Cartoon Tuesday: insensitive?!

Mind, Body & Soul Sessions (#28)

Create your own luck

"Shallow people believe in luck.
Strong people believe in cause and effect."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Recent research shows that people who tell you to “look at the bright side” are right. A person’s approach to life matters a lot more then intelligence or psychic ability. Apparently there is no such thing as lucky (or unlucky - hurrah) people. People who appear to be lucky do in fact create their own luck. How? By hard work of course! But that’s not all; there is more to it. It’s almost a magical combination of hard work, a positive attitude and the willingness to see good in even the worst situations. That last one is a bit of a tough one, but it can be done. The key is that you need to deal with your misfortune even if you want to run for your duvet for cover. You need to turn your misfortune around, look at it differently, imagine how things could have been worse, or look at what can be done about the problem.

Other things you can try:

• expect good fortune (instead of expecting misfortune). Be positive about all the things you do, and don’t look for all the bad luck that could come your way. Get away for the “worst case scenario” thing. When you expect luck it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
• Listen to your “gut feeling” and act on it. Don’t ignore hunches; they are there for a reason.
• Notice, act on and create opportunities. When you pay more attention to your surroundings you can maximise your chances of luck. Who knows, luck might be right in front of your nose.
• Refuse to see yourself as a victim and take control.
• It also pays to be flexible. Your plans and life do change. Accepting the fact that things do change, is a huge step forward. Remember, change always means some upheaval in the beginning, but don’t give up. With the right attitude and a bit of hard work, it’ll all be worth it in the end.

Weekly finds - part 4.

I didn’t have much time this week, so here are a few things I’ve found and bookmarked earlier, heard about, saw on telly yesterday, or actually did find today. Enjoy!

Silly questions Always wanted to know the answer to silly questions like “where are my keys”? Well here is your chance. Wired offers smart answers to silly questions. Oh and they also provide a lot of great answer to not so silly questions!
For all your knitting nutters out there, have you heard of this: knitPro. knitPro is a web application that translates digital images into knit, crochet, needlepoint and cross-stitch patterns. Just upload jpeg, gif or png images of whatever you wish -- portraits, landscapes, logos... and it will generate the image pattern on a grid sizable for any fiber project.
Yes, I am working! Just click to start not working :)
Did you miss an episode of your favorite tv show? Well here is your chance to see it online.
You never know what's going to happen! Hurrah for insurance :)

Nurse Dakota.

Last Friday evening one of my friends came over for the weekend. He was supposed to stay until Sunday, but let’s just say he never left. Today it’s Thursday and he is still here and not by choice btw.

Sunday morning he woke up with a terrible headache, vomiting and sore neck/shoulders and it became so bad, I had to call a medical helpline. Like always, their advice was bed rest, paracetamol, domperidone and “please call us again if there is no improvement”. Well things improved and today my friends had planned to go home, but he is still here.

All the symptoms are back, even worse then before, so I called my GP, or the guy formally known as my GP. Turns out he officially wasn’t my GP anymore, but now he is again. Huh? Here is the strange story. My immune system, blood pressure, heart rate, cholesterol are all A-okay so I am rarely sick enough to visit a GP. Years can pass without me seeing him even once. At the moment I can’t even remember my last visit. I always thought that was a good thing because GP’s always complain about the patient load they have, but boy was I wrong. When you don’t take up any of your doctor’s time, you are rewarded with a deregistration. Now how stupid is that? I assume they think something like “Oh well, she doesn’t need a doctor, I am not getting any richer from having her as a patient, so she no longer is one of my patients”

It took me a quite some time to convince them I actually was one of their patient and then the same amount of time to convince them to see me friend. In the end they agreed to see us around 1. It became quite a journey, but I’ll spare you the gory details. Oh and here is what the doc’ had to say: 'bed rest, paracetamol, domperidone and I like to see him again next Monday or Tuesday'. How refreshing. Well, thanks for nothing I guess! But he did draw some blood for testing, so who knows, we might know more next week. Guess I’ll be playing the role of nurse a bit longer!

In other news.
Yesterday the insurance guy called. He has approved the estimates I had sent him, so they are going to transfer the money. Hooray, repairs can be carried out very soon. I am one happy nurse :)

Cartoon Tuesday: Is age an issue?

Words Men Use

Phil posted Words Women Use, so I feel compelled to post Words Men Use. Hey come on, everyone needs a translation occasionally ;)

It’s a guy thing.
There is no rational pattern connected with it and you [woman] will have no chance at all of making sense of it.

Can I help with dinner?
This usually means what is taking you so long to make dinner…no I really do not want to help.

"Uh huh", or "sure honey", or "yes dear"
This is a conditional response and means nothing. They are probably blanking out what you are saying – happens during sports on T.V.

It would take too long to explain.
This actually means they [men] have no idea how it works or how to fix something.

Take a break honey, you are working too hard.
This means that whatever she is doing he can not hear the game on T.V. [i.e. Vacuuming]

That’s interesting dear.
This means are you still talking about that same thing. I’m really not interested.

You know how bad my memory is.
Means – I remember everything that interests me but I forgot your birthday or our anniversary.

Oh, don’t fuss, I just cut myself. It’s no big deal.
Really means – I have severed a limb and may bleed to death, but I am not hurt. I need to go to the hospital for stitches, but I am a man. OR I need you to help me now before I bleed to death before your eyes.

Hey, I have got my reasons for what I am doing.
Really means – I will think of a reason really soon and then I will tell you.

I can’t find it
I am clueless – nothing just fell into my open arms when I was standing there.

What did I do this time?
Really means – what did you catch me doing now that I should not be doing?

I heard you
Means, I have not the foggiest idea what you are talking about or what you just said and I am having trouble faking it.

You know I could never love anyone else
Translated means - I am used to how you yell at me and I know it could be worse with someone else.

You look terrific
Means – please do not try on another outfit, we have to go.

I am not lost; I know exactly where we are.
Translated means – No one will ever see us again and I am too proud to ask for directions.

We share the housework
Translated means – I make the mess and she cleans them up.

Mind, Body & Soul Session (#27)

Don’t fear change!
Change isn't easy; it's unsettling and can sometimes even be a traumatic experience, but change is part of life. Change is the only thing that will bring progress and without change life stagnates. Avoiding change can mean that we miss out on the most fulfilling opportunities of our lives and yet, change is often the thing we fear the most.

Fear is the greatest enemy to change. Fear is what keeps us in a relationship that isn’t working, keeps us from buying that dream home, going on a trip around the world, taking a sabbatical year or stops us from quitting that boring job we do year after year. Long story short, fear keeps us from living our dream and that’s a shame isn’t it?
Self-help books always tell people to “feel the fear and do it anyway”; in my opinion great advice but where do you begin. The first step is always the scariest one.

Let’s just say you want to go on a trip around the world. You can really see yourself on plains, trains, boats, in cars, hiking, on bikes and so on. You can see yourself visiting the wonders of the world, staying in backpackers’ hostels, fancy hotels or National Parks. One problem though, as soon as you start sharing your plans with other people they start to mutter about language barriers, accidents, crime, diseases, healthcare and money problems. At first you will shrug your shoulders but later on you will probably start to worry about taking on such a big adventure.

Of course you are worried, you might even be scared, but instead of letting go of your plans you can also give it another look. Look up information online, there might be sites that have all the information you need. Read the stories of other travellers. If you don’t want to figure this out all by yourself, go to a travel agent, they are more then willing to help you. If you are worried about diseases, visit a travel clinic.
By arming yourself with knowledge, you give yourself power and with this power you can begin to take control. A plan is less intimidating when you can see exactly what needs to be done. And it doesn’t matter if you are going on a trip around the world, going to buy a house; these rules are relevant to everything from coping with the aftermath from a recently ended relationship to finding a new job.

So, if it’s time to take control, here are some things you can do.
First: decide what you want. You need to focus on what matters to you the most. Jumping at every opportunity just because it’s offered can be fun but if it isn’t going to bring you closer to your goal you are not going to accomplish a thing.
Next: Look at the challenges you would have to face. Would you have to face big hurdles? Or could you just as easily break them into individual projects? Small steps will get you where you are going, too - it just takes a little bit longer. And here is the funny thing, when you are taking care of all the little things, taking the small steps, you’ll find that big things really have a way of taking care of themselves. Sometimes taking the first step is just the thing you’ll need to get the ball rolling.

"The greatest adventure is what lies ahead
Today and tomorrow are yet to be said
The chances, the changes, are all yours to make
The mold of your life is in your hands to break.

The greatest adventure is there if you're bold.
Let go of the moment that life makes you hold.
To measure the meaning can you make delay
It's time you stopped thinking and wasting the day.

A man who's a dreamer and never takes leave
Who thinks of a world that's just make-believe
Will never know passion, will never know pain
Who sits by the window will one day see rain."

- Glen Yarborough

Weekly finds.

After yesterdays tough question, I thought it was time for some light entertainment, fun (well sort of) sites and some cute videos. Enjoy!

Gimme Your Stuff, the cultural exchange blog where you can swap items of significance to your area with items from others around the world. It’s a conduit where international cuisine can change hands. A place where you can trade a newspaper from South Africa, or a CD from Finland. Interested? Just click the button for more info.
If I had some money to spare, I would join today.

The age project. Not that much to see or do here. They say it’s a website loosely built around the topics of aging and stages of life, but the main attraction is a game in which users try to guess the ages of other users. You can also upload one of your own photos if you want.

Futureme.org. A place where you can store emails which will be send to you in the future. It could be cool to receive a letter from yourself about where you thought you'd be a year or 2 or 20.

Love letters – an animated proposal.
I came across this cute video earlier this week and I thought that some of you might like it too. Here is the story behind it. Jeff produced this animation as a way of proposing to his girlfriend (now wife) Natasha. With a team he created more than four minutes of animation in just three months. When it was completed, he surprised Natasha by bringing her to the Parkway Movie Theater in Oakland, where they played the animation on the big screen in front of over 100 of their friends and family
The entire event was filmed for the TLC television show "A Perfect Proposal and they made a funny wedding invitation too, you can find that here

How will people remember you?

Last week I was reading a Dutch book called Stormvleugels by Ciel van Sambeek. It’s a stunning story about love, losing a loved one, family, homosexuality, IVF, mourning, depression, starting a business and so much more. At one point in the book, the main character is reflecting on her life and decides it time to change things around after asking herself this question “How will people remember me?”

From the book:
“How will people remember me? That, of course, depends on who you would ask. One person will describe you this way, the next person probably different. But what if I wanted to be something I am not at the moment, would I still have enough time to change that? Can I learn the virtues I need for that?
In the end it is really simple. I want to be remembered as an amiable human being. Someone who could really listen. Someone who offered advice. A friend who was there in time of need. Someone who could comfort people and sympathize. And I would like to be missed, because when you are missed you actually were an essential part of people’s life. It’s like they say: You don’t know what you're missing, till it’s gone”

Of course this question made me wonder. How will they remember me once I’m gone? Will they just remember my name or my face, or just remember me as their neighbour, the weird blogger, the lady who read a lot of books, the person who thought she could take photos, a friend, an acquaintance? Or will they remember me for who I am and all the things I stood for? In my case, you could ask 10 people and you would probably get 10 different answers, but in the end the essence would be the same, or at least I hope it would be. So, I guess I am doing okay.

How about you? Have you ever thought about this? I believe this is a question we all should ask ourselves on occasion. Are you living how you should? Are people going to remember you the way you want?

What's in the stars - Horoscope 2007

Okay, I admit it; I am one of those nutters who likes to read horoscopes, year horoscopes to be precise. I always keep a copy of their predictions in my journal and last year I posted the 2006 horoscope on my blog. Now it’s time to check if their predictions were right. Well, the results are in: It was one crappy prediction.

• I didn’t make a move that was unthinkable months before.
• I don’t know were the planet of abundance went, but it didn’t make it to my door.
• Jupiter didn’t generate money for me in 2006. 2006 did cost me a lot of money tho’.
• No new start in 2006, and no new relationship, no not even one with someone I already knew.
• I didn’t take a crazy leap.

Okay I did:

• Juggle a jumble of emotions, from disappointment to anticipation, but hey, what can I say I am a Libra.
• Find myself (over and over again)….maybe I should buy a leash ;)

So, let’s see what 2007 is going to be like.

2007 Overview – Libra

Balancing acts are something you do very well, and you'll be regular tightrope walker this year! You have a natural ability to patiently give people your valuable time, and weigh up new ideas without jumping to conclusions. Lots of rewards, both personally and professionally, will come from being able to work hard creating various successful projects in your career.
Long-deserved appreciation for all the love, respect and uplifting energy you exhibit will connect you with new opportunities for advancement in 2007. It may be time to do some public speaking engagements. You have spent a lot of time mastering your communication skills, and you'll experience personal transformation in a deep and profound way. People listen to you because you have something important to say and know how to articulate what you mean. You could easily find yourself in the public limelight.
The home fires burn strongly this year as your interest in your family life sustains you. You are proud of your roots and your strong family bonds. Your soft-hearted nature - exemplified by giving to your family without asking for anything in return - comes naturally to you. Your nurturing gives people a deep sense of security and stability, and helps them to be more successful in their own lives.
Short trips and travel will intellectually stimulate you this year, and provide a refreshing change of scenery. Since you see the value of different pursuits and are optimistic to change, you will start new creative projects using your idealistic visions and wonderful imagination. You'll benefit from finding your inner resources and expressing them artistically. Creative writing could be greatly profitable for you this year. Sharpen your pencil and get going!

Romance
Romanticising and experiencing your emotions in a relationship is what you truly look for. Finding new ways to be inspired and motivated to express your idealism keeps you very interested in philosophy and higher wisdom this year. Your visions and creative insights strike up a passion inside that you want to share with your lover. You need someone like you who is gentle, receptive and charming and also drawn to the nostalgic.
Before you give your loyalty and kindness to another, it's important to feel sure that your values are appreciated in an affectionate and intimate way. Having a sensual and passionate connection, both materially and spiritually, fulfils your desire to relate on a deeper level. For you, there is no such thing as a superficial contact with another. You benefit from curbing expression of your passion until you know that you're getting as much as you're giving. Your partner needs to understand that your inner, spiritual world is more important to you than mundane achievements. Even in partnership you seek your own roots, your own sense of security and your own needs. It is important to nurture yourself and share your capacity to nurture and be nurtured.
You are definitely ready for that intimate relationship this year, and it is bound to come your way during the springtime or early summer. You will enjoy developing the interpersonal expression you crave. Your need to feel part of a unit rather than merely an isolated ego will prompt an attraction to someone who excites you to no end. Your passion will match theirs. Enjoy!

Career
All your hard work this year will be rewarded when you receive plenty of recognition. You are motivated to succeed at whatever you do and dramatic advancement in your career is very likely. The resources needed to make your business profitable will easily come to you. Your self-starting ability does well in independent enterprises. New offers and proposals to start up business ventures will come your way. Because you have the management skills to help others keep on track, you are recognised as a natural conduit for manipulating the acquisition and distribution of resources.
You are courageous and forge ahead of the group and are likely to be clever in dealing with issues of finance or property rights. You are definitely making the right choices to be on the winning team. Because of your expansive self-growth and determination, your career may experience a lot of changes. You are great at discovering areas where you could be more creatively profitable in. Your drive, stamina and commitment generate an aura of calm and collected inner strength. You have achieved a natural talent at working with others from overcoming many personal challenges in your own life. Deep transformation spontaneously happens to you through communication. People know that you walk your walk, and talk your talk.
Your clarity and ability to find a positive expression for your energies can be a source of inspiration. Your strong communication skills may even find you enjoying writing articles and being successful in publishing them. You also would make a good teacher, solicitor or healthcare specialist. Because you have such a strong urge for personal security and the energy of a great healer, you should be able to channel that positive energy in a way to help others in any of these fields. Rest assured, 2007 is a big one for you!

What's in the stars for you in 2007? Find out!

Cartoon Tuesday: Resolutions

Mind, Body & Soul Session (#26)

Make 2007 the year of joy!

I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions, but maybe you do. If you really want to stick to one resolution, let it be this one: Make 2007 the year of joy! Easier said than done, I know, but it is possible. Change some things around to make this year more joyful. Not a clue what to change, here are some suggestions.

Figure out your purpose and live accordingly.
Not knowing your purpose will bring you fear, sadness, frustration, and uncertainty. Finding your purpose will bring you great joy and living accordingly will bring you even greater joy. So, prioritise! Let your schedule reflect your purpose and don’t let unforeseen circumstances get in your way.

Choose and take control.
Ever feel like you have the leading part in the movie “Groundhog Day”? If the answer is yes, then it’s time to take control. You can sit around and wait for things to happen, but you can also take some action. Why wait to get invited to do something, when you can just as easily invite someone else. Knowing you have choices, that you can take control by speaking up and take action, will make your life easier and more joyful because it will get rid of that “stuck in a rut” feeling.

Don’t settle for status quo.
Always look to stretch yourself, expand your horizons! Learn a new language, listen to different music, take up web design, skydive, try a new sport or how about a photography course. Anything you might fancy will do. Thinking outside the box, colouring outside the lines, setting new goals, will bring you joy.

Learn to say No, dare to say Yes.
Even though it may feel uncomfortable to say no, or even to think about saying no, it's important to remember that each time you say yes to someone else or something you really don’t want to do, you say no to you and your priorities. Learn to say No, but don’t forget to say Yes to all the things you really do want to do or give a try! Say yes to invites, new adventures and challenges. It might be scary at first, but why not take a chance and add some new experiences to your life.

Be spontaneous
Surprise yourself, and others. Keywords here are spontaneity and surprise! Do the unexpected now and again. It will cause everybody to sit up, pay attention and say, ‘Wow where did that come from?’ It will put more joy in your life, and theirs.

Smile a lot, laugh often.
Most people are just too serious. We need to laugh…. a lot! Life is to be enjoyed. Next time you rent a DVD, get a comedy or a "feel good" movie and laugh. Or just take a look at this, maybe it will not make you laugh, but a giggle is a nice way to start :)


What ever you do, never forget that joy and happiness can be yours! Look for it, pursue it, grab it with both hands and never let go, enjoy it! Oh and always remember, life is not about how many breaths you take, but about the number of moments that take your breath away.

Enjoy your day!

Weekly finds.

A round up of strange, hilarious, interesting, boring, fun, or peculiar sites.

The Flea Circus. Bored with all the celebrity gossip? Well, here is some old fashioned entertainment for you….a fleaCircus. Just go the site, select a trick on the right and let yourself be amazed.
Entertainment can be that simple :)





Dancing poultry. Feel like dancing but not in a position to dance? No problem, let the chicken do the dancing.




Best of bootie 2006. Looking for some free music to dance to. Give this a try: the biggest bootleg mashup party in the world (Probably not for everyone!)

Odd video:

Gollum & Smeagol!The first schyzophrenic duet on YouTube. Featuring Barry White.


Socks with pockets Need to put away your key, money or credit card, but you have no place to store any of them? Here is a great find: the Ingenious travel sock – a sock with a pocket! Available for women and men.

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And now for something completely different…..serious stuff even! I saw this on Snowqueen’s blog today.
Block the escalation in Iraq

Dear friends,
I just signed a petition on the internet telling the new US Congress to stop President Bush's plan to escalate the war in Iraq, and I thought you might be interested too. If you are, please read on.

You Thought Iraq Could Not Get Worse

Just when we thought the war in Iraq couldn't get any worse - it has. Last night, President Bush rejected reality, spurned the American people's verdict, and announced his new policy: MILITARY ESCALATION IN IRAQ.

The good news is that the newly elected United States Congress can stop this madness. Avaaz.org is launching an immediate campaign to let the Congress hear from global voices - placing an ad with the number of signatures to our petition in "Roll Call", an influential political paper sent to every member of the US Congress.

Ready to sign the petiton? Go here!

Anywhere but here?

Earlier this year I came across this interesting question “If you could travel in time, would you rather go back in time or visit the future?” and it has been in the back of my mind ever since.

At first I thought it would be nice to travel back in time, travel back into my own personal history. It would give me the opportunity to relive all the fun things that happened when I was younger, mostly things I can’t remember because of the bad stuff that happened later. It would also mean a chance to see a lot of people again. On the other hand, what would happen if I changed something in the past by accident, that would probably mean a different future (or should I say: present), a different me and I like the me I am now. So later on I thought it would also be nice to travel through world history or visit something like the dark ages or the early 1900’s or some other time, just to see how life really was way back when. On the other hand, it wouldn’t be a time I would like to get stuck in.

Maybe the future is more my thing, I thought to myself. But how far would you travel? 50 years? Would the world be really that different in 50 years? Maybe the year 2277 would be more interesting? It would be great to see how things would evolve, but on the other hand it could turn out to be one big disappointment too. What if there would be even more wars, more poverty, everything we know today didn’t exist anymore. Or what if the world was one great, perfect happy paradise-type of world, wouldn’t it be hard to leave that behind when you travelled back to your loved ones in the year 2007.

In the end I think I would like to stay put, no time travelling for me. I’ll let the future surprise me, it’s like unwrapping a little gift everyday.

What would you do?

Cartoon Tuesday: Change

What's your seduction style?

This morning I was reading Zoom’s blog and she bluntly asked me about my seduction style, it seems that everyone has one ;). I had seen the quiz on Boo’s blog before but hadn’t taken it yet, but today I did and apparently I am not a Tantric master like Boo or a Bubble like Zoom! Nooooo, I am a Warrior Monk


Not sure if that's a good thing though………

Mind, body & Soul Sessions (#25)

When the weather turns cold, frosty and dry, your skin becomes dryer, flakier and more irritated than usual. You could write it off as one of the chilling facts of winter, or you could do something about it. Here are 10 tips to help your skin look and feel more beautiful in winter.

Wear sunscreen, no less than SPF15, every day.
Perhaps you know that UVB rays are the sun's burning rays and you probably know that UVA radiation is the main cause of wrinkling and skin cancer, but did you know that the rays can penetrate glass? No? Well they can, so this means that even if you're at home, driving or in the office by a window, you'll need full-spectrum (both UVA and UVB) coverage. And don’t think you won’t need them on the cloudiest winter days, because you do.

Be gentle.
Clean you skin with a light touch. Don’t scrub when your skin is irritated because it can make problems worse. Skip antibacterial soaps and very hot water, both tend to strip the moisture from your skin. After cleansing, protect your skin from the elements. Wind, sun, heat, cold, and dry office air can quickly cause or worsen the condition of dry skin. Apply a moisturizer before exposing your skin to these moisture-sapping conditions. If you want, you can apply some more during the day, but don’t use too much. Too much moisturizer can cause irritation too.

Don’t use product with fragrances and/or alcohol.
They dry out and irritate the skin even more in winter conditions. In other seasons we might love these products, but forget about them in the cold season because they can strip the skin of its natural protective oils. Instead look for products with “hypoallergenic” on the label.

Don't linger in the bath or shower
When it’s cold it’s very tempting to take long showers or stay in the bath for a very long time. Please don’t! Hot water will sap moisture from the superficial layer (stratum corneum/horny layer), leaving the skin drier, flakier and more susceptible to irritation and damage. Apply a moisturiser while your skin is still moist from bathing or showering. This will help provide maximise hydration, by trapping moisture into the surface layers.

Humidify.
Dry air equals dry skin, so humidify. You can do this by buying a humidifier. I have central heating and I like to place a bowl of water on the radiator, this will put water back into the atmosphere.

Treat yourself to a facial mask once a week.
A facial mask will moisturize your skin. You can buy ready made facial masks for every skin type these days, but you can also make them yourself. For instance, try one of these:

• Mash a ripe banana and smooth the pulp on your face and neck. Leave it on for 15 minutes. Rinse off with lukewarm water and pat your skin dry.

Not a huge banana fan, try this:

• Mix one egg yolk, one teaspoon honey and a teaspoon olive oil and some vitamin E oil (if you have it). Smooth on and leave on for 15 minutes, rinse off with lukewarm water and pat dry.

Or:

• Take an avocado, mash one half (eat the rest if you want) and mix it with a few drops of lemon juice. Apply on your face and neck and leave it for 15 minutes, rinse off with lukewarm water and pat dry.
  

Remember Cleopatra’s secret
Cleopatra was famous for her beautiful skin. Her secret was that she soaked in baths of fresh milk. Modern laboratories now know why milk worked such wonders for her skin: the lactic acid in milk is an alpha hydroxy acid, a natural material that dissolves the glue that holds dead skin cells together. Milk can cleanse the skin down to its deepest layers.

These days we don’t need a tub full of milk, these two formulas work too:

• Add 2 to 4 cups of fresh milk or buttermilk to the bathwater as the tub is filling.

Or

• Add 250 gram milk powder and one teaspoon of almond oil to the bathwater as the tub is filling.

In both cases: Soak for a good 15 minutes (only once a week). Gently rub your skin with a washcloth to slough off the dead skin. Rinse your body thoroughly after soaking.

Caution: Very hot baths are not good for those with high blood pressure, and they can be draining for anyone. Skip this bath if you are allergic to milk or are lactose intolerant.

Drink water
Increase your water intake. Drink up! Make sure to drink at least 8 glasses of pure water a day to keep your skin and body properly hydrated. Drink more if you are super active.

Eat good fats.
Food like cold-water fish (salmon, herring, mackerel, anchovies and sardines), walnuts and flaxseed are loaded with nutritious omega-3 fatty acids which can revitalize dry hair and skin.

Drink hot cocoa and get your antioxidants.
According to recent studies, cocoa beans contain large amounts of natural antioxidants called flavonoids. Cocoa powder is made from these beans so, go ahead, steam some milk and enjoy your cocoa-anti-oxidants!

Weekly finds.

A round up of strange, hilarious, interesting, boring, fun, or peculiar sites

The World’s weirdest weather
As if tornadoes, hurricanes and blizzards weren’t enough to keep us on our toes, Mother Nature occasionally surprises us with some truly odd weather phenomena. Take a look at their Top 10.


What does 200 calories look like? For those of you who are trying to lose some weight. Here is what 200 calories look like!

Activity Calorie Calculator
Need to burn some calories? This is the site for you! Just fill in your weight and the average amount of time you spend doing an activity and they’ll do the math and return an activities page personalized for you.

Strange faces.
Is it a man, or is it a woman? Not totally clear? That is not so surprising because all these faces are made from male and female parts. And that’s not all, you can create different faces by shuffling the face or fooling around by clicking on the eyes, nose, mouth or face. Just give it a go!

Like-a-local.
Are you going to visit Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium or the Netherlands this year? If so, why not do it like-a-local. Like-a-local provides the traveller with the opportunity to connect with the local life in major cities. You can live (like a local) in unique places, meet a local and be surprised by their secret addresses or dine (at home) with a local so that you can experience the local atmosphere!

Sitting, waiting, wishing.

Today I had to spend most of my day sitting, waiting (and wishing) for the appraiser to come round. Man, time surely slows down when you are waiting, doesn’t it? And it almost feels like it goes even slower when they tell you the guy is going to show up after a certain time. In this case they told me after 12 and he finally showed his face just after three. But I don’t care about that anymore, because he came bearing promising news. Every bit of damage is going to be restored and I am even going to get 4 big brand-new Leylandi Cypresses (Cupressus × leylandii) and pay for removal of the burned ones, …..woohoo! One downer tho’, it’s not really planting seasons right now, so the new ones will probably be planted in late April or early May, but who cares…..I am going to get new ones. All that I need to do now is get some estimates in from contractors. The future, or 2007 at least, is starting to look promising :)

Year in Review, 2006!

1) What did you do in 2006 that you'd never done before?
Entered a photo in a photo contest…….didn’t win a thing, but it was fun.

2) Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for 2007?
I don’t believe in new years’ resolutions. IMO you can change your life any day of the week, or year!

3) Did anyone close to you give birth?
No

4) Did anyone close to you die?
No one close enough for me to attend the funeral

5) What countries did you visit?
None!…..A fool wanders, a wise woman travels, and a female with no money stays home :)

6) What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?
A fun and interesting job (which will automatically result in more money).

7) What date from 2006 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
Hmmzz…, very strange but 31 December comes to mind

8) What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Staying sane and on the sunny side of the street (it was kind of tough this year).

9) What was your biggest failure?
I was hoping to have a different life by now, but that still isn’t happening. So, I could say that that is my biggest failure.

10) Did you suffer illness or injury?
Oh, I did the whole falling down thing besides that, nothing major.

11) What was the best thing you bought?
Not a clue. I haven’t bought that much.

12) Whose behaviour merited celebration?
That is a tough one…..still thinking about it……...

13) Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
Too many people to list, none that I know personally tho – If I have to name one it would be George W. Bush. Oh, and I remember one “friend” now, who keeps telling me he is my friend but he actually isn’t (long story)

14) Where did most of your money go?
To stuff you need to survive on a daily basis and health insurance.

15) What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Having one of my photos on the explore page of flickr. Not a big deal, but I liked it!

16) What song will always remind you of 2006?
Chelsea Dagger by The Fratellis.

17) Compared to this time 2006, are you:
- happier or sadder? Happier.
- thinner or fatter? The same.
- richer or poorer? Poorer.

18) What do you wish you'd done more of?
I wish I'd volunteered more.

19) What do you wish you'd done less of?
I wish I'd been thinking less.

20) What did you do on New Years’ eve?
I had planned to visit friends but stayed home in the end (after the fire).
Visited my neighbours round midnight.

21) Did you fall in love in 2006?
No

22) How many one-night stands?
0 – man, I am boring!

23) What was your favourite TV program?
Hmmz… Grey’s Anatomy I guess. I haven’t watched all that much TV last year

24) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
No because I don’t like to hate and I don’t like the whole concept of hate.

25) What was the best book you read?
“The Brief History of the Dead: A novel” by Kevin Brockmeier.

26) What was your greatest musical discovery?
Amos Lee, Snow Patrol, Razorlight, Ozark Henry.

27) What did you want and get?
Not much…… Oh hold on, I wanted to meet more people and I did…..so, I guess I got them.

28) What did you want and did not get?
I wanted to travel and I wanted my dream job handed to me on a silver platter ;)

29) What was your favourite film of this year?
Choices, choices……was it Inside man, The Devil wears Prada, The Lake House, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Happy Feet, Flushed away?….take your pick!

30) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Absolutely nothing, I wasn’t in the mood. Oh and I (not) celebrated my 39th for the third time :)

31) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
My dream job handed to me on a silver platter ;)

32) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
As non-existent I guess ;)

33) What kept you sane?
Sounds pathetic…..but reading, blogging and flickr helped a lot.

34) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
No one comes to mind right now, I am not into the “fancy a celebrity” thing.

35) What political issue stirred you the most?
Hmmz…. Guess that is Rita Verdonk thing: She refused to grant a general pardon to around 26,000 asylum seekers who had their asylum application turned down but who have been living in the Netherlands for more than 5 years. You can read more about it here

36) Who did you miss?
My best friend

37) Who was the best new person you met?
I’ve met a lot of new people and I am not going to pick one because in my opinion they are all great!

38) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006:
You can want all you want, but that doesn’t mean you are going to get it!

39) Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
Back when I had a little
I thought that I needed a lot
A little was overrated,
but a lot was a little too complicated
You see-Zero didn't satisfy me
A million didn't make me happy
That's when I learned a lesson
That it's all about your perception
Hey-are you a papa or a superstar
So you act, so you feel, so you are
It ain't about the size of your car
It's about the size of the faith in your heart

[Chorus:]
There's hope
It doesn't cost a thing to smile
You don't have to pay to laugh
You better thank God* for that
[repeat]

There’s hope by India.Arie

40. Your message for 2007?
Love life, be different and live your own life. Laugh often and smile a lot, dare to take risks, listen to your inner voice and courageously follow your heart.
Swim against the tide, pursue your own goals, and make time to dream, never stop to wonder, always remember and never forget to be!

(*or any god or person of your choice)

Not every visitor is welcome on the last day of 2006!

Sometimes there are people you just don’t want to see on the last day of the year and sometimes there are people you don’t even want to meet for the first time on the last day of the year. Unfortunately I couldn’t avoid them, so I had to welcome the visitors, meet a lot of new people and I wasn’t even dressed yet!

Here’s what happened.
Last Sunday morning, 31 December, I was working on my little “Happy New Year” project (see photo previous post). I took a little break after a while and made myself a cup of coffee. As I walked back to my computer I heard a strange crackling sound. ‘Fireworks’ I thought to myself (they had been at it since 7 that morning) while I walked back to my computer. When I was sitting down, I noticed a strange glow, or a reflection of a glow I should say, on my computer screen. In wonder I turned around and asked myself ‘what on earth is emitting that strange light?’ Well, it didn’t take me long to figure that one out. The light was coming from my hedge! ‘Huh, there aren’t any lights in my conifer hedge!!’ I was stunned for one second but then soon realised my hedge was on fire……..FIRE!! OH MY GOD……FIRE!! The first thing that came to mind was WATER! So I grabbed a bucket, but while I was filling it, it occurred to me that I wasn’t going to extinguish this fire by myself because the strong winds blew the flames in my direction. Next step, call 112 (the Dutch 911). ‘Which service do you need?’ I heard the operator ask. Fire department (of course I said it in Dutch: Brandweer!). ‘Hold please’ she said. When I got the fire department on the line they said they were en route, because apparently other people (3) had called them also. Just a few minutes later I heard and saw them coming, sirens and lights roaring.
In the meantime some of my neighbours where throwing buckets of water onto the blazing flames. I was so happy to see the flames dying right before my eyes that I almost forgot about the whole fire department. When they arrived they took over the situation, extinguished the last flames in my hedge and the new flames which were starting to emerge from the roof of my shed now. Tssk that was one hungry fire! Well, I guess the wind helped a lot too. Luckily it was all over in a few minutes, but to be honest, it felt like hours. After they checked inside the shed (and made sure most of the stuff that was in there was wet) they gave the all clear!

When the fire was out, I walked out of the garden and was surprised to see a lot of people there. Neighbours of course, but also a lot of people I had never seen before in my life…. And all I could think was ‘oh my god, I am standing here in my work-out clothes, no face on, my hair is a chaos …..I look a mess!’ But no one seemed to notice. Before I knew it I was talking to the police who had apprehended two boys who had started the fire. Apparently they had been experimenting with fireworks. One of them had suggested putting a ground bloom in my hedge because they were curious about the effect the spinning thing would have in a hedge. So long story short, they started experimenting and before they knew it my hedge caught fire. Not the effect they were hoping for. And that wasn’t the end of it. Turned out the car of one of my neighbours was damaged by the fire too. *sigh*.
The next hour, or maybe hours, where spend in the company of the firemen (I know it’s the dream of many women but the experience was a bit of a disappointment, I can assure you. ;) They were very friendly though), police, offenders and parents, neighbours and know-it-alls. Not a relaxed way to end 2006! But hey, in the end no one got hurt, it was only a hedge (and a part of my shed) that got burned and we all got to celebrate the beginning of 2007 without further problems!

All that is left to do now is deal with the insurance companies……also not very relaxed :( Oh, and in case you are wondering…….this is what left of the hedge.
And this is the best side; the back is completely burned away :(