The U.K. before and after July 1st

I was talking to a friend of mine who lives in Kent, England last night and the subject of smoking came up. She's a smoker and feels that her social activities have been intruded upon due to a new law.

On the 1st July 2007 a general smoking ban was enforced in the United Kingdom. As an ex smoker I understand both the pros and cons of this new law. However, in my humble opinion I feel that the ban is a little over the top.

I understand that non smokers want to enjoy social activities without smoke in their vicinity and am for a general smoking ban in government buildings but to ban smoking in ALL public places including bars, pubs and restaurants, even ones which have designated smoking rooms is going too far.

The reason for the law is to "save thousands of peoples' lives" according to Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt, after commons and the cabinet voted in 2006. However, Simon Clark, director of smoking support group Forest, said: "This is a double whammy and an unnecessary and illiberal piece of legislation that denies freedom of choice to millions of people.

To me, the freedom of choice is what makes people individuals and if one wishes to smoke, as long as it doesn't bother others then one should be allowed to do so. As for the ban saving thousands of lives. Shouldn't alcohol consumption be banned then too? Since many people die of alcohol whether it be because they died of drinking too much or because of drunk drivers getting behind the wheel causing horrible accidents and killing someone.

I learned a long time ago that if my parents wouldn't let me do something then I would come up with an inventive idea and solution to do that certain thing anyway, without actually defying my parents rules. And that's probably what's going to happen in this case too.

The Age Of Designer Bodies......

I'm not really into following trends but I do like to check out what's happening when it comes to the latest fads and crazes just so I know what my kids are talking about. I surf to a trend magazine about twice a month and last night I had some extra time on my hands so I did just that.

For years now the percentage of (especially) women having plastic surgery has been steadily growing but it still came as a big surprise when I read that the latest trend in plastic surgery is "designer vagina's"!

It seems Women are undertaking all kinds of modifications down below,including tightening, labial reductions, clitoral enhancements and G spot augmentations, and all just to "beautify"their womanhood. The article goes on to say that many females have issues when it comes to the appearance of their vagina's, and this low self-esteem can have a negative influence on their sex lives.

I don't know about any of you but I for one have absolutely no intention of having my private parts "fixed" just for the sake of aesthetics. I don't condone it, and if medically necessary I can totally understand it but the surgery is risky with many doctors advising against it and causing increasing concerns from gynecologists.

Still, who am I to talk. Years ago I told anyone who would listen that I would NEVER have any type of plastic surgery done, and I still won't crack under the pressure of the media with all the anti wrinkle creams etc.

But.....if one day I wake and I don't like what I see in the mirror who knows, I might just make an appointment yet even then, I know that if I were to have plastic surgery, it would ONLY be because me, myself and I desire it and not for anyone else.

Mediation before Meditation

Being a single mom with 3 kids requires a lot of patience and skill. Being a mediator is of utmost importance when the two eldest just can't seem to agree on who plays on the x-box or Nintendo Wii next.

At times when an argument is on the verge of becoming a full scale fight, though of course it's better to nip the argument in the bud, a mom steps up in order to try to calm everyone down and adjust the situation in such a way that it becomes a win/win for each. Unfortunately if you're tired, worn out and still have so much to do with little time to do it in, mediation isn't always an easy thing to do. Sometimes you feel as if you just want to get in your car and escape the commotion at your house.

I'm one of the first to admit that being a single mom in combination with working, doing the household chores like cooking, cleaning, ironing etc. is physically and mentally draining and it doesn't seem to get any easier with the kids getting older. Add to that my sleep was interrupted each night due to my youngest daughters' recurring nightmares and you could say I was a walking zombie at times.

Therefore a couple of months ago I began to search for something, anything that would help me regenerate faster and keep my positive attitude alive. I am not for any kind of synthetic pill or such, and you will rarely see me take an aspirin for a headache so it had to be something that I didn't need to digest.

After a couple of hours of searching I came across a site that not only claimed to do what I needed but a whole lot more.The "sales" page wasn't very appealing and I had a hard time believing all of what was written. It even sounded a little wacky but it must have made enough sense to me because after another night of interrupted sleep, I ordered it the next day. I don't know exactly why but my gut feeling told me it was OK to do so and truthfully I was so tired I would have tried pretty much anything.

I didn't have to wait until the product was delivered to my door as you can download it directly after purchase and that very same evening I had my first experience of brainwave entrainment.
The pdf guide that goes with it explains fully how it works and the forum is a useful tool for newbies and veterans alike. Since I began using brainwave entrainment I regenerate much more quickly, am able to relax easier, am more motivated, creative and positive and just enjoy my life better.

I even made Cd's of the product for my kids to listen to at night before they go to bed and they are now achieving better grades in school and aren't as agitated as they used to be.
For me, Quantum Mind Power was and is a form of meditation that I thoroughly recommend to anyone who feels that they are not in control of their life or are just looking for a way to meditate that is easy to apply.

If he said you had a beautiful body....

Would you believe him?

Even though I was a model for several years I never saw myself as beautiful. My agency said I was, the photographers I worked with, my boyfriend. And my friends told me they envied my beauty but I didn't believe any of them.

In fact, each time I saw the finished photos (and this was before photoshop and digital photography had been introduced) I didn't even really feel that the girl in the photos was me. It was like I was looking at someone else, at a girl who I envied and wished I could resemble.

You are probably wondering why I worked as a model when I didn't feel like one but the moment I got in front of a camera, there was an inner switch that "flicked" on and I lost any and all inhibitions about my looks, just utterly enjoying myself until the photographer finished.

Usually when you read about girls feeling this way you automatically assume that they felt they were "overweight" but I was exactly the opposite. I weighed approx. 100 lbs and with my 5 ft 5 in height that wasn't very much. I had one thing that many other girls did not have, and it was the main reason I had so much work. I had large breasts. Somehow almost any weight I gained went straight to my chest while my waist and hips remained very slim.Basically I had the measurements of a human barbie doll.

Now, years later, I understand that the reason I felt the way I did was due to lack of self confidence and the self consciousness about my weight. I had a skewed view of what I saw in the mirror and what others saw.

I felt guilty every time I dared complain about my weight, being told that I should be very lucky with how I was built. I despised diet commercials in the media, quickly flipping a page in a magazine or changing the channel on TV.

Almost 20 years have passed and Society's idea of a "perfect" body still doesn't seem to have changed much. I feel blessed that I have at least gained some weight after 3 pregnancies and am much more comfortable with my body now. I will probably never be what many refer to as overweight but at least I'm not a human barbie doll anymore.

I totally admire women like Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé Knowles for their bootie and refusal to lose weight just because of the "norm".
I truly hope that with celebrities like the above, women of today will embrace their bodies whatever shape, size and weight they have more readily and be proud of what they look like.