2016!{beautiful cake pops}

10. Use my crockpot more- I don’t mind eating the same thing for lunch all week, and a crockpot is perfect for making huge batches of lunch without much effort. It’s all about time-efficiency!

11. Take better care of my teeth- I’m a notorious grinder, and rarely floss. My teeth are resilient, but they won’t be forever!

12. Stretch more- I’ve struggled with joint and muscle stiffness for much of the last ten years, and waking up an extra 10 minutes earlier to stretch every day can’t hurt! (also see 2 from resolutions part I)

13. Buy more handmade items- I love handmade jewelry and decor, and I love the idea of supporting the individual artists. Hello, Etsy!

14. Browse the local market- Vancouver’s Granville Island Public Market isn’t too far from where I live. It’s got gourmet food, handmade jewelry (see 13), and such a great vibe.

15. Master the cake pop- What can I say? As a baking fanatic, these cute pops have eluded me thus far–I will make cake pops, and they will look edible!

16. Become a better blogger- I’m new to the game, and would love for my html/css skills to improve, to see me get more into my site’s design, and just figure this whole thing out! I’d like to inspire people like some of my favourite bloggers inspire me.

17. Listen more, talk less- I’m chronically chatty, and sometimes feel that I don’t spend enough time listening and observing. This one’s a huge goal for me this year.

18. Vacuum more often- My least favourite chore, which isn’t helped my my sad 1970s vacuum situation. For health and cleanliness, I will vacuum more!

I’m proud to report that this time around, I wrote this entire post with a nice straight back. See? Progress. That’s what it’s all about, right? How’s everyone else doing with their resolutions so far? Happy Monday!