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Not everyone enjoys going to a park for a cookout. Too many people, too much noise, and dogs stealing your hamburger can be quite the deterrent. If you’d rather just enjoy the BBQ aspect of summer in peace and quiet at home, then you’ll want a grill. If you only have a balcony of space though, you’re not going to want to take up the whole walkway with a clunky metal container.

The BBQ Bruce Handrail Grill will allow you to cook outside without taking up too much space on your terrace. It is constructed from stainless steel, and is not particularly large. Measuring in at only 16X18.5×58.5cm, you won’t be able to cook nearly as much, but if you aren’t the partying type, maybe that’s a good thing? It’ll cost around $76, and would be lovely for those that live in a crowded city area and don’t have a backyard.

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Ask Sloan Day & An Interview With Richard from MORE

Today (September 1st) is another ASK SLOAN Day on my Yahoo group. Stop by to see what questions readers are asking or to post your own question. You can also send your questions anonymously via email, and I’ll post it along with my answer to the group.

I’ll also be featuring a short interview with Richard Marshall from MORE. I’m gearing up to start writing book 2, which will be in Richard’s point of view, and it was fun to sit down with him and ask a few questions. I hope you can stop by and check it out.

All posts are archived at the group so if you’re reading this after Saturday, you can still join to see what I’ve shared.

Sign up below or via my Yahoo page.

Announcing new Ask Sloan Day: What do you want to know?

(c), pearleye 2010

I’m still on a break from regular blogging, but I wanted to invite you all to my first “Ask Sloan Day” on my yahoo group this Wednesday, August 1, 2012. This is a day once a month where I encourage readers to ask me questions about my books, characters, upcoming stories, writing in general, publishing, or anything else you’d like to ask me (or my characters) about.

Want to see what questions I answer? Want to ask a question of your own? Here’s what to do:

  • Sign up for my yahoo group if you haven’t already at: You don’t need to have a Yahoo account to sign up, read more here.
  • Submit your question via the group by sending an email to this address: SloanParkerDiscussions @ yahoogroups . com (remove the spaces).
  • Or, you can send your question directly to me at via this form. Then on Wednesday, I’ll post the question and my responses to the group so everyone can see.

Hope you can join me for my first Ask Sloan Day. I’ve already got some great questions from readers I’ll be sharing. Hope to hear more about what you’d like to know.

See you there!

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Today’s guest blogger: Scott

Today's guest blogger: Scott
Today's guest blogger: Scott

Hello everyone from Scott, Family Services Counselor at St. Joseph’s Indian School for 18 years and first-time blogger.  I provide counseling services and am a primary family contact during the school year for 6th-12th grade boys.  Once the school year ends however, I change hats and become part of the admissions department and get to travel the state to visit with families I work with during the school year.

I enjoy the change of pace during this time of year.  It keeps the job interesting.  After 18 years, the relationships with kids and their families make me look forward to each year here.

Last week, I traveled to Yankton, South Dakota to interview a family of four kids between grades second and seventh.  They are being raised by their grandmother.  I always enjoy meeting new kids and families at interviews.  It doesn’t take long to become attached and have hope for the kids to come to school here.  This family will wait for our mid-July admissions meetings to find out if the kids have been accepted.

Tomorrow I will travel to the Rosebud Indian Reservation to visit five young men and their families.  I’ll get to visit most of the towns on the reservation and will take the boys to the Buffalo Jump in downtown Mission.  It’s a classy little restaurant/coffee shop and most of the proceeds go back to education on Rosebud’s Indian Reservation.

The next day, a colleague and I will make our annual trip to Lower Brule/Crow Creek reservations to visit our kids and families there.  In all, we usually visit about 10-12 kids on this trip.  One other nice thing about these trips is that we always run into former students and families on these trips, so it’s always fun to re-connect with friends on the summer trips.

I work with the high school boys and several of them are still on campus, either in driver’s education classes, the high school preparatory program, or working in different jobs on or off campus, so it’s nice to run into them from time to time when I happen to be on campus in the summer.

Author: St. Joseph's Indian School

At St. Joseph's Indian School, our privately-funded programs for Lakota (Sioux) children in need have evolved over 89 years of family partnership, experience and education. Because of generous friends who share tax-deductible donations, Native American youth receive a safe, stable home life; individual counseling and guidance; carefully planned curriculum based on Lakota culture and individual student needs and tools to help build confidence, boost self-esteem and improve cultural awareness. All of this helps children to live a bright, productive, possibility-filled future.

4 thoughts on “Today’s guest blogger: Scott”

  1. Hi Scott, sounds like you have a great job and you are the perfect person to do it! I can “hear” your enthusiasm and love for the kids and their families! Thank you for your contribution to St. Joe’s.

  2. Hi Scott; I enjoyed your blog very much. Reading it raised a question I had never thought about before: Do students have to pay to attend St. Joe’s? If so, is there financial aid available such as scholarships? I probably should already know this, but I had just never thought about it.

  3. Deaar Scott and St. Joseph’s staff,
    How blessed the children are to have such dedicated people like you to educate and assist them to abetter life. I pray for every child at St. Joe’s and also every saff member every day in my rosary and Eucharistic Holy hours (2-3) each week, tonight, in fact.
    My husband and I were able to attend the Pow Wow a few yeaars ago and still have the fondest memories! Will have to bring our children and their families some time, too!
    I am changing my email address. please send mail to after this. Thank you.
    God bless, guide and protect you always,
    Paulette Northcutt

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Wednesday, July 11, 2018

#NewRelease #Reviews THE SOLUTION OF THE UNREQUITED by Len Webster

The Solution to Unrequited by Len Webster is AVAILABLE NOW!!

Barnes & Noble →

Atomic number: 33
Name of chemical element: Arsenic
Symbol: As
Every solution has a poisonous flaw … even between best friends.

The agreement: Fall break together.
The struggle: A road trip from North Carolina to Massachusetts.
The reason: To find a way back into each other’s lives.
The issue: AJ’s not ready to let Evan reclaim the parts of her he made his.
The hindrance: Connecticut.

I am so invested in both the story and characters of Evan and AJ so much so that at times I found myself having to remind myself to breathe.

To be honest both of them frustrated me so much, I was screaming at them on my head to just talk to each other but then I remembered their ages. Of the two I found myself questioning Evan's feelings for AJ the most. Does he really love her ? Does he even know what love is? I hated how as we saw in book one he took her so much for granted, how selfish he was. There are lightbulb moments when his past actions smack him in the face but can be be redeemed. Watching AJ flounder and flourish on her own is quite empowering and was a part of the story that is a great example for young women everywhere.

Another fantastic book in what is turning out to be one of my favourite coming of age series

* * *

Oh, my poor defenseless heart!

Have you ever craved the answers? Like you needed them so much you begged the author for the next book? So much need, longing, and love for two characters that you twitched to have the answers?

But let me ask you, when you were desperate and needy for those answers did you fear the results? Because I found once The Solution to Unrequited hit my kindle I actually backed away in fear! Legit, heart clenching fear. I was terrified of The Solution to Unrequited. And even having read it, I'm still afraid. (Wan smile) I am afraid that this story is going to continue to break me.

Fear shouldn't hold you back though. And in the end, I let it back me into a corner. I had no other choice and I'm glad I finally found the courage to continue AJ and Evan's story.

The Solution to Unrequited will answer the questions tearing you apart after The Theory of Unrequited. #WhatHappenedAtPromEvan? Will he find her? Will they move on? What about Connecticut?

But don't break out the champagne just yet! The Solution isn't the end of this story. Len Webster has plans to torture us even more. So angst lovers, love lovers,and needy people who like to cry- buckle in its going to be a bumpy ride!

Reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood

* * *

NO UNREQUITED LOVE IN YOUR LIFE? Start the series today with The Theory of Unrequited!

Every theory has a test subject … even between best friends.
The pact: Stanford.
The betrayal: AJ attending Duke.
The reason: She did something stupid like fall in love with Evan.
The problem: Evan’s not ready to let this betrayal go so easily.
The solution: Find AJ and fix them.

About Len
Len Webster is a romance-loving Melburnian with dreams of finding her version of ‘The One.’ But until that moment happens, she writes. Having just graduated with her BBusCom from Monash University, Len is now busy writing her next romance about how a boy met a girl, and how they fell completely and hopelessly in love.
She is also not a certified explorer, but she’s working on it.

Follow Len Everywhere!

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Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Eats // Parmesan Knots

Drinking: Water
Listening: We The Kings

I wanted to make some quick tasty knots to go along with dinner the other day and whipped these puppies up in 15 minutes!

You'll need:
1 Package of Crescent Rolls
Butter (I used a spay bottle)
Your choice of seasonings

Take each piece and roll into a line using your hands on the counter top. Once you have it looking decently even, tie in a knot and place on a baking sheet. Continue until all the knots have been made. Then spray with butter and season away. Bake according to the directions on the package. I did these at 350 for 11 minutes.

Add them in a cute bowl and BAM! You're ready to go! What do you guys think these would go well with?

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Frequently Asked Questions Van Gogh Paintings

How Van Gogh Stored Canvases in His Last Days – A Reader’s Question

We recently received the following Van Gogh inquiry from one of our Van Gogh Gallery site visitors.

“I haven’t been able to find an answer to this, and it seems important: during the last years of his life, when Van Gogh was producing a painting a day or so, where were those paintings stored? 900 paintings takes up a lot of room. I think it’s important, because obviously somebody thought his paintings were important enough to take the trouble to warehouse them somewhere, and that must have cost quite a bit (not to mention the cost of paints and canvases that he was going through on a daily basis).”

We thought this was a great question that others may have as well.  The following was our response:

You are quite right that it is difficult to discern where all of Vincent’s paintings were stored. We know nothing of a warehouse or storage facility for the paintings.  We know that though Vincent painted for a living, he didn’t actually make a living, since he only sold one painting during his lifetime. Instead his brother Theo supported him most generously and supplied for his needs including his paints and supplies.

Wheat Fields near Auvers

Many of Vincent’s canvases were stored at Theo’s home.  In a letter to Theo on July 2, 1890, he mentions that someone might stop by Theo’s home to see some of his canvases saying,

“An Englishman, an Australian, named Walpole Brooke, will probably come to see you, he lives at 16 Rue de la Grande Chaumière – I told him that you would let him know when he could come to see the canvases that are at your place.”

In her Memoir, Jo van Gogh discusses Vincent’s visit on July 6, 1890 and says, “Vincent was not satisfied with the place where the pictures were kept, which caused us to discuss our removal to a larger apartment – so those were days of much worry and anxiety.”

In a letter on July 10, 1890, Vincent again mentions storing canvases,

“I should find a shelter for myself and could retouch the canvases that need it. So that the pictures will be less ruined, and by keeping them in good condition, there will be a greater chance of getting some profit out of them. For – I don’t speak of my own – but the canvases by Bernard, Prévost, Russell, Guillaumin and Jeannin were going to ruin there, it is no place for them.

Now canvases like these – again I do not speak of my own – are merchandise which has kept and keeps a certain value, and their neglect is one of the causes of our mutual penury.”

In the same letter he also mentions that he has left some canvases at St. Remy,

“You see that with the canvases which are still at St. Rémy, there are at least 8 with the 4 here”

Vineyards with a View of Auvers

Van Gogh’s final days were spent at the Auberge Ravoux, or House of Van Gogh.  This is where he spent his last 70 days and where he created over 70 paintings.  Here he piled his canvases under the bed and in the corner cupboard. Emile Bernard wrote to art critic Albert Aurier about Van Gogh’s funeral saying,

“On the walls of the room where his body was laid out all his last canvases were hung making a sort of halo for him”

Following Vincent and Theo’s deaths we have learned the Jo van Gogh was left with an apartment filled with some 200 of Vincent’s paintings.

If you have a Van Gogh question please contact us.

Letter Sources:

Jennifer Couch

  1. É triste pensar que durante a vida do Vincent faltou lugar para guardar suas obras. O fato de o reconhecimento de sua arte ter acontecido bem depois de sua morte é cruel! 🙁

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Saturday, January 27, 2018

January is Blood Donor Month

Contributing Author: Alice Krueger

If you have been a blood donor, thank you. I may have received your blood during my spine surgery.

Why January?
Winter weather conditions make it harder for committed blood donors and new donors to get to donation centers. Yet the need for blood and blood products continues. This January, there is a critical need for both O negative and B negative whole blood and for platelets.

Why donate blood?
It’s a simple, nearly painless process that allows you to share a precious renewable personal resource that will make a tremendous difference in the life of another person. Blood can not be manufactured; the only source is from donors.

Need more encouragement? Several retail partners offer discounts or other rewards for blood donors. To learn more about these donor deals:

Now that you’ve decided to donate blood, what should you do to prepare?
Be sure you’ve included plenty of iron-rich foods in your menus in the weeks prior to donation. These foods include red meats, beans and other legumes, seafood, dark green veggies, enriched and whole grain cereals and brightly colored fruits. For more information on iron-rich foods, check out both pages here:

On the day your donation is scheduled, drink plenty of fluids to stay well hydrated. Wear comfortable clothing with sleeves that you can roll or push up above your elbows. And bring a list of all medications, prescription and over-the-counter, that you are currently taking.

What are the steps at the blood donation center?
  • During intake, you will show your identification and receive background information. You will have a private interview to establish your eligibility to donate. You will be asked about travel outside the US and Canada in the past three years.
  • A mini-physical exam (temperature, blood pressure, hemoglobin level) will check your health status.
  • The actual donation process begins with cleaning your arm on the inside of your elbow, and inserting a thin needle into a large vein right at the bend of your arm. This is nearly painless. It feels like a short pinch and then you no longer feel it.
  • You will sit for about 10 minutes as about a pint of your blood is collected. (Collection for platelets or plasma can take much longer, up to 2 hours.) Since you have about 10 pints of blood throughout your body, you probably won’t notice the difference.
  • When the donation is complete, the needle is removed, and a cotton ball and bandaid stuck on.
  • You will then get a snack and drink and can sit in the refreshments area for 10 minutes or so. When you are released, you can return to your normal daily activities.

What are the eligibility criteria to become a blood donor?
Of course to maintain the safety of the blood supply, you must be in general good health and feeling well on the day of your donation. “General good health” means you feel well, can perform normal life activities, and that any chronic conditions are being treated and under control.

Certain other health conditions and medicines you take may change your donation status. Check here for details:

Also, you must be at least 17 years old (age requirements vary by state) and weigh at least 110 pounds.

There may be specific requirements for various types of donations (platelets, plasma, etc.).

How often can I donate blood?
The American Red Cross restricts donation frequency to every 56 days (about two months) for whole blood donations. Donation frequencies vary by donation type. For more information see:

What about platelet donation?
Platelets are tiny fragments of cells carried in your blood that help stop bleeding from wounds by forming clots. Donated platelets are essential to people with blood-clotting disorders, and those who are battling cancer, traumatic injuries or chronic diseases. Donated platelets must be used within 5 days of collection, so there’s always a need for new donors. To learn more about platelet donation, look here:

What about plasma donation?
Plasma is the complex liquid component of fluid blood. It is mainly water, but contains important proteins, clotting factors, vitamins and minerals, digestive products and hormones.
When your blood is collected for plasma, the red cells and other blood components are filtered out and returned to you with additional saline fluid to replace the extracted blood volume. You can donate plasma once a month, and the duration of the collection procedure is a little over an hour. For more information:

Can I designate that my blood be used for a family member or friend?
This is possible through what is known as “directed donation.” The recipient must initially give consent for specific designated donors, and the recipient’s doctor must submit a written request to collect blood from the designated donors.

There is little evidence that this is safer than blood from anonymous donors. In fact, the social pressure to donate for a family member or friend may compromise the validity of responses to health- and lifestyle-history questions during the intake interview.

What is autologous donation?
If you are scheduled for surgery and the surgeon anticipates the need for a blood transfusion, you can donate your own blood ahead of time. Autologous donation requires a prescription and there are more numerous health requirements. For further information, please see:

If I identify as LGBTQ, can I donate blood?
Probably yes. Donation criteria are found here:

Is all donated blood tested for infectious diseases?
Yes, the Red Cross tests every single unit of donated blood or blood products. However, these tests are not 100% effective at detecting infections of the donor in very early stages. That is why donation centers have strict rules about eligibility to be a donor.

Image source: Pixabay.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Humpday Hint: Are You Tired? Or Sleepy?

If you feel fatigue, your doctor will want to know if you are tired or sleepy.

Tired means lacking strength and feeling “out of it.” A tired person has trouble focusing but generally feels awake. She has used up her energy, and often feels impatient or agitated with herself.

A sleepy person yawns, his eyes are droopy, and he feels drowsy. He becomes quieter and is likely to nod off.

This difference is important to your doctor. Be sure to share how you feel during the day. People with insomnia are constantly tired, but rarely feel the desire to sleep in the daytime. Individuals who suffer from sleep apnea or narcolepsy are tired, too, but they constantly fight off sleep, often nodding off at work or even behind the wheel.

If you can be clear in describing the symptoms you are experiencing, your doctor will be able to better identify what help you need. While insomnia isn't an urgently life-threatening condition, sleep apnea can increase your risk of heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure, and it can be treated. Those who suffer from sleep apnea frequently have no idea, and when they receive treatment they report a significant difference after the first night.

There is a little test you can give yourself, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)1. Developed by Dr. Murray Johns of Epworth Hospital in Melbourne Australia, it is a scale intended to measure your daytime sleepiness. It consists of a short questionnaire, and while it may be a rather subjective one, it can be useful in helping you and your doctor determine if you need help. Each of eight scenarios are scored on a scale of 0 to 3; then the 8 scores are added up. A result in the 0-9 range is considered normal, while a number in the 10-24 range may indicate a problem needing expert medical help. Scores of 11-15 often suggest the presence of mild to moderate sleep apnea; 16 and above may indicate severe sleep apnea or narcolepsy.

The ESS is really a subjective test, not scientific, but it may help catch a problem that can be investigated with your doctor's help, and you may be on your way to better sleep - and better health!

Images source: OpenClipart-Vectors and Free-Photos on Pixabay

1 Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Wikipedia

Monday, January 22, 2018

Keep Your Financial Files in Order

With Tax Season starting soon in the United States, it's a good time to take stock of your financial records and get organised, to make your tax filing process just that much less painful. Even when it's not tax season, wherever you live, these are good habits to get into.

Try these hints to make keeping your finances organized a little easier.
  1. Use the same names for electronic and paper files.
    You probably get some bills and statements electronically, and others paperwork through the mail. You may even get some bills in the mail that you turn around and pay electronically. Make sure your filing systems are parallel for the two kinds of documents.
  2. Don’t keep everything.
    • While it’s tempting to just keep all financial records, forever, it’s really not necessary. Documents you’ve saved as tax records need only go back 3 years (7 years if you saved them to show a loss).
    • Keep transaction receipts only until you verify them on the next monthly credit card or bank statement. Keep the credit card and bank statements only until you receive the year-end summary reconciliation.
    • You get a new insurance policy booklet every year. Throw away the old one.
    • For a handy list of what to keep and what to shred (don’t just toss financial records!), please click here: If you do not live in the United States, a tax accountant (or the equivalent) can help you determine what records to keep and for how long.
  3. Keep up every day.
    Once your system for financial record-keeping is in place, spend a few minutes each day keeping it updated. Put incoming bills to pay in either a physical or electronic folder. Make a note a few days before the due date on your calendar (to allow time for the mail to arrive). When you check your calendar each morning, you’ll know what payments to make on that date. When you have paid each paper bill, write PAID on the portion you keep and the date, and file it correctly.

  4. Make a notebook for tax documents.
    Create a Tax Notebook with folders for holding paperwork. Print off copies of electronic records that are tax-related and include them in the notebook’s folders along with paper records. Store all tax-related documents in the proper folder, labeled by document type. Be sure to keep all proofs of charitable donations and 1099 forms for miscellaneous income. Keep the notebook updated as part of your daily financial filing chores. Next spring you’ll have all your tax records neatly stored in the notebook.

Image Credits: Ducklings photo by Magdabed on Pixabay, Autumn pond photo by jill111 on Pixabay

Friday, January 19, 2018

Feeling Down? Make Some Lists!

We all have days when we are feeling a little sad. And it's okay to be in that mood sometimes, but not for too long. This is the time of year a lot of people may get into the doldrums. Thank the long, cold winter or hot, sweltering summer - depending on where you are in the world. You might not have noticed, but in the northern hemisphere, the days ARE getting longer; and shorter, cooler days are really coming in the southern hemisphere.

There's a little trick that can help. When you're feeling blue, make a list. Yes, you read that right - make a list! Don't make a "to do" list. Instead, think of all the things that you like, even love. Your favourite things. Make lists of them - they can remind you of good things and better days, and even motivate you to do something positive to get that little cloud lifting.

Here are just a few suggestions to get you started.

Your Favourite Things
Favourite songs of all time
Funniest jokes you've ever heard
Best movies ever made
Best loved books
Favourite foods
Favourite quotes
Scents you love

Your People
People you love
People who love you
People who inspire you
How you met your favourite people
Favourite authors and/or actors
Three people, past or present, you would love to visit with you

Your Accomplishments
Things you are proud of
Scariest things you have done
All the things you are good at
The last time you "paid it forward"
Things you are grateful for
Something new you learned
Someone you helped

Images Source: Pixabay

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Humpday Hint: Tips for Modifying Resolutions

Contributing Author: Gentle Heron

Most of us are about ready for Ditch Your Resolutions Day, which is January 17. If you change your resolutions using these tips, you will be more likely to be able to stick with them and accomplish your goals.
  1. Start slow and gradual.
    instead of a fitness goal of exercising every day, aim for twice a week. It’s a more attainable goal.
    You don’t have to implement all your resolutions at the same time. Stagger their start dates so you’re only making one change at a time.
  2. Set attainable goals.
    Start yourself off with a small success. You’re more likely to stick with that goal. Change a long-term weight loss amount resolution (“I will lose 25 pounds by summer.”) into a weekly behavior change goal (“I won’t eat while watching TV.” or “I will have a fruit or vegetable at every meal this week.”)
  3. Allow for exceptions.
    You don’t need to go “all or nothing” on most life changes. For instance, don’t outlaw all carbs. They are a source of food energy, and many are healthy and contain fiber.
    Don’t deny yourself all sweets. A piece of fruit is healthy. And one candy bar once in a while isn’t likely to derail your whole diet improvement plan. Forgive yourself and move on.
  4. Avoid the trends.
    You don’t need fancy diet foods, fad diets or the newest fitness program at the gym. Use common everyday items and activities to reach your long range goals.
  5. Don’t try to go “cold turkey.”
    Gradually changing long-held habits generally works best. Find healthy alternatives and add them slowly to your routine.

Image sources: Public Domain Pictures and Pixabay

Friday, January 12, 2018

How Can Your Pharmacist Help You?

Contributing Author: Gentle Heron

Your health care team probably includes a pharmacist. Most people know that a pharmacist is a licensed medical professional who distributes medications and drugs prescribed by physicians to patients. Pharmacists in the US have a graduate level university degree, and must also have passed a series of examinations of their pharmacy skills and knowledge. All US pharmacists are required to have a certain number of hours of supervised experience before they can acquire their license.

But do you know what else your pharmacist can do to help you maintain your health and wellness?

You can ask your pharmacist questions about any of your prescriptions, the proper way to take them, potential side effects, and possible interactions with other prescription and over-the-counter medications you are taking. Pharmacists can offer advice about the selection, dosage, interactions and side effects of any medication to patients and to doctors and other medical professionals.

Your pharmacist can offer advice about general health topics, including diet, exercise and stress management. He can offer specific advise about conditions such as high blood pressure, asthma, and diabetes, or about wellness goals such as smoking cessation.

Your pharmacist can also advise you on general health products carried in the pharmacy, including durable medical equipment and home healthcare supplies that may or may not be prescribed. She may complete third-party insurance forms and other paperwork. Many pharmacists now are trained to administer vaccinations, such as the flu shot.

Did you know...

...That pharmacists save patients time, and save the government money?

For an excellent visual explanation of evidence-based statements about what pharmacists do in the US, please see this website:

For information about pharmacists in the UK:

To learn about pharmacists in Canada:

Interested in a career in pharmacy in Australia? Check out this site:

Image Source: Pixabay

Monday, January 8, 2018

Avoiding the Flu When Away From Home

Influenza, often nicknamed "the flu", is a viral disease that can have mild symptoms such as sniffles, sore throat and feeling tired, or it can develop into severe complications such as viral pneumonia and heart failure.

The 2017-2018 flu season has seen a worrisome spread of this illness. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) publishes a weekly report on the spread of influenza in the United States. The World Health Organisation (WHO) also monitors the spread of influenza across the world.

What can YOU do to protect yourself and loved ones?

The CDC shares three key things you can do.

First, get vaccinated. The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older should get vaccinated every year (with some rare exceptions). Again, if you can, GET VACCINATED.

Second, the following actions will help you to stop the spread of germs:
  • Wash your hands! Always wash your hands after using the restroom; after sneezing or coughing or blowing your nose; and before and after eating. Wash your hands after touching surfaces touched by other people, such as doorknobs, elevator buttons, cart handles, counter tops. Wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before rinsing.
  • Carry tissues and hand sanitizer. Use the tissues to cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, then immediately dispose of the used tissue. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) when you can’t wash your hands. Offer to share the sanitizer with others.
  • Don’t touch your face. If you do have flu germs on your hands, they are easily transferred through your eyes, nose and mouth into your body.
  • Don’t share items such as phones and computer keyboards with others. Disinfect hard surfaces after others have touched them.
  • Stay away from people with symptoms. And do others a favor and stay home when you are ill.

Third, if your doctor prescribes them, take antiviral drugs. The sooner they are taken, the better. Those at high risk for flu complications like pneumonia especially are encouraged to stay in contact with their doctors if they become ill.

While anyone can get the flu, young children and adults over age 65 are considered vulnerable. A little common sense and use of preventive measures will help to lower the risk for yourself and everyone around you.

Images source: Pixabay, keyword "flu"

Friday, January 5, 2018

Escape from Your Intellectual Bubble

What’s with these so-called intellectual bubbles we’ve heard about this past year, anyway? What does it mean?

Many of us get information and support from others who are basically just like ourselves. Sometimes we do it voluntarily, but often it’s unconscious on our part. There’s even a whole tech sector dedicated to providing you with electronic material “just for you,” tailored to your tastes.

Of course that’s comfortable! You know pretty much what to expect when you interact with these people or read those web posts. But sometimes the intellectual bubbles we’re in encourage us to forget the diversity of the world outside the bubble. When we associate with people like ourselves, speaking the same language and experiencing the same lifestyle, we begin to assume, however unconsciously, that everyone else must be like us, or else be wrong.

That’s the danger of intellectual bubbles: We are shielded from the broader reality, we lose touch with the world’s diversity. By preventing us from understanding how other people think and feel, bubbles build walls and create intolerance.

So take a risk, and escape from your intellectual bubble. Here are three steps you can take to do that.

Get Physical

You can actually physically escape from your bubble. In our ordinary environment, we see the same people, often like ourselves, all the time. Perhaps it’s time to get away. But where can you go?

This doesn’t have to mean international travel. There are probably many places in your own community you have never visited. A restaurant you’ve never eaten at. A business you know nothing about.

Consider calling up a local civic organization or educational institution and asking for someone to give you a tour and tell you about their mission or activities.

Volunteer with a group that serves people you’re not likely to meet in your daily life, perhaps people from a different age group or culture. You could read to grade school kids, or serve meals at an elder daycare.

Experiencing a new culture is a great way to understand more about people. You will never know what you can learn until you try this strategy for physically escaping from your bubble.

Learn Things!

A second escape method is to build new skills. This can be anything now to you, really!

Learn to knit. Try out yoga. Play the saxophone or flute. Find out how to greet people and ask for directions in a new language. Learn to make a simple mobile app. Read a novel in a genre you’ve not sampled before.

Get outside your comfort zone. Whatever you do will get you to employ a different part of your brain. This strategy encourages you to experiment with content and problem-solving tools that are outside your current repertoire.

Make Your Own (Different) Bubble

This third strategy may sound like an odd way to escape a bubble, but do consider creating your own bubble. A new one.

Be sure you have real friends (not Facebook friends) who are very different from yourself. Second Life® is a great way to learn to know people from a wide variety of geographic places and cultures.

In your social media, follow on Twitter (Editor's note: In fact, you don't even have to follow people to read their tweets) and read blogs by people very different from yourself. Watch TED videos for knowledge, inspiration, and challenges to your way of thinking.

This next suggestion may feel more like preparing for a high school debate. Pick a topic you’re familiar with, and get informed about the opposing point of view. Ask someone who disagrees with your position on a topic why they believe as they do, and really listen to their explanation without trying to pick it apart.

Of course these exercises will allow you to better understand other points of view. What this strategy also leads to is the ability to see multiple angles of an argument, and to possibly synthesize new approaches with your original position.

You will naturally feel some discomfort in emerging from your intellectual bubble. I imagine a newly winged butterfly feels somewhat disoriented when coming out of her cocoon.

But think about it this way… The future absolutely won’t be like the present. Being able to escape from your intellectual bubble will make you more effective in your future life. You may actually come to enjoy the challenges of new experiences and changes.

Image source: Bubble Girl Trapped, by dawnydawny on Pixabay

Thursday, January 4, 2018

Tipzzzzz for Better Sleep

Most adults do not get the recommended 7 to 8 hours of high quality sleep each night. If you are sleeping more or less than the recommended amount, you are probably not functioning at full capacity. Here are some tips to help you sleep better and wake up feeling refreshed.

  • Be physically active for 30 minutes most days. Try to schedule your exercise sessions at least 3 hours before bedtime.
  • Limit caffeine in the morning and avoid it after noon. There are similar stimulants in nicotine and decongestants, so try to cut down.
  • Don’t nap within 6-8 hours of bedtime, and limit your nap to 30 minutes.
  • Eat dinner at the same time each day, and at least 2 or 3 hours before bedtime.
  • Go to bed and get up at the same times every day. Don’t sleep in or stay up late on weekends.

Sleep problems are treatable. If these tips do not improve your sleep, please talk with your healthcare provider.

Monday, January 1, 2018

It’s Healthy to Give, and It Doesn’t Need to be Cash

Contributing Author: Alice Krueger

I don’t know many individuals or organizations that would turn down a gift of money, any time of year. It’s good to give. However, we don’t always have funds to spare for charity. There’s plenty you can offer that isn’t money, though. But why bother giving anything at all?

Giving, also known as altruistic spending, has positive effects on health. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame Science of Generosity Initiative wrote the book The Paradox of Generosity1 to share their findings. Americans who donated more than 10% of their incomes were less depressed than those who didn’t donate as much. Giving money does not even need to be to that high an extent to increase happiness. Research at the University of British Columbia2 showed that those who donated small amounts of money to charity or as a gift were happier than those who used the cash to pay a bill or buy themselves a small treat. A summary of research on altruism and health3 concluded there was a strong correlation between people’s health, happiness, well-being and longevity and their altruistic emotions and behaviors.

So, what can you give if you don’t have extra cash? Here are a few ideas.

• Donate through a company - Several companies will donate to a charity of your choice. The Amazon Smile program is one such. Amazon donates a small percentage of your purchase amount to your designated charity, and it does not cost you anything additional.
Some employers have a matching donation program. Check whether yours does by asking your HR Department.

• Give your time and genuine interest - Going out for coffee or lunch with a friend or work colleague makes both of you happier. Networking events are another way to spend time with others you know less well.

The benefit of the time you spend with someone is enhanced when you are sincerely “present,” meaning emotionally available as well as physically there. Although sometimes more difficult to achieve, this type of generous giving improves relationships as well as overall health. According to the Notre Dame researchers1, 48% of persons in more giving relationships were in excellent health, compared with 31% who were not in such relationships. People in “satisfying relationships” show more autonomic activation when confronting psychological challenges and have more efficient restorative behaviors4. While the effects of volunteering are beneficial for those who have a positive view of others, those who do not hold such views apparently do not benefit5.

• Share laughter! - Tell a joke or a silly story. Laughter, yours and the listener’s, is a great antidepressant6. Laughter reduces stress7, burns calories by increasing your heart rate8, decreases pain9, and may even protect you against heart disease10.

• Spread kindness - “Random acts of kindness” don’t have to be big things. Smiling at the check out clerk, letting someone with fewer items go in front of you in the grocery line, offering a compliment to someone at the bus stop on their choice of reading material, helping an elderly person step down safely off a curb… small actions of kindness on your part will improve your day as well as the recipient’s 11.

• Offer your skills - Volunteer to use your skills to benefit others. Can you help a struggling small business with bookkeeping? Clean house or prepare a casserole for a new mother overwhelmed with caring for her baby? Sew cuddle blankets that the rescue squad can give to traumatized children? Refurbish donated computers for a nonprofit?
Everyone has skills they can share. One way to share your life knowledge is to be a peer supporter. Research12 on nurses with chronic pain showed that those who volunteered to work with other chronic pain patients had decreased levels of pain intensity depression and disability, compared with those who did not volunteer. Helping others appears to reduce the risks of dying by buffering the effects of stress13. Persons who are less well socially integrated seem to derive the most improvement in well-being from volunteering14.

As Winston Churchill famously stated,

“We make a living by what we get.
We make a life by what we give.”

Find a way to give to others in the coming year, and reap the health benefits of your actions.

1 Smith, C. & Davidson, H. (2014). The Paradox of Generosity. Available from Amazon.

2 Dunn, E., & Norton, M. (2014). Happy Money: The science of happier spending. Available from Amazon.

3 Post, S. G. (2005). Altruism, happiness, and health: It’s good to be good. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 12(2), 66-77.

4 Cacioppo, J. T., Ernst, J. M., Burleson, M. H., McClintock, M. K., Malarkey, W. B., Hawkley, L. C., et al. (2000, Mar). Lonely traits and concomitant physiological processes: The MacArthur social neuroscience studies. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 35(2-3), 143-154.

5 Poulin, M. J. (2014, Feb). Volunteering predicts health among those who value others: Two national studies. Health Psychology, 33(2),120-129.

6 Ko, H.-J., & Youn, C.-H. (2011, July). Effects of laughter therapy on depression, cognition and sleep among the community-dwelling elderly. Geriatrics & Gerontology International, 11(3), 267-274.

7 Berk, L. S., Tan, S. A., Fry, W. F., Napier, B. J., Lee, J. W., Hubbard, R. W., et al. (1989, Dec). Neuroendocrine and stress hormone changes during mirthful laughter. American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 298(6), 390-396.

8 Buchowski, M. S., Majchrzak, K. M., Blomquist, K., Chen, K. Y., Byrne, D. W., & Bachorowski, J. A. (2007, Jan). Energy expenditure of genuine laughter. International Journal of Obesity, 31(1), 131-137.

9 Tse, M. M. Y., Lo, A. P. K.. Cheng, T. L. Y., Chan, E. K. K., Annie H. Y. Chan, A. H. Y., & Chung, H. S. W. (2010). Humor therapy: Relieving chronic pain and enhancing happiness for older adults. Journal of Aging Research. Link retrieved December 31, 2017.

10 University of Maryland Medical Center (2005). School of Medicine study shows laughter helps blood vessels function better. Link retrieved December 31, 2017.

11 Tkach, C. T. (2006). Unlocking the treasury of human kindness: Enduring improvements in mood, happiness, and self-evaluations. Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 67(1-B), 603.

12 Arnstein, P., Vidal, M., Wells-Federman, C., Morgan, B., & Caudill, M. From chronic pain patient to peer: Benefits and risks of volunteering. Pain Management Nursing, 3(3), 94-103.

13 Poulin, M. J., Brown, S. L., Dillard, A. J., & Smith, D. M. (2013, Sept). Giving to others and the association between stress and mortality. American Journal of Public Health, 103(9), 1649-1655.

14 Piliavin, J. A., & Siegl, E. (2007, Dec). Health benefits of volunteering in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 48(4), 450-464

Images source: Pixabay


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[Guest Post] “Gamification: The Stakes for Content Design”, by Neus Lorenzo

A kitten, a ball and a beach …

04 kitten and ballA kitten chasing a ball of yarn; 03 angry birda beach tourist at a pinball machine; a bored train-traveller, killing Angry Birds on a smartphone … what do they have in common?

Yes, of course, all of them are playing.

You say you don’t want to play? Many animals develop activities that seem to have no other intention but to play and have fun. Are they productive? Surely yes, if they help individuals be healthier and species to survive.

Games were serious tasks for athletes in ancient Greece, for gladiators in classic Rome, for professional guilds in medieval times, and for many industries in modern times. Games are now used to establish rules for co-operation in an environment where entertainment dominates the web. Now that humankind has entered an era of dematerialized digital expanded reality, it seems obvious that virtual games are also going to become part of our regular learning skills. No wonder the virtual game industry has grown exponentially, creating a multi-billion dollar market!

05 discus playerStill not interested in playing? The statistical data on total monthly retail revenue of the U.S. video game industry in January 2013 amounted to 834.7 million U.S. dollars, with an increase of 9% in comparison to January 2012[i]. Have we got your attention now?

Intentional acts are commonly oriented to immediate practical outcomes such as eating, looking for protection, mating, nesting, defining territory, but playing is a more subtle way of ensuring long-term survival skills. Among animals, playing is a training activity for youngsters, a learning process that reproduces collaboration and interactive hunting, or fighting scenarios that will be useful in the future. However, the ability to create game scenarios that follow rules and negotiated conditions is a specifically human, sophisticated behaviour.

Skill-building games

Skill-building games are part of human cognitive development, connected to systematic and planned learning for individuals and organizations. Since the 20th century, social interactivity has been seen as part of human strategies for cognitive development (Leo Vygotsky, 1978[ii]) and for discovery learning (Jerome Bruner, 1960)[iii]. In teaching and learning situations, role-play, cooperative games, and challenging problem solving have become natural activities. Two of today’s main cognitive theories, constructivism[iv] and connectivism[v], see social gaming as directly connected to children’s development, professional training, or organizational growth. It is present in sports, music, and media industries, and it is broadcast and shared through the net in the global village.

UNESCO’s modern educational approaches (Delors et al, 1996 [vi]) point at knowledge development, procedures, and attitudes (individual and collective) as the main domains that should be considered systematically for building human skills in order to know, to do, to be, and to live together:

01 Figure 1

Fig 1. Human skill-building domains, according to UNESCO.

Learning, training, and playing follow these fields of development with aims and rules (to know), strategies and tactics (to do), personal experiences (to be) and collective performance (to live together). In a way, experts in game design have most in common with cognitive scientists and educators.

In our entertainment-oriented society, game design, tools, and strategies have inserted themselves into every content industry.  Not only that, gamification (term coined by Nick Pelling[vii] in the 1980s for “using game design thinking in non-game situations”) has invaded different economic areas to make them more engaging and attractive. It seems to be everywhere, in this society of competition and consumption.

Gamification is useful to improve:

  • Outcomes and content assessment. Gamification can provide quantitative metrics via scoring (e.g. “likes”) and other collective data gathering tools.
  • Procedural development and organization process. Gaming strategies can help compare usage, content design preferences, or procedural rules in a social community or informational environment.
  • Attitudinal conduct or behaviour. Social gaming can promote employee engagement and increase users’ participation and fidelity, by activating playful competition.
  • Resilience and Personal Development. Learning to succeed (winning), and more importantly, learning to fail (losing) are useful skills for life-long professional training.

Games have passed from being institutional learning tools and training strategies, to become an integral part of our everyday lives. Gamified virtual environments provide spaces to perfect the use of expensive machinery, simulate environments without real-life risks, or offer informal training opportunities.

Yesterday’s mechanical joysticks have been replaced by motion-sensitive controls, eye tracking devices, and even brain-controlled systems. Interested in learning how to drive? A neuroheadset can provide a safer mode of training[viii]. Volkswagen is conducting experiments with an autonomous electroencephalography system, designed for gaming, to control cars[ix]. Wireless neuro-signaling acquisition and processing mechanisms, based on brain control, will eventually allow blind people to drive autonomously, at least in designated areas.

An emerging area for gamification

Gamification is already part of the content design picture. New interfaces such as touch screens, wireless reading control, robotic tools, or gestural input and output, come mainly from the digital gaming business (e.g. the Wii). Gamification can provide inspiration and user engagement, as in NASA’s proposal to Send a postcard to the Mars Curiosity Rover[x]. It can also be the source of malicious bait, leading internauts to click on dubious links to unknown prizes, veiled demands for private data, or unexpected questions that track personal preferences in order to target us with SPAM. More than ever, transparency and fair play will be meaningful for middle and long-term audience acceptance, because there are areas of life where gamification can be highly risky: professional reputation, emotional balance, psychological health. These are examples where gamification should be undertaken only under strict control of knowledgeable professionals.

Game theory (how people act and react under competition or collaboration) is used in Gamification for marketing, teamwork design, industrial ergonomics, media, web analytics, or politics[xi]. Although Gamification has its own internal limitations, it might offer a huge field of applications for content industries.

Gamification that searches to identify users’ behaviours for Big-data analytics may not provide useful information:

  • In an increasingly automatized Internet of things, robotic tools will personalize options for the human user without human intervention. Popups that tell you “click here if you like oranges” will go largely unanswered.
  • Big data looks at large trends that produce profiles and predictions. They cannot directly solve emerging individual problems or meet singular needs.

Mere competition may not be the best way to encourage motivation, concentration or collaboration, which are also needed for networking and team management. Scientific studies have already demonstrated that cooperation is often the best option in the mid- to long-term.

Winning all the time is not the best way of maintaining the essential group cohesion that we need in order to go on playing, and too many prizes or rewards makes them unattractive and worthless. In any case, the main objective is not just to capture users’ attention, but to carry them through the content offer, satisfy their needs, and convert.

In the content industries, we need to understand how Gamification can enhance engagement and commitment. Using UNESCO’s approach, a pyramid of mounting engagement can help us to clarify the value of our messages:

02 Figure 2

Fig 2. Engagement and commitment, aligned to skill-building domains.

To know:

  • Do we know enough about game theory to include gamification strategies in our content?
  • Do we understand sufficiently the mechanisms of competition, collaboration, achievement, status, self-esteem, or altruism?
  • Do we know how people act, react, and engage in digital environments?

To do:

  • Do we design flexible content, ready to adapt to new contexts and interfaces?
  • Do we include useful engagement techniques to encourage participation, such as giving points or badges for accomplishments?
  • Do we strategize our content design to facilitate data analysis using devices such as user profile progress bars (e.g. percentage of completion)?

To be:

  • Are we willing to give up control of our content, for example by permitting users to add their own stories or personal narratives/reviews, etc.?
  • Are we willing to accept uncertainty in order to gain better results?
  • Are we ready to learn new ways of interacting with colleagues, users and social audiences?

To live together

  • Can we manage the complexity of networking in an increasingly gamified web?
  • Will we accept social rules of collaboration using gamification techniques in teamwork design?
  • Can we combine users’ privacy concerns with shared gamification, for example when making the rewards for accomplishment visible to other users?

Neus Lorenzo

Neus Lorenzo

Neus Lorenzo (PhD) heads the Foreign Language Service in the Departament d’Ensenyament, the local Ministry of Education in Catalonia (Spain), and has worked at the Inspectorate of Education in the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan government). She has been a trainer and advisor (Council of Europe, Anna Lindh Foundation) and is currently coordinating the Lifelong Learning Project of the European Union in Catalonia. She has also represented the Spanish autonomies before the education committee of the European Parliament. Neus is an author and co-author of educational material and textbooks for Oxford University Press, Richmond-Santillana, Oceano, and McGraw-Hill. Her areas of expertise include communication, language learning, digital learning, ICT, organizational networking, educational assessment, international collaboration, and headmaster coaching. She is currently doing research with the Jaume Bofill Foundation, the OECD, several Catalan universities, and The Transformation Society. You can also follow her on twitter: @NewsNeus

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• Need a Real Sponsor here

Schapiro’s move to consultant prompts ‘revolving door’ critique

Mary Schapiro in 2012

Will regulators be tough while they are in office or will they go soft on industry, in hopes of a bigger payday down the road?

This basic question, part of the phenomenon known as “regulatory capture,” is one of the toughest  conundrums of the financial crisis and still keeps experts up at night. Despite some hand-wringing, nothing much has been done to address it.

Washington continues to work as it did before the crisis, with a “revolving door” of regulators moving on to lucrative careers in industry and vice-versa.

The latest example came Tuesday with news that former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Mary Schapiro has joined Promontory Financial Group. Journalists who follow the links between DC and the financial industry, like Politico’s Ben White, were quick to pounce.

Mary Schapiro of SEC and Lanny Breuer of Justice financial crisis response both through revolving door to finance related jobs. #cynicism

— Ben White (@morningmoneyben) April 2, 2013

Schapiro herself told The Wall Street Journal that “In my case, there’s no revolving door…I won’t ever be going back to government.”

This is not to pick on Schapiro. It seems like a shrewd career move and a nice paycheck for her. It is also a coup for Promontory.  The firm, founded by Eugene Ludwig, a former comptroller of the currency, has carved out a good business hiring ex-bank regulators to help banks comply with new post-crisis rules, earned the firm the nickname of the “shadow” OCC. Hiring Schapiro allows the firm to make a play to become the “shadow” SEC.

But Promontory has been drawing  scrutiny lately for its role in an industry review of  mortgage foreclosures.

Under the 2011 settlement that banks reached with the federal government, Promontory and other independent firms were hired to search for errors in foreclosure documents.

The program was shut down after it was revealed that the third-party firms had received almost $2 billion in fees for their work before homeowners had received any payments. The program has since sparked lawsuits and there are reports that Sen. Sherrod Brown, a Democrat from Ohio, may hold hearings on it when Congress returns next week from its break.

— Greg Robb

Follow Political Watch on Twitter @mktwpolitics

Follow Greg at @grobb2000

Copyright 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit


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Lichtenberg Live Wire

Lichtenberg 47 (7:6, penalties) FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin

If 120 minutes of mud-slogged soccer had made him weary, Ümit Ergirdi showed little sign of it as he spritely jogged to the spot and prepared to take his team’s fifth penalty.  He’d have to hit the back of the net to avoid instant elimination from the Berliner Pokal.  The FC Viktoria 1889 Berlin captain and veteran midfielder stood in this exact spot over an hour ago, when his first-half penalty was scooped up with ease by Lichtenberg 47 keeper Niklas Wollert.  Given he’s made over 300 appearances in the German 4th and 5th divisions, its unlikely such a high-pressure situation was anything new for Ergirdi. The whistle blew and he struck the ball from the penalty spot for the second time, opting now to send it tearing down the middle instead of low and wide like his first shot.  And for the second time Wollert was up to the task, just managing to swat the attempt away and send the Lichtenberg squad and home fans into rapturous celebration.

For Ergirdi and his side, there was only disappointment.  Though he’s surely faced such pressure before, this time it got to him, cutting off Viktoria’s cup run prematurely at the hands of an opponent from one division their inferior.  Viktoria’s discontent can only be sharpened by the knowledge that they spent most of the match in the driver’s seat and looked sure to advance before stupendously collapsing under a late, impassioned surge from Lichtenberg.

Such an exciting game shouldn’t come as a complete surprise.  This 3rd round Berliner Pokal matchup stood out on the fixture list.  Lichtenberg 47, currently in a 3-way tie on points for second place in the Oberliga (5th division), were Pokal finalists in 2015/16.  Viktoria, sitting in 7th in a crowded Regionalliga (4th division) table, were finalists a year ago.  In fact, Lichtenberg was an early victim of Viktoria’s success last year, when 1889 knocked them out in the 2nd round.  With two of the tournament’s best sides in recent year’s sparring, the day was heavy with the expectation of a thrilling bout.  Despite the biting November cold and sputtering, gloomy drizzle that soaked the pitch and waterlogged the lightly overgrown terraces of the Hans Zoschke Stadion, 300 fans were in attendance. Their umbrellas ringed the stadium while the concession stands went through Glühwein at an impressive pace.

The miserable weather could have justified a subdued start to the match, but the action kicked off early.  Viktoria looked a class above Lichtenberg from the beginning, dictating the match’s tempo and dominating possession.  This translated into a goal only 9 minutes in, when winger Christian Hasse barreled into the box, rising over his marker to head a gorgeously lofted cross from wide right into the net.  Already looking comfortable on the ball and happy to build slowly from the back, 1889 only doubled down on their patient approach after going up, unhurriedly working the ball forward from their defensive line, probing the Lichtenberg midfield and defense when possible but frequently recycling the ball back to continue possession and try again.

Lichtenberg, frequently hanging deep in their own side of the field, initially struggled to change this dynamic.  They’d do a better job of winning the ball and scrambling forward as the half wore on, and they had both a goal rightly deemed offsides and hit the crossbar in the first period.  Meanwhile, Viktoria’s sustained control rarely translated into concrete chances, and the closest they came to scoring again in the opening 45 minutes was Ergirdi’s saved penalty. The stopped spot kick, as well as near-murderous levels of chippiness and shared roars of frustration from the home team and supporters at the referee’s every decision lent the close of the half a crackling atmosphere, even if Lichtenberg’s play on the field left much to be desired.

The hosts could not manage to transform the electricity in the air to chances on the ground to start the second half.  They saw a bit more of the ball than earlier, but had little luck in breaking down the Viktoria midfield, and more frequently than not ended up lobbing the ball over the head of their lone striker as soon as they got a hold of it. Viktoria’s grip on the game tightened when they doubled their lead in the 68th minute. A mental lapse in the Licthenberg backline saw the ball stripped away and laid off to Viktoria’s Abu Bakarr Kargbo, who was one-on-one with the red’s keeper and tucked the ball away with ease. By now things looked insurmountable for Lichtenberg 47.  The excellent Hasse nearly added to his tally just three minutes later, when his deftly chipped shot was cleared off the line by a Lichtenberg defender.  This close shave seemed to shake some life into the home side.  Although they had never quite laid down against their more-powerful opponents, Lichtenberg pushed forward more and with greater venom than before. Notably, 1889 failed to adjust to this shift, as they neglected to manage the game and allowed enough space for Lichtenberg to hunt out cracks and bring the ball into attack.

Despite the game clock ticking steadily away, there was already a sense of possibility leading into Lichtenberg’s first goal in the 78th minute.  A high cross from the left was headed down in the box, right into the path of Viktoria defender Tobias Gunte, who couldn’t help but watch in horror as he deflected the ball into his own goal. 2:1, and Lichtenberg was back to life.   Viktoria responded by dropping as deep as physically possible, allowing the hosts to attack nearly at will, with increasing ferocity and fueled by the growing hope of their fans.  With time slipping away and Lichtenberg looking dangerous, both teams and benches were animated, Viktoria trying to weather the storm while the home fans and players sought to make what was increasingly feeling possible a reality.  Naturally, they did just that, executing the inevitable just one minute to full time, with center back Sebastian Reiniger playing the hero and cleaning up a headed cross, sending his bench rushing onto the field in a frenzy.

For all their momentum in the last 15 minutes of regulation, Lichtenberg looked rather tentative in extra time, and both sides seemed content to play things safe.  An uneventful half an hour later and the teams lined up for penalties, knowing full well that the crazy game which saw fortunes tilt so drastically from one end of the pitch to another could now end in anyone’s favor.  The first nine penalties were confidently taken, all ripping into their target and leaving the two keepers looking dumbfounded.  Until, of course, Viktoria’s final go, when Lichtenberg’s keeper Wollert knew he once again had Ergirdi’s number and guessed right.   Thanks to Wollert, the Lichtenberg fans will get to catch at least one more Pokal match this season.  Given the wild afternoon at Hans Zoschke Stadion they’d likely be happy with a repeat of Sunday’s madness, albeit ideally with a bit better weather.


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Monday, November 30, 2009

Food Stamp Use Soars, and Stigma Fades

Incredible: "A program once scorned as a failed welfare scheme now helps feed one in eight Americans and one in four children." Read the full NYT article here.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Weary of Looking for Work, Some Create Their Own

Recessions often push people to sharpen their entrepreneurial talents.
...Plenty of other laid-off workers across the country, burned out by a merciless job market, are building business plans instead of sending out résumés. For these people, recession has become the mother of invention.

Economists say that when the economy takes a dive, it is common for people to turn to their inner entrepreneur to try to make their own work. But they say that it takes months for that mentality to sink in, and that this is about the time in the economic cycle when it really starts to happen — when the formerly employed realize that traditional job searches are not working, and that they are running out of time and money.

Mark V. Cannice, executive director of the entrepreneurship program at the University of San Francisco, calls the phenomenon “forced entrepreneurship"...
Read the article here. (This article even features recent Duke grad, Alex Andon!)

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Charity is an insult to small business

Here is a different view: "While Goldman may see this as a generous move, its charity is an offense to struggling entrepreneurs and a symbol of failed government policy. The $500 million allocated to fund the initiative is a small share of the massive profits Goldman has earned on the back of huge government subsidies it has received since the onset of the financial crisis." Read the article here.

4 year old calls 911 for math help

Monday, November 23, 2009

Grameen America

How often does something move from the developing world to the US? Grameen Bank, the microfinance institution form Bangladesh, is starting to develop roots in NYC. Check out the slide show here.

First Mutual Fund Investment in Microfinance in India

A mutual fund based on microloans? It happened. In India. Check out the article here.

Some Rediscover the Benefits of Business Travel

Cutting back on business travel could be a bad decision during the recession:
When the economy collapsed last fall, many companies had to make some quick decisions about travel, typically one of the first areas they trim when finances are tight. Should they cut back as most of their competitors were, continue business as usual or spend even more to get a leg up?

Most companies — about 85 percent — decreased travel spending, according to the National Business Travel Association, a trade group. But two recent reports, commissioned independently by the business travel association and another trade group, the U.S. Travel Association, found a clear link between business travel and corporate profit.
Read the NYT article here.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Mistakes in Typography Grate the Purists

Here are a couple quotes from typography purists:

"I think sometimes that being overly type-sensitive is like an allergy."

"Choosing an inappropriate typeface is one problem. Applying one inaccurately is another. Sadly for type nuts, movies often offend on both counts. Take 'Titanic,' in which the numbers on the dials of the ship’s pressure gauges use Helvetica, a font designed in 1957, some 45 years after the real 'Titanic' sank."

Read the NYT Design article here.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Changing your Surname

Have you ever wondered how much of a hassle it is to change your name? For a woman changing her surname at marriage, it can cost hundreds of dollars! Learn more about the steps for a name change here.

Have you ever wanted to see what the world looks like for someone who is colorblind, or perhaps, color-weakness? Check out a cool simulation here. You can test for multiple types of color-blindness.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Friday, November 6, 2009

Readability: Making Web Pages Easy to Read

If you want to have a better style for your websites, check out this site on graphic design. Also, read up on serif or sans serif debate here.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

"The Mismeasure of Woman"

Joanne Lipman writes about the great strides and the hidden struggles of women in the world. Here are a few excerpts:
For the first time, women make up half the work force. The Shriver Report, out just last week, found that mothers are the major breadwinners in 40 percent of families. We have a female speaker of the House and a female secretary of state. Thirty-two women have served as governors. Thirty-eight have served as senators. Four out of eight Ivy League presidents are women...

...Consider the facts: When I graduated from college in 1983, women earned only 64 cents for every dollar earned by a man.

Today? Women earn just 77 cents. By other measures, women’s gains have stalled: board seats and corporate officer posts have been flat — or declined in recent years.

More proof: According to the American Bar Association, women in 2008 made up almost half of all associates, but only 18.3 percent of partners. Only 15 women run Fortune 500 companies.
Read the NY Times article here.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Tackling ‘the Russian God’

"Security camera footage of an accident at a warehouse outside Moscow that destroyed more than $150,000 worth of vodka, according to Russian television. The driver sustained minor injuries." Read the NYT article here.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Sent from Julia:

"The idea behind VisualMD is to be the Google Earth for medical imagery. News organizations, for instance, might use the images from VisualMD to explain health concepts to their audiences just as how now they use Google Earth to convey geographic information.

[The creator's] goal is to make all of the data free and available and to serve as a resource for individuals, as well as doctors explaining health matters to their patients. Their images are beautiful 3D reconstructions of organs that the user can spin around, interact with, annotate, and even create their own slide shows for easy email to others."

Check out the VisualMD website here.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

"Cut Wall Street Out! How States Can Finance Their Own Economic Recovery"

The citation was a bit dubious, but allegedly, "According to a German study, interest composes 30 percent to 50 percent of everything we buy."

Also, guess the two states in the country that are set to meet their budgets in 2010 (North Dakota and Montana). A little know fact and possible reason why ND is doing so well economically: North Dakota is the only state in the Union to own its own bank.

Read the entire article here.

Why Women Aren’t C.E.O.s, According to Women Who Almost Were

"It’s not a pipeline problem. It’s about loneliness, competition and deeply rooted barriers." Read more in the NYT .


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26 October 2014

Hello Kitty Room @ Malacca

SUPPPP~!!! Me at Like Guest House (Hello Kitty themed rooms) at Malacca!!! There is no website but you can email hello.kittymelaka@gmail.com to book!

Sooooo happy to be back at Malacca again becox i've been wanting to go back for their Jonker street night market!!! The food is crazy good and of course, quite cheap =X Hahah LOVE IT~!!!

This guesthouse that i stay in is right where Jonker street is but it's led in from Jonker street along one of the small lane so it's awesome near but not noisy ^.^ You walk out for less than 1 minute you are at the happening place already! For such a good location i'd say the price is super reasonable!!!

Thank you Mr Yee for hosting my friends and i!!! =DDD

Sigh. Still think i very cute is it, squat like this lolol. Baby bump show until cannot liao. Hahaha. Anyway, cute kitty bow~~~ =DDD
First things first.. CAMHO~!!! You might notice famous Japanese manga "One Piece"! Cox there's also 1 X One Piece themed room and 1 X Doraemon themed room at Like Guesthouse! =D
But of course.. Hello Kitty is still the main theme! Haha! Look at this Hello Kitty tea time calendar!!!
Recept area. Even our keys are in kitty pouches. Haha.
Very rudely barge into Mich's room hahaha. Spot Hello Kitty bow bathrobes!!!
Hello Kitty mirror in the bathrooms!
Hello Kitty toilet cover omg hahaha! And shower curtain~!!!
O . M . G
Hahahah a bit 煞风景 LOL. Really quite shiok one loh! Lie with this many Hello Kitty and just watch the TV, get cooled down by the aircon all on a hot afternoon.. Shiokness~
Asked the nice guesthouse aunties if they could show me the other rooms cox i am curious hahaha. She showed me the family room upstairs!!!!!! I WANT THE FAMILY ROOM LEH!!! THE BACKGROUND SO NICE AND POSH ONE?!?!
You see!!! 3D quilt cushion tiles!!!
For babies in the family! =D CUTE HOR!!!
Yurou will find this place so dope! Lolol.
One more to killjoy LOL.
Another part of the family room! =DDD
Auntie also show me the Doraemon themed room! This pink door!!! Hahaha!
SIMILAR?!??!! CUTE HOR!!!!! This is the pink door at Doraemon museum when i went earlier!
Went back to my room and took a closer look around and is quite impressed with the details! Hello Kitty floor mat and bedroom slippers! =D
And erm.. My bff act one domesticated with the Hello Kitty iron hahaha.
XIAO YI GE~!!! I will caption this.. 3 Hello Kitties. LOL.
Happy! Me with the peanut cakes Mr Yee got for us! =D And erm.. Mich with the iron again. LOL.
With the very nice aunties who are around to help you should you need anything! =D

In case you're keen to book your stay in Malacca with Like Guesthouse, FYI, toothpaste and toothbrush is provided. Shampoo and shower gel provided too! So you don't have to bring your own.

They have drinking water dispenser at the recept area and a Hello Kitty mini water dispenser so you can refill your mini dispenser from the recept area! =D

Out for some exploring and lunch!!! =DDD We went to Ole Sayang for Nonya food!!! The standard has dropped sooooo tremendously omg T.T
There are plenty of shopping along jonker walk and the streets parallel to it! Love how most of the stuff they selling are so nostalgic =)))
Mahkota parade and Dataran Palawan to shop and snack more hahah! Curry fishballs at Hui Lau San is quite nice!!! But the chee cheong fun suckballs.
Mich and me~ Do not care Mich still have food in mouth =))) LOL. I also have mah! But i am a badass like that! I don't care~ I am fearless~!!!
Josh and meeeee ^.^
Monkey #foreveralone with his imaginary buddy lolol!!!
Head back to the hotel and freshen up before we hop onto trishaw that Mr Yee prepared for us!!!! They trishaw riders will bring you to many attractions and you can choose to drop off to snap pictures if you like! But becox all of us visited Malacca many times before so we didn't alight that much! But still for such a low price, i suggest everyone hop onto one of these cute trishaw if you're in Malacca!
Mich and Monkey~
One for memory sake with Christ Church Melacca!
Our final drop off at Jonker street!!!!! =DDD You can start going to the night market at about 6-7pm cox that's when all the night market stalls are mostly open and the weather is much cooling!
LET'S GO!!!!!

Omg we really from daylight eat until night falls. Lolol. Seriously TOO MUCH YUMMY STREET FOOD I CAN DIEEEE!!! Hands so full of food i hardly have chance to snap pictures!

But you MUST MUST MUST try the "one bite durian puff" Just pop the whole thing in your mouth! If you try to bite it'd burst with durian goodness lol.

Also try the hawker corner!!! There's everything from zichar to Japanese food!

AND ONE OF MY FAVOURITE!!! SMELLY TOFU!!! Mich wanna puke at the smell of it so being a good friend i told her to snap a picture with it =))) Haha!
THE SAUSAGES I MISS SOOOOO VERY MUCH!!!!!! Actually i remember it to be much much slimmer!!! But it still taste good so doesn't matter!!! And now it comes with like 10 flavours!!!!! TRY THE TOMYUM ONE!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT!
Me and Mich and her new friend =))) LOL. After this we head back to the hotel to chillax a little while before we pop out to Jonker street again hahaha. Becox we eat so much, need to chill a bit. Advantaged of staying within Jonker street! And then 1 hour later.. We walked to the mall for A&W and then walk back to Jonker street..
LOOK AT US!!! =DDDDD All relaxed, no make up and sipping on our coconut bomb!!!
Coconut in their whole flesh without the husk and shell! =D Cute hor!
Next day we went to queue for about 20 minutes for the famous chicken rice balls (the one right opposite 三叔公 and beside hardrock cafe! the chicken rice balls were just alright as in not very fragrant but the chicken meat was REALLY tender! But hey, i still had like 8 chicken rice balls in the end so i'd say yes to it anytime again hahah.
Went back to the guesthouse and bought these cute Hello Kitty lollipops at the recept!!! They come in everyday and gets sold out almost everyday!!! So i pre-ordered 6 Hello Kitty ones the day before!
All mine~!!! Actually no hor.. All Yurou's! Lolol!
Auntie gave us a little souvenir before we leave!!! So sweet, thank you!!! Okay so if you guys are keen to book your stay / wanna ask questions about the Hello Kitty guesthouse, please email to hello.kittymelaka@gmail.com

And then our awesome driver (friend of Mr Yee only i don't think he does this full time haha), Darren, brought us to Taman Sentosa at JB for a fulfilling lunch before we head back to Singapore!!

I LOVE THIS WHOLE TRIP!!! Company was awesome!!! My room was cuteeee~!!! Everything is just super chill and relaxed so it was a great 2D1N in Malacca over the weekend!!! =DDD

Actually i wanted to ask Yurou and Pearl along also but my brother-in-law was afraid that Pearl will go into labour lolol. But heng she never come cox that night she really kena some serious contractions O.O Maybe next time hor =DDD

Thank you Mr Yee for hosting us for the night at your guesthouse!!! Thank you kitty aunties!

Thank you Darren for driving us around!

Thank you Mich and Monkey and Josh for going with meeee~ =)))

Okay so i'm back~ Where next? Haha!

Anonymous said...

Hey, can I check with you about the room comfort and cleanniness?

Jing Chan said...

Hello Qiuqiu :)
Have you tried the baba laksa and nyonya laksa at Jonker 88 at Jonker Walk? And there are all kind of Cendolsss there too! You should also try out Nadeje mille crepe cake at Makhota Parade. It is superb! Welcome to Malaysia again and hopefully I could meet you in real. =D

Hanna Lei said...

Everything is so cute! -Hanna Lei

YB Shehan said...

so cute.

yanie yusuf said...

wahh nice guestroom..

anggraita wulandari said...

Hello, I wanna ask, how do you book the room ? Is it using website ?

anggraita wulandari said...

How do you book the room ? Did you use any website ?

Hunny Kitty said...

got 1 hotel in shah alam offers HK room too....and i should consider driving my HK car to melacca and park it in front of the hotel..hehehhe


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text 2019-01-17 20:03
Down for the Count - Reading progress update: I've read 22%.
Down For the Count (Pushkin Vertigo) - Martin Holmen,Henning Koch

Hey, the slang changed to proper British. Reads a lot smoother.

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text 2019-01-17 15:36
Agatha Christie completion update

I'm catching up a few reading projects, so I thought I would go through and identify which of the very few full-length Christie mysteries I have left:

Why Didn't They Ask Evans

N or M

Death Comes As The End

Destination Unknown

The Pale Horse

By The Pricking of My Thumbs

Postern of Fate

Sleeping Murder

That's actually more than I thought, although I am aware that some of them are true clunkers - I've heard nothing good about Postern of Fate.

I also have several of the short story collections left, including Harley Quin & Parker Pyne.

I also haven't read the books she published under the Mary Westamacott name, which are a bit difficult to find, but are by no means unobtainable.

Giant's Bread

Unfinished Portrait

Absent in Spring

The Rose and the Yew Tree

A Daughter's A Daughter

The Burden

And I definitely want to track down the three Detection Club stories:

The Floating Admiral

Ask a Policeman

Six Against the Yard

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review 2019-01-17 15:28
A surprisingly enjoyable later Christie
The Pale Horse - Agatha Christie

I went into The Pale Horse without much hope that I would enjoy it - I'm down to the last 8 (now 7) Christie novels, and I'm reserving the ones that I thought would be the best bets for enjoyment to the end.

The Pale Horse was published in 1961, between A Cat Among the Pigeons and The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side. It's not a book that shows up on the best - or worst - lists of Christie mysteries, so I knew almost nothing about it.

My first pleasant surprise occurred on page 8, when Ariadne Oliver makes an appearance. Fangirrrrrrl moment ensues:

I also had it in my head that this was one of Agatha's rare (and mostly unsuccessful) international thrillers. I was therefore pleasantly surprised that this is just a straight up mystery, and one with a really solid twist, actually.

The mystery itself is both implausible and fairly silly, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it a whole heckuva lot. I liked it better than Destination Unknown, although I still think that They Came from Baghdad was a tiny bit more fun.

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review 2019-01-17 02:20
Crime on the Fens
Crime on the Fens - Joy Ellis

This is, I believe, Ms. Ellis' first published book, though its original title was Mask Wars.

This book introduces us to DI Nikki Galena and DS Joseph Easter. DI Galena is a detective who not only had a young woman die in her arms, but whose daughter is in a persistent vegetative state due to a drug over dose. She's now hell bent on clearing the streets of drugs and punishing the dealers though whatever means necessary. She's tough, and has a reputation as a hardass, and pretty much no one wants to work with her.  She's been told by her superiors that she is to work with DS Easter, who is transferring in, and to make it work...or else.

DS Easter, on the other hand is pretty much so clean he squeaks. He's also rumored to be highly religious and as such has the nickname of "Holy Joe."

As the two begin to work together, they both begin to realize their preconceived notions about the other were wrong, and there's much more to each of them than meets the eye.

I really liked both of these characters (especially DI Galena) as well as the other members if Galena's team. I'm looking forward to seeing how they grow over the course of the books.

( I do have a feeling that there's going to eventually be a romance between Galena and Easter. I don't know why, but I just do.)

The plot, I won't even try to describe it, but it starts with a missing girl, and a rash of crimes being committed by people wearing hideous face masks. Are these two events, and well as several other crimes all linked? And if so, how? And why?

I am so glad that Richard Armitage started narrating Ms. Ellis' other series (Jackman & Evans), because otherwise, I may never have discovered her work, and that would be such a shame.

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review 2019-01-16 18:50
Christie-esque? Hardly.
Murder at Mt. Fuji - Shizuko Natsuki

Ugh.  If I believed the publisher's hype that this is among the best that Japanese crime fiction has to offer, I'd be done with Japanese crime fiction here and now.

Natsuki knows how to write "atmosphere", but how she could ever have become (according to her American publisher) "one of Japan's most popular mystery writers" is utterly beyond me.  And while I do believe that Natsuki really was trying to copycat Agatha Christie, all she produces is an overly convoluted plot and a novel brimming with inconsistencies.  From egregious scene continuity issues to essential information being gathered "off stage" by teams of policemen elsewhere, to characters behaving purely as the author's plot sequencing and writerly convenience dictates (with little to no regard for, and repeatedly even contrary to what should have been both their inner and their outer response to events), to a clichéd "woman facing off against villain during dark and stormy night" final scene, the novel abounds with things that either should have been weeded out in the editing process or should have prevented it from being published altogether.

Worst IMHO, however, are the police, who

* let a family -- all of whom are suspects -- merrily go on living in the very house that constitutes the crime scene without having cleared the scene first (thus affording the suspects plenty of opportunity to tamper with the scene ... which promptly happens),

* give press conferences in the very building that constitutes the crime scene (again before the scene has been cleared -- allowing for the reporters to further muddy the scene),

* allow the suspects to be present at those press conferences (oddly, without a single reporter showing any interest in approaching the suspects -- instead, the reporters wait until most of them have finally departed to Tokyo, to then fruitlessly stalk the premises from outside at night),

* reveal every last scrap of information -- including and in particular things only known to the police and the culprit(s) -- to the press,

* and involve a civilian who only a day earlier had still been one of the suspects (and should actually be charged with conspiring to conceal a crime / as an accomplice after the fact) in an ill-conceived, risk-prone, and promptly almost fatally derailed scheme to entrap the killer.

Oh, and did I mention that -- though I can't comment on the substantive details of the Japanese legal provision central to the plot (which gets cite-checked to numbing point in the final part of the novel) -- Natsuki's research, if any, on the legal issues that I can comment on is seriously off as well?  (Which, in turn, may actually explain the otherwise inexplicably stupid behaviour of one particular character.)

Well, I guess at least I finally get to check this one off my TBR ... and check off Japan on my "Around the World in 80 Books" challenge.

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review 2016-09-23 21:06
Interesting and compelling
Devils' Line, 2 - Ryo Hanada

The art is still not that great but the story is becoming more interesting, I'm down to see where this story goes.

(Read 8/18/16)

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review 2015-09-04 17:30
Town of Evening Calm, Country of Cherry Blossoms - Fumiyo Kouno
A beautiful, touching josei manga; a perfect reading on the 70th anniversary of Hiroshima's Atomic Bomb. Three chapters only, 2 stories (Town of Evening Town and Country of Cherry Blossoms) in different era.

The first one was very sad, about a young woman who presents the symptoms of the radiation years after the exposure to the bomb. It starts quite normal, like a slice of life, of Minami working, meeting with friends, taking care of her mother, of their little house, remembering often that fateful day. The end is very sad.

The 2nd and 3rd chapter is about a girl, her brother and father. The girl follows her father when he goes for "a walk". It is also sad but at least it ends better -not better, but with a positive tone-.

Some scenes that were realistic and simple, yet touching:

- when Minami takes off her shoes (I don't know why, but it was).
- when Nanami visits her brother at the hospital and takes with her the sakura leaves.
- when her father was sitting on the bench.

The art worked so well. Seems simple in details of the faces, but the background + the clothes were stunning.

I may buy the paperbook, to share it with others and re-read it whenever I want.
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review 2015-06-10 15:51
Midnight Secretary 1 - Tomu Ohmi
In regards to the plot, I would have rate it 2 stars. It is a bit MEH, because it is not original. It is something I have read to boredom. "Plain" secretary + womanizer, cold-heart rich handsome boss who turns out to be a vampire. Everybody thinks he is dangerous, would never love, blah blah, until the plain girl changes his mind.

But this manga is well written and I liked the Kaya. She made me laugh several times, she is sarcastic when the situation requires it, and I loved that. Specially after the first kiss. Not a blushing, silly maiden (so far).

I knew this manga a long time ago, but I did not want to read it because I thought it was smutty. It is not, thankfully. And although I still don't get why many things (why she lets him drink her blood, why is he a vampire and his brother not, why would she fall for her slutty boss), I was pleasantly surprised with how it turned out, and I may continue reading this series.
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review 2015-04-02 16:39
Tramps Like Us, Vol. 1 - Yayoi Ogawa

etter than I thought. It is dramatic but has it sweet moments as well. The story develops too quickly for me. Like, Sumire meets Momo, he starts living with her and they love each other all in the same day. I like, sympathize and somewhat relate to Sumire.

The art is not good. To think I used to dislike older woman/younger man or taller woman/smaller guy relationship before; I don't mind that anymore, and I think is actually sweeter (Gokusen, Love.com).

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review 2015-01-20 14:06
Hotaru No Hikari Vol.5 [Japanese Edition] - Satoru Hiura

All chapters that involved Hotaru and Buchou: 5 stars.

All chapters that involved Hotaru and Makoto-kun: 2 stars.

The problem that Hotaru can't see because of her gigantic crush, is that there is no bond, no trust and no comfort while she is with Makoto. Yes they are sweet together but she is always hiding her true self. Which doesn't happen with Buchou.

The chapter where they were looking for the missing cats was funny, and the last chapter, where she says goodbye was sad :(

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