Saturday, November 22, 2008

Birth Day



Today I'm 34 years old. It seems old to me, but than again, it seemed old to me when I hit 30..


Some friends ask if I started counting backwards (towards dying). I think everyone begin to do that at one point or another and not necessarily when they actually get old.


I just thought about something - maybe the new layout I chose is due to the feeling of getting old? :D


Naa.. I just like this look. Though, I'll continue to improve on the components.
I still celebrate my birthdays. Some say that after a certain age, when you're a "grown-up" there's no need for celebrations nor gifts. I do not subscribe to this point of view.
Maybe I'm an attention seeker at heart :P

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Men Thoughts

I was standing and doing my business today when it suddenly struck me! Men everywhere have been having their quietest, most relaxed and maybe even most productive (thought-wise) moments while standing in a (metaphorical or not) pool of urine someone else left behind and contributing some of their own into a white ceramic bowl!

There's no doubt in my mind that many will disagree with this theory. But I can definitely imagine Newton in the real, uncensored version of how he understood gravity - by watching the drops fall while in this most relaxed mode.

Just a thought.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Lottery


People all over the world try to change their luck every day. Luck for many seems to be associated with how much money you have or how much property you amass.
One of the most common ways of luck changing seems to be lottery. It's not expensive, you control it (to a degree), and you get a piece of paper that gives you hope that your dreams will come true (mostly until the draw that is).
Lottery seems like a easy and fast way to achieve prosperity. The enormeous odds, the chance that you're throwing your money away and making whomever is running the draw rich with no actual compensation - they don't negate the element of hope that you actually pay for when you buy a lottery ticket.
I buy hope too. There's an old joke about a guy who cries to god and whines about never having any luck and never even winning a small sum - god replies by a bellowing voice that says "you have to buy a ticket first!". That's the thing - if you don't give the universe a way to help you - how can you expect it to happen?

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Change


I started this post yesterday, but today it gets one more meaning - with the presidential election that entered Barack Obama as the first Black president in the history of the united states.

Congratulations to him, and I hope he'll bring good change to the citizens of the united states.

As for my change, it refers to changes I wish to make in my occupation. I've been staying in a job I don't care much about for financial security for way too long.

When you stay in a place for such reasons, erosion raises its ugly head pretty fast and it affects all areas of life.

Even though I'm not exactly bored in my job, it definitely lacks the ability to excite me and to enrich me. I like some of its aspects, but I am definitely not challenged, and I don't feel like a more challenging version of the same job would make any measurable difference for me.

As a part of my slow move to change, I am taking steps to address my ADD issues, as well as starting to explore the business possibilities out there.

Financial gain is also a reason for wanting this change. Money is a means to an end, and that end is freedom to do what I want and ultimately - not to work unless I feel I'll enjoy it - but not out of necessity.

Wish me luck! :)

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Durian Vs. Tehina








Durian Vs. Tehina (or Tahini as some like to call it)
Durian is an asian fruit with soft innards that is considered quite delicious to many asians. However.. most europeans (I.E., me among them) find it's strong smell quite to take (not to mention the taste.
Tehina is a middle-eastern dish that you eat with pita bread (or just bread if no pita is available). It's basically a spread made of ground sesame seeds, water, oil (mostly the sasame oil), lemon, garlic and parsley. I like it much. My girlfriend.. not really.
Differences are what makes us unique. Differences in culture, differences in opinions, differences in tastes and flavors and many other things.
Our differences are a part of what keeps us together. I like one thing, and she likes another. Even if none of us takes to the other's taste, these differences draw us together as they are a part of the attraction.
So, Durians or Tehina? I say both.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Back to work


Back from Singapore and back to work.. what can you do?

3 weeks of vacation, wining'n'dining and seeing the sights and sleeping till late, eating all kinds of foods, travelling a big-ass feris wheel with my girl, and getting burnt in the thai sun, and splashing in the transparent waters of Phi-Phi island.. and now it's back to the trenches for months of work with no parole..

I got no regrets :D Had me lots of fun!

Gonna try and make the best of my weekends, so neither me or G will not get too bored. Plus I got a few plans as to my financial future which I'm checking out. So change is in the air, and I'm sure it's a good one :)

Oh, today I gave blood. I like giving blood. I know it's sort of a weird thing to admit, but I don't care. It makes me feel a bigger person. I give from myself literraly. Not just my good will, but also a piece of me. and that feels good. Knowing that a piece of me is going to help others out there somewhere.

Have a good week, I'm going to try for one myself! :)

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Off to Singapore - Tommorow!




Last day of packing before I head off to Singapore!

I managed to battle off a last minute fever and also a very sore neck is getting better. It would have sucked if I had to board a plane being feverish.. especially for a two-leg long flight.

Looking forward to see my girl and growing excited about our 3 week vacation together!

Now all I need is to figure out how I'll stuff all of the things into my suitcase :D

Oh, you're all invited to click on the photo to see it in all its full size glory :) I "borrowed" it from
Panoramio.

Goodbye for now!


Saturday, September 27, 2008

Rosh Ha'shana - Jewish New Year!


The Jewish New Year is upon us. A time to greet in a new year, take stock of what was and wish and pray for a better (or even better) year to come.
Jews take the happy with the sad, and so, soon after the new year holiday - comes
Yom Kippur, which is the day when the temple for god was destroyed, followed by the need of the jews to seek atonement for their (our) sins - on Yom Kippur.
But back to the new year, it's a time for celebrations, eating sweet foods to promote sweetness in the year to come, and other customs that cleanses the soul and body and help us welcome the new year with a smile and happyness in our hearts.
As in most holidays it's also a time to bond stronger with family and friends. Not just through eating together, but also through companionship and forgiveness for past sins.
May this year be sweet and happy and full of joy to all!

Monday, September 22, 2008

Mandarin Chinese

Over the past months (on and off) I've been picking up a some chinese. Some from my girlfriend, and some from Computer Programs.

However, my hardship in learning and retaining information made it difficult for me to stick to learning and remembering the words.

If I am anything - it's stuborn. As such, I don't intend to let it be. I aim to learn as much chinese as I can until the end of the year.

For that I'm trying Rosetta Stone. It's a program that uses immersion in the language as a part of it's technique to bind you with the language. Once you start the program, all you see and hear is the language you chose, plus photos and such. No english to piggyback you along.

I hope this method will make things easier for me.

As I said, if anything, I am stuborn!

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Home Alone


I took G. to the airport last night, and went back to our empty home.
8 months into our life together and she became a big part of my life. It made me sometimes feel like I'm losing myself, and in need of some self defining actions of freedom.
But I am glad she's in my life. And I miss her.
The house is so quiet without her here, and even two weeks seems like a long time to wait till we see each other again.
Life together have their ups and their downs. It takes a lot of compromising and a lot of patience on both sides. I keep working on it, and so does G.
I love and miss you baby.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Farewells

Don't you just hate'em?

It stretches and lingers and you become miserable.

Cats can leave you and not look back. For them you're a servant with food and comforts. Other than that - they don't really need you.

People mostly are not like cats. When we say "goodbye", "see you again", or "farewell" to someone we care about, we hate to see them leave and it's hard to let go - because we (most of us anyways) develop an emotional connection to our friends and loved ones.

On some level I think it's a feeling of loss. You see someone go, and you feel like they're lost to you - even if you know it's only a matter of time until you see them again.

So would I want to be like a cat, or am I happy being a caring human?

I think that the answer to that changes according to occasion. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Emotions can be a burden when they're too dark and/or too hard to handle.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Refrigerators & Black Holes


Looking at the possible end of the world from the "before" side while searching for a new fridge can be a rather philosophical excercise.
On the one hand, we really do need a new fridge. On the other, why buy a new one when it won't arrive on time to enjoy it, and the all search effort might be in vain?
Anyways, I've ordered a new fridge and hopefully it will arrive tommorow or friday!
I now know much more about refrigerators than I cared or thought I would ever know..
Anyone wants a crash course about fridges? :)

Tuesday, September 09, 2008

Things the world throws on you



It seems that when your life goes into accelerated activity, the universe tends to throw some more activity your way, and it's not always the good kind.

E.g.: You prepare to go on a vacation which will cost you some, so the universe/god/murphy thinks this is a great time to throw some overdue bills your way, break down the fridge (which will make you buy a new one), and have just a few more bits of expenditure - just to make things more interesting.

Is that what they call "The law of attraction"? go into action, and action shall come upon you..

Someone told me once that it's always better to be in motion rather than stand still. Even if you encounter bad luck or other misfortunes, the momentum would always keep you moving and finding new things, meeting new people and living your life to the fullest.

I'm an optimistic fellow, or so I like to think most of the time, so I simply put my trust in the powers that be, and continue with my plans while making the necessary monetary arrangements, because the world will keep on moving to the same place its going no matter if I get pissed and frustrated or happy and content. I choose happy (even if not always content)

:-)

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

State of Despair


Every day I go to work, as I pull into parking and get out of my car, a wave of despair washes over me.
It matters not what work there is to do, or how long is the day in front of me.
A cloud of depression comes over me and makes the beginning of my day pretty dreary.
So I try to fight it, using caffeine, sugar, forced smiles, but sometimes I think to myself that maybe I'm just not a morning person - on top of not liking my job.
The not liking my job part stems a lot from the wearing out of doing the same kind of work (of the people service and support kind) day in and day out for some years now.
It's taking me nowhere, and until recently I've been feeling like there's no real escape.
Now, since I got myself diagnosed for ADD, there's a little ray of hope - I can actually better my position, I can actually make an attempt at learning something new and not lose interest before a day passes.
So, it this state of despair, there is hope. :)

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Focus


I have always found it hard to focus, whether it's at work, studying, or even reading a book to its end - mostly non-fiction books or school material.
Most projects and ideas I had, I didnt finish or gave up on before even starting.
Lack of focus, no concentration, inability to stay "on the ball". My life has been rulled by these issues.
It went on like this for years. Try as I did, with academics, I didnt have the stamina, or patience to study for long, and things I did understand in the classroom didn't hold from day to day.
Never had the patience to sit and do homework for too long. And that is a real dumper when it comes to university studies.. (or any studies, come to think of it)
Last friday, I went and did a test for ADD/ADHD called T.O.V.A
As the test had shown, and as I already figured, it seems I have some form of ADD.
It's good in my eyes, this diagnostic, since it explains my history, as well as offers several routes for treatment and addressing of the problems I had and still have.
It opens a whole range of possibilities to me, leaving me with the decision - what and if I should do something with this knowledge.
This time I can no longer chalk it all down to lazyness, or lack of interest, or anything else. It all comes down to me.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Olympics


Beijing Olympics just ended. It was an impressive demonstration of power and money and human physical abilities.
I never actually followed the games, aside from being happy or sad for my countrymen when they succeeded or failed.
The games this year put a spotlight on china - good thing or a bad thing - depends on how you look at it. It showed the strengths of this giant nation and also its shortcomings in some other areas - such as human rights.
A lot of animosity came about - from alligations as to possible drug abuse by the jamaican runner to loser discontent and lack of sportsmanship from the american teams as well as others.
It was a spectacular and difficult (if not impossible) to top effort. For that china deserves hats off.
Now London 2012 is the next place of events - and everyone wonders how they will pull it off.
How will things be? only time will tell.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Fighting WindMills


After fifteen years at the same bank, I decided to take initiative and fight at least one of the wrongs.
One thing among the many that this bank (and since it's the largest one in Israel, most of the rest as well) is inflicting on its customers, or money cows..
The thing I'm fighting is the fact that once you have money in your checking account, you get no interest for it. When you have a debt to the bank, you'll pay a handsome interest, but when the bank enjoys your balance, you see not even a penny (or agora, as the case may be).
I already contacted my bank - their response was that this is how things are. Naturally this is not a viable answer.
So, I'm using other channels. Bank of Israel, and various other institutions and offices that may have the power to change this wrong doing.
I am hopefull, but I also know this is a long howl run. It won't be over in a couple of months. But the banks should re-grasp the notion that they are here to serve US and not vice versa.
As soon as I gather enough paper/email trail, I'll start publishing it online and try to get the media to delve and follow this. The more noise I generate, the more chance I have to be heard and supported.
The amounts involved in this are staggering. estimations run upto 100 billion shekels a year (about 27 billion USD) from the interest they (all the israeli banks) gather from our money.
Wish me luck! :)

Monday, August 11, 2008

Nostalgy: The X-Files Returns



10 Years ago, X-Files ended with the screening of the movie "Fight the Future"

After 9 seasons ,the acclaimed tv series went off the screen and slowly off the minds of countless fans to tv oblivion. Or so we thought.

When the motion picture came out, there were intentions (as I recall) to produce a series of movies that will stretch and thicken the plot further. These intentions did not hold for long, as the movie did not do too well in the theatres, and after the termination of the tv series, there seemed to be no point in producing any other movies.

However, now came the second movie of "The X-Files". I read that David Duchovny himself pushed for the production of this installment, even though the show has been dead for so long, and the first movie was not a big success.
So I went to see it last night with my girlfriend. We were 4-5 people in a small movie hall (the smallest one in the multiplex).
Personally I enjoyed this movie. It was different than what I remembered of the show as well as the previous movie. But since the plot takes place 10 years after the last movie, it makes sense. People change, and mulder & scully changed a lot.
This movie, as a deviation from the main x-files theme, was not about Aliens in any way. It still managed to convey a interesting suspense-filled plot and an emotional ending.
There were too many emotional, drama dialogues between mulder & scully to my preference, but all in all, I liked the development that took place over the years.
I guess I missed The X-files just as much as Mulder did :)

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Money Money Money


Every once in a while, me, and now my girlfriend too, like to imagine what it would be like when we get rich.
What kind of things we would buy, which places we would visit, how we'll act upon becoming rich and how else it would affect our lives.
I realised This "what if" game is pretty common after asking around.
People always like to go on dreaming about things they wish to attain.
How many of these people actually take the dream from the mind and turn it into a reality?
Not many it seems.. and why not?
Is it really that difficult to become rich? or is it the risk taking that most people rather avoid?
Maybe the reason is that the easiest thing is to dream, and on the other hand, elbow grease and running around and doing hard work and sometimes going on a limb without being sure of the actual consequences is what keeps most people away from that pot of gold at the foot of the rainbow..
You read everyday about rich people. They buy this, they go there, they seem so distant when in reality they're quite regular folks. Most of them anyways.
Another thing is that people don't really like rich people. Or maybe it's just in my country. Being rich here seems to be a good reason to be apologetic and to be looked at with suspicion and distrust.
If they donate - it's probably for tax benefits or to push something to do with their hidden agenda. If they don't donate - they're evil scrooges that do not deserve a second pittying glance.
However, if you ask any average Joe or Jane on the street (Alon or Noa in Israel) if they rather be poor, average or rich in income, the answer is always clear. They (and us) all want to be rich.
How do you want to spend your life? rich or poor? does poorness makes for a better person? does money instantly makes for a less moral one?
Food for thought.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Stomach Aches


I don't know about you, but my stomach aches quite often.
Things I try to soothe it include tea, milk, rubbing, toilet, and avoiding constipation inducing foods.
Still, sometimes it just remains as it is, and I'm left with the simple task of riding it over.
Another way to allow the stomach to function better (ingestion-wise) is to practice sports. I suspect that my lack of sport-practicing contributes to my ill-feeling.
I keep telling myself I'll do something about it, and of course I keep postponing it again and again.
My self-discipline needs boosting in the way of a coach/trainer. My last trainer closed shop for lack of students (Krav-Maga) and difficulties finding a venue to practice at.
Instead of finding alternative sports, I just let things stay as they are. Bad choice of course.
How does one develop self-discipline if one has lost it so many years ago?
Food for thought.