Two words which are, in my opinion, very important in human life.
I think we have to be able to live simple, without long kept grudges in our heart or feelings of apathy that are consistently present. A simple life with a simple set of mind. To love what comes your way and to accept the suffering that's on your path of life. Like that, not to forget, but to accept. When accepted something, you'll be able to get past it, to move on. As for discussions and fights, be simple, forgive the other and don't hold a grudge, for you can't ever be the same with that person if you don't make up and forgive (of course you can pretend, but that ruins your sincerity and your simplicity).
As for complexity, which in itself is of course more complex and therefore more difficult to appoint to your life in a single sentence. However, I'll try my best to explain what I think. And that is, that we should be very thoughtful about what we do and what we say. A certain complexity is important. We shouldn't just go about and let our emotions and our desires, our sympathetic and apathetic feelings, our fears and the opinions of the people surrounding us rule our actions. If all the above should not, what should rule our actions then? you might want to know. Well, (excuse my opinion if yours is different) I think it is your conscience (complexity) and your love(simplicity).
By conscience I mean your sense of right or wrong. Everybody (in general, I'm leaving out the exceptions here) has a conscience that tells him/her what is good to do and what is not. Sometimes it gets difficult to follow your conscience, because you feel you have to do something that you find scary, or that'll hurt your pride, or that you just dislike. When following your conscience, you'll find that it won't tell you how. E.g. when you need to speak or write to someone for a certain reason, it won't translate the thoughts you want to transfer into words. However, when you do start writing, you will know (through your conscience) whether the sentence you put down will come off the way you planned them to (mostly, because it depends on the other's set of mind too).
By love I mean your sense of appreciation for your surroundings. The people, but also their creations and nature itself. To recognize the wonders that happen everyday under your very nose. To realize what beauty lies in the small things. A cat crawling through high grass, a small boy running in circles, the sound of rain and thunder, a construction worker eating his lunch from a box. It's all nothing out of the ordinary, but in some sense it is special, perhaps even precious. Just like that, we should simply love, appreciate the world, in my opinion.
As a Christian, it comes natural to love everything, for I believe all is made by God. And if I love God, shouldn't I love everything that has come from His hands as well? I can understand that for non-religious people this is no argument, of course, but if the world is not beautiful and worthy to cherish, can you tell me one thing that is completely unworthy of appreciation? I can't.
Of course it is rather ridiculous to walk around and stare at the clouds in wonderment, but I think we should not forget what beauty is surrounding us every day.
I see it like this. When you have a good friend, you won't go about telling everyone what great a friend that person is, and neither would you watch that friend in amazement from day to day. No, you don't do that with a friend. You take care of your friend, adore your friend, you like all the good qualities and accept all the flaws. And once in a while you think back of your friendship with that person and be thankful for everything. All the while you haven't forgotten to appreciate your good relationship. That is how it should be with friends, but also with the rest of the world.
~~~~~~
^-^ Quite a long piece of mind. x] I got inspired by a book called "The Elegance of the Hedgehog", written by Muriël Barbery. It is translated from French by Alison Anderson. Barbery has used lots of philosophy in her book. "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" is mostly consistent of conversations and thoughts within the main characters about art, intelligence and life in general. If you want to read something that is more than a story, something that brings you a different and refreshing look on life (and a good laugh once in a while!), I definitely recommend this book to you! =]
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
Creative writing~ ^-^
A few months ago (wow, time flies fast!) I posted about a course in creative writing...
Well, since I have had several lessons already (next week is already the last lesson), I realized I should write about it because I haven't even mentioned it! (shame on me! xD)
So, here I am, writing about writing again =P (meta-writing, I think you could call it that, LOL)
*sigh* So, where should I start?
First of all, I really enjoyed the lessons, although I had a somewhat different expectation of it all. x] Actually, I thought it would be more like the lessons I got from my teacher at the Dutch creative writing course... but they were different. At the first lesson, our teacher handed out a sheet on which all the homework assignments/exercises were explained. In the Dutch course we always got the assignment for the coming lesson during the current lesson. In the International course we also give more feedback on each other's story. Because everyone gives feedback one by one, there's over 10 different views on your story, which is great, because no story is bad nor good, however it can improve so that more people like it. The previous lesson (and the upcoming last lesson) were/are held in the personal art studio of our teacher, complete with glasses of wine and large pillows! xD Isn't that stylish? Haha, the atmosphere is really good~! ^0^I have started to like red wine! =0
Then, of course, what it's all about. I know that (since I talk about writing) you would like to know what I've been writing then... Well~ That's actually quite a lot.
Let's start with an assignment (which was the first assignment during the first lesson). For the assignment our teacher had the group split in two. I was in the first group and we had to observe the body language of someone from the other group. We would make duos and then begin a conversation to get to know the other person by asking questions and while having that conversation we had to watch the other's body language. Then we had to write a 100-word piece based on the body language (that was the assignment for group 1, group 2 had a different assignment, but I forgot...). Actually, it turned out rather unimaginative, and a little embarrassing even... I have read it aloud in the group, but I'm not confident enough to post it, so I won't (believe me, it's not worth reading either...)
Anyway, my latest story was a big success! =D I wrote a creepy story about a girl who becomes more peculiar as the story goes, and a boy who just can't leave her alone...
^-^ You can read it here (opens in a new window).
The story is called Four Rivers. The poster I made for it shows the mysterious feeling of the story very well (I think). I hope you'll read the story, I'll soon edit it, because I've gotten some useful critics when I read it in last lesson.
I'll be back~! ;D
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Well, since I have had several lessons already (next week is already the last lesson), I realized I should write about it because I haven't even mentioned it! (shame on me! xD)
So, here I am, writing about writing again =P (meta-writing, I think you could call it that, LOL)
*sigh* So, where should I start?
First of all, I really enjoyed the lessons, although I had a somewhat different expectation of it all. x] Actually, I thought it would be more like the lessons I got from my teacher at the Dutch creative writing course... but they were different. At the first lesson, our teacher handed out a sheet on which all the homework assignments/exercises were explained. In the Dutch course we always got the assignment for the coming lesson during the current lesson. In the International course we also give more feedback on each other's story. Because everyone gives feedback one by one, there's over 10 different views on your story, which is great, because no story is bad nor good, however it can improve so that more people like it. The previous lesson (and the upcoming last lesson) were/are held in the personal art studio of our teacher, complete with glasses of wine and large pillows! xD Isn't that stylish? Haha, the atmosphere is really good~! ^0^
Then, of course, what it's all about. I know that (since I talk about writing) you would like to know what I've been writing then... Well~ That's actually quite a lot.
Let's start with an assignment (which was the first assignment during the first lesson). For the assignment our teacher had the group split in two. I was in the first group and we had to observe the body language of someone from the other group. We would make duos and then begin a conversation to get to know the other person by asking questions and while having that conversation we had to watch the other's body language. Then we had to write a 100-word piece based on the body language (that was the assignment for group 1, group 2 had a different assignment, but I forgot...). Actually, it turned out rather unimaginative, and a little embarrassing even... I have read it aloud in the group, but I'm not confident enough to post it, so I won't (believe me, it's not worth reading either...)
Anyway, my latest story was a big success! =D I wrote a creepy story about a girl who becomes more peculiar as the story goes, and a boy who just can't leave her alone...
^-^ You can read it here (opens in a new window).
The story is called Four Rivers. The poster I made for it shows the mysterious feeling of the story very well (I think). I hope you'll read the story, I'll soon edit it, because I've gotten some useful critics when I read it in last lesson.
I'll be back~! ;D
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Friday, April 8, 2011
Food jokes from a drama I forgot
^^ I'm back~!
So, I was cleaning up my room...and threw a lot out... and then I came across some jokes I had jotted down after seeing a movie...
I have absolutely no clue about which movie it was (believe me I tried for hours to find it, but till this moment I haven't found it). The movie was about a young female that was going on a blind date with a man while she absolutely didn't feel like it. The man cracked some jokes and she was less than slightly interested. Later in the story she meets him again and things change. She was drunk or something and she started hitting on him and I don't know what exactly happened anymore... xP
I do know that the jokes he told her were funny enough then to write down! xD
Here they are:
~ What did the strawberry say to the blueberry? I love you berry berry much.
~ Why does a lost man in the desert still survives? Because of all the sand which is there.
~ Why did the lettuce blush? Because he saw the salad dressing.
^-^ Hehe, I think these jokes are pretty common and perhaps well-known already... LOL, but I did hear them first when I saw that movie.
Btw, if someone knows the title of this movie (because of my poor description, I doubt it), please don't hesitate and tell me in a comment! =]
Haha, it was fun, I guess, now I have to continue my homework... -____________-
Ciao~ ^-^ ♥
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
So, I was cleaning up my room...
I have absolutely no clue about which movie it was (believe me I tried for hours to find it, but till this moment I haven't found it). The movie was about a young female that was going on a blind date with a man while she absolutely didn't feel like it. The man cracked some jokes and she was less than slightly interested. Later in the story she meets him again and things change. She was drunk or something and she started hitting on him and I don't know what exactly happened anymore... xP
I do know that the jokes he told her were funny enough then to write down! xD
Here they are:
~ What did the strawberry say to the blueberry? I love you berry berry much.
~ Why does a lost man in the desert still survives? Because of all the sand which is there.
~ Why did the lettuce blush? Because he saw the salad dressing.
^-^ Hehe, I think these jokes are pretty common and perhaps well-known already... LOL, but I did hear them first when I saw that movie.
Btw, if someone knows the title of this movie (because of my poor description, I doubt it), please don't hesitate and tell me in a comment! =]
Haha, it was fun, I guess, now I have to continue my homework... -____________-
Ciao~ ^-^ ♥
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Friday, March 25, 2011
Fun with old friends
Waaah~! =]
^^" Long time no blog post from me, eh?
Not much has happened though... xD
Well I did get in touch with my best friend from high school (from the first 4 years)...
I think I've got some explaining to do first, though. xP
I actually had 6 years of high school, divided into 2 parts, first 4 years, than a year of professional Recreation and Tourism education and then another 2 years of high school (higher level than the 4 years before) and now I'm in my 2nd year of professional Media, Information and Communication education (also a higher level than recreation and tourism)..
As I was saying, I got in touch with my high school best friend Liset from the first 4 years. Together with Eef, who I also know from those 4 years, we've been to "De Meester", a place where various local bands were playing. =]
Afterwards we went to a local pub and I drank my first full glass of beer xD (I don't like it, that's why I never drink it, but this time it was already ordered, so I had to, but I still don't like it! LOL) We were actually with a large group, because one of the bands were Lis and Eef's friends...
It was very nice, I had a lot of fun, I also ran into two guys (Emilio and Alex) I knew from the other 2 years at high school! xD
Afterwards I stayed over at Lisette's house and it was just like old times again. =) Now we're chatting on msn again, just like there hasn't even been a gap! x]
I'm really happy about that! ^-^
Haha, here's a picture of us two, when we were out, eating with the class. =)
Anyways, that's it for now~! =] ♥
I'll be back when I have time and something to blog about!
Adios~
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
^^" Long time no blog post from me, eh?
Not much has happened though... xD
Well I did get in touch with my best friend from high school (from the first 4 years)...
I think I've got some explaining to do first, though. xP
I actually had 6 years of high school, divided into 2 parts, first 4 years, than a year of professional Recreation and Tourism education and then another 2 years of high school (higher level than the 4 years before) and now I'm in my 2nd year of professional Media, Information and Communication education (also a higher level than recreation and tourism)..
As I was saying, I got in touch with my high school best friend Liset from the first 4 years. Together with Eef, who I also know from those 4 years, we've been to "De Meester", a place where various local bands were playing. =]
Afterwards we went to a local pub and I drank my first full glass of beer xD (I don't like it, that's why I never drink it, but this time it was already ordered, so I had to, but I still don't like it! LOL) We were actually with a large group, because one of the bands were Lis and Eef's friends...
It was very nice, I had a lot of fun, I also ran into two guys (Emilio and Alex) I knew from the other 2 years at high school! xD
Afterwards I stayed over at Lisette's house and it was just like old times again. =) Now we're chatting on msn again, just like there hasn't even been a gap! x]
I'm really happy about that! ^-^
Haha, here's a picture of us two, when we were out, eating with the class. =)
Anyways, that's it for now~! =] ♥
I'll be back when I have time and something to blog about!
Adios~
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Monday, February 14, 2011
Fun conversation! =]
^-^ I'll just ignore the fact that it's Valentine's Day, since I haven't received/given anything anyway, so... x-x"
Yesterday, my dad celebrated his 55th birthday with family! ^-^
It was fun! Family from both sides came together (we had no karaoke!) and it was very nice to see my cousins again! =D (I have two male cousins and one female cousin).
Since there's quite an age difference (I'm 20 and my cousins are 11, 13 and almost 14) we settled for a board game but ended up drawing. It was fun, not so much because of the drawing, but because we always tell each other fun things and because we joke around a lot. ^-^
Anyway, when we had Goulash soup, we had a fun conversation:
Maurice (my cousin): What type of meat is in this soup?
Me: ^-^ Chicken, no I mean cow
Maurice: Oh~ Do you know where the soup is from, it doesn't sound Dutch...
Me: Ehmmm, I don't know, I though India...
My mum: No, it's from Hungary.
Maurice: Haha, I figured it wasn't from India... Cows... Holy... *hint, hint*
Everybody who heard and me: HAHA~! *LOL/ROFL/LM(F)AO*
Yup, had lots of fun~... ^ー^ㆀ
Now, let's hope tomorrow will bring fun again~! (^ー°)v
┓━ㆀ If not, I'm gonna cry!!! T____Tㆀ
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Yesterday, my dad celebrated his 55th birthday with family! ^-^
It was fun! Family from both sides came together (we had no karaoke!) and it was very nice to see my cousins again! =D (I have two male cousins and one female cousin).
Since there's quite an age difference (I'm 20 and my cousins are 11, 13 and almost 14) we settled for a board game but ended up drawing. It was fun, not so much because of the drawing, but because we always tell each other fun things and because we joke around a lot. ^-^
Anyway, when we had Goulash soup, we had a fun conversation:
Maurice (my cousin): What type of meat is in this soup?
Me: ^-^ Chicken, no I mean cow
Maurice: Oh~ Do you know where the soup is from, it doesn't sound Dutch...
Me: Ehmmm, I don't know, I though India...
My mum: No, it's from Hungary.
Maurice: Haha, I figured it wasn't from India... Cows... Holy... *hint, hint*
Everybody who heard and me: HAHA~! *LOL/ROFL/LM(F)AO*
Yup, had lots of fun~... ^ー^ㆀ
Now, let's hope tomorrow will bring fun again~! (^ー°)v
┓━ㆀ If not, I'm gonna cry!!! T____Tㆀ
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Another School Outing~!! =]
Hi everyone~! ~^-^~
Today was one of those typically different days...
You know, those days that just feel a little special and you keep feeling that way for the entire day.
Yep, that kind of day was today! ^^
The thing is, today I went to the Central Book House in Culemborg! ^-^ It was magical~ haha!... no seriously, it was really impressive! (=
The Central Book House is actually literally translated from Dutch, since there isn't really a translation available, due to the unique function.
As you probably know, books are made in a special factory, from which they'll be transported/sold to book shops. In many countries the book shops buy from those factories and the factories deliver straight to that book shop (or it's mother shop). In the Netherlands that process of transport and selection is organized in one central point in the country, which is the Central Book House.
In the CBH there are millions of books! As you can guess, it's huge! o_O
Unfortunately it's prohibited to take pictures, so I have no pics to share...
The CBH is actually a storage terrain that consists out of 5 buildings. I've been in the main storage room. There's this immense storage hall with a ground space the size of half a soccer field! It's also 30 meters high and operated with 5 automatic robots that store and take out pallets of books (fully automatic!) When there's an order the robots gather the pallets without anyone pushing any button!! That was really amazing to see! Those robots were massive and moved very quickly and precise.
Further more CBH had a whole system for efficiently packaging the different orders with books of different factories. Those machines kind of resembled rollercoasters with all the books sliding and rolling on the factory's treadmill... xD They yet had to do loopings! Haha, that was cheesy, I know ^^
I have one conclusion:
If you truly love books, you shouldn't work in the Central Book House... because when you're packing books all day, chances are big you have seen more than enough books to read one when you're off work! =] By the way, working at the CBH is (without being offence) quite killing for your mind, plus, it's physically tiring and you work in loud surroundings. So, not something for me, but it IS very nice to see where all the books I've bought have once been! x]
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Today was one of those typically different days...
You know, those days that just feel a little special and you keep feeling that way for the entire day.
Yep, that kind of day was today! ^^
The thing is, today I went to the Central Book House in Culemborg! ^-^ It was magical~ haha!... no seriously, it was really impressive! (=
The Central Book House is actually literally translated from Dutch, since there isn't really a translation available, due to the unique function.
As you probably know, books are made in a special factory, from which they'll be transported/sold to book shops. In many countries the book shops buy from those factories and the factories deliver straight to that book shop (or it's mother shop). In the Netherlands that process of transport and selection is organized in one central point in the country, which is the Central Book House.
In the CBH there are millions of books! As you can guess, it's huge! o_O
Unfortunately it's prohibited to take pictures, so I have no pics to share...
The CBH is actually a storage terrain that consists out of 5 buildings. I've been in the main storage room. There's this immense storage hall with a ground space the size of half a soccer field! It's also 30 meters high and operated with 5 automatic robots that store and take out pallets of books (fully automatic!) When there's an order the robots gather the pallets without anyone pushing any button!! That was really amazing to see! Those robots were massive and moved very quickly and precise.
Further more CBH had a whole system for efficiently packaging the different orders with books of different factories. Those machines kind of resembled rollercoasters with all the books sliding and rolling on the factory's treadmill... xD They yet had to do loopings! Haha, that was cheesy, I know ^^
I have one conclusion:
If you truly love books, you shouldn't work in the Central Book House... because when you're packing books all day, chances are big you have seen more than enough books to read one when you're off work! =] By the way, working at the CBH is (without being offence) quite killing for your mind, plus, it's physically tiring and you work in loud surroundings. So, not something for me, but it IS very nice to see where all the books I've bought have once been! x]
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Thursday, December 2, 2010
YES!! My dream is coming closer~! =D
Waah, I'm so excited!!! *jumps up and down and grins until cheeks hurt*
Guess what I'm going to do? ^^
I just enrolled myself into a course of CREATIVE WRITING!!! ^-^
Okay... so maybe that's not everybody's wish...
BUT IT SURE. IS. MINE!!! =P
The course is actually an International course (but located in my own country), which means I'll be sharpening my English skills! =]
Why does it sound like I'm the biggest NERD on earth? XD It rhymes! *sigh*
Maybe my spoken English will become better as well... hm...
Just know, I have always wanted to become a writer and not necessarily write in my mother language alone... This opportunity is encouraged by my school as well, as this is my activity of choice, that had to be related to my professional identity.
(Quite some terms there, but it's clear, right?)
^^ I'm really happy! =P
Now I'll have to wait for my tutor to agree on my activity of choice... ^^"
XD Either way, I'm going to follow this course and I'll make use of it as well! ;)
Stories will be posted, of course! (no pun intended) LOL
Byebye~! *waves hands in front of face*
♥
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Guess what I'm going to do? ^^
I just enrolled myself into a course of CREATIVE WRITING!!! ^-^
Okay... so maybe that's not everybody's wish...
BUT IT SURE. IS. MINE!!! =P
The course is actually an International course (but located in my own country), which means I'll be sharpening my English skills! =]
Maybe my spoken English will become better as well... hm...
Just know, I have always wanted to become a writer and not necessarily write in my mother language alone... This opportunity is encouraged by my school as well, as this is my activity of choice, that had to be related to my professional identity.
(Quite some terms there, but it's clear, right?)
^^ I'm really happy! =P
Now I'll have to wait for my tutor to agree on my activity of choice... ^^"
XD Either way, I'm going to follow this course and I'll make use of it as well! ;)
Stories will be posted, of course! (no pun intended) LOL
Byebye~! *waves hands in front of face*
♥
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Writers: social experts?!
Let me be so free to tell you something about writers...
When you think of a writer, a certain type of person will come to your mind, complete with assumptions you have made about writers.
This picture is very personal and different from others, caused by several factors, such as: experience, personality, capability.
Apart from the different views on writers, some assumptions seem to be very common.
One of these assumptions is that writers always know how to react on others or situations. (Someone actually once told me to fix a situation. Me: "How?" The other: "You know it, you write about it...")
This is downright nonsense! Writers - novelists and script writers in particular - love to exploit their imagination. To feed their imagination, they observe. This is merely to fill in the blanks, the spots where their own experience or empathy lacks certainty.
Although a writer might write the most genius of dialogues, the sharpest comments or describe the most detailed personality, they always create the complete picture in which they have total authority over the characters and scenes.
In other words, they create a dimension in which they know the characters, who are based on characteristics from the author himself, his acquaintances or his observations.
Since the character is fully known by the author, the characters can't pose a threat to the author, he can freely play with them by creating scenes.
The author can't blunder, he knows exactly how the other characters will respond, resulting in interesting dialogues that make sense, which will lead the story towards the desired plot twists and outcomes.
A good writer is able to write convincingly about almost any scene imaginable.
This does not mean that a writer has to have experience in most scenes, it's merely a matter of observing skills or imagination and some empathy.
So social experts? I wouldn't be too sure about that..
It's common for writers to observe a lot. A good observation is one in which you yourself aren't involved. (imagine observing the natural behavior of a cat while you're stroking it... not successful!) For that reason writers can be quiet and distant, which isn't something you'd say about a social expert. My teacher once said: "I have interviewed many writers when I was still a journalist. Writers aren't talkers, they're thinkers." ^^ And that definitely applies to me too! ;)
-♥- the writer~ ...LOL!
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Missing my grandma...
Even though it's been almost 15 years since my grandma passed away, at times I still miss her.
I wonder what would have happened if she was still alive...
In the past few weeks, my father and his sister have gone through all the stuff that's in my grandparents home.
My grandpa has moved to a nursing home a few years ago and so their home has become an empty place.
Because my family wants to put it up for rent (since it's completely theirs), the stuff in the house should be sorted out...
Long story short, my father came home with multiple boxes filled with photos of me and my sister as little babies, my father and his sister, my grandma as young woman and even my grandparents their parents!
It was so much fun going through those photos (mostly black and white). Some of the photos were also taken in Indonesia, where my grandmother has grown up.
Since my grandma passed away when I was 5 years old, I have only a few vague memories of her. My parents have told me that she was very fond of me, probably because I was her first grandchild and I also had the Chinese looks like her (she was a full blood Chinese, brought up in Indonesia). Even thought I love both my grandparents of both sides of the family a lot, my Chinese grandma has always been the grandparent I love most.
Today I saw pictures of my grandma as young woman for the first time. She was a beautiful woman. She seemed to have an outgoing personality and a love for photos (and posing for them), but she didn't go overboard with it, she always appeared to be modest and calm.
I don't have a photo to share with you, not even a babypic of me, I'll get to that another time! =)
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
I wonder what would have happened if she was still alive...
In the past few weeks, my father and his sister have gone through all the stuff that's in my grandparents home.
My grandpa has moved to a nursing home a few years ago and so their home has become an empty place.
Because my family wants to put it up for rent (since it's completely theirs), the stuff in the house should be sorted out...
Long story short, my father came home with multiple boxes filled with photos of me and my sister as little babies, my father and his sister, my grandma as young woman and even my grandparents their parents!
It was so much fun going through those photos (mostly black and white). Some of the photos were also taken in Indonesia, where my grandmother has grown up.
Since my grandma passed away when I was 5 years old, I have only a few vague memories of her. My parents have told me that she was very fond of me, probably because I was her first grandchild and I also had the Chinese looks like her (she was a full blood Chinese, brought up in Indonesia). Even thought I love both my grandparents of both sides of the family a lot, my Chinese grandma has always been the grandparent I love most.
Today I saw pictures of my grandma as young woman for the first time. She was a beautiful woman. She seemed to have an outgoing personality and a love for photos (and posing for them), but she didn't go overboard with it, she always appeared to be modest and calm.
I don't have a photo to share with you, not even a babypic of me, I'll get to that another time! =)
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Today's 10-10-'10! XD
... my far neighbors are getting married -_-'
Since the Dutch crown prince, Willem Alexander, and his girlfriend, Máxima, got married on 02-02-'02, there's a madness in the Netherlands to get married on 03-03-'03, 04-04-'04, 05-05-'05 etc.
Since the Dutch crown prince, Willem Alexander, and his girlfriend, Máxima, got married on 02-02-'02, there's a madness in the Netherlands to get married on 03-03-'03, 04-04-'04, 05-05-'05 etc.
It's probably worldwide popular to marry on those dates, but it gets kind of cliche now... I wouldn't want to get married on such a date anymore...
By the way, my dad was being 4D today...
First he asked me where the digital camera was, so I told him.
I knew he was going to do something.
Then he suddenly appeared in front of me, with a big smile and a camera in hand...
'UH-OH!' I said (and thought) as he turned it on.
>_> he just turned into PAPArazzi! (XD excuse my lame-joke-ness)
To start complaining about how he could not catch the 'nice shot'.
At that point I started to wonder whether it was a lack of his skills or an insult on how I look! =/
XD .. but I decided on the lack of his skills, since he was the one complaining! ^^
After several (about 20-40) attempts to capture my face spontaneous, my dad got a little annoyed and said he could better capture it with his digital video camera... O_o
And so I ended up being visually disturbed by a video camera as well... -_-"
Hurray for a painting dad!! ..and what again was the purpose of filming me?
If I start seeing my face on one of his paintings, I'm gonna scream!
Well, unless I'm on it with Beauté (my little rabbit) in my arms! ^^
He still didn't make that one... although the photos have been made.
TTYL! ^^ ♥♥
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Monday, October 4, 2010
App-madness
As I was searching for something on Google, my eyes fell onto a small option on the bottom of the homepage..
Apparently, I could change the background of the google homepage!
Curious as I've always been, I followed the link and picked a background with a caterpillar on a Parsley twig.
The lay-out looked quite the same, but the sterile white had been replaced by the new background and the Google logo was embossed and in white letters.
It was aesthetically pleasing, but there was nothing more to it...
WOW! (sarcastically)
A complete useless option as I found out that the background will not even be shown once you start ticking in the key words of your search.
What is it lately with all these applications that are plain useless and fun for less than 3 minutes and then annoying?
I can't remember how many posts on Yahoo solely that I've read discussed the topic of "weird applications" in, for example, cars.
With the IPhone and all these 354-in-1 touch-screen equipped devices, a whole new world of digital apps has come into existence.
In that madness there are apps of any kind; apps that are useful - like GPS, a weather forecast, economic news or camping information - but also a lot of apps that are utterly useless. I'm sure there must be an app that challenges you to clean the toilet as fast and as efficiently as possible and if that app does not exist, it will be developed and made available very soon!
Apparently, I could change the background of the google homepage!
Curious as I've always been, I followed the link and picked a background with a caterpillar on a Parsley twig.
The lay-out looked quite the same, but the sterile white had been replaced by the new background and the Google logo was embossed and in white letters.
It was aesthetically pleasing, but there was nothing more to it...
WOW! (sarcastically)
A complete useless option as I found out that the background will not even be shown once you start ticking in the key words of your search.
What is it lately with all these applications that are plain useless and fun for less than 3 minutes and then annoying?
I can't remember how many posts on Yahoo solely that I've read discussed the topic of "weird applications" in, for example, cars.
With the IPhone and all these 354-in-1 touch-screen equipped devices, a whole new world of digital apps has come into existence.
In that madness there are apps of any kind; apps that are useful - like GPS, a weather forecast, economic news or camping information - but also a lot of apps that are utterly useless. I'm sure there must be an app that challenges you to clean the toilet as fast and as efficiently as possible and if that app does not exist, it will be developed and made available very soon!
In the meanwhile, I'll just keep using my flip-open mobile phone which isn't connected to the internet and which has no touch-screen either. ;)
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Saturday, September 25, 2010
World wide survey (a joke) =P
Last month, the U.N. held a world wide survey in which they only asked one question:
"Could you please give us your honest opinion about the solution for the food shortage in the rest of the world?"
The survey failed miserably because:
- In Africa they didn't know what "food" was.
- In East-Europe they didn't know what "honest" was.
- In West-Europe they didn't know what "shortage" was.
- In China they didn't know what "opinion" was.
- In the Middle East they didn't know what "solution" was.
- In South-America they didn't know what "please" was.
- In the US they didn't know what "the rest of the world" was.
"Could you please give us your honest opinion about the solution for the food shortage in the rest of the world?"
The survey failed miserably because:
- In Africa they didn't know what "food" was.
- In East-Europe they didn't know what "honest" was.
- In West-Europe they didn't know what "shortage" was.
- In China they didn't know what "opinion" was.
- In the Middle East they didn't know what "solution" was.
- In South-America they didn't know what "please" was.
- In the US they didn't know what "the rest of the world" was.
Honestly... How to offend the entire world in just one post, this.=X
It's just become Autumn here and the weather is starting to get a little chillier...
I'm slowly slipping into a Winters' sleep... XD LOL, not really, but my energy is getting less. ^^" Summer always gets the best out of me, but then Winter makes me a little unhappy (I don't really like cold weather...)
GOT TO GO NOW!! ♥ Say hi! to my new blogging spirit! X'D
Today is my parents' 25th year marriage celebration, so I won't be here! ;)
In fact the celebration will last till the 28th of September, since they married on the 25th for the State and on the 28th for the Church. 4 days of celebrating! Woohoo!! =D
Ciao~ ♥♫♪☺
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
A WOMAN's mind and a MAN's mind...
Okay, let's just screw the HIATUS... XD
LOL I want to blog, so I just do it! =P
That's the fun thing about this, nobody can tell me not tonot even my mum, because I'm "practising my English" in this manner! ^^
Not that someone would seriously come up to me and tell me not to... >_>
There's one interesting topic I was thinking about lately.
Why is it that they either say:
~ The mind of a woman is something that's not understandable
or:
~ The mind of a man is simple and to the point
(both hold the same meaning)
In my opinion, the mind of a woman and the mind of a man are both a mystery to everyone... since we all think without the other knowing what we think about if we don't tell them! =)
I know it's scientifically proven that men and women think in a different way, but that does not automatically mean that a man's mind makes more sense...
Of course I'm a woman and thus think like a woman, I don't think a woman's mind makes more sense either!
I made a little hypothesis:
Men are naturally more easygoing and (in some sense) more lazy, that's why they don't bother concealing their thoughts and act upon it as they please.
A woman on the other hand is pressured to maintain her good image and will overthink every action, because she is sensitive for what people think about her.
For example, if a man has an itch in the wrong place, he'll just scratch, because he wants to get rid of it. But if a woman has an itch in the wrong place, she'll look around sneakily, and if there are people, she'll just excuse herself to the bathroom or tries to ignore the itch.
The reason for this difference lays in the history of the roles of men and women, I believe. Men were desirable if they were strong, had good fortune (money) or a high social status, women were desirable when they were fertile and beautiful.
Basically, men can obtain there desirability by training their body (strong) and working (money) and so they get a high social status, while the most a woman can do is keeping a clean image.
Of course there are exceptions in behavior, but tell me honestly, don't these types of exceptional behavior get called manly or feminine characteristics?
A situation men always refer to when pointing out the difference of a woman's mind and their minds:
When a woman wants something, she won't ask it directly, but she'll ask around it, makes the man know what she wants without telling or pursuits the man to want what she wants.
That is true, mostly...
... and the reason is: IT WORKS BETTER! =)
For example, the curtains are getting older and look less lively, in other words, the woman wants new ones (understandable, because the house is part of the woman's image). If the woman bluntly says: "I want new curtains." It's about 90% likely the man will answer: "Honey, does it really have to be changed? I don't see something wrong with these.." (that's because he doesn't want to buy new ones, because it's easier not to)
However, there's more chance of success when the woman asks: "Don't you think the curtains are getting a little pale?" and then waits for the man to respond. He'll probably think about it a little and agree with the woman (since it's easier to agree than to discuss about it). BINGO! She'll say: "We should get new ones. What about this Saturday?" What more can a man do then agree and buy new ones?! If he doesn't, she'll say he thought the curtains looked pale and he'll find himself in a discussion about something he didn't want to think about in the first place.
So in my opinion, the woman's mind is a mystery to men, purely for efficiency.
Please keep in mind that these are assumptions, based on the stereotypical man and woman... They do not even fully obtain to my parents! My mother is usually really straightforward (probably because my father is very easygoing and listens well to his wife) and my father usually says things indirectly (I don't exactly know why, maybe because that's his feminine side?).
Well, don't you feel a little sleepy as well?
You do? Then maybe it's best we both get some sleep. =)
LOL! ♥ G'Night!
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
LOL I want to blog, so I just do it! =P
That's the fun thing about this, nobody can tell me not to
Not that someone would seriously come up to me and tell me not to... >_>
There's one interesting topic I was thinking about lately.
Why is it that they either say:
~ The mind of a woman is something that's not understandable
or:
~ The mind of a man is simple and to the point
(both hold the same meaning)
In my opinion, the mind of a woman and the mind of a man are both a mystery to everyone... since we all think without the other knowing what we think about if we don't tell them! =)
I know it's scientifically proven that men and women think in a different way, but that does not automatically mean that a man's mind makes more sense...
Of course I'm a woman and thus think like a woman, I don't think a woman's mind makes more sense either!
I made a little hypothesis:
Men are naturally more easygoing and (in some sense) more lazy, that's why they don't bother concealing their thoughts and act upon it as they please.
A woman on the other hand is pressured to maintain her good image and will overthink every action, because she is sensitive for what people think about her.
For example, if a man has an itch in the wrong place, he'll just scratch, because he wants to get rid of it. But if a woman has an itch in the wrong place, she'll look around sneakily, and if there are people, she'll just excuse herself to the bathroom or tries to ignore the itch.
The reason for this difference lays in the history of the roles of men and women, I believe. Men were desirable if they were strong, had good fortune (money) or a high social status, women were desirable when they were fertile and beautiful.
Basically, men can obtain there desirability by training their body (strong) and working (money) and so they get a high social status, while the most a woman can do is keeping a clean image.
Of course there are exceptions in behavior, but tell me honestly, don't these types of exceptional behavior get called manly or feminine characteristics?
A situation men always refer to when pointing out the difference of a woman's mind and their minds:
When a woman wants something, she won't ask it directly, but she'll ask around it, makes the man know what she wants without telling or pursuits the man to want what she wants.
That is true, mostly...
... and the reason is: IT WORKS BETTER! =)
For example, the curtains are getting older and look less lively, in other words, the woman wants new ones (understandable, because the house is part of the woman's image). If the woman bluntly says: "I want new curtains." It's about 90% likely the man will answer: "Honey, does it really have to be changed? I don't see something wrong with these.." (that's because he doesn't want to buy new ones, because it's easier not to)
However, there's more chance of success when the woman asks: "Don't you think the curtains are getting a little pale?" and then waits for the man to respond. He'll probably think about it a little and agree with the woman (since it's easier to agree than to discuss about it). BINGO! She'll say: "We should get new ones. What about this Saturday?" What more can a man do then agree and buy new ones?! If he doesn't, she'll say he thought the curtains looked pale and he'll find himself in a discussion about something he didn't want to think about in the first place.
So in my opinion, the woman's mind is a mystery to men, purely for efficiency.
Please keep in mind that these are assumptions, based on the stereotypical man and woman... They do not even fully obtain to my parents! My mother is usually really straightforward (probably because my father is very easygoing and listens well to his wife) and my father usually says things indirectly (I don't exactly know why, maybe because that's his feminine side?).
Well, don't you feel a little sleepy as well?
You do? Then maybe it's best we both get some sleep. =)
LOL! ♥ G'Night!
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Monday, September 13, 2010
HIATUS... =(
BAD NEWS!!! ^^"
As the title says as well, I'm going on hiatus...
...but not completely!
I'm going on semi-hiatus, I might post an entry every now and then, but right now I'm just too freaking busy..
There's some things I want to continue doing, which is writing stories, so I'll continue on a slower pace with my fanfics and I'll also continue playing the piano.
The main reason for my semi-hiatus: SCHOOL, or better said COLLEGE AND HOMEWORK!!!
Blèh! I don't like homework, although the assignments are okay.. x)
STAY HEALTHY AND STAY IN SCHOOL! XPLOL! Who used to say that again? ^^" I forgot... =X
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
As the title says as well, I'm going on hiatus...
...but not completely!
I'm going on semi-hiatus, I might post an entry every now and then, but right now I'm just too freaking busy..
There's some things I want to continue doing, which is writing stories, so I'll continue on a slower pace with my fanfics and I'll also continue playing the piano.
The main reason for my semi-hiatus: SCHOOL, or better said COLLEGE AND HOMEWORK!!!
Blèh! I don't like homework, although the assignments are okay.. x)
STAY HEALTHY AND STAY IN SCHOOL! XP
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Destiny and Coincidence...
^^ A philosophic title and a philosophic topic this time...
Gosh, the word PHILOSOPHIC is hard to type quickly! Õ.Õ
I've been thinking a lot about this lately, I was inspired by philosophy class of my sister, long story short: it was about beliefs...
This is what I came up with, after thinking it through:
There are two things that you can believe in, concerning the future.
Those are Coincidence or Destiny.
Coincidence
People who believe in coincidence, might believe in good or bad luck as well, since luck is something that can happen to anyone, at anytime and unannounced.
People who believe in coincidence don't think a certain destiny exists.
Destiny
People who believe in destiny might be people who live the day without reflecting on their acts, since it was inevitably that the events would happen.
I think destiny believers are people who live by the day or for the future, but definitely not focused on the past.
Destiny believers might believe in luck as a way to influence destiny (as a way to make things happen faster/earlier).
Luck actually has quite a difficult meaning. People who believe in luck can either believe in coincidence, because luck is something out of a lotery, or they believe in destiny, because luck can be obtained by avoiding black cats for example...
Here's my real dilemma: I don't believe in coincidence, but I also don't believe in destiny and that things happen as they were meant to happen... (I'm also not a firm believer of luck, other then "I'm lucky I don't have to go outside now that it rains" for example).
So what do I believe in?
I mean, there seems to be no other path then planned future (destiny) or unplanned future (coincidence), right?
Still, I definitely do not believe in everything being a series of coincidental events, but I feel destiny is a word that's too strong...
After thinking long and hard about what I believe in, I came to this conclusion:
I believe in GOD. He has a plan (planned future!), but he gave us a free will, to choose for him or not (unplanned future!).
On our path through life, we can make decisions on what we do and think, but for everything we have no influence on, God decided.
"Destiny" in my eyes means "God's decisions" and "coincidence" means "my free will".
^^ So what do you believe in? =)
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria ♥
I've been thinking a lot about this lately, I was inspired by philosophy class of my sister, long story short: it was about beliefs...
This is what I came up with, after thinking it through:
There are two things that you can believe in, concerning the future.
Those are Coincidence or Destiny.
Coincidence
People who believe in coincidence, might believe in good or bad luck as well, since luck is something that can happen to anyone, at anytime and unannounced.
People who believe in coincidence don't think a certain destiny exists.
Destiny
People who believe in destiny might be people who live the day without reflecting on their acts, since it was inevitably that the events would happen.
I think destiny believers are people who live by the day or for the future, but definitely not focused on the past.
Destiny believers might believe in luck as a way to influence destiny (as a way to make things happen faster/earlier).
Luck actually has quite a difficult meaning. People who believe in luck can either believe in coincidence, because luck is something out of a lotery, or they believe in destiny, because luck can be obtained by avoiding black cats for example...
Here's my real dilemma: I don't believe in coincidence, but I also don't believe in destiny and that things happen as they were meant to happen... (I'm also not a firm believer of luck, other then "I'm lucky I don't have to go outside now that it rains" for example).
So what do I believe in?
I mean, there seems to be no other path then planned future (destiny) or unplanned future (coincidence), right?
Still, I definitely do not believe in everything being a series of coincidental events, but I feel destiny is a word that's too strong...
After thinking long and hard about what I believe in, I came to this conclusion:
I believe in GOD. He has a plan (planned future!), but he gave us a free will, to choose for him or not (unplanned future!).
On our path through life, we can make decisions on what we do and think, but for everything we have no influence on, God decided.
"Destiny" in my eyes means "God's decisions" and "coincidence" means "my free will".
^^ So what do you believe in? =)
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria ♥
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Psychology tests...
I'm bored right now, and I got a computer.. *looks around mischievously*
So what am I gonna do now???
^(^-^)^
Most people probably think of these things:
~ music
~ e-mail
~ Hyves / Facebook / any other social network
~ porn (if they are horny beasts X'D.. FYI: THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE ME! ^^)
~ online games
.. but I'm not one of the 'most people'.. because I think of these:
~ blogs
~ fanfiction site
~ Deviantart (graphics site)
~ Okay... FarmVille on Facebook.. =$ I admit guilty!although I'm embarrassed saying it! XP
Now my mind has thought up something to do in my boredom! XD
It's not an average thing and I don't know how I got to think of that, but this is what I did..
I opened Google and typed in: 'psychology test'
Then I clicked on the first link which brought me to the site of the BBC! XD
There's a whole list of psychological tests!
I'm immediately reminded of EHB (Exploration of the Human Body)! XD Seems like I'll be doing EMHB (Exploration of My Human Body) soon! ^^ Thehe..
I want to do the following test: Explore your memory..
I am quite tired, so I wonder how I will do! XP
Anyway.. I'm going to take the test now.. it's supposed to take me 20 minutes (as stated on the site).
*takes the test*
Want to know the results~?
Well, it's a looooooooooong text! Here they are:
Part 1: Spot the difference – visual recognition memory
This was a quick test of your visual recognition memory. You had to look at photos, store them in your visual memory and decide if they had changed when you saw them a few seconds later.
You got 2 out of 3 photos correct.
When looking at scenes in pictures or in real life, we often take in only enough information to allow us to recognise what is important at the time. For example, to recognise a pub or a car, we do not need to pay attention to every detail. To recognise a scene on a beach we do not have to remember every fine detail about the people, the chairs or the ice cream seller.
We only remember those details that we actually need unless we have some reason to focus on something very specific about the picture.
Our visual recognition memory has limited storage space. If we were to remember all of the details in every scene we encountered, we would soon run out of space. Our memory deals with this by storing only minimal details, but this makes it more difficult to spot subtle changes.
"In a scientific study, burglars were better at seeing detail like open windows, alarms and cars in the drive"
Professor Robert Logie, University of Edinburgh
Burglars are better
A group of former burglars were shown house photos. They were found to be statistically better at spotting changes in the appearance of a house that were related to burglary (eg a burglar alarm or 'beware of the dog' sign) than non-burglars. The theory is that their 'profession' requires attention to small burglary-related details about houses, and therefore they have a motivation to focus on and remember those details.
Estate agents and house buyers would be more likely to remember details such as the colour of the door, how many rooms there are, and the appearance of the garden. Again, what they remember is linked to what they focus on and this is affected by their specific interests.
If you’re not a burglar or an estate agent, visual recognition memory still comes in very handy. For example, you can use your visual memory to remember where you just left your car keys, where you parked your car, or to remember the way out of an unfamiliar building.
A rigorous test of visual recognition memory would have included more photos. This was just a taste of this type of activity.
Part 2: Memory binding – colours and animals
We asked you to remember three things about a series of objects – colour, shape and screen position. This was a test of a theory called 'memory binding'.
Memory binding relates to your ability to tie things together in your working memory and update them when they change. You need this skill for everyday activities like driving a car.
You saw one of four versions of the questions. Some people were randomly selected to see questions that were slightly more difficult to answer. On a scale of 1–4 (where 4 is the hardest), your test was predicted to be 4. The scientist who developed the test needed to give people different versions of the questions to find out which factors make memory binding more difficult. He'll only know which one is hardest when he has analysed the survey results.
Even if you got an easier version of the test, it was still difficult so don't be surprised if you didn't score very highly.
You were able to remember the details of 2 animals. The test ended if you got two wrong in a row at the same level of difficulty.
Part 3: Numbers – digit span
You had to remember series of numbers that got longer as the test progressed. We literally filled your working memory with numbers until it couldn’t hold any more, in order to test your digit span.
Our ability to remember sequences of numbers (digit span) and letters over short periods of time is collectively known as 'verbal working memory capacity'. This type of memory helps us to remember a telephone number long enough to dial it. It also seems to be important for remembering a new word that we have never heard before, for example, in a foreign language.
Language matters
Interestingly, the language you speak can affect the results of the digit span test. When researchers gave the same test to children in Wales and England, they were puzzled when the Welsh children had lower scores. They eventually discovered that it takes longer to say numbers aloud in Welsh than it does in English. And the length of time it takes to say a number affects digit span performance. Once this difference was accounted for, the Welsh and English scores matched.
You remembered 7 numbers. The test goes up to digit series that have nine numbers, but it ends if you get two wrong in a row at the same level of difficulty.
If you had a low score, it is important to know that several things can affect number memory, including stress, tiredness, whether you are paying attention, how quickly you speak, and which language you speak. Some people might be better at remembering visual patterns (like the grid square test) than they are at remembering numbers.
You can improve your performance slightly by saying the numbers more quickly and repeating them aloud. But we wouldn’t recommend doing that if you’re trying to remember your bank PIN in public! It can also help if you say the numbers over to yourself inside your head without saying them aloud.
Yet another way of improving your memory for numbers is to ‘chunk’ them. So instead of remembering 849537, try 849 537.
Part 4: Patterns – grid squares – visual working memory capacity
The grid patterns tested the storage capacity of your visual working memory. You had to reproduce patterns that got progressively bigger and more difficult to remember. If you got two wrong in a row at the same level of difficulty, the test stopped.
Our visual working memory capacity is the point at which our working memory reaches its limit to hold any more visual information.
Lots of everyday activities require a good visual working memory. Artists, designers and architects would particularly benefit if they had a good visual memory capacity.
The largest pattern you were able to remember had 20 squares. The test goes up to grid patterns with 25 squares.
Most people will be able to remember 9–16 squares. [edit: =D I did better than average! Woohoo! =P]
Even though the grid patterns look a bit like a chess board, chess experts do not have an advantage. The reason for this is that a chess player remembers patterns that have meaning in the world of chess. Likewise, if one of the patterns looked a bit like an animal you’d have less trouble remembering it. Because the patterns we showed you are randomly generated, it’s much harder to remember them.
The grid square test measures the limit at which your memory can't hold any more information – your visual working memory capacity
Has evolution limited our memories?
Some scientists think there is an evolutionary explanation for our limited working memories. Can you imagine if you could remember all the visual information you saw in a day? You’d probably end up with a headache! The evolutionary advantage of a limited working memory is that it allows us to focus on the task at hand and not be distracted by pointless detail.
Part 5: Everyday objects – coin and stamp
You did remember which way the Queen's head faces on a pound coin.
You did remember which way she faces on a 1st class stamp.
[edit: I have never even held a pound coin or 1st class stamp in my own hands.. this was a lucky guess... and I guess I got lucky! XD]
Don't be surprised if you didn't remember which way the Queen's head faces on a pound coin or a 1st class stamp. Many people get this wrong. Similar tests have been repeated many times around the world, using different coins, and the result is always the same.
Just because we see an object frequently it doesn't necessarily mean that we'll remember it accurately. Normally we only have to remember enough information to be able to identify a pound coin among a handful of change, and which way the Queen faces is not needed for this. We’re better at remembering things that are important to us. So, people who collect coins or stamps are more likely to do well on this task.
Part 6: Spot the difference – delayed recall
It's extremely difficult to remember every detail in a scene because our brains have evolved to cut out unnecessary information
We showed you a photo of some cars going over a bridge, and we asked you to spot changes in the same photo later in the test. This question tested visual delayed recall.
You didn't spot the change.
To test delayed recall thoroughly, we'd really have to ask you a lot more than one question. We just wanted to give people the chance to exercise this aspect of their memory.
We are remarkably bad at remembering details from scenes like this. It is difficult to remember details that seem unimportant at the time. For example, if we told you that a car was going to be removed from a photo, you’d have less trouble spotting the change. But you had to try and remember everything, which is much harder.
While our ability to remember subtle changes in a scene isn't particularly good, our ability to remember entire scenes is actually rather good as long as each scene is very different. Researchers have reported that people who were shown up to 10,000 different pictures could recognise 90% of them when they were mixed with pictures they had not seen before.
Part 7: Sentences – working memory span
You answered true or false about a series of sentences and tried to remember the final word order. This is a test of what psychologists call 'working memory for processing plus storage'. This means that you had to think logically about a series of sentences (true or false) and then remember the order of the final words in the sentences. You had to think and remember at the same time.
The test also measured how quickly you clicked true and false. The scientists want to know whether the speed that people can respond (the processing time) is related to their memory capacity. They are also interested in whether your answers to the questions (in part ten) on exercise and mental activities (eg crosswords) are related to how quickly people can decide true or false and their working memory capacity.
To remember the final words, most people work back through the true and false questions they answered. It becomes more difficult to answer as the number of sentences increases. The largest number of sentences you were able answer correctly gives your limit or 'span' for this type of memory.
You were able to remember the final words of 2 sentences at once, in the correct order. If you got two wrong in a row, the test stopped. The test goes up to 6 sentences.
Part 8: Man and ball – spatial manipulation in working memory
Holding the image of the man in your mind, rotating it and understanding it tested your spatial memory.
You had to form and rotate a mental image of the man and say which of his hands held the blue ball.
You managed to answer 10 question correctly out of 11 in 30 seconds.
This type of memory is useful in many sports, when packing a car with boxes, imagining what your room would look like with the furniture rearranged, or planning a route using a map. Previous studies using tests similar to this one have found that men are statistically better at this type of activity than women.
Women tend to do better with tests of verbal memory. For example, if we asked you to think of words associated with the word 'canary' (yellow, feathers, bird etc), it is predicted that women would score slightly higher, on average.
Scientists are still debating the reasons for these differences.
Part 9: Remembering to do things
The 16-question survey you answered tested different aspects of your memory.
Memory for the past (retrospective) versus memory for the future (prospective)
Your answers suggest that your ability to remember events from the past is better than your ability to remember to do things that you had planned to do. You might find it helpful to keep a calendar to remind you of future meetings and appointments.
You have seen one of four different versions to remind you to click the smiley face. The scientists are going to study how types of instruction affect our memory to do things.
Smiley face
As an additional test of your memory for future plans, we asked you to click a smiley face at the end of the test. What we didn't tell you is that there are four versions of this question. For example, some people were told in advance what the smiley looks like, while others weren't. The scientist who designed this test wants to see how the different ways of asking you to click the smiley affect your memory for things that you plan to do in the future. [edit: I didn't click it, although I didn't forget, but I just thought I could go back, because I wanted to see my results first! X'D ... only, I couldn't go back.. =X]
Long-term versus short-term (or working-) memory
The 16-question survey asked what you think about your ability for long-term memory and working memory (sometimes called short-term memory).
Your answers suggest that you're equally good at keeping track of what you are doing moment to moment and remembering things over longer periods of time. For example, you might be a whiz in the kitchen and easily remember to set the rice cooking at the right time, as well as remembering that you'd planned to meet your partner at the train station at 7pm.
Cued versus uncued memory
The survey also assessed whether you need a reminder to do something you've planned.
Your answers suggest you're better at remembering if you can see something to remind you. For example, if you left a plastic carrier bag by the door or next to your car keys then you would be more likely to remember to reuse the bag when you go to the supermarket.
Part 10: Lifestyle questions
Smoking and drinking
Scientists have already shown that smoking damages health and drinking alcohol slows down our response time, even within the legal limit for driving. Drinking enough to make you drunk affects your memory for what you were doing when drunk and can also affect your memory the morning after. So, if you're living this kind of life and want to improve your memory, you should consider cutting down.
Drinking to excess on a regular basis can lead to long-term brain damage and serious, permanent memory problems, but we do not yet know whether smoking or less excessive drinking affects memory.
The scientists who designed this test are interested in whether your smoking and drinking habits are related to how well you did on the various memory tests and they'll be looking at whether even moderate drinking and smoking affects memory.
[edit: I'm neither a drinker or smoker, so they have one for the 'clean' list! XD]
'Use it or lose it'
It's already well known that physical exercise can improve health and there is some evidence that doing mental activity such as crosswords can keep your brain active. The scientists will look at all the results from 'Explore your memory' to determine whether memory improves if we do physical exercise and just how much benefit people gain from regular mental activity.
Even before the results of the test have been analysed, enough is known already to recommend that you should adopt a 'use it or lose it' approach and make sure that you spend some of your time doing mentally stimulating things.
-END OF RESULTS-
^^ Araso~ I will do brain training! XD
I already do though.. Sudoku is considered brain activity.. but I also write stories (think out plots and twists) which should be called 'brain sports' too, right? =P
So, that was my EHMB - The memory!
Anyway, me and my brain are quite tired now, plus we want to write a story... XD
Byebye for now~!
Annyoung~! ♥
Here's the test, for anyone who's interested: CLICK HERE!
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
So what am I gonna do now???
^(^-^)^
Most people probably think of these things:
~ music
~ Hyves / Facebook / any other social network
~ porn (if they are horny beasts X'D.. FYI: THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE ME! ^^)
~ online games
.. but I'm not one of the 'most people'.. because I think of these:
~ blogs
~ fanfiction site
~ Deviantart (graphics site)
~ Okay... FarmVille on Facebook.. =$ I admit guilty!
Now my mind has thought up something to do in my boredom! XD
It's not an average thing and I don't know how I got to think of that, but this is what I did..
I opened Google and typed in: 'psychology test'
Then I clicked on the first link which brought me to the site of the BBC! XD
There's a whole list of psychological tests!
I'm immediately reminded of EHB (Exploration of the Human Body)! XD Seems like I'll be doing EMHB (Exploration of My Human Body) soon! ^^ Thehe..
I want to do the following test: Explore your memory..
I am quite tired, so I wonder how I will do! XP
Anyway.. I'm going to take the test now.. it's supposed to take me 20 minutes (as stated on the site).
*takes the test*
Want to know the results~?
Well, it's a looooooooooong text! Here they are:
Part 1: Spot the difference – visual recognition memory
This was a quick test of your visual recognition memory. You had to look at photos, store them in your visual memory and decide if they had changed when you saw them a few seconds later.
You got 2 out of 3 photos correct.
When looking at scenes in pictures or in real life, we often take in only enough information to allow us to recognise what is important at the time. For example, to recognise a pub or a car, we do not need to pay attention to every detail. To recognise a scene on a beach we do not have to remember every fine detail about the people, the chairs or the ice cream seller.
We only remember those details that we actually need unless we have some reason to focus on something very specific about the picture.
Our visual recognition memory has limited storage space. If we were to remember all of the details in every scene we encountered, we would soon run out of space. Our memory deals with this by storing only minimal details, but this makes it more difficult to spot subtle changes.
"In a scientific study, burglars were better at seeing detail like open windows, alarms and cars in the drive"
Professor Robert Logie, University of Edinburgh
Burglars are better
A group of former burglars were shown house photos. They were found to be statistically better at spotting changes in the appearance of a house that were related to burglary (eg a burglar alarm or 'beware of the dog' sign) than non-burglars. The theory is that their 'profession' requires attention to small burglary-related details about houses, and therefore they have a motivation to focus on and remember those details.
Estate agents and house buyers would be more likely to remember details such as the colour of the door, how many rooms there are, and the appearance of the garden. Again, what they remember is linked to what they focus on and this is affected by their specific interests.
If you’re not a burglar or an estate agent, visual recognition memory still comes in very handy. For example, you can use your visual memory to remember where you just left your car keys, where you parked your car, or to remember the way out of an unfamiliar building.
A rigorous test of visual recognition memory would have included more photos. This was just a taste of this type of activity.
Part 2: Memory binding – colours and animals
We asked you to remember three things about a series of objects – colour, shape and screen position. This was a test of a theory called 'memory binding'.
Memory binding relates to your ability to tie things together in your working memory and update them when they change. You need this skill for everyday activities like driving a car.
You saw one of four versions of the questions. Some people were randomly selected to see questions that were slightly more difficult to answer. On a scale of 1–4 (where 4 is the hardest), your test was predicted to be 4. The scientist who developed the test needed to give people different versions of the questions to find out which factors make memory binding more difficult. He'll only know which one is hardest when he has analysed the survey results.
Even if you got an easier version of the test, it was still difficult so don't be surprised if you didn't score very highly.
You were able to remember the details of 2 animals. The test ended if you got two wrong in a row at the same level of difficulty.
Part 3: Numbers – digit span
You had to remember series of numbers that got longer as the test progressed. We literally filled your working memory with numbers until it couldn’t hold any more, in order to test your digit span.
Our ability to remember sequences of numbers (digit span) and letters over short periods of time is collectively known as 'verbal working memory capacity'. This type of memory helps us to remember a telephone number long enough to dial it. It also seems to be important for remembering a new word that we have never heard before, for example, in a foreign language.
Language matters
Interestingly, the language you speak can affect the results of the digit span test. When researchers gave the same test to children in Wales and England, they were puzzled when the Welsh children had lower scores. They eventually discovered that it takes longer to say numbers aloud in Welsh than it does in English. And the length of time it takes to say a number affects digit span performance. Once this difference was accounted for, the Welsh and English scores matched.
You remembered 7 numbers. The test goes up to digit series that have nine numbers, but it ends if you get two wrong in a row at the same level of difficulty.
If you had a low score, it is important to know that several things can affect number memory, including stress, tiredness, whether you are paying attention, how quickly you speak, and which language you speak. Some people might be better at remembering visual patterns (like the grid square test) than they are at remembering numbers.
You can improve your performance slightly by saying the numbers more quickly and repeating them aloud. But we wouldn’t recommend doing that if you’re trying to remember your bank PIN in public! It can also help if you say the numbers over to yourself inside your head without saying them aloud.
Yet another way of improving your memory for numbers is to ‘chunk’ them. So instead of remembering 849537, try 849 537.
Part 4: Patterns – grid squares – visual working memory capacity
The grid patterns tested the storage capacity of your visual working memory. You had to reproduce patterns that got progressively bigger and more difficult to remember. If you got two wrong in a row at the same level of difficulty, the test stopped.
Our visual working memory capacity is the point at which our working memory reaches its limit to hold any more visual information.
Lots of everyday activities require a good visual working memory. Artists, designers and architects would particularly benefit if they had a good visual memory capacity.
The largest pattern you were able to remember had 20 squares. The test goes up to grid patterns with 25 squares.
Most people will be able to remember 9–16 squares. [edit: =D I did better than average! Woohoo! =P]
Even though the grid patterns look a bit like a chess board, chess experts do not have an advantage. The reason for this is that a chess player remembers patterns that have meaning in the world of chess. Likewise, if one of the patterns looked a bit like an animal you’d have less trouble remembering it. Because the patterns we showed you are randomly generated, it’s much harder to remember them.
The grid square test measures the limit at which your memory can't hold any more information – your visual working memory capacity
Has evolution limited our memories?
Some scientists think there is an evolutionary explanation for our limited working memories. Can you imagine if you could remember all the visual information you saw in a day? You’d probably end up with a headache! The evolutionary advantage of a limited working memory is that it allows us to focus on the task at hand and not be distracted by pointless detail.
Part 5: Everyday objects – coin and stamp
You did remember which way the Queen's head faces on a pound coin.
You did remember which way she faces on a 1st class stamp.
[edit: I have never even held a pound coin or 1st class stamp in my own hands.. this was a lucky guess... and I guess I got lucky! XD]
Don't be surprised if you didn't remember which way the Queen's head faces on a pound coin or a 1st class stamp. Many people get this wrong. Similar tests have been repeated many times around the world, using different coins, and the result is always the same.
Just because we see an object frequently it doesn't necessarily mean that we'll remember it accurately. Normally we only have to remember enough information to be able to identify a pound coin among a handful of change, and which way the Queen faces is not needed for this. We’re better at remembering things that are important to us. So, people who collect coins or stamps are more likely to do well on this task.
Part 6: Spot the difference – delayed recall
It's extremely difficult to remember every detail in a scene because our brains have evolved to cut out unnecessary information
We showed you a photo of some cars going over a bridge, and we asked you to spot changes in the same photo later in the test. This question tested visual delayed recall.
You didn't spot the change.
To test delayed recall thoroughly, we'd really have to ask you a lot more than one question. We just wanted to give people the chance to exercise this aspect of their memory.
We are remarkably bad at remembering details from scenes like this. It is difficult to remember details that seem unimportant at the time. For example, if we told you that a car was going to be removed from a photo, you’d have less trouble spotting the change. But you had to try and remember everything, which is much harder.
While our ability to remember subtle changes in a scene isn't particularly good, our ability to remember entire scenes is actually rather good as long as each scene is very different. Researchers have reported that people who were shown up to 10,000 different pictures could recognise 90% of them when they were mixed with pictures they had not seen before.
Part 7: Sentences – working memory span
You answered true or false about a series of sentences and tried to remember the final word order. This is a test of what psychologists call 'working memory for processing plus storage'. This means that you had to think logically about a series of sentences (true or false) and then remember the order of the final words in the sentences. You had to think and remember at the same time.
The test also measured how quickly you clicked true and false. The scientists want to know whether the speed that people can respond (the processing time) is related to their memory capacity. They are also interested in whether your answers to the questions (in part ten) on exercise and mental activities (eg crosswords) are related to how quickly people can decide true or false and their working memory capacity.
To remember the final words, most people work back through the true and false questions they answered. It becomes more difficult to answer as the number of sentences increases. The largest number of sentences you were able answer correctly gives your limit or 'span' for this type of memory.
You were able to remember the final words of 2 sentences at once, in the correct order. If you got two wrong in a row, the test stopped. The test goes up to 6 sentences.
Part 8: Man and ball – spatial manipulation in working memory
Holding the image of the man in your mind, rotating it and understanding it tested your spatial memory.
You had to form and rotate a mental image of the man and say which of his hands held the blue ball.
You managed to answer 10 question correctly out of 11 in 30 seconds.
This type of memory is useful in many sports, when packing a car with boxes, imagining what your room would look like with the furniture rearranged, or planning a route using a map. Previous studies using tests similar to this one have found that men are statistically better at this type of activity than women.
Women tend to do better with tests of verbal memory. For example, if we asked you to think of words associated with the word 'canary' (yellow, feathers, bird etc), it is predicted that women would score slightly higher, on average.
Scientists are still debating the reasons for these differences.
Part 9: Remembering to do things
The 16-question survey you answered tested different aspects of your memory.
Memory for the past (retrospective) versus memory for the future (prospective)
Your answers suggest that your ability to remember events from the past is better than your ability to remember to do things that you had planned to do. You might find it helpful to keep a calendar to remind you of future meetings and appointments.
You have seen one of four different versions to remind you to click the smiley face. The scientists are going to study how types of instruction affect our memory to do things.
Smiley face
As an additional test of your memory for future plans, we asked you to click a smiley face at the end of the test. What we didn't tell you is that there are four versions of this question. For example, some people were told in advance what the smiley looks like, while others weren't. The scientist who designed this test wants to see how the different ways of asking you to click the smiley affect your memory for things that you plan to do in the future. [edit: I didn't click it, although I didn't forget, but I just thought I could go back, because I wanted to see my results first! X'D ... only, I couldn't go back.. =X]
Long-term versus short-term (or working-) memory
The 16-question survey asked what you think about your ability for long-term memory and working memory (sometimes called short-term memory).
Your answers suggest that you're equally good at keeping track of what you are doing moment to moment and remembering things over longer periods of time. For example, you might be a whiz in the kitchen and easily remember to set the rice cooking at the right time, as well as remembering that you'd planned to meet your partner at the train station at 7pm.
Cued versus uncued memory
The survey also assessed whether you need a reminder to do something you've planned.
Your answers suggest you're better at remembering if you can see something to remind you. For example, if you left a plastic carrier bag by the door or next to your car keys then you would be more likely to remember to reuse the bag when you go to the supermarket.
Part 10: Lifestyle questions
Smoking and drinking
Scientists have already shown that smoking damages health and drinking alcohol slows down our response time, even within the legal limit for driving. Drinking enough to make you drunk affects your memory for what you were doing when drunk and can also affect your memory the morning after. So, if you're living this kind of life and want to improve your memory, you should consider cutting down.
Drinking to excess on a regular basis can lead to long-term brain damage and serious, permanent memory problems, but we do not yet know whether smoking or less excessive drinking affects memory.
The scientists who designed this test are interested in whether your smoking and drinking habits are related to how well you did on the various memory tests and they'll be looking at whether even moderate drinking and smoking affects memory.
[edit: I'm neither a drinker or smoker, so they have one for the 'clean' list! XD]
'Use it or lose it'
It's already well known that physical exercise can improve health and there is some evidence that doing mental activity such as crosswords can keep your brain active. The scientists will look at all the results from 'Explore your memory' to determine whether memory improves if we do physical exercise and just how much benefit people gain from regular mental activity.
Even before the results of the test have been analysed, enough is known already to recommend that you should adopt a 'use it or lose it' approach and make sure that you spend some of your time doing mentally stimulating things.
-END OF RESULTS-
^^ Araso~ I will do brain training! XD
I already do though.. Sudoku is considered brain activity.. but I also write stories (think out plots and twists) which should be called 'brain sports' too, right? =P
So, that was my EHMB - The memory!
Anyway, me and my brain are quite tired now, plus we want to write a story... XD
Byebye for now~!
Annyoung~! ♥
Here's the test, for anyone who's interested: CLICK HERE!
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Friday, June 18, 2010
Who was your last..?
"Who was your last?"
I found this list of questions on Shinta Rahman's blog called "YooChunnie's Angel".
I like the questions so I decided to fill out this form! ^^ Enjoy reading!
LAST PERSON.
1. Had a beer with?
- I never had a beer.. well.. the person I last took a sip of a beer with was Marlies.. but I haven't seen her in years~
2 . Went to the movies with?
- My group of friends (Dieuwke, Natascha, Lisa, Daphne and Daan), we went to Alice in Wonderland! ^^
3. Went to the mall with?
- My sister Irene
4 . Talked on the phone with?
- My grandma! =)
5. Made you laugh?
- My dad
6. You hugged?
- XP I forgot!
7 . You yelled at?
- Probably my sister? :$ I hardly ever yell at someone..
Would you rather:
1. Pierce your nose or tongue? and why?
- I'd rather not pierce one of them at all! ^^" but if I have to, I'd pierce my nose, although I don't think it will look good... Piercing your tongue seems to be very painful
2. Be serious or be funny?
- Funny, although a balance between funny and serious is the best! ^^
3. Drink whole or skim milk?
- Whole! ^^ What do I got to worry? besides, whole tastes better! =D
4. Die in a fire or get shot?
- Get shot! Better make that a head shot! XP The fastest and least painful way out of the two "choices"
ANSWER TRUTHFULLY...
1. Sun or moon?
- Sun! =D I love the day, I love the light... ^^ The sun brings out "DAY"-"LIGHT" XD
2. Winter or Fall
- Fall, it's less cold than Winter and still has a chance of bringing forth sunny days! =) Then there are those great sights of Autumn weather! ^^
3. Left or right?
- Right, but I can do everything (except writing) with my left hand too! =)
4. Sunny or rainy?
- SUNNY~!! ALL THE WAY!
5. Peach or Pear?
- Peach ^^
6. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it?
- Twirl it around chopsticks! ^^
7. Do You Cook?
- Ehmmm... *scratches back of head* I can make pancakes.. ^^" =) But I'm going to try a Korean recipe soon! =D
8. Current mood?
- Sleepy, but waiting for my crops to have grown.. in FarmVille.. X'D I've slowly become an addict of that game.. --" So much for growing up.. ^^"
IN THE LAST WEEK HAVE YOU...
1. Kissed someone?
- Nope ^^ Unless a kiss on the cheek of a relative counts? =P
2. Sang?
- Yep! I always do~! I'm in both choirs of our church and I also sing popsongs at home =P The last song I sang was Corinne Bailey Ray's "Put your records on"
3. Been hugged?
- Not that I can remember.. +_+
4. Danced Crazy?
- Guilty! I danced to 2PM's "Heartbeat", I tried to copy part of their dance and then just messed up.. XD
5. Cried?
- Nope.. only tears from eye-irritation.. Darn grass-allergy!
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
I found this list of questions on Shinta Rahman's blog called "YooChunnie's Angel".
I like the questions so I decided to fill out this form! ^^ Enjoy reading!
LAST PERSON.
1. Had a beer with?
- I never had a beer.. well.. the person I last took a sip of a beer with was Marlies.. but I haven't seen her in years~
2 . Went to the movies with?
- My group of friends (Dieuwke, Natascha, Lisa, Daphne and Daan), we went to Alice in Wonderland! ^^
3. Went to the mall with?
- My sister Irene
4 . Talked on the phone with?
- My grandma! =)
5. Made you laugh?
- My dad
6. You hugged?
- XP I forgot!
7 . You yelled at?
- Probably my sister? :$ I hardly ever yell at someone..
Would you rather:
1. Pierce your nose or tongue? and why?
- I'd rather not pierce one of them at all! ^^" but if I have to, I'd pierce my nose, although I don't think it will look good... Piercing your tongue seems to be very painful
2. Be serious or be funny?
- Funny, although a balance between funny and serious is the best! ^^
3. Drink whole or skim milk?
- Whole! ^^ What do I got to worry? besides, whole tastes better! =D
4. Die in a fire or get shot?
- Get shot! Better make that a head shot! XP The fastest and least painful way out of the two "choices"
ANSWER TRUTHFULLY...
1. Sun or moon?
- Sun! =D I love the day, I love the light... ^^ The sun brings out "DAY"-"LIGHT" XD
2. Winter or Fall
- Fall, it's less cold than Winter and still has a chance of bringing forth sunny days! =) Then there are those great sights of Autumn weather! ^^
3. Left or right?
- Right, but I can do everything (except writing) with my left hand too! =)
4. Sunny or rainy?
- SUNNY~!! ALL THE WAY!
5. Peach or Pear?
- Peach ^^
6. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it?
- Twirl it around chopsticks! ^^
7. Do You Cook?
- Ehmmm... *scratches back of head* I can make pancakes.. ^^" =) But I'm going to try a Korean recipe soon! =D
8. Current mood?
- Sleepy, but waiting for my crops to have grown.. in FarmVille.. X'D I've slowly become an addict of that game.. --" So much for growing up.. ^^"
IN THE LAST WEEK HAVE YOU...
1. Kissed someone?
- Nope ^^ Unless a kiss on the cheek of a relative counts? =P
2. Sang?
- Yep! I always do~! I'm in both choirs of our church and I also sing popsongs at home =P The last song I sang was Corinne Bailey Ray's "Put your records on"
3. Been hugged?
- Not that I can remember.. +_+
4. Danced Crazy?
- Guilty! I danced to 2PM's "Heartbeat", I tried to copy part of their dance and then just messed up.. XD
5. Cried?
- Nope.. only tears from eye-irritation.. Darn grass-allergy!
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
World Cup and personality check
Almost a week ago the World Cup soccer has started again and I'm sure most of you have seen the opening or at least one game..
So far I have seen the following games:
~ Australia - Germany
~ Paraguay - Servia
~ Netherlands - Denmark
~ Argentina - South Korea
I'm not really a soccer fan, but the World Cup is different! ^^" The feeling of the country becoming a little bit more united - and the rest of the world too in some sense - is just really nice =)
The last game I saw was today's Argentina - South Korea game.. Argentina won with 4 against 1.. I hadn't really expected South Korea to win, because South Korea isn't really a soccer country and Argentina is, but I think they did deserve more! ^^
At least the support of South Korea was big! =)
Super Junior and Big Bang even made songs to support their national soccer team!
Although the fans are supportive, I noticed that South Korea is not even really taken seriously in the Netherlands.. =(
I was kind of disappointed to learn that even the commentor of the game (who should know about the game's players) didn't have any knowledge about the Korean players!
The only thing the commentor knew was that Park JiSung was a player for Manchester United and thus a hero in South Korea!
Also, the commentor was obviously on Argentina's side! -_- He was constantly commenting on Argentina's players, their manager/coach, their private lives even! 0_0
It was mostly positive too..
Then there was this habit of the commentor to comment on everything out of Argentina's perspective.. for example:
If Javier Mascherano would take the ball from Park JiSung, the commentor would say: "Mascherano took the ball."
And if it was the other way around, the commentor would say: "Mascherano was taken the ball from."
This might have to do with the names of the Korean soccer players too...
There are several Kim's, Lee's and Park's in the team and their personal names are hard to pronounce for someone who isn't familiar with the Korean language/sounds.
At some point the commentor didn't even bother to hide his personal preference for Argentina's soccer team, he bluntly stated: "Argentina has really shown us they are worthy to play at the highest level.. South Korea is trained well to be able to participate in the World Cup, but they are hardly a threat to Argentina, their play is pretty awful, it looks like nothing.."
I translated it from Dutch to English, but this was pretty much what he has said.
That's when I felt really disappointed..
Sure, South Korea wasn't very strong against Argentina, but they did what they could and even managed to score!
I think they do have potential to become ranked 2nd in their poule, besides they beat Greece with 2-0! ;)although Greece isn't a soccer country either..
Something completely different..
I was just visiting the Xiah-sshi Forums, when I found this:
~ A personality check in which you have to draw a house and answer 10 questions about it.
I made the drawing and answered the questions. My results are:
«Based on your drawing and the 10 answers you gave this is a summary of your personality:
You are sensitive and indecisive at times. You are a freedom lover and a strong person. You love your house and family. You are a gifted artist as well. Once you have a problem, you need a friend with you. Your life is always full of changes. You are very tidy person. There's nothing wrong with that because you're pretty popular among friends. Your life is always full of changes.
When it comes to love, you shut yourself off. It's difficult to win your heart because you have decided to keep your feelings deep inside. You have a strong personality and you like to command, influence and control people.
You added a flower into your drawing. The flower signifies that you long for love. We also see that you are sensuous, sexual, and privately passionate. You don't think much about yourself.»
The above description is actually pretty accurate, the only thing that's off is that I 'like to command' people.. I do feel like influencing (in giving them my point of view, when I feel comfortable around them) and I'd like a bit of control, in order to prevent myself from losing control of the situation..
Another thing is that I don't consider myself sensuous, sexual or passionate.. Privately passionate as in 'not public'? Yes, that's me, but whether I'm passionate, I don't think I am..
Now this girl is going to get her rest! =) ^^ byebye! *waves*
I hope you have sweet dreams! And if you're not about to go to sleep, have a wonderful day! =D
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
So far I have seen the following games:
~ Australia - Germany
~ Paraguay - Servia
~ Netherlands - Denmark
~ Argentina - South Korea
I'm not really a soccer fan, but the World Cup is different! ^^" The feeling of the country becoming a little bit more united - and the rest of the world too in some sense - is just really nice =)
The last game I saw was today's Argentina - South Korea game.. Argentina won with 4 against 1.. I hadn't really expected South Korea to win, because South Korea isn't really a soccer country and Argentina is, but I think they did deserve more! ^^
At least the support of South Korea was big! =)
Super Junior and Big Bang even made songs to support their national soccer team!
Although the fans are supportive, I noticed that South Korea is not even really taken seriously in the Netherlands.. =(
I was kind of disappointed to learn that even the commentor of the game (who should know about the game's players) didn't have any knowledge about the Korean players!
The only thing the commentor knew was that Park JiSung was a player for Manchester United and thus a hero in South Korea!
Also, the commentor was obviously on Argentina's side! -_- He was constantly commenting on Argentina's players, their manager/coach, their private lives even! 0_0
It was mostly positive too..
Then there was this habit of the commentor to comment on everything out of Argentina's perspective.. for example:
If Javier Mascherano would take the ball from Park JiSung, the commentor would say: "Mascherano took the ball."
And if it was the other way around, the commentor would say: "Mascherano was taken the ball from."
This might have to do with the names of the Korean soccer players too...
There are several Kim's, Lee's and Park's in the team and their personal names are hard to pronounce for someone who isn't familiar with the Korean language/sounds.
At some point the commentor didn't even bother to hide his personal preference for Argentina's soccer team, he bluntly stated: "Argentina has really shown us they are worthy to play at the highest level.. South Korea is trained well to be able to participate in the World Cup, but they are hardly a threat to Argentina, their play is pretty awful, it looks like nothing.."
I translated it from Dutch to English, but this was pretty much what he has said.
That's when I felt really disappointed..
Sure, South Korea wasn't very strong against Argentina, but they did what they could and even managed to score!
I think they do have potential to become ranked 2nd in their poule, besides they beat Greece with 2-0! ;)
Something completely different..
I was just visiting the Xiah-sshi Forums, when I found this:
~ A personality check in which you have to draw a house and answer 10 questions about it.
I made the drawing and answered the questions. My results are:
«Based on your drawing and the 10 answers you gave this is a summary of your personality:
You are sensitive and indecisive at times. You are a freedom lover and a strong person. You love your house and family. You are a gifted artist as well. Once you have a problem, you need a friend with you. Your life is always full of changes. You are very tidy person. There's nothing wrong with that because you're pretty popular among friends. Your life is always full of changes.
When it comes to love, you shut yourself off. It's difficult to win your heart because you have decided to keep your feelings deep inside. You have a strong personality and you like to command, influence and control people.
You added a flower into your drawing. The flower signifies that you long for love. We also see that you are sensuous, sexual, and privately passionate. You don't think much about yourself.»
The above description is actually pretty accurate, the only thing that's off is that I 'like to command' people.. I do feel like influencing (in giving them my point of view, when I feel comfortable around them) and I'd like a bit of control, in order to prevent myself from losing control of the situation..
Another thing is that I don't consider myself sensuous, sexual or passionate.. Privately passionate as in 'not public'? Yes, that's me, but whether I'm passionate, I don't think I am..
Now this girl is going to get her rest! =) ^^ byebye! *waves*
I hope you have sweet dreams! And if you're not about to go to sleep, have a wonderful day! =D
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Blog changes..
Hi everyone~!
As you might have noticed, I made quite some changes around here..
Part of the reason is the developments of Blogger, they made it possible to choose from more lay-outs.
^^ So that's when I decided to take a look.. and I have to say: Nice designs! =)
As I said, the Blogger developments were a reason for the change, but the most important reason for a blog change is my personal change..
Lately I feel like growing up and becoming more professional, instead of wasting time and being a child..Does this feeling have to do with turning 20 perhaps?
In the past years I've been through some important fases of my life, and although I still feel like a young and unexperienced girl, I also feel it's time to do something with my life..
You might ask me why this has something to do with my blog lay-out.. XP
Well, that's because I feel like changing the feel of my blog to make it more compatible with how I'm feeling! =)
Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? ^^
Anyway, I won't turn boring! ^^ I promise! =P
Growing up is one thing, but losing your inner child isn't really part of that! XD
At least, in my opinion..
The thing is, I want to do more productive things and be more responsible and disciplined in general..
The things I want to do:
1. Finish translating my English story into a Dutch one and go to a publisher!
2. Rewrite "Verliefd, Verleid, Verloren" so it can be brought out too..
3. Recruit friends to start filming my story.. So I can audition at the Film Academy as editor..
4. Make YouTube skits!
5. Continue playing the piano and learning to play Yiruma's songs.. (I already know 2: "River Flows In You" and "When the Love Falls")
^^ As I said just now, I want to be more disciplined, which means I should go to sleep now...
It's already past midnight, so I'm late,and I still have to take a shower.. =X
Well~ I guess that means byebye for now! =)
I'll be back soon! ^^
Ps: I spend hours on changing most of the previous entries to fit the new lay-out! 0_0 but I'm content on the outcome! ^^
Ciao~ ♥
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
As you might have noticed, I made quite some changes around here..
Part of the reason is the developments of Blogger, they made it possible to choose from more lay-outs.
^^ So that's when I decided to take a look.. and I have to say: Nice designs! =)
As I said, the Blogger developments were a reason for the change, but the most important reason for a blog change is my personal change..
Lately I feel like growing up and becoming more professional, instead of wasting time and being a child..
In the past years I've been through some important fases of my life, and although I still feel like a young and unexperienced girl, I also feel it's time to do something with my life..
You might ask me why this has something to do with my blog lay-out.. XP
Well, that's because I feel like changing the feel of my blog to make it more compatible with how I'm feeling! =)
Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? ^^
Anyway, I won't turn boring! ^^ I promise! =P
Growing up is one thing, but losing your inner child isn't really part of that! XD
The thing is, I want to do more productive things and be more responsible and disciplined in general..
The things I want to do:
1. Finish translating my English story into a Dutch one and go to a publisher!
2. Rewrite "Verliefd, Verleid, Verloren" so it can be brought out too..
3. Recruit friends to start filming my story.. So I can audition at the Film Academy as editor..
4. Make YouTube skits!
5. Continue playing the piano and learning to play Yiruma's songs.. (I already know 2: "River Flows In You" and "When the Love Falls")
^^ As I said just now, I want to be more disciplined, which means I should go to sleep now...
It's already past midnight, so I'm late,
Well~ I guess that means byebye for now! =)
I'll be back soon! ^^
Ps: I spend hours on changing most of the previous entries to fit the new lay-out! 0_0 but I'm content on the outcome! ^^
Ciao~ ♥
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
Friday, June 4, 2010
An update on my life! =P
Hi everyone~!
If I pass for my tests, I'm done with this school year!! =D
So that's why I found some time to update on my blog! ^^
First of all:
THANK YOU, KAMSAHAMNIDA, ARIGATOU, TERIMA KASIH, MERCI & DANKESCHÖN!
I just noticed my blog has been viewed over 5,000 times! =D
*bows* I hope my content is worth that many views, again thank you!
Currently I'm not doing so well..
Yesterday, I mean the 2nd of June, was my birthday, but I didn't feel that happy..
It all started with a lack of sleep on the night before, caused by terrible itching!
To be honest I haven't slept well in weeks!
To add on that, my skin looks more like elephant's skin, my eyes have huge bags and I constantly have to sneeze due to my grass allergy!A year ago I didn't even know that existed!!
What's more, I had a test on my birthday! It was a Media & Society test and I had to guess almost 50% of the questions... Luckily the test consisted only of multiple choice questions, so there might still be a chance I passed it..
To top all of that, I was out all day and only returned home at 23:00h, because after my test I had a course in writing short stories and it got late because it was the last lesson.
I don't really know why, but I felt slightly depressed..probably because of my itchy and damaged skin..
Apparently I even looked sad, since someone actually stopped in their tracks, turned to me and tried to make me smile..
Even now, I feel that same light depression within me..
Physically I'm not really feeling well, due to eczema and allergy. For that same reason, I postponed making another video..
Mentally I feel like sleeping and crying for no reason, I'm not really eager to do my hobbies anymore, but I do want to feel better and sometimes that's enough for me to shrug it off (temporarily) and be happy. My biggest issue is my sleep.. I really want to sleep, but I don't want to go to sleep, because I know I'll be tossing and turning until at least 3:00 AM, only to wake up again at 6:00 AM..
Sorry for my depressing post..
Suddenly I felt I had to write about this, 'cause it's the most accurate state of mind of mine right now..
^^ There were some nice things on my birthday too, though!
~ My sister gave me a DVD called "The Joy Luck Club", which is a story of 4 Chinese families of 2 generations. The story takes place in China in the beginning of the 20th Century, all the way to San Francisco around this time.
~ On my birthday I had the most wonderful weather! The sun was shining and for the first time in a while, the temperature was above 20 degrees Celsius.
~ Lots of people send me texts, mail or commented on my account on Hyves or Facebook to congratulate me with my birthday. If you're one of them and you read this: THANK YOU, I WISH YOU HAD A NICE DAY AS WELL!
Even though I'm not as happy as the usual me really is.. I'll try to smile, even when I'm alone.. and you won't notice anything different..
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
If I pass for my tests, I'm done with this school year!! =D
So that's why I found some time to update on my blog! ^^
First of all:
THANK YOU, KAMSAHAMNIDA, ARIGATOU, TERIMA KASIH, MERCI & DANKESCHÖN!
I just noticed my blog has been viewed over 5,000 times! =D
*bows* I hope my content is worth that many views, again thank you!
Currently I'm not doing so well..
Yesterday, I mean the 2nd of June, was my birthday, but I didn't feel that happy..
It all started with a lack of sleep on the night before, caused by terrible itching!
To be honest I haven't slept well in weeks!
To add on that, my skin looks more like elephant's skin, my eyes have huge bags and I constantly have to sneeze due to my grass allergy!
What's more, I had a test on my birthday! It was a Media & Society test and I had to guess almost 50% of the questions... Luckily the test consisted only of multiple choice questions, so there might still be a chance I passed it..
To top all of that, I was out all day and only returned home at 23:00h, because after my test I had a course in writing short stories and it got late because it was the last lesson.
I don't really know why, but I felt slightly depressed..
Apparently I even looked sad, since someone actually stopped in their tracks, turned to me and tried to make me smile..
Even now, I feel that same light depression within me..
Physically I'm not really feeling well, due to eczema and allergy. For that same reason, I postponed making another video..
Mentally I feel like sleeping and crying for no reason, I'm not really eager to do my hobbies anymore, but I do want to feel better and sometimes that's enough for me to shrug it off (temporarily) and be happy. My biggest issue is my sleep.. I really want to sleep, but I don't want to go to sleep, because I know I'll be tossing and turning until at least 3:00 AM, only to wake up again at 6:00 AM..
Sorry for my depressing post..
Suddenly I felt I had to write about this, 'cause it's the most accurate state of mind of mine right now..
^^ There were some nice things on my birthday too, though!
~ My sister gave me a DVD called "The Joy Luck Club", which is a story of 4 Chinese families of 2 generations. The story takes place in China in the beginning of the 20th Century, all the way to San Francisco around this time.
~ On my birthday I had the most wonderful weather! The sun was shining and for the first time in a while, the temperature was above 20 degrees Celsius.
~ Lots of people send me texts, mail or commented on my account on Hyves or Facebook to congratulate me with my birthday. If you're one of them and you read this: THANK YOU, I WISH YOU HAD A NICE DAY AS WELL!
~~~~~X~~~x~~~X~~~~~
*~Maria
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