Month: August 2018
Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson
As someone who’s not for motivational self-help books, I was a bit reluctant to buy this but since I was on vacation and I needed something short and light to read, not to mention it’s cheap, I’ve decided to give it a go.
Nothing in this book is new to us. Insights on how we react or deal with the changes we face. The world changes whether we want it or not. The ideas are extremely important and useful, sure, but it’s just obvious common sense. I mean the book is okay, however, I’ve became so accustomed to change already which is probably why it didn’t create a huge impact on me. It doesn’t mean though that I’m good at dealing with it, no, but somehow, I’ve learned to expect it. I think that how it affects all of us differs depending on the situation we are in in life and how far we have been pushed when faced by change.
I’m not sure my bad mood affected how I thought about this book as I’ve read this from start to finish while in the tour van on the way back to Tbilisi with the most boring tour guide and tour group. Some people may enjoy reading this, some may not. And some should.
Quotable Quotes:
“What you are afraid of is never as bad as what you imagine. The fear you let build up in your mind is worse than the situation that actually exists.”
“He knew sometimes some fear can be good. When you are afraid things are going to get worse if you don’t do something, it can prompt you into action. But it is not good when you are afraid that it keeps you from doing anything.”
“Sometimes, things change and they are never the same again. This looks like one of those times. That’s life! Life moves on. And so should we.”
“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”
Rating: 2/5 stars
Tbilisi
Quote of the Week
The feelings that hurt most, the emotions that sting most, are those that are absurd – The longing for impossible things, precisely because they are impossible; nostalgia for what never was; the desire for what could have been; regret over not being someone else; dissatisfaction with the world’s existence. All these half-tones of the soul’s consciousness create in us a painful landscape, an eternal sunset of what we are.
~Fernando Pessoa
If We Were Having Coffee #5
If we were having coffee…
…you would have known already that I want my coffee black and without sugar.
If we were having coffee…
…we would have probably learned a lot about each other and each other’s culture already.
If we were having coffee…
…I would have perhaps told you a dozen times how very much I love your voice and your accent! I surely would’ve been mimicking you as you talk and I might be giggling a bit, too!
If we were having coffee…
…you would’ve known already that I like you, too!
If we were having coffee…
…I’d tell you I’m so delighted to have met you. You’re a lovable guy and you definitely can make me laugh! But I’d also tell you I’m sorry that I have to turn down your invitation for a dinner date and that I refused to give my contact details so we can keep in touch. I do hope though that our paths will cross again and maybe then, I’m ready and if you still are interested to have that dinner date with me, I’d gladly say yes and see what happens next.
Quote of the Week
I think some people are just inexplicably bonded. Drawn by forces beyond their own comprehension, they have no choice but to gravitate toward one another. Destined by fate to keep crossing paths until they finally get it right.
L.B. Simmons
Here’s Why I Don’t Like Cats
I don’t like cats. I don’t hate them. Hate is such a strong word. I just don’t like them. We had cats growing up because my younger brother adores them but I never really cared about them, didn’t play with them, didn’t feed them at all. I once gave away one of my brother’s most evil feline without them knowing at home (not until after a few days, that is!) because the evil cat broke the aquarium (which was also my brother’s) while trying to catch a fish. I was the primary suspect to the crime because I was caught many times killing fish from the same aquarium but I swear, it wasn’t me on that occasion! It was the darn pussy cat! But hey, the moment I got rid of that evil cat, my heart was in the right place! Anyhow, I really didn’t like cats even before that happened. The only cats I like are Garfield (of course!) and Sassy from the movie Homeward Bound.
Alright, alright. I know cats can be pretty damn cute, innocent-faced murderers that they are, right? Who’s not to like their big round eyes and their furry bodies? Well, I think there are still a number of people who find them irritating or boring as much as I do. I was once gifted a shirazi cat a few years ago, however, it was proven and tested that we have a great amount of enmity for each other, so I gave it away too, to avoid killing it or be killed by it!
So why don’t I like cats?
First of all, I really think they’re possessed by the devil. One minute they’re so cute and nice then totally different the next. One moment they’re quiet then they’ll be growling like crazy all of a sudden. They’d even stare at me like I did them wrong at one point then starts acting like they love me too much a few minutes later. Sometimes, too, they’d just bit or scratch me out of nowhere!
Second, they’re creepy. Do cats really have to stare at me when I eat, read, watch TV or when I pee?
Third, too much of their fur comes off. Cleaning cat hair off on almost everything at home specially the sofas is just another added chore.
Fourth, they don’t have social skills. They just lurk in wherever they want at home and no matter how I persuade them to come to me, they’d just stare at me blankly like “what’s your problem?” then walk away!
Fifth, cats are mean. I don’t know how many times I’ve been scratched by my brother’s pet cats. I was also bitten once. I mean, come on, why? I didn’t do anything to them. They even scratch my books, the sofa, my pillow, the door even! And they break pots and aquariums! Pure evil!
Sixth, I think they’d eat or kill me at any given chance!
Seventh, they think/act like they own everything they see.
So how about you? Do you or do you not like cats? Why and why not?
A Six-Word Story
I feel too empty to talk.
Quote of the Week
It is a curious thing, the death of a loved one. We all know that our time in this world is limited, and that eventually all of us will end up underneath some sheet, never to wake up. And yet it is always a surprise when it happens to someone we know. It is like walking up the stairs to your bedroom in the dark, and thinking there is one more stair than there is. Your foot falls down, through the air, and there is a sickly moment of dark surprise as you try and read just the way you thought of things.
-Lemony Snicket
Three Days, Three Quotes Challenge #6 – Day 3
It’s the third and last day of the Three Days, Three Quotes Challenge from Richa. Be sure to check her wonderful blog here.
The Rules:
- Thank the person who nominated you.
- Post a quote for three consecutive days.
- Nominate three bloggers each day.
The Nominees:
So, I guess we are who we are for a lot of reasons. And maybe we’ll never know most of them. But even if we don’t have the power to choose where we come from, we can still choose where we go from there. We can still do things. And we can try to feel okay about them.
-Stephen Chbosky
I sure enjoy challenges like this and once again, thanks a lot, Richa! Til the next challenge!
Happy day, homo sapiens!😊
Three Days, Three Quotes Challenge #6 – Day 2
Day 2 of my sixth Three Days, Three Quotes Challenge from Richa. If you haven’t checked her blog yet, visit here.
The Rules:
- Thank the person who nominated you.
- Post a quote for three consecutive days.
- Nominate three bloggers each day.
The Nominees:
You can’t measure the mutual affection of two human beings by the number of words they exchange.
-Milan Kundera
Three Days, Three Quotes Challenge #6 – Day 1
Huge thank you to Richa for letting me be a part of this Three Days, Three Quotes Challenge once again! Do check out her blog here and have fun!
The Rules:
- Thank the person who nominated you.
- Post a quote for three consecutive days.
- Nominate three bloggers each day.
The Nominees:
One of the most amazing things that can happen is finding someone who sees everything you are and won’t let you be anything less. They see the potential of you. They see endless possibilities. And through their eyes, you start to see yourself the same way as someone who matters. As someone who can make a difference in the world. If you’re lucky enough to find this person, never let them go.
-Susan Colasanti
Do These Habits Annoy You Like They Annoy Me?
I’m waiting for my flight at the moment and enjoying my first cup of coffee after a few months since I’ve stopped drinking. I love coming early to the airport whenever I travel to be able to roam around the whole place, buy coffee then read. I have read very little this year and I’m not very happy about it. However, I don’t think I can catch up with my reading at this point because this young fellow a few seats from mine is talking too loudly on his phone. I don’t understand a thing he’s saying because he speaks Arabic but man, he’s too loud and he sounds like a frog. I don’t know what better word to use to describe his voice. Froggy? Haha! But yeah, he sounds like a frog. Anyhoo, Mr. Froggy Guy just gave me an idea what to write about instead!
We all behave differently and less becoming from time to time. We all have habits and some things that are normal for us just aren’t the same for others. Now because of this loud, froggy guy, I can’t help but think about the things other people do which I find annoying/irritating. It might not bother other people as much as it bothers me since we all are different individuals and behave differently but do the following habits annoy you like they annoy me?
1. Talking loudly on the phone. (Or just talking very loudly.)
I don’t understand people having loud, animated conversations on their phones in public! They probably get so carried away but come on, keep it down. I’m not in the least bit interested about other people’s conversation and I think it’s always possible to modulate your voice. High-decibel assault on my eardrums are not welcome so please don’t make the whole world your phone booth.
2. Nose picking.
Everyone does this once in a while, alright, but picking your nose in public places? Who wants to see that?
3. Stinking farts.
We all do need to pass gas but that doesn’t mean others should smell it, too. Who wants to smell a fart? You, yourself, don’t want to smell yours, do you? So finding yourself caught up in someone else’s rectal gas is maddening! Go to toilets or empty spaces if you need to release stinking gas.
4. Interrupting when someone’s talking.
I, for one, love to talk. When I say something, I want the person’s full attention on me and what I’m saying as I do the same to other people when they do the talking. It annoys me when someone cuts me off mid-sentence. I get completely miffed when someone butts in when I’m talking most specially when I’m saying/explaining something important and complicated or something that gives me butterflies in my stomach. When people interrupt, they should just tell the other person to shut up because they have better things to say. It shows that they don’t know respect because however I look at it, it is rude to interrupt.
5. Nail biting.
I think nail biting is not just a bad habit but also a disorder in the same category with OCD. I just find it really irritating.
6. Gross eating.
Table manners, please. No one wants to hear the noise people make when they chew/slurp their food/drinks or when their teeth clangs to the cutlery. It also gets me totally irritated to see food scattered all over the table, talking with mouth full, taking too much food like there’s no tomorrow and not eating it all and also burping without covering their mouths and burping intentionally loud because they think it’s funny!
7. Whining and complaining.
Whining or complaining once in a while is normal but when someone does it every single day? Oh, seven hells! Don’t be surprised why I avoid you. I don’t like people who talk as if the world owes them something!
8. Always late.
It’s infuriating that very often nowadays, people think it’s okay and it’s normal to be late in meetings or appointments. Once or twice is fine for sometimes, some unavoidable things happen. But I find people disrespectful of my time when they always come up late.
9. Repetitive noise.
This often happens at work. It really gets on my nerves rather quickly when people make useless, irritating, repetitive noise like tapping their pens on the desk or even sighing deeply all the time like as if they carry the weight of the world on their shoulders when all they actually do is nap/sleep, watch, smoke and drink coffee at work.
10. Taking shit out on other people.
Feeling angry or upset is okay. However, it is unacceptable to be taking your shit out on other people or go and act freaking crazy at them about something that made you angry.
A very common scene anywhere in the world today. This isn’t only annoying but also very rude. It is always important to give your full attention to the person speaking. If you find your phone more interesting than I am, don’t bother hanging out with me again.
12. Being a slob.
Since I started sharing rooms/apartments, one of the things I fight/argue about with my housemates (in addition to noise) concerns house chores. Throwing the garbage, cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, etc. In any living situation where you share the place with someone, there is always the one who cares more and the one who cares less about these things. Obviously, the slobs care less or not at all. We all differ in standards when it comes to keeping our homes clean but leaving your mess behind when cohabiting with someone is unacceptable for me. It’s disrespectful and inconsiderate expecting others to clean your mess.
13. Making everything about them.
There is absolutely nothing wrong about sharing things about yourself to people, however, why or how some bring up unrelated topics back to them or about them all the time is a different thing. I guess this boils down to becoming good listeners. It is very important to listen and understand to what the other person is saying instead of just waiting another chance to revert back the conversation to yourself.
14. The need of being right all the time and knowing it all.
It is so irritating to be with someone who has to be, needs to be and wants to be right all the time. Not to mention always trying to prove other people wrong. Of course there are instances where you can really prove yourself right but so what? I think it’s okay to correct someone once in a while but generally, people should remember that conversations are always a matter of each person’s perspective, opinion or experiences. Respect theirs as they respect yours.
15. Acting like a victim.
It’s totally draining being in the company of people who always complain and think that life is unfair. It’s normal to feel sad and discouraged but life wasn’t meant to be always easy and happy. Life is hard but it’s always up to us whether we let ourselves get stuck to it and act like pathetic victims of this cruel world or make something better out of it. In addition, I don’t like people acting like victims of circumstances they themselves created.
16. Being negative all the time.
It’s exhausting spending time with pessimists. Things do go wrong and sometimes, we have no control of that but it wouldn’t do you any good to stay stuck there and be completely negative about it.
17. Playing dumb.
I’ve known many women who has the habit of playing dumb specially in front of men or their crushes/boyfriends. It’s not cute! It’s just not!
18. Pretending to be friends then badmouthing them behind their backs.
What’s wrong with these people? Why pretend you like the person when you don’t? You don’t have to be friends with everyone so don’t pretend to be friends then badmouth each other after.
19. Invading my personal space.
Crossing boundaries are way too greater nowadays. My personal space or any issue related to it is something very important to me and I protect that probably far more seriously than others. This is my kind of comfort zone where I set/maintain a certain distance from people both emotionally and physically where when it’s crossed, it gives me a feeling of irritability and discomfort.
20. Making personal calls all day at work.
Colleagues can be very annoying in a multitude of ways. Making personal calls at work all day, every day, is one example. It’s understandable to make occasional, personal phone calls but use your common sense. Personal calls should be kept at a minimum. I, for one, am not interested with what’s happening in your personal life. Leave your personal matters at home.
~~~
I understand we all have habits we don’t realize irritate other people and I actually don’t give a damn about it but I also know that it’s also important to be mindful of others. It’s essential to be aware of our bad habits in order to work on changing them and adopting new and better ones.
What habits annoy you? Share them!
Quote of the Week
No loss is felt more keenly than the loss of what might have been. No nostalgia hurts as much as nostalgia for things that never existed.
~Rabih Alameddine
Friday Fun Day Challenge – Game On – You Name It!
Hi there, homo sapiens! I got tagged for the Friday Fun Day Challenge – Game On – You Name It! Thank you very much, Richa! Do visit her blog guys if you haven’t yet! Lots of interesting stuffs to read there! Just click here. You can thank me later! 🙂
RULES:
1 Thank the nominator
2 Answer Q1 – Q19
3 Nominate three bloggers of your choice and notify them.
4 Each selected blogger MUST answer 16 of the asked 19 questions, but also insert 3 new questions to make up the 19 compliment. Every time a new blogger is selected they MUST only answer 16 of the asked 19 questions as well as answer their own 3, and choose 3 new bloggers. Each time a new blogger sees the questionnaire it will be completely different to the next blogger along.
(Hint: delete three of the questions you don’t like or have no answer for and insert your own in its place)
5 Q19 & Q13 Must always remain intact.
Let’s get started:
1. Are you currently reading a book, if so what is it?
A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin & A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking.
2. Toast or cereal.
Toast without the crust! With peanut butter and jelly!
3. Choice weapon for survival during the zombie invasion?
A remote control with buttons for different weapons/options to kill zombies like:
- Bludgeoning
- Bomb / gas explosion / other explosives
- Crossbow
- Decapitation by chainsaw or a katana
- Flame thrower
- Kill by firearms
- Traps
4. Horror or comedy films
I’d go for horror! I like comedy but I’d choose horror over it!
5. What food are you currently craving for?
All Vietnamese food! Pho, banh xeo, banh cuon, chao, etc. Plus ca phe, too!
6. What was your favorite sweet/candy as a kid?
Curly tops, chocolate cakes and chocolate ice cream.
7. Going to the party or the library what’s your preference?
This depends largely on my mood at that given moment. Libraries always give me the peace and solitude I need/want but I enjoy parties, too! I’m one party animal as well! 😉
8. What is your favorite tipple [drink]?
Definitely beer! And whisky and vodka.
9. If you were coming back as an animal which is the least you would like to return as, BUT knowing your luck you just might? [Provide image]
Hmmm… I don’t ever wanna be a hyena!
10. If you were arrested with no explanation, what would your friends and family assume you had done?
Murder. Mass murder.
11. Which is that final destination or goal you’re aiming at and want to achieve no matter what?
To have a business of my own.
12. If you could have one super power what would you pick and why?
The power of time travel. I want to experience life mostly in the past in different places at different eras/ages and see how the world became as it is now and I wouldn’t need a time machine if I possessed that power!
13. Which 3 questions will you be deleting to add your own in?
Skinny dipping or mud wrestling.
Ok, you are going to be shipwrecked on an island that has food and water, what three items would you need to have with you?
If we didn’t know what the color ‘mauve’ actually looked like, how would you describe it?
14. If someone wrote a biography about you, what do you think the title should be?
Whoever who’d have the interest to do that should entitle the book as “Just Me, The Just in Case.”
15. What was the longest plane trip you have taken?
The longest plane trip I’ve ever taken was from Amman, Jordan to Hanoi, Vietnam. It took 15 hours including a 6-hour layover in Dubai.
16. Where would you like to be in 3 years time from now on?
Three years from now, I hope to have started my small business and hopefully doing volunteer works while traveling.
17. What one item do you always have to get when grocery shopping?
TOMATOES!
18. What music is currently your favorite? [Provide link]
It’s a really sad song but it’s very relatable since my last relationship ended. So even if it’s sad, it’s always on my favorites list and yeah, current favorite.
19. The three bloggers you are nominating are?
MissteriosoDas, Pradita and Swalia. I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be fun reading their posts when they accept to do this!
There you go! Thanks a lot, Richa! It was sure fun doing this challenge! ‘Til the next one!
Happy Friday, homo sapiens! 🙂
HappymessHappiness 