What is wrong with people? OK, maybe that is unfair, but if your family member inadvertently was buried with someone else's belongings, would you really feel the need to exhume him or her to have it removed from the coffin if it was something that could easily be replaced? Apparently some do.
When 76-year old Mr. Manis from Tennessee died a couple of weeks ago, his room mate's dentures were placed with his personal belongings that were given to the family. These were in turn placed in a box in Mr. Manis' coffin when he was buried. Obviously I can understand the other patient whose dentures were buried, wanting a new set, and I can see wanting to remove the wrong dentures from the coffin if they were placed in Mr. Manis' mouth, but I have a hard time finding any reason why the family cannot find closure with these dentures in a box, until the hospital pays to have him exhumed to have them removed. Maybe I'm cold hearted, but all I can think is gold diggers wanting to sue for something to claim "pain and suffering"....but that is after all the American way.
You can read the whole article about this mishap in The Star.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Tourist Left Behind on Great Barrier Reef
Summer is here, so I guess this is the season for freaky tourist stories. We have probably all at one time or another been through loosing a camera, leaving a credit card behind, or misplacing travel documents. All very irritating, and some times costly mistakes. Even more irritating are the times when flights and hotels are overbooked, causing delays or having to travel alternate routes, but we live through those with ease; or should at least.
Much worse, is having to deal with getting sick, or having sick children in a foreign country, having to treat in not so desirable medical facilities and hoping that the treating doctor actually went to medical school. Or God forbid, getting arrested in some remote location for something you had no idea was illegal.
Traveling on a cruise? Then CruiseJunkie.com is worth visiting, listing quite a few events tourists have encountered over the years, some quite helpful even if not on a cruise.
However, the winner of the best story (or worst...) so far this year, I have to say is Ian Cole. The 28 year old from Michigan went snorkeling near the Great Barrier Reef, and surfaced only to find the tourist boat had left him behind. Luckily the story has a happy ending, but I can just imagine his moments of panic!! This is why I only snorkel where I can stand...or at least swim to land. You can read more about Ian's adventure here.
Hope you all have a safe and happy summer!
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| Photo by Digitalart/FreeDigitialPhotos.net |
Much worse, is having to deal with getting sick, or having sick children in a foreign country, having to treat in not so desirable medical facilities and hoping that the treating doctor actually went to medical school. Or God forbid, getting arrested in some remote location for something you had no idea was illegal.
Traveling on a cruise? Then CruiseJunkie.com is worth visiting, listing quite a few events tourists have encountered over the years, some quite helpful even if not on a cruise.
However, the winner of the best story (or worst...) so far this year, I have to say is Ian Cole. The 28 year old from Michigan went snorkeling near the Great Barrier Reef, and surfaced only to find the tourist boat had left him behind. Luckily the story has a happy ending, but I can just imagine his moments of panic!! This is why I only snorkel where I can stand...or at least swim to land. You can read more about Ian's adventure here.
Hope you all have a safe and happy summer!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Why Men Don't Have a Clue & Women Always Need More Shoes
I keep adding to my summer reading list. Hopefully I will have time to actually read a whole book soon. But this one is definitely going on my list: Why Men Don't Have a Clue & Women Always Need More Shoes. Relationship issues and differences between men and women explained quite well.
"Men and women call each other the "opposite sex" for the same reason - they are opposites. Both men and women have assumptions that they understand each other. However, women have a different way of looking at things compared to men. Having one-track minds, men tend to think in boxes. This means that although men are able to hear the complaints of their wives, they can only process and provide one solution at a time. Focusing on a relationship is not a natural part of the male psyche. In fact, there are times when men just don't try at all, or they give up too early because they find the way women think too complex. Still, this does not mean that men do not aspire for a healthy and fulfilling relationship. For men, preparation is the key. Women also have to stop assuming that a man automatically understands her because he loves her."
Women do not see themselves as naggers, they are merely reminding the men in their lives of things they have neglected to do... And why do women make better naggers? According to the authors, "Women's brains are wired for communication, more so than men. That's why women feel that men never say anything, and men feel that women never seem to shut up. The female brain is organized for multi-tracking. This means that women can do 4 to 5 different things at the same time, and can be very detailed about each item. It's typical to see a young mom, anywhere on the planet, holding a baby, while cooking dinner, while talking on the phone to her mother, and writing out a check for a utility, all at the same time!
Men can only concentrate on one thing at a time." Of course it also goes on to explain why nagging never works, but that's a different story.
The book also offers solutions to the mysteries about men, such as why men avoid commitment. Again, according to the authors, "The problem with men is that they do not know that they are in a relationship unless they are told so. Women expect men to be committed after they've gone out together a few times. Men, on the other hand, say, "We are just friends." So girls, if you want to hold on to your man, you better tell him he is all yours.
The list of what turns men and women on are included, as well as answers to why women cry and the danger of emotional blackmail.
Bottom line is, none of us are perfect, but this one might add some insight to how we can get along.
"Men and women call each other the "opposite sex" for the same reason - they are opposites. Both men and women have assumptions that they understand each other. However, women have a different way of looking at things compared to men. Having one-track minds, men tend to think in boxes. This means that although men are able to hear the complaints of their wives, they can only process and provide one solution at a time. Focusing on a relationship is not a natural part of the male psyche. In fact, there are times when men just don't try at all, or they give up too early because they find the way women think too complex. Still, this does not mean that men do not aspire for a healthy and fulfilling relationship. For men, preparation is the key. Women also have to stop assuming that a man automatically understands her because he loves her."
Women do not see themselves as naggers, they are merely reminding the men in their lives of things they have neglected to do... And why do women make better naggers? According to the authors, "Women's brains are wired for communication, more so than men. That's why women feel that men never say anything, and men feel that women never seem to shut up. The female brain is organized for multi-tracking. This means that women can do 4 to 5 different things at the same time, and can be very detailed about each item. It's typical to see a young mom, anywhere on the planet, holding a baby, while cooking dinner, while talking on the phone to her mother, and writing out a check for a utility, all at the same time!
Male brains, on the other hand, are organized for mono-tracking.
Men can only concentrate on one thing at a time." Of course it also goes on to explain why nagging never works, but that's a different story.
The book also offers solutions to the mysteries about men, such as why men avoid commitment. Again, according to the authors, "The problem with men is that they do not know that they are in a relationship unless they are told so. Women expect men to be committed after they've gone out together a few times. Men, on the other hand, say, "We are just friends." So girls, if you want to hold on to your man, you better tell him he is all yours.
The list of what turns men and women on are included, as well as answers to why women cry and the danger of emotional blackmail.
Bottom line is, none of us are perfect, but this one might add some insight to how we can get along.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Meaning To Life
Often it is easy to just wallow in ones sorrow; feel sorry for oneself and wonder why things don't go the way they were supposed to. Especially in these trying economic times, I'm sure I'm not the only one who has posed the "Why me?" question more often, and wondered when my knight in shining armor is coming to save me.
But lets face it. My life is my responsibility, and my choices, good or bad, are the deciding factors of my happiness. Having had parents who mistakenly thought I was smart enough to make good decisions about my future as a teenager, I have often said, "if they would have just pushed me more, my life would have turned out very different." However, bottom line is that because of the choices I made, I have had great experiences, met wonderful people, seen some beautiful places, and feel like I really have lived.
Could I have done things differently? Of course. Financially it would probably have been smarter to buy the house we had saved for instead of using the down payment on an awesome vacation. But I wouldn't have gotten to see all the places I did, nor meet some of the people that later have become really close friends. And all the great memories will live with me forever.
Career wise, I definitely should have stayed in school when I got married, rather than taking a lower paying job instead of living on student loans for a couple of years. But by doing so I learned a new trade, got trained by the best, and excelled in a line of work I never would have pictured myself in.
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| Photo by Simon Howden/FreeDigitialPhotos.net |
In hindsight I can find many examples of things I could have done differently, situations I should have handled better etc., but every choice I made, every experience I have had, every person I have met, and every place I have visited have all been part of defining my life. Being at the halfway point of my life, I have to say I have had a good life so far. Point is, it is far from over, and I have far from defined the rest of my life.
I read this great saying today: "You don't go to find meaning in life, you bring meaning to your life. Meaning isn't something out there waiting for you to discover. The meaning of your life is what you infuse it with - beauty or ugliness, happiness or sadness. It is totally your choice."
So there it is. Make your life be exactly what you want it to be. It is your choice. While weathering a few storms, I still choose to be happy, surround myself with great friends and positive people, and continuously look forward to new opportunities.
When times are tough and it's hard to see how life will ever improve, surround yourself with good friends, because "friends are angles who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly".
Wishing you all a great week!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Dating Site Spends $100,000 to Remove 30,000 "Ugly" Members
As internet dating continues to gain popularity, some sites apparently see it fit to make their member list more exclusive, whether it be for income levels, education, religion, age or looks.
BeautifulPeople.com is one, where members ruthlessly select new members and exclude those who do not match their definition of beautiful. However, Guardian reports, that last month, they were attacked by a virus, Shrek, that allowed 30,000 new members to gain access that otherwise would not have met their beauty requirements.
A little harsh, but says Greg Hodge, managing director of BeautifulPeople.com "We have to stick to our founding principles of only accepting beautiful people – that's what our members have paid for. We can't just sweep 30,000 ugly people under the carpet." Are you rolling your eyes right along with me?
Sadly, this is not the first time they have pushed their beauty requirements. Last year, they cut another 5,000 members who appeared to have put on weight during Christmas. Again, rolling my eyes!! And how would they know? Do they have to post updated pictures weekly?
I find the whole site laughable, because it speaks volumes of the values of its members. Don't get me wrong, I too find looks important. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I truly find that someones personality and values adds or deducts from his/her attractiveness. Even so, I still feel sorry for the members who were booted off the site. Or to quote Hodge again, "for the unfortunate people who were wrongly admitted to the site and believed, albeit for a short time, that they were beautiful".
Guess I'm also cheering for the ones trying to get back on the site. Rachel Godfrey, a 31-year-old Australian nanny living in LA, said she received an email telling her she was rejected two weeks after being accepted. "I was getting on really well with this American guy and we were going to go on a date and then they said I'd been chucked off and they locked me out of the site," she said. "Now I can't get in touch with him."
Godfrey said she is planning to have a makeover and professional photo shoot before reapplying to the website. "What if he's the one? This is only way I'll be able to get in touch with him," she said. "If that doesn't work I'll see what I can do with Photoshop." You go girl! Post those pictures that look nothing like yourself. Especially during Christmas.
Contemplating trying internet dating? Not so beautiful? Then an alternative is the NotSoBeautifulPeople.com , "a dating community of average folks, a place where you can relax, be yourself and never worry about being judged by the hot people." Or you can do like me and stick to meeting people the good old fashioned way...
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Words of Wisdom
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| Photo by Sura Nualpradid/FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
I am strong because I am weak. I am beautiful because I know my flaws. I am a lover because I am a fighter. I am fearless because I have been afraid. I am wise because I have been foolish. And I can laugh because I have known sadness.
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