I go to a women-only gym and January is the only time in the whole year that my gym is crowded. the rest of the year (especially Nov) it's so quiet/peaceful I'm so looking forward to people forgetting about their 'get fit' resolutions

Originally posted by chocolate & honey: 2. Have you ever practiced visualization(if you look back at your success or accomplishments, did you see it happen in your head in detail before it became a reality?) and do you believe in it? This time last year I was in school and I thought to myself "I want to do my internship in the States." I started telling everyone not knowing how this will happen or if it was even possible! I started applying for stuff in the big cities (Chicago, Washington DC, NYC) and around June I finally landed something amazing in NYC. And the icing on the cake was that I got a scholarship to help pay for it It was pretty risky of me because while my classmates were getting their internships in April/May, I hung on and kept applying and calling different places. I've never been that persistent before This was the only time that I visualized something and saw it happen...everything else in my life was mostly random and unplanned. hm, I'm going to give it another shot! Set another goal and see if it ends up happening.

hm, interesting If I were a sociologist, this forum would be an interesting place to study ppl. I've never been on a forum where members are constantly calling out for things to be deleted and people to be banned. It's like you want and need to be ruled by an iron fist.

^^ok maybe its popularity will be short-lived, but if u follow the right people/organizations, twitter is an amazing source for information. I just went on it now and got updates from UNICEF, MSF and a couple of well-known fundraising professionals. Plus I found this interesting story.

Are any SOLers active on Twitter? I don't update mine since I don't live a life of adventure but I'm kind of obessed with following a couple of people who tweet about everything!

Zap Mama & Erykah Badu - good song to daydream to =)

That was really depressing to read, but thanks for sharing your experience. Since racism was on your mind, do you think that you might have overanalyzed certain situations? Like at the kebab restaurant..maybe the girl declined to eat there not because she"didn’t want to be sitting opposite a black guy in a tiny, cramped restaurant" but because she didn't want to sit in a cramped restaurant, period. The scene in Portugal with the lady putting away her necklace reminded me of this I got so angry when I first watched it.

it's not just Somali babies newborns in general are weird looking. it usually takes a few weeks for them to cuten up.

Al Green I heard it on the Book of Eli - lovely song..

you're no Tanya, but that was pretty cool to watch

haha, this reminds of the How Can She Slap man! the women in both vids weren't all that innocent in my opinion. Especially the Indian chick

Originally posted by NinBrown: ''Be a native speaker of American English (meaning, English should be your FIRST language)'' What nonsense. I know! English is my THIRD language but I was a teacher in Taiwan for a year and my title was Native Speaking Teacher (NST)...they didn't care that I wasn't white, as long as I could teach with a North American accent (btw, just about anyone can teach in Asia. I guess they need a lot of English teachers over there )

I got emails today from WSPA, doctors without borders and UNICEF about donating. I don't have too much disposable income lying around but I dontated to UNICEF because I know that my money will get there with minimum admin costs to help people ( https://secure.unicef.ca/portal/SmartDefault.aspx?at=1211&appealID=90&CID=99 ). There are a lot of great organizations working fast to help out, but just make sure not to fall for random charities that are going to come out of the woodworks and exploit the situation.

I just got this month's National Geographic in the mail...and just for your info here are the responses by a couple of readers to the Sep/2009 article on Somalia. Comment 1: I was twice deployed to Somalia while serving in the US Marine Corps in the early 1990s. The parts of your article most relevant to my observations of the country were the passages that relay the hope that exists in Somalia. It has been ravaged by power struggles and inter-clan rivalries. Yet its people are as proud of their heritage and are as optimistic as any on the planet. A number of lessons can be learned from Somalia, including the human capacity for hope. Michael R. Pick, JR. Arroyo Grande, California Comment 2: The people of Somaliland have set a wonderful example. They are the best chance for Somalia and other nearby countries. They deserve some support from the international community to bolster their stability so that in time they can reach out to Somalia. J. McFarland Stanfield, Oregon Even though it's just two people, it's interesting to see how they see the situation in Somalia...

Heard so many good things about this book - will definitely have to read it soon. Originally posted by rudy-Diiriye: See the movie, freeman should win an oscar for it. morgan freeman was great. btw, I heard Nelson Mandela hand-picked him for the role in Invictus...he only wanted freeman to play him, no one else.

Originally posted by Libaax-Sankataabte: Peacenow, assuming you rant above is genuine and you are not a “mole” pretending to be Somali, ask yourself as to why you really feel this way about your own. I am not too certain as to what emotions you are currently reacting to, but it is very likely the caricature you decorated above is more of a reflection of your own struggles with identity and self. Perhaps your frustration stems from your own shortcomings, or it could be a symptom of an underbelly of own persona. Awoowe, take a profound look at your own self and see why you feel such pain. Just a humble observation. well said!

I loved this show. the Care Bear Countodwn was my favourite song for a long time

Originally posted by MAXIMUS POWERS: I'm reading this right now! And The Alchemist is one of the top 5 books I've ever read - definitely life-changing.. Thanks for the suggestions! Some of these will go on my list for books to read this year. One author I recommend if you're looking for books that are fun/hilarious while blowing your mind with crazy theories is TOM ROBBINS - his stories are out of this world.

Originally posted by Dabshid: this is too graphic, I agree. especially that last photo

Originally posted by Cara.: Excellent man! He should tape the article facing his passengers, sure to increase tips. good idea

YES! RATM!! man, I used to love them back in the day than I got older and listening to them too long now hurts my head

Originally posted by Curly: Geel what the hell is up with you, why are you getting defensive about something that is clearly wrong in very aspect? Sharia law can not be enforced in a country that isn't under Islamic rule...Somali's government is in turmoil and it's hardly the place to start enforcing Sharia Law. Besides Islamic law is very black and white yet these people are abusing it. Stoning a person to death because of having sex out of wedlock or adultery is wrong when you have no witnesses and no judicial system in place. How can you be sure that injustices do not occur when you have so called self proclaimed judges and executioners. And Geel who are you to be calling JB gaal, what the hell is that based on? And even if he was non-Muslim why wouldn't his opinions count? His religion/ belief doesn't diminish his intelligence. You don't have the right to be talking to people like their beneath you, snobbery isn't a good look on you. Thank you.

When people ask about my background I always say Somali or African. But never Black. Black is how other people might define me Have you ever met a German/Dutch/Irish/etc. who will define themselves as "white" first?? I've never. White is how I might define them if I didn't know what they were though

^ I've seen The Visitor and it's pretty good. It made me want to take up drumming.

ouch. what's the use of all the negativity and 'somalis are dumb/doomed' talk? is it supposed to jolt us into action or something? maybe it's just me but I'd prefer a more hopeful message