Jarabe De Palo - A Great Music Group From Spain

Jarabe De Palo is one of my favorite Spanish bands - visit the official site here. The introductory speech on their official website is very moving, so play close attention to it if you understand Spanish.  I will translate it for you here in case you aren't fluent in Spanish:




Esta claro que en la vida, si no haces cosas, no avanzas.
It's clear that in life, if you don't do things, you don't move forward


La suma de las cosas que haces se convierte en pequenas historias.
The sum of the things that you do become small stories.


Y la suma de pequenas historias es la historia de tu vida.
And the sum of small stories is the story of your life.


En este momento tenemos cosas por hacer, por ilusion, por vocacion, por compromiso.
In this moment we have things to do, because they are our dream, because of our vocation, because we have made a promise.


Cosas, que se convertiran tambien en pequenas historias y que al final ,contaran una historia de musicos, la historia de Jarabe De Palo.
Things, they also become small stories, and in the end, they will tell a story about musicians, the story of Jarabe De Palo.


Jarabe De Palo is spanish for Cough Syrup.  Their lyrics are moving and their tunes have long gripped millions of fans around the world.  They are known for being philosophers and poets - their words will move you.


Here is a list of their discography, courtesy of Wikipedia:


1996 - La Flace (their biggest hit!)
1998 - Depende
2001 - De Vuelta y Vuelta
2003 - Grandes Exitos
2003 - Bonito
2004 - 1m2 (Un Metro Cuadrado)
2007 - Adelantando
2009 - Orquesta Reciclando


You can purchase their records through iTunes or on Amazon.  Here is one of their most popular CDs, La Flaca:

And here is another one Depende:

Epilady - Smooth and Luxurious Legs for Weeks and No More Razors!

Epilady is a mechanical hair removal tool - you can use it to remove hair from your legs, arms, back...wherever!  Even those unmentionable areas to prepare yourself for bikini season!  Epilady uses rotating mechanical disks that grip onto the hair and pull it out from the root, thus easily getting rid of any unwanted or unsavory hair.  Epilady is available on Amazon:

I've been using Epilady technology for over eight years and it works great!  Their products are built to last if you take care of them.  My mother used my Epilady before me (she needed an excuse to get herself a new one), so in total it's been around for over a dozen years and it still works like new.


If you're tired of shaving then consider getting an Epilady for your hair removal needs.  It may hurt a little the first few times, but it's easier than waxing - it's less painful, less costly, and less messy.  If it hurts too much the first few times then consider taking a couple of Advil or Iburprofen to numb the pain the first couple of times.  Once you get the hang of using Epilady then you'll never notice the pain again.


After using Epilady to remove your unwanted body hair, red spots will appear, but that's just because you pulled the hair out from the roots and by the next day, the spots will be gone.  Sometimes I apply a body moisturizer like Aveeno or Cetaphil to calm the area down or take a cool shower.  If you apply moisturizer too soon after removing the unwanted hair then sometimes the moisturizer can get stuck in the little holes where the hair follicle once was, creating a pimple.  So the point is, unless your skin is very irritated, I have found it best just to rinse in cool water and then wait for a day.


Considering how much a waxing session is at a salon, the Epilady is a very cost-effective method of hair removal.  With the global recession hitting so hard - it can be a great way to keep your legs looking smooth, sexy, and touchable, without hurting your wallet.  The Epilady is available on Amazon for under $60.  There are various models, but I recommend the Epilady Legend and I also recommend that you get one with a power cord because the battery-only powered ones will lose their juice.  I hope that you seriously consider Epilady!

Beautiful and Free Microsoft Powerpoint Templates

I'm preparing some presentations and stumbled across some beautiful and free Microsoft Powerpoint Templates that I would like to share with you:

Here is a bright, yellow and invigorating tempalte

Summerfield PowerPoint Template

Here is a link to all of their Microsoft Powerpoint themes in the "nature category."  They have plenty more themes that are more professional or abstract, so be sure to browse the site for your preferred style.


Here is a site with more free Microsoft Powerpoint templates that are free.  I have included an example to the right.

SamaSource - Microwork for the Developing World

Here is a great organization that I just stumbled upon called SamaSource.  SameSource basically created opportunities of people in the developing world to work on digital projects.

http://www.samasource.org/

You can read more specifics about their work on their press page here.  Even if your budget is tight right now, you can help SamaSource by publicizing their efforts - become a fan of theirs on facebook!  Or make a twitter post about them or whatever!

Yogitoes Non-Slip Yoga Towel!

 

The yogitoes mat is a brilliantly designed yoga towel designed to minimize slipping or skidding.  Yogitoes is especially useful for heated forms of yoga (like Bikram, Heated Vinyasa, Heated Ashtanga, etc.).  It's still a great addition to your yoga gear even if you steer clear of heated forms of yoga, since it also provides a sanitary layer between you and your yoga mat, which is easily washable.

As you can see in the image above, Yogitoes features a bed of small, rubbery silicone dimples that are designed to stick to your yoga mat, or in more technical terms - increase the friction between your towel and mat. To elaborate...have you ever had the experience of sweating profusely onto your yoga mat and suddenly finding yourself slipping and sliding or even falling on your rump while trying to do a crazy challenging pose - well, that's why they invented the Yogitoes mat! A step up from just using a standard yoga mat is to use a towel and a standard towel definitely helps, but it doesn't stay in place easily and once it gets wet - it skids around - that's where yogitoes really helps.

Yogitoes are also designed for performance in durability.  Yogitoes uses a high-quality ultra absorptive 80:20 polyester:nylon blend that provides a hygienic layer between you and your mat.  The yogitoes mats are machine washable and dryer safe for easy care and maintenance.  And the premium size is designed to fit on most standard yoga mats measuring 24x68 inches.  Yogitoes mats are very intuitive - just place the side with the silicone pads against your mat before your practice and you're all set.  Yogitoes mats are available in a variety of colors from energized bright oranges and blues to ones with more earthy tones - just have fun picking your favorite!  

You can purchase a yogitoes mat directly from Yogitoes or on Amazon:

Really, the only downside to the yogitoes skidless mats is the price - they can range from $45 - $65, but I found a good deal on Amazon and paid less than $35. One big consolation to the price is that the Yogitoes company has a dedicated fund for charities around the world. You can learn more about the specific charities that they support on their "about us" page here. Just look at the upper right hand corner where it says "yogitoes fund" on the far upper right. They support:

SHECHEN CHARITY ORPHAN SCHOOL
a home and education for the
orphans of Tibet.
www.shechen-school.org

M.E.G. (MARY ELLEN GERBER) FOUNDATION
mothering Indian children in need.
www.megfoundation.org

tunaHAKI FOUNDATION
empowering AIDS orphans and street
children in Tanzania, Africa
www.tunahaki.org

CASA de MILAGROS
"Home of Miracles" - a children's home
near Machu Picchu in Cusco, Peru
www.chandlersky.org

YOGA AT SCHOOL
helping NYC school children find peace.
www.iyiny.org/yogaatschool

So to sum it all up, Yogitoes features:
- Silicone dimples to minimize skidding (patented).
- High quality, absorbent 80:20 polyester:nylon blend to collect sweat.
- Embroidered edges for durability.
- Easy and safe to machine wash and dry!
- All in all, it's a high quality product made by a budding small business, which is lead by a female entrepreneur who is making charity a key part of the Yogitoes vision!  And all of that really makes me smile!  Plus, I was finally able to do this side crow pose the other day - thanks in some part to my new yogitoes mat!

And below is one last picture of my yogitoes skidless mat - I just really liked this photo.  I think everything looks more artistic when you take photos on macro mode.