Old Video Tuesday: Beer?

It’s just one of those days……

That everything isn’t going the way I had planned.…..yuk!

It all started last night. I didn’t get a good night sleep….I woke up almost every our. Finally I slept a couple of hours uninterrupted but that meant that I woke up later then I had planned. My whole routine totally screwed up ……yuk!

I had planned to contribute to Wikipedia today, answer some emails, exercise, get some groceries in, write a great blog entry, work on my plan, update my 43T stuff, upload some video’s and read the rest of Saturdays paper. Instead of all these things I only got some groceries in, did my exercise routine and I uploaded one video……wow, great progress. NOT!! It’s just one of those days………….

Oh, well there is always tomorrow :)

Where is the love?

The other day I saw “Pride & Prejudice”(2005) and I’m still not sure what to think of it.

I really like Jane Austen novels although they might be a bit dated for some people. This movie is a very traditional version of Jane Austen’s1813 book that is entertaining and amusing. The opening scene is beautiful done. A single camera captures an English countryside morning during the opening titles. You see lush greenery, hear singing birds and a sun that has just risen. Absolutely beautiful! Three cheers for scenery, lighting, costumes, acting and cast……well, most of the cast that is.

Most actors play their role brilliantly, but where on earth did they find this Mr. Darcy (Matthew MacFadyen)? It must have been in a cave or something? I’ve never seen a guy with no expression before. Okay, during the whole movie there was one second of emotion but that’s all. Even when he tells Elizabeth that he wants to marry her, there is no passion what so ever. And I know, different times, different etiquettes but come on…..even way back then people fell in love. There is just no chemistry between this Mr. Darcy and Ms. Bennet. I almost wanted to scream at the screen: No Lizzie, NO! Run away, search for the “real” Mr. Darcy, that’s not him…..this is just a guy pretending to be Mr. Darcy ;). But I didn’t……duh!...I’m not stupid, I know it’s just a movie/a story, but I guess there will be only one Mr. Darcy for me and that’s Colin Firth (who played the role in 1995 miniseries).

Conclusion: Great and beautiful movie, if you like Jane Austen books and haven't seen the miniseries :)

Happiness Manifesto

Yesterday I changed one of my goals on 43T into practice ‘Happiness Manifesto’ daily. I had seen entries about that goal but I never quite understood what it was all about. So, yesterday I googled it and I liked what I saw. So here is the short version of what I found.

The BBC in the UK started an experiment in a challenged area 22 miles west of London. Six experts, from various fields such as psychology and economics, worked to improve the happiness of people in the Berkshire town of Slough.

On 15 November 2005, fifty volunteers were given the Happiness Manifesto, which they must act upon as part of their daily lives. Simply reading the Manifesto is not going to be very helpful. An understanding must translate into a willingness to experiment, and hopefully something will develop daily in deeds, by way of joyful and focused actions.

THE HAPPINESS MANIFESTO
Do these things for two months and see the difference they make!

1. Get physical
Exercise for half an hour three times a week.

2. Count your blessings
At the end of each day, reflect on at least five things you're grateful
for.

3. Talk time
Have an hour-long uninterrupted conversation with your partner or
closest friend each week.

4. Plant something
Even if it’s a window box or pot plant. Keep it alive!

5. Cut your TV viewing by half

6. Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger
At least once each day.

7. Phone a friend
Make contact with at least one friend or relation you have not been in
contact for a while and arrange to meet up.

8. Have a good laugh at least once a day

9. Every day make sure you give yourself a treat
Take time to really enjoy this.

10. Daily kindness
Do an extra good turn for someone each day.

Most of the above mentioned things I’m already doing but hey there is always room for improvement :)

For additional information, go here

The Strength of Internet Ties

The internet and email expand and strengthen the social ties that people maintain in the offline world, according to a new report released today by the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

The press release and the report can be found here. Interesting read!

A vegetable is just a vegetable.

A lot of people think that biological/organic vegetables are healthier then normal vegetables, but that’s not accurate. The Dutch Consumers' Association did some research and as it turns out normal grown vegetables are just as healthy.

The Association compared fifteen different organic vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes and lettuce with their regular counterpart. They tested the levels of vitamin C, iron, calcium, fibres and anti-oxidants. Of course there is more iron in one vegetable and more fibres in the other but overall there is no difference between organically grown vegetables and its regular counterpart, so spinach is just spinach! However there is one difference: the levels of used pesticides. Duh… Consumers' Association! I always thought that people ate organic produce because they don’t want to absorb all those pesticides :)

Let me help you with that.

That is something you hear less and less these days and I think it’s a shame. This morning I was in the supermarket. I thought I didn’t need that much groceries, so I walked past the shopping karts. Who needs one of those things that most of the time just wants to go west when you want to go north? I surely don’t, at least that’s what I thought. Of course, like so often, I had more groceries then I had planned on, so I had to balance everything on one arm while I tried to collect the rest of my stuff. When I finally got all the things I wanted I went to the cash register and that’s where it all went wrong. Stuff slipped from my arm and fell on the ground. The lady in front of me just turned around and gave me a nasty look and the guy next in line made a rude comment. None of them offered to help me, so I had to perform a neat trick…..almost a circus act. I needed to balance the rest of my stuff with one arm and pick up the other groceries with my free hand. Man, it was a hard job but I managed. ehmm… maybe I should apply for a circus job? :) No, I won’t!But this little event got me thinking. What is wrong with Dutch folks these days?

Okay to be honest, we Dutch like to complain and nag about everything. The weather, the world, our food, new health insurance system, salaries, neighbours, you name it and we complain about it. Well, look at me….I’m complaining about Dutch folks! :) It has been that way for ages and I guess that is never going to change, but nowadays some people are really turning nasty. They not only complain, they also forgot everything that used to be common courtesy. Things like holding the door open when somebody is entering right behind you. They just throw the door shut in front of your face. Or when I greet people on the street in my neighbourhood, they just look at me funny……like I am an alien or something. When you approach someone to ask for directions for example, they act like they don’t hear you. Who knows why, maybe they suspect you are going to rob them or something. Yuck, I really dislike that sort of people.

They say people have changed because of the negative vibe, the Dutch recently became negative about everything, but I don’t believe that. I believe that certain things act as a catalyst which causes a chain reaction. For example someone is entering a building but somebody else throws the door in their face. First time they think ‘how rude’ the second time they get angry and after the third time they just unintentional act the same way. So the next person has to suffer in the same way, and the next and the next. But I still have high hopes. Maybe the group of rude people is growing but I’m not ready to sign up for it yet. This has to work the other way around too. So, when somebody else has dropped his/her groceries I’m going to smile and say ‘Here let me help you with that’. Hopefully it will help!

“He who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love”

What old people do for fun..........

Who’s afraid of the drugstore?

I don’t have a problem with getting older, well most of the time that is. I say most of the time, because I want to be honest about this. On certain days I really get scared when I look in the mirror first thing in the morning. Sometimes I notice cracks, a.k.a.wrinkles, in my face that weren’t there when I went to bed the night before. That can be pretty scary. Sometimes I even think that there are gnomes living in my bedroom. I can almost visualize how they come out of their hiding places at night to knead my face into certain gnome wrinkle patterns or something. But I know that is not true……or is it? Hmm…. I guess it’s just nature. And most of the time I dry up quite nicely, most cracks disappear within a few hours ;)

But like I said, ordinarily I don’t have a problem with all that stuff. However I get a bit scared nowadays when I go to the drugstore. There seems to be a new age-defying product every week (or is it day), I can’t say for sure because I’m not there every week, but they have them for every age group now. Okay some things I can understand, I am willing to believe that a 60 year old skin wants to be treated differently then a 20 year old skin, but does teeth feel the same way? Did you know that there is special toothpaste out there for people who are 40 or older? Why, you ask. I don’t know, probably to make money. And have you heard about the new age-defying shampoo? What does that do; get the wrinkles out of your hair? I just don’t get it, but others do. There was a promotion going on and people were buying the shampoo willingly. Luckily they don’t approach me with age group specific stuff, so I can still get away with normal toothpaste, regular day- and night cream and average shampoo. But I’m dreading the day that they are going to approach me too and that day can’t be that far away and that scares me ;)

Where did that idea go?

Earlier today I had this great idea for a little piece I was going to write today. Of course I got this idea while I was walking and of course I had no pen and paper on me and I didn’t bring my cell phone. I tried telling the whole story to my iPod, but that didn’t work. Bummer!
At the time I was certain I would still remember the whole thing when I got home, but as soon I opened the front door the idea vanished. It will probably come to me later while I’m in the shower (another practical place to get ideas, NOT!) or something but for now I’m left with nothing…..boohoo!

Luckily Stu tagged me yesterday, so today I’m going to entertain you with my 5 weird habits. Only 5? Yeah only 5!

Ground Rules: The first player of this “game” starts with the topic “5 weird habits of yours” and people who get tagged need to write a blog entry about their 5 quirky habits as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose the next 5 people to be tagged and list their names:

1) I talk in my sleep. Not al the time, mostly when I’m stressed

2) I need to read before I go to sleep. I need to read after I wake up.

3) I keep things like me keys, cell phone, agenda and my purse in their own fixed place at home. If they are not there I’ll panic

4) I brush my teeth at ten o’clock every evening so I won’t snack after ten.

5) I give every book I read a fair chance. I always read the first 50 pages. I finish the book when I like it or toss it aside when I don’t.

All I need to do now is choose 5 new victims….. (drum roll) and the next victims are:
Ap
boo
Phil
qaminante
wanderingthinker

If you don’t want to play, that’s okay :)

With a MEME here and a MEME there, Here a Me, there a ME, everywhere a MEME

I've been tagged by Phil for my first ever MEME :-)

"The rules are simple: now that you have been busted, you must confess to 3 things that you do that others don't know about."

That sounds easy enough but I’ve been thinking this over for a while now and I came to the conclusion that it is not an easy task at all. I don’t have skeletons in my closet (I just checked again....nope, no skeletons :)). I can tell you all sort of things I’ve done, but that's not the purpose of this MEME. So, here are 3 things I do that others don’t know about:

1) I do short meditations while I take a shower. Why? Because it is warm there , you can’t hear disturbing sounds and the water is relaxing and soothing. I can’t think of a better place!.

2) I watch EastEnders (soap BBC). I’m almost an addict. If I can’t watch it during the week, I’ll try and catch the omnibus on Sunday. Funny thing about this, I’m not even sure why I like it. Maybe it’s because it so over the top. People are pushed into graves at funerals, people are resurrected all the time, a wedding is never just a wedding and people are killed left and right.

3) I do avoid IQ tests. Every year there is an IQ test on TV and all my friends participate. I never do and never did. I don’t know how high or how low my IQ is and I don’t want to know. I believe that my IQ is pretty average and that is good enough for me.

So misery loves company. I get to tag three people……Let see…..Who will I pester with this? :Þ Choices, choices, choices. Okay, I have tagged the following people:
Kat
Stu
Zoom!

If you don’t want to play, that’s okay. Or as Phil said it…. if any of you didn't do the meme, I'd totally understand.

Horoscope 2006

At the start of every year I read my horoscope for the New Year. I am probably a bit strange, but I always keep a copy in my journal and at the end of the year I’ll check if the horoscope was right. Was the 2005 horoscope special right? The results are in…… and it is a bit scary, but they were right! Personal growth and goals were successful, I gained confidence, I did a lot for others, gained control over my energy levels, re-evaluated decisions and changed direction, dismissed things that irritated me and rediscovered my creativity.
I think it’s spooky ;)…. and no, I did not live my life with this horoscope in the back of my mind. So now I’m curious…. What’s their view on 2006!

Libra: 2006 Horoscopes Special

Your Life in the Next 12 Months
Change, as you know, can at first feel like loss. Whether you've watched your family, job, romance or friendships transform recently, you've ended 2005 looking back wistfully at what once was. You may not realize it, but you're now empowered to make a move that was unthinkable even a few months ago. A lucky year awaits, giving you every reason to look forward, not back. That fabulous planet of abundance, Jupiter, will generate money for you in 2006 by introducing a new market for your goods or talents. Jupiter brings out the theatrical side of your personality, so pursuing anything that expresses your originality will be a good idea. Look for a business merger with a group that needs your input to shake up its routine.

Your Love Life
You are beautiful and sensual, and no one knows better how to inspire romance. So why is love so complicated? For starters, you're complicated. You require approval, sensitivity and plenty of communication. You seek "fantasy" in your affairs and can't settle for the ordinary. You're also juggling a jumble of emotions, from disappointment to anticipation. The new year brings a fresh start ‑- though the relationship may not be new. You'll take a crazy leap, leading to some major lifestyle adjustments ‑- and then, a true partnership. Find yourself...so you can share yourself.

What to Change in 2006
You're not shy, but you usually want everyone to like you. This year, stand up for your rights, chase down information you need and grab opportunities. Being liked is the bonus, not the goal!

http://magazines.ivillage.com/marieclaire

How far will she go?

For the record: I don't recommend you to visit the site that is shown at the end of the video!

Lost and Found.

One of my 43Things (okay, there are only 38T now) is: Find old friends. I still believe it was a great goal at the time, but now I’m not so sure anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I really want to reconnect with some of my old friends. Others I just want to talk with (explain some things to). And there are friends I just want to thank because I believe they influenced my life in a very positive way. It seemed like a great plan to me, but it is not working out that way.

At first I tried to find people the old fashioned way, which means getting out old address books, calling other friends, trying to find parents and checking phonebooks. No result there, but that’s life! People move, friends move, parents move, oh and let’s not forget I moved a couple of times too. So, I turned to the Internet. First I tried Google. On TV and in the movies that seems to work all the time. Bummer, that doesn’t work in real life! (Duh!!)

Okay, next step the Dutch equivalents of friends reunited and other sites. The problem with that; you have to register. At first I had no problem with that, but now I’m regretting ever registering. Why? Instead of finding my long lost friends, people found me! People I don’t remember, people who want to reunite, people I don’t want to reconnect with, people who had a crush on me when I was 10, people with memories I don’t have and people I have no special bond with. How weird is that!

And here is the dilemma. Should I continue my search? Maybe the people I am looking for don’t want to be found by me? Maybe they don’t remember me? Maybe they feel the same way as I do about all the people that found me? Hmm… I have to think about this! Especially now I, by sheer luck, came across the email address of one of the persons I was looking for.

You can leave your suggestions at Lost and Found.

Quote.

"It is not enough to take steps which may someday lead to a goal; each step must be itself a goal and a step likewise." Goethe

Why?

Why does it sometimes feel like pulling teeth when you are trying to have a conversation with a guy? It almost feels like you have to enter the chat with a toolbox in hand, take out your tongs or tweezers after a few minutes and gently pull words out of the mouth one at a time. This can be so time-consuming :( and let’s not forget annoying. This might need some explaining.

Earlier this week I called one of my male friends. We have been friends for a very, very and let’s say it again, very…. long time, so you could say, we know each other very well. We mostly do outdoor stuff together like hiking. This weekend they predicted nice weather (and they were right, the sun was shining), so I called my friend to see if he had anything planned for this weekend and the conversation went something like this:

Me: Hey, it’s me (duh!)
He: Oh, Hi Me! (not funny)
Me: Do you have any plans for next weekend?
He: Why?
Me: Well, the weather is going to be nice, maybe we can go for a hike or something?
He: Hmm…. Sorry, can’t do that!
Me: Oh, you have plans then!
Me: Plans for one day, or the whole weekend?
He: Yes!
Me: Huh? Are you going to be away for the whole weekend?
He: Yes!
Me: Going anywhere nice?
He: Why?
Me: Just asking, well are you going anywhere nice?
He: Nothing special!
Me: Visiting friends, or something?
He: Yup!
Me: Oh, are you going up North? (that sound more adventures then it actually is, Holland is not that big)
He: Why, do you ask that?
Me: Because I am showing an interest in your life!
He: Oh, that’s nice :)
Me: Well, are you going up North then?
He: Yes!
Me: *sigh* Are you going to be back Sunday evening?
He: Why?
Me: Maybe we can go to a movie or something?
He: I don’t know yet!
Me: *sigh* Well, just give me a call when you want to do something on Sunday.
He: Okay, I will do that!
Me: I hope you are going to have a nice weekend.
He: Why?
Me: Because I think you deserve a nice weekend!
He: Oh, okay! Thanks!
Me: Talk to you later
He: Yes, bye!

Let’s do one of the above mentioned things again….. Let's *SIGH*

10 Commandments (for strong people)

You might have noticed that I talk a lot about positive things, life changing strategies and so on, on my blog. Sorry, can’t help it, I feel the need to share :Þ. If you don’t like, just skip it. I changed my life totally a few years ago, but it is actually still a work in progress. Hey, life is a journey and the road travelled is much more important then the destination.

Recently someone asked me how I changed my life and the funny thing is that I’m actually not sure how I did it. I believe that it is the result of a lot of things combined and taking small baby steps forward. You can’t go to bed one evening and wake up the next day a totally changed person. If it was that easy you could change on a daily basis.

But back to the asked question, it got me thinking. I’m still not sure about the how, but I know that I started reading about depression, life changing strategies a long time ago and one of the first books was the Dutch translation of Zehn geboten für starke Frauen by Ursula Nuber. I could also have read the German version but my German is a bit rusty :). I believe it’s not available in an English translation, but in English it would be called 10 Commandments for strong women. I think that a better title would be: 10 Commandments for strong people, because they can be of use to men too. It is a great book and it helped me a lot, so here are the 10 Commandments for Strong People (do what ever you want with them :))

You will be proud of yourself.

You will set boundaries.

You will not overstrain yourself.

You will take the responsibility for your own life. Your life lies in your hands.

You will not take everything personally.

You will state your personal opinions loud and clear.

You will accept who you are, that means including your strong and weak points.

You will not stand in the way of your own success.

You will be kind, good, friendly and nice to yourself.

You will not feel guilty.

Finding Neverland

I finally saw this movie and I can highly recommend it if you want to be moved, transported and enchanted. You have to be prepared to go back in time bit (1903). This movie tells the story of Sir James Matthew Barrie, creator of Peter Pan and how he wrote his well-know play. This isn’t a documentary; things have been changed to make it a better story, but don’t let it dissuade you from watching “Finding Neverland”. Get ready to laugh, shed a tear and be amazed, or just simply enjoy a beautiful story.

Cast: Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Julie Christie, Radha Mitchell, Dustin Hoffman and many others.

And hey, Johnny Depp is in it, but you forget it’s him just after the first few minutes.

Creamy Chicken soup with Oyster Mushrooms

Some time ago I started a chicken soup quest and I still haven’t found what I was looking for (hmm….that could be a great song title ;)) but I found one that comes very close. So, here is

Funky (fungi) Chicken soup:

World kitchen, serves 4, entrée or main course, soup, light

Preparation time in minutes:
30 minutes

Contains per single serving:
Energy 250 cal - protein 12 g, fat 18 g – carbohydrates 8 g

Ingredient’s:
50 g butter
25 g flower
1 litre chicken stock (homemade or bought)
150 g Oyster mushrooms
100 g smoked chicken breast
1 egg yolk
100 ml cream
Salt
Pepper
Nutmeg
Lemon juice
Fresh Basil

Method:
Melt half of the butter in a soup-pan and stir in the flower. Bake this on a low heat for 2 minutes. Add half of the stock and bring it to the boil while stirring gently until you get a nice thick soup. Add the rest of the stock, just little splashes at a time. When it’s all in, bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Wipe clean the oyster mushrooms and cut them in pieces. Melt the remainder of the butter in a frying-pan and sauté the mushrooms for 3 minutes over a high heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and keep them warm in tin foil. Cut the chicken breasts into thin slices and after that cut them up again so you are left with just small strips of chicken. Put the egg yolk in a bowl, add the cream and whisk slightly. Add some spoonfuls of hot soup to the mixture (don’t forget to stir). Now add the mixture (while you stir) to the soup. Keep stirring until the soup becomes velvety and thick. Make sure it doesn’t boil again. Add some salt, pepper nutmeg and lemon. Just add the seasoning to suit your own taste. Cut the basil into small strips. Divide the soup over four bowls. Place a pile of mushroom, chicken and basil in the center of each bowl.

Enjoy your soup!

What is your computer doing when it is turned off?

Just click on the image and find out!

Don’t you just love it….. I do!

Hmm… I should probably explain that. I just love the fact that the Holiday season is over. I like the season but I am glad that everything is back to normal now. No more decorations, tree, cards, fatty foods and sugary treats. Okay I still have some candles burning at night, but they are there most of the year so they don’t really count. So, it’s back to normal. Yeah! Time to lose those gained holiday kilos. Hey, that almost sounds like I gained 10 kilos or something, but I didn’t ….just 2 and they will be gone in no time. You are probably thinking that I ate about a ton of food, but I didn’t. I like cake and Christmas cookies though and let’s not forget the chocolates :) But I can’t blame them; it’s all my own doing. During week 52 & week 1 I skip my exercises, so I don’t burn as much calories. Under normal circumstances that is neatly balanced, I can (almost) eat everything I like and burn it off the next day.

Last weekend I started my normal eating pattern and yesterday I started exercising again. I lost half a kilo already. I am amazed by this myself and I feel better already. Not because I lost the 500 grams but I have more energy now. That is what healthy eating and exercising does for me. There is another bonus too. The last two weeks I have been fighting a cold or the flue. I don’t know exactly what it is because my body is battling the virus head on, so I have felt a bit strange and that is an understatement. Coincidentally that feeling is disappearing too :)

Yay!…. Everything is getting back to normal.

The Makeover!!

The Final Salute

Maybe this isn’t for everyone, but this story really touched me.

During the Christmas period we get all sort of extra supplements with magazines and newspapers. In one of them I found some gripping photos made by Todd Heisler. I had never heard of him before, but I like photos which tell a story all by themselves. I also try to go and see the World Press Photo exhibition every year, but that is a different story.

After I had read the brief article which accompanied the photos I just knew that there was more to the story, so I Googled it and ended up here.

The Rocky Mountain News starts their special report with these words: They are the troops that nobody wants to see, carrying a message that no military family ever wants to hear. It begins with a knock at the door.

If you just want to check out the photos, view the slideshows and if you want to read the full story you can find it there too. It is a sad but attention-grabbing story and, like I said earlier, maybe not for everyone.

Btw one of the photos is nominated for Best Photo of Year 2005 by Time Magazine.

New Year’s Resolutions

I don’t believe in them so I don’t make them. In my opinion there are a good 350 days in a year to change your life, stop with a bad habit or start something new. The other 15 (or sometimes 16) are not the right days for a change. I think that the week between Christmas and the New Year and the first week of the New Year are really bad choices to start something new. And I believe I’m still right in thinking that.

Even before the New Year started, I noticed that a lot of people really got stressed out. Just the thoughts of changing their lives, quit smoking, lose weight or whatever made them nervous. Smokers smoked more, drinkers drank more and people who wanted to lose weight, all of a sudden, ate more just because they were supposed to go on a diet at the start of 2006. And now we are 6 days into 2006 and people are even more stressed. They are running around like bad-tempered headless chickens, buying nicotine gum or patches, food supplements, laxatives, wonder pills, shakes, books and so on and so on. No fun at all. I give them just another few days and then they are back to their old self again. Not because they want to, but because they are living under a microscope right now. Everyone is watching, making comments and is making a hard time even harder. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not discouraging anybody, I’m just saying that I can understand why things aren’t working out right now. If you might fail, just try it again on a later date :)

Oh, and if you are into that New Year’s Resolutions stuff why not try (one of) these 10 which I found in the newspaper for a happier 2006.

Never ask yourself ‘why me?’
A lot of people who have to deal with problems, grief, misfortune, or sickness ask themselves ‘why me?’ Misfortune has to do with destiny and there is no reason for it. So don’t ask ‘why me?’ but ask ‘why shouldn’t this happen to me?’ The answer to this question is much clearer: you are just like the rest of us :)

Always remember your best moments
Make an inventory of all your happy moments. Take out your diary, photo albums, journals or whatever and figure out when you where happiest. Maybe this inventory can help you today.

Take life as it comes
Expectations can really ruin your life or spoil a perfect moment. Talking about how things should have turned out, how people should have reacted, what people should have done, takes up a lot of your time. And it is useless because you are focusing on something that does not exist. So, focus on the things that are really around you and take life as it comes.

Start every day with a new resolution and accomplish it

Figure out which things you really enjoy
This can be very hard. Keeping a journal can be helpful. Write down the things you did, frame of mind and feelings. After a while you will notice that there are things you like to do over and over again because you enjoy them so much.

Don’t pay any attention to negativity.
Things grow if you pay attention to them. So, if you constantly pay attention to negative things, talk about problems and misfortune, these things will grow too. After a while you will approach more and more things with a negative attitude. So stop it, put your energy in positive things, pay them the attention they deserve and they will grow too.

Make contact
Making contact is important. In this day and age there is no need for real loneliness. Meet up with nice people, call friends or family, even if you haven’t called them in a very long time, meet new people on the Internet, volunteer, just do something.

Be grateful
Or as Oprah Winfrey said it: “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough”.

Don’t make resolutions.
If it was that easy to do what you want to do, then you would probably have done it by now. Decide to do something and do it right away. Resolutions only make you feel guilty if you don’t persist. Result, you are even farther removed from your goal.

Learn from your mistakes.
Or as Mr. Nelson Mandela said it: “The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall”.

What ever you do……make it a happier 2006!

What’s going on……

This is the second day of the year and it’s a bit odd but ever since 2006 started, I seem to have a lot of trouble with the Internet. A lot of sites are down, gmail doesn’t work most of the time, last.fm doesn’t update, I have a hard time posting anything on my blog and don’t get me started about the 43T site. What’s going on out there? Does the start of a New Year means that everybody wants to restyle their sites or something? Went something wrong because of the leap second? Are they balancing their books, taking stock? Or is everyone just consuming large amounts of alcohol at the office New Year reception?

Guess I’ll never know…. I can only hope that things will improve in the next couple of days :)