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 :)

Counting down....10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..........

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

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

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

Cleaning!

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

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

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

For all the wonderful people out there :)

Okay…time to relax!

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

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

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

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

A strange day before Christmas.

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

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

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

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

So be good for goodness sake!

Treat yourself to status check.

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

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

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

Wow!!

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

Blind date!

STOP STRESSING - A message to me!

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

The A-list:

Figure out a menu for Christmas day. I’m having some friend over and we are all going to make certain dishes. One is going to make the entrée, another one the main course, another one the dessert and so on and so on. That takes a bit of planning because the dishes should suit and complement each other.

Make a shopping list (don’t forget the flowers and candles)

Figure out where to get certain items

Plan when and where to do the shopping

Assign someone to get the wine.

Pay it forward

Check if I did sent all my cards out

Donate money to the Red Cross via Serious Request (dutchradio www.3fm.nl) and save a child in Congo

The B-list:

Bake a cake and cookies

Make a festive garland (or something) for the hall.

Create something special for my blog

Answer e-mails

Buy some small funny gifts

So much to do, so little time. Actually, now that I’m seeing this list, it’s not that bad. I can do this! Woow, the tranquillity is returning!! I am starting to feel almost Zen-like! Making a list is grand! Being organized, is soooooo cool :)

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire.

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

The Homeless Christmas tree.

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

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

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

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

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

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

*The End*

Boring

Just click the cartoon to read the text.

Not that much time to blog today.

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

Dreading December.

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

Why people dislike December:

It is the darkest period of the year. The days are shorter. Some people really get depressed because of this.

Some people feel lonely and deserted. They have lost their spouse; have no kids, relatives or friends. They dread the festive December days because you are supposed to share them with others. They feel they have to be cheery all the time, but aren’t. Some of them don’t even want to admit that they spent Christmas alone, because they feel ashamed.

Others feel deprived because they don’t have the extra money to spend on a Christmas dinner or a tree. Seeing all the Christmassy stuff in stores and supermarkets only makes things worse.

Other people feel they have to do way to much. They feel they need to plan and cook dinners, invite relatives, do things for the church, clean their house top till bottom, buy presents, make flower arrangements, buy a tree and decorate it. When asked if there wasn’t a possibility to delegate some of this chores the answer was no. Some people feel overly responsible.

Some people even hate to spend their Christmas with their family.

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

Getting into the spirit of things.

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

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

Computer Technology

The vibe, the spirits and other stuff.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just plain stupid

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Special message for my Dutch readers

Geniet van een gezellige Sinterklaasavond!

(Enjoy the Sinterklaas celebrations)

Goodbye!

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

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

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

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

Dumbest dog ever!

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

Ancient ears!?

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

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

Post-it!

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo “stolen” from Mirielle post on 43Things

Its ‘I've learned’ – Friday again!

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

The special offer!

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

Guy: Hi, I’m from UPC, your cable company.
Me : Hi….
Guy: Is this a convenient time for you?
Me : Not if you are going to sell me something.
Guy: No I’m not going to sell you something BUT I do have a special offer for you, YOU our valued costumer.
Me : No you don’t
Guy: Yes, I have
Me : No you don’t!
Guy: Yes, I have!
Me : No you don’t!!
Guy: Yes, I have!!
Me : NO, you don’t!!!
Guy:………………. Yes, I tell you, I DO have a very special offer you, YOU our valued costumer.
Me : No, you don’t have a very special offer ME, your valued costumer because I am NOT one of your costumers!
Guy: You are ONE of our costumers, the PC said so.
Me : Wow! You have a talking PC!! Were can I get one?
Guy: grrr… No, I don’t have a talking PC…..grrr….but I have your information on my screen and you are one of our customer.
Me : No I’m not, you’ve disconnected my cable without a reason or warning a year ago and you never reconnected me again. As a matter of fact, I’m still waiting for the apologies.
Guy: …………..
Me : Oh, no apologies? Fine........
Guy: I just don’t understand it! What happened? Can you explain this to me?
Me: Yes I can, but I won’t!! Trying to explain the situation has cost me enough energy, so as I told the last cable guy, I don’t want you cable anymore, actually... you can stick it where the sun don’t shine!
Guy: …………..
Me : Okay, can you please make sure that my information is removed from your database? Have a nice day! Goodbye!

World Aids Day!

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