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Showing posts from 2017

National Geographic - wondering about grants ...

I've just discovered that National Geographic actually give out grants!  They state that they "i nvest in bold people and transformative ideas in the fields of conservation, education, research, storytelling, and technology. Our goal is to identify, cultivate, and develop the world-changers of today and tomorrow". Joining a grant scheme means joining a community of like-minded people, as the site says here . " The National Geographic Society awards grants for conservation, education, research, storytelling, and technology through its Committee for Research and Exploration. All proposed projects must be novel and exploratory, and be of broad interest. National Geographic Society grant-funded projects should be bold, innovative, and transformative." Nat Geo has always been my passion and this year I have renewed my subscription after finding out that I end up buying most of the year's issues anyway. I guessed I may as well!  Embarking on the

Christmas Time - Fun & Games or Peace & Quiet

I was in much of a quandary as to what to do with my Christmas as I was not in a great mood to make any plans. In part I have been suffering from anxiety, and was not up to parties - even because all the eating and boozing does nothing to effectively help the morale.  Indeed, great alcohol intake triggers off anxiety once the initial effect has worn off, which is not something I need.  Being out of a stormy relationship and having stepped away from an inefficient attachment, I found myself on an emotional plateau that I did (do) not want to disturb. So, I spent Christmas lunch at mum's with all my family, as I usually do (bar the times I travel) and it was quite fine, except for raging stomach pains from having partied too hard in the two days prior.  Indeed, my work lunch and evening party meant that I had eaten more than I could handle and had more to drink than I should.  Nevertheless, I survived and watched a couple of cute films on mum's sofa in the evening. On Boxi

Approaching Christmas ...

It is hard to believe how fast this year has flown, and what with a steam-rollering of events and a quick succession of changes, I find myself looking towards Christmas with no other plans that my mother's Christmas lunch with my family, which of course always makes me very happy. Christmas is a time for being with family and friends, but it seems to me that we are all taken up by the upsurge of shopping, even against our will.  Well, not really. The matter is that it is nice to be out on the streets during Christmastime, with all the music and lights, but obviously the sad thing about it is that it is a public-relations exercise, and pretty little else. At this time of great cheer, we sometimes forget those who are not able to celebrate, or not in a place to do so. A little bit of generosity goes a long way to making others happy. The Malta Community Chest Fund organises L-Istrina every year - and raises large amounts of funds for the entire community, going to a number of

Weekend it is ....

And it is the weekend before Christmas ! This weekend, everyone will be bustling, shopping, dining and partying... So meanwhile, think of those who have dreams to fulfil but not the potential to do so! Malta has seen the set-up of the independent  initiative,  Children's Dreams , a project that collects and publishes children's dreams, an held in collaboration with the Foundation for Social Welfare Services .  These children live in Homes or are under some other social situation where they are being overseen by social workers.  You can then select the dream and leave your details so that the social worker can contact you and you can see how you wish to fulfil the dream and provide your gift. Isn't it a lovely thought ?

My 40th year... well 41st to be fair .

So this year I hit the big 40...  and (naturally by coincidence), a number of changes have hit me hard, starting from a few months before the actual day. I have resolved to do much with my life and the first thing I needed to do was to change job to something I like much more.  This came after a harrowing experience (on more than one count) in the previous workplace which rendered my position there impossible.  An undermining of character, unreciprocated loyalties and a boredom with the general workflow put me in such a position that I was required to move.  And so I did and initially it all worked very well.  However, when you give people the benefit of the doubt too easily, you find you might just consider yourself a dupe.  Making mistakes on top of that is enough to propel you into a state of despair... although I hope to update you with positive improvements on that one. One of the first things I planned, just before my birthday, was a trip to Paris with mum.  We visited all t