Yesterday I had this idea that my blog needed a radical overhaul to make things “easier”. So I changed the layout, removed some stuff and add even more. The result was chaos. After discussing this with the most critical of my critics (my girl friend) a reverted back to my original template with only minor changes. Now everybody in the house seems to be happy with it. You too?
via Fluent: The 6 Best Techniques for Learning Vocabulary
If you want to learn a foreign language than this link could be for you. As you may know I am a native German speaker living in Italy. Learning vocabulary is right on top of my daily to-do list. I find the writing-down-part very useful. But my top advice is reading, reading, reading as much and as often as you possibly can.
Czerulf
Czerulf ventures into new territories. As for today all posts are going to be published on the following platforms:
We really should slow down quite a bit
Being ‘busy’ is a phenomenon so common and widespread that we might call it pandemic. Only very few are unaffected by it. Kim Kreider has written a wonderful article (here) about it. He combines a short analyses with an extended description on how he is trying to dodge The ‘Busy’ Trap.
He argues that the best part of our daily busyness and stress is self-inflicted. So who is (or thinks of himself or herself) busy and why?
It’s almost always people whose lamented busyness is purely self-imposed: work and obligations they’ve taken on voluntarily, classes and activities they’ve “encouraged” their kids to participate in. They’re busy because of their own ambition or drive or anxiety, because they’re addicted to busyness and dread what they might have to face in its absence.
Is it that we keep ourselves busy just to avoid facing up to the possibility that our lives are actually empty and meaningless?
Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness; obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or trivial or meaningless if you are so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day.
Isn’t that silly? If we need to schedule in time for family and friends, time to read or just time to be idle we know we have gone too far. Time to come back!
Recommended: The ‘Busy’ Trap – NYTimes.com.
Filed under English, Miscellaneous
EURO 2012 in Polen und der Ukraine
Das Prinzip ‘Brot und Spiele’ ist wahrlich nicht neu. Schon die alten Römer haben dessen Wirkung gekannt und zu nutzen gewusst. Wenig hat sich seither geändert. Wir alle brauchen schließlich hin und wieder etwas Ablenkung von der Realität. Die EURO 2012 war ein willkommener Anlass einzuschalten um wieder einmal abzuschalten.
Und die Show funktionierte. Die Gladiatoren aus der so genannten Peripherie (PIIGS) des (EU-) Imperiums haben vorallem ihre jugendlichen Anhänger für ein paar Tage die Perspektivlosigkeit ihres noch jungen Lebens vergessen lassen. Sie stellten mit Spanien (dem alten und neuen Titelträger), Portugal und Italien drei der vier Halbfinalisten. Hinzu kommt der Viertelfinaleinzug Griechenlands. Aus sportlicher Sicht hat nur das irische Team enttäuscht, trotz phänomenaler Unterstützung seiner mitgereisten Fans. Was kommt nach der Euphorie? Der Alltag.
Der Jubel, der Taumel, das aufgefrischte Selbstwertgefühl werden uns einige Tage tragen. Dann muss Brot auf den Tisch!
Filed under Deutsch, Miscellaneous
Czerulf's Thoughts 