How-Old.net

Dear Readers,

this is just a quick post about an internet app on the site http://how-old.net, where you can upload a picture of yourself (or anyone else for that matter) and based on this picture the app tells you how old you (or the person) looks.

I took three pictures to see how I old I seem, judging from the pictures...
....Interestingly, I apparently look younger and younger the older I get!! What else can a woman want? hahaha

You should try it!

x J.

Me being 19 years old

Me being 22 years old (to be fair: the girl in the background is worst off than me haha)

Me being 24 years old (according to the app: back to being a baby!!! just kidding ;) )

Count your blessings

Dear readers,

The year 2015 is already one month old and I think this is a good point in time to share share my New Year resolution with you:

I've been counting my blessings!

Last year, my mom told me about a lady she saw on TV who said, she didn't write a diary, but she wrote down things she's thankful for every single day. Whenever she's "sad" (or thinks things aren't going so well for her), she'll look at her booklet and see how much she has to be thankful for, which then lightens her mood.
Ok, writing this down made me realize this seems like a thing only "whiners" do, so let me correct your point of view right there: It has the potential to lighten the mood for everyone, whether they're already happy or not.

Anyway, I decided to do the same thing on January 1, 2015.

I'm not really the New Year resolution kind of person, but so far it's been going pretty well:)

I decided to find at least five things every day, which I want to say thanks for.

"So, your life must be very interesting, if you always find five things, you're thankful for..."

It most certainly is not more interesting than anyone else's life, but that is the whole point!

In Germany we have this saying which goes something like:

"Don't miss out on the smaller luck in life while waiting for the big luck."

Ok, to be fair: it doesn't sound that good in English, but I think the point of the saying can be easily understood:)

I feel like in this society, where we're so used to being presented new things (clothing collections, cellphones, laptops, tablet computers etc.) and consuming them all the time, we're maybe also always bound to buy new things, but at the same time also be on the lookout for the next big thing to hit the market.
For example: If you buy your new cellphone, you can be sure it'll be "old" by the end of this year.

It might be that we feel the same about our precious moments, and I'm not even talking about "bigger" things like: "Ohhh, I enjoyed my vacation so much, next summer I'll go to XYZ", or "I got the new XYZ and I'm so excited about it".

Let me give you a short impression on things I write down that I am thankful for:

1. I finally prepared the detox drink
2. The shoes I ordered fit perfectly and are very comfortable
3. The soup I like was on sale
4. The lunch I ate [and cooked for that matter] tasted amazing
5. I had coffee with Swan

"The soup I like was on sale? What are we talking about? 1€ ? Boringggg!"

Yes, but thinking about it: It's a small thing which made -at least- me happy, and that is the whole point. Happiness/luck/things to be thankful for is an individual thing, so everyone will come up with different things to be thankful for. It might also be something like "The bus arrived at the same time that I arrived at the bus stop"... Just simple things, wich might often be a mix of "boring" and interesting things.

If you start being aware of every single detail which made you happy on just one day, then you realize: you have quite a lot to be thankful for, which you might not have realized if you hadn't written it down, or which you might have realized but forgot it right away, since it was such a "tiny thing".

I can only recommend keeping such a "Thankfulness-Diary", or at least thinking about 5 things you can be thankful for each day, before you go to sleep, and your mindset will be a lot more positive!

So: Stop waiting for the big shots, and write down/think about all the small shots that made your day beautiful :) 

Talking about shots: Tequila shots are smaller than Gin Tonics, but they are both alcoholic beverages, which will eventually give you a buzz! hahaha
(Please drink in moderation though! :p)

<3 J.

A 1/2 fresh lemon a day...

...keeps the doctor away!

It's been quite some time since my last post, but I would like to share something with you today which I've been practicing for the last weeks and feel like this is an accurate information to share with you!

My advice to prevent getting colds, which might rain on your (christmas) parade:

A few weeks ago, I read about something called "The 5 Tibetan Rites":

What I read was that you should start your day (literally before breakfast) drinking a glass of the juice of a half squeezed fresh lemon mixed with water (I like it best with cold, still water) and then NORMALLY you're supposed to do some "yoga-ish" exercises (which I don't do... ain't nobody got time for that! But you can look up the exercises here, if you feel like getting your move on in the early morning).

The result is: I feel pretty energized! 
Plus, I forgot to drink the juice for a few days in a row and immediately I started getting a runny nose, but now that I picked it up again I'm "healed", so I guess the juice does its job pretty well!

So, I can only recommend everyone who is attracting colds in the worst moments (such as christmas time or during exam phase) just like me to follow this (I admit) tiny part of the whole Tibetan Rites to keep your immune system up and running!

...and if you leave out the exercises it literally only takes a minute to start your day right (with the exercises I think it takes about 15 minutes).

Stay healthy and enjoy christmas time!

x J.

Act the way you feel :)

Before you start reading, I was initially thinking about writing from both the male and female perspective, but I cannot tell for sure that men feel the same way, so I've basically decided to mainly write from a female perspective... then you guys -in case there are any male readers ;) - know what we might feel!!

...but enough of the blabla! Enjoy this blog post! :)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

*bzz bzzz*

A message from the guy you're into!! WHAAAHHH!!!

Ok, now wait at least 2 hours until you respond, or else he might think you have nothing better to do than to wait for his message.

Wait, what?

I think it's a real pity that nowadays you cannot really express the way you feel towards e.g. that guy you're interested in.

How easy would it be, if one could just say "I enjoyed our last dates and would like to know if you're feeling the way I do and if you also want to be exclusive?" or even before that "Hey, I would like to get to know you better.. let's meet up for coffee soon!"

Then the guy knows exactly what we think about the whole thing and he can express himself too and ideally it's the beginning of a beautiful relationship! However, it is also important not to come on too strong, for this might as well scare him away...

In my opinion it would be so nice to just act the way you feel, meaning: If you like the guy, why not be flirty and just write him if you feel like it and think of him, without the thought of "Oooh, should I really write him, or will he then think I'm too clingy or desperate?"

If you think about it rationally: What is desperate about a person who wants to get in touch with a person he/she likes?

And why shouldn't you sort of "cling" to that person you like and can imagine a romantic (AND SERIOUS, not just one-night-only-ish) relationship? If you'll pretend you never think about that person, and then the moment the person writes, you're like the QUEEN OF BUTTERFLIES (or KING of course), but then you're back to your "ok, calm down, just keep it cool and wait at least 2 hours until you reply"...

Where does that lead you at the end of the day? Exactly! The other person will think (after a few repetitions of you purposely "keeping it cool") you REALLY don't give a damn and will also not give a damn about you in the future. Or it's the start of the typical "Ok, it took you 1 hour to answer, I'mma top that and make it 2 hours", then you receive the message (while of course already secretly desperately waiting) and you're like "ok, hey, if he doesn't care that much, I'll wait three hours" until you basically end up responding to each other slower than people answering letters and at the same time starting to think that this won't lead anywhere anyway.

That really makes me sad. The "I don't want him to know that I care"-game is not the way it is supposed to be, if you ask me!

Why not make it a mutual conversation after having had a few dates, finding each other attractive and all that and really write the person whenever you feel like it! Doesn't it make everybody happy to have someone thinking about him/her? I know it always made and still makes me happy! (YES, I ADMIT IT! :) )

I think the problem is, we don't want to give people -who we might not know that well- the power to know that much about that one really private thing which is ours to share (or to keep to ourselves): our feelings.

The consequence of sharing your feelings of course is, that the other person knows how you feel (well, duh!) and then doesn't have to respond, or might not feel the same way and even has the power to "purposely" hurt our just expressed feelings. Another problem is in my opinion and from my experience, that the beginning of dating is a battle of the nerves. I always felt like one has to be prepared to immediately shut down the whole system, in case the person you're interested in doesn't feel the same way towards you. Then you "must" find a way to get out of the whole situation responding something maybe just as hurtful to that guy, I mean: He hurt your feelings, right? 

I think it is a shame that this is a quite common attitude. Why not have the courage to express your feelings no matter what will happen afterwards? At least you put it out there! If the other person will then laugh at you and feel powerful or whatever, just because you expressed your feelings, then the person is probably not the person you thought he/she was. But at least you tried and "did your part" to make way for that maybe possible future together (not necessarily meaning forever, but for at least some time!).

To be honest, I think we should all try to put up less walls, especially when dating/wanting to date someone. Wouldn't it be a waste of our beautiful life to be on a constant look-out when dating someone and always be ready to fight back, where there might be no reason to put up a shield? 

And wouldn't it also be a waste to be so busy holding up that shield up to the point that no one even makes a move anymore and it all comes to nothing in the end, just because of your fear to get hurt? Dating is supposed to be FUN and not FEAR FACTOR!

So: Try to leave your shield at home, be courageous, just get in there and at least give a hint of what you feel. Don't let that shield -which you initially put up to protect your feelings- be the reason to hinder the start of a beautiful relationship.

If you feel like there is a risk of being the "loser" in case the other person does not feel that way, or maybe even laughs at you... let me assure you: you're not! The losing party is the party who just leaves without having had the possibility or courage to express what he/she really thinks, for you'll probably keep it to yourself forever once that "battle" is done.

Furthermore, I am actually sure that at some point in his/her life -especially if it did not end in a relationship- he/she will think of that moment when you just laid your cards on the table and think of it as courageous and a good thing to do, and might even adapt it for his/her future.

Love is a risky thing, so just embrace this fact and make the most of it... or at least do your part! :)

x J.

Jerry Oppenheimer's "Front Row" - A book about Anna Wintour's life

Bom dia!

FINALLY, after having taken over 2 years to read the book, I can write my brief review about Jerry Oppenheimer's "Front Row"!

Let me first tell you why I wanted to read this book so badly at first, and then took two years to finish it:

1. I am the #1 Fan of Anna Wintour, the editor in chief of the American VOGUE magazine.
2. I am the kind of person, who does not see her for the "icy" person she is often described to be, but I admire her iciness and success in the fashion industry, and her, just doing whatever she thinks is right.
3. I am the kind of person, who screams "ANNA, I LOVE YOU!!", when she walks past me at fashion week (and this is what I actually really did after the Chanel show...).


What I thought I would read about, when I wished for this book:

I thought
- I'd get an insight on how Anna Wintour achieved to be the editor in chief of the American VOGUE
- I'd see all the hard work she had to put into her career
- I'd read about the struggles she had to set her foot in the publishing industry and how she overcame them

What I REALLY read about, once I had the book in my hands:

To summarize the reason for her success:
It is not (only) hard work, but her father -who himself was a big chief editor in London- helped her a lot along the way, and stemming from a wealthy family certainly didn't hurt and might have made things easier for her.
Networking was also not a problem, for her dad had a lot of connections, and people who have money often have some kind of influence somewhere. Since Anna's family was quite wealthy, she was automatically moving in the "high society". Thus, there is no big achievement from her in the sense of her trying to get into the world of glamour, for she was already born into it.
Of course her character helped her a lot to stay in there and to get to know other people who could help her along the way, but most people first have to get their foot in there, before they can make things happen.
She had different men in her life which was pretty interesting to read about, and a lot of them were "bad boys". However, she ended up marrying a reasonable man, the psychiatrist David Shaffer, who is also the father of her children Bee and Charles.
Eventually, she ended up cheating on him with another bad "boy", and that was basically the end of the book.

What I think now, after I read the book:

I am a little disappointed.

Anna did not really have the big struggle to get in the industry, she was basically introduced to whoever she needed to proceed in her career by her peers.
What I read was a story about a woman who got a good head start on fulfilling her dream career, and hence, I cannot really relate haha

However, I still really admire her inner strength to ignore negative comments about her, which seem to be made quite often.
Moreover, to my knowledge, she made VOGUE what it is today: The world's most influential fashion magazine. This most definitely required hard work and commitment to the job, which she definitely brought and still brings to the party.

Anyway: As a "normal person", I feel you do not get a lot of insights on how to land a job like hers. If you are interested in her life anyway, you can read this book, but beware, for I have the impression the negative things Oppenheimer wrote about her are sometimes a bit over the top, and the content of the book may be not entirely true.. This is just a gut feeling though.

In my opinion, this book deserves 3 of 5 possible stars.
I just hoped to get more insights for "normal people", which is why I had to take away one star. Also, the book had a few really boring parts which made it hard for me to continue reading. Moreover, I sometimes had the impression that people were just rude and wanted to say something bad about her, which did not make the content seem authentic at times. Hence, I had to subtract another star.

From my point of view, this is some put together second hand information, which might even be tainted by the author's views, thus I cannot really recommend this book.

However, I suppose there are worst books than this one!

x J.