Life is Life...Fight for it!

Do we determine each moment of our life based on the decisions we make, the actions we take and the choices we face?

Do you sometimes wonder whether or not things would be different if we had done something differently?

I don't have any regrets and I believe that no-one should...however, sometimes I can't help but ponder over what could have been or where I'd be if a particular thing didn't happen or if something had gone differently. 

So many things have happened for the best, yet some things haven't. What happened to having a plan and sticking to it? How do we know whether what we are doing is right? 

I know the answer is that we just can't. Life is for living, to learn, to pass, to fail, to laugh, cry and make mistakes. To make decisions and then live with the consequences of these actions, be it good or bad.

Is it really easy to lose yourself if you don't pay attention to what life throws your way?

Hansel said to Gretel, let us drop these breadcrumbs…so that together we can find our way home, because losing our way would be the most cruel of things.

Losing your way on a journey is unfortunate...but, losing your reason for the journey…is a fate more cruel. And once you lose yourself, you have two choices: either find the person you used to be, or lose that person completely.

Because, sometimes, you have to step outside of the person you’ve been.

And remember the person you were meant to be. The person you wanted to be. . . 

I just can't help thinking about what I have done, where I am right now and how I got here. What does the future hold for me? 

Over the past year, it has been one hell of a hurdle - graduating and entering the real world (work) and facing the pressure to figure out your life, your career and ambitions. 

I have undergone many changes and don't know whether it's purely because I didn't have the will power and strength to follow through, or maybe I didn't really know what I wanted and it was just what I thought I wanted. I am not even sure I have figured any of it out yet. . .

When I was in high-school, I loved science...I was passionate and I always wanted to be able to help people...(at least that hasn't changed) and I used to dream about being a doctor 'when I grew up' !

But then, I got to college and something changed - I came home with totally different subjects which had replaced Chemistry and Biology and I ended up taking Economics, Mathematics and Psychology. 

I did think about it carefully and although later on, for the teeniest amount of time, I did regret it...I never questioned my decisions. When I went to uni to study Economics, Finance and Management, I never once felt like I was making a mistake - I knew I loved the subject and I thoroughly enjoyed my degree, well, most of it. I am a strong believer of the saying "Everything happens for a reason" and I truly feel that it does.  

I just can't bring myself to understand it sometimes...and I have started wondering whether it is actually circumstances and opportunity that helps in changing our mind and influencing certain actions - or merely just assisting us in finding our path?! 

Throughout my degree, I thought it was a Finance career I wanted. I loved most of the finance modules at uni and I was actually good at them, so, it was finance graduate schemes I was applying to. I didn't have much luck with it - I am partly blaming the economy and the tough times we are facing - or at least it was worse when I was at uni last year, however, I also began to realise that maybe finance wasn't for me. I have always loved the theory and I still do, I love solving problems and when it comes to maths, I love that challenge!

Anyway, I still gave it a chance and was willing to find out whether it really was for me, in practice anyway. 

I went back to The Trust to continue volunteering with the Finance Team and the Director of Finance has always supported me, in fact she still does and I will always be grateful to her - an amazing woman and a true inspiration. 

One month in, and I was given the opportunity to try out within Communications. I took it, because I was looking for a job and all I wanted was to gain some experience. Soon after, I was asked to interview for a position that opened up and I was offered a fixed term contract. I can't say I ever saw myself within Communications and PR, but did I see myself within Finance? All I can say is, I can't thank The Trust and everyone I work with enough for the opportunity. During my time with The Trust, I have learnt a great deal and the people will always remain close to my heart. A perfect first job and I am most definitely a different person - I have developed skills I never thought I had and I have realised my potential. I have learnt to express my views and passions and more importantly, I have discovered a career path which I hope I will be good at. 

So, I can't help but wonder that if I wasn't given that opportunity 8 months ago, where would I be right now? Would I be working in Finance? Would I have ever discovered Public Relations/Communications? I can't guarantee that this is the way it will go, neither can I predict my future...

My contract with The Trust ends soon and although I am extremely saddened by the thought, I am trying really hard to see it all as a positive. A new chance, a new opportunity and a chance to discover myself. I think most people I know can agree with how competitive jobs are these days and how utterly depressing it is, but, I know that we can do it...because we are amazing and we just need to be patient. Somebody will discover us soon enough and we have the rest of our lives ahead of us!! ;-)

Whatever happens, it's all part of the fun. 

Life is a long long journey. There will be difficulties, there will be a lot of happiness as well as a lot of sadness, but we need to live it how we want to, and regardless of how we get to where we are, we should just embrace every opportunity. Live life to fullest and one day I hope that we all find our way and become who we truly wish to be. 

Albert Einstein once said: "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning."

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.
Life is beauty, admire it.
Life is bliss, taste it.
Life is a dream, realise it.
Life is a challenge, meet it.
Life is a duty, complete it.
Life is a game, play it.
Life is a promise, fulfill it.
Life is sorrow, overcome it.
Life is a song, sing it.
Life is a struggle, accept it.
Life is a tragedy, confront it.
Life is an adventure, dare it.
Life is luck, make it.
Life is too precious, do not destroy it.
Life is life, fight for it.

(Mother Teresa)

Much Love,

Anokhi 

The government confirmed yesterday that they are totally scrapping the forest sell-off. The phoney consultation has been cancelled. The sinister legal changes to pave the way for privatisation have been dropped. – This is absolutely fabulous news!!

Caroline Spelman, the environment secretary, has issued an unequivocal apology to the House of Commons after taking personal responsibility for the "wrong" decision to change the ownership of 258,000 hectares of state-owned woodland.

Spelman, who agreed with David Cameron to bring forward the announcement of her U-turn by 24 hours to allow MPs to be informed before their half-term break, opened with a simple statement. "I would first like to say that I take full responsibility for the situation that brings me before the house today," she said.

Tory MPs, who had been warning Downing Street of a backlash across the country against the sell-off plans, sat mostly in silence as Spelman offered an apology.

"I am sorry, we got this one wrong, but we have listened to people's concerns," Spelman said. "I would like to thank colleagues for their support through what has been a difficult time. I now want to move forward in step with the public."

The power of people has done it again!

Next time someone tries to tell any of you that signing petitions or emailing our MPs doesn’t work, you’ll know exactly what to say:“People power does work. Just look at the Save Our Forests campaign”.
38 Degrees members voted to start this campaign. They knew that making forests safe for future generations was something worth fighting for. So they signed the petition, emailed our MPs, put up posters in our local woodlands, organised local events, and chipped in for a people-powered opinion poll and national newspaper ads.

Local groups joined in, as did national organisations like the National Trust, Friends of the Earth, and Greenpeace, and celebrities who spoke out in the press. “Together we stopped the sell-off plans.”
38 Degrees isn't funded by big business, government or political parties - winning campaigns relies on thousands of us chipping in. To help keep us campaigning on the issues that matter to you, you can chip in by making a:
Direct Debit donation:http://www.38degrees.org.uk/Direct-Debit

One-off donation: http://www.38degrees.org.uk/we-saved-our-forests

Highlights of the campaign:

• Thousands of 38 Degrees members voted to launch the Save Our Forests campaign in October 2010 when the government first announced their plans
• Over 500,000 38 Degrees members signed the “Save Our Forests” petition
• Over 100,000 38 Degrees members emailed or called their MPs urging them to stop the forest sell off
• Hundreds of 38 Degrees members donated to fund a people-powered YouGov poll which found that 84% of the public wanted the forests kept in public hands
• Thousands of 38 Degrees members chipped in nearly £60,000 to pay for ads in national newspapers to highlight that 84% of the British public opposed the forest sale
• Over 30 local groups around the country sprung up to campaign to stop the sell-off
• Over 220,000 38 Degrees members shared the campaign on Facebook.

ADORABLE: ‘Rare’ Twinnies born in the wild…

Did you know that the Eastern gorilla is the world's largest living primate?

Twin mountain gorillas have been born in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda.

Fewer than 800 mountain gorillas are thought to remain in the wild, though numbers are thought to be increasing.

The twins are both boys. CUTE!

The pair are thought to be the first Gorilla twins born in the African country since 2004 - and only the fifth pair to be born there ever.

Mum Kabatwa gave birth to the pair on 3 February 2011 in the Virunga Massif National Park

There are thought to be less than 800 mountain gorillas left in the wild

The Virunga Massif is so big it spreads into three countries in Africa, and although numbers of mountain gorillas are low they are thought be increasing.

Saving apes

Ape Alliance, an organisation that work to try and save apes, said: "Gorilla mothers usually have only one baby every four years or so - which is one reason why they are so vulnerable - so twins give a rare double gain in one birth."

 
=)

T-Mobile US are giving Away phones for Valentine’s Day: FREE!

What’s the catch?

Perhaps Cupid shot T-Mobile’s PR department in the backside?


Haha, whatever happened, T-Mobile have decided to make all of their phones free for February 11 and 12, as part of a Valentine’s Day deal. The offer applies to all phones, even their fastest 4G smartphones.


Wondering what the catch is? Too right, because T-Mobile would have to be crazy to give away smartphones and get nothing in return.  The catch, quite simply, is that you must ink a 2-year deal with the wireless carrier, which is something most smartphone buyers do anyway.
The goal of the promotion is to reach a larger market with their data plans.  Often, people may be able to afford the monthly fee but cannot afford the initial cost of the phone.
This could however, backfire, as people who can afford neither may opt for the free phone but may be unable to make the monthly payments.


T-Mobile is a German mobile wireless carrier and the 10th largest in the world.  Its smartphone offerings include the Android-powered T-Mobile G2, T-Mobile myTouch 4G, and Samsung Vibrant, the BlackBerry Curve, the HTC HD7, and many others.

Will you spread the love this year by getting your ‘free’ phone?!

If you want to share the love with T-Mobile on Valentine’s Day, you will have to marry them first.  

MUBARAK NEEDS TO RESIGN. . . however, he still hangs on to power!!

After just hearing Mubarak's speech, I couldn't help but scream at my laptop while I watched..


What on earth was he saying?


As Mubarak continued to talk, it became very clear that he would not be announcing his departure from power. He will stay on until September elections. This news has not gone down well with the crowds gathered in Tahrir Square as well as the millions watching LIVE right now!

Reports say Mr Mubarak is delegating power to his vice-president. It seems he is not stepping down, but he is handing some responsibilities to his deputy.

Egyptian academic Mamoun Fandy says Mr Mubarak's words "will not wash". He says: "These young people are too smart. I don't know whether the disaster will start tonight or tomorrow, but we're in for a huge confrontation. Whoever wrote that speech is living in a bubble."

Mubarak said: "I was a young man as well when I joined the military and pledged to the nation and sacrificed to the nation. I spent my life defending Egypt's life and sovereignty. The best days of my life were when I raised the flag of Egypt over the Sinai and when I flew plans in Addis Ababa. There was no day when I was affected or gave in to foreign pressure."

"I believe that the majority of Egyptians know who Hosni Mubarak is and it pains me what has been expressed by some people from my own country. I am aware of the dangers facing us and out of my belief that Egypt is going through a very significant phase in its history, this compels us all to put the interests of the nation first and put Egypt above any consideration."

Maybe a few days ago his offer would have been accepted...however, now it is merely too late! HE IS JUST A SYMBOL OF CORRUPTION and his words are most definitely not going down well with the people. There will be protests for sure.

Mr Mubarak, 82, had previously said he would leave office only after presidential elections due to be held in September.

Negotiations between the government and opposition groups have made little progress, with protesters disillusioned at plans for reform put forward by Mr Mubarak's government.

In recent days, the US government had stepped up its call for the protesters' concerns to be addressed.

Full quote from Mr Suleiman: "The 25 January movement has succeeded in making a change in the party of democracy, history has begun. Constitutional decisions have been taken, commissions were formed to implement what the president decided in terms of directives in his 1 February speech. What the president announced today stresses once again his national feeling and his siding with the legitimate demands of the people and his commitment to the many pledges he made in the past. It also proves his awareness of the seriousness of the situation that Egypt is going through. The president had put the supreme interests of the people above everything else."

Chowraha: What Egypt Taught Me: People plus Media is equal to Power - an amazing read.


It's doubtful anyone in Tahrir Square just heard Mr Suleiman's speech - the noise of chants and horns is deafening.

The Valentines Effect

Ah, Valentine's Day. Some say it's the most romantic day of the year. Others dismiss it as merely a commercial boondoggle. Some find themselves dateless and depressed. For those of you in the last category, it could always be worse. You could be retaining a divorce lawyer. . .

While many people have been shopping online for Valentine's Day gifts to delight their other half, others hit the Internet for something less romantic...a divorce lawyer!

San Francisco-based LegalMatch, which bills itself as the largest Internet legal-matching service in the U.S, claims that the number of people seeking divorce attorneys, as well as attorneys to help with annulments and prenuptial agreements, increases significantly around Valentine's Day.

The term “Valentine’s Effect” was coined by a San Francisco-based law firm, which discovered that the number of Americans seeking divorce increases significantly around Valentine’s Day.

Twenga certainly knows how to capitalise on an "anti-trend".

Twenga offers thousands of products for everyone who is anti-Valentine's Day this year, whether single or in a relationship.

A gift for each kind of anti-Valentine

• One, tormented by happier days before a betrayal, seeks sweet revenge thanks to Voodoo dolls. 
• Another dreads the evening alone, but secretly knows a foot massager beats most men. 
• Some don’t know whether to bother showing up for dinner or just stay at home with their hot water bottle and sleeping mask set.
• Others will forget Valentine’s past or present and seek refuge in a luxurious box of chocolates.

About Twenga

Twenga, the new-generation search engine, enables millions of shoppers throughout the world to find what they want, at the best price, from the online store of their choice. Thanks to its proprietary technology, Twenga automatically gathers offers from online merchants and displays them in one searchable interface. As a result, Twenga has the most comprehensive listing of online shops. Its search results are objective and not biased by commercial relationships.

Founded in 2006 by Bastien Duclaux and Cedric Anes, Twenga runs 15 sites, including the United States, the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Brazil, Russia, Australia, India and China, displaying 300 million product offerings from more than 140,000 online shops. Twenga's sites received 45 million visits in November 2010. Twenga won the Red Herring 100 Global Award, the Company of the Future Award for the Paris Metropolitan area, the France Young Technology Leader Award and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award - Company of the Future Category, for France in 2010.

Website: http://www.twenga.com

SUPERBOWL XLV...If you don't deliver you really bomb!

The Super Bowl: always the ultimate marketing opportunity, with sales boosting better than around Christmas time... The 45th annual edition of the Super Bowl in American football that sees the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Green Bay Packers fighting for the title of NFL champion for the 2010 season is today, February 6, 2011.

In the past, the main media covering the event was traditional media, with random mentions online, and advertisers pumping cash in print, TV and radio commercials and marketing programs. However, now...social media has changed the trend.

I came across an article on the Guardian website that read:

"Super Bowl advertisers likely to pay $100,000 a second"

This being an equivalent of £62,000 a second. AMAZING!!!

Revenue from commercials during the game is expected to top $210m, according to Jon Swallen of Kantar Media, with the audience likely to smash last year's record of 106.5 million. Companies will be paying $3m for a 30-second spot. Prices dipped in 2010 but are now back at the 2009 peak. (Guardian)

"People watch for the commercials. It's the biggest opportunity to build awareness but if you don't deliver, you really bomb." (Swallen)

Check out Super Bowl: great moments in television advertising

The fans look forward to Super Bowl commercials almost as much as the game itself. This year brings some of the hottest names in show biz on screen: Justin Bieber, Ozzy Osbourne, Kim Kardashian… Yes, Kim Kardashian, recently the subject of another “nudity and fame” editorial, strips again, this time not for “W” magazine, but for Sketchers’ Super Bowl ad. 

The Super Bowl commercial that wins in the category “top banned Super Bowl commercials” is without any doubt PETA’s Veggie Love – a 2009 production that makes the headlines again. It is that time of the year, when all advertisements produced for America’s largest national celebration win, no matter how lame, obscure, or kinky. 

“Veggie Love” isn’t the first PETA video banned from the airwaves. PETA has a long list of ads “too hot” for TV, including Casey Affleck’s “Go Vegetarian” public service announcement; Alicia Silverstone in PETA’s first-ever naked veggie testimonial; the Kentucky Fried Cruelty: The Movie; and many others.

This year’s “Veggie Love” by PETA pales by comparison. The video is viral, but it’s unprofessional, and cheap.

Today's big winner might have the best game plan for tweets, links, likes and texts. It's not just about football anymore.

The companies that have forked over about $3 million for every 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl XLV telecast are also using social media more than ever as they seek more bang for their buck.

Long before the game began, big league brands like Pepsi, Doritos, Audi, Chevrolet and Mercedes-Benz kicked off Super Bowl campaigns that leveraged the consumer networking power of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Their goal is to create relationships with viewers that will continue long after the final gun sounds. That has turned the game, as the industry publication Advertising Age labelled it, into the "Social Bowl."

"Marketers are looking for ways to not just hit consumers over the head, but get people involved in the story line," said Mike Parker, president of the San Francisco Bay Area Interactive Group, an organisation for employees of local digital ad agencies and tech companies. "They're saying, 'Here's the start of the conversation. Now come and join in the discussion.' It's not just 30 seconds and out."

The whole of the US is caught up in the 2011 Super Bowl and it certainly means different things to different people. Some will be looking for Super Bowl food ideas: including Super Bowl appetisers, Super Bowl snacks, and other Super Bowl recipes to spice up the weekend. Others will be more interested in the game itself, and others will be watching purely for the adverts!

Kick-off time will be approximately 6:25 pm on the East Coast; 5:25 pm Central; 4:25 pm Mountain; and 3:25 pm Pacific which is around 11.25pm here in the UK.