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Edith Sodergran: “The inner fire is the most important thing mankind possesses.”

Joseph Murphy: “We go where our vision is.”

Alan Moore: “There’s no such thing as quitting. Just sometimes there’s a longer pause between relapses.”

In this age of technology directed human behaviour (unfortunately), the following YouTube video could serve as an eye-opener for some (perhaps many…). There is no replacement for real contact, real-life interaction between humans *without* any technology in-between.

In the end (actually in the beginning, along the way AND in the end 🙂 ); sharing unconditional LOVE is what life is all about really…indeed, technology will never replace love!

James M. Barrie: “Always be a little kinder than necessary.”

Nancy White: “If we can connect in some tiny way with a human that doesn’t agree with us, then maybe we won’t blow up the planet.”

Well, well, the FIFA World Cup Brazil has been done, NL finished 3rd which was way better than expected while a feeling remains that it could even have been more. In any way, the Dutch orange flags header graphic has to go…

…and since it is summer time in Norway, with amazing warm (hot!) sunny days and superb sunsets, my new header graphic is matching just that; a fantastic sunset! The photo is a tad old though as I took it in Curacao last year January, but nevertheless, here’s to summer, cheers! 🙂

Eugene S. Wilson: “Only the curious will learn and only the resolute overcome the obstacles to learning. The quest quotient has always excited me more than the intelligence quotient.

Lovely summer weather, my angel back in Norway and loads of redcurrants and blackcurrants in the garden…I’d say, more than enough ingredients for a lovely weekend!

Have a great one y’all! 🙂

Bonnie Prudden: “You can’t turn back the clock. But you can wind it up again.”

Julie A., M.A. Ross and Judy Corcoran: “When you understand that your feelings are triggered by what you think about an event and not by the event itself, you gain a measure of control. Although you cannot control the things (events) that happen to you, or change your feelings (after all, you feel the way you feel), you can change your thoughts. A change in thoughts often radically alters your feelings.”

I went through the 30,000km mark in my Nissan LEAF today, not bad after 2,5 years (of which 1,5 years without regular commuting 🙂 )! The experience of driving an electric car is still as fantastic as the day I got it, I can really recommend this car to anyone. Nissan has been quite successful with the LEAF, even in ‘crisis’ years; I got a letter from Nissan yesterday in which they mentioned that the 100,000th LEAF was sold in the UK last January! As said quite a success and for a good reason; great drivability, lots of nice features, and above all; environmentally friendly (specifically in Norway with its hydro-electricity! 🙂 )fdf, oh and probably the main reason for most; it runs cheap! It gives more kms/NOK than a ‘normal’ car and is highly subsidised (no VAT, virtually no road-tax, no toll payments, free parking in Oslo)…he he 🙂

Will.I.Am Wordsworth: “That best portion of a good man’s life,
His little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and of love.”

This is an amazing clip about an Unsung Hero, a must watch!

Yeah yeah, I know, it *is* a commercial (disclosed at the very end), yet not the normal kind of rubbish you see on TV. This one has a powerful message of love and a believe in doing unconditionally Good…I *love* it! (and wish more commercials were made like this…)

…
What does he get in return for doing this every day?
He gets nothing.
He won’t be richer
Won’t appear on TV
Still anonymous
And not a bit more famous
…
What he does receive are emotions
He witnesses happiness
Reaches a deeper understanding
Feels the love
Receives what money can’t buy
A world made more beautiful
And in your life?
What is it that you desire most?

Oprah Winfrey: “In order to be truly happy, you must live along with, and you must stand for something larger than yourself.”

My first week working has been quit busy, it seemed I missed working so much that I worked through the whole weekend, ha! 🙂

Not so bad as it may sound though, as I worked from Skopje, Macedonia (or formally F.Y.R.O.M.), though that sounds more exotic as it was; unfortunately there wasn’t any time to see much of the city other than the 5 minute walk from hotel to office and back (plus some occasional restaurants for lunch and dinner and a bar or two for a beer or two on Saturday 🙂 )

There are some amazing buildings along the river as you can see below. The historic structures gave me a ‘Rome-like’ feeling, though the truth is far from it; everything has been built only in the past years (!) giving Skopje a brand new city skyline for uhhh a lousy 500 million euro (!!). One could conclude that Skopje does extremely well in the ranks of wealthy places on earth, but that ain’t true; unemployment is high and wages are low; waiters for instance earn just 5-8 euro, a day!!

Still, Skopje left a great impression and I hope to see a bit more when I am back mid August for work. 🙂

William Hazlitt: “The love of liberty is the love of others; the love of power is the love of ourselves.”

Demosthenes: “Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.”

Mother Teresa: “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.”

Ann Richards: “If you think taking care of yourself is selfish, change your mind. If you don’t, you’re simply ducking your responsibilities.”