Since I have promised to stop browsing my usual social media haunts while at work in an attempt to deliver more accurate results I’ve taken to reading the news; mostly the Toronto Star and it has certainly served as a good way to keep me entertained while not distracting me from my work. Today I came across an article about VW’s initiative called The Fun Theory and I am in love.
In my last post, I talked about what your thoughts were on making the world a better place… and this idea that we can make the world a better place by simply making things better/easier/more fun for people to do has made me feel so good that I just had to share it. There have been three experiments conducted so far, and this one is my favourite:
The Fun Theory is actually a contest running from Oct 1st till November 15th where first prize is €1,500. That’s like a gazillion Canadian dollars and like a fazillion1 US dollars. So if you have a great idea, enter! You have absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain: fame, fortune2, and a better world! Do it. Do it now.
What do you think about The Fun Theory?
Footnotes:
because of the current almost par dollar exchange rates *at the moment*; also faziiion is obviously not real word… I went one back in the alpahbet. You know, in case you didn’t get my bad attempt at humour there.[↩]
ok maybe just a few extra pennies in your pocket[↩]
The title of this post comes from lyrics from the song ‘Hands’ by Jewel.
I’ve been reading the Toronto Star’s Acts of Kindness for quite some time. I don’t read it every day but it’s always in the back of my mind. Some stories truly are heartwarming, whereas some stories remind me that people are very… different. Some tell tales of the sheer selflessness of others, where some only indicate to me how much we need to change the way we think.
One of my favourite psychological theories is that of the self-fulfilling prophecy; if we expect people to disappoint us – inevitably they will and alternatively if we expect them to wow us, they have a higher chance of doing so. Of course, simply expecting someone to be a certain way doesn’t guarantee the outcome… I’m not saying that at all.
I will always have a special place in my heart for the Acts of Kindness section of thestar.com but I wish someone would edit the submissions so that comments like ‘restored my faith in humanity’ are eliminated. It depresses me to see such comments because it means that there is someone jaded enough out there who felt the need to point it out that before some good Samaritan returned their $60 at the bank1. I just feel it would have been a better story if there was no negativity attached whatsoever.
But I know I can’t tell someone how to talk, write or feel… I’m just hoping that putting this out there will help people understand that if we all just changed our thinking2 that maybe, just maybe, that’s all we’ll ever be. But you can’t expect… it shouldn’t be viewed as a right that everyone be kind to us.
Do you think if we just have faith in everyone else, and act accordingly ourselves, that the world really would be a better place?
I have been making a lot of changes in my life: I moved out of my parents house, I changed jobs, I forced myself to keep in touch with more people and be more social; I changed my diet and lost a bit of weight; I picked up an exercise-type activity… and I’m not sure that I’m done changing.
I chose this photo because during the March 2009 edition of 26 Things for the word: unfamiliar. At the time, taking the subway was not a normal thing for me. It was foreign. These days, it’s how I get around. I miss driving, but I enjoy walking around and living close enough to things that I can walk to and from places. In heels.
I used to hate taking the subway to school when I was living in Scarborough because it was crowded, smelly and I had a huge ass backpack that I wasn’t allowed to keep on my back1. But these days… it’s one of the things I’m truly grateful for. I only wonder what unfamiliar thing I will come to love in days to come.
It helps to think of things like this when you feel like you’re not sure about things. And it reminds you that maybe… just maybe it’s ok to take risks sometimes. Now, I know… I know what you’re thinking. “Risks? WTF? You stopped driving2 and started taking the subway – what freakin’ risks were you taking?”
I’m talking about moving out of the safety of my parents’ home, where they were there to save me from myself at a moments notice. I’ve always felt independent but it’s not the same until you actually live on your own and have to fend for yourself. I still don’t consider myself that independent because I still get a lot of handouts from my3 mother who can’t resist but buy me some food when she goes grocery shopping4. And to that end, I guess I’ll never be truly independent because she’ll always be my Mum and she’ll always be who she is.
But anyway… I’m getting off track. I’m living a different life than I have for the last 27 and I’m happy for it. All I want to know is,
Is there something in your life that you can’t live without, but you never thought you’d be so glad to have?
For those of you who have been following my blog for a while now, first of all: A huge Thank You from my whole heart1; second of all: I need to revive this post series. I may not be a photographer, but I still enjoy taking photographs and I really enjoyed sharing them with you.
For this revival, I chose a photo from my flickr photostream that surprised me by getting 43 views for no reason that I could see2. It’s a shot I took while driving3 of the my beloved CN Tower.
Ever since I came back from living in Dublin last year I’ve been falling in love with Toronto more and more. I used to take it for granted4. And I think this photo is fitting for explaining this feeling of reviving an old love, or even an undiscovered love because that’s what it reminds me of.
The CN Tower though is not a standalone object in my memory. The CN Tower needs the Skydome5 the combination of the curved dome and the beacon to the right of it will always feel like home. I may have lived my adolescence in Dubai but no place has ever made me feel as good as Toronto does. And after being away for such a long time, I can tell you that nothing clears my head or makes me feel as at home as blogging does6.
What feels like home to you?
p.s. did I mention that he got in last night? Oh yes he did!!
p.p.s. last year, I did a memorial post about the lives we7 lost 8 years ago. I didn’t do one this year, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t take a moment8 to remember the fallen. But I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you that
Footnotes:
You guys are so great for my extremely self-critical ego[↩]
or that anyone bothered to tell me in the comments – I’m not complaining, I’m just sayin’[↩]
don’t worry, I never look at the camera when I’m drive-shooting I always maintain the Young Drivers’ 8 second rule… if you don’t know what that is I can’t help you. This footnote is too long as it is[↩]
I finally buckled down and organised my room tonight. I’ve been dying to do it since before I left for Mexico but life would always get in the way1. And I was hoping I would feel better, but I’m still a little bit lost. I seem to have used that description when referring to myself a lot in the last few months… I guess I’m not working hard enough to find myself. Or maybe, I actually like being lost.
I’ve always been the type who needed to feel in control2 but ever since my (for lack of a better term) rebirth while living in Dublin, I haven’t really felt as much need to be in control of very much. Sure, I still like things done a certain way and I certainly still like having a place for everything and everything in its place but I so don’t let things upset me unless I actually have control over them.
Why do I have to have all the answers anyway? I honestly wish I had the sense to be ok with being lost when I was younger because it’s more acceptable to be ‘soul searching’ when you’re not almost 30. To which I say.. bullshit!3 So what if I’m 28 in a couple of months and still haven’t the faintest idea what I want to be ‘when I grow up’ or even have the faintest idea what I want to be doing right now?
No really… what could possibly go wrong?
Footnotes:
not that I’m complaining, I enjoyed every distraction that came along![↩]
yes, I was totally a Type A… except when it came to school *shrug*[↩]
how I miss playing that card game. Tell me you know said game? If you don’t, we’re going out and we’re going to play. Right. Now![↩]
