Do you want to avoid the many pills your doctor subscribes you? Well here are some tips for you………

Acerola

A berry filled with health

Healing power

Can help:

Strengthen the immune system;

Speed wound healing;

Prevent heart disease;

Protect against cancer

What’s an Acerola?

It’s a small, red, cherry like fruit which is native to the West Indies and now grown also in Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands. The fruit is considered as the richest source of vitamin C in the world, this means that it can benefit the body in a variety of ways, from fortifying the immune system to helping prevent age related conditions like heart disease and cancer.

Benefits of vitamin C

Vitamin C, which is found in abundance in citrus fruits, has been shown to help relieve cold symptoms, help the body make collages, a tough, fibrous protein that helps build connective tissue, skin, bones, and teeth and it also plays a role in wound healing. Vitamin C also helps the body from free radicals, cell damaging oxygen molecules thought to contribute to the development of cancer, heart disease, and many other conditions. An Acerola contains 80 milligrams of vitamin C, 133 percent of the Daily Value, an entire orange has only 70 milligrams. Even guava, one of the richest natural sources of vitamin C can’t compete because one single Acerola berry contains 10 times more vitamin C than one whole guava.

In the kitchen

You can use fresh Acerola just as you would with other berries, in jellies, in pie, or other fruit desserts. If you however buy the tart variety, be prepared to use a lot of sugar to keep your mouth from puckering.

You can crush dried Acerola with a rolling pin, then add it in small amounts to pies, preserves or fruit butters. It will last for months when stored in a tightly covered glass jar, as long as you periodically check it and discard the moldy.

Tips

- Enjoy the sweet taste by opting for the sweeter kin over the tart varieties Acerola, although they contain more vitamin C, it hardly matters.

- Buy it processed; specialty markets in Puerto Rico carry Acerola jams, jellies, and juices. Although they contain so less vitamin compared to fresh berries, it has been proved that the still carry around 60 to 80 percent of the vitamin C.

- Treat the berries gently; dried and crushed Acerola berries can be used to make but unfortunately boiling or steeping the berries in hot water reduces vitamin C by half so to get it all, you might need to add a few extra berries.   


article written by:Cristo Rutazihana

Confidence

                                                           

                                         

Confidence is the ability to trust yourself in all that you do, be it giving a public speech, seducing a girl/boy or simply participating in a beauty pageant.

Confidence is closely related to Bravery because it involves the process of facing your fears that stop you from achieving something you eager to in your life like for example asking a girl/boy that you like out.

Characteristics of less confident people

They spend a quantity of their time thinking about their faults, what other people think about them(dress code, style, appearance, etc), things they can do to improve their image to please other people they interact or come across.

They never accept/believe that they are capable of achieving or doing something great in their lives.

They choose to accept failure before they even try simply because they believe that they are not capable of succeeding.

They are most of their time in a depressive mood.

They always complain about their selves and try to act like other people just to please others.

Characteristics of confident people

  

They enjoy challenges and always give their best in order to win. Even if they eventually lose, they don’t get discouraged to try again.

They don’t get easily affected by negative comments made by other people.

They recognize and accept their faults. They don’t try and correct them, they live with them because they know that no one in the world is perfect.

They avoid negative thinking and focus only on the positive side of every situation they encounter.

They accept and love themselves. They don’t act like someone else just to please others.

Steps for increasing your confidence

· Firstly you should accept that you are not perfect or other words start loving who you are.

· Drop the negativity and start thinking positively.

· Start challenging yourself to try out things which you were afraid to do before like taking part in the schools debate group.

      

· Ignore negative comments from other people and stick to what you feel makes you comfortable like only wearing orange socks.

                

·  Always remember that people with self confidence achieve their goals and dreams because they are more eager to fight for them.

·  Try smiling more often, a smile adds color to your image and attracts people plus is also good for your health.

·  Try a new look to change your nerdy image. Choose a new unbiased dress code which still makes feel comfortable.

· Exercise more, it will not only leave much healthier but also much happier and relaxed.

                                                 

Article written by: Cristo Rutazihana

Asian noodles with vegetables

Coat a small no-stick skillet with no-stick spray. Warm over medium heat. Add the egg and swirl the pan so the egg coats the bottom. Cook for about a minute, or until almost set. Carefully turn and cook a few seconds until the egg is set on the bottom. Remove from the pan and place on a cutting board to cool slightly. Roll up tightly and cut strips. Set aside.

Cook the noodles (discard the seasoning packet or reserve for another use) in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes, or according to the package directions.

Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Set aside.

In a large no-stick skillet or wok over medium heat, warm the canola oil. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. Add the bok choy and carrots. Stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the bok choy starts to wilt. Add the noodles, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil. Cook, tossing, for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the noodles are heated through. Add the reserved egg strips and toss to combine.

Makes 4 servings  

Enjoy…bon appétit

Home-Made Chaka laka

South Africa’s no. 1 braai companion

Firstly you chop the pepper into squared pieces, then you put a pot on the stove with just only the oil in it. Chop the onion into small pieces then throw it into the pot then stir it for a while, afterwards you throw in the pepper and then you continue stirring.

Add up 2 pinches of fine salt and 2 pinches of cinnamon. Afterwards add the curry powder (optional) to give it a more spicier taste…..stir for a while then add up next the carrots ( finely scratched) and the beans.. Stir, stir, then walah!… your chaka laka is ready.

Tips

Use it as a bread paste or in your bunny chow, it’s delicious….

It’s a good braai companion….

Enjoy..delicie-se…bon appétit

Travel tips IF YOU’RE TRAVELLING TO Africa

When travelling to Africa, its best to know what to do so that you will always be on the safe side while enjoying Africa’s amazing beauties.

1.Try to take along only a bag (backpack) which has plenty of room to keep your accessories like cameras, laptop, etc, they are easy to carry around and manage.

2.   Pack your documents like passports in a safe place or else you risk getting your trip back home delayed.

3.  Make sure to always have your camera in hand; you don’t want to miss wonderful opportunities for a nice picture.

4.  Carry a cheap phone for communication purposes and remember to buy a local sim card on your arrival.

5.  Don’t walk around with large sums of money in your pockets, leave the rest in your bank account and use your visa card instead for purchases, its much safer.

6. Eat local food, its much cheaper.

7.  Mosquitoes are excessive in Africa therefore I suggest you carry along your anti-mosquitoes set (repellent, sprays, etc) .

8.  Never travel alone.

9.  Drink a lot of liquids so that you avoid getting dehydrated.

10.Carry along a power adapter most preferably a solar charged one so that even in no power zones you will still be able to charge your laptop, phone, camera, etc.

11.  My last tip, have fun and enjoy.

Article written by: Cristo Rutazihana

Travelling to Africa by air

Air fares to Africa can be very expensive, but there are ways to save. The best way to get great airfare to the continent is fly directly to an African country from its former colonial rulers.

Airline consolidators can also be used for discounted air fares. If you have additional travel time, check to see how your total fare quote to Africa compares with a round-the-world fare. Don't forget to add in the extra costs of additional visas, departure taxes, ground transportation, etc. for all those places outside of Africa.

Bear in mind that many African countries only offer a few international flights each day, or in some cases, each week. While it isn't hard to reach South Africa or Egypt, getting to Malawi or Togo can be quite a challenge.

Europeans airline’s options

Air France flies to most French-speaking Africa, with service to most major cities of West, Central, & North Africa along with service to Johannesburg, Cairo, Tripoli, Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion, & Djibouti. It isn’t a cheap air option.

British Airways is the best but necessarily the cheapest option when flying to former British colonies, they have service to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, & Egypt along with Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritius, & Angola.

Brussels Airlines flies from Brussels to most francophone countries in West and Central Africa along with Entebbe (Uganda), Nairobi, & Luanda.

Lufthansa flies to major cities in North Africa like Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ethiopia, & Eritrea.

TAP Portugal flies to Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome & Principe, Mozambique, Angola and South Africa, Algeria, Morocco, & Senegal.

Most European airlines offer discounts to major tourist destination in Africa (especially Morocco, Cape Verde, Tunisia, Egypt, & the Gambia), including Jetairfly, EasyJet, & Corsairfly.

Flying options from the Americas

The only countries which offer direct flights to Africa are the United States, Canada, Cuba, Brazil, Argentina, &Venezuela.

From the United States, these are routes operated as of January 2012:

New York-JFK: Delta Air Lines to Abuja, Accra,& Dakar; South African Airways to Johannesburg; EgyptAir to Cairo; Royal Air Maroc to Casablanca; & Arik Air to Lagos.

Washington-Dulles: South African Airlines to Johannesburg (via Dakar); Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa (via Rome); & United Airlines to Accra

Atlanta: Delta Air Lines to Johannesburg, Accra, & Lagos

Houston: United Airlines to Lagos; charter flights for oil workers to Nigeria and Angola

Flying from south America

When flying from south America you may opt for the following:

Sao Paulo: South African Airways to Johannesburg; TAAG Angolan Airlines to Luanda

Rio de Janeiro: TAAG Angolan Airlines to Luanda

Caracas: Santa Barbara Airlines to Tenerife-North (seasonal)

Flying from the Middle East & Asia

If you're flying to a small African country, Africa's major airlines all have extensive coverage in Africa and fly to a handful of Asian destinations:

Ethiopian Airlines: Bahrain, Bangkok, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Beirut, Kuwait, Jeddah, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Aden, Sana'a

Kenyan Airways: Bangkok, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Beijing, Mumbai, Dubai

South African Airways: Mumbai, Hong Kong

Nearly all North African countries along with Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, & Somalia have extensive connections with the Middle East. And similarly, countries with large Muslim populations are likely to have a connection to Jedda/Mecca either year-round or seasonal (e.g. during hajj). North African destinations aside, connections with the Middle East include:

Emirates flies from Dubai to: Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cape Town, Dar Es Salaam, Durban, Entebbe, Johannsburg, Khartoum, Lagos, Luanda, Mauritius, Nairobi, & Mahe.

Qatar Airways flies from Doha to: Cape Town, Johannesburg, Nairobi, Dar Es Salaam, Mahe, & Lagos.

Source of information: Wikipedia(2013)

Article written by: Cristo Rutazihana

What’s the most effective study method?

Before we start talking about the most effective study methods  lets firstly define Study. Study  is the act of  putting aside personal activities and focusing on acquiring knowledge and learning how to apply them in real situations .

Studying  itself is the action of staying up a few hours seated  reading through a bunch of pages of a book trying to find a solution to a problem, for example trying to understand a formula  of a physics equation. Studying  may also be done in an aim to memorize scientific names, or understand profoundly a message in a philosophical text, an exciting debate topic between two or a group of people .   

 

 

The most exciting characteristic of any study method  is the need of an active participation of both interest and mental desire of the student to succeed. He should always act strict on himself and try to follow his chosen study method requirements for him to obtain his desired success.

 

According to  Maquère  and  Lemaître(1999) , matriculates in any university can be classified , approximately in the following manner :

A quarter of them are  Irregular and Passive Assistants  of the teacher, they are capable of doing the hard task of simulating or acting like they are listening attentively to the teachers while their brain travels around other class unrelated thoughts.

The next group is composed of  the Listeners , they are able to flow along with the teacher in a lesson and fish a bit of what was said in class, their only problem is that they can’t associate or implement their new found knowledge on realistic situations or even combine it up to  form a proper understanding on a topic.

The next group of students can be again divided into two parts, The Matriculates, they take their study as an obligation and they are disciplined and obedient. They have only one main aim, storing as much information as possible in the shortest period of time in order for them to pass with high or average results so that they can gain a diploma that will allow them access to a brighter future.

Finally we have the Real Students, these are the ones who go to the university with the aim of or need to gain more information. They don’t get simply  satisfied with the teachers explanation on a topic, they go seek more profound research to know more and more, they don’t simply try and memorize what they read or hear, they try to understand it first before anything. They are always eager to know more and show a lot of  interest in situations where there is a need for them to apply their knowledge. In modern times, these group of students is generally classified by other students as Nerds.

 

                                                                                

 

There are various study methods out there but experts have came to a conclusion that one those using any of  those methods cannot guarantee that one will succeed, it may have worked with others but its less probable it can work to you too just because it worked on someone else.

We are all different, therefore we  use different study methods, one doesn’t need to seek for a study method in the internet or books, they can create one for themselves. Firstly you need to write down the aspects that allow you to study properly(quiet room, some music on the background, etc), then the next step is creating a study plan for a whole week. While studying avoid using the phone or internet for other things which are non academics related like checking your messages on facebook, twitter because these may reduce your attentiveness to your studies.

Ps: in order for you to experience success there is a need for you to remain following your study plan no matter what, after a while you will start to note the results yourself, you will  even pose as a challenge for the nerds.

                                                                                     

I hope these article was helpful, comment on the article to pose any doubts or questions.

 

Article written by: Cristo Rutazihana

 

What’s the best way to live your life?

                 

Many, including myself have asked this question, to friends, parents, religious leaders, and many more other possible sources of answers but am sure everyone got differentiated answers.

All get differentiated answers because there is no lone answer to this question-the answers to it are vast because, everyone gives out their opinion on what’s the best way to live life. In my opinion, one should live in a way that is most comfortable to him/her, a way that brings happiness only and not in a way suggested by others because by doing so, you would be living their idea of life and not yours.

      

My mother always says “ One should be a captain of his life’’, in my interpretation of these words, one should be able to control his/her life and not let others do that for them because we are all humans not robots who have their entire life programmed for them by some other person. God when creating us gave us freedom of choice-that means he gave us the chance to decide how our lives will run, the only think he does is to sit down and watch how your life rolls. When he sees that you chose a wrong life path he won’t interfere directly in your life, he will try and guide you out of that path but you are still free to choose if you will follow him or not.

     

Things that can bring positive changes in your life  

                  

  

      Friends are usually the ones who bring many smiles and laughters in our lives so the best thing to do is to spend more time with them. Go for a drink, a walk in park, a picnic or travel the world as a backpacker, lets agree, all of that will be much more enjoyable if we do it with a group of friends.

              

      Take a break from your busy life in the office and go relax in the country, in granny’s house to enjoy her delicious food and wonderful stories of her past. The country is a good option also because you will get close to nature, and nature is, and will always be the best remedy for stress.

  

      Go for a swim, fishing or face the wave, go do anything that takes your mind of the many stresses of life. It has been proven scientifically that taking part in sports reduces stress levels in the organism and helps in making the body healthier.

·         Do anything with your life, just make sure you are the one to do it and not someone else. Live your life your way and remember always those words Drake said “YOLO” meaning you only live once, so do me a favor and start living the best way possible.  

 

Article written by: Cristo Rutazihana