Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

Stef

Stef

Want to be interior designer, newly converted gamer, culture enthusiast, traveler, passionate self-improver, dance lover, dedicated auntie and happy human being.

LIKE A PIG IN MUD!!!

Wehey, I have been very quiet for a while...but some very important things have happened since my last post. For a start I am working again - at a lawfirm which to my great amazement has been a lot of fun. I had two options to choose from and as is often the case, the grass seems greener on the other side until you actually take off your shoes and try it...I realised that somehow this position fits me very well and the group of people around me is a pleasure to work with. Since that was the first push to get the ball rolling, I've also taken up Zumba lessons, which just makes me happy and I actually look forward to doing exercise on a Friday night ...

A chance tip also induced me to apply for renting an apartment, which in Zurich is like hunting a very sought after position. You need to be quick, possibly even get inside info to beat the competition and take out the big guns with your very best references. As fortune goes, it actually only took me two tries. The first one led to the second and much better option. It's been said many times: Sometimes not getting what you want the first time around can be a very good thing. So there it goes, I am officially moving out (again) this summer. - obviously I am over the moon about it!

After the difficult beginning of the year, once again I've seen that we ought to strive for reaching our higher potential, elevated feelings of fulfillment and celebrate our successes on the way, no matter how small they may seem, because in the bigger picture they add significantly to our happiness. So next time you feel extactic take some minutes more to enjoy that enormous feeling just like the pig in that little patch of rich, squishy, glorious mud.

PS: On this pig-positive note, let me introduce my first purchase for my new flat. I named her Miss Lynn d'Or von Piglet.

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WAS MICH GLÜCKLICH MACHT - WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY

(English version see below)

Dieses Thema habe ich heute meiner Freundin Rahel zu verdanken. Da ich mich definitiv zur Feelgood - Lebensphilosophie bekannt habe, gibt es in meinem Leben jede Menge Dinge, die mich glücklich machen. Da jedoch in der Kürze die Würze liegt, werde ich hier die absoluten Highlights herauspicken, die mir auf emotionalen Tiefflügen frischen Aufwind geben.

  • Die entzückten Gesichter meines dreijährigen Neffen und meiner eineinhalbjährigen Nichte, wenn ich mit ihnen fangen spiele
  • Tanzen - in allen Lebenslagen
  • Feelgood Musik auf meinem ipod
  • Lachen bis die Tränen kommen
  • Draussen spatzieren gehen und gewöhnliche Details in einem anderen Licht sehen
  • Das Britische Fernsehprogramm "How to look good naked" :)
  • Ein gemütliches Dinner mit meinen Freunden
  • Eine herzliche Umarmung
  • Ein inspirierendes Buch (oder einfach eins, das ich nicht mehr weglegen möchte)
  • Chick flicks und Bollywood movies (nicht ganz ein Pleonasmus)
  • Reisen und neue Kulturen
  • Jemandem helfen können
  • So gemocht werden und mich so mögen, wie ich bin
    Ausgang
  • Kreatives Schaffen
  • Ein richtig kaltes Corona mit Limette an einem stickig heissen Tag
  • Positiv eingestellte Menschen

Man konzentriert sich so oft lediglich auf diejenigen Dinge, die nicht stimmen, die man ändern möchte. Investiere mehr Zeit darauf, das aufzuschreiben, was du an deinem Leben schätzt. Auch das stimmt glücklich. Was bedeutet, dass auch dieser spezielle Augenblick, da ich diesen Blog verfasse, mich glücklich gemacht hat.:)

 

I owe the inspiration to this blogpost to a subject thrown into the virtual round by my friend Rahel. As I've definitely become an active believer in the Feelgood-philosophy, there are many things in my life that make me brim with joy. However, because less is more I will mention my personal highlights that never fail when I am feeling a little low.

  • The delight in the eyes of my niece and nephew when I play catch with them
  • Dancing - in any situation
  • Feelgood music on my ipod
  • Laughing so hard that it makes you cry
  • Go for a walk and seeing ordinary details in a new and fun way
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  • The Brit program "How to look good naked"
  • A comfy dinner with my friends
  • A heartfelt hug
  • An inspiring book (or just one I don't want to lay down)
  • Chick flicks and bollywood movies (not really a pleonasm)
  • Traveling and new cultures
  • To help someone
  • To be liked and like myself just the way I am
  • Creative Work
  • A really cold Corona beer with lime on a ridiculously hot day
  • Positive people

We tend to concentrate so much on what is wrong, what we want to change. Invest more time in writing down what you love about your life. That, too, will lift your spirits. Which also means that this very moment of writing this blogpost has made me happy.

 

THE COOKIE JAR

We were in Australia, the Olympics were happening, clubbing everywhere around town was our way of life. Back then. It was my first time of being completely free of restrictions. Living with three girls on the other side of the world, enjoying every minute of it. And today I remembered why I count that as one of the best times of my existence. For some curious ironic reason you only realise when you actually have some point of comparison and I guess it is fortunate that now, after sorting out many many things, I know - I was myself back then, I was doing what I wanted, what I chose to do, what I loved. The freedom of being who you are, just like that. Dancing moves me, literally, inside and out, so when we went clubbing I truly felt free to - let myself go, to feel that beat as if it were my own. And to go with the flow, which in my case involved a cheeky smile and a weakness for that which is just ever so slightly forbidden under normal circumstances. As if you were reaching for the cookie jar on that high cupboard that your mum forbid you to touch. There's nothing that makes your curiosity soar more than not being supposed to do something. Well, it just so happens that I have grown since then and guess what. I do not have to reach that far for those cookies anymore. Nor do I feel bad for doing so, although I am well aware that they might not be too healthy. But I am free again. To be who I want. So, am I back, then?     ;)

FAKE IT TILL YOU MAKE IT

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Our mind is amazing in every way. This afternoon I realised once more that the ideas we have about ourselves are what shapes our behaviour. In my case, who I want to become is very clear in my conscious mind and it has a lot to do with the above picture I fabricated a while back. It shows me as the kind of woman I admire and strive to be: elegant, poised, sharp witted, unafraid, with a clear picture of who she is, what she wants to achieve, self-confident and independent. However, today I was reminded that it is the subconscious mind that calls the shots and makes you fall back to your old behaviour if that is the unchanged picture still saved on the harddisk. And then I had my little crisis of desperation before accepting that I will have to work harder, much harder to bring about the change. The subconscious works with repetitions. Repeat a statement with the conviction that it is the truth about yourself and eventually you will convert it into the dominant idea. Whatever is dominant will literally make you adopt that particular behaviour and this in turn will lead to your becoming the very person you concocted in your mind. So as the saying goes: Fake it till you make it, baby.

A SPRING OF ENERGY

Cherry-blossoms

Have you ever wanted to cry out of gratitude and embrace every single vibrating atom of life on this amazing world we call home? I looked around today and realised that they had prepared all winter for this; The cherry trees, the daisies, yellow and purple flowers along the street put on their most beautiful dress for this occasion that only comes once a year. To quote Robin Williams on this: Spring is nature's way of saying "Let's party!" And what a party it is. Amongst all this color explosion of exuberance inevitably I Taste spring. Breathe spring. Hear spring. Feel my heart spring with the beat of all the energy surrounding us. I stand amazed while my eyes blossom.

 

 

LE FABULEUX DESTIN...

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My very best friend called me a few days ago and we agreed to go dancing yesterday. We randomly chose a club and somehow it felt like the DJ there knew exactly what kind of music we loved most. Needless to say we both had a blast talking, sipping vodka and coke, dancing away and basically just enjoying that friendship bond that has been tightening for the past two decades. I spent the night at her place, one of those sweet, cozy "traditional" apartments, with a wooden staircase and creaky floorboards that makes you feel at home the moment you step through the door. When I awoke this morning, I started to look at some of the pictures hanging in her study. They are mostly pictures of her family and friends and suddenly I was awed and amazed at how beautiful they look. Not because they are particularly artsy or because of the way they are presented. It was the simplicity of human emotions that impressed me, the fact that the people's faces glowed with sincere enjoyment of the moment - they all looked so full of life.
It suddenly dawned on me that my friend reminds me of Amélie, the sweet French waitress who gleefully plunges her hand in a bag of lentils, who flashes that cute, cheeky grin that she reserves for all things pleasurable and who changes people's lives just by caring for their happiness. That is how I see her. There are moments worth remembering always, such as your first kiss, meeting your spouse, the birth of your child...and the moment you cross paths with your best friend.

Her birthday is coming up next week, so I think this is a good moment to tell her she belongs to the special few in my life without whom I would not be the same.  Thank you. Happy birthday, Pinky :)

 

BUTTERFLY WINGS

Some things you see or experience just stop you in your tracks. And then you find yourself opening up to some deeper understanding. When I came back home this afternoon, I found a little turquoise envelope on my desk that had reached me from halfway around the world. Inside it was a card from a very dear friend of mine and I was particularly touched because the message it contains mirrors my fundamental beliefs about what is essential in this life. The message reads: Always believe in yourself, you have all you need to reach your dreams. Follow your bliss, surround yourself with beautiful things and remember that I love you. I had the essence of this message repeated to me randomly some hours later by another close friend, who is currently facing a difficult personal situation with admirable courage. Her approach, however, was more aimed at reminding me that I am blessed with many things, but sometimes get so caught up with my own worries and short-sightedness that I forget the bigger picture.

To me, everything is linked together somehow and this uncertain period in my life is one of transformation.The image on the card is that of a butterfly, which is a powerful symbol for rebirth and change. I was told that while still trapped, the butterfly starts trying to expand its wings in order to break the cocoon. This process must be hard and painful for the butterfly. Nonetheless, it is its only chance to strengthen the wings enough to be able to fly after emerging from its temporary prison. That is the big picture. We face change every day. The question is whether we are willing to trust that even through hurt, pain and struggle, we will emerge as something more beautiful than we were before. 

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly"

Butterfly_wings

 

The paper of the card has integrated flower seeds, which will bloom if you plant it. Take a look at WishBuds for more information. 

YOU ARE HERE - BUT WHERE'S YOUR THERE?

The actual reason for this post is something I came across while browsing through - as Oscar Wilde would say "something interesting to read on the train": My diary. The official beginning of spring for this year is barely an hour away for me and so, the fact that it is time for nature to reawaken and show herself at her most glamorous, reminds me of the radical turn my life has taken in recent months and how I am reawakening and reinventing myself in the process. On March 18 2010, I wrote down a list describing my "here" at the time, according to the belief that in order to know what to change you need to know two things: Where you are now, your "here", which helps you determine if you've progressed in the future, and where you want to go, your "there". A year ago, I was living in a different country, engaged to be married, working full time, with a busy social life and a clear idea of where my life was heading. It is truly amazing that 12 short months can make such a difference. Where my life stands at the moment is.....a little challenging. I repatriated, broke off my engagement, am still looking for work after three months - which is particularly frustrating - and I am rebuilding my social life practically from zero. One thing is clear to me, however. I know where I am and I know where I want to go. And that is a fundamental difference between having life happen to you and making it happen. I let life happen to me for many years and if there is one lesson this past year has taught me, it is this: You always have two possibilities - either choose one of the many options yourself, or have someone else choose for you. Luckily, every new second is also a perfect time to start taking the steering wheel of your own life. Which reminds me of that compass in Pirates of the Caribbean, that points in the direction of what you want most. So, decide on a new dream, a new horizon, and adjust your direction. 

ZEN INSPIRATION

Click here to download:
This_is_your_life.pdf (12.38 MB)
(download)
Well, I've stayed away long enough now. This was mainly due to the fact that I'm not as yet a frequent blogger (I wonder if there is any program to encourage this, like with frequent flyers) Recently, I've found out by chance that Garr Reynolds has his blog on posterous as well :). He is exceptionally gifted at what he does (he wrote Presentation Zen and The Naked Presenter in case you want to take a look at his work) and also an extraordinary inspiration when it comes to bringing Zen wisdom into Powerpoint presentations - something we all wish was always as "simple and natural", because I believe there's not one of us who has not had to endure a tedious and overloaded presentation at some point. As Garr lives in Japan, his posts have recently acquired even more depth than they had to begin with. A presentation of my own making I would like to share with you here is to remind people who, like me, are fortunate to be living in a part of the world which has as yet remained untouched by calamities, that this is the life we have been blessed with and that we need to treat it with respect.Your life is happening right now, live it.

This is your life


I'd like to dedicate this quote by Heinrich Heine, one of the most significant German poets of the 19th century (whom, incidentally, I share my last name with) to Garr and his efforts, as the sentence gave me a certain Zen feeling: 

"Like a great poet, Nature knows how to produce the greatest effects with the most limited means"

Heinrich Heine

 

I do not own any of the copyrights neither for the text nor the pictures in the presentation. 

Whatever you do, DO NOT PUSH THE RED BUTTON!

It is a truth universally aknowledged that men's and women's dating patterns don't match. Or do they? I've had a very recent experience that leads me to believe that at least on some occasions they are not so different after all. While there are tons of material on how we behave in a dating scenario, why men don't call and what the do's and don'ts are (especially for women), my specific problem involved a very serious and insidious condition that may afflict both sexes and that I had actually read about somewhere, but really did not take the necessary precautions to mitigate and therefore was completely overwhelmed by: INFATUATION. And a very bad case of it on top of that.

In my defense I need to add at this point that I had recently broken off my engagement and in my mind I was completely and utterly cured and therefore in no danger of making an emotional mess. Right. Of course. Anyway, fate has a very quirky sense of humor because I was pulled in by someone who had been my dream all through highschool and who suddenly was starting to show an interest - in me! Now, the good thing about chatting and the telephone is that there can be absolutely no doubt that the other person actually means you. Particularly when they talk to you more than once. And he did. But in the aftermath of my most recent heartbreak my very reasonable conscious was resolved to stand its ground and not to let me get carried away by castle building in the air and by blowing things out of proportion. Right. Of course. Again. Not only did I blow this thing out of proportion.. I blew reason straight out the window with it, too. They say that infatuation, also known as addictive love because it literally has the same effect on the brain as cocaine, is the state of being completely carried away by unreasoned passion. In this state there was no concentrating on anything, waiting was agony, his phone calls equalled happiness shots and finally the actual dates were - like a ticking time bomb. At first, everything seemed fine, the awkward crab-like back-and-forth-sideways-walking dating dynamic took place but then...came that one fatal moment. Any infatuation victim will remember that moment vividly. It is like having one of those red, juicy, shiny buttons in front of you with a clear, unequivocal message written right above it in big, fat, easy-to-read letters: DO NOT PUSH THIS BUTTON. You know perfectly well that you're not supposed to push it. You are 120% positive that it is a bad idea (whatever crazy delusion that might be). And so you watch yourself slowly approaching the button, pulled by something more powerful than all the warnings, all the danger signs. While you are pushing it down slowly, a feeling of utter bliss and superiority kicks in that makes you think you just had the most brilliant idea anyone has ever had in the history of humankind.

What happens next is a New York blackout. While all the brain wiring sinks into total darkness because reasonable thinking has suddenly left the building, a single spark lights a mind-bogglingly exciting firework, with brilliant colors, beautiful to behold ....

By the time the light comes back on, what you're left with is, well, the hope that somehow, by some miracle, the firework will lead to something less futile. Hope dies last, we all know that.

I admit that I did not want to see the truth for what it was at first. I was devastated, naturally. Why, I had already seen my future way beyond in time and space only to be left with nothing but a new learning experience. Bugger. I know I will be much more careful next time to avoid a crash landing.

Still, what a funky trip that was! ;)