Fashion assumptions

Had no work today......so decided to go into town and soak up the athmosphere early afternoon.....while the crowds were still keeping at bay. Anyhooo.....I decided to dress up a bit.....have a bit of fun and have to admit (my head and ego are expanding as we speak)...I did look yummy enough to eat.

I was at one of the stalls in the Christmas Market.....and before I even opened my mouth....the man spoke to me in English.....which is weird because most often the opposite happens...they first speak to me in German. Was it something about the way I was dressed/different style to the normal Swiss? Also.....he made some comments, which at once became clear that he thought I was an office executive....which I most definitely am not. All down to what I was wearing.

It kind of goes to show the assumptions (positive, negative, neutral) we can all make, myself included, albeit subconsciously about a person, stemming from what they are wearing. The power of the cloth! The power of how you look to others....and to yourself.....even down to the way you compose yourself differently between wearing baggy jeans or a sharp suit.....

Here's to style......

Music

The power of music. Of course not everyone is a lover of music, but my life would be black and white without it. I find it so incredibly powerful.....it can influence and/or enhance one's mood....remind me of times past, of people, situations, sensations. Music can be a teacher, soothe your emotions, enjoyed alone or with others, relieve stress, help you forget and remember or just give you those moments in which to loose yourself in. It is an art form of immense power and creativity which enhances other art forms such as dance, theatre, voice... a power that can come from objects of metal, wood, plastic..... bring people together from all around the world and unite them under a single musical language....

There was a time I used to play four instruments which reminds me of the even more tingling feeling one gets when the music you are listening too is being created at that very moment by you. Maybe I should look into taking up an instrument again in the near future.....and the cost of soundproofing :-).

Like d'uh!!! :-)

Did you ever have a solution just staring at you......but your brain is stubbornly not seeing the light? Yesterday I got home after meeting a friend for some glühweins...to find a puddle of water on my floor....and also all over my table. Unfortunately my roof is leaking again. In any case....no matter.....it will get sorted.

So...drip, drip facking drip!!! Out come the pots and tea towels. Afterward's, I was sitting down to my cup of tea....hearing the clang of the drip as it hit the saucepan base....and as thankfully, the water was not flooding in this time, the splatter from the drip was raining outwards, wetting all around the saucepan. I just thought.....it will be ages before the water is high enough in the pot so that the water splatter is not so great.  Then I thought.....duuuufus...as my American pal would say.......just pour some water into the saucepan, no waiting necessary!!! I'm a genius! :-)

Tangible, palpable..nerves

Last week I had an interview.....all in German....and boy was my performance CRAP...C........R......A......P!! It was the end of the day.....I was tired...not the best conditions already for speaking a language that is not your own.....but more importantly for some reason and out of nowhere.....a wave of nerves came over me before I knew what hit me. It was like a tidal wave......once it struck....and where one was unprepared for its force.....then there is no stopping its effects and all you can do is aim for damage limitation.

So today......I had two interviews (for the same job) back to back.....all in German. Needless to say I was not looking forward to it. However.....something different happened. No......I did not have an out of body experience resulting in absolute fluent flawless German coming from my tongue....I wish :-). What was different......from the depths of my stomach I felt the "nerve wave" gathering strength. This time.....I just said to myself (talk to myself frequently....healthy attitude :-)), STOP! Literally I said to the nerves....NOT this time! It was an odd feeling as the awareness of the nerves was palpable......like they had a life of their own, a force within a force.....like a tidal wave. This does not mean I did not feel any nerves whatsoever. On the other hand, my being aware of them....reduced their power....their force.....I was prepared for them.

I got through both interviews....and I did not understand everything nor did I not make any mistake.....but I survived, did my best and that felt good. Goes to show how self awareness can be so vital so as to prevent a negative force wreaking its havoc. Here's to awareness.

Facebook Stalkers

Back in contact with an old work colleague this morning, and we had a quick catchup about what has been going on in each other's lives the past while.

We are connected over Facebook....but he rarely puts an update on his page....and nor does he answer much when you send him a message over Facebook. So....an understandable conclusion......he must not use his Facebook account much....WRONG!!! :-). This friend of mine falls into the now ever expanding category of "Facebook Stalkers," i.e. people who regularly view their friends profiles, without making comments on their friends or their own pages. Maaad. It would seem that these Facebook types are more nosey than I am! :-).

I had thought that this guy did not use his account much....but he mentioned how he has been enjoying my recent glühwein updates.......the Stalker !!! :-). So....needless to say that we have arranged to catch up next week.....over a glühwein :-). Facebook promoting a face to face meetup.....with a suitable beverage for all to enjoy......well done Facebook :-).

Language

Is it not funny how many things can get lost in translation! I am a lucky person, I can speak 3 languages to various levels of success, and I have knowledge of three others. So you would think that the language which would pose the least amount of trouble would be my maternal language.....not so!

More and more, people are using social media, email etc to communicate with each other, all the while loosing the art of voice communication. Don't get me wrong, I love social media, but it is always best to keep a balance/promote moderation where possible.

Over the last years, when I reflect on misunderstandings (not necessarily arguments or anything serious) I have had with people, often it was due to either my lack of explanation in what I said and/or the receiving end misinterpreting my meaning, arriving too quickly at a conclusion based on what I said. It goes to show how the spoken word delivers so much more in a message that cannot be gleamed from a quickly written email, tweet, etc. Additionally, the weird factor is that when I write something that is not in my maternal tongue.....I (understandably) am very keen to make sure that I am implying the correct meaning. More effort is thought about what I am trying to say, and what meaning I am trying to get across. Goes to show....sometimes some of us need to be more aware of how we communicate in our Mother Tongue.... I know I need to be.

To turn the argument around though.....very often the written word can mean so much.....a card with beautifully expressed sentiment from a loved one.....or even a gesture where there are no words at all...such as a gift which was obviously heart felt and thought about; a gift or a card to soften one's worries or concerns, or to share in the delight of a happy event.

Balance and moderation in everything...... :-)

Challenge and win

Over the last few days....I have had various discussions with people whereby I have been finding out what has been going on in their lives (both personal and professional), and where they have been questioning the latest goings on in my life. What has it made me realise? How important it is to keep on challenging oneself, to keep the brain active, to not be a passenger on a train but the train driver!!!

Now, I am not saying that one must always be the driver, sometimes it is good to take a step back and let someone else take control temporarily. However, what is essential is that one is always in full knowledge of the direction, and the intended direction, even if that direction is the "unknown."

Life for me is about experience, learning and even if you don't want to....to at times not run away from an experience that is outside your comfort zone, rather run towards it. The alternative is to allow fear to control part(s) of one life, a mistake I made more than once in my life. "Feel the fear and do it anyway," a great phrase I heard many years ago. Simple and apt.

Friends

In my life, I am blessed as I have some truly wonderful, caring and genuine friends. Lately though.....I have been having various discussions with various friends, who are all going through relationship difficulties with people who they previously believed without question to be their "true" friend. The discussions really bring to light how a person can change or, is it that the true person and their reason for being your "friend" was not noticed before.....even if the signs were there?

If there is one type of individual, a type which I did not identify or chose to ignore the signs of before, is an opportunist. Those individuals who are only friends with you for as long as it suits them and/or friends with you so as to take advantage of your kindness, job profile, etc. They are among the most clever, deceitful and shallow (from my experience).....the trick is to look out for the signs and steer clear of these people. Signs such as: only there for the good times.....Jekyl and Hyde behaviour once they go up the corporate ladder and your "position" is no longer of benefit to their career aspirations..... I am sure there are more.

So it brings me to the point of how one must appreciate your good friends. Who love you warts and all....who are there for you through thick and thin.....who never give up on you and never make any unfair demand of you. Who let you just "be." To those friends.....I salute and thank you!

The bitter pill

Got news this morning. I may have a new job.....but in a role I did 15 years ago.....one I ended up hating. However, times have changed.....the job market is quite precarious....and one simply needs to adopt survival mode in the current economic climate.

Who knows, what appears to be three steps back, could be a blessing in disguise. It is hard to tell at the current moment. Again, this whole situation has brought to light that sometimes with age....wisdom and maturity does happen....even for men!!! :-). 10 years ago I would have reacted in a much more negative/drama Queen way. Now at least, it is possible to retain a bit of perspective, and realise that this is just another patch in the quilt of life....that life must go on....that I need to keep the faith as Mr Bon Jovi would say and tell myself....this new job does not have to be my final career....that I have to find a new career path....and the search goes on.

For today.....I will allow myself to feel like crap....best to allow yourself to recognise your feelings, process them.....learn from them.....understand them....and then bury them. Friends and wine also help....and thankfully I have both :-)