Friday, December 30, 2005

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

It snowed last night……woo hoo! I’m sooooo happy; I could almost do a happy dance :) That might sound funny to a lot of you, but it doesn’t snow that much where I live, so it’s actually quite rare. It isn’t that much yet, but they are predicting more snow later today. Or to be more precise, a severe weather warning has been issued. Later today the weather is going to be sort of horrible, they are telling people to stay indoors.

Well, that’s The Netherlands for you….. One moment it doesn’t look like winter at all and the next moment there is so much wintry weather that you have to stay indoors. Silly old country!

Wednesday, December 28, 2005

Cleaning!

Hi there people, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas. I am sure you did, and so did I, but I’m not going to bore you with yet another Christmas story. I probably talked about Christmas more then enough before.... So, Christmas is done and dusted and now it is time to look towards the New Year.

I like to start every New Year with a new refill for my organizer, a fresh journal, clean house and an even cleaner PC. So at the end of every year I check all my folders and I throw away all the stuff I haven’t used in a very long time. I noticed that you can come across the weirdest stuff on your PC in folders you have probably all forgotten about. Funny Pictures, strange quotes and so on and so on. Of course I’m not throwing away everything, but some things are just begging to be thrown in the rubbish bin.

This year I decided to browse through my music folders too. It’s time to organize and tag them properly. I started doing this today and I’m almost regretting my decision. Man, I didn’t know I had that much music on my PC. I’ll probably still be doing this in 2006. Oh well, at least i wont be bored :) And there is another bonus too; at least I’ll know exactly what kind of music I have. And that provides me with another bonus…. After I have finished, I know exactly what I can put on my iPod, which I received from a sort of secret Santa right before Christmas. Thank you, Santa :))

Friday, December 23, 2005

For all the wonderful people out there :)

Okay…time to relax!

I’ve got most of the shopping done and I did most of the things that I had on my list earlier this week. I just have to get some fresh vegetables and flowers tomorrow and bake a cake. Not because I can’t do without, or because someone told me to, but just because I want too. I really like the smell of freshly baked goods. Earlier I baked the cookies and I love the way the house smells when the cookies are happily baking away in the oven. Oh and they are very tasty too, I might add.

I feel great, relaxed and I’m looking forward to Christmas. That has not always been the case. For many years I really loved Christmas, but I’ve been depressed for a long time and during that period Christmas came and went by like any other day. I had no tree, no decorations, didn’t send any cards, didn’t answer the phone and there had been some days that I even didn’t bother to come out of my bed or get dressed.

I’m glad to say that that’s all in the past now. I found my way back, I’m starting to love Christmas again, but I’m still not overdoing it, but I’m enjoying it! And I can tell you why….because it is my Christmas! I’m doing what I want, making it my perfect Christmas and to top it all off, I am spending time with just the right crowd.

Well, I’ve got to practice what I
preach don’t I :)

Thursday, December 22, 2005

A strange day before Christmas.

Wow…it’s a bit of a strange day today. And when I say strange, I mean strange!

First of all I got a phone call this morning. There is nothing special about that, but I was listening to a guy who was apologizing for something over and over again. Apologies can be nice, but I didn’t know the guy and I didn’t had a clue what he was talking about. I tried to tell him just that, but he was going on and on. Finally he needed to catch his breath, so I could tell him he had dialled the wrong number or something. I felt a bit sorry for the guy, now he had to dial the correct number and tell the whole story all over again. Bummer!

Another strange thing of the day: I think I stole something. Me….stole! I have never stolen anything in my life. I was doing some grocery shopping for Christmas and I didn’t need that much so I used a shopping basket. I walked to the cash register, placed my items on the belt, paid for them, and returned the items to my basket while I was walking out of the store. To my surprise I saw that there was still a carton of cream in there. Oops, I hadn’t paid for that!
How stupid is that! I was so preoccupied with other stuff, I totally forgot to place all my items on the belt. Silly me!

And then there is this. I received totally no mail today and that is a first! Really, no mail at all. Is the postman saving my mail up or something? Is he going to deliver it later this week? …..hmmz strange! Well, let’s look at the bright side, if he really is saving up my mail I’m going to get a nice bundle at the end of the week. Woo hoo!

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

So be good for goodness sake!

Treat yourself to status check.

I was chatting with a friend this morning and she said something that really amazed me. She said that she wants to change herself and be more “normal”. I was totally gobsmacked for a moment and when I got my speech back just simply asked her ‘why’? Well according to her, people think she is not “normal”. That got me thinking because I don’t believe that there is a definite definition for the word “normal”. What I consider to be “normal” can be totally weird for the next person. For instance: I like to bake cookies for Christmas, another person might think that’s so weird, just go to a store and buy them. Another example: I like to do Random Acts of Kindness, others think that is pretty weird. But who cares what others think, it’s what I think that counts for me. So if others think I’m not “normal” that's just their problem, not mine.

We talked a bit more and as it turns out, she really does want to reinvent herself. Funnily enough, that is very common these days. More and more people want to reinvent, change, improve themselves or want a total makeover. They just want to fit in, be as “normal” as the rest of the world. They try to accomplish this by plastic surgery, self-help and self-improvement books, by buying things they really can't afford. It can be a long and excruciating process. But is it really necessary to change totally? I don't think so. There is nothing wrong with diversity and a lot of people don’t realize it, but they are pretty awesome just the way they are. But what do you do if you really want to change certain things, improve a thing here and there?

Well, there is a simple answer to that; take a time out and perform a status check every few months. Ask yourself a couple of simple questions to determine if you are still on the right track. Do you undertake enough things that give you energy? Do certain things bother you? Do you get annoyed by little things? Can you come up with things which really need to be changed? If so...... change them, one step at a time. Just a small course correction can be just the thing you need. Oh....and there is one bonus too, when you perform a status check from time to time you will never have to reinvent yourself completely.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Wow!!

I just noticed that my statcounter has passed the 1000 pageloads point. Wow again!.
When I started this blog I never thought that I would reach this point. In the beginning I didn’t even had a counter on this, so I always thought that no one was reading this. As it turns out quite a few people are reading this stuff, glimpse at it, or are just passing by. I just need to say it one more time…….WOW!

Blind date!

Monday, December 19, 2005

STOP STRESSING - A message to me!

Normally I am very organized, some people might even say that I’m too organized, but today I am having this sensation that everything is spiralling out of control. I have this funny feeling that I need to do a 1000 things before Christmas and that is only 6 days from now.
So now I have to figure out:
A) what really needs to be done……
and
B) which things I can do if I really have some time to spare.

The A-list:
  • Figure out a menu for Christmas day. I’m having some friend over and we are all going to make certain dishes. One is going to make the entrée, another one the main course, another one the dessert and so on and so on. That takes a bit of planning because the dishes should suit and complement each other.
  • Make a shopping list (don’t forget the flowers and candles)
  • Figure out where to get certain items
  • Plan when and where to do the shopping
  • Assign someone to get the wine.
  • Pay it forward
  • Check if I did sent all my cards out
  • Donate money to the Red Cross via Serious Request (dutchradio www.3fm.nl) and save a child in Congo
  • The B-list:

  • Bake a cake and cookies
  • Make a festive garland (or something) for the hall.
  • Create something special for my blog
  • Answer e-mails
  • Buy some small funny gifts
  • So much to do, so little time. Actually, now that I’m seeing this list, it’s not that bad. I can do this! Woow, the tranquillity is returning!! I am starting to feel almost Zen-like! Making a list is grand! Being organized, is soooooo cool :)

    Saturday, December 17, 2005

    Message to my Dad

    Hi there amazing guy,

    Today you would have turned 77 but you are not, and we both know why. You died almost 20 years (next May) ago and we both know that you can never return. Maybe you didn’t totally disappear; maybe your spirit is still near me. I don’t know but if you are, you know you are more then welcome.

    Twenty years is a really long time. I still think of you fondly, miss you and I still think you were an amazing guy. Not just because you were my dad, but because you were special. You have taught me so many things and I can’t mention them all, so here is a selection. You taught me how to cook, how appreciate life, how to tinker with things, values, how to persevere, how to learn, how to listen, how to love, how to find the perfect Christmas tree, how to put up wallpaper, how to paint, how to care, how to share and how to overcome the greater challenges in life. And even though you are no longer here, I still believe you are teaching me things every day. Or maybe it’s because I see things more and more the way you did. According to Mom, I have more of you in me every day, character wise that is. Hmm… so parts of you are still here I guess, you live on through me :)

    I am writing this little message because I wanted to let you know that you are not forgotten and that we are all okay, but I have this funny feeling that you already know that. Tonight I will light a special candle, I will drink a glass of wine, maybe I will eat a piece of pie to celebrate the day you were born and I’ll think of the fun and special things we did together.

    Love ya!

    Friday, December 16, 2005

    Let’s make it an: ‘I've learned’ – Friday again

    I’ve learned – That money has nothing to do with happiness!

    Don’t get me wrong, money can be very useful and it can increase your feeling of happiness, but you don’t needs tons of it to feel happy.

    Over the years I have had all sorts of jobs, all with a different income. Some years my income was high and in some jobs I made just enough money to survive. And funnily enough this did not affect my happiness as much as I always thought it would. I always thought I would be devastated, but I’m not.

    It is fun when you can buy everything you want, but when you have less to spend you’ll need to become really creative and that can be fun too. Weird, isn't it? Creativity can really contribute to your happiness. Creativity is a funny thing, it grows! When you have to think up creative ways to get the things you need, your creativity in other fields grow too. You are more inspired, you learn different things, like how to cook for instance ;) Just kidding! You even look at things in a different way.

    This year I lived on a very tight budget, but I survived and I actually feel better and happier than I did in the wealthier years. I rekindled old friendships, I have met some new inspiring and interesting friends, revived some old hobbies, I give more to the world than before, I invest more of my time in fun experiments, I experience every day as a new adventure filled with exciting opportunities and I have learned that I can accomplish all sorts of things if I really want too. I don't need money to feel happy, I feel great!!

    "True happiness brings more richness than all the money in the world."

    Thursday, December 15, 2005

    Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire.

    I went to see Harry P. yesterday and was actually quite surprised by it. I really love the books and most of the movies are a bit of a disappointment. Nevertheless, I liked the previous movies but I love this one. So much more magical and it’s a little darker, a little grittier, and a little more involving.
    I was really pleased with the way they made Alastor ‘MadEye’ Moody come alive. What a great character! I already liked him in the book, but I liked him even more in the movie. And how about Lord Voldemort, wow! He really is the Dark Lord.
    Great movie and in my opinion quite easily the best Potter movie yet. I can’t wait to see the next one :)

    Wednesday, December 14, 2005

    The Homeless Christmas tree.

    Once upon, long ago, the city streets were deserted on that cold an wintery night. The weather forecasters were talking about the chances of a white Christmas and for once the outlook was very promising. But for now, it was cold, very cold, or to describe the situation better: it was actually freezing cold! Most people stayed indoors, nicely tucked away in their houses. They were sitting around their fireplace, enjoying the preparations for Christmas. Some were decorating their Christmas tree, making strings of popcorn. Others were hanging their fairy lights, writing their Christmas cards by candlelight or picking out recipes for a grand Christmas dinner. All in all it all looked very cosy.

    As I said most people stayed indoors, but there were still people who had to do some last minute shopping and they were brave enough to face the cold weather. Among them was this 20something couple. They were wrapped in thick winter coats, shawls, hats and gloves. This was going be their first Christmas together and it was going to be a very special one. They couldn’t afford to buy a tree or presents, but the fact that they would be together this Christmas was the biggest gift ever. They bought a lot of candles and now it was time to get the groceries in. Armed with a shopping list, a great bag and each other they walked to the nearby store. While walking, they secretly looked into the houses; it all looked so comfy and warm. Just looking at it, made them feel all warm and fussy. This was going to be a perfect Christmas, with or without a tree and presents.

    They came to a side street, looked left, right and left before crossing the street and then they looked simultaneous right again. What they saw couldn’t be real? Their eyes were deceiving them, right? Just across the street was a potted Christmas tree standing next to a lamp-post. How weird was that? They crossed the street to inspect the tree up-close. It was still wrapped for transport. Strange! Probably someone just put it there for a second, while they were looking for a parking space. The couple looked around, but there was nobody there. No cars riding around, no people walking, the street was absolutely deserted. This was like a things you see in movies, not in real life. They couldn’t take this tree now, could they? Doubt! Questions…… but they decided to leave the tree behind. After all they were going to the supermarket; you can’t do your grocery shopping with a tree stuck under your arm or in your shopping card.

    They decided to forget about the tree and focused on the shopping. They had a long list and of course some of things were already sold-out, but this was their last shopping opportunity before Christmas, so they needed to make the most of it. Walking around, altering the menu, deciding on new things was fun, but somehow the tree was still lingering in the back of their minds. Who would leave a perfectly good tree out on the street? This thing was dug out for Christmas and now it was standing on a very cold street corner; cold, lonely and desolate a bit like a homeless person. The couple, they just couldn’t help it, started talking about the tree again. It was so sad, the tree out there, it seemed like such a waste. So they agreed on this: If the tree was still there when they walked home, they would give the tree the best Christmas ever. They would take it home with them, they would decorated it and even replant it in the garden after Christmas. They felt relieved now that they had reached a decision. The rest of the shopping went very swiftly. There wasn’t even a queue at check-out. Time for the walk home.

    They felt a bit anxious. Would the tree still be there? No, of course not!. The owner probably took the tree home with him by now. Who in his right mind would leave a tree on a big city street corner for hours …… no one! Much to the couples surprise the tree was still there. They could see it clearly from miles away. While they were getting closer, they checked their surroundings once more. The streets were still deserted. The guy handed one of the shopping bags to the girl, he needed one free arm. In one swift move he grabbed the tree, he didn’t even stop to lift it, and just kept on walking. The girl was flabbergasted, were they really doing this? As it turned out, they did! Was this stealing? Or was it just inviting a homeless thing into your home? It was exiting, fun and worrying, all at the same time. They walked a bit faster. It would be really embarrassing if someone would yell: ‘Hey, what are you doing with my tree? Give it back, that is my tree!’ Surprisingly no one yelled, no doors were opened, no one came running after them. Somewhat more relaxed the arrived home, with their shopping and a tree as a bonus! Santa had just given them a Christmas tree ;) This Christmas just couldn’t go wrong! And it didn’t, they decorated the tree, had the best Christmas ever and planted the tree in the garden after the New Year started.

    The tree is still there, as beautiful as ever, growing taller each year. And it still gets decorated with lights, year, after year. No longer by the same couple, they are not together anymore, but by other people who will never know the story behind that lovely (once homeless) Christmas tree.


    *The End*

    Boring

    Just click the cartoon to read the text.

    Tuesday, December 13, 2005

    Not that much time to blog today.

    Busy, busy, busy. No, not that busy, but I think it’s time. Time to start writing my Christmas cards. Time is marching on a bit and if I leave it any longer Christmas would be really just around the corner. And no, I don’t have to send hundreds of cards or anything, but I like to do special things. Most of the time I add special personalised messages for the recipients, or I will add pictures or just a funny inspiring comment. It is a bit time consuming, but very much appreciated especially by a lot of my elderly aunt’s and uncle’s. So I’m off writing……. with a pen that is :)

    Monday, December 12, 2005

    Dreading December.

    I was reading the newspaper yesterday and I came across an interesting article about the holiday season. As it turns out, a lot of Dutch folks really dislike this month, December.
    When asked, 32% admitted that they disliked the hustle and bustle and 33% said that they would rather skip December entirely.
    How cheerless :( was my thirst thought. I understood it better after reading the entire article.

    Why people dislike December:
  • It is the darkest period of the year. The days are shorter. Some people really get depressed because of this.
  • Some people feel lonely and deserted. They have lost their spouse; have no kids, relatives or friends. They dread the festive December days because you are supposed to share them with others. They feel they have to be cheery all the time, but aren’t. Some of them don’t even want to admit that they spent Christmas alone, because they feel ashamed.
  • Others feel deprived because they don’t have the extra money to spend on a Christmas dinner or a tree. Seeing all the Christmassy stuff in stores and supermarkets only makes things worse.
  • Other people feel they have to do way to much. They feel they need to plan and cook dinners, invite relatives, do things for the church, clean their house top till bottom, buy presents, make flower arrangements, buy a tree and decorate it. When asked if there wasn’t a possibility to delegate some of this chores the answer was no. Some people feel overly responsible.
  • Some people even hate to spend their Christmas with their family.

  • Apparently there are tons of reasons to dislike December, but isn’t Christmas just what you make of it! I think a lot of problems would be solved if people just did the things they loved to do. Don’t go to the big family dinner if you really don’t want too. If you want to spend Christmas on your own for once, just do it. No money for a tree, check which restaurant or offices have a tree. Are they closed around Christmas? If they are, they will probably throw their tree out just before Christmas. Want to stay in bed and enjoy an all-day breakfast buffet, be my guest. If you don’t have the funds to host a grand dinner, eat what you normally eat but prepare the food in a different way. Just enjoy your perfect Christmas, just the way you like it. Forget about the Christmas that is dictated in the movies and books. Christmas is about love, fun, you, enjoyment, relaxation, peace and tranquillity and wellbeing. It’s not about obligations, being obliged to, must, long faces and stress. Christmas……make sure you can say ‘I enjoyed it my way’ :)

    Saturday, December 10, 2005

    Getting into the spirit of things.

    Finally…. It’s time to embrace the Christmas spirit. Yeah, yeah I know, we Dutch folks are a bit late, but we have the Sinterklaas celebration first. And it is actually ‘not done’ to have anything Christmassy around (or inside) your house before Sinterklaas has left Dutch soil. The old hombre left for Spain on December 6th, so now it’s time to deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la, we are feeling O so jolly, Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la :) Or in other words, time to buy a tree, decorate the place you call home and send out the Christmas cards.

    So today I set out to buy the perfect Christmas tree and I found one…..wooooo hooooo!! I also bought most of my cards today. I just need to buy a special one for my Mom and then I’m all done. Well at least were the tree and cards are concerned. I’m so happy I could almost do a happy dance :) Yeah, yeah, I know I’m a bit silly, but I really do love Christmas. I like the smell of the tree, the fairy lights, the candles, Christmas cards and on certain days I can almost really enjoy the cheesiest Christmas songs :) As a said: a bit silly :þ

    Friday, December 09, 2005

    Thursday, December 08, 2005

    The vibe, the spirits and other stuff.

    The last few weeks I’ve been getting a strange vibe. I couldn’t actually place it and that is a bit odd, because under normal circumstances that wouldn’t be much of a problem for me. A few days I ago however, I got the sensation that the strange vibe had something to do with Internet. Someone is feeling insecure and unsettled and that has something to do with my presence. So if there is anyone out there with these feelings, just say so. I’ll stop reading your blog, I’ll not leave comments, whatever….. It’s not like I’m addicted or anything :) Just leave a message in the comment section or if you have my email address, drop me a short message.

    This might all seem weird but I’m a bit weird ;) I can feel things, see things! I can actually say I have a bit of a strange gift or should I say talent? Actually I don’t know what to call it because I don’t really see it as a gift; it’s just something I have. Nothing special!

    What is this thing I am talking about? I can easily pick up feelings from other people, mostly my best friends or close relatives. For example I know when people are lying or insincere, I know when they are sad or in serious trouble. See, nothing special! But what makes it a bit special is that I can also feel this when they are nowhere near me. And NO, I’m not clairvoyant, maybe I could be if I really tried, but I choose not too.

    One night I couldn’t sleep, I was tossing and turning, sweating and I felt really worried but there was nothing to worry about. I tried meditating but that couldn’t ease my worried mind. So I started focussing on the feelings I had and started to ask myself questions like ‘What is going on? Why are you so worried? Can I help?’ Of course my questions weren’t answered.
    But when I returned to my bed it suddenly came (I have no other word for it) to me. One of my best friends, who lives in Amsterdam, was having serious problems. At first I felt really relieved because I knew who was feeling bad, but then I was getting worried. Should I call, or not? I grabbed my cell phone, put it down again, grabbed it again and then suddenly I knew that I had to make the call. And I was right, my friend was in trouble. I will not go into the sort of trouble, because it doesn’t feel right. It was my friend’s thing.

    Picking up feelings is not the only thing I’m “blessed” with. I can sometimes feel the presence of things that might be ghost or spirits…. I don’t know. I felt that someone left when I moved into my first apartment, it actually walked passed me. I’ve been hugged when I was depressed. Someone stroked my hair and was comforting me, when I was really sad. I have seen things (it is more a shape, not a person like figure) floating through my living room, just hanging out :) During all these experiences I was alone. Some other experiences: My grandmother paid me a visit just before she died. And both, my brother and I knew that our father would die the moment he did. This probably sounds freaky. Some of you might even think that it is scary, but it is not. I can only say that it almost feels peaceful. I can’t really think of a better way to describe it.

    Okay, maybe now I’m just tooo weird. That’s okay…. I can only repeat what I said earlier: If you feel unsettled, don’t want me to read your blog or whatever…… just say so.

    Wednesday, December 07, 2005

    For Nutella-lovers a ‘must have’ this holiday season.


    The largest jar Nutella I have ever seen. It cost almost 20 euros and weighs 3 kilos (6.6 pound). Oh and it comes with a nice box so it can be easily wrapped.

    Just plain stupid

    Last weekend I was reading some entries on the 43things site and I came across an entry from a girl who is trying to lose some weight. There is nothing wrong with people trying to lose weight if they are doing it the sensible way. Hey, I even encourage it if they are really overweight. I cheer them on or I try to give them some advice, but this was a different story.

    This girl was keeping a progress journal and here is what she consumed on one day:
    Food intake: 3 apples,1 orange,1 ltr water,2 cup coffee
    Exercise: 1 hr
    Note: things not done
    1)3 hr exercise
    Rate this day: bad

    How can anyone live on that? I left some comments, trying to stop her but she just wouldn’t listen to me. Or did she listen to me; I haven’t seen any new entries in her progress journal.

    As it turns out there is a really scary group who just have one aim and that is to be skinny. And they don’t mean just skinny skinny, but anorexia skinny. They are encouraging each other not to eat and to weigh less than 100lbs! It’s awful! Here is a link so you can see for
    yourself.

    Stupid girls are just dying to become anorexic. One of my best friends is anorexic. She has been hospitalized many times and is doing so much better now, but according to her she will be never be able to say that she has overcome anorexia nervosa. Every day is a battle, but she is still winning. I sincerely hope these girls will see the light and stop this death-defying nonsense.

    Tuesday, December 06, 2005

    Buying gifts for Christmas is always a tough job. What to buy for all those people? Children always want more toys, so that’s easy, but what do you buy for an adult. Some nicely decorated scented candles, a bottle of wine, bathrobe, slippers, socks, a gift basket or some flowers. Research shows that flowers are your best option. Candles are much appreciated, especially during these dark days, gift baskets are desired gifts too because a lot of people snack themselves out of a winter depression. Flowers however, give the recipient long-lasting sincere joy. This was the conclusion of a research team.

    A group of women (from different age groups) volunteered for an experiment about moods and feelings. At the end of the experiment they would receive a free gift. They didn’t know that the receiving of the gift was the actual experiment. So after completing the bogus tests, a large box would be delivered at their homes and the researchers watched how the women reacted to the gifts. Of course everyone was delighted, but there was a notable difference. All of the women who received flowers reacted with a sincere smile, complete with laugh lines around the eyes. According to psychologists this is a real sign of sincere joy. Ten percent of the women who received a gift basket and twenty-three percent of the women, who received candles, didn’t show a sincere smile.

    The researchers however were not satisfied with their results, so they did some other experiments too. They offered students a flower or a pen while they were standing in an elevator. Both gifts turned out to be mood improving. The students started chatting in the elevator, a thing they normally wouldn’t do. Students who received a flower became friendlier and even more talkative.

    In a third experiment elderly people were included. Bouquets were delivered at their homes. In the following days not only their moods improved but also their memory. This last result was quite amazing but certainly not illogical. If you are depressed your memory gets worse, so when your mood improves so does your memory.

    But why are people so sensitive towards flowers? There is no real answer to this question but the researchers think it all has to do with our genes. During the hunter-gatherer era a vast knowledge of plants signified survival. If you discovered flowers on a bramble bush you knew that you could return later to pick the blackberries. Flowers improve people’s moods considerately and that’s why people have been cultivating flowers for 5000 years or more.

    So when you give a bouquet, you are not only giving beauty, you are also giving sincere pleasure and joy. There is only one downside though, flowers are a bit hard to wrap for Christmas and you can't leave them under the tree. Hmmmz… maybe in a Christmas stocking ;)

    Monday, December 05, 2005

    Special message for my Dutch readers

    Geniet van een gezellige Sinterklaasavond!

    (Enjoy the Sinterklaas celebrations)

    Goodbye!

    Last week my monitor died on me for the 4th time. So after replacing the fuse 2 times, replacing the on/off switch and replacing the fuse another 2 times, I finally gave up. This thing was no longer willing to cooperate. Stupid thing! Now it left me with no other choice, I had to find another one.

    Normally that is not such a big problem, but I live on a tight budget so spending 300 euros on a monitor is not a doable thing at the moment. And sure I can put it on a credit card, but I hate credit cards…..I don’t have a credit card debt and I am not prepared to start one just because I need a monitor. So with just 100 euros to spend I started my search for the best deal my money could buy me.

    It was not easy, I can tell you, but yesterday I found my new monitor. To be precise, it’s not exactly brand new…. It’s a 3 month old demonstration model. The great plus is that it still has 2 years and 9 months warranty on it; I can just return it to the shop if it’s starting to play tricks on me. Another great plus was the price; I didn’t need to spend all of my 100 euros :)

    So now I’m looking at my new screen. It takes a bit of getting use to, this one is bigger, the colors are different and I miss the Black Trinitron qualities (it was a Sony) from my old screen. Yeah, yeah, I know it was an ancient monitor ;) But I loved it and I was really attached to it. It was hard to say goodbye, but I did! I hugged it lovingly, wiped a tear from my eye and said my final goodbye! Bye, bye!!

    Saturday, December 03, 2005

    Dumbest dog ever!

    This is probably the dumbest dog you'll ever see!

    Ancient ears!?

    This afternoon, while I was walking home from doing the things I usually do on a Saturday, I was listening to some music. Great things, those new mobile phones with built-in radio and MP3player (and cameras, but that is another story). So I was walking, listing to the radio secretly singing along with some songs and then it suddenly hit me. There was something annoying to this too. Was I forcing people to listen to my terrible singing? No I wasn’t! I was doing that secretly remember :) So, what then? Well, I suddenly noticed that my earphones didn’t fit my ear. Every few paces I had to push one of those things back into my ear because it was starting to slip out. Hmmmz… maybe I should wear them the other way around? So I put the left thingy in my right ear and the right thingy in my left ear. (Did I write that right? I just have to check, because before you know it I’ll end up with two thingies in one ear….left/right, right/left ….well I guess I stated that correctly!). There was some improvement, the left one was staying put in my right ear…hurray! The other one still had the desire to leave my ear and that provided me with some food for thought because I suddenly realized that I always had this sort of problems with earphones.

    It all started in the days of the Walkman. In the beginning they were supplied with regular headphones but later on you could only get them with the earphones. And that was also the moment my earphone problem started. The earphones are just not made to fit the shape of my ears….or should I say ear, because there is always one thingy that does not fit. I tried different brands over the years but they are all the same. Only Sony had a pair, years ago, that fitted snug in my ears, but the newer models doesn’t. Ehmmm… Do I have a handicapped ear; is it a deformity or something? Or maybe, just maybe, my ears are just too ancient for these modern times. Have ears evolved so dramatically the last few years that my ears have to be placed in the category ancient ears? Well, I guess I’ll never know. I’ll just have to learn to live with my deformed ear….booohoooo! Just kidding, I still love my ear! Deformed or not!…I could always try the new inner earphones that recently came available for my phone.

    Friday, December 02, 2005

    Post-it!

    Earlier this week I adopted a goal and added it to my 43Things list: Write anonymous, loving post-its for strangers to find. What you do is you write inspiring messages of self-esteem, love, peace and downright weirdness on a post-it. (you can even decorate them if you want) and then find interesting places to leave them. Some of the more interesting places are: inside the pockets of unsold clothing, in the receipt slot of an ATM, under windscreen wipers, in unsold shoes and in books at the library.

    Actually this is just another RAK (Random Act of Kindness)…. But I can’t help it; I just love to spread joy and love. If I can bring a smile to only one person’s face by doing this, that would be brilliant! Man, I am born in the wrong era; I should have been born earlier then I would probably be a hippie! Ehmm… I have a hard time imagining me in a flower dress with long hair, wearing Patouli and smoking a joint. I have even a harder time imaging all the other stuff that was going on way back then. But let’s return to the subject. Focus, Dakota, focus! Okay :(

    I bought the post-its yesterday and now I’m thinking about original, inspiring, nice messages. That shouldn’t be that hard, but it’s a bit more difficult if you don’t know who is going to find your message. The messages have to be suitable for man, woman and child.

    I’m also going to do something else. Every year I buy way too many Christmas cards and they always end up in a box, never to be used again. So why not just leave them for a stranger to find as well :) In addition I’m going to drop some of them off at the nearby Hospital; there are always patients who never receive cards, so maybe I can brighten their day too.

    I will keep you posted :) Let’s spread some peace, love, warmth and happiness in these dark days before Christmas.

    ‘You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one, I hope some day you'll join us, And the world will live as one.’ Imagine – John Lennon

    Photo “stolen” from Mirielle post on 43Things


    Its ‘I've learned’ – Friday again!

    I’ve learned – That I can skip this weekly thing if I want to blog about something else :Þ
    And this week I want to blog about something different.

    Thursday, December 01, 2005

    The special offer!


    Yesterday I had a bit of a weird telephone conversation and it went something like this:

    Guy: Hi, I’m from UPC, your cable company.
    Me : Hi….
    Guy: Is this a convenient time for you?
    Me : Not if you are going to sell me something.
    Guy: No I’m not going to sell you something BUT I do have a special offer for you, YOU our valued costumer.
    Me : No you don’t
    Guy: Yes, I have
    Me : No you don’t!
    Guy: Yes, I have!
    Me : No you don’t!!
    Guy: Yes, I have!!
    Me : NO, you don’t!!!
    Guy:………………. Yes, I tell you, I DO have a very special offer you, YOU our valued costumer.
    Me : No, you don’t have a very special offer ME, your valued costumer because I am NOT one of your costumers!
    Guy: You are ONE of our costumers, the PC said so.
    Me : Wow! You have a talking PC!! Were can I get one?
    Guy: grrr… No, I don’t have a talking PC…..grrr….but I have your information on my screen and you are one of our customer.
    Me : No I’m not, you’ve disconnected my cable without a reason or warning a year ago and you never reconnected me again. As a matter of fact, I’m still waiting for the apologies.
    Guy: …………..

    Me : Oh, no apologies? Fine........
    Guy: I just don’t understand it! What happened? Can you explain this to me?

    Me: Yes I can, but I won’t!! Trying to explain the situation has cost me enough energy, so as I told the last cable guy, I don’t want you cable anymore, actually... you can stick it where the sun don’t shine!
    Guy: …………..
    Me : Okay, can you please make sure that my information is removed from your database? Have a nice day! Goodbye!

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