Saturday, April 10, 2010

Tonight...

So let's get back to the reason I re-animated this Blog.
Anti-shopping. How is it going?
Well. I don't feel like I am missing anything. Especially since I spend most of my free time at the gym. Today I had a personal training session with one of the fitness instructors. He really killed me but that's what I am there for.

But since I am not only using my gaines free time for sport but also for my brain I am now going to read a little bit more of Richard Dawkins "The Ancestor's Tale".
If anyone here is interested in Evolution, I can only recommend it.
When I have finished it I will write my very own review for the moment you can check this out: The Ancestor's Tale

And I wish everyone a good night with this:

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH

Do you know those days? When everything is just ARGH?
It doesn't matter WHAT happens, it's just not right? Well today is one of those days.

All I want to do is take my book and hide under the duvet, and in theory there is noone to stop me from doing so... but I wanted to go to the gym, do some vacuum cleaning, cook, so instead of doing any of that I sit in front of my computer and stare at a worldmap. Not just any worldmap but a Hobo-Dyer Projection map:

Photobucket

By courtesy of:East Asia in Geographic Perspective.

European coutries never seem particularly impressive when looking at a world map but this map just makes them look like little blobs in a corner, unimportant on the scale of the world. Nevertheless they are still our world.

But an even better map (in my eyes) is this one:

Photobucket


By courtesy of:East Asia in Geographic Perspective.

The Peter's projection map is an "equal area" map which means that it keeps the real proportions as far as is possible while representing a Globe on a flat piece of paper.

Anyway this is not meant to be a geography lesson. The reason I am staring at these maps is that I long to be somewhere else. Ideally as far as possible from this place. I wish to pack my bag and go. I already know where I want to go. I just need the money and the time. The time will come soon, the money is another matter.

As for my destinations:

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

And all the way down to Melbourne to fly back home.

It's a lot but It promises to be absolutely stunnin! Give me a bikini, a pair of shorts, some jeans, good shoes, a backpack and 1000€ and I'm gone tomorrow (actually I'd probably need more for the flights but let's just ignore that detail).
Until I can go there is a lot to do. I need to save up, get visas, buy a videocamera and get used to blogging and writing things that are interesting and make sense.

When I'm at work I can think of thousands of things but as soon as I get home... all gone.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Sales, Sales, Sales...

So being shopping free isn't just about not buying more stuff, but also about getting rid of the stuff I don't need/don't use.
Therefore I have sorted out my entire wardrobe. Re-tried things on, combined them and judged whether they will stay or go. And well a lot is going.
Quite a few things have already left last monday when a cancer charity collected clothing.
But some things are on Ebay or on the German page Kleiderkreisel. In case you want to take a look at what I am selling I will add the links to my ebay auctions and to the Kleiderkreisel at the end of this post.

And then I just found 2 other things I can't make up my mind about:

This Jacket is from H&M. I bought it years ago and it has been sitting in a random suitcase just as long. It is in an absolutely great condition. some of the plastic bits have turned slightly beige with time but it's not noticeable (at least not to me). Is it worth putting it on Ebay or Kleiderkreisel? Or shall I just give it to Charity as well?

Photobucket
Photobucket

Next comes this Handbag that my aunt gave to me years ago. I used it once or twice on holiday in 2003 :D
The handle are fake leather and the main material is Canvas. It still seems to be of good quality. Here again I'm not sure whether it's worth the hassle with Ebay or KLeiderkreisel.

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket


So as promised here are the items I am selling on the Kleiderkreisel:
Sha on Kleiderkreisel

And here the ebay stuff:
Sha on Ebay

Saturday, April 3, 2010

NO SHOPPING RULES

So before I forget. There are THE ANTI-SHOPPING rules:

-No shopping for clothes, make-up, CDs, DVDs, Books, and anything else that is unnecessary until 31st of December 2010.
-One-shopping "spree" for basic Tank tops is allowed in May. Budget limit being £100.
-Money earned by Ebay sales can be used for Ebay shopping but only Ebay!
-I can buy one second hand sewing machine when I have saved-up enough
-I can buy one video camera when I have saved-up enough
-Self-making / alterations are allowed as long as they do not cost more than £20 per month.

Well here I am again...

It has been a long time.
The Blog and me just don't seem to be good friends. Not sure how I can improve our relationship but I will try once again.

This time there is a real purpose behind it. I have a new project.

It's easily explained:

NO SHOPPING UNTIL 31st OF DECEMBER 2010

Does that sound like a good idea to you? Well it does to me.
Even though I wouldn't say I am the biggest shopper in the world. I don't get myself into trouble by shopping more than I can afford or by using my credit card, or overdrafts, but I still believe I have too much. Shopping or more particularly fashion has been taking up too much of my time over the past years. I spend too much time wondering what to wear, how to combine clothes, which shoes, what else might I need, searching on Ebay, online shops, real shops, shopping centres, etc. All that is time I could have spent doing more sports, reading more books, enjoying more time with my dogs, etc. Some might say that fashion is a hobby but that's what it is not too me. I like fashion and I don't want to completely write it off but I want to put it back in it's place: a couple of minutes per day and a few shopping days per year.

Instead I want to focus on other things that have been left aside for too long such as going the gym regularly, reading more (it currently takes me about 3 months to get through one book!!!), and something that I particularly want to focus on is: getting active in a non-profit organisation.
The latter is something I have always wanted to do, ever since I did my internship in the humanitarian but somehow it fell way back in my list of priorities. The fact that I work 8hrs a day with a 3hrs commute doesn't help, but it shouldn't stop me.

Today I came across an American non-profit corporation that seems like one of the best ideas I have seen in years! The 1 Economy corporation tackles different social issues, one of them being: bringing broadband to low income households, thus allowing them to use all the advantages such as applying online, anytime access to your email account, searching for health and living advice, and any sort of information you might be after. Check it out here: One Economy

But this is not all of it. Another part of the corporation is "the beehive" which claims to be "the ultimate source for the help you need everyday".
It allows you to fill your tax return for free, gives health tips, unemployment advice and advice on how to create an outstanding CV, free homework help for kids in English and Spanish, and helps with housing.
You can check it out here: The beehive

This is already quite a lot but 1 economy doesn't stop there, it has some more to offer: 247 Townhall is a community forum where all matters can be discussed anonymously.
The next site belonging to 1 economy corporation is: Ziproad which is concerned with tutoring and helping kids.
The last and personally almost my favourite is: Pic TV which is a public Internet channel and features a series called "Diary of a Single Mum". The series is the winner of awards for Best Indie Soap and Best Guest Actor from the Indie Soap Awards 2009.

Diary of a Single Mom is a web based original series that chronicles the lives and challenges of three single mothers and their families trying to get ahead despite obstacles that all single mothers face, such as childcare, health care, education and finances. The series is produced and directed by award-winning filmmaker Robert Townsend, renowned for such films as Hollywood Shuffle and Meteor Man and written by award-winning playwright and screenwriter Cheryl L. West.

Diary of a Single Mom stars Monica Calhoun (The Best Man) as Ocean Jackson, a single mother of two striving to keep her family afloat while working to fulfill her own ambitions of finishing her GED, going to college and opening her own business. Along her journey, she befriends and joins forces with two other single moms, Lupe (Valery Ortiz – The N’s “South of Nowhere”), a mother juggling different fathers for each of her two children while facing health concerns that will change her life and Peggy (Janice Lynde – “Letters to Dad”), a once married, wealthy 50-something who suddenly finds herself widowed, broke and guardian to her only grandchild. Together, the three women search for support and faith as they strive to triumph over the challenges of everyday life.


Could be cheesy but it's not.

It's a shame I do not live in the US as I would try and volunteer. There isn't much I am good at, but helping improve CVs is one thing I believe to be good at and that I actually enjoy. But since there is no comparable organisation in the UK I will have to continue searching.