I can’t tell you how many times I hear guys studying Pickup discuss the perils of ‘The Friend Zone.’ More often than not it is spoken of in hushed, ominous tones. “Keep out of that friend zone!” Allow me to morph your point of view on this subject. The ‘Zone’ isn’t something you should ever be worried about as long as it’s a tool that you are using yourself…

A while back I met a very hot redhead named Amy at a club. We really seemed to hit it off and I got what I considered to be a solid number close. Our first date was set. We ended up meeting for drinks a couple of days later at a local bar when I noticed something strange happening; no matter what I tried there just wasn’t much magic happening. Truth be told, regardless of how skilled you become, it is impossible to mesh perfectly with 100% of the ladies you date. So what now? This is where a little solid calibration comes in handy. I believe what many men would try is to ‘push through’ and continue attempting to create the chemistry with her until either it happens, or it doesn’t and she blows you off. Sound familiar?

So there we are sitting together in a plush leathery coach and I knew I was at that very crossroads. I really did want to take her home but I was aware if I continued to escalate that the chances of her blowing me off were very substantial. So I impulsively made the decision to try something new. Thus began the ‘Preemptive Friendzone’ technique. Before she had a chance to reject me outright I very warmly and sincerely friendzoned her first. The warmth and caring with which I did it was the key. The objective wasn’t to make her feel bad simply to feel like I rejected her first. My goal was to actually become friends with her. Let us briefly examine some of the more obvious benefits of having a hot female friend:

A: They will become an invaluable feedback resource for you. Who better to answer your questions about women and dating and all that stuff than a well practiced woman!

B: She becomes your Wing. You can and should assign them the job of hooking you up with other hot girls. Sorry guys, but I’ll take one of my lady friends any day of the week over the best PUA wingman.

C: There is a good probability that she will start lusting after you. As a matter of fact, it’s quite likely to occur eventually. I believe the reason for this is that once we are ‘just friends’ with them we release a lot of the pressure on ourselves. We no longer feel that urgency to attract them or make them comfortable or do whatever it was that you were doing that wasn’t working in the first place. I don’t like clichés much but it actually becomes easier to just be yourself.

Now if there is one thing that a hot girl is not used to it’s the guy telling her first that he just wants to be friends. She will be so confused, and every bit of it is to your advantage. The trick is to really mean it. You should not use this technique and be thinking ‘gonna get her in bed later, gonna get her in bed later. The ladies aren’t dumb and she will definitely notice if you are transparent. Simply let her go (at least for a little while;)as someone you are pursuing and just think about the dozens of other women she will introduce you to.

So I said to her, “First of all, I think you’re very chill. And you’re definitely very attractive too, I just feel like were really meant to be good buddies or something.” Pay close attention to her reaction, it will almost always be poorly masked shock. And from here you will find that the transition to a new and mutually beneficial friendship is relatively simple. Providing you have some basic social skills she will most likely hang out with you again simply because you friend zoned her first and by doing so tipped the status seesaw more in your favor. Just make sure that you are not deceiving yourself here. Are you truly behaving like a buddy would when you are together or are you still ‘gamin her?’

Here are a few telltale signs that indicate for me that I am really amongst friends: I burp a lot. I have lots of playful touching going on. I have no problem saying pretty offensive things. I am free to share my personal thoughts and feelings, etc… So just to sum things up: the friend zone should not ever be your goal initially. This technique is to be used when you are dealing with inevitable meltdown. That being said, you will find that cultivating hot female friends will have incredible benefits to your social life and love life as well.

Have fun,

Julian Foxx

PS: To this day Amy is still a good friend of mine somehow, even after I dated her sister;)

Yesterday the Netherlands scored what could be called one of the strangest goals I have ever witnessed in a world cup or anywhere else for that matter. This goal arriving in the first minute of the second half when Robin van Persie sent a cross in to the penalty box which in all truth shouldn’t have presented any problems for the Danish defense yet it did thanks to a mix up. Simon Poulsen in front of his own ball headed the incoming ball with some confusion which bounced off a fellow defender; Daniel Agger and went in to the back of the net to give the Netherlands a 1-0 lead.

From a technical point of view, it could be said that Agger scored the own goal which gave the Netherlands the lead yet it was Poulsen’s weak header which he later claimed surprised him, almost hitting him in the face that set up this fluke goal. This being the first time that an own goal of this nature had taken place in a world cup. It being Denmark’s defense who up and till that point had been holding the Netherlands’s powerful offense at bay yet it took but a fortunate deflection to change all this.

With a one goal lead the Netherlands would continue to press forward on attack, creating scoring chances though not very clear ones however a second goal would come thanks to

Dirk Kuyt, who simply tapped the ball in after it came of the Danish post to give his team a 2-0 victory.

With an eye to the next season of the English Premier league and the other European competitions, the Manchester United is now in the difficult quest of searching for a player good enough to fill Cristiano Ronaldo’s shoes, United’s superstar who decided to move to the Real Madrid. No doubt this will be a complicated task, not just because Ronaldo seems to be irreplaceable, but because the player who comes to take his place must have a high degree of commitment to the team as well as a very high level of play that allows him to adapt both to the group needs and to the demands of Sir Alex Ferguson. Whoever gets in charge of carrying on his shoulders this great responsibility, must be fully prepared and capable to be the main figure who leads the team with the goal of exceeding the expectations of the club’s officials as well as the coach, and who can develop and work as good as the Portuguese star did, which was one of the main reasons why Manchester managed to excel in recent years. Looking forward to that finding, the coach Ferguson has compiled a list of possible players that could replace Cristiano Ronaldo. Aware of the important decision to be taken, Sir Ferguson has included among his prospects, several candidates that according to his point of view, are those that most meet with the team’s expectations. There are already rumours circulating about who would be the possible candidates to substitute that who was one of the main attractions in the English team. Several players have been mentioned, some of them are recognized worldwide and the others might be not as famous by name, but are recognized by their excellent job at the football field. So far, there is a list of five possible replacements. One of the big names that has come to light is that of Samuel Eto’o; Manchester United has made very clear their interest in acquiring the services of Cameroon’s player, but while Ferguson handles the recruitment of Eto’o as a matter of many opportunities, the offer of the red’s team for the player’s trade does not exceed 20 million Euros, offer that doesn’t seem very attractive for the FC Barcelona, current team of the Eto’o. Another important name that stands out in that list is the famous Frank Ribéry, who currently plays for Bayern Munich and for whom the team is asking for the big amount of 76 million Euros. If there is an agreement, Bayern knows that Ribéry would be a great loss because they would not find a replacement easily due to the crisis in the Bundesliga football. However, it has been rumoured that the French midfielder would leave Germany only play in Spain with the Real Madrid, the other team that would be on negotiations with him, according to some speculations. Karim Benzema, another prospect in mind of Sir Alex Ferguson, is a French striker who plays for the Olympique Lyon, team that being aware of the many movements that are taking place in the Spanish football market, knows that they would have to let him go if the right offer comes along. Meanwhile, Douglas Costa, a 19-year-old young man that plays with the Gremio, team of the Brazilian first division, is a talented footballer who has a great recognition in Brazil, where he has been called as “the new Ronaldinho” and has been mentioned as an option in several European teams, is another player in the Red Devils’ sight, along with Antonio Valencia from Wigan, player for whom they’re offering 17.5 million Euros. For its part, Wigan has shown no interest in selling the Ecuadorian, saying that he is a great player and they will hold on to him as long as they can.

This article is about the China vacations and you can find some useful information in it if you are planning your China vacations now.

Beijing Botanical Garden is a very good choice for your China vacations.

Office hours: 7:00 – 17:00 (Outdoor Gardens), 8:30 – 16:30 (Wofosi temple), 8:30 – 16:30 (Cao’s Memorial), 8:30 – 16:30 (Conservatory).

Ticket price: 5 rmb for the entrance of the Beijing Botanical Garden (you can get 50% off if you can show them your student ID), 5 rmb for Wofosi temple, 10 rmb for the Cao’s Memorial, 50 rmb for the Conservatory (50% off for the student), 5 rmb for the battery bicycle.

To get here:

(1). You can take the city bus (Line 331, 634, 696, Yuntong 112 ) to the bus station named “Wofosi Temple” or “Beijing Zhiwuyuan”. Line 360, 318, 714, 698 city bus to the bus station named “Zhiwuyuan”.

(2). Take the Line 1 subway to the “Pingguoyuan” station, then transfer to the Line 318 city bus. (info for your China vacations and travel)

(3). Take the Line 2 subway to the “Xizhimen” station, then transfer to the Line 634 city bus (from the D exit of the subway).

(4). From the Beijing West Railway Station: Take the Line 374 or 437 city bus to the “Gongzhufen” station, then transfer to the Line 698 city bus.

Some tips for you:

(1). If you are planning to visit the Beijing Botanical Garden in the morning, you’d better leave your home in the early morning no matter you drive your car or take the bus. You will probably meet the traffic jam if you leave your home at 9 am or 10 am.
 
(2). To visit the Beijing Botanical Garden at 3 pm or 4 pm is not a bad choice. The garden is still very beautiful at this time and it will not be very crowded like the  morning. The traffic of Beijing is also in a better condition during this period of time.(info for your China vacations and tours)

(3). The Beijing Botanical Garden is very big but there are no good restaurants in it. You can bring your own food here if you want. (like chocolate, cookie, etc)

(4). In my point of view, the most attractive places of this botanical garden is: China rose garden, music fountain, Cherry Valley. The Tropical Conservatory is very beautiful too, but you will need to pay an extra 50 rmb for it.

About the Tropical Conservatory in the Beijing Botanical Garden:

The Tropical Conservatory was located in the center of Beijing Botanical Garden. It started on March 28, 1998 and was open to public on January 1, 2000. It was ranked as one of the Ten Buildings of Beijing in the 1990s, and with an area of 9,800 square meters, it stands as the largest exhibition conservatory in Asia.(info for your China vacations and China trip) It also boasts the country’s advanced facilities. The conservatory is divided into four display areas, including the tropical rainforest area, the cacti and succulents area, the orchids, bromeliads & carnivorous plant garden and the four-season garden. Totally more than 3100 taxa of tropical and subtropical plants grow in these areas, which makes the conservatory an important site for people to know more about plant science and nature, and for scientists and researchers to conserve plant resources and conduct research.

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Now let’s assume that this web page belongs to a site that sells products online. The very fact that half the users cannot even see the page, translates into losses worth half the amount straightaway (perhaps, even more!) Hence we present here a blend of different creative skills & technical prowess – and one is no less important than the other.

In the following lines, we have jotted down a few points that we noticed during our observation on online sites which are important from the point of view of web designers. Some of them may be taken with a pinch of salt; for it is not possible to please everyone every time. But most of them are simple enough to be used as a rule of thumb.

1. A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words. A picture file, alas, is also almost as big. Images, no doubt, enhance the look of a page, but it is not advisable to go overboard in stuffing your page with a truckload of images. Most net-surfers use a dial-up connection and the average time to load a page should be no longer than 5 seconds. If it’s longer, the surfer will most probably click away elsewhere. So, within this time, all the images on a page must be loaded as well. So, as a rough yardstick, keep the aggregate page size less than 30k.

Another important point to note is that each file on the page requires a separate HTTP request to the server. So a lot of small images – even if they do not add up to a lot in terms of bytes – will slow down the loading a lot.

Even when you must use images for navigation, please give a second thought to the users who will not be seeing those jazzy, fantastic & truly amazing buttons that you spent hours to design. Yes, we are talking of the ALT text attribute of the IMG tag. Do not forget to provide an Alternate Text for each image that you use for navigation. (It may be left blank for certain images that are purely for aesthetic reasons, but let that be an exception, rather than the rule.) Though not obviously apparent, ALT text can help such users immensely.

Modern browsers offer users a choice to turn off images. This gives an idea of how troublesome the unwanted images could be.

A couple of more attributes that make your pages load faster are the HEIGHT and WIDTH attributes. Without these, the browser must wait for the image to download since it cannot know how much space to leave for them!

2. Navigability & functionality come before artistic excellence. It is no use making your site a masterpiece of art if users cannot navigate around it – even after they reach the main page; they have no clue as to how to go where they want to go.

3. Especially common, is a kind of navigation that some people call Mystery Meat Navigation. That means that unless your mouse moves over an image, you have no idea where that link might take you. Only when the mouse hovers do you see the actual link. This is cumbersome because users need to move their mouse all over the place to find out which part is a link and which is not.

4. Follow the K.I.S.S. principle: Keep it simple, stupid!

5. Next is a very important practical suggestion: whenever your whole page is within a TABLE, the page cannot render (i.e., the page does not show on the screen) unless the entire table is downloaded. You might have noticed this on several websites, when there is no activity for a long time, and suddenly the entire page is visible. Hence, to avoid such a situation, what you should do is this: Split the table up into two tables one below the other, and let the top one be a short table that displays just the page header and a few navigation links. So now, immediately upon downloading this part of the page, users can see the page header – and this prepares them for the long wait ahead, as well as keeps them from leaving your site to go to other sites, in case of a slow connection.

6. The ongoing browser wars have left only one casualty – the user. As a word of caution, stay away from all browser-specific functions. Because if a certain feature is supported by one browser, it will most definitely not be supported by another. Where you must use such features, it should not hamper the display of the page in the other browser which does not support such functionality. In other words, your page should degrade gracefully.

7. Creating a new browser window should be the authority of the user only. Do not try to popup new windows to clutter the user’s screen. All links must open in the same window by default. An exception, however, may be made for pages containing a links list. It is convenient in such cases to open links in another window, so that the user can come back to the links page easily. Even in such cases, it is advisable to give the user a prior note that links would open in a new window.

8. Keep in mind the fonts-challenged users too. The ultra-jazzy “Cloister Black MT Light” font that looks so amazing on your machine may well be degraded into plain old Times New Roman on your user’s machine. The reason? He/she does not have the font installed on his/her machine – and one thing’s obvious – there’s nothing you can do about the situation, sitting halfway across the globe from them.

9. Stay clear of out-of-the-way hard-to-find fonts. Use plain vanilla fonts like Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, and Courier. If need be, make your jazzy fonts into an image and put that on the page. (And while you’re there, do not forget Tip #1.)

10. A new design trick that is increasingly being used on the web has caught my fancy: It is a very functional navigation bar that guides you across all possible paths within the site. It looks something like this –  Read More: