Most Commented Lifestyle Blogs (2,470)

I am subscribed to a website called “indeed”, it’s a jobs website; I’m always on the lookout for employment closer to where I live. I get daily emails from them listing jobs that fit my criteria. In among today's vacancies was this specification:

“You must have first hand experience with 4 point webbing and be able to push and pull heavy wheelchairs and lift heavy meal boxes.”

I don’t remember listing any of this among my skill sets.

Are you being exploited if somebody makes a profit from you....from your labor....from your possessions.

In the world of Capitalism, is not that what it is all about?

My bank in Spain will shortly have the technology to produce the details of a payment – not just that I bought at a supermarket, but the copy of the sales slip. Woah!

Maybe not that efficiently, since they had the wrong retailer listed against the payment but the PDF option promised ‘soon’.

When my daughter visited recently she brought UK bank forms for me to change my address, and took them back with her. A week later when I tried to transfer funds to my euro card, which is operated through a completely different bank, it was declined because my address had changed. No problem, I could create a new account with correct address linked to the same card, but

When I logged in to do my UK tax return HMRC said “right, you earned this much from this employer, and this was the PAYE deducted. Then this much through the temp agency, and this was the PAYE deducted."

Not complaining, since the P60 from the temp agency has never caught up with me and I was intending to show it as untaxed income rather than faff around (not a big amount) but has anyone else noticed Big Brother is keeping much closer tabs than before?

So far it has been helpful but . . .

:do

A lot of us remember a simpler time: before the internet, cell phones, video games, and computers. When we were young, we played outside instead of spending time shut in our rooms. We knew our neighbors and kept our doors unlocked at night.

DAYS OF SUMMER

As kids, the biggest thing we looked forward to was summer vacation. It was golden. Months stretched before us with endless possibilities. We didn’t dare utter the words, “I’m bored,” because our parent’s could find plenty of chores to occupy our time. We stayed outside until the sun went down and my dad stood on the back porch and whistled for us to come home. If he had to whistle twice, we were in trouble.

CARTOON TIME

Saturdays were always the best day of the week, because it meant Saturday morning cartoons. Looking back, I realize just how violent some of those cartoons were. They were filled with s*xual innuendo or inside jokes that only adults understood. But no matter, the TV would be cranked up as we stared wide-eyed at the colorful, frenetic, jangle of morning bliss.

HALLOWEEN

Halloween is, hands down, the biggest kid holiday. We looked forward to it all year. Some of us had money to get the coveted store bought costumes. I remember sweltering under a rigid plastic mask, hair tangled in the rubber band and visibility at nil. I still remember the smell of those plastic masks as the sweat ran down my face and into my eyes. Other kids made due with homemade costumes consisting of a sheets, cardboard boxes or garbage bags. Oh, the possibilities of garbage bags.

We all competed to see who go to the most houses and get the biggest haul of candy. We knew what houses gave out the best treats, and the houses to avoid who gave out ribbon candy and black licorice. The home made treats were the best. I looked forward to the popcorn balls and the rice crispy treats. I never traded those. My brother and I would go into strangers houses, waiting for candy, and nothing bad would happen.

SLED RIDING

We would pile on a toboggan, clutching the person in front of us, screaming the whole way down as the wind reddened our cheeks and stole the breath from our lungs. As I trudged up the hill, dragging my sled behind me, I swear the hill was much bigger going up. We would slide down that hill all day until it got dark. It felt like the longest trek dragging that sled home as I finally noticed how numbness in my fingers, toes and nose. When I finally got home, I couldn’t take off my snow suit because the zipper was frozen shut.

WHERE’S MY SNOW DAY?

I remember walking to school in the snow. Snow days were rare for us in Ohio. As long as the plows could clear the roads, we went to school. My mom would bundle us in so many layers, I could barely put my arms down. When we got to school, the teacher had to help us out of our layers because our mom’s had bundled us so tightly. I remember sitting in class doing school work as our outside layers dried on hooks at the back of the classroom and hearing the tap, tap, tap of water hitting the hardwood floor as the snow melted and the scent of wet wool permeated the air.


NOSTALGIA

Looking back, I find myself thinking back to a simpler time, when people took the time to notice the little things. Today, life seems busier, faster-paced and more frenzied. Everyone is in such a hurry. My children don’t know what it’s like to lay in the grass and look for shapes in the clouds, go snipe hunting, look for earthworms to go fishing or lay on the roof of a tree house watching the stars wink on one by one.

Does it take a special person to get married or to stay committed to one person in a relationship for a lifetime? Our nature and biology runs in conflict with that...doesn't it?

When a leading female pick-up artist proclaims that "attraction is not an option" for a woman....meaning, essentially, she cannot help her self. It is in her biology...instinct/emotional...thus bypassing the logical processing of the brain. Can a man fault a woman for sleeping around?

vice versa...

A man is biologically wired to mate with as many women as he can...so I am told anyway. I don't believe that for myself....as I am truly dedicated to the one I am committed to. However, there were other women that were sexually attractive...but I was able to logic it out and determine that was not for me.

So....is staying committed to just one partner in marriage or a serious exclusive relationship a true test of one's character? Is this the way it is suppose to be? I would suspect in the eyes of some religions...yes. I would suspect in the eyes of having a unified society....I would say yes. However, if the unified society seen non-exclusivity as the norm....perhaps the answer would be no.

After a session of wood carving yesterday my hands were full of glorious splinters, long sharp shards of ancient olive wood embedded deep within my dermis.

It might seem strange to some, but I like them, I like seeing the dark splinters deep in my skin, they are not painful, what pain there is is a good pain, makes me feel at one with nature, just seeing the glistening of sweat and blood and Im in heaven.

Of course there is the best part of being covered in splinters, the ceremonial removing of natures shards, the preparation, the tools from pliers, knives and tweezers (The big manly kind not the girly eyebrow ones).

The de splintering begins with some gentle Jackson Brown in the background, can reach a crescendo of Beethoven's 5th symphony as played by Deep Purple as each large splinter is pulled from its fleshy prison and displayed lovingly on a folded white egyptian cotton towel, When all are plucked and liberal amounts of disinfectant are poured over the wounds, I cry out with o*gasm joy as the searing burning pain washes away any microbes that had taken up residence within my hands.

You probably think I should be committed somewhere, but I was tested and all is well within my cranium.

Does anyone else share my joy?

In Chinese and other Asian societies, a red envelope, red packet, lai see or hongbao is a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special occasions such as weddings, graduation or the birth of a baby.

Chinese people love the color red, and regard red as the symbol of energy, happiness and good luck. Sending red packets is a channel for sending good wishes and luck. Actually, the significance of red packets is the red paper, not the money inside. Wrapping money in red packets is hoped to bring more happiness and blessing to the receivers. Hence, it is impolite to open a red packet in front of the person who gives you.

The amount of money contained in the envelope usually ends with an even digit.

During Chinese New Year, red envelopes are typically given by the married to children and the unmarried, regardless of age.

-The Internet

Since my kids have an Indian for a dad and a Chinese mom, I decided to give them an Indian and a Chinese name!

My daughter is named 'Rue Yi'


Meanwhile, my son got 'Tzer Xiang' or 'Ji Xiang'


One of the most common Chinese lucky slogans is 'Ru Yi Ji Xiang'. Ru means ‘according to'. Yi means ‘your innermost wishes or desires’ while Ji and Xiang both mean blessings, luck, auspicious. The phrase is usually translated as, 'Heaven grants your wishes' or 'As you wish, so it shall be'.

However, the phrase is also sometimes written in reverse order, 'Ji Xiang Ru Yi'. In this case the meaning becomes, 'As heaven’s blessings, so your desires' or 'Your desires match what heaven has given'.

Throughout the years, I've been collecting hong baos that have these Chinese characters on them. I'd love to give my kids these hong baos with their names written once they leave the nest.





Today is the first day of Chinese New Year and I'd like to wish everybody Good health, good luck and much happiness throughout the year.

When I last did a wheels blog I was in love with love !


What type of car / 4x4 / bike / etc do u drive ?

(and)

What would u like to drive rather ?

Returned a few days ago from Canada where I met a fantastic lady.

Thanks for putting up with me for those few days.
Enjoyed myself thoroughly.

Hope everything will go as planned for the big day here, exactly a year from now, in SA.