My friend, S, who is a trained engineer, told me that he has a new project going on. Actually, he has a new hobby where he would create a new item from parts that he harvests from broken down things. As you could imagine, I have supplied him with many of my unused or broken down things through the years. The funny thing is that I usually do not even understand what he tries to build!

Right now, he is looking for cheap Crystal Clock Oscillators for his new project, which is not unveiled yet. At first, he only wanted to look for used ones to keep within budget but new ones will do too. After all, they are inexpensive.

Frequency Management International is a manufacturer of crystal clock oscillator products. Going through their website, I marvel at the various products that are available for sale for all industries that make use of crystal oscillators.

To be honest, I get confused reading the product descriptions because my mind cannot handle anything technical but I am sure that for people who have use for crystal clock oscillators, they would welcome the detailed product description that is available for every item.

Of course, I am going to let S know of Frequency Management International so that he could procure what he needs and proceed with his mysterious project.

*** This post has been sponsored.

How many times have you come across someone making a mistake at work and blame it on miscommunication? I may be out of the rat race already but when I was a salaried employee, this happened often enough.

We had a large notice board against the wall which was perpetually stuck with little notes. I don’t think there was anyone in the office that would spend long minutes going through ALL the notes a few times a day since there was no system to show us which notes were new and which had been there since two days ago.

If you are faced with a similar situation, then I think it’s time to check how you are not communicating effectively with your staff or colleagues. And it all actually starts with the bulletin board. Did you know that cork bulletin boards come in a multitude of sizes and colors now? You can easily order one online; of a size that would fit your office wall and in a color that contrasts. The aim is to make the board stand out and attract the attention of people. You wouldn’t want it to blend with the wall, you know.

Anyway, even if you do not believe me that doing so would promote effective communication, I think you owe it to yourself to at least give this method a try.

*** This post has been sponsored.

I come from a family of high achievers. My cousins are scholarship holders and my uncle and my aunt are well-known educators in the country. I didn’t have the chance to study after high school and I only have myself to blame for not studying hard enough to gain a scholarship too.

I started working after high school and have done quite well so I thought that I can say goodbye to books forever. However, the desire to continue my studies hit me a couple of years ago but it’s funny that now that I could afford to pay my fees, I no longer have the time!

Right now, I have two options, to attend college or to study online. It’s more convenient to study online but my friend, Paul who is based in New York City, suggested that I attend a college, a REAL college. He said that there are many colleges in New York City where I could study whatever I want. The choices are limitless unlike studying online where I would only have a few courses to choose from.

He is right, of course. But the reason that I have procrastinated so far is the lack of time for books, as mentioned earlier, and the fact that until now, I cannot decide what I want to study!

*** This post has been sponsored.

My friends are envious that I work at home and do not have to brave traffic jams or sell my time at least from 9am to 5pm, five days a week to an employer. Friends who are in management have it worse. They tell me that they have to stay back to work after office hours often and they do not even get any overtime pay!

I guess, yes, I am lucky that I don’t have to rush off to work every morning just so I could clock in on time. That could be very stressful, especially for people living in the capital city. It’s no wonder that subways are packed like sardines during the morning rush!

Did you know that it is a serious offense to punch in a colleague’s card? It used to be so common, it is known as “buddy punch” but it could get BOTH people fired! Those were the days. Now, Biometric Time Clocks are standard in any modern office. There are two types, though. One scans just the fingerprints while the other scans the entire palm.

A Biometric Time Clock would help a company eliminate tardy employees and prevent them not only from arriving to work late, but also stop them from leaving the office early!

*** This post has been sponsored.

This is a sponsored guest post written by Jason Harvey on behalf of Achieve Anything In Just One Year. Post powered by Sponzai.

On January 1, more than 100 million Americans will make a New Year’s resolution, according to a University of Washington survey. By March, however, most resolution-makers will already have broken their newly minted promises. 

In his new book, Achieve Anything in Just One Year: Be Inspired Daily to Live Your Dreams and Accomplish Your Goals (Amazing Life Press, $29.95, http://www.amazinglifepress.com/), Jason Harvey provides a blueprint for personal success that can make 2010 the year that resolutions become reality. 

Most resolutions fail because people try to change too fast and accomplish too much all at once,” said Harvey, a Certified Life Coach. “My book is about learning how to make small daily changes and be your own personal life coach.”

The most common resolutions – to quit smoking, lose weight, exercise more, spend more quality time with family, etc. – are also the easiest to break. “The truth is, we set ourselves up to fail by making resolutions that are sweeping and unrealistic,” explained Harvey. 

The resulting cycle of making and breaking promises is self-defeating – so how can individuals make resolutions stick? Achieve Anything in Just One Year equips readers with the tools to: 

• Be truly committed.Don’t just go through the motions – act like you’re making a promise to your company, or to your best friend. 
• Be specific. A resolution like “I want to lose weight” is easier to ignore than “I want to lose five pounds by March.” 
• Set a deadline. A timeframe equals commitment and helps quantify success. 
• Avoid overwhelming yourself. You may want to lose weight, quit smoking, achieve moderation with martinis and cut up your credit cards all at once, but let’s get real. Focus on a limited set of goals and plan on taking stock mid-year. 
• Change one thing at a time. Recognize that change is hard. Wait to achieve one goal before starting on the next. 
• Be realistic. Taking charge of a fitness regimen is a realistic goal, while exercising seven days a week may not be. Don’t set yourself up for disappointment with lofty goals. 

The idea is to take daily action that creates a ripple effect in your life,” said Harvey. “By transforming your life with small steps, you can stay motivated, focused and balanced. Best of all, you’ll feel happier about pursuing your personal success.” 

Achieve Anything in Just One Year is available to BUY NOW at Amazon.com.

My sister has been shopping online a lot lately. She said it’s very convenient since she has a long list of Christmas gifts to buy for friends, family, colleagues and her boss. And it’s because of the time saving factor and convenience of shopping online, my sister also shops for daily necessities like food, clothes, books and medical supplies.

It’s funny that my sister was not comfortable with shopping online at first because she would have to disclose her credit card details and other financial information but now, I think that she is overdoing it and I cannot remind her enough that she has to make sure she only shops at online stores that are safe and secure. But even though I have taught her how to check, I am afraid she would overlook it because she is not very web savvy.

Due to some commitments at home, I have not be able to get out of the house for the past few months but thanks to the internet, I could still keep in touch with the outside world cheaply and I could still get ready Christmas gifts for friends and family. All my gifts are bought online and the good thing is that I don’t even have to wrap these gifts myself.

These few days, I have been looking for an appropriate gift for my pen-pal. Although we have never met, our friendship spans 18 years and we never failed to exchange gifts during birthdays and Christmases. This Christmas will be the same.

Mark told me that this winter he has taken up snowboarding. He said that with global warming, there may not be enough snow for it in the future. The first thing that crossed my mind when I think of snowboarding is Von Zipper Sunglasses. I think a pair of Von Zipper Burnout sunglasses would make a great gift for him this Christmas. I am sure he already has a pair of sunglasses but Von Zipper is said to be very popular among snowboarders so it would be a most appropriate gift. Most importantly, I could buy it online!