Can Not Wait To Get Started

I've signed up to Thing-A-Day challenge on Posterous - and it starts tomorrow. Have to do a creative thing everyday in the month of February - Am I out on deep water here? Have a large folder with lots of ideas, picture, newspaper/magazine clippings, notes etc. with inspiration, so I guess it should be possible to accomplish. It could also help me from not thinking about my always noisy, loud and annoying next door neighbor - simply by absorbing myself into a project that "needs" to be done :o) Well it has to be creative, so photography, drawing, cardmaking, knitting, sewing are all possibilities - and now I have to make the most of it....

Words of Inspiration

A snowflake is one of God's most fragile creations, but look what they can do when they stick together!

Anonymous

World Wide News Clippings

When travelling, it is not just the inflight magazines that catch my attention - also the complimentary local newspapers provided by the hotels are a great source of many laughs, Wow!s and astonishment.

I was waiting for the assigned driver to pick me up while in Mumbai, and I simply fell of the comfy couch in the lobby laughing over this article. The reception staff really gave me the stare and made them look like huge question marks - when the driver came, I grapped on of the newspapers on the reception desk, flipped to the correct page and pointed out the article to them with a "Just read this, and you'll laugh too!" :o)

When I returned to the hotel, one of their colleagues on the evening shift called me and handed me a note with a smile "Thanks for making us laugh! You would be pleased to know, that "Constitution" just checked in :o) "

Second laugh that day, and the receptionist nodded and returned my big smile. Read this, and hopefully you will have a big smile on your face - remember to check out the local newspapers when travelling..... people's names will never be quite the same again and just emphasize the colorful, wonderful difference between cultures.

Article from The Times of India, Monday, January 3, 2011

World Wide News Clippings

Remember as a kid and you had to learn to tie your own shoelaces? Either you did the bunny-ears-easy-trick or humming a rhyme (I can't rember the words, can you?) when concentrating to do it your-self.

I bet you never thought of using a shoe lace like this:

This is the breathtaking art of Frederico Uribe - and like yesterday's post, it was published in the months issue of Holland Herrold (KLMs inflight magazine). So not only can the plane transport you to a new country/culture but also take you into an airtist's world persuading you to take a peek on his/hers creations :o) Take a look on his website (link is above) and see what amazing artwork he can create with pensils, screws etc.

World Wide News Clippings

I can not say it loud enough: pick up that inflight magazine that is in the pouch just in front of your seat - most airlines have their own monthly magazine. Lots of inspiration your way for free - creating smiles or the big WOW!!s

Just look at this peek inside this months KLM inflight magazine, Holland Herald - photo art or sweater art (you take your pick) as seen through the lens by Bela Borsodi = Mindblowing.

I wonder if the designer behind this sweater's pattern ever envisioned this?

"Just" Playing The Cards, That I Have Been Given...

The other day, Judy had a somewhat thought provoking haiku poem, that was really an eye opener.... in a very positive way :o)

At first it made me wonder: Am I actually glad that I have MS? The answer would be a screaming "NO!".

In the weeks after the grim diagnosis my head was spinning with so many thoughts about me, my life and especially my future, as there was suddenly a thick cloud over my head. I tried to make sure, that I at least had one hour of me time during that period to discover the "new me", as there were suddenly invisible limitations. A bit hard finding space for me-time, as my friends apparenly workd out a schedule, so I would have company every day - I know they meant well, and I do appriciate everything they did for me in those days, and they now understand why I needed my own space just for an hour or so.

The doctors told me, that I might have problems with digesting meat (lamb, pork, cow etc) and that my ability to use my legs might be worsened... It took me a while to figure out my new MS diet, which now works - those days I get too tempted and actually eat meat = my stomach has its grim way of revenging my act. Slowly during the years after the MS I have lost the ability to run every day - I can only do it 2-3 days a month which is hard, when you are used to running and thereby de-stress. At least I found out that I am still able to walk and long walks even.

It is still work in progress, as I continiously find out things about me. Small adjustments all the time to make my day work out for me and "forcing me" to find new possibilities.... I have made back-up plans if I am suddenly unable to have my current job.... I "just" need to stay positive. The "just" seems soo easy to some of the people around me daily - but it is hard work!!

What Judy really made me realise after having read her blogpost: I am playing the cards that I have been given and I if try to cheat (eg. too little sleep, wrong food etc) my body reacts instantly. Thanks Judy for once again having given me food for thought :o)

Thing A Day

For the past few days, I have been a lurker when it comes to blogs. I have been reading up on a lot of blogposts, and even followed links, that might lead to adventures :o) Crafty adventures that is. Have a half finished blogpost, but I need my camera and a snapshot, to finish it.

Have a couple days of cat-sitting left, and I actually can not wait to get home and start doing things on my crafty-to-do list. Have scribled down a lot of card ideas, visited 3 stores, where I have stocked up a bit on crafty supplies - everything from bargains at local version of dollar store and sales- and discovered something that must be in my calendar in February of 2011 - Thing A Day.

Even though I might be travelling in February, I need to bring creative projects so I can complete my challenge. Only downside of returning to my appartment is returning to the horrible noise of my next door neighbor in the middle of the night.

World Wide News Clippings

Papercraft Inspirations Magazine - a UK magazine that finds its way into my mailbox every month. Amazingly enough, it has been unopened on my desk for a while and today I finally opened it to get some... well yes "inspiration".

My eyes quickly caught the general inchie idea, which I will definately try to incorporate into some of my cards using stamps, pictures etc. :o)

The same article, presenting a how-to regarding the inchies, also briefly mentioned the blog You Can Call Me Gwen .... if you have a spur of creativity you will love her idea!!! Everyday she's making an inchie describing the day...you could call it an alternative diary if you would.

First thought: "That's easy! :o)"... soon to be followed by "Wait!! That's not easy at all!" after having wondering if I could make inchies describing the days that have allready went by this year, which makes her idea even more brilliant.

So now, I will be following her blog and be amazed about her ability to describe her day in an inchie.

This picture is from the blog, You Can Call Me Gwen.

Can / Should I Add That To My CV??.... :o)

Cat-sitter.... I mean, somebody is actually putting babysitter and/or dogwalker into their CVs just to show, that they have not been "on the idle side".

Well - I am once again a cat-sitter. A good friend of mine is on vacation and she owns two cats (with personalities!!!), that are not quite suitable to be put into a holiday-care-kennel - both of them are easily stressed and will get sick instantly if away from both their owner and their usual territory.

Me... I am not allowed to have a cat in my appartment (building rules) and with my ever changing travel itiniary, I wouldn't be a proper cat owner. Since I have had cats from childhood until the day I moved into my current appartment (yes we were allowed to keep cats at my dorm while studying) I really miss having a cat in my presence.

My "job description" - well I basically move into my friend's appartment, while she's away making it my temporary home and spoil her cats rotten :o) Her appartment is not far from mine, so the change of route to work is no problem.... and I get to be "cat owner" for a short while.

Work In Progress 2

From a distance, this place looks absolutely amazing luring you into a visit, that includes a trip on a boat, that is somewhat safe - well just another colorful experience :o) If the locals were relaxed when sailing in this boat, why shouldn't I?

This is the Dhamma Pattana pagoda in the outskirts of Mumbai, India as a place where you can meditate. Meditation calls for silence etc. so it seems a bit strange, that this Buddhist place is adjacent to a amusement part, the Esselworld. Occationally you could hear a lot of noise from the amusement park's guests.

If you click on the picture of the pagoda, you will se, that this is truely a work in progress - it is not yet finished and will not be for at least a couple of years. Our local friend taking us there, was actually unaware of the place not yet being finished despite already open to the public - but when we got absorbed in watching them working with the small details and got demonstrations of some of the techniques. We were the only non-Indian visitors, and since we were so fasinated, we soon attracted some of the workers attention.

When they found out, that we have some (albeit limited) knowledge of buddhism, they opened up for a well of information, that revealed their passion for their work and the cause.

How lucky are we to be able to see them build such a beautiful place? In most part of the world, you will never be able to visit these type of places untill they are completely finished. And this place is build with funds either raised privately or donations - amazing.

 

Work in Progress 1

For future reference: I will never complain when they are doing road construction, repairing or anything else on the local roads. After what I witnessed in India, this will never be looked at in the same manner as before I visited that remote place.

They might have dug up that street - stripped it for bricks, asphalt etc. - but that does not mean, that they will close the road off.... people are still walking, biking and driving through a street, that people are "renovating" - an accepted regular expense when owning a car in Mumbai includes suspension, brakes and stick shift... for them it is usual, and they can drive on the road albeit a "bit" bumpy.

By the way - the dog in the picture is one of the city's huge number of stray dogs - amazing, why they don't do anything about that issue. Witnessed a man getting upset with a stray dog (it was "standing in his way" ??!!) and therefore trew big stones at the dog - heartbreaking. But as a foreigner it is hard to address that incident, when the solution to the problem with stray dogs must be taken centrally in an official office.

Where Do I Even Begin....

How do I even start describing last week? Catching up on a lot of blogs that were posted during my absence before I even started to figure out, where to start.  I had hoped to do some more posts while travelling, but with the busy schedule - the bed just "attacked me", craving my full attention everytime I returned to my hotel room (sleeping)

OK, that is why I opted for the very last picture I shot before leaving India - the adventure was coming to an end - or better yet hopefully the beginning of new adventures to come.

I can't believe how lucky I have been to even have this change to travel to this place - it has been mind blowing in so many ways, that there are no sufficients words to describe it all.

The day after was a new day - that included a new experience. The long flight home was full of fond memories of old and new friends - discovering some of the gems from their part of the world.

Words of Inspiration

Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it.You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.

Harvey MacKay

Incredible India!

If you've ever seen the campain add for tourism in India - and you've been here, you would realise how true those words are.....

Incredible in every aspect: good, bad, colorful, surprising, inspirational etc.

My word for 2011 is exploring - January 1st I started this journey that will last to the end of the week.

Snow chaos seems so far away now and not quite real.