New Year's Resolutions!

Here are my New Year's resolutions because I hear they're good things to establish and write down on the 31st of December. I figure if I write them down here they're more concrete so see below.

• Have someone on every continent read this blog. I figure if I can inspire people to read this blog maybe it will spread even to Antarctica.
• Post on this blog every day no matter what.
• Find ways to remain happy under any circumstance.
• Always be good to people.
• Learn how to cook new dishes so I can share them on this blog.
• Always look for ways to improve in all aspects of my life.
• Be more adventurous.
• Finish Les Miserables (book)
• Volunteer more.
• Worry less and love more!

The power of a warm drink when you can't sleep

It's funny how a warm drink helps you sleep. When I was visiting my family over Christmas, one night I felt restless and went down to my parents' kitchen to find my dad and mum were there as well and we all wound up having warm milk and going back to bed. Somehow little things like warm milk remind me of how much families can love each other. It's nice to feel safe and warm in the knowledge that someone cares and with that knowledge I feel at peace. I hope that everyone finds that same sense of peace and occasionally a warm drink as well! :)

Smile because it happened

"Don't cry because it's over,smile because it happened."-Dr. Seuss 

I like the quote above because it shows how there's always a reason to smile.  For example, even though it's the end of my Christmas holidays I still feel like smiling as I had a lovely time being with my family. The quote above reminds me that I can think of  this time with my family whenever I feel the need. It's nice to know that even if a fun event is finished it can still exist in my memories. I like the fact that I can think of these memories until more happy events happen and In thinking of such things I find I can carry on smiling. Indeed, there'll always be something to smile about! 

Under the same stars

Now that I'm in Michigan with my family for the holidays I find the stars seem more clear here as my family lives in a farming community with lots of open space. One of the things I like about stars especially the North Star, is that it's always the same everywhere. It's comforting to think that everyone sleeps under the same stars. Somehow stars remind me that people I care about are always with me and how they're bright spots in my life.  To all who read this, since writing this blog to you has been a bright spot in my life, when I look up and see the stars at night, I'll think of you because you matter very much to me too.

Happy Birthday to Peter Pan!

Today in 1904 J.M. Barrie's play "Peter Pan: The Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up" opened at the Duke of York's Theater in London, UK. When I think of Peter Pan I think of how I hope there's always a part of everyone's spirit that stays young. A part that wants to explore and try new things and see that life is an adventure which is one of the things that makes life worth living. I find that with this in mind I've no need to fear or worry about getting old and I can even feel excited about it because I know that no matter what happens, a part of me will always be young at heart!

If I only had a box

Today is Boxing Day! Although I think it started as a day when employees got gifts from their employers for their work, it got me thinking that if I were stranded somewhere and only had one box with stuff to help me carry on living what I'd want in the box. I realize this is a bit of an extreme way to take Boxing Day but nevertheless, below are some things I thought about that I'd want to have in the box.

• A very compact tent (or something to make a tent out of): If all else failed I could always just dump everything out of the box and try and make a tent out of it. I just think a shelter is a nice thing to have.
• A good supply of trail mix: I love the stuff (which is why I was extremely excited when my brother gave me a large bag of it for Christmas!) It's nutritious! After all, it usually has dried fruit and nuts and then there's chocolate of course, all essential things for survival!
• A rain jacket: Being wet and cold is no fun under any circumstances.
• A flare gun: If movies are anything to go by, flare guns seem very useful for flagging down planes/ships etc to come save you.  Plus I always wondered what it would be like to use one.
• A  long range CW Transmitter (device used to send messages through Morse code): Granted I'd have to learn how to send out Morse code signals properly but still, if all else failed, at least I'd have some form of communication. I'd just have to make sure that I give a similar transmitter to someone nice who'd be willing to answer my distress signals!
•  A lighter: Once I've accomplished the miraculous feat of getting a lighter to work, I figure a fire is a very useful thing to have (as long as it's a small one, that is!)I'd just have to be very careful how I go about it!
• A picture of my family: Just so if I start to feel down I can think of them and feel better.
• A supply of water: Trusting that I won't be stranded for a long time hopefully a couple of gallon bottles will last me a while. 
• A small glass bowl and a pot so that if I'm stranded by the sea I can get the salt out of the water and have something to drink.
• Paper, pens and empty bottles so that even if I don't have any internet connection or a computer for that matter  if I'm by water I can still at least try to send happy messages to people when I feel I need a break from building tents, shooting off flare guns, and trying to figure out how to use lighters and send distress signals by Morse code! 

Home for Christmas

I think what makes Christmas one of the happiest times of the year is that I've always been with my family for that holiday. I love being home, being able to eat my dad's pancakes and help my mum and sister cook, and hang out with my brother. Yes, of course the presents are nice to receive and give. A lot of thought goes into them and even though they're different things, they still all remind me of how much my family and I love each other.  Regardless of what holidays people celebrate, I believe everyone should have a place where they are loved and can be happy. I've written this blog in the hope that it might be such a place for people. If you celebrate Christmas I hope it was a very happy one!

Christmas cracker jokes

One family  tradition I really like is Christmas Crackers. Christmas Crackers are packages that two people pull apart and they have small toys, slips of paper with jokes and riddles on them and maybe some hard candies. I think out of all those items I like the paper hats and jokes best. The jokes are silly and fun so I thought I'd share some that I remember and like best.

*What did Adam say to his wife on the day before Christmas? "It's Christmas, Eve!

*What did the stamp say to the Christmas card? Stick with me and we'll go places!

*What goes Ho Ho Whoosh, Ho Ho Whoosh? Santa going through a revolving door

*What do you call a train loaded with toffee? A chew chew train.

*What kind of paper likes music? (W)rapping paper.

Hooray for Disorganization

“One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries.”- A. A. Milne

I've found being disorganized does have some merits. As A.A. Milne says it can lead to a lot of surprises. For example, if I lose something, I tend to find it again when I least expect it (and when I'm not looking for it of course.) It's true there is something to be said about being very organized and neat but I figure if everything was always orderly, then there wouldn't be as much room for creativity.  So here's one hooray for disorganization. Now that I've done so I'll make my room extremely organized just so I can  (gradually) disorganize it  all over again, and thus my little cycle of creativity continues!

Happiness in a picture!

Photo from: http://www.sportsgrid.com/media/rugby-player-little-girl-hospital-photo/

I really like this photo just because to me it's another example of how happiness can be found anywhere even in hospitals. The little girl in the picture just looks so ecstatic that a rugby player came to visit her, it's as if her joy could be felt by anyone looking at the photo. It made me smile. Happiness is contagious! 

Happy National Look at the Bright Side Day

It's the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year) why is it also National Look on the Bright Side day? Because there's always something to feel good about even when things are dark. Even if it's just thinking to myself "it's good that I have 3 meals in me and that this day was  sunny" thinking of the bright side has helped me get through a lot of things. This is why I love looking at the bright side because I know that if I get down and stay that way it's no fun for anyone. So I celebrate looking on the bright side because celebrating something is one more thing to be happy about! Hooray!

 

Things I learned from watching the Hobbit the Desolation of Smaug

I just got back from seeing the Hobbit the Desolation of Smaug which is a movie I highly recommend as I found it very enjoyable and somewhat educational. Here are some things I learned from watching it.

• Never wake up a dragon. If you do wake it up don't bother talking to it, just run!
• It's good to make friends with elves since they're good at fighting off nasty creatures and if you get horribly injured they're very good at curing people too.
• Don't get lost in a thick forest with giant spiders in it (In fact just avoid all thick forests with giant spiders in them at all costs!)
• If you go on a long trip make sure you have a hobbit with you, they can get you out of very difficult situations.
• It's good to make friends with people who own boats, it's always good to have a boat handy!
• It's also a good idea to make friends with smugglers as they can get you somewhere safe (providing you have enough money to pay them of course.)
• Rolling in a barrel down rapids can be a fairly good method of escaping from a prison.
• Barrels full of  dead fish or outhouses, while slightly gross and a bit less than sanitary,  are very good hiding places.
• Rings that can make you invisible are also handy in dire situations even if they are cursed.
•  It's good to be good at archery-if you're lucky you might even kill a very large dragon and save your entire home town. 

Now go see the movie!

Joke of the Day!

Here's the joke of the day even if you've already seen em' all!

A woman has identical twins, and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named 'Amal.' The other goes to a family in Spain, they name him Juan. Years later; Juan sends a picture of himself to his mum. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wished she also had a picture of Amal. Her husband responds, ''But they are twins. If you've seen Juan, you've seen Amal.'' 

You know you can survive in a cold climate when....

As we've had a record snowfall out here I felt like proving to the world, that despite the cold one can indeed survive! How can you know if you can survive in a cold climate? Read on: You know you can survive in a cold climate when: 

*You can eat ice cream on the 25th of December even when it's below zero outside. 

 *You still go out for a walk in a snowstorm and manage to enjoy how pretty the snow looks. 

 *You don't start thinking it's really cold until the snow crunches like egg shells when you walk on it.

 *You start drinking tea and/or hot chocolate like it's going out of style. 

 *You make sure to watch out for black ice! 

*You buy (and wear) multiple pairs of long underwear!

 *You own a good sturdy pair of snow boots that are water proof.

 *You consider sledding and ice skating arae awesome activities!

 *You think of snowmen and snow angels as art forms.

 *You keep in mind that even though it's cold out at least the sun is shining! :)

Happy National Underdog Day!

I've always had a soft spot for underdogs and I tend to cheer hardest for them because of this. I like surprises so to me it's wonderful to see underdogs win. I figure if the same people or teams always won then life wouldn't be as fun. Underdogs never stopped showing me how perseverance does pay off. So I celebrate underdogs and even if their efforts seem useless and even if people think they're barking mad I still hope there'll always be underdogs and that they never give up!

The purpose of life

"The purpose of life is to be happy!" - The Dalai Lama

I feel like if there's anything to strive for and work towards, it's to be happy! Everyone has the capacity to be happy,  so everyone's life has a purpose. Furthermore, since happiness is a great thing, everyone has the potential for achieving greatness, which to me is one more reason to be happy. If nothing else, my hope is that you can feel some sense of happiness in the knowledge that to me you'll always be great!

Don't just get through it! ROAR through it!

If there's anywhere to be fierce and brave it's in hospitals which is why I think it's awesome that various Children's Hospitals (in Connecticuit, New Hampshire, and Virginia) have created their own versions of Katy Perry's "Roar" music video. I like the videos because it shows how even in difficult circumstances whether dealing with health issues or something else, people have a tremendous amount of resilience which is one of the many things I love about people. No matter what happens, I hope you have at least one good ROAR when you're getting through a difficuly as I believe there's a tiger in all of us that helps keep us going and having a good roar (or at least a good fight chant or something) can help lift the spirits!

For your viewing pleasure (and hopefully to give you a sense of encouragement) I've enclosed two videos I found of the Roar videos in Connecticut Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital of Richmond, VA.

Best gag gifts ever!

Since the holidays are typically times where gag gifts through White Elephant games (gift swaps) at parties. The game usually involves everyone involves people bringing "gifts" (funny ones) wrapped up in pretty paper and putting them in a pile. Everyone takes a number and whoever's number 1 picks a gift from the pile. The next person then has the opportunity to pick another gift or steal person one's gift. (If their gift is stolen, person one takes another gift from the pile.) The game goes on with everyone else either picking or stealing a gift   I've seen/gotten some pretty interesting gifts (especially from the party I just got back from) that I thought I'd share just for the heck of it.  No matter what holidays people celebrate I hope at some point everyone gets to participate in. There's a ton  of laughter involved and you might come out of it with something that's actually nice!.

• Best gift 1:  A hospital's bedpan. Why is it the best? Once when I was in the hospital a friend came with me. To make me laugh she said something to the effect of: "Maggie, you're going to be billed for so much money for this hospital stay and yet they won't give you a souvenir. I think you should just take one." She picked p a bedpan out of the drawer by my bed and said "I think I'll steal this for you." I started laughing because I didn't think she was serious. Then when I was discharged and she was taking me home she pulled the bedpan out of her bag and said "see, I told you I would!" Fast forward to the next White Elephant gift swap we had and in one of the best wrapped gifts was the bedpan! (Sadly I didn't take a picture but the memory has not left my brain yet!)
• Best gift 2: A pair of water created boxer shorts. One of the guys in our party tonight got this pair of boxer shorts that were packed in the tiniest vacuum pack bag. When we stuck it in water (as instructed on the package) the shorts expanded to become wearable! 

 

• Best gift 3: A really cool woven handbag. I actually got this gift at tonight's swap and I like it especially because I was told that the proceeds from buying the bag went to helping refugees. 
  

Answers to the Christmas riddles

Here are the answers to yesterday's riddles!

1. A confused snowflake.

2. The letter "D"

3. A Raindeer

4. He left his sleigh in a snow parking zone

5. The letter S.

Christmas Riddles!

I'm in the mood for riddles again! Here's some Christmas themed ones!

1. What's white and goes up?

2. What do you have in December that you don’t have in any other month?

3. What animal is always wet? 

4. Why did Santa get a ticket on Christmas Eve?

5. What's at the end of Christmas?

Happy International Mountain Day

It's International Mountain Day ( the UN says so)! Although the day is meant to figure out ways to ensure mountains don't waste away, I'm all for celebrating mountains in general.  My own experience with mountains started when I learned to ski when I was 5 in Michigan. My earliest memory of skiing was after getting to the top of one baby hill I was petrified and refused to go down. Then my Dad said, Maggie, you just have to get down the hill that's all. So  finally, I turned my skis and went straight down the mountain without turning as I figured it was the quickest way to get off it. This strategy unfortunately led me to fall down flat at the bottom but that's how I learned that if you want to slow down and stop on skis turning from side to side is a bit essential. Despite that experience I still ski and I still think of my dad's advice that all I have to do is get down the mountain when I'm high up at the top and scared. Somehow I do get down the mountain. I like mountains both symbolically and in reality because in going down them I learned that as long as I can focus on finding a way to get through the experience, things seem less frightening and even enjoyable. So I celebrate mountains because they are beautiful and if nothing else, I know I can always get down one!

The first snow

Today felt like it was the first big snowfall in Boston this year. It got me feeling all nostalgic as I grew up in a place with rather cold winters to me there's always been something nice about the first big snow of the year. Even if it's cold out and I start to feel it's snowing too much, I still think there's a lot to like about snow. Now that I'm thinking about it here are a few things I think are likeable about the flakey white stuff: 

*It's nice to see things blanketed in white Sometimes when there's a lot of snow and the wind used to blow it around my house when I was growing up it seemed like we were surrounded by an ocean which seemed pretty cool to me at the time. 

*I still like a good snowball fight now and then it's one of the few times I feel slightly agressive. 

 *It's fun to make snowmen. When I was little and feeling more artistic than usual I'd go all out and put scarves and hats and sticks for hands in the snowmen. They wound up looking pretty funny.:) *Kids get snowdays! when I was really young and it snowed a lot we'd get a day or two off school. Because I lived in Michigan this happened only when there was quite a bit of snow on the ground and s my sister,brother and I a day to enjoy the snow just a bit more than usual!

*After a while snow goes away long enough that I can still like it when it comes back the next winter-at least for the first snow of the season! 

Favorite Christmas Carols

I'm a big fan of Christmas Carols mostly because singing them is a lot of fun and they make me feel good inside. I thought I'd share some of my favorites just for the heck of it.

1. The Christmas Song sung by Nat King Cole: I like it because it's somewhat jazzy and reminds me of my family especially my dad because he likes jazz. 

2. Let it Snow: Sung by Michael Buble: The first snow of the season is fun for me and I think Michael Buble is very easy on the eyes as well plus he sounds so nice when he sings this!

3. Charlie Brown Christmas O Tannenbaum- Ok I know that no one's singing in it but the music is pretty. Plus I like Charlie Brown.

 

  4.  O Holy Night sung by Jackie Evancho: She just sounds so beautiful singing it.

5. Silent Night sung by Enya: I like it because they sing it in  as well which I think makes it prettier and somehow very soothing, rather like a lullaby.

 

An appeal to Metallica

One of the things I've wanted for a while now is that someone on every continent would read this blog, just because it would mean a lot to me if something I wrote was read by people all over the place simply because I'm all about spreading the happy. So when a friend told me that the band Mettalica was playing in Antarctica I wrote to the band. I've never written to anyone really famous before so this was a first. Anyway, I respect Metallica because I think their music helps people. I also especially like their song "Nothing Else Matters."  I figure songs are open to interpretation and to me the song "Nothing Else Matters" is about believing in yourself and what you can do and not caring what anyone else thinks about that. Ultimately I like the idea that there's no limit to the good people can do and if nothing else, that's what matters to me. 

To Mettalica: Again, I hope that you have a really awesome time in Antarctica and even if you don't read this in Antarctica or at all, I still wish you the very best, now and in the future. Rock on!

A letter from Mr. President

I never really thought I'd get a Christmas card from the White House until I got one today. I got it as I believe many people did, for volunteering for the president's election campaign which was something I liked doing because I felt like I was doing something that helped someone. Anyway,  I thought Christmas card was fun because as you can see it's a pop up card. Plus, it's fun to get letters and cards in the mail.  It's like a bright spot when I come home at the end of the day. If I could, I'd send everyone who reads this a letter (providing they want one of course) just so people could have something nice in their mailbox. If I could send such a message this is what I'd send:

Here's a letter from me to you in the hopes your holidays are happy ones and I wish you the very best!

Just because its National Microwave Oven Day

December 6th is National Microwave Day! I'm not sure how it got started but I thought I'd take this opportunity to describe what I like best about microwaves. After all, everything should feel appreciated, even inanimate objects!

Things I love about microwaves:

• It can cook me dinner in 5 minutes or less!
• Sometimes when I feel like being fancy but not spend too much time doing it, I can use the microwave to make fancy frozen dinners and pretend I'm in a fancy restaurant when eating them. 
• It makes great popcorn fast which tastes great and is nice to eat while watching a good movie. 
• Even if food explodes in it (which I have to admit unfortunately ticks me off) at least the mess is contained to the microwave and is thus relatively easy to clean.
• It has led me to make new discoveries in the art of cooking as it has helped me cook random things like British custard. (Not that it's that different from custard in the US.) I managed to find a custard mix in the store that is the same type my grandmother made us when we'd visit my grandparents in the UK. After a few attempts (one of leading to a minor explosion of pudding mix) I managed to make custard that was warm, creamy and that tasted good! 

So here's to microwaves, don't know where I'd be without one!

Until it is done

"It always seems impossible until it is done." -Nelson Mandela.

I like this quote very much and I think it speaks to Mandela's life because he broke down so many barriers despite the tremendous amount of adversity he faced. I think that things seem impossible when one faces them alone. What inspires me most about Mandela was that he believed in his people and that he was able to unite people against all odds. To me this reaffirms my belief that all we have in this life is each other and as long as we can stand united, there is no limit to the great things we can accomplish. 

3 things I love about holidays

Since it's exactly 3 weeks to Christmas, below are  things I love about holidays. Even if people don't honor the same days, I still think that they all are causes for celebration and thus a lot of happiness!

• I love how holidays are days when people make more effort to see each other. I see more relatives and friends on holidays and I love them all very much which is yet another reasons to love holidays. I've found that as long as I'm with people I care about then I'm happy.
• More often then not, holidays have a few songs involved. This is especially true of Christmas and I particularly like how it's perfectly acceptable to go down the street singing Christmas carols. (Not that anything's really ever stopped me from going down streets singing in the first place but somehow it seems a little less odd to me in December.)
• Gift giving on holidays is fun. It's nice to get to pick out something special for someone you care about. Being on the receiving end of the gift giving process isn't so bad either! ;)

Whatever holidays you celebrate and whatever it is that you like about them, I hope that holidays are always happy ones for you.

Happy International Day of Persons with Disabilities!

The UN established December 3rd as International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 2012. it's meant to promote accessibility and eliminate barriers that prevent people with disabilities from accessing the services they need. What I like best about such a day is that it is meant to encourage people to work together to ensure everyone, including people with disabilities is provided with the same rights and services so that society can make even more progress. 

In some ways I think having a disability is one of the best things about my life. Since I was diagnosed with epilepsy as a teenager, I have found that having this condition has caused me to have even more faith in humanity's goodness. I take medication but if that medication stops working and I have a seizure in some public place, I have to trust that someone, out of the goodness of their heart and mind will be willing to help me. I'm happy that people, even complete strangers have indeed helped me in such cases. I'm also glad to have a disability because it led me to meet people who continue to work hard to help their peers with disabilities to get services and the support they need to be independent and fully functional in society.  In short, I think what I like most about having a disability is that it can be a source of unity on many levels and if enough people unite around a cause like that, they can accomplish so much. Indeed, a lot has already been accomplished in terms of helping people with disabilities have equal access to all aspects of society and daily living. I realize that people with disabilities still struggle with many things and this reminds me of a Swahili quote I heard once that says: "Life has meaning only in the struggle. Triumph or defeat is in the hands of the Gods… So let us celebrate the struggle!"  So I use International Day of Persons with Disabilities to celebrate the struggle because I want to believe that as a result of the struggle one day true equality will be a reality rather than an idea. When that day comes (and hopefully I'll see it!) I'll party like a rock star!

Celebrating a special education!

Today marks the 38th anniversary of the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Act which was signed into law by President Ford in 1975 and as of the law's 30th anniversary in 2005, December 2nd was declared Special Education Day. The IDEA is meant to help ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to education. I've directly benefited from this law and I think I was able to achieve more academic success because of it. 

Although I was never placed in a physical special education class, I did receive services throughout my education. In high school for example, I met once a week with a woman named Mrs. Raad who was a great help to me. Even though she was there to teach me things, the time I spent with her was like spending time with a good friend since as much as we did work, we also laughed and talked a bit too which made my meetings with her a lot of fun. With Mrs. Raad's help I was able to keep my grades up and do well. My experience in special education showed me that as long as I was willing to put forth the effort, there really was no limit to what I could do if I wanted to learn something. I think I'll always have a soft spot for special ed because education and knowledge should be available for everyone and since special education helps make education even more accessible, to me that's something worth celebrating!

Favorite Holiday Movies

Since it's December I was just thinking of things I liked to watch with my family when I was younger (particularly on days when it was bitterly cold outside.) In the off chance you haven't seen some of them, here's a list of films my family and I especially like. I hope you enjoy them as well!

• The Snowman-It's a short cartoon movie about a boy who builds a snowman that comes to life and they go on a trip to the North Pole to see Father Christmas. Other than accompanying music and a beautiful song sung by a choir boy called "Walking in the Air" none of the characters actually speak in this movie but it is a rather beautiful film. I always liked it.
• Miracle on 34th Street (the 1947 version) Father Christmas is hired by Macy's to work in its store over the Christmas holidays. While there, a skeptical little girl questions whether the man in the jolly red suit is really Father Christmas and eventually comes to the conclusion that Santa really does exist after all. I still believe in the idea of Santa since to me he symbolizes faith and love and well, everything that holidays are typically about. 
• It's a Wonderful Life: Follows the life of George Bailey and the difficulties he faces and how he grows to see that despite his troubles his life still has a lot of value to the people around him  and he learns that he really does have a wonderful life. I like this movie because it shows that even when things see really hard, life is still worth living and wouldn't be the same if we weren't here. Everyone has the capacity to touch so many other lives for the better which is an incredible gift and that to me is one of the many things that make life great.
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas-A green monster decides to steal Christmas from the Whos in Whoville with the help of his long suffering dog. However, the Grinch's heart grows bigger when he meets a little girl who helps persuade him to bring Christmas back. There's a song in this cartoon that I think is sung by Orson Welles that I liked because when I was in my high school's choir we had a lot of fun singing it!
• A Christmas Carol: Ebenezer Scrooge-a man obsessed with money learns the errors of his ways through being visited by 3 ghosts who show his past Christmases, what's happening in the current Christmas and what might happen in the future because of his misdeeds. After this he becomes a better man and helps people. I like the 1970s movie version because it's a musical and to me stories seem happier when set to music somehow.