Joga.com is the latest social networking site on the block. The site was created by Google and Nike, which targets football fans. For now, it is by invite only but it should be expected to go live by this week.

“The two companies have been working on the site for the past eight months and are expected to publicly unveil it this week, BusinessWeek has learned. Nike is supplying the content, and Google is the technical partner. But the site looks similar to other social-networking outlets such as News Corp.’s (NWS) MySpace.

ONE GOAL. Joga.com is a free network where members will be able to create Web sites and send e-mail, photos, and video clips, as well as access Nike content related to its sponsored athletes such as Brazilian superstar Ronaldino or U.S. soccer prodigy Freddy Adu, according to Nike officials who confirmed the new initiative. Google officials did not return calls.”

I wonder would this be better then Orkut, hope Nike and a niche footballer market would be able to make this a success.

Link -   Nike, Google Kick Off Social-Networking Site

I’ll be the first to admit I’m the “Donna-come-lately” in this game of simultaneously managing a business and a romantic relationship.  When I was married the first time around at age 26, I worked in higher education administration and was completely and totally devoted to my job — not necessarily to the exclusion of my marriage — but for many years my marriage and my relationship took a back seat to my job.  Big mistake.  That issue and a host of other reasons led to the dissolution of my marriage and the finalization of my divorce after almost 10 years of marriage in 1999.

I went for two full years without dating, as I needed to grieve the relationship and heal myself and come to terms
with all of my issues surrounding my marriage and divorce before deciding to put my toe again into the dating pool and foist all of these hangups on some unsuspecting guy. This aspect of my healing went pretty well, although I’ll have to admit it took probably 3 years or so after my initial separation to fully work through all the anger I had about the relationship and the divorce.

I began dating again and vowed that things would be different this time. I discovered, however, that dating had
changed dramatically in the 13 years or so that I’d been absent from the dating scene, and that I still had alot to
learn about being a good partner in a romantic relationship, as well as in figuring out what I wanted in a romantic partner.  I saw the good, bad, and ugly sides of men, kissed alot of frogs, and learned a great deal about myself and what I really wanted during my journey.

Synchronicity occurs when you’re ready and open to receive what you truly want.  For me, that occurred last fall when I met the man I had been looking for all of my life, Eric. For me, it was love almost at first sight, but I knew by our second date that I had never had this degree of compatibility with anyone I had ever dated before — not even my ex-husband, and I had married him!

Our relationship is still in its infancy, although we both feel like we’ve been together and known each other forever. Perhaps we have in another life, if you believe in reincarnation…..

Here are some things I’ve learned through the school of hard knocks that’s helping me maintain this relationship, as well as run a business, without losing either:

1.  Put your partner and the relationship first.  Running a business can be a 24/7 job, but the old adage about “no one ever says on their deathbed that they wished they’d spent more time at the office” is true.   Eric and I make time for each other during the day, despite working different schedules (he works many night and weekend shifts, and I run my business during the weekday business hours).  If he’s at work, we manage to talk at least twice for short periods during his 12-hour shift, and if he’s home during the day when I’m working at home, we try and eat one meal together.  At a minimum we drop into each other’s home offices for several quick smooches or hugs or quick “how are you doing” conversations.

In the past he’s expressed to me his concerns that our relationship is interfering with my business.  I’ve told
him that he’s right — it is — and that because he’s in my life, I’ve had to start thinking about my business
differently and work in it differently than I did as a single person.  I don’t work the long hours that I used to work before he came into my life.  It takes me longer to get things done, but it’s a sacrifice that I’m willing to
make.  Businesses come and go, but finding a soulmate is VERY hard work.

2.  Your partner needs to be your best friend.  Eric is the one with whom I share everything.  I may not always like what he says, but I respect his opinion. When I was married, I somehow got off track with my ex in terms of
sharing my hopes and dreams and what I wanted in life, and shared those exclusively with my best female friend.  My ex was left out of the loop, and I made many decisions about our relationship on my own, after talking about the issue with my best female friend, not my ex-husband. Having 3 people in a relationship (2 spouses and a best friend) is one too many.  Sharing information with a best friend is fine, but don’t do it to the exclusion of your romantic partner, if you want your relationship to survive.

3.  Create a calendar consisting of free days, business development days, and profit-generating days. I have mapped out on my calendar my free days (weekends, days off, holidays, and vacation days), my business development days (when I write, speak, conduct marketing activities or pursue strategic alliances) and profit-generating days (when I’m working directly with clients). This has been an exercise in extreme discipline for me, as the temptation is always there to do some type of work on my free days. However, in the last year, I’ve made myself keep my free days free, as I need that time to get away from my business and have fun and recharge.

Since Eric has come into my life, we’ve set aside some of that time for date nights or weekend vacations when he’s doesn’t have to work on a weekend. His impish side comes out on his days off during the week when he tries to lure me out of my office to go out and goof off with him.  I’ve succumbed to his whims on occasion, but haven’t quite gotten my business to the point of of having it run successfully without me.  That’s my next goal — to have more flexibility in my business so that it’s not so dependent on my presence in my office.

4.  Share your business highs and lows with your partner. Every time I have a big business “win”, Eric is the first
to hear about it.  When something doesn’t go the way I’d hoped, I tell him first. My business is important to me, as is Eric’s job to him, so we both make it a point to ask how the day has gone for the other, and sit and listen
patiently to the good and bad portions of each other’s day. As we’re both problem-solvers, it’s difficult for each of
us to sometimes simply let the other one vent, as we’re already thinking of solutions to whatever situation is at
hand. Sometimes one of us has to say, “Do you just want to vent and have me listen?” when one of us shifts into the unwanted problem-solving mode.

5.  Make time for each other.  When you have opposing work schedules, as Eric and I have, and add mandatory overtime that Eric has to work frequently during the year, we may see little of each other over the course of a week.  We’ve both gotten good at sensing that we’re losing track of each other, and requesting a “date night” so we can talk and play and catch up.

6.  Never go to bed angry. By far, this is the hardest lesson I’ve had to learn.  When I was married, I would get
angry at my ex and give him the silent treatment for days because I knew it drove him crazy.  Usually by day 3 or so he would crack, and we’d make up.  Now that I look back on this, I realize how immature and juvenile this way of fighting is, so the silent treatment is out as a way of fighting in my current relationship.  Eric and I have had our share of spats and disagreements, and I’m almost always the first one to wave the white flag for a truce and an end to the argument, usually within the course of an hour or so.  Life is just too short to continue to fight in stupid ways, and it’s hard to regroup in a relationship if you let something fester overnight.

7.  Forgive each other for being human. It took me a long time to acknowledge that I’m not perfect, and even longer to figure out that no romantic relationship is perfect, either. Give up the notion of perfection and accept each other as you are.  One of my great faults in romantic relationships has always been the need to “fix” my partner. I’d see the potential in a guy and stay in a relationship long after it was dead, under the guise of, “Well, if you’d only do this and this and this, you’d be so great, because you have so much potential.”  Oprah said something along the lines of, “believe what they tell you the first time they tell it.”  We all bring our quirks, our baggage, and our eccentricities into relationships, and do and say things that drive our partners completely nuts.  Remember that forgiveness is divine, and that it’ll only be a matter of time before you need forgiveness.

8.  Say “I love you” every day…and mean it. I feel so lucky and so fortunate to have finally met the man of my
dreams.  I always thought that often-quoted line, “You complete me,” that Renee Zellweger’s character says to Tom Cruise’s character in the movie, Jerry Maguire,  was so hokey.  However, now that I’ve found someone with whom I’m so compatible, I’ve discovered a whole new meaning and nuance to that line.  I tell Eric that I love him at least once each and every day, and then go on to tell him some trait or some action he’s taken that makes me fall in love with him all over again.

Being in love and running a business don’t have to be mutually exclusive.  Both endeavors are hard work, and if
you forget that point, you can lose one or the other in a flash. Take time to nourish both your business and your
romantic relationship, and discover how having both in your life will make your life all the richer.

—————————————————-
Online Business Coach Donna Gunter helps self-employed professionals make more profit in less time online.  To sign up for more FREE tips like these and claim your FREE ebook, TurboCharge Your Productivity:  50 + Tools To Help You Automate Your Business and Make More Profit in Less Time Online!, visit her site at
http://www.OnlineBizCoachingCompany.com .

Most of us have many dreams about what relationships will be like or should be like. We’ve lived with these dreams forever, so when the real thing happens, and we find
ourselves in a relationship  reality can be quite a shock.

Some people feel tricked, trapped or like failures. Others do everything under the sun to change their partner, change themselves, or figure out why their marriage is different
from the way they thought it would be.

The first step in truly understanding relationships,
however, is to realize that what we dream about or imagine,
is not necessarily what is going to happen to us. And that
doesn’t mean there is something wrong with ourselves or our
relationship. It just means that we didn’t know what to
truly expect.

Here are six facts that no one ever told you about
relationships that is important for you to understand. When
you do, you’ll find that many of the tangles loosen and as
you relax your relationship can grow naturally.

Number 1) Relationships are not static.

They can, will and must change. No two people stay the same
during the course of a life time. Their needs, wishes, and
interests vary. It is unreasonable to expect that
relationship partners will always grow and change in the
same ways, at the same time. This has to be accepted and
included in the relationship. It is not necessary for the
two of you to always think the same way, like the same
things, or be in the same place at the same time. Just
because you may have different tastes or interests doesn’t
mean that the two of you aren’t in love. For relationships
to remain vital and healthy it is necessary to have a core
of mutual interests, activities and desires, but,  it is
also crucial to make room for differences between you.
This doesn’t necessarily mean you are growing apart. It may
just mean that you are growing, and will have even more
love and understanding to bring to your partner in the long
run.

Number 2)  Romantic feelings of excitement, intoxication
and infatuation necessarily wax and wane.

Many people expect to feel “in love” with their partner on
a daily basis. By this they mean having romantic feelings
of excitement and infatuation, feeling as though they can’t
wait to see the person, and miss them if they’re gone.
These individuals must learn the crucial difference between
loving a partner and being “in love”. Romantic feelings of
excitement, intoxication and infatuation necessarily wax
and wane. There are times they appear and are very
enjoyable -other times they fade into the background. This
does not mean something is wrong or that you do not love
each other.  Love is not based upon fluctuating feelings,
but upon a solid foundation of mutual respect,
consideration and communication. Although it is wonderful
and important to set aside time for romantic time together,
the daily on-goingness of life requires a much deeper
understanding of what it means to truly love. Love is often
tested in the fire, and frequently sacrifice is needed. In
order to truly love, one must grow as a person, and that is
what relationships are for - to help us grow in our ability
to discover what love really is..

Number 3) Love is not dependency.

It’s all right to be who you are, be different from him,
have friends and activities of your own. It’s also all
right, to give him time with his friends and private space.
Love always includes trust of the other, and the knowledge
that the more your partner is able to enjoy others, the
more he will be able to enjoy being with you. The less you
suffocate and possess him, the more he will want to be with
you. The less you let him suffocate you, the more you will
love him and the more he will respect you. It’s fine to be
two, separate, whole people. From that basis, a lot of love
can grow.
{mospagebreak}
Number 4) Being angry doesn’t mean you do not love each
other.

Some feel that as soon as they are angry with their partner
or their partner is angry with them the love has gone out
the window. Of course, if anger goes on for too long, or is
not dealt with properly, it certainly can erode the quality
of a relationship. But being angry is not a sign that he
doesn’t love you, or you him. It is simply a sign that it
is time for good, open, honest, careful communication to
take place. On-going communication is the heart and soul of
every good relationship.

When we bottle up our needs and feelings and pretend to be
who we are not, then all that has been hidden will explode
through anger. But, when we recognize anger, irritation or
resentment as it arises, and freely discuss our needs or
responses with our partner, not only does the anger
diminish, but our relationship grows closer. Take anger as
a sign that you are being an opportunity to communicate
more and know each other better. Let it make you closer,
not further apart.

Number 5) Even though you’re together all the time, you
still must make time for one another.

Actually, you must actually carve out more time for each
other when you live together. Living together it’s easy to
take one another’s presence for granted. But just because
the person is there physically, does not necessarily mean
you’re sharing quality time. Children, errands, pressures
at work and social obligations can create a whir of
activity, but not intimate time between the two of you.
Carve out intimate time when the two of you are alone. Go
some place special. Make time to talk and hug. Make time to
have fun alone. This is a wonderful refresher to every
marriage and should be done at least weekly.

Number 6)  Being together for a long time doesn’t have to
take the magic away.

It’s wonderful to have someone at your side, who you share
experiences with year after year. There is no way to
replace a person who you’ve gone through many years with,
sharing common experiences and memories. The sense of
continuity and trust that can develop between you is a
jewel. It is wonderful to wake up each morning, knowing
this person is at your side. As the years pass you know
each other better and better, whatever happens you both
know there is someone there for you, who understands what
you are going through. As our ability to share grows, the
burdens of life diminish greatly, and the joys intensify as
well.

Cc/author/2005

—————————————————-
Discover the surprising truths about love that will save
your relationship, in Dr. Shoshanna’s new e-book Save Your
Relationship (21 Basic Laws of Successful Relationships).
http://www.truthaboutlove.com . Dr. Shoshanna is a
psychologist, relationship expert on i.village.com,
speaker, and author of many books, including The Anger
Diet, (30 Days To Stress Free Living),
http://www.theangerdiet.com.,Zen And The Art of Falling In
Love, (Simon and Schuster), Why Men Leave (Putnam), and
many others. You can contact her at mailto:
mailto:topspeaker@yahoo.com . Her personal website is:
http://www.brendashoshanna.com/

So you think you might just get lucky and land yourself a kiss with your hot date this Valentine’s Day? Think again.

Kissing might just kill you, according to a report released last week.

French kissing with multiple partners almost quadruples a teenager’s risk of spinal meningitis, a potentially life-threatening disease, researchers claim.

In a study involving 114 young men and women aged 15 to 19 who had been admitted to English hospitals with meningococcal disease in 1999 and 2000, it was found that those who had kissed intimately with multiple partners were 3.7 times likelier to catch the disease.

The research, which is published online by the British Medical Journal (BMJ), was led by Robert Booy of the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance in Sydney, Australia.

Meningococcal disease is caused by a bacterial or viral infection of the spinal cord and the fluid that surrounds it.

The symptoms are fever, headache and a stiff neck, which can proceed to nausea, vomiting and seizures.

Viral meningitis is generally far less severe than bacterial meningitis, which can lead to brain damage, hearing loss or even death if untreated swiftly with antibiotics.

In short, kiss too many people and you might just fall over and die!

There goes the mistletoe next Christmas. Farewell to my romantic plans on February 14 later this week.

Here’s the lowdown:

• Holding hands can cause Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease (HFMD)
• Kissing can kill you
• Sex puts you at risk of catching the HIV virus
• Oral sex is still illegal in Singapore

DAMN! And you wonder why we are ranked second from bottom in the Durex sex survey ???

When humans interact or build a relationship, we always like to have phyiscal touch. In the past, being able to touch your loved ones, friends and associates by hugging or a simple hand shake was relatively easy, as your loved ones would mostly be living in close proximity.

These days, with the internet, - the ability to communicate around the global almost instantly and rampant immigration, we find ourselves having to maintain relationships across contienents. As great a tool the internet maybe, it still lacks the ability for phyiscal touch.

Today, scientists from Singapore have already moved to the next dimension, according to Reuters. They devised a vibration jacket for chickens (bird flu prevention ?) and are studying electronic children’s pajamas for cyberspace hugs, while researching for ways to transmit the sense of touch over the Internet.

How does this work ?

A wireless jacket for chickens or other pets can be controlled with a computer and gives the animal the feeling of being touched by its owner, researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) told Monday’s edition of The Straits Times. The next step would be to use the same concept to transmit hugs over the Internet, they said.

“These days, parents go on a lot of business trips, but with children, hugging and touching are very important,” the paper quoted NTU Associate Professor Adrian David Cheok as saying.

NTU is thinking of a pajama suit for children, which would use the Internet to adjust changes in pressure and temperature to simulate the feeling of being hugged. Parents wearing a similar suit could be “hugged” back by their kids, he paper said.

Cyberspace Hugging Anyone ? - Reuters UK
Singapore scientists embrace plan for cyberhugs - sabcnews.com

This question just came across my mind. I was wondering: how many of you would mind if your life partner used to be a porn star ?

Here is the scenario : You are married happily for 5 years, when one day your colleague comes to you and says “Hey, I saw your partner on a porn video” and shows you the video of your partner having a great time in the film.

After some investigation, you find out the film was made before you got to know your partner, and that your partner has stopped being a porn star after knowing you, but he/she didn’t tell you about his/her past.

What would your reaction be after such a find? And how would you react if it was you would was in the movie?

For me, I am not sure what I would do in the given situation. My conclusion would be to come clean before you get married. This would help lessen any unwelcoming situations.

Comments ?