Seriously, she came back in a bit younger, prettier body..
http://www.last.fm/music/Madeleine+Peyroux
Friday, 23 January 2009
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Happiness bullshit
Mindfulness Brings Happiness
Mindfulness, a mental state of relaxed awareness of the present moment, marked by openness and curiosity toward your feelings rather than judgments of them, is a powerful tool for experiencing happiness when practiced regularly. "If you bring mindfulness to bear on negative feelings, they lose their impact. Just let them be there without struggling against them, and you'll eventually feel less anxiety and depression," Harris says. Don't banish your negative feelings, but don't let them get in the way of your taking productive actions, either.[Don't worry about the lack of money to pay that huge gas bill laying on your table, NC]
Happiness Lies in the Chase
Action toward goals other than happiness makes us happy. Though there is a place for vegging out and reading trashy novels, easy pleasures will never light us up the way mastering a new skill or building something from scratch will.
And it's not crossing the finish line that is most rewarding; it's anticipating achieving your goal. University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Richard Davidson has found that working hard toward a goal, and making progress to the point of expecting a goal to be realized, doesn't just activate positive feelings—it also suppresses negative emotions such as fear and depression.[Can i have some money for MBA Course, please? NC]
Yes, Money Buys Happiness—At Least Some Money and Some Happiness
Money does buy happiness, but only up to the point where it enables you to live comfortable [See Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. No money for safe living - no happiness. NC] Beyond that, more cash doesn't boost your well-being. But generosity brings true joy, so striking it rich could in fact underwrite your happiness—if you were to give your wealth away.
Happiness Is Relative
Whether or not we are keeping up with the Joneses—a nagging thought known as status anxiety—affects how happy we are. Some are more obsessed with status than others, but we're all attuned to how we're doing in life relative to those around us. To stop status worries from gnawing at your happiness, choose your peer group carefully. Owning the smallest mansion in a gated community could make you feel worse off than buying the biggest bungalow in a less affluent neighborhood.[ And don't look for friends in workplace. NC]
Options Make Us Miserable
We're constantly making decisions, ranging from what to eat for dinner each night to whom we should marry, not to mention all those flavors of ice cream. We base many of our decisions on whether we think a particular preference will increase our well-being. Intuitively, we seem convinced that the more choices we have, the better off we'll ultimately be. But our world of unlimited opportunity imprisons us more than it makes us happy. In what Swarthmore psychologist Barry Schwartz calls "the paradox of choice," facing many possibilities leaves us stressed out—and less satisfied with whatever we do decide. Having too many choices keeps us wondering about all the opportunities missed.[That doesn't really apply to job market, does it? NC]
Happiness Is Other People
Positive psychologist Chris Peterson, a professor at the University of Michigan, says the best piece of advice to come out of his field is to make strong personal relationships your priority. Good relationships are buffers against the damaging effects of all of life's inevitable letdowns and setbacks.
["Hell is the others" Jean Paul Sartre, NC]
Psychology Today Magazine, Jan/Feb 2009
Last Reviewed 02 Jan 2009
Article ID: 4738
Mindfulness, a mental state of relaxed awareness of the present moment, marked by openness and curiosity toward your feelings rather than judgments of them, is a powerful tool for experiencing happiness when practiced regularly. "If you bring mindfulness to bear on negative feelings, they lose their impact. Just let them be there without struggling against them, and you'll eventually feel less anxiety and depression," Harris says. Don't banish your negative feelings, but don't let them get in the way of your taking productive actions, either.[Don't worry about the lack of money to pay that huge gas bill laying on your table, NC]
Happiness Lies in the Chase
Action toward goals other than happiness makes us happy. Though there is a place for vegging out and reading trashy novels, easy pleasures will never light us up the way mastering a new skill or building something from scratch will.
And it's not crossing the finish line that is most rewarding; it's anticipating achieving your goal. University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Richard Davidson has found that working hard toward a goal, and making progress to the point of expecting a goal to be realized, doesn't just activate positive feelings—it also suppresses negative emotions such as fear and depression.[Can i have some money for MBA Course, please? NC]
Yes, Money Buys Happiness—At Least Some Money and Some Happiness
Money does buy happiness, but only up to the point where it enables you to live comfortable [See Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs. No money for safe living - no happiness. NC] Beyond that, more cash doesn't boost your well-being. But generosity brings true joy, so striking it rich could in fact underwrite your happiness—if you were to give your wealth away.
Happiness Is Relative
Whether or not we are keeping up with the Joneses—a nagging thought known as status anxiety—affects how happy we are. Some are more obsessed with status than others, but we're all attuned to how we're doing in life relative to those around us. To stop status worries from gnawing at your happiness, choose your peer group carefully. Owning the smallest mansion in a gated community could make you feel worse off than buying the biggest bungalow in a less affluent neighborhood.[ And don't look for friends in workplace. NC]
Options Make Us Miserable
We're constantly making decisions, ranging from what to eat for dinner each night to whom we should marry, not to mention all those flavors of ice cream. We base many of our decisions on whether we think a particular preference will increase our well-being. Intuitively, we seem convinced that the more choices we have, the better off we'll ultimately be. But our world of unlimited opportunity imprisons us more than it makes us happy. In what Swarthmore psychologist Barry Schwartz calls "the paradox of choice," facing many possibilities leaves us stressed out—and less satisfied with whatever we do decide. Having too many choices keeps us wondering about all the opportunities missed.[That doesn't really apply to job market, does it? NC]
Happiness Is Other People
Positive psychologist Chris Peterson, a professor at the University of Michigan, says the best piece of advice to come out of his field is to make strong personal relationships your priority. Good relationships are buffers against the damaging effects of all of life's inevitable letdowns and setbacks.
["Hell is the others" Jean Paul Sartre, NC]
Psychology Today Magazine, Jan/Feb 2009
Last Reviewed 02 Jan 2009
Article ID: 4738
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Home sweet home
I live in Poland*
Lots of foreigners consider Poland to be a poor communist state with wild beasts on the roads...
And they are bloody right!
Facts:
1> Poles do not speak foreign languages:
2> Poles never smile, but complain a lot
CBOS poll from end-2008 shows that Poles remain very prone to complaining. Two in three respondents say the sentiment in their personal circle is bad.
'Complaining is an effective strategy of dodging claims and obligations, as well as services. A person who "feels bad," who functions in a "bad world" - poorly functioning public institutions, politicians who cannot be trusted, corrupt public officials - has the right to act individualistically, to avoid paying taxes or refuse to contribute for the public good. Claiming personal achievements harmonises perfectly well with the ritual complaining,' comments Prof Giza-Poleszczuk.
CBOS, 4-10 December, 1,011-strong representative sample
3> Poles are intolerant
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2007/03/18/poland-school-censorship-proposal-threatens-basic-rights
http://forum.poland.com/index.php?showtopic=173
4> Poles abuse alkohol
http://www.ias.org.uk/btg/profiles/poland/poland.pdf
5> Organised crime is part of everyday life
www.poland.gov.pl
...of course not the entire population.....circa 90% of it..?!
A New Don
Putin's a shrewd operator. With tactics that would win knowing appreciation from Tony Soprano, Josef Stalin, and Don Corleone, Putin has consolidated his hold on Russian power. He'll probably remain top dog even after his term expires.
A fork that Putin ate from can slay a vampire with one stab.
• A chair that Putin sat on gets promoted to the rank of Major General.
• When Putin was little, he broke a cup. The spilled water turned into oceans and the splinters became continents.
• Putin can scratch his own heel without bending over.
• Shirts worn by Putin are sent to a secret military facility and converted to the strongest layer of armor for the Russian tanks.
• Socks worn by Putin are routinely dropped on Chechen rebels.
• Putin’s used tissues become the property of the Department of Cartography and their content is classified.
• Putin knows every Russian citizen’s name, address, and phone number. If you say a dirty word, Putin will call you in the evening to reprimand.
• When Putin’s name is typed, the first letter capitalizes itself.
• By squinting his eye Putin can read and write multimedia DVDs.
• Putin’s stare has downed 15 American satellites spying over the Kremlin.
• Putin’s stare penetrates a ten foot lead wall and brings a kettle to a boil within 10 seconds from three miles away. For public safety he must wear special contact lenses at all times.
• Chechen rebels blow themselves up when they hear Putin’s true name.
• Saying Putin’s name repeatedly contributes to the common good in the universe.
• Putin inhales carbon dioxide and exhales oxygen, ensuring the continuation of life on the planet.
• Putin’s love for humankind heats up the planet by 2.35 degrees annually - a phenomenon also known as the Global Warming.
• Putin appeared in Thomas Edison’s dream and revealed how to live in harmony with the Universe. But all Edison could remember in the morning was how to make the light bulb.
• Everything Putin touches turns into a national project.
• If a sunbeam shines beautifully through the clouds, Putin is nearby.
• If you shake hands with Putin you will be taken to heaven alive.
• If you hate Putin you may die early through your own fault.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Putin goes to a restaurant with Medvedev and orders a steak. he waiter asks, "And what about the vegetable?" Putin answers, "The vegetable will have steak too."Don't fuck with Putin, Kaczynski, for he will give you an offer you won't refuse!
Tuesday, 13 January 2009
i bet you love your job so much so...
"Without work, all life goes rotten.But when work is soulless, life stifles and dies."
Albert Camus
I have come across two really good books on how does the office life and its reality may turn you into a living dead; a person with no interest in his/her work, but who is, for many reasons afraid of quitting it.
The books turn the corporate world inside out and give you a clear perspective on how most of the companies are managed and perceived by an average lower level employee. Both written by fiercly intelligent creatures who used to be a middle level managers in large corporations.
Interesting views on forgotten matters.
http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/HB-34274/Hello-Laziness.htm
http://www.cass.city.ac.uk/media/stories/story_24_61386_56256.html
Albert Camus
I have come across two really good books on how does the office life and its reality may turn you into a living dead; a person with no interest in his/her work, but who is, for many reasons afraid of quitting it.
The books turn the corporate world inside out and give you a clear perspective on how most of the companies are managed and perceived by an average lower level employee. Both written by fiercly intelligent creatures who used to be a middle level managers in large corporations.
Interesting views on forgotten matters.
http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/HB-34274/Hello-Laziness.htm
http://www.cass.city.ac.uk/media/stories/story_24_61386_56256.html
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