I'm a really bad blogger....

So as you can see I haven't blogged in a VERY long time.

My sincerest apologies.

A quick update on me.

I have been on vacation for the last couple of weeks and will be heading home in 5 days. It's amazing how fast a vacation can fly by.

On this vacation I have explored Zurich & Lucerne in Switzerland and the ski village of Zermatt (home of the original Matterhorn mountain), stood on pyramids, climbed through tombs, and rode a camel in Egypt (btw..if anyone tells you riding a camel is not uncomfortable... THEY ARE LYING! My camel was named "Bob Marley" and he liked to run...not good.), and I am now on my way to Maui to lay on the beach for the remainder of my vacation.

If you ever have the opportunity to visit Cairo, I sincerely encourage you to do so. It really is an amazing city with such rich history and incredible sites. I felt like a 5th grader looking up from the pages of my history book to actually standing in front of the great pyramids of Giza and the awe inspiring Sphinx.

Mind you, it is not the cleanest city in the world, but look past the dirty streets to the museums, artifacts, pyramids, tombs etc that await to be explored. I also had the opportunity to spend the day in Alexandria, and it was also a fulfilling experience. The Library of Alexandria is a modern marvel. So much to see and do.

I was lucky enough to have a private guide and driver during my stay and that made an incredible difference. I am sincerely grateful to Hamada, and Ahmed for their translation assistance, history tours, great laughs and mad driving skills (I have never seen such traffic in all my travels in all the world!) If you or anyone you know is considering going, I am happy to share their contact information as the trip will be that much more memorable with them along.

***FTC Disclaimer: I am not receiving any compensation by promoting the private tours of Egypt.***

So I have now survived the 11 1/2 hour flight from Cairo to JFK and am now waiting to board my next flight to Maui.

I hope this message finds everyone healthy, happy and well.

I will work on improving my blogging skills and post some pictures when I have more time.

All the best!
JB

2nd month of 2010

The first month of 2010 has come and gone, and what have we learned? 

Any new insights? Lessons? 

I can say that I lived the first month of 2010 the exact way that I lived just about every other month of 2009, working.  This is something I am trying remedy.  Not remedy like finding a cure for an illness, but strive to find that work life balance that has eluded me for the last few years.

I was reading through one of my favorite websites and came across an article by a Dr. Frank Lipman. He was writing what he thought are 20 great new years resolutions for 2010.  Before I saw his list, I started to think, “Yeah, another “guru” trying to tell me how to live my life for 2010 and what I should or should not be doing, and I’m sure there is something in the list about losing weight, going to the gym, running that marathon or all the typical new years resolutions you always read.” Well, I’m happy to report I was pleasantly surprised. I found a list that included the basics, but also included those outlier type of thoughts that we may have every once in awhile, but rarely write down or follow through. 

The beauty of this list, lies within it’s intrinsic simplicity.

20 New Year Resolutions

1. More Real Food, Less "Food-like Substances",
2. More Fruit and Vegetables, Less Sugar, Wheat and Corn
3. More Organic, Less Toxic
4. More Chewing, Less Eating
5. More Water, Less Soda
6. More Recycling, Less Waste
7. More Walking, Less Driving
8. More Exercising, Less Watching TV
9. More Outdoors, Less Indoors
10. More Sleep, Less Worry
11. More Calm, Less Chaos
12. More Being, Less Doing
13. More Consciousness, Less Ignorance
14. More Smiles, Less Anger
15. More Love, Less Hatred
16. More Play, Less Serious
17. More Letting Go, Less Holding On
18. More Forgiving, Less Blaming
19. More Generosity, Less Greed
20. More Ubuntu, Less Me!

Ubuntu means what makes us human is the humanity we show each other. It is a Xhosa (South African) word and philosophy emphasizing community, sharing and generosity. (Resolution list compiled by Dr. Frank Lipman)

So you’ve read the list. You’ve nodded your head yes, and done the “oh”, and the inevitable, “uh, huh..yeah right...” Well what are you going to do about this list? Did you make your own? Are you the type that refuses? Why?

Maybe it’s time to adopt at least one item from this list and try to incorporate it into your life. Why not? What do you have to lose? One of the biggest problems with resolutions or any goal is that we try to do everything at once, rather than taking it slow. Slow and steady wins the race. I know for a fact, that if I was to say, “No more sugar whatsoever for the rest of 2010!”..I would have a mental breakdown and would be found picking the lock of my local chocolate shop trying to get my “fix.” Instead, I choose to say, less sugar and more water.  Now don’t get me wrong, I indulge myself every now and then but I also know my threshold and limits. I know what I’m capable of and what I can achieve. So I take it slow and eventually hope to be sugar free by the end of 2010 or maybe even 2011 heck..maybe I should make it an even 2012 since the world is ending anyways right? 

So the second month of 2010 is about to begin. What are your plans?

AN URGENT NEED

You have more than likely heard of the massive earthquake devastation that has hit the small island nation of Haiti.

I am currently in Puerto Rico for work, and not far from this island nation. While I am surviving the rains and sporadic flooding that has come upon this island overnight, I can only imagine what people are suffering through, just another island away. I think back to how often I fly through JFK airport in New York, and the faces I have often seen of mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, children and friends sitting at the Port-au-Prince Delta gate awaiting their flights departure. I can only pray for those individuals safety and survival.

This is a harsh reminder that we are not just citizens of our respective countries, but citizens of the world.

I write asking that we all try to do our part and help out. Now is the time to act. As often as you can, please forgo that Starbucks, lunch out, that unnecessary sweater, or shirt and donate instead. It's as simple as texting "Haiti" to 90999 to donate $10 through the American Red Cross. They will simply charge $10 to your cell phone bill.

If you know of anyone who is trying to get information about loved ones or friends on the island, please have them call the US State Department hotline that has been set up for Americans seeking info. 1-888-407-4747.

As you begin your day, go throughout your day, or end your day, keep a prayer in your heart for those that are in need. A prayer for the husband, who can't find his wife. A prayer for the mother who can't find her child. A prayer for the child who can't find their parents. A prayer for the brother, the sister who long for a loved ones embrace. Pray.

Please pass this message on to as many people as possible.

Thank You.

A New Year, isn't it about time?

The first week of 2010 has come and gone, and what have we learned?

Any new insights? Lessons?

I can say that I lived the first week of 2010 the exact way that I lived just about every other week of 2009, working. This is something I am trying remedy. Not remedy like finding a cure for an illness, but strive to find that work life balance that has eluded me for the last few years.

I was reading through one of my favorite websites and came across an article by a Dr. Frank Lipman. He was writing what he thought are 20 great new years resolutions for 2010. Before I saw his list, I started to think, “Yeah, another “guru” trying to tell me how to live my life for 2010 and what I should or should not be doing, and I’m sure there is something in the list about losing weight, going to the gym, running that marathon or all the typical new years resolutions you always read.” Well, I’m happy to report I was pleasantly surprised. I found a list that included the basics, but also included those outlier type of thoughts that we may have every once in awhile, but rarely write down or follow through.

The beauty of this list lies within it’s intrinsic simplicity.

20 New Year Resolutions

1. More Real Food, Less "Food-like Substances",
2. More Fruit and Vegetables, Less Sugar, Wheat and Corn
3. More Organic, Less Toxic
4. More Chewing, Less Eating
5. More Water, Less Soda
6. More Recycling, Less Waste
7. More Walking, Less Driving
8. More Exercising, Less Watching TV
9. More Outdoors, Less Indoors
10. More Sleep, Less Worry
11. More Calm, Less Chaos
12. More Being, Less Doing
13. More Consciousness, Less Ignorance
14. More Smiles, Less Anger
15. More Love, Less Hatred
16. More Play, Less Serious
17. More Letting Go, Less Holding On
18. More Forgiving, Less Blaming
19. More Generosity, Less Greed
20. More Ubuntu, Less Me!

Ubuntu means what makes us human is the humanity we show each other. It is a Xhosa (South African) word and philosophy emphasizing community, sharing and generosity. (Resolution list compiled by Dr. Frank Lipman)

So you’ve read the list. You’ve nodded your head yes, and done the “oh”, and the inevitable, “uh, huh..yeah right...” Well what are you going to do about this list? Did you make your own? Are you the type that refuses? Why?

Maybe it’s time to adopt at least one item from this list and try to incorporate it into your life. Why not? What do you have to lose? One of the biggest problems with resolutions or any goal is that we try to do everything at once, rather than taking it slow. Slow and steady wins the race. I know for a fact, that if I was to say, “No more sugar whatsoever for the rest of 2010!”..I would have a mental breakdown and would be found picking the lock of my local chocolate shop trying to get my “fix.” Instead, I choose to say, less sugar and more water. Now don’t get me wrong, I indulge myself every now and then but I also know my threshold and limits. I know what I’m capable of and what I can achieve. So I take it slow and eventually hope to be sugar free by the end of 2010 or maybe even 2011 heck..maybe I should make it an even 2012 since the world is ending anyways right?

So the second full week of 2010 has begun. What are your plans?