Why art is important | Katerina Gregos | TEDxGhent

This weeks inspiring Ted video, What is Art?

100 Days Of Code Challenge

My goal for 2018 is to become a great coder, like everything else it takes a lot of practise. I am joining the 100 Days Of Code Challenge starting January 2018 exciting!!!!

Health Benefits of Fennel

I know this is really random, every once in a while I will find an article that I really like, and would like to keep for future reference. I am glad to learn all this, I cook with fennel daily. This is borrowed from the diet promise blog

Fennel's small yellow umbel's seem to dance in the breeze off the coast of the Mediterranean. The plant is only native in that part of the world but now grows in most places as a naturalized herb. In early Greek history fennel was widely used as a weight control product. British herbalist Culpeper wrote fennel plant "are much used in drink or broth to make people lean that are too fat". Before you run out to the store to buy fennel seed it has not been studied to see if it actually has any appetite suppressant qualities to it.

All parts of the fennel plant are considered safe for human consumption and it is widely used in culinary dishes for a nutty flavoring. Fennel tea has a soothing effect on the stomach, making it widely used for a multitude of digestion issues. In fact, many herbalist will recommend that fennel be used along with flax seed as part of a daily regime to a healthy body. Due to the nutty flavoring it suits itself well to be sprinkled on salads and soups for an easy way to add fennel to your diet.

The only known side effect of fennel being ingested is with nursing mothers. It is believed it will help increase the flow of milk when nursing. It has been used in this way since the days of Hippocrates and Dioscorides. They recommended that nursing mothers chew on the seeds as you would celery to keep the flow of milk progressing as the baby required more milk. It was also believed during the medieval time that fennel would help break up kidney stones, cure the hiccups, prevent gout and nausea, clear the liver and lungs of mucus, and was an antidote to poisonous mushrooms.

Fennel tea water was used to help the digestive systems of infants, especially colicky ones. It was brewed and steeped for 20 minutes then strained and allowed to cool to a room temperature. Mothers of infants with colic may wish to try the fennel water in a bottle during periods of extreme gas and digestive problems.

The tea is also thought to expel worms. The tea is suggested to drink one cup every four hours to expel the parasite. It is also used as a gargle to freshen breath and as an eye wash to clear up many forms of eye irritants.

Learning Javascript

It's been over 10 years since I learnt Javascript, I basically took a very 101 semester back in the days when alerts were everywhere lol. Working on Math Expressions today, I keep coming up with excuses to skip the lesson. I gave myself a whole body massage with coconut oil, was awesome! I have actually never massaged my thunder thighs lol. Then I decided I needed a green smoothie then after that I did sit ups I hate doing sit ups! I get dizzy and nauseous, this was all part of procrastinating... then I spent time of facebook, OK enough already JUST DO IT!. The struggle is real ya'll! I have to do this, must do it! DO IT! DO IT!

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/understanding-syntax-and-code-structure-in-javascript

Start with Understanding Syntax and Code Structure in JavaScript

"Eleven Hints for Life"

1. It hurts to love someone and not be loved in return. But what is more painful is to love someone and never find the courage to let that person know how you feel.


2. A sad thing in life is when you meet someone who means a lot to you, only to find out in the end that it was never meant to be and you just have to let go.


3. The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.


4. It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.


5. It takes only a minute to get a crush on someone, an hour to like someone, and a day to love someone-but it takes a lifetime to forget someone.


6. Don't go for looks, they can deceive. Don't go for wealth, even that fades away. Go for someone who makes you smile because it takes only a smile to make a dark day seem bright.


7. Dream what you want to dream, go where you want to go, be what you want to be. Because you have only one life and one chance to do all the things you want to do.


8. Always put yourself in the other's shoes. If you feel that it hurts you, it probably hurts the person too.


9. A careless word may kindle strife. A cruel word may wreck a life. A timely word may level stress. But a loving word may heal and bless.


10. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.


11. Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, ends with a tear. When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so that when you die, you're the one smiling and everyone around you is crying.

- Unknown

Goals for 2018

Learn this skills!

Angular.js
Node.js
Backbone
Ember

Best way to learn Javascript http://www.asmarterwaytolearn.com/js

Avoiding simulated foods

I am sucker for anything that's labeled healthy, organic, or contained vegetable or fruits. I Was so proud of myself when my toddler started eating veggie stick chips. Little did I know this product only has a sprinkle of vegetable powder. Here is a list of foods that pretend to be healthy. Note to self avoid smart and simulated foods, best way to do this is educate yourself and stick to natural foods that grow from the ground well... it turns out that our food is no longer natural. Just watch a movie that was filmed in the 80's everyone was so slim, and healthy looking, small 25 inch waist line, athletic. All you have to do now is go to the store, everyone is overweight, clearly there is something wrong with what we are eating.

Green life

Week 1

My green smoothie journey is going great, My energy level is up, my mind is clearer. Haven't seen any significant weight loss, it's only week 1. My grocery list is healthier and great for my wallet veggies are not as expensive as some processed foods. Experimenting with different veggie/fruit recipes. Oh plus I cut carbs, cookies, cakes off my diet, basically all the crap that pretends to be food. This is December 2017 I am hoping I should see significant change in 2 months, Feb. 2018. Will stay on this wagon, I cannot fail, I have to do this, I owe it to myself.

A pic is worth a thousand words be inspired.

Being intentional

Sometimes in life we have very clear goals, for instance when you are going to college, you have a solid schedule of classes that you follow weekly, the same with work. Your time is accounted for, its 40 hours a week, Monday to friday. But when it comes to other personal goals like starting and running a business, loosing weight, there is really no structure it's all over the place, so is sticking to a diet. There are so many opinions out there on how to do it. But on a personal level when I get home and look at myself in the mirror, the struggle becomes very real. This is my mental battle, I know what to do, but being persistence, that's another story. I have a ton of excuses to back up my failure.

I realise now that I need to be very intentional, and very present. Have you seen a plastic bag getting blown away on a very windy day, it's like poetry in motion, it just goes with the wind, tossed here and there. Some aspects of my life are like that. I relax I let things just be, for instance with my desire to loose weight, I have yoyo'd because, I let my guard down. I spent 5 months in Nairobi and lost 20 pounds, in just 3 months!. Came back gained it all back in less than 3 months argh!. What changed? well I was walking everywhere, planted a garden and was eating organic food that I had grown. Fast forward came back went back to my sedentary lifestyle well not exactly, I was going to the gym at 5am for bootcamp I was making an effort to maintain my weight. Then what was it? the devil in the details maybe it was the free chocolate covered raisins in the kitchen at work, or the chips, sodas, and "health bars". How did I not see this? I stuffed my face all day at work, the weight kept going up yet I had no clue. Yeah plus the mediocre cafeteria food loaded with heaven knows what.

Be intentional! be mentally present! make better decisions don't eat it just because it's free and in your face!. Your waistline will thank you later.

Smoothie formulas from the experts

Thought this chart gives a breakdown of what works and the benefits. The idea however is to try all kinds of different formulas so long as it tastes good. Hello Glow

Live a healthier life

I have been meaning to loose those extra pounds after the babies. They say your muscles have memory, been wondering why mine don't remember being 115 pounds. Tried all kinds of diets, any diets that suggest any kind of fruit or veggie limitations turn me off. I love fruits and veggies I can't live without them. I watched this documentary about juicing fruits and veggies for 60 days. No I am not taking that route. I am thinking, something more sustainable. Juicing daily, cutting off starch and processed sugars. I believe introducing more fruits and veggies into my diet will help my body detox. I am doing this for 21 days. Will keep posting on how my body changes thru the process. And hopefully this can be a long term life changing experience.

Day 1.

I love cooked kale I have always wanted to try a kale smoothie, but never really found the right mix and ended up with a very disgusting drink. Today I blended some Kale, mixed berries, a banana and pineapples. It was delish! the ingredient that made it so good was the pineapple and ginger. It smelt good too. Day one went smoothly, I also had a small bowl of mixed veggies, I felt that I needed something to chew on, so I don't starve.

Must also exercise daily. I do intense Zumba on Fridays and Saturday evenings. The rest of the week I try to go swimming, hiking or walking. I am learning tahiti hura, Kizomba and Hula (love it so graceful).

The greatest discovery of my generation
is that human beings can alter their lives
by altering their attitudes of mind. 
William James

Ten Habits of Financially Successful People

Lately I have been scouring the web on information on how to build wealth. Been living paycheck to paycheck for too long, clearly something needs to change. I need to teach myself how to be financially stable, in other words learn how to have plenty of chumes, mula in the bank...

Instead of defining the differences between rich people and poor people, I think it’s more constructive to look at what separates successful people from unsuccessful people. Maybe I’m picking nits, but in this case I think focusing on a financial scorecard misses the point. It’s possible to be successful and poor, and it’s possible to be rich and a fool.

I’ll admit there seems to be a strong correlation between wealth and success, but the two qualities don’t overlap precisely.

From looking at my own friends, and from thinking about the stories readers have sent me during the past decade — especially stories about how people have moved from debt to wealth — I’ve seen the following patterns.

Successful people surround themselves with positive people. They limit their exposure to negativity and naysayers, preferring to spend time with folks who have can-do attitudes. They don’t have time to listen to the reasons something can’t be done; they’d rather find ways to make it happen.

Successful people aren’t flummoxed by failure. They know that mistakes are inevitable and should be treated as stepping stones to success rather than signs of weakness or reasons to stop trying. (This is why it’s important not to praise achievement, but to praise effort. The former breeds fear of failure.)

Successful people manage their time effectively. They recognize that minutes and seconds are a precious non-renewable resource. So, they set priorities and pursue them with passion. My successful friends seem to watch less television (and play fewer videogames) than my unsuccessful friends, for instance. There’s nothing inherently wrong with Game of Thrones or Hearthstone, but they suck up time that could be spent exercising or reading or taking a class.

Successful people ignore the opinions of others. They don’t feel compelled to “keep up with the Joneses”. They limit their exposure to mass media not only because it allows them to be more productive, but also because it reduces the influence of advertising and the pressure of cultural norms. When investing, they don’t follow the herd. The wealthy people I know all drive older cars (many of them bought used!), dress modestly, and avoid conspicuous consumption.

Successful people have direction. They act with purpose. They know why they’re working hard and saving money. They have a mission, even if it’s as simple as putting their kids through college, and their daily actions are aligned with their long-term goals. None of the folks I know who struggle with money have a clear idea of what they want to do with their lives.

Successful people focus on big wins. Sure, they develop smart habits and pay attention to the small stuff. But they also understand that if they’re diligent with their dollars, then the pennies will take care of themselves. The average person economizes on the small things but isn’t willing to make sacrifices when it comes to housing, transportation, or income. And the folks who are broke all of the time? Well, they fritter away their pennies and their dollars.

Successful people do what’s difficult. They don’t procrastinate. My friends with money work longer, harder, and smarter than my friends who have less. They practice deferred gratification, sacrificing small comforts today in order to obtain greater rewards tomorrow.

Successful people make their own luck. They practice awareness so that they can recognize opportunities when they come along. Moreover, they act boldly, seizing these opportunities where others might hesitate to act.

Successful people believe they’re responsible for their future. They’re proactive. They have an internal locus of control. That is, they understand that although it might not be their fault they’re in a given situation, it is their responsibility to change it. Successful people grow and change over time. They adapt. They evolve. They’re not afraid to entertain different points of view. Most importantly, they’re not afraid to change their minds. They seek knowledge and experience, and they allow the things they learn to mold them.

None of these differences is absolute, of course. Most people (including me) follow a few of these rules but not others. Or we adhere to certain rules part of the time. The most successful people I know do all of the things on this list; the least successful people do none of them.

I guess the bottom line is my friends who are successful with money (and life) take what they do seriously. Whether they know it or not, they’re money bosses. They treat their personal life as if it were a business. They act as both CEO and CFO, and they do their best to “grow the business” over time.

All content is borrowed from. http://moneyboss.com/millionaire-mindset/

My online store is closed temporarily. I realise that there is still so much I need to learn about running a biz. It was easy setting up the store I enjoy building websites, but there is so much more. I needed good SEO, great content, plenty of stock, had to factor in mailing internationally. Accounting, and the business side of things which makes my head hurt of boredom. I basically just wanted to do all the fun creative stuff, let someone else to all the mundane biz stuff. But it all fell on me since I am doing this solo, until I grow it enough to make income to hire someone else. I am seriously considering going for an MBA. There is so much to learn I want to be successful. I joined so many forums on facebook on running a fashion business, it's exhausting. I am taking a break from all that noise. I want to share this site that I found that has been really inspiring, I hope one day to be featured on it. http://www.lionessesofafrica.com/

Finding joy

It's amazing how our perspective changes when we are not being constantly bombarded by negativity.
I have been home for the past 3 months, spending time with my 3 year old, going for long walks, playing at the park. Doing most of the things I enjoy, hiking the weather is great, it's cooled off its mostly in the 70s.  I am so grateful for the sunshine, the cool air, it's so beautiful out. I will take some pics next time I go out to share. Anyway I have really experienced clarity of mind, which to me is so beautiful and with that comes joy and gratitude. I am really appreciating the simpler things in life.

I finally found myself

I am back after a long hiatus, I went to find myself. Lol really I was going thru some mental struggles as we all do from time to time. Our minds play games on us sometimes depending on the circumstances we are going thru. I was in an emotionally abusive relationship that did a number on me. I will share the details later I promise. For now I want to share something I read that really inspired me. My goal here is to share small and big victories that I hope will encourage and motivate someone. This one is borrowed...

Our mindset can be our greatest ally or a dangerous enemy. We spend so much time locked inside our heads that, if we don’t develop masterful mental skills, we risk falling into a downward spiral of destructive and deceptive thoughts.
Mental strength means that we use every strike against us as a reason to push ahead, every stumble as a position to rise from, and every closed door as a redirection to another entry point. We can elevate ourselves from hardship and adversity once we undertake the mental maturity to overcome it.
We gain strength with every obstacle we overcome that stretches our psyche to find solutions or to adapt to circumstances.
Our life lessons will resound on repeat until we can establish a level of cognizance and maturity with how we frame our mindset. Rather than look upon our times of hardship as debility, attack or limitation, we can use them as a credit in our mind bank of strength. Modifying our perception of the problem can lead us to intuitive disclosures and responses when we engage the full measure of our mind to reconcile, attune, and think outside of the box.
https://www.goalcast.com/2017/11/16/mindset-motivation-embracing-challenges-for-mental-strength/