by Glotime | May 24, 2016 | Featured, General, GloWellness
Owning your own home is a dream most people aspire to and is increasingly tough in these days of rising house prices. But how important is it to actually buy rather than rent. We examine some of the pros and cons of buying versus renting – pointing out the advantages and pitfalls of both.
Renting is something we tend to hide in the UK, as it has become a bit of a shameful secret, whereas on the Continent or in Europe, it seems to be far more acceptable and more transparent in people’s lives.
There are certainly many advantages to living in rental accommodation depending on your lifestyle and plans for the future. Student accommodation is a given in that gives the young adult the first taste of ones own living space, with some of the responsibility, and with the option to quickly move on when the course and tenancy is over. Likewise with young professionals who are starting out in their career without a deposit or ability to obtain a mortgage, although rents are now quite high which is another deterrent to paying out huge amounts of ‘dead’ money which can prevent you from saving for a down payment.
Some individuals prefer to pay out rather than take on the responsibility of a mortgage which they find stifling, and all the added price tags that come with owning a property. If in rental accommodation this is the job of the landlord – and anything that leaks, breaks down or needs replacing can be handed over to the owner.
A word of caution about renting however, a recent incident with a ruthless Landlord with a host of rental properties, always held two months deposit, which was supposed to be returned at the end or on vacation of a property. He consistently over charged for what was mere day to day depreciation of the interior decor, and had had this down to a fine art until one canny tenant reported him to the Fair Rents tribunal and he has never repeated this behaviour since that time. But there are a lot of Landlords who are still ripping off of tenants in the same way.
It has always been a recommendation from Financial Advisors to invest in ‘bricks and mortar’ because even if house prices decrease in a recession, you can bet your bottom dollar that they will pick up with the economy and regain their value very quickly.
The new government ‘right to buy’ scheme is something that a lot of young couples and singles are looking at and provide access to affordable mortgages. 
Even for the more mature over 60s some building societies are providing mortgages up to the age of 75 or older. So the options are there for all of us.
It does all come down in the end to our individual values and what is important to us in our lives right now. What I would recommend is that you evaluate and investigate all of your options – and then sit down and make a plan based upon your own list of pros and cons regarding buying versus renting.
by Dee | May 20, 2016 | Featured, GloWellness, Travel
Los Angeles is an obvious choice for those of you who want some genuine star quality treatment in the land where glamour and celebrity comes with the territory. As our roving reporter is there now she is feeding back some fabulous LA locations.
Heading off to Hollywood has an excitement of its own as the California weather really picks you up and you feel that anything is possible. The vibe is positive as are the people, and why look beneath the surface, because an Escape is what it is and you don’t need more than that for a vacation in the sun and with so much at your fingertips.
You can get some very good inclusive deals with a great new discovery http://www.business-flights.co.uk. A helpful and friendly rep called Ashley cut us a great deal, and we were off Premium Economy on BA with a fab four star hotel situated in Beverly Hills called The Angeleno. http://www.hotelangeleno.com But this is just one of the packages that are on offer for a visit to LA. 
If you want beaches they are here in abundance, one we would suggest is Santa Monica where you have access to the fabulous sea front and if you get restless you can head off to 3rd Street which is just stone’s throw away, with a long line of retail outlets from the exclusive designer outlets to high street brands.
If you are a shopaholic, near Rodeo in Beverly Hills is Wilshire Boulevard – there are three stores side by side which have a little of everything with designer brands in abundance with Barney’s Saks 5th Avenue and Neiman Marcus.
Head off to Robertson where there are some nice exclusive boutiques, start at the corner of Robertson and Beverly – you will see Tommy Hilfiger, and walk from there. You will see everything from Chanel to chic. Then stop at lunch at the Ivy, no relation to our London restaurant, but great for lunch on a sunny day.
If you want to check out the shopping malls, The Grove has Nordstrom, H crew, Vince, Toyshop, Zara. Also a fantastic farmers market with stalls for you to browse the local produce. Also mini shops with cuisine from Malaysia to good old American burgers. 
The Beverly Center indoor mall has Bloomingdales and Macys at either end, with some great outlets in between. Check their website for details of outlets and where they are located. http://www.beverlycenter.com/ 
Make sure you experience the famous sea salt body scrub by one of the accomplished professionals, there are spas across the City- try the Korean Spas, Beverly hot springs, which are the only natural hot springs in the city. This will reboot your system ready to hit the many fabulous hot spots of Beverly Hills. 
We will also be giving you the lowdown on star spotting in LA and the best places to hang out in the next week on Glotime.tv. Check back with us here soon.
by Dee | May 17, 2016 | Featured, Glo Arts & Entertainment, GloWellness
Centuries ago when the Ancient Greeks performed in Amphitheaters and hundreds of years ago when William Shakespeare was inspired to write plays and sonnets which have all survived the test of time.
What makes a piece of work or creation so timeless and inspiring, and how is it that certain human beings have been gifted with such talent, that will inspire and influence so many for so long.
As someone brought up in a creative environment, I have asked that question so many times. It is true that great artists and writers have given up their lives to continue their work, and certainly have to make tough life choices around family and dedication.
My own parents who devised, wrote and created so many kids TV shows over the decades were a focused couple whose work had to come first, and second and everything else third. I am not saying that I have any regrets or recriminations, because as an adult I have benefited strongly from their influence in the creative industries, and even if I have personally chosen slightly different priorities, like family from time to time, I have still been given the choice to pursue whatever is available to me and that means to follow my creative path as well as my emotional one. 
My mother Sylvia Anderson always taught me that creativity should become before the pursuit of money and was very unusual even then, as the hedonistic lifestyle and attitudes had already kicked in.
Another very wise friend who has had a strong influence on my life, Andy White who is the leading mosaic artist internationally, has adopted that life path completely, and even though he was an affluent psychologist, when going through a touch time emotionally, discovered that he had an incredible talent for telling stories through creating images with discarded tiles and china. www.andywhitemosaics.co.uk. He feels that we avoid our creative path because every time we write a piece of prose, or paint a picture or write a song, we are reinvented, which is a hard pill to swallow. 
Back to Sylvia and Gerry, my parents who spent hours creating the inspirational stories that became the template for so many iconic episodes of their series over the years. I have to say that in a recent conversation with my mother before her recent sad passing, she did say that she was extremely grateful that she had the opportunity of having her creative ideas recognised, as the men the Company, and we are talking Century 21, were only interested in making movies and not writing them. The rest is history.
But not everyone has the opportunity to discover their talents, let alone make them as internationally applauded, but the latter is the least important, because if you make time for yourself and follow your heart, you will find the benefits are returned to you over and over again. It may be that you have the urge to paint, but don’t believe you can, or write a book, but have no evidence of a writing talent. How will you know if you don’t try.
The thing that stops most people is the fear of ridicule, a friend of mine who shall remain un-named had never sung a song in her life but had the desire to form a band. I persuaded a very close friend who is also a brilliant singer-songwriter to work with her to get the band together, thinking that she would do a couple of rehearsals which would satisfy her yearning and that would be it. Instead of which she is now running a successful band ten years later, with two local residencies, and has adapted her voice to suite a genre of music which does not require a wide vocal range.
We would love to hear from any of you out there who are thinking about doing something ‘outside the box’ creatively – perhaps we can help inspire you and help you on your journey. Remember, the only limitations are those you put on yourself – take it from one who knows.
