Ahh. . .unstructured time to think, to dream, to write. . .gotta love these 4-day holidays!

I’ve had time to work on the homework (actually, work ahead!) for the Apprentice Program of the National Speakers Association-Minnesota Chapter.  http://www.nsa-mn.com/ipsd.php

One suggested activity was to answer 8 questions to determine key concepts that define your message.  The questions are from Meryl Runion’s Brand Aid:  http://www.speakstrong.com/articles/speak-strong/brand-aid.html

Answering these 8 questions made me dig deep into myself, what I value and what value I can provide.   I found it to be a worthwhile exercise that I will probably repeat from time to time as I refine my message.  If you want to focus in with laser-like power on your message, I highly recommend thoughtful consideration of the 8 questions!

Below are my answers to the questions (more guidance on each question is given at the above website):

1) What is your vision of a perfect world?
Imagine a world where…Where people feel accepted, valued and understood and everyone is approachable and open to making small talk that leads to closer relationships and more significant results (more commitment, more collaboration, more sales,  and less hate, less prejudice, etc.). 

2) What is the contrasting current reality?
 Instead of this perfect world, we have a world where…people avoid, ignore, irritate and offend others, often unintentionally.

3) What obstacles prevent the world from being like your perfect world?
The obstacles to my perfect world are…self-centeredness, being too busy, lack of confidence/self-esteem (fear of looking foolish or stupid), old habits, lack of knowledge.

 4) What do people need to know to create your perfect world?: To create this world, people need to know…the importance of small talk, how to be approachable, how to initiate and sustain small talk and move it into deeper communication.  People need to know how to communicate to resolve their differences in a mutually beneficial manner.

 5) What principles do people need to believe in order to create your perfect world?
My perfect world is based on the beliefs…that all human beings are unique and have and give value.   That face-to-face interactions are important and can not be completely replaced by technology-enabled communication.

 6) What do people need to do to create your perfect world?
The steps to create the perfect world are…1.  Adjust Attitude.  Sincerely seek to understand as much as to be understood.   2. Adjust Body Language.  3.  Listen fully and reflectively.  4.  Empathize  5.  Accept  6.  Bridge the gap by finding commonalities 7.  Learn and practice the dance of conversation.

7) What do people need to stop doing to create your perfect world?
To create this perfect world, people need to refrain from…Judging others and themselves!  People need to refrain from body language, tone of voice and words that convey negativity—disdain, disinterest, dishonesty, hostility, etc.

 8) What about your answers are unique to you?
I am the only one who…talks about small talk not only as a means to an end  but also, and perhaps the biggest “result” of all, as a way to encourage a world where people feel accepted and free to connect without judgment.

I had a thought earlier today.  Being alone again… there’s nobody to tell me, “Mary, that’s a dumb idea.”  Not that John ever quite said it that way or ever treated me like that– I’m a little more blunt.

But at the same time there’s nobody to tell me “Mary, that’s a dumb idea.”

With John it was more the gentle reminders that I needed to get some sleep.  Or “did you feed the horses yet?” (which by the way, I haven’t yet).   Or “we need to remember to…”  Or the “what do you think about…” Or “don’t forget to…”

Confiding in a soul-mate and sharing a partnership together are some of the things I miss the most.  I miss them everyday, but I miss them most when it comes to matters of Nathaniel.  I don’t want to be the person that decides if it is safe for him to get vaccinated for H1N1 of if it is dangerous for him not to get it.  (He has gotten his first shot and is scheduled for dose number two.)   I want to be one of two parents who decides together how to best raise their child.  You know the way it ideally is… in a perfect world.  But, in a perfect world your beloved spouse doesn’t die of cancer at 35…

Everything is now my decision to make- for wrong of for right.  In a way it’s nice to know that there won’t be any conflict in parental matters- it’s my way or the highway.  (Practicing for the teenage years.)  I can do things that I want to do- if I want to go take Nathaniel somewhere, I just do it.  No, “not now… maybe later”… “I’m tired…”  or “I don’t feel like it,”  or “why don’t you just go (aka I’m not interested and don’t want to join you).”  I’m tired of learning things the hard way.  Hoping I’ll be making more right decisions, but I’m fully aware that I’ll make wrong ones too.

All that being said, I think I’m doing mostly okay on my own.  I ask for opinions when I need them and make my own decisions.  I’m pretty good at researching and collecting data.  I’m an adult and quite capable of making my own decisions.  I just wish John was still here to help me make up my mind.

Wanmei, the chinese website that has the chinese perfect world, has a radio station. Neat. So go check out perfect world radio.

You can also find cute wallpapers in the perfect world wallpaper section.

Mmotaku has pictures of the tideborn and commentary on the excitement of waiting for the tideborn expansion to hit. I look forward to his commentary when it hits his zone.

The dawn of the elementals expansion hit level up games perfect world this last monday. Perfect world china and perfect world international got this first under various names. Genies add a lot to the game and are fun.

Currently I am checking the Chinese sites for pictures  The chinese site (wanmei) has some great pictures of the tideborn in swimming form.

Apparently the chinese cosplayers are already in action too. If you have not seen the trailer it can be seen here.

Apparently the new little pink cow stalls (instead of the normal cat stall) I am seeing as I run around,  is due to a cash shop item that expands the contents of the stall. Its cute.

There is a world, a world in which we live in, where not everything is as perfect as we wish it was. But the folks over at the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company want to change that. They will be in charge of the creation and production of Masdar City, the world’s first city to have a sustainable, zero-carbon, zero-waste ecology. The area, will cover 2.3 square miles, and will be powered by a 40-60 megawatt solar power plant, photovoltaic modules will be stationed on all roofs producing another 130 megawatts, with wind farms built just outside of the city’s borders powering the city with another 20 megawatts.

Masdar also intend on hosting the largest hydrogen power plant in the world, stationed in the United Arab Emirates. It’s water supply will be roughly 60% less than similarly sized communities and will still be enough for all 50,000 inhabitants, 80% of that water will be recycled, with the other 20% being waste water being used for crop irrigation. They also have a nice little waste plan, attempting to reduce it to zero, they will use waste for fertilizer and if an extra power source is needed they will use waste incineration. Metals and plastics will be re-cycled or re-used for other purposes.

As for travel, automobiles are to be outlawed within the city borders, instead the inhabitants of Masdar City will accomplish travel through public mass transits and podcars (personal rapid transit). The city will also be surrounded by a perimeter wall channelling out hot desert winds and instead allowing cooler breezes to roam through it’s streets. Educationally, Masdar City will have the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), the little sister to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Below are some pictures of what’s to come.

My barbarian turned 19 and did his spiritual cultivation quest and the guild helped him with his level 19 fb.

It was a lot of fun. The giant wolf has died and my barbarian has shiny new boots and pants for when he hits 20.

Официальный сайт бесплатной MMORPG Perfect World сообщил о долгожданном обновлении, добавившем в игру новые локации, подземелья и многое другое. Всю информацию о новых возможностях, которые доступны теперь героям “Идеального мира”, вы найдете здесь: http://www.pwonline.ru/news.php?article=523
Приятной вам игры!

Was leveling with my guild this weekend, enjoying the double xps, double spirit and double drops.

Reached level 17 with my barbarian. Its not long now until the FB at 19. At 20 a basic flying mount in the shop appears to be available.

I think I am getting to the point where I can’t just teach the barbarian every skill. I am going to have to look at what skills are needed.

The build I am following that tells me how much Str and Dex I need for gear (all bonus points to stam) seems to be working out well. In perfect world, str is the defense skill and allows you to wear heavy armor (some dex is also needed).

My barb is now using double hammers. It looks really nice. You only have the one weapon item, but when you equip it, a hammer appears in each hand. Very nice. I like the barbarian armor designs too.

Jumping quests and timed jumping quests, pop up every now and again. These aren’t bad but you can get stuck figuring out how to do them. Guilds really help with these.

I like the scenery too. Its a lot of fun running on the roof tops after a super jump.

One of the quests yesterday had a venomancer who used a love spell to make a human fall in love with her, she freed him from the spell eventually because she believe he did love her, then he ran off and got eaten by snakes. You end up bringing back his armor as a token so she will get over it. However you really have to laugh about how he got eaten by snakes pretty much straight away.

With Perfect World getting a new race with two classes, Jade Dynasty / ZXOnline aren’t far behind as they’ve got their new race: The Athan.

The Balo

Within this demigod race, there are two Factions, the first of which is the Balo. These hardened warriors come at a time when many in the mortal realm are looking to seize power and the secret to immortality. To combat this problem, the Immortals have created the Balo: indispensable frontline fighters that were formed to represent pure brute strength and were inspired by the invulnerability of molten rock.

Yes folks, they are deemed to be the ultimate tank. Big weapons and armors for big people.

The Athan

Regarding the other Athan faction, the Arden, they look like a near carbon copy of Perfect World’s Venomancers / Yao Jing with bows as the primary weapon. Oh, and by the way, they have the capability to summon monsters/pets. More on the vid below:

Will wait for these races to shake up e-Games‘ ZXOnline here in the Philippines soon.

Source

Resumes, that is … at the very least.

Some of the sagest career advice I’ve ever heard is “Specialize.” It was told to me by a jack-of-all-trades boss who suffered the consequences. It’s as grating as “plastics” in its simplicity, but as far as earning power and job security goes, you can’t beat it.

In a perfect world, we would all be hyper-specialists, having mastered our one little corner of the marketplace, and no one could touch us. In this perfect world, all we would need was one resume. (OK, OK, in a perfect world we wouldn’t need resumes at all, but make this leap with me, people.) We would only need one because there would be only one type of job we would be suited for, and we would be the only person who could do it.

To anyone who’s actually achieved this in the real world, I salute you. (I’m looking at you, Richard Simmons, Gene Simmons and this woman.) But for the rest of us, we will at some point have to capitulate to market demands, which means we will have to look at different ways to apply our skills if we’re going to continue to put food on the table (or more food on the table, or have dinner in Paris … whatever it is you’re looking for). For instance, journalists may have to apply for marketing copywriting jobs, scientists may have to seque from academia into defense, and artists may have to see if Starbucks is hiring. The same resume simply won’t do for both, and rarely are the choices as simple as Mrs. Robinson vs. Elaine. Lucky are the few who only need two!

Don’t even get me started on cover letters.

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e tare piesa…

Se anunta o zi frumoasa….It’s a sunny day….with a “blu blu skai” …and I just luv it.Am deschis geamul de dimineata ,mi-am baut ceaiul si acuma sunt gata de pregatire pentru seminare ,gata sa scriu trei ore (cel putin) …doar ca ma doare capu’ nush de la ce…..

E sambata!..Gata cu vacantza neasteptata de aproape doua saptamini.Am reusit totusi sa ma relaxez…spre rusinea mea nu am reusit insa sa citesc cartile luate..O tragedie Americana de Dreiser …cert e ca am inceput doar ca….mde nu reusesc sa gasesc o scuza adecvata si zic deschis mi-a fost lene…sau nush cum naiba sa numesc starea aia.Ma rog sper sa ma revanshez zilele astea..plus ca am mai luat o carte- Baudolino de Umberto Eco ,asa ca drumurile pina la universitate nu-mi vor parea atit de banale,tomnatice,nostalgice ,reci..am sa ma adincesc in lectura.
Azi se implineste o luna de cand ne-am cunoscut!! nice nice nice…..atit pot sa zic…e un nou inceput ,pentru noi!
Deci ,mi s-au dus toate ideile …vreau atitea sa scriu insa nu stiu cu ce sa incep..”oamenii mei de suflet” sufera,sufera pentru ca au pierdut pe cineva drag…atit la figurat cat si la propriu.Ma gandesc oare in momentele astea oare ca ash putea face io?Ce sa le zic,cum sa-i sustin….?FAza cu “totul va fi bine”…e aiurea de tot nu linishteshte catushi de putin,o stiu din experienta .Pina la urma ma pierd singura in vorbe desi stiu ca nu vor acoperi,lecui durerea…zic “sunt cu tine ,plangi pentru ca intr-un final va trece!”Totusi e trist cand iti dai seama ca va fi bine,dar nu va mai fi la fel!E trist cand realizezi ca mai ieri auzeaai vocea si vedeai mesajele pe care le scrie si vedeai cum vorbeste cum simte cum traieshte o persoana…cum seamana cu un inger iar acuma e deja unul…si nimic din toate astea nu vor mai fi! E prea trist!
De la nostalgie la ceva mai de bine…ieri am avut parte de o confesiune,foarte placuta de altfel , citez”da stiu stii semeni foarte mult sufleteste cu prietena mea cea mai buna si sunt ft tare atasata de ea dar tu esti sora ei geamana deaia am asa un atasament din senin, fata de tine”…mi-a fost atit de placut!.nimeni nu mi-a mai zis asta dupa cateva zile de cunostinta …Si totusi vorbele daca nu lecuiesc durerea pot sa te entuziasmeze sa te faca sa zbori uneori de bucurie……si te fac sa umpli golurile cu putina fericire!La fel ca si advertisingul asta:…..:) .. Christmas …yeahhh….

Завершился конкурс боди-арта, проводившийся среди участников суперпопулярной бесплатной онлайн-игры Perfect World. Имена победителей этого нелегкого и очень интересного состязания талантов, а также информацию о призах и подарках призерам вы найдете на официальном сайте проекта: http://www.pwonline.ru/news.php?article=518
Поздравляем всех, кто принял участие!

Get lost easily?
Confused about where to go?

The quest guides on the forum are helpful.

I also recently found this one for the untamed quests.

Jade Dynasty and Perfect world have new clothes out for autumn.

Jade Dynasty has the plum crest set

Perfect World has the Corsair Set

Ether saga had a sister and father set.

So it looks like perfect world entertainment made an effort to release a new set in each of their games for halloween/autumn.

Do you remember ? In the half-light of the room, like two children alone in our world, discovering our body, kissing each other with delight, grazing the skin, as we’ve found a fragile treasure. How could we know its ephemeral ? How could we have thought that it could be eternal ? Between the tears and the scream of pleasure, we smoke the breath of each other, hidden in the darkness, drinking love down, never satisfied. Each time was a discovery, each feeling a virgin sensation, into the freezing time a perfect score. My fears and your skillful tongue drew a perfect world, full of music, full of words, full of life. But today, this world has implode, and inside the ruins, I’ve never stop to cry…

(baogame.vn) – Thế giới kì ảo trong Hoàn Mỹ Tiền Truyện – Truyền Thuyết Ngư Nhân là sự kế tiếp của 2 phiên bản lớn Thiên Nộ Thần Phạt và Tinh Linh Chiến Ca. Nhà phát triển Beijing Perfect World đã đưa ra phiên bản thứ 3 hoàn toàn mới của Thế Giới Hoàn Mỹ với sức mê hoặc độc đáo.

Tiểu Thư Kỳ gợi cảm

Yên Cơ dịu dàng

Cương Tiểu Hi quyến rũ mê hoặc

Mỹ nữ Miêu Phác câu dẫn lòng người

Giao diện trang chủ

Source: Thế Giới Hoàn Mỹ – Vẻ quyến rũ gợi cảm của Mỹ Nhân Ngư

(baogame.vn) – Thế giới kì ảo trong Hoàn Mỹ Tiền Truyện – Truyền Thuyết Ngư Nhân là sự kế tiếp của 2 phiên bản lớn Thiên Nộ Thần Phạt và Tinh Linh Chiến Ca. Nhà phát triển Beijing Perfect World đã đưa ra phiên bản thứ 3 hoàn toàn mới của Thế Giới Hoàn Mỹ với sức mê hoặc độc đáo.

Tiểu Thư Kỳ gợi cảm

Yên Cơ dịu dàng

Cương Tiểu Hi quyến rũ mê hoặc

Mỹ nữ Miêu Phác câu dẫn lòng người

Giao diện trang chủ

Source: Thế Giới Hoàn Mỹ – Vẻ quyến rũ gợi cảm của Mỹ Nhân Ngư

(baogame.vn) – Đúng 15 giờ ngày 6/11/2009, để chuẩn bị cho ngày ra mắt cộng đồng game thủ Việt Nam trong tháng 11, nhà phát hành VTCz-one đã chính thức ra mắt trang chủ game online Xích Bích Online.

Source: Xích Bích chính thức ra mắt trang chủ và cho tải game

From Perfect World Ph GM Samhok’s Facebook:

Tiborn’s coming to Perfect World Intl on Nov. 25. Woohoo!

Sooo, 2 Wochen “IT-Schulung” absolviert. Zum einen, das war leider alles nur keine Schulung – es war eine Verkaufsveranstaltung. Ich kam mir ein wenig vor wie bei AmWay, schade für die anderen Teilnehmer. Mir persönlich hat das ganze nämlich schon etwas gebracht, ich habe mich ja knapp 10 Jahre von der Gesellschaft abgekapselt und bin vor ihr davongelaufen. Eine Art “Gesellschaftstraining” war das ganze für mich… mehr aber auch nicht.

Es ging in diesem “Kurs” ohnehin nur darum: “Wie bringen wir diese Hartz IV-Empfänger dazu, den jeweiligen Fallmanager (so heißen die Sachbearbeiter) davon zu überzeugen das der dort angepriesene Kurs (MCITP SA), das Non-Plus-Ultra auf dem krisengeschüttelten Arbeitsmarkt darstellt. Denn alle die entlassen worden seien, wären ja nicht aktuell zertifiziert… pffh. Wenn die das in allen Schulungscentern die mit dem Arbeitsamt zusammenarbeiten erzählen, dann müßten Mitte nächsten Jahres eine Menge zertifizierte 2008er Server Administrators durch Deutschland rennen.

Gut, man muß das ganze wieder versuchen aus mehreren Richtungen zu sehen, …es waren ja alle Teilnehmer “Hartz-IV-Jungs”… wenn man eben so weit ist, muß man eben nehmen was  man bekommt – so wahrscheinlich der Grundgedanke. Für mich war es ohnehin eher eine Resozialisierungs-Maßnahme. Aber was war es für die anderen Hartzi’s? Da waren welche, die hatten Studiert oder waren über 20 Jahre im IT-Sektor beschäftigt. Richtige Profis waren das zwar alle nicht (mich eingeschlossen), doch denke ich das deren Teilnahme nicht die Resozialisierung zum Ziel hatte… Die haben ganz andere Wünsche und Sorgen.

Und da kommt nun genau das störende und meiner Meinung nach nicht korrekte:

“Auf dem Rücken von Persönlichkeiten und Lebenssituationen wird hier Handel getrieben. Man macht ein Geschäft aus sozialen Missständen. Dabei wird hier auch noch mit Wissen gehandelt, was das ganze meiner Meinung nach noch schlimmer macht.”

Uns wurde nahe gelegt, das man den Kurs (die Zertifizierung) auch bestehen könnte wenn man denn  im Internet die Prüfungsfragen findet. Wenn also jemand mit 100%, das wären 1000 Punkte besteht – “dann ist das eben so” …

Das war schlimmer als beim Pferdehandel, wir (die Hartz-IV’ler) haben nur leider schon alles verloren. Man muss bedenken das an diesem Kurs leute mit Schulden teilgenommen haben – der Trainer hatte nichts besseres zu tun als von seinen Freunden (aus der IT-Branche) zu erzählen,die 10 Tage im Jahr arbeiten und den Rest des Jahres auf Ihrer Yacht sind…. haha – er könnte das ja auch tun, doch lieber sei er hier in Deutschland und arbeite mit “Leuten wie uns”… haha. Da macht man sich schon seine Gedanken.

Vielleicht war auch das das Ziel:”Die Denkmaschine aktivieren”… Man nimmt Teil, regt sich drüber auf und fühlt sich besser. Ist ja auch ein Ansatz, doch wenn Steuergelder für “fordernde zu Förderende” nur ausgegeben werden um Menschen zu zeigen das Eigeninitiative der einzige Weg aus der jeweiligen schlechten Lage ist, dann ist das doch einfach Geldverschwendung… Man sollte doch versuchen Menschen ein Ziel zu geben… Und nicht private Geldgeile Schulungscentren (denen es wirtschaftlich wahrscheinlich ähnlich geht wie einem Hartz-IV-Empfänger) auf sie ansetzen – die kennen doch sowas wie Schweigepflicht nicht. Ethisch ist das alles sehr Fragwürdig.

Also alles in allem fühle ich mich zwar besser, doch so würde ich mich auch fühlen wenn ich vom Arbeitsamt einen Führerschein bezahlt bekommen hätte… Naja, man kann sich ja auch denken, “Ich will ja nicht das die in diesen Schulungscentern auch noch arbeitslos werden.” – So viel Kapitalist bin ich jedoch leider nicht und werde es wahrscheinlich auch niemals sein…!

Ich will natüüürlich alles mitnehmen was geht, doch irgendwie fühlt man sich schon ein wenig blöd bei der ganzen Geschichte…

So ist diese Gesellschaft scheinbar… man entfernt sich von Ihr – so weit es nur geht. Man kommt wieder zurück und denkt sich – “wäre ich mal lieber im Nirvana geblieben, es ist ja alles nur noch schlimmer geworden.”.

Das einzige was mich da aufbaut ist meine Familie, meine Familie lässt mich diesen Mist durchstehen – ohne deren Liebe hätte ich schon wieder aufgegeben…

Mal sehn wie es weitergeht…!