Blogging friends

I certainly wasn´t the first of my friends to get in on the blogging act. I suspect that honour would have to go to Ollie, who started the Revolicktion way back in 2003. Granted, it hasn´t been updated for a couple of years, but he was definitely an early adopter!

Since I´m not that trendy myself, it took me until 2007 to become a blogger, first on Mahendra´s ties, and then with my own blog. While, most probably, it had very little do to with me, I still like to take the credit for several friends´entrances to the blogosphere, most notably Bec with her Plan B, and Bean´s Canadian Chronicles, both of which I have referenced before.

And now there are some new bloggers to welcome to the internet fold: Carla´s theatrically camp It´s just a stage; Belle Rudetha Prannyshake´s  delightful mix of the quotidian and the whimsical in her Life and opinions; and Frankie´s blatant attempt to blag a job in journalism with Unabashed careerism. I´ll keep reading, if you guys keep posting!

100 reasons why quitting smoking is a very good thing

Even after three weeks, I am finding it difficult to maintain motivation (although I haven´t cracked yet). Personally, I can only think of one reason (see below) why I´m happy I quit smoking, and find it all to easy to come up with like 19 million counter reasons as to why I should quit quitting.

This is why I need your help. Please add a reason in the comment box below, and let´s try to get this list to 100 reasons! Ex-smokers´ input is especially welcome, although I´d like to hear from all of you. Only one reason per person, so make it a good one. No duplication and, if possible, spare us the obvious.

I´ll choose the reasons I like the best and add them to this post, with attribution (although bear in mind I reserve the right to edit your contributions).

1. “When you go out, you can take a tiny, teeny going-out bag, and not have to worry about how to carry your cigs.” –  Trinny.

2. “You don’t realise it, but those who don’t smoke can smell you… and you stink, especially when you’ve just come in from smoking outside. And your clothes, too, just hanging in your closet or, worse, my closet. Then we’ll go into your lungs… they stink, too.” – Aman.

3. “The only good thing is that my non-smoking boyfriend doesn’t nag me any more!” – Sharon.

4. “There’s that whole little ´You are reducing your risk of dying of lung cancer and having lungs that look like the Alberta tar sands´ thing…” – Bean.

5. “I can finally justify having a teeth whitening treatment without worrying they will be yellow again if I continue to smoke!” – Flickster.

6. “Because you can find a brilliant substitution delight like biltong, rosemary, suckers, or popcorn.” – Kim.

7. “Wives are not kept waiting or lingering in weird electronics shops so that husbands can smoke outside the mall.” – Shennie Pie.

8. “Your friends who are pregnant, have tiny babies or long hair that holds the smell of smoke can dine with you, without worrying that you might light up.” – Beccy.

9. “I’ve just got Rochelle and Lieze to quit too so there will be no one to smoke with when you get back to SA.” – Al.

10 “Non-smokers will want to kiss you. This means you’re effectively doubling your pool of potential suitors. Better even than being bisexual. Best of all, of course, is being a bisexual non-smoker.” – Moral Squeeze.

New Year´s Resolutions 2009

I´m clearly a little behind in making  my resolutions for 2009, or at least declaring them on line. (Good luck with the job hunt, Bean!) Not that I´ve ever been that big on resolutions anyway.

Last time I made a New Year´s resolution I had any intention of keeping was in 2004: “I shall not be in Port Alfred next New Year.” (For the record, this was no reflection on the generous hospitality of Dogflower, rather a realisation that there were summer holiday options other than the Eastern Cape). And where was I on December 31, 2004? Port Alfred of course, and it was a good one!

But I digress. And I shall continue to do so… Looking over this blog, I see I have had a couple of previous posts concerning resolutions. In February I came up with a new semester resolution of endeavouring to update my blog with greater regularity. Well, I didn´t survive the semester in Liechtestein, nevermind the resolution!

In July I made a couple of half-year´s resolutions, to wit: get my driver´s licence and get a job. Regarding the former, I did at least get my learner´s licence, which was a huge step forward… And I did get a job, and then I got another one. So that´s one-and-a-half out of two: not a bad score!

Back to the point of this post. I did consider some resolutions for this year. But, unlike Bec, I am only giving up smoking when I grow up at 30 (not all that far away, yikes!), and I am not about to sacrifice my last few months of coughing pleasure just so I can turn the whole ordeal into a New Year´s resolution.

Nim gave me This Diary Will Change Your Life 2009 for Christmas, which was hilariously unhelpful in suggestions for unique resolutions, for example: “Find the lost city of Atlantis” (not all that difficult in Dubai, come to think of it!), “Waste fewer words” (nah, that´s my day job), or “Find the Grail but keep quiet about it” (not my style).

On yet another tanget, TDWCYL2009 is the bossiest book I have ever come across. I´ve already failed my Week 1 Goal to “Make a New Year Resolution that no one in history has ever made before”. Week 2´s aim “Open a Home Restaurant” has also passed me by – I have to use all my resolve just to cook a decent meal now and then instead of being enticed by cheap and tasty Indian takeaways. We´re already in Week 3 and it seems I must now “Subvert Consumer Society from Within”. I´ll keep you posted on that one!

Okay, I´ll stop blathering on now. I´ve decided on one resolution for 2009, and a simple one at that: to be happy. Or perhaps not that simple – thom e yorke once said something about how it´s easy to be depressed; much braver and  more difficult to be happy (If anyone can find the original quote, please let me know!).

Which reminds me of something an Iranian friend said at my goodbye party in Liechtenstein: “Theresa, I think you´ve enjoyed your time here, but you have not been happy.” Puzzling over this apparent contradiction, I realised he was right. Being happy is both more, and less, than merely enjoying oneself. I´m pretty good at the latter, but have some work to do on the former…

For now though, I´m off to make myself a bite to eat before heading down for a pint or two at the local (yes, we do have those in Dubai!) with the Golden Sands gang.

Blogroll round up

Recently got round to updating my blogroll on WordPress. Most of the old favourites are there, including Bean, Bec, Sue and, of course, Mahendra. Alas, Arselickocracy and Bangers and Mash have suffered an untimely demise. I laugh less each day because of their absence. In other news, Daniel in Vaduz is Daniel in Ljubljana for a semester. Check out his blog for insight into the street art of Slovenia, as well as some inspiring architecture.