Top Valentine’s Day Movies – With Valentine’s Day right around the corner many hopeless romantics are going through some of their favorite love-centric movies to get in the mood. I know many a-person who enjoys snuggling up on the couch with their beloved, a box of tissues and a super sappy DVD. Truth be told, I do enjoy a good love story, although I rarely enjoy anything from the mind of Nicholas Sparks.

Still, people love Valentine’s Day. I suppose it’s a nice excuse to express your feelings for someone, although I do think people feel obligated to spend far too much money come February 14th. Apparently the average American spends about $116 on Valentine’s Day. Yes, gifts are always nice, so is dinner, but I’m a firm believer in the sentiment in homemade gifts and think the commercial world has manipulated us in believing that love can only be expressed in dollar amounts.

But I digress. Let’s talk top Valentine’s Day movies. Indulging in romantic movies can be an inexpensive way to get into the spirit of the day.

Top Valentine’s Day Movies

I think it’s safe to say the following movies are considered some of the most romantic out there and would make most people’s Top Valentine’s Day list:

- The Notebook

- Titanic

- Say Anything

- Casablanca

- Love Actually

- Romeo & Juliet

- Ghost

- Dirty Dancing

I’ve seen some of these and liked a few. Nothing quite my cup of tea, although Casablanca is a classic and I do love the Baz Luhrmann rendition of Romeo and Juliet. My favorite romantic movies, however, are made up of the following:

- Before Sunrise / Before Sunset: If you’ve never seen these Richard Linklater films I highly recommend them. The first was shot in 1995 and follows a young man and woman who meet on a train. They spend the night roaming through Vienna, fall in love and make an agreement to meet up in six months time. Linklater made a sequel 9 years later in 2004 where the two meet up again. It’s brilliant, and will appeal to all romantics, but you must watch them in order!

- Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: I love the screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, and I truly believe this film is his masterpiece. A couple splits and decides to erase each other from their respective memories with a new kind of technology. That’s the premise. It’s hilarious, provocative, surreal and at times– heart wrenching. I also think it’s Jim Carrey’s best performances.

- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: This is kind of a weird film to be considered romantic, but I still love it and think that the love story between Michelle Yeoh and Chow Yun-Fat is subtle and yet so epic. I also think it’s a film that is visually stunning and fantastic story telling. Definitely worth checking out this Valentine’s Day.

Top Valentine’s Day Movies

These are some of my favorite romantic movies. What are yours?

Related: Scariest Films of All Time

Top Valentine’s Day Movies

Inside the Day of a CEO – Have you ever wondered what a day inside the life of a CEO is like? These are people who have risen the very highest they can go within the business world– people with an enormous amount of pressure on their shoulders– whose decisions can determine the fate of multi-million dollar companies.

Just as a little clarification a CEO (according to Wikipedia) is:

“A chief executive officer… is the highest-ranking corporate officer (executive) or administrator in charge of total management of an organization. An individual appointed as a CEO of a corporation,company, organization, or agency typically reports to the board of directors.”

Some of the most famous CEO’s have included:

Steve Jobs – Apple

Ken Powell – General Mills

Mark Zuckerberg – Facebook

Irene Rosenfeld – Kraft Foods

Oprah Winfrey – OWN

Eric Schmidt – Google

Inside the Day of a CEO

Inc. Magazine asked 500 Inc. CEO’s how they spend a typical day and then compiled the information into a diagram. The breakdown goes something like this:

* Average Wake Up Time – 6:30 am.

–> Earliest wake up time – 3:50, Bobby Martyana, Travado

–> Lease amount of sleep – 4 hours, Dave Kerpen, Likable Media

* 45% Eat Breakfast before work.

* 87% Commute to work. Average time in car – 1 hour. 44% talk on phone while commuting.

* Work for 1 hour in the morning at the office.

* Spend 2 hours in the morning at meetings.

* Talk to customers for 2 hours.

* Talk to employees for 3 hours.

* Spend time selling for 1 hour.

* 38% of CEOs eat lunch on a daily basis.

* Email for 2 hours.

* Exercise for 1 hour.

* Spend 3 hours with the family.

* Spend 2 hours working after dinner.

* Relax for 1 hour before bed.

* Average Bed Time – 10:30 pm.

Apparently that’s what the average CEO’s day is broken down into. Some of the longest days were about 18 hours and there were also cases of CEO’s getting to bed at 4:00 in the morning.

Obviously being driven and having an excellent work ethic is part of being a successful CEO. But what else does it take? There seems to be a general consensus in the world that innovation is one of the keys to a CEO’s success. This is what Forbes Magazine has to say on what makes a great innovative CEO :

“Anyone can change his or her behavior to improve creative impact in a company. According to the authors of the Innovators DNA, the five skills of disruptive innovators are questioning, observing, networking, experimenting and associational thinking (drawing connections among unrelated fields). These chiefs that follow make one or more of these habits a daily event.”

Certainly all of the people mentioned above are a testament to drive and innovation. I think that while I admire CEO’s for their hard work and ambition, I’m not sure I’d like to devote most of my day to a company unless I didn’t have a family, but that’s just me.

Inside the Day of a CEO

Related: Steve Jobs $1 Salary

Inside the Day of a CEO

File Taxes Online Canada – It’s time for citizens of Canada to make the big decision of the financial year– to file taxes online or in paper.  I’m hoping to shine some light on the option of filing taxes online so that people can decide whether or not its for them.

Let’s be honest, tax season can be an incredibly stressful time. For those of us who can’t afford an accountant, filing tax returns is often time consuming and confusing. That’s why it’s important to be aware of some of the great tools available to everyone online. By taking advantage of some of these resources, you will not only save yourself from unnecessary stress, but you’ll also be saving time and money.

If you’re not sure how to file your income taxes electronically, never fear! Filing income taxes online isn’t nearly as confusing or overwhelming as it may appear from a distance. In fact, most people find it to be easier than doing their taxes the traditional way.

File Taxes Online Canada

Let’s take a look at what you need to do to file your taxes online in Canada.

1) Determine whether or not you’re eligible. You CANNOT file online if:

All in all, it’s a pretty easy process! Kind of amazing how it easy it is, really. For many years I struggled with doing my taxes (in America) and felt really overwhelmed. Then filing them electronically became more popular and easier. Last year I decided to take the plunge and used online software. Not only was it super easy to understand, but it only took me about 3 hours to do.

I highly recommend filing your income tax electronically to anyone who is on the fence about the matter. You’ll wish you’d been doing it sooner!

File Taxes Online Canada

File Taxes Online Canada

Today’s 15 Year Mortgage Rates – It’s no secret that mortgage rates go up and down. Lately, however, it seems as though many of these rates are in the favor of the home buyer. Many people are able to afford more house than they might have in previous economic climates.

According to Zillow (the brilliant real estate website) as of February 6th 2012, the 15-year mortgage rate is stable at 3.01%. This is up 2 basis points from last week’s 2.99% and down 24 points from three months ago when the rate was 3.25%.

Today’s 15 Year Mortgage Rates

Now, I’m still learning a lot about how the real estate market works, so I decided to do a little research. As I wrote in a previous article, “How Much House Can You Afford?” Mortgage rates are just a small piece of the financial puzzle when learning about a your realistic home-buying budget.  Your gross annual income, the amount you’ve saved for a down payment,  your state of debt — these all factor into what you can afford.

Now, let’s look at mortgage rates. The first thing I was curious about, when doing research, was what determines a mortgage rate on and why it fluctuates.  Dan Tharp, a contributor to About.com and an employee of Comstock Real Estate in San Francisco, answered the question, What are mortgage rates based on?

“The only correct answer is Mortgage Bonds or Mortgage Backed Securities. Mortgage rates are not based on the 10-year Treasury Note. When shopping for a new home loan, many of you will jump online to your favorite financial web site to see how the 10-year Treasury Bill is doing. In reality mortgage-backed securities (MBS), cause mortgage rates to fluctuate. In fact, it is not unusual to see them move in completely different directions and, without professional guidance, that confusing movement could cause you to make make a poor financial decision.”

It’s somewhat confusing for a person like me, but I think Tharp does a good job summing it up. The next piece of the mortgage puzzle (for me anyway) has always been attempting to understand what kind of mortgage (15 or 30 year) is appropriate for who. When looking up what the current 15 year mortgage rate was on Zillow, I noticed that they also had a FAQ on the matter:

“What is a 15-year fixed mortgage?

A 15-year fixed mortgage is a loan whose interest rate stays the same for the duration of the loan. For example, on a 15-year mortgage of $300,000 with an interest rate of 5.75%, the monthly payments would be about $3,097.90. So, the interest rate of 5.75% stays the same for the life of the loan.

Who should get 15-year fixed mortgages?

People who desire a predictable, fixed deduction from their monthly budget, want a shorter loan term, and can tolerate a higher monthly payment are well-suited for 15-year fixed mortgages.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of 15-year fixed mortgages?

The pros of a 15-year fixed mortgage: it’s a predictable monthly payment; the paydown on a 15-year fixed is half the time of a 30-year fixed; the rates are usually lower than a 30-year fixed mortgage; and it’s relatively simple and maintenance-free once you lock the rate (you don’t need to worry about rate fluctuation).

The cons of a 15-year fixed mortgage: monthly payments are quite higher than a 30-year fixed mortgage, therefore making these loans more difficult to qualify for, and the mortgage tax deduction on a 15-year fixed is less than a 30-year fixed.”

Hopefully this basic mortgage rate information has been somewhat helpful. I know that I now have a better understanding of how it all works. Any time you have more real estate questions, I strongly urge you to use the site Zillow.com. There’s a ton of great information available there.

Today's 15 Year Mortgage Rates

Today’s 15 Year Mortgage Rates

How to Spot an Opportunity – Learning how to spot an opportunity is a crucial skill for all aspects of your life. Whether it’s the beginning to a new career, pursuing the right partner or making a financial investment– you must be able to spot the big ‘right’ opportunities from the duds.

I’m sure this is how the people who passed on investing in Apple or Microsoft feel now. So, how do you not make the same mistake?

How to Spot an Opportunity

I’m not an expert on these things, but there definitely are people who are who’ve offered some sound advice. Let’s take a look at what some of these experts say about learning to spot a golden opportunity.

Forbes recently interviewed Wharton’s Professor Raffi Amit. Forbes asked:  The question that confronts anybody who is thinking of starting a new business or company is, how do you find the opportunity that’s right for you? Could you offer some guidance on that?

Professor Amit replied:

“Sure. There are many sources for new venture opportunities for individuals. Clearly, when you see inefficiency in the market, and you have an idea of how to correct that inefficiency, and you have the resources and capability–or at least the ability to bring together the resources and capability needed to correct that inefficiency–that could be a very interesting business idea. In addition, if you see a product or service that is being consumed in one market, that product is not available in your market, you could perhaps import that product or service, and start that business in your home country.”

Scott Ginsberg is also known as the “Nametag Guy” and is an award winning blogger an entrepreneur. When asked how to spot an opportunity, he replied:

“Look and listen. Adopt a more proactive, mindful and curious posture as you venture out into the world. Become a giant question mark. Actively seek out anomalies in the world. Recognize when things go wrong. Listen to what the world is trying to tell you. Operate on multiple planes of consciousness. Grow your ability to detach and view an idea or a situation objectively. See more by striving less. Soften your eyes. Find interest in almost anything. Break your patterns daily and critically evaluate everything your encounter. Study ordinary things intently. Be not satisfied with what others take for granted. (Got all that?)”

Both these experts have valid points.

I personally think that the old adage: “Opportunity only knocks once,” could not be more wrong. I have found in my life that opportunity is everywhere, all you have to do is be aware of it.

Every great job I’ve ever had I’ve gotten from just talking to people. I’ve found that within all good people you meet there are endless opportunities– they know people, they might be great to collaborate with, etc.

As for other aspects of life, I am a strong believer in creating your own opportunities. Within all of us is the ability to make things happen.

I wish I had more advice on how to spot investment opportunities like the aforementioned Apple and Microsoft, but sadly that’s not my area of expertise. For that I would recommend doing plenty of research and hiring an expert.

What do you think is the best way to spot an opportunity?

Recent: How to Keep Job Hunt Motivation

How to Spot an Opportunity

How to Spot an Opportunity

Job Hunt Motivation - It’s hard to keep up your motivation while on the hunt for a new job– after all, staying upbeat after getting turned down repeatedly is not easy. Doubt and depression might start creeping into the back of your mind, making it harder to get motivated for the next time you apply for a job.

Truth be told, perseverance and optimism aren’t easy to maintain when you’re being rejected regularly. And yet it’s more important than ever that you keep your spirits buoyed. Attacking each job opportunity with the same energy and enthusiasm can make all of the difference.

Let’s take a look at how to stay upbeat during a long job search. The better you’re able to keep a positive attitude, the more likely you are to stand out from the crowd.

Job Hunt Motivation

Consider the following tips to help you maintain your motivation whilst looking for a new job.

Perceive the Job Hunt as a Challenge

Winston Churchill is often remembered by his quote, “Never, never, never give up.” Being unemployed is horrible– but it’s important you look at your situation in a positive, somewhat aggressive manner. Landing a great job is a challenge, make sure you rise to the challenge. Tap into your competitive side and always try to get the edge. Every day you get up to find a job, make sure you take a few minutes to get pumped and inspired in whatever manner suits you best.

Maintain Reasonable Expectations

It’s easy to get married to each and every job description you read, but this can also result in a lot of disappointment. Don’t let yourself get carried away and convinced that you’ve got the job before you actually have your interview. Also, plan for the long haul. The more reasonable your expectations are, the less likely you are to get discouraged.

Eat Better

Food is everything. How much energy we have, how we’re feeling, etc. Make sure that you are eating as well as you possibly can. Frozen burritos may not help your mood but lots of fresh fruits, veggies, and protein definitely will. And treating yourself to a frozen yogurt once in awhile can be a nice moral booster in the day.

Get More Sunshine

It’s easy to feel angry or depressed when you’re stuck inside not getting your daily dose of vitamin D! Sunshine is imperative to happiness, which is why you need to make sure you’re spending your application breaks by taking a walk or getting one of those little artificial sunlight desk lamps. They’re cheap (starting around $35) and increase your brain’s pleasure hormone serotonin.

Exercise

Exercise gives you an energy boost, helps combat feelings of sluggishness in the long run and makes it easier to focus. It also releases endorphins in your brain making you feel good.

Laugh More

Laughter can cut through any bad mood. Make sure you take some time throughout the day to listen to some standup (on your way to work or maybe on your lunch break), read your favorite hilarious author and make sure you decompress at home with a funny movie or show.

Indulge In Your Home-life

When you’re at home make sure you indulge in all the happiness your home life provides for you. Spend time with your kids, go on a walk with your dog, find time for romance with your partner.

Drumming up motivation is hard, but maintaining it over a long period of time is even more difficult. I personally try to keep myself motivated by exercising in the morning and getting my head straight before attacking the day.

Job Hunt Motivation

Related: What Not to Say in a Job Interview

Job Hunt Motivation

Most SI Covers – As most of us bask in the caloric afterglow of the Superbowl, the Giants are soon to be gracing the covers of SI around the country. The cover of Sports Illustrated has been a dream and a curse for athletes since its beginning in 1954. Of course any up-and-coming sportsperson would love to have the honor of joining the greats on the SI cover list– but it can come with a price.

There has long been a superstition among professional athletes that being on the cover of Sports Illustrated before a big event is bad luck. The magazine eventually did a study of this so-called phenomenon and found that 37% of athletes that graced the cover of SI suffered a misfortune or decline in their performance weeks after their cover photo was published. This even included the death of Indy 500 winner Bob Sweikert. Spooky!

Most SI Covers

Still, the magazine remains one of the most popular in circulation. With 3.5 million subscribers and 28 million weekly readers, it’s safe to say that the magazine won’t be going under any time soon.

As of now, the athletes with the most SI Covers are as follows:

Michael Jordan – 57 times

Muhammed Ali – 38 times

Tiger Woods – 24 times

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 22 times

Magic Johnson – 23 times

Tom Brady – 19 times

Kobe Bryant – 17 times 

As far as which teams have been on the cover of the magazine the most, the New York Yankees take the cake with 71 times total.

I really do love watching and reading about sports. Truth be told, I’m not much of an American football fan, but I watched the Superbowl last night and seeing the Giants win was great (as a New Yorker). Walking home from the party, all the streets in my neighborhood were peppered with Giants fans, still yelling happily about the win, and dozens of car horns honking into the night. I guess “having a team” can often be a fantastic way for people to feel connected to where they live and with one another. At least that’s how it seemed last night– people were talking to strangers as though they felt like they were now kindred spirits.

You might not like sports, but you have to admit that it’s definitely a morale booster for many people. For me I guess it’s just pure fun. I don’t endorse the obscene salaries nor often awful behavior of many pro-athletes, but I appreciate them for their skills and for entertaining the masses.

Most SI Covers. Source: Wikipedia

Most SI Covers

Famous Boy Scouts  - Considering February 8th is National Boy Scouts Day, it seems apropos to look at some famous individuals who once were scouts themselves. This year marks the 102nd anniversary of the Boy Scouts which was officially founded on February 8, 1910. Since its inception over 110 million Americans have been members.

According to Wikipedia, the origin of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) was an effort to preserve the skills and sentiments of an earlier generation:

“The progressive movement in the United States was at its height during the early 20th century.^[6] With the migration of families from farms to cities, there were concerns among some people that young men were no longer learning patriotism and individualism. The YMCA was an early promoter of reforms for young men with a focus on social welfare and programs of mental, physical, social and religious development.”

Famous Boy Scouts

Let’s take a look at some famous Americans who once swore by the motto to always “be prepared”.

+First Person to Step on the Moon

Yes, Neil Armstrong– the first man on the moon– was once a boy scout. In fact, he was once a distinguished Eagle Scout.

Dirty Jobs Host

Baltimore native Mike Rowe was many things before he became the host of Discovery Channel’s Dirty Jobs. He was “Mike Rowe, Boy Scout” and surprisingly “Mike Rowe, Opera Singer”.

Baseball No. 1 Strikeout Leader

Nolan Ryan of the Texas Rangers has a reputation in baseball, but he also is known as one of the great athletes that started out as a scout. The Ryan Express, as he was known, is among other great athlete/scouts likes baseball all-time No. 2 home run leader – Hank Aaron + hammer. Michael Jordan and Bill Bradley were also scouts.

New York City Mayor Terms Extended to Three Terms

Mayor Bloomberg was once a boyscout. Perhaps it was the skills he learned there that helped him petition to get another term in office, despite the two term cap.

+Supreme Court Justice Appointed by Clinton in 1994

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer got his start in San Francisco as a boy scout.

Also…

The past three Presidents were all scouts: Obama, Bush, and Clinton

Rapper LL Cool J.

Billionaire Bill Gates did time as a scout.

Rolling Stones Rhythm Guitarist – Keith Richards.

Schindler’s List Director Stephen Spielberg– also a scout.

I’m not sure whether or not I think being in the Boy Scouts makes all that much difference in a person’s life. But then again, I never was in the Boy Scouts, so I can’t really say. My brother was– and he was a terrible scout with a bad attitude. As a cub scout at the age of 7 he got in trouble for being a poor sport and destroying his pinewood derby car after it lost. I think it was pretty much over after that for him.

I know that many kids like structure, being out in the wilderness, and about leadership. I think that it could also be really fun for a lot of kids who don’t get to be outdoors a lot, and I’m sure it will continue to play its role in our society for some time.

Famous Boy Scouts

Famous Boy Scouts

Biggest Eating Day of the Year – Thanksgiving (unsurprisingly) is the biggest eating day of the year for Americans with the Superbowl as a close second.

Yesterday, while the Giants were beating the Patriots, an estimated 48 million Americans ordered takeout or delivery food from a restaurant. Another 12 million were out at a restaurant or bar indulging in football and endless calories.

According to an article in the Daily Courier-Observer printed before Sunday’s big game:

“The most popular item on the Super Bowl menu – chips and dip. Chicken wings come in a close second as 23 percent of people say they are a must have on their party platter, studies say.

The National Chicken Council predicts 1.25 billion wing portions, weighing more than 100 million pounds, will be snacked on over the two-day weekend.”

Millions of Americans gorged themselves yesterday– but it’s pale in comparison to what happens every year in November.

Biggest Eating Day of the Year

It’s shocking but true– experts believe that the average American consumes an incredible 5,000 calories during their Thanksgiving dinner! Not only is that more than double the recommended amount of daily calories but it would take the average person miles (a lot of miles!) to burn the holiday meal off.

Let’s break down Thanksgiving dinner and examine how it impacts your gut. Keep in mind that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year and I strongly believe that indulging in its gluttonous ways is fine as long as it’s not every day.

This is my family’s Thanksgiving menu:

Turkey (dark meat) - 380 calories a 4 oz serving

Cranberry Sauce - 110 calories a serving

Gravy - 50 calories a cup

Dinner roll - 87 calories a roll

Stuffing - 190 calories a cup

Mashed Potatoes - 190 a cup

Candied Yams - 210 calories a serving

Green Bean Casserole - 75 calories a serving

Pumpkin Pie - 316 calories a slice

Whipped Cream - 50 calories a dollop

Wine - 120 a glass

Now, the grand total for one plateful of my family’s traditional Thanksgiving dinner is 1,778 calories. The recommended number of daily calories for a woman is 1800.  And I’d say that I always go back for seconds so really my Thanksgiving dinner caloric intake is about 3,556.

It’s kind of incredible that we as Americans have at least two days out of the year where we wreak havoc on our bodies. I suppose two days out the year really aren’t that bad, but I personally feel like I’ve been unable to escape the holiday eating pattern. After New Year’s Eve, friends were still coming and going and I was still eating out at restaurants, etc.

But with the Superbowl comes the end of that whole binge eating for me (I hope). It’s time to get back into good habits, and stop spending so much money on food that’s terrible for me.

Hopefully everybody else hasn’t continued with bad holiday eating habits this month! If so, you might have to join me on the quest to exercise more and eat less.

Biggest Eating Day of the Year

Biggest Eating Day of the Year

Hands Free Laws by Province – More and more provinces are adopting the hands free laws– and rightfully so.

I’ll admit, I have used my cell phone while driving. Sometimes it seems like an unavoidable evil; I’m strapped for time and stuck in a car for several hours a week. As convenient as it may seem to call a friend or shoot off a text while behind the wheel, the truth of the matter is that it’s extremely dangerous, and several provincial legislatures around the country agree.

Hands Free Laws by Province

Currently there is not a Canada-wide law forbidding cell phone use whilst driving. But there should be!

As of right now a handful of provinces have taken on hand free laws. They include: Quebec, Ontario Newfoundland, Labrador, and Nova Scotia.

Hand free laws are getting more common in America as well. As of March 2011, talking on hand held cell phones while driving is illegal in 9 states and the District of Columbia. These states include: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Oregon, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Utah, Washington

Text messaging is illegal in 30 states across America. To see which states texting and driving is illegal in, visit the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Some people believe texting while driving is as bad as drinking and driving. It is a serious matter, an estimated 16,000 deaths were linked to texting while driving from 2002-2007.

Texting takes your eyes off of the road, brings your mind and attention elsewhere, and uses one of the two hands meant to be firmly grasping the steering wheel. Talking while driving on a hand held phone is also distracting and uses up one of your free hands.

If you feel you need to be able to talk and drive, please consider getting a blue tooth or some device that doesn’t require one of your free hands. Under no circumstances should you have to text and drive. It’s irresponsible and dangerous– you could significantly injure another person on the road by being distracted while texting. Have your passenger check your texts or text for you if necessary. If it’s a message you need to check or send– just pull over. Nothing can be as important as your safety.

I think it’s smart that states are making cell phone use while driving illegal. It’s dangerous and there should be consequences for putting the safety of others in jeopardy. Nowadays we all are so addicted to our emails and our phones that we make dangerous compromises for the instant gratification of communication. I think we all need to relearn how to be patient and wait to check our phones and computers. This is definitely a skill that we need to teach the younger generation as well, because it’s their safety we should really worry about.

Hand free laws have been implemented across specific Canadian provinces for good reason– the safety of others. I hope people respect these laws.

Hands Free Laws by Province

Recent: Healing Benefits Dead Sea

Hands Free Laws by Province