Bringing lifestyle into the workplace

YOU could describe 75 High Street as serviced offices disguised as a boutique hotel. Or as an event space with catering services. Or as a bar where you can play chess and rake trails in a Zen garden. Or, if it gets all too complicated, simply a 'meeting space' - which is what the project's founder, Tony Chen, calls it.


Because that's what it is, in essence. Operated by apbcOffices, a premium boutique serviced-office provider of which Mr Chen is the chief executive officer, the chief aim of the rejuvenated building opposite The Treasury is to promote interaction between the environment and its tenants, as well as among them.

'Our aim is to bring lifestyle into a working environment,' says Mr Chen. 'Times have changed, it's not like 50 years ago. Now, you have lifestyle where you stay, where you play and where you go to restaurants. It's unavoidable; you can see it everywhere whether it's in the form of a handphone or a laptop. And since we spend much time at work, surely, we would also like lifestyle at work?

'Besides, when you are relaxed, you tend to be more creative. And when you are creative, the company will benefit.'

Hotel-inspired concept

To that end, the building features a collection of creative-juicing workspaces, which range from floors of funky serviced offices with different colour themes, to a 'magnet space' on the ground floor that features a wall with a quirky animal print and a shared full-service bar in-built with the aforesaid chess set and Zen garden.

Meanwhile, in the basement, there are plushly carpeted, cocoon-like meeting areas in soothing white (where, we observed, meetings were being held with shoes off).

The ground floor and basement areas fall under apbcOffices' Face To Face component, which is intended to encourage people to meet in person as opposed to remotely, says Colin Seah of Ministry of Design, the design firm responsible for the project.

He elaborates: 'In our increasingly electronic age, the number of face-to-face interactions is decreasing and are being replaced by remote ones - e-mail, MSN, video and phone conferencing, etc.

'The Face To Face concept counterpoints this by providing rich opportunities and conducive environments for more person-to-person interaction. And we believe that by doing so, creativity and productivity will increase as face-to-face meetings allow for more creative, engaging and productive exchanges.'

The concept was inspired by a small hotel that Mr Chen visited about a year ago in France. 'What struck me was the amount of interaction between the design, the contents and the people there,' he says. 'In a lot of hotels, when you go in, you feel that it's just a room with facilities. But in this one, you can see the hotel is trying to interact with you - there are constantly changing messages in the lift lobbies, for example. And yet it wasn't a design that depended purely on building materials.'

apbcOffices at High Street (the company has three other locations in Singapore plus more in Malaysia and China, but 75 High Street is the only one with the Face To Face concept so far) opened about three months ago, with office space priced from $1,500 per workstation per month.

But that's not the only bit of the building that's for rent. Non-tenants may also book the Face To Face area as a corporate event space and apbc can organise catering too - all at a very minimal cost.

'We want to encourage creative companies to come and make use of the space here for their own needs, be it for press conferences, events or networking,' says Mr Chen. 'When you have creativity close by, it's always beneficial, for us and for our clients, and it will provide an advantage in any business.'

In future, the company plans to implement the Face To Face concept, either in part or in whole, at its other serviced offices. 'Our aim is to repeat this signature when and where possible from here onwards,' says Mr Chen. 'So this is only the beginning.'

Rock your world.....

ROCK your world..........
Despite the reputation of rocks being as dull as, well, rocks, their dazzling colors, intriguing shapes and sense of challenge or discovery can be Mother Nature at her most alluring. Sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous or molten, rocks exert an irresistible force that drives some of us to climb them, collect them and let them transport us back in time. Whether you're an adventurer, romantic or rock hound, these West Coast destinations will help you get in touch with your inner geologist.

-- 1. Red Rock Canyon, Las Vegas The fiery red boulders of Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area - just 17 miles from Las Vegas' flashing neon canyons - rise from the flat Mojave Desert. Hike these multistory rock formations or take the scenic drive to panoramic views of the Spring Mountain Range. 17 miles west of downtown Las Vegas on Charleston Boulevard/Highway 159, Las Vegas. (702) 242-2576. http://www.redrockcanyonlv.org/.
2. Drakesbad, California
Molten rock deep in the Earth is the source of steaming water and bubbling mud at Devils Kitchen and Boiling Springs Lake in the heart of Lassen Volcanic National Park. Both are a short walk from Drakesbad Guest Ranch, where the swimming pool is, of course, geothermal heated. Drakesbad Guest Ranch.
3. Agate Beach, Trinidad (Humboldt County)
Winter storms toss thousands of agates, valued for their natural luminescent beauty, onto this narrow strip of sand. After filling your pockets, don't miss the agate collection at the park visitor center. Access to the beach is from the day use area of Big Lagoon County Park. 4150 Patrick's Point Dr., Trinidad.
4. E. Hadley Stuart Jr. Hall of Gems and Minerals, Los Angeles
While not exactly a hidden gem (it's in the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County near downtown), it is one of the most significant gem and mineral collections west of the Smithsonian. The 150,000 specimens, including 50 meteorites, represent half the Earth's known mineral species.
5. Rock City, Mount Diablo State Park..
While it's hardly remote, you could be on another world among the sandstone formations. Climb Sentinel Rock or head up the 6.25-mile Trail Through Time, where signs guide you through 190 million years of geologic history. Diablo Road, off Interstate 680 to North Gate Road, Danville.

enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Glaucoma Drugs May take part in Role in Longer Life

Glaucoma Drugs May acquire part in Role in Longer Life..
People who take medication to treat glaucoma appear to outlive those who don't treat the eye disease, new research has found.
whether the reduced risk for premature death stems from the glaucoma drugs themselves or from the individuals' overall health or even their access to health care remains unclear.

Use of glaucoma drugs poses important questions for the more than 2 million Americans with the eyesight-threatening condition, which causes steady deterioration of the optic nerve, said Dr. Joshua D. Stein, an assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Michigan and lead author of a report on the research, published in the February issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.

"There are four or five classes of drugs for ophthalmology, and they have side effects," Stein said. "Among other things, they can affect kidney function and blood pressure, so it's important to know whether drug therapy is beneficial or detrimental to overall health."

The study, which involved 21,506 people with glaucoma or suspected glaucoma, came down strongly in favor of drug therapy. It found that the drugs do not harm overall health. And, it discovered that those who regularly took glaucoma medications had a 74 percent reduced risk for early death, compared with those who didn't take the drugs.

But Stein stressed that those numbers say nothing about whether or why regular use of glaucoma drugs lowered the chances of dying. "The type of data we are working with can't answer that question," he said.

It's possible that the medications are beneficial, acting to boost kidney function, lower blood pressure or otherwise improve general health, he said. "But the fact that all the different classes of medications have the same benefit suggests to me that it might not be the medications themselves," Stein said. "It could be the types of patients who are receiving the medications. Patients who have more life-threatening conditions are less likely to get glaucoma treatment, so perhaps they are healthier people in general. Or perhaps it is access to care. Some people who don't have access to glaucoma care have less access to medical care in general."

The new study is the latest contribution to a long-running debate about whether glaucoma itself can increase the risk for death, said Dr. Louis Pasquale, director of the glaucoma service at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital. A number of studies have come to differing conclusions on the issue, said Pasquale, who has published a meta-analysis of such studies.

Swiss technology tackles greying society

One WEF session heard Switzerland could no longer cling to a retirement age that was set generations ago

Technological advances could meet some of the challenges..
Swiss scientists in Davos outlined the latest medical, robotics, biomechanics and architectural research aimed at improving the lives of the elderly. But delegates also heard that tough political decisions would be necessary.

All demographic projections point to a marked increase in the number of pensioners in the next 50 years, coupled with a significant downturn in birth rates.

In Switzerland, the over-65s age group is tipped to make up a third of the population by 2050 compared to around 17 per cent at present. The phenomenon, which would be mirrored throughout the world, threatens to place an unbearable burden on social security and health systems while impeding economic output.

Some problems could be solved with technological advances aimed specifically at meeting the challenges. A team of professors from the Federal Institutes of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ) and Lausanne (EPFL) highlighted how such breakthroughs could relieve the burden on the public purse as well as on pensioners.



Science keeps you working
Breakthroughs in the field of biomechanics, for example, have made it possible to estimate the likelihood of bone fractures caused by normal domestic tasks such as lifting shopping bags. Such data could form the basis of preventative medical treatments, saving not only suffering but also more lengthy post-accident repair work.

Designing homes with the elderly in mind would both enhance the independence of occupants and reduce the need for household help. The use of robots and artificial intelligence could also serve similar functions, according to Dario Floreano, director of the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at EPFL.

Floreano’s research includes sensors that monitor fatigue levels to indicate how much physical activity can be safely undertaken. He is also developing robotic exoskeletons that would give walkers or lifters an extra boost and an array of robotic domestic help.

Vitamin D hortage is the main responsible for bones fraction..

Vitamin D seems to play a key role in many systems in the body... Vitamin D can reduce fractures in elderly....
Without sufficient vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Deficiency can arise from inadequate intake coupled with inadequate sunlight exposure; disorders that limit its absorption; conditions that impair conversion of vitamin D into active metabolites, such as liver or kidney disorders; or, rarely, by a number of hereditary disorders. Vitamin D deficiency results in impaired bone mineralization and leads to bone softening diseases, rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults, and possibly contributes to osteoporosis.
Vitamin D plays a number of other roles in human health including inhibition of calcitonin release from the thyroid gland. Calcitonin acts directly on osteoclasts, resulting in inhibition of bone resorption and cartilage degradation. Vitamin D can also inhibit parathyroid hormone secretion from the parathyroid gland, modulate neuromuscular and immune function and reduce inflammation.[

“Vitamin D seems to play a key role in many systems in the body, not just bones, but diseases like diabetes and certain cancers,” he said. “A serious shortage of vitamin D leads to a condition called osteomalacia, where your bone fails to mineralise.”

Vitamin D deficiency, he added, was linked to poor bone density and osteoporosis, and could occur in younger patients. Dr Gallacher said that among the hip fracture patients aged between 50 and 70 referred to him, most tended already to have very low bone density.

As people get older, their bodies become less adept at converting vitamin D from sunshine through their skin. To add to the problem, the diet in Scotland is traditionally low in vitamin D.

Dr Gallacher said: “In the United States, milk which is fortified with vitamin D can be purchased alongside ordinary milk and I think there’s an argument that it would be quite useful to do the same here. It makes logical sense to give people the choice.”

He welcomed the Scottish government’s recent move to raise awareness among pregnant women and young mothers about the importance of vitamin D.
Scotland now leads the world in following up cases of broken bones to trace their underlying cause and try to prevent further breaks. A fracture liaison service was pioneered in Glasgow in 1999. Now accessible to three quarters of the population of Scotland, the service means that anyone over 50 who suffers a fracture is automatically referred to have their bone density measured and, if low, their vitamin D level taken.
Those who have poor density, and are at risk of osteoporosis and further fractures, are treated with calcium and vitamin D supplements and other anti-osteoporosis therapies.
“We would like to have Scotland as the first country in the world with a comprehensive fracture liaison service,” said Dr Gallacher. “We’re 75 per cent of the way there and just need the financial investment to complete the loop. It would make Scotland a beacon for the rest of the world.”

Healthy & green relationship

Keep your relation healthy & green....

About Healthy Relationship........

know !!!!!!what constitutes a healthy relationship and the things you need to keep a relationship healthy.

Do not expect anyone to be responsible for your happiness. Accept yourself. Respect yourself. Love yourself first. Take good care of yourself. If you really want, you CAN always find something to do that makes you feel good about yourself right now. Love yourself, so pursue your true needs. Light up your true desires. Ask yourself why you didn't? Too often relationships fail because someone is unhappy and blames their partner for making them that way. Your life is ONLY under your control. Keep reminding yourself you are GOOD ENOUGH to have a happy life and a healthy relationship. Make yourself happy, and then share with one another.

Some things that must needed healthy relationship........

Develop a Healthy Relationship With Food...

An unhealthy relationship with food involves eating for emotional reasons instead of for nourishment. Food is important for both our body and our mind. Check yourself if you reach for food in times of stress, sadness or boredom, telltale signs of emotional eating.

Learn all you can about nutrition. Knowledge can empower you to make the right decisions and help you relate better to your food choices.
Know the best foods to eat and have a good understanding of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Also be aware of which foods to eat in moderation to avoid diet pitfall.

Makes a Healthy Relationship;;;
Hopefully, you and your significant other are treating each other well. Not sure if that's the case? Take a step back from the dizzying sensation of being swept off your feet and think about whether your relationship has these seven qualities:
Mutual respect. Does he or she get how cool you are and why? (Watch out if the answer to the first part is yes but only because you're acting like someone you're not!) The key is that your BF or GF is into you for who you are — for your great sense of humor, your love of reality TV, etc. Does your partner listen when you say you're not comfortable doing something and then back off right away? Respect in a relationship means that each person values who the other is and understands — and would never challenge — the other person's boundaries.
Trust. You're talking with a guy from French class and your boyfriend walks by. Does he completely lose his cool or keep walking because he knows you'd never cheat on him? It's OK to get a little jealous sometimes — jealousy is a natural emotion. But how a person reacts when feeling jealous is what matters. There's no way you can have a healthy relationship if you don't trust each other.
Honesty. This one goes hand-in-hand with trust because it's tough to trust someone when one of you isn't being honest. Have you ever caught your girlfriend in a major lie? Like she told you that she had to work on Friday night but it turned out she was at the movies with her friends? The next time she says she has to work, you'll have a lot more trouble believing her and the trust will be on shaky ground.
Support. It's not just in bad times that your partner should support you. Some people are great when your whole world is falling apart but can't take being there when things are going right (and vice versa). In a healthy relationship, your significant other is there with a shoulder to cry on when you find out your parents are getting divorced and to celebrate with you when you get the lead in a play.
Fairness/equality. You need to have give-and-take in your relationship, too. Do you take turns choosing which new movie to see? As a couple, do you hang out with your partner's friends as often as you hang out with yours? It's not like you have to keep a running count and make sure things are exactly even, of course. But you'll know if it isn't a pretty fair balance. Things get bad really fast when a relationship turns into a power struggle, with one person fighting to get his or her way all the time.
Separate identities. In a healthy relationship, everyone needs to make compromises. But that doesn't mean you should feel like you're losing out on being yourself. When you started going out, you both had your own lives (families, friends, interests, hobbies, etc.) and that shouldn't change. Neither of you should have to pretend to like something you don't, or give up seeing your friends, or drop out of activities you love. And you also should feel free to keep developing new talents or interests, making new friends, and moving forward.
Good communication. You've probably heard lots of stuff about how men and women don't seem to speak the same language. We all know how many different meanings the little phrase "no, nothing's wrong" can have, depending on who's saying it! But what's important is to ask if you're not sure what he or she means, and speak honestly and openly so that the miscommunication is avoided in the first place. Never keep a feeling bottled up because you're afraid it's not what your BF or GF wants to hear or because you worry about sounding silly. And if you need some time to think something through before you're ready to talk about it, the right person will give you some space to do that if you ask for it.


What's an Unhealthy Relationship?
A relationship is unhealthy when it involves mean, disrespectful, controlling, or abusive behavior. Some people live in homes with parents who fight a lot or abuse each other — emotionally, verbally, or physically. For some people who have grown up around this kind of behavior it can almost seem normal or OK. It's not! Many of us learn from watching and imitating the people close to us. So someone who has lived around violent or disrespectful behavior may not have learned how to treat others with kindness and respect or how to expect the same treatment.
Qualities like kindness and respect are absolute requirements for a healthy relationship. Someone who doesn't yet have this part down may need to work on it with a trained therapist before he or she is ready for a relationship. Meanwhile, even though you might feel bad or feel for someone who's been mistreated, you need to take care of yourself — it's not healthy to stay in a relationship that involves abusive behavior of any kind.
Warning Signs
When a boyfriend or girlfriend uses verbal insults, mean language, nasty putdowns, gets physical by hitting or slapping, or forces someone into sexual activity, it's an important warning sign of verbal, emotional, or physical abuse.
Ask yourself, does my boyfriend or girlfriend:
get angry when I don't drop everything for him or her?
criticize the way I look or dress, and say I'll never be able to find anyone else who would date me?
keep me from seeing friends or from talking to any other guys or girls?
want me to quit an activity, even though I love it?
ever raise a hand when angry, like he or she is about to hit me?
try to force me to go further sexually than I want to?
These aren't the only questions you can ask yourself. If you can think of any way in which your boyfriend or girlfriend is trying to control you, make you feel bad about yourself, isolate you from the rest of your world, or — this is a big one — harm you physically or sexually, then it's time to get out, fast. Let a trusted friend or family member know what's going on and make sure you're safe.
It can be tempting to make excuses or misinterpret violence, possessiveness, or anger as an expression of love. But even if you know that the person hurting you loves you, it is not healthy. No one deserves to be hit, shoved, or forced into anything he or she doesn't want to do.
Why Are Some Relationships So Difficult?
Ever heard about how it's hard for someone to love you when you don't love yourself? It's a big relationship roadblock when one or both people struggle with self-esteem problems. Your girlfriend or boyfriend isn't there to make you feel good about yourself if you can't do that on your own. Focus on being happy with yourself, and don't take on the responsibility of worrying about someone else's happiness.
What if you feel that your girlfriend or boyfriend needs too much from you? If the relationship feels like a burden or a drag instead of a joy, it might be time to think about whether it's a healthy match for you. Someone who's not happy or secure may have trouble being a healthy relationship partner.
Also, intense relationships can be hard for some teenagers. Some are so focused on their own developing feelings and responsibilities that they don't have the emotional energy it takes to respond to someone else's feelings and needs in a close relationship. Don't worry if you're just not ready yet. You will be, and you can take all the time you need.
Ever notice that some teen relationships don't last very long? It's no wonder — you're still growing and changing every day, and it can be tough to put two people together whose identities are both still in the process of forming. You two might seem perfect for each other at first, but that can change. If you try to hold on to the relationship anyway, there's a good chance it will turn sour. Better to part as friends than to stay in something that you've outgrown or that no longer feels right for one or both of you. And before you go looking for amour from that hottie from French class, respect your current beau by breaking things off before you make your move.
Relationships can be one of the best — and most challenging — parts of your world. They can be full of fun, romance, excitement, intense feelings, and occasional heartache, too. Whether you're single or in a relationship, remember that it's good to be choosy about who you get close to. If you're still waiting, take your time and get to know plenty of people.
Think about the qualities you value in a friendship and see how they match up with the ingredients of a healthy relationship. Work on developing those good qualities in yourself — they make you a lot more attractive to others. And if you're already part of a pair, mlove from ake sure the relationship you're in brings out the best in both of you.

keep always your relationship healthy ...then you can get love.... from others.....