Category: Hobbies

Community, covid 19, Hobbies, Mental- Health, Personal Development, Self-Help, self-improvement, Success, Wellness

How To Build Auto Motivation?

dianangelika0607

17/01/21

These days when we’ve been suffering from the inclemency and consequences from a ruthless virus and we’ve changed our perspective to see the world and also our projects, goals and dreams have had to wait or maybe we’ve had to take a step forward and change our mindset and perception of everything. Then, I ask myself: How are people facing this situation? Every individual is different and there are extrovert and introvert people. How people who used to do activities every day, socializing and interacting with others, suddenly they had to change their routines and follow the guideline “stay at home” and “curfew”?

Probably for some people to deal with this reality have been easier than others. However, it’s clear that the monotony and routine trigger different behaviors and on some occasion mental diseases and disorders.  

I have a friend who had Covid-19 and days after he developed bipolar disorder (he had a history of this disease). I don’t know if that was a consequence of the lockdown that he had to face or just a coincidence. Luckily, he’s now in rehabilitation and recovering slowly.    

Fortunately, every cloud has a silver lining and just as there are wayward people whose actions go against the laws and rules on the other hand many people are creating strategies to motivate each other in a healthy way. For example, this week I watched a catchy video on YouTube called “The Wellerman” which is a sea shanty “a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany rhythmical labor on board large merchant sailing vessels”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_shanty.

“Nathan Evans, a 26-year-old postman and aspiring musician from outside Glasgow, is credited with having started the “ShantyTok” trend with his rousing rendition of Wellerman, posted in late December (…)

In the US and UK, Wellerman’s surprise popularity is being held up as evidence of the mental toll of months-long lockdown (…)  the Covid lockdowns have put millions of young [people] into a similar situation that young whalers were in 200 years ago: confined for the foreseeable future, often far from home, running out of necessities, always in risk of sudden death, and spending long hours with no communal activities to cheer them up.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/15/shantytok-how-a-19th-century-seafaring-epic-inspired-a-covid-generation

This hopeful song shows me another face in how people cope with their problems. This is the link to this addictive song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgsurPg9Ckw

As well as that catchy song I have seen other resources which help people to be aware of their emotions and address the current crisis using some alternatives through activities like: dancing, painting, singing, cooking, doing exercise, reading or assisting to virtual courses to mentioned some of them. Personally, I have developed some habits like reading, cooking and doing exercise. I love to do spinning on my static bike, I just play a song which has flow and I do my routines, when I’m on my bike my mind flies and my endorphins are released. Of course, all of this depends on each person’s preferences, resources and interests.

My fellas, I recommend you to use your skills and resources, we are all different for sure, but using communication and talking about your feelings and thoughts. If you have access to the Internet take advantage of social media, there are value information that can help you to deal with this difficult period and finally, I always write about this point but I prefer to repeat it over and over again: use your social networks i.e., family, friends, coworkers, fellows, community, etc.

Last but not least, I want to dedicate this post to my friend AD and all people who had lost hope sometime in this difficult time. Well, I wrap up this write for today. Have a good one.

DARR.

Community, covid 19, Cultures, Hobbies, Mental- Health, Personal Development, Self-Help, self-improvement, Success

Tis The Season

dianangelika0607

27/11/20

It’s November and we’re close to the end of the year. This year has been something special with a lot of challenges, changes and learnings.

I was thinking that time flies and I remember the celebrations when I was child and I was with my cousins surrounding the Christmas tree and waiting for the gifts at midnight. Also, it was a pleasure to see the fireworks and to play with the sparkles and other pyrotechnic games. Enjoying the Christmas carols and eating buñuelos and natilla, traditional Colombian food during this season. It’s really remarkable how those celebrations strengthen family ties and show the value of having special people close to us. However, the circumstances can change and at the present with pandemic time those gatherings and encounters face to face are difficult. In my case, I have a family far away from me and I have to think that our Christmas will be virtual and it’s strange, isn’t it? This period of time is teaching us to be creative, resilient and with a tough mental capacity to face those situations. There are people who don’t care about this reality but to others it is important to be close to their beloveds due to their traditions or culture. Nonetheless, sometimes it is complicated to have what we want for example: the last iPhone, the beautiful dress from the store or the trip to that stunning beach, there are cases where we need to wait.

Sometimes I believe this is a period of reflection and some people say that is a message from nature or the environment, where we need to change our selfish, violent and give a damn attitude. I know there are people who don’t care about anything and they have the most incredible and odd behaviors. From time to time I watch the news and I believe that I’ve seen everything when suddenly I watch another incredible headline with weird histories and I say to myself “That’s why this is happening to us”. I know! Human behavior is really complex but our environment and reality can help to trigger mental diseases. By the way, I invite you to read my post called Mental Health in Pandemic time that has relation to this topic: https://dianix.news.blog/2020/10/31/mental-health-in-pandemic-time/?

Anyway, Christmas is a time of peace, love and reflection. This year we need to make the most out of it, 2020 has been a year which invites us to reflect a lot. It’s possible that some projects and goals that we had this year will need to wait but I’m sure that we developed other skills and achieved new targets.

I believe that everything has an explanation and if this is not the case then it has a lesson and this year is a period of teachings, adaptation, reinvent and meditation for sure.

Finally, I want to dedicate this post to the special people who I know: my dad, husband, relatives, friends and global citizens. I wish you the best today and always. Take care of yourself in this last season.   

DARR.

Art, Hobbies, information, Personal Development, Wellness

Art As A Way Of Expressing Feelings

dianangelika0607

24/10/20

Art has always been present in my life. Despite I’m not artist I’ve admired art in their different expressions like paintings, music, poetry, literature or photography. My mom was a painter and therefore I remember some painter stuff surrounded me when I was child: brushes, painter’s palettes, canvas, oils, frames, easels, pastels or charcoals and especially the smell of paint fills in the environment whereas my mom was painting. Also, I remember that she went to painting classes and I accompanied her and I saw her passion to do strokes on the canvas, measuring perspective before starting her work. Perspective is “the representation of three-dimensional objects or spaces in two dimensional artworks. Artists use perspective techniques to create a realistic impression of Depth” (Google Search). At the same time depending on the painting, she would be trying to create the effect of shadows or reflections or the effect of the person’s look. My mom always told me that to draw a human figure was really complex and was a challenge for her. Everything needed a specific techniques and knowledge.                                                        

My mom was really passionate about Art History and she had a teacher who had a vast knowledge about different art styles depending on the epoch. A remarkable period for us was The Renaissance with its maximum exponents like Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael. The way that they drew and sculp people and their expressions was quite impressive as well as the perfection of a look, a smile or a muscle, such is the case of The David by Michelangelo or The Gioconda by Leonardo Da Vinci. The David is a sculpture that was made with marble and is the result of 4 years of intense work “Is the perfection of the most famous sculpture in Florence and, perhaps, in all the world”. (https://www.michelangelo.org/david.jsp)

Source: https://www.boredpanda.com/michelangelo-david-close-up-photos/

Also, we admired Baroque painters. One time we went to the movies to watch the biography of Diego Velazquez and I’ve been astounded by his work on Las Meninas “Is regarded as a dialogue between artist and viewer, with its double mirror imagery and sketchy brushwork that brings every figure and object in the room to life”. (https://www.phaidon.com).

Source: https://www.etsy.com

A terrific activity for my mom was go to the movies with my dad and watch the cycle of art movies in Cine Colombia. Some painters who they watched were Pablo Picasso, Claude Monnet or Leonardo Da Vinci.

Anyway, my mom left me the pleasure of admiring works of art. My favorite artist is Gustav Klimt, I love the colors and subtlety of his paintings. The Kiss, Mother and Child and Water Serpents blow my mind. I’ve realized that I enjoy the paintings that have multicolored and mostly if they are animals’ images such in modern art.

Definitely going to an art gallery and appreciate a painting is a pleasure for me, to understand the meaning or the history behind of artwork is a challenge but at the same time is like to time travel.

Source: http://www.gustavklimt.net/mother-and-child/

Source: https://es.aliexpress.com

All in all, my mom did a lot of paintings whose protagonists were horses, flowers, country houses and landscapes, probably those are a projection of her likes about nature. She had their paintings like a hobby and a way to be entertained, she didn’t have a business mindset and never did an exposition. However, without having it as a purpose she had customers and sold some of her works sometimes by chance. Leaving part of her in each of her works.
However, it’s a shame that my mom did not get more out of her talent but that’s why I want to take advantage of these social networks to show her legacy.

Therefore, I want to share a link from my Facebook Group, where you can appreciate some of my mom’s works. I hope you enjoy them!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.395790624929627&type=3

DARR.

Hobbies, information, knowledge

The Charm Of The Weather

dianangelika0607

03/08/2020

Many people have the misconception that living in a country like Canada is difficult due to its climate.

Before coming here, I was thinking about taking this important decision. One of the points that we evaluated with my husband was the climate for sure. This country has seasons but certainly the winter in Canada is really cold. However, when I lived through my first winter it was cold but it wasn’t too terrible.

Fortunately, in winter most places have heating like restaurants, banks, supermarkets or the inside of buses and subway. Condos, apartments and houses have heating too. On the other hand, it’s very important to have the right wardrobe. If you have a warm jacket, gloves, tuque and some layers, those clothing can help you to face the winter.  

The lowest temperature which I have felt has been between -30°C and -37°C (apparent temperature). That temperature certainly was low and sometimes I had headaches, pain in my bones and muscles and dryness on my skin and lips. My advice in those cases is searching for a warm place, drinking a cup of hot chocolate and enjoying the landscapes and winter activities.

From my point of view each season has its charm. When I lived in Colombia and I lived in a hot city called Villavicencio, its temperature was approximately 30°C.

Living in a hot place has its pros and cons too. For example, you can enjoy activities in a pool or river and you can wear informal clothes. Nonetheless, when the weather was muggy, I needed a fan close to me and was drinking a cold beverage all the time. Also, sometimes I saw annoying bugs like roaches, mosquitos or ants.

In conclusion, enjoying the weather is relative and depends on each person. Actually, I like to live in a country with seasons because I have the pleasure to live in different climates at the same place only.

DARR.

Hobbies, knowledge, Personal Development, Wellness

Was Any Point In The Past Better?

dianangelika0607

28/07/2020

Every week I like to do my writing. Today I was thinking about the topic and I had a flashback about my childhood.

When I was a child, I never used a computer, a smart phone, Alexa or Playstation. In my time I played backyard games like Statues, Cops and robbers, Hide and seek, Tag and Hopscotch. And my gadgets were Spinning top, Yo-Yo, Cup and Ball and Marbles. I liked playing sports like basketball and soccer where people admired basketball players like Michael Jordan or Magic Johnson and 90’s soccer players like Maradona, Baggio, Zidane or Ronaldo.

At that time, I loved listening to music and enjoyed singing and dancing. The 80s and the 90s music was really incredible because it was the period of Pop, Rock and Latin Music like Salsa and Merengue. Artists like Michael Jackson, Madonna and groups like Guns and Roses, Nirvana or U2 were risen to stardom.

On the other hand, TV Series like Magnum P.I, MacGyver, Manimal or Mission Impossible were my favorites and ThunderCats, She-Ra and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were cartoons that I enjoyed very much.

All of those events and memories were very special and significant for me. Good times are always in our memory and they make us travel through time. Moments with friends, family and beloveds are unforgettable and are invaluable.

However, at present kids are growing up with technology and gadgets in their lives, no matter their age. According to an article which I read in the web, technology “allows for creativity and freedom of expression… aids in socialization and relationship building…allows for independence and empowerment… improves problem solving perseverance…helps instill and entrepreneurial spirit…enhances learning and technology jobs are (and will be) in high demand”.

From my point of view each period is different and children take advantage of their environment. I was surrounded by some stimulus that helped me to learn and to know about the world and when I remember all of those things that I did when I was child, I conclude first of all that time passes really fast and secondly it is very important to enjoy life. There is a phrase that says “Any time in the past was better”. That is possible but the most important is “Seize the day. Make your lives extraordinary”. (N.H. Kleinbaum, Dead Poets Society).

The way of learning and socializing can change, but some aspects remain. The important thing is that parents and teachers encourage children. No matter the time, the circumstances, the resources or the environment, I think being curious, being restless and doing research moves us through the knowledge and into success.

Finally I want to share a link about an article that I saw on the web, which shows Benefits of Technology  and The Right Kind of Screen Time for children: https://www.idtech.com/blog/benefits-of-technology-for-children

See you later!

DARR

Hobbies, information, knowledge, Mental- Health, Wellness

The Power Of Music

dianangelika0607

13/07/2020

Music is an important component in my life. I love how music can generate emotions and feelings with a melody or just with the lyric of a song.

Ever since I was a little girl my dad used to put headphones in my ears and I liked to sing with him and we recorded our music in cassettes. By the way, the next data is for those guys who are very young, before listening to music in CDS, MP3 or Ipads existed on the cassettes. When I wanted to listen to the song, in that period it didn’t exist Youtube, Spotify or Apple music, then I had to listen to the radio station and if it sounded like the song that I liked, I had to run very quickly and record it in a cassette. Nowadays all of this is history and if you just write the name of a song in Youtube or other apps you can hear it as many times as you want.

Another experience that I had when I was at school, I was part of the choir and we made some performances at other schools and events, that was a fabulous experience for me. At the same time, I had a subject of music and I had the opportunity to learn to play the flute and the marimba. My biggest frustration so far is didn’t learn to play other instruments like the piano, the cello and the guitar but, you know, it’s never too late to learn and to reach goals.

Anyway, music is present every day of my life. When I start my morning and I’m cooking my breakfast, the first thing that I do is turn on my TV and listen to music on YouTube. I feel motivated, with energy and a good vibe with music.

Finally, one of my hobbies is to listen to music for sure. One plan that I did and I loved was walking on the streets of Havana (Cuba) and to listen to the groups of Cuban Son, playing with their instruments like guitars, flutes, maracas, bongo drums and congas. Another plan that I did last year was to listen to the orchestra that played the soundtrack of the Tv Series Game of Thrones on live concert. That was amazing!

The last activity but not less important is to listen to Colombian music, we have different genres and artists, fortunately my country has an enormous variety and it inspires us day to day.

In summary, music is life, health and helps us by making our lives better and Happy like the name of the song by Pharrell Williams.

DARR.