Look what I found (#8)

I Used to Believe – The Childhood beliefs site.
I Used To Believe is a fun site! It holds a weird and wonderful compilation of ideas that adults thought were true when they were children. One example “my dad used to tell me that if you pointed at things, you were poking holes in the air and the fairies/birds would trip over them. I’m still hesitant to poke holes..”
And here is one thing I used to believe: Milk came from ‘normal’ black and/or white cows; chocolate milk was produced by brown cows :-)

Bizarre experiments.
I came across a list of the 20 most bizarre experiments of all time on the museumofhoaxes.com. In my opinion, bizarre is a bit of an understatement, some of them are really atrocious but hey, that’s just my opinion. Oh, and in case you are wondering: Why are these experiments listed on the Museum of Hoaxes? They're not hoaxes, are they? Here is the sites answer: “No, they're not. All of these experiments really did occur. I put the list here simply because I already had this site up and running, and I didn't feel like designing a new site just for one list.”
Make of it what you will.

Talking about weird, bizarre or whatever you want to call it, have you seen this video? It’s really unbelievable!
The guy doing this is Jean-Yves Blondeau, also known as Rollerman.

Intruder protection system.
Wouldn’t it be useful if you could turn your bedside table into an intruder protection system. The makers of the "Safe Bedside Table" must have thought so. One minute your bedside table is what it is, a bedside table and the next it becomes a home intruder protection system. All it takes are two quick steps :-) Ideal for scaring away burglars, ghosts, obtrusive husbands, rats and mice, and gnomes. Oh my, did I just say gnomes, as in leprechauns? Yes I did, because they are out there!

They simply must be, because what other explanation is there for this odd ball behaviour:

That’s all folks!

Dad.

For those of you who expect a Mind, Body & Soul Session today, I’ve a bit of disappointing news: I am not posting any session today. Why not? Well, today is a bit of a different day for me. On this date, December 17th, in the year 1928, my Dad was born. So, today he would have turned 78. I often wonder what he would look like today. I guess he would look older, his hair would be grey, but in essence he would be the same remarkable man (or at least I hope so). We had an amazing and loving relationship and I often wonder what kind of relationship we would have had if he was still alive. Maybe it all would have changed over the years, like the relationship with my Mum has changed too. When I was young, me and my Mum couldn’t get along, but we are doing pretty okay now.

In the twenty years since his passing, there have been times when I wished painfully that my Dad could be a part of my life. Times when I wanted to hug him, share some exciting news with him, ask for his advice or just have a chat. I’ve done and seen a lot of things. Many things have changed and some have stayed the same……. I still miss my Dad very much. Today was his birthday. He was remarkable man, a loving Dad and husband and extraordinary friend. I didn't have my Dad long enough but I am very thankful I had him as long as I did.

Last year I wrote a message to my Dad and everything in there still applies, so I am not going to write another one. Instead I want to share a song (Dad by K's Choice) with you (for a limited time only*). A song that always reminds me of my Dad, a song I know by heart, a song that sometimes makes me cry and other times makes me smile, a song that I love.....

Dad……. I LOVE you!

* I have removed the mp3, but if you are interested , you can still find the song on You Tube where it was used in a video (not mine)

And you are……….

Yesterday I had the BIG reunion, which actually turned out to be a quite small or even tiny reunion, only half of the people who had RSVP-ed showed up. I don’t know why the rest didn’t bother to show their face, could be that they thought it was too hot (28º C) or maybe they just didn’t care. Anyway I enjoyed a nice and entertaining Sunday in an air-conditioned room with a bunch of people I recognised, I could even put names and faces together, but of which I couldn’t remember any specifics. I always thought that the reunion would trigger my memory but it didn’t. So, there I was in a room full of people, listening to stories I had never heard before or could not remember. I can tell you this; it was a very strange sensation. It felt like those people had lived in a parallel universe or something……weird!! But I wasn’t the only one; more people experienced the same thing. At some point we even wondered if we were at the right reunion ;).
Things that amazed me most:

Some people never change. Same appearance, same weight and same personality.

Some people change enormously. All the stick insects had turned into heavy set people.

A lot of them turned into bitter and discontented people.

Most of them really looked (and acted old). They said I was the youngest among them and I am actually one of the oldest.

One lady has a nice singing voice.

Some of them tried so hard to be the most interesting person there; it almost hurt to watch them.

One person is sick.

Some of them remember every little detail.

Some people are no longer with us.

They all want to get together again soon.

Things that I disliked most:

The envy that filled the air.

The alcohol consumption of some of the people.

The pictures that were taken, but I haven’t received yet.

The prejudice.

My poor memory.

The anger and bitterness. People…. If you don’t like your life, stop bitching and moaning….change it!!

Things I liked best:

The strength and courage in some people.

The performance.

The food.

The company..

All in all…. an enjoyable day!

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Reasons to be cheerful:
1. I am not like them! Hooray :)
2. I just started up msn (for the first time in years) and had a nice chat with one of my old (msn) pals.
3. I am soooo glad I live in the now.

Memories

Isn’t it strange how you can never forget things like for instance your first ever telephone number or birthdates of certain people? Like today, June 22, is Robert’s birthday. Robert was (and still is) kind of dear and special to me.

The first time I met him I was only 13 (a very troubled teen) and I, or should I say we as a family, had just moved to a brand-new neighbourhood in another city. The neighbourhood was so new it wasn't even a neighbourhood yet. I didn’t like the new place at first; it was kind of boring because we were one of the first families to move in so there weren’t any other kids to hang out with. But then Robert came by, he actually did came by...... he was our paperboy. Every night he delivered our evening paper. I don’t really remember why or how but at some point we started talking and later I accompanied him on his paper round. At the time he was (and he hopefully still is) two years older than me and in my opinion a man (read: boy) of the world. He was wise, he had travelled a lot, he was smart, had the cutest eyes ever and an amazing smile. I was shy, I had never left the country and I was curious. Not the best grounds to become friends but pretty soon we were having very long chats. At first he told me all I needed to know about the city we had moved to and later on our talks got more personal. We talked about family life, school, friends and so much more. We had fun and just enjoyed each others company. His paper round became a lot more interesting and my life wasn’t sooooo boring anymore. And he changed me! I wasn’t so shy and troubled anymore, I got interested in new things, I even started to like the city we had moved to. But good things never last! A year (or two, can’t remember that) later he finished his pre-university education and he was moving to another city to attend university. At the end of his last paper round we hugged, said our goodbyes and kissed……..and that was THE END.

No, not really! Two years later I saw him again. He still was an interesting guy, same sparkling eyes, and same amazing smile. It was like we never said goodbye. We had a long chat, promised to stay in touch but we never did. A shame really, it would have been nice if I could wish him a happy birthday today, but I haven’t seen him in a very long time. But still, Robert H…….e, should you ever read this, you are not forgotten!! Thanks for being there when I really needed a friend and for changing my life for the better.

Happy birthday special guy! You probably fulfilled all the dreams you once had and I hope you are really happy now, xoxo!

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Reasons to be cheerful:
1. I survived another job interview. Well, it was more of an assessment this time. I don’t think I stand a chance because I am not the catwalk model in a power suit they are looking for. I am not quite sure what to think of that. I think I don’t want to be a model in a power suit. So maybe this is not a bad thing.
2. Walk on the beach. I love the sea breeze and the sound of the waves.
3. I finally answered an email which really annoyed me. I feel much better now :)

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!