Aviva Home

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As many of Britain’s population become “asset-rich” but “cash-poor”, many people are turning to Aviva Life – Equity Release options to pave the way to greater financial freedom. With their award-winning products, over 100,000 people have used Aviva Home plans to retire comfortably, with few financial worries.

Aviva has been providing equity release for over 12 years, using lifetime mortgages. These are long-term loans where you receive a certain amount of money based on your property’s value while you continue to own and live in your home.  The beauty of the lifetime mortgage is that you don’t have to make any monthly payments while the loan is active. The amount you receive and the interest you accrue will be repaid when your property is sold after you pass away or go into long-term care.
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Luxury Houses in the Philippines is a Strong Market

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The world financial crisis is expected to affect the Philippines in 2009 but despite the recession, luxury housing remains a strong market in the Philippines. The demand for high-end properties within Metro Manila, its suburbs, and the provinces stays strong and resilient. This is because property values in the luxury segment of real estate are very limited. Although there have been new projects launched in 2008 to take advantage of the market, the supply is still not enough to satisfy demand.

One of the newer projects is the Raffles Residences in Makati. This development by Kingdom Hotel Investments is worth US $153 million and includes a 30-suite Raffles Hotel, a 300-room Fairmont Hotel, and 200 luxury apartments. It’s still in pre-construction, but already the Raffles Residences reached a record high for sales.

Now is the best time to invest in luxury housing in the Philippines because the property values will start leveling mid-2009. Remember that property transactions take a lot of time to pull through, and it would be a good idea to start doing research on great buys in the market.

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Feng Shui: Home Tips for the Year of the Ox (2009)

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Most people don’t know that in the Chinese calendar, 2009 or the year of the Ox doesn’t start until February 4 – this is the date when the animal sign changes from the rat to the ox. Regardless of what year it is, all of us have to be aware of three locations in the house – the tai sui (north east), the wu wang (north), and the sam sart (east). These locations are usually occupied by harmful qi, and any disturbances in these areas brings bad luck to those who live in the house. Disturbances means any vibrations in the walls or floors caused by renovation processes like drilling or hammering.

During the year of the ox, the north east will have the strongest negative qi. Do not disturb this area with renovations and do not sit facing the northeast. All business negotiations should be done with you facing away from the northeast; this way, you are making the other party confront the negative energy of the tai sui, which will work to your advantage.

The north will be emanating a lot of strong energy this year. Avoid placing open flames like candles or anything red in color because this will strengthen the energy in this area. To negate the energy, place a traditional 5-element pagoda in this area. Be extra cautious in July 2009 if the main door of your house or your bedroom is located in the North.

As for the East, it can bring injury or sickness when disturbed. Unlike the Northeast, however, you should confront it directly; do not sit with the east behind you.

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Bedroom Storage Solutions

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Your bedroom is your personal sanctuary; it must be a place filled with positive energy that will rejuvenate and reflect the kind of life you want for yourself. Create a peaceful atmosphere in your room by going through your things, sorting out what you need and what you can throw away, and organizing the ones you decided to keep.

If your bedroom is filled with clutter, get everything sorted out by separating your objects into different piles. The first pile should be made up of clothes and shoes. Empty your entire closet and shoe cabinet and decide which items you love wearing and which you can do without. Then grab your beddings and make another pile for them; throw out old or torn linens. Make another pile for jewelry and remove pieces that are broken or that you don’t wear. Cosmetics, perfumes, and lotions go into another pile; throw out items that are almost empty or that have been around for over a year. Finally, look under the bed for general clutter and throw out objects you have no use for.

Now that you’ve sorted through your belongings, it’s time for you to increase your closet’s efficiency by getting rattan boxes in different sizes. They can fit well in corners and can accommodate linens, clothes not often worn, and other items. You can also add canvas hangings for skirts and sweaters or fit in a tiered rack for shoes if you don’t have a shoe cabinet. If your closet already has shelves, place clear plastic boxes of different sizes so you can see at a glance what is stored inside. Keep all socks, underwear, and stockings inside drawers; plastic boxes can also be placed inside narrow drawers to hold your socks and underwear. If you don’t have space in your cabinet for linens, comforters, and other bulky items, place them inside wicker boxes and use the box to decorate the foot of your bed.

If you have a lot of jewelry and fashion accessories, invest in a jewelry tree – this serves the double purpose of organizing your accessories and being a decorative item on your dresser. Place all your cosmetics in clear plastic boxes with compartments so tubes and brushes can stand upright. Alternately, you can also use tiered or partitioned boxes to store pendants and earrings.

Finally, install hooks behind your door or inside your closet’s door where you can neatly hang bags, belts, bathrobes, and other items you use regularly.

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Feng Shui: How Clutter Obstructs the Flow of Chi

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If you can never find the things that you need, it might mean that your house is a mess. Not only does clutter look unsightly, but the constant muddle of so many things makes you feel confused and stressed. The reason for this can be found in the ancient Chinese art of feng shui.

The Chinese believe that there is an invisible life force or energy that flows through all living and non-living things. This energy is called chi. Balancing and manipulating the flow of chi in the home is a major part of feng shui. The chi that flows through the home needs to do so freely in order to have a positive impact on the people who live there. It enters through the front door, moves through the room in a spiraling motion, then finds an exit through a back door or window.

Clutter is the biggest obstacle to a smooth chi flow because it acts like a roadblock that chi cannot easily pass through. When this occurs in the hall, which is considered to be the “mouth” of the home, it prevents chi from entering at all. If there is clutter all over the house, chi will move sluggishly, which affects the occupants and make them feel stuck in a rut. Feng shui experts who are sensitive to chi usually sense these stagnant areas by a “sticky” feeling and a stale, musty odor.

When you surround yourself with objects that you often use and love, they emit a strong energy that encourages the normal flow of chi and helps produce an atmosphere that makes your life happy. Loved possessions nurture and support you. Surrounding yourself with unwanted junk or broken items has the opposite effect – their negative energy will only pull you down, and the longer they stay there the worse their effects get. Start by throwing out all objects that have no particular meaning for you, and you might discover that you feel better physically, mentally, and spiritually.

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Feng Shui: Decluttering Your Home

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The way your home looks is not only a reflection of yourself; the mess also tends to make you feel lethargic and confused about what you want to do with your life. One of the problems people face when they try to clear out their things is that they feel a strong attachment to some of their belongings. We hang onto memories we associate with objects and that makes us feel secure. While it’s all right to keep some things that remind you of happy times, too many of them will keep new things from entering your life.

There are certain areas of the home that tend to become hot spots of clutter. If these areas become too overcrowded with things, positive energy or chi stagnates and won’t flow throughout your house. Look at these areas of your home and decide whether they need to be cleared out:

The entrance/main hall – This is where your family, guests, and friends pass through and get the first impression of where you live. Ideally, it should be well-lit and welcoming but it is also usually the dumping ground of shoes, bags, children’s toys, and newspapers.
The attic/basement – Not everyone has an attic or basement but if you do, they are usually crammed with junk and things you never use but have not gotten around to throwing away.
Corridors – Clutter in this area usually gathers beside doorways and in wall crevices.

Before you start decluttering, assess which objects you want to throw out and which ones you’d like to keep. Go around the house with a pen and notebook and look at these clutter hot spots, as well as inside closets and bedrooms. Make a note of which areas have huge piles of junk and which have smaller piles.

Once you’re done figuring out where all the clutter in your home is contained, get garbage bags or cardboard boxes and label them according to how you want to dispose of them. Label the first bag as “junk”, for items that you definitely want to throw away. On the second bag, write “thrift store” for useful items that still work well and that other people might find a use for. On the third bag, write “things to be repaired”, for items that no longer work but that you might find a use for. On the fourth bag, write “things to sort out”, items that you’re not sure you want to let go of. Keep them somewhere for six months and keep the ones that you miss; if not, get rid of them.

When it comes to clothes, be a little more careful – keep only the ones that you enjoy wearing or that you wear regularly. Try on the ones you’re not sure about and if they don’t fit you well or if you don’t like the way they look, get rid of them. Sales and bargains make you buy clothes that you don’t particularly like or need, so make a conscious decision to never again buy items that you’re not 100% happy with.

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