Image (C) Freedigitalphotos 45 Lessons Life Taught Me By Regina Brett, 90 years old
1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good. 2. When in doubt, just take the next small step. 3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. 4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch. 5. Pay off your credit cards every month. 6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree. 7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone. 8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it. 9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck. 10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile. 11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present. 12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry. 13. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about. 14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it. 15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks. 16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. 17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful. 18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger. 19. It’s never too late t o have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else. 20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer. 21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special. 22. Over prepare, then go with the flow. 23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple. 24. The most important sex organ is the brain. 25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you. 26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words ‘In five years, will this matter?’ 27 Always choose life. 28. Forgive everyone everything. 29. What other people think of you is none of your business. 30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time. 31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change. 32. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does. 33. Believe in miracles. 34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do. 35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now. 36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young. 37. Your children get only one childhood. 38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved. 39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. 40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back. 41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. 42. The best is yet to come. 43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up. 44. Yield. 45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.
Merry Christmas to all the happy bunnies (sad ones too) out there! xx
I’m not quite sure, why this movie got to me this late, but IT GOT TO ME. Keith is probably the most influencing movie I’ve seen in the past years. The thing with me is, that I usually watch movies in the evening and the majority of them don’t stick around in my head till the next morning. It’s like I have never seen them. This one is officially stuck.
Natalie has it all: yearbook editor, scholarship to college, star athlete, reigning social queen. Then Keith enters her life. Secretive and enigmatic, he slowly lures her from her comfort zone. The more Keith holds back, the more Natalie becomes intrigued with figuring him out. In her head, she’s determined to keep him at arm’s length, but in her heart she can’t resist him. As Natalie’s world slowly unravels, both their lives are changed forever in this powerful love story.
This is what IMDB tells us. I would point out absolutely different details and clash points, though. But there’s no sense in trying to provide you with spoilers. I think that one of the best things about this experience was that I had absolutely no idea what to expect. So don’t watch the trailer, don’t check out the pictures, don’t get any more information than the one I’ve already given you.
The last couple of weeks have been intense. A new job, new old places and serious acclimatization issues. I’m almost past them, so here I am, writing again. The best way to get a rest from one’s own life is to live other’s lives for a while. So, to get some rest from mine, I’ve practiced watching TV shows. It’s easy, just drown into the couch and indulge yourself with the maximum laziness and not-thinking-at-all. This is why I wanted to share my favorite episodes here. Just FYI: I happen to have a very weird taste sometimes.
True Blood (c) HBO
I spent most of my London’s free time watching ABC’s Scrubs. I know that this isn’t news or anything, but Scrubs actually turned out to be the funniest show ever! The show is about young doctors – the way they fight their way up to the top of the pops medicine hierarchy in Sacred Heart hospital. The main role is played by Zach Braff as John J.D. Dorian who certainly loves to daydream and talk to his conscience. Definitely recommend this one to all of you hospital comedy lovers out there.
My other top time-waster was HBO’s True Blood.The show takes place in Bon Temps, a small town in South America where vampires have finally came out of the closet. The main role is played by Ann Paquin as Sookie Stackhouse. She falls in love with a vampire, which is already crazy enough, but then all of the people of Bon Temps realize that vampires aren’t the only ones disturbing the peace of the little town… Yes, I’m addicted to vampire movies and episodes and YES, I can’t wait for the next Twilightmovie. I know, I know…
House M.D... Yeah, we all know house. Nothing left to say.
How I Met Your Mother – I think we all know that one too. Remember the time all of us were addicted to Friends? You know, this one beats Friends. In all possible ways.
The Big Bang Theory (c) CBS
Have you heard of The Big Bang Theory? Saw an episode, didn’t understand any of the jokes and pushed the Stop button? Keep watching. By the time you’ll watch the 3rd or 4th episode, you’ll laugh at them and think that you might made a mistake with your career choice. Physicists are hilarious, especially the ones without any social skills!
Fringe? Fringe follows the exploits of FBI special agent Olivia Dunham, mad scientist Walter Bishop, and his son, jack of all trades, Peter Bishop as they investigate aspects of fringe science (rare diseases, chimeras, transhumans with psychic abilities, teleportation, and so forth). Ohhh, I just love this one.
Bones (c) FOX
Bones. BONES! BONES!!! The show is based on forensics and police procedurals in which each episode focuses on an FBI case file concerning the mystery behind human remains brought by FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth to the forensic anthropology team of Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan. Emily Deschanel stars in the title role, opposite David Boreanaz as Special Agent Seeley Booth. The rest of the cast includes Michaela Conlin, T. J. Thyne, Eric Millegan, Tamara Taylor and John Francis Daley. It’s awesome. Believe me on this one, if not on others.
I’d have more episodes to recommend to you, but I don’t want you to think I don’t have a life. Although, you most probably already think so.
Cheers, keep your eyes peeled, socks on and sweaters clean!
It’s the 6th day, since I’ve stepped on my home soil in Latvia. It has been a lot of fun, a lot of reunions and a lot of surprises. Majority of them very positive. Some of them not so positive – with recession and all. But I’ve pretty much understood that everything lies in your small and beautiful mind.
The most important thing is to walk the streets minding your own business. Get a large pair of headphones if you must. Put Belle & Sebastian on. Fantasize. Imagine. Plan. Make strategies. If you’re close to bankruptcy, use your imagination to come up with new ways of using the things you already have and don’t use. Don’t go to the clubs, make an in-house party with movies, cheap booze and clothes swapping. Play Monopoly or even hide-and-seek if you must. Even at hard times people have always somehow managed to get through. This is not a war, when you are losing the ones you love to the bullets and hatchets. No-one’s coming into your house and taking your children away, you know. It’s all in your head. Yes, the one that looks suspiciously pale today because of the reckless binge-drinking yesterday. The one that wishes that this was still Sunday. The one that possibly wishes you still had a job and money to pay your debts. Well guess what? This is not going to be a How to earn more money lesson. Because I’m no good at that. But I know one thing I’m pretty damn good at. Positive thinking. And imagination, come to that.
– Don’t talk about the crisis. Even if you’re at a pub and there is an uncomfortable silence between you and the person you want to talk pants-off. Talk about anything – refreshments (did you know that a hot tea is much more refreshing in a hot day than a cold coke?), music (well, I don’t have to give you ideas on this one, right?), Facebook (did you know that Facebook has recently launched a faster and lighter version called Facebook Lite?) or even me (did you know that I just spent the longest summer of my life? Eight months!)? Just change the subject. It’s not that difficult, I’m sure you can handle it.
– Spend more time with the kids. Even if you don’t have them. No, please don’t stalk kids on the streets, you’ll end up in jail. I’m talking visit your friends with kids and talk to them, hear their opinion kind of time-spending. You’ll find it refreshing and positive. And as Reamonn sung – this life is so complicated, until we see it through the eyes of a child.
– Watch TV shows. Sitcoms. Scrubs, Friends, How I Met Your Mother, Black Books, The Big Bang Theory… These are my personal favorites, choose yours. Read books. The last really comforting book I’ve read is A Cat Called Norton: The True Story of an Extraordinary Cat and His Imperfect Human by Peter Gethers. You can borrow it, if you want. Turn the boring trolley bus rides in a world of your own. Put headphones on. Read. Don’t listen to others mumble about the sacking and hunger.
– Get out of the city. Go to the countryside. If you don’t have a countryside house of your own, invite yourself to one of your friends houses. Collect apples, plums, potatoes and camomile – it’s the right time. Make apple pies, plum jams… anything really. You’ll have a good time now and delicious treats in the winter.
– Tidy and clean your house. The poorer you are, the cleaner your house must be. Come up with new ways to make it even more personal. You have to feel at home at your home, don’t you?
– Meet old friends at weird places. Drop a line to a friend you haven’t seen for years and invite him to a picnic on the roof. To a clothes swapping party. To a gallery run. To a free concert. I’m sure you can come up with even better ideas. The main idea is – surprise people pleasantly, please! They’ve probably had enough of unpleasant surprises already. Stop drinking bad coffee at Starbucks or Double Coffee, please!
– Meet foreigners. No, I’m not talking about British stags who take a leak on the Freedom Monument. I’m talking about Couchsurfing.org, for instance. Offer them “Tea or Coffee and a show-around”. Hear their experiences. You’ll broaden your mind and have a great time. Not to mention, you’ll definitely do the possibly a bit lost traveller a favor, by showing the best places not mentioned on the tourist guides.
– Avoid reading news. I know this one is controversial, because you have to be a bit up to date, but still. If you do read them, read them as fiction novels. Don’t imagine those things happening to yourself. I’m not suggesting you to live as a Tibetan monk, or pack your bags and move to your imagination apartment, I’m telling you not to let all those bad things too close. It will do you no good.
So, anyway, the deal is – imagine, fantasize and create. Do you remember the line from Everything Is Borrowed by The Streets?
I came to this world with nothing, and I’ll leave with nothing but love. Everything else is just borrowed.
A-ha at The Roundhouse, Camden @ iTunes Live Festival, London `09 (c) Austra Javalde
Oh, dear, the last time I updated this space was erm, two months ago? It’s been too long! I promise to behave from now on. Anyway, I’ve had so much fun over these past two months. I’ve left Porto, Portugal and I’ve been in and out of London, UK, media events, concerts and pubs…
I’ve seen Newton Faulkner, Peter, Bjorn & John, Reamonn, A-ha, Ladyhawke and probably some other gigs, but I just can’t recall now.
I’ve been to exhibitions, museums, galleries, movies. I’ve kicked ass and ate ice-cream. I’ve hosted people and I’ve been a guest. I’ve loved and I’ve hated (not particularly proud of the last one).
I’ve watched Scrubs (love!) and True Blood (love even more!). I’ve cooked (the sky’s no limit for my cooking skills anymore!) and I’ve even went to grocery stores in the middle of the night to get myself more basil.
Reamonn at The Roundhouse, Camden @ iTunes Live Festival, London `09 (c) Austra Javalde
I’ve fallen in love with music even more. Remember Jamie T? He has a new Chaka Demus EP which I just can’t get out of my head. Remember Jamie Cullum? I recently found a song that he recorded with Katie Melua called Love Cats and it’s just lovable!
(me) This is how beer interacts with music (c) Marina Scukina
Thanks to the happiest bunny of all, I’ve discovered the mighty London Freeshop and it has given me a lot of amazing free dresses for my absolutely dominant feminine side.
The reason I came to London was… (confetti and fanfares!) I wanted to explore the job market and opportunities in UK. No strings attached. And well, I must say it’s quite hard to find a job in London if you don’t have any UK based job experience. So – I postponed this attraction for a year. And, in a bit more than a week, I’m returning to my beloved Latvia, Riga and in the same evening of arrival I’m packing my bags really quickly and going to Valmiera, my 2nd home, to have my first lecture in Latvian this year. All of the others have been either in Portuguese or in English. I already know I’m gonna love this.
Ladyhawke (c) Marina Scukina
But no worries, London, I’m coming back on the 29th of October for almost a week. So probably next year will be quite a travel again – between Valmiera, Riga and London.
That’s it for now, keep your eyes peeled, more coming in just a few days!
There is a beautiful small town in the North of Portugal, which just got trashed massively. As I’ve mentioned before, I have lived in Porto, Portugal for about four months now. Quite some time and yet, there is so much that I explored during these past days and so much I learned about the wonderful Portuguese people. But let’s not rush forward too fast…
Why the particular week? There are a lot of reasons why this week was The One. But the main reason is the visit of a good friend of mine, also known as the Party Chipmunk of Latvia (Almighty). He might not have £100000 fun himself, but everywhere he goes, magic just happens. If he goes over to Porto for Sao Joao, you can count on the best celebration ever. If he goes to an unknown jazz club, there most certainly will be a DVD on with one of his favorite artists. He laughs. He jumps around like a Happy Bunny and sings along. He’s not a very big fan of hammers. He’s awesome humble and shy.
What happened exactly? Well, I’m not going to tell you everything, mates! But this is just because at one point my memory just fails me. You know I’ve got nothing to hide from you. So – here goes…
Day One The best view ever: two Latvians struggling with the lack of sleep. He had spent a night in London Stansted and I was too worried that I might oversleep, that I just couldn’t sleep at all. Although, we had a lovely walk to some of the sights, like Sao Bento rail station, the bridge of Luis I and Vila Nova de Gaia. When you come to Porto, make sure you cross the bridge of Luis I (that’s the only one the tube crosses, quite easy to spot) and go a bit up to the small park on the other side of river Douru and enjoy the splendid view on the whole cidade do Porto. Some say that the only good thing in Gaia is that particular view and port wine. Not sure that I agree, but we certainly tried both and I can say that the view causes much less unbearable headache in the next morning, than the port wine.
Day Two There are quite a few Latvians in Porto. One of them is a really good friend of mine and she works at a wonderful bar at the seaside called Praia dos Ingleses (Portuguese: English Beach). Spontaneously, we decided to drop by and in the mean time check out the ocean. It turned out to be the absolutely right thing to do and we had a wicked time. Imagine – the ocean, waves, stars and cold beverages. Don’t quite remember the way home but it was very, very late. Here’s a tip: if you ever visit that bar – don’t buy rum & coke, it’s oddly expensive, choose something else. For us, the choice was gin & tonics. I think I can still taste juniper in my mouth. Ah, I almost forgot – before going to the beach, we saw one of the most awkward buildings in Portugal – Casa de Musica – the house of music. It’s the central place of the majority of the musical events – mostly Portuguese and world music. Moving forward to…
Day Three… …took my breath away. I reckon I had never seen so many people in one place doing things so incredibly odd and lovely at the same time. Why? This is the day of the midsummer festival in Portugal. It’s called Sao Joao in Porto and Braga, two small towns in the North, and Sao Antonio in the rest of the towns and Lisbon, the capitol of Portugal (well, duh!). I can only tell you about the traditions of Sao Joao – been there, done that. At the celebration day, the anticipation is in the air. You can see trade folks on the streets selling plastic hammers, basil pots and garlic blossoms (I had no idea, they were so big!). All of the things mentioned before are essential celebration attributes, apparently. I’m going to elaborate on the hammer only. Buy one, you’ll need one. Even if you don’t like them at first, you will catch yourself paying that one or two Euros for it later. All of the people just walk the streets hitting each other with those hammers. They make a cute squeaking sound that will ring in your ears long after the party. It’s a lot of fun and you just have to give in. Also, there are wonderful fireworks at the Ribeira (Riverside) part of the town and when they end, people start walking to Castelo do Queijo (The Cheese Castle). It’s located in a huge roundabout, which is the central part of Matosinhos, the part of Porto with all the surfers, fisherman and ocean lovers. After the parade to ocean, you can write off the next days, because you will simply be half paralyzed, especially in the feet area.
Day Four Waking up at about 2pm, after arriving home at about 7am, the first thought was: where are my shoes? Portuguese know how to party. They just do. This was the day that was supposed to be dull and sleepy, but it turned out that my friend had done his Googling and found a small jazzy-blues bar at the area of Sao Bento station. On our way to the club, he dragged me into a fun fair with those awful little cars with whom the biggest challenge is to hit as many other vehicles as possible. I was insanely afraid in the beginning, but surprisingly it turned out to be lots and lots of fun. When we got to the club, it turned out that there is no jam session after all, because everybody is sleeping after the yesterday’s party. We still went in to have a few beers and we ended up very pleased, because they were showing the live concert of John Mayer, which is a love we both share. Met some really nice Portuguese musicians and had an awesome time.
Day Five The lack of beauty sleep is finally beating me, so we went to the nearest Wifi spot to get some internet and have breakfast and split our roads for me to sleep, for him to keep exploring. Instead of sleeping I finally managed to clean the enormous mess my room had turned into and read some case studies on the journalism ethics, because I’ll have to do the impossible – I will have to pass an exam after a week of hardcore parties. Let’s see how it works out.
Day Six Being a good girl and skipping the amazing sightseeing ride to study for the exam. Waiting for my flat mate to wake up and plug my internet back to where it belongs. As I said I’m in Porto for about 4 months now and there is one thing that I would like to teach them, there is one tiny thing that I would never get used to, if I lived here permanently. Majority of them doesn’t understand the significance of internet. I’m pretty sure, that’s because they don’t know how to use it ways that will make a difference and help them do things better and faster. Thank god, my course mates stand beyond others. As for myself – I just need my permanent internet access. It’s not that I’m planning to use it all the time, it’s just – I need it to be there, be available. Is that so hard to understand?
Keep your eyes peeled, more details & pictures coming soon! And I’m more than sure you don’t want to miss them! By the way, if you’re fortunate enough to be one of the approx. 1,4 million Latvian speakers – check out the videocasts, that we made..
(All of the characters are fictional and if you see any connection with reality, I advice you to call your shrink immediately)
I’ve known Amanda Palmer for just a little while now, but she has definitely made an impression. The first surprise about her was one of the styles her performance is characterized – punk cabaret. Intriguing enough, right?
Yes, she will probably disturb the most of you. Yes, you might not be able to tolerate her. But it’s impossible to ignore her, once you’ve seen or heard her.
She’s powerful, she’s beautiful in a disturbing way and, the most important – she is herself. Whether you read anything about her, listen to her music or just look at the pictures – you get the impression that she isn’t faking it. And in the mean time, she represents almost everything that’s wrong with this society. I’m not saying she’s the American Amy Winehouse equivalent, I’m telling you she isn’t afraid to walk around with a clumpy mascara or her eyebrows fixed in a weird way. She isn’t afraid to sing about the lies and hypocrisy.
As always, some information on her:
Amanda MacKinnon Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is a performer most noted for being the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the “Brechtian punk cabaret” duo The Dresden Dolls.
The Dresden Dolls project begun, when Amanda Palmer met drummer Brian Viglione. In an effort to expand the performance experience and interactivity, Palmer began inviting Lexington High School students to perform drama pieces at her live shows. Currently, the Dirty Business Brigade, a troupe of seasoned and new artists, perform at many gigs. The invited costumed characters mingle with the crowd before and during the show, and veteran groups sometimes join in with a choreographed stage act. Life-sized marionettes, coin-operated boys, living statues, and other undergroundlings greet fans while circus and burlesque draw the audience into the Dolls’ music, creating a participatory atmosphere that allows the audience to experience numerous types of art simultaneously.
Concerning her solo carrier… Palmer’s solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, was released on 16 September 2008. The title is a play on an expression used by fans during Twin Peak’s original run, “Who killed Laura Palmer?” A companion book of photos of Amanda looking as if she were murdered will be released in June 2009 featuring photography by Kyle Cassidy and accompanying writing by Neil Gaiman.
Some personal stuff on Amanda? She identifies as bisexual. “I’m bisexual, but it’s not the sort of thing I spent a lot of time thinking about,” Palmer said. “I’ve slept with girls; I’ve slept with guys, so I guess that’s what they call it! I’m not anti trying to use language to simplify our lives.” “I actually tend to like really femmey girls,” Palmer said. “You can deconstruct this with armchair psychology and really nail me, but I like girls about my body type and about my mix of masculine and feminine.”Amanda MacKinnon Palmer (born April 30, 1976) is a performer most noted for being the lead singer, pianist, and lyricist/composer of the Brechtian punk cabaret duo The Dresden Dolls.
The Dresden Dolls project begun, when Amanda Palmer met drummer Brian Viglione. In an effort to expand the performance experience and interactivity, Palmer began inviting Lexington High School students to perform drama pieces at her live shows. Currently, the Dirty Business Brigade, a troupe of seasoned and new artists, perform at many gigs. The invited costumed characters mingle with the crowd before and during the show, and veteran groups sometimes join in with a choreographed stage act. Life-sized marionettes, coin-operated boys, living statues, and other undergroundlings greet fans while circus and burlesque draw the audience into the Dolls’ music, creating a participatory atmosphere that allows the audience to experience numerous types of art simultaneously.
Concerning her solo carrier… Palmer’s solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, was released on 16 September 2008 and reached #77 in the United States of America. The title is a play on an expression used by fans during Twin Peak’s original run, Who killed Laura Palmer? A companion book of photos of Amanda looking as if she were murdered will be released in June 2009 featuring photography by Kyle Cassidy and accompanying writing by Neil Gaiman.
Some personal stuff on Amanda? She identifies as bisexual. I’m bisexual, but it’s not the sort of thing I spent a lot of time thinking about, Palmer said. I’ve slept with girls; I’ve slept with guys, so I guess that’s what they call it! I’m not anti trying to use language to simplify our lives.I actually tend to like really femmey girls, Palmer said. You can deconstruct this with armchair psychology and really nail me, but I like girls about my body type and about my mix of masculine and feminine.
I must say, not only she’s capable of composing influential music, but the lyrics are worth a book print. E.g. her single Leeds United and the lyrics in that one are just a perfect reflection on our wonderful society. Apparently, she just knows-how.
Get the latest Who Killed Amanda Palmer?, read the lyrics, think, dance and enjoy. It’s worth to face it.
Here is her home page for more information on her.
Those of you, who know me the best, are already aware of my Jamie T addiction. It comes and goes, but alike heroin for some unfortunate people, it never leaves completely. And you know what? It’s back. He just had to release an absolutely stunning new single, that took my breath away. He Had To (read this with big pauses between words).
Sticks’n’stones is, with no doubt, one of the best songs I’ve heard from the British market. Little naughty Jamie T did it again. As he did it with Sheila (still the longest time I had a certain ringtone for my mobile), as he did it with If You Got The Money and, as he did it with the whole Panic Prevention album. He just makes us move, makes us stomp our feet and try to sing along.
A few things about him: Jamie T (full name Jamie Treays) was born 8 January 1986, and is a 23-year-old English singer/songwriter from Wimbledon, South London. He is currently signed to Virgin Records, but released his Betty and the Selfish Sons EP on his own Pacemaker Records label. He supported both the Ordinary Boys during their 2006 tour, and went on to defeat Jarvis Cocker and Thom Yorke to win the Best Solo Artist at the 2007 Shockwave NME Awards. He has also been nicknamed “one man Arctic Monkey”. Canvas Magazine has described him as “like the bastard lovechild of Billy Bragg and Mike Skinner doing his best Joe Strummer impression”. On 17 July 2007, Jamie T’s debut album Panic Prevention was shortlisted as one of the 12 nominees for the Mercury Prize. Big enough, huh?
And that isn’t it. The singles – Sheila (released on 3 July 2006) got to number 22 in the mighty United Kingdom, If You Got The Money (released 16 October 2006) got to number 13 (UK), Calm Down Dearest (released 15 January 2007) got to 9th place in the Kingdom and the re-issue of Sheila (on May 7th, 2007) got to number 15 in UK. Let’s see how much luck he will have Sticks’n’Stones which was released on 21 May 2009.
Anyway, all of that wasn’t enough for the guy as well. He teamed-up with one of my all time favorite singers – Miss Lily Allen, and recorded Rawhide. Hey, I is exactly how it looks – I’m very much into British music scene.
I so thank Frank Turner, who was so keen on Jamie T, that he just couldn’t resist introducing me to his music in the far, far year 2005. He was the one who gave me Sheila.
So, yeah, like the Latvian DJ Toms Grevins would say – this is your new favourite song. Jamie T – Sticks’n’stones. Enjoy. Because how could you not?
On busy nights, when then you’re engaged with so many things, but sleep is ruthlessly sitting next to you, trying to close your eyes and drizzle your mind, one might think of endless ways to stay awake.
Some might suggest drinking plenty of coffee. Coffee helps to improve alertness, attention and wakefulness and by that means it facilitates learning. In other words, coffee helps optimise the energy sources you have for learning. Yes, apparently it helps, but there’s a chance of overdosing and therefore creating the opposite effect – trembling hands and a heart flutter. And one might experience an unmistakable coffee-hangover on the next day, so, we have to keep searching for a better way.
We’re not even going to talk about energy drinks. They are awful. Take my word for it.
Cold showers every 15 minutes takes a lot more time, than the time for an actual working, so – will not do as well.
Smoking might help, but I’m not suggesting to do it. It’s a bad habbit and I will regret doing that one day.
I have heard people drinking coffee together with coke. I’ve never tried, though, but I think that must be a really important work/paper/etc. for you to do something like this to yourself.
Most probably, when working at nights, at some point there will be stress involved, right? When a person is under stress, the adrenal glands are depleted of vitamin C. At this occurrence, the blood reaches a high oxidation level which makes the adrenal glands unable to fight off toxins; therefore, to protect the body, one must consume a higher level of vitamin C. So – maybe that’s the trick.
If you’re the fittest person in the universe, you can eat a lot of chocolate. It has been proved to help a little. I think, for it to help in visible ways, you have to eat a lot of it & most probably, before the actual effect, you’ll be fed up with it.
For me, personally, there are three things that usually help me not to fall asleep and keep some attention level. Coffee, strong green tea and pollen. You have to be a bit careful with the first ones, but the last one is a real miracle worker. Don’t take it, if you have the pollen allergies, though.
Stay tuned! I promise to keep exploring and searching for better ways to stay awake. Sleep is for the weak!
I have been living in Portugal for about three and a half months now and it would be odd if I didn’t have any remarks or surprises. A bigger review will be here after I leave this wonderful place, but here are some key notes. – It is illegal to work as a PR practicioner and as a journalist at the same time in Portugal. Of course, we all know, it is not acceptable & everything, but here, they have a law on that, as I hear. It was interesting to hear that because, in some of the countries which I have researched, there is no law on this issue – it’s more like an unwritten law. Everybody knows it, most of them obey it. – One of the most queer things that I had heard was the one my flatmate informed me about – it’s illegal to walk barefoot on the streets in Portugal. This is a part that I really don’t understand. Why should the government regulate something as foolish as this activity? And anyway – isn’t that against human rights or something? Okay, I’m just expressing my surprise, but this is weird indeed. – You can drink on the streets. Anything, everywhere and at any time. Well, I guess this will be banned with time, because I know that they could smoke everywhere some time ago, but this has changed. – And this is to the ladies – don’t be confused if you hear that you’re bonita or linda (both pretty much mean your’e beautiful) many times a day, from Portuguesse men… It just means that you have put on your skinny jeans and strapless top today.
Oh, I almost forgot – don’t forget to listen to Kate Nash today!
us EP which I just can’t get out of my head. Remember Jamie Cullum? I recently found a song that he recorded with Katie Melua called Love Cats and it’s just lovable!
might think of endless ways to stay awake.