When an important birthday comes or when one’s invited to a fancy dinner, the same question always comes back : how can I get dressed ? Pants or dress ? Black or red ? Elegant or convenient ?

There’s no perfect dress in the world. The perfect dress depends on the person who’s wearing it. But if you want to be sure to stay well-dressed in every situation, the legendary little black dress is the perfect choice. Long or short, choose the one who fits you best. A little black dress is an investment : you’re going to wear it to go to work or as a cocktail dress.

If you want to put some originality on your dress you can add a pretty necklace or a luxurious bracelet. A coloured scarf  can be helpful, too.

Don’t forget that the most important is to feel comfortable. Wear pants if you are used to it, you’ll avoid awkward situations !

To buy a beautiful little black dress online : www.my-little-black-dress.com

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Little Black Dress : How to get dressed for a special event

In Keri’s most recent book The O2 Diet: The cutting edge, antioxidant-based diet that will make you thin and beautiful, she takes complex scientific research on antioxidants and the ORAC scale and translates the information into digestible terms to help empower people to live a more nutritious life by combining a nutrient-dense, high antioxidant diet with the other components in her Nutritious Life Cycle.

You can find her books on her site, but first I’d like to outline her 5 counterintuitive dieting tips to get you started on a healthy weight loss plan:

1) To Lose Fat, Eat Fat

You need to eat 30-35 percent of your calories from fat. Fat helps you feel fuller so you won’t be hungry or craving food. Appease your stomach, don’t punish it. Clearly you want to be eating healthy fats like mono and saturated fats from things like avocado and olive oil because they have actually been shown to prevent belly fat. Salmon, walnuts are also a great idea as they help metabolize fat.

2) Sleep More

When you’re tired you actually crave more calories and carbohydrates. Your body is better off getting the 7-8 recommended hours of sleep. Researchers have found that if you’re sleeping 6 hours for instance, you can be increasing your chances of obesity by 23 percent. If you only sleep 5 hours, you increase your chances by 50 percent. The explanation is that by losing sleep you are increasing your hunger hormone ghrelin, and decreasing your fullness hormone leptin (plays a key role in regulating energy intake and energy expenditure, including appetite and metabolism). So make sure to take off your jewelry and get to bed on time and be active enough during the day so you have a full, good night’s sleep.

3)Say Cheese!

This is perhaps my favourite tip, add cheese to your diet. Recent research shows that women who ingest 580 mg of calcium a day versus 150 mg of calcium lost 12 lbs versus 7 lbs. You do have to be careful however because cheese is high in calories and also has some unhealthy saturated fat. The trick, enjoy cheese but control your portions.

4)Drink Alcohol

Moderate alcohol consumption of up to 1 glass a day of any kind of alcohol, for women can actually have health benefits and help you lose weight. Research has shown that women who consume moderate amounts of alcohol were 30 percent less likely to be overweight and 70 percent less likely to be obese.

5)Have Sex

Did you know you burn 150-200 calories per ½ hour when having sex? Sex doesn’t only feel great, it helps reduce stress levels, and you release a hormone called oxytocin, a feel-good hormone which also acts as an antioxidant. When you feel good you’re less stressed and thereby less likely to emotional eat.

Enjoy your new diet!

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Counterintuitive Diet Tips: Diet Tips You’ll Want to Follow

When it comes to reigniting an old flame through Facebook there are some considerations to make. I imagine many an affair has started due to this handy social networking tool. But if you’re single and willing to give it a whirl here is some food for thought.

That was Then, This is Now

Like a drug, lustful thoughts we once felt about a person can come roaring back as we recapture “visceral feelings of being young and in love”. But that was then and this is now. If it’s been decades since you last saw each other, you have probably undergone many of your own experiences. Experiences that you haven’t shared can make you very different from who you were then, and chances are, you’ve probably grown apart.  For all you know they had a criminal record, and have yet to receive any Canadian pardons.

Remember Why You Broke Up

Memories can be deceiving and our brains have this brilliant way of remembering the good times and forgetting the bad. But in order to make the most educated decision about this step you’re considering taking, I highly suggest you list out things you liked about the person and the relationship and factors that caused you not to stay together in the end.

Feelings Aren’t Always Mutual

Let’s say you find your old love, they add you but aren’t really as responsive as you would have hoped. Are you prepared to deal with the rejection/disinterest? The best thing you can do for yourself is to not set yourself up for disappointment and that means keeping those expectations under control. It’s silly to say don’t have expectations, because that would mean don’t think about it all, which is clearly impossible. But don’t rush out looking for diamond earrings on sale just yet.  Love can make us quite unreasonable so you have to make an effort to keep yourself grounded. That means not Facebook stalking your crush, and if it seems like they don’t have much interest delete them or at the very least hide them from your news feed.

You never know how things will turn out so I’m always one for taking chances. Just make sure you’ve considered these three things before taking the plunge.

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To Friend or Not To Friend? Considerations Before Reconnecting With An Old Flame Through Facebook

Once we’ve gotten past your defenses however, is when the real games begin.  We’ll spend evenings and weekends together, getting to know you, your little quirks, your little adorable habits, and eventually, if we haven’t already, we fall deeply in love with you.

Then something strange happens.  Once the smoke cloud of love and infatuation starts to clear away, we start to notice a few things about you.  Little things you say and do that strikes us as slightly odd.  These things are so tiny and seemingly insignificant at first, that we pay them no mind.  “Oh who cares?  I love this girl!” is what we tell ourselves.  But these things are like tiny splinters, not really painful at first, but when nothing is done about them, over time becomes infected and excruciating and in need of medical attention.  The following is a short list of some of the things women do to drive men completely insane.  Luckily our love for you keeps us from running into the woods screaming.

1.  Constantly contacting us at work via MSN, Facebook, texting and calling.

There was a time when you’d only dare call your boyfriend or husband at work for emergencies.  Why?  Because too many personal calls could get you fired!  Nowadays women feel it’s okay to call our cell phones at any time, for no reason whatsoever.  And if we don’t answer, BOOM, you’re sending us text messages or IMs.  Stop it!  It’s distracting, it can get us in trouble at work, and to be completely honest, we just saw you 2 hours ago so ‘no,’ we don’t miss you yet.

2.  Buying us clothes without us being there, telling us it’s okay if we don’t like them “cause you can always return them,” the getting mad when we say we don’t like them.

Listen, we love that you think of us while on your frequent shopapoloozas, but please stop buying us clothes.  I don’t buy socks unless I try them on first, what makes you think you can just grab an entire pair of pants off a rack and expect us to love them?  And it’s very hard for us to tell you we hate the new shirts, because you were “just being thoughtful.”

3.  Makes you late for everything.

There’s nothing more to say here than LEARN TO BE ON TIME.  PUNCTUALITY IS IMPORTANT AND A REFLECTION ON YOU AND YOUR REPUTATION.  STOP RUINING OURS BECAUSE YOU CAN’T PICK AN OUTFIT FOR YOUR COUSIN’S BBQ.  (sorry, I wasn’t yelling.  I accidentally hit caps lock, and didn’t look up at my screen until it was too late, and now I can’t change it…I just can’t)

4.  Whenever she sees pictures of your ex she insults them and calls them ugly.

When you insult our exes you seem to forget that we were once in love with them to a certain degree.  They were, for the most part, decent people who don’t deserved to be called names, and calling them ugly insults us as well, because we thought they were pretty.  If we are with you, the last thing you should be undermining is our taste in women.

5.  Booking up all our spare time weeks in advance.

Guys live in the moment.  Stop asking us what we want for dinner when our mouths are still full of bacon.  And just because we don’t have anything “planned” on Friday night, all day Saturday and all day Sunday, doesn’t mean you should fill our calendars with all your Wal-Mart, Dollarama other trivial trip planning needs.  We enjoy leaving evenings open for fun things to pop up.   Men have learned that the best ideas present themselves when you’ve already booked something lame.

6.  Fixing the relationship right before bed.

We’ve just spent the entire day together, going to Wal-Mart, the Dollar Store and the clothing outlets. We had breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, watched a movie and even squeezed in a little fun before bed time.  And just as we close our eyes, and our brains start to drift off into sweet, sweet dreamland, you decide it’s time to evaluate the relationship and where it’s going.  Please don’t do this.  Sleep is precious to us, and sleep time is the worst time to bring up issues with us.  We’ll be cranky, and everything we say will be peppered with rage because you not only didn’t bring up whatever issue you have this time months ago, but that you didn’t bring it up at any point during the day when we weren’t in our pyjamas.

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6 Things Women do to Drive Guys Crazy

The necklace comes affixed with a 14k white or yellow gold clasp (I would go for the white gold). It is 20 inches in length and each pearl is 6.0-6.5mm. The akoya pearls are imported directly from the saltwaters of Japan, and grown in the Pinctada Fucata oyster. Simple, beautiful and classic, pearls also carry sentimental value to me as they are also my mother’s favorite kind of jewelry. Alas, she has her pearls but I don’t have mine, so if chance is on my side, maybe I’ll be the lucky winner of this longtime jewelry dream of mine.

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Online Jewlery Contest @ My Jewelry Box

However, a recent survey funded by Church and Dwight Co. Inc., maker of Trojan brand sexual health products sheds positive light on our quietly arousing sexuality. The survey indicated that half of American adults use vibrators and that vibrator-use is a sign of a positive and healthy sex life. More than 60% of partnered women reported using a vibrator.

Yes, sex is good, sex is great, all the more reason to masturbate! And use sex toys, of course. With a partner or alone, for anyone new to sex toys and other related sex gear, here are some sex toy suggestions for beginners, worth considering keeping in your sock drawer.

Lubricant

Not exactly a toy, but just as fun as one, is lubricant. A good tube of lube is essential when using any of your toys to prevent cuts or tearing. When selecting a lubricant for you and your partner, you need to keep several things in mind. First, if you are going to be using a latex condom, make sure the lubricant is either silicone-based or water-based. If you use an oil-based lubricant, like Vaseline, the latex can break down and may reduce the effectiveness of the condom.

Vibrators

Women who use vibrators report better sex, including higher sexual desire and arousal, as well as orgasm. If you’re purchasing your first vibrator you can browse your selections online or in a store, though many people feel quite shy about walking into sex shops. I can assure you however, that if you do work up the guts, the people who work there will be very professional and assist you in any way they can. It also gives you the chance to open up about your sexual likes and dislikes and have an expert guide on what toys are best for you.

You may recall the Sex and the City episode where Charlotte discovers/becomes addicted to “The Jack Rabbit”. Well, there’s good reason for that and your orgasm in less than 2 minutes should be enough to prove it. The actual dildo part is made of comfortable jelly material and is 7 inches long. The shaft of the dildo, has a pocket of little pearls that vibrate causing the shaft to expand. Finally, with its own separate remote, you can control how fast the “rabbit ears” vibrate against your clitoris. The vibrator was unanimously chosen “Best Vibrator” out of 40 different vibrators in Playboy’s TV show “Sexectra”.

There are several types of vibrators you can get, depending on whether you are looking for clitoral stimulation or vaginal or both. According to the 10 most highly rated vibrators that Amazon sells, the Hitachi Magic Wand Vibrating Massager by Vibratex is a wonderful personal vibrating massager and has been a best-seller for nearly 30 years. Perfect for novices it has two speeds with a soft flexible head.

You can also get to know your infamous G-Spot with the GIGI. Five pre-programmed pleasure modes and a virtually silent vibrator engine deliver deep and vibrant sensations with precision as spot-on as the finest tattoo equipment. (Well that was a painful analogy.)

These are just examples of vibrators available. A little online research, and as I mentioned, speaking with a professional about your particular needs is the best way help you make the best decision.

Anal Sex Toys

The number one rule with anal toys is NEVER choose a size which is too big. Start small and work your way up. Some of the most popular anal toys are butt plugs and anal beads. (Prostate anal toys and perineum anal sex toys are only suitable for men.) Anal beads consist of multiple spheres or balls attached together in series which are continuously inserted through the anus into the rectum and then removed with varying speeds depending on the effect desired. Anal butt plus are similar to dildos however, tend to be shorter and have a flared end to prevent the device from being lost inside the rectum. Large amounts of sexual lubricant and a slow gentle approach are often needed to insert or remove a butt plug, so be open and talk with your partner if the two of you decide to adventure your behind.

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Sex Toys For Beginners

Where to go

First of all, help a brother out when it comes to selecting the first date location.  We know you all love a man who makes decisions, and we can, but the last thing we want is to make the wrong one.  We need a little input from you.  Guys will have a general idea of where to take you, with several options bouncing around in their brains.  Do you like Italian food, or Greek?  Do you want to start slow with some coffees, or jump right into the fire with some cocktails?  Are you a more of a club girl, or a pub girl?  Once we get some feedback, we can then make that all-important decision, choosing the best option from one of your preferences.  A man appreciates a woman who knows what she wants, and trust me, he wants to give you what you want.

What to Wear

This will of course depend on where you go.  You wouldn’t wear heels and a sexy-strapless number to order your Venti Mocha Latte, and conversely you wouldn’t wear jeans, a t-shirt and a ball cap to a swanky restaurant.  Don’t get me wrong, we love you in both those things, but we also want you to fit in with your surroundings.

Pick an outfit than can cover a few bases.  You never know where a date can take you, especially if it’s going well.  Coffee can turn into dinner, dinner can turn into drinks, and drinks can turn into dancing (for men the dancing can only follow drinks, and not the other way around).  You want to be wearing something that will make you comfortable in all situations.  As a guy I have no idea how you would pull this off, as we can just wear our good pair of shoes, some nice jeans, and a collared, buttoned-down shirt to fit into most scenarios like a chameleon.  I guess as long as you don’t wear any outfits too extreme in one direction, either too sexy, or too caj, you’ll be ready for anything.

Also, if you really like a guy, and you want him to notice you, don’t be afraid to show off your assets a little.  Again, it doesn’t have to be extreme, we have extremely vivid imaginations, and trust me, we are scanning you and doing our own little math in our heads as to what the value for N is under those clothes.  We’re guys, we’re sorry, but that’s what we do.  This might sound superficial, but hear me out.  You want him to like you for what’s on the inside right?  Well, unless you’re already friends, co-workers, or just happen to spend a lot of time together, the first date is not always ideal for him to get to know the real you.  You’re both under pressure to create a good first impression, so you’re not always yourselves, and if you’ve shown up in too conservative an outfit, his desire for a second date might not be as strong as it would had you enticed him with some glimpses of that beautiful body of yours.  It’s almost embarrassing to admit, almost, but awkward conversation with a little skin will certainly get you further than awkward conversation and zero skin.

What to Say

Want to sound like an intelligent, interesting and fun person to talk to?  Simple.  Just ask him questions about himself and listen.  This sounds tough I know, you want him to know just how awesome you are and how you can play guitar and love to cook and all your favourite songs, books, movies, TV shows, and where you went to school and what your dreams are, and where you’ve travelled to and all that great stuff that makes you who you are.  But trust me, every book I’ve ever read on how to deal with people says the same thing: listen!  Get him talking about all those things that makes him tick, and you’d be surprised at what you’ll get to hear. Keep asking him questions and you’ll not only learn about his likes and dislikes, but you’ll have created a comfortable environment for him to open up, something most guys secretly want to do despite the myth that we lock everything in the emotional vault and throw away the key. You’ll soon get him talking about his most embarrassing childhood moments, his intimate life dreams, saying things to you like “I’ve never admitted this anyone before” and then telling you how he became eligible for a pardon in Canada.

Once you’ve shown a genuine interest in him, by asking him questions and listening, not only have you taken the stress off yourself to be the witty conversationalist, he’ll walk away from the date feeling great, he’ll think that you’re absolutely fascinating (despite the fact that you let him do all the talking), and he’ll definitely want to know more about you.

So, what have we learned:  help him choose the location; don’t over or under-dress, show a little skin; and let him do all the talking.  Sounds a little too easy doesn’t it?  Well it is.  Men are not complicated creatures.  If you help us out a little, we won’t think you’re high maintenance and we’ll want to get to know you.  If we’re attracted to you, we’ll want to get to know you.  If we’re comfortable talking to you, we’ll want to get know you.  So in conclusion, don’t be high maintenance, don’t be unattractive, and don’t be uninteresting.  You’ll blow him away!

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Dating Advice for Women: What to do on a First Date

Top 10 Best-Paying Jobs

10- Occupational Therapist

Women working as occupational therapists have a median weekly earning of $1,155, and $60,000 per year. Their job entails working with individuals, families, groups and communities to facilitate health and well-being through engagement or re-engagement in occupation.

9- Computer Scientist and Systems Analyst

The median weekly earnings of female computer scientists and systems analysts is about $1,167 per week and an average of $60,500 per year. They study the theoretical foundations of information and computation, devising practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems.

8- Management Analyst

A management analyst is responsible for auditing and evaluating the management process of a business. They work with organizations to improve corporate structure, systems, efficiency and profits. The median weekly earnings of a female management analyst is about $1,177 and their yearly earnings is $61,000.

7- Computer Programmer

Female computer programmers earn $1,182 on a weekly basis and approximately $61,500 per year. Computer programmers or “coders” are the people responsible for writing computer software. The term programmer can be used to refer to a software developer, software engineer, computer scientist, or software analyst. People in this profession typically possess other software engineering skills as well.

6-Physician and Surgeon

Making up 34% of physicians and surgeons, the median weekly earnings of women in these professions amounts to approximately $1,228 and $64,000 per year. They diagnose, prescribe and treat illnesses, diseases and injuries.

5- Computer Software Engineer

Computer software engineering is a profession dedicated to designing, implementing, and modifying software so that it is of higher quality, more affordable, maintainable, and faster to build. Median weekly earnings average to $1,311 and approximately $68,000 per year for women.

4-Computer and Information Systems Manager

With median weekly earnings of $1,411 and yearly earnings of $73,500 women working as computer and information systems managers implement technology into an organization, and often oversee network security and IT operations.

3- Lawyers

Earning $1,449 per week and approximately $75,500 per year, women lawyers make up 37% of people in this profession. The job involves applying abstract legal theories and knowledge to solve specific individualized problems, or to advance the interests of those who retain (i.e., hire) lawyers to perform legal services.

2- Pharmacist

Female pharmacists earn approximately $1,475 per week, with yearly earnings of about $76,500. Their job consists of distributing prescription drugs and advising patients and physicians on usage and dosage.

1- Chief Executive Officer

Female chief executives make $1,553 per week and approximately $81,000 per year. These numbers are still low compared to their male counterparts. Women only make up a quarter of all chief executive positions and earn 75% as much as their male peers.

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Top 10 High Paying Jobs For Women

First things first…

1- Make photocopies of all your important documents. This includes passport, airline ticket or itinerary, driver’s license, credit card and traveler’s checks. Leave a copy at home with someone you trust in case anything happens.

2- Be informed. No matter where you’re going, if it’s somewhere you haven’t been before you should buy a guidebook such as the Lonely Planet. Your guide book is your bible and will inform you about any particularities about a certain destination, whether it’s cultural customs, food and water related issues and so on…

3- Keep important phone numbers and addresses with you. If you are travelling to another country, have a phone number to your country’s embassy and of course contact information of anyone you know there.

4- Wear a concealed money belt under your clothes. You can carry around a purse but it’s a good idea for you to conceal your money and credit cards that way, if a thief does try to pull your purse off your shoulder, your money and important documents are tucked safely away in your concealed money belt.

Insider Advice

Clothing

As much as you may want to wear what you want, in countries where women are veiled, it is respectful and wise to make an effort to cover up as well. When my friend and I were in India, we attempted wearing shorts and tank tops, however soon realized it gave men the wrong idea about us. We were being gawked at, touched, grabbed. After we bought long skirts and scarves to cover our shoulders we stopped getting harassed.

Who To Trust

Whenever I visit a new place, I always try and be as courteous as possible, adapt to the culture’s customs and of course, smile. I also like to engage in conversations with locals as they can teach you so many things about the country. However, my advice is to limit the personal information you disclose to strangers and also be vigilant of the kindness you are willing to accept from them too. People must gain your trust and you should stand your ground at all times in order to prevent being taken advantage of.

Taxi Safety

In places where everyone wants your money, taxis will be the first to try and rip you off. When taking taxis, be sure to first find a taxi stand rather than waving one off the street. Generally, only cabs authorized to carry passengers are allowed to stop at cab stands, meaning the taxi is as safe as that country mandates, and the cab driver licensed. Once you’re in the cab it’s a good idea to make sure there is a company phone number inside the cab and a legitimate meter. Also, make sure to look at your driver’s face. I always make it a point to kindly ask their name too.

Nighttime

If you are in a country where you don’t really see many women out at night, it’s probably a good indication that you shouldn’t be either. When you are unfamiliar with an area, being out at night can be especially dangerous. You have much higher chances of getting lost and be attacked without anyone seeing you. If you do happen to be out at night, it is imperative that you have a flashlight handy. Sometimes the city streets may not be illuminated and if ever something did happen you can flash the light on the attackers face. A whistle is also smart-thinking to draw attention to you in case anything happens.

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How To Travel Safe As A Woman

Yoga and Meditation

Uniting the mind, spirit and body, yoga and meditation are great hobbies to embark on. Yoga and meditation decrease muscle tension and headaches, enhance the immune system, reduce pre-menstrual syndrome symptoms like cramps and fatigue and also reduce activity of viruses and emotional distress. I especially recommend yoga and meditation to women as it allows us to connect with our bodies, encourages self-discovery and helps us to develop an identity beyond gender and family expectations.

Collecting

Collecting can be a wonderful hobby to pass the time and the beauty of it is that there are no boundaries to what you can amass. People collect all sorts of things, from figurines, stamps, art, pins, antique bottle caps, even air sickness bags, believe it or not. What’s interesting about having a collection is that the item you collect may not look like much all by its lonesome, however when placed with all its friends, it’s actually quite impressive.

Sewing

Sewing is a relaxing and rewarding hobby that lets you explore all sorts of creative possibilities. Though sewing has become a less common skill among women of our generation, it is far from being a hobby reserved for Grandma. Sewing doesn’t just have to be about making sweaters and scarves either. I have a friend in her late 20’s who took her sewing hobby to the next level and started her own side-business making funny puppets and stuffed animals.

Wine Tasting

The appreciation for wine has become much more accessible to the average person and is no longer limited to high society. As such, now may be the time to consider taking up wine tasting as a hobby. Wine is both complex and fascinating; it awakens new senses and can be deeply appreciated alone or with others. Learning to match the perfect wine with the perfect recipe is something every taste bud will enjoy!  There are many books on the subject of wine; there are courses you can sign up for, but nothing beats a little experimentation too.

Gardening

Whether it’s vegetables, flowers or plants you want to grow and maintain, gardening is a rewarding hobby that lets you disconnect from life’s demands. What I love most about gardening is the ability to work with my hands and the chance to be at one with nature.

Cooking

Food is one of life’s great pleasures so why not take up cooking as a hobby? The sky is the limit to all the possibilities and combinations you can experiment with. You can even round up some friends and start your own cooking club, sharing ideas, recipes, great food and wonderful company.

Photography

Photography is another hobby that lets you explore your creative side. The photos you take show the world as you see it. You can choose to take your pictures with film and learn all about the dark room or go digital and become an expert in Photoshop. There is much to be learned about photography from its more technical aspects to its rich and fascinating history.

Writing

There are many possibilities open to you if you decide to start writing as a hobby. You can write in a diary, express yourself through poetry or even take a crack at writing the next great novel. Blogging has also become a very popular trend and if you have a passion you want to write about, starting your own blog with one of the many free blogging programs on the Internet could be a good hobby to consider.  Choose from a list of available Canadian domain names, choose your topic and start writing!

Art

Whether it’s painting, drawing, sculpting or pottery, there may be some artistic frustrations within you that are urging to come out. Find inspiration by visiting your local museum, reading art books at the library or attending a vernissage in your area.

Music

Is there an instrument you’ve always wanted to learn but never had the courage to take up? Why not put aside those inhibitions and plunge into the wonderful world of music. You can take lessons, or even try and teach yourself. You can find lots of videos on the net that give you free lessons.

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