Christmas 2013

Christmas 2013 has been unlike many that I have participated in  and experienced over the last few years, yet there have been similairities to Christmases of the past. However I will hoghligh what I did differently this year in the following paragrapghs:

Listen to music. Over the weeks leading up to Christmas, there was a lot of activity which was not of the season and I made a choice to listen to Christmas music just to part of the season.  There were lots of songs  available on youtube, some with the lyrics of the songs, some with videos,  and I listended to music while I worked especially on weekends.  Here were some of the top choices:

• There  was  the funny: "Grandma got run over by a reindeer"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgIwLeASnkw
• The melodious: Luther Vandross's Album: "This is Christmas" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CsIPOzIfVQ These songs represented acceptance of who we are, our past and our present.
• There was Nat King Cole's  and his daughter Natalie's " Unforgetable"  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uRtNMFfF-g.
• The discovery on Facebook of Pentatonix's acapella http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJ_MGWio-vc  which raised goosebumps.

Take it easy and try to determine what you are going to use your time on now and in the future:  This is one of the hardest ones to deal with as this one ranges from:

• How to be present in a place where you have been absent for most of the year. This one was fairly easy, just be present and particpate in an activity such as cleaning up or decorating.
• How to be present to persons with whom you have lost contact either deliberately or through things you have committed to that they have not been a part of. This one can be solved in get together, "play games" either card or board. You may learn that you want to commit to  getting together and learning more than you know. This becomes apparent when  are dealing with children.  :)
• How to be better to you and treat yourself better, Either treat yourself to things that you have not been able to experience either because you have committed to things elsewhere or overcommitted, or plan activities which you would like to participate in.This process was initiated with  going to a movie... "Best Man Christmas". 

I've been Reading: Middle East, (Jerusalem) & Snow

I think that I have said that I am not geographically inclined, so I was astounded to see the snow in Jerusalem photos and articles which were posted. Then I saw that articles on the bigger perspective, the Middle East.  I could go on and on about the similarities in people, our intrepretation of the Bible story of the birth of Christ, however I would like for persons to just enjoy the photos. For some persons, there may be questions about how the persons who are living in certain conditions  or are of certain age groups are going to manage with the cold.....

The Western Wall and the Dome of the Rock are covered in snow in Jerusalem on Dec. 13, 2013. Early snow has surprised many Israelis and Palestinians as a blustery storm, dubbed Alexa, brought gusty winds, torrential rains and heavy snowfall to parts of the Middle East.

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man prays at the Western Wall on Dec. 13.

Ultra-orthodox Jews enjoy the snow in the Mea Shearim religious neighborhood on December 12, 2013 in Jerusalem's old city, Israel. (Uriel Sinai/Getty Images)

Palestinians enjoy a snowball fight during snowy weather in the West Bank city of Nablus on Dec. 12. The Palestinian Authority announced that schools would be closed due to adverse weather conditions.

Vehicles are seen stranded in snow in Jerusalem on Dec. 13. The hilltop city of Jerusalem was paralyzed by its fiercest snowstorm in years, with its mayor calling out the army to help stranded motorists.

A young Ultra-Orthodox Jewish child plays next to a snowman in the Mea Shaarim neighborhood of Jerusalem on Dec. 12.

A woman swims in the pool at the David Citadel Hotel during a snowstorm in Jerusalem on Dec. 13.

Two Palestinian women play with snow outside Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, Thursday, Dec. 12, 2013. Early snow has surprised many Israelis and Palestinians as a blustery storm, dubbed Alexa, brought gusty winds, torrential rains and heavy snowfall to parts of the Middle East. (AP 

Mideast Israel Palestinians Weather

An ultra-Orthodox Jew walks in hailstones covered park in Tel aviv, Israel, Friday, Dec. 13, 2013. Early snow has surprised many Israelis and Palestinians as a blustery storm, dubbed Alexa, brought gusty winds, torrential rains and heavy snowfall to parts of the Middle East. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

People play in the snow in Damascus, Syria, Friday, Dec. 13, 2013 as a blustery storm, dubbed Alexa, brought gusty winds, torrential rains and heavy snowfall to most parts of Syria and the entire Middle East. The snow has heaped another layer of misery on the already grim existence of many of the more than 2 million Syrians who have fled the civil war raging in their homeland.(AP Photo)

A haredi man prays during a snowy winter morning in Jerusalem, December 13, 2013. (Photo credit: Mendy Hechtman/Flash90)

Snow in the settlement of Beitar Illit, south of Jerusalem, Thursday, December 12, 2013 (photo credit: Nati Shohat/Flash90)


A view of Jerusalem's snow-blanketed Old City, Thursday, December 12, 2013 (photo credit: Tamar Pileggi/Times of Israel)



Here are the links

http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/12/13/21890229-holy-land-blanketed-in-snow-after-intense-winter-storm?fb_action_ids=10153547831845147&fb_action_types=og.recommends&fb_ref=AddThis_Blogs&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=[617034408344151]&action_type_map=[%22og.recommends%22]&action_ref_map=[%22AddThis_Blogs%22]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/rare-snow-storm-blankets-jerusalem/2013/12/12/ee2bd22a-6323-11e3-91b3-f2bb96304e34_story.html

http://www.komonews.com/news/national/Rare-storm-leaves-Jerusalem-snowed-in-Cairo-with-first-snow-in-112-years-235765161.html?tab=gallery&c=y&img=3

http://www.timesofisrael.com/jerusalem-braces-for-storm-three-times-worse-than-what-has-been-seen-so-far/

http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/jerusalem-snow-photos-december-2013-20131212

I've been reading: Entrepreneur Spirit Caribbean Issue 5 2013

I've been reading Entrepreneur Spirit Caribbean Issue 5, 2013. How did I get a copy  of the magazine? One of my sisters saw it, thought I would be interested in reading it and brought it for me to read.  Talk about sisterly love! And  was she correct in thinking that it would be an enjoyable read and better than that I located the website which will be listed at the end  of the post.
First of all there is a photo of a beautiful lady on the cover, so you start thinking that this is about an actress, singer, model. Then you read the excerpt  "B's Homemade Ice Cream"and the name of the company rings a bell as you are aware of this brand on Facebook. It is one of those companies that you look at the  FBpage and  think to yourself that you have to try that brand and it is just a matter of time until you do, because there is something warm and inviting about it.
Then there is Andrea's Unique Art  which as the name suggests, shows photos of intriguing pieces of artwork. http://www.andreauniqueart.com/
There are at least three articles on the  Digital World,  such as Pink Splash Media, Yours Digitally, Creative Industries in a Digital Landscape which are thought provoking and can be used by anyone as they cover concepts that are close to home.  See http://www.linkedin.com/company/pink-splash-media
Islander St. Lucia is a great article on a business/businesses which are  located in another island, which looks great. There is an equally great website on the group. http://www.islandergroup.com/
There is a page on " Effective Tools for Energising your Business Pursuits", where  three books are highlighted, "Rich Dad's Guide to Investing" by Robert Kiyosaki of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" fame, "How to say it for Executives" by Phyllis Mindell, as wella s Business Stripped Bare by Sir Richard Branson"
I loved  "Startup Weekend Trinidad and Tobago"  which covered developing and launching a Startup in just 54 hours. "The first event of its kind held in the Southern  Caribbean, Startup Weekend events havs been held around the workd and brings together a set of " passionate leaders and entrepreneurs with the aim to inspire, educate, and empower individuals, temas and communities" and "to develop deas, launch startups in 54 hours" as it was dynamic and inspiring.
Overall,  the articles which were read were great from the  view  that they were real life stories where most of the persons shared enough information to assist other start ups either persevere or re invent their concepts or get a push to another level.
The website looks really promising, however that is another story. http://www.entrepreneurspirit.org/