Good Strory

Tahukah Anda,mengapa anak kecil tertawa ketika anda ayunkan ke atas?                                                    Karena ia tahu bahwa anda pasti akan menangkapnya & tidak akan membiarkannya jatuh.Itulah Keyakinan.

Begitupula keyakinan kepada ALLAH.                                   Walaupun keadaan buruk melempar kita,yakinlah bahwa kasih sayang Allah pasti akan menangkap kita sebelum kita terjatuh.      

                  

Have a Quality Time with your family.

Nice Story

Tua itu PASTI, tapi Dewasa itu PILIHAN 

Suatu malam, ibu yg bangun sejak pagi, bekerja keras sepanjang hari, membereskan rumah tanpa pembantu, jam tujuh malam ibu selesai menghidangkan makan malam utk ayah, sangat sederhana, berupa telur mata sapi, tempe goreng, sambal teri dan nasi. Sayangnya karena mengurusi adik yg merengek, tempe dan telor gorengnya sedikit gosong! Saya melihat ibu sedikit panik, tapi tdk bisa berbuat banyak, minyak gorengnya sdh habis. Kami menunggu dgn tegang apa reaksi ayah yg pulang kerja pasti sdh capek, melihat makan malamnya hanya tempe dan telur gosong. Luar biasa! Ayah dgn tenang menikmati dan memakan semua yg disiapkan ibu dgn tersenyum dan bahkan berkata, "Bu terima kasih ya!" Lalu ayah terus menanyakan kegiatan saya & adik di sekolah. Selesai makan, masih di meja makan, saya mendengar ibu meminta maaf krn telor & tempe yg gosong itu & satu hal yg tidak pernah sy lupakan adalah apa yg ayah katakan... "Sayang, aku suka telor & tempe yg gosong." Sebelum tidur, saya pergi untuk memberikan ciuman selamat tidur kpd ayah, saya bertanya apakah ayah benar-benar menyukai telur & tempe gosong?" Ayah memeluk saya erat dengan kedua lengannya & berkata, "Anakku, ibu sdh bekerja keras sepanjang hari & dia benar-benar sdh capek, Jadi sepotong telor & tempe yg gosong tidak akan menyakiti siapa pun kok!"  

Ini pelajaran yg saya praktekkan di tahun-tahun berikutnya... "Belajar menerima kesalahan orang lain, adalah satu kunci yg sangat penting utk menciptakan sebuah hubungan yg sehat, bertumbuh & abadi". 

Ingatlah emosi tdk akan pernah menyelesaikan masalah yg ada, jadi selalulah berpikir dewasa. Mengapa sesuatu hal itu bisa terjadi pasti punya alasannya sendiri. Janganlah kita menjadi org yg egois, yg hanya mau dimengerti, tapi tdk mau mengerti. Mari... belajar menjadi seorang yang DEWASA utk slalu menghargai pengabdian/pengorbanan mereka yg berusaha terus hanya memberi yg terbaik utk kita terimalah apa adanya semua berbahagia

Sent from The Milky Ways

Via Samsung Mobile

Kasih Ibu

Seorang anak bertengkar denganibunya & meninggalkan rumah. Saat berjalan ia baru menyadari bahwa ia

sama sekali tidak membawa uang. Ia melewati sebuah kedai bakmi. Ia ingin sekali memesan semangkok bakmi karena lapar.

Pemilik bakmi melihat anak itu berdiri cukup lama di depan kedainya, lalu bertanya "Nak, apakah engkau ingin

memesan bakmi?" "Ya, tetapi aku tidak membawa uang, "jawab anak itu dengan malu-malu. "Tidak apa-apa, aku akan

mentraktirmu." jawab si pemilik kedai.

Anak itu segera makan. Kemudian air matanya mulai berlinang. "Ada apa Nak?" Tanya si pemilik kedai. "Tidak apa

-apa, aku hanya terharu karena seorang yg baru kukenal memberi aku semangkuk bakmi tetapi ibuku sendiri

setelah bertengkar denganku, seperti tidak peduli padaku. Kau seorang yang baru kukenal tetapi begitu peduli padaku.

Pemilik kedai itu berkata "Nak, mengapa kau berpikir begitu? Renungkan hal ini, aku hanya memberimu semangkuk

bakmi & kau begitu terharu…. Ibumu telah memasak bakmi, nasi, dan lain-lain sampai kamu dewasa, harusnya kamu

berterima kasih kepadanya.

Anak itu kaget mendengar hal tersebut. " Mengapa aku tidak berpikir tentang hal itu?"

Untuk semangkuk bakmi dari orang yang baru kukenal aku begitu berterima kasih, tetapi terhadap ibuku yang

memasak untukku selama bertahuntahun, aku bahkan tidak peduli.

Anak itu segera menghabiskan bakminya lalu ia menguatkan dirinya untuk segera pulang. Begitu sampai

di ambang pintu rumah, ia melihat ibunya dengan wajah letih & cemas. Ketika melihat anaknya, kalimat

pertama yang keluar dari mulutnya adalah "Nak, kau sudah pulang, cepat masuk, aku telah menyiapkan makan malam."

Mendengar hal itu, si anak tidak dapat menahan tangisnya & ia menangis di hadapan ibunya.

Semoga dengan ini kita dapat lebih merasakan setiap kasih yang diberikanoleh ibu.

Sent from The Milky Ways

Via Samsung Mobile

Membangun Pertemanan yang Kokoh

Rabu, 21 Mei 2014 - Membangun Pertemanan Yg Kokoh | Amsal 17:17

Hubungan yang sehat akan berkembang bila ada:

Keterbukaan. Kita harus jujur kepada teman kita dan mendorong mereka untuk juga jujur kepada kita. Untuk mempertahankan ikatan yang kuat, kita tidak dapat menyembunyikan rasa sakit atau perasaan tertolak yang mungkin disebabkan oleh mereka. Transparansi disertai sikap bertanggung jawab dapat juga menolong setiap individu untuk menjadi pribadi yang lebih baik. 

Hubungan yang kokoh mengijinkan setiap pihak untuk dengan lembut menunjukkan kesalahan di kehidupan pihak yang lain dan mengoreksi mereka dengan penuh kasih. 

Waktu dan percakapan. Dibutuhkan waktu untuk membangun pertemanan yang tulus. Kita harus bersedia untuk mengesampingkan kewajiban lainnya dan memprioritaskan waktu yang dihabiskan bersama. Porsi waktu kita dengan teman kita harus dilewatkan dengan percakapan - berbicara tentang pemikiran dan keinginan kita dan juga menanyakan pertanyaan yang mendorong teman kita untuk terbuka. Percakapan semacam ini mengijinkan kita untuk mengetahui hati dan pikiran teman kita. 

Ucapan terima kasih. Setiap orang senang dihargai. Mengekspresikan ungkapan terima kasih saat teman kita begitu membantu akan mengingatkan mereka bahwa kita bersyukur memiliki mereka dalam kehidupan kita. Lebih dari itu, kita menegaskan kasih kita saat kita mengkomunikasikan betapa kita menikmati aspek tertentu dari kepribadian mereka atau mengingat suatu kejadian yang khusus bagi mereka. 

Sent from The Milky Ways

Via Samsung Mobile

Pelajaran Hidup

Konon survey membuktikan: 

1. Sebuah smartphone, 70% fiturnya tidak terpakai (mubazir). 

 2. Sebuah mobil mewah, 70% speednya mubazir. 

3. Sebuah villa mewah, 70% luasnya dibiarkan kosong. 

 4. Sebuah Universitas, 70% materi kuliahnya tidak dapat diterapkan. 

 5. Seabreg kegiatan sosial masyarakat, 70% nya iseng tidak bermakna. 

 6. Pakaian dan peralatan dalam sebuah rumah, 70%nya nganggur tidak terpakai. 

 7. Seumur hidup cari duit banyak, 70% nya dinikmati ahli waris.

 "Hidup ini seperti pertandingan bola" 

• Babak Pertama adalah masa muda. Menanjak karena Pengetahuan, Kekuasaan, Jabatan, Usaha Bisnis, dsb. 
• Babak kedua adalah masa tua. Menurun karena Darah Tinggi, Trigliserid, Gula Darah, Asam Urat, Kolestrol.... dsb. 
• Oleh sebab itu, Semoga kita selalu Waspada dari babak Awal hingga Akhir, dan ending dengan kemenangan….

Karena itu : 

•  Tidak Sakit Juga Harus Check Up, 
•  Tidak Haus juga harus Minum.
•  Tidak Galau juga Harus Cari Solusi, 
•  Benar Juga Harus Mengalah. 
•  Powerfull juga Perlu Merendah, 
•  Tidak Cape pun Perlu Rehat. 
•  Tidak kaya pun Perlu Bersyukur
• Sesibuk Apa pun Juga Perlu Olahraga. Sadarlah, Hidup itu Pendek, pasti ada Saatnya Finish! 
• Jangan tertipu dengan usia MUDA, karena syarat mati tidak harus TUA ! Jangan terpedaya dengan tubuh dan badan SEHAT, karena syarat mati tidak mesti SAKIT. 
• Teruslah berbuat baik, berkata baik, memberi nasihat yang baik, walaupun tidak banyak orang yg memahamimu. 
• Jadilah seperti jantung, dia tidak terlihat,tetapi terus berdenyut setiap saat hingga membuat kita terus hidup sampai akhir hayat. AJAL Tak Mengenal Waktu, Usia, jadi... Terus Berbuat Baik dan menyampaikan Kebenaran terhadap Sesama. 

 Have a great day

Lessons From Lincoln: 5 Leadership Tips History And Science Agree On

Lessons From Lincoln: 5 Leadership Tips History And Science Agree On

• Eric Barker

 

Abraham Lincoln gets a lot of credit for being a great leader. And he deserves it, but…

Frankly, most of us don't really know why he deserves it.

What made him such an extraordinary leader? And does modern research back up his methods?

Here's what Honest Abe did, why it works and how it can make you a better leader.

1) Get Out Of The Office And Circulate Among The Troops

In 1861 Lincoln spent more time outside the White House than in it.

And it's believed he met every single Union soldier who enlisted early in the Civil War.

How's that for being an accessible leader?

Via Lincoln On Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times:

As remarkable as it may seem, in 1861 Lincoln spent more time out of the White House than he did in it. And the chances are good that if a Union soldier had enlisted early in the Civil War, he saw the president in person. Lincoln made it a point to personally inspect every state regiment of volunteers that passed through Washington D.C., on their way to the front; and early in the war they all passed through Washington, D.C.

Lincoln knew people were his best source of information. And accessibility built trust. He spent 75% of the day meeting with people.

Lincoln had an open-door policy. Yeah, the President of the United States had an open-door policy.

Via Lincoln On Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times:

Lincoln was probably the most accessible chief executive the United States has ever known… John Nicolay and John Hay, his personal secretaries, reported that Lincoln spent 75 percent of his time meeting with people. No matter how busy the president was, he always seemed to find time for those who called on him.

Guess what? Modern business theory backs him up.

These days the management gurus call it "Managing by Wandering Around." Seriously.

Via Lincoln On Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times:

…Lincoln revealed the cornerstone of his own personal leadership philosophy, an approach that would become part of a revolution in modern leadership thinking 100 years later when it was dubbed MBWA (Managing by Wandering Around) by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman in their 1982 book In Search Of Excellence.

Lincoln was always trying to get the best information so he could make good decisions.

He was constantly emailing and texting on his iPhone… Umm, well, the 19th century equivalent of it, at least.

Via Lincoln On Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times:

He virtually lived at the War Department's telegraph office so he could gain access to key information for quick, timely decisions.

What do CEO's of the modern era still spend much of their time doing?

The exact same thing Lincoln did: trying to get the information they need to make good decisions.

Via John P. Kotter on What Leaders Really Do:

The GMs do not limit their focus to planning, business strategy, staffing, and other "top management concerns." They discuss virtually anything and everything even remotely associated with their businesses and organizations…. In these conversations, GMs typically ask a lot of questions. In a half-hour conversation, some will ask literally hundreds.

(More on what all great leaders have in common here.)

2) Persuade Rather Than Coerce

Despite having the power of the presidency, Lincoln didn't strongarm people; he persuaded them. How did he do it?

He made them his friends. He made them like him. Here's Lincoln talking about his methods:

When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. It is an old and a true maxim, that a "drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall." So with men, if you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey that catches his heart, which, say what he will, is the great high road to his reason, and which, when once gained, you will find by little trouble in convincing his judgment of the justice of your cause, if indeed that cause really be a just one.

And it shows in the way he handled subordinates.

He didn't give orders — he made requests. Look at his letters:

To McClellan (10-13-63): "…This letter is in no sense an order."

To Halleck (9-19-63): "I hope you will consider it…"

To Burnside (9-27-63): "It was suggested to you, not ordered…"

Does the modern research agree? Oh yeah.

What's the #1 thing Harvard Business School teaches it's MBA students about negotiation?

"They need to like you."

About 3:30 into the video below:

Here's the equation for getting what you want. Cutting to the chase: You want to get more. You want more money, a better offer, a better deal; here are the components of what you need to do. First, they need to like you. That's the first component. The things you do that make them like you less make it less likely that you are going to get what you want…

From my interview with Bob: Liking is one of fundamental principles that leading persuasion expert Robert Cialdini's detailed in his classic book, Influence.

No surprise that people prefer to say yes to a request to the degree that they know and like the requester. A simple way to make things happen in your direction is to uncover genuine similarities or parallels that exist between you and the person you want to influence, and then raise them to the surface. That increases rapport.

Lincoln has a famous quote on the subject:

I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends.

(Learn the methods hostage negotiators use to bond with hostage takers here.)

3) Lead By Being Led

Lincoln always gave credit where credit was due and took responsibility when things went wrong.

Via Lincoln On Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times:

Not only did this satisfy Lincoln's need for honesty, integrity and human dignity; it also gave his subordinates the correct perception that they were, in many ways, doing the leading, not Lincoln. If nothing else, it made them feel good about their jobs. It also encouraged innovation and risk taking because they knew that if they failed, Lincoln would not blame them.

By doing this he dodged what Harvard professor Gautam Mukunda says is the most common leadership mistake: hubris.

Lincoln had no problem saying he screwed up, like in this letter to General Ulysses S. Grant:

I write this now as a grateful acknowledgement for the almost inestimable service you have done the country. I wish to say a word further. When you reached the vicinity of Vicksburg… I never had any faith, except a general hope that you knew better than I that the expedition could succeed… I feared it was a mistake. I now wish to make the personal acknowledgement that you were right, and I was wrong.

He trusted the judgment of the people who were on the front lines. This is one of the hallmarks of good military leadership.

Looking at the research, what type of leadership works in the toughest situations?

Lincoln's method: being democratic and listening.

Via Bold Endeavors: Lessons from Polar and Space Exploration:

During the early 1960s, the Navy Medical Neuropsychiatric Research Unit (now the Naval Health Research Center) conducted a series of studies concerning leadership at small Antarctic stations. In that research program, Nelson (1962) found that esteemed leaders tended to possess a relatively democratic leadership orientation and a leadership style characterized by greater participation in activities than traditional for a military organization. Further, the esteemed leaders developed individual relationships with each of their crew members and reportedly sought the opinions of individual crew members about issues directly concerning them.

Leaders take note: research shows that not worrying about who gets the credit for an idea is key to influencing people.

And the greatest minds of history agree. As Lao Tzu said:

Fail to honor people, they fail to honor you. But of a good leader, who talks little, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will all say "We did this ourselves."

(Learn what type of leader you are here.)

4) Encourage Innovation

Lots of lip service is paid to encouraging innovation these days. What did Lincoln know about innovating?

Well, he's the only U.S. President to ever patent something.

Via Lincoln On Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times:

Years before assuming the presidency, Lincoln had shown his interest in innovation when, on March 10, 1849 (at age forty), he received a patent for a new method of making grounded boats more buoyant.

What does it take to increase creativity and innovation in an organization? As I've said before, it's pretty straightforward:

Reward people for trying new things and don't punish them for failure.

Lincoln knew this.

Via Lincoln On Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times:

And even during his most difficult times, Lincoln continued to call on his subordinates to screen new advances, implement ideas, and win while learning. He realized that, as an executive leader, it was his chief responsibility to create the climate of risk-free entrepreneurship necessary to foster effective innovation.

(More on the single most proven way to innovate here.)

5) Influence People Through Storytelling

By all accounts, Lincoln was a great storyteller and he actively leveraged this skill to win people over.

Lincoln himself said it plainly:

They say I tell a great many stories. I reckon I do; but I have learned from long experience that plain people, take them as they run, are more easily influenced through the medium of a broad and humorous illustration than in any other way…

And research from Stanford backs him up.

Facts and statistics are great but when people hear presentations what do they remember? The stories.

Via Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die:

When students are asked to recall the speeches, 63 percent remember the stories. Only 5 percent remember any individual statistic.

If you're a leader as Lincoln was, you need to know what studies show inspires team morale. And the answer is great stories:

"Institutions that can communicate a compelling historical narrative often inspire a special kind of commitment among employees. It is this dedication that directly affects a company's success and is critical to creating a strong corporate legacy," said author Adam Galinsky, Morris and Alice Kaplan professor of ethics and decision in management.

As I've posted many times, storytelling can improve almost every area of your life. Why is storytelling so powerful?

Stanford professor Jennifer Aaker has done research showing stories are key to our sense of meaning:

Some new studies suggest if we spend time thinking about stories in our lives, that might be a more effective way of figuring out what is meaningful versus not.

(More on how to tell great stories from a UCLA film school professor here.)

Sum Up

Leadership lessons you can learn from Lincoln:

1.   Get Out Of The Office And Circulate Among The Troops

2.   Persuade Rather Than Coerce

3.   Lead By Being Led

4.   Encourage Innovation

5.   Influence People Through Storytelling

There's a lot to learn from Lincoln.

And people didn't just love Honest Abe because he was a wise leader; he also had a good sense of humor:

If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?

 

How To Make Friends Easily And Strengthen The Friendships You Have

How To Make Friends Easily And Strengthen The Friendships You Have

• Eric Barker

Friendship is a good thing. That's hardly front-page news — but somehow we all forget how important it is.

We take friends for granted. As we raise families we neglect friends. We don't put in the effort to make and keep friends.

And the problem is growing. In 1985 most people said they had 3 close friends. In 2004 the most common number was zero.

Via Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect:

In a survey given in 1985, people were asked to list their friends in response to the question "Over the last six months, who are the people with whom you discussed matters important to you?" The most common number of friends listed was three; 59 percent of respondents listed three or more friends fitting this description. The same survey was given again in 2004. This time the most common number of friends was zero. And only 37 percent of respondents listed three or more friends. Back in 1985, only 10 percent indicated that they had zero confidants. In 2004, this number skyrocketed to 25 percent. One out of every four of us is walking around with no one to share our lives with.

This is sad, and for more reasons than you might expect. We need friends to keep us healthy. Lack of social support predicts all causes of death.

Having few friends is more dangerous than obesity and is the equivalent health risk of smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Via Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are:

Julianne Holt-Lunstad, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Brigham Young University, did a meta-analysis of 148 studies and concluded that a lack of social support predicts all causes of death. People with a solid group of friends are 50 percent more likely to survive at any given time than those without one. Holt-Lunstad calculated that having few social ties is an equivalent mortality risk to smoking fifteen cigarettes a day and even riskier than being obese or not exercising!

You need friends for self-knowledge — because your friends often know more about you than you do.

Via Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are:

They can truly know us, sometimes better than we know ourselves. Specifically, friends are better at describing our behavioral traits than we are, says Simine Vazire, Ph.D., a psychologist who runs the Personality and Self-Knowledge Lab at Washington University in St. Louis. "Friends can assess whether we are funny, dominant, or charming better than we can," she says. They may not be better than we are at knowing what we are feeling and thinking, unsurprisingly, but they are superior at guessing our IQs. (Incidentally, it's often the case that we judge ourselves as less intelligent than we are.)

And friends make you happier than pretty much anything else in life.

Got three friends at work? You're 96% more likely to be extremely satisfied with your life.

Happiness is contagious. Happy friends boost your chance of happiness by 15%. Unhappy friends decrease it by 7%.

Each additional friend means two fewer days of feeling lonely every year. Family members don't even move the needle here.

Via Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are:

If you can count at least three dear friends at the office, you are 96 percent more likely to be extremely satisfied with life in general…

Fowler and Christakis found that you are about 15 percent more likely to be happy if one of your friends is happy (overall, not in any particular moment). Even if a friend of your friend is happy, you're 10 percent more likely to be in a contented state. "We found that each happy friend a person has increases that person's probability of being happy by about 9 percent. Each unhappy friend decreases it by 7 percent," they write. Since these stats imply that happiness is more contagious than unhappiness, they conclude that "the more, the merrier" holds true, despite what is usually said about quality over quantity in friendships. They also found that an additional friend amounts to two fewer days of feeling lonely each year. "Since on average (in our data) people feel lonely forty-eight days per year, having a couple of extra friends makes you about 10 percent less lonely than other people. Interestingly, the number of family members has no effect at all."

Having a friend you see on most days is the happiness equivalent of an extra 100K a year.

Via Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Connect:

…having a friend whom you see on most days, compared to not having such a friend, had the same impact on well-being as making an extra $100,000 a year.

Marriage And Kids Aren't Enough

Researchers have been seeing a trend: increasingly, people expect to get all their social needs met by their spouse or partner.

This is a prescription for disaster. It's too much pressure for a spouse and there's much that we can only get from friends.

Nobel Prize winner David Kahneman did research showing time with friends is more enjoyable than time with spouses or children.

Via Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are:

Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman, Ph.D., of Princeton, and colleagues conducted an innovative study about a decade ago that captured people's happiness "in the moment" as they went about their daily lives. They found, controversially, that time with friends is even more enjoyable than moments with spouses or children.

Not that there's anything wrong with spouses and kids but time with friends does not involve the same responsibilities — and we all need a break.

Beyond that, time with friends as a couple has been shown to improve long term relationships.

Via Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are:

Most intriguing was how couples rated their own relationships more positively after interacting with other pairs. Married partners fall into routine interactions and often fail to make the effort to entertain and please as they did when they were winning each other over. Putting your best self forward for new friends allows you to shine and to see your partner through new eyes as she shines, too. Maintaining older mutual friendships also strengthens the bond between long-term partners: Having people around who think of the two of you as a unit, who admire your relationship, and who expect you to stay together can sustain you through times of doubt or distance.

And You Will Lose Friends

Within seven years, half of your close friends will not be around anymore.

Via Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are:

A study by a Dutch sociologist who tracked about a thousand people of all ages found that on average, we lose half of our close network members every seven years. To think that half of the people currently on your "most dialed" list will fade out of your life in less than a decade is frightening indeed.

So if you want to keep close friends in your life, it'll take some effort. But what do you need to do?

Here's what some of the latest research has to say.

What To Do

Most importantly, make the time.

What are the most common friendship fights about? Time commitments.

Via Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are:

Daniel Hruschka reviewed studies on the causes of conflict in friendship and found that the most common friendship fights boil down to time commitments. Spending time with someone is a sure indicator that you value him; no one likes to feel undervalued.

This is also the part of friendship that makes us happiest — doing things together.

Via Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are:

It's no news flash that friends make us happy, but Meliksah Demir, Ph.D., a professor at Northern Arizona University, has drilled down to reveal exactly what about friendship warms our hearts. It turns out that companionship— simply doing things together— is the component of friendship that most makes us happy. And the reason friends make us happy, Demir has concluded, is that they make us feel that we matter.

Mere proximity — being nearby, is one of the most powerful drivers of friendship — far more than personality. So be around.

Via Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are:

Yet research does not show that friends are particularly alike in personality, granting scientific credibility to hundreds of romantic comedies wherein the uptight leading lady has a free spirit for a sidekick and the charismatic main man has a buffoonish buddy…Half a century ago, researchers came up with the "proximity theory" of friendship— that we befriend people who live geographically close to us or who frequently cross our path because they go to our school, grocery store, office, or favorite diner. Proximity, first and foremost, grants easy opportunities to meet. But also, familiarity breeds positivity. Called the "mere-exposure effect," it's a phenomenon that is widely documented: Just seeing someone over and over can make you like him or her more.

What else do you need to do? Be patient. If you're not willing to be bored sometimes, you can't have friends.

Via Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are:

'If you're not willing to be bored sometimes, you can't have friends,' " Jacob says. "Sometimes friends are going to drone on about their mother or something that you don't quite care about. But it's not just about what they can do for you, it's a deeper thing. You can't expect to always be entertained, or to always feel like everything is one hundred percent reciprocal." Jacob, who likes to entertain, says, "I'm willing to invite someone to dinner ten times and never see their house, because if you get into the cycle of pettiness, you won't end up having any friends."

Be flexible. Having social skills means adapting to your environment, not stubbornly "being who you are."

Via Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are:

Children who are natural social stars, Rubin adds, present themselves "successfully to others by putting on somewhat different faces for different audiences.… They understand when to put on which face, without ever appearing shallow or false to others and without feeling like fakes or frauds. In short, these are children who are sensitive and responsive to social cues." This is the child who knows how to work the room with jokes or dance moves at her own birthday party with her adoring relatives, but who also knows to hang back and let a friend shine at his birthday party.

And this one is key: Support the person's view of themselves and make them feel good about their pursuits.

Via Friendfluence: The Surprising Ways Friends Make Us Who We Are:

Best friends don't have to share an identity per se, but they do need to support the other's view of himself and make each other feel great about their pursuits. Weisz asked a group of college freshmen about their close friends and used questionnaires to determine whether they received social identity support from them. She then followed up five years later, when the students had graduated and moved off campus. Social identity support didn't predict whether the friendships generally endured, but it did predict whether one of the friends became a best friend. Part of maintaining a close friendship, Weisz points out, is supporting someone's identity as it inevitably shifts over time.

My theory on this: be a cheerleader for your friends.

Be their biggest fan.

This is what we all want from our friends. And the more you give it, the more you will get it yourself.

 

Renungan Harian

Ada seorang dermawan yg menebar uang
Rp. 5.000,-
Rp. 10.000,-
Rp. 20.000,-
Rp. 50.000,-
&
Rp. 100.000,-
dari atas gedung

Dibawah gedung berkerumun banyak orang sibuk saling berebut memunguti uang yg berserakan
"TANPA ADA YG PEDULI" sumber uang itu dari SIAPA

Suatu saat,
Sang Dermawan naik lagi keatas gedung tersebut & kali ini beralih menebar krikil kecil kedalam kerumunan orang dibawah;
ada yg terkena di kepala,
bahu,tangan,punggung &
anggota tubuh lainnya,
mereka panik & marah, menengadah keatas berusaha "MENCARI TAHU"
sumber dari krikil dijatuhkan ??.

Itulah sikap dari kebanyakan manusia,saat BERKAT ( hal yg menguntungkan ) datang semua sibuk tanpa peduli siapa yg MEMBERI, & sedikit sekali yg MAMPU dan MAU mengucap SYUKUR.

Namun saat MASALAH datang maka semua akan spontan mencari sumber Masalah dan BIANG KEROK & marah menyalahkan orang lain tanpa mau cari solusi lagi.

"Apakah kita hanya mau menerima yang baik saja, tetapi tidak mau menerima yang buruk?"

Tanpa mau tahu bahwa hidup ini sudah satu paket, baik & buruk, senang & susah, semuanya satu kesatuan yang tak terpisahkan.

Bila suatu ketika anda
"kena giliran"
menjalani hal-hal buruk dan susah , maka jalanilah dgn tabah dan tetap Bersyukurlah ....... karena hanya itu kuncinya . 

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Lunch with God

Lunch with God

    There once was a little boy who wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with cookies and a six-pack of root beer, and he started his journey.
    When he had gone a few blocks from home, he met an old man. He was sitting in the park near the water, just staring at some birds.
    The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer, when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him a cookie.
    The old man gratefully accepted it and smiled at him. His smile was so incredible that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.
    Once again, he smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
    As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was, and he got up to leave. But before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, and ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. The old man gave him his biggest smile ever.
    When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked her son: "What did you do today that made you so happy?"
    The child replied: "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? He's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
    Meanwhile, the old man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and asked, "Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"
    He replied: "I ate cookies in the park with God." But before his son responded, he added, "You know, He's much younger than I expected."
    Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring-all of which have the potential to make someone's day a very special one, or even turn someone's life around. 

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Boost Up your Wifi

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Kabin Mobil Bau Rokok! Nih, Cara Melenyapkannya

Kabin Mobil Bau Rokok! Nih, Cara Melenyapkannya


Paling tidak mengenakkan, dalam mobil bau rokok sangat menyengat. Ini menandakan, pemilik mobil suka merokok dengan kondisi AC berfungsi. Akibatnya, bau asap rokok yang tak enak tercium hidung.

Bisa begitu lantaran bakteri, kotoran atau abu (partikel halus) yang sebenarnya belum terlepas dari permukaan doortrim atau karpet mobil. Menghilangkan bau apek atau rokok tadi bisa dengan berbagai cara.

Salah satunya, menggunakan alcohol spray. Cara yang terbilang murah meriah lantaran bahan dasar yang dipakai tak lain hanya cairan alkohol murni 70-90% yang banyak dijual di apotek (gbr.1).

Beli alkohol sesuai kebutuhan. Bila permukaan yang akan disemprot cukup banyak bisa beli yang kemasan 1 liter. Sebaliknya, gunakan alkohol botol kecil bila area yang akan disemprot tidak terlalu besar dan banyak.

Gunakan alat penyemprot tanaman alias spray gun tangan yang banyak dijual bebas di supermarket (gbr.2). Isi tabung sprayer dengan alkohol murni hingga habis (gbr.3).

Semprotkan langsung ke permukaan bahan fabric pada permukaan door trim atau karpet dasar dengan format kabut (mist). Lakukan secara berulang dengan metode keliling (gbr.4).

Maksudnya, bila door trim pada pintu driver sudah puas di spray, lanjutkan dengan pintu belakang kanan hingga berakhir di pintu depan kiri.

Pada saat itu, alkohol di pintu driver yang pertama kali disemprot, dipastikan sudah kering dan silakan ulangi hingga 2  atau 3 kali proses penyemprotan.

Bila kasusnya untuk menghilangkan bau asap rokok, pastikan kisi-kisi ventilasi AC juga ikut disemprot alkohol. "Cairan alkohol cepat kering dan mampu menetralisir bau sekaligus mematikan bakteri yang terbawa air kotor," ungkap Indra Growong dari Garasi-941 Car Care di bilangan Cinere, Depok.

Namun, Indra juga mewanti-wanti untuk interior atau kabin yang dominan kulit asli atau kulit imitasi. Pastikan untuk mencoba alkohol spray dalam dosis sedikit terlebih dahulu pada tempat yang agak tersembunyi.

Maksudnya untuk memastikan semburan alkohol tadi tidak bereaksi dan merusak permukaan yang kena semprot. "Bila ternyata aman, silakan lanjut ke permukaan lebih besar dengan dosis berulang," jelasnya. (Mobil.Otomotifnet.com)

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CARA BLOKIR NOMOR HP / SMS PENIPUAN

Cara Lapor Blokir Nomor Handphone Penipuan

Seringkali kita mendapat SMS penipuan yang menyatakan anda menjadi pemenang kuis, SMS yang pura2 nyasar tentang transfer uang, mama genit minta pulsa, agen pulsa super murah dst…

Jangan kita biarkan,saat ini ada cara utk menanggulangi nya :

1. TELKOMSEL
Format SMS : penipuan#nomor penipu#isi SMS tipuan dan kirim ke 1166
Contoh : Penipuan#081212­3456#selamat anda mendptkan 1 unit mbl avanza dr telkomsel poin…dst lalu kirim ke 1166

2. XL
Format SMS : Lapor#Nomor yg di gunakan utk menipu#kasus yg di keluhkan lalu krm ke 588

3. INDOSAT
Format SMS : SMS(spasi)Nomor­ pengirim SMS penipuan(spasi)­isi SMS penipuan,kirim ke 726

Jika sudah lebih dr 2 org yg melaporkan SMS penipuan, maka nomor tersebut segera diblokir… secara permanen oleh operator…

Layanan ini gratis

Sekedar Info..
Jika Anda mengalami penipuan dalam "Transaksi ONLINE" cukup kirim kronologis dan No. Rekening si penipu ke email "cybercrime@pol­ri.go.id" POLRI akan langsung bertindak dengan memblokir ATM si penipu & melacak keberadaannya untuk di tindak sesuai hukum.

Share ke teman2 yg lain utk membantu mencegah maraknya penipuan dgn Modus Online.

•Dari pihak Kepolisian menghimbau kepada Masyarakat khususnya pengguna Blackberry, agar berhati-hati dalam menulis status di BLACKBERRY MESSENGER, Yahoo Messenger »">YAHOO MESSENGER, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, dll. Karena apabila tdk berhati-hati dapat memungkinkan terjadinya tindak kejahatan seperti perampokan, penculikan, pemerkosaan, dsb.

Kejadian diatas bisa saja terjadi apabila Anda menulis status seperti:
home alone,
bete nih dirumah sendirian,
kesepian ditinggal orang tua/suami keluar kota, dsb.
Yg dpt menandakan bahwa Anda berada dalam posisi sendiri sehingga dpt memudahkan para pelaku tindak kejahatan dlm melakukan aksinya.
Atau menuliskan status seperti:
@ luar kota,
@ mal tertentu, dll
Jadi Kami mohon kpd Masyarakat agar lebih berhati2.@uttdoank.red
Jadi mulai skarang mulai hati2 lah dalam menulis STATUS

Sumber : Bareskrim MABES POLRI.

Semoga informasi Bermanfaat
Indahnya Berbagi…

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Tips menerjang Banjir

Bagi anda yang TERPAKSA melalui lokasi banjir dan menerjang genangan air, ada beberapa tips untuk anda. Check this out ... 1. Nyetir di tempat banjir ga perlu ngebut. Kenapa? Utk menghindarin cipratan berlebih diruangan mesin yg berpotensi bikin mogok. 2. Nerjang banjir paling aman pakai gigi 1 (mobil matic pindah ke L atau 1). Karena beban mobil lebih berat wkt nerjang banjir 3. Gak perlu resah urusan knalpot kemasukkan air. Knapa? Karena knalpot gak akan bisa kemasukkan air selama mesin tetap nyala. 4. Ketimbang knalpot, yg harus diperhatikan justru filter udara (intake udara) di ruang mesin. Bagian ini lebih rentan bikin mogok di banjir 5. Karena filter udara yg kemasukkan air (cipratan dari menerjang banjir) bisa bikin mogok dan mesin jebol (water hammer). Maka dari itu atur dan pertahankan kecepatan kendaraan perlahan saat melintas. 6. Jika memungkinkan, hindari berhenti ditengah banjir. Karena saat mobil berhenti, permukaan air akan naik di ruang mesin. 7. Pada dasarnya, mobil bermesin diesel lebih aman nerjang banjir dibanding mesin bensin. Diesel lebih bersifat 'Waterproof'. Makanya pake Fortuner Diesel ... 8. Kenapa ga bole terlalu di gas wkt lewat banjir? Karena filter udara semakin kuat nyedot udara. Makin berpotensi ngisep air. 9. Selalu siaga dan cermat. Tanpa disadari, yg bikin mobil kita mogok justru terjangan ombak air berlebih dari mobil sebelah. 10. Setelah melewati genangan, jgn langsung mengebut. Cukup berbahaya karena kondisi rem kita masih sangat licin. 11. Cara mengeringkan rem setelah melewati genangan? Cukup lakukan rem kecil berulang hingga terasa menggigit kembali. 12. Untuk mobil manual, usahakan menghindari menginjak kopling saat berada di genangan banjir. Mengapa? Karena menginjak kopling di genangan banjir membuat air masuk ke transmisi. Berpotensi merusak transmisi karena oli bercampur air. 13. Jika belum familiar dgn jalan yg dilewati. Usahakan jgn melintas pinggir jalan. Mgkn saja ada selokan :-) 14. bagusnya kata TERPAKSA diawal kalimat ini diganti HINDARI genangan banjir Keep Safety !

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5K untuk keberhasilan pekerjaan

Mengutip dari acara talkshow radio, antara penyiar dengan seorang nara sumber. Dan sang narasumber memberikan pengalaman hidupnya, dan berkata, untuk mencapai keberhasilannya saat ini diperlukan 5K.

5K ini telah menuntun sang narasumber menjadi seorang yang berhasil seperti saat ini.

5K ini adalah sebagai berikut :

1. Kesungguhan - apapun pekerjaan anda, lakukan dengan Kesungguhan.

2.Kejujuran - apapun pekerjaan anda, lakukan dengan Kejujuran.

3. Kehati-hatian - apapun pekerjaan anda, lakukan dengan hati2 dan penuh pertimbangan.

4. Kegembiraan - apapun pekerjaan anda, lakukan dengan kegembiraan. Karena separuh hidup anda, dihabiskan dengan pekerjaan yg anda temui setiap hari.

5. Keikhlasan - apapun pekerjaan anda, lakukan dengan ikhlas.

Demikian 5K.

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Study shows too much sugar can lead to fatal heart problems

Study shows too much sugar can lead to fatal heart problems

Feb 04, 2014 12:00 AM EST
Associated Press

Could too much sugar be deadly? The biggest study of its kind suggests the answer is yes, at least when it comes to fatal heart problems.

It doesn't take all that much extra sugar, hidden in many processed foods, to substantially raise the risk, the researchers found, and most Americans eat more than the safest amount.

Having a cinnamon roll with your morning coffee, a super-sized sugary soda at lunch and a scoop of ice cream after dinner would put you in the highest risk category in the study. That means your chance of dying prematurely from heart problems is nearly three times greater than for people who eat only foods with little added sugar.

For someone who normally eats 2,000 calories daily, even consuming two 12-ounce cans of soda substantially increases the risk. For most American adults, sodas and other sugary drinks are the main source of added sugar.

Lead author Quanhe Yang of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention called the results sobering and said it's the first nationally representative study to examine the issue.

Scientists aren't certain exactly how sugar may contribute to deadly heart problems, but it has been shown to increase blood pressure and levels of unhealthy cholesterol and triglycerides; and also may increase signs of inflammation linked with heart disease, said Rachel Johnson, head of the American Heart Association's nutrition committee and a University of Vermont nutrition professor.

Yang and colleagues analyzed national health surveys between 1988 and 2010 that included questions about people's diets. The authors used national death data to calculate risks of dying during 15 years of follow-up.

Overall, more than 30,000 American adults aged 44 on average were involved.

Previous studies have linked diets high in sugar with increased risks for non-fatal heart problems, and with obesity, which can also lead to heart trouble. But in the new study, obesity didn't explain the link between sugary diets and death. That link was found even in normal-weight people who ate lots of added sugar.

"Too much sugar does not just make us fat; it can also make us sick," said Laura Schmidt, a health policy specialist at the University of California, San Francisco. She wrote an editorial accompanying the study in Monday's JAMA Internal Medicine.

The researchers focused on sugar added to processed foods or drinks, or sprinkled in coffee or cereal. Even foods that don't taste sweet have added sugar, including many brands of packaged bread, tomato sauce and salad dressing. Naturally occurring sugar, in fruit and some other foods, wasn't counted.

Most health experts agree that too much sugar isn't healthy, but there is no universal consensus on how much is too much.

U.S government dietary guidelines issued in 2010 say "empty" calories including those from added sugars should account for no more than 15 percent of total daily calories.

The average number of daily calories from added sugar among U.S. adults was about 15 percent toward the end of the study, slightly lower than in previous years.

The authors divided participants into five categories based on sugar intake, from less than 10 percent of daily calories - the safest amount - to more than 25 percent.

Most adults exceed the safest level; and for 1 in 10 adults, added sugar accounts for at least 25 percent of daily calories, the researchers said.

The researchers had death data on almost 12,000 adults, including 831 who died from heart disease during the 15-year follow-up. They took into account other factors known to contribute to heart problems, including smoking, inactivity and excess weight, and still found risks for sugar.

As sugar intake increased, risks climbed steeply.

Adults who got at least 25 percent of their calories from added sugar were almost three times more likely to die of heart problems than those who consumed the least - less than 10 percent.

For those who got more than 15 percent - or the equivalent of about two cans of sugary soda out of 2,000 calories daily - the risk was almost 20 percent higher than the safest level.

Sugar calories quickly add up: One teaspoon has about 16 calories; one 12-ounce can of non-diet soda contains has about 9 teaspoons of sugar or about 140 calories; many cinnamon rolls have about 13 teaspoons of sugar; one scoop of chocolate ice cream has about 5 teaspoons of sugar.

Dr. Jonathan Purnell, a professor at Oregon Health & Science University's Knight Cardiovascular Institute, said while the research doesn't prove "sugar can cause you to die of a heart attack", it adds to a growing body of circumstantial evidence suggesting that limiting sugar intake can lead to healthier, longer lives.

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Benefits of Cabbage

RECIPES FOR HEALTH
Winter Cabbage With a Mediterranean Flair

ANDREW SCRIVANI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN
January 31, 2014
One of the things I appreciate about this produce-limited time of year is that it forces me to devote a week of Recipes for Health to cabbage. I love this nutrient-dense cruciferous vegetable for many reasons: the way it sweetens as it cooks in the pan; the price per pound; the way it is comfortable in a soup or a pie, a stew, a gratin or a salad, a stir-fry or a timbale. Yet I sometimes forget to pay attention to cabbage. It can be overshadowed by other winter vegetables like kale, its more fashionable cousin.

The extraordinary health benefits of cabbage reside mainly in its abundant polyphenols and glucosinilates. These micronutrients are proving to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that help the body fight disease. Cabbage is also an excellent source of vitamin C and a good source of vitamin A.

I was all set to focus on recipes from Russia and Eastern Europe this week, and I did come up with some fabulous pirozhki, the classic Russian little oval pies. But as so often happens when I am exploring recipes and experimenting in my kitchen, I could not get away from the Mediterranean, where cabbage is also widely appreciated. So this week you will taste a delicious soup that is seasoned with Parmesan rinds, Italian bruschetta topped with pan-cooked cabbage, as well as a spicy Tunisian chakchoukah, a vegetable stew that is traditionally mainly peppers and tomatoes, but in this version features cabbage, peppers and tomatoes, with eggs poached right in the stew.

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Life is too short to regret

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Menghilangkan Bau Cat Dengan Cepat dan Murah

 

Semua cat meninggalkan bau yang relative lama dan sama setelah dikuaskan. Bau yang sebenarnya akan hilang sendiri seiring berjalannya waktu. Namun, karena cat terbuat dari campuran beberapa bahan kimia, boleh jadi aroma yang menyebar mengandung senyawa yang mengancam kesehatan penghuni rumah. Apalagi jika kita memiliki anak kecil yang daya tahan tubuhnya masih rentan.

Sejumlah produsen cat telah memikirkan untuk menciptakan cat yang ramah lingkungan. Setidaknya tidak menyebarkan bau yang menyengat, cepat kering, dan mudah dibersihkan. Namun, cat ramah lingkungan ini masih belum banyak dijual sehingga mau tak mau kita harus menggunakan cat konvensional.

 

Ada beberapa cara yang diyakini bisa mengusir bau cat yang menyengat secara hemat, relative cepat, dan dengan memanfaatkan benda – benda yang ada di sekitar rumah kita.

Berikut ini cara – caranya :

·         Cara pertama, dengan meletakkan beberapa mangkok berisi air dan garam di ruangan yang bau catnya terasa kuat. Dalam beberapa jam, bau cat ini akan berkurang.

·         Cara kedua, dengan memanfaatkan bawang Bombay. Caranya dengan membelah bawang tersebut menjadi dua bagian, kemudian celupkan ke dalam wadah baskom besar atau ember berisi air. Lalu tempatkan dalam ruangan yang baru saja dicat. Beberapa jam kemudian niscaya bau cat sudah tak terasa kuat.

·         Cara selanjutnya dengan memakai bawang putih. Kita bisa menggantungkan beberapa suing bawang putih di depan kipas angin dan arahkan embusan anginnya pada dinding yang baru saja di cat. (Cara ini dianggap yang paling ampuh untuk mengusir bau cat dengan cepat).

·         Cara yang lain, bisa dengan menempatkan seember besar air yang dicampur dengan satu sendok cairan amoniak di ruangan yang aroma catnya kuat. Cara ini biasanya membutuhkan waktu semalam untuk menghilangkan bau cat.

 

Kompas, 24 Januari 2014,à Kolom Ornamen hal. 47

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The Secret to Great Pizza

FOOD & DRINK | JAN 18, 2014, 02:11 AM GMT+07:00
The Secret to Great Pizza At Home
Whatever toppings you choose, a pizza's appeal begins with its crust. Use these illustrated step-by-step instructions to make your dough, then choose from nine different recipes for sauces and toppings
SOME PEOPLE INSIST on pizza drenched in tomato sauce, heaped with cured meats and oozing cheese. Others crave minimalist pies topped with nothing but garlic, olive oil and rosemary, or thinly sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. One way to please everyone at the table is to custom-make pizza at home: Prepare a selection of toppings and take orders.
For me, though, a pizza ultimately succeeds or fails on the quality of its crust. The kind of flour you choose makes a big difference. In the recipe at right, I opt for half whole-wheat flour, half all-purpose or bread flour. The whole wheat makes for a flavorful crust, and provides all the health benefits associated with eating whole grains—though a crust made solely with this kind of flour would be tough and dry. All-purpose flour has a higher protein content, and bread flour an even higher one; adding either to the mix makes a smoother dough and a lighter, more tender crust. You can also make this recipe using entirely all-purpose or bread flour, or a combo of the two. Experiment until you achieve the texture and taste you crave.
The part many novice pizzaiolos find daunting is handling the pizza dough. All too often, the circle springs back like a rubber band and becomes impossible to roll out long before it reaches the diameter called for in the recipe. I recall becoming similarly frustrated myself—and jettisoning the recalcitrant dough in favor of English muffin halves—when first trying to make pizza. Little did I realize, all that stiff dough needed was a short time-out in the refrigerator. Kneading and rolling develop the gluten in the flour and cause the crust to recoil rather than enlarge; chilling relaxes the tightly wound gluten. A five-to-10-minute rest results in compliant dough that stretches effortlessly to its requisite size.
Gail Monaghan
The Ingredients
The Steps
1. Add flours, honey, yeast and salt to the bowl of a food processor or electric mixer and process to combine. Add water and 2 tablespoons oil and continue to process until dough forms a ball. If dough is sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. If dough is too dry, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
2. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until you have a smooth, elastic ball, about 5 minutes. (Kneading can also be done using an electric mixer with the bread hook in place.)
3. Form dough into a smooth ball and place in a large bowl greased with the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside until dough doubles in size, about 1 hour. Cut risen dough in half. Knead each half briefly and then shape into a ball. Place the two balls on a lightly floured surface and cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let rest 1 hour at room temperature or in the refrigerator up to 24 hours. If refrigerated, let dough come to room temperature before continuing.
4. Use a rolling pin to roll out and your hands to stretch each ball into a circle 12-14 inches in diameter. If dough becomes too elastic, place it in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to relax before continuing.
Pizza Margherita
Total Time: 20-25 minutes Makes: one 12-14-inch pizza
Preheat oven to 500 degrees and place rack as low as possible in oven. Lightly oil a 14-16-inch pizza pan or very large baking sheet and lay uncooked crust on top, rolling in edges to form a rim if desired. // In a 10-inch skillet, heat 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat, add 2 large cloves garlic, minced , and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add 1 ½ cups canned whole peeled tomatoes , crushing them as they go into the pan, then packed ¼ cup torn basil leaves . Boil, stirring frequently, until a thick sauce forms, 5-7 minutes. // Spread a layer of sauce over rolled-out crust, top with packed ¼ cup torn basil leaves and 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced . (You may have leftover sauce.) Drizzle with 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil . Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon oregano and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper . If you like, top with 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan and/or red pepper flakes to taste. // Bake 10 minutes. Use a pizza peel or a large spatula and an oven mitt to transfer pizza from pan directly onto oven rack. Bake 2 minutes more, or until cheese is melted and crust is golden and done to your liking.
Variations
1. Onion, Garlic and Rosemary: Combine 2 large red onions sliced into very thin rings, 4 very thinly sliced garlic cloves, ½ cup olive oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes and 3 tablespoons finely minced fresh rosemary leaves , and let marinate at least 1 hour. Top pizza and bake.
2. Vegetarian: Brush dough with olive oil or pesto , then top with slightly overlapping thin slices of eggplant, onion, tomato, mushrooms and mozzarella . Brush lightly with more oil or pesto. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper . Bake.
3. Marinara: Brush dough lightly with tomato sauce , then sprinkle with rinsed and dried capers, halved and pitted black olives , and chopped anchovies . Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper . Bake.
4. Quattro Stagioni: Brush dough lightly with tomato sauce . Top with strips of prosciutto, sliced mushrooms tossed in olive oil, sliced marinated artichokes and halved and pitted black olives . Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper . Bake.
5. Mixed Peppers and Onions: Lightly sauté 4 bell peppers, sliced —mixed colors if possible—along with 2 sliced onions and 2 cloves sliced garlic in 3 tablespoons olive oil . Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper . Stir in mixed chopped fresh herbs (parsley, basil, oregano, thyme and/or chives) if desired. Spread over pizza dough. Bake. When hot from the oven, garnish with freshly grated Parmesan .
6. Fresh Sausage and Peppers: Follow instructions for Mixed Peppers and Onions, and dot with ¼ pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, crumbled , before baking.
7. Shellfish and Scallions: Cut 6 scallions into 1-inch lengths and sauté in olive oil 1 minute. Add ¾ pound mixed shellfish —shelled shrimp, sliced scallops, clams and mussels steamed open and removed from shells. Stir in 1-2 cloves chopped garlic , season with salt and freshly ground black pepper , and remove from heat. Brush dough with olive oil and add a layer of chopped fresh tomatoes . Top with shellfish mixture and bake. Garnish with chopped fresh basil or parsley .
8. Mushrooms, Pancetta and Garlic: Cut 5 ounces pancetta into ¼-inch lardons and cook over medium heat until soft. Transfer pancetta to paper towels to drain. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil to pan and sauté ¾ pounds sliced mixed mushrooms with 2 cloves sliced garlic, chopped thyme and chopped parsley . Add cooked pancetta and top pizza. Bake. When done, garnish with grated Parmesan or Pecorino .

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