How to Use Office Politics to Your Advantage

Whether you want to admit it or not, there’s certainly other things involved in becoming successful at work than simply giving good results at the tasks assigned to you. It’s also about letting others see that you’re competent, getting the right people to like you, and keep your rivals from tearing your down. Other than that, here are other things that you can do to get ahead and make the office politics in your workspace work to your advantage.

Don’t Let Your Guard Down

Perhaps the trickiest part of working in an office is learning how to conduct yourself professionally during work-related gatherings. While your company’s holiday party may be presented as a chance to enjoy yourself and chug down a few glasses of beer, it’s crucial to remember that a single comment in such a relaxed environment could ruin the reputation you built for years.

Help Your Colleagues

Although helping others learn the skills that could set you apart from everyone else may seem counter-intuitive, doing so will help build trust with your peers that could lead them to becoming your allies down the road. Plus, these individuals could pass along some useful information to you, whether it’s a heads up about an upcoming organizational shift in your company or a tip on how you could do your job better.

Avoid Gossiping

It might be tempting to trash your competition when they’re not around, but speaking negatively about your colleagues will only do you more harm than good. Your co-workers are smart enough to figure out that if you’re speaking ill about another person, you’re likely to do the same thing to them when they’re no longer around. Also, when it comes to speaking negatively about someone in power, it’d be best for you to be extra careful.

Always Look Like You’re Doing Something

At work, you get to manage two different things – your actual work productivity and how that productivity is seen by your peers and your boss. For that reason, avoid getting caught doing useless activities like chit-chatting with a colleague. This will give people an impression that the only thing you’re adding to the company is your likable personality. If you don’t have anything to do, however, think of a skill that you’d want to learn and work at getting better at it.

Promote Your Accomplishments Discreetly

Impressing your boss would be difficult if they don’t know what a good job you’re doing. You can change that by bringing up specific things that you’ve done, such as getting a new client or updating your company’s employee handbook, during a one-on-one meeting with your manager. To keep yourself from sounding arrogant, make sure that you also praise your colleagues who helped you succeed in these tasks.

Getting involved in office politics won’t be that stressful if you just know how to handle it. In fact, simply putting the aforementioned tips to work is already enough to help you make the office politics work to your advantage.

5 Hairstyles for Ladies Who Commute Everyday

Guilty of leaving your house with dripping wet hair, only to arrive in your office looking like a frizzy mess? Guess what, this habit could take a serious toll on your strands since wet hair tend to be more vulnerable to sun damage and pollutants.

Here’s what you can do though: air-dry your tresses before leaving the house – and while you’re at it, check out the following hairstyle inspirations that could help keep you looking stylish on your daily commute.

Tight Ponytail

Even if you just had a four- or five-hour sleep, this sleek hairdo can make you appear instantly polished especially if you’ve got a big morning meeting to attend to. Plus, it’ll help keep all your strands away from your face. Simply use a tail comb to achieve that neat finish around your hairline, as well as to keep your stray strands intact while staying on the go.

Polished Topknot

Don’t have the time to perform a blow-dry session? Lather on a conditioning serum on your freshly-washed locks, and let your strands air-dry a bit as you eat your breakfast or finish your makeup. Before leaving your house, pull your locks up into a high bun – it’s a better choice compared to a low bun since it lifts up your facial features, making you appear younger than you actually are.

Side Braid

Look your daintiest among the crowd of people with a casual braid that’s pulled to one side. Bonus tip: Sprits a light-hold hairspray onto your braid so that when you undo it later on, its curls will hold. Now, you have the sexy waves for the cocktail hour!

Low Ponytail

Flaunt your shiny locks by donning a sleek low ponytail. Add volume at the crown part of your hair, or stick to a neat centre part. If it’s extra hot outside, easily twist the tail to form a temporary low bun while commuting to your office.

Wash N’ Wear Hairdo

Thinking of having a long-term fix? Chop your tresses into a short bob for that easy wash n’ wear hairdo. Its only caveat is you’ll need to visit your stylist often for trims, so you could keep your style in its perfect shape.

Styling your hair in the morning can be stressful at times. So be sure to check out any of these hairstyles to not just appear stylish, but to also protect your strands against pollutants during your daily commutes.

Tips to Grow as a Better Leader

Being a good leader is something that is developed throughout the years. It is something that is learned through different experiences. That being said, anyone can try to learn how to be a leader. Other than that, others also strive to be better ones. So here are some tips on how you can be a better leader.

Lead by example

Leading by example is a good way to earn the respect of others. If you tell others to be early, you should also be early yourself. Practice what you preach so that others don’t think badly of you. It will be very easy for your peers to notice if you’re not living by your word. If you show this to others, they’ll also follow your example. This can help create a healthy work environment overall.

Listen to people’s praise and criticism equally

A good leader pays attention to both praise and criticism about him. If your peers tell you that you’re doing something wrong, listen to them intently. You will earn the respect of others if you’re able to accept both praise and criticism gracefully. Although this is the case, you should still take criticism from the right people. Don’t take into account the opinions of those you don’t know or others who don’t even know the full story of your actions.

Embrace your mistakes

This is one thing that can be pretty hard to do at first. If you make a mistake, you need to learn to own up to it. You won’t know if you’re doing something right if you didn’t get it wrong in the first place. That is why you should consider your mistakes as a part of growing. Once you learn to accept them, it will be easier for you to recover from the mistakes you might make in the future.

Avoid having favorites

Favoritism is something that almost everyone detests.  Although you should be friendly to your peers, doing it a bit too much will cost you. When others feel like they can be a little too comfortable around you, you might not take you seriously anymore. That is why it is important to set boundaries in your relationships with your peers.

Give proper credit

Good leaders already know that you should not take the credit if you do not deserve it. Sometimes it will be hard to resist the temptation, but it really will communicate a lot about you. You might lose the trust of your fellow workers and they might despise you for taking credit that’s not supposed to be yours. If you give proper credit to others, you share the glory with them as they deserve the recognition for their hard work and efforts.

Will Positive Thinking Backfire?

When you think about it, positive thinking is something that is, well, positive. It’s good if you’re able to stay optimistic even during the hardest times in your life. But is that really always the case? Unfortunately, there are times when positive thinking can backfire. Here are some reasons why it can happen and how it can affect you.

It might affect your health

One of the more dangerous ways positive thinking can backfire is with regards to health. If you’re constantly experiencing back pain, for example, you can’t just brush it off too easily. You might be disregarding a problem that can cost you a lot in the future. Positive thinking will mean little if you put yourself in a detrimental situation. This can also affect others around you. What’s going to happen if you’re spouse has a small health problem and you just put it off in the meantime?

There’s really nothing wrong with negative emotions

Too many people want to always be happy. But the thing is, that’s never going to happen. We’re humans and we’re emotional beings. We should feel sad, anxious, or mad just as much as we feel happy. Saying that only positive thoughts will improve our well-being is the wrong way to put it. If you think about it, we won’t really know what happiness is like if we don’t experience negative things in life!

You’ll develop the wrong mindset

Positive thinking could also lead you to a wrong mindset. For one, you might convince yourself that everything will go in your direction. That once you have a plan set, everything will go smoothly from there and you won’t really need to think about back-ups. In addition to that, you might easily get hooked into going with untrustworthy company. Many fall victim to deceitful people simply because of an always-think-positive frame of mind.

You’re surrounding yourself with illusions

Thinking too positively about things will only pull you away from reality. A lot of people trap themselves in their own fantasy land thinking that if they keep being positive, good things will happen to them sooner or later. Of course, nothing good will come to you if you don’t act on it. Being overly optimistic might also cloud our decision-making as well. We might become too eager to change our situation for the better even when it’s already enough.

You’ll beat yourself up in the end

When everything comes crashing down on you, you’ll only beat yourself up in the end. When you think positively for a long time and suddenly your problems become unbearable, it will definitely backfire on you. It will feel like your trouble is magnified because you’ve been thinking positive and it turns out that it means nothing. That’s simply why it is important that you still let your negative emotions flow.

What to Expect in Breastfeeding If You’re a First-Time Mother

Breastfeeding is a special experience between a mother and a child, not only because it’s healthier and cheaper than baby formula, it’s also good for both the mother and the child.

It’s Okay if You Can’t Breastfeed

Doctors and nutritionists will advise mothers to breastfeed their newborns for up to two years, some mothers cannot breastfeed even if they want to. However, this does not mean that you are not a good mother because there are various factors that can lead to this.

Most women cannot breastfeed if they have had breast reduction surgery or they have breast implants or double mastectomy, there is not enough glandular tissue (called hypoplasia), the nipples are inverted, or if there is an infection or inflammation of the breasts called mastitis, and if the mother has poor milk supply.

Breastfeeding is a Learned Skill

There are techniques on how to breastfeed baby properly and diet guides to stay healthy and to produce more milk for the baby.

Before your due date, you should prepare for the wonderful journey ahead by consulting a lactation expert, staying healthy as much possible, and to avoid giving your baby formula, food, pacifiers, and artificial nipples. As a first-time mom, it’s best to start breastfeeding after birth as soon as possible and to breastfeed as often as possible.

You Should Breastfeed as Often as Possible

So, how do you know if the baby needs to be breastfed? Doctors will advise you to breastfeed as often as possible especially during baby’s first few weeks. Some mothers are advised to breastfeed as often as twelve times daily.

You can schedule the feedings between one or two hours until your baby has developed his/her own feeding habits. There is no standard for how long each breastfeeding session should last because the baby will let you know if he/she is full.

Know How to Make the Baby Latch Properly

There are techniques to make sure that the baby latches on properly during feeding. Some babies will have a hard time practicing during the first few tries, but others will latch on right away, so don’t worry if you don’t get it the first time.

Hold the baby upright by supporting the neck or shoulders with your one hand and the baby’s hips with the other. The baby’s head should be tilted slightly, and you can use a blanket to help support baby’s back until you find the most comfortable position for you both.

Stay Healthy and Take Care of Your Breasts

There are days when your milk supply will be low, but other times you will also have an oversupply of milk. Sometimes milk buildup can cause engorgement which can be painful for some mothers, while other also experience plugged ducts.

While these can be resolved with proper breastfeeding habits, you should also look out for breast infection (mastitis) and fungal infections. Keep a healthy diet and make sure to bathe everyday and wear clean clothing. If there are signs of infection, consult your doctor right away to get treated.

25 Bands You Need to Follow if You Like Industrial Metal

Industrial metal’s name is descriptive of the repetitive guitar riffs, gruff vocals, and sampling, and why not? This heavy metal sub-genre was influenced by dance beats, punk, and thrash metal.

These are some of the best industrial metal bands that will serve as good introduction to the genre.

Fear Factory. Some of their best songs include “Linchpin,” “Replica,” “Martyr,” and “Demanufacture.”

Nine Inch Nails. Some of their best songs include “Closer,” “The Hand that Feeds,” “Hurt,” and “Less Than.”

Rammstein. Some of their best songs include “Du Hast,” “Ich Will,” “Sonne,” and “Engel.”

Ministry. Some of their best songs include “Everyday is Like Halloween,” “Just One Fix,” “Thieves,” and “Lay Lady Lay.”

KMFDM. Some of their best songs include “WWIII,” “Megalomaniac,” “Ready to Blow,” and “Stray Bullet.”

Rob Zombie. Some of their best songs include “Black Sunshine,” “More Human Than Human,” “Dragula,” and “Feel So Numb.”

Pitchshifter. Some of their best songs include “Hidden Agenda,” “Please Sir,” “Deconstruction,” and “Underachiever.”

Marilyn Manson. Some of their best songs include “The Beautiful People,” “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” “The Love Song,” and “The Fight Song.”

Strapping Young Lad. Some of their best songs include “All Hail the New Flesh,” “Underneath the Waves,” “In the Rainy Season,” and “Far Beyond Metal.”

Mushroomhead. Some of their best songs include “Qwerty,” “Sun Doesn’t Rise,” “Simple Survival,” and “Solitaire/Unraveling.”

Godflesh. Some of their best songs include “Like Rats,” “Crush My Soul,” “Slateman,” and “Avalanche Master Song.”

Dir En Grey. Some of their best songs include “Different Sense,” “Glass Skin,” “Conceived Sorrow,” and Dozing Green.”

The GazettE. Some of their best songs include “Filth in the Beauty,” “The Invisible Wall,” “Dripping Insanity,” and “Distress and Coma.”

Girugamesh. Some of their best songs include “Crying Rain,” “Dirty Story,” “Owari to Mirai,” and Crazy-Flag.”

Skinny Puppy. Some of their best songs include “Smothered Hope,” “Tin Omen,” “Rodent,” and “Assimilate.”

Front Line Assembly. Some of their best songs include “Neologic Spasm,” “Everything Must Perish,” “Synthetic Forms,” and “Bio-Mechanic.”

Oomph! Some of their best songs include “Sandmann,” “Labyrinth,” “The Power of Love,” and “Supernova.”

Static-X. Some of their best songs include “Push It,” “Love Dump,” “Bled for Days,” and “Cold.”

VNV Nation. Some of their best songs include “Perpetual,” “Illusion,” “Nemesis,” and “Chrome.”

White Zombie. Some of their best songs include “Black Sunshine,” “Super Charger Heaven,” “Blood, Milk, and Sky,” and “Warp Asylum.”

Front 242. Some of their best songs include “Headhunter V1.0,” Tragedy >For You<,” “Welcome to Paradise,” and “Quite Unusual.”

Killing Joke. Some of their best songs include “Eighties,” “Wardance,” “Requiem,” and “Adorations.”

Dope. Some of their best songs include “Dirty World,” “My Funeral,” “Blood Money,” and “Nothing.”

Die Krupps. Some of their best songs include “Germaniac,” “Fatherland,” “Robo Sapien,” and “Machineries of Joy.”

Laibach. Some of their best songs include “Final Countdown,” “Across the Universe,” “Eurovision,” and “No History.”

Being Present: Comforting a Sad Friend

How many times have you had someone come to you crying because of a death, a break-up, or even just a terrible day at work? If you’ve at least tried it once, you know very well how awkward it can be. They’re beside you bawling their eyes out and you’re just sitting there not knowing what to do or say at all.

Even though you want to show your empathy and let them know you’re there for them, it can be difficult to express in words. So, let’s just get straight into what you can say or do on times like these!

If it’s appropriate, offer physical affection.

If you’ve known the other person for a long time and you’ve been good friends, you can offer a hug or a literal “shoulder to cry on”. When it comes to physical affection really, the keyword here is “offer”. The other person should be the one to actually take the lead.

For example, if he/she is crying beside you and leaning on your shoulder, you can put a hand around them rather than just patting them on the back. Of course, if you’re not as close to this person, you can’t immediately go for a hug.

Know that your presence is sometimes enough

A lot of people admit that it’s hard for them to comfort someone because they don’t know what to say. Fortunately though, when people are going through something bad, they’re really not asking for any advice. They just want someone to be there with them, someone who understands what they’re going through. Just being there for them or saying something like “I’m sorry you’re hurting right now,” can be way better than giving unsolicited advice.

Don’t attempt to “minimize the pain” by cheering them up

If someone is sharing his/her problems and starts to cry, the usual reaction would be to stop them from doing so by making them laugh or smile. This will actually make them bottle up their emotions which is the opposite of what you want if you are to help them get over the situation faster. Someone who is sad or upset, most of the time, wants you to go on that melancholic journey with them. Remember, trying to cheer them up will only be a band-aid solution.

Give suggestions when…

If a person starts feeling better and asks you for advice, then you can make a suggestion. Again, only if they actually ask for your advice. Even then, your suggestions should still be largely based on the other person’s ideas. Ask them first about what they have in mind and give them a suggestion that will help them improve the situation slowly and step-by-step. Guide them towards making the decision instead of immediately suggesting a solution.

6 Diet Myths You Should Stop Believing

Popular diet and slimming fads are harmful not only because they are nonsense and misleading but because they lead people down into harmful practices. However, because they are so commonly touted even by celebrities, most people think mainstream nutrition is legit.

Here are more diet myths that we should stop believing.

A low-salt diet reduces the risk of a heart attack

Unless you have a condition called salt-sensitive high blood pressure (which means you get hypertension if you have a high salt intake), this myth is not true. However, it has been persistent for many years even in hospitals that despite not having any supporting evidence, people will willingly eat bland food. Hypertension is more complicated than just having a lot of salt in your body, but of course it’s easy to just believe there’s on culprit.

A high-carb and low-fat diet is good for you

Recent studies show this to be false and is not the healthiest way to slim down fast. In fact, researchers even argue that it will increase the risk of getting cardiovascular disease and will have no effect on the body whatsoever.

Eat smaller meals instead of three huge meals

Some people believe they can get through the day by eating like birds. But it is more difficult to monitor your portion sizes this way. Two to three healthy meals a day should be enough to give you the energy you need.

You should completely avoid saturated fat

There are conflicting evidences that show saturated fat can increase the risk of heart diseases and strokes, but a moderate amount of saturated fat is not harmful for you. Instead of completely cutting off fat from your diet, you should be more mindful of portion sizes instead. Some people are even scared of consuming full fat milk and opt instead for low-fat milk because of the belief that saturated fat can kill you.

More protein in your diet can cause diseases

Some people have stopped eating meat just for this reason. They believe that too much protein can cause kidney diseases but cutting off protein completely is a bad idea. Your body needs it, especially if you are also working out regularly.

All red meat is bad for your health

Wellness articles that tell people to stop eating red meat should learn to distinguish between unprocessed and processed meat. Again, the key to staying healthy is to eat everything in moderation.

Tasty Ice Cream from All Over the World

Tired of the usual cookies and cream flavor? Here are the best ice cream from all over the world you should try.

Dondurma

This Turkish ice cream is made with cream, salep, mastic (a resin), whipped cream, and sugar. Locally known as Maras ice cream, it is similar to the Syrian booza, which was a long-kept secret of the Ottoman Empire. Dondurma does not melt easily and is tough and sticky. The thickness comes from a flour called salep which comes from the early purple orchid roots.

Helado de Paila

The term paila refers to a bronze bowl used to make this Ecuadorian ice cream. It is made primarily from fruits, ice, and sugar. The type of fruits used can vary but they use tropical fruits such as soursop, coconut, blackberry, tree tomato, naranjilla, mango, strawberry, and passion fruit. This might be the ice cream for you if you are lactose-intolerant because it doesn’t use any milk.

Gelato

This is the Italian name for ice cream, but what separates it from your usual ice cream is that it has more flavoring, less air, and is served at a different temperature. It contains at least 3.5% butterfat to be considered gelato and is made primarily with sugar and milk.

Faloodeh

This Persian ice cream looks like noodles in soup, but it is made from rice noodles, sugar, lemon juice, and iced rose water. If you are not convinced that it’s ice cream, then you should try serving it with Bastani. To make this, you will need double heavy cream, icing sugar, rosewaters, beet juice, and vanilla custard.

Kulfi

This yummy dessert from India is made from flavored and sweetened milk, ice, and salt, but other versions use boiled milk, dried whole milk, bread crumbs, and sugar or evaporated milk, condensed milk, heavy double cream, sugar, and cornstarch paste. Usual flavorings include various fruits and spices.

I Tim Pad

Translated as stir-fried ice cream in English, it is a type of dessert popularized in Thailand by mixing milk, fruit and other ingredients on an ice pan. Dairy or soy milk can be used to create this ice cream. Watching how it is made is just as fun as eating it.

Ais Kacang

This Malaysian dessert is translated as bean ice which is made primarily with shaved ice and red beans, although there are varieties nowadays that incorporate other ingredients. Sometimes the following ingredients are included: agar agar, palm seed, sweet corn, grass jelly, nata de coco, aloe vera, other ice cream, cendol, and many more. It can also be served with milk, red rose syrup or sarsi syrup.

Sorbetes

This Filipino ice cream is made primarily with coconut milk or carabao’s milk, cassava flour, and various fruits such as mango, coconut, chocolate, avocado, melon, strawberry, jackfruit, ube, cheese, and many more. These are usually served in sugar or wafer cones or bread bun.