Today it is all about health. Your Health!

Welcome, today I am going to show you a great way to stop smoking.

Why? Because I know you can. You have been willing to stop for ages now. Guess what, the time has arrived to do just that.

How? It couldn’t been easier. Davey Shafik told me about this great initiative from the state of Florida called Qwitter.

How does it work?
Qwitter is a social tool powered by Twitter to help you quit smoking. Qwitter does a few things to assist you in your effort to be smoke free!

Key features?
You can easily keep track of how many cigarettes you smoke each day.
You can keep a journal of your thoughts & feelings as you strive to smoke less.
You can view your progress over time.
You can share this information with others who can support you.

When and how?
Every time you feel the urge for a cigarette or has just lit one up.  As with all online applications you can use it from everywhere you are. You only need a computer or a cell phone.

When to start?
Immediately!  Imagine  how much money you’ll save. And No more anxiety attacks when you are out of cigarettes or at a place that is smoke free.

Take control of your life and do it with ease, do it with Qwitter!

ps. Can also be used for other addictions. Or even to create a success chart!

Sunny greetings from Belgium

Nick Belhomme

You are silently writing code. Transferring the solution baked into your mind to the script you’re writing. Sometimes silence is your best friend while coding, but there are times your creativity can use a boost. Put on some great music and let the waves of pure rhythm guide you.

Hello this is Nick Belhomme and today I am going to introduce you to Deezer.

Deezer is free music on demand. It is best described as a radio station where you are in charge. You select an album or song and Deezer does the rest. It will serve different related artists to your ears. You will enjoy the non stop stream of the latest quality music while coding. You’ll type your coding with more flair, with more conviction, with more spirit. After all music is a 100% natural brain stimulant. If you are coding long hours and suddenly that special song comes along, you are revitalized and ready to code some more with renewed energy. All companies know this and that is why they often use radio stations on the work floor. We programmers are blessed, we do not have to endure the classic radio stations filled with crappy talks about how bad the economical situation is, child abuse, murder and or useless small talk all in favor of doing some commercial advertising. Nopes we can use internet radios. And Deezer is on top of that list if you want quality.  Only music and none of the crap from above.

You can create an account but is is not required. When you do you can create playlists for future playback and much more. But like I said it is not required and within 2 clicks upon entering the site you could be enjoying some great music, absolutely free.

So start coding, shaking, boogieing, dancing, nodding your head, humming and smiling when you hear that special song at http://www.deezer.com

Sunny greetings from Belgium

Nick Belhomme

As I said before, this blog is all about you.

Today I received a thank you letter from one of my readers.

I’m sure he wouldn’t mind it being posted here.

Hello Nick,

You will be pleased to hear that today I signed a contract  for my first real programming job. It had always been a dream and now it has become reality.  I start on Monday. I want to thank you for the tremendous help you gave me and for bringing me in contact with the right people.

Thank you so much

Sincerely,

Steve

One of my readers took action and wrote me an email requesting how he could start earning money with what he loves to do. He told me his passion is in programming and he wanted to make a livelihood from it.

Sure why not I replied! Do you have some credentials, how long have you been programming and what would you like to earn?

Steve could provide with little credentials as he just graduated. But he was passionate about programming. And what he lacks in real life experience, he makes up in enthusiasm and the willing to learn.

I noticed he was really serious about it and suggested I would call some contacts in the recruiting sector.

As a starting consultant he could make from 30 euros an hour up to 200 euros  as a more professional programmer.

I am always happy to hear when I am able to help people like Steve. In the end it is all about becoming successful and sharing that success with your fellow man.

Sunny greetings from Belgium

Nick Belhomme

Hello, thank you for reading up on my daily notes.

The other day one of my colleagues at Skynet Belgacom (Belgium’s reference provider of integrated telecommunication services) asked me if it would be difficult for him to obtain the PHP5 Zend Certified Engineer Certification.

Being a ZCE myself I was in the excellent position to answer that question for him.

I responded it wouldn’t if he really wanted it. It is the same as everything in life. People can do extraordinary things if they really, really want it. Do you ever stop and think when you see an airplane glide through the air that it was once just a man’s idea?! Man couldn’t fly, if he was meant to fly he would have gotten wings they told Wilbur Wright. Well we all know the Wright brothers showed us. Millions of people fly now a day, every day!

They made the impossible possible with their passion!

I hear people too often say what they don’t want, that they never even consider what they do want. If you want something and just take action you can grab it. Almost every time, guaranteed. Besides it is not the goal that makes it a success it is trying to reach that “want” that makes the trip and the total a success. You’ll never hear someone say when they come to pass, I had a great house, great furniture, a runway model as a spouse and 50 million on my bank account. No they will tell you all the great stories on how they achieved that goal. You see, it is not the achieved end that is a success it is the road trip and all the personal development you gained while taking the trip. Everything can be stripped and taken away from you, but not the development you gained. That’s yours for ever!

I told my colleague he should go for it. Posing the question if it is a hard thing to do indicated he wants the certification but is in doubt of himself or the work that is involved. I told him he shouldn’t be afraid of himself or of the work involved. Just go.

If you are interested in obtaining this certification yourself let me share a secret with you:

You can achieve this, I am positive you can!

I know you can, maybe you’ll just have to take the test and pass, maybe you will have to study for a month or even 2 years. But like I said before, if you want it, you can do it. Only the things that you have earned through hard work are the things that you really value. And what is wrong with hard work? Working towards the goal should be fun. And it will be if you are pursuing something you want. So take your time but start moving.

PHP Architect has this great mock exam . I suggest you take it to verify your readiness for the new Zend PHP 5 Certification Exam. It is just a test so if you fail don’t let it get you down, but see it as an opportunity for you becoming an even better programmer as it will indicate in detail which areas of PHP you have to sharpen. A great book called “Php|architect’s Zend PHP 5 Certification Study Guide” can help you with that.

If you are like me and pass with the grade “excellent”, get your butt to the nearest examination center and take that exam.

The benefits are huge, as an employee you can ask for a raise, you have a proven knowledge, and have something to brag about to your colleagues.

As a freelance PHP Expert Developer Consultant like myself the benefits are even greater. Really big companies, as the one where I am doing a project right now, will contact you themselves. You have after all proven to have a very high know-how and experience in PHP.

But what we both share, employee and freelancer, is the deep satisfaction of knowing you wanted something, went for it, and obtained it. And this feeling is far more important than anything else. It makes you see. It makes you feel. And finally it makes you believe in yourself and know that when YOU want something, you can make it happen. Every time!

Sunny greetings from Belgium,
Nick Belhomme

Ps. I have a great house, great furniture, a runway model as a spouse and I am working towards the 50 million on my bank account.

Some great books to help you prepare for the exam.