I wanted to watch this before the movie comes out, like many others. I almost want to watch it so I can bury parts of this story in my brain and stretch the dazzling silver screen version across my memory so I’m not still mentally in that book.

Step one: Take notes

Step two: Get a notepad for the notes and keep it on my for a week

Step three: ? No idea. Blog about it later? We’ll have to wait and see!

Obama, keep telling it as it is!

http://www.thestar.com/article/672583

My brother and my sister’s husband went to a particular beach called Store Bay to go jetskiing. They went out for approximately 5 minutes and returned. The jetskiing instructors said that they collided and had to pay damages. According to my brother his jetski never got started and when my brother in law came to help him they both turned off their engines and the waves pushed them together (much like how the jet skis were bumping together along the shore line where you go to rent them). They claimed that there were significant damages (however there was no evidence that the damages were not there to begin with).

Our family waited on the beach for their ‘boss.’ When it began to take hours we offered them our names and numbers because we had somewhere else to be. That’s when the threats started to occur. They told us no one will leave this beach. When we said we were going to call the police they said that wouldn’t make any difference as to what will happen.

We called the police and there was no response. When we finally did get through we were told that there was no police available to come escort us off the beach. Finally we had to pay them off in order to get off the beach safely.

Please note for your safety be very careful of where you’re renting your jetski from, take photos of the vehicle prior to taking it out. Have someone on the shore taking photos as well and monitoring.

I’m including pictures of the people who scammed us as well as the jetski they claimed was damaged (which they used after the ‘crash’).

1. Know who you are and what you really want. Smart people choose careers by evaluating their desired lifestyle, working hours, the company benefits and their bosses. Smart daters have a clear idea about the qualities they are looking for to fit into their own lifestyle before they start looking.

2. Know your deal-breakers: – Just as some people accept difficult bosses or co-workers because it’s easier than looking for a new job, many daters learn to tolerate more when they’ve become comfortable in a relationship. For instance, working long hours or commuting long distances may be as much of a deal breaker for a relationship as it is for a job.

3. Don’t date by default, date by design. When you are broke you’re more likely to accept any job. Similarly, if you’re lonely you’re more likely to date by default. Dating by default is when you continue dating someone because they are convenient rather than compatible. Deep down you know this person isn’t a fit, but it sure beats staying home on a Friday night.

4. The e-dating Rule of 3 – First dates are like interviews, naturally awkward. You can expect 2-3 interviews before getting a job. E-dating Experts recommend at least 3 dates before you decide to go for it. Most importantly it takes some time to get to know someone, especially if you met online. There’s no need to rush into a steady commitment. Employers give themselves three months to decide whether there’s a real fit, so should you.

E–dating? Experts are always asked, “How do I know when to take in my shingle and stop looking?” Answer is the same for both job and relationships; when you are both comfortable and willing to commit.

Ah the excitement of the new mixed with nervousness and awkwardness all mingled creating that feeling in your stomach. It’s just the beginning and neither party is sure whether or not this could be it.

Perhaps it’s a good thing that there are so many similarities because it’s during this time that we’re doing both, developing a fulfilling career and developing a long lasting relationship. But how do you turn promising into permanent?

In light of yesterday, I’ve decided to write about the uncanny similarities regarding finding meaningful love and meaningful work. Let’s face it, there are strange parallels that can be drawn.

For both there is usually a three month probationary period, there are speed interviews which are growing in popularity, sometimes you leave your job on your own other times you get fired and many of us have been at a workplace where your boss was interviewing your replacement behind your back or you were seriously job hunting behind his. So this week I contacted relationship experts to offer advice regarding both love and work.

“Your career and your love are the two most important cornerstones of your life. They are the foundation upon which your future is built,” says Stephany Crowley, international e-dating expert and founder of e-daingExperts.com, “Whether it’s time or money, your relationships affect your work, your work can affect your relationships. Choose wisely, they are interdependent: Love your work, work your love.”

Christine Hart, president of Six Minute Dates says it’s important to relax. A lot of the time young people are stuck on the idea of having it all at a certain age.

“Ease off on the pressure you place on yourself. View the world as though there were an abundance of potential mates and perfect jobs rather than very few,” Hart advises.

“Young people put a lot of undo pressure on themselves to succeed and ‘get everything wrapped up’ by a certain age. Sometimes this can mean marrying the wrong person, pursuing the wrong education path just to please others or settling for an undesirable job,” she adds.

When job hunting and dating everyone knows that the first impression counts for a lot. It pays to take the time and look our best for that first meeting.

“When you go for an interview, you take time to iron your shirt, clean your nails, and check your breath. The same applies to searching for a mate or a first date,” says Hart, “You are looking for a match in both situations – wondering if you’ll like them and if they’ll like you. Your nerves are affected in the same way – ‘will my potential mate/boss call me today?’”

When searching for either a job or mate, it’s important to learn from our experiences. Chasing after something or someone that’s not good for us is a waste of time.

“We can spend a ton of time chasing after a job or relationship that we think is absolutely perfect for us, ignoring all the signals and then realize, once we’re in it, it’s not what we thought it was,” says Hart “Also, we can accept a certain job offer because ‘it will do, until something better comes along’. The same applies to relationships.”

Although you may need to go on many interviews before finding a job and many dates before finding a relationship, both experts say the journey is more important than the destination.

“Everyone lives highs and lows in both love and career. But it’s only enduring and growing through the lows that you can enjoy higher highs. Jobs and relationships build character, strength and wisdom,” says Crowley

Overall, both in love and work finding balance is best according to Hart. Being career minded and putting your relationship needs on the back burner can lead to loneliness. On the other hand sacrificing everything for love may make you resentful.

“Remaining either solely relationship focused or solely career focused is not healthy. I speak to far too many people who have essentially “made it” in their careers and they are still completely unsatisfied with their lives because they didn’t keep a balance. I also speak to people who have sacrificed who they are to please another in a relationship. When it ends, they often feel very lost and don’t know where to begin to build. The journey is what life is all about. Learn from everything you do and everyone you meet,” says Hart.

“Overall, with the mate and job search, stay true to yourself and be proactive in both a confident and low-key way.”

]]> http://kavitagosyne.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/love-and-work/feed/ 0 kavitagosyne http://kavitagosyne.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/the-witch-of-portobello-by-paulo-coelho/ http://kavitagosyne.wordpress.com/2008/07/10/the-witch-of-portobello-by-paulo-coelho/#comments Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:39:52 +0000 Kavita Gosyne http://kavitagosyne.wordpress.com/?p=4 ]]>

I was cautious about reading another book by Coelho because I really enjoyed The Alchemist and was unsure if I could seperate the books and not be dissapointed as I didn’t think it was possible to do better. I will admit that I was right, in my opinion The Alchemist was a better story, but far more traditional and straightforward. In The Witch of Portobello Coelho explores ‘the feminine face of God.’ It was written in a facinating style where the main character was described by others. There was never a first-person narrative from Athena herself. I found this to be a very powerful technique. I don’t know if the reader would accept this normally, but at the beginning you learn that she was murdered and therefore cannot tell the story herself.