How many times have we heard “Wash your hands!” from our Mothers or Grandmothers? In the  90's to get everyone into the hand washing habit, experts had equated proper hand washing must last as long as the “Happy Birthday” song (the version without “you belong to the zoo”…).
In the surge of potent germs and contaminants of mutated sickness hand washing is again promoted as the safest and the first line of defense against sickness. We are often surprised when we get sick, the amount of vitamins or the food we take or the rigid 8 hour sleep don't seem to stand up against getting sick. Basically we encounter germs all the time specially in places where throngs of people are. Germs are sly and are always hidden, on a grocery cart handle or  door knob even on the hand towel the whole nursery class uses to wipe their hands surely carry dreaded germs.
Contagious and silent attackers, some ailments have mutated to potent versions so the repetitive “Wash your hands!” must be supported with proper germ killing hand washing with soap and water or alcohol based sanitizer (60%-70% only!). Soap and water hand washing is an easy 6-step process:
-Wet hands to melt the soap.
-Make soap lather
-Spread and rub lather in the space between the fingers
-Rub lather on palms then at the back of the hands at this point lathering would have reached 10 to 20 seconds…
-Open tap with a paper towel, rinse off soapy lather the same way you made lather (between webs of fingers, back of palm and the palms)
-Use a per towel to switch off the tap.
Hand washing must be done after handling publicly used things, pets, feces (human or the pet kind), grease or dust. Bottom line, clean up when dirty. 

Checking out new findings dealing with human character, I stumbled upon an old theory that's being developed in sizing up someone. PHYSIOGNOMY, loosely translated means “nature interpreter”. This practice was started in the Orient, 2000 years ago and is now being practiced by 'face-readers'. The theory uses facial interpretation to evaluate or judge a person's character, mostly certain expressions or appearance are equivalent to a set of common characteristics found common in people with the same impression or even structure. This study may deal with the whole harmony of the face or certain parts of the face; eyes, nose, mouth, facial structure. Makes me think about the 'first impression' adage might've came from physiognomy. Reading through the nose interpretation, I just can't decide what best describes my nose. For one it has been broken and it is a toss between short, small tipped and arched.
Well according to the table of equivalents, I … don't think much of money… am a hard worker who needs emotional stability…am intuitive. I knew that…all women are just that!

So much for being a basis for a person's personality, I might get a better reading for the whole face…

It seems I have a new favorite past time… boating. I spent the entire weekend on the water and I must say it was thrilling.  I plan on going back next weeknd with Tom and cant wait to try my hand at the wheel. There is nothing like the wind in your hair to make you feel alive and young again. Boating and sailing are sure to be my next great past time.

The Day of Hearts for loved ones also means a day when sales on different Valentine  accessories or keepsakes skyrocket. Buying months in advance just loses the excitement and adventure (-besides the thing we could've wanted then may have changed =0). Just like all yearly celebrations, some men (not all! ) are clueless with what makes a gift a romantic Valentine's Day gift… Women are simple (we just don't come with a manual), so an I-heart-U gift should have a basic criteria:
Know thy other half…Gift must be bought because YOU thought long and hard about it – effort gets A's you know. The feeling that a partner knows you so much adds value to the gift, unlike the random gifts picked in a hurry (Oh honey, thank you…What is it?). Never say someone told you to get it. For long-time couples a woman would focus on the phrase “I didn't know what to get you…” Come on, know your partner enough to know…
Love for all…Valentine Candy/Chocolates, Flowers and Cards are general tokens. Unlike the past, these  gifts were reserved for courtship. Today, chocolates,flowers and cards are exchanged by all (mother, brother, sister, child, friends or office mates). I'm not sure what it is but women would really like to see their value through a gift. Men who go through all the trouble picking the right gift without thought of the price or time they'd spend on it makes any girl giddy.
Toss Routine OUT! Some women dread Valentines with their partners, it being the same old thing. Valentines is special for every girl with a partner especially when he surprises her every year. An intimate dinner, a night dancing or a retro “drive-in-movie” date would make any girl (16-80 years old) feel super loved.
Bottom line, as much as men don't understand women, gifts are like snapshots of memories each with its own frame and caption kept close at heart. 

Every year, there seems to be one or two gifts that are animal or pet related. When I was young animal patterned or themed gifts were given because of my preference for anything feathered, furry and friendly. As I grew older and have a family, animal patterned or imaged gifts have been given as a bringer of luck and good fortune.

Being born on the year of the Dog, Fu Dogs given by a loved one or respected colleague is believed to help through Chinese Zodiac Years that may not be too good to Dog year born people. The Fu Dogs are depicted as muscular and lion looking animals. They symbolize prestige and power. These are given in pairs and may be put on either side of doorways as protection.

Sometimes Oriental beliefs may just be hard to swallow, but one thing I do agree with is that pet dogs are positive energy for any home that respects and honors pet dogs. A pet dogs' liveliness and contagious energy brings positive vibes into any home. A happy pet “infects” its human family with joy and good cheer every time it just seems to know someone in the family needs a good laugh, a belly rub therapy (dog belly available 24/7!) and a furry 'touch' therapist on low days.

The questions and mysteries of the universe may never be answered by our furry pet, we just get a better perspective of living life come what may.