How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

We all post, read and comment on blogs. To some of us blogging is a way of life and others might even see it as an addiction. Are you one of the addicts? How addicted are you compared to the rest of us. Find out and take the test :-)

56%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

June 29 – iPhone will be released in the USA.

Unfortunately, I don’t live in the USA so I won’t be able to get an iPhone today, or at least that’s what I thought. Today I discovered that there is a way to get an iPhone today.

Want one too? Just visit this website and get your own iPhone today :-)

Cartoon Tuesday: Not Alone.

Back by popular demand ;- ) Mind, Body & Soul Sessions (#36)

Boost Your Mood.

Are you unhappy, depressed, down or just in a bad mood? Don’t worry this too will pass, it’s not like you are doomed to feel this way the rest of your life. Believe it or not, but the way you perceive things is a learned skill. Everyone can learn how to look at the world through more optimistic eyes. Over the next few weeks I will give you some tips which will hopefully improve your mood and make you feel more optimistic and upbeat.

Tip one: Stand tall.

Did you ever notice how happy and energetic individuals seem to radiate an endless supply of energy? They stand taller, walk faster and take bigger steps than unhappy and pessimistic people who have the tendency slouch, shuffle their feet and walk slowly. It’s like their batteries have gone flat and there is now way to recharge them, but there is! Pay attention to the way you carry yourself. Do you slouch? Do you take tiny steps? Well, now is the time to change that and to change you body posture. Look at the happy and optimistic people around you, how do they carry themselves? Lift your head, walk straight, walk tall and look the world right in the eyes. Of course you can look down if you are looking for cash or something (or feel insecure), but you would be missing a lot of the beautiful things that are all around us.
Take bigger and more powerful steps and try to walk a little bit faster than your usual pace, this will make you feel more energetic and with that energy your levels of happiness will increase.

Alternatively you can try a sport like Nordic Walking, if you don’t mind walking around with a set of funny looking ski poles. Nordic Walking will give you better posture, more energy and you are forced to walk faster.

Next week in MBSS: Tip two.

Komt een vrouw bij de dokter, or…….

translated in English: A woman goes to the doctor, sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it’s not. It actually is the title of a book I just finished reading. In my opinion the best book I’ve read this year. A book that has been on my to- read- list ever since it was first published, but also a book you need to be in the mood for. That sounds a bit strange but for certain books you need to be in a certain mood. When I am down and depressed, I like to read funny, romantic or inspiring books. When I am sad, but not able to let the emotions out, I like to read moving books. On all other days I like to read just about anything. SF, fantasy, thrillers, horror, literature, history….you name it and there is always a day for a certain type of book.

Like I said, I just finished it and I wasn’t going to blog about it because, hey, it’s a Dutch book and not a lot of Dutch books are translated in other languages, but this one has and it’s available on Amazon. They have changed the title to Love life, which is a shame really, but still a very suitable title.

What more can I say about the book? I could tell you the whole story, but I don’t want to spoil everything, so just go here and read more about the book itself.
As you can see, this isn't a fluffy love story, it’s more like getting on an emotional rollercoaster. It’s real, honest, raw, open, sincere, fast, confronting, about ethics and morals, life, cancer, death, planning, relationships, family and it’s sad and very moving. You can burst into tears one moment and laugh out loud the next. But it’s also about courage, love and the amazing power people have.

Read it if you want (with a box of tissues at hand), skip it if you don’t, but at least keep the most important message (IMO) of the book in mind Live every day like it is your last so you won’t have to look back in anger or with regrets.

Back to life, back to……….blogging ;)

Guess what people, I am BACK! All the celebrations (and the organising that comes with it) are done and dusted, so I can resume “normal” activities again and that also means, bore you all to death :-)

My Mum had a great b-day (thanks for asking, Boo). The Saturday before her actually birthday we boarded a river boat for a moonlight river cruise. My Mum had a lovely time being wined and dined, did a little dancing, watched the entertainment, the fireworks and enjoyed the scenery. According to my Mum it was her best birthday ever (and it wasn't even her birthday yet). And oh, in case you are wondering, her other guests and I (who would have thought) had a fun time too.

On her actual b-day, we had a small surprise party. She thought I was just dropping by to give her some flowers and her present but when I rang her doorbell she was surprised to see my brother, my SIL, their kids with spouses and all her (much older) sisters too. It was a fun evening with a lot of reminiscing; a special moment to remember my Dad and 75 funny little presents (like a toothbrush, shampoo, anti motion sickness pills, earplugs, perfume and so on and so on) leading up to a bigger present.

So what did I give her in the end? Well, I donated some money to two of her favourite charities (thanks for suggesting that people) and we all chipped in to give her (what we think was) a special gift, a holiday! We are not sure where she is going to go just yet because she has to pick a destination from 75 suggestions :-). Anyway no matter where she going to end up, I bet this was a birthday to remember

Cartoon Tuesday: Two minds....

Reclaim your Brain.

Like I said earlier this week, I am a bit busy these days but I don’t want you all to get bored (as if!), so here is an interesting site I found earlier.


“Lumosity is the brain fitness program designed by neuroscientists that is scientifically demonstrated to improve your memory, attention and processing speed.”
Interested? Just give it a go, and if you are not ready to sign up yet, just find out your LumosIQ. No matter what you do, it’s free :) Oh, and it’s a fun experiment too!

Time sneaks up on you, like a windshield on a bug.

I know I haven’t been around much this past week. Let’s blame life, it just gets in the way ;) No not really, I am just too fricking busy. I had to go to hospital with two of my friends last week. One got the all clear and the second one has to get more tests done. Then I got sick on Saturday and the icky feeling stayed with me most of the weekend. And now my Mum’s birthday is coming up and I am trying to arrange all sort of stuff at the last moment. So,

but I'll BBL!

Cartoon Tuesday on Wednesday: Nice Idea; Poor Execution

Look what I found (#2)

A site where you can create your own little games like this one:

A site where they offer e-cards with a difference. Some might be a little bit sarcastic, others macabre, but hey, some are just plain funny ;)


A story* about one of the strangest disasters of the 20th Century, which starts with this: “On the morning of August 22, 1986, a man hopped onto his bicycle and began riding from Wum, a village in Cameroon, towards the village of Nyos. On the way he noticed an antelope lying dead next to the road. Why let it go to waste? The man tied the antelope onto his bicycle and continued on. A short distance later he noticed two dead rats, and further on, a dead dog and other dead animals. He wondered if………..”
(* probably not for everyone)

A site where you can download an art magazine (in PDF or .exe), it’s actually an art showcase for global artists. Very interesting!


Another Dutch commercial
Just call us - Centraal Beheer. The insurance company in Apeldoorn.

Progress!

As most of you know, I’ve been running for a couple of weeks now and I finally feel I am getting the hang of it. Yeah, I know, it took me a while :) But like I said in my first post about this subject, running isn’t a thing that comes easy to me. I always thought I couldn’t do it, but hey, here’s a newsflash…..I can!

The first couple of weeks were quite horrible at times though. You have to remind yourself of so much like: keep your arms low and relaxed, breath in and out (duh!) and keep your breathing relaxed and regular, don’t run too fast (you are not running a race!), don’t land on your toes – heels first and so on and so on! A lot of stuff to take in and keep track of, but hey, I am doing it. Hooray! Even my personal (uhum…. Online and not so personal) coach/motivator is telling me I am doing great and that I should keep going!

I am keeping a log of my runs and here is a graph that shows my progress. I started out at fitness level 10 and now I am at 40 after completing one-third of my schedule. Hooray again!

There is a downside though; I am starting to feel better and look healthier but I am gaining weight. That wasn’t supposed to happen :( At first it got me worried a bit but then I realised that it actually made sense. When I started running I stopped doing my other work-outs on the running days. In the first weeks I didn’t run for very long period’s of time (and was eating the same) so I was burning lesser calories then normal. *sigh of relieve* nothing to worry about! Pretty soon I will be burning calories like before and probably even more. I think I’ve to put off buying new clothes for a while :) because like I said, I am gaining weight but I am loosing centimetres already :) Well, isn’t that a nice advantage?!